Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[MKEMSE]

If you are a platinum or gold ap holder or on property you'll be fine

This makes me feel better. Thank you!

 

[Lewisc]

Amenities like restaurants and shops are not guaranteed to DVC guests. Disney could close Contemporary to BLT guests.

 

[kylenne]

We already know that BC Marketplace and Beaches and Cream will be open for BCV guests, so BC is out of the bubble.

I thought so. That's what make the Deluxe rumors so weird to me. Just about all of them pose these kinds of bubble issues since the DVC sides rely on the hotel sides for amenities.

 

[Marthasor]

Amenities like restaurants and shops are not guaranteed to DVC guests. Disney could close Contemporary to BLT guests.

Disney has already announced the following amenities will be open to BLT guests:

Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
The following offerings and experiences will be available when this Resort hotel reopens. Hours of operation will be provided during your stay.
Dining

• The Wave… of American Flavors
• The Wave Lounge
• Contempo Café
• Cove Bar

Shops

• Bayview Gifts
• Fantasia Market

Activities

• Pools
• Poolside Activities
• Movies Under the Stars
• Fitness Center
• Community Hall
• Sports Courts

 

[Jrb1979]

Uh-huh...
The point was that Disney is going to be at a different stage than everywhere else, if this is true. Hhn was just a like comparison.

I understand what you mean now. Disney cancelling F&W and MNSSHP probably has more to do with money then safety

 

[amelia18]

30 days and yes book the whole trip when the first day of your 30 hits.
Fwiw. I wouldnt count on mnsshp m as ybe 15% likely.. I wouldn't count on f&w. I would give candlelight and Christmas parties a 50% or less shot at this moment

You mentioned F&W, assuming you mean the festival, do you have a percentage estimate for the race weekend? I'm assuming that would be lumped in with the festival, but it's to be my first one so I'm trying to stay optimistic!!

Edit, I see you said it was being discussed...discussion is hopefully good! There are ways to make it happen if they really want to...

 

[aweehughes]

I understand what you mean now. Disney cancelling F&W and MNSSHP probably has more to do with money then safety

Have they made any official announcements about festivals/parties? We have tickets to the first MNSSHP--we are holding out.

 

[Marthasor]

Have they made any official announcements about festivals/parties? We have tickets to the first MNSSHP--we are holding out.

No, nothing yet.

 

[Sandisw]

Was just reading the language about SAB. If they were only talking for the period that DVC is open, why mention that guests of YC and BC would be welcome to use the pool at BCV.

I think that is a hint that it may not open at the same time as those hotels.

 

[LSUmiss]

Possibly Yacht? I’d imagine non-DVC property.

Which could be why SAB isn’t opening. Too close?

 

[Jrb1979]

Have they made any official announcements about festivals/parties? We have tickets to the first MNSSHP--we are holding out.

They haven't officially announced anything but there are rumors that it will probably be cancelled.

 

[mmackeymouse]

I know a lot of this is OT, considering the current news but gosh dang it, I read 100+ pages in the last 3-4 days and quoted a bunch....I'm commenting.

The argument can be made that Fastpass makes the standby lines longer, given that they have to stop the standby lines frequently to board FP.

That argument can certainly be made. For us, we are the kind of family that we'll do walk on, short wait, or FP. So, if the choice is no FP, 25 minute standard wait for Winnie the Pooh OR hour standard wait for Winnie and FP of 5 minutes or less. I'm choosing FP all the way.

That may make me selfish but...it is what it is.

I actually find that surprising. If there were actual "pent up demand", I would assume it would reflect in DVC where there's a "use it or lose it" concern.

There is absolutely pent up demand amongst DVC. Look at the availability from September on.

As someone that has been scouring the availability calendar for weeks, trust me....there is demand.

Plan right now for those who have reservations at the start of park opening will be moved to DVC...not resort rooms..it sounds like they will be keeping the actual resort sides closed longer,

Again, no info was shared how long this will last...a few weeks, longer...or, by next month, they amend the plan.

And, until the resort side officially opens..other than they are opening QS and restaurant with limited options..the pools for the hotels are not opening right away.

Honestly, there are going to be people who are told they have to move who may not like where they are going and if it holds true, Disney won’t allow them a choice, more cancellations could happen,

My friend will keep me posted when some of her clients actually get the change emails!

I think the problem I have is, on the DVC side, when I book a DVC room, I expect access to the whole resort. Now, yes I know that legally, we are only promised this and that.

But, as someone staying at VGF, the idea of the main building being closed, no piano player, no orchestra...that's WHY I chose to stay there.

We plan to keep our vacation, but my opinion still stands: people getting half a park experience, half a resort, half a vacation SHOULD be compensated.

Well, silver lining..and since this is the rumors board, I am going out on a limb..Riviera is a DVC only resort,

That means all rooms will be available to be used if they move people. They have only declared 30% or so of the resort for use by DVC members so far, That leaves about 70% wide open for moves.

Sooooo...I wonder if that will be a place we see used for many of them?.

This explains why it's so dang hard to find a Riviera reservation.

Well, Disney has the right to take rooms from DVC that members have not booked 60 days before check in, The money is then used as breakage and goes toward member dues. Owners know this is how it works.

RiV is only about 30% declared to DVC so 70% is still owned by Disney. That means the majority of that resort, would open for moves without impacting owners at all, especially if the plan is short term.

So, as a DVC owner, as long as they are following the rules of my contract, then I am fine with it!

So personally, I think....as long as there are availability issues for DVC, and there are MAJOR availability issues for DVC right now...they should open what they can. Now, yes, I know there are lots of legal hoops that may or may not prevent this.

But, the logical side of me says... there is an availability issue. There is a DVC resort with a lot of availability. It just makes sense to me.

In my opinion, closing resorts and moving everyone to DVC goes against the distancing idea. With parks closing early, it seems like this would create an overcrowding problem especially at resort restaurants and pools. I can see angry people asking what they are supposed to do for food and entertainment when the lowered capacity resort restaurants and pools are full.

Agree 100%

Especially with fewer restaurants open. I really don't see how it is possible for everyone in Kidani village, for example to eat dinner. It's going to be a nightmare.

I have wondered if it's really something TA's should be revealing to their customers. I realize some are desperate to keep their guests from cancelling, but making this kind of information public before Disney does seems sketchy at best to me.

Honestly, I'm not bothered by it. If Disney itself isn't going to keep people informed, I have no problem with a TA doing it. I would hope if I had a TA I would be getting inside info too.

Yeah nothing confirmed. I don't see why they couldn't do the pre shows with Rise. Just let less people in each room. I certainly didn't feel crowded in any of the rooms like I do in say Haunted Mansion.

My sister and I said the same thing. We know very little about ROTR; we've been trying to keep from being spoiled. I find myself why ROTR wouldn't work with lower capacity, just like any other ride.

I am not gonna miss that line

I actually am....but I am pretty nostalgic. It's kind of like Por favor mantengase...

Even "move forward and fill in" kind of stirs the nostalgia in me.

I cant believe how many people have issues with people being upgraded. I even spent a stupid amount of money on DVC and really dont have any issues with this policy. In fact I like the idea that unused rooms are rented out to help lower our maintenance fees.

“The only time you look in your neighbor's bowl is to make sure that they have enough. You don't look in your neighbor's bowl to see if you have as much as them.”

PS Please dont judge me on who is credited for this quote.

I love this quote, and it is something that I have thought of often during this whole ordeal.

I'm kind of....torn. It doesn't bother me that others are getting upgraded. I don't sit here and think to myself, "I hope Disney charges those people more, so it makes us even."

That said, I do think to myself, "I hope Disney does something for the people that did pay full price and the DVC members" Whether that's a free meal or a gift basket in the room or first dibs on transportation.....it doesn't have to be something expensive or extravagant.

I feel Disney is trying WAY too hard to accommodate "social distancing" and masks in their parks.

If someone is willing to take the RISK of going to a very crowded theme park and come in close contact with way more people than they have for the last 3-4 months are obviously OK with being potentially infected. Just open up the parks at reduced capacity and let the guests make their own decisions on social distancing. You'd probably be surprised how people will just do that on their own. I mean .. no one wants to sit right next to people in theatre attractions so much cast members have to repeatedly TELL people to do that! We naturally socially distance ourselves. None of us want to be shoulder-to-shoulder watching fireworks or parades, but they parks are so crowded there is no choice.

How things go at Universal will be very telling. What if Universal after a month just ditches the mask requirement (either because it seems like it isn't needed anymore or because most people are just ignoring it)? Will Disney follow suit?

We've talked about this a lot amongst my family.

I feel like at some point, getting on a plane, coming to a park....at some point, by your actions, you are giving consent and you are willing to make a calculated risk.

It's like....you have a choice whether to go to Target. You can go to Target, you can not go to Target. But, if you go to Target...that's on you. Same with Disney.

For most (not all) of the Disney Springs restaurants, Open Table has a WAY better cancellation policy anyway. As an example, you can cancel Raglan Road until 3PM day of with no penalty through Open Table, but only until midnight the night before with Disney.

Does it shock anyone else that Homecoming (I refuse to use the real name.) I am an OG, so I will go by the original name, isn't on Open Table? It always seemed so strange to me.

No, it's that if you want to be in the pic you can't give your phone to any cm to take it for you. This was also implemented at universal. As for character pics, at universal they are on a second level or have barriers so you can't get close while getting your pic

I wonder if they will relax the selfie stick rules. Probably not. But how are people going to be able to take group pics without an A) CM or B) Selfie stick?

Unless work has resumed it was about 10 weeks away at the time the parks closed.

Not sure about 10 weeks, but I have to assume it would be less since the parks are closed. Not having to work around guests, park hours, etc will surely make up some time. So, if they start now, I would say August should be a safe bet. But...that's just me.

Dare I ask about my beloved Splash mountain?

I saw that UO's water feature ride was up and running. I can't imagine why Splash Mountain would be any different.

you can see for yourself, the attractions and entertainment schedules are up on the regular WDW site, I posted the link a few posts above yours
HoP is closed CoP is also closed

Oh no. My dad is going to be crushed. Those are his two favorite attractions, I'm not even kidding. One time, my mom and dad went to Magic Kingdom and ONLY went to Hall of Presidents.

Seems fair. This is supposed to be a line replacement, so hopefully no one is expecting more.

I personally would like to see more. I don't really want to be criss-crossing all over the park all day.

They are bringing more problems onto themselves because they are giving out little bits of information here and there. Without a full picture of what a guest can expect, it seems many people are holding out on cancelling their reservations because not one of us really knows what to expect from a visit. I know I am. I want to know:

-what resorts are open and when
-what dining options are open and when
-what rides are open and when
-what other experiences (characters, shows, etc) are open and when
-what Disney transportation will be open and when
-who will be given first access for theme park reservations

The list goes on. Without knowing these things, people are waiting on cancellation-and rightfully so. And it appears Disney was not well-prepared and now won't have a full picture to give until they see how many CM decide to come back to work. They should have started this process a while ago.

The thing I just don't understand is...everyone seems to think Disney WANTS people to cancel.

Yet, they don't release the very information that would lead to people cancelling.

It just makes no sense to me. Why are you holding back that information if you want people to cancel anyway?

Majority seems to be wearing masks though. Something Disney is requiring.

Unrelated to the quote:

I don’t want to further this discussion above though. This is not the place for it. I do suggest we all take a step back, a breath, and look at what’s going on in our cities, our countries and our world. There are far more important things to be watching, listening, and acting upon than whether our vacation will be canceled or modified. Disney and places like the Dis are a distraction yes but they are also a reminder that arguing about whether Disney should require masks, whether they should do this or that is rather pointless when it comes down too it.

With so much outside the Dis going on I’d much rather come here and not have to deal with pointless arguments. Yes many of you have been very good as of late because we have actual news but this is also a reference for the future. I apologize for this endless rant but at the same time I also don’t. As many often say to think before you speak we also need to think before we post. Are the needless mask debates worth it? Are the needless upgrade debates worth it? Most of us are still going to go to Disney. Most of us aren’t going to write complaints to Disney. So why do we do it here?

Eh personally, these "pointless" arguments give a lot of us an escape. I've turned off CNN and the news. Yes, there is a lot going on in real life. That's why a lot of us love going to Disney, why a lot of us come on these boards, precisely because real life is a mess, and this is a retreat from that.

Great news! But that castle is just too pink for me.

Me neither. I'm not a fan of the blue.

I'll take it one further. I'm not crazy about the gold.

I may be the only person in the world who says that, but I'm not. I like Cinderella Castle the way I like it.

So everyone will hate me, but....is there thought that with the possible "limited" park hopping - there may be a way for us infrequent visitors (a/p makes no sense for us) to pay for "unlimited" hopping? Because we would!!!

No hate..

But, aren't we already paying for unlimited hopping? Or you at least have the option to add a hopper to your ticket, which costs money.

It's like Tusker House in AK. IMO, it's a plenty good of enough restaurant to work without characters for the time being.

Absolutely. But, not at a premium price.

people who are preparing for a much different normal at WDW are the smart ones. People who realize things are about to change and it wont be a short term change, many changes will be permanent, and many will be things the management has wanted to change for a long time anyway, are the ones who will not be upset or disappointed. Rather than throwing childish tantrums about the changes, first understand, Disney didnt create covid. They are merely reacting to a situation noone was prepared for. Second. Quit calling and chatting with the CMs online and being a baby when they cant answer your question. If they cannot answer, it is because they have no answer to give. Getting mad at them is displaced anger and serves no purpose, other than giving them more people to laugh at. And trust me, when you say dumb things like "the free dining I paid for" They talk to one another and you become the biggest laughing point in the room. Asking the same question over and over in different ways will not change the answer either. Acting entitled ( MOST DVC and SOME AP holders in particular are the worst bunch) is going to get you nowhere. You are not the only person who paid for their vacation or time at Disney. You arent special.
Once everyone realizes that noone is going to be happy with every decision the company makes and a lot of the changes that will be implemented moving forward, A. make the best of it if you intend to still go because there is still a lot of magic to enjoy OR B. Dont go. it IS that simple.

Well, this just confirms my and many people's worst fear.

I know Chapek got a raw deal here. He inherited a bad situation.

But, he's called Cheapek for a reason. Everyone knows he wants to cheap out, and strip down the experience until there is barely any of the little touches and Disney Magic left.

So everyone's fear that he will use this crisis (Never let a good crisis go to waste) to implement lasting, permanent strip-down of the parks and the experience....welp, it's probably going to happen. He's getting his wish.

I think the problem is people don't know what they are paying for? And as someone else said....for all the people who are cancelling...how does Disney get them to come back? Sounds like too many permanent changes and maybe ones that people are not going to like. I still haven't decided whether I am going to keep my trip planned for 11/29...but if I cancel...I probably will not be back for years...it will be way too crowded next year and let's be honest.....Disney is a very expensive vacation to have so many things taken away or changed for the worse.

Agreed wholeheartedly. This is why I firmly believe that people who are going to this first phase or two of opening should get something, whether it is a reimbursement or some sort of gift card, just something. "Hey you're just lucky to be here" shouldn't cut it.

Paying the same prices or higher for a lesser experience isn't fair. It just isn't. And listen, I'm reasonable. If you go and the fireworks don't run one night, are you deserving of a refund? Gosh, no. If SAB is closed for half a day because some kid pooped in the pool and you miss out on a pool day, should you get some sort of gift? Probably not.

BUT

With all of it together. Reduction in hours, in attractions, in restaurants. No characters, no fireworks, no parades......the whole of it combined together....I do think it's worthy of some sort of reimbursement. I really do. It's not just one or two things. It's a LOT of things.

It is a business model to staff parks more effectively by knowing how many people will be there accounting for limited numbers of "walk up" guests. Walk up guests will find it they are behind the prebooked guests on other things. It is so if there were a spike they already have the ability to limit capacity through reservations and cut day guest entry. Therfore no disruption again to previously booked trips. As far as hopping options. My opinion based on the options I've heard is limited to on site guests and platinum aps only. Gold and silver would be able to purchase the hopping option in limited numbers.. But off site guests with regular tickets would no longer have the hop option. Nor would day guests. There would be preference to on site and platinum guests.

I'm good with this.

I would think they could allow hopping as long as they track how many people are in the park and only let you hop there if there is room and/or available "reservations"

I think the concern is they have reservations for 25% capacity and then a bunch of people "hop" and now total capacity is up to 30% capacity which is too much. I think if they can figure out a system so that you can only hop to a park if the actual capacity is still under than 25% even with not yet used reservations then they can make it work

I thought the same thing myself.

I think it COULD be done. I just think it's not worth it (to Disney) to babysit that level of detail.

Not to be nit picky, but doesn't the transportation between parks have a direct cost to Disney?

Indeed but I would argue that most park hopping is not done via bus. Monorail, Skyliner, boats, and the walking path between the Studios and Epcot are all probably more popular.

It is also much more common for people to go back to their resorts, take a break, then hop to the next park from their resort.

There are also those who drive.

So, I'd argue that bused park hopping probably represents a fraction of expenses.

I'm not sure where you're finding a $1,000 room on property unless its a grand villa, the cabins at Wilderness Lodge or the Bungalows at the Poly.

EMH never was a draw for us. It really didn't seem to reduce crowd levels all that much when we went to them and it seemed to increase crowd levels in that park for the rest of the day. The FP perk is nice, but it's not a reason that we ever stayed on property either. We stay on property so that we're in the Disney bubble. We don't need to bother with renting a car or worrying about paying for parking. We can go wherever we want whenever we want using the Disney provided transportation and if that doesn't make sense at the time we can use an Uber or Lyft pretty cheap. It's a nice way to stay somewhat isolated from the outside world and normal life for a trip.

We are the same way.

That said, that's not what Disney advertises as the perks to staying on property.

And they need to. They need tangible things. "The magic of staying in the Disney bubble" appeals to many people, myself included, but it doesn't exactly sell the product. It doesn't justify the pricetag.

So, while for you and me, we don't need those extra perks.....they do need to have some extra perks, something that can be put in a magazine or on a commercial.

Or unable to pay. As I noted about 500 pages back, the cost of a ticket may be headed for "entry only" - that is IF you can get a coveted park reservation. Pay (more) to Play. Sadly, I would not be surprised by any moves like this.

Are entry tickets gonna be $20?

I think they're going down the same path with MNSSHP. Does anyone realistically think they're going to have parties in August? I sure don't. But they won't say so, and people will hang on just in case. I'd be very happy if it turns out I'm wrong, I don't think I am.

Here's the thing. I don't understand why they wouldn't run MNSSHP; or why they wouldn't run EMM.

Early Morning Magic for example, is well below even the low capacities they will have anyway. They shouldn't have any trouble selling it at all. Frankly, it's easy money.

If there is a market for it, and people will pay for it.....I think Disney would be stupid to not host them. How are they any less safe than a regular park day?

As a clinical microbiologist, and with a husband that is the lead of HVAC at a hospital, I strongly disagree. You do realize that people don’t wear masks in their rooms and this virus remains airborne for several hours, right? I think DVC and FW cabins are the easiest to forego housekeeping. I also think it’s unsafe for a housekeeper to enter a room within 24 hours of guests leaving. I’m also not interested in breathing in recirculating air from other guests rooms, which is why we moved our reservation from the Poly to a cabin. But, ok. We’ll see what happens.

Well, I would say two things to this.

1) If that's the case, then none of us should be anywhere on property. Disney should just shut it down for the next two years. If I go to a restaurant, take off my mask, emit airborne particles that 15 minutes later, someone else sits down and inhales...then we are talking about the same issue.

So either the airborne thing is a major cause for concern or it isn't. Considering Disney is opening, I am going to say that it isn't. At least to Disney it's not.

2) As far as Mousekeeping, I would say they just follow the same protocols the rest of us who are working do. Wash your hands before touching anything; refrain from touching your face; shower immediately upon getting home; launder clothes immediately after your shift ends. Maybe even provide them with KN95 masks if you are considered about the airborne stuff.

And for once Boardwalk would then be favored for the better pool

Funny story. On my second stay at BCV, SAB was closed for one day for some reason I don't really remember.

Anyway, we thought it was SOOOOOOOOO cool that they were letting us poolhop over to the Boardwalk pool. Can you imagine? Being so thoroughly blase about Stormalong Bay, but soooo excited about the Clown Pool.....just because it was something different I guess.

The pool thing is one of those things I really don’t understand. They always send out emails & letters when the main attraction pool at a resort will be closed. Why can’t they do that now?? That seems like a simple thing to do that could also make ppl cancel or reschedule.

Well, they don't want people to cancel.

Oh, wait, what's that? They DO want people to cancel?

Again, it makes no sense that they aren't doing or saying the things that would get people to cancel, which is supposedly what they want.

Like I said, clarity and confirmation. Nothing big.

Confirmation? Sure.

Clarity? Not even close.

I am still as miserably unclear as ever.

There are a lot of signatures and popular restaurants closed. No Flying Fish, California Grill, Boma, Jiko or Ohana.

Again, this is something I just do not understand. These restaurants are easy money. They wouldn't be that hard to socially distance. And, they are huge cash cows for WDW. And, the people who are passionate enough to come to Disney during these first few weeks/months, are the kind of people who would be wanting to eat at Cali Grill, etc.

Why turn down easy money? I just don't get it.

"Disney will be requiring guests to have a confirmed Disney hotel reservation OR a confirmed dining reservation (if not staying overnight) to enter the resort hotels."

So no DVC resort hopping

I believe it specifies "day guest." I personally think this is more geared toward locals, not toward resort hopping. I could be wrong.

 

[rteetz]

Not sure about 10 weeks, but I have to assume it would be less since the parks are closed. Not having to work around guests, park hours, etc will surely make up some time. So, if they start now, I would say August should be a safe bet. But...that's just me.

It’s all backstage and has bad take access so no guest interference whether parks are closed or open.

 

[hereforthechurros]

I don’t buy it. Sorry I know you know things, but I can’t see them limiting attendance permanently.

I’m in no way as knowledgeable as some here but I don’t think it’s about limiting attendance long term. For now yes it will be used that way, but long term perhaps it will be a way to more evenly spread out crowds between the parks so MK isn’t a 10/10 while Epcot is sitting at a 4/10 the same day.

 

[Aeralie]

I wonder if they will relax the selfie stick rules. Probably not. But how are people going to be able to take group pics without an A) CM or B) Selfie stick?

Couldn't they though? Maybe not on attractions, but wasn't the other big concern crowded thoroughfares and hubs? Brandishing a stick could help enforce distance from other parties .

 

[MickeyWaffles]

Couldn't they though? Maybe not on attractions, but wasn't the other big concern crowded thoroughfares and hubs? Brandishing a stick could help enforce distance from other parties .

You’ll have to buy Memory Maker (or your individual Photopass photos) if you want a group photo

I don’t think they will allow selfie sticks again ...

 

[HairyChest]

I have a silver ap voucher I didn't use yet because I was supposed to go in may. now im going in july with dvc reservations which the silver pass is blacked out. Will I be able to reserve park entrance before I can upgrade the pass to gold? My understanding is you can only upgrade annual passes in person.

 

[Aeralie]

You’ll have to buy Memory Maker (or your individual Photopass photos) if you want a group photo

Or continue to (awkwardly) ask other guests... maybe it's because I often hit up parks solo, but I feel like I've taken a lot of strangers' pics.

 

[Bjn10]

Not related directly but Disney moving people maybe a great PR move plus it may get them some on the fence People who normally go Value or mod to
Start doing deluxe

 

[hereforthechurros]

So CSR, Jambo and ???

Perhaps they’re counting Gran Destino as it’s own resort?