September Trip.... Thoughts/Opinions...

[MATTERHORN]

It has only spread like mad in Miami Dade county and parts of Orlando. my county in the Panhandle..75% of all deaths were from Nursing homes. heck, we just hit double-digit deaths since the lockdown began mid-March.

That's great for your county, but Disney is not in your county so that data doesn't apply!

 

[crazymomof4]

While that's true, that also makes my response just as accurate as there's no way they are going to be able to take a trip to Disney and not enter any air conditioned areas. So the point was moot about high temps!

Yes. I wasn't disputing your point, just adding to it.

 

[Bete]

I think this is a wait and see proposition. It's too early to make predictions especially when Disney hasn't even finalized their plans about it.

I do think there will be a new normal at least until a vaccine is available for Covid-19. Then, with those who will not do a vaccine this could still be an issue.

I don't see live entertainment including character meets, shows, parades, and fireworks returning anytime soon and not in September 2020. Disney will proceed very slowly, here. You don't want crowds forming; so, they will be very careful, here. It's also a way to cut back and save money and Disney is hoping the rides will be enough for starters. Eventually, some shows like Beauty and the Beast may return with limited capacity. Of course, this is just my opinion.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Like I said, regardless of the studies, if that were true, Florida would have almost no cases since it's been hot/humid here for over a month now. Yet, we still have large numbers.

As pointed out, A/C probably does not help with that. But since most hot places in the U.S. have air conditioning, heat won't help!

It can still potentially spread person to person (especially stacked on top of one another) but less likely any other way. This is due to the increased temps and humidity. Sunshine and fresh air are amazing. Guess it’s why many outdoor activities are being encouraged? Less likely to spread but not eradicated...similar to other seasonal viruses? Isn’t this the reason a second wave during flu season is possible?

 

[tinkerbell1991]

I agree with you both. I am ready to go in Sept, and will roll with whatever changes there are. My situation is such that both of my parents have passed (so I don't have to worry about passing it on while caring for them), I'm traveling with my 3 very healthy young adult children and none of us has any risk factors associated with an adverse reaction to COVID 19. I'm an RN so they were all raised to be germ-aware from a young age. If I had small kids, rubbing their eyes or hands in mouth after touching a handrail or if any in my family had even one risk factor or if I was still caring for (and in close contact with) my aged parents, then my decision would most likely be different. That's why this is not a "one-size-fits-all" thing. Everyone has to weigh out their own comfort level based on their individual life situation.
Hope your wedding is magical!

Thank you so much and I hope you have an amazing time in September x

 

[tinkerbell1991]

Hope your wedding is magical and perfect!

and, great weather!

Thank you

 

[tsme]

We always go in September. We’re kind of taking a one day at a time, wait and see approach. I’m concerned about wearing masks in the heat, about people NOT following the rules or listening to CMs. I’m also concerned because FL is still making people from LA quarantine in place for 14 days there & if they’ll be there for less than 14 days their reservations are being cancelled and/or they’ve been turned away. My DH says not to worry about that because if it’s still in effect in September then our country has bigger problems & Disney won’t be a concern for us at that point.

 

[ClapYourHands]

except there's data, that I posted in here, that showed there has been zero correlation in locking down. Showing almost all the states that didn't lockdown at all, fairing just as well at those that did

Nope. That's not how it works. You can't compare different areas with different population densities and different initial rates of infection, and use that data to conclude lockdowns are ineffective. Basic scientific method from middle school. You need to look at the hospitalization rates and deaths relative to the timing of the lockdowns for areas with known infection. Follow the data in the hotspots. NYC cases aren't going down because the virus magically went away. NYC cases are going down because the lockdown slowed the spread.

Also, you realize that the states that didn't lock down benefitted from the lock downs that happened in the states with high infection rates, right? NY, NJ, CT, MA - all places with high infection rates who worked to keep their residents at home to limit community spread and stop them from taking it other places. A place with low population density and minimal virus circulating isn't going to see a huge spike in numbers. But introduce the virus to those places, have a few large density gatherings (wedding, funeral, church/temple/mosque service), and watch how it spreads. As of right now, I still cannot go to WDW, even if it were open because FL has not lifted 2-week quarantine for travelers from my state.

 

[Melodious]

I would plan for there still to be restrictions in September. We rented points to stay DVC and have APs so we are basically locked in to going. Because of this, we're probably more willing to accept restrictions and changes and, hopefully, still have a great time. Masks don't bother me and I've been exercising outside in mine just like I break in my shoes. We will live without parades and characters, and I have faith in Disney to keep the magic. We were hoping to experience low crowds in September and, if restrictions made crowds even lower, it might be great!

 

[ClapYourHands]

Studies have shown this virus doesn't survive well in heat and humidity. It appears to be seasonal too. This is the reason experts expect a second wave later this year or early next.

How can it be "seasonal" when it's only existed in the human population for less than 6 months?

Heat and humidity are not great for the virus itself. But if you put people in places with high heat and humidity, they will migrate right into the indoor spaces with AC. So now you've got an environment the virus loves - cool temps and enclosed spaces with recirculating air. From my perspective, if you're going to go to Florida, you're better off going in cooler weather because you'll be better able to tolerate being primarily outdoors. Being outside, no matter the temp, is better than being inside because the virus will dissipate far more quickly.

 

[kylenne]

Setting aside the arguing over the science, etc. I think the biggest and most important takeaway from a planning standpoint from all of these threads is that 2020 has a huge question mark over it, and unless you’re willing to be very flexible right now and roll with whatever punches—be they scheduling changes, safety measures, capacity limits, reduced entertainment offerings and park hours, etc—the best thing to do is wait until 2021 at the least. The later you choose to go back, the more likely things will have settled somewhat. That’s what we chose to do.

I know it’s not what people want to hear. I get it, lots of people are upset, most of us have had trips impacted. Some people may not have the choice of when to go back because of work or school. And we all want to be told everything will be ok. But with all this uncertainty, and very little in the way of concrete answers yet from Disney, any kind of planning for 2020 is inherently going to involve rolling the dice. All we have to go on right now is speculation. I would hate to see people work themselves up and experience even more disappointment because of it.

 

[hyperballad]

I've rebooked from May to September as well and will probably still go. It will depend on what experiences/attractions are not available. I'm torn though, because we are taking my 86 year old mom, who wants to go one more time very badly. If she weren't going, I would reschedule again, but there are no guarantees at her age that her health would remain good enough for her to wait. Then again, will I be putting her at greater risk if we do go in September? This is hard.

It's a tough one but assume your mum is able to make her own decisions? If so and she wants to go, go! My mum although is younger than yours, has stage 2/3 Parkinson's and lung issues but if she wanted to go I'd take her.
WDW itself will likely be cleaner than any supermarket you currently visit, make sure everyone wears a mask and be sensible about hand hygiene. I'm sure it'll be fine

 

[bosox32]

It's a tough one but assume your mum is able to make her own decisions? If so and she wants to go, go! My mum although is younger than yours, has stage 2/3 Parkinson's and lung issues but if she wanted to go I'd take her.
WDW itself will likely be cleaner than any supermarket you currently visit, make sure everyone wears a mask and be sensible about hand hygiene. I'm sure it'll be fine

Does your supermarket regularly have 10,000 people in it traveling from all over the world?

 

[crazymomof4]

I would plan for there still to be restrictions in September. We rented points to stay DVC and have APs so we are basically locked in to going. Because of this, we're probably more willing to accept restrictions and changes and, hopefully, still have a great time. Masks don't bother me and I've been exercising outside in mine just like I break in my shoes. We will live without parades and characters, and I have faith in Disney to keep the magic. We were hoping to experience low crowds in September and, if restrictions made crowds even lower, it might be great!

Same here! DVC points rental in Sept. We have the same attitude as you described. I'm going to be experimenting with different face coverings through the summer, so if they are still required, we will be ready. Exercising with one, like breaking in shoes, is a great idea! Stealing that!

 

[2SillyBirds]

except there's data, that I posted in here, that showed there has been zero correlation in locking down. Showing almost all the states that didn't lockdown at all, fairing just as well at those that did

I agree with you. I have worked for the last 10 weeks daily in a hospital that had the majority of COVID patients. I was on COVID floors multiple times a day. Twelve of us tested last week for antibodies, and only one of us was positive and she was able to pinpoint when and where she got it. So basically the outcome for eleven of us where the same as those who sheltered in place.

 

[ClapYourHands]

I agree with you. I have worked for the last 10 weeks daily in a hospital that had the majority of COVID patients. I was on COVID floors multiple times a day. Twelve of us tested last week for antibodies, and only one of us was positive and she was able to pinpoint when and where she got it. So basically the outcome for eleven of us where the same as those who sheltered in place.

Your comparison has nothing to do with community spread in regards to shelter in place.

A hospital is a controlled environment. Unless you were hanging out in COVID19 patients’ rooms without PPE for extended periods, then your lack of infection is what your hospital’s infection control plan was designed to do.

I’m a nurse in the hardest hit county in CT, have spent most of my shifts on COVID19 units since March, and have not contracted the virus. All that time, I have been in full PPE, and have been extremely vigilant with hand hygiene and disinfecting equipment.

So, yes, it is possible to avoid contracting COVID19 without sheltering in place...if you wear PPE, change it between the people you interact with, have access to hand sanitizer every 10 feet, and keep people with active COVID19 infections in their rooms behind closed doors. Not exactly the conditions out in the community.

Unfortunately, some of my colleagues did contract COVID19, and the vast majority of them did so in the early days before we tested all our patients or knew how much spread was in the community. They weren’t wearing appropriate PPE, and the infectious patients weren’t confined to their rooms. One patient who later tested positive spent a lot of time in the hall, and exposed multiple people before anyone knew he had the virus.

Now we have closed some of our COVID19 units because community spread is going down. And it’s going down because the community has been sheltering in place.

Find me statistics of a community with a high initial caseload that didn’t shut down, and show me how their caseload fared in comparison with a community with a similarly high initial caseload that did shut down. That’s a valid comparison, but I don’t think you’re going to be able to find that kind of evidence to support your claim.

On the other hand, South Korea did a great job of containing the virus without a true shut down, but that was through a coordinated system of robust testing, voluntary quarantine, and consistent proper PPE wearing. The US is not close to being able to reproduce those measures. Until we can get our act together like South Korea, we are left with the blunt tool of shelter in place. Shelter in place sucks but it works.

 

[Brookeywookie]

I agree with you both. I am ready to go in Sept, and will roll with whatever changes there are. My situation is such that both of my parents have passed (so I don't have to worry about passing it on while caring for them), I'm traveling with my 3 very healthy young adult children and none of us has any risk factors associated with an adverse reaction to COVID 19. I'm an RN so they were all raised to be germ-aware from a young age. If I had small kids, rubbing their eyes or hands in mouth after touching a handrail or if any in my family had even one risk factor or if I was still caring for (and in close contact with) my aged parents, then my decision would most likely be different. That's why this is not a "one-size-fits-all" thing. Everyone has to weigh out their own comfort level based on their individual life situation.
Hope your wedding is magical!

I would plan for there still to be restrictions in September. We rented points to stay DVC and have APs so we are basically locked in to going. Because of this, we're probably more willing to accept restrictions and changes and, hopefully, still have a great time. Masks don't bother me and I've been exercising outside in mine just like I break in my shoes. We will live without parades and characters, and I have faith in Disney to keep the magic. We were hoping to experience low crowds in September and, if restrictions made crowds even lower, it might be great!

My husband and i are both medical (RRT) traveling with a 17 year old. We feel the same as you both. We will wear masks. I’m okay without parades, characters, and even fireworks (though I’d really like fireworks). I wouldn’t be happy if restaurants were super limited and we couldn’t have sit downs but it isn’t a deal breaker. The only sticking point for us would be Star Wars attractions. If those are unavailable we will have to postpone.

 

[disneylover102]

As much as I hate to say it, I think cancelling the September trip and booking the April trip will probably be the best option no matter what. That's an extra 7 months for things to mainly go back to normal (of course some things might never go back to normal) and by then there might even be a vaccine. I know it's a hard decision. We had to postpone our Disney World/Europe/Disneyland Paris trip (which I was SUPER excited about) an entire year and I literally sobbed for probably half an hour. But still, even though we have to wait, there's more to be excited about when that trip finally comes, like new rides being open, etc.

 

[sheila14]

How will they handle trick or treating for the MNSSHP???

 

[Darcy03231]

I have a trip planned for September too and while I haven't canceled it, I'm waiting to see how things play out over the next couple of months. If the experience is going to be heavily modified and we have to wear masks, I'll cancel and reschedule for next spring. If everything is operating normally, I'll go.