Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I don’t buy the 59% number at all. We’ve never experienced anything like this, so it’s hard to predict how people and businesses (especially airlines and entertainment venues) are going to react.

I would love to see vaccination requirements. They can microchip me like the family pet if it would allow me to avoid these restrictions.

I don’t buy that number either...

But after the last few years...can we really doubt anything??

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

No college degree 61%, college degree 68% so not as big a discrepancy as I would have thought. It may be that many people without a college degree are working in retail type jobs right now and have experienced a disproportionate number of Covid infections and/or they are unemployed due to business closures and are more willing to get vaccinated due to a desire to get back to work. I would think more educated would mean more trust in science but it seems political pull is a bigger factor.

...you don’t say?

And that cuts two different ways:
Those that won’t take it from “that guy(s)”...and those that were told not to by the same

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I’m old enough to remember when characters appeared randomly in the parks all the time instead of in specific meet and greet locations. I always liked the more spontaneous approach but I was an adult with no kids at the time so I wasn’t going to stand in line to meet a character (well maybe goofy) but if someone happened to appear right near me and a line hadn’t formed it made for a nice distraction. I like the spontaneous nature of the cavalcades but I’m not sure how practical it is with large crowds.

They still do (or did)...it’s called “Disneyland”

 

[GoofGoof]

They still do (or did)...it’s called “Disneyland”

I have multiple pictures with characters from 2019 at DLR. At one point Donald Duck was walking down by the train station and my son wanted to get a picture with him and my wife’s phone wouldn’t open so while they waited Donald and my son played rock, paper scissors. It was a really fun, totally spontaneous thing and extra special to me since my son was 9 and is aging out of wanting anything to do with those character meets.

...you don’t say?

And that cuts two different ways:
Those that won’t take it from “that guy(s)”...and those that were told not to by the same

I think it just comes down to people’s perception of the seriousness of the virus. If I truly believed it was the same as the flu or not a big deal for young healthy people I’d be more hesitant about a vaccine. You can’t spend months telling people it’s no big deal and then say but make sure you get a vaccine. Many people have a hard time changing their mind.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I have multiple pictures with characters from 2019 at DLR. At one point Donald Duck was walking down by the train station and my son wanted to get a picture with him and my wife’s phone wouldn’t open so while they waited Donald and my son played rock, paper scissors. It was a really fun, totally spontaneous thing and extra special to me since my son was 9 and is aging out of wanting anything to do with those character meets.

Had a similar experience. Donald played Simon says with mine for 15 minutes in 2016. And since it was Halloween...he was in the pumpkin costume (one of my all time favorite get ups for a character)

 

[techgeek]

Classic marketing psychology. Studies show that signs in parks saying "Penalty for dropping litter is $X", are less effective in reducing litter than signs saying "This place is beautiful because people don't drop litter".

Or, there’s the third option: replace the sign with a trash can. Make it easy for people to do the right thing in the first place.

I believe Walt preferred that one.

 

[Calmdownnow]

Or, there’s the third option: replace the sign with a trash can.

Funnily enough, in the studies, the presence of the trash can was observed to play a part in the positive response to the positive messaging. The "bad boys and girls" who would ignore the threat of a penalty, also ignored the presence of the trash can, whilst the more positive exhortation lead to more people using the trash can.

 

[DisneyCane]

But you already have “self-justified” everything.

That isn't justification, it's a decision.

2 weeks ago a friend of mine, with no pre existing conditions checked into the hospital because his cough wouldn't go away. It was determined he had Covid. 2 days later he was in the ICU.

Yesterday he died.
He was 27

Anytime people say it only effects old people and those with health issues... this is why that nonsense makes me angry. No one knows how or why yet, but everyone's reaction is different. I had another who just came out of the hospital He was lucky - sort of. He was in a coma in an ICU unit for 120 days, and has a long recovery ahead of him. and his hospital bill was $2 million. And counting. Also he was healthy, and older (47)

And finally, the actual hard data report is out.

https://drive.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=[URL]https://www.fda.gov/media/144245/download

[/URL]

Sorry for the loss of your friend. Nobody says it never effects young people only that it is far more likely to effect the elderly. I have posted before they my friend's daughter who was healthy and in her 30s died from the flu in early 2019. These types of rare but fatal cased are not exclusive to COVID.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I'm not going to go point by point because it is pointless since you and I are at far opposite ends of the opinion spectrum. You don't get to decide what "living life" means to me. To me, things like WDW are important to actually living my life. Staying alive and only doing essential activities is not living.

I realize the number is very large, but even if every single person in the US was infected (which isn't possible because herd immunity would happen at some point), somewhere around 0.2% of the population would die from it and maybe another 0.2% would die because they wouldn't be able to get needed medical care in the short term while this happened which would be over the course of 2-3 months. While 0.4% of 330+ million people is a lot, even doing absolutely nothing, well over 99% of the population would be "protected."

You contradict yourself when you say that all COVID deaths are preventable but that you aren't talking about total lockdowns. If you don't have total lockdowns, there will still be plenty of deaths and therefore not nearly all of them are preventable.

To me, and even others that disagree with me on a lot of this topic, "essential activities only" and "lockdowns" are not very different from each other. The former may not require me to stay locked in my home but it is still locking down my life.

Realistically, my life span is another 40 years or so (I'm 45) and who knows how many of those years will be "good years" where I am physically and mentally capable of doing the things I enjoy like going to WDW or dining out. I am not willing to waste a good percentage of the rest of my life by voluntarily not doing things I enjoy "for the greater good." Even waiting for vaccine distribution is still several months best case. 6 months is over 1% of my remaining likely "good" life span.

I don't have an issue doing them with social distancing protocols and will even wear a face covering to do them but what you suggest I will not do voluntarily.

Wait..you’re 45?!?

I thought with all the unsubstantiated opinion/bravado you were either 27 or 87?? (All due respect to the 87 year old)

Enjoy those justified vacations...but don’t leave Florida and it’s genius in figuring this whole overblown thing out...it could be dangerous. Don’t waste time...40 years will be over in a snap.

 

[DisneyCane]

It’s up to 63% now with the most recent poll.

On political affiliation 75% of Democrats, 50% of Republicans and 61% of independents polled said they would take the vaccine. I think that’s a clear reflection of the months on end of Covid denial from Trump and his crew. Even though he has supported the vaccine all along his constant attempts to downplay the seriousness of the virus leads to a lot of peope saying they won’t take an unproven vaccine for a virus that is not so bad. The opposite approach happened for the other side who talk more about how bad it is. I think the Republican number goes up if Governors in Red states actively advocate the vaccine is needed. The economy is depending on this.

Interesting statistic: 53% of non-white adults say they will take the vaccine which is higher than the percent of Republicans overall. I too thought that the biggest group that needed to be convinced would be inner city minorities who generally have less trust of the government. It’s possible there’s some overlap and some of the no’s are non-white Republicans so they are in both groups.

Willingness to Get COVID-19 Vaccine Ticks Up to 63% in U.S.

Americans' willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccination has rebounded from 50% in September to 58% in October and 63% in November.

news.gallup.com

I think the are two issues. You have the hippie anti-vaxxer people for one. Then you have conspiracy kooks who think there are tracking nanobots in the vaccine. Both are a problem.

I think proof of vaccination to do desirable things required by businesses, not government, will help get those numbers up.

 

[DisneyCane]

Wait..you’re 45?!?

I thought with all the unsubstantiated opinion/bravado you were either 27 or 87?? (All due respect to the 87 year old)

Enjoy those justified vacations...but don’t leave Florida and it’s genius in figuring this whole overblown thing out...it could be dangerous. Don’t waste time...40 years will be over in a snap.

40 years will go quickly, unfortunately. Heck, I was still 44 when this thing started.

If I didn't leave Florida I wouldn't have to fly. On the in-law visit, I'll be in a far more dangerous place based on per capita infection rates correctly despite a brilliant governor who knows the right way to manage COVID.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

40 years will go quickly, unfortunately. Heck, I was still 44 when this thing started.

If I didn't leave Florida I wouldn't have to fly. On the in-law visit, I'll be in a far more dangerous place based on per capita infection rates correctly despite a brilliant governor who knows the right way to manage COVID.

...well i know you’re not going to Mt. Rushmore

 

[DisneyCane]

...well i know you’re not going to Mt. Rushmore

Correct. I was near there back in May. I'm sure you can tell by my comment that I'm not going to a State with a Republican governor. Oddly enough, all three trips I have planned are to blue states that have way higher per capita infection rates than Florida right now.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Hospitalizations per capita

Deaths per capita

Number of cases...

 

[MisterPenguin]

Florida...

 

[techgeek]

On the nighttime entertainment, I don’t know how we could possibly know how many people wouldn’t go without it. I think it’s fair to say that Disney knows they sell a boat load of merchandise and snacks to people waiting for the Main Street night activity.

For exhibit A, I would like to quote from another thread:

6:30pm tonight at MK's hub. People watching the castle's projections.
View attachment 517859
View attachment 517861
The rest of the park didn't feel as crowded.

Apparently, all Disney really needs to do to assure a nighttime crowd is run relatively static projections that change every couple of minutes and a few cheap pyro bursts.

If they can pack the hub with this (when they shouldn’t be packing the hub, but I digress), what business reason do guests give them to bring back the nightly expensive 18 minute pyro blockbuster?

 

[Chi84]

For exhibit A, I would like to quote from another thread:



Apparently, all Disney really needs to do to assure a nighttime crowd is run relatively static projections that change every couple of minutes and a few cheap pyro bursts.

If they can pack the hub with this (when they shouldn’t be packing the hub, but I digress), what business reason do guests give them to bring back the nightly expensive 18 minute pyro blockbuster?

People may expect more when the pandemic is over? Disney was never in the business of providing the least impressive experience possible.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Correct. I was near there back in May. I'm sure you can tell by my comment that I'm not going to a State with a Republican governor. Oddly enough, all three trips I have planned are to blue states that have way higher per capita infection rates than Florida right now.

...then you shouldn’t go.

By the way...what’s a “blue state”??

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

People may expect more when the pandemic is over? Disney was never in the business of providing the least impressive experience possible.

...Bob Dylan wrote a song about this...

(I think Comcast Owns it now)

 

[oceanbreeze77]

Lets just all pause and say a prayer for our healthcare workers. If praying isn't your thing, send positive thoughts. We are entering the unknown. Thanksgiving wave has arrived to an already decimated healthcare system.