Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus
- Thread starter rteetz
- Start date
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Spaceguy55
Work is a 4 letter word
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2014
Has anybody seen any info on modifying a resort stay this week ?
I have 4 nights at POP starting on the 14th that my silver pass won't cover,
If I can get a preview day on the 9th or 10th then I wanted to add that stay to my Labor Day weekend that will be covered or sometime in the Fall.
If not I might go just to ride the Skyliner and hit some restaurants for a couple days and check out early.
I have 4 nights at POP starting on the 14th that my silver pass won't cover,
If I can get a preview day on the 9th or 10th then I wanted to add that stay to my Labor Day weekend that will be covered or sometime in the Fall.
If not I might go just to ride the Skyliner and hit some restaurants for a couple days and check out early.
SaintsManiac
Wait for it.
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2014
I use Google Chrome.
SwirlTheCitrus
Think 🍊 Thoughts!
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2018
Yesss... This is my word for the day. Disney definition: "allowing everyone and their mother to make reservations all at the same time."
Last edited:
koszmok
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2011
Yesterday for hours I couldn`t log in on chrome meanwhile I was able to log in on explorer.
This morning I was able to log in on chrome without a problem.
If I remember right I did have problems in the past with chrome though...
wdw_dine_junkie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2001
If I call today, can I add 3 guests to my Fort Wilderness reservation in January? I can't add them online, but I'd like to make park reservations for all of us tomorrow. They will be tent camping on our site.
gottalovepluto
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2014
Maybe a group booked at Pop is being relocated like the BC to Poly TA Group.
Ninjagrrl
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2019
Only way to know is to try. Some have been successful, some not.
karen4546
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2012
Agree. With park reservations, it may make it easier to get ADRs ?>? Hopefully, they will open more dining options before September.
SwirlTheCitrus
Think 🍊 Thoughts!
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2018
The fact that we have to wait to make ADRs until after the window for Park reservations has opened makes me think that you will not be able to obtain a reservation for a restaurant until you have a Park reservation. This would make the most sense, wouldn't it?!
SaintsManiac
Wait for it.
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2014
Yes they already said you would need the park reservations first.
Rosanne
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2009
I was not allowed to add a guest to my Kidani reservation (I had three people on the res and they said I was allowed to have 5 but they said I wouldn't be allowed to add the guests until July 11).
I think they're trying to keep new people from being able to access the park reservation system until July 11 (or at least slow the numbers).
WatchandLearn33
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 31, 2020
I tried to do that yesterday. You cannot make any modifications including adding people. They told me to call back Monday and add them. Yeah easier said than done.
Anthony Vito
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2017
While obviously those resort dates are nothing official, I can't imagine how they would relate to booking and not opening. Having dates that they'll start accepting future reservations on those resorts makes no sense at all, because then it would just lead to the question of what dates those reservations could be made for. Plus, they've already said that on 6/28 they're opening up vacation packages to be booked into 2021, without stating they're limiting those bookings to only select resorts. So we know 6/28 is the date that reservations can be made at all resorts for 2021 - they wouldn't announce dates into October for when they're allowed to "book" resort-specific reservations.
Karin1984
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2012
Just to give you an update from The Netherlands. Yesterday and today I visited the Dutch equivalent of Disneyland: Theme park Efteling. In this thread I've written more often about their Covid-procedures before they could reopen. The park has reopened on May 20th, and is at about 30% capacity now. (one park, 3 hotels, open 365 days a year, average 5.3 million guests a year)
So below my experiences and their procedures, maybe they will be the same for Disney, maybe they will differ, but I am sure all parks that haven't reopened yet, are looking carefully at the parks that are.
- A few weeks ago, Efteling released a video with instructions in Dutch. Last week they released the same video with instructions in French, English and German. The borders are reopened for many countries within Europe. And Efteling is expecting guestst. We heard several people from Belgium and Germany around us.
Most signs in the park with instructions were in English as well.
Reservation system:
- Everyone with a hotel reservation doesn't need to make a reservation for the park.
- The reservation system is divided into 3 parts: AP holders, Guests with tickets without dates, Guests with no tickets at all. Each of these groups have a cap on how many are allowed in.
- Originally AP holders could only make one reservation at a time, now that's up at 2 or 3 (as I understand it, I am not an AP holder at this park). And also , originally they were very strict with the caps in the ticketing system. Now if the other two ticket groups aren't sold out on the day off, the AP holders can make a last minute reservation using those spots.
At the hotel:
- At the entrance there were one-way marks, plus signage with the guidelines as stated by our CDC.
- Didn't use it but pool was open, but you had to make a reservation for 45 minutes.
- Our room was on the second floor so we took the stairs, they had signs to indicate that the stairs were also one-way.(sign could have been better, not everyone understood)
- Of course, screens around the reception desk etc.
- Normally there is a breakfast buffet included with your hotel stay. Now they have solved it by having a mini buffet at your table. A selection of different breads, spreads, cheeses and meats. They came by to ask if you wanted eggs and how. They came by with a trolley for water, juices, milks, these people also had extra breads and spreads etc. with them on their trolley. If they didn't have something, or you wanted more, you could simply ask. Coffee & tea was self service.
Of course all tables were spread out.
- For dinner, they had the menu available online after scanning the QR code (available in 4 languages). They put our drink orders on the far end of the table, or used a serving table, and we could get it from there.
In the park:
- Officially they only want you to go with people of your household. No one asked or cared. There were tons of groups of friends or families with all the grandparents, children & grandchildren who surely do not all live in the same house.
- At all entrances, on squares, big areas etc. there were signs with the CDC guidelines.
- Plenty of handsanitizers everywhere, near entrances and exits of rides and on squares. They have just replaced them to a system that is foot operated.
- Several paths were closed off, or made one-direction.
- Table service restaurants took reservations, but also had space for walk ups, there were queues created outside the restaurants. With the foodcourts some restaurants were closed to have less people inside at the same time.
- Extra bathrooms (festival style, but the deluxe ones) are brought in as they only let in one family at a time. It wasn't ideal, but it kept the queues down at the bathrooms.
- This park uses red & white tape to indicate the 6ft in all queues, also outside the regular queue. 6ft red tape, 6ft white tape, 6ft red tape etc. Stand at the white tape only.
- Some queues went backstage or in circles. It was done quite subtle. It was mostly done on the railings etc.
- Maybe even too subtle, as we saw so many idiot guests not understanding: Stand at white tape only. And even if they didn't understand the system, it was clear they weren't keeping 6ft distance. When people queue, they are programmed to stand as close as possible (or they were talking to each other or staring at their phone)
We kept our distance between the group ahead of us, creating a bigger gap if necessary. And sometimes we had to tell the people behind us, stand only next to the white tape.
We didn't run into any issues with other guests when we told them the rules.
- The problem was not that the rules weren't clear, it was about people not following the rules. Sometimes CMs tried to help out and say something over the intercom to alert the people in the queue. But with an improvised queue going through the woods or parking lot etc. there is no intercom there.
- Some times there was a CM walking in the queue (at the same pace as the guests) cleaning the railings.
- In cattle pen queues they had put up plastic screens. It is not the prettiest solution, but I felt better by the screens being there than when you stand shoulder to shoulder
- For certain rides with long pre-shows, for a Disney equivalent, let's take the elevator in the Haunted Mansion. In the elevator are several tape-circles with a number in it on the floor, all 6ft apart. Before entering the CM assigns your household a number, you go to the circle that corresponds with your number to watch the preshow from that point.
Now that I think of it, I would say that with this principle, max 4 households could fit into the elevator at once.
- Wait times were pretty accurate. As they can now more accurately guess the amount of households.
- No single riders
- No fastpasses (Efteling only has 1 ride with a reservation system )
- No requesting certain rows. (I did ask at some, and most CMs were very strict with this.)
- There was enough space kept between the guests once you were on the ride by leaving empty rows.
- My one concern was the cleaning of the carts between guests. Of course you are only there for a few minutes in a ride, which is nothing when you queue for an hour and you can't keep your distance. So it is 'fine'? What they did was for example in a coaster, and a cart has 2x2 places. Seat 1 and 2 in the front of the cart, seat 3 and 4 in the back. In the first ride they only fill seat 1 and 2, and in the next ride, they filled up seat 3 and 4.
Cleaning carts between guests is practically impossible in continuous loops like Haunted Mansion.
- On one coaster it wasn't allowed to bring your bag, it was obligatory to use a locker (for free) or leave it with a non-rider.
- The other issue we ran into this morning was entering the park. All hotel guests have 30 minutes early access. The park opens for hotel guests at 9:30. Around 9:00 - 9:15 we could get in and were stopped before we could get to the rides, and waited there for rope drop at 9:30. There was no 6ft distance here, some people tried, but getting close to the front was more important. My friend felt uncomfortable and wore her mask (masks aren't required here). The park hadn't implemented anything to solve this (probably because it's only 15 minutes in the morning and we are in the open air. Studies say, it's less contagious when you are in open air)
- Normally in this park you can get in a queue 1 minute before closing time and still ride. However, as they had special evening openings for AP holders on Saturday, the park had to be cleared and several rides closed 15 - 30 minutes before closing time. The park for day guests closed at 6pm, AP holders had access again from 7 - 11pm in May & June.
- Normally in July & August the park is open till 11 and there is a big summer festival each weekend with loads of entertainment. When you are a day guest you had access for the entire day. They have now decided to split it up in 9am - 6pm and 7-11pm (40 euro for day, 25 euro for night). It's not ideal, but it was the best they probably could do. The other option was to decrease capacity for the entire day.
- As a result: in July & August hotel guests do not have early access.
- Most of the streetmosphere entertainment was cancelled. There were 2 small shows in an open air theater, with limited capacity. Same principle as the queues for rides with red & white tape on the seats.
- The big show (knights, horses, ravens, dragons etc.) is cancelled. However, from July 4th there will be a reworked version. A 10 minute show, instead of 25 minutes. Same amount of shows in a day. I don't really understand their reasoning on this. As it's also an open air theater. Maybe this measure is more for the actors than for the audience.
- Efteling has a fountain show at park closure normally. Now they perform it several times a day. As it doesn't get dark till 10:30pm at the moment, that was no problem, you wouldn't are the lights anyway. It's around a huge lake with plenty of options to keep your distance. There were some tape lines to indicate where you could stand. Before the show started, they announced some safety procedures over the intercom around the lake.
For those worried about the atmosphere. I wasn't bothered by all the measures in the park. As mentioned it was quite subtle how the distance was kept in queues etc. it didn't influence the atmosphere in the park for me. Also in themed queues, I wasn't bothered by it. In themed queues it was mostly on the floor. And I do not stare at the floor constantly.
As said, masks aren't required here. So I cannot really say if seeing everyone with masks would make a difference to me. (I have a reservation for Disneyland Paris late next month, masks will be required there)
Those are my thoughts on my visit to a theme park!
It was good to ride some coasters again and to have a night out of the house. But I was tired when I got home tonight. Being surrounded by so many people after being 'isolated' for such a long time does something to your brain. Too many impressions ;-)
Let me know if you have questions. I have some pictures & videos, but they are not uploaded yet. Let me know if you want to see how it looked.
So below my experiences and their procedures, maybe they will be the same for Disney, maybe they will differ, but I am sure all parks that haven't reopened yet, are looking carefully at the parks that are.
- A few weeks ago, Efteling released a video with instructions in Dutch. Last week they released the same video with instructions in French, English and German. The borders are reopened for many countries within Europe. And Efteling is expecting guestst. We heard several people from Belgium and Germany around us.
Most signs in the park with instructions were in English as well.
Reservation system:
- Everyone with a hotel reservation doesn't need to make a reservation for the park.
- The reservation system is divided into 3 parts: AP holders, Guests with tickets without dates, Guests with no tickets at all. Each of these groups have a cap on how many are allowed in.
- Originally AP holders could only make one reservation at a time, now that's up at 2 or 3 (as I understand it, I am not an AP holder at this park). And also , originally they were very strict with the caps in the ticketing system. Now if the other two ticket groups aren't sold out on the day off, the AP holders can make a last minute reservation using those spots.
At the hotel:
- At the entrance there were one-way marks, plus signage with the guidelines as stated by our CDC.
- Didn't use it but pool was open, but you had to make a reservation for 45 minutes.
- Our room was on the second floor so we took the stairs, they had signs to indicate that the stairs were also one-way.(sign could have been better, not everyone understood)
- Of course, screens around the reception desk etc.
- Normally there is a breakfast buffet included with your hotel stay. Now they have solved it by having a mini buffet at your table. A selection of different breads, spreads, cheeses and meats. They came by to ask if you wanted eggs and how. They came by with a trolley for water, juices, milks, these people also had extra breads and spreads etc. with them on their trolley. If they didn't have something, or you wanted more, you could simply ask. Coffee & tea was self service.
Of course all tables were spread out.
- For dinner, they had the menu available online after scanning the QR code (available in 4 languages). They put our drink orders on the far end of the table, or used a serving table, and we could get it from there.
In the park:
- Officially they only want you to go with people of your household. No one asked or cared. There were tons of groups of friends or families with all the grandparents, children & grandchildren who surely do not all live in the same house.
- At all entrances, on squares, big areas etc. there were signs with the CDC guidelines.
- Plenty of handsanitizers everywhere, near entrances and exits of rides and on squares. They have just replaced them to a system that is foot operated.
- Several paths were closed off, or made one-direction.
- Table service restaurants took reservations, but also had space for walk ups, there were queues created outside the restaurants. With the foodcourts some restaurants were closed to have less people inside at the same time.
- Extra bathrooms (festival style, but the deluxe ones) are brought in as they only let in one family at a time. It wasn't ideal, but it kept the queues down at the bathrooms.
- This park uses red & white tape to indicate the 6ft in all queues, also outside the regular queue. 6ft red tape, 6ft white tape, 6ft red tape etc. Stand at the white tape only.
- Some queues went backstage or in circles. It was done quite subtle. It was mostly done on the railings etc.
- Maybe even too subtle, as we saw so many idiot guests not understanding: Stand at white tape only. And even if they didn't understand the system, it was clear they weren't keeping 6ft distance. When people queue, they are programmed to stand as close as possible (or they were talking to each other or staring at their phone)
We kept our distance between the group ahead of us, creating a bigger gap if necessary. And sometimes we had to tell the people behind us, stand only next to the white tape.
We didn't run into any issues with other guests when we told them the rules.
- The problem was not that the rules weren't clear, it was about people not following the rules. Sometimes CMs tried to help out and say something over the intercom to alert the people in the queue. But with an improvised queue going through the woods or parking lot etc. there is no intercom there.
- Some times there was a CM walking in the queue (at the same pace as the guests) cleaning the railings.
- In cattle pen queues they had put up plastic screens. It is not the prettiest solution, but I felt better by the screens being there than when you stand shoulder to shoulder
- For certain rides with long pre-shows, for a Disney equivalent, let's take the elevator in the Haunted Mansion. In the elevator are several tape-circles with a number in it on the floor, all 6ft apart. Before entering the CM assigns your household a number, you go to the circle that corresponds with your number to watch the preshow from that point.
Now that I think of it, I would say that with this principle, max 4 households could fit into the elevator at once.
- Wait times were pretty accurate. As they can now more accurately guess the amount of households.
- No single riders
- No fastpasses (Efteling only has 1 ride with a reservation system )
- No requesting certain rows. (I did ask at some, and most CMs were very strict with this.)
- There was enough space kept between the guests once you were on the ride by leaving empty rows.
- My one concern was the cleaning of the carts between guests. Of course you are only there for a few minutes in a ride, which is nothing when you queue for an hour and you can't keep your distance. So it is 'fine'? What they did was for example in a coaster, and a cart has 2x2 places. Seat 1 and 2 in the front of the cart, seat 3 and 4 in the back. In the first ride they only fill seat 1 and 2, and in the next ride, they filled up seat 3 and 4.
Cleaning carts between guests is practically impossible in continuous loops like Haunted Mansion.
- On one coaster it wasn't allowed to bring your bag, it was obligatory to use a locker (for free) or leave it with a non-rider.
- The other issue we ran into this morning was entering the park. All hotel guests have 30 minutes early access. The park opens for hotel guests at 9:30. Around 9:00 - 9:15 we could get in and were stopped before we could get to the rides, and waited there for rope drop at 9:30. There was no 6ft distance here, some people tried, but getting close to the front was more important. My friend felt uncomfortable and wore her mask (masks aren't required here). The park hadn't implemented anything to solve this (probably because it's only 15 minutes in the morning and we are in the open air. Studies say, it's less contagious when you are in open air)
- Normally in this park you can get in a queue 1 minute before closing time and still ride. However, as they had special evening openings for AP holders on Saturday, the park had to be cleared and several rides closed 15 - 30 minutes before closing time. The park for day guests closed at 6pm, AP holders had access again from 7 - 11pm in May & June.
- Normally in July & August the park is open till 11 and there is a big summer festival each weekend with loads of entertainment. When you are a day guest you had access for the entire day. They have now decided to split it up in 9am - 6pm and 7-11pm (40 euro for day, 25 euro for night). It's not ideal, but it was the best they probably could do. The other option was to decrease capacity for the entire day.
- As a result: in July & August hotel guests do not have early access.
- Most of the streetmosphere entertainment was cancelled. There were 2 small shows in an open air theater, with limited capacity. Same principle as the queues for rides with red & white tape on the seats.
- The big show (knights, horses, ravens, dragons etc.) is cancelled. However, from July 4th there will be a reworked version. A 10 minute show, instead of 25 minutes. Same amount of shows in a day. I don't really understand their reasoning on this. As it's also an open air theater. Maybe this measure is more for the actors than for the audience.
- Efteling has a fountain show at park closure normally. Now they perform it several times a day. As it doesn't get dark till 10:30pm at the moment, that was no problem, you wouldn't are the lights anyway. It's around a huge lake with plenty of options to keep your distance. There were some tape lines to indicate where you could stand. Before the show started, they announced some safety procedures over the intercom around the lake.
For those worried about the atmosphere. I wasn't bothered by all the measures in the park. As mentioned it was quite subtle how the distance was kept in queues etc. it didn't influence the atmosphere in the park for me. Also in themed queues, I wasn't bothered by it. In themed queues it was mostly on the floor. And I do not stare at the floor constantly.
As said, masks aren't required here. So I cannot really say if seeing everyone with masks would make a difference to me. (I have a reservation for Disneyland Paris late next month, masks will be required there)
Those are my thoughts on my visit to a theme park!
It was good to ride some coasters again and to have a night out of the house. But I was tired when I got home tonight. Being surrounded by so many people after being 'isolated' for such a long time does something to your brain. Too many impressions ;-)Let me know if you have questions. I have some pictures & videos, but they are not uploaded yet. Let me know if you want to see how it looked.
Last edited:
Perdita&Pongo
Platinum DCL Cruiser and BWV DVC Member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2000
Are we calling the Park Pass Reservations “PPRs”? Like we call dining rez ADRs?
SwirlTheCitrus
Think 🍊 Thoughts!
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2018
Where did I miss that?
WonderlandisReality
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2016
I thought someone had used DPPS. Disney Park Pass System
SaintsManiac
Wait for it.
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2014
I can’t remember exactly when it was posted in here. Weeks ago maybe? They said that dining reservations would not guarantee entry to a park. You need to reserve the park first. I think it was when they wiped all the ADRs.
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