Poll: How long before the parks are back to "normal"?

[mamaofsix]

We are planning a trip in March of 2022. I figured the parks should be back to "normal" by then. But, with the recent announcement that park reservations are necessary into January of 2022, it has me wondering...

No fp's, no fireworks, no EMH, no real benefit to staying onsite, reduced hours, no hopping, no shows, parks reservations required . . . how long will this continue?

Cast your vote above and leave your reasoning in the discussion below!

 

[Brett Wyman]

A combination of "they will never be the way they were" and early 2022.

Disney will most certainly use this time to make changes and keep some restrictions to better streamline their business model. We will literally never see the WDW of 2019 ever again.

 

[stephk1981]

I agree with Brett, at some point parades, fireworks, shows will come back, it may not be until 2022. Who knows. I am really hoping a version of fast pass comes back. Have fun planning, and enjoy your trip whenever it may be!

 

[Carol_]

When the majority of CMs stop looking and acting so defeated. However long that takes.

 

[yulilin3]

At least 5 years to return to any sense of how the property was pre covid.
It took about 5 years to fully recover after 9/11 and that was a more controllable situation, with this virus that it still very knew and n one knows how it will develop, with the uncertainty of any sort of vaccine or cure or treatment, the fact that to safely and responsibly operate they have to cut capacity on rides and parks so not a lot of money coming in and with the uncertainty of what travel will look like, especially international travel, this will take longer than the 9/11 recovery

 

[yulilin3]

When the majority of CMs stop looking and acting so defeated. However long that takes.

not really sure what you mean by this comment, this has nothing to do with how CM might act or feel, furthermore seeing your friends, mentors, CM that have been with the company for 10, 20, 30 years get fired is not the best feeling in the world.

 

[Carol_]

not really sure what you mean by this comment, this has nothing to do with how CM might act or feel, furthermore seeing your friends, mentors, CM that have been with the company for 10, 20, 30 years get fired is not the best feeling in the world.

So you do know what I mean. That feeling is hard to hide. Add to that the feeling of job insecurity and perhaps not earning much.

 

[susustudios]

One thing that won't happen but regardless should: at one point in the future it'd be nice if for a month disney at least tried it without masks. They already do a lot to keep people apart, which is all you're supposed to do without masks. It never was supposed to be both. This could be an example to other businesses and states, counties, cities, etc. But disney's insistence that noone would come during that time (which I would believe would prove to be really incorrect, you need to give people a chance) ensures that that would never happen. In any case, this has become an excuse for Chapek to be as cheap as possible with all the cutbacks, and with the net benefits to the company, regardless of restrictions, the cutbacks will stay

 

[Brett Wyman]

not really sure what you mean by this comment, this has nothing to do with how CM might act or feel, furthermore seeing your friends, mentors, CM that have been with the company for 10, 20, 30 years get fired is not the best feeling in the world.

The CMs on our September trip were amazing, happy and helpful. Maybe even more so than before the pandemic

 

[mamaofsix]

One thing that won't happen but regardless should: at one point in the future it'd be nice if for a month disney at least tried it without masks. They already do a lot to keep people apart, which is all you're supposed to do without masks. It never was supposed to be both. This could be an example to other businesses and states, counties, cities, etc. But disney's insistence that noone would come during that time (which I would believe would prove to be really incorrect, you need to give people a chance) ensures that that would never happen. In any case, this has become an excuse for Chapek to be as cheap as possible with all the cutbacks, and with the net benefits to the company, regardless of restrictions, the cutbacks will stay

I'd be 100% fine with keeping masks as a requirement if it meant the return of fp, extended hours, fireworks, shows, etc. The masks aren't a big deal to me. The greatly reduced park experiences is the deal breaker.

 

[susustudios]

A combination of "they will never be the way they were" and early 2022.

Disney will most certainly use this time to make changes and keep some restrictions to better streamline their business model. We will literally never see the WDW of 2019 ever again.

we're done, but at least we've gone a lot, both many years ago and in more recent years. At one point those who are still going will have to deal with constantly diminishing returns (and suffering from restrictions, assuming they're permanent) and ask themselves "is it worth it?"

 

[susustudios]

At least 5 years to return to any sense of how the property was pre covid.
It took about 5 years to fully recover after 9/11 and that was a more controllable situation, with this virus that it still very knew and n one knows how it will develop, with the uncertainty of any sort of vaccine or cure or treatment, the fact that to safely and responsibly operate they have to cut capacity on rides and parks so not a lot of money coming in and with the uncertainty of what travel will look like, especially international travel, this will take longer than the 9/11 recovery

This will be overall terrible for American tourism. At least eventually it'll be not because foreigners are scared of getting the virus if they come to America, but it'll be because they don't want to endure all the restrictions again

 

[yulilin3]

So you do know what I mean. That feeling is hard to hide. Add to that the feeling of job insecurity and perhaps not earning much.

Yeah bit whatever the cm are feeling now has nothing to do about when things will get back to normal which is the op premise

 

[Carol_]

Yeah bit whatever the cm are feeling now has nothing to do about when things will get back to normal which is the op premise

What I’m saying is that if I can tell that there’s a generalized nonmagical mood among the CMs, WDW does not feel normal to me. When that goes away, I’ll say it’s back to normal.

 

[DisneyElite4]

If things continue the way they are at the parks long term, I sincerely worry to what capacity a Disney vacation will even remain an option? Yes, tourism is at an all-time low and will remain so for awhile, but for those of us who are willing to and have the means to travel, how likely are we to continue to choose WDW with all the restrictions, long lines, crowding and so many things closed? Certainly not 5 years.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

it will be a new decade of Disney. the old fans know this.
look at all the "Remember When?" threads there are on the DIS, for rides, shows, characters, everything.
Think about how many strategies and tricks that all had to be learned and tossed out the window. ( FP+, MB, non-expiring tickets , Park Hopping)

I don't think I will be a fan though, since it seems that Disney is backing away from its quality when it comes to the Parks. Most of what makes the trip is the CMs -which is the part that Disney always cuts back on.

 

[crazy_for_the_dis]

I'd be 100% fine with keeping masks as a requirement if it meant the return of fp, extended hours, fireworks, shows, etc. The masks aren't a big deal to me. The greatly reduced park experiences is the deal breaker.

100% agree with this. Masks seem like they are here to stay. For us, we can do without parades and fireworks. But please please bring back FP, open the parks earlier and keep them open later. Having special ticketed events in the mornings and evenings would really help too.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

It’ll never be the same. Things that are gone due to the pandemic will never return. Disney is going to use the pandemic as an excuse to never bring certainty things back just so they can save money. Things they were already going to eliminate but the pandemic sped it up.

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

Im pretty optimistic that things will be "back to normal" within a year... (people are welcome to disagree) here's why:
1. Society at large is slowly starting to adjust back to some normally (with precautions of course) masks may be around for a while. In the Spring, my school shut down for the remainder of the year. This year, we made the necessary adjustments to attend in-person safely and its working. Everyone has to wear masks, we are spacing desks, etc. The kids and parents comment all the time how happy they are to be back and how much more they are learning. People grumbled at first about the precautions but have since stopped because its working, and other schools in our area with less precautions have had outbreaks. I think we will have a vaccine by the middle of winter (Dec/ Jan) and will have it in wide distribution by next summer.

2.Higher attendance at Disney is what allows all those special touches and extended hours that we love so much and it is on the rise. The reason that there are dozens of performing acts and special shows that appear only during Christmas is because that is the busiest time for guests to visit. Disney had to cut the extras recently because WDW was a ghost town over the summer. The extras are all about improving guest experience, they will come back as the people come back. The same is true for operating hours. If there are only 5,000 guests in a park, Disney won't keep the gates open from 8AM to midnight. The operating hours are starting to creep up again. Disney always starts with bare-bones hours and then expands as needed. Hours extensions mean that more guests are coming, entertainment won't be far behind.

3. Parades and Fireworks: Yes we miss them, yes they cause crowding which is bad juju for COVID times. Fireworks and parades are not purely a "Disney being generous and greedy 'ol Chapek taking them away to cut costs" Fireworks are a way to keep you in the park longer. If people stay for parades and fireworks, chances are they buy lunch and dinner in the parks more than offsetting the expense of putting on the show. Dining inside with COVID requires spacing which cuts in to Disney profits. Many dining experiences are starting to come back. Fireworks and parades wont be far behind. I think MK won't have fireworks until next May at the earliest, but expect Epcot to have them even earlier. My guess is March with spacing spots are WS lagoon and some sort of very limited dining package for Fantasmic. Disney wants to fill those restaurants!

 

[mamaofsix]

Im pretty optimistic that things will be "back to normal" within a year... (people are welcome to disagree) here's why:
1. Society at large is slowly starting to adjust back to some normally (with precautions of course) masks may be around for a while. In the Spring, my school shut down for the remainder of the year. This year, we made the necessary adjustments to attend in-person safely and its working. Everyone has to wear masks, we are spacing desks, etc. The kids and parents comment all the time how happy they are to be back and how much more they are learning. People grumbled at first about the precautions but have since stopped because its working, and other schools in our area with less precautions have had outbreaks. I think we will have a vaccine by the middle of winter (Dec/ Jan) and will have it in wide distribution by next summer.

2.Higher attendance at Disney is what allows all those special touches and extended hours that we love so much and it is on the rise. The reason that there are dozens of performing acts and special shows that appear only during Christmas is because that is the busiest time for guests to visit. Disney had to cut the extras recently because WDW was a ghost town over the summer. The extras are all about improving guest experience, they will come back as the people come back. The same is true for operating hours. If there are only 5,000 guests in a park, Disney won't keep the gates open from 8AM to midnight. The operating hours are starting to creep up again. Disney always starts with bare-bones hours and then expands as needed. Hours extensions mean that more guests are coming, entertainment won't be far behind.

3. Parades and Fireworks: Yes we miss them, yes they cause crowding which is bad juju for COVID times. Fireworks and parades are not purely a "Disney being generous and greedy 'ol Chapek taking them away to cut costs" Fireworks are a way to keep you in the park longer. If people stay for parades and fireworks, chances are they buy lunch and dinner in the parks more than offsetting the expense of putting on the show. Dining inside with COVID requires spacing which cuts in to Disney profits. Many dining experiences are starting to come back. Fireworks and parades wont be far behind. I think MK won't have fireworks until next May at the earliest, but expect Epcot to have them even earlier. My guess is March with spacing spots are WS lagoon and some sort of very limited dining package for Fantasmic. Disney wants to fill those restaurants!

I really hope you're right!