I assume they mean 25% of the normal maximum capacity. If a park can handle 100,000 guests, max, on a given day, then 25% would mean they are capping it at 25,000 guests, etc.
I think both sides need to give a little and for Disney, that may mean being more transparent than they are used to.
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Yes, but then they could increase capacity to 25% of the maximum capacity and still tell the public that capacity is capped at 25%. I don’t know if they’re doing that, but we’ve heard rumors that the capacity at WDW has been increased but Disney is still saying it’s 25%. So … I’m just saying there’s room there to fudge the numbers a little bit. If California is concerned, they could alleviate those concerns by asking for a hard number instead.
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Um. Yes. That’s exactly what I believe they are doing. I’m confused by your confusion, I guess.
Disney has a hard maximum capacity under normal operations. Right now, they are running at a maximum of 25% capacity. Up until recently, they have not been hitting that 25% mark, so the parks were considerably less crowded. At a full 25% capacity (of the maximum capacity), with shortened hours, reduced ride capacity, fewer shows and eateries open, the lines themselves will continue to be quite long, and the pathways crowded.
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I’m not confused. 
I’m just pointing out that numbers can be fudged. If California is concerned, they should specify a hard number, not a percentage. That’s all.
I think the increase in crowdedness is a combination of parks reaching the 25% more often, but also of Disney adding capacity when new shops and attractions are open (I think you were the one that pointed that out to me). So they could have added additional capacity since July without changing the 25%, just by virtue of having more attractions open. By having more capacity, there will be more people at opening, in common areas, etc. and the park will be more prone to crowding when rides unexpectedly go offline.
So I do think there is room for more transparency on Disney’s part on this point, if this is in fact what they are doing.
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You mean to suggest that Disney would change their “maximum capacity” figures so that the 25% capacity is essentially variable?
There are two types of capacity. Total park capacity, and then ride/attraction/shop/eatery capacity. I’m not sure total park capacity is a function of the latter. So, when the overall crowds increase, if Disney increases ride/attraction/etc. capacity, it helps to reduce the overall “crowdedness” of the parks. But the maximum capacity doesn’t change.
If the park capacity were a function of ride capacity, etc., then we shouldn’t really be seeing increases in wait times, because as they allow more people into the parks, ride capacity would be going up proportionately (as part of the that calculation). The fact that the wait times are going up, and the pathways are more crowded suggests that Disney’s adherence to the 25% capacity is based on total park capacity. We haven’t been seeing the parks filling up until recently.
This, I agree with. It isn’t clear to me why Disney thinks reporting their actual numbers is some kind of proprietary information. Obviously, they have the data…what harm is there in reporting it?
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The aspect I’m trying to reconcile here is that there were some days that “sold out” early on, but didn’t seem nearly as crowded.
I don’t know this for sure, but it would make sense to me that Disney would base their 25% of max capacity on what is actually open, not assuming everything in the park was open. If it’s true that their calc was adjusted based on what was open, then the additional crowdedness makes sense. If the cap has always been 25% of park capacity assuming all attractions are open, then why wasn’t the park as crowded on “sold out” days earlier in the summer?
If I were running things, I would definitely adjust capacity based on attractions, not “park space.”
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Perhaps you are right. But then, not very much as opened in terms of adding “capacity” in that sense. Mostly some quick service places. But I saw the opening up of those things a result of increased crowds, not the other way around.
If I’m right, then this would actually make a lot of sense that they are adding capacity for a quick service restaurant (even if it’s a relatively small amount), but those people are only at the restaurant for a few hours a day, making the lines more crowded during non-meal hours.
That makes sense too, though. But maybe it’s a chicken and egg thing.
Which goes back to your point about needing more transparency!
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The regulatory side of me says it is great to get real time information by having an unannounced inspection. But once the inspector shows up unannounced, it is really helpful to have someone knowledgeable walk the inspector around and point out different things and allow the inspector to ask questions while looking at specifics. A good inspector knows to go wherever they want/need to go and ask the hard questions.
The skeptical side of me wonders if the “secret” shoppers will walk around just noting and photographing every instance of noncompliance!
I would also think 25% of maximum capacity.
I have heard Newson say a number of times that DLC is different than WDW in that there are a lot more local people going to DLC than WDW. The 25% of maximum capacity plus the categories of tickets with reservations will help keep the crowd level under control. It is unnecessary to limit guests who live within 120 miles or so from the park. Hello, Mr. Governor! Your residents are traveling the entire state right now!
Orange County, is currently in the red tier, like most of CA. You can read here what can open:
https://abc7news.com/health/map-counties-that-can-cant-reopen-under-new-rules/6393
I venture to say that DLC is similar to many of those categories of businesses.
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As part of the re-opening plan presented to the State of Florida, WDW was required to give the state the actual capacity numbers, but that number was never part of the public presentation.
Recently, the state has given WDW the okay to increase capacity.
My guess, the early “sold out” days were not 25% capacity rather 10-15% of actual capacity as they were trying to get operations restarted.
Another guess, WDW is really focused on cost control, so they are using the reservation system and controlling park capacity to match their staffing levels and payroll costs. The payroll costs are determining what the capacity level will be and subsequently the number of available reservations with the 25% number as the ceiling.
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Well, I think that’s entirely possible. They are not telling us HOW they are calculating 25% capacity, nor are they defining “maximum capacity.” My larger point is that numbers can be manipulated to give you the result you desire. If the result they desire is to allow more people into the parks but still say they’re limiting at 25%, I think they can manipulate the numbers to support that. Are they? I don’t know. But if I was California, I would want a number not a percentage, because I’m suspicious like that.
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If FL and/or the County is monitoring the parks and I hope they are, they should know what is the “X” in 25% of X. “X” could be considered “trade secret” and as government employees, we cannot release that information.
I’m not necessarily defending WDW’s lack of transparency.
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We also were in DDD on a Tuesday, a few weeks back. Probably one week before you were. Lines were almost non-existent to get in, as they had the queue spread out so much between the free parking lot and the screening entrance. It took a few minutes, but nothing long about it. This was mid-afternoon on a Tuesday though, so potentially one of the slower times.
There were a good amount of people there, but not over-crowded by any means. Everyone seemed to be compliant with the rules. The CMs were keeping a very close eye on things. My 18 yo daughters mask slipped off of one of her ears, and she went to re-attach it right away, but apparently that was not good enough to avoid a lecture. She was carrying a drink, so they thought she was going to drink while walking. Not the case, but not a big deal. It’s just to show how vigilant they were being.
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Glad to hear that our Tuesday mid afternoon experiences were the same! I hope you enjoyed pixie dusting through Downtown Disney!
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Agreed that there has been slower times, particularly during the week, however i am seeing tons of reports from DL AP pages in fb that when they drop new products, DTD will get swarmed regardless of day or time. Also, most weekends are super busy, this past weekend someone reported a 3 hour wait to get into DTD. The “swarm” effect is probably the single biggest difference between WDW and DLR. Pre-Covid the “Swarm” could descend upon DLR for reasons such as a celebrity citing or a particularly nice day. Which makes DLR particularly difficult to staff. I believe this is the reason for the introduction of the flex AP. It gives them much more control over crowds.
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More from the State of California, this time from California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly. Video news conference
Dr. Ghaly noted that when it comes to the release of theme park guidelines, “ it will come out when we’re ready.
Dr. Ghaly also noted that “not all of these visits are done,” and that once all of the site visits are complete, the team would be “compiling the information from those visits, having ongoing dialogue so we land with the guidance that really does make sense.
Dr. Ghaly also provided more insight on the purpose of these site visits. He noted that “the reason why we sent people is to really understand in action how a park operates, how the community around it functions with the park open in a time where we’re facing COVID transmission and really how it plays out, not just within the park but beyond.”
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Does anyone else find, “When we are ready” to be off-putting?
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