Disneyland Reopening Speculation Superthread

[hiroMYhero]

the time a test is positive,

The newest COVID-19 tests have results in 24 hours. DD was involved with this test:
https://www.10news.com/news/coronav...ation-to-san-diego-companys-new-covid-19-test
If it is a CM who has tested positive, WDW’s onsite medical clinic will get the info out as quickly as possible.

Prior to WDW’s closure, CMs who went to the Disney medical clinic with COVID symptoms were told, “We’re out of tests today, go home and isolate.”

Now that tests are readily available, cases can be confirmed, and the Health Dept is tracing, they have to be as transparent as possible.

 

[Akck]

That's who our package is through as well but I swear someone else posted that people would be getting tickets delivered electronically so they could make their reservations. I am not flying to CA and paying all this to hope we can get into the parks.

I agree 100% and we’d cancel the trip. That was from another discount travel company that sold packages. I believe with Costco, you deal with dedicated Disney CMs, almost the same as buying directly from Disney.

 

[EmJ]

I don't think it's feasible to just close the park because an infected person went through there. This wasn't done with measles, and by the time a test is positive, so many days would have passed that any theoretical surface virus this person shed would be long gone (and an entirely new set of park goers would be in the park).

Plus, statistically speaking, if there are 20,000 people roaming the parks and even if you get down to 1% of them being asymptomatic positive, there's 200 people seeding virus all over the place. Lovely thought, huh?

I woke up today in a funk... yesterday I was, like you, 120% all-in and excited, today a bit of a different story. I wrote out all upcoming travel to DL & DVC bookings, and the $ and point consequences of cancellation. Ugh.

This is simultaneously both comforting and terrifying, lol.

I think the thing I've hated most about this whole pandemic experience is the emotional roller coaster. I'm trying to use only the analytical part of my brain in planning this trip and not let myself get to excited, or even really think that it might actually happen. It's not worth the heartache if/when it gets cancelled, you know?

 

[travelplanningnerd]

I agree 100% and we’d cancel the trip. That was from another discount travel company that sold packages. I believe with Costco, you deal with dedicated Disney CMs, almost the same as buying directly from Disney.

Ok I couldn't remember what I'd read. I called Disney direct and the CM said she said they don't have details but that they thought that people wouldn't be expected to travel all the way there with no certainty of getting into the parks. I was shocked. I only waited about 30 seconds. I'm not doing anything (including paying it off) for the moment.

 

[NorthernCalMom]

statistically speaking, if there are 20,000 people roaming the parks and even if you get down to 1% of them being asymptomatic positive, there's 200 people seeding virus all over the place. Lovely thought, huh?

This is why using face coverings and distancing and other measures (avoiding, if possible, indoor activities, cast members’ tenaciously cleaning high touch surfaces, etc) are so important. All the measures they put in place MINIMIZE (NOT eliminate) the risk of transmission (and if visitors understand this and are being compliant with the public health measures they are putting in place, then the risk will be lower than if we have people who don’t understand it and are being sloppy or are deliberately trying to game or beat the system). There is no such thing as 100% safety, but there are ways of making this LESS of a risk.

This will be the first summer in over a decade that my family and I haven’t gone to the parks. My husband’s annual conference at the Disneyland Hotel got postponed to an unspecified later date. Had it happened at the usual time (end of July/beginning of August), we would still have gone with him, safety/health measures and all. We are lucky enough to NOT be at super high risk if contracting it, but you never know—there’s always that one in a hundred whose body just doesn’t react as expected! There’s no simple “right” or “wrong” and no one-size fits all answer here, just different people’s being comfortable with different levels of risk.

I selfishly hope that many of us here on the boards will be comfortable enough with the associated risks to go and visit, since I am hoping to get to vicariously be there through your sharing your stories and photos with us here...

 

[TikiTikiFan]

This is why using face coverings and distancing and other measures (avoiding, if possible, indoor activities, cast members’ tenaciously cleaning high touch surfaces, etc) are so important.

Exactly. Disneyland opening in a safe way and not having any issues with outbreaks depends so much on everyone’s cooperation. That’s what makes me nervous haha! We’re watching those LA counts go up and if that area becomes the next outbreak we would probably postpone. I’m spoiled that my area has been very compliant with regulations (like masks- opening very slowly- etc) so our cases have dropped dramatically- I’m not leaving my bubble unless I feel it’s safe. I just hope Disney really enforces the mask rule- I’ve already seen so much pushback and ‘tips’ to fight it all over social media.

 

[midnight star]

This is why using face coverings and distancing and other measures (avoiding, if possible, indoor activities, cast members’ tenaciously cleaning high touch surfaces, etc) are so important. All the measures they put in place MINIMIZE (NOT eliminate) the risk of transmission (and if visitors understand this and are being compliant with the public health measures they are putting in place, then the risk will be lower than if we have people who don’t understand it and are being sloppy or are deliberately trying to game or beat the system). There is no such thing as 100% safety, but there are ways of making this LESS of a risk.

This will be the first summer in over a decade that my family and I haven’t gone to the parks. My husband’s annual conference at the Disneyland Hotel got postponed to an unspecified later date. Had it happened at the usual time (end of July/beginning of August), we would still have gone with him, safety/health measures and all. We are lucky enough to NOT be at super high risk if contracting it, but you never know—there’s always that one in a hundred whose body just doesn’t react as expected! There’s no simple “right” or “wrong” and no one-size fits all answer here, just different people’s being comfortable with different levels of risk.

I selfishly hope that many of us here on the boards will be comfortable enough with the associated risks to go and visit, since I am hoping to get to vicariously be there through your sharing your stories and photos with us here...
❤

Exactly. Disneyland opening in a safe way and not having any issues with outbreaks depends so much on everyone’s cooperation. That’s what makes me nervous haha! We’re watching those LA counts go up and if that area becomes the next outbreak we would probably postpone. I’m spoiled that my area has been very compliant with regulations (like masks- opening very slowly- etc) so our cases have dropped dramatically- I’m not leaving my bubble unless I feel it’s safe. I just hope Disney really enforces the mask rule- I’ve already seen so much pushback and ‘tips’ to fight it all over social media.

I need to keep reminding myself this! I'm like @EmJ where the whole pandemic has been an emotional roller coaster. I think I read too much news and scare myself lol.

 

[mentos]

I think I am sad because my daughter is 6, and there will come an age when she just won't want to hang out with her uncool parents at Disneyland anymore...it's become a lost year, and I hate that. Disneyland is finite in that respect, she probably won't be 16 years old riding Alice in Wonderland with us screeching with delight.

Granted, we stay at home and build LEGOs, camp out in the backyard, and have a great time. I can't say this has been all bad, but DL = pinnacle of childhood memories for me and I've had fun sharing that.

 

[dieumeye]

I think I am sad because my daughter is 6, and there will come an age when she just won't want to hang out with her uncool parents at Disneyland anymore...it's become a lost year, and I hate that. Disneyland is finite in that respect, she probably won't be 16 years old riding Alice in Wonderland with us screeching with delight.

Granted, we stay at home and build LEGOs, camp out in the backyard, and have a great time. I can't say this has been all bad, but DL = pinnacle of childhood memories for me and I've had fun sharing that.

Same here. Daughters are 6 & 4. Extra time at home with them has been nice, but ages/years are fleeting and it’s sad missing out on certain things. My older daughter has been making a list of things she wants to do once “the virus is over.” Definitely looking forward to that day!

 

[disneychrista]

I think I am sad because my daughter is 6, and there will come an age when she just won't want to hang out with her uncool parents at Disneyland anymore...i

my daughters never did. We did family trips until they were early to mid twenties. The only reason we stopped doing family trips was honestly we kind of just stop going.

 

[Katie Count]

I don't see my daughter tiring of it either. We have Disneyland planned for this year and she already was asking for WDW next year. We decided to do our Alaskan cruise next year (before all of the COVID-19 stuff happened. We'll see what happens with that...) because of Magic Kingdom's 50th anniversary. I figured it would be even more of a zoo with the anniversary stuff going on. We have WDW planned for 2022 and she'll be 11 turning 12

 

[EmJ]

Exactly. Disneyland opening in a safe way and not having any issues with outbreaks depends so much on everyone’s cooperation. That’s what makes me nervous haha! We’re watching those LA counts go up and if that area becomes the next outbreak we would probably postpone. I’m spoiled that my area has been very compliant with regulations (like masks- opening very slowly- etc) so our cases have dropped dramatically- I’m not leaving my bubble unless I feel it’s safe. I just hope Disney really enforces the mask rule- I’ve already seen so much pushback and ‘tips’ to fight it all over social media.

I really hope Disney takes a very hard line against anyone trying to game the mask requirement. It will all be in the first 72 hours. If stories start circulating that people are getting away with wearing masks under their chins, or no mask at all but a water bottle in hand, etc., it will be a free-for-all before the weekend is over. But, if the stories shared are that anyone caught without a mask is visited by security and escorted off the property, I bet they would have near-total compliance in the same amount of time.

Can anyone confirm that the mask requirement at WDW and/or DL is part of their agreement with the union to returning employees to work? If that is true, I think it has a higher likelihood of enforcement than simply a rule-in-name-only (like line cutting) that is not worth the hassle. But the union would not be happy if it agreed to return its employees to work if X, Y, and Z occur, and then X isn't enforced.

ETA: About one second of googling and the answer to the union issue seems to be yes at WDW at least.

 

[NorthernCalMom]

I think I am sad because my daughter is 6, and there will come an age when she just won't want to hang out with her uncool parents

I so get that! ❤ It is definitely a loss, I agree. My by far most favorite Disney memories and my favorite parts of our more recent visits are of how my kids experienced/experience the parks and how they reacted/react to all the little things. I loved it when the whole thing was still completely magical to them, but I love it now that they are teenagers (12 & 14) and take a more active role in my nutty type-A planning craziness, too. They’re definitely still ok to hang out with us—there’s just a lot more more eye-rolling and many more face palms on their end...

I am grieving the loss of innocence and the whole new layer of protectiveness that parents of young kids will have to go through (now and for who knows how long into the future). I treasure my memories (and mini movies made with my little Flip video cameras—that was before camera phones...) of my toddler girls’ dancing up a storm during Playhouse Disney, running through Bugs’ Land (RIP Heimlich), or chatting with and hugging characters (though my older one’s first encounter with Mickey led to hysterical screaming, since she had apparently imagined him to be only a tiny fraction of his actual size...).

Like with anything else in life, we will adjust, but there is a part of me that looks back with a bit of a lump in my throat as a time that once was and, in that particular way, will be no more.
❤

 

[EmJ]

I so get that! ❤ It is definitely a loss, I agree. My by far most favorite Disney memories and my favorite parts of our more recent visits are of how my kids experienced/experience the parks and how they reacted/react to all the little things. I loved it when the whole thing was still completely magical to them, but I love it now that they are teenagers (12 & 14) and take a more active role in my nutty type-A planning craziness, too. They’re definitely still ok to hang out with us—there’s just a lot more more eye-rolling and many more face palms on their end...

I am grieving about the loss of innocence and the whole new layer of protectiveness that parents of young kids will have to go through (now and for who knows how long into the future). I treasure my memories (and mini movies made with my little Flip video cameras—that was before camera phones...) of my toddler girls’ dancing up a storm during Playhouse Disney or chatting with and hugging characters (though my older one’s first encounter with Mickey led to hysterical screaming, since she had apparently imagined him to be only a tiny fraction of his actual size...).

Like with anything else in life, we will adjust, but there is a part of me that looks back with a bit of a lump in my throat as a time that once was and, in that particular way, will be no more.
❤

This is a little OT, but since everyone's feeling melancholy anyway.... When this all "started" in March, I told my husband that one thing that brought me comfort was that our son, age 5, probably wasn't going to remember any of it. Fast forward two months, and it occurred to me one morning that in reality, this may end up being his normal and he probably won't remember what life was like in the years before COVID.

I'm sad that he never got the Disneyland experience I wanted for him--including pictures with Mickey and Darth Vader, and a visit to Goofy's Kitchen. In a perverse twist, I'm now grateful he never knew those were options and I trust that we will still have a tremendous time whenever we get there. But I do feel sad for kids who knew what Disney SHOULD be, but can't anymore.

 

[Becca1007]

This is a little OT, but since everyone's feeling melancholy anyway.... When this all "started" in March, I told my husband that one thing that brought me comfort was that our son, age 5, probably wasn't going to remember any of it. Fast forward two months, and it occurred to me one morning that in reality, this may end up being his normal and he probably won't remember what life was like in the years before COVID.

I'm sad that he never got the Disneyland experience I wanted for him--including pictures with Mickey and Darth Vader, and a visit to Goofy's Kitchen. In a perverse twist, I'm now grateful he never knew those were options and I trust that we will still have a tremendous time whenever we get there. But I do feel sad for kids who knew what Disney SHOULD be, but can't anymore.

I bought annual passes in August last year for myself and my son (4 at the time) and we planned to go once a month culminating in a a HUGE 5th birthday bash for him at the park. Got a great deal on a 3BR suite at the Grand, all the grandparents, aunts & uncles were coming, we had reservations for birthday dinner at Napa Rose with a custom cake. He had been looking at the pool at the Grand every time we walked by and saying on my birthday I get to swim there ...

Alas, his birthday in May was celebrated at home with a simple cake and he was happy but he still talks about his "almost" birthday party at Disneyland.

I am on one hand glad that he got part of the experience and it was such a treat to hop down to DL on random weekdays to enjoy the park, but also sad that we won't get those kinds of experiences any time soon.

 

[Where's Wall-E]

I think I am sad because my daughter is 6, and there will come an age when she just won't want to hang out with her uncool parents at Disneyland anymore...it's become a lost year, and I hate that. Disneyland is finite in that respect, she probably won't be 16 years old riding Alice in Wonderland with us screeching with delight.

Granted, we stay at home and build LEGOs, camp out in the backyard, and have a great time. I can't say this has been all bad, but DL = pinnacle of childhood memories for me and I've had fun sharing that.

I'll be 41 this year and I would still go with my parents - just like we did almost every year from the age of 6 until my late teens. It's hard to think of your parents as "uncool" when they're forking out the loot for a trip to Disneyland.

 

[WonkaKid]

The DL “Temporary Closure” site was updated today but, unfortunately, there’s still no information on park reservations.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/travel-information/

 

[gottalovepluto]

I really hope Disney takes a very hard line against anyone trying to game the mask requirement. It will all be in the first 72 hours. If stories start circulating that people are getting away with wearing masks under their chins, or no mask at all but a water bottle in hand, etc., it will be a free-for-all before the weekend is over. But, if the stories shared are that anyone caught without a mask is visited by security and escorted off the property, I bet they would have near-total compliance in the same amount of time.

Can anyone confirm that the mask requirement at WDW and/or DL is part of their agreement with the union to returning employees to work? If that is true, I think it has a higher likelihood of enforcement than simply a rule-in-name-only (like line cutting) that is not worth the hassle. But the union would not be happy if it agreed to return its employees to work if X, Y, and Z occur, and then X isn't enforced.

ETA: About one second of googling and the answer to the union issue seems to be yes at WDW at least.

You can see masks in action reports from Disney Springs. You will not get in without an appropriate mask. If they see you without, people are being asked to put it back on. I absolutely don’t see security hauling off anyone because they weren’t wearing a mask while sipping their Starbucks. It’s a line Disney will walk as Univ is walking in Orlando now. No blow up refusal reports so far that have been reported on the boards AFAIK. The good part of the system that both Disney and Univ have in place is security catches the truly ardent anti-maskers at the entrance because they won’t even wear one to enter (I know someone who saw an anti-masker making a scene as they were turned away by Security at the entrance to DS for refusing to wear a mask).

 

[mentos]

my daughters never did. We did family trips until they were early to mid twenties. The only reason we stopped doing family trips was honestly we kind of just stop going.

I don't see my daughter tiring of it either. We have WDW planned for 2022 and she'll be 11 turning 12

I so get that! ❤ It is definitely a loss, I agree. My by far most favorite Disney memories and my favorite parts of our more recent visits are of how my kids experienced/experience the parks and how they reacted/react to all the little things. I loved it when the whole thing was still completely magical to them, but I love it now that they are teenagers (12 & 14) and take a more active role in my nutty type-A planning craziness, too. They’re definitely still ok to hang out with us—there’s just a lot more more eye-rolling and many more face palms on their end...

I'll be 41 this year and I would still go with my parents - just like we did almost every year from the age of 6 until my late teens. It's hard to think of your parents as "uncool" when they're forking out the loot for a trip to Disneyland.

Lol thanks y'all - so there's still hope! I'm mostly basing this off my childhood experiences - I was taking Disney trips on my own to hang out with friends by age 16 (like, flying on a plane solo/with friends and no adults) and I flew the coop at 18 for college and never looked back.

I'm close with my parents now, but that was an extraordinary long arc that I took. That's why I'm sad, because my DD6 is just like me, for better or worse!

But I do feel sad for kids who knew what Disney SHOULD be, but can't anymore.

I keep getting asked when the MSEP will be running again. I told her it's in Tokyo and we'll go.... then all this COVID happened. I can't win!

It doesn't help that the last time we visited, the esplanade audio loop was playing the parade music, and she got excited. I felt like a jerk telling her it was just the music!

 

[NorthernCalMom]

For those of us with small kids who may not be going back to the parks any time soon, there’s always this option:

Not sure if the link shows... it’s from PPP, was posted right after the closure, and shows super cute attempts at recreating the Disneyland experience at home for their little one... I doubt that this will work with teenagers, though?

If the link doesn‘t work just go to YouTube and search for “Provost we made disneyland in our basement”...