I give up - going to pack it in for now

[bellanotte10]

I guess I missed where they cancelled The Food & Wine Festival, but certainly expected it. Sadly, we're done.

I'm glad it will work out for the above poster who this policy was custom-made for, but you still have to get reservations to get into the park. No guarantees on that. Reduced crowds sounds wonderful until you're waiting just as long because of wiping down all the rides after every person disembarks. How about those bars and chains that separate ride lines? They'll definitely need to be wiped down often. Every family is different and loves different aspects of a Disney trip.
No pools and face masks in 95 degree heat? Sounds like a nightmare!!!

Where did you see they cancelled food and wine?

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

We had an April trip that we moved to October/November and also bought Halloween party tickets. Made a ton of ADRs and even non-buffet backups in the event they were restricted.

Went through the whole weekly process of waking up at 5:45am a few weeks ago and still not getting everything we wanted. I'm convinced they were already starting to limit tables and times because I came to the party late for the April trip and still was able to get almost everything we wanted. And im talking for larger parties too.

But I kinda felt with everything the way it was going that we never make it down. We arent spending thousands of dollars and going through the rigors and risks of flying with two little ones to go to a half-assed experience. And the entire idea of temperature checks, while useful is ridiculous to me because all you need to do is pop 3 extra strength Tylenol and you are guaranteed entry. Also many Covid cases are asymptomatic, so you aren't wedding those out.

The final straw for us is when they (or are) cancelled all of our existing plans (mine are still up and havent been removed yet). I cant be mad at Disney for doing this, it is smart but all of that time and energy is wasted. This whole situation just sucks. But we are talking a vacation and we need to keep things in perspective. Thankfully we are healthy and have our jobs. A lot of people are much, much worse off with serious events going on in their lives.

We dont know when we will be going back. Maybe next fall.

 

[MrsDanielle]

We had a week-long holiday booked for the first week of May. We own DVC and had booked a studio at the Poly which would have been our first time staying there!

I booked a couple days in early December at Saratoga as we had planned on going to the Christmas party after our cruise on Harmony of the Seas. I suspect we’ll be cancelling this trip as quite frankly, I don’t feel comfortable cruising at this time, and I doubt my sentiments will change much by December.

I’m also from Canada, so there’s also this issue of the closed border...

Iet’s just hope that in a year’s time, we‘Ll have a better handle on this virus and then can resume travelling as we once enjoyed.

 

[Boopuff]

Just had a sad discussion with my DD. We were originally going to celebrate her 30th. She's really upset. Originally today would've been the start to our trip. We moved it to August, now looking like August will be a nightmare (masks and limits) so we may try for 2021. It's hard especially since DDP has been removed (for now) hoping by the time we go the DDP will be back.

 

[focusondisney]

Sadly, this is such a big part of the experience that is just no longer viable. Some people would love just being able to walk into the parks again. I see this being doable for locals, but people dumping thousands of dollars to come for half the experience is just not justifiable.

I’m assuming you mean not justifiable “for you” & you are not trying to speak for anyone else. Justifiable expenses & “worth it” is very individualized. We are out of state AP holders. We have a trip scheduled July 13-18 & are still considering going. We very rarely do parades, fireworks or meet & greets. So for us, those things being unavailable doesn’t make it half the experience. Even at thousands of dollars, we will still get the experience we feel is valuable. But that’s just our opinion, on what will be worth it & have value for us. Everyone makes the decision on what is right for them. There is no blanket one size fits all answer.

 

[krisp66]

My family is clearly not 'the norm'.
Yes, wearing masks is an inconvenience, but we'll be wearing them wherever we are through the summer anyway!

We don't ever do the dining plan (we don't eat enough to justify the cost), we don't stay for fireworks, haven't met any characters for the last few visits, the only reason I like the parades is because we can get on ride faster, we never have breaks or resort days so don't care if the pools aren't open.....this awful situation has basically created my ideal trip with less people than I could ever have dreamed

This is us, too! My teen boys have not yet seen Galaxy's Edge. We just want to walk around and soak up the atmosphere and revel in those great Disney details. They don't give a flip about characters, pools or parades (although this mama will miss the nightly fireworks). Any rides we get to do will be icing on the cake.

I do REALLY regret that Disney cancelled our free DDP, because those boys each a LOT. We're going to wait until we hear reports from July and August visitors before we cancel our September plans.

 

[Darcy03231]

My family is clearly not 'the norm'.
Yes, wearing masks is an inconvenience, but we'll be wearing them wherever we are through the summer anyway!

We don't ever do the dining plan (we don't eat enough to justify the cost), we don't stay for fireworks, haven't met any characters for the last few visits, the only reason I like the parades is because we can get on ride faster, we never have breaks or resort days so don't care if the pools aren't open.....this awful situation has basically created my ideal trip with less people than I could ever have dreamed

I hope you have a wonderful trip with short ride lines!

If it had just been me, I probably would have just gone and winged it. I've been multiple times, done the parties, character dining, etc. Since this trip included young children and a big part of our plans involved character dining/interaction, parades, fireworks, etc. it made more sense for us to cancel. We'll reschedule once things return to some semblance of normal.

 

[mjr0483]

I’m assuming you mean not justifiable “for you” & you are not trying to speak for anyone else. Justifiable expenses & “worth it” is very individualized. We are out of state AP holders. We have a trip scheduled July 13-18 & are still considering going. We very rarely do parades, fireworks or meet & greets. So for us, those things being unavailable doesn’t make it half the experience. Even at thousands of dollars, we will still get the experience we feel is valuable. But that’s just our opinion, on what will be worth it & have value for us. Everyone makes the decision on what is right for them. There is no blanket one size fits all answer.

Yup sorry. You do you.

 

[KimmyD]

We have a trip scheduled for July 24 - 30. We are going. Its is just my husband and I, we have No idea what to expect. At minimum we think we get a few good meals and will relax with a cocktail by the pool

 

[LuvMyEAR]

DD and I are booked (off site) for Nov 28 - Dec 6. We have flights, accommodations, and park passes. Then it was decided that her DH and 2 DSs would be joining us. Now, even if the US/Can border opens and we can get flights for the extra family members, we have no idea if we will be able to get park tickets for them, or reservations for any of us.

So, we are like so many others, completely in limbo.

Honestly, reduced crowds and no Fast Passes would be a huge draw. I have come to detest the current FP+ system, and how it controls what used to be a great time in the parks, as we seem to be skipping many other experiences in order to hustle around to make our FP times. But no fireworks would be disappointing in the extreme.

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

I'm out as well. Disney had me at mask required because who can tolerate a mask in the summer for 12+ hours? My August Land & Sea trip is on the brink of being canceled once DCL extends the dates. I look forward to getting back once things have calmed down and returned to normal. It is a great opportunity for locals though! There are just too many changes in the parks to justify a trip right now.

In the meantime...maybe I'll explore a trip to Aulani.

Do you have 3 or more weeks to devote to this Aulani vacation. The state of Hawaii has a 14 day quarantine. So you must stay away from fun in a hotel room, no beach, no tours, no dining out or you can go to jail.

 

[VandVsmama]

I’m assuming you mean not justifiable “for you” & you are not trying to speak for anyone else. Justifiable expenses & “worth it” is very individualized. We are out of state AP holders. We have a trip scheduled July 13-18 & are still considering going. We very rarely do parades, fireworks or meet & greets. So for us, those things being unavailable doesn’t make it half the experience. Even at thousands of dollars, we will still get the experience we feel is valuable. But that’s just our opinion, on what will be worth it & have value for us. Everyone makes the decision on what is right for them. There is no blanket one size fits all answer.

I agree. It's definitely a situation where what's 'worth it' to one family might be totally different to another family.

 

[dachsie]

I'm out as well. Disney had me at mask required because who can tolerate a mask in the summer for 12+ hours? My August Land & Sea trip is on the brink of being canceled once DCL extends the dates. I look forward to getting back once things have calmed down and returned to normal. It is a great opportunity for locals though! There are just too many changes in the parks to justify a trip right now.

In the meantime...maybe I'll explore a trip to Aulani.

Aulani is great. Trip report in my signature line. But I wouldn't plan on doing it this year. Hawaii is still quarantining folks

 

[DIS_MIKE]

Aulani is great. Trip report in my signature line. But I wouldn't plan on doing it this year. Hawaii is still quarantining folks

I was there once and it was amazing. I have wanted to go back for a while now. Yeah...I wouldn't go back until the 14 day quarantine is lifted. I was just saying in lieu of a trip to WDW and a cruise...maybe opt for Aulani instead (2021) as the cruises will be drastically different and I am not going to walk around the parks with a mask in that heat.

Do you have 3 or more weeks to devote to this Aulani vacation. The state of Hawaii has a 14 day quarantine. So you must stay away from fun in a hotel room, no beach, no tours, no dining out or you can go to jail.

You completely misunderstood my post. I am well aware of the quarantine.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

Posting again.....less people does not equate to shorter wait times. You may have an easier time getting around the parks, but rides will be running at a fraction of capacity.

 

[DebbieB]

Where did you see they cancelled food and wine?

Someone posted yesterday that Jefferson Starship posted that their Eat to the Beat concert was cancelled.

Doesn’t mean they are canceling Food and Wine but it’s suspicious that no dates have been posted. If they have reduced capacity it may not be worth it to set it all up.

 

[TheBigErn]

The mask requirement is the deal breaker for me. Not going until the mask requirement is eliminated.

 

[Anna H]

I’m hanging onto to our August reservation partly because planning this trip has been our fuel through the pandemic. It is our happy place and I fully agree with the pizza analogy. I don’t think it will ever be possible to have a bad time there but the cost and lack of flexibility is hard to think about. We would be coming from very far away and driving. We are thankfully not parade or fireworks people. I have a lot to consider but it will rip my heart to pieces if we don’t go. Our state is small and not really having a major covid problem but everything is closed. We need something to look forward to that also has safety precautions in place.

 

[Mom2Stitch]

We are booked for 9/26-10/3, our reservation is there, all the ADRs are gone. We had the free dining booked as a result of missing out on out May trip, even upgraded to AKL from CSR, it was worth paying a little more to us. Not now though. The dining is an important part of our vacation.

Paying full price is too much for half of the experience is just not worth it for us.

I understand the need for the mask, but that is the biggest reason we will be sitting this trip out. Hubby has a hard time breathing in one and I sweat on a cool day grocery shopping in one, I can only imagine what 90+ degrees is going to be like.

I'm very, very sad, this will be the first year since 2001 that we will not have had a trip to Disney.

 

[Orion Nebula]

I am new here obviously but I just have to say this forum is head and shoulders above the reddit sub. Everyone over there NOT skipping in joy and thanking WDW (for caring about their guests) is getting torn apart. I needed a legit place to vent frustrations and coexist with others who feel the same way. =)

With that being said... I was devastated also. If the dining plans were kept in place we could've taken our family of five on an affordable (relative) vacation. In turn we might've overlooked the low magic meter. Mostly due to our personal reasons such as our daughters grad present, ASD kids being over emotional etc. The simple fact that WDW insisted on cutting our DPs was a bit heartless in my opinion as it did not effect anything outside of their revenue. Yes we would've had to re-book our reservations and add in extra planning but honoring our packages which some of us book a year ago was pretty crappy IMO. The "compensation" was something I guess, but factoring it into our larger party we lose a TON of money in the end.

So ya CS wise it would've been best to let those who booked promotional packages to keep their packages. And even take an extra step to allow rescheduling into the future, even for a short time period (Jan 1?) while honoring it. I think the extra slap in the face was the fact that we get 35% off but yet are unable to carry it with us if we move our trips... I mean seriously?

(/vent)