Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Well this Floridian is reading this thread and shaking my head some. I don't agree at all that Floridians don't care or the leadership doesn't care, I think a lot of us would take offense to that. But it's also not going away, until hopefully the vaccine helps and we're trying to keep some people employed without collapsing the whole state economy in the process. Which would likely end up with worse outcomes. I'm west of Orlando, Hillsborough County and there hasn't been a business around in months where masks aren't mandated, etc. I can't say I've really felt unsafe or any carelessness anywhere, personally. I'm not a bar person though, so can't speak to that. We are doing the best to keep the nursing homes protected, but looking at the numbers in Illinois (much less population) and California, they aren't in any better shape than we are with lockdowns. But the media reporting on Florida is highly skewed in comparison IMO.

I am an AP holder, went to Disney for a week in Oct and think they are doing a pretty good job. Is it magical? Eh, not really.. but it beats being shut down by a long mile. We have 9 nights booked for end of January/early Feb!

 

[yulilin3]

For my family's safety I hope Florida does a statewide shutdown. It is only way my family would consider any covid precautions.

It's the only way you and your family would consider covid precautions? Not really understanding your point.
Covid precautions come from a personal level, you either wear a mask properly, socially distance and wash your hands or you don't.
Almost every business in central Florida has mask mandates regardless of what the governor says or does. Some generalizing "Floridians" don't believe in the virus is baloney (to keep it clean) for us who live here, work and play here and have not gotten sick because we do take precautions sating things like that is ridiculous.

 

[rteetz]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1333456895449808899

 

[MickeyWaffles]

yeah other industries requiring vaccines will have no impact on Disney, what I'm saying is that I don't see Disney requiring a certificate for guests when they might not require it for cast
And sure it'll go by union but the Actors union has a very small workforce at Disney (before the layoffs, assuming most entertainment will come back) compared to the thousands in attractions, custodial, food and beverage and housekeeping. Like others mentioned there are people that cannot get vaccinated, aside from being anti vaxxers and other beliefs. I just don't think that Disney will require a vaccine from a guest if not all of the CM are required as well, and if they do require from guest but not from CM is a moot point to me

Anything is possible, right?

I think there is a world where Disney could require CMs to be vaccinated unless they have a medical exemption, and potentially make them be masked longer term if they cannot be vaccinated.

I just don’t think we’ll see something like a typical face character meet & greet interaction again unless those CMs are vaccinated.

I actually see them potentially requiring it for cast before they would do it for guests.

 

[Jim Libasci]

It's the only way you and your family would consider covid precautions? Not really understanding your point.
Covid precautions come from a personal level, you either wear a mask properly, socially distance and wash your hands or you don't.
Almost every business in central Florida has mask mandates regardless of what the governor says or does. Some generalizing "Floridians" don't believe in the virus is baloney (to keep it clean) for us who live here, work and play here and have not gotten sick because we do take precautions sating things like that is ridiculous.

my family will only protect themselves if they are left with no other options.

 

[Pyotr]

Well this Floridian is reading this thread and shaking my head some. I don't agree at all that Floridians don't care or the leadership doesn't care, I think a lot of us would take offense to that. But it's also not going away, until hopefully the vaccine helps and we're trying to keep some people employed without collapsing the whole state economy in the process. Which would likely end up with worse outcomes. I'm west of Orlando, Hillsborough County and there hasn't been a business around in months where masks aren't mandated, etc. I can't say I've really felt unsafe or any carelessness anywhere, personally. I'm not a bar person though, so can't speak to that. We are doing the best to keep the nursing homes protected, but looking at the numbers in Illinois (much less population) and California, they aren't in any better shape than we are with lockdowns. But the media reporting on Florida is highly skewed in comparison IMO.

I am an AP holder, went to Disney for a week in Oct and think they are doing a pretty good job. Is it magical? Eh, not really.. but it beats being shut down by a long mile. We have 9 nights booked for end of January/early Feb!

Excellent post! Last week Illinois, with 40% of the population size of Florida, reported 15,415 cases and averaged over 12,000 for a week, two things Florida never did. Facts don’t fit the narrative.


Disney isn’t shutting down. If you are not comfortable going, stay home. I’ll be there next week. I have low expectations and will enjoy it for what it is.

 

[xuxa777]

yup, and I stress this part, as of now, the numbers in FL aren't worse than what it was during the June/Aug spike.

Not saying it won't

Plus it appears the new cases have hinted at starting to decline from the latest peak, both in Florida and nationwide, still early to say for sure .

 

[Aimeedyan]

Another Floridian weighing in on the blanket statements regarding how seriously "we" are taking this. My county government is taking it seriously and I see MUCH better mask usage and social distancing at home than I do at Disney.

I always scratch my head at people who say they feel more comfortable at Disney than at home and wonder where they live.

Just like I hope people in other countries don't judge every single American based on what is coming out of DC, I'd hope that every single Floridian isn't judged based on what is coming out of Tallahassee.

 

[osufeth24]

Another Floridian weighing in on the blanket statements regarding how seriously "we" are taking this. My county government is taking it seriously and I see MUCH better mask usage and social distancing at home than I do at Disney.

I always scratch my head at people who say they feel more comfortable at Disney than at home and wonder where they live.

Just like I hope people in other countries don't judge every single American based on what is coming out of DC, I'd hope that every single Floridian isn't judged based on what is coming out of Tallahassee.

Would add I was just in the panhandle of FL where I thought i'd be the only one wearing masks. But I was very surprised by the amount of people that wore them

 

[KrazeeK120]

Excellent post! Last week Illinois, with 40% of the population size of Florida, reported 15,415 cases and averaged over 12,000 for a week, two things Florida never did. Facts don’t fit the narrative.


Disney isn’t shutting down. If you are not comfortable going, stay home. I’ll be there next week. I have low expectations and will enjoy it for what it is.

Illinoisan here! Yeah, Illinois has been awful lately. I can tell you from personal experience that there are a lot of people here (probably like everywhere else) who just don’t think this is a big deal. Just looking at my Facebook feed on Thanksgiving was making my blood boil. The hospitals are getting crowded and it’s making me so nervous. I live in the middle of the state, not near Chicago, and I’m getting the impression that attitudes downstate are quite different than in the big city.

 

[Jrb1979]

I don't think Disney will close again but my only hope is they don't up capacity again for awhile. Its already crowded in many places in the parks on top of queues spilling out to walkways.

 

[Farro]

Illinoisan here! Yeah, Illinois has been awful lately. I can tell you from personal experience that there are a lot of people here (probably like everywhere else) who just don’t think this is a big deal. Just looking at my Facebook feed on Thanksgiving was making my blood boil. The hospitals are getting crowded and it’s making me so nervous. I live in the middle of the state, not near Chicago, and I’m getting the impression that attitudes downstate are quite different than in the big city.

I live in Chicago and we are all masked up here. Can't go anywhere without one.

Chicago is actually doing pretty good considering size and we are packed together compared to rest of state.

But people shouldn't be comparing to Florida because we did semi shutdown again.

 

[Jroceagles]

I don't think Disney will close again but my only hope is they don't up capacity again for awhile. Its already crowded in many places in the parks on top of queues spilling out to walkways.

you would think that with lines spilling out and causing crowds they would bring back fast pass or some sort of plan. I definitely agree they will not be closing again.

 

[yulilin3]

my family will only protect themselves if they are left with no other options.

Ok just so i understand what you're saying, you'll come to Florida if they shutdown completely to completely get rid of the virus and then you'll come without using any precautions?

 

[yulilin3]

you would think that with lines spilling out and causing crowds they would bring back fast pass or some sort of plan. I definitely agree they will not be closing again.

The fact that fps in the current ride capacity won't work has been explained ad nauseam

 

[andyman8]

Some generalizing "Floridians" don't believe in the virus is baloney (to keep it clean) for us who live here, work and play here and have not gotten sick because we do take precautions sating things like that is ridiculous.

While I agree with the sentiment (and I don't think Americans from other parts of the country are any more "virtuous" than Floridians), I will say, as a Floridian has also spent extended parts of this pandemic in other parts of the country, it's impossible for me to deny there is a marked difference in the behaviors I see. Whether that is because of local government policy, personal attitudes, or something else, I don't know and can't say for sure, but there definitely is a difference. For example, I went out to pickup takeout last night here in Florida and saw a bar at the restaurant full with at least two dozen people, chatting and drinking without masks and no more than maybe a few inches between each party. I haven't seen that anywhere else in the last nine months (and I've seen people seated socially-distant at bars at restaurants elsewhere in the country), which is why it was so jarring. While everyone is entitled to make their own decisions and risk assessments, scenes like that get "picked up" likely don't inspire a lot of confidence in out-of-staters thinking about spending money to come down here.

I'm never a fan of generalizations by any means, and I know many Floridians who have taken this very seriously, myself included. In fact, I feel confident that the majority of Floridians take it seriously, but one of the challenges with this pandemic is that if only a handful of people don't take it seriously, it can affect everyone. That's what Disney figured out early on and got right. It's not enough for 70% of people to wear face coverings; you need 95% to really make a big difference. And I do think that when anecdotes like mine (and in my experience, it hasn't been an isolated incident) get out, especially when contrasted to what's happening in other parts of the country, it can be off-putting and not particularly reassuring for someone traveling from an area where that isn't commonplace right now and is being actively warned against.

For me, I take the precautions, self-regulate, and act as my own best advocate. But I also have reasons to be here well beyond WDW or tourism. For most of Florida's out-of-state tourists, that's not necessarily the case. It's much easier to say "I'm not coming; it's not worth the risk." And personally, as someone who wants to see as many Florida service employees go back to work (and stay back to work) as possible, I think it would be wise for the state to focus on inspiring confidence in the health and safety measures for out-of-state visitors (much like Disney has done with their latest ad). A different decision was made, so we'll see how it pans out.

 

[Jroceagles]

The fact that fps in the current ride capacity won't work has been explained ad nauseam

sorry missed it

 

[yulilin3]

While I agree with the sentiment (and I don't think Americans from other parts of the country are any more "virtuous" than Floridians), I will say, as a Floridian has also spent extended parts of this pandemic in other parts of the country, it's impossible for me to deny there is a marked difference in the behaviors I see. Whether that is because of local government policy, personal attitudes, or something else, I don't know and can't say for sure, but there definitely is a difference. For example, I went out to pickup takeout last night here in Florida and saw a bar at the restaurant full with at least two dozen people, chatting and drinking without masks and no more than maybe a few inches between each party. I haven't seen that anywhere else in the last nine months (and I've seen people seated socially-distant at bars at restaurants elsewhere in the country), which is why it was so jarring. While everyone is entitled to make their own decisions and risk assessments, scenes like that get "picked up" likely don't inspire a lot of confidence in out-of-staters thinking about spending money to come down here.

I'm never a fan of generalizations by any means, and I know many Floridians who have taken this very seriously, myself included. In fact, I feel confident that the majority of Floridians take it seriously, but one of the challenges with this pandemic is that if only a handful of people don't take it seriously, it can affect everyone. That's what Disney figured out early on and got right. It's not enough for 70% of people to wear face coverings; you need 95% to really make a big difference. And I do think that when anecdotes like mine (and in my experience, it hasn't been an isolated incident) get out, especially when contrasted to what's happening in other parts of the country, it can be off-putting and not particularly reassuring for someone traveling from an area where that isn't commonplace right now and is being actively warned against.

For me, I take the precautions, self-regulate, and act as my own best advocate. But I also have reasons to be here well beyond WDW or tourism. For most of Florida's out-of-state tourists, that's not necessarily the case. It's much easier to say "I'm not coming; it's not worth the risk." And personally, as someone who wants to see as many Florida service employees go back to work (and stay back to work) as possible, I think it would be wise for the state to focus on inspiring confidence in the health and safety measures for out-of-state visitors (much like Disney has done with their latest ad). A different decision was made, so we'll see how it pans out.

109% agree, also these business that are allowing this to happen should be penalized in some ways, and just to open how complicated this discussion is, some of these people going to these establishments are visitors that feel their states are too strict and are blowing off steam here. I just hate generalizing

 

[Jim Libasci]

Ok just so i understand what you're saying, you'll come to Florida if they shutdown completely to completely get rid of the virus and then you'll come without using any precautions?

I wouldn't go anywhere without precautions until I can get the vaccine. That's going to be this time next year if everything works. My mask does not protect me from the great unwashed so I'm not traveling anywhere that I don't have to again. I was not safe traveling for my dad's funeral last month. We drove and stuck to truck stops and interstate rest areas but we had to emergency stops twice and did not feel safe. Also Melbourne area in Florida is not safe. We stuck to outside dinning.

 

[rpb718]

The fact that fps in the current ride capacity won't work has been explained ad nauseam

I seem to remember something a while back where there was something in the works about possibly adding VQ to a few MK attractions to test it out - JC comes to mind. Had to be a month or 2 back where I had heard this, but nothing since.

FP+ wouldn't help much except for those that had it, leaving the vast majority of folks waiting in lines longer. And while I can see VQs being a game changer for lines, that still leaves the issue of what folks do when they aren't in lines since the non-line activities are few and far between and also can fall under capacity limits (stores, dining, etc.). Still, I would be happy if they did test out VQ for a few attractions - IASW might be a good prospect for VQ if for nothing else than to limit the congestion in that area a bit.