WDW COVID-19 Operational Changes- Reservation System-Rope Drop Procedures

[mckennarose]

Good bye Disney. We had a trip planned for last week of April into early May, BUT my husband is just turning 60 with many health issues, and I'm 57, and while I used to be the healthier of the two of us, I am quickly catching up to him.

So while it was really hard, we made the choice to cancel last night. It was particularly hard because I managed to get all the FastPasses we wanted, and we had the perfect balance of parks and relaxing.

I'm really sorry, but it sounds like you made the best decision for you and your husband. We might also have to make that decision as we get closer too and I'm sure a lot of thought went into your decision.
Cheers to next time!

 

[mckennarose]

Can someone help me out on what kind of ticket options we have, if any, that would allow us to cancel? Is this even an option if we are off property? If not, can I change dates and what is the process for that.. do I need to have new dates to change it to or can we use them for next year?

I think your best bet would be to call Disney or official seller (like UT) with those questions. They can walk you through tickets geared for your personal situation.

 

[Mango7100]

We are supposed to be going on 3/14-3/21 and are still planning unless something changes. We are early 40s. my husband does have a genetic heart condition for which he takes medication, but in talking to his cardiologist they worry more about people with congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, are seniors, or who also have concurrent respiratory/pulmonary disease. I am a bit of a obsessive hand washer/sanitizer anyway.

I also have always used hand sanitizer after touching a menu, getting napkins or drinks from QS locations, and after any character meets with giving high fives and having an autograph book. I will add Clorox wipes to wiping down tables before we eat and also wiping phones

Questions are: Would Disney ever once an hour wipe down rides that are feasible. HM and other constantly moving loaders aren’t as feasible, but I think it wouldn’t be hard to stop for 5 min every hour and wipe down Dumbo or the roller coaster vehicles. Also, I do worry about character meet and greets where they stand for a while and shake hands, hug, sign things etc constantly. Wonder if there will be changes to that?

 

[MermaidMommy]

We are supposed to be going on 3/14-3/21 and are still planning unless something changes. We are early 40s. my husband does have a genetic heart condition for which he takes medication, but in talking to his cardiologist they worry more about people with congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, are seniors, or who also have concurrent respiratory/pulmonary disease. I am a bit of a obsessive hand washer/sanitizer anyway.

I also have always used hand sanitizer after touching a menu, getting napkins or drinks from QS locations, and after any character meets with giving high fives and having an autograph book. I will add Clorox wipes to wiping down tables before we eat and also wiping phones

Questions are: Would Disney ever once an hour wipe down rides that are feasible. HM and other constantly moving loaders aren’t as feasible, but I think it wouldn’t be hard to stop for 5 min every hour and wipe down Dumbo or the roller coaster vehicles. Also, I do worry about character meet and greets where they stand for a while and shake hands, hug, sign things etc constantly. Wonder if there will be changes to that?

I think that Disneyland Tokyo/Disneysea suspended character greetings (before they closed the parks, of course).

 

[Spridell]

We are supposed to be going on 3/14-3/21 and are still planning unless something changes. We are early 40s. my husband does have a genetic heart condition for which he takes medication, but in talking to his cardiologist they worry more about people with congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, are seniors, or who also have concurrent respiratory/pulmonary disease. I am a bit of a obsessive hand washer/sanitizer anyway.

I also have always used hand sanitizer after touching a menu, getting napkins or drinks from QS locations, and after any character meets with giving high fives and having an autograph book. I will add Clorox wipes to wiping down tables before we eat and also wiping phones

Questions are: Would Disney ever once an hour wipe down rides that are feasible. HM and other constantly moving loaders aren’t as feasible, but I think it wouldn’t be hard to stop for 5 min every hour and wipe down Dumbo or the roller coaster vehicles. Also, I do worry about character meet and greets where they stand for a while and shake hands, hug, sign things etc constantly. Wonder if there will be changes to that?

They're fogging type devices on the market that spray chemicals in the air and can sanatize up to 5,000sq feet. My local fire department uses them for their ambulances.

Maybe disney will be using these during closed hours.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

They're fogging type devices on the market that spray chemicals in their and can sterilize up to 5,000sq feet. My local fire department uses them for their ambulances.

Maybe disney will be using these during closed hours.

It would make my heart happy if they installed a magical wall of sanitizer on rides like Buzz for the cars to move through after people get off. And at park entrances where it could go off periodically (like produce sprayers at grocery stores) to sanitize the heck out of the finger scanners.

 

[yulilin3]

Thanks for the info. Do you know if Disney is doing anything extra right now with cleaning/disinfecting regularly touched surfaces, like the tapstile, door handles, food counters, tables, ride bars, etc?

I'm wondering how much extra they're doing as I've seen and experienced first hand the changes in businesses sanitation protocols here. It's definitely stepped up since the announcement of cases in our state and I know florida also has cases. For example, just on a trip to Lowe's today we saw an employee cleaning the self scan registers after every customer used the pin pad and touch screen. I know it would be difficult for Disney to do that after each "touch" with the sheer amount of visitors, but I'm wondering if they're doing anything specific? Or how they're stepping up cleaning/disinfecting?

Yes, that's part of the procedures, i haven't seen an increase personally but that doesn't mean it isn't happening, I'm giing to mk this morning and will be keeping an eye out. I would love for them to at least close the winnie the pooh and v7DMT interactive queues but I'll report back later

 

[HokieRaven5]

Just received this email from Southwest. Mildly comforting that the airplanes will at least have a slightly higher level of relative cleanliness before boarding. I have an early morning flight but will still be wiping down the seat and tray table anyway.

"A message from our SVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Ryan Green

To our valued Customers,

There is no higher priority to our entire Southwest Family than the Safety of our Customers and Employees. We are in close communication with medical professionals, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), government agencies, and internal teams to stay on top of this evolving situation. According to the most recent information from the CDC, for most people, the immediate risk of being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to be low.

We want you to feel confident when traveling with Southwest Airlines. As a result, we have enhanced some of our cleaning procedures in the interest of our Customers' and Employees' health and safety.

Aircraft Cleaning: We spend between 6-7 hours cleaning each aircraft every night, and, as of March 4, 2020, we have enhanced our overnight cleaning procedures. Typically, we use an EPA approved, hospital-grade disinfectant in the lavatories and an interior cleaner in the cabin. Now, we are expanding the use of the hospital-grade disinfectant throughout the aircraft, and it will be used in the cabin, on elements in the flight deck, and in the lavatory. This goes beyond the standard CDC guidelines.

Also, we equip each of our aircraft with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, which filters out recirculated air onboard each plane to remove airborne particles. HEPA filters are also used in hospitals to provide patients with clean air.

To learn more about our enhanced aircraft cleaning procedures, visit our blog for a detailed overview, along with a video and photos of the process.

In addition, I want to take a moment to remind Customers of our flexible policies. These policies have always been in place at Southwest Airlines and provide our Customers peace of mind every day. We never charge Customers a fee to change or cancel (though fare differences might apply) their flights. If your plans change or if you decide to postpone your travel, the funds used to pay for your flight can be applied to future travel as long as you cancel your reservation at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure. The funds are valid for future travel up to one year from the original purchase date and must be used by the individual named on the ticket. Hopefully, these policies provide comfort to all of our Customers that they can book travel on Southwest as normal, and, if the circumstances change in the future, they can alter their plans without the penalty of a fee.

Rest assured, we are monitoring this developing situation closely, staying in regular contact with federal agencies, health organizations, and other experts. We've developed a host of resources to keep you informed and updated along the way, including our Travel Advisory on southwest.com and our Company blog, and we'll continue to post updates as this situation evolves.

Thank you for your patience and trust in Southwest Airlines. We are prepared to navigate through these challenging circumstances with your safety and confidence in Southwest Airlines at the forefront of everything we do.

We look forward to seeing you onboard soon."

 

[LaurenT]

Thanks @GADisneyDad14!

As of now, we are currently still actively planning for our May WDW trip. I'm really interested in hearing how others are planning and hoping we can bounce ideas and our experiences in navigating a WDW trip during this uncertain time.

So far I've been able to get some ticket info. from UT (where we bought our tix) on their refund policy and the biggest thing I've learned is that you can still get a refund even if you've linked your tickets to MDE! That took a HUGE load off just knowing we won't be out that money if something happens. Of course, it depends on what type of tickets a person buys, date of purchase and if you're planning on just a refund or some sort of ticket exchange. But the important thing, and to their credit, is that UT is more than willing to work with their customers.

We're still working on the travel insurance part. We're offsite, and I did purchase insurance, so we'll see.

I'm still working on ideas for when we're actually there.

Looking forward to hearing from others as you are planning an immediate trip also!

I’m going the last week of April. Fingers crossed that neither the parks nor my airline cancel. I also purchased from UT, my room is on points with DVC and I hope they’ll add them back to my account if the parks close -but I plan on going as long as I’m allowed.
I do think Disney should rope off that Pooh wall though!

 

[hertamaniac]

It looks like central Florida now has it's first presumptive case.

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/c...ing-1-in-central-florida-health-officials-say

 

[eeyoreandtink]

We will be going in 2 1/2 weeks unless they shut down. Obviously I am hoping they don't. I have done a lot of research myself on this and I really feel its being overhyped.

 

[leeniewdw]

In the other thread, there was a discussion about bag check and handling all the items you've got inside. I am going to absolutely minimize what we take to the park, but on our arrival day I will have a small cross body bag since we are coming straight from the airport. If I've got a very small wallet (it's really just a CC holder rather than a wallet), small sunscreen, phone, sanitizing gel, wipes....will they actually take all of these items out or will they just peer into the bag. Someone posted about taking out their make-up bag, so I'm presuming that's to open that itself.

We're trying to make a plan on how/when to wipe/use gel/go wash hands so we feel like we're controlling as much as we can. But it seems like if they are touching everyone's bags one after the other, you're already starting out with potential germs on your stuff.

 

[Sandiz08]

Not going till July, but still planning on going unless things take a turn for the worse. We have a room only booked, purchased park tickets, but have held off on buying special event and airplane tickets. They are cheap enough right now, so might just buy some with all the new travel change policies popping up. Hoping disney doesn't shut down, but if it does, we probably have bigger things to worry about.

 

[ratfam]

We have a May trip with a lot of DVC points on the line as well as airfare for 5 all booked before this started but not really protectable now. Our fastpass window opens shortly and I haven't yet bought tickets so at this point would end up buying direct from Disney. I started another thread not knowing about this one asking about options and it sounds like we could push to later in the year if needed. I will be calling today to see if the CMs have any guidance and will share anything I learn

 

[mckennarose]

I will have a small cross body bag since we are coming straight from the airport. If I've got a very small wallet (it's really just a CC holder rather than a wallet), small sunscreen, phone, sanitizing gel, wipes....will they actually take all of these items out or will they just peer into the bag.

See, and I'm thinking I'm going to be bringing MORE into the parks than I usually do. I like to go bagless if I can, but now I'm planning on more hand sanitizer and wipes.

Someone posted about taking out their make-up bag,

I will never understand the need for a whole makeup bag in Disney. To each his own, but I have been behind someone with a FULL makeup bag, including brushes that they had to unroll at bag check. It took forever!

But it seems like if they are touching everyone's bags one after the other, you're already starting out with potential germs on your stuff.

I'm guessing (hoping!) sanitizing the table is part of their new procedure. But what I do anyway is to separate my items into small baggies; one small baggie for any meds, one baggie for hand sanitizer and wipes, one baggie for chapstick and sunglasses, one baggie for "lady things". Then when we get to the table I just take all the baggies out of the crossbody and put them on top of it, in full view. They've never taken my stuff out of baggies, they just look at it. I also open my sunglass case myself and hold it so they see. The less they have to dig around, the better anyway because it's faster. But this way you could even throw the baggies away after your through bag check if you want to. I started doing it because my bags are usually bigger than the things I bring so I wanted to keep track of my stuff better. Then my plan is to lysol the heck out of my bag when we get back to the resort that evening!

 

[ellbellthomps]

It's definitely over hyped, but now it's beginning to live up to it. My boyfriend just came back from Israel, so he mildly quarantined himself even though it's not there. (international travel)
I would wait til next week for any major decisions. The tests should be more readily available by the end of the week, and that means more people get tested, so it could go either way.
That being said, I booked a fully refundable Toyko trip in July and I am fully planning on going regardless of what's happening.

 

[leeniewdw]

See, and I'm thinking I'm going to be bringing MORE into the parks than I usually do. I like to go bagless if I can, but now I'm planning on more hand sanitizer and wipes.

Yeah, of course this makes sense. I was planning on using a spi-belt only especially for our DHS day, but that would have limited space for wipes and gel.

I'm guessing (hoping!) sanitizing the table is part of their new procedure. But what I do anyway is to separate my items into small baggies; one small baggie for any meds, one baggie for hand sanitizer and wipes, one baggie for chapstick and sunglasses, one baggie for "lady things". Then when we get to the table I just take all the baggies out of the crossbody and put them on top of it, in full view. They've never taken my stuff out of baggies, they just look at it. I also open my sunglass case myself and hold it so they see. The less they have to dig around, the better anyway because it's faster. But this way you could even throw the baggies away after your through bag check if you want to. I started doing it because my bags are usually bigger than the things I bring so I wanted to keep track of my stuff better. Then my plan is to lysol the heck out of my bag when we get back to the resort that evening!

Great advice, thanks! I hadn't thought about sunglass case, but will definitely have that on day 1 at least. I guess I was thinking about them touching someone in front of me's stuff, and then mine. But maybe I can put things in smaller bags and then just wipe those down after we clear bag check.

 

[vinmar4]

We are actually flying in later today. Being a nurse, I usually don't get too concerned because I always drilled it in my family's head about correctly washing their hands, not touching our faces and covering their coughs. I'm a little worried but we are all healthy, thank God. Both our children want to do something in the medical field, so they are taking this virus seriously, which is a big plus.
What we are doing differently this time, is that we are taking off our shoes when back in our room ,using Lysol more ofter, and sanitizing our cell phones and magic bands ,plus washing our hands well. We will have a designed place to put the bags or stuff that we take to the parks and not placing none of that stuff by the kitchen area or dining table. I told them to carry some tissues with them at all times and if they see somebody coughing or sneezing close to them not covering their mouths, to hold their breath until they cover theirs noses and mouth and walk away if they can. We are not going to tell people what to do , but I know that some people won't be covering their mouths when sneezing or coughing, so we can try to protect ourselves as much as we can. We discussed staying more hydrated than usual , sanitizing our hands after each ride , to try to remember to touch as little as possible and to not stand very close to people if possible. We also discussed that if we feel uneasy with the crowds at the parks , we don't have to go at all or stay ,or we can just go very early for a couple of hours. We are renting a car to avoid being in the crowded buses as much as possible ,and possibly walking to and from HS and Epcot. I'm also planing on not taking a lot into the parks and putting my stuff in clear plastic small cosmetic bags so security touches as little as possible. We will have hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes with us. We are taking some medications with us like, Motrin, thermometer, flu medicine just in case. Lastly we have a separate car reservation that is ready just in case the scenario changes and we can't fly back home. MHO is that at the end of the day, we can only do so much to protect ourselves and the rest is up to God ,so we have to still try to have a good time and enjoy our vacation , just with some extra precautions . We also have another trip planned for Sept for our anniversary, hopefully it's over by that time.

 

[yulilin3]

No noticeable changes at mk. No cleaning of the tapstiles after each use this morning. I did see a lady wiping her table with a full size tub of Clorox wipes

 

[Spridell]

No noticeable changes at mk. No cleaning of the tapstiles after each use this morning. I did see a lady wiping her table with a full size tub of Clorox wipes

Thanks for the updates. PLease keep updating.

Question I have, If there are any plans of closures or reduced hours I am guessing they will inform the cast members first before the public?