Should Disney World Stay Closed?
With rising case numbers in Florida, many readers have been increasingly vocal that it’s too soon for the Walt Disney World theme parks to reopen. In this post, we’ll look at whether opening should be postponed, with the potential pros & cons, plus ramifications of the parks staying closed for now.
As you’re undoubtedly aware, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are set to reopen on July 11, followed by Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15. These reopening dates were set over one month ago, at a time when Florida’s new daily case numbers were at a fraction of their current levels.
This upward trend has prompted one local union and many guests to urge Walt Disney World to remain closed, worrying that the major tourist destination will only exacerbate Florida’s woes. With Disneyland delaying its planned reopening, more have suggested Walt Disney World should follow suit. So…should Walt Disney World stay closed for now?
We’ll be blunt and up-front: we truly do not know. We’re humble enough to admit that, and would likewise suggest the same is true for you. The problems facing Disney and Florida leaders are complex ones, with no easy answers.
Rather than presuming to have the requisite knowledge (we absolutely do not) to address every component of this convoluted issue, we’ll cover a few and analyze those, while clearly acknowledging that there is much more we simply do not know.
Obviously, new daily cases have risen. The Florida Department of Health reported 8,942 new cases last Friday, followed by 9,585 new cases on Saturday. These numbers shattered the previous daily high of 5,508 infections made earlier in the week. This week, numbers have been trending in the right direction, with 6,093 new cases being this week’s high.
Closer to home, Central Florida now has 25,727 cases, up 1,440 from a day earlier. Orange County’s latest heat map shows fewer cases along the tourist corridor (which includes Universal Orlando), with far more in the downtown Orlando area. Nevertheless, we won’t sugarcoat it–that’s still an alarming number of new cases. It’s also exponentially more than when Walt Disney World made the decision to reopen. This alone is sufficient basis for many to believe Walt Disney World is reopening too soon.
However, Florida’s weekly reported deaths have been under 300 for seven weeks in a row. From the week ending April 19 to the week ending May 10, reported deaths were 300 or over.
Moreover, even though over 80% of general and ICU beds are in use at hospitals in Orange and Seminole counties, local health officials say that they are not concerned, as elective surgeries and unrelated emergency procedures have increased in recent weeks. They further state that Central Florida hospitals continue to have enough capacity to handle any potential surges.
There remain a lot of unknowns about what activities are less and more likely to be conducive to spread. As we covered in our recent Best Outdoor Dining at Walt Disney World post, it’s safer to dine al fresco as being outdoors dramatically lowers the risk of transmission. That’s corroborated by this study where only two cases out of 7,000-plus could be traced to outdoor activity.
Public health authorities have identified bars as the locus of outbreaks in a number of states, including in Florida. These have been shown to be super-spreader scenarios for a variety of reasons, and we’re hopeful that Florida’s decision to close all bars after an explosion of cases and widespread non-compliance will further reduce new numbers. As that move was made only a week ago, we really won’t know its effectiveness for another week due to the incubation period.
Research also shows that contaminated surfaces and fleeting encounters are low-risk, whereas sustained person-to-person interactions, crowded events, and poorly ventilated areas are higher risk. This bodes well for constantly-moving and properly-spaced queues (even indoor ones), but not so much for indoor stage shows.
There’s also the reality that Universal Orlando and other Central Florida theme and amusement parks have been open for roughly one month, and we’ve yet to see any outbreaks traced to these parks. In fact, aside from a few isolated cases with connections to (but not causal ones) theme parks, nothing has been traced to them, period. This is despite Florida health officials documenting community spread in the state beginning last December.
This should not be construed as conclusive proof that theme parks are “safe” places to visit right now. To the contrary, the expert consensus is that there are aspects of the theme park experience that are inherently higher-risk for visitors. More importantly, the parks being operational puts thousands of Cast Members who are in regular and direct contact with guests at risk.
The hope is that the enhanced safety standards, health protocol, and operational changes are sufficient to mitigate those risks. However, there are still simply too many unknowns about the efficacy of such measures. Studies and research continue, and our collective knowledge is evolving.
We won’t rehash all of the health and safety measures here as this is already going to be a long post, aside from one: face masks. The science is clear on masks, and they have proven effective in combating spread elsewhere around the globe. (From a purely economic perspective, even Goldman Sachs supports a nationwide mask mandate, asserting that it could substitute for another lockdown and save the economy from a 5% GDP hit.)
Both Japan and Hong Kong have been incredible success stories of the pandemic, despite neither having a coherent government response (both were arguably failures on a governmental level). Even with their denser populations, ubiquitous mass transit, and relatively lax restrictions, both have seen far fewer cases and hospitalizations than other nations. The crucial difference is that both Hong Kong and Japan adopted near-universal masking without any government mandate.
This is relevant because, unlike elsewhere in Florida, Walt Disney World and Universal have face mask policies that are being actively enforced. To be sure, compliance is not 100%, but it’s much better than anywhere else in the Orlando area. We’ve been to both Disney Springs and CityWalk a few times, plus our recent resort stay, and have felt safest at those locations.
Our local Publix has been so bad that we won’t even go back there, as it’s the wild west as compared to compliance at Disney and Universal. With that said, there’s an obvious distinction: grocery stores are an essential necessity, whereas theme parks and other entertainment complexes are not.
However, one of the most compelling reasons for reopening Walt Disney World is its instrumental role in Central Florida’s tourism-dependent economy. We hesitate to even broach this, as there has been a lot of cringe-worthy sentiment about ‘sacrificing grandma for the economy.’ This has caused unnecessary polarization and partisanship, which has done a disservice to the larger conversation.
The reality is that what America faces is a multifaceted problem that is now as much about housing and food insecurity as it is about the pandemic itself. Too much of the surrounding conversation has been myopic and reductionist, completely devoid of nuance, and attempting to offer a simple solution to a complex problem. This can be acutely illustrated by what’s already happening in Central Florida.
Florida’s broken unemployment system has made national headlines, with countless stories of system crashes, denial errors, and non-payments. Officially, more than 771,000 claims have been rejected and over 175,000 claims have yet to be verified, with unemployment in the Orlando area jumping to 22.6%, which is the worst in the state and far above the national average.
Every Floridian undoubtedly knows someone impacted (if they haven’t been affected themselves), and there have been harrowing reports on the local and national news. Before continuing any further, we’d strongly recommend reading ‘We Live From the Tourists’ in the New York Times and Orlando Sentinel’s latest on Florida unemployment. These tell vivid stories of the heart-wrenching human toll. In short, for many Cast Members, Walt Disney World reopening is “essential.”
To be abundantly clear: people should not be forced to choose between their financial and bodily health. There are numerous systemic problems on local, state, and federal levels that need to be fixed. However, as a practical reality, there is no waving a magic wand at this point and solving all of those. We have to play the cards we’re dealt, not the ones we wish we had.
There is little denying that America has failed this moment on multiple levels, including individual ones. While we desperately wish many aspects of this had and would still play out differently, we are realists. Our wishes are not viable realities that can instantaneously be ‘snapped’ into existence. Given that Florida’s unemployment system has not been fixed after four months, there is no reason to believe it’s going to be fixed at this point.
The longer the closure stretches on, the worse the economic fallout. Permanent layoffs have already begun throughout the Central Florida tourism sector. Last week, Universal Orlando laid off a number of employees across various departments. One Disney Springs restaurant operator announced it’s permanently laying off 143 workers. Cirque du Soleil has filed for bankruptcy protection and laid off 95% of its workforce.
While there have been no reports that Walt Disney World has begun its own layoffs, it’s naive to think the same won’t occur there. During the Great Recession, Disney laid off around 1,900 Parks & Resorts employees in a single round. During the previous dot-com bubble burst, Walt Disney World laid off 1,200 to 1,400 employees.
Moreover, Walt Disney World’s actions or inactions reverberate through Central Florida. A wide swath of area businesses are critically dependent upon the tourism Disney drives. Restaurants, hotels, smaller attractions, and more all directly rely on spillover business from Walt Disney World. Myriad others in Mousetown are indirectly tied to Disney.
Walt Disney World is a behemoth in Florida, and many industries rise and fall with Disney. There’s a simple reason all other area business leaders on the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force were so emphatic about Walt Disney World reopening–their futures depend upon it.
Experts widely believe that Central Florida’s tourism industry will take years to fully recover, meaning that these are the opening salvos of widespread layoffs that are inevitable throughout the region. The extent of the industry-wide layoffs depends upon how quickly theme park operators can bounce back and convince the general public it’s safe to plan trips.
Walt Disney World reopening in July isn’t an effort to salvage the summer–it’s about the fall and holiday season. Save for DVC members, Annual Passholders, and diehard fans with existing trips, what’s left of the summer is already a lost cause. No matter when the parks reopen, it’s going to take several months to ramp up operations and even start to return to a semblance of normal and attract tourists back. The greater the delay, the deeper and longer-lasting the wounds.
Ultimately, even this just paints a partial picture. There are no doubt countless other factors and variables, both for and against reopening. And to be abundantly clear, we truly don’t know where we come down on this question. It’s tempting to offer simple solutions to complicated problems, but we’d again caution against that. Frankly, I’m quite thankful to not be one of the Disney or local leaders tasked with the unenviable decisions in front of them. It’s a veritable buffet of least-bad choices. Even equipped with better knowledge, there’s no way of knowing today what unintended consequences will result from any decision.
Finally, we’ll reiterate what we said at the end of “Our Surreal Stay at Walt Disney World” post. While a lot of this likely reads as being pro-reopening, we still would err on the side of not traveling to Florida for vacation right now. (To that point, we are not traveling anywhere.) Even with risk mitigation efforts in the parks & resorts, the fact remains that cases are spiking. Flying to Florida and taking a weeklong Walt Disney World vacation right now is not no-risk or even low-risk. We’d also be incredibly apprehensive about planning a trip for the fall. If you’re an out of state tourist, you can play it safe and take a wait and see view to see how things play out. Such a tentative approach is arguably not as practical for Walt Disney World’s decision-makers when considering the long-term and holistic health of Central Florida.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think–is it too early to reopen, the appropriate time, or do you likewise not feel comfortable offering a definitive answer? Are there additional major factors we’ve failed to consider? Agree or disagree with our assessment? We anticipate this being a controversial topic, but please keep the comments civil. A variety of viewpoints are welcomed here, and comments will not be deleted for their perspective alone. However, we will not tolerate insults, arguing, conspiracy theories, or politically-charged comments. Don’t ruin a 95% fine comment with an unnecessary cheap shot—that 5% will get it deleted. Additionally, please do not incessantly harp on the same point across multiple comments. Respectfully share your opinion and move along.
I think they should re-open. Our family has reservations for early August and plan to go as scheduled. We are comfortable with the plans for protection that Disney has put in place- especially if mask wearing is enforced. I plan to be diligent in wearing a mask, washing my hands, using hand sanitizer, etc. I even plan to take small alcohol wipes to wipe down rails on rides if it seems necessary. Sadly, until there is a vaccine, the infection rates will ebb and flow. My personal thought is that the current rise is due to the stubborn refusal of so many people- apparently young adults- to wear masks and stay socially distanced. The re-opening of the economy was not a green light to return to normalcy, but people took it that one and went hog wild. It is a yellow light to return cautiously- part of that caution is to wear a mask and practice social distancing, along with many other measures.
We are going the end of August and like you have plans in place to keep us safe. We are taking the plastic disposable food handlers gloves and will be putting them on while in line for a ride and then after the ride is over and you’re down the ramp we will pull them off inside out and toss them in the trash. Then will use sanitizer until we find a sink with soap and water and immediately wash hands because that is the best way to keep safe. Then will be off to the next attraction.
At most it should open in limited fashion to Florida residents only. We don’t need reasons for people to be criss-crossing the country getting infected then spreading it.
Employees need to sign waivers about the risk of being exposed, and health risks.
Disney should remain closed. Florida is currently a hot spot and opening would increase those from other states to come to Florida, possibly pick up the virus and then bring it home. We have a cluster locally in Westchester county NY after someone visited Florida, did not quarantine and went to graduation, infecting numerous others. They should halt all travel to other states or we are just going to continue doing this for a long long time.
As an interesting aside, I received an email survey from Disney World today for my “back up plan“ trip in February that I just booked 2 nights ago. I did not receive any surveys about my planned trip for December 1-8. Wonder if that’s at all relevant to newly raised questions the company has about who is making new bookings right now, and what is motivating them to do so.
As H.L. Mencken said, “For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong.”
Here in Nevada, we actually had the virus under control. Our hospitalizations were less than 4/day and our positive test rate was under 5%. Our unemployment, on the other hand was 28.1%, higher than anywhere else in the country. So we opened the casinos, and let people from CA, AZ and UT in, even though we had much lower positive test and hospitalization rates. We didn’t have a mask policy in place until last Thursday. Now we have positive test rates over 15%, dramatically increased hospitalizations and our unemployment rate is still over 20%. We were one of the first states to shut down, but we didn’t learn anything so now we’re going to be broke AND sick. I have a vacation planned for the end of September to visit Disney and see my mom and I’m not sure which place will be in worse shape by then. If it is still worse in Florida, I probably won’t go.
Saying things like “we shouldn’t be living in fear” and “everything will be fine” is why most states that had relatively few cases a month ago are seeing surges now. I live in the northeast, and a few months ago we were where Florida is now. I promise that everything won’t be fine if serious precautions aren’t taken. I completely understand that people want to get on with their lives (I do, too!), but we’re not there yet. Rushing into reopening will only make this last longer.
Also, no one seems to think that they or their family will be affected when they talk about low death rates. It might be a small chance now, but how would you feel if one of your family members passed away when it could have been prevented? Everyone who has died from Covid-19 has been someone’s family, and they’ll never know if their family member might have survived if their community had taken the virus more seriously. Is that really a risk you want to take for a vacation?
Intellect and reason have no place on the internet, Lauren. 😀
Only a thought but if the parks need to open to support the local economy and workers, then its should be a soft opening and only allowing visitors from the surrounding areas. I don’t think visiting the Parks will be the issue with all the measures put in place, but the problem is attracting out of state visitors who will not just be visiting the parks 24/7, as a percentage will be in local hotels, eating at non Disney restaurants, and shopping whilst mixing with people in an area that already has a high transfer rate of the virus. We are big supporters of Disney and love our holidays but decided our health comes first and will be staying away until the levels have drop dramitically
I think the problem is that it would be more expensive for Disney to open the parks only to local visitors than to keep them closed altogether. A good number (if certainly not the majority) of local visitors have already paid for APs and locals tend to spend less money overall when they visit than non-locals. Disney is probably also relying on the money from out-of-state guests staying on property as well (I could be very wrong on this depending on the occupancy they are anticipating/allowing).
The safe thing would be to stay closed. COVID is rampant now. I would hate to hear Disney in the news as a hot spot. Too many chances on people’s health to risk it. I miss my happy place more than I ever imagined, but the risk out weights the sadness!
Totally agree – I would desperately love to go to Disney World right now. But it should stay closed while Florida is in such a bad (and likely to continue getting worse) place.
With what they’re doing now, it won’t really be a worry. Most of these numbers could just be due to more being tested. Many have already probably got this and didn’t know it. If you got tested later, the anti-body is still inside causing a positive. Plus, if you’re flying in and going straight to the resort, you’re bypassing any crowded areas. Heck, if they were charging according to what is available instead of full price, I might have considered it.
I’m sympathetic to both sides. I personally won’t be visiting anytime soon (I live out of state), but that doesn’t quite get me to “Disney SHOULDN’T reopen.” Disney can do what they want, as no one is forcing anyone to visit WDW. If you don’t feel comfortable going (which I do not) then simply don’t go.
The people I worry the most for are the cast members, as they have less choice (and a more difficult one). I’m sure for a lot of them there is both a strong desire to get back to work so they can pay their bills AND a strong fear of potentially getting sick or spreading the virus to their families and loved ones.
If I did have a magic wand I would wave it so that any cast member who is uncomfortable returning to work wouldn’t have to while still having a job waiting for them when they are comfortable to go back. I know that probably won’t happen (whenever they reopen, as Tom points out layoffs are almost certainly in the company’s future) but I sure wish it could.
Jared,
Yes we have to think about the cast members do they risk their health?
I know they need work but this will pass if we all do the right thing for the right amount of time. This time!
God Bless You stay safe!
I agree that this method would maybe balance the need to start having people go back to work as well as generate revenue as well as keeping the impact localized. It’s a very tough situation unfortunately.
It’s horrible that Disney has not STOPPED the countdown clock on our APs and left it stopped until operations return to normal. We now have several friends who are COVID-positive, and ALL are going through hell. This isn’t “like a cold” for any of them; all are suffering like serious pneumonia. No theme park visit is worth the extra exposure to this monster, so we’re staying home. STOP THE AP COUNTDOWN CLOCK, DISNEY, until this thing is under control and parks can safely operate WITHOUT all the dire restrictions.
@Jay D , I am so sorry your friends have covid and will be saying a prayer for their recovery – I hope they recover completely and feel better soon as possible. I have heard the effects of this disease and it is horrifying to me. I had to run to the ER at the beginning of this pandemic for non covid issues and the person in another room was being moved for suspected covid and the sounds were horrible. I felt so bad for that patient and a bit scared because I wanted to stay safe yet needing to figure out what I was dealing with. I have put off doctor visits because I don’t want to go in for a suspected something and come out with the plague, which I feel can be exactly how it affects many. I hope your AP situation is addressed by Disney. I wrote an email to Bob Iger about a different issue and did get a response that was a bit customized to me more so than normal communications so maybe if they get enough emails from folks like yourself, they will listen and adjust – at least I hope so. Please stay safe and wishing you the best. 🙂
I don’t doubt Disney will do a much better job of mitigating Covid 19 than our governments have. However, it is located in a hotspot and the real problem is what happens outside of Disney. Most people are more worried about getting there than being there. I think Disney should close and pressure Florida government to take significant action to lower the risk. Florida infection rate is out of control. I would like to see numbers that allow for effective testing and tracing. Until then, I don’t think it will be worth it for Disney to open.
Disney will open, or not, as they and the governing bodies to which they are subject see fit.
We can go to Disney, or not, as we see fit.
End of discussion.
Delete the blog Tom!
Jack has spoken!
Yeah, but for the millions with enough sense to stay home, we AP holders are being punished financially by Disney, who won’t stop the countdown clock on our Annual Passes.
I am sure the Disney lawyers will decide. If I were in charge I would keep WDW closed.
It’s a decision on personal risk but WHY would anyone take their family (1) on an airplane where there is no social distancing in spite of airlines claims about ‘safety.’ Airlines do not give a crap about their customers but THAT is another topic all on its own (2) The pandemic is on the upswing in Florida, Will it somehow ignore WDW? That’s a laugh (3) Even Disney cast members are careless in their personal lives and not doing the right thing and observing the safety practices.
I WOULD NOT GO.
Good read. This is certainly a complex question. When thinking about this on my own, I’ve been biased towards one of the points you highlighted “…Universal Orlando and other Central Florida theme and amusement parks have been open for roughly one month, and we’ve yet to see any outbreaks traced to these parks.”
Maybe/hopefully the steps the parks are taking to mitigate the spread of the virus will be effective, and when coupled with the reduced crowds the parks will end up being lower (not low, just lower) risk than they might seem upon first glance.
Here’s hoping things go well…
I don’t think there is much contact tracing being done in Florida so it would be very difficult to assess how many people are infected at theme parks. My niece (with no symptoms but tested before routine surgery) tested positive and absolutely no one asked or checked her contacts. (In Florida). Her family was not even told to quarantine. This is not Disney’s problem, but says a lot about the state of Covid 19 in Florida.
100% they should stay closed. If they open up as cases continue to rise at record numbers on a daily basis in Florida and as hospital ICU’s are being overwhelmed, it would be a totally irresponsible thing for them to do. It shows no respect for their guests lives or their cast members lives.
I have been told by someone that works there that the cast members in Hollywood Studios are being trained to “smile with your eyes” and do not pick your mask up to take a drink.
Seriously??
Seriously? 100 degree heat and you can’t lift your mask to drink water? And how do you “smile with your eyes?”
If they go through with this opening I will have lost all respect for Disney and they truly show that they are just another multibillion dollar company that prioritizes money over the lives of their employees and guest.
Screw them!
the CDC says you’ve got a 0.26% chance of dying from covid. You’re saying you support people losing their jobs, life savings and mental health because of a 0.26% chance of dying? You have a better chance of dyong on the way tk the airport than dying from covid.
Kinsey tell that to the 130000 who have died already and the thousands who are about to die. It’s about who values life vs the dollar.
The cool thing with disney is its 100% voluntary to not go. If you’re not comfortable, don’t go. I’LL SAY IT LOUDER IF YOU’RE DEAF, DONT GO. If cast members truly feel their life is at risk then they need to advocate for themselves, i would hardly leave it up to a dude and his keyboard.
Also you know every other theme park in Orlando is open. I hope the hate you spew is extended to universal/Busch gardens/Legoland. Have there been cases linked back to them?
Keeping businesses closed will only perpetuate the loss of jobs. But hey complete and total collapse of our economy is totally worth it if people don’t have to wear masks!
People who die from COVID-19 basically die of suffocation. The people who make it through being on a ventilator almost always have permanent lung damage. This is deadly serious saying I’m tired of dealing with it doesn’t erase the problem.
@Mickey – I have to value a dollar, I need to feed my family and keep a roof over my head. Do you think the government is going to keep handing out money forever? Or perhaps you’re independently wealthy, in which case you can pay everyone mortgage, because pretty soon the world is going to be in a heap of trouble with lots of bills and no money to pay them with.
I’ve had two people I know commit suicide now because they couldnt pay their bills, they were facing bankruptcy with no hope in sight. But perhaps their lives aren’t important because they didnt have covid? I mean, we are talking money over lives, right? Death bad, but not not covid death, amirite?
We shouldn’t be living in fear. The death rate is so low in Florida. I am confident that Disney World could do anything to protect employees and guests by providing masks, hand sanitizer, face shields for the cast members etc. also most important is that Disney is reducing to 50% capacity to reduce the crowd so that is best place to start with. Everything will be just fine. Stop worrying!
absolutely right. Tom has noted that deaths are decreasing. We have yet to cure death, although we’ve gotten pretty good at preventing living by closing everything and robbing people of their livelihoods the very thing they do to provide food and shelter for their families.
Let’s stop pretending this is the plague. The CDC puts the chance of dying from this at .26%. Most people have a greater chance of dying in a car accident on the way to Disney than from any virus.
Did you know more people have died from cardiovascular disease in 2020 than have died from Covid? But we havent shut down McDonald’s. In fact, we’ve all gotten fatter with the gyms closed, sitting on our butts at home, playing video games and collecting free government money.
Agreed. We cannot all stay home indefinitely. My guess is that a large proportion of people who support keeping businesses closed and sheltering at home are retired and not affected financially by this whole thing…
Hi Elizabeth,
It’s not about living in fear, it’s about living with knowledge and civic mindedness. It’s me caring about you and your family as much as I love my own. The countries who live that way are doing well.
This won’t be over until there is a vaccine, but we can absolutely soften the blow if we’re civic minded.
I really like that statement from Kinsley- “People are dying from cardiovascular disease but they’re not closing McDonalds!” That’s simply awesome. Mickey D’s is the only place in Florida BIGGER than Mickey Mouse!
Be safe everyone and mix in some kale with that Big Mac!
@Mickey – hate to tell you, but we’re all about to die one day. We can’t cure death, but we sure stopped living. I hate living in fear, it isn’t a way to live. That is actual psychological disorders called hypochondria and paranoia, and Im going to live until my time is up, whether that’s today or 40 years from now.
WDW should stay closed until Corona virus cases have significantly reduced
the common cold is a coronavirus. We should stay home until the common cold is cured, is what you’re saying?
When has the common cold killed 130000 in 12 weeks?
People don’t die from the common cold, Jan.
People do actually die from complications arising from the common cold. There are higher risk categories (very young/old, smokers, those with pre-existing lung conditions). While Covid-19 is running rampant and is very dangerous it’s not the only virus that kills – its figuring out how to handle the unknown and protect life (which has many definitions right now) that is so very difficult.
Best to delay the reopening till at least September
They absolutely need to reopen as planned. If people think it’s too dangerous, then they should stay home. Let people have the choice of going or staying home. We can’t ALL hide under a rock, waiting for this virus to magically disappear. I will wash my hands often and wear a mask as they’ve required. Pretty sure I’ve been exposed to worse in my 16 years of nursing.
Exactly! I already made reservations to go there on July 15! I would be pissed off if Disney world opening will be postponed. Delaying Disney world re-opening would be major blow for the guests who already booked the trip to Disney world for this July. It need to be fair
I feel it must b up to individuals if they so choose. to go to disney. I, personally would not go . If Disney opens and sees it is not working out, they might close. They should limit number of people in park so they can distance themselves as well. This is a tough decision for any employer to make.
What about being fair to cast members they DO NOT want to put their lives at risk and if Disney reopens and they choose not to go back for their safety they loose their unemployment. People need to think about others and not just themselves this virus is killing people.
@Ch- Cast Members do not need to go back to qork of they dont want to. Nobody is forcing them to work.
I’ve lost my job and I would 1000% go to work in their place. Somehow I need to pay my mortagage and feed my family. I would love to have a job right now instead of wondering where our next meal is coming from.
@Ch
My understanding is that those CMs who don’t feel comfortable returning to work are allowed to remain furloughed (which entitles them to collect unemployment and maintain their health insurance). For those deciding to come back to work, its probably because they feel they have no other financial option. I don’t think Disney opening is to blame for those CMs decisions since if Disney remained closed a lot of them would have likely sought out employment elsewhere which would probably expose them to as much risk as working at Disney.
following
I’m leaning towards NO for now. If there’s a break through with a vaccine this year then open up later on. I know everyone won’t do the vaccine; so, this is not the perfect answer. If cases get more under control then take another look.
It’s such a reduced experience right now that it’s just not worth it financially. Also, I can’t believe it will be that enjoyable with all the restrictions involved.
If Disney World opens and the worse of the worse happens then it may mean disaster to Disney. How will they recover then?
I have been following a good friend’s drama of her family’s dream spring break trip being cancelled in April and then delayed to a trip at the end of this month and all of the stress that has been part of their struggles to keep the dream alive – including wondering if their trip would get cancelled again, getting up to register for tickets at 5:00 a.m. last Sunday, and still not knowing if all their efforts and hopes will be in vain. I hope they will get to go, and I hope the reopening will be a success – I really think if everyone works together to comply with safety measures it is possible. But honestly, I don’t know how wise it is to be flying from Utah, (where our cases are spiking, but no where near as bad as Florida), spending time around so many people from all over, and then coming home, hopefully heathy, but potentially bringing something back. It’s a tough question and I appreciate your reasonable analysis from all angles, Tom. This is a complicated issue. I personally will probably keep my distance from my good friends for a couple weeks after their travels and adventure. I hope it will be a wonderful trip worth all their efforts. And I hope the reopening is a success, mostly for all the employees and people in desperate need of income.