Should certain groups be given priority to attend the parks?

[Giss Neric]

Just thinking that with restrictions in attendance Disney will have to determine who they allow into their parks and I’m wondering who this community thinks it should be.

You forgot to include those frontliners especially healthcare workers. They need their much needed breaks. Bring their family to Disney for free. Might not be free but at least they should be the ones to go on soft opening.

 

[EngineerMom]

I agree that in an ideal situation everyone has a an equal chance of attending the parks. Disney has lost a lot of money and to possibly drive people away who would be spending the most amount of money at the parks because they couldn’t guarantee entrance would be a very large financial mistake. The financial value to Disney of having someone who is staying at the GF for a week vs someone who is staying off site for a week is significant. I have a feeling that many who would stay at Disney resorts may cancel or not make a Disney vacation if they could not be guaranteed admittance. I know I would.

I agree
We are the folks who typically get up early and are there are rope drop. (yes we stay on property). But if you told me that I would spend all that money to stay on Disney property and I would have to HOPE I could get in.....nope not going.
When it comes to parks meeting capacity they have always had priorities. And if you reduce the number getting in that is what you are talking about priorities for capacity.

If you are talking about these times when people are supposed to try and distance, wear masks, etc. If you say it is first come first serve you are going to make it even MORE crazy first thing in the morning. It will go totally against the idea of spreading out the crowds. A reservation system per day makes more sense.

I think of the same thing if you make more rides like Rise of the Resistance. It makes people push to get there first thing. It actually doesn't spread out crowds. Fast pass can spread out crowds. If you know you can't ride until 3pm you might not go first thing in the morning.

 

[crawale]

I feel the best way for Disney to open and control things is to open the MK and the monorail hotels first. Allow stays of up to 1 week and a minimum of 3 nights. Alternate floors of the hotels each week so that they can be cleaned. Once a room has been occupied during the week, even if only for a 3 night stay, no new guests can use the room. The cost to stay at the most expensive resorts would help drive down demand since any stay would be over $1000. This would also allow a bit of contact tracing since Disney would know the hotel, floor and room of anyone who gets covid-19. If the MK experiment is successful then they move to open Epcot and/or HS using only guests staying on Crescent Lake. As far as discounts, I'd only offer room discounts to APs mainly as a gesture of goodwill. Beyond that I'd use the high cost of the hotels to keep capacity down.

DVC members who have been paying dues throughout might have reservations at these hotels. In theory they have ownership so they should have priority.

 

[Tomi-Rocket]

Option 1.

 

[cat hem]

If you're thinking "let anyone in" the issue becomes people off site who drive up to the parking lot. They pay to park, go to bag check and are told "park's full" so then will Disney have a bunch exiting the park, trying to get parking fee refunded... So now they have to stop people before they park. Nightmare. Or they post at the parking entrance "park's full". Or if they do the reservation system, I'll also bet they'd have to give a nod to on-site/AP/DVC before others.

 

[NelleBelle]

You forgot to include those frontliners especially healthcare workers. They need their much needed breaks. Bring their family to Disney for free. Might not be free but at least they should be the ones to go on soft opening.

I know our family of healthcare workers would NOT want to be there for soft opening. If we are paying the money to stay at WDW, we don’t want to be the “guinea pigs” that help determine how Disney works the kinks out of their system after working through the nightmare of our own healthcare systems working the kinks out of how to treat patients with limited respirators, tests, and PPE. We would like to go when all the rides and parks are open. If Disney wants to show their appreciation for frontline workers, give them an incentive to come with a discount (ha, not holding out for that)!

 

[durangojim]

I know our family of healthcare workers would NOT want to be there for soft opening. If we are paying the money to stay at WDW, we don’t want to be the “guinea pigs” that help determine how Disney works the kinks out of their system after working through the nightmare of our own healthcare systems working the kinks out of how to treat patients with limited respirators, tests, and PPE. We would like to go when all the rides and parks are open. If Disney wants to show their appreciation for frontline workers, give them an incentive to come with a discount (ha, not holding out for that)!

I agree. We have 12 nights reserved now at the GF arriving 7/12 and I don't know if that's lucky or unlucky because I was hoping that they'd have been open for at least a couple of weeks to get the kinks out. I have a feeling I'm going to be cringing a lot if we still go.

 

[NickMaio]

I think it will be a reservation system.....whatever that system is?

 

[ThatMouse]

I know our family of healthcare workers would NOT want to be there for soft opening. If we are paying the money to stay at WDW, we don’t want to be the “guinea pigs” that help determine how Disney works the kinks out of their system after working through the nightmare of our own healthcare systems working the kinks out of how to treat patients with limited respirators, tests, and PPE. We would like to go when all the rides and parks are open. If Disney wants to show their appreciation for frontline workers, give them an incentive to come with a discount (ha, not holding out for that)!

I know ex-healthcare workers who are going on flights and cruises as soon as they can. However, they are wearing N95 masks and hoping that everyone gets tested before getting on the cruise ship. Businesses aren't being pressed to go that far though.

 

[Mousse']

Money. Always has been and always will be. Deluxe on property, followed by DVC, followed by Full AP, lesser AP, etc...

The odd part is there is a population of folks out there with tons of cash stuck in isolation, and a different bunch who used to have cash but now find one person out of a job or a dentist not seeing patients or a small business owner leveraged to the hilt, etc... And then combine that with the soft factors that will mess with the demand curve and population (the chicken littles afraid of leaving the house, the wear-a-mask no way crowd, the rich-retiree 70+ male who really is the one who should be afraid vs the Walmart 30 something mom who can eat Wuhan salad for lunch and not worry). it will really be interesting to see who does show and when. BUT, I’d bet the are at 100% of whatever the adjusted capacity turns out to be.

They’ve already lost billions it has to be money. I‘d also bet if they had all of their MyDisneyExperience big data in order they’d already be working on a way to use Each of our total, individual guest profitability per day values to decide who comes in and who doesn’t. (...Just like the casinos know who their whales are and who to comp...)

PS: Why do you honestly think they keep building more, and more, and more DVC? In 2040 or so when those properties start reverting back to Disney from their current DVC “owners” the ONLY people allowed in the parks will be the people staying on property, and even then cheapest rooms won’t be cheap.

 

[Mousse']

If you're thinking "let anyone in" the issue becomes people off site who drive up to the parking lot. They pay to park, go to bag check and are told "park's full" so then will Disney have a bunch exiting the park, trying to get parking fee refunded... So now they have to stop people before they park. Nightmare. Or they post at the parking entrance "park's full". Or if they do the reservation system, I'll also bet they'd have to give a nod to on-site/AP/DVC before others.

Really good point that leads to another: For those that are “chosen”*, Disney’s internal transport network is necessary and going to be the riskiest part. Monarail, bus, or boat - choose your poison

* Have to say it: “The Claw...”

 

[debg32]

Vacation Club members should be first. You buy into the program for a lot of money and have to pay a monthly fee for upkeep, etc. There aren't many perks any longer for members so this would be a place to start giving back for all the years of the cost of ownership.

 

[larryz]

If Disney wants to show their appreciation for frontline workers, give them an incentive to come with a discount (ha, not holding out for that)!

I expect they might offer a first-responder/licensed medical practitioner discount, at least for a while, similar to the military promotional discount they usually offer. Or, more precisely, I'll be surprised if they don't.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Ok it seems as if AP holders and existing reservations will have first priority to attendance.

 

[Marianm]

Exactly, it should be first come, first served. If you show up at the gate, and there is still room- are they going to say, "Sorry no everyone who is staying on property has gotten out of bed yet, and we have to make sure they have a spot" - I don't think so.

Good point

 

[lorreejean]

I don’t think there’s any guarantee now or has been in the past.

The only guarantee is in the phased closings. Resort guests are not restricted until a Phase 4 closure, which restricts ALL guests from entering. So up until a Phase 4 closure resort guests are guaranteed entrance.