Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Aurora0427]

I think that's going to be a common scenario: You're ready to go to Disney, you start feeling punk the day you leave and think "I've paid a lot of money for this vacation and I'm ready to go, I'm just going to ignore my symptoms and go! It's probably just a cold!"

You go because that money is nonrefundable, darn it, and then when you get home you get tested and...oops.

Think of how many people they may have infected while they were there. In the airport, on the plane, in the hotel. The baggage handler, the maid who cleaned their room, everyone at the resort who touched things they touched. Every sneeze, every cough put COVID particles into the air.

WDW is going to be a petri dish.

Yep. This is the problem. People won’t cancel their trips if they’re sick, unless they’re one step away from having to be hospitalized.

 

[Marionnette]

As someone who is at Disney now and has been here all week, we assume that every person that we see has covid-19. We take precautions accordingly. That being said, we have felt completely safe at our resort and at Universal, except for a couple of times - when other guests were being stupid. Stupid is everywhere. It is definitely in my hometown. Disney is doing a superb job of keeping people as safe as possible in this environment.

45 years of hospital laboratory experience has taught me that you treat every specimen as if they are infectious. I feel the same way about going out in public during this pandemic. You stay 6 feet away from me, I’ll stay 2 meters away from you. We’ll both wear masks, keep our hands away from our faces and wash them frequently in order to protect each other.

 

[WonderlandisReality]

Let me clarify that when I say the day they were leaving, I mean the day they were leaving Disney. But regardless, I still think it was selfish and irresponsible - he was going out in public the days before the trip without a mask on and saying the whole thing was a hoax (we really need to find a new finance guy...ugh. Even if it means losing them as our customers.) In complete agreement about doing whatever you can to protect yourself.

there is a lot to unpack here. I’m not doingthe contract tracing on this case obviously but I would likely focus more on the pre trip behavior Based upon your summary. But then they may have to get into the contacts on the trip (including the airport if they flew)
What a hot mess.

 

[cakebaker]

“As we reopen our theme parks, we would like to include live stage shows. We have heard from many cast members that they are eager to return; however, the Actors’ Equity Association has not agreed to the terms of the recall impacting our ability to invite these cast members back at this time. The health and well-being of our cast members and guests is an important priority for us, and our theme park reopening plan has been approved by county and state officials.“

My disappointment in Disney grows more every day. I hope the Union stands firm in the face of pure insanity. To expect performers to engage in risky activity, especially when distancing and mask wearing would be near impossible is just unbelievable.

 

[chicagoshannon]

it is awfully darn fast, thought I’m not loving the implication that I’m lying about it. Yes, they were staying for a few nights starting right when they opened. We have clinics here in Michigan that test you and have a result within a half hour. With our numbers being about 300 cases statewide per day (though we’ve seen as low as below 100), were not backlogged and results come quickly.

Who knows where they contracted it, but it seems likely they would have been contagious when they were there. Hence me saying be careful. Obviously hopefully people are being careful anyways, but maybe hearing about an actual case of contagious people there will help. I was pretty angry when I heard about it because I know this family was not being careful - they’ve come in my husband’s store not wearing masks, for example.

my question is were they sick or did they just want to get tested when they got back because of the travel?

 

[SwirlTheCitrus]

“As we reopen our theme parks, we would like to include live stage shows. We have heard from many cast members that they are eager to return; however, the Actors’ Equity Association has not agreed to the terms of the recall impacting our ability to invite these cast members back at this time. The health and well-being of our cast members and guests is an important priority for us, and our theme park reopening plan has been approved by county and state officials.“

My disappointment in Disney grows more every day. I hope the Union stands firm in the face of pure insanity. To expect performers to engage in risky activity, especially when distancing and mask wearing would be near impossible is just unbelievable.

It looks at though Disney is saying "well, we would rather do it with you, but we have no issue doing it without you."

Aren't the stage performers in one of the safest roles?

 

[DGsAtBLT]

At the end of the day picking apart everything @courtney1188 says about this family (and I think the story is completely plausible if it matters) changes nothing. It’s a pandemic, cases are spiking, contagious people will be in Disney, people will catch it there and bring it there.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

It seems strange that the whole family was tested. I'm not sure if they went to their family doctor immediately upon returning or if it was a drive-thru testing spot. So....unless multiple people were symptomatic...which I'd hope if they were symptomatic, they would inform Disney while they were there so that they could be tested/quarantined. If they were asymptomatic and they were being tested "just in case," what I would expect to happen is one or two people are tested first. Then, if they turn up positive, the rest get tested. If they turn up negative, then they would probably just wait it out and assume they are fine. But, even if they did have a reason for all being tested...turnaround time on those tests are one or two days (unless they live somewhere a 15 minute test is available...although even that is unlikely bc I am pretty sure those are saved for acute cases, not people who are asymptomatic and just being precautionary)

It depends where you live. We live in a state with robust testing and we can get the rapid test for our whole family through our pediatrician’s office if we want it. If one person in our family has one symptom, they want us all to get tested so we know if we should quarantine one positive family member away from the rest as much as possible and reduce the spread in our own home. Also the drive-up testing is available to all for any reason.

Many experts have suggested getting tested after returning from a trip before returning to work, daycare, etc. That’s a responsible thing to do.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

https://blogmickey.com/2020/06/disney-world-wants-to-resume-stages-shows-union-doesnt-agree/
sounds like the absence of FOTLK and Nemo is more due to the union than the theatre environment itself

Yeah I think is - seems likely when the Droid building is open but the lightsaber building is not (the later uses equity performers the former does not)

 

[Wreckem]

“As we reopen our theme parks, we would like to include live stage shows. We have heard from many cast members that they are eager to return; however, the Actors’ Equity Association has not agreed to the terms of the recall impacting our ability to invite these cast members back at this time. The health and well-being of our cast members and guests is an important priority for us, and our theme park reopening plan has been approved by county and state officials.“

My disappointment in Disney grows more every day. I hope the Union stands firm in the face of pure insanity. To expect performers to engage in risky activity, especially when distancing and mask wearing would be near impossible is just unbelievable.

Universal has doing performances since they opened. In masks.

 

[Jen0107c]

my question is were they sick or did they just want to get tested when they got back because of the travel?

In a prior post I believe it was said that they started feeling sick on the last day.

 

[skeeter31]

At the end of the day picking apart everything @courtney1188 says about this family (and I think the story is completely plausible if it matters) changes nothing. It’s a pandemic, cases are spiking, contagious people will be in Disney, people will catch it there and bring it there.

Exactly. People have traveled to Disney with viruses for as long as the parks have been open and people will continue to do so with COVID. It’s unfortunate, but as people are posting here, the best you can do is imagine everyone you’re coming into contact with has it and take every extra precaution you can.

 

[Ninjagrrl]

Universal has doing performances since they opened. In masks.

Yes, and equity isn't going after universal.
But the contract between Disney and equity ends in 2021, so my guess is leverage for some kind of big ask in upcoming negotiations.

 

[always]

Aren't the stage performers in one of the safest roles?

Unless a fellow stage performer has it and doesn't know it.

 

[cakebaker]

So for one...tests generally produce false negatives more often than not, when they are taken too early, as in within the first 4 days of infection.

My daughter and her husband are going to be tested today. Their dr told them if they were asymptomatic ( they are), to wait a minimum of 3 days since exposure with a max window of 7. According to him, if you test at 3 days, you’re likely to show positive, but a re- test would be needed to be sure. At 7 days, you’d be in the clear. They opted to wait the 7 days.

Their test will be the quick result. It is now readily available here and we’re in Oklahoma- if we can get them here, anyone can. lol we can go anytime we want, symptoms or no symptoms and be tested for the virus and/or het the antibodies test. It’s free.

That said, it’s much more worrisome that clearly they were already infected while at WDW. That’s exactly how community spread starts.

 

[yulilin3]

Disney doesn't seem to be slowing down in their plans.......as of now



https://blogmickey.com/2020/06/disney-world-wants-to-resume-stages-shows-union-doesnt-agree/

I have friends in entertainment and most of them are against reopening, I understand their point of view, in shows like FotLK and FNtM, they are in close proximity to each other, singing and dancing
I was able to see a technical rehearsal of the new Bourne Stuntacular show at Universal and the actors all had to wear masks and only had them off when they were dubbing the lines, but all the stunt actors and the regular actors when they were speaking they had masks. It would be very strange to see these shows at Disney like that

 

[cakebaker]

It looks at though Disney is saying "well, we would rather do it with you, but we have no issue doing it without you."

Aren't the stage performers in one of the safest roles?

Hardly. They are doing strenuous activities in close quarters with other performers. Guests aren’t the only risk. And for most of these shows, masks would not be feasible.

And yes, Disney is saying with or without them, they’re opening.....for now. But to lay the blame on employees who don’t want to get sick is disgusting. They want to play the Union card here, but the Union represents the employees and their best interests. Something Disney doesn’t seem to be all that interested in.

 

[JacknSally]

Aren't the stage performers in one of the safest roles?

Unfortunately, singing is a great way to spread the virus. Plus, the stage performers (singing or not) are often in unavoidably close proximity to one another, both on-stage and off. It would be incredibly risky for the performers, as well as potentially the audience members, as singing expels droplets at a greater velocity and over a greater distance than simply talking. Singing, dancing, and projecting voices would all make stage performances dangerous. That's one reason why Broadway has gone dark.

 

[Dulcee]

Exactly. People have traveled to Disney with viruses for as long as the parks have been open and people will continue to do so with COVID. It’s unfortunate, but as people are posting here, the best you can do is imagine everyone you’re coming into contact with has it and take every extra precaution you can.

Yup. Last summer my daughter and I caught norovirus at Disney. She was only 10 months old at the time and we got to conclude our trip with a brief stay at Orlando children’s. I wish half of these measures were in place back then (or I was as cognizant then about sanitizing all the things) and we may not have ended that trip on such a low note. I’m not sure the Disney property has ever been cleaner than it is right now.

 

[yulilin3]

It looks at though Disney is saying "well, we would rather do it with you, but we have no issue doing it without you."

Aren't the stage performers in one of the safest roles?

my song performs with the Frog Choir at Universal and they have to walk out on stage and perform with masks on, he's a vocal percussionist so there's definitely a lot of spitting, but yeah singing and performing in general generates a lot of mouth fluid