Re-opening WDW - Here's how I wish they would do it

[maccagerl]

Having attended a DAH event at MK in the past, and LOVED it, I wonder if a similar model might work for re-opening WDW?

They could sell tickets that are good for 3-4 hour stretches at a time (say from 7-11 am, 12-3 pm, 4-8 pm (and possibly 8-12 pm) on each day. Limited park attendance permitted during each time slot (as with DAH events), with cleaning done during the 1 hr turn-over time. Although key attractions would be open, less popular ones might not be. Restaurants would still be open (this is my dream, remember!), and most shops, etc. As with DAH, they could still charge a full-day rate (or even a bit more), which guests like me would jump at, given that crowds would be so much lower, and attractions could be enjoyed (even multiple times) with much less wait time.

While certainly not a comprehensive plan, I wonder if this might provide a workable starting point for the future? It would certainly help with the social distancing concerns and would appeal to many guests who dislike crowds anyway.

(They could also offer some type/combination of free snack: popcorn, drinks, and/or ice cream - as they do during DAH, to help make the full day price point more attractive. Maybe just during a portion of each time slot even.)

I'd love it! You?

What an interesting idea!

 

[mjr0483]

Having attended a DAH event at MK in the past, and LOVED it, I wonder if a similar model might work for re-opening WDW?

They could sell tickets that are good for 3-4 hour stretches at a time (say from 7-11 am, 12-3 pm, 4-8 pm (and possibly 8-12 pm) on each day. Limited park attendance permitted during each time slot (as with DAH events), with cleaning done during the 1 hr turn-over time. Although key attractions would be open, less popular ones might not be. Restaurants would still be open (this is my dream, remember!), and most shops, etc. As with DAH, they could still charge a full-day rate (or even a bit more), which guests like me would jump at, given that crowds would be so much lower, and attractions could be enjoyed (even multiple times) with much less wait time.

While certainly not a comprehensive plan, I wonder if this might provide a workable starting point for the future? It would certainly help with the social distancing concerns and would appeal to many guests who dislike crowds anyway.

(They could also offer some type/combination of free snack: popcorn, drinks, and/or ice cream - as they do during DAH, to help make the full day price point more attractive. Maybe just during a portion of each time slot even.)

I'd love it! You?

hate it. So much logistically wrong with this plan. You have a 1 hour turn over where they also clean the park? So in order for them to start disinfecting I would assume guest would need to be out of the park? If the 7am shift is over at 11 does that mean all the guests need to be out of the park by 11? Then they would need to start ushering people out at 10 to have an Empty park to clean at 11. Then having the next shift starting at 12, having everyone social distances outside the park could take an hour to get into the park, so you would have 2 hours in the park before they rush you out. How many people do you put in a stretching room? Does every party get their own boat at pirates? How do you keep 6 feet apart.
What about the jungle cruise?

what is your limit for social distancing in a park? 3 feet? 6 feet? Or no social distancing, just 10k people vs 50k and hope for the best?

Sorry but theme parks are all or nothing.
Do you limit park hours to resort guests only? Only guests with reservations get to go to a park? What about people with annual passes? Do you refund them and say sorry?

 

[StevieB81]

What about this? Resort guests ONLY to start. Your park for the day is the park where you already have fast passes. That would limit capacity and can be controlled by the number of FP+ issued for each park. Maybe allowances for AP sprinkled in. We like to park hop, so I wouldn't be really thrilled with this, but on other threads it looks like FP+ reservations have been kind of hard to come by for the first part of June( I know I had some unexpected issues). Maybe some variation of this is already in the works?

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

I agree with those who are saying that Disney World is all or nothing. It is not going to be like our current trips to the grocery, where people are regimented going in and out, and wear masks. Disney will completely fold before that becomes the park experience, for two reasons:

1. It isn't feasible. CMs have a hard enough time keeping guests from cutting in line. They aren't going to be able to monitor everyone's spacing and mask usage. And mask usage isn't safe for long periods of exertion outdoors in mid-summer in Florida.
2. People aren't going to keep paying the big bucks for that b.s. experience.

Some people have so internalized the media messages about social distancing that they can't imagine anything else, but social distancing isn't going to continue for a long period (more than a few months). The absolute latest it could continue is until kids go back to school in August, because there is no way (NONE) to socially distance in the public schools. The space does not exist even if all the kids were capable of behaving so robotically all day at school (newsflash: many cannot). And since most young kids don't teach themselves well, and they all need to socialize (for real) to develop normally, and because parents need their kids out of the house so they can get completely back to work, the schools must reopen. So there goes social distancing.

 

[bookwormde]

I might be a minority, but I would pay 50% of typical ticket prices for 1/3 of the day. Of course we like a more casual pace and stay on site (DVC)

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Nope I don't see it happening by means of Portioned Scheduled Ticket Times.

Someone else mentioned earlier about the damage that the Disney Parks brand had to experience post-9/11, which was really the last time they had to really PUSH marketing and sales. Normally everyone wants to go to Disney! So anything that drastically modifies the Guest Experience to the overall detriment of the Disney brand is NOT something they want to do.

If I was a Disney bus driver, I'd be telling people that likely what will be missing from their return experience is the restaurants, the non-ride Attractions, the street entertainment and Character Meets - I think Iger or Chapek said something to that effect anyway. The reason being that the biggest pull for the Parks is the Theming, the Rides and the Merchandise. Not everyone is there for Elsa and Anna photos, overpriced buffet food or the Dapper Dans, but nearly everyone is there for Peter Pan or Pirates of the Caribbean. I imagine they would keep the basic snack carts and street-side kiosks open with more self-service fridges but I can't see them providing much seating for guests to congregate around. Food and beverage has significant expenses associated with it, meanwhile, if Disney says the Mickey t-shirt is $45, they get to set that price, and we all know how cheap t-shirt production is.

I could see them designating only certain places for the Parades and NOT allowing Guests to just strew themselves down and around the streets. Definitely no Dance Parties.

I could see fireworks viewing working in the same way. Or nighttime firework shows are piped into the Resorts after the Park formally closes to Guests, and you can join in with everyone watching it on their devices/SmartTVs.

 

[jo-jo]

Does any one have an idea if ONLY those staying in the on site resorts could go to the parks, how many would that be? Say 3 people per room. Frankly, I'm too lazy to do the math, perhaps someone else has?????

And while we are talking math.....the idea of half days, it seems to me a number of the rides with all the preshows, it takes at least 30 mins to get through. That's not counting any waiting in line. So pay for a few hours and maybe do 4 rides.