COVID-19 & Coasters: Coronavirus Impacts on the Amusement Industry

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At this point it would be easier for Disney to say what they arent cutting. I said this before and I will say it again, they are taking advantage of covid to make changes and cuts they have been wanting to do for years but knew that would have outrage. Now they are hiding under the "we are doing it for guest safety" blanket. Magic Bands...really? Your taking away a touchless option.
 
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Is there some sort of proof to this theory? I see them deciding to eliminate an event that draws big crowds and honestly haven’t seen anything about magic bands but I can get the reasoning behind not using them for the time being.
 
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mtorange said:
Disney World has cancelled their Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween event.

wdwnt.com

BREAKING: All Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Nights Cancelled for 2020 - WDW News Today

A daily-updated resource for news and information on the Disney resort around the world.
wdwnt.com wdwnt.com
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This is bad. Like really bad.

So many regional parks make up a huge chunk of their attendance during the Halloween season. Cedar Point thrives off of Halloweekends and has some of their busiest days of attendance on Saturdays in October that rival or flat out beat some of the slammed summer days. If the parks are forced to close or choose to close it will be an extremely detrimental loss that could lead to massive cuts, as these are uncharted waters that no park has tread before. Disney is a massive influence in the eyes of so many in the themed entertainment industry and while it is early, I imagine most parks are aware of this decision and are now already questioning if they should host any fall related events. These times of uncertainty make it challenging to justify putting the resources together to host an event knowing that it could be cancelled.

Nonetheless, speaking as a VA resident, we may have a golden opportunity to be one of the few states who host a theme park halloween event. With the slow phase changes and Northam’s resilience to move VA into phase three the commonwealth may have a slight advantage over other states that rushed to re-open. Many states COVID-19 cases are already surging from weak re-opening plans with little enforcement of mask usage and access to more testing. It’s also important to note that MNSSHP mainly consists of shows, parades, and character meet and greets which are all nearly impossible to social distance. Knowing how radically different this event is compared to most other regional haunts, it does provide a glimmer of hope that parks will find a way to safely stay open in the fall. These are unprecedented times, but for Disney to be throwing up the white flag this early is very concerning.
 
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@Connor the issue I have there is still the lack of federal guidelines still put is as Virginians at risk when people who would have gone to other states come here for recreation instead and don’t follow the guidelines because it’s not required in their state.
 
Thomas said:
Yeah I’m sure they’ve been dying to get rid of the magic band system they invested so much money into.
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And considering they’re just rubber bracelets with small RFID chips embedded in them, they’re basically pure profit too. It wouldn’t make any sense for Disney to pull back on them if they didn’t think it was necessary.
 
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Thomas said:
Yeah I’m sure they’ve been dying to get rid of the magic band system they invested so much money into.
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warfelg said:
Is there some sort of proof to this theory? I see them deciding to eliminate an event that draws big crowds and honestly haven’t seen anything about magic bands but I can get the reasoning behind not using them for the time being.
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I just got off another webinar on the changes and as of Jan 2021 magic bands will no longer be complimantary with your resort stay. You are encouraged to use the MDE app for park entry and opening your resort door. They are also going back to the old Key to the World cards if you choose not to use the app for ticket media to open your door. Magic Bands will still be sold if you want to purchase omne. Park reservations also will only be possible on the website not through the app.

BGW Family said:
Disney is testing new scanners capable of detecting weapons, temperature and facial recognition.

Evolv Express
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I saw that, I didnt want to mention it though on this site because so many think its not used in the parks and will argue the point with you.
 
warfelg said:
So basically they aren’t giving something away for free, instead you have to pay for it?

Im failing to see how that means they are doing away with Magic Bands.
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They arent saying they are just switching to pay per magicband, they are moving forward with making the app the flagship for everything. If you dont have smartphones they will offer a key to the world card.
 
I wonder if it's more a technological cost situation - RFID readers can be fairly reliable but I imagine can run into issues with high traffic whereas mobile app infrastructure can be more scalable on resources?
 
Jonesta6 said:
I wonder if it's more a technological cost situation - RFID readers can be fairly reliable but I imagine can run into issues with high traffic whereas mobile app infrastructure can be more scalable on resources?
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This is just my gut feeling, the typical two step verification of phones, the fact it doesn’t have to touch or get on the sensor, and trying to reduce any potential contact with surfaces resulted in an attempt To curb the use for the time being.
 
Jonesta6 said:
I wonder if it's more a technological cost situation - RFID readers can be fairly reliable but I imagine can run into issues with high traffic whereas mobile app infrastructure can be more scalable on resources?
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The system has worked great since 2013, there is no sudden influx of more needed capacity.

warfelg said:
This is just my gut feeling, the typical two step verification of phones, the fact it doesn’t have to touch or get on the sensor, and trying to reduce any potential contact with surfaces resulted in an attempt To curb the use for the time being.
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Im confused, the magic bands do not have to physically touch the reader and they can be washed. The phone will need to connect basically the same way., there can be a small gap. Have you ever used a phone as a magical key, it seems to take forever to work and only afyer numerous appempts fo relocating phone to the door lock.
 
MagicBands are not leaving. Disney has even said that they would be pushing the use of MagicBands as a touchless option even more so now. To say they are getting rid of them is flat out lying and spreading misinformation.

Just because they are making their app more powerful in what functions it can provide, does not equate to the elimination of MagicBands. Stop the lies.

Also, the Evolv Express was mentioned elsewhere here previously. It was being tested exclusively at Disney Springs, but I would expect it to expand to all across WDW if the machines work as powerfully as they are marketed.
 
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VonDerrick said:
MagicBands are not leaving. Disney has even said that they would be pushing the use of MagicBands as a touchless option even more so now. To say they are getting rid of them is flat out lying and spreading misinformation.

Just because they are making their app more powerful in what functions it can provide, does not equate to the elimination of MagicBands. Stop the lies.

Also, the Evolv Express was mentioned elsewhere here previously. It was being tested exclusively at Disney Springs, but I would expect it to expand to all across WDW if the machines work as powerfully as they are marketed.
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Watch the use of word lies.....unless you can provide proof on that. I was on 2 webinars today with the company and the feeling I got was that the app would be the new way to go. No mention of being able to purchase them with a package or at check in. The only options mentioned was either the app or a Key to the World card. If this was a Covid related decision why would they still use and be providing Magic Bands untill the end of this year then stop the distribution of them. Same as if this was a cost savings measure, why not start now. This is the new direction the technology is going. Right now if you think about it they are supporting a entire payment system alongside of a standard credit card system. Thats a huge unneeded cost.

Edited to add...they do say they any current Magic Bands could still be used, there was no mention on future sales. Remember MBs have a limited lifespan based on when batteries die so if they "stop working" you will have no choice.
 
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They can't have Halloween events to bring in more people than usual, but being closed half the year would definitely improve interest in going anyway. Also, masks definitely favor cooler weather. (Dollywood's reopening includes closing at 8 PM and no reservations after noon. There is no way I'm going to an amusement park at noon in typical mid-summer weather, with or without a mask.)
 
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I find it interesting that Epcot is still doing a Food and Wine festival basically as soon as they open.

And on the masks. Disney is really pushing the term "face coverings" because they still have a no mask policy.
 
WDWRLD said:
And on the masks. Disney is really pushing the term "face coverings" because they still have a no mask policy.
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Maybe that’s because face sleeves and hoo rags are equally effective and accepted forms of protection? I feel like if Disney felt like their no mask policy was a problem, they’d just change the policy.
 
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Joe said:
Yeah I’m sure that’s the reason why. And not the fact that face sleeves and hoo rags are equally effective forms of protection.
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That came directly from Disney in todays training on the updates.
 
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