Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[GoofGoof]

"Disney Standby Passes will be released in the App on an hourly basis, based on that day’s official park operating hours. Each Disney Standby Pass corresponds to a 60-minute interval for the guest to arrive at the Disney Standby Pass entrance. The quota for each day is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The final release of Disney Standby Passes is approximately two hours before the park’s announced closing time."

Virtual Queue Rolled Out at Shanghai Disneyland with 'Disney Standby Pass'; Full Details and Step-by-Step

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blogmickey.com

So if I’m reading this right it’s sorta like the Maxpass FastPass at DLR where you reserve online. The difference is the availability gets released hourly as opposed to all at once. So in theory each hour you would book 1 standby pass and then use it and then wait for the next hour for the next batch to drop. Seems reasonable. In a 10 hour park day that guarantees at least 9 rides assuming you don’t get completely shut out.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Rate of positive is a statistically relevant number assuming the testing info is accurate. There was at least one state that was taking the number positive and dividing that by a combination of the number of Covid tests performed to see if someone was actively contagious plus the number of antibody tests performed to see if someone was previously infected. That creates a much lower percent positive since the antibody test doesn’t tell you if you are actively infected. It was just padding the denominator.

Rate of positives is a mostly meaningless number if a state isn't randomly testing its population.

If you only test people with symptoms, the number will be artificially high.

When you throw open testing to anyone who feels like running out to get tested, the number will be artificially low if everyone is wondering if they have it. And then artificially high if everyone is unconcerned and doesn't get tested.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I've mentioned that before, but was told that the rate of positives was the number to watch. Which really wasn't going down in a meaningful way, but as long as it was a tiny bit less than two weeks ago, then it counts.

I'm watching it go up now.

Yeah...I noticed that too...

Cherry picking what we “follow” is starting to set in a little.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

"Disney Standby Passes will be released in the App on an hourly basis, based on that day’s official park operating hours. Each Disney Standby Pass corresponds to a 60-minute interval for the guest to arrive at the Disney Standby Pass entrance. The quota for each day is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The final release of Disney Standby Passes is approximately two hours before the park’s announced closing time."

Virtual Queue Rolled Out at Shanghai Disneyland with 'Disney Standby Pass'; Full Details and Step-by-Step

Walt Disney World news, photos, and reviews! We provide you with daily news from the Walt Disney World theme parks and beyond

blogmickey.com

So if I’m reading this right it’s sorta like the Maxpass FastPass at DLR where you reserve online. The difference is the availability gets released hourly as opposed to all at once. So in theory each hour you would book 1 standby pass and then use it and then wait for the next hour for the next batch to drop. Seems reasonable. In a 10 hour park day that guarantees at least 9 rides assuming you don’t get completely shut out.

It’s sounds like the online version of legacy fastpass...

...finally...some good news!

(I’m serious...for once)

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

So we’re gonna do this?

Ok.

Disclaimer: I should have said “after 1999”...i screwed That up. That was the wind down of the DAK investment and eisners “millennium package” thrown together...


Mission space: replaced horizons
Soarin: replaced food rocks
Seas with Nemo: replaced “seas without Nemo”
Everest is a net add...but of course that was after the original dak layout was cut down. They DID also add Chester and Hester prior
Finding Nemo show: replaced Tarzan show
TSM: net add...but of course they closed half of mgm to prep for the toy story land and Star wars later...so down to maybe net +1 now or so?
Enchanted tales with Taco Belle: moved
Mine train and mermaid were net ads...replacing the subs which had been a net subtraction. Also took out snow whites but no one really cared.

So the question was did they add enough capacity?
That’s the real question...

And I won’t even get into what was closed and never replaced in that time...which is kinda appalling for the Disney purists. Some of that is finally being replaced.

But all those factoids aside...how do you handle 20% more crowds with the same spots for them comfortably? They are doing things now but going 5-10 years in a park at times without new capacity...X4 parks...isn't that effective.

But that’s all past. Let’s get some tiered, 60 day prebooked out virtual queues up in dis piece, eh?

And I’m sure the next few years with the “boom” economy is gonna result in lots of extra cash/investment. I’m waiting for someone named “Bob” to make a public statement to we fans and Wall Street that bigger, better, more comfortable and less monetized down to the 1/4 penny is coming...

Okay, you really were trying to say, Food Rocks =Soarin,' and Nemo show = Tarzan Rocks.

Theme park demand went up because WDW added new attractions, hotels, and restaurants.

WDW demand increased during that time period because they kept adding new features that people wanted to experience. Soarin' is a much bigger draw than Food Rocks. People also returned because they wanted to explore all the new hotels and dining options WDW added in that time period:

1999- All Stars (1st value hotels) and 3 new AS food courts (over 5,400 rooms)
2001- AKL, Boma, Jiko, and the Mara (972 rooms)
2003 - Pop Century, food court (2880 rooms)
2004 - SSP, Turf Club, Artist's Palette (1200 rooms+60 treehouses originally built 1975/rebuilt 2009)
2012 - AoA, food court (1984 new rooms)
Plus all the DVC rooms that were added in that time frame.


But even that is still only part of the story. This was also the period when they added Magic Express, the Dining Plan, and underwent a massive shift in ticketing strategy. ME, DDP, and MYW increased demand substantially. Frozen was a massive driver of demand in that time period.

I'm also laughing because I first went to WDW in the early 1970's.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Okay, you really were trying to say, Food Rocks =Soarin,' and Nemo show = Tarzan Rocks.

Theme park demand went up because WDW added new attractions, hotels, and restaurants.

WDW demand increased during that time period because they kept adding new features that people wanted to experience. Soarin' is a much bigger draw than Food Rocks. People also returned because they wanted to explore all the new hotels and dining options WDW added in that time period:

1999- All Stars (1st value hotels) and 3 new AS food courts (over 5,400 rooms)
2001- AKL, Boma, Jiko, and the Mara (972 rooms)
2003 - Pop Century, food court (2880 rooms)
2004 - SSP, Turf Club, Artist's Palette (1200 rooms+60 treehouses originally built 1975/rebuilt 2009)
2012 - AoA, food court (1984 new rooms)
Plus all the DVC rooms that were added in that time frame.


But even that is still only part of the story. This was also the period when they added Magic Express, the Dining Plan, and underwent a massive shift in ticketing strategy. ME, DDP, and MYW increased demand substantially. Frozen was a massive driver of demand in that time period.

I'm also laughing because I first went to WDW in the early 1970's.

Your opinion is respected...however even if I 100% agreed with it - which I don’t but can appreciate it - adding extra rooms means MORE investment is required to maintain the value and atmosphere.

So we just passed “go” again.

I don’t want to delve into the underside of fastpass+ (which really isn’t fastpass at all because of some of these management decisions) and the dining plan (pure evil...frankly) out of respect for others.

But I enjoy the engagement/conversation nonetheless.

 

[tirian]

It’s sounds like the online version of legacy fastpass...

...finally...some good news!

(I’m serious...for once)

Which it what it always should’ve been, and what testers recommended back in 2008/2009.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Which it what it always should’ve been, and what testers recommended back in 2008/2009.

Really?

...that’s a story I’d like to hear?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Cruises don’t usually get discounted in advance.

DISNEY cruises don’t...they charge book rate until way up close.

The other operators - including the nicer ones - run lots of promos that result nowhere near book rate at various times for over the course of many months prior to sail.

 

[The Mom]

DISNEY cruises don’t...they charge book rate until way up close.

The other operators - including the nicer ones - run lots of promos that result nowhere near book rate at various times for over the course of many months prior to sail.

I'm not a fan of "big" cruise ships - anything over 300 is way too crowded for me; around 200 is just right. If I liked the floating cities I would be able to book at the last minute, as I live a relatively short drive away from Cape Canaveral. Unfortunately, I have to book flights to my preferred cruises.

 

[Miss Bella]

DISNEY cruises don’t...they charge book rate until way up close.

The other operators - including the nicer ones - run lots of promos that result nowhere near book rate at various times for over the course of many months prior to sail.

The other cruise lines will slash prices last minute. You have to be flexible which is not easy for everyone.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The other cruise lines will slash prices last minute. You have to be flexible which is not easy for everyone.

No I agree...

I’m just saying Disney does it’s “own” thing. Nothing new there really.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Your opinion is respected...however even if I 100% agreed with it - which I don’t but can appreciate it - adding extra rooms means MORE investment is required to maintain the value and atmosphere.

So we just passed “go” again.

I don’t want to delve into the underside of fastpass+ (which really isn’t fastpass at all because of some of these management decisions) and the dining plan (pure evil...frankly) out of respect for others.

But I enjoy the engagement/conversation nonetheless.

I agree with the first part of the above statement, except I think that when WDW added hotel rooms they were not only looking to increase demand, but also to shift where their existing offsite customers stayed, and to get them to stay longer. The Dining Plan, ME, and MYW tickets were all designed to keep people onsight.

Going waay back, I said your timeline was a bit off, not that I totally disagreed with everything you said. If you had simply said WDW should have increased theme park capacity even more in that time, I would have agreed.

I'd especially agree if you had said that WDW should have increased MK's dining capacity in that time frame.

Instead of increasing MK dining capacity, WDW figured out more creative ways to cram more people into the same amount of space, which generally lowered the quality of the experience of trying to eat in MK.

The dining Plan...well..it also has a mixed legacy. The program has changed many times since it was first released, depending on Disney's goals. I've tracked the relative value of the plan, more or less, since it began.

In the early days, DDP did bad things to the quality of food at WDW. It also could not be combined with any other discounts.

Later, WDW came out with the free dining promotion to lure more people into using the plan. The first year, it was a pretty significant discount deal over paying out-of-pocket. The first year, Disney kept food quality high to lure people into using the DDP.

In subsequent years, the value of the plan varied quite a bit, but that is a discussion for another thread.

 

[Ravenclaw78]

No I agree...

I’m just saying Disney does it’s “own” thing. Nothing new there really.

The other major cruise lines have dozens of ships and capacity that far outstrips demand. They also don't offer anything terribly compelling to differentiate themselves from each other. DCL, on the other hand. has four ships (with 3 more on the way this decade, assuming they are not delayed or cancelled due to COVID-19), vastly more demand than supply, access to the Disney brand and collection of characters and IP that have deep psychological effects on their customers, and a well-earned reputation for customer service and family-friendly entertainment. They only rarely discount cruises because they simply don't need to - they sell out nearly every cruise no matter what they charge, so why lower prices? Heck, my wife will tell you that the dining CMs cutting our daughter's steak for her (so DW and I could eat our own dinners while it was still hot) is worth a $1000 premium on its own, and she's only partly kidding.

 

[Chi84]

First FP+ and now the dining plan. If we’re holding a contest to see how many hot button topics we can add to this thread, my entry is security room checks. We can disguise it as a Covid-19 topic by speculating how dangerous it is to have Disney personnel come into the room of someone who could be infected.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

First FP+ and now the dining plan. If we’re holding a contest to see how many hot button topics we can add to this thread, my entry is security room checks. We can disguise it as a Covid-19 topic by speculating how dangerous it is to have Disney personnel come into the room of someone who could be infected.

There's a simple and obvious solution that will make everyone happy - security cameras in all guest rooms!

 

[Patcheslee]

There's a simple and obvious solution that will make everyone happy - security cameras in all guest rooms!

Oh they wouldn't go that far, just thermal imaging that can detect through walls.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

First FP+ and now the dining plan.

I daresay..in way, Covid-19 changes everything. And nothing.

Right now, WDW is in the process of cancelling any existing dining reservations that were made prior to shutdown, plus reservations for tours, special events and the DDP, so the topics are relevant today. For reference, 180 days before March 16 would cover anyone planning to arrive on or before September 18th = just about the entire summer season.

Still, I'm sorry if I contributed to any perceived off-topic-ness.

I confess, for a moment though, it felt great to think about and address a normal WDW discussion topic. That FP+ and dining came into this tread at all is perhaps a small sign of hope.

sigh.

 

[DVCakaCarlF]

Exactly. There is a Politics and Social Issues forum for anyone who wants to discuss either.

It’s not on the leader board enough to be noticed...I’ve never seen it.

 

[DVCakaCarlF]

Gov. DeSantis moves most of Florida into Phase 2, starting Friday.

Movie theaters, bars, and concert halls can operate at 50% capacity.

Gyms and stores can be at full capacity.

Gatherings can be up to 50 people.

Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach not included yet.

Maybe performances on stage can occur now?