Rumor about “modified experiences” when Disney reopens (read 1st post for potential modifications being considered)

[Tjddis]

It’s counter intuitive for them to adjust prices to reflect decreased offerings in the parks to entice more people to come if there is still a need for decreased offerings.

I agree the rumoured cuts make it harder to find value in the prices, but that might be appealing to Disney at this stage.

Yeah I guess there is no way they can adjust prices down and still hit that positive contribution they are looking For revenue wise. Also maybe hedging their bets that people won’t maybe notice/care? After all this board represents your more informed population of Disney fans and most that are inclined to go have already stated they are going to go no matter the reductions. Plus first timers or those less familiar wont notice reductions as much.
For years some of our friends have looked sideways at us saying why do you spend so much to keep going to the same place? Or they just don’t get the appeal. While we dont still do everything we did when the kids were 5 and 6 we still look forward to some of the old stuff while we enjoy incorporating new stuff. We are way to set in our ways to see the same value without having all of that old stuff available. Our choice of course. Every time I plan a trip I am surprised at some of the stuff my too cool for the room teens say they “have to do”.

 

[loveDisneyinTN]

Not very magical to have to spread your cheeks at the TTC...

I think the scanner will have to suffice!

OMG-I geniuinely am LOL'ing at that one! However, I bet a few people would be willing to do the ol' "cheek spread" if it meant entry into WDW at this point.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Yeah I guess there is no way they can adjust prices down and still hit that positive contribution they are looking For revenue wise. Also maybe hedging their bets that people won’t maybe notice/care? After all this board represents your more informed population of Disney fans and most that are inclined to go have already stated they are going to go no matter the reductions. Plus first timers or those less familiar wont notice reductions as much.
For years some of our friends have looked sideways at us saying why do you spend so much to keep going to the same place? Or they just don’t get the appeal. While we dont still do everything we did when the kids were 5 and 6 we still look forward to some of the old stuff while we enjoy incorporating new stuff. We are way to set in our ways to see the same value without having all of that old stuff available. Our choice of course. Every time I plan a trip I am surprised at some of the stuff my too cool for the room teens say they “have to do”.

Chapek made reference to the "pent up demand" for parks to reopen so I think in the short term filling allowed capacity for parks and resorts won't be an issue. In the longer term once the diehards have gotten their fill and capacity increases they may need to run promotions to fill those extra spots but I wouldn't expect to see that for the remainder of 2020.

 

[Searc]

I think enough people can read that it won’t be an issue.

I think you'd be surprised. Guessing you haven't watched any videos from DS.

 

[AmberMV]

While we wait for any possible news out of the VP/Governor/Theme park exec meeting, it occurred to me and I don't think it's been talked about within the GMD (great M debate) but there was a lot of pushback from people here about having to "use masks for 8 hours in the Florida heat"...has it dawned on anyone that perhaps that's exactly what Disney wants? They don't want people coming and staying from open to close. They want people to come, enjoy the park for a couple hours, then go back home or to their hotels when the masks get uncomfortable? This is perhaps part of the limited capacity train of thought, that it will work itself out and they won't have to turn many people away between the mask requirements and walking around outside in one for a while. Granted, people coming from outside Florida will very likely not be interested in coming if they have to wear masks and can't spend a whole day in the park with them, so this could be Disney's way of encouraging Florida residents to come who aren't as bothered by a shorter visit to the parks without actually saying "Florida residents first". Thoughts?

 

[SarahC97]

Yeah I guess there is no way they can adjust prices down and still hit that positive contribution they are looking For revenue wise. Also maybe hedging their bets that people won’t maybe notice/care? After all this board represents your more informed population of Disney fans and most that are inclined to go have already stated they are going to go no matter the reductions. Plus first timers or those less familiar wont notice reductions as much.

I noticed something kind of funny this week about resort prices. I had previously reserved a standard room at BWI for seven nights. I wanted to adjust it for a split stay and noticed that the new price for BWI, when broken down by day, was about $20 more per day than what I had booked previously. I'm booking with an AP discount but I wonder if they've slightly altered the prices. This was for a reservation in July, but the price difference seems to have happened over just the past few days because I was looking at doing the same thing Sunday and it was a slightly different price than yesterday. I could be wrong in what I noted, but that's what I found.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

While we wait for any possible news out of the VP/Governor/Theme park exec meeting, it occurred to me and I don't think it's been talked about within the GMD (great M debate) but there was a lot of pushback from people here about having to "use masks for 8 hours in the Florida heat"...has it dawned on anyone that perhaps that's exactly what Disney wants? They don't want people coming and staying from open to close. They want people to come, enjoy the park for a couple hours, then go back home or to their hotels when the masks get uncomfortable? This is perhaps part of the limited capacity train of thought, that it will work itself out and they won't have to turn many people away between the mask requirements and walking around outside in one for a while. Granted, people coming from outside Florida will very likely not be interested in coming if they have to wear masks and can't spend a whole day in the park with them, so this could be Disney's way of encouraging Florida residents to come who aren't as bothered by a shorter visit to the parks without actually saying "Florida residents first". Thoughts?

Yes, I think they are absolutely counting on the unappealing idea of wearing a mask for extended amounts of time and especially outdoors in the heat to limit time spent in the parks as well as stopping people from coming all together.

That’s why I find the threats people fill the comment sections with on the Disney parks blog and whatnot funny. Like people think it’s surprising to Disney that large numbers of them are going to spend less time and money on property with these rules in effect.

 

[xuxa777]

I don’t think they’re going to stop it anytime soon. They want to cover themselves anyway they can. We will see a lot of these types of “intrusions” at WDW for the next few months, if not the rest of 2020. Disney will be one of the last places to phase out of safety measures. We all know that you are one of the posters that are very gung ho about things going back to completely normal, but Disney is always going to err on the extreme side of caution because they have way too much to lose in the court of public opinion. They won’t follow exactly what the state and local governments are doing, they will always be more restrictive and slower to change these practices.

Not all "gung-ho", I have just been looking at the data trends and making predictions from that, been saying for over a month or so Disney Springs would open mid -May, missed by a few days but glad they are open. The parks are going to open sooner than my earlier predictions of mid-July. I think they will soft open by the 15th and be open in July, but wouldn't be surprised if they opened earlier.

The data trends and our understanding of the virus and transmission now is looking like the mitigations they are doing, masks, gloves and some others are really not needed anymore, making it recommended will make much better for everyone and obviously increase the number of people coming and make money which is the reason Disney Springs is there. Of course, keep separation and other things in place for the time being.

 

[cakebaker]

While we wait for any possible news out of the VP/Governor/Theme park exec meeting, it occurred to me and I don't think it's been talked about within the GMD (great M debate) but there was a lot of pushback from people here about having to "use masks for 8 hours in the Florida heat"...has it dawned on anyone that perhaps that's exactly what Disney wants? They don't want people coming and staying from open to close. They want people to come, enjoy the park for a couple hours, then go back home or to their hotels when the masks get uncomfortable? This is perhaps part of the limited capacity train of thought, that it will work itself out and they won't have to turn many people away between the mask requirements and walking around outside in one for a while. Granted, people coming from outside Florida will very likely not be interested in coming if they have to wear masks and can't spend a whole day in the park with them, so this could be Disney's way of encouraging Florida residents to come who aren't as bothered by a shorter visit to the parks without actually saying "Florida residents first". Thoughts?

i think you mis-judge how many people from out of state are deterred from coming because of masks. I’m certainly not and I’ve seen as many complaints from locals as I have non locals.

No, I don’t think they’re requiring them to wear them as a deterrence. I don’t think Disney wants just locals. They want people who will stay in the resorts for a decent length of time and spend money on dining and souvenirs. Locals are important to Disney, but it’s the week long, on site guests that make them the most money. Before we go there- yes, some locals stay at resorts. Some locals eat at the expensive restaurants. But I think most reasonable people would agree, that type of guest is more likely to be a non-local guest.

I think they’re requiring them as an additional measure of safety. Disney isn’t in the business of making guests uncomfortable so they’ll leave.

 

[wombat_5606]

While we wait for any possible news out of the VP/Governor/Theme park exec meeting, it occurred to me and I don't think it's been talked about within the GMD (great M debate) but there was a lot of pushback from people here about having to "use masks for 8 hours in the Florida heat"...has it dawned on anyone that perhaps that's exactly what Disney wants? They don't want people coming and staying from open to close. They want people to come, enjoy the park for a couple hours, then go back home or to their hotels when the masks get uncomfortable? This is perhaps part of the limited capacity train of thought, that it will work itself out and they won't have to turn many people away between the mask requirements and walking around outside in one for a while. Granted, people coming from outside Florida will very likely not be interested in coming if they have to wear masks and can't spend a whole day in the park with them, so this could be Disney's way of encouraging Florida residents to come who aren't as bothered by a shorter visit to the parks without actually saying "Florida residents first". Thoughts?

I like the way you think.

I don't think you are saying that Disney implemented the mask rule as a way to hold down the crowds or to discourage anyone from coming. I think that the rule was created to follow CDC guidelines. But, I do agree that Disney knew that it would discourage a number of guests from coming and they are fine with that in these early phases.

 

[Tjddis]

Chapek made reference to the "pent up demand" for parks to reopen so I think in the short term filling allowed capacity for parks and resorts won't be an issue. In the longer term once the diehards have gotten their fill and capacity increases they may need to run promotions to fill those extra spots but I wouldn't expect to see that for the remainder of 2020.

Agreed. Somebody on the earnings call mentioned that they felt they would have no problem hitting the capacity required. So clearly they have some data/metrics to make that statement to investors. So I guess they will just be nimble in offering incentives as time goes by, crowds level and/or virus concerns recede. They are pretty good at maximizing revenue!

 

[hereforthechurros]

The line for Chicken Guy is quite long and social distancing not being followed through much of the line. I am seeing lots of vulnerable pops, including elderly in walkers and morbidly obese. This is not going to work out well unless Disney institutes mobile ordering only for QS. I thought I read that is what they were going to do? Looks much better to go to TS and just get a text when your table is ready.

It really does bother me a bit to see reluctance for major changes like this when now is the perfect time to make those changes.

Moving forward you should be able to place a QS order from anywhere, pay, and pick up your food when it’s ready. Same with TS - check in online and be alerted via text when your table is ready vs. clogging up the doorway/lobby waiting to be called. Eliminating crowds should be the goal even when this is over.

Absolutely some sort of air filtration system should be installed for every indoor attraction. There are also large scale disinfecting commercial sprayers that can quickly disinfect entire areas.

And like others have mentioned, install x-ray machines instead of manually rifling through each bag already!

If they can lead the way on these type of things people will gladly spend their money there to feel safer than other places so that has to account for something.

 

[sullivan.kscott]

For those worried about travel quarantine when the parks do open, my Governor way out here in MT lifted the restriction yesterday when he announced our next phase effective 6/1. We had a 14 day quarantine for anyone from any state, but with our national park gates opening 6/1, the mandate was deemed unnecessary. I’d assume it will be the same when FL and governor DeSantis give the theme park green light.
I’m well aware that MT only had a population of ~1M, but our national park traffic with Yellowstone and GNP is huge. Add in vacation rentals from big sky resort and our summer swell is no small number. Our health officials feel we can handle it, and our health care system is just as proportionally small.

 

[AmberMV]

i think you mis-judge how many people from out of state are deterred from coming because of masks. I’m certainly not and I’ve seen as many complaints from locals as I have non locals.

No, I don’t think they’re requiring them to wear them as a deterrence. I don’t think Disney wants just locals. They want people who will stay in the resorts for a decent length of time and spend money on dining and souvenirs. Locals are important to Disney, but it’s the week long, on site guests that make them the most money. Before we go there- yes, some locals stay at resorts. Some locals eat at the expensive restaurants. But I think most reasonable people would agree, that type of guest is more likely to be a non-local guest.

I think they’re requiring them as an additional measure of safety. Disney isn’t in the business of making guests uncomfortable so they’ll leave.

I completely agree that local guests and out of state guests alike have pushed back on the mask requirement. However, there is less of a "Man, what a huge waste of money" thought that someone who lives 30 min from Disney with APs would have vs. someone flying in from 1000 miles away would have by having a limited experience, limited attractions, dining, venues, characters, etc. Given all of these things, would you still go with all the restrictions and feel you got your money's worth if you (for instance) can only stand to have the mask on for 3 hours at the parks and then have to spend the rest of your day in the hotel? My guess is, most people will not find the value in that if they don't live somewhat nearby.

 

[Anna H]

Nobody is making you go, if it is that bothersome, then stay home.

Obviously. I was just expressing a personal opinion. Some of the rules are going to seem counter-productive if a bag check person literally touches everyone's stuff. I actually think this is as good as we could ever hope Disney to handle this but the bag check thing will be interesting. I think it's fair to say that I hope some measures can be used for that process too. Sometimes the rules contradict themselves.

Beep boop.

 

[JacknSally]

I noticed something kind of funny this week about resort prices. I had previously reserved a standard room at BWI for seven nights. I wanted to adjust it for a split stay and noticed that the new price for BWI, when broken down by day, was about $20 more per day than what I had booked previously. I'm booking with an AP discount but I wonder if they've slightly altered the prices. This was for a reservation in July, but the price difference seems to have happened over just the past few days because I was looking at doing the same thing Sunday and it was a slightly different price than yesterday. I could be wrong in what I noted, but that's what I found.

This is pretty typical. Hotel pricing is yielded, so length of stay, date of stay, and projected occupancy when you're booking can all change the pricing. If they have less availability today for those dates than they had when you looked Sunday, the price would be higher today. Also if you're looking at a shorter stay today than you looked at Sunday, the pricing could also be higher just depending what days of the week are included. Thursday-Saturday nights are usually priced higher and shoulder nights are usually lower. Almost all hotels are like this, and it's just an automatic computer generation based on whatever pricing/occupancy data the property's sales manager has put in the computer for those nights. Of course, the data can be changed and the computers overridden, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they have gone in and intentionally changed the pricing in the last few days.

 

[SarahC97]

This is pretty typical. Hotel pricing is yielded, so length of stay, date of stay, and projected occupancy when you're booking can all change the pricing. If they have less availability today for those dates than they had when you looked Sunday, the price would be higher today. Also if you're looking at a shorter stay today than you looked at Sunday, the pricing could also be higher just depending what days of the week are included. Thursday-Saturday nights are usually priced higher and shoulder nights are usually lower. Almost all hotels are like this, and it's just an automatic computer generation based on whatever pricing/occupancy data the property's sales manager has put in the computer for those nights. Of course, the data can be changed and the computers overridden, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they have gone in and intentionally changed the pricing in the last few days.

I didn't know this -- thanks!

 

[Letsoflyakite]

Yeah, if Disney's goal is to have people only in the parks for 2-3 hours, then they really only want locals. I'm not sure alienating out of state people with money is a good strategy unless its super temporary....like a month or two.

I mean, isn't attendance usually 75 percent out of staters?

 

[Shelleyfs]

From Facebook..

Pete Werner
6 mins ·
According to WFTV, we'll have reopening dates for Orlando's theme parks tomorrow afternoon!!

 

[DisLiss]

I'm not convinced that lines at rides will be shorter in wait times as some have suggested, not at 50% capacity with all the queue changes.

I agree. I've been wondering what causes people to think there will be shorter waits. Perhaps they feel far less people will show up than are allowed to show up? In other words, if WDW is allowed to have 50% capacity, and their rides are set up for 50% capacity, but they only reach 25% capacity in attendance, so the lines go faster than expected.

But if attendance is 50% and the rides are set up for 50%, then in my mind the waits would be about the same as usual, at least *if* people moved through the line and boarded as quickly as they normally do. But if there is time being spent wiping things down or explaining things to guests, then the line might actually move more slowly.