Please be careful team

disneyland_is_magic

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 16, 2016
I saw the numbers in Florida yesterday and it really has me rattled. There was 120 deaths in 24 hours and 400 new hospitalizations. I think about the lives, all the families. The impact those medical bills could have could ruin them. I thought maybe it was a fluke, then today it was 93 deaths and 435 new hospitalizations. Pulse was an absolute tragedy and had only a fraction of the impact of the last 48 hours. Now we are becoming numb to it.

And the worst part is we will do it all over again today and every day indefinitely.

Thought and prayers seem pointless. My whole way I view Disney is so deeply shook. I know zero isn’t possible...but ... this... Florida isn’t ready to host any guests yet. That’s not WDW fault, but it is where they are.

All I can do is ask those on the team to be careful. It’s just a job, please don’t feel pressure to go back before you are comfortable. Do it only for you and what’s best for you. Please don’t push through a dinner review to finish it up getting the content if something about the restaurant feels unsafe. I watched other bloggers struggle with anxiety trying to push through because it’s a job.

I can’t read about how FOP is only 20 minutes. Who even cares? Like who cares if I have to wait for hour when things are better. So what.

I also know mental health is very important and we all have to find a balance and I honor and respect everyone is navigating that.

I enjoy so many in this community. Please everyone be so careful.
 
I agree. I work in a hospital. You do not want to trade a day in a theme park for 3 weeks in the ICU on a ventilator.
To the team, at least stop the dining reviews. Indoor eating with masks off is a virus paradise. If you go, stay outside and keep moving.
I tend to agree and I know a lot of this comes to using our own best judgement. We have had two dining out experiences; both times trying to eat at off, quiet times.

First one, we ordered at a host stand off a menu board wearing masks, then sat in a empty section with extra dividers. They came to our table only once to deliver our food on large plates with wrapped silverware. We enjoyed our food at a relaxed pace, felt safe with no one within 10 (maybe even 20?) feet.

The second place was for a special occasion, while we were the only guests in the a whole place we felt uneasy, our server hovered, a busboy was lax about his mask though far off and we had a couple of very minor cleaning concerns. We politely asked for our check and left somewhat quickly. We won’t return.

It’s hard to describe why two situations I came away with such different feelings when the optics were almost the same but it was crystal clear to me. Everyone needs to just use their best judgement. But definitely I urge everyone to err on the side of caution especially in situations that require removing your mask.
 
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Hey everyone, I do want to say I have been pleased by the very balanced outlook of the team. I had been thinking they do have an enormous responsibility to keep it in perspective and not just let it be about amazing wait times (because they really are), creating a rabid FOMO that overly dismisses the reality of the world. My concern was unfounded.

Jackie and her always beautifully magical writing style did a great job with this article. I highly recommend it. I know everyone playfully teases her about being all pixie dust.

https://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney...eview-visit-to-magic-kingdom-a-personal-look/

I also appreciate that Craig has made great content but also was frank enough to point out a queue with awkward social distancing issues, a housekeeping issue at the Poly and hand washing issues on his personal Twitter.

Thanks for conveying the magic but doing so with responsibility. I really value your insights.
 
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Hey everyone, I do want to say I have been pleased by the very balanced outlook of the team. I had been thinking they do have an enormous responsibility to keep it in perspective and not just let it be about amazing wait times (because they really are), creating a rabid FOMO that overly dismisses the reality of the world. My concern was unfounded.

Jackie and her always beautifully magical writing style did a great job with this article. I highly recommend it. I know everyone playfully teases her about being all pixie dust.

Yes - all of this! I was really starting to have the “rabid FOMO” as you said! Then Jackie’s article pulled me back to reality. I thought her article was honest and fantastic. I am glad I canceled our (3rd rescheduled...) Disney trip for August and planned an in state vacation instead. I just shouldn’t be traveling to Florida right now. If I was local, I probably would be among the first to go and be right there with the team but I am not so I will return when it’s safe.
 
I read on one of the FB pages that they felt like a canary in a coal mine.....being at MK yesterday.
Yes, Florida is EXPLODING with Corona Virus, there's also a lot more testing going on (which is great) but it is absolutely uncontrolled right now.

Some say they feel safer at WDW than at their grocery store.
Others wonder why risk your family's health for a day at a theme park or a couple of rides.
I see and understand all these thoughts.

Everyone makes their own choice. Hand slapping or shaming or guilting someone into believing YOU never works.
This is what it is. It's here for a while.

Some think wearing a mask is a huge political statement. This is just another virus, it's fine. It's overblown.
Others have lost loved ones in a tragic way, and they are often alone when they die.

I don't think everyone is doing their best. Our country is really bad right now.
We all make the best choices for ourselves and our families.

We will see how all this park opening excitement plays out in 2-4 weeks. There are people with Covid at the parks right now. Just like they are at your stores and everywhere else (unless you live in a very remote area).

I'm hanging back. Waiting and seeing. Enjoying the reports and pictures.
 


I think that the team is exercising care. As they should be. I'm a Floridian living in Tallahassee but even I have second thoughts about going to the theme parks. I just don't want to bring anything home such as Covid. It is pretty bad down here. I have friends and family who have waited hours to get a test. There is not enough tests out there for the public. Plus the hospitals are filling up with patients.

So I hope the Dis team are well and continue to be careful. Florida will be here down the line. Our beaches, theme parks and other jewels are not going anywhere. We need to get this under control
 
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Yes - please be careful. I agree with the previous poster - WE WILL BE HERE FOR YOU even if you don't get a lot of footage of the parks. We're loyal DIS-ers. I want to come so badly, and I even started the planning process for a trip starting 8/9 but after hearing the reports regarding the virus and not to mention heat and masks... waiting until things settle. Hoping for October
 
I will park this here for lack of a better place. One thing that is not said enough on these boards between the endless arguments on both sides of the table is that you can and should contact your personal physician that knows you and your family’s medical history in the equation of determining whether or not you go on one of these vacations. At least some people are informing their decision based on YouTube videos and board posts that confirm their initial thought process (i.e., confirmation bias) - “It looks awesome / like hell!!!.” Whether you believe you’ll be fine or believe everyone will be infected and die, there is actually a licensed professional you could contact to help make that determination. The coverage has been fair and balanced, which is excellent, but ideally a video by a travel agency stating the decision to go is personal isn’t the only variable in the decision process, even if it’s the most entertaining = ).
 
I will park this here for lack of a better place. One thing that is not said enough on these boards between the endless arguments on both sides of the table is that you can and should contact your personal physician that knows you and your family’s medical history in the equation of determining whether or not you go on one of these vacations. At least some people are informing their decision based on YouTube videos and board posts that confirm their initial thought process (i.e., confirmation bias) - “It looks awesome / like hell!!!.” Whether you believe you’ll be fine or believe everyone will be infected and die, there is actually a licensed professional you could contact to help make that determination. The coverage has been fair and balanced, which is excellent, but ideally a video by a travel agency stating the decision to go is personal isn’t the only variable in the decision process, even if it’s the most entertaining = ).
Very well said.

If you go back around April when everything began and the team were doing those impromptu live shows etc.... a lot was being said then (by them) about how no one (other then Craig) would go to the parks. Keep in mind at that point in time, case counts and community spread were much much lower.

Fast forward to today, when Florida (and the rest of the USA) is completely out of control, and all of them are out there going to the parks?!?!

It just doesn't add up, why be so irresponsible now, and that it completely contradicts everyone thoughts on COVID back when it began. I fully believe that Dreams Unlimited Travel is struggling mightily, and they all know it. As is said many times, without Dreams, there is no DIS Unplugged. While i do believe PW has told them only go to the parks if each employee chooses to, the team is being very selective in how they describe the current park atmosphere, and stopping short of any real opinions on what is really going on. If they were all being 100% honest it would negatvely affect Dreams Unlimited travel even further.
 
Very well said.

If you go back around April when everything began and the team were doing those impromptu live shows etc.... a lot was being said then (by them) about how no one (other then Craig) would go to the parks. Keep in mind at that point in time, case counts and community spread were much much lower.

Fast forward to today, when Florida (and the rest of the USA) is completely out of control, and all of them are out there going to the parks?!?!

It just doesn't add up, why be so irresponsible now, and that it completely contradicts everyone thoughts on COVID back when it began. I fully believe that Dreams Unlimited Travel is struggling mightily, and they all know it. As is said many times, without Dreams, there is no DIS Unplugged. While i do believe PW has told them only go to the parks if each employee chooses to, the team is being very selective in how they describe the current park atmosphere, and stopping short of any real opinions on what is really going on. If they were all being 100% honest it would negatvely affect Dreams Unlimited travel even further.

Maybe because some people that are low risk (which is MOST of the population!) want to live their lives. You can stay in your bedroom and hole up for the next 2 years while the rest of us understand risks! Look at car accident rates for young people compared to covid deaths.
You get 1 life.
 
Very well said.

If you go back around April when everything began and the team were doing those impromptu live shows etc.... a lot was being said then (by them) about how no one (other then Craig) would go to the parks. Keep in mind at that point in time, case counts and community spread were much much lower.

Fast forward to today, when Florida (and the rest of the USA) is completely out of control, and all of them are out there going to the parks?!?!

It just doesn't add up, why be so irresponsible now, and that it completely contradicts everyone thoughts on COVID back when it began. I fully believe that Dreams Unlimited Travel is struggling mightily, and they all know it. As is said many times, without Dreams, there is no DIS Unplugged. While i do believe PW has told them only go to the parks if each employee chooses to, the team is being very selective in how they describe the current park atmosphere, and stopping short of any real opinions on what is really going on. If they were all being 100% honest it would negatvely affect Dreams Unlimited travel even further.

We know more about the virus now than we did in March. We know that surface transmission is an unlikely situation. We know that masks DO help. We know that social distancing does work. We know that being outdoors and spaced out while wearing masks is basically the ideal scenario. We know what precautions Disney is taking and it seems like enough for a lot of people. We know how much they are limiting attendance. We didn't know any of that back in March or April.

Maybe with the new information, some team members have changed their minds? Is that not allowed?
 
While i do believe PW has told them only go to the parks if each employee chooses to, the team is being very selective in how they describe the current park atmosphere, and stopping short of any real opinions on what is really going on. If they were all being 100% honest it would negatvely affect Dreams Unlimited travel even further.


I assure you everyone is encouraged to give their own opinion based on their experience and in no way have been influenced by their connection to Dreams Unlimited Travel.

If you feel this is the case then you must not be a listener/viewer for very long. How many negative resort, restaurant, ride and overall theme park reviews have the team done? If we were only worried about the travel agency none of those opinions would have been allowed as they would only hurt the business and in several cases they have negatively impacted the agency.

If you think all we care about is the travel agency you should check out my opening statement of the last Dreams Unlimited Travel show we did.

Each persons opinions are their own. They are real and they are honest...as we have always provided.
 
That went south. What’s funny is I just meant that occasionally you’ll see a “I wasn’t going to go but then so and so said...” I was just pointing out people will spend hundreds of hours on these boards but won’t think to call their own physician. I actually think the podcasts do a nice job of being measured, and clearly some people on the show have even said “I have this condition” or “I don’t feel comfortable with...” We’ve all been watching the news for four months and we all basically have at home PhDs, but for the vacation I took this year I had a phone conversation with our physician and she pointed out 5-6 things I hadn’t considered - it makes sense to do that diligence. That’s all I was saying. To be clear I actually went on that trip (not to Disney, we’re out of points through 2021). I just took some different precautions.

ITS ALMOST FRIDAY PEOPLE.
 
I assure you everyone is encouraged to give their own opinion based on their experience and in no way have been influenced by their connection to Dreams Unlimited Travel.

If you feel this is the case then you must not be a listener/viewer for very long. How many negative resort, restaurant, ride and overall theme park reviews have the team done? If we were only worried about the travel agency none of those opinions would have been allowed as they would only hurt the business and in several cases they have negatively impacted the agency.

If you think all we care about is the travel agency you should check out my opening statement of the last Dreams Unlimited Travel show we did.

Each persons opinions are their own. They are real and they are honest...as we have always provided.
Thanks @Webmaster John for your thoughtful reply. My dh and I watched you and Kevin on The Dreams Unlimited podcast. You and Kevin were very open and honest about the decision making that went into going to MK. You and Kevin made it quite clear that you were sharing your thoughts and experiences. At no time during that podcast or any of the other podcast involving other Dis or Dreams Unlimited staff have we ever felt that any of you were purposely attempting to influence the viewers. One of the reason my family and I enjoy all of you is because of your honest view of travel whether its Disney, cruising, or ABD, and of course all of your awsome senses of humor. Keep up the good work.
 
I assure you everyone is encouraged to give their own opinion based on their experience and in no way have been influenced by their connection to Dreams Unlimited Travel.

If you feel this is the case then you must not be a listener/viewer for very long. How many negative resort, restaurant, ride and overall theme park reviews have the team done? If we were only worried about the travel agency none of those opinions would have been allowed as they would only hurt the business and in several cases they have negatively impacted the agency.

If you think all we care about is the travel agency you should check out my opening statement of the last Dreams Unlimited Travel show we did.

Each persons opinions are their own. They are real and they are honest...as we have always provided.

Hi John,

Most importantly I am happy to have had an actual reply, and not had my message deleted. We all have our opinions, and what I wrote is mine, of course.

I have been watching all of the content that DIS Unplugged puts out for the last few years and love everything you guys do! In addition I am very much aware of the negative resort & dining reviews etc. COVID-19 however is a completely new, dangerous and unprecedented circumstance. Florida (as well as the rest of the USA) is in absolute shambles regarding the approach set out to combat it. It is far more worse in the States now then it ever was in the early spring or anywhere in the world. (* edited @ 2:16pm, July 17/2020)

Everything really should be completely locked down (I know, political) for the safety of everyone. Disney being open right now (in addition to almost everything else) looks REALLY bad. Just because it is open, doesn't mean it is safe. 4% of people who have contracted COVID-19 in the USA have passed away.

What's my point is outlining everything that everyone should already know.....It is worse there now then it ever has been ANYWHERE in the world. When we began this in March all of you were committed to staying the course until cases counts dropped etc. That has not happened. But now that Disney opens, everyone is first in line. Everything is getting worse literally daily, what's changed?

For context, I live in Canada. In total, country wide, 110,000 confirmed cases. If I applied the population (The U.S.A. has approx 8.6x more people then Canada) math, by comparison Canada would only have had (hypothetically) approx 946,000 confirmed cases, with a completely flattened curve. The States, 3.5 million active cases, and with a curve heading straight upwards.

Bringing this back to my point about Dreams, I think considering what is happening down there, travelling should be at the bottom of peoples to-do lists. :(

Please! I love all of you guys! Please don't put yourself at risk. Stay at home whenever possible. What I am seeing happen in the U.S.A. right now completely breaks my heart!
 
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Hi John,

Most importantly I am happy to have had an actual reply, and not had my message deleted. We all have our opinions, and what I wrote is mine, of course.

I have been watching all of the content that DIS Unplugged puts out for the last few years and love everything you guys do! In addition I am very much aware of the negative resort & dining reviews etc. COVID-19 however is a completely new, dangerous and unprecedented circumstance. Florida (as well as the rest of the USA) is in absolute shambles regarding the approach set out to combat it. It is far more worse in the States now then it ever was in the early spring, anywhere in the world.

Everything really should be completely locked down (I know, political) for the safety of everyone. Disney being open right now (in addition to almost everything else) looks REALLY bad. Just because it is open, doesn't mean it is safe. 4% of people who have contracted COVID-19 in the USA have passed away.

What's my point is outlining everything that everyone should already know.....It is worse there now then it ever has been ANYWHERE in the world. When we began this in March all of you were committed to staying the course until cases counts dropped etc. That has not happened. But now that Disney opens, everyone is first in line. Everything is getting worse literally daily, what's changed?

For context, I live in Canada. In total, country wide, 110,000 confirmed cases. If I applied the population (The U.S.A. has approx 8.6x more people then Canada) math, by comparison Canada would only have had (hypothetically) approx 946,000 confirmed cases, with a completely flattened curve. The States, 3.5 million active cases, and with a curve heading straight upwards.

Bringing this back to my point about Dreams, I think considering what is happening down there, travelling should be at the bottom of peoples to-do lists. :(

Please! I love all of you guys! Please don't put yourself at risk. Stay at home whenever possible. What I am seeing happen in the U.S.A. right now completely breaks my heart!

Im going to take a swing at this.

This very site you are enjoying is a place for people to find, share and learn information. Thats its very core.

As for my opinion in March versus now....yes....its changed drastically. In March, I was sure that Covid 19 was looking for me. I was sure id never venture out of the house again....and I didn't for months.

I order my groceries and have them delivered. I wipe everything down with a Chlorox wipe and then sanitize the counter. I ventured out to get a haircut at the end of June. I wore a mask. The gentleman who cuts my hair wore a mask. I was in a separate room and we sanitized our hands every 15 minutes.

Since then I have stayed house bound, One day we went for ice cream.

I work for a travel agency. Im married to an owner. We are doing everything we can to keep ourselves and all of the people that work with and for Dreams safe and employed.

There are clients that want answers because they are afraid. Our job is to help them navigate their travel plans. They are entitled to their opinions just as you are. Armed with info, they get to make a decision whether you agree or not

Before I went to the Magic Kingdom last Thursday, I had 1000 contingency plans. We discussed every possible escape strategy. I carried two hand sanitizers. I carried 40 anti viral wipes and for two of us, I had 8 masks (4 cloth and four disposable). I stayed in the Magic Kingdom for three hours and kept a huge distance from everyone...from listeners to friends etc.

When we returned, we did a Dreams Unlimited Travel podcast where we discussed our day, our opinions and what we learned.

I spoke honestly and freely and stated even though I felt safe and thought Disney did a good job, I wouldn't go back.

For you to question my integrity and wonder if I was shading this as to not hurt the travel company bottom line tells me you haven't been paying attention.

You are welcome to your opinion as to whether you think Disney should be open and whether or not people should be visiting. Thats up to you.

But to question my (our) integrity seems kinda shady. Im entitled to my opinion just as you are yours, and I voiced mine openly. Second guessing my motive or intent is uncalled for.
 

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