Effects of Coronavirus (COVID-19) On Entertainment & Tourism Industry

[Scott W.]

I find MCO atrocious as an experience, other than that cool little monorail system. LAX was a breeze in comparison for customs and baggage. Maybe I got lucky. But there’s something about MCO which is just part of the tradition now, so it would be hard to move to Sanford.

I just like everything as it is and I want to go. I want to fly on Virgin, to MCO, and go to parks where I don’t have to wash my hands 5000 times. Makes me think I took it all for granted, and now things may never be the same again.

I've always found MCO easy going in but it's your luck of the draw leaving.

To keep this somewhat on track, I wonder what the airports will be doing for international guests. You're basically brought in like cattle, it's going to be so easily to spread if it stays as it was.

From 2022 they're changing to Melbourne International Airport. Even further away.

 

[Happytycho]

I find MCO atrocious as an experience, other than that cool little monorail system. LAX was a breeze in comparison for customs and baggage. Maybe I got lucky. But there’s something about MCO which is just part of the tradition now, so it would be hard to move to Sanford.

I just like everything as it is and I want to go. I want to fly on Virgin, to MCO, and go to parks where I don’t have to wash my hands 5000 times. Makes me think I took it all for granted, and now things may never be the same again.

The new (under construction) MCO south terminal should be a pretty big improvement over the current experience, at least for international passengers arriving there. Not yet sure that Virgin will use the south terminal though.

And for what it's worth, GOAA says that the south terminal C construction is still moving forward despite the current air traffic slowdown.

 

[Clive]

Hearing from a pretty reputable source that Tenet is definitely releasing in July...no plans of pushing, short of another country wide shutdown.

The numbers from the independently-owned/operated theaters in Texas this past weekend were good, despite lukewarm material screening.

 

[Nick]

Hearing from a pretty reputable source that Tenet is definitely releasing in July...no plans of pushing, short of another country wide shutdown.

This has been become pretty apparent with them not moving the date. If they didn’t when they rest of Hollywood was picnicked, why would they now?

I think it will backfire though and the movie will make way less than it should.

 

[HandsomePete]

The new (under construction) MCO south terminal should be a pretty big improvement over the current experience, at least for international passengers arriving there. Not yet sure that Virgin will use the south terminal though.

And for what it's worth, GOAA says that the south terminal C construction is still moving forward despite the current air traffic slowdown.

The current customs experience at MCO can vary greatly - probably more than any other busy international hub I’ve been through. If you’re an American with Global Entry sitting toward the front of the first Virgin 747 to arrive that usually beats the BA flight, it’s a piece of cake. Sit at the back of the second, or worse third during those times of year, Virgin flight as a non-citizen and you’ll be down there for an eternity.

And hate to say it, but those 747s needed to go. They got beat to pieces running those routes - probably the worst plane I’ve been on since Southwest finally put the last of its 300s to bed.

 

[Mad Dog]

Disney EPS adj. $.60 came in under the $.89 estimates....but Revenues of $18.01 Billion beat the estimates of $17.8 Billion....so kind of a mixed report. ....Extended hours stock up $1.50 at 4:32 PM, down $1 at 4:38 PM.....increase to 54.5 million streaming customers

 

[quinnmac000]

Shanghai DIsneyland confirmed May 11 opening...Advance reservations, use of masks, contract tracing, and more will be required as well as reduced capacity.

 

[JungleSkip]

Shanghai DIsneyland confirmed May 11 opening...Advance reservations, use of masks, contract tracing, and more will be required as well as reduced capacity.

The only thing I see being implemented in the US parks is reservations, sadly

 

[Clive]

The only thing I see being implemented in the US parks is reservations, sadly

They'll have some form of performative social distancing, a strong recommendation to wear masks, reduced capacity, and maybe some form of contact tracing...

 

[JungleSkip]

They'll have some form of performative social distancing, a strong recommendation to wear masks, reduced capacity, and maybe some form of contact tracing...

I'd imagine the reservations will be the "reduced capacity".

But a "recommendation" for masks is useless.

 

[Nick]

The only thing I see being implemented in the US parks is reservations, sadly

Disney and Universal both want their asses covered - I don't see either opening without providing masks, especially if capacity is already being limited and it's by reservation.

 

[Mad Dog]

Disney Board just announced they are forgoing dividends for first half of year to shore up finances. Disney in extended hours trading drops $3.35 at 5:00 PM after that announcement.......58% drop in operating income...$1 billion dollar loss associated with covid....Disney said they had an increase in total theme park park attendance and revenue up until they closed in mid March.....Analysts on CNBC seem agreed stock will drop to low 90's , high 80's....but they're encouraged by Shanghai opening....James Stewart business analyst of the NY Times, on CNBC, says investors he's been talking to are worried and nervous about Disney and concerned about their liquidity. Says this bodes poorly for Disney plus since they won't have the funds to invest in new product to go against Netflix and Amazon. Really concerned about liquidity.

 

[HandsomePete]

That DLR annual pass that requires you to make an advance reservation sounded like the most absurd thing ever six months ago, but in hindsight that may be the most important IT platform they've built in the last decade

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

So. What year do we think we'll realistically get to have an at least mostly normal HHN? Whenever it is, it'll be the 30th, and they'll likely have gone a year without it. I would expect them to pull out all the stops to make it special.

 

[Clive]

That DLR annual pass that requires you to make an advance reservation sounded like the most absurd thing ever six months ago, but in hindsight that may be the most important IT platform they've built in the last decade

My question (and I realize this isn't super important in the grand scheme of things) is how prioritization will work for pass tiers. If everyone is now basically operating as if they have a Flex Pass, what happens to the Deluxe, Signature, and Signature Plus passholders? Do they get some sort of priority, or is everyone lumped into the same bucket?

 

[HandsomePete]

My question (and I realize this isn't super important in the grand scheme of things) is how prioritization will work for pass tiers. If everyone is now basically operating as if they have a Flex Pass, what happens to the Deluxe, Signature, and Signature Plus passholders? Do they get some sort of priority, or is everyone lumped into the same bucket?

That's probably going to be as big of a fiasco as the SW/BGT preferred parking lots come late June.

 

[Brian G.]

So. What year do we think we'll realistically get to have an at least mostly normal HHN? Whenever it is, it'll be the 30th, and they'll likely have gone a year without it. I would expect them to pull out all the stops to make it special.

The 30th is happening this year until it isn’t. Then it’ll be next year.

 

[JungleSkip]

Disney and Universal both want their asses covered - I don't see either opening without providing masks, especially if capacity is already being limited and it's by reservation.

America has shown the past week that they're too inconsiderate to actually allow masking to be a requirement, so I don't foresee it happening, especially at the Florida parks

 

[HandsomePete]

The 30th is happening this year until it isn’t. Then it’ll be next year.

What I'm about to say is absurd because I know it doesn't work this way and I suspect it's either a go/no go decision, but if they ran a dialed back version this year and called it HHN 29.5, I'd be the first in line to buy a t-shirt. Would give the marketing people double ammo with still 30 in the bank for next year.

 

[Nick]

So. What year do we think we'll realistically get to have an at least mostly normal HHN? Whenever it is, it'll be the 30th, and they'll likely have gone a year without it. I would expect them to pull out all the stops to make it special.

I just don't see how HHN can possibly happen this year. HHN is like a close-contact sport. Applying the 6 foot social distancing really leaves it so you can only have a bunch of people on stages in the streets and bare bones houses I guess? If you were to run HHN as usual, there's normally 25-30 people in a house per cast, sometimes upwards of 40 if you have a megahouse. That's all in tight spaces and you have Events ops people around every corner and there's very little way to limit contact between a performer and a guest. They can also try and pulse the houses, but people still end up on top of each other. It's inevitable.

They could run a very bare bones event this year, but the problem becomes, will people still show up like they used to? No. Some will stay home that otherwise would go. And they'd be putting on an inferior product, so do they charge less? Do you really waste some ideas you had planned for a grand 30th year on a year that will turn into a dud? It'll be interesting.