Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[rstevens333]

I wonder if any of the normally-character dining restaurants will open without characters? I'd kinda love to see spaces like Crystal Palace, but I've never been keen on roaming characters while I eat.

 

[BrerMama]

By the time MNSSHP starts will CP kids be back? With the loss of CP and international CP, is there not a staffing issue also contributing to lessened hours? And I don’t mean Disney trying to cut labour costs, but physically having enough staff to not require the current CMs to become overworked, do they even have enough right now? They must have to shift people around to cover the holes that college and international usually fills.

There are CPs scheduled to arrive throughout August. My own opinion is that they won't have CPs until after the first of the year (if then) due to issues with that many young adults living at one place (same situation as college dorms), and they need to get all their FT and PT working before they bring in CPs. CPs are not the majority of staffing. They may be the majority of closing shifts, but they're less than 10% of the Disney work force. There's talk in this thread of multiple hotels not opening, water parks/mini golf not opening, shortened transportation... all of those people can be redeployed into parks and the hotels that are open. I just don't see Disney needing CPs for awhile.

 

[BrerMama]

Also, I think the reservation system priority order will go like this:
1. Hotel reservations with active tickets
2. AP holders without hotel reservations
3. Hotel reservations without active ticket attached
4. General public/ticket holders staying off site

 

[mhautz]

Call me crazy, but I think there will be one phase. They flip a switch and you make your reservation and as long as your ticket is valid that date, you get it, with APs getting a limited number of days absent a resort reservation. Kind of like the fast pass system.

The only control for fairness is some people don't have tickets yet.

 

[stranger706]

Have they addressed when AP holders can book on site rooms again? Or can anyone read between the lines and tell me?

For example my wife and mil want to take the kids sometime in July. We are all AP but have no rooms booked. Do you think we will be able to get rooms?

 

[AmberMV]

I wonder if any of the normally-character dining restaurants will open without characters? I'd kinda love to see spaces like Crystal Palace, but I've never been keen on roaming characters while I eat.

From what we're hearing so far, characters will still make appearances at dining venues but will not give hugs or let you stand with them for pictures.

 

[Dis5150]

Just a reminder - we believe emails are being sent to the email listed on your My Disney Experience account. I often have clients that have 'old' email addresses for the MDE vs what they use normally. So, if you haven't gotten your letter yet, check and see if you have a different MDE email address.

I switched from my work email to personal email last year when my work made us limit personal emails. But Disney still uses both - I get dining stuff on work email and payment/reservation email on personal email. She couldn’t change my sign in info (she said) so it is still my work email. When I went in yesterday to try and change it to my personal email for logging in (hoping it would eliminate emails sent to my work) it says my personal email is already in use! So

 

[mhautz]

I wonder if any of the normally-character dining restaurants will open without characters? I'd kinda love to see spaces like Crystal Palace, but I've never been keen on roaming characters while I eat.

Last thing Disney wants is people to judge Character Dining on its merits.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Have they addressed when AP holders can book on site rooms again? Or can anyone read between the lines and tell me?

For example my wife and mil want to take the kids sometime in July. We are all AP but have no rooms booked. Do you think we will be able to get rooms?

I wouldn’t count on it.

 

[AmberMV]

Have they addressed when AP holders can book on site rooms again? Or can anyone read between the lines and tell me?

For example my wife and mil want to take the kids sometime in July. We are all AP but have no rooms booked. Do you think we will be able to get rooms?

At the moment it appears Disney is really trying to thin their reservations on their books. They removed all Dining plans, ADRs and Fast passes through the end of 2020. Once they have thinned enough to meet capacity limits if there are availabilities under their determined capacity I expect, yes, you will be able to book a room.

 

[Violetspider]

I switched from my work email to personal email last year when my work made us limit personal emails. But Disney still uses both - I get dining stuff on work email and payment/reservation email on personal email. She couldn’t change my sign in info (she said) so it is still my work email. When I went in yesterday to try and change it to my personal email for logging in (hoping it would eliminate emails sent to my work) it says my personal email is already in use! So

I've used the same email address for 20+ years. My AP emails stopped with my first renewal like 3 or four years ago. I get all sorts of other Disney emails, just not AP ones anymore. Go figure!

 

[OKW Lover]

There are CPs scheduled to arrive throughout August.

Pretty sure I saw that Disney announced no CP for the rest of the year.

 

[Gentry2004]

I’m curious how far into the future these booking preferences will continue. December trips? March next year? How long will these freeze new trip planning?

 

[OnceUponATime15]

It doesnt, it actually forces a larger crowd together rather than spreading out like they normally would. Close a park at say 6pm and people are looking for entertainment elswhere, so now Disney Springs is even more crowded.

The only thing closing early does is limit labor costs.

With the dated ticket for entry to the park, they are controlling the masses. Disney Springs is also required to cap admission so once the 2 parking areas are full - no one gets in. Including those with a dining reservation. It is all in the know before you go, on the disney springs web page.

The boats from the resorts won’t run to DS in order to control entry and save having to set up temperature screening at the docks.

 

[Anthony Vito]

Too many posts to quote, but in response to all the complaints about it being about money, profit, etc. and not safety, pandemic, etc. - why is it only one? Why is it bad that they're also worried about how to make money during this? I think they've made it pretty clear that revenue and profit are a factor in all of this. They've made it clear that there are major changes that are necessary for the purposes of safety (reduced capacity, avoiding high-touch situations, keeping distance/spacing as much as possible, etc.). It's also been made clear that they won't open for the sake of opening if they're going to be losing more money than they already are in doing so - nor should they. In order to accommodate all of the safety changes, they are going to have to make other changes that allow them to open with those safety implementations and still make money. So some things will be for safety, then many others will be to find ways to make money while working around those changes.

Moreover, even though I am not a shareholder, as a Disney fan, I want them to find ways to be profitable. The sooner they can get back on track financially, the better for all of us. Also, I certainly don't want the worst-case scenario - they lose money to the point that we get into takeover/merger situations - that would be a disaster. I just don't think there's anything nefarious in making changes that are based on making money/losing less money because the reduced capacity and other changes is already making such a dent, they have to find ways to operate and make that up and balance it all. I'm not forgiving all of the customer service cuts, tacky things they've done, etc. in the past that were all just money grabs that were sacrificing the Disney identity for that purpose. I just think in the current situation, saying something is for the purpose of finances shouldn't be some nasty slight against them.

 

[WonderlandisReality]

I wonder if any of the normally-character dining restaurants will open without characters? I'd kinda love to see spaces like Crystal Palace, but I've never been keen on roaming characters while I eat.

Yeah I actually wanted to go for the food at Garden Grill.

 

[AmberMV]

I’m curious how far into the future these booking preferences will continue. December trips? March next year? How long will these freeze new trip planning?

Presumably Disney is taking this day by day. People who need to plan things far in advance will not like this new system.

 

[JPM4]

I’m looking forward to the part where we find an old link to an old AP preview and just smash it over and over again hoping the soft opening preview registration pops up!

 

[westie55]

From what we're hearing so far, characters will still make appearances at dining venues but will not give hugs or let you stand with them for pictures.

Hearing from who? That's what I was hoping for but Disney's communication says "character dining cannot be provided."

 

[rteetz]

Pretty sure I saw that Disney announced no CP for the rest of the year.

I don’t believe they have officially yet.