Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[Miffy]

exactly. If you don't feel comfortable going don't go. No one is forcing you to! Same with restaurants and whatever else.

Yes, but it's not just about this. It's about the health of every single person--CMs and guests--who'll be at Disney. Given what's been happening, I'd venture to say that if Disney were to open right now, there'd be plenty of people there. Maybe you'd think this was fine and it's up to them, but perhaps Disney would like to protect their CMs and guests from unnecessary exposure since there's no way there could be social distancing at a Disney park. Impossible.

 

[Alicefan]

If Disney opens too soon and becomes a spreading pot for this virus they may never recover. They will he seen as putting profits over health.

Would that surprise anyone coming from Disney though? lol I just wonder how much they'll try to jack up the prices after this to make us all pay for this huge loss?

 

[Alicefan]

No one has EVER said it will only be for 2 weeks (to flatten the curve). Every single expert out there has said that it will take weeks, if not months, to flatten the curve and start seeing numbers drop. CDC made it very clear that May is very likely the earliest we'll see that happen. Which in turn means, yes, most businesses are probably going to be closed until at least May, Disney included.

Really? All I kept hearing in the beginning was that if we all stayed in for just two weeks we could make a difference. That's why all theme parks closed "for the rest of the month". No one at that time was saying anything at all about indefinitely.

 

[meremac]

Really? All I kept hearing in the beginning was that if we all stayed in for just two weeks we could make a difference. That's why all theme parks closed "for the rest of the month". No one at that time was saying anything at all about indefinitely.

But not everyone did stay in. Lots of people didn't. It's going to take much much longer now.

 

[Tandy]

Really? All I kept hearing in the beginning was that if we all stayed in for just two weeks we could make a difference. That's why all theme parks closed "for the rest of the month". No one at that time was saying anything at all about indefinitely.

Two weeks would make a difference.
Problem was no one took it serious and two weeks never started anywhere but Disney.
Two weeks started today here in NC. By force

 

[The Pho]

News

Six Flags seems to be confirming being closed until Mid May. Joining Cedar Fair with that timing.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

If this is true, then they are idiots. This COVID-19 experience has been so dynamic, nobody really KNOWS exactly what to expect. Their "concrete plan" would essentially be dead on arrival. They are not epidemiology experts; they are an entertainment corporation. If their plan, when finally announced, is to be conservative and close through some date in May (perhaps coincidental with the CDC recommendation), then fine. Or if they go less conservative to coincide with the Orange County 9 April restrictions, then fine. Waiting until this close to their current closure date seems just plain stupid and inconsiderate to me. And I don't have any pending reservations or plans, so no real skin in the game.

"Concrete" is probably the wrong word but just something more substansive vs taking it week by week and keeping people constantly wondering when news about their vacation will come.

 

[mshanson3121]

[

Really? All I kept hearing in the beginning was that if we all stayed in for just two weeks we could make a difference. That's why all theme parks closed "for the rest of the month". No one at that time was saying anything at all about indefinitely.

No experts ever said two weeks. It's been clear from the beginning this was going to be a long effort. What people chatted about on social media, very different unfortunately, I agree. And many things in different countries originally shut down for two weeks. But even they knew it would be longer than that. The two week was just to buy them some time to get plans in place, do damage control, and to try and initially keep people calm.

 

[Tandy]

[


No experts ever said two weeks. It's been clear from the beginning this was going to be a long effort. What people chatted about on social media, likely different unfortunately. And many things in different countries originally shut down for two weeks. But even they knew it would be longer than that. The two week was just to buy them some time to get plans in place, do damage control, and to try and initially keep people calm.

Two weeks is the quarantine period. They didnt want people wondering around without symptoms but spreading.

 

[Krandor]

Really? All I kept hearing in the beginning was that if we all stayed in for just two weeks we could make a difference. That's why all theme parks closed "for the rest of the month". No one at that time was saying anything at all about indefinitely.

I remember this board when the initial closure announcement came out. Nobody thought it was only going to be 2 weeks. That is why there was a lot of concern by people doing SWRR in mid-april because most people assumed the parks would still be down then.

 

[mshanson3121]

Two weeks is the quarantine period. They didnt want people wondering around without symptoms but spreading.

I'm aware of this. But never was it said by any expert that this was only going to be a two week effort.

 

[Krandor]

"Concrete" is probably the wrong word but just something more substansive vs taking it week by week and keeping people constantly wondering when news about their vacation will come.

And that is where disney/universal are different from six flags/ceder fair. While some people do travel to those the majority of the people at those places are locals who drive over and not trips planed in advance. A lot of time I won't decide till the night before or even the day of that I plan to go to six flags. Disney though people plan these trips sometimes a year out and not knowing 6 days before a trip if it is happening or not is not a good thing.

 

[tlmadden73]

News

Six Flags seems to be confirming being closed until Mid May. Joining Cedar Fair with that timing.
View attachment 483467

Not as hard for those parks to be closed until mid-May as a lot of their parks are only open on the weekends during the spring anyway, but if OTHER parks are making this call (and as more things (like schools, festivals, etc.) are pretty much already "cancelling April" .. doesn't look good for Disney opening until May.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

And that is where disney/universal are different from six flags/ceder fair. While some people do travel to those the majority of the people at those places are locals who drive over and not trips planed in advance. A lot of time I won't decide till the night before or even the day of that I plan to go to six flags. Disney though people plan these trips sometimes a year out and not knowing 6 days before a trip if it is happening or not is not a good thing.

I definitely agree that the notice at the point is too tight - I really thought they would have announced something yesterday which was the 1 week mark

Just trying to think of why they haven't yet, not necessarily agreeing with it

 

[HuskieJohn]

Really? All I kept hearing in the beginning was that if we all stayed in for just two weeks we could make a difference. That's why all theme parks closed "for the rest of the month". No one at that time was saying anything at all about indefinitely.

Make a difference, yes. Be enough to go back to normal, not even close


They said 2 weeks because if they would have told us we need to stay inside for 8 weeks then the people would have really panicked, the market would have crashed even harder and this would have snowballed to much worse than it is now.

Now after we start seeing the videos from the NYC and other hard hit hospitals in the US and with the death toll quickly rising then mob will be ok with another week...then another two...then another two...then one more just to be safe

Even after that 8 weeks we will all still need to be careful and will need to have national social distancing (at some level) and extensive disinfecting, all until there is a vaccine/cure.

 

[Brianstl]

The other possibility is that they are waiting to see what is in the stimulus bill after it goes through the House and what implications it might have for them.

E.g. the Senate bill* makes hotels with less than 500 employees eligible for loans which convert to grants if they are used for payroll, and explicitly notes that this is hotel-specific, not company specific, so that e.g. for an owner with 50 hotels each with less than 500 employees, all these hotels are eligible. However, there will be limitations on layoffs tied to accepting this money.

If they are waiting for the final bill, then the issue is do they announce before it's out a close through April 19th and continue to keep paying all through then, and then change the closure date (and pay policy, perhaps) after they have digested the bill.

*I have not read it--I am going by WSJ reporting

I think this is what the final bill will be. There isn’t time for the house to make changes and then go to conference to work on a bill that both can agree on. That would add another week at least.

 

[Miffy]

Just trying to think of why they haven't yet, not necessarily agreeing with it

The cynic in me (under the helmet) says that they're holding on to deposits for as long as possible. The interest on their float must be immense--and they need the cash.
The more reasonable side of me thinks that there's so much at stake here that they're being ultra careful and it's taking them a while. They want to do the right thing in the right way.
The realist side of me says that there are massive disagreements and arguments within the Disney corporation and it's taking them a long time to come to an agreement.

 

[JaxDad]

I think this is what the final bill will be. There isn’t time for the house to make changes and then go to conference to work on a bill that both can agree on. That would add another week at least.

Plus, it would look pretty bad on the House when the bill was actually passed unanimously in the Senate.

 

[kymom99]

Yes, but it's not just about this. It's about the health of every single person--CMs and guests--who'll be at Disney. Given what's been happening, I'd venture to say that if Disney were to open right now, there'd be plenty of people there. Maybe you'd think this was fine and it's up to them, but perhaps Disney would like to protect their CMs and guests from unnecessary exposure since there's no way there could be social distancing at a Disney park. Impossible.

They might also want to support the government officials and the efforts they are making to slow this whole mess down.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The cynic in me (under the helmet) says that they're holding on to deposits for as long as possible. The interest on their float must be immense--and they need the cash.
The more reasonable side of me thinks that there's so much at stake here that they're being ultra careful and it's taking them a while. They want to do the right thing in the right way.
The realist side of me says that there are massive disagreements and arguments within the Disney corporation and it's taking them a long time to come to an agreement.

I agree with all this - I think I am trying to make my think your middle, reasonable take is the dominant reasoning