Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[JoeCamel]

Here's an example of the random pop-up Halloween float.

I wish I took more photos but we passed these several times throughout the day. Each time, there wasn't much of crowd other than those who happened to be walking on the pathway at the moment.

View attachment 507774

Did they change the BGM while the float was in the area? I would imagine without that queue it is just a passing interest but that is what they are going for.

 

[Kevin_W]

Did they change the BGM while the float was in the area? I would imagine without that queue it is just a passing interest but that is what they are going for.

Yes, the background music changes so something appropriate for the float. So people hear the music and stop and look over that he float, also getting out of the street. But it's no a big crowd like FoF.

 

[Kevin_W]

I'm not a CM but I was there the last two days. At MK a couple was walking and eating dole whip. A photographer went over and told them they couldn't be walking without mask and they just put it on and went off to the side to eat. It isn't an instant ejection thing.

On jungle cruise our captain motioned to a guest to pull it over his nose. Again, the guest did it and there was no consequence.

Is imagine you aren't getting kicked out unless your fight with the CM or just blatantly walk around with no face covering.

I think in our days in the parks I saw a total of 2 people (over the age of ~4) not wearing a mask properly. It was nice to see people behaving.

 

[matt9112]

I'm not a CM but I was there the last two days. At MK a couple was walking and eating dole whip. A photographer went over and told them they couldn't be walking without mask and they just put it on and went off to the side to eat. It isn't an instant ejection thing.

On jungle cruise our captain motioned to a guest to pull it over his nose. Again, the guest did it and there was no consequence.

Is imagine you aren't getting kicked out unless your fight with the CM or just blatantly walk around with no face covering.

You wanted that guy rioped off the jc and sent to prison didn't ya?

 

[Tink242424]

Hopefully Disney will be watching closely to see how guests behave, and if all goes well, they might consider bringing at least one show back.

I think there are 2 shows that could come back right now very easily.

1. Fantasmic! - This is a no-brainer since they have the huge theater, it is outside, they can mark which sections people can sit in and maintain social distance & they can activate the fastpass system to essentially limit attendance. I believe the performers would be safe as I'm pretty sure that the audio is recorded but if not they can record it and have the performers just lip sync when not in costume. The main con for Disney is that they need the darkness but with us moving into fall/winter & time change this is easier. They can also do at least 1 show right when the park closes which would then help to break up the crowds that are leaving the park into 2 groups.

2. Rivers of Light - Same reason here. They have the big outdoor theater and can use the fastpass system to limit the number of people.

I would love to see at least these 2 to come back ASAP and then hopefully next year Disney can come up with creative ways to have a nighttime show in MK & EPCOT.

 

[Jrb1979]

I think there are 2 shows that could come back right now very easily.

1. Fantasmic! - This is a no-brainer since they have the huge theater, it is outside, they can mark which sections people can sit in and maintain social distance & they can activate the fastpass system to essentially limit attendance. I believe the performers would be safe as I'm pretty sure that the audio is recorded but if not they can record it and have the performers just lip sync when not in costume. The main con for Disney is that they need the darkness but with us moving into fall/winter & time change this is easier. They can also do at least 1 show right when the park closes which would then help to break up the crowds that are leaving the park into 2 groups.

2. Rivers of Light - Same reason here. They have the big outdoor theater and can use the fastpass system to limit the number of people.

I would love to see at least these 2 to come back ASAP and then hopefully next year Disney can come up with creative ways to have a nighttime show in MK & EPCOT.

Yes it would be great to have night time shows return but don't get your hopes up. It costs money to run.those shows and right now Disney is cost cutting mode.

 

[Tink242424]

Yes it would be great to have night time shows return but don't get your hopes up. It costs money to run.those shows and right now Disney is cost cutting mode.

Agree. But they could bring them back safely right now. Whether they will or not is another question.

Maybe with larger crowds for the holidays this is something they could do. Or early next year if the crowds are returning.

 

[drizgirl]

I think there are 2 shows that could come back right now very easily.

1. Fantasmic! - This is a no-brainer since they have the huge theater, it is outside, they can mark which sections people can sit in and maintain social distance & they can activate the fastpass system to essentially limit attendance. I believe the performers would be safe as I'm pretty sure that the audio is recorded but if not they can record it and have the performers just lip sync when not in costume. The main con for Disney is that they need the darkness but with us moving into fall/winter & time change this is easier. They can also do at least 1 show right when the park closes which would then help to break up the crowds that are leaving the park into 2 groups.

2. Rivers of Light - Same reason here. They have the big outdoor theater and can use the fastpass system to limit the number of people.

I would love to see at least these 2 to come back ASAP and then hopefully next year Disney can come up with creative ways to have a nighttime show in MK & EPCOT.

It's going to be a game of chicken. Disney doesn't want to spend the money to run the shows, even if they can safely. Until they decide they can make more in ticket sales than it costs them to run the shows. Which means Fantasmic is a no go for the foreseeable future since Galaxy's Edge still sells out the capacity so often.

 

[DCBaker]

2. Rivers of Light - Same reason here. They have the big outdoor theater and can use the fastpass system to limit the number of people.

I would love to see at least these 2 to come back ASAP and then hopefully next year Disney can come up with creative ways to have a nighttime show in MK & EPCOT.

Rivers of Light has permanently closed.

Primeval Whirl, Stitch's Great Escape and Rivers of Light are now permanently closed

Two attractions at Disney's Animal Kingdom and one at Magic Kingdom will not reopen.

www.wdwmagic.com

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Yes it would be great to have night time shows return but don't get your hopes up. It costs money to run.those shows and right now Disney is cost cutting mode.

No incentive for them to increase their operational costs at all under the circumstances. It actually makes more sense to reduce them based on the responses so far.

Rivers of Light has permanently closed.

Primeval Whirl, Stitch's Great Escape and Rivers of Light are now permanently closed

Two attractions at Disney's Animal Kingdom and one at Magic Kingdom will not reopen.

www.wdwmagic.com

I thought that was already bagged? Not surprising either way

 

[Polkadotdress]

I think there are 2 shows that could come back right now very easily.

1. Fantasmic! - This is a no-brainer since they have the huge theater, it is outside, they can mark which sections people can sit in and maintain social distance & they can activate the fastpass system to essentially limit attendance. I believe the performers would be safe as I'm pretty sure that the audio is recorded but if not they can record it and have the performers just lip sync when not in costume. The main con for Disney is that they need the darkness but with us moving into fall/winter & time change this is easier. They can also do at least 1 show right when the park closes which would then help to break up the crowds that are leaving the park into 2 groups.

2. Rivers of Light - Same reason here. They have the big outdoor theater and can use the fastpass system to limit the number of people.

I would love to see at least these 2 to come back ASAP and then hopefully next year Disney can come up with creative ways to have a nighttime show in MK & EPCOT.

No.

You seriously understimate what it takes to bring F! to life, and how closely those performers work while in darkness. Many elements of the show would have to be cut due to performer proximity: Lotus flower effect, animal puppets, royal couples on barges, Indian/Colonial fight scene, finale characters.

Also, AK is not currently open after dark, so there's no need to a night-time show. And, like others have said, ROL is not coming back, like ever.

 

[GoofGoof]

Here's an example of the random pop-up Halloween float.

I wish I took more photos but we passed these several times throughout the day. Each time, there wasn't much of crowd other than those who happened to be walking on the pathway at the moment.

View attachment 507774

Good example picture. Crowds look like no problem at all. I think the fact that it’s not at a specific time and not particularly impressive (vs the full parade) helps to avoid crowds forming. I could actually see that being something they keep around post Covid restrictions. I always liked the days of more spontaneous entertainment which has been decreasing over the years as everything has become so planned and less spontaneous.

 

[Touchdown]

The most logical first show is Epcot Forever. It’s a huge lagoon, and at the park opened the latest. The only con is the rush on transport after the show. Short of a wall of CMs preventing a mass rush, I think that could be blunted by either keeping select attractions open after the show, or offering a dinner package with prime guaranteed seats followed by dinner after the show. Of course that would mean running transportation later or having the show earlier but I think it could work.

The other show that would be easy (and pretty cheap) to bring back is OUAT, especially if they did multiple shows. That show tends to not draw huge crowds and having multiple shows a night would help even more. A more expensive option that would also be welcome would be Mickey’s Merriest that would accomplish the same thing.

There’s a lot of things Disney could do, even in a pandemic but isn’t. It’s extremely disappointing, and even if the pandemic cooled down or I got a vaccine, I’m not coming back until they start doing something.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The most logical first show is Epcot Forever. It’s a huge lagoon, and at the park opened the latest. The only con is the rush on transport after the show. Short of a wall of CMs preventing a mass rush, I think that could be blunted by either keeping select attractions open after the show, or offering a dinner package with prime guaranteed seats followed by dinner after the show. Of course that would mean running transportation later or having the show earlier but I think it could work.

The other show that would be easy (and pretty cheap) to bring back is OUAT, especially if they did multiple shows. That show tends to not draw huge crowds and having multiple shows a night would help even more. A more expensive option that would also be welcome would be Mickey’s Merriest that would accomplish the same thing.

There’s a lot of things Disney could do, even in a pandemic but isn’t. It’s extremely disappointing, and even if the pandemic cooled down or I got a vaccine, I’m not coming back until they start doing something.

Everything is being determined by the customers. My take is that they are getting a better response than they planned for or even WANT based on the covid status and travel environment...so why do anything?

Just let the minimums ride...and let people fawn over it at full price with lower staff and overhead.

Why not?!? Zero business reason to do anything else.

Its why dealers don’t need a PR department...the product is an addiction.

 

[Kevin_W]

Good example picture. Crowds look like no problem at all. I think the fact that it’s not at a specific time and not particularly impressive (vs the full parade) helps to avoid crowds forming. I could actually see that being something they keep around post Covid restrictions. I always liked the days of more spontaneous entertainment which has been decreasing over the years as everything has become so planned and less spontaneous.

Yes, the cavalacades were quite fun - nothing to plan your day around, but definitely worth stopping and standing still for a few minutes when one is going past. (The boats in AK less so than the MK cavalcades.) The other spontaneous entertainment (Joy on the lawn in Epcot) was nice, though it didn't fill the void left by not having the Jammitors/Citizens of Hollywood/Main Street Trolley/etc.

 

[mmascari]

For those trying to keep up with the vaccine.



Started at 10:00 eastern. Just getting through the introductions and conflict of interest statements so far.

 

[GoofGoof]

The most logical first show is Epcot Forever. It’s a huge lagoon, and at the park opened the latest. The only con is the rush on transport after the show. Short of a wall of CMs preventing a mass rush, I think that could be blunted by either keeping select attractions open after the show, or offering a dinner package with prime guaranteed seats followed by dinner after the show. Of course that would mean running transportation later or having the show earlier but I think it could work.

The other show that would be easy (and pretty cheap) to bring back is OUAT, especially if they did multiple shows. That show tends to not draw huge crowds and having multiple shows a night would help even more. A more expensive option that would also be welcome would be Mickey’s Merriest that would accomplish the same thing.

There’s a lot of things Disney could do, even in a pandemic but isn’t. It’s extremely disappointing, and even if the pandemic cooled down or I got a vaccine, I’m not coming back until they start doing something.

I like the idea of doing the EPCOT show earlier. If the park is open until 9 have a show at 7 or 8. This way people don’t just leave after the show. I always liked when MK was open well after the night shows and you could stay and get extra rides in while a lot of the crowd left.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I like the idea of doing the EPCOT show earlier. If the park is open until 9 have a show at 7 or 8. This way people don’t just leave after the show. I always liked when MK was open well after the night shows and you could stay and get extra rides in while a lot of the crowd left.

I do too...but I think the 9 show was strategic for a couple of reasons:
1. First, it’s not dark till 9 for a significant portion of the year.
2. IPs are like wolves...they have pack mentality. They were never about “sticking around” in that park late...9 o’clock is like the Fred flintstone pterodactyl quitting bell. They’re OUT!!

 

[Parker in NYC]

Hasn’t it been said since the start that these things will depend on response and collective action?
Isn’t that the consensus?

...I may have hit my head by I could have sworn I heard that at least a couple of times??

Indeed, I just don’t know when to be alarmed anymore. I’m alarmed as it is.

 

[GoofGoof]

I do too...but I think the 9 show was strategic for a couple of reasons:
1. First, it’s not dark till 9 for a significant portion of the year.
2. IPs are like wolves...they have pack mentality. They were never about “sticking around” in that park late...9 o’clock is like the Fred flintstone pterodactyl quitting bell. They’re OUT!!

In normal life, yes...in Covid world for this coming holiday season it could work. It will be dark before 6PM starting next weekend so no issue there and EPCOT is one of the least crowded parks. It would give them a way to draw people away from DHS/SW land and MK and even out crowds. If they bring back any type of night show I agree with @Touchdown that EPCOT makes the most sense and having an earlier start fixes the mad rush to transportation issue as people would be more staggered leaving the park. Cost considerations aside, it’s a pretty solid plan from a crowd control and social distancing standpoint.