Twitter has the blue check mark verification process
Most media including TV news now have all reporters have a blue check mark twitter account where their news story will go out live before they are able to update their website. A twitter post can go up and out to the world quicker than a website. In today’s media environment, being first to report any story is important in that world.
This is very customer unfriendly from Disney’s side.
They might not know exactly which day they will reopen the parks, but they do know it is after day X.
Instead of sharing this information they are keeping guests in the dark.
I wouldn’t have a problem with this, but WDW’s system is optimized to incentivize guests to book and pay for their trips early (with ADRs and FPPs), so this posture is annoying.
It also means they have a stronger financial motive to delay announcing closing dates as much as possible, since each new announcement means more cancelations and less money on their accounts.
If they removed ADRs and FPP, then I would be OK with delaying information.
If they announced “we will not open until after July 1st”, people would read that as “We will open on July 2nd”.
That is the problem they have. And then they face just as many very unhappy guests who book flights and then have to cancel.
By not announcing anything, it’s tough for those who have stays booked, but there isn’t the additional disappointment to deal with.
But I do have a genuine question for those of you getting antsy and impatient. Let’s say MK is open as of July 5th but with no parades, no fireworks, no meet & greets, some rides / attractions not open, unknown procedures (other than masks which we know will be in place),
With all of that, will you go? If yes, then fair enough. I sympathise.
If not, then why not just cancel now, why wait for Disney to cancel? They are letting people cancel right up to the day of arrival with no penalty. If the uncertainty is too much, why not just cancel and rebook for later on?
I’m not trying to be snarky. It just seems so many people are in this anxious state of not knowing, but I don’t know if you are the ones who will be there no matter what. I know of DVC members who would be happy to be there regardless if any of the parks are open. But I have no clue how many others there are who will accept just MK being open.
Methinks the hold off may have something to do with a bit of an option they seem to have with NBA… I hope I’m wrong because it will not sit well with people if NBA can go and take over the resort(s) but they cannot. I just have a sneaking suspicion that once that is buttoned up one way or the other the path will be made more clear.
Have we? Universal has been ahead of Disney at every stage with COVID, so far as I can tell.
Disney lost its first-mover crown when it screwed up the Harry Potter deal with JK Rowling. It’s been playing catch-up ever since.
Our travel agent told us we had 7 days before our check-in date to cancel, we are currently set July 8.
Right now, for me, the antsy part is because we don’t know what changes will be in the parks themselves. Will we go for a partial experience? No. But, right now, it could be a full experience, with a 30% capacity and a requirement of masks. So, depending on state numbers of new cases, it may be something we do.
It’s the unknown that has me wishing there was a date, or a ‘state residents only’, or AP’s only, or DVC only…or anything to give me a little more idea of what will be happening.
Only for as long as they’re closed.
I don’t want my trip to go ahead. I’m supposed to leave in 34 days and as of right now every part of my trip is scheduled to be going ahead.
The Disney part isn’t until into July. I want to cancel that, but I can’t without losing money.
People with trips around the uncertain reopening time are very much in limbo with trips they either want or don’t want, but can’t know they’re going or cancel.
It’s not going to be a full experience. I’m certain of that.
So you can cancel any time up to 7 days before?
So as I understood it, it will have to start at somewhere less than 50% capacity in Phase 2 of easing (I think), 75% in Phase 3 and 100% in Phase 4.
But Disney will likely play safe, start at 30% and ramp up week by week I don’t see any parades etc until they’re well up towards full capacity. And early July will be baby steps.
I guess it’s easy for me to sit here in te UK saying “no way will I go until things are back to normal”. I don’t think it will be anywhere near normal until it’s been open for at least 3 months, maybe not this year.
But looking at things for me here, I wouldn’t be planning to go away anywhere in the UK for this year at all. DS might come home for some time in the summer, he hasn’t been home since Christmas. We’ll have to work out what the risk is to DH if he comes back. We might venture out to dinner at a local restaurant after maybe 6-8 weeks of easing.
I guess for me I would be thinking it isn’t going to be normal until at least the Fall. Let’s rebook then. Rather than hoping that in 6 weeks time things will be normal.
It says you can modify your existing travel dates on their website. If that’s not the case I’m confused. You normally have until 7 days before to modify a package and up to a day or so for room-only. Or do you have other plans around it that aren’t so flexible?
Edit: Ah,wait a minute. Did you rent points? That changes things. Sorry.
I really don’t think it’s going to be anywhere near “old normal” until 1 of 3 things happens.
You asked why not cancel?
I can’t cancel because my dates are in July and they’re only allowing cancellations up to the end of June.
I don’t want to modify.
Oh, that’s not good. But I am confused. This is what I get on the UK site:
I can’t copy and paste anything, which is a PITA, but it says that full refunds will be given for those who want to cancel. Down under “Resort Rooms and Packages”.
Maybe the rules for international guests are different - perhaps because there are restrictions on us entering the US? Usually our cancellation terms are worse than yours, we even have to pay to modify.
But I’m curious if you booked direct with Disney or if this is a TA policy that means you can’t cancel.
That is something I hadn’t even thought of! 
I think the answer really is, “It depends.” In fact, the survey I did from Disney kind of seemed to be trying to determine which things guests would or wouldn’t cancel for.
But no parades? No problem! No fireworks? No problem! No meet & greets? Again, no problem! Some rides/attractions not open? Well…now you start to cross over into “perhaps” territory. WHICH rides and attractions? For example, if shows are cancelled, including things like MIckey’s Philharmagic or COP, that would be okay. But if major headliners like ROTR, Soarin’, Space Mountain, etc., are closed? Then I’d cancel.
As far as unknown procedures? I think we’re getting a sense of what those procedures are most likely going to look like. But right now, even with masks almost a certainty for August, we plan to go.
This is the big question. I half expect EPCOT to be closed for our trip. A bummer, but still not something we’d cancel over. If AK and EPCOT were both closed, bigger bummer. But if HS was ALSO closed? I don’t think we could fill 6 park days with just MK. We’d probably be more inclined to put off the trip to next year then.
Scaffy is Scottish.
They could announce “We will definitely be closed until July 1st, on June 1st we will announce our plans for July”. They could also announce what changes they are already sure will have to happen (parades? characters? projections?).
There are people waiting on information in order to make a decision. Specially those who have non-refundable deposits or payment deadlines might be forced to take a bet. DVC renters, 3rd party tickets and cancelation insurance also factor in.
Since Disney is the company creating all the book early and pay early incentives, I believe they have some responsibility with dealing with the downside. If there were no ADRs and FPPs, I would be OK with Disney’s current flow of information.
People keep saying this. Is that because of the international CMs? Are they legally obligated not to fill those positions with other people? I can see not opening some of the restaurants (primarily the contracted ones) if they can’t get proper staffing and there not being as much street entertainment but not sure that is that big of an obstacle to opening the park? Am I missing something?
From what I hear Epcot isn’t the park that’s likely to be closed. There’s plenty of space in Epcot, the paths are quite wide and it would be quite easy to ensure a good flow of people through the park.
(I admit I think the Cultural Exchange Programme is where people were focusing before. But turns out it isn’t an issue).
There’s one park that isn’t the case for, which is the one likely to be kept closed the longest.
Multiple reasons.
The international CMs is one of them.
But also, given the amount of on-going construction, it seems reasonable they might take the opportunity to make the on-going construction more efficient by keeping guests out of the park.
Also, there’s the fact that most of the “attractions” at EPCOT involve eateries (where they would have severely limit capacity) or indoor rides like Soarin’ and Mission:Space, where you are confined closely together with folks, etc.
If they remain open, all the better. We love EPCOT. But of the four parks, I think it is the one most likely to stay closed the longest.
ETA: Oh, and one more I didn’t include…that EPCOT is the most “stale” of the parks, and would be the least draw for folks to return to the parks. If you close HS, people would be more likely to go, “Why bother going?” Same with AK due to Pandora. But what “must see” attraction is there at EPCOT right now? Nothing, really.
But Epcot is a construction disaster and while it may offer more space, there’s nothing for people to do there … except eat in restaurants that are limited to 25% capacity, shop in stores with limited capacity, and see shows where people are packed in and where distancing is not feasible.
OK there are a few other attractions, but I don’t see it as a good option.
The international employees is another layer altogether.
Which park are YOU thinking of?