Do you think that Disney world will reclose its gates due to the rising number of COVID cases in Florida and around the country?

Parker in NYC

Well-Known Member
Being in MA, I'm really afraid opening the schools back up is going to knock us back to the beginning. We've got things pretty well under control up here for now.

I don't see how that'll happen in the city. Transportation, alone. But I can't wrap my head around school reopenings at all.

MLB is a different beast. Again they were doomed to fail. It's early but NBA is having success in their bubble. If DIsney wasn't going to stop their opening 3-4 weeks ago, certainly no reason to shut down now as numbers are slightly better than they were then....unless Disney just wants to shut down because their losses are more open than closed.

Mickey Mouse could contract COVID and they'd stay open.
 

Tha Realest

Well-Known Member
I'm saying it feels like that day in March where everything came crashing down. MLB, NBA, NHL, Disney all shutting down.

Can Disney recover if they have to shut down again for a lengthy and extended period of time*? One could argue they are over-leveraged towards businesses that require and need a steady stream of in-person experiences that have been particularly devastated by public health restrictions and distancing efforts. Parks and resorts are obvious, but so too is retail (Disney Stores), movie theater business* (film releases), cruises, and televised sports (no live sports, it cuts off the spigot to ABC/ESPN). I seem to recall that they were taking a loss on Disney+ for a number of years with the expectation it would make up for it down the road. Put simply, I'm not sure how much of their cash they can sit on to keep the lights on for long, especially given the fixed costs and maintenance (ride maintenance, basic landscaping, property taxes) with little to no revenue coming in.

*What if we're talking no resumption to normal public activities until Spring 2021?

**Yes, I know they have Disney+, but do those subscriptions and DVD/B-D sales offset the massive box office they're missing out on?
 

havoc315

Well-Known Member
Can Disney recover if they have to shut down again for a lengthy and extended period of time*?

One would need to know their internal financial numbers, but would a shut down really be any worse financially for them?
If they were "ordered" to shut down, would it really hurt their business any more than their current situation?

They are still paying most of their typical operating costs -- but for much much much lower crowds. One has to wonder how profitable the parks could be right now, with such tight limits on capacity.

Contrary to some, I don't believe WDW is open out of any sense of "greed." In might even be more profitable to keep most of WDW closed for a bit longer. They are open because there were internal and external pressures to open (ranging from political pressure from the state to pressure from DVC owners who wanted to use their points). But in terms or pure dollars and cents, I don't know if the current operations are any better than staying shut down.
 

AmishGuy91

Well-Known Member
One would need to know their internal financial numbers, but would a shut down really be any worse financially for them?
If they were "ordered" to shut down, would it really hurt their business any more than their current situation?

They are still paying most of their typical operating costs -- but for much much much lower crowds. One has to wonder how profitable the parks could be right now, with such tight limits on capacity.

Contrary to some, I don't believe WDW is open out of any sense of "greed." In might even be more profitable to keep most of WDW closed for a bit longer. They are open because there were internal and external pressures to open (ranging from political pressure from the state to pressure from DVC owners who wanted to use their points). But in terms or pure dollars and cents, I don't know if the current operations are any better than staying shut down.

Not to mention a vast majority of the lower crowds are AP, which they make way less on than travelers.
 

Tha Realest

Well-Known Member
One would need to know their internal financial numbers, but would a shut down really be any worse financially for them?
If they were "ordered" to shut down, would it really hurt their business any more than their current situation?

They are still paying most of their typical operating costs -- but for much much much lower crowds. One has to wonder how profitable the parks could be right now, with such tight limits on capacity.

Contrary to some, I don't believe WDW is open out of any sense of "greed." In might even be more profitable to keep most of WDW closed for a bit longer. They are open because there were internal and external pressures to open (ranging from political pressure from the state to pressure from DVC owners who wanted to use their points). But in terms or pure dollars and cents, I don't know if the current operations are any better than staying shut down.
I don't disagree with much of what you say. You could even see a way for why they'd operate at a loss now, with the idea it was 1) to prove and show how safe it is, and 2) to start getting future trips booked and planned (tough for people to do so for future dates when "opening" is indeterminate).
 

ImperfectPixie

Well-Known Member
Funeral homes had commercials running here all of time - prior to Covid. Haven't seen any lately.

But of course, I live in FL. ;)
Funeral homes jumped for a bit in the spring, but haven't been noticeable as of late. The burial at sea one was completely new - neither I nor my husband had ever seen one before.
 

havoc315

Well-Known Member
I don't disagree with much of what you say. You could even see a way for why they'd operate at a loss now, with the idea it was 1) to prove and show how safe it is, and 2) to start getting future trips booked and planned (tough for people to do so for future dates when "opening" is indeterminate).

Correct. I admit I'm purely speculating. But it's a fair assumption that there is some crowd level where they really aren't making a daily profit.
But you're right -- part of being open is just to "get back on track" towards an eventual point of profitability. Plus, staying closed creates other money-losing headaches. You need to refund more APs; you need to come up with some sort of refund for unused DVC points. The longer you stay closed, the greater possibility of needing to eventually replace and retrain staff all at once.

It's a complicated picture.
 

havoc315

Well-Known Member
Another 191 deaths reported in Florida today, a new high.
How many of those deaths could have been avoided with a slower and more measured re-opening?

Couple useful charts:


1595947914756.png


1595947981626.png


Very clearly, we can see the increased correlating with the re-opening. Causation and correlation are not necessarily the same thing -- But causation is extremely likely here.

Rushed re-opening... and we see the effect.

But the tempered good news is that cases appear to be leveling off, even declining over the last week. Some will celebrate and say, "see... we didn't need to shut down!"

But tell that to the families of the 191 victims reported today -- Most of those deaths were likely avoidable.

Why are we seeing cases decline at all, with the state still "open"? Well, fortunately, the state has taken some action, largely on a local level. Bars closed, local mask requirements. And perhaps even bigger -- as things get obviously bad, people are voluntarily more careful. People are less likely to go into a restaurant, they are avoiding crowds, they are voluntarily wearing masks. Not like Disney World is facing overwhelming demand to get through the gates.

But with aggressive action, the current peak could have been avoided, the numbers could have been brought down much faster.

And the biggest part of the equation -- It's way too premature to say, "ok, the numbers have started going down, it's over."
If people become less cautious or restrictions are lifted prematurely, the numbers will start to climb again. If the virus behaves differently in the autumn, the virus may claim again. As the virus moves out of South Florida into other counties and towns that perhaps have been less careful., the virus numbers may increase again. As schools re-open in Florida, they might become a conduit for renewed community transmission.

I certainly hope and pray, for Florida and every other community, that the current numbers go down and that there are no more waves.
But unless we want to see more days of 191 people dying... we really need more than fingers crossed and hopes and prayers.
 

DisneyCane

Well-Known Member
I don't know what is with the reports of poor mask compliance at DHS. I've been here since open and seen one teenage girl pull it down to spray her face with a water fan. Literally haven't seen anyone else noncompliant.
 

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