Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[osufeth24]

At universal today on ET they cut the music, then turned on all the lights, then announced to keep your mask on at all times over mouth and nose. When we got back disembark there were lots of uniformed ppl that are not usually there and they took two people to “a room”, but I’m not sure what happened after that.

I know what happened

 

[gottalovepluto]

Both Uni and Disney need to figure a way out to catch and eject people (without refunds, and revoke remaining admission media) who repeatedly violate the mask mandate. Disney could tie it to MDE somehow. Two taps and you’re out.

If your rear is hauled off for a chat by security I have no doubt they log your ticket/AP.

 

[casaya95]

Back from my (amazing) trip! Some of the big takeaways I noticed is that crowds last week were much lighter at MK and much heavier at DHS compared to this week. DS was a nightmare in the evenings as many others have reported. Mask compliance seemed to be stronger during the beginning of the trip, but still pretty solid overall. Physical distancing was a complete nonissue. There were a few hiccups with mobile order (I guess because it's become the sole way to order), but the main thing that I loved is purchasing the refill mug and getting fresh cups each time. Although not the most environmentally friendly, I would love if moving forward you could purchase an "add-on" of unlimited resort refills; a notation could be put on each guest's MagicBand, and would be a lot more efficient than lugging around dirty mugs all the time (conceivably, the same could be done with the popcorn buckets). Also, had my first Disney drink at Petals; peasant party of one!

Overall, I was very apprehensive coming into the trip, but things worked out spectacularly. Only 10 more months until I can go back! That's not too long, right?

 

[osufeth24]

No, Disney will never require proof of vaccination to visit. Remember a large percentage of the population doesn't get vaccines anyway, I'm not sure we'll see much change when it does become available to the public (which is still a waaaaays off)

Not really

 

[zapple]

What are the hours of the food booths at Epcot? Do they open later/close earlier than the park?

 

[osufeth24]

What are the hours of the food booths at Epcot? Do they open later/close earlier than the park?

as far as I know they open at 11 (with all of world showcase and the park), and close when the park closes.

 

[imjustafatkid]

Can anyone tell me if the monorail is running to Epcot from the Contemporary? Our plan was to eat breakfast at Contemporary on our Epcot day and then ride the monorail over, but I have not seen it running at Epcot on any of the YouTuber videos I've been watching.

 

[RWinNOLA]

Can anyone tell me if the monorail is running to Epcot from the Contemporary? Our plan was to eat breakfast at Contemporary on our Epcot day and then ride the monorail over, but I have not seen it running at Epcot on any of the YouTuber videos I've been watching.

It is not.

 

[pepperandchips]

Its just a question I was really thinking about. No pot stirring here.

We don't have to discuss.

It’s not YOU I was worried about But I did bust out my Disney popcorn bucket earlier to store some popcorn so I may have to revisit that snack.

 

[AmberMV]

It is not.

Do we know why not? I thought it was only not running before EPCOT opened

 

[MrsBooch]

At universal today on ET they cut the music, then turned on all the lights, then announced to keep your mask on at all times over mouth and nose. When we got back disembark there were lots of uniformed ppl that are not usually there and they took two people to “a room”, but I’m not sure what happened after that.

oooo this makes me (perhaps irrationally) happy.I love when people think they can break rules & then get caught. This is the only way we keep things open.

So having a discussion here about how vaccine will be distributed when available.

Seeing as we are not in a risk group, we would be probably closer to end of line to receive.

Do you think Disney would ever go way of needing to be vaccinated before being able to visit?

I say no for a myriad of reasons. I think they would just keep current restrictions in place until enough people vaccinated to slow spread.

On the Dis show this week Pete suggested that Disney Cruises and your ability to get in a boat would be predicated on proof of vaccination or some reason why you can’t get vaccinated. Interesting thought but no way do i think that will happen

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

Hopped over to Riviera for dinner, came back to Pop and immediately started playing with DVC pricing (I mean, it isn't like this is the first time such a thing has happened but still...)

Man, I love drinking that sweet, sweet, Disney Kool-Aid sometimes.

 

[1GoldenSun]

The cars to Primeval Whirl have been removed

View attachment 512423View attachment 512424

This is downright creepy looking, with the cracked pavement, the dark clouds, and not a soul in sight. I keep expecting to see the credits start rolling for a Stephen King movie.

 

[JenBush]

Do we know why not? I thought it was only not running before EPCOT opened

I don't think they gave a reason, they just haven't announced an opening date for the EPCOT monorail yet. Maybe its a staffing issue? I don't think they have called everyone back to work yet and maybe they are using all the people who have been called back for the MK monorails.

 

[MrsBooch]

Hopped over to Riviera for dinner, came back to Pop and immediately started playing with DVC pricing (I mean, it isn't like this is the first time such a thing has happened but still...)

Man, I love drinking that sweet, sweet, Disney Kool-Aid sometimes.

yup. That’s how they get you. Our first couple trips we stayed at AoA or All Star Sports. For my kids bday trip we splurged - Stayed at the Polynesian. After that....we got a contract.

 

[mcomber7]

Has anyone ordered groceries from Amazon prime? We’re staying at pop in a week and would like to order a few things!

 

[Clockwork]

Has anyone ordered groceries from Amazon prime? We’re staying at pop in a week and would like to order a few things!

I’ve used amazon fresh and prime, go with fresh you can schedule the time within 2 hours and they can deliver it directly to you.

 

[Geomom]

Do we know why not? I thought it was only not running before EPCOT opened

I thought it was due to no park hopping, so no real reason to run the Epcot monorail. I know the monorail resorts normally use it to get to Epcot, so maybe it's also partly a staffing issue, or needing more of the monorail cars for the MK route while social distance measures are in place.

 

[gatechfan99]

Well, back from our trip and just wanted to give a recap of some things if it'll help anyone out with planning.

Safety/security - in general very good. Mask compliance nearly 100% all the time. Crowds very low, easily able to socially distance. Even in long lines, did not ever feel crowded. Cleaning is top notch right now. When you get up from eating, they are there immediately to sanitize your table. The one hiccup as people have said is Disney Springs. Felt very crowded there last night. World of Disney was packed. Might think about avoiding this, especially at night.

Park experience - if you are a "ride" person, it's heaven for you. In 6 days (with a half day spent at SeaWorld), we rode every ride in all 4 parks except Nemo and Triceratop Spin, had time to do multiple rides of about 10-15 favorites, and still left the park each day about 3-4 hours before closing. Just tremendous.

Masks - got used to them with the heat. I felt like heat is bad no matter what, masks really didn't make it worse. It did start to irritate my ears toward the end of the trip so you might want to look at those ear savers. The mask relaxation zones are nice, but I'm not sure completely necessary. Tomorrowland Terrace is the only one we ever used. When we wanted a break, we got a snack and a drink and it was always easy to find an out of the way area under shade or cover and take our masks off and rejuvenate.

Dining - QS was not hard once you got used to the concept of putting your order in before you got to the restaurant. Never hard to find a seat. Table Service was probably the only negative part of the whole trip. Meals there always seemed a little off, I suspect with staffing issues and new servers not used to their restaurant. Things just ran slower, but still not a problem by any means.

Resorts - really felt empty. I know there was worry about them being full, but Grand Floridian Villas did not have that feel at all. Parking lot was the emptiest I had ever seen it. Pools not crowded at night at all.

Transportation - monorail was very empty every time we rode it. We drove everywhere but MK. Lots open around 45 minutes before park time and they let you into the park right then too.

Will note my tips for RotR as well. Got it both days at HS at 10 AM. Probably had the VQ joined within 5 seconds each day. Main delay is getting your party right. Figure out in advance how many of your Friends and Family are there with you that day. If it's over half, just Select All and then remove the ones that aren't. Have someone count down the seconds from an accurate watch/phone if you can before 10 on the dot. Start refreshing that page a couple of seconds before it starts. If you do all that, shouldn't be hard to ride. We got BG 13 and 17 the 2 days.

As a final note that's unrelated, I'll just throw out there that we met vlogger Michael Kay for the first time this trip. He really does seem like the nicest guy and just like he is on YouTube. He saw my kids waving to him while he was on the phone (with Dave!) and he immediately hung up and came over to talk to us. Asked all about us, where we were from, what parks we had gone to, what rides we liked, any dining plans. Talked to us as complete strangers for at least 5 minutes. Then, later in the day, we saw him from a distance on Main Street. He was doing some sort of filming on his own when a couple walked up to him (likely with no idea who he was), and asked if he would take a picture of them in with their camera in front of the castle. He quickly stopped his own filming and obliged. Like I said, just seems naturally nice.

So anyway, a good trip, as I said on a post during our time there, if you're on the fence about going in the next few weeks, I highly recommend doing it. I really think anyone would feel safer there than back home in "real life" unless you're truly just sheltering every day at home.

 

[mcomber7]

I’ve used amazon fresh and prime, go with fresh you can schedule the time within 2 hours and they can deliver it directly to you.

Awesome! Did you have them deliver it to the luggage area or your room?