Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Brianstl]

That’s the Q we all want an answer to.

I see a good sign and a bad sign
Bad- not allowing new purchases
Good- it was not hooked in with DLR’s announcement today

I think they split the announcement so when they announce it for WDW it won’t be as big of deal because people have prepared themselves for it.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

It’d be nice if platinum got more. If you’re in state and willing to pay the higher price, great, but I’d suspect a majority of platinum holders are out of staters like us who only have that option. We can’t just hop in to make a YouTube video or grab lunch. We have to make hotel reservations and drive/fly down. We should definitely at least get more than 3 park reservations!

Or increase the discounts - like platinum gets an extra 10% more off hotel rooms than other levels or something like that

 

[hertamaniac]

Or increase the discounts - like platinum gets an extra 10% more off hotel rooms than other levels or something like that

But then wouldn't Florida residents say what about us? Of course, the position could be we're (FL) are paying less for the AP. I guess I'm thinking the higher out-of-state passes are going to become more like a high-end Sam's Club membership.

 

[Mit88]

If you go regularly those annual passes are such a good deal.

Even if they change it to a monthly membership thing - if they charge $200/month, which works out to $2,400 a year, which is a lot more than now, but even with that, if you average 2 park days a month you are coming out ahead vs day tickets

If they don’t do a D23 Disney Parks founders membership for 3 years at $120 like Disney+, I’m out

 

[Chris Ehlers]

What annoys me is paying several hundred dollars per night for a hotel room, then having a $30-ish daily parking fee tacked on, while a person who parks there just to eat at a resort restaurant (and maybe then secretly go off to a nearby park using my resort's superior location or monorail or skyliner transportation) doesn't have to pay anything.

ITs not just Disney! Stay at any hotel close to Disney or Disney springs and there is a resort fee of at least $25 per day that includes parking

 

[TwoMisfits]

New "membership" for WDW will likely kick in for Oct 2021 start for the 50th...

If I was a betting person, no one will get 365 days of possible park entry on a pass again (for at least the next 3-5 years while they experiment)...

 

[rteetz]

New "membership" for WDW will likely kick in for Oct 2021 start for the 50th...

If I was a betting person, no one will get 365 days of possible park entry on a pass again (for at least the next 3-5 years while they experiment)...

I don’t see this happening at WDW. WDW doesn’t have a passholder “problem” like DL.

 

[Mit88]

I don’t see this happening at WDW. WDW doesn’t have a passholder “problem” like DL.

And the reservation system works just fine because there wasn’t that instant demand that completely filled the parks not allowing resort guests and single/multi day ticket guests in. I could see them making changes to the AP structure in WDW, but not what they’re doing in DL

 

[rteetz]

And the reservation system works just fine because there wasn’t that instant demand that completely filled the parks not allowing resort guests and single/multi day ticket guests in. I could see them making changes to the AP structure in WDW, but not what they’re doing in DL

Exactly

 

[TheMaxRebo]

But then wouldn't Florida residents say what about us? Of course, the position could be we're (FL) are paying less for the AP. I guess I'm thinking the higher out-of-state passes are going to become more like a high-end Sam's Club membership.

You can still get a Platinum Pass if in Florida right? you just have more options. So figure out what is best for you - more up front but more discounts, of less upfront and less discounts

 

[TheMaxRebo]

New "membership" for WDW will likely kick in for Oct 2021 start for the 50th...

If I was a betting person, no one will get 365 days of possible park entry on a pass again (for at least the next 3-5 years while they experiment)...

Well, we already have tickets for October 2021 including for the 50th - really hope they don't make us pay something on top of what we already did just to access what we already bought

I definitely could see adjustments to APs at WDW - starting with being more expensive and more variance to the tiers (e.g., number of park reservations you can make, something related to whatever happens to FPs, access to the Genie, etc) - but nothing as "drastic" as at DLR, just different demographics

 

[hertamaniac]

You can still get a Platinum Pass if in Florida right? you just have more options. So figure out what is best for you - more up front but more discounts, of less upfront and less discounts

Right. So if you opt for the higher discount option, you're effectively steered to use up those discounts to make the higher purchase worthwhile. So now I'm thinking this may be like a DDP selection and not leaving discounts unused by the end of the AP.

 

[yulilin3]

I just renewed my ap Dec 30th, downgraded to select and now pay only $33 a month. I can't park hop or get photopass included which oga fine with me, i actually have more days open for me to go than silver (which is more expensive) if they do change the look of the ap in the future i don't see them doing it until 2022 if they do it at all.
I don't mind people paying more than me to have better benefits, actually I would hope that's the case

 

[gottalovepluto]

Apparently COVID testing is open at MCO. https://centracare.adventhealth.com/urgent-care/covid-19-testing-orlando-international-airport

$65, rapid antigen, no insurance accepted, anyone can make an appointment, closed Tues/Wed

 

[MickeyWaffles]

I think it’s a pretty big leap to suggest that whatever system they implement at Disneyland will be applied to WDW. We don’t even know what the system is yet. I understand why Disneyland APs are disappointed - many of these people have been APs for years and years and the thought of it being eliminated (in its current state) is sad. And also, cancelling the extended APs is just a reminder that there’s no visible end in sight for Disneyland’s closure. AP’s feelings of disappointment are valid.

Do I think WDW could adjust AP tiers? Yes, I do. I just don’t think it will be a carbon copy of whatever Disneyland does.

As has been discussed over and over Disneyland and WDW are just not really comparable. They are different in so many ways - number of local APs vs. domestic and international travelers, number of on site resort guests, space, capacity, etc.

I just really don’t see a cookie cutter AP solution being applied on both coasts. The Disneyland and WDW AP tiers have always been different and unique. Disneyland introduced the reasonably priced flex pass, (required reserving park time) a while back to try and lighten the AP load a bit. WDW didn’t ever need that (until park reservations were needed due to covid, of course.)

Disneyland is closed and they have an over abundance of APs and incredibly limited capacity for their demand. WDW is open and does not have (and has not ever had) the same AP “problem.”

I look at this like their two totally different FP systems. What works for one doesn’t necessarily work for both. Disneyland never saw FP+, WDW never saw MaxPass.

I think we really need to just wait for the details to come out before declaring there will be a huge change at WDW.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I think it’s a pretty big leap to suggest that whatever system they implement at Disneyland will be applied to WDW. We don’t even know what the system is yet. I understand why Disneyland APs are disappointed - many of these people have been APs for years and years and the thought of it being eliminated (in its current state) is sad. And also, cancelling the extended APs is just a reminder that there’s no visible end in sight for Disneyland’s closure. AP’s feelings of disappointment are valid.

Do I think WDW could adjust AP tiers? Yes, I do. I just don’t think it will be a carbon copy of whatever Disneyland does.

As has been discussed over and over Disneyland and WDW are just not really comparable. They are different in so many ways - number of local APs vs. domestic and international travelers, number of on site resort guests, space, capacity, etc.

I just really don’t see a cookie cutter AP solution being applied on both coasts. The Disneyland and WDW AP tiers have always been different and unique. Disneyland introduced the reasonably priced flex pass, (required reserving park time) a while back to try and lighten the AP load a bit. WDW didn’t ever need that (until park reservations were needed due to covid, of course.)

Disneyland is closed and they have an over abundance of APs and incredibly limited capacity for their demand. WDW is open and does not have (and has not ever had) the same AP “problem.”

I look at this like their two totally different FP systems. What works for one doesn’t necessarily work for both. Disneyland never saw FP+, WDW never saw MaxPass.

I think we really need to just wait for the details to come out before declaring there will be a huge change at WDW.

I thought of the difference in the FP programs too. And other aspects of MyMagic+ that were kept to WDW. Dining plans I believe as well? Ticket structure also different I believe, in that multi days were capped at a shorter amount of time?

There’s a lot of precedent for fairly large differences between the two, and at this point we don’t even know what changes DLR is making. I agree with you I think it’s way too early to be worrying and by extension working each other up over imagined changes at WDW.

 

[leahgoogle]

I will be praying for you guys - I hope it’s very mild ❤

Hoping for a mild case!! What worked for us was vitamin D, zinc, quercetin, and vitamin C. Symptoms were like a sinus cold with loss of smell. Much less intense than influenza.

 

[karen4546]

Hoping for a mild case!! What worked for us was vitamin D, zinc, quercetin, and vitamin C. Symptoms were like a sinus cold with loss of smell. Much less intense than influenza.

feel better

 

[kylenne]

I thought of the difference in the FP programs too. And other aspects of MyMagic+ that were kept to WDW. Dining plans I believe as well? Ticket structure also different I believe, in that multi days were capped at a shorter amount of time?

There’s a lot of precedent for fairly large differences between the two, and at this point we don’t even know what changes DLR is making. I agree with you I think it’s way too early to be worrying and by extension working each other up over imagined changes at WDW.

To be blunt I think this is people who are salty about DME ending leaping to wild, worst assumptions possible because they're already upset

There's absolutely no reason to think WDW will implement a similar AP membership system but if you're already angry and in the mindset of DISNEY JUST WANTS OUR MONEY and don't understand the differences between the resorts then...

Like folk need to calm down lol

 

[Brianstl]

If you go regularly those annual passes are such a good deal.

Even if they change it to a monthly membership thing - if they charge $200/month, which works out to $2,400 a year, which is a lot more than now, but even with that, if you average 2 park days a month you are coming out ahead vs day tickets

I think you are thinking way too low on the cost they are going to charge for this membership. I think if you want an idea of what they are going to charge per month
look at the value they put on the 10 day park hopping ticket at $600+ and apply around a third off that price. I think we are talking around $400 a month for a year long commitment for something similar to the current platinum pass, maybe more. I do think this would include some heavier discount than we currently see on hotels, food and merch to reward those members that spend money at the parks and resorts. I think the discounts could end up getting the cost down to something close to the current level cost for a platinum pass for people that spend at WDW.

I think they will offer something at the $200 dollar per month range, but when you get below that top level I think we will be looking at limits on how many days per month the members are allowed in the parks. Something like 8 days total with a further limit placed on weekend days and a strait blackout for other days. They would probably add a feature that if you have a resort stay during a 30 day window that extra days of admission would be added to match the resort stay for that 30 period during non blackout time. I think this would, also, include some kind of discounts that are better than those currently offered for spending money in the parks and at the resorts, but those discount would drop at each level you go down.

I assume we will see some kind of discounted membership levels for blue card DVC holders to be somewhat similar to the current gold annual pass and maybe even some form of membership level included for a year for people buying direct DVC points at certain point levels. That would help explain the aggressive price increases we are currently seeing with DVC direct points.

A system like that would leave people that spend money at the parks, spend at the resorts and buy DVC direct points feel like they are being rewarded and feel like they are part of this special club that gets all these deals while they end spending more money than they would have before. It would allow Disney to hold back some on regular admission price increases which have only resulted in more crowded parks as people have bought annual passes to somewhat avoid those price increases and then justified their annual pass purchases by spending more days in the parks than they would have otherwise. Those ticket price increases lead to Disney being labeled elitist and even though Disney knows all too well that at stay at their resorts and parks has become less and less accessible to the masses, holding the line on regular ticket prices for a while can make it look like they care about Joe Six Pack by not gouging the family that wants to go to WDW once a year to generate new revenue. They can then use their new membership system to increase revenue while reducing park crowding.