Cruise and Theme Park Operational Updates due to Coronavirus

[runningstitch]

Is this a new crash-page character? Flashbacks....pink crashtle...park pass reservation nightmare...oh nooo
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On that note, does anyone know which site has the Thunder Mountain wait page graphic? I keep looking for a screenshot online, but no luck.

 

[AmishGuy91]

This reduced hours is not fair to people who already paid for tickets expecting the normal hours. Hopefully there is some type of compensation.

By that same logic, WDW could have raised prices on tickets when they expanded hours of DHS before Covid. Can you imagine the outcry if they had done that?

 

[anthony2k7]

Moving along...

Don’t we have park hours to complain about or something?

So whats the impact on CMs for this? Most lost an hour a day I guess, so 5 hours a week? Basic pay is what $13 an hour? So $65 a week, $281 a month before tax etc.

Did I get the math right? If so ouch...

 

[gottalovepluto]

Honestly, what would you expect Disney to do? Even with all they’ve cut, they’re just losing less with the parks than they did with the parks closed and probably not a whole lot less. They’re not in a position to start cutting prices. They would likely close the parks down again at that point. If you get a refund for what you spent if you decide not to go, what else are they obligated to do?

And we’ve come full circle on the fair discussion! For the hundredth time lol. It was faster this time but the What Do You Want From Disney? They Did What They Are OBLIGATED To!!! crowd is in the house!

To actually answer your question- I am not spoon feeding the plethora of things Disney should do differently. We’ve already hashed and rehashed how the parks businesses could be better run right now in this very thread.

 

[skeeter31]

So whats the impact on CMs for this? Most lost an hour a day I guess, so 5 hours a week? Basic pay is what $13 an hour? So $65 a week, $281 a month before tax etc.

Did I get the math right? If so ouch...

I’m guessing it’s more like entire shifts will get cut, not an hour here and there. They can now get away with 2 PT shifts for an entire day at a park rather than having to use 3 PT shifts. But I’m thinking losing a shift or 2 a week is still preferable to getting laid off, which could still happen.

 

[gottalovepluto]

By that same logic, WDW could have raised prices on tickets when they expanded hours of DHS before Covid. Can you imagine the outcry if they had done that?

Dude... The prices Disney could get when this done under that logic? People are paying the base price now, every time they bring something else back 10% hike. Goal: 40% hike by Oct 2021...

 

[FrankieWinthrop]

Unpopular opinion, one fantastic thing to come out of this pandemic would be majorly scaling back on special events. They have become way too frequent IMO and I still wonder if not for COVID would we have seen a full shift to basic daytime tickets and evening tickets not too far in the future.

I’m with this person! Let’s cut down on the extras once things start to get back to normal and give regular guests a little extra magic. As an out of state AP, who could get in the park anytime, it wasn’t worth $400+ for my family of 4 to have 5 extra hours (7pm-midnight) in the park for a party just to see the parade and FW. I also hated having to juggle a set of parents without APs to decide if a less crowded MK party day or a crowded non-party one with fireworks was a better use of their ticket.

Everyone fussing about the hours needs to remember we regularly got kicked out of MK at 6pm from August-January.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Starting September 8, park hours will be cut at all four Walt Disney World parks.
The new reduced park hours are as follows, with park hours at EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom reduced by two hours in the evenings:

• Magic Kingdom: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Previously 9:00 am to 7:00 pm)
• EPCOT: 11:00 am to 7:00 pm (Previously 11:00 am to 9:00 pm)
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 10:00 am to 7:00 pm (Previously 10:00 am to 8:00 pm)
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Previously 8:00 am to 6:00 pm)

Hours at Disney Springs remain unchanged, from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm daily.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Well. If they need to move my Gran Destino water view next May...I'll take a Riviera Deluxe Studio preferred view.

Thank you and Good Day.

Your request for a Fort Wilderness cabin has been noted.

Please note golf carts and internal buses will not be available during your stay as we are conducting Magical Improvements.

 

[yulilin3]

I’m guessing it’s more like entire shifts will get cut, not an hour here and there. They can now get away with 2 PT shifts for an entire day at a park rather than having to use 3 PT shifts. But I’m thinking losing a shift or 2 a week is still preferable to getting laid off, which could still happen.

We won't know until first week of September, they've been doing 2 shifts per day since it opened, except for RotR cm that have to get there earlier

 

[everreal15]

Someone on the other site said they called and were told reservations that occur after the new park hours will be cancelled.

Thanks for the info. Guess night as well reschedule them before they just get cancelled.

How has Disney springs been lately with compliance and crowds? A know a couple of weeks ago reports weren’t that great. I’m just wondering if it’s improved and if so I may try to book a couple dinners down there. So far I have mainly been booking dinners in the park restaurants or hotels.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I don't see how this is going to "bring back the customers"....people booking through to early next year are going to see these hours, the prices and say get lost!

I think that they saw there isn't the demand/interest/willingness of enough people to travel try and court them, so rather than add things to try and attract more guests they are reducing expenses and figure the number of people won't drop that much - so decrease revenue but increase profits

But I definitely think for people on the fence this is another tally mark in the "let's cancel" column

 

[New Mouse]

Honestly, what would you expect Disney to do? Even with all they’ve cut, they’re just losing less with the parks than they did with the parks closed and probably not a whole lot less. They’re not in a position to start cutting prices. They would likely close the parks down again at that point. If you get a refund for what you spent if you decide not to go, what else are they obligated to do?

Obligated? Nothing... if they were smart? Have enough good will to show you they care in hopes that you come back when you can.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Why? We all ready get less for our money.

 

[New Mouse]

Disney says it’s the quarantines keeping people away according to rumors so I expect them to keep cutting.

Personally I think it’s the lack of offerings but what the heck do I know compared to those geniuses paid the big bucks?

Its a combo. Travel is down period, thats correct, but they have scared away so many people who were willing to come due to their actions.

Disney is a company built around "if we cant make 300% profit, its not worth it". That true % is actually much higher than most other companies. I truly think the only reason they are even open right now is to save face on the pr front bc of universal and seaworld.

 

[JM23457]

Why? We all ready get less for our money.

Why? Probably because they're hemorrhaging money and want to reduce their losses.

 

[Eric Smith]

Dude... The prices Disney could get when this done under that logic? People are paying the base price now, every time they bring something else back 10% hike. Goal: 40% hike by Oct 2021...

Or, you know, the prices won’t increase when they add hours and bring things back because they’ll also be expanding park capacity back up to full again.....

 

[Eric Smith]

Obligated? Nothing... if they were smart? Have enough good will to show you they care in hopes that you come back when you can.

What does that mean? They’re having to adjust to an external force that is out of their control. Would you expect them to drop prices if they had to cut hours during the day due to a hurricane? What if storms shut down the outdoor rides for a few hours, is that grounds for a discount?

 

[Eric Smith]

Its a combo. Travel is down period, thats correct, but they have scared away so many people who were willing to come due to their actions.

Disney is a company built around "if we cant make 300% profit, its not worth it". That true % is actually much higher than most other companies. I truly think the only reason they are even open right now is to save face on the pr front bc of universal and seaworld.

I think the case count in Florida did the lions share of scaring people away. That’s what did it for us, not anything Disney did.

 

[Hettie]

Disney probably did research to determine how many hours guests were actually spending at each park and how much time it took them to ride an average number of rides. I was at WDW last week and will be going again at the end of September and except at MK, I don't think the reduced hours are going to affect my ability to do all that I am able to do. With so much entertainment and stores closed at Epcot, HS and AK, I think most people who arrive at the parks at opening will find they can do all the things that are open within the reduced hours. So, I'm considering the shaved off hours being hours that I didn't need or wouldn't have productively used. The thing that should be of greater concern is the number of things that aren't available. That's the thing that is making tickets less valuable.

For the way we tour, I fear that 8 hours in the park is going to make us feel rushed. That’s probably weird since we don’t even do every attraction and spend a ton of time just moseying around, but last year we easily spent a full day- 8 am EMH until past 10 pm in Epcot. I don’t even know how we filled all of that time, only had one TS meal and waited 30 min for Soarin’. Everything else was FP or minimal wait. We looked in a couple of shops, watched the concert, visited some F&G booths... But my point is, an 8 hour park day doesn’t “feel” like it will leave much time for the proverbial rose-smelling, which is my favorite aspect of Epcot.