Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Sunnywho]

https://covid19.healthdata.org/unit...=infections-testing&tab=trend&test=infections

IHME coronavirus models have Florida heading into a surge

 

[mshanson3121]

Bob said on the earnings call he expects social distancing and masks to be required in the parks into 2022. Said it’s possible things could change, but that’s how they see it right now.

Chapek just said some form of masks and social distancing through the rest of this year

But....hoping it won't be needed by 2022

So which one is it? lol. Or did he say both - that he expects them to be needed, but hoping they wont?

 

[mshanson3121]

I think it’ll be gradual. No masks outside but still indoors. Things like that.

See that I could live with. But if masks are still required outdoors, there's no way I can go.

 

[mshanson3121]

https://covid19.healthdata.org/unit...=infections-testing&tab=trend&test=infections
IHME coronavirus models have Florida heading into a surge

Well I think that's just common sense knowing that people are going to travel for spring/Easter break. There will likely be a surge that follows that.

 

[Pyotr]

Looks to me like the whole country is. Keep your hateful fear-mongering away from my adopted home state.

IMHE has been comically off the whole time. Why anyone would care about their projections is beyond me.

This whole thread has become a Florida bashing fest, especially from people who live in areas with severe restrictions.

I came to this board to talk about my love for Disney. Unfortunately it has become a big downer.

 

[TISHLOVESDISNEY]

 

[gottalovepluto]

IMHE has been comically off the whole time. Why anyone would care about their projections is beyond me.

This whole thread has become a Florida bashing fest, especially from people who live in areas with severe restrictions.

I came to this board to talk about my love for Disney. Unfortunately it has become a big downer.

The ignore feature is perfect for that. Ignore Debbie downers and it gets upbeat again

 

[TikiTikiFan]

Let's stay on topic folks so this board doesn't become a repeat of every scary comment section on FB...

 

[karen4546]

Well I think that's just common sense knowing that people are going to travel for spring/Easter break. There will likely be a surge that follows that.

I live in Louisiana. I was in WDW in September, October, November and December. September was HOT and at that time you could still drink while in line-thankfully. It was a learning experience figuring out which masks were the most comfortable for me. MOST were following the mask and social distancing rules and at that time -Sept./Oct. lines were not too bad at all. In Nov./Dec., it was much more crowded and people were not allowed to eat/drink in lines.

We also visited Universal in December. Before and after each ride, the the workers were encouraging hand sanitizer. At Disney, the sanitizer is available but at Universal someone was actually standing there to dispense it.

We flew in and the airplanes were PACKED! So much so that we decided to upgrade on the way back to FC.

I am writing all this to say that it does not have to be a "surge". If people would just do their part (sanitize, wash their hands, wear mask, social distance) the we can all have a good vacation without getting sick or making someone else sick. I had my second dose of Moderna on Tuesday. But, I will of course still wear my mask to protect others.

A surge in cases does not have to happen. Follow the rules of wherever you visit.

I will be back @ WDW in less than a month. I have no concerns for myself because I will follow the rules and I hope that other vacationers do the same. Will they all be respectful and follow the markers, wear their masks properly ? No. But there is no cure for "that".

 

[mshanson3121]

I live in Louisiana. I was in WDW in September, October, November and December. September was HOT and at that time you could still drink while in line-thankfully. It was a learning experience figuring out which masks were the most comfortable for me. MOST were following the mask and social distancing rules and at that time -Sept./Oct. lines were not too bad at all. In Nov./Dec., it was much more crowded and people were not allowed to eat/drink in lines.

We also visited Universal in December. Before and after each ride, the the workers were encouraging hand sanitizer. At Disney, the sanitizer is available but at Universal someone was actually standing there to dispense it.

We flew in and the airplanes were PACKED! So much so that we decided to upgrade on the way back to FC.

I am writing all this to say that it does not have to be a "surge". If people would just do their part (sanitize, wash their hands, wear mask, social distance) the we can all have a good vacation without getting sick or making someone else sick. I had my second dose of Moderna on Tuesday. But, I will of course still wear my mask to protect others.

A surge in cases does not have to happen. Follow the rules of wherever you visit.

I will be back @ WDW in less than a month. I have no concerns for myself because I will follow the rules and I hope that other vacationers do the same. Will they all be respectful and follow the markers, wear their masks properly ? No. But there is no cure for "that".

Agree. However, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's have proven that surges happen because too many people DON'T follow the rules.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I think yesterday was one of the first "yellow" DHS days on the availability calendar since the return of park hopping. Anyone hear reports of people being allowed to park hop into DHS (or not)?

 

[Br'er Rabbit is the Best]

So which one is it? lol. Or did he say both - that he expects them to be needed, but hoping they wont?

I posted his full quote in an earlier comment. Take a read through. He wasn’t very clear. And to be fair it was in response to a question, it wasn’t a prepared remark.

 

[middlechild]

Disney park operation must walk a fine line. On one hand is CDC recommendations. Also take into account FL requirements. And not a small part is what the public "believes" is necessary. This last point I would argue is the most important one. All three may not, indeed, DO NOT line up. In order to get people into the parks, there must be enough plexiglass to satisfy CDC, enough distancing marks on the ground for FL, and enough CM interaction for the public to be re-assured. And all this has to be communicated via advertising that it is "safe" to come to WDW. Disney does not do science, they are selling an experience that is high end of the cost spectrum. The idea the parks are doing as well as they are is a testament to the suits in mahogany row doing a pretty good job of waling that fine line. I find it fascinating to follow along the morphing of strategies to adapt to changing expectations and requirements. It is not important to Disney that 70% of people are vaccinated, only that the target demographic believes that the threshold for immunization has been crossed, regardless of the actual number. And guess at the point six months in advance to plan hours, open resorts, staffing projections, equity actors on board, food and DME.

 

[cristen72]

I know last year the cheerleading competitions and such that were staying at Disney were all cancelled

I saw a Facebook post that said a huge group is scheduled to be there the last week of April for a competition. Can anyone confirm?

 

[jlwhitney]

I know last year the cheerleading competitions and such that were staying at Disney were all cancelled

I saw a Facebook post that said a huge group is scheduled to be there the last week of April for a competition. Can anyone confirm?

Yes its the big Summit competition that is held every year at Wide world of Sports.

 

[disneygirlsng]

I know last year the cheerleading competitions and such that were staying at Disney were all cancelled

I saw a Facebook post that said a huge group is scheduled to be there the last week of April for a competition. Can anyone confirm?

As of now Worlds, Summit, and D2 Summit are all still on, which are all back to back at the end of April and beginning of May. I believe UCA college nationals is scheduled around that time as well. It could all change though.

 

[cristen72]

Well damn. Looks like that might not have been the best week for us to choose

 

[sachilles]

I'll be curious to see what "full capacity" means in the not too distant future. I think even if the world was fully vaccinated tomorrow and Covid 19 wiped from the planet, that the economic impact from the past year will still be a huge factor for years to come on Disney and travel and tourism. Work from home culture has taken root, remote schooling options as well. Once financially recovered, I think typical travel peak times will also shift.

 

[DavidHobart]

Also, I would like to clarify it was a little unclear on the call. He said he expects masks and social distancing to be in place for the rest of the year. But then he also said he doesn’t expect them to be in place in 2022. So there’s some disconnect there. It was also never made clear whether that meant calendar year or fiscal year since Disney’s fiscal year ends on September 30.

Below is the full quote.

“We have no doubt, and when we reopen up in parks that were closed, or increase the capacity, that we’ll have some level of social distancing and mask-wearing for the remainder of this year. That’s our expectation. But, I believe that Dr. Fauci said earlier today that he hopes that there is vaccines for everyone who wants them by April this year. If that happens, that is a game-changer.

And that could accelerate our expectations, and give people the confidence that they need to come back to the parks. Will there be overlap until we know that we have herd immunity? Sure there will. But do we believe we’ll be in the same state of 6 foot social distance and mask wearing in 22? Absolutely not.”

In the back of my mind for some time I have thought that shifting to the WHO physical distancing recommendation of one meter (~39 inches, rather than the 72" of US 6 foot policy) would be a nice middle ground for keeping up social distancing if/after numbers and vaccines rates improve.

Disney can't not be aware of this recommendation, as it was the standard that China adopted (I don't know if it still is; when I last saw data on this, some countries were using 2 meters (~79 inches), some 6 feet (72 inches), some 1.5 meters (e.g. Germany, ~59 inches), and some like China 1 meter.)

While I know I am grasping at straws, I did find the specific reference to "6 foot social distancing" rather than just "social distancing" to be a good sign on this.

Such a change would matter a lot not just for Disney but for a lot of other employers, as the area required for one person to be 6 feet away from another person who is following the same rules is 8.3 square feet at one meter rather than 28.26 square feet at 6 feet. The savings in space (and thus capacity in many queues and shows) may not be quite proportionate, as because of party size Disney can't measure this from a point (e.g. a person's nose and mouth) but rather the area that a group fills...but it is still substantial...

 

[Jrb1979]

To get Disney talk going. This is from the same guy (Seanual757 at WDWmagic) who broke the news that Tron was going to be delayed. This is his response on what's going on with the train.


No and no ETA or work order for the completion of the train track once construction starts back up they will still have more concrete work and hardscape work to do in the area. I do not expect to see the train back up and running until mid 2022.