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Shownotes not available, please enjoy the latest blog entry The number of cases in Florida has been going up steadily over the last few weeks, but the governor has said he has no intention of slowing any re-opening of the state. And Disney hasn't said anything that would make you think otherwise, so it looks like opening will probably happen in a week. Make no mistake about what's happening. This is a move based more about money than anything else. Other parks are open. You have to generate revenue, even if its at a net loss, to keep the good faith going. But I still find it weird that there hasn't been any indication that there will be any sort of timed entry - everyone can just show up. And I was reading an article a day or so ago that people are saying that there will be no fast pass and no virtual queueing - everything will be walk up queueing (like the days of old), though I don't recall Disney ever explicitly saying this. Lets suppose for a minute that Hollywood Studios (capacity 60,000) allowed for 25% capacity. That would be 15,000 people. How do you get that many people through security, while maintaining social distancing (6 feet), presumably doing temperature and bag checks in a reasonable amount of time? I know they've been working on new security ideas, but that many people first thing seems a little daunting. Doing a little math: if there were 10 stations, and each person took 30 seconds, it would take 15 minutes to make it through security - so its possible, but you still have to have lines back into the parking lot, I guess. And you know that most will head to Rise of the Resistance, because there's "no waiting" and its enormously popular...Disney did say they'd run the full show, with all rooms. The assumed capacity is 1,700 people per hour. Meaning, everyone could ride it over the course of about 9 hours, 1 time each. But there would be a constant queue. The park looks like it will be open for 10 hours, so I guess this would be accommodating, assuming there is no downtime. And then there's the general thinking that maybe the parks would be safer than, say, your grocery store. Because they are private, people are paying, and they can continually remind people about, and enforce, the rules with a threat of kicking people out if they don't comply. And attendance will be lower....although many people will come from different places. Cast Members will get screened before working, so presumably the risk will be limited - but that's really a bit of a misnomer, as "limited" just means a little less. There's still a risk. And Cast Members in general are proceeding with a mix of relief (back to work!), excitement, and trepidation. Hey, none of them want to get sick, either. Typically, Disney brings in a lot of college students making the demographic skew younger. Without them, there are more middle aged folks working there, and maybe a little higher risk group. Disney World has a mix of different unions among the cast. They are interspersed among various jobs, covering a swath of full time folks, but not everyone. Those not covered are returning to work. Some of the unions reached an agreement with Disney to resume work with certain safeguards in place - and some still have not. There are many questions about who will fill roles where these unions are still negotiating, or how they will cover some of the activities. And since the unions are making a big stink about safety protocols, its certainly possible that they could derail (or delay) re-opening. To wit, the Actor's Equity has concerns. Mary McColl, executive director of Actors’ Equity Association, said in a statement last week: “It is deeply disturbing that while coronavirus cases in Florida surge, Disney is refusing to provide regular testing to one of the few groups of workers in the park who by the very nature of their jobs, cannot use personal protective equipment. Now is the time for Disney to pause, focus on the science and put the safety of their actors and stage managers first by making regular testing available.” In the new memo to members, Equity says that testing “has only become more important over the last week. Since our public call last week for testing, there have been more than 43,000 new coronavirus cases in Florida.” The recommendation for testing comes from Dr. David Michaels, the former director of OSHA who was recruited by Equity this spring to advise the union on health and safety protocols during the pandemic. The email indicates that Walt Disney World has not, as yet, recalled Equity members to work, though the union had agreed not to stand in the way of contacting workers while negotiations for the safety plan were ongoing. “They made the decision to postpone recalling you to work,” Equity writes. “If Disney really thinks their plan is safe, why have they postponed recalling you?”Equity’s leadership has been conducting Zoom meetings with members during the past week to discuss the Orlando situation. The exec committee now is calling on members to speak out on the matter. “Please join us on social media and help the public understand that a park without testing is putting performers and patrons alike at risk,” the message states. |
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As you might expect, this is a fan site, and in no way affiliated with the theme park operators. Some might say that I am somewhat of a Disney World expert, having been to the park hundreds of times....but that doesn't mean I have any inside scoop or that I work for the company. Privacy Policy: This site does not use cookies, collect or store information, or otherwise use it. However, there is an ad displayed on the page, and a dicussion board - all of these do track some cookies, in order to track user behavior, and provide approrpriate content. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies. |
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