Just left DL this morning....

[Matrixleos]

We were in DLR last week. It was very manageable....if you had a plan. If you decided to wing it, I could see where you might have issues.

As an example, I'll post a full trip report soon, we were in Disneyland on July 29th and my family did 20 rides from park open to park close. We even took several planned breaks through out the day because of the heat, otherwise we could have done more.

 

[Ladyslug]

As of July 1st, only half of the 32,000 Disneyland Employees have returned to work. Currently DLR has 15,000 cast members and expects to hire another 1,000 this summer.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently said he expects low double digit attendance increases over the next several months and reach full capacity by the fall of 2021. Based on his comments, is it reasonable to expect the following increases....

August - expected low double digit capacity increase to 60%
September - expected low double digit capacity increase to 70%
October - expected low double digit capacity increase to 80%

It doesn't sound like CM increases are rising to meet guest capacity increases, though. Could that lead to some real crunches, especially later in the fall?

 

[Matrixleos]

It doesn't sound like CM increases are rising to meet guest capacity increases, though. Could that lead to some real crunches, especially later in the fall?

Not much of an issue in Disney's eyes. Good majority of the CMs who want to return but have not returned yet, will be returning at the end of September. (Not going into details why that is, since I don't want this to get political)

 

[snakeyp23]

A bus to where?

To The parking lots

 

[Malcon10t]

Not much of an issue in Disney's eyes. Good majority of the CMs who want to return but have not returned yet, will be returning at the end of September. (Not going into details why that is, since I don't want this to get political)

Actually, if they have been called back and haven't returned, they are off the call back list. They are allowed to skip 1 call back, second call back, they are no longer on the furlough list. I had a couple friends who did skip the first call because they were working other restaurant jobs and they elected to skip first call back because of how limited the restaurants were and they were making more at the other job. The last call back for them was July 26th. They were back when we visited last weekend. They just completed call backs for Goofy's, Carnation, Napa Rose, and expanded for Trader Sams.

Disney doesn't wait for employees to decide when they want to complete their unemployment. If they call you back, you are allowed 1 pass, then the second pass, you are no longer on furlough and you won't get another call back. So, "September" isn't going to play into this if they want to work for Disney. Plus, in CA, UI payments are much less than what the employees can make working. Different story in other states.

That said, many jobs aren't coming back right now. Part of it is due to OSHA rules regarding spacing. Add to it, Disney relied on the College Program for a large part of their Cast Members, and that isn't coming back. And Disney has to bring employees back via union rules.

 

[AndrewC]

I've posted this before but it's been proven to be VERY accurate so far...

I've been monitoring the Reservation Calendar almost daily since May. Along with best case guesses, rumors and assumptions. Take everything posted in this section with a grain of salt.

April/May - Back when DLR re-opened, it was rumored that park capacity was at 15-20%
Mid May - More reservation dates opened, it was rumored that park capacity was increased to 25%
Early June - More reservation dates opened, it was rumored that park capacity was increased to 30%
June 15 - Out of State Guest are allowed back, more reservation dates opened, it was rumored that park capacity was increased to 35%
Late June - More reservation dates opened, it was rumored that park capacity was increased to 40-50%

As of July 1st, only half of the 32,000 Disneyland Employees have returned to work. Currently DLR has 15,000 cast members and expects to hire another 1,000 this summer.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently said he expects low double digit attendance increases over the next several months and reach full capacity by the fall of 2021. Based on his comments, is it reasonable to expect the following increases....

August - expected low double digit capacity increase to 60%
September - expected low double digit capacity increase to 70%
October - expected low double digit capacity increase to 80%

They’re going to have to bring back a heck of a lot more staff than “1,000 more this summer” if within 90 days they plan to up the possible capacity by 30%+

Has California said if unemployment benefits will extend further than early September? I don’t want to argue the merits of having extended or extra unemployment, but if I was without a job and now looking at ~3 weeks before benefits ran out, I would be seriously looking at lining something up in the next couple weeks.

If Disney can, I would think there will be a big surge in hiring/returning staff in the next 3 to 6 weeks. For returning staff I would think retraining would be minimal. Probably a lot of back house policy reading and computer based training modules. Guest relations shouldn’t need to be retrained since the staff would already be familiar with Disney expectations and guest experiences. I would imagine it would still be a lot of work back of house, but they should be able to bring back a much larger number of returning staff at the same time than if it was open hiring.

 

[AndrewC]

Actually, next earnings call should be late next week, we may get some official comments on staffing levels and the plan for the next 90 days which will take them into the holiday season…

 

[twodogs]

@Malcon10t, can you help me understand a comment you made (*I think!*) in another thread about OSHA restrictions being the reason daily housekeeping at GCH has not returned? I know it limits the number of workers in a physical space, but housekeeping to me is a solitary activity for the cleaning person?

 

[Malcon10t]

@Malcon10t, can you help me understand a comment you made (*I think!*) in another thread about OSHA restrictions being the reason daily housekeeping at GCH has not returned? I know it limits the number of workers in a physical space, but housekeeping to me is a solitary activity for the cleaning person?

Think about the rooms that are used for putting the carts together, the laundry areas, etc.... In the past you would have 4-5 in the housekeeping room. They are now limited to 2.

 

[Malcon10t]

They’re going to have to bring back a heck of a lot more staff than “1,000 more this summer” if within 90 days they plan to up the possible capacity by 30%+

Has California said if unemployment benefits will extend further than early September? I don’t want to argue the merits of having extended or extra unemployment, but if I was without a job and now looking at ~3 weeks before benefits ran out, I would be seriously looking at lining something up in the next couple weeks.

For many, unemployment has ran out. Unemployment is 26 weeks, and the pandemic allowed an additional 29 weeks extension. So, if you went out in March of 2020, you are already out of unemployment. In CA, you are maxed out at $450 a week (if you were making more that $1000 a week for 13 weeks in a quarter), plus the $300 from the Fed Unemployment if the cause of your loss of employment was due to the pandemic.

If Disney can, I would think there will be a big surge in hiring/returning staff in the next 3 to 6 weeks. For returning staff I would think retraining would be minimal. Probably a lot of back house policy reading and computer based training modules. Guest relations shouldn’t need to be retrained since the staff would already be familiar with Disney expectations and guest experiences. I would imagine it would still be a lot of work back of house, but they should be able to bring back a much larger number of returning staff at the same time than if it was open hiring.

Every position has to go thru a full retraining due to being unemployed for more than 12 mos. Guest relations actually has even more retraining than most. There is more involved due to Covid, and needing to learn the protocols. They are even retraining to Traditions classes. (I have several friends who do the trainings.)

There is currently a large surge in the rehiring currently. Training is generally 2 weeks now.

 

[m_adelaide]

We were there 7/31-8/3 and thought it was manageable but the afternoons were not enjoyable in the parks at all due to the crowds and long lines. Each day we went back to the hotel to relax while the parks were nuts. We just don't find dense crowds to be fun anymore. We've been to WDW during really busy times and with fastpass it was doable. DL without any fastpass/maxpass made it hard to do anything after noon. Most of these rides are not worth 45+ waits IMO. Mobile ordering food was easy and we had a couple of ADRs, so eating wasn't an issue. We were able to get both Rise and WS each day too, but on the last day the line for Rise was so long (and so hot) that we bagged it. Overall it was a fun trip and I'm glad we were able to reschedule our May 2020 plans, but we aren't going to hurry back especially if there's no early entrance or maxpass offered.

Mask compliance indoors was good and we saw a lot of outdoor mask wearing too. Plenty of hand sanitizer around and overall we felt comfortable covid-wise.

We stayed at GCH for 3 nights (zero housekeeping which was disappointing but overall the stay was nice) and the last night moved over to the Hampton Inn which was almost too far to walk, but was a really nice affordable option. It's probably cheap uber or lyft rides to/from the parks and the rooms were large and comfortable.

Mobile order tips - Include a modification or you could get a meal that's been sitting under a heatlamp. We had better luck with quality of food we modified rather than straight off the menu. Put your lunch orders in by 10am for whatever pick up time you want, otherwise you could miss out.

 

[V.I.N.CENT.]

Going to run into one thing or another. Had neighbors go close to re-opening. They said it was the worst experience due to the long waits for mobile ordering (in particular with three kids). We were thinking this summer, but figured a lot of people would be going because of the pent up Disney trip frustration, just like I have Figured we would gamble a bit for a mid-October trip. Pulling the kid out of school and crossing our fingers!

 

[DLgal]

To The parking lots

The toy story lot is the only one running a bus and they are running DRASTICALLY fewer busses than they used to. The wait is always about 45 minutes to get back. This is why we won't park there right now. We park in the big structure and walk through Downtown Disney. It's the fastest option.

 

[DizMe]

For many, unemployment has ran out. Unemployment is 26 weeks, and the pandemic allowed an additional 29 weeks extension. So, if you went out in March of 2020, you are already out of unemployment. In CA, you are maxed out at $450 a week (if you were making more that $1000 a week for 13 weeks in a quarter), plus the $300 from the Fed Unemployment if the cause of your loss of employment was due to the pandemic.

Every position has to go thru a full retraining due to being unemployed for more than 12 mos. Guest relations actually has even more retraining than most. There is more involved due to Covid, and needing to learn the protocols. They are even retraining to Traditions classes. (I have several friends who do the trainings.)

There is currently a large surge in the rehiring currently. Training is generally 2 weeks now.

Also, the Entertainment people have to re-audition. I'm not sure if that's true for the furloughed employees, but it is for the laid-off CMs.

 

[Wesley815]

....Figured we would gamble a bit for a mid-October trip. Pulling the kid out of school and crossing our fingers!

Be sure to closely follow along how the Magic Key program is running. I'm really curious how large the 'reservation bucket' will be for Keyholders vs. day tickets. If they allow the park to truly fill up, then it will be like old AP days that get beyond packed everyday after work hours when locals enter park.

Hopefully it's a nice mix of crowds as I'd like to visit the parks more with the new pass, but I also don't miss the crazy crowded days that AP program turned into.

 

[Malcon10t]

Also, the Entertainment people have to re-audition. I'm not sure if that's true for the furloughed employees, but it is for the laid-off CMs.

Yes, all entertainment has to re-audition for the roles. For servers, front gate, guest relations, and restaurants, they are being brought back via union rules. ie seniority. Once back, training starts back with traditions.