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Thread: CNN - SHOULD you visit Disney World in July?

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    CNN - SHOULD you visit Disney World in July?

    Below is a link to the article and above that are excerpts, with a few words in bold. If you go, be safe!

    Forrest Brown, CNN • Updated 28th May 2020

    EXCERPTS:
    (CNN) — For months now, fans of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida have been anxiously awaiting news of when their beloved resort would reopen.

    The wait for a date is over: Disney has proposed a phased reopening starting on July 11 with Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. EPCOT and Hollywood Studios would follow along on July 15...

    Now for the big question on everyone's mind: Should I go?
    . . . there's a lot think about before you decide.

    First, we'll look at the medical angle. Who is healthy enough to go? Who should be more cautious? What should you think about before you make plans?

    Health and safety

    . . . Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, said your considerations break down into two categories: Who you are and the external environment.

    Schaffner said anyone in the following groups should give very careful consideration to making a trip to Disney World (or other amusement parks for that matter):

    -- Senior citizens
    -- People with chronic, underlying illnesses
    -- People with heart and lung conditions
    -- People who are immunocompromised
    -- People with high blood pressure and diabetes

    "We know this virus makes some people sicker than others. These are the folks we are most concerned about," Schaffner said.

    Dr. Shannon Hopson, an endocrinologist in Corvallis, Oregon, concurs.
    "Anyone who is in the high-risk groups for serious illness would need to be cautious about returning -- but also anyone who regularly comes in close contact with those who fit the criteria for being high-risk," she said. "I see so many people with the attitude of 'well if I get it, so be it,' but they forget about the risk to their friends and family [back home]."

    And of course, people who know they have Covid-19 or who are experiencing symptoms should stay away.
    . . . Disney World will be checking the temperatures of its employees and guests before they can enter any park. People will also be required to arrive with face coverings and wear them inside the park.

    Disney will have numerous other safety measures in place. Among them are reduced capacity (so it's less crowded), cashless transactions, more hand-sanitizing stations and social distancing markers.

    Getting there and staying there

    As for the external environment, the first thing to think about is how you'll get to Disney World, Schaffner said. If you drive, you'll be in a self-contained environment that you control. But if you fly, you'll be exposed to others."The virus likes to be transmitted through close personal contact in enclosed spaces."

    Schaffner advises travelers on planes to wear a mask and stay six feet away from others as much as possible.
    Then you need to think about your time outside the park.For one example, Schaffner mentioned pools at hotels. He advises being mindful about keeping distance there, too."Mama and Daddy, watch the kiddies. You should talk to them in this virus era and let them know they must separate from other people," he said.

    . . . "You don't want to have this wonderful, pleasurable experience and then get infected by this virus. It is very nasty."

    Some people still aren't ready for a Disney trip yet. They either have too many concerns about coronavirus or they want to wait for amusement parks to return to the days of yore.

    . . . Hopson, the endocrinologist in Oregon, is a major Disney World fan and the mother of two boys -- Zach, 6, and Finn, 9. She estimates she's been at least 15 times.But for now, safety concerns outweigh the desire for a ride on the Slinky Dog Dash, a family favorite, at Hollywood Studios. . . She canceled a trip in March and has no plans for rescheduling just yet. "If I'm going to take my kids to any amusement park before there is a vaccine, it will be Disney. They know how to do things right, and I trust that Disney will have measures in place to do all that is humanly possible to decrease the risk of virus transmission," Hopson said.But that's not enough to get her in yet.

    "The problem is I don't know that I trust the general population to actually follow all those measures. So many people are struggling with just wearing a mask to go to the grocery store -- I have a hard time imagining anyone being able to keep a mask on for hours in the middle of the summer at Disney World."

    . . . Events such as Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade feature the ghostly inhabitants of the Haunted Mansion, one of Martin Lewison's favorite attractions.Lewison, aka "Professor Roller Coaster," said his wife is an ER doctor and isn't able to take a vacation now.Even if they could plan one, "my wife's not comfortable getting on a plane at the moment"....


    https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/d...-go/index.html

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    Florida has over 100,000 people with coronavirus.
    https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coro...bwa-story.html

  4. #3

    I don't think I have to take a back seat to anyone on the planet in my love for Disney parks. But wild horses couldn't drag me into one until at least 2021. I can't imagine having to wear a mask in the Florida heat. And I'd be suspect of everything I touch, making the whole trip much more unsettling than it's worth.

    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  5. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by danyoung View Post
    I don't think I have to take a back seat to anyone on the planet in my love for Disney parks. But wild horses couldn't drag me into one until at least 2021. I can't imagine having to wear a mask in the Florida heat. And I'd be suspect of everything I touch, making the whole trip much more unsettling than it's worth.
    I agree totally with the poster danyoung - I can't imagine at this point: (a) air travel; (b) resort hotels; (c) theme parks where social distancing seems like it would be very difficult to enforce; (d) dining out every day all day for a week.

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    I'm actually a bit disgusted that Disney is so willing to put their cast members and guests at risk like this. I knew just being in Orange County, CA that it was way to soon for DLR to open like they wanted with our cases rising up (and still are) but to see them still going ahead in Florida with things going up there still too. No theme park at all should be open at this point. Especially in the states with cases that are just going way up and not under control.

    BTW, aside from the above reasons for not wanting to travel to WDW (or other theme parks), if you come from certain states you have to quarantine for 2 weeks. How many will honestly do so on their own? As well as will anyone really do a thing if they don't? I had put this under the DLR forum but same with WDW, what is the plan when they find out guests were in the park with COVID or any CMs have it? It just seems not worth the risk at all.

    CDF, with the social distancing/masks requirement, Disney had said they were going to have staff to deal with that. The problem is will they? Or will it be one of those reminding a guest to distance or mask on as they walk by the guest or the guest by them? If people can't even follow these general requirements to just go grocery shopping then why would one trust them to in a theme park? I feel bad for the CMs that will be stuck handling this stuff after hearing one was spit on in Disney Springs for trying to deal with a guest over a mask.

    A crowded day at Disneyland beats a busy day of housework!!

    According to my princess, its not Star Wars land its "You stole my goats away from me!!......in progress land"

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by jcruise86 View Post
    Florida has over 100,000 people with coronavirus.
    https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coro...bwa-story.html
    Maybe 100k who have tested positive. Not sick. Not even close to being the same thing.
    Nick Andrews, DL misc74-76,85,91,12/11,1/13, WDW 78,83,85,1/92-8/92,95,99,04x8,5/11,2/12, 9/12,6/13,3/14,11/14,3/15,9/15,4/16,9/16,12/16,4/17,11/17,4/18,10/18,1/19,5/19,10/19, 2/20, 9/20, 1/21, DLP 3/20
    Magic Kingdom Cast Member 1/92-8/92 (WDW CP) 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by danyoung View Post
    I don't think I have to take a back seat to anyone on the planet in my love for Disney parks. But wild horses couldn't drag me into one until at least 2021. I can't imagine having to wear a mask in the Florida heat. And I'd be suspect of everything I touch, making the whole trip much more unsettling than it's worth.
    Dan, I understand the concern, but we're still planning on going in September. We noticed that at least one person seemed to get sick towards the end of longer trips. Started taking Airborne several days before and/or using Emergen-C products, washed hands even more frequently, avoided touching any handrails whenever possible, etc and that alone has made a huge difference for me. So wish us luck!
    Nick Andrews, DL misc74-76,85,91,12/11,1/13, WDW 78,83,85,1/92-8/92,95,99,04x8,5/11,2/12, 9/12,6/13,3/14,11/14,3/15,9/15,4/16,9/16,12/16,4/17,11/17,4/18,10/18,1/19,5/19,10/19, 2/20, 9/20, 1/21, DLP 3/20
    Magic Kingdom Cast Member 1/92-8/92 (WDW CP) 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

  9. #8

    Really they want a sense of normacy. But sad the cases are going up and alarmly as putting their employees at risk. If that is not greed do not know what is.

    April Showers and Easter 2024!

  10. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by nickjandrews View Post
    So wish us luck!
    Good luck!
    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  11. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by nickjandrews View Post
    Maybe 100k who have tested positive. Not sick. Not even close to being the same thing.
    True, but it's also true that there is a lag time from when people are first diagnosed with covid-19 and when they get really sick or even die.

    I just Googled "Florida Covid" and read this update:

    Florida cases Confirmed: 402,312
    Deaths: 5,768

    Some young healthy families will return from Florida in apparently perfect health, but might get their older parents or diabetic co-workers sick. I don't share vacation details in the internet, but we do have a short trip planned (not to Florida) that I'll be happy to describe in a couple months after we return. I'm kind of jealous of those going to Walt Disney World & Universal Orlando now with their short lines. But my wife is very careful about this pandemic and I'm actually glad about that. I have a friend whose wife thinks it's a hoax & acts like it's no danger. I'd rather err on the side of caution here.

  12. #11

    No, it's stupid to not take any precautions whatsoever in any case. This virus is horrible to those with certain conditions, like my uncle who died. He had severe COPD aaaaaand needed a lung transplant three years ago. Definitely take care not to track it back to older family or friends. However, cowering at home in fear isn't the thing to do either. The virus is not a hoax, but the overbearing fearmongering "reporting" on it thus far has been. That's all I was saying. I work in VA hospitals across the country and have heard a lot of varying things from folks actually working in them daily.


  13. #12

    We are in Ft. Myers for two baseball tournaments over 10 days. We have a 2 day break between tournaments so we decided to drive up to WDW today. We had no park reservations so we headed over to Disney Springs. We walked around DS for awhile. Then we took a bus over to Boardwalk and walked around. Had a drink at Hurricane Hanna's at the Yacht Club. Then took the Skyliner for a full round trip. Then took the bus back to DS. Had dinner at T-Rex. Shopped for a little bit longer and then made the drive back to Ft. Myers.

    We got to DS around 12:30pm. It was pretty much a ghost town. Lots of free space to move around. You really didn't need to come close to anyone if you didn't want to. The WOD store was pretty empty also. But people I was even remotely near were trying to keep their space from me as I was to them.

    The busses had hardly anyone on them. We were the only people on the bus from DS to Boardwalk. On the way back, it was us and two other people. They do have a good layout to keep everyone spaced out on the bus.

    The Boardwalk is in a sad state. The last time I stayed at Yacht Club last year, it was full of life, people, performers, etc. Now I was half expecting a tumble weed to blow by. No snack or drink stands are open. The only thing that was open was the little pizza place and the restaurant next door. I saw one family at the restaurant and that's it. It looks like they were just there for the drinks. It was really disappointing.

    The pool at Yacht Club was happening. Lots of families enjoying the people. We stopped and got a drink so we could hang out at a table and take our masks off. It was hot today, so that rest was needed.

    The Skyliner had hardly anyone on it. We actually got off and on 4 times. Twice we were the only ones getting on. The other two times there was one person and then a small family.

    The crowds at DS picked up into the evening. My guess as the parks were getting closer to closing and the sun was going down. Still not really crowded. At dinner time I was able to walk up to T-Rex and get a table for us with no wait. That is even with half the tables at the restaurant not being used to keep people spaced out.

    As far as masks go, I would say 98% of the people I saw today were wearing their masks when they should have been and properly. Every now and then you saw someone with it below their nose. But I think people realize Disney isn't playing when it comes to that policy and are following rules. But in the heat today, it was definitely needed to stop and catch a breather every now and then. We would duck behind a closed booth, or somewhere way off where no one was to take our masks off to catch a breath or two and then put them back on.

    I have been one that has played this whole virus very conservatively and really stayed away from everyone and places for a long time. Today I felt very comfortable at DS. I never got that uncomfortable feeling that I have at places like Home Depot. If the inside of the parks is the same feel, then I think I would definitely be fine heading into a park for the day.

    Also to add, all the CM's were fantastic. Great attitudes from them and you could tell they were smiling behind the masks. It almost felt like they were truly happy for you to be there and for there to actually be guests enjoying WDW.

    It was definitely a pick me up that was needed for me and the family. I caught myself while inside WOD just standing and staring at the people walking around, the CM's talking to guests, and just taking it all in. Got kind of choked up. It was one of those moments where all the crap from these year melted away and Disney was there.


  14. #13
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    Thank you for that interesting & well-written trip report, jrsharp21!

  15. #14

    My brother and his family visited not too long ago. They say not too crowded. Everybody had to wear masks even in the outside and in the campgrounds there.

    April Showers and Easter 2024!

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