robbalvey

But this is how it's been for every park so far. Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, even the smaller parks that have submitted for approvals. If there is any take-away from this is that the "submission for approval" is basically a technicality and it would seem like their plan has already been pretty much approved before the official submission has even happened.

I do think a lot of folks don't have these... I see them everywhere at the park. I think MOST people either have that style or a cloth mask. You can get them very easily now on eBay. I usually pick them up for about $19 for 50 disposable masks including shipping. When you're talking 38 cents per mask, there is no excuse for people not to have them.

Yes. As it should be. This is what they enforce at Disney & Universal and I would expect SeaWorld to do the same, however today made me lower those expectations.

This is EXACTLY what Elissa and I were discussing the other day. How the f is it that the "mask" became such a hot topic??? I thought for sure it would be a "no-brainer" that people would wear it and we would have to put up with Instagrammers showing off their "new cool mask" and it becoming yet another accessory that people would brag about. The reality couldn't be further than that! People literally are FIGHTING about this. ACTUALLY FIGHTING!!! And it disgusts me so much. Maybe it's because I've been going to Japan regularly for 20 years and I've seen people wearing them on ever single visit I've ever had there so it doesn't seem as foreign to me? I don't know. But the mask is just so non-invasive. You're right, it's not like we are being asked to wear some hazmat suit, or just giant super uncomfortable piece of clothing, or even go get a weekly blood test, or many of the other things that COULD have become a reality in this. It's a small piece of fabric across your nose & mouth. It literally is nothing. Yet we've had to ban so many people from our forums, socials, and other TPR outlets because of their just BATSHIT CRAZY PSYCHOTIC INSANE attitude against it. I was at the point where I thought nothing shocked me about humanity, and then this happened, and now my feeling about humanity has sunk a whole other level that I didn't think was possible.

So our first visit back to SeaWorld Orlando after the re-opening from Coronavirus lockdown was... um... "not great." I contemplated actually writing something about our short visit today because I'd like to go again next week to give them another chance, but there were just so many things that I found shocking today that I just had to write about it... First of all, at least there wasn't any line for parking at 1pm in the afternoon: If anyone followed along any of the Orlando bloggers or "MBF's"(Must Be Firsts) as I've been calling them lately, they created a GIANT CROWD reported to be an hour long wait to get through the parking booths yesterday on their opening just to be the "first" to post their YouTube vlogs or Instagram selfies. Personally, I just don't understand this. Here we are 24 hours later and there is no line to get in. I will say, however, this was probably one of the better experiences we had for the day. By now, everyone knows the standard issue "compliance rules" for parks and COVID-19. Wear Masks, Temperature Checks, Stand 6 feet apart... yes we get it... we know the drill. Except when that's not exactly the case. I feel this is more representative of what we saw today at SeaWorld: They may require masks to get into the park, but I'd say we saw MAYBE 15% of the people actually wearing them, and none of their employees telling anyone to put them on, aside from the entrance turnstiles to the park. Social Distancing? Forget it! We saw so may queues where guests were all crammed on top of each other and once again, no employees doing anything to fix that situation. Where they were doing social distancing was separating guests out on attractions. But to the point where operations were actually negatively impacting your visit to the park. Some attractions were already loading guests SO SLOWLY and then only filling trains less than half in some cases. We saw several Infinity Falls rafts going around with **ONE** person in them! I get they are trying to be "safe" but there has to be a better way? And why is SeaWorld "picking and choosing" where they want to follow their own COVID guidelines? We make it into the park (is it just me or does EVERYONE have issues scanning their tickets & passes to get into SeaWorld/Busch parks?) and while it's busier than I would have expected, it wasn't that "busy" until you got to an area with rides. "You won't see that for another twelve minutes!" we joked as we saw Manta dispatch. And we weren't wrong. The coasters we saw operate were dispatching trains every 9-12 minutes, And running their coasters at half capacity. I mean, if your'e going to run your rides at half capacity, maybe at least TRY to operate them a bit more efficiently to get more people through? While the park wasn't overly busy, lines for rides were INSANE. This right here is a perfect example of what we saw all over the park: - No social distancing at all. - A "free-for-all" wearing a mask. - Ride queues that seemed a lot longer than they should have been due to some really bad operations. - No employees that seemed to be doing anything to help with any of the situations above. Needless to say, we didn't stay for very long nor did we ride anything. I just didn't want to put myself into a situation crammed in with people who weren't social distancing, weren't wearing masks, and at one point we saw a family who had a "Service Pit Bull" with them. Seriously?!?!? With all the small annoyances brought upon by our day, you know what WASN'T actually annoying? Wearing the mask in the 92 degree Florida heat like many people said it would be. We were both wearing thin, disposable medical masks. They were comfortable and not invasive or annoying at all. While it was a beautiful day to take a walk around the park, most of the time when we looked around, the park looked like this.... Not many people around... not many rides actually running. When you got closer to rides, tons of disorganization everywhere with people on top of each other, most of them not wearing any masks. I just don't get it. With there being reports of more cases all over the US at the moment, why wouldn't you just do the simply thing and wear a mask? But then again, when this is the example SeaWorld's CEO is setting, what do you expect? Anyway, we are going to go back again next week. Hopefully we will have some better news to share. I get that this was only their second day of operation, but with Disney Springs being open almost a month and Universal being open a couple of weeks now, they have plenty of examples in the area to look at. I most certainly haven't seen any of these issues at Disney Springs and they are only a few miles down the road! I most certainly do applaud Disney for taking more time to really get things right in their park. I have much higher expectations for when Disney opens July 11th, but I also understand that, at the moment, Universal & SeaWorld are the only major theme parks open in town, and I'm sure once Disney opens all the focus will be there, so those guys need to grab as much of that business while they can while the fire is hot! Let's just do a better job of enforcing your own COVID rules, okay? Thanks guys...

Banned from our forum. I simply do not have time nor do I care to put up with self-entitled assholes here that think they can do whatever the fuck they want to.

Yes. That is correct. It is our forum and our unfair rules. You can simply fuck off if you don't like it. Good. Leave. We don't care.

This is such fucking bullshit. You are either outright lying just because you don't want to wear a mask or you are so sick that you probably shouldn't be going to a park in the first place. Seriously please... I beg of you... STOP POSTING TO OUR FORUM!!! I honestly cannot take any more of your insane stupidity. You literally are the dumbest person on the forum right now.

Because the things you say are so insanely fucking stupid that most people's brains don't have the capacity to process that much stupidity at one time. Seriously, please just consider not posting here anymore. There are plenty of people who would actually prefer that, including myself.

Full Article: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-world-masks-plexiglass-dividers-temperature-checks-set-partial-reopening-1294506 Disney World: Masks, Plexiglass Dividers and Temperature Checks Set for Partial Reopening The first wave of Walt Disney World employees will be back at the park on Saturday to get a portion of the Florida resort ready for its partial reopening on May 20. The theme park has been shuttered since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, which resulted in more than 100,000 employees companywide being furloughed. But in three days, 117 custodians will return to work. Eric Clinton, president of UNITE HERE, Local 362 told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday that park staff have a "mixed bag of emotions" about returning to work: potential infection is a major concern, but so is not being able to pay rent. "Some are anxious to get back because the unemployment system [in Florida] is completely broken," Clinton said. On May 20, only sub-contracted shops will be open in the Disney Springs shopping and dining complex. The next phase will start four days later when Disney retail shops, such as World Of Disney Store and Disney eateries reopen, the union president said. For that, an additional 59 custodians will report back to work. Disney is taking the safety of both the guests and employees with the utmost seriousness, explained Clinton, highlighting some of the precautions that will be put in place. All guests and employees will be required to wear masks. Disney will provide employees three washable masks. Guests will have their temperature checked and plexiglass dividers have been installed at registers. Guests will swipe their own payments cards, they will no longer be handled by employees. And custodians will be retrained to pay attention to high-touch areas. Clinton would not speculate about when the rest of the resort, namely the theme park, might reopen, but he did point to the Monday reopening of Shanghai Disneyland Park, noting "what you see there is a lot of what you'll see here." The sprawling China park requires all guests and staff wear masks, has line queues and rides marked for one-meter social distancing and is allowing far fewer guests daily (below 24,000) than the maximum capacity, which is 80,000. Disney has also developed new global training for park employees to inform them about health and safety amid the pandemic, Clinton said. The company will also hold monthly safety meetings, with which the union will be involved. For now, there have been no announcements about any part of Disneyland in Anaheim reopening. Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek on Monday said it was still unclear when the domestic parks would reopen, as the decision would rely on state and local restrictions being lifted. "We want to open up as soon as we can across the world, but we are going to do so in a responsible way," the exec said then. "We want to get our cast back to work as soon as possible."

Universal Orlando City Walk will partially open on May 14th: Details: https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/terms-of-service/operations-update?linkId=88480280 May 14 CityWalk is Opening for Limited Operations Select CityWalk venues are opening for our guests to enjoy from 4–10 pm daily. Our team and all of our guests should follow all recommended CDC guidelines. - We are requiring temperature checks for all guests upon their arrival. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or greater will not be able to enter CityWalk. As part of our standard procedures, Team Members will undergo temperature checks as well. - Everyone – including all Team Members and guests – is required to wear face coverings while at Universal CityWalk. - Each venue will limit capacity to help enforce social distancing - All chairs, tables and high-touch surfaces will be thoroughly and frequently cleaned and disinfected v Self-parking is complimentary. Valet parking is not available at this time. Subject to change. In addition to shopping at the Universal Studios Store and select merchandise carts, there are plenty of tasty temptations across CityWalk, each is opening with a delicious but limited menu, as well as limited seating.

I think at this point, we have exhausted about everything we need to say about COVID-19 in general. As parks are now beginning to announce opening dates and their requirements, I'm seeing the exact same discussions taking place here as well as in the official park discussion thread. While I'm all for more traffic on the forums (and would love to keep encouraging everyone to continue posting as much as possible) I think for organization purposes, it makes sense to now retire this thread and direct all future park discussions to their appropriate threads. Make sense? Thank you everyone for your support! If you are unsure about which thread to post in about a specific park, please see the Park Discussion Directory.

This video shows some very interesting details on how Shanghai Disneyland plans to re-open on May 11th: [fbvideonew] [/fbvideonew]

You don't have to post EVERY SINGLE PHOTO of the Zootopia construction you find online. There has been almost ZERO progress since the last one you posted.

Elissa asked for things to get back on track with theme parks, but clearly some people felt they were above that request. I've cleaned up the thread and removed some people from the forum. It's a shame I've had to do that. I don't understand why people just can't respect a simple request from a forum admin. But I guess this is why we can't have nice things, right?

I have posted the news about Shanghai Disney re-opening here: https://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1936298#p1936298 Please discuss it in the specific park thread. Thank you.

Shanghai Disneyland Reopens with Controlled Capacity on May 11 - Park reopens on May 11, 2020 - Includes required pre-booking of tickets and limited capacity - Social distancing measures include queues, restaurants, ride vehicles and other facilities - Some interactive attractions, playareas and theatres will remain closed - Parades and night-time spectaculars are not returning yet - There will be characters in the park, but no close-up meet-and-greets - Guests must present valid green health QR, wear masks and have a temperature check [fbvideonew] [/fbvideonew] Full press release: Shanghai Disneyland Reopens with Controlled Capacity on May 11 BURBANK, Calif., May 5, 2020 – As residents in Shanghai and its neighboring provinces gradually return to more normal life - including at workplaces, schools, shops, restaurants, and entertainment destinations - Shanghai Disney Resort announced today that Shanghai Disneyland will re-open to the public on May 11, 2020. “We know how much our guests have been looking forward to returning to Shanghai Disneyland, and our cast is excited to begin welcoming them back,” said Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “As the park reopens with significantly enhanced health and safety measures, our guests will find Shanghai Disneyland as magical and memorable as ever.” During this initial re-opening phase, Shanghai Disney Resort instituted enhanced measures and procedures that comply with government directives and focus on the needs of guests and cast members. The initial park re-opening will demonstrate a deliberate approach, drawing on the experience from the successful re-opening of Disneytown, Wishing Star Park and Shanghai Disneyland Hotel in early March, and implement enhanced health and safety measures. At opening, these measures and procedures include: Limited and pulsed attendance with an advanced reservation and entry system: Guests are required to purchase admission tickets valid on a selected date only and Annual Pass holders must make a reservation prior to arrival. Controlled guest density: Capacity will be recommended and managed in queues, restaurants, ride vehicles and other facilities. Queues will be structured and ride vehicles will be loaded to promote social distancing. Implementing required government health and prevention procedures: This includes temperature screening and the use of the government-issued Shanghai Health QR code, a contact tracing and early detection system used in China. Additionally, guests must wear a mask during their visit, except when dining. Increased sanitization and disinfection measures: Hand sanitizers will be available at queue entries and attraction exits. High-touch locations, such as ride vehicles, handlebars, queue railings and turnstiles will have increased sanitization. Training for cast members: Cast members will receive training on procedures with an emphasis on contactless guest interaction, cleaning and social distancing and will receive additional protective equipment including masks. Shanghai Disney Resort plans to recognize and celebrate the contributions of medical professionals, with additional details announced soon. More info: https://shcorporate.shanghaidisneyresort.com/en/category/press-room-en

All aboard! Take a ride on Mickey & Minnie's latest adventure at Walt Disney World Hollywood Studios! VIDEO:

It will always be MUCH cheaper to cancel a project that is only at an earlier stage of design and planning than it would be to move forward with the project. At this point, unless a ride is 1/2 to 3/4 of the way completed, I would assume everything is either cancelled or significantly delayed until all these theme park companies know how this virus is going to affect attendance moving forward. Don't forget... even Disney let a partially completed Disney World resort project sit dormant for a decade after 9/11.

Giving away a Steel Vengeance themed Bag-o-Crap on our Twitter! Details on how to win:

I know a lot of people were complaining when Iron Gwazi stats had the ride not being anywhere near as long as Steel Vengeance but that was one of the things that I was really happy about!

I actually ranked Untamed above Steel Vengeance. Is there such a thing as "too much of a good thing?" Then Steel Vengeance, for me, the answer is "YES!" I personally felt that Steel Vengeance just went on for too long and did the same things over and over and over again. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was AMAZING and I have it ranked #4 in the world (tied with Wildfire) but I personally would have liked Steel Vengeance more if it were SHORTER. And yes, I can't believe I'm saying that, but that's how I felt. Untamed on the other hand, was the PERFECT length (#TWSS) with a perfect mix of elements. And actually, if you look at my rankings, I actually have Medusa Steel Coaster, Twisted Timbers, Hakugei, and Untamed all tied for #3 ahead of Steel Vengeance. What can I say? I just prefer the shorter more punchier RMC's over the longer, repetitive monstrosity that Steel Vengeance is. And for those who want to hate on that opinion, remember I still did rank it #4 in the world (technically #8) over hundreds of other roller coasters. *NOTE: If Wildfire didn't have that short period where it kind of peters out at the end, it also would have beaten Steel Vengeance in my mind! But with Steel Vengeance monotonous too-long layout and Wildfire's weaker ending, they both tied for #4.

Got friend requests from people I’m not sure if I know? I don’t like adding people if I’ve never heard of them.

So I've been playing the new Animal Crossing for almost a week now, and I have to be honest... I'm a little disappointed. While the game looks GORGEOUS and I love al the attention to details in it, I really miss things like "Tortimer Island" being able to play games with your friends, visiting all the other shops in the city, visiting the other houses in the Happy Home Academy showcase, and so many of the other features that were found in previous versions. Maybe we just haven't gotten those things yet? (hoping!) But after a few days into it, where I'm just wandering around not having much to do, and I've now collected HUNDREDS of each of the wood types that I'm not even bothering smack trees anymore, I feel myself sort of just "bored" in the game right now. And I've never felt this in any other version of Animal Crossing! (We've been playing since GameCube!) And is there really no connection to Pocket Camp at all? I haven't seen anything come up about that. Don't get me wrong, I love Animal Crossing and it is still the game I have invested the most time in over my entire life, but I just expected more "things" to do in this game, characters to visit, activities with multi-player, especially after the last couple of rounds of the game. I hoping that this is just a much slower-paced version of the game and all of those things are yet to come.