It’s hard to tell if Jessica Fisher of GeekTyrant is being sarcastic or if she’s truly happy to hear that Disney World will be reopening and that the Mouse House has a plan in place on what to do and how to operate. The idea of operating at only 50 percent sounds all fine and above board, but one has to remember that when the park is filled that’s still a lot of people. Disney World and Disneyland have a max capacity that is in the tens of thousands, and that’s not even mentioning the insanely large number of employees they need to run things. At half capacity there’s still a massive amount of people to take care of and like it or not, even with gloves and masks on the gathering is going to be quite big and the risks will continue to rise if the parks decide to open as soon as possible. It’s true that Disney is losing a great deal of money and it’s even easier to sympathize with those that aren’t making insane bonuses and have to find a way to pay the rent, buy groceries, and take care of other needs like healthcare. In other words the parks need to open so that people can get back to work, but working at half capacity is still going to be a struggle since there’s no telling just how the decision is going to be made on who gets to come in and who doesn’t, other than to keep things on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The parks will also be taking added security measures to insure the safety of the guests and their employees as any employee 65 years or older will be asked to stay home, and there will temperature scanners that will be used before an employee can go to work. In a way it almost sounds like discrimination, but given that those who are in the age range that has been deemed more at-risk could possibly infect others it’s usually better to err on the side of caution than to ignore something that’s already been stated more than once simply to appease a small number of people. One has to wonder if this will apply to guests as well, or if a double standard will be in place once the parks open. Disneyland and Disney World are known for being clean and fairly orderly places, but it’s safe to say that they will continue to expand their awareness and up their game when it comes to cleanliness in order to keep their guests and their employees safe. Curtis Tate of US Today had more to say on this subject.
It’s a big hope that by the time the parks decide to implement their first phase and then the second that the pandemic will have reached a point that it’s safe to actually let people in, otherwise there’s a good chance, as it’s been surmised, that the COVID-19 virus could simply ramp up again and the stay at home order would be extended. At this point and time it’s kind of insane to think that there isn’t some sort of VR experience that could download the entirety of the Disneyland experience, or as much of it as is possible at least. Given everything that’s come from VR technology in the recent past one could assume that it would be possible to program everything from Splash Mountain to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, if that attraction is even still there. It’s true unfortunately that a VR experience can’t really top the idea of actually walking through the park, but it’s also hard to believe that a lot of people wouldn’t be up to try it out since it would cut down on the lines, the waiting, and possibly on the stress of just getting through the park. When you come to understand just how long lines are going to be with a six-foot rule in place it might be even more appealing since with such a rule to enforce, many of the lines are going to be snaking their way all through the park. If you’ve ever been to Disneyland then it’s common knowledge that when people are standing a foot or less away from each other the lines still manage to move past the designated areas and meander through the park. Now think of thousands of people standing six feet apart and trying to maintain an orderly line while stretching from one end of the park to the other for just one ride. Those unlucky enough to get to the line late would be walking nearly a mile for some rides, and while I wish I was joking and fully exaggerating that’s just not the case since some lines are insanely long. Summer Hull of The Points Guy had more to add to the topic.
It’s enough to think that the people who absolutely need to get back to work should be given the chance, but hopefully things will be done in as safe a manner as possible.
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