OC Register - Disneyland and Universal Studios ask Newsom not to finalize theme park reopening plans just yet

[el_super]

*puts on tinfoil hat*

I'm calling BS on Disney. If Disneyland and the amusement park associations so sure that the government has it wrong then be transparent and show Californians which sections of the proposed guidelines they disagree with. I dare them. My guess is that the new rules aren't as unreasonable as their performative public statements claim they are.

*removes tinfoil hat*

Probably. Disney got preferential treatment when it came to creating guidelines, and then complained about them every step of the way. They made a fuss that having them released was of paramount importance, and then begged the governor not to release them when he called their bluff.

Disney is not an innocent victim here.

 

[Mac Tonight]

Welp, there it is, the logic prevails...

It's actually been Disney this whole time that doesn't want to open up their theme parks in CA!!

I can't believe we missed it!

 

[TP2000]

*puts on tinfoil hat*

I'm calling BS on Disney. If Disneyland and the amusement park associations so sure that the government has it wrong then be transparent and show Californians which sections of the proposed guidelines they disagree with. I dare them. My guess is that the new rules aren't as unreasonable as their performative public statements claim they are.

*removes tinfoil hat*

I don't think you need a tinfoil hat for that question. I'd love to know that too!

What was it about the guidelines they got to see last Thursday that caused them to freak out? Was it a ban on allowing customers from more than 100 miles away? Was it an extremely low capacity requirement like 10% to 15%? Was it a mandate that a park can't open until its county gets to the nearly impossible Yellow Tier? Maybe customers had to prove they live in a county that was Orange Tier or lower, thus excluding the 10 million people that live in LA County that will be in the Purple Tier for quite awhile?

It wouldn't surprise me at all if a week from now we still have no guidelines, that the theme park industry group goes public with their criticism of the specific guidelines. I'd love to know what they are so worried about.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Probably. Disney got preferential treatment when it came to creating guidelines, and then complained about them every step of the way. They made a fuss that having them released was of paramount importance, and then begged the governor not to release them when he called their bluff.

Disney is not an innocent victim here.

Your forgetting the preferential treatment at the start of restrictions when amusement parks were exempt and now the resumption of complaining that guidelines have not been released right after begging for them not to be released.

 

[TP2000]

Your forgetting the preferential treatment at the start of restrictions when amusement parks were exempt and now the resumption of complaining that guidelines have not been released right after begging for them not to be released.

They finally got to see the final draft of the guidelines last Thursday morning, and it completely freaked them out. By that afternoon the industry trade group released a media statement saying the guidelines were unworkable for their industry and they needed to have further discussions with Sacramento bureaucrats before they were released. They clearly needed looser guidelines, or major changes made.

What was it about the guidelines that freaked them out so badly? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[planodisney]

*puts on tinfoil hat*

I'm calling BS on Disney. If Disneyland and the amusement park associations so sure that the government has it wrong then be transparent and show Californians which sections of the proposed guidelines they disagree with. I dare them. My guess is that the new rules aren't as unreasonable as their performative public statements claim they are.

*removes tinfoil hat*

No reason for tinfoil hat Dr. Hans. Your opinion is always respected. I think Disney is perpetually up to their eyeballs in B.S.
In this whole argument, I’m just not understanding the continued theory being used by the “keep theme parks closed because it’s to dangerous and we don’t know what would happen crowd,” when we have an absolute perfect trial run that we can base our facts off of in WDW and USO. It has worked and Disney has proven they can manage the situation.
Is the argument that employees in California are just dumber than the employees in Florida and couldn’t follow the protocols?
What’s the argument?

 

[el_super]

They finally got to see the final draft of the guidelines last Thursday morning, and it completely freaked them out.

So? Every other business, industry and sector in thos state had to abide by the state guidelines, whether they disagreed with them or not. Why should Disney get preferential treatment and get to negotiate the definition of safety?

 

[TP2000]

So? Every other business, industry and sector in thos state had to abide by the state guidelines, whether they disagreed with them or not. Why should Disney get preferential treatment and get to negotiate the definition of safety?

That's exactly my concern. I know for a fact (and mentioned it here a month ago, the lady who owns a half dozen salons in San Diego County) that the nail salon industry in California was getting absolutely no information and no cooperation from Sacramento for months. They had to push and plead for the ability to reopen even as Governor Newsom claimed very oddly that the first Covid case in California came from a nail salon. It finally worked, and nail salons were given a process by which they could reopen.

So what's the sticking point for the theme parks? We all know what the guidelines are for many components of a theme parks' operation; dining, shopping, transportation, live theater, museums, movie theaters, etc.

What was it about those guidelines they got to see last Thursday that made it seem more restrictive and unworkable than the already established guidelines for individual components of theme park operation; restaurants, malls, trains, movie theaters, zoos, museums, etc.?

 

[lazyboy97o]

No reason for tinfoil hat Dr. Hans. Your opinion is always respected. I think Disney is perpetually up to their eyeballs in B.S.
In this whole argument, I’m just not understanding the continued theory being used by the “keep theme parks closed because it’s to dangerous and we don’t know what would happen crowd,” when we have an absolute perfect trial run that we can base our facts off of in WDW and USO. It has worked and Disney has proven they can manage the situation.
Is the argument that employees in California are just dumber than the employees in Florida and couldn’t follow the protocols?
What’s the argument?

Florida is not definitive proof of anything. Despite claims by the county there has not been capacity for any meaningful surveillance. No evidence does not equal proof. There are also very different local populations. Despite being open people are not going to Florida.

 

[TP2000]

Florida is not definitive proof of anything. Despite claims by the county there has not been capacity for any meaningful surveillance. No evidence does not equal proof. There are also very different local populations. Despite being open people are not going to Florida.

What about Disneyland Paris as a comparison? They've reopened in Paris, even though the deaths per 100,000 French citizens is higher than California's death rate.

 

[Darkbeer1]

What California’s theme park draft guidelines could mean for Disneyland

Initial draft guidelines from the state reportedly call for reopening individual California theme parks at 25% capacity once their county reaches the least-restrictive ‘minimal’ risk le…

www.ocregister.com

 

[Tamandua]

When did this become the Walt-Right message board?

Look at all these people who care about jobs and the economy... What a bunch of right wing extremists!

 

[Darkbeer1]

From District 6 Anaheim Councilmember Trevor O'Neil's Facebook page.

>>“Responsibly reopening amusement parks and fighting this pandemic do not need to be mutually exclusive... Tens of thousands of amusement park workers and their families, businesses surrounding amusement parks and desperate local governments are counting on the state to do both.”

Governor Newsom's actions have cost thousands of Orange County jobs and strained cities' budgets that count on tourism tax revenue.

California theme parks were ready to reopen in July, and then labor unions made a plea to the Governor and everything came to a grinding halt. There is no question in my mind that Newsom's continued posturing is absolutely a political power play over conservative Orange County.<<

 

[Tamandua]

From District 6 Anaheim Councilmember Trevor O'Neil's Facebook page.

>>“Responsibly reopening amusement parks and fighting this pandemic do not need to be mutually exclusive... Tens of thousands of amusement park workers and their families, businesses surrounding amusement parks and desperate local governments are counting on the state to do both.”

Governor Newsom's actions have cost thousands of Orange County jobs and strained cities' budgets that count on tourism tax revenue.

California theme parks were ready to reopen in July, and then labor unions made a plea to the Governor and everything came to a grinding halt. There is no question in my mind that Newsom's continued posturing is absolutely a political power play over conservative Orange County.<<

I'll know Disney is serious when all their social acounts start linking to the recall petition. Until then, they're holding back.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

From District 6 Anaheim Councilmember Trevor O'Neil's Facebook page.

>>“Responsibly reopening amusement parks and fighting this pandemic do not need to be mutually exclusive... Tens of thousands of amusement park workers and their families, businesses surrounding amusement parks and desperate local governments are counting on the state to do both.”

Governor Newsom's actions have cost thousands of Orange County jobs and strained cities' budgets that count on tourism tax revenue.

California theme parks were ready to reopen in July, and then labor unions made a plea to the Governor and everything came to a grinding halt. There is no question in my mind that Newsom's continued posturing is absolutely a political power play over conservative Orange County.<<

Facebook. Ugh.

Remember when a couple of guests were killed over a relatively short period of time in the late 90s/early 2000s due to the park's negligence, prompting the state to issue stricter regulations on theme parks? Disneyland was opposed. Since then I have not been able fully trust that Disneyland will consistently do the right thing for the public or its workers.

 

[el_super]

California theme parks were ready to reopen in July, and then labor unions made a plea to the Governor and everything came to a grinding halt. There is no question in my mind that Newsom's continued posturing is absolutely a political power play over conservative Orange County.<<

Political nonsense. These people citing a concerns for the workers and employees just come across as so shallow. The employees have already spoken: they asked the governor to keep the park closed.

Newsom has nothing to gain politically by keeping Disneyland closed, unless you admit that a majority of voters support the decision.

Democracy at work.

 

[Mac Tonight]

Facebook. Ugh.

Remember when a couple of guests were killed over a relatively short period of time in the late 90s/early 2000s due to the park's negligence, prompting the state to issue stricter regulations on theme parks? Disneyland was opposed. Since then I have not been able fully trust that Disneyland will consistently do the right thing for the public or its workers.

I guess it’s a good job no one is forcing you to be a Disneyland fan or ever set foot in their dangerous parks anymore.

 

[Tamandua]

Facebook. Ugh.

Remember when a couple of guests were killed over a relatively short period of time in the late 90s/early 2000s due to the park's negligence, prompting the state to issue stricter regulations on theme parks? Disneyland was opposed. Since then I have not been able fully trust that Disneyland will consistently do the right thing for the public or its workers.

If that's your attitude, why would you ever go to a Disney park, and why spend your time here?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Facebook. Ugh.

Remember when a couple of guests were killed over a relatively short period of time in the late 90s/early 2000s due to the park's negligence, prompting the state to issue stricter regulations on theme parks? Disneyland was opposed. Since then I have not been able fully trust that Disneyland will consistently do the right thing for the public or its workers.

IF I am remembering correctly, one of the issues with Equity performers at Walt Disney World has been backstage space. Proper space for distancing shouldn’t have to be a demand.

 

[TP2000]

What California’s theme park draft guidelines could mean for Disneyland

Initial draft guidelines from the state reportedly call for reopening individual California theme parks at 25% capacity once their county reaches the least-restrictive ‘minimal’ risk le…

www.ocregister.com

"Initial draft guidelines from the state reportedly call for reopening individual California theme parks at 25% capacity once their county reaches the least-restrictive 'minimal' risk level and limiting attendance to residents who live within 120 miles of each park."​

Ah ha! There they are! And I can see why they were so shocking and unacceptable to the theme parks, especially the big ones like Disneyland and Universal Studios. It appears that of the various scenarios we were guessing at, the two big roadblocks are;

• Theme Park can't reopen until the county it's in reaches the Yellow Tier.
• Theme Park can't allow anyone in who lives more than 120 miles away.

So only Southern Californians can get into Disneyland. Santa Barbara is 121 miles away, so it's out, but folks in Montecito could get in. Bakersfield is 137 miles from Disneyland, so they're out for Disneyland but could get in to Universal Studios. San Diegans could get in to Disneyland and Knott's, but not Universal Studios. Palm Springs gets in to all SoCal parks except Six Flags. Etc., etc.

Then there's the whole mythical Yellow Tier status, that no county with more humans than coyotes will ever be able to reach. At least not in 2021. Maybe by 2022?

But getting Orange County down to the Yellow Tier most definitely can't happen in 2020. So Disneyland is closed until sometime in '21, meaning it's entirely possible the Disneyland closure would extend past March, 2021 and stretch into a second year.

No wonder the theme park industry group freaked out, and no wonder Disney's senior executives have been so publicly dismissive of Governor Newsom's plans and committees thus far. No wonder Bob Iger quit Newsom's worthless business roundtable group. This is basically Sacramento telling California theme parks to stay closed for a full year, then reopen at only 25% capacity and only let in the locals.

What an absolute nightmare. It's almost as if Sacramento doesn't want theme parks in California any more. Why?