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

[cakebaker]

I believe the indefinite closure announcement came in late March. For the most part I think people excuse them of the hasty calls made for that first closure period.

As I recall, that change in announcement came with the first wave of May cancellations. I’m certainly open to being proven wrong, but there was a lot of blowback when those started.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

I’ve read every page and no one has explained WHY they think the parks couldn’t/wouldn’t open to guests if the NBA was on property.

1. If they’re playing, they’re not at the parks.
2. If they want to go to the parks, I imagine Disney would handle the marquee players like they do any other celeb during any other time.

Ergo, it would have no logical impact.

Disney’s best bet to recover is to have BOTH ESPN and parks at a capacity level that contributes net positively.

 

[charmed59]

Perhaps they are using CL to move the existing reservations from the CB.

 

[rteetz]

I’ve read every page and no one has explained WHY they think the parks couldn’t/wouldn’t open to guests if the NBA was on property.

1. If they’re playing, they’re not at the parks.
2. If they want to go to the parks, I imagine Disney would handle the marquee players like they do any other celeb during any other time.

Ergo, it would have no logical impact.

Disney’s best bet to recover is to have BOTH ESPN and parks at a capacity level that contributes net positively.

I don’t think anyone has said they couldn’t or wouldn’t. I didn’t. I said it’s a possibility but everything is right now. Disney has several routes to choose. Which will they?

 

[butterscotchcollins]

The NBA deal could push the WDW opening for the public back...

But why? This implies that opening to the public would be predicated on the NBA being done with whatever they’re doing on property, but it doesn’t seem logical and even you said Disney has a vested interest in making both happen.

 

[Jrb1979]

But why? This implies that opening to the public would be predicated on the NBA being done with whatever they’re doing on property, but it doesn’t seem logical and even you said Disney has a vested interest in making both happen.

I think he means that having the NBA deal means Disney doesn't have to rush their opening.

 

[rteetz]

But why? This implies that opening to the public would be predicated on the NBA being done with whatever they’re doing on property, but it doesn’t seem logical and even you said Disney has a vested interest in making both happen.

No that’s not what I said. I don’t think Disney was/is prepping for an early June opening.

The NBA deal is pushing back Disney’s decision making. I think once/if that deal is finalized we will get the WDW plan. That deal impacts resort operations. If they don’t get the NBA they have more resort space they can utilize. If they get the NBA they have less.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

No that’s not what I said. I don’t think Disney was/is prepping for an early June opening.

The NBA deal is pushing back Disney’s decision making. I think once/if that deal is finalized we will get the WDW plan. That deal impacts resort operations. If they don’t get the NBA they have more resort space they can utilize. If they get the NBA they have less.

Ah ok thank you for clarifying. I took it to mean they would push back their target date to open the parks but it makes sense that finalizing that deal is an important piece of figuring out the final plan. No doubt they have plans A, B, C and D regardless.

That being said I don’t think I was the only one confused - there’s a lot of speculation about parks not opening til end of August which just based on the observable universe seems way off. July 1st seems more realistic at this point, if not late June, no?

 

[rteetz]

Ah ok thank you for clarifying. I took it to mean they would push back their target date to open the parks but it makes sense that finalizing that deal is an important piece of figuring out the final plan. No doubt they have plans A, B, C and D regardless.

That being said I don’t think I was the only one confused - there’s a lot of speculation about parks not opening til end of August which just based on the observable universe seems way off. July 1st seems more realistic at this point, if not late June, no?

August was a separate rumor from a different source.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

August was a separate rumor from a different source.

Seems like they’re getting conflated.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

In my mind, an arbitrary delay still comes at the high cost of upsetting loyal families who are faithfully keeping their reservations. It's different if Disney held out for public health reasons but that wouldn't won't hold water if they wait as long as late July to open in the event that Universal opens successfully.

Opening Universal and opening WDW are two completely different things. Just based on how Universal is set up - from parking to walking to the parks - it is vastly easier to socially distance through that entire process and access both theme parks. The ONLY comparable to that for MK is if you are a guest staying at CR. How do you socially distance on a ferry boat, bus or monorail? Perhaps they will open AK or DHS first because of that. Who knows? You could fit both US and IOA into EP. Universal has 8 hotels. WDW has 31 hotels and DVC resorts. It's just not comparable.

Who is Rteetz? New here lol. Disney literally operates as a family based fun park. They have no meaningful association to sports. The idea of delaying solely for the NBA feels so....not cool.

No, Disney does not operate as a "family based fun park". Disney is a global mass media and entertainment conglomerate with theme parks as just part of their portfolio. They own ESPN (plus ESPN+ and all of the International ESPN channels) and have a multi-year, multi-billion dollar broadcasting contract with the NBA (along with other sports leagues). They have an ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at WDW that hosts massive sports events every year. They have a runDisney division that attracts tens of thousands of people to WDW each year to run marathons and other races. They used to host the Atlanta Braves spring training. They just opened the NBA Experience in DS last year and sponsor the Orlando Magic jerseys while also having a huge presence at all Magic home games. So, while you may not be familiar with Disney's association with sports, it is vast and involves billions and billions of dollars.

I have no issue with them hosting the NBA. I don’t believe they were blindsided by Universal. I don’t think there ever was an original plan to stay closed thru the summer. I believe their target was June. What I have issue with is if they open the parks to the NBA, spread them out throughout the resort and essentially make all of WDW their bubble. Then, keep the parks closed until the end of August or whenever the NBA deal is done. At that point, there’s just no argument that they denied guests an open park solely for the NBA.

Do I think that’s what’s going to happen? No. But that’s the general jist of several rumors.

It's not happening. If people would read the reports on what the NBA and the players are considering in terms of creating a bubble, frequent testing, etc. they may have a better idea of how this is going to play out. They will be there to play through the season. That's it. It's not party time in the WDW parks. They also don't want any of them mingling with the general public. If an outbreak occurs within the NBA bubble, it would be a disaster. I wish people would do the math as well. There are 30 teams with a max of 17 players plus 1 head coach, 3 assistant coaches and one trainer on the bench. Add in a few more staff from each team and maybe round that up to 30 - 40 people per team, plus NBA execs. and media. It's probably less than 2000 people altogether that need to be housed. They aren't closing all of WDW down for 2000 people. They could take over all of CSR, bus them to WWOS and they would never come into contact with the general public. They will not be spread out over several resorts. They don't want Steph Curry rushed in the CR lobby.

I’ve read every page and no one has explained WHY they think the parks couldn’t/wouldn’t open to guests if the NBA was on property.

1. If they’re playing, they’re not at the parks.
2. If they want to go to the parks, I imagine Disney would handle the marquee players like they do any other celeb during any other time.

Ergo, it would have no logical impact.

Disney’s best bet to recover is to have BOTH ESPN and parks at a capacity level that contributes net positively.

Totally agree!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I’ve read every page and no one has explained WHY they think the parks couldn’t/wouldn’t open to guests if the NBA was on property.

1. If they’re playing, they’re not at the parks.
2. If they want to go to the parks, I imagine Disney would handle the marquee players like they do any other celeb during any other time.

Ergo, it would have no logical impact.

Disney’s best bet to recover is to have BOTH ESPN and parks at a capacity level that contributes net positively.

I don't think the NBA would impact the parks ability to be open at all as I don't think any of the players would go near the parks. The idea is for it to be a contained "bubble" for everyone to be in - the reason WDW is in discussion is they have ability to house the players and have the games played at the WWOS (plus with ABC/ESPN they have connections and desire to make it work)

I think it impacts guests booked at whatever resort the players would be at so Disney needs to get it settled one way or the other so they know if they need to move those people or not

 

[NotUrsula]

The whole reason for the NBA to play out the season in a "bubble" is to try to prevent any more players being exposed to the virus while working. (Remember that the NBA was hit hard early on; at least a dozen players contracted COVID-19.) Allowing them to mingle in any way with other guests not confined to the "bubble" would make that effort completely wasted.

They may even decide to quarantine members of the press, hotel and ESPN cast members for periods of time, in order to keep the bubble fully closed. I think it is possible that the extra support staff might require use of a second resort property, but they won't need more than 2.

I'm kind of surprised that they don't plan to put the players at AKL; if they did that they could just close everything on property that is south of Osceola to public access. Using CSR will make it trickier to keep fans away.

 

[Pyotr]

If the NBA resumes the season at Disney isn’t it more likely they stay at the Four seasons and Golden Oak rather than CSR and the All-Stars? I just can’t see a multi-million dollar athlete staying in a $160 a night room.

I would love for the NBA to play at Disney. This may be the year my Milwaukee Bucks win a championship!

 

[cakebaker]

If people would read the reports on what the NBA and the players are considering in terms of creating a bubble, frequent testing, etc. they may have a better idea of how this is going to play out. They will be there to play through the season. That's it. It's not party time in the WDW parks. They also don't want any of them mingling with the general public.

I have read the NBA issues thoroughly, and if that's what they do, great. The part just past what you highlighted explains my concern "What I have issue with is if they open the parks to the NBA, spread them out throughout the resort and essentially make all of WDW their bubble. Then, keep the parks closed until the end of the end of August or whenever the NBA deal is done. At that point, there’s just no argument that they denied guests an open park solely for the NBA. If they don't securely quarantine them, guests can't be at WDW while the NBA is there. That's my concern.

But, at this point, I'm pretty much done with rumors. I'm going with what I know for a fact and the fact is suddenly, there are no CL rooms available anywhere. CR is completely unavailable as well. There's a reason for that, and that reason worries me. But, we're close enough now that we'll know something one way or the other soon and hopefully enable us to make some decisions. And somewhere in what their decision is, one of the kabillion rumors will be right. Personally, I'm still with #teamsven/flynn.

 

[Skippyboo]

If the NBA resumes the season at Disney isn’t it more likely they stay at the Four seasons and Golden Oak rather than CSR and the All-Stars? I just can’t see a multi-million dollar athlete staying in a $160 a night room.

I would love for the NBA to play at Disney. This may be the year my Milwaukee Bucks win a championship!

Could the blockout at CS be for the MLS teams who are also in talks to use Disney as their bubble. The NBA players are used to luxury in their accommodations & travel. Teams stay at hotel like the W & Four Seasons on the road not Hampton Inns. Plus these guys are super tall.

The MLS players don’t make anything near the level of money as NBA players. Don’t travel only private flights seem the more likely CS takeover contender.

 

[StevieB81]

I have read the NBA issues thoroughly, and if that's what they do, great. The part just past what you highlighted explains my concern "What I have issue with is if they open the parks to the NBA, spread them out throughout the resort and essentially make all of WDW their bubble. Then, keep the parks closed until the end of the end of August or whenever the NBA deal is done. At that point, there’s just no argument that they denied guests an open park solely for the NBA. If they don't securely quarantine them, guests can't be at WDW while the NBA is there. That's my concern.

But, at this point, I'm pretty much done with rumors. I'm going with what I know for a fact and the fact is suddenly, there are no CL rooms available anywhere. CR is completely unavailable as well. There's a reason for that, and that reason worries me. But, we're close enough now that we'll know something one way or the other soon and hopefully enable us to make some decisions. And somewhere in what their decision is, one of the kabillion rumors will be right. Personally, I'm still with #teamsven/flynn.

Maybe CR is not available to move CSR guests there, if the NBA will be staying at CSR. Maybe CL is not available to absorb CSR CL guests. I don't know, but it seems this all happened yesterday? After the NBA deal looks like it will happen? Just a thought

 

[cakebaker]

Maybe CR is not available to move CSR guests there, if the NBA will be staying at CSR. Maybe CL is not available to absorb CSR CL guests. I don't know, but it seems this all happened yesterday? After the NBA deal looks like it will happen? Just a thought

It was Friday evening that I noticed it, but I'm sure it does have something to do with the NBA. The question is, what that is. Your explanation is one I hadn't thought of, but I suppose it's possible.

 

[Anna H]

Is it safe to say that anyone claiming that CM's are being told August right now is fibbing? Someone else said they knew a handful of CM's and they have been told nothing. I would like to at least still feel like anything is possible. If the probability seems high of August being accurate, I'd like to cancel now and find another place to go. We've had oursellves a bad year even before covid and need something to look forward to. Even if it's Universal lol.

 

[kiki02]

Opening Universal and opening WDW are two completely different things. Just based on how Universal is set up - from parking to walking to the parks - it is vastly easier to socially distance through that entire process and access both theme parks. The ONLY comparable to that for MK is if you are a guest staying at CR. How do you socially distance on a ferry boat, bus or monorail? Perhaps they will open AK or DHS first because of that. Who knows? You could fit both US and IOA into EP. Universal has 8 hotels. WDW has 31 hotels and DVC resorts. It's just not comparable.



No, Disney does not operate as a "family based fun park". Disney is a global mass media and entertainment conglomerate with theme parks as just part of their portfolio. They own ESPN (plus ESPN+ and all of the International ESPN channels) and have a multi-year, multi-billion dollar broadcasting contract with the NBA (along with other sports leagues). They have an ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at WDW that hosts massive sports events every year. They have a runDisney division that attracts tens of thousands of people to WDW each year to run marathons and other races. They used to host the Atlanta Braves spring training. They just opened the NBA Experience in DS last year and sponsor the Orlando Magic jerseys while also having a huge presence at all Magic home games. So, while you may not be familiar with Disney's association with sports, it is vast and involves billions and billions of dollars.



It's not happening. If people would read the reports on what the NBA and the players are considering in terms of creating a bubble, frequent testing, etc. they may have a better idea of how this is going to play out. They will be there to play through the season. That's it. It's not party time in the WDW parks. They also don't want any of them mingling with the general public. If an outbreak occurs within the NBA bubble, it would be a disaster. I wish people would do the math as well. There are 30 teams with a max of 17 players plus 1 head coach, 3 assistant coaches and one trainer on the bench. Add in a few more staff from each team and maybe round that up to 30 - 40 people per team, plus NBA execs. and media. It's probably less than 2000 people altogether that need to be housed. They aren't closing all of WDW down for 2000 people. They could take over all of CSR, bus them to WWOS and they would never come into contact with the general public. They will not be spread out over several resorts. They don't want Steph Curry rushed in the CR lobby.



Totally agree!

If they wanted to do the right thing for AP holders, they'd loosen up or take away black out dates this summer. Not cool DW Not cool at all.