Accepting the New Reality

A visit to Disneyland will never be like it was Pre-COVID 19.

That’s a hard statement to admit, isn’t it? After all, who didn’t enjoy at day at Disneyland before the closure in March 2020 of the Disneyland Resort. I know I have over the years. That Saturday before it began, I was in Anaheim; just a few blocks away on Katella Avenue. Having heard of the closure, I thought maybe I might stop by for a while to take it all in, as the parks would probably be shut down for a few weeks, or maybe a couple of months. 

Unfortunately, my visit to Southern California was more of a business trip and things were focused elsewhere. As it turned out, even the prospect of any afternoon with friends became a socially distant “Meet and Greet”, complete with virtual hugs, as they started taking all of this talk of a “pandemic” as serious in nature.

At that time, the hope was that by socially distancing, sheltering in place and making use of some good personal protective equipment and precautions (a.k.a. face masks, rubber gloves and plenty of hand washing and sanitizer), that this thing would be like the usual flu season and over before the start of the summer travel season.

In short, boy, were we wrong…

Perception started to hit home as more and more we heard about hospitalizations, with people admitted to intensive care units (ICU), and more often than not, ending up on ventilation to help with breathing. As much as many of us hated to admit it, this was a serious situation.

State governments started to step in and were ordering stronger guidelines and restrictions on communities. What before had been an easy thing to travel across the county, now became a challenge just to get to the corner supermarket and get home safely with the groceries, let alone travel hundreds of miles for a day ay a theme park.

I have seen first hand how quickly this virus shut down tourism. Part of my reason for being in Southern California that weekend in March involved a small group trip aboard a private railroad car from Los Angeles to Kansas City with a side visit to Marceline and the Walt Disney Hometown Museum. That Saturday morning, I had done a quick inspection of the railcar to get ready for departure on our trip in three weeks. But as the afternoon progressed, I began to get phone calls and e-mails from folks who just were not sure that travel was something they needed to do right then, so they had to cancel their plans. Some were traveling to Los Angeles from a far distance and the uncertainty ahead just called for erring on the side of caution. So I had to make the same decision and get in touch with the rest of the group to let them know that we would not be going to Kansas City as planned.

Since then, I pretty much have stayed at home, sheltering in place. Even when I have ventured out, my social circle has tended to be quite small. Most often my visits have been to assist my mother with one task or another. But nothing like things I would have done before. No baseball games, no museums, no trains, no streetcars, few restaurants and no bars, either.

Safety first, yes indeed.

Thinking about mundane activities, even something as simple as a grocery store shopping visit or a stop at the local bank, offers a glimpse of what has become the reality of daily life. In Alameda County, here where I live in Northern California, face coverings or masks have been required for entry into any business, with no exceptions. No mask, no business. And you must observe that six-foot distance between yourself and others, especially waiting in line. (Although I will admit that I felt as if I were a bad behaving kindergartner for not standing on my designated space, as I was severely chastised by an overzealous employee at one business.)

A visit to a local fast food location has been reduced to standing at the door outside the business, behind a plexiglass shield, properly distanced and masked to place my food order on a to go only basis. And if I can make my transaction cashless and touches, so much the better.

So, I can hear you asking… what does all this have to do with Disneyland?

Just look at the image at the top of this column. Take in the details.

Go ahead.

Can you imagine how the precautions noted would apply in that crowd? If memory serves, that was a mid-week afternoon, sometime in late June. Not even the peak of guest numbers at the Park.

You can’t expect that Disney will allow a full capacity crowd inside the gate. There is simply no way that the company can take chances in managing the risks to guests. While we haven’t heard of any major cases of COVID-19 be traced to the parks in Florida, can you imagine the impact of publicity if there was? How many guests would be quick to blame Disney and how many lawsuits would be working their way through the courts, baseless or not, claiming that Disney was responsible for their infections. Way too many…

Disneyland has been through this before. Various outbreaks of everything from swine flu to measles and more have been blamed as being transmitted thanks to coughing and wheezing guests all gathered together at the Park. Although the likelihood was that many of those outbreaks were present in communities well before the affected people got to Anaheim. I can’t tell you how many childhood maladies have been shared among school aged children, their families and the businesses Mom and Dad work at. I know my family went through a few as well as some of the places I have worked over the years.

Yes, Disney does take this all seriously. They have no choice. Just look over their web pages and you see how they are responding: https://disneyland.disney.go.com

Important Information about the Disneyland Resort

• The Downtown Disney District, including Buena Vista Street, is open with select retail and dining locations. Ongoing updates on additional restaurant and food and beverage location openings will be forthcoming.  View Open Dining Locations.
• The Hotels of the Disneyland Resort remain closed and will reopen at a later date.
• Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park remain closed and will reopen at a later date, pending state and local government approvals.
• Upon reopening, certain parks, hotels, restaurants, attractions, experiences and other offerings will be modified or unavailable, will have limited capacity and will be subject to limited availability or even closure, and park admission and offerings are not guaranteed.  View important details.

COVID-19 Warning

We have taken enhanced health and safety measures. An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. View important details.

Take note of the fourth point listed. “…will have limited capacity and will be subject to limited availability or even closure…”. You won’t see a crowd anywhere even close to that one seen above in New Orleans Square. 

Fewer guests means fewer dollars incoming. Which means that Disney will have to look for ways to cover/adjust the costs/expenses related to operations. Which in turn, means fewer cast members from top to bottom, making that day at the Parks magical. Along with increased prices for everything from admissions to t-shirts to churro’s, and bottled water. Stockholders can expect no less as the Company will try to reverse the red ink of 2020.

The days of unlimited access are likely gone for the foreseeable future. Some have suggested that when Annual Passes return, that they be adjusted to offer high versus low season with a set number of days admissions, and the reservation system be adjusted to some version of it, as it had been previously in use.

Yes, Disney likes the AP Program. They like having all that income, every month. And while it has some issues, especially now, they are not likely to permanently walk away from that kind of revenue stream. Disney has always reserved the right to modify or cancel the Annual Pass program. With such a loyal customer base, they will need to find someway to respond to that demand, no matter what lies ahead.

That last point is especially important. It is that “inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19”. This kind of language isn’t something that one often hears or reads from Disney. You may see a disclaimer on a sporting event ticket or a ski resort lift pass. Something along the lines of “you voluntarily assume all risks”. In plain language, the location of the event you are attending is not accepting the responsibility for COVID-19 exposure. You are. And if you choose to enter a Disney theme park in this era, “you will voluntarily assume all risks”.

But why stop inside the Disneyland Resort? As much as this closure has affected every small business around Anaheim, changes in how those businesses operate will likely play into how and when Disneyland reopens. While Disney can and is formulating plans, Orange County and the cities around the area need to work with the small business community and get their plans ready to go. For as important as guest safety will be on property, it needs to be as great off- property. For that is where the kind of exposure that most worries medical professionals may see an increase in transmission rates.

The reality is that no one truly knows how this COVID-19 will play out. The hope is that a vaccine will help prevent against it, much as that annual flu shot is supposed to be effective during the annual cold and flu seasons. But until such a time, if Disneyland reopens soon, things will indeed be different than before.

And a day at Disneyland will come with challenges, the greatest of which may be met with patience and a bit of magic. It may sound naive, but it is a day a Disneyland. And even with COVID-19 changes, I suspect it will still be magical and worth the wait.

See you waiting in line…