Disney hasn’t missed an opportunity to confound and stun customers during the coronavirus crisis. Now with COVID-19 positive cases at an all-time high, Walt Disney World has increased capacity by 40%.
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Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Reach All-Time High in the US
There’s no question that COVID-19 positive test results have spiked in the United States. Some of the reasons for spiking positives could be the much wider availability of testing as mortality has not materially grown. According to the Johns Hokins last week, mortality rates for current cases have dropped to 0.33%, and overall mortality has consistently dropped from 2.6% a few weeks ago to just 2.2% now and dropping.
There’s no doubt that some of these deaths will nominally increase as the spiked cases work through the virus and treatment, but whether mortality is overall lower despite fuller hospitals will be something we won’t know for two weeks.
Nevertheless, cases this week reached new heights including Friday results of more than 180,000 confirmed positive.
Increased Capacity 40% at Walt Disney World
Disney, unspeakably tone-deaf, announced that they increased capacity from 25% to 35% – an increase of 40% from the week prior. Annual Passholders who have not cancelled their park passes should find greater availability to access the park but there are no guarantees. It was just a few weeks ago that Disney waved goodbye to 28,000 cast members.
While Florida has not yet hit the one million confirmed cases that both California and Texas can claim, the Sunshine State has been a hot zone for COVID-19.
The company also reported a $6.9 bn loss in part due to Park restrcitions – I’m sure this has something to do with the announcement. In fairness to Disney, the company needs to find a way back to full(er) parks at some point. The question is whether this is that point to try to make progress on park attendance.
Staying at a Disney Hotel Still Doesn’t Guarantee Admittance
Despite booking at a Disney resort amid a 40% capacity expansion, guests still aren’t guaranteed admittance to the parks. This is in addition to the elimination of fast passes, park hopper tickets, cessation of its famous fireworks program, and curtailed hours of operation (often common for this time of year.)
I can’t imagine spending more on the “Grandma Floridian” than the Four Seasons Orlando only to be denied entry. All the more reason to use a travel agency during the coronavirus crisis.
Conclusion
Am I the only one who finds Disney’s reactions to the challenges of COVID-19 as alarmingly amateur? Universal, who has a smaller footprint but similar-sized challenges in the same markets, hasn’t had the same problems as Disney. Even if the announcement was planned in advance of this week’s numbers (highly likely), this is the year of delayed/cancelled/postponed. Disney should have just retracted their increase given the sensitivity around the issue. They didn’t. From a marketing perspective, I personally think it’s a bad look for the entertainment giant.
What do you think? Should Disney have withdrawn capacity expansion given the volume of new cases? Is it important that Disney finds a way to survive despite the challenges?
In the end, businesses need to generate revenue or they close. Open up, let the individual decide how they want to proceed and be done with it. This fallacy that the world can shut down for 6 months to years and just open up like normal at the end is idiocy.
The shutdown didn’t need to be any longer than a couple of months, provided there was a high level of adherence. Unfortunately the initial response was so shambolic that the horse had bolted, exacerbated by the unseemly ( …deadly…) squabbling between various levels of government.
Of course the country can afford it. The level of additional indebtedness from financial packages is sustainable; sadly much of those funds has gone to the big end of town rather that individuals and small businesses.
Many are parroting Trump re more harm than good from restrictions of trade and movement..but the fact there’s this much pain is a consequence of his own abysmal performance ( and of his acolytes such as Kushner). He’ll be right up there with Benedict Arnold and Jefferson Davis in ‘most admired’ polls in years to come…
Yes, it’s premature for Disney to increase capacity…
This virus kills about 2% of all infected patients showing symptoms. And maybe 10% show symptoms.
The US has 330 million people. 2% of 33 million people is 660k people. I think we can afford to lose that many people. Easily.
What distresses me is that we are putting lives of highly trained doctors and nurses to save lives of people that dont “deserve it”. That’s like asking a f35 pilot to go on an infantry patrol. We as a society should decide that if a covid patient has not recovered in 5 days we give them a big dose of morphine and empty the bed, especially considering there are no known effective treatments.
What a thoughtful post – I’m sure your loved my many and respected by all
No. Unfortunately my work is all in obscurity but thoughtful posts like yours give me the encouragement to carry on.
Yet Disney wonders why California won’t let them reopen when they pull stunts like this.
Has there been an outbreak specifically at Disney? Or are you just concerned about the general higher numbers of positive tests?
I’m of the belief that this virus is real, it can be deadly and more so for some types of people (elderly, immune compromised, those with certain co-morbidities), and that washing our hands, distancing and wearing good masks is helpful in slowing, but not eliminating the spread. I also believe it won’t be controlled until most of us get it and either recover or die. Very very few, statistically, have died or will die. I don’t want to be one of those who die, but I also don’t want to exist in a sort of living death locked in my home with no contact with other human beings forever. I didn’t see or speak to another human being for one 3 week period at the beginning of this and spoke to nobody but a grocery store checker once every 2 weeks for several months. I was praying for death by that time.
Therefore, I applaud Disney. They are, as far as I know, taking reasonable precautions and allowing people to get on with living full and active lives. When I go to the parks, I get more exercise and fresh air than I ever would normally, and I have always had a spectacularly good time. Those are good things, and to me, they are good things that outweigh the bad risks of the virus.
I just really don’t understand why Disney is a thing. I’m sorry you’ve had tribulations there, but that seems like Disney’s standard offering.