More Park Challenges Disney Must Face to Re-Open

A couple of weeks ago, I listed many challenges Disney must address once the parks are ready to return.

Unfortunately, several more issues have arisen since then. Here are several more challenges Disney will face to re-open.

Transportation Issues

Have you ever ridden a monorail? Since you’re reading a Disney site, the answer is almost certainly yes.

Take a moment to remember your journey. You wait in a crowded line by a gate. You’re tired from spending the day at the parks, and so you rest your body against the railing.

Once the monorail arrives, you enter a tram that’s either empty or full. Even in the former scenario, you’re sitting down on the spot recently occupied by many others. On a crowded day, you’re probably standing up, clutching to a pole.

This transportation requirement was never satisfactory. However, in a post-Coronavirus society, well, how many times did you grow uncomfortable in reading that?

We’re in a pandemic, and everything needs to be clean. When the parks re-open, cast members must spend more time wiping down surfaces than they ever have before.

Here’s the scary part. I haven’t even mentioned buses yet. Those tend to be even grosser than the monorail. Then, there’s the Minnie Van service.

When you book a Minnie Van, a cast member drives up in an SUV and sticks your family in the backseat. One of you might even sit in the passenger seat, only a foot away from the driver.

Again, during a pandemic, how uncomfortable does that sound? Merely by entering a Minnie Van, a person cedes the option of social distancing.

Photo: Disney Parks Blog

Disney must find new, more sanitary practices for its transportation system. Otherwise, people won’t feel safe going to the parks. It’s that simple.

Fireworks and Parades

I’m a Wishes guy. That song gets in my head and stays there for a week. Some of my happiest Disney memories come from watching this fireworks presentation.

The Boo to You Parade is way up there for me, too. And I will always have a soft spot for the Main Street Electrical Parade.

I could leave the thought unspoken here, but I’ll go ahead and spell it out. When people watch Disney fireworks presentations and parades, we huddle tightly together.

Everyone wants the best possible view and doesn’t mind sacrificing some personal space to get it. I watched the first display of A Frozen Holiday Wish last year alongside 20,000 of my closest friends. I couldn’t move an inch on either side.

During a pandemic, that sort of behavior isn’t just crazy; it borders on suicidal. Disney cannot endanger its guests by allowing such actions.

Park officials must come up with a new way of allowing guests to watch these festivities safely. How would cast members enforce social distancing during Happily Ever After?

I don’t even have any good suggestions here. I’m merely pointing out that it’s a serious problem Disney must address.

Ride Throughput

Depending on (lack of) demand, this problem may solve itself. Still, I’d feel remiss if I didn’t discuss the spacing issues Disney must overcome.

Movie theaters across the country and around the world have closed indefinitely. Exhibitors have reacted to the pandemic poorly. They remained open too long and now face backlash over the needless risk they caused consumers.

The explanation stems from spacing issues. When we go to a movie, we sit shoulder-to-shoulder with total strangers. Even in the best of times, that’s annoying. Now, the idea seems reckless and intolerable.

Oddly, Disney faces a similar problem. Think about some of your favorite rides like Jungle Cruise, It’s a Small World, and Kilimanjaro Safaris.

You accept the inconvenience of tight spacing on these attractions because you love them so much. Well, you did. Moving forward, you will have no interest in sitting that close to strangers. And that’s not even the worst problem for Disney.

Many shows pack guests into theaters and stadiums. For example, Mickey’s PhilharMagic functions precisely like a movie theater. People enter the building, sit down next to unknown fellow park guests, and watch the show.

In the past, Disney’s primary concern has been throughput. Park strategists want to get people off the walking paths and inside ride/show buildings. Now, the company must settle on a two-pronged plan.

Due to social distancing concerns, Disney doesn’t want people walking closely on the main park paths. However, the company must solve overcrowding issues with rides and attractions.

When the parks re-open, don’t be surprised if coasters operate at one-half capacity. Similarly, Disney might require two out of every three seats in a theater/stadium to go unused.

Weirdly, the worst problem Disney could face when it re-opens is massive crowds.

Photo: PassportToTheParks.com

New Security Procedures

Disney historians point to 9/11 as an example of how much a shocking circumstance can impact the theme park industry. After that terrorist attack, theme parks took security much more seriously.

To Disney’s credit, the parks are phenomenal at security. Just last year, the company thwarted several different attempts to bring weapons into the parks. Similarly, the tragic Pulse nightclub shooting happened there because Disney Springs security was too tight.

Unfortunately, an airborne virus isn’t as easy to stop. Until the COVID-19 cure exists, Disney must take new steps to prevent the spread of disease.

Executive Chairman Bob Iger has already floated the idea of temperature checks at American Disney theme parks. He’s done this after Shanghai Disneyland started the practice.

Here’s the remarkable part. Shanghai Disneyland’s theme park isn’t even re-opened yet. Instead, guests must get their temperature taken to shop and eat at some places on the Disney campus.

Once Shanghai Disneyland returns, all guests know that they must prove that they’re healthy before entering the park. While Disneyland and Walt Disney World won’t confirm these plans for a while, I think everyone expects them.

From now on, everyone should expect a temperature check before entering any Disney theme park. And that’s something we should all want anyway. How many times have you caught something after a park visit?

With so many kids at the parks, they’re breeding grounds for bacteria. A temperature check combined with the better cleaning practices I mentioned last time would ensure healthier park visits in the future.

Disney can and should use the pandemic to develop safer park practices. Like the aftermath of 9/11, the catastrophe should change everyone’s thinking about what’s smart and reasonable.

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