On Tuesday, the Walt Disney Company held their Q2 Earnings call with its Share Holders. As per usual, the call was made available to the public, allowing anyone to listen in. The current state of the company, specifically its theme parks, has been on the mind of everyone- shareholders and the general public, alike.
It was during this call where Disney’s CEO, Bob Chapek, announced Shanghai Disneyland will open on May 11th. Chapek added, “We are seeing encouraging signs of a gradual return to some semblance of normalcy in China.” When it came time to discuss Disneyland and Walt Disney World, the little news we got was vague and rarely answered any specific questions we may have had. Chapek said it was “too early to predict” when its domestic parks would begin the process of reopening. And trust me, it will be a process.
As the call was taking place, Disney’s CMO- Pamela Hyel, posted an open letter on the Disney Parks blog, outlining the company’s approach to reopening its parks, providing some hints as to what guests can expect when they visit Disneyland or Walt Disney World in the future. Part of what Hymel said in her open letter, echoed what Bob Chapek was saying during the Q2 call. Chapek indicated the food and beverage area in Shanghai had already open as part 1 of the phased reopening, and Hymel acknowledged the likelihood of a similarly phased reopening for Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Millions of people are just wanting the parks to reopen, I know because I’m one of them. But we must be patient and allow Disney the time to make sure they’ve exhausted every resource and can open with confidence that the parks are safe for their cast members and guests. It’s also important to keep in mind that when they do reopen, the parks will be operate in an entirely different way. So what can guests expect?
Crowd Control
During the Q2 call, Chapek noted that Shanghai Disneyland will impose “limits on attendance using an advanced reservation and entry system.” The Chinese government has limited how many people can enter the park to 30% of its normal operating capacity, Chapek said. The park’s normal capacity is 80,000 people a day; 30% of that is 24,000.
However, Disney will most likely re-open at less than 30% capacity in Shanghai. According to Disney’s CEO is to open up below that 30% capacity. Chapek said, “We’re going to actually open up far below that just to have our training wheels on with our new procedures and processes to make sure we don’t have any lines backing up either as guests entering into the park or as they wade through the park.”
A reservation system has been discussed for Disney’s domestic parks, but several people have raised questions as to how that would work for Annual Passholders. Both Disneyland and Walt Disney World have a large base of annual passholders, and part of being a passholder means you can essentially visit the parks anytime you want. After all, that’s what you’re paying for. What’s going to happen when an Annual Passholder shows up to the Magic Kingdom and they can’t get in? They’ll immediately take their issue to guest services and argue the fact that they’re paying (top dollar, none the less) for a pass to go anytime they want. Will Disney offer its passholders a guaranteed spot in the park? Highly unlikely, but you never know.
Pack Your Face Mask
Shanghai Disneyland is implementing government-required health and prevention protocols, which Chapek said include “the use of masks, temperature screenings and other contact tracing and early detection systems.”Cast Members will also have to wear face masks. The only exception, as per Chapek, will be characters in full character costume. So no, Mickey Mouse won’t be wearing a face mask under that costume.
Characters will also be practicing social distancing. This means the park’s new-normal could be a park with no meet and greets or character dining experiences. Again, these are characters like princesses who typically don’t have their faces covered by their costumes.
Disney’s Chief Medical Officer stated in her open letter that Disney will follow guidance from the government and the medical community, especially in terms of enhanced screening procedures and prevention measures.
The lines will still be there- but you won’t physically be waiting in a line
Anyone who has waited in a line at any given Disney park, at any given attraction, knows that social distancing in nearly impossible. Let alone the fact that children have no idea what personal space or social distancing is, so that’s a whole other obstacle in itself. Heck, there’s been times where you would’ve thought my children were with the family in front of us because my kids would literally be standing next to their kids.
Disney’s CMO wrote in her post, “We’re also exploring ways to use technology to aid us in these efforts, like with our Play Disney Parks App and through virtual queues at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.”
No stranger to virtual ques, Disney recently implemented the service for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance when it opened in December at Walt Disney World. In theory, it works. But we’ve only ever used it for one attraction. In my experience using it, I obtained a spot in the virtual queue for Rise of the Resistance at 7:00 am. My time to come back to the attraction was for 2:00 pm. Which is fine if it’s for one ride and you plan the rest of your day around that, but how will multiple rides work? Will Disney parks be a bunch of people just hanging out at their resort or on the hub grass, waiting for their time to be called?
Realistically, if virtual queues are the future of riding attractions in any Disney park, guests will be looking at 3-5 rides per day- if that. Also, how will virtual queues work for park-hopper passes? Will guests be able to join virtual queues in multiple parks per day?
Attraction experiences won’t be the same
Pirates of the Caribbean, “it’s a small world,” Jungle Cruise, what do all these attractions (and so many others) have in common? You step onto these attractions with multiple groups of people. Not exactly the definition of social distancing.
Theoretically, Disney ould easily board fewer people at a time and use a staggered seating approach. However, this will reduce the capacity of people who can ride at a time. Which equals longer wait times. If longer wait times ensure our safety and prevent another COVID-19 breakout, then I’m all about it. Most guests will be. However, guests will have to approach their Disney vacation knowing the wait times will be longer and they won’t have the opportunity to experience as many attractions as they’re used to.
Disney mentioned having their Cast Members wipe down each seat on the attraction, in between groups. Again, all for it, but you can’t ignore the fact that this will also contribute to longer wait times.
Some attractions, such as the Haunted Mansion or the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, require large groups to gather before the attraction begins. Most likely, that won’t happen anymore. Once the doors to the Haunted Mansion open, guests will likely bypass the foyer and stretching room, to go directly to their doom buggy. Actually, this new guideline could actually make the line move faster on these types of attractions.
Muppet Vision 3D? Toy Story Midway Mania? Mickey’s Philarmagic (which, by the way, should really be called, “Donald’s Philarmagic.” But I’ll save that debate for another day)? What’s to come of the rides that require the use of 3-D glasses? Will, they not open at all? If that’s the case, Imagineers need to get to work right now and figure out what they’ll do to fill the void of Midway Mania being closed. It’s one of the three rides in Toy Story Land, which almost always has a huge wait-time. More importantly, what will happen to the stand-by line for Slinky Dog Dash if Midway Mania remained closed? Is it possible to have a 250 minute wait time for one attraction? Because on a good day, Slinky Dog is minimum of 90-120 minutes. That’s with Midway Mania open and with their usual wait time of 60-90 minutes.
A potential resolution to the 3-D attraction issue could be issuing every guest a pair of their own 3-D glasses, like they do Magic Bands. Seems simple enough, but in reality that’s just “another thing,” people will have to pack and remember. From a personal, Disney Mom, standpoint, it’s just another thing I have to be responsible for. I’m sure I’ll have time to remember my family’s 3-D glasses when I take a break from making sure my 5 and 6 year old, who insist on wearing their Magic Bands, (which is basically the equivalent of taping a bunch of $100 bills on their tiny little wrists) keep their bands on and not flushed down a Disney restroom toilet.
Disney is no stranger to discounts
Let’s assume that even when Disney opens their parks, it won’t be a free for all. If you think back to an America post-9/11, travelers didn’t just hop back on airplanes or go to public places in the weeks or months after, as if the largest terrorist attack on American soil didn’t just happen. So it’s safe to assume that when people resume their lives and try to establish a new normal, they won’t be ignoring the fact that a global pandemic just happened.
In 2008 when Americans were in the midst of a recession, Disney Parks put several promotions in place that would bring up their attendance. That’s what the company did in the wake of the 2008 recession. Where this becomes a double edge sword is that a promotion like this will certainly drive up attendance and make people want to come- but it will also directly impact Disney’s bottom line. As of right now, per the Q2 call, Disney reported a loss of $1 Billion. Are they in a position to even offer discounts like the ones we saw in 2008, at this time?
The problem Disney will see in 2020, and perhaps 2021, with running a discount similar to the one mentioned above is that back in 2008, they weren’t limiting the number of people going into the parks and staying at their resorts. They wanted everyone to come to Disney because there was a place for everyone. How would that work now with Disney Parks reopening, putting most (if not, all) their eggs in the crowd control basket?
One thing’s for certain, Disney Parks will be different, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I feel like I’ve spent the last two years complaining about crowds, even at extra-ticketed events like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween, and now I’m getting what I wished for (by the way, be careful what you wish for). Limited crowds could be a great thing. Getting back to the basics could be a great thing. If all of this equals less mental preparation and actual planning in the months leading up to our dream Disney vacation, I am certainly on board with that.
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