WDWNT Weekly Recap: Walt Disney World Reopening on July 11, World of Disney Reopens at Disney Springs, Plus All FastPass+ and Dining Reservations Cancelledhttps://t.co/tH8j87Z5UJ pic.twitter.com/1JeB6o7obd
— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) May 31, 2020
We’ve talked about Disney Springs and Universal Orlando reopening, and now there’s news that Disneyworld is set to reopen on July 11th. They’ve issued guidelines for reopening and it sounds like they’ve thought carefully about these things and are trying to keep people safe. I’m not sure about the wisdom of opening up, but at least they’re waiting until six weeks from now and they have a solid-sounding plan. It’s hard to know what the US is going to be like at that point though. It seems like we’re still waiting to see how many people got sick from partying on Memorial Day weekend. They’re suspending parades, fireworks, and character greetings to keep people from gathering. They’re canceling fastpass, and all dining reservation and backstage experiences. They’re also going to have team members roaming the park and reminding people to social distance and are requiring everyone ages two and up to wear masks. Some, but not all of their hotels and resorts are reopening and they’re not accepting new hotel or ticket reservations, giving priority to people with existing tickets.
For the foreseeable future, guests will be required to make a reservation for the theme park they wish to visit in advance. Upon arrival, guests and employees will have their temperatures taken. While on the company’s property, employees and visitors will be required to wear face masks, and some theme-park employees will roam the parks to ensure compliance. Signage throughout the parks will remind visitors to wash their hands, practice social distancing and wear their face masks.
Walt Disney World is also considering creating “relaxation zones” where guests could temporarily take their masks off, McPhee said. Additional hand-washing stations and hand sanitizer dispensers will be put out throughout the parks. – From Marketwatch
New Ticket Sales and Hotel Reservations: At this time, we are temporarily pausing new ticket sales and Disney Resort hotel reservations so we can focus on guests with existing tickets and reservations. Existing ticket holders and Annual Passholders will be able to make a theme park reservation before new tickets are sold; we will be reaching out to these guests soon to provide additional details. We will resume new sales of tickets and Disney Resort hotel reservations after that period of time. Theme park reservations will be limited due to attendance limitations and will be subject to availability. – From Disneyparks.go.com
[From Marketwatch and Disneyparks]
A lot of articles are pointing to Shanghai Disneyland Park, which reopened in mid-May, as an example of how performances can still happen and the park can be run with social distancing. China has controlled the virus with strict social distancing and widespread testing though, and they still had a second wave. Of course temperature checks aren’t enough to ensure people are covid-free and this all sounds risky, but at least Disney is trying. They seem more thoughtful about it than Universal. A month could make all the difference, but there’s no way to know and we’re still going to be dealing with this in the US for quite some time.
Crowds were starting to gather ahead of World of Disney opening this morning at Disney Springs. pic.twitter.com/H4xpvVdUrW
— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) May 31, 2020
Walt Disney World Releases Update on Disney Dining Plan and Free Dining Cancellations; Character Dining Temporarily Suspendedhttps://t.co/Rmia5t727F pic.twitter.com/Qau0MOp64O
— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) May 30, 2020
Sephora, Paddlefish, and Terralina (including the outdoor bar for to-go drinks) have all reopened today at Disney Springs. pic.twitter.com/W8UCurwReQ
— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) May 29, 2020
No thanks. I’ll wait til there’s a vaccine.
Where do you queue, though? An hour queue split into 2M gaps wouldn’t fit into the existing infrastructure I’d have thought.
My guess is they will do a LOT of remote queuing – like you’ll get a time to come back and get on the ride, rather than standing in line. That could keep the lines down significantly (and would have the added benefit of people spending more money because they’re walking around the park, not standing in line.)
They’re limiting capacity. While you’re completely right that at full capacity their queuing areas probably couldn’t accommodate that, perhaps at limited capacity they can?
I think we are going to cancel our August trip. I have said before that I’m really dragging my feet about it, because it was supposed to be our last “big” Disney trip and we were going all out – staying at Yacht club, going to the water parks, hitting up all the good restaurants, etc. – but with no character meet and greets, all dining reservations being canceled, no parades etc – I’m not sure there’s a point in paying that much for a week at a nice hotel with a nice pool and some rides, you know?
I keep hoping things will improve by the end of August but I know I’m just burying my head in the sand on that one.
Duplicate- sorry.
Moved the trip I had planned for Sept to Feb of next year. Taking my granddaughter and am hoping some of the restrictions they have will be able to be eased a bit. I buy park hopper tickets and with having to make reservations to be in a park defeats the purpose of the park hopper. Plus, no dining reservations – no bueno. Want my granddaughter to have the best experience she can have.
I am in the same boat, it was a big trip at Wilderness Lodge, in August, all character dining, tons of meet and greets for my toddler. Not worth the cost to go and not have the experience.
Sounds like a really fun, special trip! I think you’ll enjoy all of it much more when things are safer and restrictions lessen.
I’m skipping my trip this fall for health and safety purposes, but I’m really hoping things will be better next year.
Actually, I’ve been more impressed by how Universal is handling their reopening. They’re implementing all the same strategies as Disney and then some. If you show up at Universal next week without a mask they’ll hand you a free one and insist that you wear it. Disney is not providing masks, but asking that you bring your own. Let’s see how that goes. I feel like if Universal is willing to shoulder the cost of providing masks, rather than just hoping they can sell you a pricey one at the gate, then they’re probably taking this more seriously. Universal will also be having “secret shoppers” from the Florida Health department that will roam the parks and ensure compliance with all the policies. (To be fair, maybe Disney is doing that, too. I haven’t heard.)
I also seriously question the logic behind cancelling fast passes. The whole point of fast past is that it decreases the amount of time you wait in line in close proximity to others, and increases the time you spend roaming the park freely, allowing for easier distancing.
Also, “mask free relaxation zones?” Isn’t that like having peeing and no peeing zones in a swimming pool?
I am an annual pass holder at Disney and normally I stay away in June/July anyway as the crowds are too much for me. Now with COVID? Yeah, I’ll eat the costs of my pass. Maybe I’ll go to Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, but I’m more of a wait and see attitude. No one is wearing masks here in FL anymore. It’s like they all think they’re safe. My asthmatic butt is staying home.
You are SO correct on this. I live in Orlando, and almost no one here seems to be wearing masks anymore when I run errands. It’s driving me crazy. But that’s what happens when you reopen non-essential businesses. You give everyone the impression that it’s safe now. DeSantis is as evil as Trump.
I’m an avid Horror Nights goer, but I don’t see how they can make that work this year. They usually pack continuously moving lines so tight. The actors get right up in your face. And the mazes are quite cramped and closed in. They could limit attendance, for sure, but I still can’t picture how it could be done safely and maintain its fun.
For FPs, my impression is that they will let people rebook them, but prob with some restrictions (fewer available, etc.) My guess is that as they are moving to this new plan with reservations for parks etc, they didn’t want people to think they automatically had a right to go to a certain park bc of their FP.
Right now I’m booked for Disney in November, but if they cancel the wine and dine races, I’ll cancel the trip. So many more important things going on than Disney, but I was a little sad when I got the email that the dining reservations were all cancelled. I put way too much thought and got up early on a Saturday morning to make them.
I can’t imagine they’ll still hold the races. Registration happened in February before everything really started. For more than an hour before the races start, people start packing into their assigned corral. And it’s so tight before the race start that you are being bumped by strangers on all sides. When it’s your corral’s turn to start, the mass moves as one to start walking to the start line and sometimes you hold on to someone in your own party without being able to see them because it’s so crowded. I don’t see how they can make that social distancing friendly. Plus, i can’t imagine wearing a mask while running. Thousands of people run the races. Plus, one of the best things about the wine and dine half is the after party at the food and wine festival at Epcot later that night.
I honestly wonder if any of my races will happen this year.
Disney is so overrated and I’m so glad that I can put off taking my two sons even longer. I’ve dreaded the day they start asking about Disney, they haven’t yet. I much prefer camping and having them be with nature.
Congrats
Eye roll. And yes, congrats to me
Young children wearing masks (& wearing them properly, not adjusting them, touching them, etc.)? Good luck with that.
You guys all know how hot it is in Florida during the summer. Does anyone really believe people will wear a mask all day? Nope. This is a bad idea Disney. You are not essential. Stay closed ! People are stupid, they need to be told what to do because logic doesn’t exist anymore. If you open ANYTHING, dummies will flock. Plus, Disney is expensive. Is that type of experience worth it right now? You won’t have fun when you’ll be constantly worrying about sanitizing and keeping 6 feet away from everyone. Just wait when things get better (and they will).
How are they going to keep people six feet apart in line and on a ride?
It’s impossible.
I hope they are very careful, and that everyone stays well. I can’t deal with places like that on a normal day, let alone in summer and especially during a pandemic, but I’m sure people will be lining up to go. I hope no one is rude or harasses the employees.
I get it, but I don’t think you could pay me to get on a plane, ride on the bus, go to a hotel, and walk around Disney World right now with thousands of other people from around the world. Eeeek.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I feel totally defeated by the “reopen America” movement. I understand people have lives and jobs to get back to. I know how we’re living right now isn’t sustainable long-term, and I’m privileged to have a job I can do from the safety of my home.
I also get that the tourism and travel industry is immense and so many people depend on it for jobs. But we are very literally still in the middle of a pandemic. Nothing has changed to justify these kinds of reopenings. When we open non-essential businesses, we’re sending a signal that things are somehow safer, and they’re not. They’re not!
I love Disney and as someone who has benefited from what a well-oiled machine they run due to my disability, I don’t doubt they’ll take great care in taking proper precautions. But they can’t control what people do once they’re in the park, on rides, eating on sidewalks and in lines without their masks on. It’s a disaster waiting to happen. I’m just glad they’re waiting (slightly) longer than other theme parks.
Shanghai Disney is not an indication in any way how this will go. Chinese culture is veeeeeery different. They haven’t had a bunch of pea-brained Karens and their “my penis is so small so my rifle is so big” husbands screeching about masks violating their free-dumb. And let’s not even start on those who will be claiming “medical reasons” for why they can’t wear a mask. Right. Sure. 🙄 No the so-far-so good in Shanghai is no comfort. I love Disney and I’ll see it again in a year….or two.
Oh and asking for a friend…there’s no particular reason why Florida has seen a “statistically significant” (according to the CDC) rise in pneumonia cases and deaths recently is there? I mean total coincidence that their Covid deaths dropped and their pneumonia deaths inexplicably rose is there? Anyway….Have fun I guess. 🤷♀️
DeSantis has been deliberately skewing FL’s Covid-19 numbers since the beginning. It’s why I rarely leave my house.
^^^same, I live in Florida too!
They haven’t had a bunch of pea-brained Karens and their “my penis is so small so my rifle is so big” husbands screeching about masks violating their free-dumb.
+10000