GRAND OPENING - GRAND CLOSING (Florida)

[lovethesun12]

Sorry had to edit this, I inserted the wrong quote.

"How on earth does anyone think they can open up schools in that environment? So, as a nation we have to make tough decisions. Keep bars, indoor dining and other things like that open....or open the schools. The bars are all hurting more than other industries....why not give them some kind of bailout like say...the airlines got. PPP wasn't enough for them and many restaurants as well...because they can't responsibly be open at this time"


Someone mentioned about schools opening - I'm a teacher (physics) and I wonder if it would just be easier to let students that want to work from home do so. I know for high school many (most?) would probably choose to do that and be able to do that. It's not the best situation but might be the best during a pandemic.

Then there would be more space/classrooms for students who can't work from home. I think shortening hours students are in school too and sending home more homework (since they would be out of school more) could work.

I think it would be a lot easier to physical distance then, and parents would have more opportunity to make decisions that work the best for them.

Hard to say though. I guess there's no easy way in a pandemic.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

And opened things much slower. IMO bars and restaurants should only be patios at this time. Theme parks should not be open til cases and positive percentage drops under 5%.

To be fair, don't you spend the majority of your time at a theme park outside?

 

[cakebaker]

And I think they weren't conservative. They should not be open this summer at all. Unfortunately, they are teetering on a cliff of trying to pay their employees and keep their parks open long term while keeping public safety at the forefront. Then you have all the DVC people claiming it's illegal to keep them out. It's pure insanity no matter what.

I was one that wanted them to open with Universal. Looking back, clearly it was because it worked for me. Had they opened with Universal, we would've gone with the reservation we had that was for those dates, would've been home before things went crazy and I'd be counting my lucky stars right now.

But, that was short sighted and I was wrong. It was too early. I've under estimated this virus from the get go, but no more. When they have to choose between jobs and public safety, hands down, safety wins. They run a huge risk of 1) things tanking even worse and still having shut down, only they see outbreaks traced to them or 2) They can't get enough people in the parks to not bleed money worse than bein shut. We could still go for a short trip and go to the AP preview, but we aren't. It's just not sensible.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

To be fair, don't you spend the majority of your time at a theme park outside?

Disney has quite a bit more indoor attractions than other theme parks.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Disney has quite a bit more indoor attractions than other theme parks.

That last what, 3 minutes?

 

[fla4fun]

To be fair, don't you spend the majority of your time at a theme park outside?

I think that varies depending on where the park is located. With it being so hot in Florida, as many attractions as can be indoors are indoors. When I was young and went to local parks up north, the rides tended to be more outdoors.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

That last what, 3 minutes?

Plus lines, I would say most are 5-10?

 

[Mango7100]

That last what, 3 minutes?

Small World, Haunted Mansion, FOP, Soarin, TOT, Toy Story Mania, Pirates, Tiki Room, Hall of Presidents....all those last significantly longer and that doesn’t even count the indoor queue. I thought of those off the top of my head in about 30 seconds

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Plus lines, I would say most are 5-10?

Let's say lines are 25 minutes long and 5-10 of those minutes are in an indoor queue, plus an average of 5 minutes on the ride. That's less than 2 rides per hour when accounting for walking time. If you spent the entirety of a 10 hour park day going only on indoor rides with an average of 2 minutes walking between queues you'd be spending max 46% of your day indoors. That's obviously an overestimation because some lines will be longer, some rides are outdoors, and you're not accounting for time spent eating/drinking/going to the bathroom. So let's say it's closer to 37%. That's still 63% of your 10 hours spent outdoors, in the open air, which is safer. Mask use indoors is also safer, so let's hope everyone complies.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I was one that wanted them to open with Universal. Looking back, clearly it was because it worked for me. Had they opened with Universal, we would've gone with the reservation we had that was for those dates, would've been home before things went crazy and I'd be counting my lucky stars right now.

But, that was short sighted and I was wrong. It was too early. I've under estimated this virus from the get go, but no more. When they have to choose between jobs and public safety, hands down, safety wins. They run a huge risk of 1) things tanking even worse and still having shut down, only they see outbreaks traced to them or 2) They can't get enough people in the parks to not bleed money worse than bein shut. We could still go for a short trip and go to the AP preview, but we aren't. It's just not sensible.

But people aren't getting sick at UO. It's been long enough - we would have seen it by now. They are having to lay people off now because the money coming in just isn't there. Shutting the park down again will only make that worse. People are getting sick at home by hosting little close-knit (read: close contact) social events with no precautions. That doesn't describe UO or WDW at all.

If we are going to get through COVID we have to STOP doing the things that aren't making a difference and START doing the things that will.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Small World, Haunted Mansion, FOP, Soarin, TOT, Toy Story Mania, Pirates, Tiki Room, Hall of Presidents....all those last significantly longer and that doesn’t even count the indoor queue. I thought of those off the top of my head in about 30 seconds

You forgot Carousel of Progress, PhilHarmagic, and Space Mountain to name a few more.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Let's say lines are 25 minutes long and 5-10 of those minutes are in an indoor queue, plus an average of 5 minutes on the ride. That's less than 2 rides per hour when accounting for walking time. If you spent the entirety of a 10 hour park day going only on indoor rides with an average of 2 minutes walking between queues you'd be spending max 46% of your day indoors. That's obviously an overestimation because some lines will be longer, some rides are outdoors, and you're not accounting for time spent eating/drinking/going to the bathroom. So let's say it's closer to 37%. That's still 63% of your 10 hours spent outdoors, in the open air, which is safer. Mask use indoors is also safer, so let's hope everyone complies.

Any time spent indoors with other people who you don't live with is a risk factor. It doesn't matter what percent that is of your day.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

But people aren't getting sick at UO. It's been long enough - we would have seen it by now. They are having to lay people off now because the money coming in just isn't there. Shutting the park down again will only make that worse. People are getting sick at home by hosting little close-knit (read: close contact) social events with no precautions. That doesn't describe UO or WDW at all.

If we are going to get through COVID we have to STOP doing the things that aren't making a difference and START doing the things that will.

Florida's numbers have skyrocketed since Universal opened. It isn't crazy to think people were infected tehre.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Any time spent indoors with other people who you don't live with is a risk factor. It doesn't matter what percent that is of your day.

That's very true but my point was more along the lines of you spend the majority of your day outside which may reduce risk. Just like abstinence only staying inside forever is 100% effective if you don't want to get sick. On the other hand if everyone wore masks and stayed 6ft apart cases wouldn't be exploding and we wouldn't be having this conversation.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Florida's numbers have skyrocketed since Universal opened. It isn't crazy to think people were infected tehre.

But has UO being open made those numbers worse than they would have been if it was closed? I'm going to say no way - we would have seen it by now. Just like CA closing the beaches this w/e, closing the parks would make it worse. Now instead of people heading to the beach where they would be outside, plenty of distance to the next person, plenty to keep them occupied, the will get bored and instead go meet with friends inside their homes to celebrate the 4'th, maybe shoot off some fireworks after a BBQ. Gatherings like this are EXACTLY how this is getting spread. Yeah, they should stay home, but the numbers prove they will not. You are better off giving people an outdoor, controlled environment to spend their time.

 

[trmiv]

Contact tracing here in Florida is nowhere near adequate enough to confidently say people aren’t getting sick at Universal. Fact is numbers here are skyrocketing. We haven’t invested enough to know exactly where it’s happening.

 

[cakebaker]

But people aren't getting sick at UO. It's been long enough - we would have seen it by now.

We can absolutely track the increase in cases with the opening of Universal as well as other local theme parks. No one is doing any tracing to speak of. We’re not going to know where each came from specifically, at least not in Fl., but the opening times with the spike.

 

[RamblingMad]

That last what, 3 minutes?

It’s the indoor queues that’s the problem.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

But has UO being open made those numbers worse than they would have been if it was closed? I'm going to say no way - we would have seen it by now. Just like CA closing the beaches this w/e, closing the parks would make it worse. Now instead of people heading to the beach where they would be outside, plenty of distance to the next person, plenty to keep them occupied, the will get bored and instead go meet with friends inside their homes to celebrate the 4'th, maybe shoot off some fireworks after a BBQ. Gatherings like this are EXACTLY how this is getting spread. Yeah, they should stay home, but the numbers prove they will not. You are better off giving people an outdoor, controlled environment to spend their time.

I agree with you on sometimes closing the wrong things. They closed our state beaches (well parking lots anyway), while keeping our bars and indoor dining open. It just doesn't make sense to me!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I agree with you on sometimes closing the wrong things. They closed our state beaches (well parking lots anyway), while keeping our bars and indoor dining open. It just doesn't make sense to me!

I got chicken pox at the beach as a teenager, and that isn't nearly as virulent as COVID.