This is insane! The response to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has been intense. Many people are stocking up on things like toilet paper like it is the end of the world. While I don’t want to minimize the affects of the coronavirus, do we really need to go to these extremes? I am feeling so sad for the families that have to cancel their vacations to The Most Magical Place on Earth. Also, all the travel agents that are getting ten thousand emails and phone calls from unhappy travelers.
I can always gauge how bad or serious a situation is by seeing if Walt Disney World closes or not. In Michigan, our schools closed through the middle of April. (Our spring break was already scheduled for April 6-10) In return, some Church events and Theater events have also been cancelled or postponed. Even when these things happened, I was still questioning the response. Until Walt Disney World announced that it was closing its parks. This is when I knew S*$% just got real! This is when I really began to be concerned. Not necessarily for myself or my children to get infected by the virus, but for how this is going to affect our economy, finances, and the those who have a compromised immune system.
With schools closing, there are many things to think about and be concerned over. What is going to happen with my children’s education? There is no school work for them to do over this extended time at home. Will this cause them to have to go to school through June or July? In Michigan, we usually are given a certain number of ‘snow days’ that we can miss school for without having to make up those days in the summer or at the end of the school year. The government regulates how many classroom hours are required for a school year. With this closure, will we have to make up these days? This is a question that will not be answered any time soon. Which could affect people who have their family vacations scheduled for those early summer months/weeks. I would venture to say that this closure of school and of WDW parks will affect family vacations for this entire year and possibly beyond.
Right now, Disney World is closed through the end of March. The resorts will remain open as will Disney Springs. It is very possible that this closure could extend into April. According to the CDC.gov, the “COVID-19 is a new disease and we are still learning how it spreads, the severity of illness it causes, and to what extent it may spread in the United States.” Because there is still so much that is unknown with this virus, things can change. The Coronavirus can live on surfaces for 2-3 days, so with the parks being closed for the current amount of time should be enough to allow any surfaces to be cleared of the virus. The virus is spread person-to-person through contact and respiratory droplets produced when coughing or sneezing. This is why it is recommended to stay 6 feet away from everyone. With Florida having 21-50 reported cases of COVID-19 and the fact that it is known as an easily transmittable virus, every precaution should be taken to help stop the spread.
From what I understand, the people most at risk are those that have a compromised immune system and the elderly. The spread of the virus could be spread from people who do not show signs of being sick. For example, I go to Walt Disney World today and someone sneezes on me who has the virus. (or they sneeze 5 feet away from me and one tiny particle lands on my lip – it happens all the time, people…don’t be grossed out) I go home tomorrow and visit my 91 year old grandmother to show her photos of my Disney trip and give her a kiss on the cheek. BOOM Caronavirus spread. Since they don’t have a vaccine for this yet, and it could possibly get out of control, I can now see why all these closures are happening.
Personally, my family has been greatly affected by all this. I have been directing the local high school musical, Mamma Mia, and it has been postposed. (It was supposed to open next Friday. Today was tech day, which is cancelled) My kids do not have school for a month. Not sure how it will effect our summer. Thankfully, my kids are older and can stay home by themselves. My son is dual enrolled in college and those classes are converting to online classes, so that’ll be tough for him. He also decided to participate in track this year, for the first time. (He ran cross country for that past 5 years) He did really well in the time trials just to have practices cancelled and the season at least postponed. Some of the cast of Mamma Mia also do spring sports which may or may not conflict with any new dates, which could mean re-casting some roles.(Please cast, don’t drop!!!) So far, my work has not been effected, thank goodness.
Here is what to expect of Disney if your trip is affected. Unexpired multi-day tickets with unused days, for use March 12-31 will be extended to use any date through December 15, 2020. You can also choose to apply the value of a wholly unused ticket toward the purchase of a ticket for a future date. Florida resident Discover Disney Tickets may be used through July 31, 2020. Any special event tickets for March 16-31 will be automatically refunded. Annual passes will be extended for the amount of days the parks are closed. If you have a resort stay scheduled for the park closure dates, you can cancel with no cancellation fee. They will also refund your money if you just don’t show up. If you have worked with a travel agent, you should contact them. All dining reservation pre-paid experiences will be automatically refunded. All fastpass+ reservations will be automatically cancelled for March16-31. Also, something I am so happy about is that Disney is still paying their cast members!
If you are working with a travel agent, please be nice to them. I can only imagine how much work they are having to do right now in order to help all their clients. Countless hours rescheduling current vacations for those who are there now and wanting to go home, those who are upcoming that need to just reschedule before leaving home, and those who are just not sure if their vacation will be affected and are taking early precautions by rescheduling in advance before it becomes a last minute change. Also, for those bookings that are direct through Disney, be nice to the cast members, they are just as overwhelmed as you! Please be patient and know that your travel agent and Disney cast member are doing everything they can to help you.
How has the COVID-19 effected you? Do you have an upcoming Disney vacation that you had to cancel? Comment below, I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences. (it’s far below this last paragraph, so keep scrolling to comment 🙂 ) Thank you for reading.
The Mouse Traveler 