Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[abs1978]

Whoa waits for the pool?! We did not encounter that in November at all. Yikes. I am guessing Spring Break is seeing much bigger resorts crowds than the holidays did. We are going back in June. I sure hope some of the distancing requirements are lifted before then because the resort is our happy place to escape the heat. Something to keep an eye on sure.

 

[RamblingRabbit]

They started selling them in the UK!! Hopefully a good sign?!

U.K. Resumes Sale of Disney World Annual Passes

Seems that they aren't actually for sale just yet..

https://allears.net/2021/03/15/can-you-buy-annual-passes-through-the-uk-disney-world-website-what-we-saw/

 

[mrsap]

Seems that they aren't actually for sale just yet..

https://allears.net/2021/03/15/can-you-buy-annual-passes-through-the-uk-disney-world-website-what-we-saw/

Yeah, we were just discussing this on the News Roundup board. Hopefully we’ll know in the next couple of days if it’s a glitch or not!

 

[Eric Smith]

Hey Disney, maybe it’s time to open more things up and increase capacity. Maybe then you could start selling annual passes again. Hey a guy can dream right?

Do you expect Disney to suddenly build more pools? Put in temporary pools? I'm not sure what the demand is here.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Whoa waits for the pool?! We did not encounter that in November at all. Yikes. I am guessing Spring Break is seeing much bigger resorts crowds than the holidays did. We are going back in June. I sure hope some of the distancing requirements are lifted before then because the resort is our happy place to escape the heat. Something to keep an eye on sure.

Yeah the big difference for spring break seems to be the resorts are much closer to capacity than before

Blog Mickey just did a comparison of wait times in the park for now vs prior "at capacity" park days and the wait times were very similar - but appears now there are more people traveling there vs in the past when it was more locals - so bigger "issue" is increases crowds at resorts

 

[Farro]

Do you expect Disney to suddenly build more pools? Put in temporary pools? I'm not sure what the demand is here.

If resorts are booked so full that they continually start meeting their capacity limit for pools and such - with these types of wait times, perhaps time to spread people out and open more resorts.

If this is just a spring break bump, they probably won't. But if it starts again like this in the summer....

 

[mrsap]

Seems that they aren't actually for sale just yet..

https://allears.net/2021/03/15/can-you-buy-annual-passes-through-the-uk-disney-world-website-what-we-saw/

I wrote a message to both websites who claimed they were being sold, to confirm that this is actually the case. I will follow up if they respond.

UPDATE:


One of the sites that I just wrote to updated their news article.

Is the U.K. Website Selling Disney World Annual Passes Again?

“The total sub cost for a Disney Platinum Pass in the United Kingdom is $1,272.68. Again, the website allows Guests to add these to the cart, but it will not let you check out.”

I will stay on top of this and update you guys if anything changes on any of the websites.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Whoa waits for the pool?! We did not encounter that in November at all. Yikes. I am guessing Spring Break is seeing much bigger resorts crowds than the holidays did. We are going back in June. I sure hope some of the distancing requirements are lifted before then because the resort is our happy place to escape the heat. Something to keep an eye on sure.

I've only seen this reported so far at CSR. Curious if anyone has seen long waits anywhere else.

 

[mrsap]

I wrote a message to both websites who claimed they were being sold, to confirm that this is actually the case. I will follow up if they respond.

UPDATE:


One of the sites that I just wrote to updated their news article.

Is the U.K. Website Selling Disney World Annual Passes Again?

“The total sub cost for a Disney Platinum Pass in the United Kingdom is $1,272.68. Again, the website allows Guests to add these to the cart, but it will not let you check out.”

I will stay on top of this and update you guys if anything changes on any of the websites.

Quoting myself to add this new article:

The Big Glitch That Made Us Think We Could Actually Buy Disney World Annual Passes Today

 

[gottalovepluto]

I'm seeing people on Disney FB groups report 2-3 hour waits to get into resort hotel pools because of the spring break crowds.

Woof, that's wild. In some ways it seems like Disney was caught off guard with how many people came for spring break. I'm hoping this pushes them to open up more things to help balance the crowds?

Makes me wonder what our next upcoming "travel peak times" will be like and if I should skip the 4th of July week and go earlier to avoid all that.

Personally I won’t touch a holiday at Disney during COVID, way too busy!

As for hope this will make them open more? Doubtful. Unfortunately Disney was not caught off guard. They were so ready for park crowds they proactively notified TAs about spring break having caused multiple booked out days in the parks and to please verify park availability before selling tickets.

With hotels Disney knows exactly how many people are coming. They knew you could see 2-3 hour waits, but that’s not their problem. They aren’t gonna open a hotel just because people want to go to the pool. Those guests have already paid, worst that happens is they cancel an upcoming trip. Big whoop. America gets those stimmy checks Wednesday from big banks, there will be another guest happy to take their place.

Maybe some pressure will ease on deluxe hotels as BC & WL open but I expect healthy crowds all summer long so I wouldn’t get my hopes up the pool situation eases

 

[gottalovepluto]

Seems that they aren't actually for sale just yet..

https://allears.net/2021/03/15/can-you-buy-annual-passes-through-the-uk-disney-world-website-what-we-saw/

Lol... this is a known glitch and has happened a few times even on the US site. Can’t believe some bloggers are still falling for this.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Yeah the big difference for spring break seems to be the resorts are much closer to capacity than before

Blog Mickey just did a comparison of wait times in the park for now vs prior "at capacity" park days and the wait times were very similar - but appears now there are more people traveling there vs in the past when it was more locals - so bigger "issue" is increases crowds at resorts

And with parks at capacity that = a lot of people spending times at the pools. Many locals may have just booked staycation type resorts stays since surrounding counties are on spring break as well.

 

[Eric Smith]

If resorts are booked so full that they continually start meeting their capacity limit for pools and such - with these types of wait times, perhaps time to spread people out and open more resorts.

If this is just a spring break bump, they probably won't. But if it starts again like this in the summer....

Well, All Star Movies opens next week, Beach Club on May 30, Wilderness Lodge June 6 and the Poly sometime in the summer.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Personally I won’t touch a holiday at Disney during COVID, way too busy!

As for hope this will make them open more? Doubtful. Unfortunately Disney was not caught off guard. They were so ready for park crowds they proactively notified TAs about spring break having caused multiple booked out days in the parks and to please verify park availability before selling tickets.

With hotels Disney knows exactly how many people are coming. They knew you could see 2-3 hour waits, but that’s not their problem. They aren’t gonna open a hotel just because people want to go to the pool. Those guests have already paid, worst that happens is they cancel an upcoming trip. Big whoop. America gets those stimmy checks Wednesday from big banks, there will be another guest happy to take their place.

Maybe some pressure will ease on deluxe hotels as BC & WL open but I expect healthy crowds all summer long so I wouldn’t get my hopes up the pool situation eases

Yeah we're still in the milking it phase. Reopening through Christmas was low attendance and I'm sure they were still losing $$. As things ticked up this year no doubt they started pushing the limits of attendance vs. offerings to recoup as much money as possible before having to increase capacity, open additional dining/resorts/shows which means hiring back CMs.

 

[mrsap]

Lol... this is a known glitch and has happened a few times even on the US site. Can’t believe some bloggers are still falling for this.

I think everyone is just looking for that ‘glimmer of hope’ ...and when they saw that, they couldn’t wait to share. Hopefully, it’s a good sign of what’s to come!

 

[tink2424]

Agreed, and those of us that travel internationally to certain areas of the world are used to showing our “yellow card” with proof of vaccines required by many countries. So, it’s nothing new from a global perspective.

Not exactly true... There are VERY few countries that require MANDATORY vaccination to visit them. I have traveled all over the world and have never had to have a vaccination.

 

[tink2424]

Vaccine passports will be used without a doubt for international travel. Beyond that, they will be limited in their use domestically. Cruises are a certain possibility. However places that can currently operate without them do not want the burden nor do they want to turn away paying customers.

I actually doubt that vaccine passports will be required for international travel. Most countries aren't mandating the vaccines for their citizens. What I do see is some sort of system that combines whether or not you are vaccinated and if not, the testing done for COVID-19 to confirm you don't have the virus. So, it may be more of a risk to travel without the vaccine as you may not be able to go if you test positive.

 

[TikiTikiFan]

Personally I won’t touch a holiday at Disney during COVID, way too busy!

Yeah, I think we're going to skip the 4th of July and come the week before... especially with the 4th being on a Sunday this year. Disney in normal times is manageable during peak holidays if you have a solid plan but in these strange covid times things look a bit different...

Had anyone seen reports of how Blizzard Beach was affected? Did it reach capacity at all?

 

[mshanson3121]

Hopefully something loosens or its gonna be bad.

I can see it forcing more people off site. Why spend that amount of money on a Disney resort that you may not even be able to use the pool at, when for $1000 you can get an entire town home with your own private pool?

If resorts are booked so full that they continually start meeting their capacity limit for pools and such - with these types of wait times, perhaps time to spread people out and open more resorts.

If this is just a spring break bump, they probably won't. But if it starts again like this in the summer....

Agree. Now I know more resorts are going to be opening soon, but will it be enough to handle the expected increase in travelers/capacity this summer? I mean yes, Disney should be on top of such things - but were they really? I can't imagine that they thought having 2-3 hour waits for pools was actually a good thing.

I've only seen this reported so far at CSR. Curious if anyone has seen long waits anywhere else.

I saw some guests of other resorts posting wait times on FB. Not necessarily as bad as 2-3 hours, but many weren't happy with even having to wait 30-60 minutes. And from a few comments I saw, it was a physical line they had to stand in.

 

[helloconnie]

Not exactly true... There are VERY few countries that require MANDATORY vaccination to visit them. I have traveled all over the world and have never had to have a vaccination.

Depends on what country. I lived in Angola (West Africa) for two years and every time you entered the country you had to provide your yellow vaccine card to prove you had your vaccines for diseases like yellow fever. If you did not, they would pull you aside and give you the shot right then and there. Although countries are not requiring the COVID vaccine right now, they will once it is widely available. Right now, not everyone can get it so it is not required but testing is. For example, my husband was planning a trip in May to go sailing in the BVIs with some friends, until they found out that they would be required to test negative before they went. Then they would be tested when they arrived in the BVIs and would only be allowed to sail to four islands until their test results came back, which they said would take four days. That would allow them only 2 days to sail where they wanted to go. Trip has been cancelled. When vaccinations are widely available, this scenario will change and you will need to provide your proof of vaccination or vaccination passport.