Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[LSUmiss]

I remember when some of us on here were discussing how reopening would look and kept saying we would see long queues for everything because of the measure. Then they opened, no one came and we were all pleasantly surprised
There's no way of knowing if Chapek is lying about the numbers or not so i chose to believe him, but doubting him or agreeing with him will really change nothing, I move on

I don’t think he’s “lying” as much as being misleading. I think it is a 25% capacity cap but 25% of a figure that’s very high to start with like the parks’ max capacity.

 

[KBoopaloo]

I don’t think he’s “lying” as much as being misleading. I think it is a 25% capacity cap but 25% of a figure that’s very high to start with like the parks’ max capacity.

Except that this is the way that most every business is calculating their capacities - it is whatever the allowed percentage of their max capacity is. When calculating the max capacities for where I work we were surprised to discover how high they were and we realized we likely would not come close to our capacity limits on most days when we reopen. We just almost never operate at our full capacity during non COVID times even on a busy day. So while we are capping attendance based on the allowable limits, many visitors will likely come and feel like it is just as busy as it was when they visited before COVID.

Disney was clearly not coming close to their set capacity limits when they first opened and now they are most days (some days even meeting the limit)but the truth is that if more people had traveled back in July it could have felt the same then as it does now.

 

[LSUmiss]

I think Disney is going to end up with a problem because of the perceived line length. Families doing any sort of research at all are going to see those lines and those posted wait times, and unless they do serious research on real wait times, they are going to be worried - not just about the wait times, but about the crowding. Disney is going to have to combat the perception that it is a bad experience in order to keep drawing the crowds in.

Although I have wondered if maybe they have decided to cater to locals and APs only. That would explain why they can get rid of shows, streetmosphere etc - locals and APs are more likely going to come no matter what is missing. If distance travelers aren't going to come because of Covid, then you can make your business decisions based on what cuts a local will accept and still come to the park.

I know ppl who have cancelled already b/c of this, the coat & the reduced experience.

 

[yulilin3]

I don’t think he’s “lying” as much as being misleading. I think it is a 25% capacity cap but 25% of a figure that’s very high to start with like the parks’ max capacity.

what other than max occupancy would be the number they were using?

 

[PrincessV]

I see many talking about lines being in the sun being extremely hot. Normally I would not be one to carry an umbrella on a sunny day as 'normal' lines and umbrellas just don't work. In the days of SD lines, it would seem an umbrella is a good option to help keep the sun off your party and not negatively affect others around you.

Absolutely! As a Floridian, I keep an umbrella with me at all times, for sun protection and rain. Right now it has the extra benefit of forcing people to maintain social distance.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I don’t think he’s “lying” as much as being misleading. I think it is a 25% capacity cap but 25% of a figure that’s very high to start with like the parks’ max capacity.

What should he say instead though? The number of guests instead of a percentage doesn’t give the general public any better info as we lack the ability to translate that to what the park experience will feel like, especially during Covid.

Is he supposed to say the percentage will be unchanged, but then talk all about how that’s still gonna feel busy and too crowded for some, lol? Disney never promised low waits and low crowds, just their best attempt at safety.

 

[Jrb1979]

What should he say instead though? The number of guests instead of a percentage doesn’t give the general public any better info as we lack the ability to translate that to what the park experience will feel like, especially during Covid.

Is he supposed to say the percentage will be unchanged, but then talk all about how that’s still gonna feel busy and too crowded for some, lol? Disney never promised low waits and low crowds, just their best attempt at safety.

I think the issue many are having is they are so used to FP being a thing and not having to wait more the 20 minutes for an attraction. Now with these long waits especially with those with littles, it becomes a problem for many.
For me personally long waits don't bother me so much as it's normal for Cedar Point to wait 2 hours for the best rides.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I take 25% to mean 25% of their max occupancy. What else would it mean ?

I’m in NJ and that’s how it works for venues here. That’s why I cancelled my daughters quinceanera. I would have to find a venue that held over 500 people to accommodate 125-150 people. Way too expensive and stressful.

 

[TwoMisfits]

I think the issue many are having is they are so used to FP being a thing and not having to wait more the 20 minutes for an attraction. Now with these long waits especially with those with littles, it becomes a problem for many.
For me personally long waits don't bother me so much as it's normal for Cedar Point to wait 2 hours for the best rides.

I think it's the "no relief" part for the waits...there's nowhere to go to not experience a wait - no ride, no show, no meal, no store, etc...it's all hurry up (to the next back of the line) and wait for practically anything...

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I think it's the "no relief" part for the waits...there's nowhere to go to not experience a wait - no ride, no show, no meal, no store, etc...it's all hurry up (to the next back of the line) and wait for practically anything...

Exactly! That’s the biggest issue for me.

 

[Krandor]

https://blogmickey.com/2020/10/arti...jvg3CjNanj7cIp-OFTXKtdwY5vm1fm6yugDYOF2pzC0QQ

Those things are VERY nice.

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

Why do so many think Chapek is lying about 25%? I find that really bizarre. Do you think lying to national media is a good strategy to gain more visitors?

I think it’s 25% of your OLD max, that’s where the misleading part is in his statement. But if you laid off 28,000 (many of them at WDW) and still have some on furlough your current max wouldn’t be remotely close to your old one. I.e staffing food lines, shops, etc. Plus they closed parades, fireworks etc that suck up crowds so yeah the people FIT in the park but there is no where to go and not enough to eat.

I am questioning his 100%, and could it exist without mass chaos. I don’t think you could drop 4 times as many people in. Just the ROR boarding groups as it stands would cause disappointments galore.

 

[ryanpatricksmom]

I think it's the "no relief" part for the waits...there's nowhere to go to not experience a wait - no ride, no show, no meal, no store, etc...it's all hurry up (to the next back of the line) and wait for practically anything...

This exactly for us. DH is eligible for DAS, and it's almost impossible to find anything to do where he can be sedentary while waiting until his return time (unless you count sitting in the hot sun, which is a no go). He can only last maybe three hours in the parks anyway, so we are literally looking at experiencing 2 attractions and a meal on most days for our upcoming trip. They also have removed a lot of the guest services stations that used to be scattered around, or at least they had in August and September when we were there last, so I have to actually be at the attraction to obtain a return time which makes the DAS more difficult to use.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

That is one of the things. The youtubers, etc saying "the line for x is all tthe way back at y" isn't helpful and can give people a wrong impressiosn. People are going to tink "wow.. I've never seen it past Z before and that was a 2 hour line). That was also a non-socially distanced line. So unless you've been during covid and have a point of reference describing to people where a line snakes to doesn't really convey much infformation about how long time wise the line is and in many cases will make people think it is longer time wise then it is.

EDIT : not saying lines are not long but they need to be reported by time not "line is back to this location"

I think Disney is going to end up with a problem because of the perceived line length. Families doing any sort of research at all are going to see those lines and those posted wait times, and unless they do serious research on real wait times, they are going to be worried - not just about the wait times, but about the crowding. Disney is going to have to combat the perception that it is a bad experience in order to keep drawing the crowds in.

Although I have wondered if maybe they have decided to cater to locals and APs only. That would explain why they can get rid of shows, streetmosphere etc - locals and APs are more likely going to come no matter what is missing. If distance travelers aren't going to come because of Covid, then you can make your business decisions based on what cuts a local will accept and still come to the park.

Right? I can’t remember if that picture of the PotC and Splash lines meeting was shared here or if I saw that elsewhere, but if you know MK and walk by and see that, you’re probably going to have a knee jerk reaction that the line (and the wait) is insane before you have a chance to reason why it’s like that.

I know ppl who have cancelled already b/c of this, the coat & the reduced experience.

I'm hoping people have seen the insane distance that the lines are traversing and have cancelled their trips for next week!

 

[preemiemama]

what other than max occupancy would be the number they were using?

Not the person you asked, but at one point I remember there being a discussion about them using "typical" or "usual" capacity vs. max capacity. But obviously that isn't the case- and with them trying to run a business and make a profit I understand why.

 

[rstevens333]

If you just wanted to be in the MK and didn't care about attractions, what's good?

Surely there must be quiet areas and food that doesn't get huge lines, right?

All this congestion is probably due to the Peoplemover closure. It's kind of the main draw of the entire park.

 

[LSUmiss]

Perspective is really interesting. These standby waits sound pretty manageable to me. Philharmagic at 30 minutes makes sense considering the theater is limited capacity. Pre-covid it was common for Little Mermaid to spike over 60 minutes midday, Barnstormer often over 40 by late morning. In normal times, it was not uncommon to see long waits for the Speedway & teacups too. And only 35 for Buzz? I actually wouldn’t personally classify any of these as ridiculously long.

Obviously pre-covid, FP+ helped with touring strategy (and FP would not be helpful now as many people have explained) but these standby waits seem pretty reasonable to me

But a 60 min wait for little mermaid now snakes all the way to dumbo in the blazing sun & that it not about perspective. That’s just miserable.

 

[Jrb1979]

I think it's the "no relief" part for the waits...there's nowhere to go to not experience a wait - no ride, no show, no meal, no store, etc...it's all hurry up (to the next back of the line) and wait for practically anything...

That doesn't bother me at all as that's what I do at all parks I visit for the most part. The only time I stop is to eat.

 

[Krandor]

Not the person you asked, but at one point I remember there being a discussion about them using "typical" or "usual" capacity vs. max capacity. But obviously that isn't the case- and with them trying to run a business and make a profit I understand why.

Typical capacity would find up with different numbers for every day which seems like more work for little gain. Setting a number period of MK is current Max X and AK is currently max Y or whatever seems far easier to deal with instead of having max 10k monday, 12k tuesday, back to 11k wedneday then up to 20k on saturday (totally made up numbers)

 

[mi*vida*loca]

That doesn't bother me at all as that's what I do at all parks I visit for the most part. The only time I stop is to eat.

When I want to go into a store to shop or get some AC relief I don’t want to have to stand in a line in the hot sun. We use shows as “rest” time. That’s no more. Then the QS issues. Seems like there’s no breathing room. It’s a constant “hurry up and wait.”