Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[gottalovepluto]

I don’t know why Disney has to require stupid reservations!!!! Universal isn’t, why can’t they be more like them???

Wonder how capacity is at UO hotels. Guaranteed park admission theoretically should be helping UO hotel bookings...

 

[PrincessV]

After working part of this week in what is affectionately known in the theme parks as hell week I can say most people visiting right now care very little about social distancing and they are putting more emphasis on mask wearing. I see this everyday and people seem perfectly ok putting themselves in crowded areas when an option to social distance is available.
I believe that after buying a ticket most are just ok assuming a higher risk as opposed to playing it safer.

I just had a conversation at work about this - it's happening everywhere, not just in the theme parks. We see it at our beaches, in our stores and restaurants, in our parks and tourist places, at our workplaces. And yep, our numbers are skyrocketing.

~~

I'm sad to see that my previous analogy of the frog in a slowly heating pot of water is coming to fruition. Disney keeps moving the safety protocol goalposts a little at a time, and the majority of visitors accept it as being safe - I assume because of faith that Disney wouldn't make changes that aren't safe?

My problem isn't so much with the plexiglass, or reducing social distancing on rides (though I do find those troublesome): the latest changes make me feel less safe, so I'm just adding things to my personal Won't Do That list. My problem is this: in the beginning, Disney made a huuuuge effort to educate potential visitors on its COVID safety protocols and explained - with a medical officer - why the protocols are necessary. But it's radio silence on all the loosening of protocols. I haven't seen any expert say "Hey, it turns out social distancing isn't necessary on rides of any kind, only in the queues for the rides!" If that is true, it would be enormously beneficial to all types of businesses to have that information, so why be quiet about it? Unless it isn't true, of course.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I just had a conversation at work about this - it's happening everywhere, not just in the theme parks. We see it at our beaches, in our stores and restaurants, in our parks and tourist places, at our workplaces. And yep, our numbers are skyrocketing.

~~

I'm sad to see that my previous analogy of the frog in a slowly heating pot of water is coming to fruition. Disney keeps moving the safety protocol goalposts a little at a time, and the majority of visitors accept it as being safe - I assume because of faith that Disney wouldn't make changes that aren't safe?

My problem isn't so much with the plexiglass, or reducing social distancing on rides (though I do find those troublesome): the latest changes make me feel less safe, so I'm just adding things to my personal Won't Do That list. My problem is this: in the beginning, Disney made a huuuuge effort to educate potential visitors on its COVID safety protocols and explained - with a medical officer - why the protocols are necessary. But it's radio silence on all the loosening of protocols. I haven't seen any expert say "Hey, it turns out social distancing isn't necessary on rides of any kind, only in the queues for the rides!" If that is true, it would be enormously beneficial to all types of businesses to have that information, so why be quiet about it? Unless it isn't true, of course.

"yeah, but it is still safer than the grocery store!!!!!"

Well, my wife is currently in isolation because she contracted Covid at a grocery store (only place she has been out of the house) so maybe lets not use that as the bar to cross?

and maybe time to move form "safer" to things that are just "safe"

 

[BorderTenny]

I don’t know why Disney has to require stupid reservations!!!! Universal isn’t, why can’t they be more like them???

And yet on the UOAP FB group, any suggestion of a reservation system is met with intense negativity, even though the parks hitting capacity has been an issue for weeks.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I just had a conversation at work about this - it's happening everywhere, not just in the theme parks. We see it at our beaches, in our stores and restaurants, in our parks and tourist places, at our workplaces. And yep, our numbers are skyrocketing.

~~

I'm sad to see that my previous analogy of the frog in a slowly heating pot of water is coming to fruition. Disney keeps moving the safety protocol goalposts a little at a time, and the majority of visitors accept it as being safe - I assume because of faith that Disney wouldn't make changes that aren't safe?

My problem isn't so much with the plexiglass, or reducing social distancing on rides (though I do find those troublesome): the latest changes make me feel less safe, so I'm just adding things to my personal Won't Do That list. My problem is this: in the beginning, Disney made a huuuuge effort to educate potential visitors on its COVID safety protocols and explained - with a medical officer - why the protocols are necessary. But it's radio silence on all the loosening of protocols. I haven't seen any expert say "Hey, it turns out social distancing isn't necessary on rides of any kind, only in the queues for the rides!" If that is true, it would be enormously beneficial to all types of businesses to have that information, so why be quiet about it? Unless it isn't true, of course.

It isn’t true. It not the case that it’s black and white enough to say social distancing isn’t necessary in this indoor space but it is in this indoor space. It would be horrendously irresponsible if they came out and made distinctions like that IMO. Distancing is always going to be more helpful than not even though it isn’t bulletproof.

All the covid preventions are layers that decrease the risk, so it’s hard to say one isn’t necessary and doesn’t decrease risks, you know? It’s more comparable to the restaurants IMO. It’s not that you can’t catch Covid in a restaurant without your mask, it’s that the restaurants and feeding people are necessary for the function of the parks. I see this as kind of the same, it’s become necessary for the parks to function how they want them to. I think they are sacrificing the decrease in risk that distancing on attractions provides to allow for it. I think save for a few attractions that is largely a risky move but they didn’t ask me and I’m not returning until the Covid risk is greatly decreased so I’m thinking they just don’t care what more risk averse people have to say about it.

An outbreak would have to be massive or within the CMs to make news at this point IMO. With everything else burning around them, I think the PR concerns have taken a back seat to getting people through the gates.

 

[NickC]

FYI 20% off Joffreys is a perk of the Chase Disney Visa. Works on the credit card and on the debit card. Anyone with a Chase checking account can get a Disney version debit card.

That's good to know. I have a Disney Visa, and we used the reward dollars towards dining and souvenirs each year. We haven't been using it as much since we don't have plans to go back until 2022.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

"yeah, but it is still safer than the grocery store!!!!!"

Well, my wife is currently in isolation because she contracted Covid at a grocery store (only place she has been out of the house) so maybe lets not use that as the bar to cross?

and maybe time to move form "safer" to things that are just "safe"

Hope your wife is okay, and the rest of your family stays healthy as well!

 

[Farro]

"yeah, but it is still safer than the grocery store!!!!!"

Well, my wife is currently in isolation because she contracted Covid at a grocery store (only place she has been out of the house) so maybe lets not use that as the bar to cross?

and maybe time to move form "safer" to things that are just "safe"

I hope your wife is okay!

If it helps calms you, Micky's dad is 81 and diabetic due to pancreas removal years ago, he was Covid positive the week before Christmas (we were pretty scared) but is doing quite well now. We also have no idea how he got it, he's a very careful man.

 

[SaintsManiac]

"yeah, but it is still safer than the grocery store!!!!!"

Well, my wife is currently in isolation because she contracted Covid at a grocery store (only place she has been out of the house) so maybe lets not use that as the bar to cross?

and maybe time to move form "safer" to things that are just "safe"

Yikes! I hope she is ok. Sending you good vibes.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Hope your wife is okay, and the rest of your family stays healthy as well!

I hope your wife is okay!

If it helps calms you, Micky's dad is 81 and diabetic due to pancreas removal years ago, he was Covid positive the week before Christmas (we were pretty scared) but is doing quite well now. We also have no idea how he got it, he's a very careful man.

thanks! She is fine, just bored being stuck in the room. She did lose her sense of taste and smell so that has been annoying for her

More just me venting as being frustrated that we are super careful, don't go anywhere and she still caught it while we see tons of other people out and about, having fun

 

[Mit88]

If you ride Space Mountain and think your head is going to be taken clean off, wait until you ride Tron

 

[yulilin3]

thanks! She is fine, just bored being stuck in the room. She did lose her sense of taste and smell so that has been annoying for her

More just me venting as being frustrated that we are super careful, don't go anywhere and she still caught it while we see tons of other people out and about, having fun

Yeah I would be frustrated as well. My son tested positive as well, dec 23rd. He woke up with a fever and sore throat and immediately got tested. Haven't seen him since Thanksgiving and he's also super bored stuck in his room, fever only lasted one day and he's feeling fine and back to normal thankfully. obviously no way of knowing where he caught it since he's been gigging around central Florida, his gf has tested negative twice and they live and work together so go figure.

 

[SaintsManiac]

thanks! She is fine, just bored being stuck in the room. She did lose her sense of taste and smell so that has been annoying for her

More just me venting as being frustrated that we are super careful, don't go anywhere and she still caught it while we see tons of other people out and about, having fun

I'm glad it isn't more serious, although the loss of taste and smell does really freak me out. It scares me that a virus can do that to the human body.

Yeah I would be frustrated as well. My son tested positive as well, dec 23rd. He woke up with a fever and sore throat and immediately got tested. Haven't seen him since Thanksgiving and he's also super bored stuck in his room, fever only lasted one day and he's feeling fine and back to normal thankfully. obviously no way of knowing where he caught it since he's been gigging around central Florida, his gf has tested negative twice and they live and work together so go figure.

My nephew tested positive right before Christmas, but my sister and BIL did not. It's just so weird.

 

[osufeth24]

Yeah I would be frustrated as well. My son tested positive as well, dec 23rd. He woke up with a fever and sore throat and immediately got tested. Haven't seen him since Thanksgiving and he's also super bored stuck in his room, fever only lasted one day and he's feeling fine and back to normal thankfully. obviously no way of knowing where he caught it since he's been gigging around central Florida, his gf has tested negative twice and they live and work together so go figure.

Similar to a co worker we had. Had a person test positive, one person they worked with tested positive and the other person was negative. And the one negative was around them a lot longer than the other one.

 

[Jrb1979]

View attachment 546937


If you ride Space Mountain and think your head is going to be taken clean off, wait until you ride Tron

Its closed off due to them not continuing construction til October.

According to poster Seanual757 at WDWmagic "just the canopy will be completed then the wait until October 2021 for the construction to start up again."

 

[rteetz]

Its closed off due to them not continuing construction til October.

According to poster Seanual757 at WDWmagic "just the canopy will be completed then the wait until October 2021 for the construction to start up again."

I’m still not buying that.

 

[Jrb1979]

I’m still not buying that.

I do as they aren't finishing it due to financial reasons. They are still in cost saving mode.

 

[Marthasor]

Wonder how capacity is at UO hotels. Guaranteed park admission theoretically should be helping UO hotel bookings...

A UO hotel reservation no longer guarantees park admission. They changed the policy in October.

 

[rteetz]

I do as they aren't finishing it due to financial reasons. They are still in cost saving mode.

No it really doesn’t make sense. 2021 theoretically should start to pick up and they should be able to open more as the virus gets under control with vaccine roll outs. Shutting down construction for most of 2021 does not make sense especially when you have a highly anticipated anniversary in October. Halt new projects no doubt but stopping ones they are in the middle of like this just seems incredibly dumb.

 

[jade1]

Wonder how capacity is at UO hotels. Guaranteed park admission theoretically should be helping UO hotel bookings...

I'm kinda under the impression WDW is doing the same. Every time we added a DVC room-they gave us availability to all 4 parks.