Will DISNEY have to Guarantee admission

[choirfarm]

If you feel that way, you should probably avoid the parks until the pandemic runs its course. Disney will need some level of people in the parks to make it economically viable for them to reopen.

I did not and do not have any plans to go back until or children ( with grandchildren???) invite us in 15 years or so. My concern is public safety. My music minister goes 3 times or more a year with his family as do others. They will all come back and infect us if Disney doesn't do this right!!!!!!

 

[monica9]

I’m nervous. We normally stay deluxe but since we were just there in November we decided to do a value resort. I heard a rumor Disney will only let monorail guests in the parks. Do you think if they did the 50% capacity that it would be given to all Disney resort guests or is that over the 50%? How will they determine who can go and who can’t?

 

[Eric Smith]

I’m nervous. We normally stay deluxe but since we were just there in November we decided to do a value resort. I heard a rumor Disney will only let monorail guests in the parks. Do you think if they did the 50% capacity that it would be given to all Disney resort guests or is that over the 50%? How will they determine who can go and who can’t?

Based on some math people have done in other threads, 50% of capacity in MK, AK, and HS would be more than enough to cover all Disney resort guests if ever room was occupied (they won’t be). It probably wouldn’t if just MK was open.

 

[pigletliz]

I’m nervous. We normally stay deluxe but since we were just there in November we decided to do a value resort. I heard a rumor Disney will only let monorail guests in the parks. Do you think if they did the 50% capacity that it would be given to all Disney resort guests or is that over the 50%? How will they determine who can go and who can’t?

You said it yourself, you read a rumor. Basically people with no inside information spitting out their speculation into the wind. No one knows what Disney will do until they officially put out a plan. Until they do, nothing you can do about it.

 

[mshanson3121]

To the parks. Before guest spend all the money to fly and stay at a hotel. Disney must guarantee park admission before I spend thousands to go there. I would not be happy to be told. You can not get into the parks.

You're not guaranteed admission now. Fine print on any ticket purchase: Parks, attractions and other offerings subject to availability, closures and change or cancellation without notice or liability.

 

[nkosiek]

You're not guaranteed admission now. Fine print on any ticket purchase: Parks, attractions and other offerings subject to availability, closures and change or cancellation without notice or liability.

It's there, but could you see the sh!t storm of negative press if the Brady Family showed up to stay at AoA for 5 nights, having bought a 5n/4d package and couldn't get in? And of course it wouldn't just be the Bradys, it'd be them, the Smiths, Jones, etc too.

 

[mmackeymouse]

Yup - the 50% is the state mandated number for phase 1 - Disney can go with 25% or 30% to start
That also gives them headroom to handle APs and park hoppers etc..
Be interested how park hoppers will work if they close Epcot for an extended period.

I'd go further and say I think 25-30% should be the norm until a vaccine is found/some sort of herd immunity comes to be.

I'd go one step even further and say that the park capacities, specifically Magic Kingdom should be drastically lower, permanently. No more 100K+ NYEs. I'd say cap regular attendance days at 50K.

Between economic concerns and the fact that folks are going to be too freaked out for this type of vacation for awhile, I think they're going to be operating well below even diminished capacity for awhile. Which, might not be a bad thing in the long run. It'll allow the company and the boots on the ground Cast Members to field test any safety measures that are implemented. (I've been a security professional my entire adult life and WDW's security setup has always fascinated me. I'm intrigued to see how this will be managed.)

We say that, we think that. But...we can't guarantee that. I think if Disney assumes they will be at diminished capacity, they might be in trouble if that doesn't come to pass.

 

[Heather07438]

I would not be upset if they brought year of a million dreams back

https://www.wdwinfo.com/Million-Dreams.htm
Yeah the looks insane!

 

[monica9]

Sorry, won't let me delete something I decided not to send so posting this to clear my page

 

[cakebaker]

It's there, but could you see the sh!t storm of negative press if the Brady Family showed up to stay at AoA for 5 nights, having bought a 5n/4d package and couldn't get in? And of course it wouldn't just be the Bradys, it'd be them, the Smiths, Jones, etc too.

The caveat they put in their terms is in regards to unplanned closures- like hurricanes and this virus. It has nothing to do with not being able to get in due to park capacity. Disney isn't going to open the resorts but make the parks availble to only residents, for example. And in the unlikely event that parks do hit the reduced capacity limits, resort guests will be the last to be denied entry into the parks. Even at that point, unless they change the terms, resort guests are "guaranteed" entry into A park- it just might not be the park they chose. But the right to close without notice still applies. I really don't see that happening. The worry that you have a resort reservation, but get denied entry isn't a realistic one, imo.

 

[skyp4WDW]

Im not sure what the confusion is. It’s percentage of maximum capacity of a given park.

Really...so you think you are going to know just from looking at the crowds if they are in compliance.... They can admit any number that arrive at the gates each day and YOU will never know whether they are in compliance or NOT.

 

[Lorna7]

I don't see them "guaranteeing" entry. I doubt they would even need to. I severely doubt that 50% number will be a hard ceiling. My guess is that the fear of this virus will mean they never have to worry about 50% capaicty anyway for months and the inevitable economic recession coming will keep tourism down for a long time afterward. Disney may have to come up with creative ways to encourage guests to come for a while, just like they did after 9/11.

What were the creative ways they encouraged guests after 9/11? Thanks.

 

[Eric Smith]

Really...so you think you are going to know just from looking at the crowds if they are in compliance.... They can admit any number that arrive at the gates each day and YOU will never know whether they are in compliance or NOT.

They know how many people they let in to the park, so I’m not sure what you’re getting at. They do this kind of thing around Christmas when the parks get near capacity

 

[andyman8]

What were the creative ways they encouraged guests after 9/11? Thanks.

Free dining, buy 3 days and get 4th free, neighboring states (like Georgia) discounts, AP "bring a friend" promotions, partnerships with Good Neighbor Hotels who offer ridiculously low rates as part of a Walt Disney Travel Co. package. These are the types of promotions and discounts we saw after 9/11. We're not going to see these things right away of course and probably won't see them to the extent they were offered after 9/11 because they're not trying to completely fill the parks.

Also, for clarification, the 25% capacity is for retail and dining locations. The governor released that as essentially a mandate (meaning businesses must comply). As far I can tell, the Governor has not released specific capacity guidelines for Florida's theme parks (he has indicated that much of their operational adjustments will be at their own discretion). The Orange County Task Force, on the other hand, also addressed theme parks in their recommended guidelines, which recommended "large theme park" (meaning WDW and UOR) capacity being capped at 50% in phase one and 75% in phase two. Not only are these not mandates (meaning not legally enforced) but they strike me as just baseline recommendations. It wouldn't surprise me if we saw capacity capped at only 20% or so when they first reopen and maybe they work to 30 to 35% through the summer and fall.

 

[Dano1182]

We have been there several times.
Where admission to the Magic Kingdom was shut down due to over capacity.
I do not think there were any special provisions for hotel guests.
Full is full.
In some case the Sherriff and Secuity stopped access to parking lots.

 

[cakebaker]

We have been there several times.
Where admission to the Magic Kingdom was shut down due to over capacity.
I do not think there were any special provisions for hotel guests.
Full is full.
In some case the Sherriff and Secuity stopped access to parking lots.

The have phases of closure. Resort guests do have preference for entry and are only denied entry in the very last phase. It rarely happens. I’m fairly sure it’s never happened that all parks were ever closed to everyone due to capacity. MK is probably the only one that ever did at all. They start closure phases long before they hit full capacity.

 

[rich dream vacations]

I think Disney marketing will get creative to rebuild crowds and reestablish customer trust. Don't rule out ticket giveaways and other magical surprises to peak everyones interest!

 

[TisBit]

If Disney is allowed to reopen, they will use the same operations concepts they use for any other time of the year, just with the maxed capacity reduced. In another words, the phases they do for resort guests, offsite guests, AP holders will likely apply to whatever population is allowed to come will be prioritized accordingly.

As indicated in the past, you may not see all parks open at one time. Initially you may only have one park with reduced capacity for the first couple of weeks before other parks come online. Same thing will likely happen with resorts, most resorts will probably not open. DVC is kind of a different story and they will have to figure that out.

 

[whiporee]

I think Disney marketing will get creative to rebuild crowds and reestablish customer trust. Don't rule out ticket giveaways and other magical surprises to peak everyones interest!

I don't think they need to rebuild anyone's trust, and trying to bribe people to attend the parks certainly isn't the way to do it. If they make any discounts it will be for small, low-key things. the last thing WDW want to be shown doing is trying to lure people to the park.

If they want to open, and if people want to come, that's enough. They haven't done anything wrong in this pandemic and they don't need to restore public confidence in them. They are already going to get hit hard by some people for opening at all -- they won't actively be trying to entice people to come for a very long time.

 

[cakebaker]

I don't think they need to rebuild anyone's trust, and trying to bribe people to attend the parks certainly isn't the way to do it. If they make any discounts it will be for small, low-key things. the last thing WDW want to be shown doing is trying to lure people to the park.

If they want to open, and if people want to come, that's enough. They haven't done anything wrong in this pandemic and they don't need to restore public confidence in them. They are already going to get hit hard by some people for opening at all -- they won't actively be trying to entice people to come for a very long time.

I don’t think they’re going to offer much in the way of discounts to start with, I don’t think they want massive crowds. But I do think as time goes by, if people are still hesitant, like they were after 9/11, they’ll offer incentives. It’s not to rebuild trust in WDW, but to get people to travel again so they’ll get over their fears.

They do have a discount available right now- not stellar, but I’m surprised they haven’t pulled it, so who knows.