Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[anthony2k7]

Yeah because a Main Street store CM has the inside knowledge of what the capacity limits for the entire theme park are right??

Thats just silly. Everyone knows its the bus drivers you need to speak to to get the hard facts.

 

[skeeter31]

I would guess that is just anecdotal from what they are seeing? The parks were obviously not reaching their "max capacity" during July/August/September ... now (as their is the holidays to celebrate and people have had 3 months to see that WDW is safe) ... more people are coming and they are closer to reaching that max capacity so it just simply IS more crowded, but I doubt WDW increased their max capacity (as they probably didn't need to since they weren't reaching it).

Either way, there is a breaking point of how crowded the parks can get with the severely reduced ride throughput and spaced out queues. Disney's main draw right now is "low crowds" .. but if that is negated by reduced ride capacity and thus "normal" length lines with no FP option .... you'll have a lot of frustrated guests who feel they are paying a lot of money for a severely less vacation experience (while having to wear masks all day).

I just wonder what that breaking point is .. obviously Universal is reaching that point on the weekends.

Unfortunately it’s more likely just a CM that wants to feel semi-important and give out information to a guest. Front line CMs have no more in-depth knowledge of the workings of DisneyWorld than the greeter at Walmart has about the corporate workings of Walmart. But some will always want to sound like they do know more than they do.

 

[andyman8]

Chapek is lying about capacity. My mom talked to a CM yesterday that was helping her in one of the shops on Main Street at MK, Capacity was at 20% until October 1st and has gone to 30% since then.

Perhaps the CM is talking about store capacity. My understanding is that they did recently up the percentage capacity for merchandise locations.

 

[rteetz]

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

While CMs mean well we’ve learned they are notoriously misinformed or under informed, and often do not get first hand knowledge.

Which leads to an interesting question - does the union get exact capacity numbers? Not sure how they could agree to much without them during this time. And how much of that would leak down to managers/supervisors and possibly CMs? I mean somewhere along the way people need to know crowds for the day for staffing.

I just wanted to say that I like how you responded. You were respectful to the person you were replying to, and acknowledged that the CMs mean well, while explaining the flaw in believing the rumor.

 

[anthony2k7]

Perhaps the CM is talking about store capacity. My understanding is that they did recently up the percentage capacity for merchandise locations.

Good point. Presumably resorts could equally have a different capacity percentage to the overall percentage.

 

[PrincessV]

I'll have to come back later to catch up on the 3 days I missed, but for now I'll drop and go - as promised, some real-life info on line lengths, wait times and crowd "feel"...

Tuesday, Oct. 20, EP:
Arrived around 12pm and went straight for F&W food, starting in Canada and going counter-clockwise all the way around WS
No F&W booth line was longer than 3 or 4 people and took minutes to go through. The lines tended to look closer to "normal" weekday lines due to social distancing.
There were pockets of congested walkways, and pockets of nearly empty walkways and no obvious rhyme or reason for either. At any time I could move a bit to give myself 6' from anyone, but in some spots it took more work. Not always easy to find a place to sit and eat, especially in shade, but pretty easy to find standing tables.

Hit FW around 3:30pm: SE, Seas, Journey were all walk on (posted 5mins), Soarin' about 8 minutes (posted10).

Back to WS around 5-6pm: much emptier all around - more open space in general and more open tables. PLENTY of room for everyone.

Wednesday, Oct. 21, MK:
Arrived around 10:45am and immediately caught "Boo to You Lite" cavalcade on Main St: plenty of open room to watch - nobody within 10 or more feet of me.
5 min "waits" (really just walking through the queues) for Barnstormer, Dumbo, UTS. None were utilizing all of their dedicated queues, let alone extra. Walkways felt more "crowded" than in late Aug., but nowhere near normal crowded: ample room to spread out.

A little before 12pm mobile ordered from Pinocchio's - hit "I am here" on way to restroom and order was ready by the time I finished washing my hands. Plenty of outdoor tables open and still open when I left about 45 minutes later.

Walked through Fantasyland to Splash - it definitely gets tight between Pan and Small World and no way to remain 6' from every person while going through, but it was truly only close for the few seconds it took to get through. It spread out and opened up again at HM.

Splash around 1:15pm was posted 45 mins, queue was using most of its dedicated outdoor queue - actual wait was about 25 mins, moving almost the entire time. Circled back to Pooh, where the queue ran all the way to Cheshire Cafe and posted wait was 30 mins - actual wait was a little over 15, moving continually. HM next: queue used all of the dedicated outdoor queue, except the graveyard area, plus a big out-and-back on the Riverboat ramps, posted wait was 35 mins: actual wait was just about 35, but only because I hit a cleaning cycle just before entering the building and was stuck there for 10 minutes. Final ride was POTC with posted wait of 45 mins, actual wait around 25, moving the entire time.

I caught 2 more cavalcades in the afternoon, with plenty of room to spread out for both. Overall, between about 2-5pm walkways felt busier than in late Aug, but still had plenty of room to maintain distance - it just took a little more work on my part.

Thursday, Oct. 22, DHS:

Oh my. I get it now. This was my first time back at DHS since pre-COVID and it felt a LOT like Thanksgiving week last year.

Arrived by car at 9am and traffic was backed up, but moved quickly: I was parked and into the park by 9:30am. A LOT of people walking in - it wasn't easy to maintain distance. Upon entering, Hollywood Bl was VERY congested, but I went left into the Echo Lake area and it was nearly empty. I was in GE by 9:45 and found a shaded spot well away from everyone to wait - GE wasn't empty, but it wasn't very populated either: it felt a lot like the end of opening day, when the place had mostly emptied out.

Got a ROTR BG and got in line for MF:SR at 10:15am: queue extended to the far end of the Falcon, posted wait of 35 when I got in and actual wait was 25. ROTR BG called just before 11am and I got in queue at 11: moved continuously and was around 15 mins before the action starts.

Mobile ordered a blue milk and circled back... GE was PACKED. Like, busier than the day we went during Thanksgiving week. Impossible to maintain 6' while walking, and difficult to find any spot to stop 6' from others. I walked back to the entrance path from grand Ave. and had more room there to stop and sip.

Mobile ordered lunch from ABC and it was ready in 5 minutes - 12pm. All outdoor tables were taken, mostly by people using them for a mask break, not actively eating or drinking (no food on the table.) No enforcement over there. I took my tray to a planter and balanced there to eat, but a kind CM saw a table open and held it while waving me over - that was appreciated! Commissary Lane was just busy, busy, busy.

I left the park after lunch because it was time to go home, but would have left because it was too crowded for my comfort, pandemic or otherwise. Had I stayed the night, I'd have tried returning later in the day. I have no idea how things were in other areas of the park, but TP had expected wait times of 60-90 mins for everything at 1pm.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

hmmm, I feel like I saw this idea come up already somewhere, but can't place my finger on it ...

https://blogmickey.com/2020/10/disneyland-has-an-obligation-to-reopen/

 

[rteetz]

hmmm, I feel like I saw this idea come up already somewhere, but can't place my finger on it ...

https://blogmickey.com/2020/10/disneyland-has-an-obligation-to-reopen/

It has to be a cost thing as to why they haven’t done this already. My thoughts are we would see something like this at DCA before Disneyland due to the parks nature/layout.

 

[indylaw99]

I'll have to come back later to catch up on the 3 days I missed, but for now I'll drop and go - as promised, some real-life info on line lengths, wait times and crowd "feel"...

Tuesday, Oct. 20, EP:

Wednesday, Oct. 21, MK:

Thursday, Oct. 22, DHS:

Oh my. I get it now. This was my first time back at DHS since pre-COVID and it felt a LOT like Thanksgiving week last year.

You were in the exact same parks as I was on our whole 3-day trip! And rode ROTR an hour before us! We had to beat it out of there at 2:45 for a 5pm flight after waiting an hour for Mickey and Minnie (our longest wait of the day).

Do you happen to remember if DHS was the only park with all of its buckets filled this week? It was definitely the busiest of all 3 parks by far--waits were longer (but almost none as long as posted), tables were more likely to be taken up, and a lot of people were just standing around creating congestion.

But I'm wondering....is this as bad as it gets from now through the holidays? I mean, it's not ideal. But is this the same capacity DHS will be at for Thanksgiving week and Christmas break? If so, it is definitely not worse than what I was expecting when we booked our trips pre-COVID. Just less other "sfuff" to do than usual besides eating and rides.

I should add that we were in MK and EPCOT from park to close. We rode every ride in both parks except for Tomorrowland Speedway, Dumbo, Mission Space, and Frozen. But we also saw every cavalcade, the Cadaver Dans, and ate both a counter service meal and a sit-down meal in both parks. Plus lots of PhotoPass. We were in DHS for 5 hours and rode RNR, ROTR, Slinky Dog, TSM, and Minnie and Mickey. Plus a counter service lunch and the Pixar cavalcade. If we hadn't had to fly out, I think we would have ridden everything.

 

[Brianstl]

It has to be a cost thing as to why they haven’t done this already. My thoughts are we would see something like this at DCA before Disneyland due to the parks nature/layout.

I believe opening up a Disney Park like this is far more expensive than Knott's Berry Farm. Park employees for Disney make significantly more than those at Knott's Berry Farm. With the very limited number of people they could let in, I think Disney would have a hard time having something like this not lose money.

 

[rteetz]

I believe opening up a Disney Park like this is far more expensive than Knott's Berry Farm. Park employees for Disney make significantly more than those at Knott's Berry Farm. With the very limited number of people they could let in, I think Disney would have a hard time having something like this not lose money.

Which is why it likely hasn’t happened yet. I do still think a good and wine festival type event at DCA could work. Cost for entry and of course any food and merch inside.

 

[jemtx]

I like hearing the on-the-ground reports on wait times, crowds, etc. Thank you to everyone. It’s very helpful for upcoming trip planning.

 

[andyman8]

hmmm, I feel like I saw this idea come up already somewhere, but can't place my finger on it ...

https://blogmickey.com/2020/10/disneyland-has-an-obligation-to-reopen/

This 100%. It's time to get creative. The Governor's decision was not unexpected, so instead of pouting about it
Yes, it hurts price integrity. Yes, it's costly. Yes, it's not the "typical" Guest Experience, but judging on the crowds we see at DTD every weekend, I think it's fair to say demand's there.

With the holidays around the corner (and people really craving some sort of festivity), I cannot imagine the business a DCA or DL holiday festival would do. You could put up some basic holiday decorations and maybe even some lights. You could have special holiday marketplace kiosks. You could have the carolers up on the train station or at the Hollywood Backlot Stage. They've already got that special backlot store, so can you imagine the sales they'd do if they turned that into a holiday-themed merchandise location. Perhaps have Santa up on a balcony or somewhere up high (like the monorail arches at DCA) waving to Guests. Perhaps bring in some less expensive entertainment. They could then transition to a more general "Taste of" Festival after the holidays. I don't think this idea would work/be sustainable at WDW but DLR is perfect for it in the interim.

If they did it at DCA, they could even use it as an excuse to reopen VGC and solve that problem as well. Remember, VGC operations are basically entirely financed from Member Dues. In fact, (and this will almost certainly not happen) but they technically already have state approval to reopen all of GCH so if they really wanted they could open that with a skeleton crew as well.

Not only does it get a few CMs back to work and bring in some revenue for the company, but you start to lay the foundation for a DLR reopening. It's one thing to tell the Governor, "We'll reopen responsibly and safely," and "there hasn't been an outbreak tied to us," snd it's another thing to show him. Frankly, I'm not sure he (or many leaders) are looking to anything to do with the state of Florida for guidance on reopening. I highly doubt the visit to WDW made any bearing on his decision one way or another. But with a festival of sort, not only does it demonstrate their ability to do reopen safely in California but I'm sure some people would travel for it and make a weekend trip out of it, so you help the local economy (something Disney keeps saying they're very concerned about) and you can then show the Governor the data: we had X amount of people come to this festival -- and x percent are estimated to be from more than 120 miles away -- and we didn't see a spike in OC/SoCal numbers. No outbreaks were reported. Does that mean all of a sudden attractions/shows reopen? No but perhaps it speeds up the timeline a bit. A lot can happen between now and next summer, and Disney's got to get creative.

I never thought WDW would offer a table-service to-go option, but when they realized that A) some of their Guests were still uncomfortable eating at their mostly indoor restaurants and B) during busier periods, they didn't always have the table-service dining capacity for everyone, they pivoted. DLR should do the same. As for why it hasn't happened yet, cost has to be a huge factor. I also think Disney genuinely believed they'd change the Governor's mind. And don't underestimate Disney's ideas of brand and price integrity. Initially, they would likely view a festival concept as "cheapening" the DLR brand -- allowing people in for a lower price point and without staple Disney offerings -- but we're in unprecedented times now and I'd hope they're starting to realize there are new rules right now.

 

[tlmadden73]

Thursday, Oct. 22, DHS:

Oh my. I get it now. This was my first time back at DHS since pre-COVID and it felt a LOT like Thanksgiving week last year.

Arrived by car at 9am and traffic was backed up, but moved quickly: I was parked and into the park by 9:30am. A LOT of people walking in - it wasn't easy to maintain distance. Upon entering, Hollywood Bl was VERY congested, but I went left into the Echo Lake area and it was nearly empty. I was in GE by 9:45 and found a shaded spot well away from everyone to wait - GE wasn't empty, but it wasn't very populated either: it felt a lot like the end of opening day, when the place had mostly emptied out.

Got a ROTR BG and got in line for MF:SR at 10:15am: queue extended to the far end of the Falcon, posted wait of 35 when I got in and actual wait was 25. ROTR BG called just before 11am and I got in queue at 11: moved continuously and was around 15 mins before the action starts.

Mobile ordered a blue milk and circled back... GE was PACKED. Like, busier than the day we went during Thanksgiving week. Impossible to maintain 6' while walking, and difficult to find any spot to stop 6' from others. I walked back to the entrance path from grand Ave. and had more room there to stop and sip.

Mobile ordered lunch from ABC and it was ready in 5 minutes - 12pm. All outdoor tables were taken, mostly by people using them for a mask break, not actively eating or drinking (no food on the table.) No enforcement over there. I took my tray to a planter and balanced there to eat, but a kind CM saw a table open and held it while waving me over - that was appreciated! Commissary Lane was just busy, busy, busy.

I left the park after lunch because it was time to go home, but would have left because it was too crowded for my comfort, pandemic or otherwise. Had I stayed the night, I'd have tried returning later in the day. I have no idea how things were in other areas of the park, but TP had expected wait times of 60-90 mins for everything at 1pm.

I am not looking forward to the "crowds" at DHS when I go (though I would suspect (and hope) that less people are simply going to be going in January (no matter what max capacity is) than in Oct/Nov/Dec.

Some of the social distancing will just need to be reduced soon, or as the crowds pick up, things will just be have too long of waits to be a "fun" place to be. The social distancing requirements in other places just means people will be "milling about" in walkways when they normally would be in lines, restaurants or shops. OR they need to simply except less park reservations for DHS (compared to the other parks) due to its popularity and small size (area-wise) and lack of attractions. (I'm sure not having all the M&Gs that DHS used to have (it had a tone) and not having big shows like Indiana Jones, Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast also keep a lot of people milling about).

 

[andyman8]

Lol, so Disney just announced they're opening shops and restaurants at Buena Vista Street. DTD is "expanding."

 

[Brianstl]

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...neyland-resort-extends-to-buena-vista-street/

 

[TheMaxRebo]

It has to be a cost thing as to why they haven’t done this already. My thoughts are we would see something like this at DCA before Disneyland due to the parks nature/layout.

also think just timing - like, if the ability to open as a theme park was potentially not that far away, why bother ... now that they know there is a good chance it won't be able to reopen as a theme park until next summer it makes more sense to investigate

 

[rteetz]

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...neyland-resort-extends-to-buena-vista-street/

Ask and you shall receive

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I don’t know why they even need executives at this point, a handful of DISers could give the same results.

Seriously though DLR is going to be really interesting to watch and see all the out of the box ways they go about doing things before they can open. Still mad they aren’t turning it into a traveling carnival but we can’t have everything I guess.