What does reduced capacity DL look like?

[gonzojl]

Hooray for DL being open at 25-35% capacity! While it certainly sounds safe what does this actually “look” or feel like when in the park? Curious if anyone has done the math and found a good comparison (ie it’s like a weekday in the off season, feels like a sold out special ticketed event, etc)

thanks!

[brian11811]

I wonder how they will keep people spread out and not bunched up around the more popular locations. I bet by end of summer they can expand capacity as more people are vaccinated.

[Starcade]

So I talked to an ex-cast member friend of mine who still talks to a lot of the senior cast members and he stated the wait times will likely be just as long as they where on a typical day.

Space mtn. and POTC will still be over 30 min+ etc. Here is his reasoning: 25% capacity but less than 40% of the rides and attractions will be open, then you factor in the gaps that will have to be put in the ride vehicles themselves and your going to see possibly POTC boats only half full Space Mountain will have every other car empty etc. So wait times will seem the same.

Now will the park seem less crowded? That is the wild card because he mentioned having to pull all queue's outdoors will cause a lot of spillage into the common areas he also mentioned there will likely be lines to find seating for eating food which will also spill out into the common areas. He predicts the park will potentially feel quite crowded at times even during the first couple of weeks.

Also Newsome said all tiers will be gone by June 30th if the current trend of lowered cases continues ( not: many medical experts feel that is not likely as we are about see a minor surge due to the spring break and the weather )

[WaltDisney'sAlec]

So I talked to an ex-cast member friend of mine who still talks to a lot of the senior cast members and he stated the wait times will likely be just as long as they where on a typical day.

Space mtn. and POTC will still be over 30 min+ etc. Here is his reasoning: 25% capacity but less than 40% of the rides and attractions will be open, then you factor in the gaps that will have to be put in the ride vehicles themselves and your going to see possibly POTC boats only half full Space Mountain will have every other car empty etc. So wait times will seem the same.

Now will the park seem less crowded? That is the wild card because he mentioned having to pull all queue's outdoors will cause a lot of spillage into the common areas he also mentioned there will likely be lines to find seating for eating food which will also spill out into the common areas. He predicts the park will potentially feel quite crowded at times even during the first couple of weeks.

Also Newsome said all tiers will be gone by June 30th if the current trend of lowered cases continues ( not: many medical experts feel that is not likely as we are about see a minor surge due to the spring break and the weather )

This was my experience at Six Flags recently this past week. They have almost exclusively outdoor queues so the park itself seemed sparsely populated; think Disneyland in its last hour of closing on a summer night. If Disneyland rides follow the same protocol as Six Flags (and that's a big "if"), that means only one row is open on every car, with routine sanitizations causing full-stops every couple of cycles. That turned out to mean that even if the park itself was reduced capacity, the reduced ride capacity made the lines feel just as long. I'd expect Disney to do the same through June 15th until we are able to sit in every row on the ride.

[brian11811]

I feel like theme parks should just heavily enforce the masks and not worry so much about sanitizing rides between riders. Even this week the CDC said surface cleaning is not as important as stopping the airborne particles, which they have kind of been saying unofficially for the past 6 months. The plexiglass shields are kind of useless as well unless someone sneezed in your face. Really the mask is the big thing.

I am not sure how much time skipping the frequent sanitization would save though and would look bad from a PR/Legal perspective. Just thinking out loud so to speak.

[Reeder]

Space mtn. and POTC will still be over 30 min+ etc. Here is his reasoning: 25% capacity but less than 40% of the rides and attractions will be open, then you factor in the gaps that will have to be put in the ride vehicles themselves and your going to see possibly POTC boats only half full Space Mountain will have every other car empty etc. So wait times will seem the same.

Yesterday Disney announced which rides/attractions will be open. There's definitely more open than closed, so I'm not sure where you're getting that "less than 40% of rides and attractions will be open."

Also Newsome said all tiers will be gone by June 30th if the current trend of lowered cases continues ( not: many medical experts feel that is not likely as we are about see a minor surge due to the spring break and the weather )

June 15th, not June 30th. And they've been talking about "surges" for months now. While there are some surges in a few states, the US overall is in more of a plateau, and California's numbers are doing great. With vaccinations moving at the pace they are, I wouldn't be surprised if CA State officials move it UP from June 15th to the beginning of June.

[Reeder]

I wonder how they will keep people spread out and not bunched up around the more popular locations. I bet by end of summer they can expand capacity as more people are vaccinated.

End of summer? Really? I think most people who want a vaccine will have had the opportunity before summer even starts on June 20th. I don't necessarily think everything will be completely normal by then, but my guess is that by June 20th, social distancing is gone. It will still take time for Disney to train/retrain cast members and all that......so I don't expect things to get back to normal with the flip of a switch, but they should at least be in the PROCESS by June 20th. That's my prediction.

[Reeder]

I feel like theme parks should just heavily enforce the masks and not worry so much about sanitizing rides between riders. Even this week the CDC said surface cleaning is not as important as stopping the airborne particles, which they have kind of been saying unofficially for the past 6 months. The plexiglass shields are kind of useless as well unless someone sneezed in your face. Really the mask is the big thing.

I am not sure how much time skipping the frequent sanitization would save though and would look bad from a PR/Legal perspective. Just thinking out loud so to speak.

Unfortunately a lot of people are using masks as a crutch. Regular cloth/surgical masks don't really do much to stop airborne particles. N95 masks can do that, but the cloth/surgical masks can really only stop the larger droplets.

So even masks aren't really that big of a thing if you're sitting next to someone for longer than a few minutes. The vaccines are what is going to get us there. And the way things are moving with vaccines, we'll be there before summer starts. That's why CA is setting the June 15th date to lose the tier system.

[WaltDisney'sAlec]

Unfortunately a lot of people are using masks as a crutch. Regular cloth/surgical masks don't really do much to stop airborne particles. N95 masks can do that, but the cloth/surgical masks can really only stop the larger droplets.

So even masks aren't really that big of a thing if you're sitting next to someone for longer than a few minutes. The vaccines are what is going to get us there. And the way things are moving with vaccines, we'll be there before summer starts. That's why CA is setting the June 15th date to lose the tier system.

If anyone is interested in buying a mask rated N99, I recommend this company. Here's a blog post explaining the technology. However, last I heard, masks with valves are of course banned from Disney property because they have a valve (although they include a deactivator with your purchase if you want) even though the CDC has moved on from this guidance.

[mickdaddy]

Brian, masks work SOME. But again, they don't stop everything. If they did, N95-type masks wouldn't exist. Cloth/surgical masks DO NOT stop micro-particles (particles that are small enough to pass through/between the threads on the mask). They stop larger droplets, so they do help some. But again, too many people are using masks as a crutch, and are under the impression that if you're wearing one, you're 100% protected. You're not.

Cloth and surgical masks mixed with social distancing and good hand Hygiene will get you pretty close to that 100% protected that is why there are more guidelines in place than just masks. Also if you look at the most current information from the CDC risk of infection is currently at 15 minutes of continuous exposure to someone that is infected.

[Starcade]

Yesterday Disney announced which rides/attractions will be open. There's definitely more open than closed, so I'm not sure where you're getting that "less than 40% of rides and attractions will be open."

There was a an article ( I believe here on mice chat ) about a week ago stating what was to be open and it had a smaller list then Disney eventually put out. Also if you include attractions and not just rides as I stated I think we are still at the 40% open stage as meet and greets, shows, parades, some food locations etc. falls into this

Regarding the June date, I was going off of a previous report that had pointed to a proposed June 30th date.

[EvilMommie]

It looks like heaven! Can't wait!!!

[Spongeocto4]

This is was the estimated figures I wrote in another thread. Parks can be at 25% capacity.

Just for reference on capacity restrictions

Disneyland
MAX Capacity*: 85,000
15% Capacity: 12,750
25% Capacity: 21,250
35% Capacity: 29,750

Disney California Adventure
MAX Capacity*: 50,000
15% Capacity: 7,500
25% Capacity: 12,500
35% Capacity: 17,500

Overall Parks Total:
MAX Capacity**: 135,000
15% Capacity: 20,250
25% Capacity: 33,750
35% Capacity: 47,250


*Maximum Capacity numbers are past reported estimates.

**Disneyland and DCA'S estimates combined.