Disney is doing well, but it could be so much better…
After much deliberation and weighing of risks, we decided our scheduled trips down to Walt Disney World were important enough to make this year…even with the pandemic and restrictions. We tirelessly scoured through articles, press releases and blog posts and came away with two major impressions:
- Disney was at least as safe, if not safer, than other public trips we encountered (like Target)
- As annual pass holders we had the capability to leave the parks if we felt unsafe
Armed with these foundational concepts we planned three strategic trips: July, September, and December.
As background to understand the perspective and experiences, we are out of state annual pass holders that typically take two to three trips a year and stay both on and off property. I will also note that not all parks were created equal. Some of the parks did a much better job with enforcement and I will try to note this in the list.
1. Increase Cast Members
If Disney was to change only one thing in their parks, increasing staff and better spreading them throughout the locations should be it.
On each trip, we saw only 2 or 3 of the social distancing “squad” members and far too few cast members overall. It was clear that there were pockets where distancing and mask compliance became lax; examples would be the back of Frontierland and the tighter pass-throughs in Galaxy’s Edge.
By our trip in December, the social distancing was near non-existent in many locations. Disney Springs was shoulder to shoulder crowds for most of the evenings we were there (both weekday and weekend). In the parks, the lines wound into ever increasing zip-zag patterns that cut into major walkways.
In all four parks we visited it was often impossible to socially distance…but in areas where cast members were stationed distancing and mask compliance were MUCH better.
By increasing the staff, Disney could monitor more areas of the parks and ensure a higher level of mask and distancing compliance. Cast Members could help to direct “traffic” in congested areas and remind guests to keep each other safe. It is incredibly easy to forget safety measures while on vacation and I believe most guests will be happy to adhere if reminded with a smile.
2. Stop or Modify Character Cavalcades
In the same vein, Disney needs to rethink the how they are doing Cavalcades. The boat “floats” in Animal Kingdom are a wonderful addition there and do not seem to add to crowds. The Cavalcades in the other three parks, however, are a completely different story and can prove super problematic.
Cavalcades drew huge crowds across much of the parks. We saw areas taped off just like the “old parade days” and the edges or the route did not allow for social distancing.
For the holidays, the castle projections and random fireworks also caused insane crowds to form in the Hub. It was so bad for both evenings that we were there that we could not spend any time in the Hub, Main Street or the Emporium.
While the Cavalcades may have worked in July when the crowds were very low, now that most days look no different than typical capacity from 2019 they only serve to make the crowded parks feel more crowded.
Disney either needs to limit these events to prevent crowds from collecting repeatedly or they need to limit the capacity of the park more strictly.
3. Utilize Virtual Queues
Keeping six feet away from others can be difficult enough in the parks, but as we have noted the long lines weaving in and out of walkways can make it near impossible. As capacity is increased the lines only become longer and more intrusive.
While there in December, we saw the lines for Peter Pan running through Columbia Harbor Harbor and Big Thunder Mountain’s queue winding in and out of the train station.
There will quickly come a point where the socially distanced lines are too long for Disney to manage. Unless capacity is reduced, lines will either need to move to a virtual process or remove the distancing requirements. Since the virus is still a threat, virtual queues might be the only option.
This option has shown to be successful in Universal Studios, Hollywood Studios (ROTR) and Disney Springs. It could be used to keep popular ride lines down to a manageable level.
Disney would need to spend some time, resources and funds to upgrade certain aspects of their technology and crowd management strategies. Virtual queue like processes are currently being used for counter service dining and it is problematic. Disney would need to ensure staff was prepared to mitigate crowds and support distancing as guests waited for their turn.
4. Acknowledge
Capacity and Crowd Levels
In the same vein, Disney needs to rethink the how they are doing Cavalcades. The boat “floats” in Animal Kingdom are a wonderful addition there and do not seem to add to crowds. The Cavalcades in the other three parks, however, are a completely different story and can prove super problematic.
Cavalcades drew huge crowds across much of the parks. We saw areas taped off just like the “old parade days” and the edges or the route did not allow for social distancing.
For the holidays, the castle projections and random fireworks also caused insane crowds to form in the Hub. It was so bad for both evenings that we were there that we could not spend any time in the Hub, Main Street or the Emporium.
While the Cavalcades may have worked in July when the crowds were very low, now that most days look no different than typical capacity from 2019 they only serve to make the crowded parks feel more crowded.
Disney either needs to limit these events to prevent crowds from collecting repeatedly or they need to limit the capacity of the park more strictly.