Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[Lilofan]

The stock market is a giant gambling table. So far the optimists are losing.

Are losing now. Big difference if one invests long term. Make sure your $$ works harder than you do.

 

[Lilofan]

Excellent idea! Things have been getting pretty rough for me since that pay cut. Not sure I will be able to afford that nice car I was looking at, maybe I'll settle for a BMW.

Cmon Bob, with that pay "cut", just keep using the company car and charge the gas to the mouse, insurance and car repairs are covered by Mickey too. Nothing's changed.

 

[Lilofan]

The issue is not just how un-magical it is, it's also matter of cost and practicality. Are you keeping everyone captive on property? What if a family takes an Uber to Applebee's and gets it from the server? Are you swabbing every cast member at the start of their shift? It's just not feasible.

And who would be trained to swab? On a crowded day at DHS, there may be 2-3 nurses in duty at the First Aid location?

 

[Lilofan]

A valid point. Maybe water rides don‘t open right away for that reason. The heat alone in Florida in the summer is enough to make masks difficult anyway. It’s hot enough without covering your face. I would save on sunblock though I’m still not convinced masks will catch on and become main stream anyway. It’s too early to tell.

A hot oppressive summer at WDW and family staying at All Star and the resort pools shut down due to corona prevention would be a great dissapointment.

 

[Patcheslee]

If someone doesn't think an exec making $500K+ on a contract isn't complaining when the company "surprises" them with a 30% pay cut, you don't hang around with many executives.

It doesn't really take being around executives really. IF ppl have a household budget no matter the income level it hurts. Having a larger income usually gives ppl more cushion to save for emergencies like suggested, but doesn't mean they have.

 

[Lilofan]

It doesn't really take being around executives really. IF ppl have a household budget no matter the income level it hurts. Having a larger income usually gives ppl more cushion to save for emergencies like suggested, but doesn't mean they have.

Exactly. The fallacy of people earning big incomes and have plenty saved in the bank is fantasy in the sky. Some I know want to keep maintaining their expensive lifestyle ( multiple homes, private schools, high end cars and other toys and lifestyle ). However when some of them get laid off, furloughed or forced to take pay cuts, they fall down hard. Due to corona related issues, a number of high income earners are being laid off and the last I checked some car dealers are starting to get a number of high end exotic car trade ins.

 

[Lilofan]

To the earlier posts: Great ideas in theory but It would just be optics for food and beverage because you are no more likely to get it at a place of food than anywhere else if hygeine is practiced. (we know food often does not the way it should, but standards are higher there than gift shops and ride vehicles/queues/buildings)
Tests are not going to ever be common place enough to be affordable to test daily the entire working crew of The Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
And at that point the quick service areas would be a nightmare as well. Often those tables are pretty close together. Nothing would be grab and go or self serve either.
Which at that point is a moot endaveur because all gift shops would have to have no items on display and touch screens around the resort would certainly be out of the question. If things are that extreme, you can forget ride preshows being a thing, and a lot of attractions revolve on them being a part of the operation besides the storytelling. Speaking of operation, transit. Monorail and Buses would not be able to carry passengers to the magic kingdom with any sort of efficiency even if attendance was at 1/5th.
It is just going to have to get to a point where it is under some control where people don't fear it as much for it to operate.
Hopefully in the next months.

In relation to spacing tables apart in Disney dining areas due to social distancing also one area that may be considered is spacing the merchandise items farther apart in the parks and resorts gift shops. Both areas if implemented would be a financial loss for Disney. Less dining tables, means less income for the restaurant and less waiters needed, guests have less chance of securing reservations. Related to the gift shops, sometimes merchandise is presented in many areas of the store not just on the wall shelves. Items for sale are in the middle of the store such may create crowding of guests and challenges of social distancing. Less merchandise items in the gift shops means lower profits for the stores.

 

[marni1971]

Exactly. The fallacy of people earning big incomes and have plenty saved in the bank is fantasy in the sky.

More fool them. It was drilled into me from a young age to always have a decent rainy day fund.

 

[seascape]

More fool them. It was drilled into me from a young age to always have a decent rainy day fund.

Very true. People need to live on less than than they earn. I have a pension and Social Security. My wife has a 401k and Social Security. In addition I saved in a 457 plan and an IRA. It is not hard to be ready for any emergency, just a crime that world governments didn't plan and save.

 

[Lilofan]

Very true. People need to live on less than than they earn. I have a pension and Social Security. My wife has a 401k and Social Security. In addition I saved in a 457 plan and an IRA. It is not hard to be ready for any emergency, just a crime that world governments didn't plan and save.

Agreed it is not hard to save and invest. It's a whole different mindset and personal choice. I did it starting at an early age. It's a no brainer. Some who have no savings are ones who didn't have a plan or made bad financial decisions in life.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The best thing that happened to protect Paris was TWDC taking over.

I completely agree. If they hadn’t - which I believe was in may of 2017? - they wouldn’t have a realistic chance of reopening. Disney would have had to bail them out of “euro bankruptcy court” very publicly now.

Still...gonna be really hard to reactivate that complex under there circumstances. France and the UK have done “ok” with this....Spain and Italy to the south are world tragedies...and the Deutch - somehow as usual - have managed to lock it down. That damn German efficiency

How do you kickstart and international destination amongst all those competing interests?

I’m not sure they have a clue how to do it in Florida...and that could easily survive for awhile on only US customers.

 

[Rimmit]

Agreed it is not hard to save and invest. It's a whole different mindset and personal choice. I did it starting at an early age. It's a no brainer. Some who have no savings are ones who didn't have a plan or made bad financial decisions in life.

Same here. Any money I ever made as a child my parents made me save 1/3. That practice has served me well and I now save 50 percent of my take home.

As someone who is 38, my generation blames stagnant wages not in proportion to inflation as the cause of a lack of savings. While that is part of the problem IMO the #1 reason people don’t have savings in my generation is Starbucks. I just don’t understand how people can justify a $5 daily coffee unless you are earning at least six figures a year if not significantly more.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Very true. People need to live on less than than they earn. I have a pension and Social Security. My wife has a 401k and Social Security. In addition I saved in a 457 plan and an IRA. It is not hard to be ready for any emergency, just a crime that world governments didn't plan and save.

But as you know...that is NOT how the United States lives.

It’s bad money management...but it’s also a natural by product of the disparity. I know that’s a hot button, polarized concept that is widely dismissed in “good” times...but we all are gonna see it now. That’s the problem when agenda overpowers facts - the facts show with vengeance at some point.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Same here. Any money I ever made as a child my parents made me save 1/3. That practice has served me well and I now save 50 percent of my take home.

As someone who is 38, my generation blames stagnant wages not in proportion to inflation as the cause of a lack of savings. While that is part of the problem IMO the #1 reason people don’t have savings in my generation is Starbucks. I just don’t understand how people can justify a $5 daily coffee unless you are earning at least six figures a year if not significantly more.

You have valid points...but we’re also sliding down into the well here and Mom is gonna have to start cracking some knuckles...

But I can explain the Starbucks thing: they put crack in the white chocolate mocha syrup

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

But I can explain the Starbucks thing: they put crack in the white chocolate mocha syrup

 

[JoeCamel]

As someone who is 38, my generation blames stagnant wages not in proportion to inflation as the cause of a lack of savings. While that is part of the problem IMO the #1 reason people don’t have savings in my generation is Starbucks. I just don’t understand how people can justify a $5 daily coffee unless you are earning at least six figures a year if not significantly more.

Same as smoking a pack a day, I did that for 25 years. Cannot imagine doing it today and I am much better off financially now. I do starbucks once in a while, usually in parks, but it would never be a daily thing.

 

[John park hopper]

Very true. People need to live on less than than they earn. I have a pension and Social Security. My wife has a 401k and Social Security. In addition I saved in a 457 plan and an IRA. It is not hard to be ready for any emergency, just a crime that world governments didn't plan and save.

I can identify with you, as you did, we never lived beyond our means and planned for future retirement and payed our house off in the process. We raised 3 sons and vacations for us were never extravagant mostly local, Unfortunately many have not planned partly due to constant advertising I hate commercials that say "you deserve XYZ" the newest phone the newest fashion trend etc etc . I wish Americans learn from this but we won't

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I can identify with you, as you did, we never lived beyond our means and planned for future retirement and payed our house off in the process. We raised 3 sons and vacations for us were never extravagant mostly local, Unfortunately many have not planned partly due to constant advertising I hate commercials that say "you deserve XYZ" the newest phone the newest fashion trend etc etc . I wish Americans learn from this but we won't

Well...we all feed the “overconsumption society” to some extent...many much more guilty than others. I noticed the tone of that change in the 90’s around the dawn of the Internet age. The access to so much product/information really lead to “buy! Buy! Buy!” And the train of responsibility went completely off the rails.

 

[John park hopper]

Well...we all feed the “overconsumption society” to some extent...many much more guilty than others. I noticed the tone of that change in the 90’s around the dawn of the Internet age. The access to so much product/information really lead to “buy! Buy! Buy!” And the train of responsibility went completely off the rails.

This is such a complex problem how we arrived at this overconsumption throw away society it would warrant multiple college classes to cover all aspects of it. I can remember my grand parents a product of the depression saving everything nothing was wasted and this was imparted to my parents and transferred to me.

 

[marni1971]

I completely agree. If they hadn’t - which I believe was in may of 2017? - they wouldn’t have a realistic chance of reopening. Disney would have had to bail them out of “euro bankruptcy court” very publicly now.

Still...gonna be really hard to reactivate that complex under there circumstances. France and the UK have done “ok” with this....Spain and Italy to the south are world tragedies...and the Deutch - somehow as usual - have managed to lock it down. That damn German efficiency

How do you kickstart and international destination amongst all those competing interests?

I’m not sure they have a clue how to do it in Florida...and that could easily survive for awhile on only US customers.

(Hotel) New York is not ready to open, and they’ve mothballed Newport in the past. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this happen again (or Sequoia mothballed since it’s begun an exterior refurb). Day visits to the parks are very popular. Or were. But you get the meaning. If anything I think you could draw parallels to DL, both of which I think will recover better (and quicker) than WDW. IMHO.