Disney preparing for a "very prolonged shutdown"?

[dvcgirl67]

Are you folks not paying attention to the news coming out of Florida right now? Everything points to a Disney opening fairly soon.

You can post common sense facts all day long but if Disney and the Florida Governor decide they are ready all of those things just don’t matter.

Are you folks not paying attention to the news coming out of Florida right now? Everything points to a Disney opening fairly soon.

You can post common sense facts all day long but if Disney and the Florida Governor decide they are ready all of those things just don’t matter.

This article is from Monday, and while it is the gloomiest rumor....it's out there. No opening until January of 2021.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/d...Oa4DlBQqjjn07PFtii18Hjut8Xw9pLe_ZZKakVVEsO9K4
The other big rumor, is if they do open....it may look like this.

https://www.deseret.com/entertainme...-secure-circuit-protocol-coronavirus-covid-19
What does that look like? Limited capacity for MK, HS and AK. Epcot remains closed. No theater shows, castle shows, parades or fireworks at any of the parks. No character dining or meet and greets. You'd need to sign a form absolving Disney of any liability if you do contract COVID-19 at the resort. There would be temperature checks at every entrance and security check-point. You'd need to fill out a form stating where you've been the prior 14 days. Water parks closed. Monorail closed. Ferries and boats operate with social distancing in place. No word on buses which is the backbone of the Disney Transportation system. No details yet for dining overall, but I'd be willing to bet lots of restaurants would not operate for obvious reasons. They're evaluating ride queues to determine which could open and allow for social distancing. Attractions would need to be sanitized after each ride is completed. And no word yet on DVC at all. Or whether AP holders or resort guests would get preference to attend.

Suffice it to say, if they do open, it's going to be a very, very different and limited experience. Will they charge normal "Disney Pricing" for that experience?

 

[Brett Wyman]

This article is from Monday, and while it is the gloomiest rumor....it's out there. No opening until January of 2021.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/d...Oa4DlBQqjjn07PFtii18Hjut8Xw9pLe_ZZKakVVEsO9K4
The other big rumor, is if they do open....it may look like this.

https://www.deseret.com/entertainme...-secure-circuit-protocol-coronavirus-covid-19
What does that look like? Limited capacity for MK, HS and AK. Epcot remains closed. No theater shows, castle shows, parades or fireworks at any of the parks. No character dining or meet and greets. You'd need to sign a form absolving Disney of any liability if you do contract COVID-19 at the resort. There would be temperature checks at every entrance and security check-point. You'd need to fill out a form stating where you've been the prior 14 days. Water parks closed. Monorail closed. Ferries and boats operate with social distancing in place. No word on buses which is the backbone of the Disney Transportation system. No details yet for dining overall, but I'd be willing to bet lots of restaurants would not operate for obvious reasons. They're evaluating ride queues to determine which could open and allow for social distancing. Attractions would need to be sanitized after each ride is completed. And no word yet on DVC at all. Or whether AP holders or resort guests would get preference to attend.

Suffice it to say, if they do open, it's going to be a very, very different and limited experience. Will they charge normal "Disney Pricing" for that experience?

It's a single analysts opinion of what MAY happen. Seems like what the Florida governor just said yesterday holds a lot more weight.

 

[dvcgirl67]

$275 + $600 is $21/hour! The processing is a major problem, but why is everyone commenting on how little unemployment is going to pay and things like "$600 extra will help." That alone is $15/hour and most of the people aside from the problem with processing is going to make more on unemployment than they did working.

Not a single person at my work wants to come back. They are all making a LOT more on unemployment with $573 PA plus the $600. The $15/hour folk we have are now pulling in an equivalent $22/hour. Not only that, but most also don't realize taxes are not taken out, so it's more than doubling of their pay until they are crying next year when their $8000 tax refunds are smaller. At $15/hour, they clear $400/week. Now they are getting $900/week.

I can understand your argument if you live in a state like mine, NJ, where the highest unemployment per week is $713, for 39 weeks and then add in the extra $600 for 20 weeks. If you're someone making an average wage, over that 39 weeks, that's 39,807 over that period of time....$1,000 a week. Not too bad. Still, you have to get that money, and NJ isn't doing much better in processing claims.

For Floridians, you get $275 for 12 weeks, or a whopping $3,300. The Feds give you another $12,000. So, $15,300 over 20 weeks...or $765 a week. Not too bad I suppose, but a lot of these folks are going to have to wait weeks to get that money, and lean on savings and/or credit to get them through until it comes in. It's also taxable, so that needs to be factored in as well.

 

[mousefan73]

So because your mother would choose not to go out and about no one else in the country should be able to either? I just want to make sure I correctly understand your argument.

The arguement is ope

So because your mother would choose not to go out and about no one else in the country should be able to either? I just want to make sure I correctly understand your argument.

No you are not understanding my argument. My mother does not "choose" to stay in or out. It is not a choice if it means the difference between catching a virus that could possibly really do damage or kill you. It's a difficult situation and there is no real "fair" solution. I am just frustrated with opinions like your where it's simplied " well it's your choice so stay home" .. That is is NOT a choice. Everyone accesses their own risk. My mom plans to travel soon but not now when looking at the data

 

[dvcgirl67]

It's a single analysts opinion of what MAY happen. Seems like what the Florida governor just said yesterday holds a lot more weight.

Shanghai Disney shut down on January 25th. The park is still not open. They've only opened the hotels and 'limited number of dining, shopping and recreational experiences" in an area that sounds like Disney Springs in WDW.

And these are the measures they have in place for this very limited experience:

"The resort will provide an extensive range of measures, designed to ensure a safe and healthy experience for all guests, Cast Members and Disneytown tenant employees, including strict and comprehensive approaches on sanitization, disinfection and cleanliness. In accordance with relevant regulations, every guest entering Shanghai Disney Resort will be required to undergo temperature screening procedures and present their Shanghai QR Code. Only guests with a green Shanghai QR Code will be allowed to enter the resort. Guests must wear a mask during their entire visit (except when dining), and will also be reminded to maintain respectful social distances at all times while in stores, queues and restaurants."

These QR codes are on everyone's phone in China. You must report health and personal data initially, where you've been in the last 14 days...etc. And then the Chinese are tracking their citizens. If you have a green code, you move freely. Yellow, you must quarantine for 7 days. Red...14 days. They know if you've come in contact with a new case. How do you think the Chinese have knocked the disease down so quickly?

And yes, with all of those measures in place...they still have not opened the park.

 

[pryncess527]

It's a single analysts opinion of what MAY happen. Seems like what the Florida governor just said yesterday holds a lot more weight.

When it comes to his beaches, maybe, but hes not in charge of opening Disney. What Disney is doing now at other parks is way more telling than what a politician says

 

[anniemae]

At first I thought they may not reopen any time soon, but I suppose they could do an abbreviated opening for summer. Not sure how that would look though. It would be very different. I think folks would go though. There are people who will be there the second it opens and people who will wait until the threat is gone.

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

This article is from Monday, and while it is the gloomiest rumor....it's out there. No opening until January of 2021.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/d...Oa4DlBQqjjn07PFtii18Hjut8Xw9pLe_ZZKakVVEsO9K4
The other big rumor, is if they do open....it may look like this.

https://www.deseret.com/entertainme...-secure-circuit-protocol-coronavirus-covid-19
What does that look like? Limited capacity for MK, HS and AK. Epcot remains closed. No theater shows, castle shows, parades or fireworks at any of the parks. No character dining or meet and greets. You'd need to sign a form absolving Disney of any liability if you do contract COVID-19 at the resort. There would be temperature checks at every entrance and security check-point. You'd need to fill out a form stating where you've been the prior 14 days. Water parks closed. Monorail closed. Ferries and boats operate with social distancing in place. No word on buses which is the backbone of the Disney Transportation system. No details yet for dining overall, but I'd be willing to bet lots of restaurants would not operate for obvious reasons. They're evaluating ride queues to determine which could open and allow for social distancing. Attractions would need to be sanitized after each ride is completed. And no word yet on DVC at all. Or whether AP holders or resort guests would get preference to attend.

Suffice it to say, if they do open, it's going to be a very, very different and limited experience. Will they charge normal "Disney Pricing" for that experience?

Just curious, but do you spend any of your time enjoying life or do you just spend your days reading every article related to this virus and posting every doom and gloom situation and worst case scenario? I feel like all I see on here are long posts from you trying to squash any potentially promising info someone else shares. It’s important to be informed and I’m not downplaying the situation or trying to be naively hopeful, but geez, I think you need to step away a bit.

 

[dvcgirl67]

Just curious, but do you spend any of your time enjoying life or do you just spend your days reading every article related to this virus and posting every doom and gloom situation and worst case scenario? I feel like all I see on here are long posts from you trying to squash any potentially promising info someone else shares. It’s important to be informed and I’m not downplaying the situation or trying to be naively hopeful, but geez, I think you need to step away a bit.

Ha, yes, I spend plenty of time enjoying life. But, my business is shut down and so I all of the sudden have 60 hours of extra time. There's only so much gardening, baking, working out and walking my dogs that I can do. My husband telecommutes, so his work life is unchanged.

And yes, I am reading everything I can about this virus. Information has always been powerful, and never more so than right now. With respect to two areas in particular for my little household. From a public health standpoint and a financial standpoint as far as our investment portfolio. This is is the biggest and most serious event to happen to our nation and our world since World War II. There's no doubt about that.

We've been following this virus closely since January and in February we began to understand how much it would impact our lives. And still, with as much as I've kept up with everything, I've been mildly to severely jolted along with way with the sudden stop to my business and our new situation. Also, we're majorly disappointed at the loss of a special trip to South Africa that we were supposed to take from May 1st-16th. So, we're all experiencing disappointment and loss along with everyone else.

But I continue to be surprised at the expectations that many people seem to have that we are going back to anything that resembles life "pre-COVID-19" anytime soon. Yes, I think that there will be easing of restrictions and hopefully we all get a bit of a break from this in the summer, if only to give us time to prepare for a possibly more serious round 2. And it's not just people here that surprise me, it's people in my extended family who really seem to think that they're having their weddings in June, and one thinks they'll be honeymooning in Italy and Spain in late June. That being said, a lot of people here and in my immediately family get it.

So I guess I"m just trying to gauge where most people are and yes, playing devil's advocate at times. If you're someone who is "bullish" on a return to normality for all things in our society, Disney included.....I would think that the subject line of the thread was an indication that it might not be good news. I'm a realist, and coming to terms with how things are likely to go has helped me to set expectations and embrace that reality in the best way that I can.

 

[Jroceagles]

It's a single analysts opinion of what MAY happen. Seems like what the Florida governor just said yesterday holds a lot more weight.

https://www.barrons.com/articles/di...-turn-a-profit-51586523603?mod=article_inline
you can find an article for either side of the argument

 

[Brett Wyman]

When it comes to his beaches, maybe, but hes not in charge of opening Disney. What Disney is doing now at other parks is way more telling than what a politician says

Its clear you folks aren't keeping up with the actual news yet are happy to run wild with theories based off a single analysts opinion. This is my last post on the matter. If you folks want to set a fire and watch it burn have at it!

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/l...s-decide-how-to-re-open-florida-for-business/

 

[mnrose]

I agree with you. It's impossible for Disney to open until we hit "Phase 3", which means....we're wide open, like our pre-COVID-19 world. They can't possibly think that they can do it, unless the virus truly disappears at some point over the summer. However, since Singapore just had to shut everything down again due to their largest outbreak, when they thought they had it essentially tamped down, I'm not hopeful. It's 92 degrees there with 65 percent humidity. Also, people would be coming in from all over the country, potentially from parts of the country that have hot spots. How would that work? They have to think about the local Orlando hospital system. If people get sick while at Disney, can their hospital system handle it? Is it fair to put the Orlando hospital system in that position?

We need to hope/pray for either an excellent preventative, therapeutics, better testing and ultimately, a vaccine. I will say this, the scientific world, in many sectors of it, has dropped everything to work on this incredible global problem. I read that the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is actually spending billions of dollars building different manufacturing facilities all over the world, in anticipation of the need for mass manufacturing. They're building multiple facilities because different types of vaccines would need to be manufactured in different manners. So they're building multiple facilities knowing that several of them may never be used. So, the smartest people in the world are racing to solve this. I just hope it's faster than the timeline we're being given.

Your comments about Singagore caught my eye. I've been saying for a LONG time now that summer is not the cure for this disease, as many hope it will be. Singapore is PERPETUAL summer. All the time hot and humid. And, yet, they are dealing with an outbreak (the first one tamped down with extremely aggressive measures, which would never fly in this country, and HUGE fines for violating thee measures, and even so, another one is now happening again). I have a dear friend who lives there so I've been aware of this from the start, and yet I keep hearing "summer will fix this." Why the heck do people believe that about this virus when there are quite a number of "perpetual summer" countries who are fighting outbreaks?

In terms of planning for normal life, I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger on booking our "normal" winter vacation for January 2021. I just don't think it will happen. By then, I think we will be knee deep in what will be round 2 of this thing as people try to get back to "normal" and it all starts up again. Sadly. My husband says "forget 2021...plan for 2022 and if we manage to grab our winter vacation in 2021, we will be happily surprised." I think he's right...much as it pains me not to plan for what has been our regular trip for many years. And, if this thing really does impede leisure travel for that long, one has to wonder what any of those "vacation destination" places will even look like when they open back up.

 

[pryncess527]

Its clear you folks aren't keeping up with the actual news yet are happy to run wild with theories based off a single analysts opinion. This is my last post on the matter. If you folks want to set a fire and watch it burn have at it!

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/l...s-decide-how-to-re-open-florida-for-business/

I read that story. Dont assume people who disagree with you are uninformed. And nothing aboit it contradicts what i said. The Gov still isnt the final decision maker on WDW. He doesnt control Disney. And tgey have a lot of parks in various locations to consider.

 

[dvcgirl67]

Its clear you folks aren't keeping up with the actual news yet are happy to run wild with theories based off a single analysts opinion. This is my last post on the matter. If you folks want to set a fire and watch it burn have at it!

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/l...s-decide-how-to-re-open-florida-for-business/

I'm not sure what that article proves. Almost every state has a "Re-Open our State for Business" plan. Governor DeSantis will give Disney the green light as soon as they say they're ready...in whatever format that looks like. They run a much better operation than he does, by far.

All that I'm saying is that there's a possibly the shutdown goes beyond June. And he's not the only analyst calling for a prolonged shutdown....there are several. I'm super interested to see how it unfolds with Disney. Logistically, they're essentially a medium sized city, but with incredible control over their guests. But Disney won't be "wide open" pre-COVID 19 for a quite awhile. It's like Dr. Fauci says...the virus decides the timeline, not us. We can design work-arounds, limitations...etc. And I think we will, because we have no choice. And we're pretty ingenious when push comes to shove.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

It's a single analysts opinion of what MAY happen. Seems like what the Florida governor just said yesterday holds a lot more weight.

Well, the governor certainly wants Disney to open soon. When he said Disney is “ahead of the curve,” I don’t think that means they are opening ASAP. I think it means they have been discussing and talking about HOW to open safely. IMO, that still means it could be quite some time. It’s not up to him - it’s up to Disney, and of course he wants Disney to open up ASAP. I personally think mentioning Disney was a strategic move to put some pressure on them.

Disney really needs to tread carefully. The optics of opening too early, infecting guests and CMs and causing a spike would be really bad. Devastating.

I personally don’t think they will (or should) open anytime soon. But time will tell.

 

[ThistleMae]

It's not a question of will they reopen. It's what will the Disney experience be like before a vaccine comes out? And will it be worth the money to go?

Exactly!

 

[ThistleMae]

Well, the governor certainly wants Disney to open soon. When he said Disney is “ahead of the curve,” I don’t think that means they are opening ASAP. I think it means they have been discussing and talking about HOW to open safely. IMO, that still means it could be quite some time. It’s not up to him - it’s up to Disney, and of course he wants Disney to open up ASAP. I personally think mentioning Disney was a strategic move to put some pressure on them.

Disney really needs to tread carefully. The optics of opening too early, infecting guests and CMs and causing a spike would be really bad. Devastating.

I personally don’t think they will (or should) open anytime soon. But time will tell.

I don't believe it's up to Disney, it's up to the Govenor.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I don't believe it's up to Disney, it's up to the Govenor.

No, I don't believe the governor can force a private business to open if they're not ready to open.

 

[dvcgirl67]

Your comments about Singagore caught my eye. I've been saying for a LONG time now that summer is not the cure for this disease, as many hope it will be. Singapore is PERPETUAL summer. All the time hot and humid. And, yet, they are dealing with an outbreak (the first one tamped down with extremely aggressive measures, which would never fly in this country, and HUGE fines for violating thee measures, and even so, another one is now happening again). I have a dear friend who lives there so I've been aware of this from the start, and yet I keep hearing "summer will fix this." Why the heck do people believe that about this virus when there are quite a number of "perpetual summer" countries who are fighting outbreaks?

In terms of planning for normal life, I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger on booking our "normal" winter vacation for January 2021. I just don't think it will happen. By then, I think we will be knee deep in what will be round 2 of this thing as people try to get back to "normal" and it all starts up again. Sadly. My husband says "forget 2021...plan for 2022 and if we manage to grab our winter vacation in 2021, we will be happily surprised." I think he's right...much as it pains me not to plan for what has been our regular trip for many years. And, if this thing really does impede leisure travel for that long, one has to wonder what any of those "vacation destination" places will even look like when they open back up.

I know, it's awful. I agree with your husband...plan the trip for 2021 (as long as it's fully refundable, and the business isn't likely to go under). We're going to lose the airfare for our trip to South Africa, which *really* sucks because we had saved up to fly business class (15 hour flight). The airline is going into liquidation at the end of this month, firing everyone and liquidating. We disputed it with AMEX, but we'll lose the dispute. We're putting off the land portion of the trip as far out as we can. Right now they're telling us that we can book out one year. But unless we happen to get COVID-19 and have proven immunity, or there's a vaccine, there's no way we'd take a trip to SA.

And like you said, which of the vendors, hotels and safari lodges in Cape Town, the Winelands and the two Safari Lodges in Kruger National Park will make it? We have no idea. But we do know the vendors were paid, and are all agreeing to a one year postponement. So...we shall see.

We're thinking possibly an AirBnB type of vacationing style, if possible, here in the States...where we can get to by car. It would provide a mental break, a change of scenery...etc. So that's what we're thinking for now.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

I don't believe it's up to Disney, it's up to the Govenor.

Um, no. The governor can say it’s ok to open. He cannot force Disney to reopen. They can stay closed as long as they see fit.

No, I don't believe the governor can force a private business to open if they're not ready to open.

Exactly.