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

[TP2000]

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.

I just got back from Trader Joe's. It was bustling with customers and employees. The employees were working shoulder to shoulder with the customers, moving out of the way when I needed to get into the dairy case, handing a lady a box of cereal from the top shelf, etc., etc.

There are things you can do to minimize risk in the workplace, but at some point someone is just going to have to walk past you in the hall or get their sweater out of the locker next to yours. If it's good enough for the employees at Trader Joe's, it should be good enough for the kids playing Cinderella in the park.

But honestly, now that we know the guidelines California is demanding of theme parks, the question is moot. There won't be any theme parks open in California for a long time if these are actually the guidelines.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

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

Can one not admire something and have a point of view that isn't exactly aligned with the thing they admire? By the way I'm not a frequent Disneyland guest - my last trip to a Disney theme park was in 2015. I had planned to visit DLR in March, but Covid said no.

 

[TP2000]

Can one not admire something and have a point of view that isn't exactly aligned with the thing they admire? By the way I'm not a frequent Disneyland guest - my last trip to a Disney theme park was in 2015. I had planned to visit DLR in March, but Covid said no.

I agree with you that Disneyland lost credibility during the horrific visitor deaths of 1998-2003. And they have yet to gain that credibility back; it's going to take at least another decade of flawless operation I think.

(Two dead at Sailing Ship Columbia 1998, one dead at Roger Rabbit 2000, one dead at Big Thunder Mountain 2003)

That said, the guidelines that Sacramento wants for theme parks just seem... impossible. No tourists allowed? 25% capacity only if your county gets to the Yellow Tier? Heck, Hans, you can't even go to Disneyland because you live in Northern California. And I couldn't go to Great America because I live in SoCal. And @Curious Constance can't go to any California park because she lives in Oregon. Not that it matters because the Yellow Tier is nearly impossible to get to anyway.

The entire business model of California's major theme parks just collapsed with those rules.

Why even bother trying to reopen a California theme park? California theme parks might as well just sell their property to apartment developers and focus on their company's other parks in Florida, Japan and the Midwest.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

While some of what’s been proposed is far more aggressive than I'm sure was ideal for Disney and company, the “yellow” tier requirement really strikes as the main “die on the sword” issue here for theme park operators.

Waiting until a county has been in “Orange” tier/status for a minimum 21 days and then allowing the County health department of jurisdiction to have final say to permit/approve the opening (under the states original guidelines for yellow) makes sense as a compromise. Just open the park tickets as a “reservation only validity period” with proof of residency required. Require maxpass as a way to reduce indoor queues.

Then if all goes well, when finally in yellow Disney could argue that they could extend the zip code radius and maybe “grandfather” in some of the out of area annual passes, too.

 

[Mac Tonight]

Can one not admire something and have a point of view that isn't exactly aligned with the thing they admire? By the way I'm not a frequent Disneyland guest - my last trip to a Disney theme park was in 2015. I had planned to visit DLR in March, but Covid said no.

You and I have butt heads in the past, but you have my respect. Hell, I even stopped to take a picture of the Dr. Hans Reinhardt costume at the 2019 D23 expo for you.

For as glib as I’ve been of late, I miss the old days of this forum. After awhile, the endless back and forth Covid talk is just filling empty space and no longer enjoyable. I think our conversations would be much more genial if we were strictly talking about elements within the park itself (except SWL).

 

[TP2000]

While some of what’s been proposed is far more aggressive than I'm sure was ideal for Disney and company, the “yellow” tier requirement really strikes as the main “die on the sword” issue here for theme park operators.

The Yellow Tier thing is likely the worst part of it operationally for them. It's nearly impossible to get to, especially for the three SoCal counties with theme parks that have between 3.2 Million to 10 Million people in each county.

Yellow Tier for Covid is like expecting LA County to only have two car crashes per day and Orange County can only have one car crash per day; it's just never going to happen.

Even then, to use Governor Newsom's favorite word, a county can "toggle" between Tiers very easily. Like this week Modoc County (Population 8,775) is in the Yellow Tier but is now headed back to the Orange Tier next Tuesday because it had a single Covid case reported.

The Yellow Tier requirement would seem to be the worst part of this plan operationally. The requirement that theme parks can't allow in any tourists or out-of-towners is a nightmare from a marketing and PR perspective, but more achievable than waiting for a county of millions of people to reach the Yellow Tier.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

The Yellow Tier requirement would seem to be the worst part of this plan operationally. The requirement that theme parks can't allow in any tourists or out-of-towners is a nightmare from a marketing and PR perspective, but more achievable than waiting for a county of millions of people to reach the Yellow

I concur, though i suspect the zip code limit when combined with a 25% cap could/may be a hidden blessing. Particularly if you consider unlike during normal operations, certain attractions could also remain closed if/where queue space is still too tight/limited to allow for social distancing and/or plexiglass barriers (I.e. most 1950s FL dark rides) or social distancing is simply unsafe/unlikely (e.g. Nemo Subs, Canoes, etc.).

I also think even these “modified” guidelines really only benefit Disneyland proper with its roster of attractions and narrower pathways. Interestingly, even under a more flexible plan like I envision would still in my opinion behoove Knotts (and possibly even DCA) to keep the food events going without rides since they can require up-charge and could allow for greater capacity as “shopping/dinning” experiences under the CA guidelines for restaurants and shopping malls in the Orange/yellow tiers.

Also a competing separate ticketed food/merch event at DCA running concurrent to a DL “advanced reopening” would not need to be bound by the radius requirements, per se.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I wonder if the proposed guidelines included a clause that allowed the park to remain open if Orange County were to go back to Orange or Red after reaching Yellow. I can't imagine the logistics of reopening the park, to have it close a month later cause some cases spiked due to non Disney related happenings.

 

[DavidDL]

Shouldn't Orange County have gone ahead and started in the Orange tier? Ya know, because.. "Orange".. county..? Then when things get better we can rename it Yellow County!

Ugh, I'll show myself out.

 

[TP2000]

I wonder if the proposed guidelines included a clause that allowed the park to remain open if Orange County were to go back to Orange or Red after reaching Yellow. I can't imagine the logistics of reopening the park, to have it close a month later cause some cases spiked due to non Disney related happenings.

Yes, there would have to be some leniency in closing down your theme park when its county of 3 to 10 Million people inevitably "toggles" back to the Orange Tier.

But the question really is moot, because it's practically impossible to get a county of 3 to 10 Million people into the Yellow Tier to begin with. Check back in 2022 on that.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Also think of the Resort Area's impact with the 120 mile rule.

How will that help Anaheim's economy, unemployment and tax revenue?

 

[TP2000]

Also think of the Resort Area's impact with the 120 mile rule.

How will that help Anaheim's economy, unemployment and tax revenue?

It kills it dead. It's over.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Also think of the Resort Area's impact with the 120 mile rule.

How will that help Anaheim's economy, unemployment and tax revenue?

Opening up doesn’t guarantee tourists and can also create negative impressions that will linger.

 

[Gottalovepluto]

Opening up doesn’t guarantee tourists and can also create negative impressions that will linger.

“negative impressions”

Yeah. That’s the big concern here.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

If they opened up with a huge upcharge and lengthy.medical tests to get in, I'm sure they'd do alright. I have absolutely no evidence to support this however.

 

[Gottalovepluto]

Yes, there would have to be some leniency in closing down your theme park when its county of 3 to 10 Million people inevitably "toggles" back to the Orange Tier.

But the question really is moot, because it's practically impossible to get a county of 3 to 10 Million people into the Yellow Tier to begin with. Check back in 2022 on that.

2023. Remember, CA needs to vet the vaccine themselves. (Because the CA Government is made up of science geniuses!)

 

[TP2000]

Opening up doesn’t guarantee tourists and can also create negative impressions that will linger.

Can you expand on that? I'm not quite sure what you mean.

And no, I have not had my evening cocktail yet.

 

[TP2000]

2023. Remember, CA needs to vet the vaccine themselves. (Because the CA Government is made up of science geniuses!)

To get to the Yellow Tier, Orange County can not have more than 32 people per day who simply test positive for Covid. And that was before they added the Racial Equity Metric into the Four Tiers this week.

So it's likely closer to 20 or fewer positive Covid tests per day for Orange County to get to the Yellow Tier.

This would take a long time. Disneyland is closed for 2020 and well into 2021.

 

[TP2000]

Then why oh why did Japan parks manage to survive with such restrictions?

LA County and Orange County alone have 13 MILLION people. That's not even counting portions of San Diego, Riverside, San Bernadino, and Ventura counties that fall within the 120-mile radius. Disneyland can't make a profit off of that?

A single theme park can survive off that for a few months, assuming they go with a 7 or 8 hour operating day for 15,000 customers and lay off at least half of their 30,000 Cast Members they employed when they ran a 16 hour operating day for 65,000 customers.

But all of the local Anaheim hotels and restaurants would not survive. There would be no need to operate the Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier Hotel. You could just have one wing of the Grand Californian open, with 4 hours of a continental breakfast in the lobby instead of the operating restaurants and bars.

But really, the question is moot. Orange County won't get to the Yellow Tier until much later in 2021.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Disneyland is not going to open back up until 2021, The sooner people accept that, the easier it will be on them.