Superthread for Disneyland Resort Closure and Reopening, 3/14/20 - 7/17/20: Please Post All Relevant Questions and Information Here!

[SOCALMouseMommy]

After the things that have transpired over the last few days I would be absolutely shocked if Disney reopened April 1 or even in April at all honestly.

 

[socaldisneylover]

After the things that have transpired over the last few days I would be absolutely shocked if Disney reopened April 1 or even in April at all honestly.

The older I get, the more I realize that people in general have a hard time understanding certain basic facts, and accepting reality. Sadly this unbridled positivity can occasionally be our undoing. Seeing people still taking this lightly, and something that will pass in short order, is scary, given how this virus is transmitted, and the steps that NEED to be taken in order to have a chance against it.

We're not going to go from Orange County advising against gatherings of 10 or more......to allowing 100K into Disneyland & CA Adventure, in a couple of weeks. That's saying nothing of the demand to visit the parks that will build up over the comings weeks/months, and create a cluster.... when they re-open.

Please don't throw food at me......maybe some unused rolls of toilet paper......but at this point an absolute best case scenario would likely be an opening by Mid-June. A more realistic re-opening guess? October/November. A worst case guess........and this is the one to really worry about......Summer/Fall 2021. There's always the possibility they re-open, and then the virus explodes again, so they have to shutdown without warning.

 

[Jerryp49]

Here`s a scary article .. Predicts 18 Months :
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-plan.html

 

[Aurora0427]

The older I get, the more I realize that people in general have a hard time understanding certain basic facts, and accepting reality. Sadly this unbridled positivity can occasionally be our undoing. Seeing people still taking this lightly, and something that will pass in short order, is scary, given how this virus is transmitted, and the steps that NEED to be taken in order to have a chance against it.

We're not going to go from Orange County advising against gatherings of 10 or more......to allowing 100K into Disneyland & CA Adventure, in a couple of weeks. That's saying nothing of the demand to visit the parks that will build up over the comings weeks/months, and create a cluster.... when they re-open.

Please don't throw food at me......maybe some unused rolls of toilet paper......but at this point an absolute best case scenario would likely be an opening by Mid-June. A more realistic re-opening guess? October/November. A worst case guess........and this is the one to really worry about......Summer/Fall 2021. There's always the possibility they re-open, and then the virus explodes again, so they have to shutdown without warning.

I’m not saying I disagree with you.... but I don’t understand how the entire country shuts down until Summer 2021. There won’t be anything left to open, because our economy will be completely destroyed. I mean, right???? My sister has a client who is going to lose $900MM by June. I have a friend whose husband is a CFO for a tech company in Carlsbad, and they are laying off and have spoken to other businesses who are looking at bankruptcy. Capitalism cannot survive the 18 months they need to come up with a vaccine. Do they actually need 18 months, or does that include all of the hoops required by the FDA? Edited to clarify: wondering about speeding up the timeline, NOT eliminating safety checks.

I’m not arguing with you at all, and so far I support the measures that have been taken. I’m just dumbfounded at the idea of shutting down everything for 18 months.

 

[mrsw94]

San Mateo County here. Just went to Whole Foods and they are metering entry- one customer in, one customer out. Kinda nice inside the store and at least gives you a chance of not being smashed up against others. Especially since I went to the entrance in the below ground parking garage only to find there was NO line to get in down there. Only had to wait about 30 seconds for someone to come out...

My job is 100% remote anyway... but working from home full time when my husband and 3 kids are also doing so is a whole different ball game...

Hello Fello San Matean! I think I know just which Whole Foods you went to! I'll keep in mind the parking lot trick!

I hit Costco this morning to shop for someone in our congregation who can't get out. People were very nice and they were super-regulating how many people went in and keeping people apart. I was super impressed.

I'm trying not to get too down about it, but I'm fairly certain our trip for our daughter's High School Graduation in July will be cancelled. My job will probably not be around much longer, and with the recession I see coming, I doubt it will come back. On a happier note, we got Universal Tickets for Christmas that HAVE to be used by the end of the year (we were supposed to go for Spring Break), so at the very least, we'll be able to do that!

 

[socaldisneylover]

I’m not arguing with you at all, and so far I support the measures that have been taken. I’m just dumbfounded at the idea of shutting down everything for 18 months.

It doesn't necessarily mean the shutting down of Everything. But putting 1,000's of people together in one place, may be the sticking point. It could get to the point where we're not asking the entire country to be locked down, but I'm scared about the leisure activities we're used to, amusement parks, sporting events, concerts, theatre, the things where large #'s of people congregate.....may be hard hit, and potentially devastated.

 

[Aurora0427]

It doesn't necessarily mean the shutting down of Everything. But putting 1,000's of people together in one place, may be the sticking point. It could get to the point where we're not asking the entire country to be locked down, but I'm scared about the leisure activities we're used to, amusement parks, sporting events, concerts, theatre, the things where large #'s of people congregate.....may be hard hit, and potentially devastated.

Ok, thanks for clarifying. This makes more sense. Sorry, I’m on edge like everyone....

 

[midnight star]

The older I get, the more I realize that people in general have a hard time understanding certain basic facts, and accepting reality. Sadly this unbridled positivity can occasionally be our undoing. Seeing people still taking this lightly, and something that will pass in short order, is scary, given how this virus is transmitted, and the steps that NEED to be taken in order to have a chance against it.

We're not going to go from Orange County advising against gatherings of 10 or more......to allowing 100K into Disneyland & CA Adventure, in a couple of weeks. That's saying nothing of the demand to visit the parks that will build up over the comings weeks/months, and create a cluster.... when they re-open.

Please don't throw food at me......maybe some unused rolls of toilet paper......but at this point an absolute best case scenario would likely be an opening by Mid-June. A more realistic re-opening guess? October/November. A worst case guess........and this is the one to really worry about......Summer/Fall 2021. There's always the possibility they re-open, and then the virus explodes again, so they have to shutdown without warning.

I think many people are just uncomfortable with being told they can’t go about normal life like they are used to. I’m one of them! I’ll admit I def didn’t think things would get this bad, but I do hope all these efforts help slow down the spread.

 

[tsumgirl]

The older I get, the more I realize that people in general have a hard time understanding certain basic facts, and accepting reality. Sadly this unbridled positivity can occasionally be our undoing. Seeing people still taking this lightly, and something that will pass in short order, is scary, given how this virus is transmitted, and the steps that NEED to be taken in order to have a chance against it.

We're not going to go from Orange County advising against gatherings of 10 or more......to allowing 100K into Disneyland & CA Adventure, in a couple of weeks. That's saying nothing of the demand to visit the parks that will build up over the comings weeks/months, and create a cluster.... when they re-open.

Please don't throw food at me......maybe some unused rolls of toilet paper......but at this point an absolute best case scenario would likely be an opening by Mid-June. A more realistic re-opening guess? October/November. A worst case guess........and this is the one to really worry about......Summer/Fall 2021. There's always the possibility they re-open, and then the virus explodes again, so they have to shutdown without warning.

I've probably come across as being full of unbridled positivity, but at the same time, I've been sheltering in place for about 2 weeks already. I'm aware of the reality, but positivity and hope are what will get me through staying in these 4 walls for the next few weeks. Sometimes the positivity does not equate to taking it lightly. I just find that in rough times, it helps to have something to look forward to, whether or not it's realistic. I'm completely fine planning for a trip that may not happen if it keeps my spirits up.

 

[ironband74]

Here`s a scary article .. Predicts 18 Months :
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-plan.html

I'm in the camp that believes that we will see the power of human ingenuity brought to bear on this that will shorten the duration of the crisis drastically.

More and more counties are taking drastic shelter in place measures, and I expect by the end of the week that will be the norm for the hardest hit areas. And, yes, we may see multiple waves, but if we manage it right each wave will be smaller than the last. And as testing of various anti-virals gains traction along with creative solutions to the economic and logistical issues (some of which we may not have thought of before) we'll find ourselves moving forward. Life may not be the same, but it will go on.

For now, even with our shelter in place for many California counties and social distancing happening on a grand scale, we have to remember that there are a lot of incubating cases which will develop over the course of the next week, plus additional cases that will be revealed by new testing capacity, so our numbers are going to look really bad and some folks will question the value of our approach, but if we work together and stick to "the plan", as it were, we'll be much better prepared for the future.

I don't think we'll see the resort re-open in April, but a lot can happen between now and then, so I haven't cancelled my reservations just yet. Time will tell.

 

[AndrewC]

The older I get, the more I realize that people in general have a hard time understanding certain basic facts, and accepting reality. Sadly this unbridled positivity can occasionally be our undoing. Seeing people still taking this lightly, and something that will pass in short order, is scary, given how this virus is transmitted, and the steps that NEED to be taken in order to have a chance against it.

We're not going to go from Orange County advising against gatherings of 10 or more......to allowing 100K into Disneyland & CA Adventure, in a couple of weeks. That's saying nothing of the demand to visit the parks that will build up over the comings weeks/months, and create a cluster.... when they re-open.

Please don't throw food at me......maybe some unused rolls of toilet paper......but at this point an absolute best case scenario would likely be an opening by Mid-June. A more realistic re-opening guess? October/November. A worst case guess........and this is the one to really worry about......Summer/Fall 2021. There's always the possibility they re-open, and then the virus explodes again, so they have to shutdown without warning.

I just honestly don’t think that’s a possibility for these major venues. Disney would lose such a huge amount of money when you think of the number of parks they run being closed and the number of hotel rooms staying empty. Yes they would kill the payroll by laying off everyone, but it would be a massive cost bringing people back on and training back to the level that is expected of $400+/night rooms. In addition, this all is slightly ridiculous if you still allow rapid mass transit. If hundreds of thousands to millions of people are traveling in a metal tube all around the US (and world) every day.... then it seems kinda stupid to just target theme parks to knock down the transmission.

I don’t doubt that this will stretch past April, but there is a good chance by June there is some amount of limited operations. Unfortunately, I think we might see a shifting point where things have to return to some amount of normal, with increased hygiene (possibly face masks, but people touch their face so much that outside of a professional they probably don’t really help THAT much). Then it will probably shift more to protecting and/or isolating at risk individuals. Allow limited access to assisted living facilities; require supervised hand washing upon entering, reduced touch between individuals, supervised mask donning of masks for all guests, etc. Guidance probably will go out to at home risk groups too for many of the same methods.

Flying, movie theaters/theaters of any kind, large venues like concerts, etc all would be almost as bad as Disney. You crash that amount of economic drive and you have an unstoppable force that will put us back decades or more.

If airlines collapse you put pressure on companies that routinely have high travel and probably reduce revenue or cause them to collapse entirely. You put massive stress on the hotel industry and might see them fail and shutter properties. That results in tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of employees without jobs and that trickles down time local businesses lost revenue as well as national declines (durable goods).

Things are going to get rough, we’re certainly in a recession, but this can’t last forever.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

"Grain of salt alert"

Someone on another forum has reported that ALL facilities maintenance and construction have been halted at both DL and WDW. I'm not surprised. Avoiding gatherings of 10 or more applies to unnecessary construction work, too.

"End grain of salt alert"

In response to the MAJOR confusion caused by yesterday's announcement, OC amended that announcement today: https://voiceofoc.org/2020/03/oc-ad...eep-operating-while-following-state-guidance/. So now, work and school (Where have these people been? No one is left in school in OC, are they?) can go on as long as people keep their distance. Uh huh. Don't know how or if DLR will respond to this adjusted guideline by bringing back the construction workers.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

App update! Check your app: Disneyland app 5.10 update is available!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Reminder again, folks: This is a thread to discuss the DLR temporary closure due to COVID-19 related issues. This is NOT the thread to discuss politics, economics, COVID-19 itself, fear mongering, etc. Please keep this thread on topic. Thank you!

 

[pharmama]

Capitalism cannot survive the 18 months they need to come up with a vaccine. Do they actually need 18 months, or does that include all of the hoops required by the FDA?

The FDA has means to accelerate the approval timeline for something like this. But time will be needed to prove first the safety of the vaccine, then the efficacy of the vaccine and finally the duration of immunity provided. Some of that depends on the behavior of the virus- how quickly and in what way does it mutate to different strands and will the immunity conferred by the vaccine be effective for multiple strands (think seasonal flu- how we get annual vaccines- vs. measles where we get vaccinated in childhood and then just need an occasional booster).

 

[mentos]

Do they actually need 18 months, or does that include all of the hoops required by the FDA?

Point of order here, I wouldn't exactly call the drug approval process a bunch of hoops. They're there to keep us safe, it's why thalidomide never harmed an American baby.

But I get your point. I don't think DLR will be closed until a vaccine is approved, if Shanghai Disney is instructive, we just need to get over the hump (and heck maybe require masks). But who knows at this point.

 

[alvernon90]

Point of order here, I wouldn't exactly call the drug approval process a bunch of hoops. They're there to keep us safe, it's why thalidomide never harmed an American baby.

But I get your point. I don't think DLR will be closed until a vaccine is approved, if Shanghai Disney is instructive, we just need to get over the hump (and heck maybe require masks). But who knows at this point.

The thing people forget is that vaccines are not treatments. It would be one thing to cut the "hoops" for a treatment and give it to a dying patient because it's worth a shot. Vaccines are given to healthy people, and they essentially work (this is oversimplified) by making you a little bit sick so your immune system will attack and build up an immunity. If an experimental treatment fails, all that happens is the death of a person who was going to die anyway. But get the vaccine wrong, and you could make the entire health crisis worse by spreading the virus more. The "hoops" simply cannot be eliminated.

So there is little chance the vaccine will arrive sooner than 18 months. I agree DLR will not be closed that long, but until we have a vaccine I imagine they will have to open in a limited way with new procedures in place. There is no "stopping" the virus now, we can only slow the spread to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed. Eventually the shelter in place orders will be lifted, and when that happens the virus will spike again, potentially enough to overwhelm hospitals again and forcing a second wave of shutdowns. Then it is rinse and repeat, with each successive spike being smaller than the one before.

The first (current) spike and second spike will be the biggest and most likely to necessitate serious shutdowns. The question is whether Disney will want to reopen the parks during the period between the first and second spike. That period is likely to last only a few weeks or months, and then very likely the parks will need to be closed down again. Given the costs to spin up the parks for reopening (re-hiring CMs, restocking food, etc.) it may make more sense for them to just stay closed rather than re-open with painful restrictions in place only to close again quickly.

The only way to guarantee that the parks can open and stay open is to wait for a vaccine, but the cost of doing that will be so high that I expect they will try to open sooner, before the vaccine but after the main danger of further social distancing orders (and thus additional closures) has passed. My guess is that will be somewhere between six months and a year.

 

[gottalovepluto]

We had been discussing a Hawaii trip for the same time period just a few weeks ago. I had the same concern about getting stuck and then thought: “Would being stranded in Hawaii be that bad?”

I can’t afford that!

 

[DaveNinja]

I wonder how they'll deal with AP extensions and blackouts. Our Deluxe APs expire in mid-June but if they expand the passes by a month or two, most of that time will be in late june and July when the passes are blocked at DL so it wouldnt really help (unless we wanted a trip of only DCA).

 

[Aurora0427]

Point of order here, I wouldn't exactly call the drug approval process a bunch of hoops. They're there to keep us safe, it's why thalidomide never harmed an American baby.

But I get your point. I don't think DLR will be closed until a vaccine is approved, if Shanghai Disney is instructive, we just need to get over the hump (and heck maybe require masks). But who knows at this point.

I understand all of the importance of the testing required by the FDA for vaccines..... I’d literally just watched something on TV about a doctor in North Carolina and her frustrations in dealing with the FDA in regards to the testing kits, and that bled over into my post. I was mainly wondering if the timeline could be sped up.