Answer to Petes question.

[CampbellzSoup]

Do you mind if I ask why? That concerns me because I think that other locations/countries/businesses around the world may require the booster as well, and I know you love to travel. I've really enjoyed your trip reports.

awesome thanks I’m glad you like the reports I love to make them! I was one of the first who signed up and got the Moderna vaccine in January and promoted it to all of my family when it became available.

I have worked every single day during the pandemic in close proximity with people (without PPE until mid 2020), not one day off, AND had a newborn baby since July 2020. I have contracted Covid in November, and powered through. I go to the gym four times a week eat healthy don’t smoke, and have no underlying conditions.

I didn’t mind rolling up my sleeve and being a good citizen, but when people start talking about a fourth booster shot AND still wearing my mask AND I can still get it I’m turned off. However if my doctor told me he recommended it for me based on my circumstances I’d have to look into it.

 

[mefordis]

awesome thanks I’m glad you like the reports I love to make them! I was one of the first who signed up and got the Moderna vaccine in January and promoted it to all of my family when it became available.

I have worked every single day during the pandemic in close proximity with people (without PPE until mid 2020), not one day off, AND had a newborn baby since July 2020. I have contracted Covid in November, and powered through. I go to the gym four times a week eat healthy don’t smoke, and have no underlying conditions.

I didn’t mind rolling up my sleeve and being a good citizen, but when people start talking about a fourth booster shot AND still wearing my mask AND I can still get it I’m turned off. However if my doctor told me he recommended it for me based on my circumstances I’d have to look into it.

Thank you for explaining. It's absolutely NONE of my business so I really appreciate it Everyone gets to decide what is right for them.

 

[Doingitagain]

My brother-in-law went on a DCL cruise at Christmas. He said 240 people were not allowed to board because of positive COVID tests. They weren’t able to dock in St. Thomas. That creates a lot of uncertainty for me when paying a lot of money for airline tickets and the cruise.

 

[Skywalker3]

Never cruised, never really wanted to, and still don't want that type of cruise/DCL. I skip over all of those parts of the videos when they're talking about DCL. However......we are becoming VERY interested in European River cruises. Hope to try one of those sooner than later> have really enjoyed when Kevin and John talk about them.

 

[OKW Lover]

However......we are becoming VERY interested in European River cruises. Hope to try one of those sooner than later> have really enjoyed when Kevin and John talk about them.

We've done 2 European River Cruises, with a third scheduled for later this year. They are a good way to see the European country side and some of the smaller cities.

I'd also second K&J's recommendation to do a Christmas Market cruise. They are so much fun. We have a box load of ornaments that we bought at the various stops.

 

[JLong06]

I'm not sure about the average person, but for me personally:

Disney vacations are planned very far in advance (at least a year). I do not have the luxury (time, distance, money) to on a dime say I'm going to do a cruise or I'm going to go to World. A year ago, World was open and appeared that would remain the case. If I remember correct, Pete didn't go on a cruise as early as 6 months ago. Heck, it hasn't even been a year since the general population has had the opportunity to be vaccinated. I just don't think most people have had cruising on their radar, and when they do they will be planning for months later AFTER they feel comfortable.

I think a better question to ask is when (and then, why) will we see a shift on more people choosing to cruise instead of going to World?

 

[auroralark]

Disney Cruise Line has always been out of our budget, regardless of the other issues. I wouldn't feel comfortable on a cruise right now, nor do I want to book flights with my fingers crossed, hoping we won't test positive.

 

[V.B.]

My brother-in-law went on a DCL cruise at Christmas. He said 240 people were not allowed to board because of positive COVID tests. They weren’t able to dock in St. Thomas. That creates a lot of uncertainty for me when paying a lot of money for airline tickets and the cruise.

Do you mean they weren't able to board at the start of the cruise and later the ship wasn't allowed to dock at St. Thomas? Or, they started out on the cruise and weren't allowed off the boat? Either way, it would be super upsetting! You're right, it's very uncertain as a traveller. I appreciate how much DCL is doing to keep the people on the ship safe, but it's a lot of money to spend to not get what I paid for.

 

[Doingitagain]

Do you mean they weren't able to board at the start of the cruise and later the ship wasn't allowed to dock at St. Thomas? Or, they started out on the cruise and weren't allowed off the boat? Either way, it would be super upsetting! You're right, it's very uncertain as a traveller. I appreciate how much DCL is doing to keep the people on the ship safe, but it's a lot of money to spend to not get what I paid for.

yes, people couldn’t board at the beginning and then the ship couldn’t dock.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

People on this board refuse to acknowledge that Genie+ can be a better option to FP+ for casual visitors, as much as I know what you're saying here is true.

This is true of these boards and of a lot of the volggers out there. The casual visitor, the once or occasional family trip people, etc. don't have encyclopedic knowledge of how the navigate the parks, how it used to be, etc. They just know Genie+ gets them a shorter wait somewhere. And a lot of them have pretty big budgets for their trips such that adding on the Genie+ cost per person is not even a concern for them. They aren't coming back for a long time, so just saying "we'll ride that next time" isn't an option, and they also don't have multiple trips in a year where they might have to pay for Genie+ (or multiple trips in a week like the vloggers).

 

[Morieris]

Are you American? I just got off 5 nights on the Magic and don’t have a passport. For several itineraries, you only need a birth certificate and a drivers license (Or another state photo Id)

I am; I had no idea! Are those the cruises at sea without docking at Castaway or anywhere else?

 

[BadPinkTink]

People on this board also need to achnowledge that they type of people who are going to Disney Parks and Disney Cruises are changing and NOT the same type of people who have been long term members of Disboards.

Disboards is a community which was created and grew in a different age, when Disney Parks and Disney Cruise were THE family vacation AND when internet communities were forum based.

What Pete is seeing in Dreams clients AND the Vloggers in the parks, and the new type of casual visitors are people who have higher incomes / higher budgets than families.

Disney is changing their business model, from the family to the adults, both singles and couples.

Dreams are changing focus, to provide content for the people who are clients or potentials clients.

This is all at odds and not what the the Disboard community want to see.

But sorry bout you, Disney is a company trying to survive a world wide pandemic

Dreams is a company trying to survive a world wide pandemic

ALL companies who are surviving are pivoting, diversifying, changing business models.

I have the utmost respect for John and Pete, for making sure their business survives.

People have NO idea what business owners have gone through since March 2020. The harsh truth is we (business owners) will chase the money, thats the whole point of being in business. We don't do things to be nice and cute, we do things to make money for US! And we do that by providing products and services that people want and need AND have the money to pay for.

I may not agree with everything Pete says , his personal views and opinions, but from a business point of view, being an SME and working with SME's I can see what the majority of Disboard members cant.

 

[DLgal]

I am; I had no idea! Are those the cruises at sea without docking at Castaway or anywhere else?

No, they dock at Castaway Cay and usually Nassau (although Nassau was denying Docking to some ships at one point).

You don't NEED a passport for a closed loop cruise. But right now it would be very unwise to cruise without one. If you end up off the ship in a foreign country needing medical care and need to fly back home, you need a passport, and considering the uncertainty right now with all that, it's a major gamble to cruise without a passport. I wouldn't personally do it.

 

[jennb529]

I listened to a podcast recently about a group of 17 that went on a Disney cruise. The amount of quarantining they did prior to the cruise to try to keep every one free of the virus, as well as the anxiety they went through regarding testing before leaving home and again at the port just completely turned me off from cruising with the current rules in place. They did all make it on board, but it sounded so stressful!

I understand the cruise line following the rules set out by the CDC (this was prior to the order expiring), but I will stick to vacationing in places that do not require me to test prior to going.

Also, my husband and I own a business, we literally have one employee other than family. If we were stuck in quarantine for multiple days away from home, or heaven forbid out of the country, I would hate to think of the impact on our business.

We'll cruise again if/when the industry gets back to 'normal'.

 

[GAN]

People on this board also need to achnowledge that they type of people who are going to Disney Parks and Disney Cruises are changing and NOT the same type of people who have been long term members of Disboards.

Disboards is a community which was created and grew in a different age, when Disney Parks and Disney Cruise were THE family vacation AND when internet communities were forum based.

What Pete is seeing in Dreams clients AND the Vloggers in the parks, and the new type of casual visitors are people who have higher incomes / higher budgets than families.

Disney is changing their business model, from the family to the adults, both singles and couples.

Dreams are changing focus, to provide content for the people who are clients or potentials clients.

This is all at odds and not what the the Disboard community want to see.

But sorry bout you, Disney is a company trying to survive a world wide pandemic

Dreams is a company trying to survive a world wide pandemic

ALL companies who are surviving are pivoting, diversifying, changing business models.

I have the utmost respect for John and Pete, for making sure their business survives.

People have NO idea what business owners have gone through since March 2020. The harsh truth is we (business owners) will chase the money, thats the whole point of being in business. We don't do things to be nice and cute, we do things to make money for US! And we do that by providing products and services that people want and need AND have the money to pay for.

I may not agree with everything Pete says , his personal views and opinions, but from a business point of view, being an SME and working with SME's I can see what the majority of Disboard members cant.

Well ...I totally understand. But I really don't think Disney is changing their business model. People who have been going to Disney for the better part of 50-years know this. It was never an "affordable" vacation. We were lucky to bring my kids every 2 or 3 years. Then Disney began developing Value Resorts -at this point, NOT the same people began to travel to WDW. So instead of many people visiting every 2-3 years, some had the opportunity to visit 2 or 3 times a year. I feel like the same people will be going(families) -just not as often, possibly. Fortunately, we bought in to DVC years ago ...this makes it a super affordable vacation. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't go as often and would just go to Europe every year -which can be done, with two, for less money than the average cash paying WDW guests.

 

[figmentfinesse]

I am; I had no idea! Are those the cruises at sea without docking at Castaway or anywhere else?

Nope, it was a double dip at Castaway and a stop at Nassau. It is all lined out on the website, but basically if you leave from and return to an American port, no passport needed.

 

[Luxurious_Lumiere]

I know some people enjoy both the parks and cruises, but it seemed like Pete was operating under the assumption that if your a WDW person, then OF COURSE you must be a cruise person too. I am certainly not. I have close to zero interest in any cruise.

I'm a fan of the Disney parks and resorts because of the rides, the immersive nature of a park, the world class dining, and the multitude of experiences which allow me to create my own custom itinerary that suits my needs and that of my travel companions.

A cruise feels like one of those vacations where people stay at an all inclusive resort and never leave. I'm not interested in that. The number of days are set, the ports are set, there are x number of restaurants on the ship. I just get the sense that Id feel trapped. And everything I've watched indicates that it caters most to families. If I was ever to go on a cruise, it would be adults-only. The ships look beautiful, I'll give them that. And I know there are some fun shows and dining, but I have that (and better ones) on land. I've yet to see a single thing to convince me I need a Disney cruise.

Plus we have all suffered through this pandemic, which is still going on. So you'll have people afraid of catching the virus on the ship (cruises have ALWAYS been subject to viral outbreaks), and on the flip side youll have those willing to take that risk BUT they might be afraid of spending the money only to catch covid in the days before their trip and forfeiting the whole thing.

Ill continue to fast forward through DCL discussions on the Dis Unplugged as it seems like its going to take up needless airtime for a while now. But Id be over the moon if they never put DCL on the show again.

 

[DLgal]

Ill continue to fast forward through DCL discussions on the Dis Unplugged as it seems like its going to take up needless airtime for a while now. But Id be over the moon if they never put DCL on the show again.

They have an entire DCL channel on You Tube. This entire show should have been a DCL Show episode. It's like Pete forgot he created all these spin off channels on YouTube specifically to be able to delve deep into topics away from the main show.

 

[Miffy]

I have zero-minus desire to go on any cruise, and zero-minus a billion to go on a cruise right now.

 

[mefordis]

I'm not sure about the average person, but for me personally:

Disney vacations are planned very far in advance (at least a year). I do not have the luxury (time, distance, money) to on a dime say I'm going to do a cruise or I'm going to go to World. A year ago, World was open and appeared that would remain the case. If I remember correct, Pete didn't go on a cruise as early as 6 months ago. Heck, it hasn't even been a year since the general population has had the opportunity to be vaccinated. I just don't think most people have had cruising on their radar, and when they do they will be planning for months later AFTER they feel comfortable.

I think a better question to ask is when (and then, why) will we see a shift on more people choosing to cruise instead of going to World?

I think this will be when they stop testing people, which will happen when/if covid becomes just a minor cold, like all other colds before it. If people continue to die from it in the numbers they are now, we won't ever get there.