Thoughts why MK/AK open first? ; Why the #4 for days in between opening?

[bellepepper]

Any guesses as to why Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are the first parks to open? -- More so thinking about why MK due to the fact that you don't have the option of driving yourself and walking up to the main gate or riding together on an outdoor tram. (I know that it's the main attraction, just thinking they might have waited a beat to figure out the arrival scenario).
Also curious as to why you think there is only a 4 day difference between MK/AK and HS/Epcot opening? --Seems like a random number of days and not enough time to observe + make adjustments if that's what they're going for. Just curious about it all

 

[Mrsjvb]

two most popular parks. AK is more spread out to allow for more social distancing. they have the weekend to monitor crowd levels and make tweaks to the lines.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Four days to see how things go at the first two parks. Everything is subject to change.

 

[20yBWDW]

All just guesses, and I am not as knowledgeable as many on this board, but I assumed it was a combination of things. It makes sense that Magic Kingdom is the first to reopen, for emotional/sentimental/symbolic reasons and because it has the highest capacity, no new rides that a majority will flock to, and probably is typically staffed by a lot of experienced cast members who have remained on payroll. I would imagine Animal Kingdom has had to keep more staff working for purposes of caring for the animals and has carried the highest expense during the closure. It makes sense to open it ASAP as well. It is also probably the least impacted by social distancing in terms of the guest experience. Shows, parades, etc, are less of a thing there.

Hollywood Studios is the one that has problems to prevent. Disney can have a couple days of managing Pandora to help them figure out how to manage Toy Story Land and Galaxy' Edge. They have so many shows that have previously served as time fillers for people waiting on the big rides. They already had crowds in the areas around rides, take away all the shows and factor in social distancing? That's going to be rough. Every little bit of knowledge they can gain from seeing how the openings go in the other two parks will help.

And Epcot--I don't think many people would choose Epcot in those first few days if all parks opened at the same time. Not with the construction. Plus, didn't they lay off more Epcot cardmembers? So they have to fill staffing gaps there, rather than simply call back people who are local and waiting.

 

[bellepepper]

@20yBWDW @Mrsjvb @kaytieeldr Thank you for your responses! : ) 4 days just really had me scratching my head-- why not have HS/Epcot open a week later or two or three etc instead of 4 days later? Seems random and not like enough time to do full case studies about what works or doesn't work and relay any new info to all cast members in HS/Epcot.
Will see how it all unfolds.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Oh, sure, it's arbitrary. And it could still change.

 

[kimmar067]

@20yBWDW @Mrsjvb @kaytieeldr Thank you for your responses! : ) 4 days just really had me scratching my head-- why not have HS/Epcot open a week later or two or three etc instead of 4 days later? Seems random and not like enough time to do full case studies about what works or doesn't work and relay any new info to all cast members in HS/Epcot.
Will see how it all unfolds.

...my DS is a part-timer at DS, and he actually thought it a bit odd too. Six or 7 of his close friends all worked at Epcot and they had to go back to their respective countries. Because of the pandemic, some of them still aren't allowed to fly internationally yet. However, according to him, construction has been pretty much been going full steam ahead. Still he was a bit surprised - he thought it wouldn't reopen till around August/September, when school begins for the 2020/2021 year....

 

[yulilin3]

...my DS is a part-timer at DS, and he actually thought it a bit odd too. Six or 7 of his close friends all worked at Epcot and they had to go back to their respective countries. Because of the pandemic, some of them still aren't allowed to fly internationally yet. However, according to him, construction has been pretty much been going full steam ahead. Still he was a bit surprised - he thought it wouldn't reopen till around August/September, when school begins for the 2020/2021 year....

What does school beginning have to do with opening epcot?