One Year Prediction

[danlb_2000]

question? who says their prices are ridiculous? seriously.

The object of a business is to make money, it's not a charity. Disney should and absolutely has an obligation to charge what the market can bear. Now just because you find the prices ridiculous does not mean everyone else has to march to your tune.

People have been prophesying for decades about how Disney was going to go under because they were expensive.
I'm not staying off site because I love onsite. Period. so I will pay whatever Disney charges and if I can afford it. If I don't stay onsite I stay home.

So no I don't agree with the insinuation that people who stay on sight don't have any "smarts" or "guts" because they choose to make different vacation plans than you.

Our last trip we got a park view room in the Contemporary, worth every penny!

 

[marialexus]

My father is retiring (for a second time) near the end of this year. For years, he's been talking about wanting to go with us on a WDW trip to celebrate and now the time is upon us. We are planning the trip for late January/early February 2022. Once packages were released, I started thinking about the planning and I'm really unsure what I think the parks will look like in a year. It's still a year away and I'm sure some things will be expedited for the 50th, but Chapek is running things. I'm not sure how confident I am he's going to aggressively build the parks experience back up, even if most covid restrictions are no longer necessary by then. I'd like to hear predictions or thoughts from others. What do you think will be back by then? What do you think won't?

I will be interested also in following the reply's and predictions here. My wife and I are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in Jan of 22 and are planning to be there then if the mask restrictions are off and things are somewhat normal. We are both over 70 and will have both of our covid shots completed next week so that is not a problem for now.

 

[Familyof5]

Sounds like a wonderful trip. I'll leave the pandemic predictions to others except....just get your vaccinations.

I can say that January/Early February, weather tends to be unpredictable. Crowds are lower...but, there is a reason. I've had wonderful sunny warm days and days I would have been best just wearing fisherman jacket/pants through the rain. So, at this time of year, I tend to purchase mutli-day tickets for my stay (except arriving and departure days) and book 2 days in every park. If I get a rain day, no problem or I only go for half a day. You'll find that after 4 days the extra days don't cost much more...and kind of like "weather insurance".

BTW....I discovered Gortex running shoes that are breathable, warm, and most importantly, WaterProof. Mine are Saucony with the GTX label, but, I'm sure other brands carry them. Well worth it for comfort in cooler or wet months.

Beyond that if I could make predictions, there is a "bumper crop" of people who postponed their 2020 or 2021 trips...so, my only prediction is that 2022 will be busy. For anyone who owns DVC, some have saved their points and will need to use them in 2022.

 

[Familyof5]

I wear only the Disney XL ones now, as they are the most comfortable I've found. I wear them all day at work without any issue. If it were as uncomfortable as most of the other masks I've tried, I would be right there with you.

Mask wearing. My friend, a Nurse, uses double-sided medical tape all day to keep her mask in place and not fog her glasses. The medical tape is skin-friendly. She takes this (and bandaids) off with a short blast of medium heat from a hair-dryer; seems to warm up the adhesive. Hope this helps.

 

[RussM45]

I'll guess that for fireworks shows, at least Harmonious will be showing every night at EPCOT and available for all, by Fall. I think it is also likely that Fantasmic will be showing at DHS for all, though perhaps not every night, and it is also more likely than not that Happily Ever After will be showing for day ticket holders on some or all non-party nights (with no parties in January-February, perhaps just a few days a week at that time).

 

[Disstevefan1]

This will be a fun thread to revisit in a year to see how people's predictions shake out!

Totally spitballing here, but my pardonably cynical assumptions for February-ish 2022 would be...

• All dining venues will have reopened and be operating nearer to capacity, but the dining plan won't yet be back. The restaurant booking window will have increased from the current 60 days.
• A pay-to-play version of Fastpass will have been announced, if not introduced, as part of the new "Genie" app experience. It will be similar to Disneyland's Maxpass, but I project it will cost five times the price - at DL, it's a bargain at $20 per person per day. Free-with-your-ticket Fastpass will never return.
• "Early Morning Magic" and "After-Hours" (pay-extra, early entry or post-closing) experiences will again be on offer, and seasonal parties will have returned, with limited capacity -- and these will be the only places to see a parade or fireworks until the end of 2022.
• Park passes will still be required, although parkhopping rules will be relaxed (e.g., no time limits, but still subject to capacity limits).
• Daily full housekeeping at hotels will be offered if you pay extra, but will never again be included with your room's rack rate.
• Mask-wearing and distancing rules will still be in place, but some of the plexiglass barriers will be removed and attractions will be operating nearer to full capacity.
• On-property transportation will be operating nearer to full capacity and regular hours, with the Epcot monorail back open.
• The Princess and the Frog makeover of Splash Mountain will shutter the attraction for at least 2 years, and construction on Tron and GoTG will not remotely be finished, but the Star Wars hotel will be.
• Park hours will remain truncated, even during busy times. "Early park entry" will be up and running for onsite guests and those at good neighbor hotels, causing a need for additional construction and revamping of park entrances to handle the congestion that's created by offsite early birds who can't enter until official park opening, and onsite early birds who are trying to get past them to get in.
• Mears will be laughing all the way to the bank as guests opt to pay more for "Magical Express" airport transfers out of habit and/or nostalgia than they'd pay to book private towncar (or possibly even limo) transportation.
• [in my best Kanye voice]: Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion will remain among the most spectacular and well-designed attractions of all time -- of all time!

Excellent bulleted list above, here are my guesses-

I think all the restaurants will be running normally by then, sadly perhaps with the exception of buffets (which I happen to love) I think they will all switch to family style, I like that too, but not as much as buffets.

I think the moment WDW can reinstate the dining plan they will and I think by then it will be back

I think you will need to purchase Fastpass, with some sort of “free but worthless” option.

They have already announced the new extra Magic hour replacement, 30 minutes early entry, everyday, all parks for resort guests. Apparently no more night extra hours. I think they want to keep that time freed up for hard ticket events.

By that time, my guess is resort guests will not require park pass reservations, It’s my guess that only APs will require park pass reservations. The days of “go anytime you wish with no blackouts APs” will be gone, very sad for me as I had the platinum pass for over 13 years.

I am going out on a limb and say, no masks, no distancing and (maybe) greeters with hand sanitizer all over the place like the cruise ships.

All the busses, boats, Skyliner, monorail (both loops) will be running normally.

I agree, Splash will be closed, Guardians, and Tron won’t be done. I don’t think the WDW railroad will be running yet either sadly. But you will have Ratatouille

About DME, Disney may be playing hardball with Mears, and after the fight is over, there will be a “new not so magical express” and who loses, you guessed it, the guest loses, having to pay something for the exact same thing that was free.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Price Increase.

 

[GM7102]

My father is retiring (for a second time) near the end of this year. For years, he's been talking about wanting to go with us on a WDW trip to celebrate and now the time is upon us. We are planning the trip for late January/early February 2022. Once packages were released, I started thinking about the planning and I'm really unsure what I think the parks will look like in a year. It's still a year away and I'm sure some things will be expedited for the 50th, but Chapek is running things. I'm not sure how confident I am he's going to aggressively build the parks experience back up, even if most covid restrictions are no longer necessary by then. I'd like to hear predictions or thoughts from others. What do you think will be back by then? What do you think won't?

Cool trip. I have gone to WDW for retirement, layoffs, new jobs etc. I think Bob Chapek thinks with a retail mindset. He looks ahead as far as quarterly profits, share price, and the next stock dividend. There is a backlog of people wanting to travel. People will go to WDW to walk around a gutted EPCOT and theme parks and nice hotels with very little live entertainment. Chapek will finish only what he has to for the 50th andthen he will ride the wave until the wave starts to die then he will finish Tron and Guardians and might bring back some entertainment. His short term vision won't do significant damage now but the moms and dads 30 years from now who fell in love with WDW as kids won't be there and the CEO of the future will take the heat, but he or she will be lying in a bed made by Bob Chapek. It will be a great trip not because of what Bob does or doesn't do but because of who you are with and having the opportunitiy to make memories while you have each other. Go for it.

 

[sheilafri]

FINALLY!!!! Someone with the smarts and guts to do THIS!
I have NEVER stayed on property, I would LOVE to just ONCE for the experience. BUT I will not pay for a themed hotel just as a place to sleep and shower. If I were younger and had kids(I don't think they would like my 2 dogs swimming in the Little Mermaid pool) I would CONSIDER IT. But being 54, that these feelings have passed.

The ONLY WAY Disney will get the message from guests, that their prices are RIDICULOUS is by guests doing exactly this and when and if you are surveyed, we need to express these thoughts on the surveys. MAYBE they will finally get the message and listen. If they do then they want to make it possible for EVERYONE to enjoy DISNEY, if they choose not to and it becomes increase after increase, we will know this will become a park that only very few can afford, thus beginning its demise, because those that can afford a Disney vacation in the furture(if things increase) will be limited and dwindle out, then Disney closes! OR comes to their senses and makes immediate drastic changes!

**Sorry for the RANT, but I don't want to see this happen!!**

I stayed one night on property in the last 5ish years with usual stays 1-2 times per year of 3-5 nights. I felt less magic when staying on site as it was so crowded, accommodations were dated, food mediocre at best and drinks way overpriced. It was likely worth the one night as my son used the Magical Express to meet us there so there was that savings. But we are usually so happy to escape the bubble at night and head to some serenity at a resort 15-20 minutes drive away.

 

[yensid67]

I know the prices WILL increase, because they can, and they will because they are Disney! For me, staying on property would be NICE, but #1 It's not affordable for me #2 It would be a waste of money for me to pay for the theming and only sleep and shower and spend days in the parks and not at the hotel. I would rather save the money on the hotel room and have extra for spending...either way Disney is still getting my money!

 

[Parker in NYC]

They have already announced the new extra Magic hour replacement, 30 minutes early entry, everyday, all parks for resort guests. Apparently no more night extra hours. I think they want to keep that time freed up for hard ticket events.

Bingo. And people will pay it and Disney knows it. The loyalty/addiction knows no bounds.

 

[angiebelle]

I know the prices WILL increase, because they can, and they will because they are Disney! For me, staying on property would be NICE, but #1 It's not affordable for me #2 It would be a waste of money for me to pay for the theming and only sleep and shower and spend days in the parks and not at the hotel. I would rather save the money on the hotel room and have extra for spending...either way Disney is still getting my money!

We sold our DVC membership a couple of years ago. The annual fees were twice as much as I could pay for a 2 bedroom condo that had nicer furnishings, pools, and restaurant options. Plus, it's right next door to Caribbean Beach, so very close as well. Also got tired of the cutbacks and could basically see the "writing on the wall". We'll take 1 more trip to bring our grandchildren and then we're done. We won't go though until the mask mandate stuff is gone. I do have a friend who's a CM and she told me that the buzz is CMs will have to wear them for a while but the mandate will go away for the guests. She'll let me know when this happens.

 

[dmw]

Since we are all guessing, with no real basis...
My prediction: one year from now... what pandemic? All the arguing and emotions about masks, vaccines, etc. will be in the past. As for Disney, no capacity limits, no unsocial distancing, no masks, no temp checks, no proof of vaccine.
I think that before the end of 2021 Disney park business will be higher than pre-covid and revenue growth will trigger more aggressive work on attractions in progress. GOTG will be open, but Tron will still be under construction. Work on Splash will be on hold, but Jungle Cruise will have been sanitized for the easily offended.
All resorts will be open before the end of 2021. Sometime this fall Genie will roll out with significant changes to how trips are planned and executed. This could include a change in ADR, FP+, on-site guest perks, etc.
Oh, and one thing I do feel confident in predicting: Ticket prices and room prices will go up.

Please, don't try to argue with me or refute any predictions. Just post your own guesses and leave it at that.

 

[NickMaio]

Our last trip we got a park view room in the Contemporary, worth every penny!

Oooooooh, that would be very nice.

 

[NickMaio]

Since we are all guessing, with no real basis...
My prediction: one year from now... what pandemic? All the arguing and emotions about masks, vaccines, etc. will be in the past. As for Disney, no capacity limits, no unsocial distancing, no masks, no temp checks, no proof of vaccine.
I think that before the end of 2021 Disney park business will be higher than pre-covid and revenue growth will trigger more aggressive work on attractions in progress. GOTG will be open, but Tron will still be under construction. Work on Splash will be on hold, but Jungle Cruise will have been sanitized for the easily offended.
All resorts will be open before the end of 2021. Sometime this fall Genie will roll out with significant changes to how trips are planned and executed. This could include a change in ADR, FP+, on-site guest perks, etc.
Oh, and one thing I do feel confident in predicting: Ticket prices and room prices will go up.

Please, don't try to argue with me or refute any predictions. Just post your own guesses and leave it at that.

I think your predictions will come true in 2023.

 

[NickMaio]

Night Magic hours was the only reason we ever stayed on property.
We hope it comes back.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

I wonder if they will ever squish strangers together, shoulder to shoulder, again. Like in the stretching room or the ToT library. Another that comes to mind is the Lion King show. We were there January 2020 and from the time we sat down until show time, the CMs were constantly announcing for everyone to slide down and squish together. Even when we felt we were close enough to the strangers around us, they still wanted us to squish together. At one point, they announced that there was still a line outside and they would not start the show until everyone was inside seated. I wonder how far down the line it will be until people willingly do that again.

 

[bdearl41]

If I had to guess, next year this time we will be at normal park capacity, shows back at maybe 75% capacity, plexiglass down, parades and fireworks back, all dining except buffets back (family style moving forward), Tron and Guardians about to open, fireworks and parades back and no masks. Also prices sky high because demand will be outrageous

 

[mfortis]

This will be a fun thread to revisit in a year to see how people's predictions shake out!

Totally spitballing here, but my pardonably cynical assumptions for February-ish 2022 would be...

• All dining venues will have reopened and be operating nearer to capacity, but the dining plan won't yet be back. The restaurant booking window will have increased from the current 60 days.
• A pay-to-play version of Fastpass will have been announced, if not introduced, as part of the new "Genie" app experience. It will be similar to Disneyland's Maxpass, but I project it will cost five times the price - at DL, it's a bargain at $20 per person per day. Free-with-your-ticket Fastpass will never return.
• "Early Morning Magic" and "After-Hours" (pay-extra, early entry or post-closing) experiences will again be on offer, and seasonal parties will have returned, with limited capacity -- and these will be the only places to see a parade or fireworks until the end of 2022.
• Park passes will still be required, although parkhopping rules will be relaxed (e.g., no time limits, but still subject to capacity limits).
• Daily full housekeeping at hotels will be offered if you pay extra, but will never again be included with your room's rack rate.
• Mask-wearing and distancing rules will still be in place, but some of the plexiglass barriers will be removed and attractions will be operating nearer to full capacity.
• On-property transportation will be operating nearer to full capacity and regular hours, with the Epcot monorail back open.
• The Princess and the Frog makeover of Splash Mountain will shutter the attraction for at least 2 years, and construction on Tron and GoTG will not remotely be finished, but the Star Wars hotel will be.
• Park hours will remain truncated, even during busy times. "Early park entry" will be up and running for onsite guests and those at good neighbor hotels, causing a need for additional construction and revamping of park entrances to handle the congestion that's created by offsite early birds who can't enter until official park opening, and onsite early birds who are trying to get past them to get in.
• Mears will be laughing all the way to the bank as guests opt to pay more for "Magical Express" airport transfers out of habit and/or nostalgia than they'd pay to book private towncar (or possibly even limo) transportation.
• [in my best Kanye voice]: Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion will remain among the most spectacular and well-designed attractions of all time -- of all time!

Just visited the parks. The mask wearing and social distancing has gone to far. The cast members now play the role of police. Probably won’t be going back just due to the mask issue.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I wonder if they will ever squish strangers together, shoulder to shoulder, again. Like in the stretching room or the ToT library. Another that comes to mind is the Lion King show. We were there January 2020 and from the time we sat down until show time, the CMs were constantly announcing for everyone to slide down and squish together. Even when we felt we were close enough to the strangers around us, they still wanted us to squish together. At one point, they announced that there was still a line outside and they would not start the show until everyone was inside seated. I wonder how far down the line it will be until people willingly do that again.

Remember folks packed like sardines on Main Street to see fireworks, where the only opens areas were behind a tree? YES, we will be there again. I am just not sure of when..