Theme parks' post-pandemic world: 5 changes to expect
Change is barreling toward Orlando's theme parks and attractions, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Adjustments will be made in many ways - perhaps in every way - experts and analysts say.
Visitors should brace themselves for alterations, for example, in how to buy admission tickets, for spread-out seating arrangements aboard park rides and in restaurants, and in just how we wait, they say.
DRAWING THE LINE
Virtual queues, in which guests have appointed ride times instead of winding through a tedious line, won't work in current configurations "because there's literally not enough room to put people elsewhere in the park," says Brian Morrow, owner of B Morrow Productions, an Orlando-based design studio that works on projects for theme parks, resorts and museums.
"However, in the near future, I believe the parks will not be operating at their full capacity nor will there be demand for their full capacity," he says. "Then virtual queues may just be fine because you don't have as many people to deal with."
The large operators already are set up to do that, he says.
Current big-space queues, such as inside Fast & Furious: Supercharged at Universal Studios theme park, could be reconfigured to create staggered waiting rooms for virtual queuing. The setup for that park's Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, where folks can spread out over a wide, multiroom space, could be a model for others, he says.
But a chief concern will be ensuring that visitors feel safe, and that may mean the removal of newly discomforting elements, Morrow says. He thinks the pandemic could prompt the end of 3-D attractions and their reusable glasses. Going 2-D has been an industry trend anyway, he says.
"I think things like 3-D glasses are an easy grab where people are going to go 'Uhhhh, I'd rather not,' " Morrow says. "We know they've been clean. They've been clean all along ... but OK, great, I don't have to put it on my face, I'm ready to go."
Some attractions might be just as good without 3-D, Morrow says.
"You might find it not coming back."
NO-TOUCH TICKETING
There should be fewer admission sales at the attractions themselves, says Curtis Parks, managing partner at Icon Attractions, an entertainment-experience developer based in Maryland. In the industry, about 75% of tickets are purchased on property.
"There is going to be a large push to move everything online, have reservation-based systems at the parks," he says.
There is a lot of human contact in the current system, including having employees side-by-side to take payments.
"I think that's probably going to be what's most noticeable is that you're going to have this no-touch environment, and that's really going to reduce capacity in the parks as well," he says.
Talk of taking folks' temperatures before they enter probably will come to fruition, Parks says.
"I think that's going to become the new bag check," he says. "They are going to have delays getting to the properties because these larger operators are going to do temperature screenings, not only on their employees but also the guests coming into the facility as well."
THE MEAL DEAL
Dining may have a different vibe, at least in the short term, says AJ Wolfe, who runs the Disney Food Blog, a website independent from Walt Disney Co.
"I think decision-makers are considering servers wearing masks and undergoing health screenings daily, upping the overall cleaning protocol and using disposable menus all while reducing capacity to 50% in dining rooms to encourage social distancing," she says.
Buffet-type restaurants could be switched to a la carte or family-style for a while, Wolfe says, but reservations could be easier to get if vacationing families are slow to return to Walt Disney World.
Character dining has returned to Shanghai Disneyland, which started a phased reopening in early March with social distancing and health screenings, Wolfe says.
"Disney was already modifying character meet-and-greet experience for safety before the parks closed, so we may see that continue with face characters," she says.
COMING IN CLEAN
Cleanliness and communication about that cleanliness will be important for hoteliers going forward, says Jan Freitag, senior vice president of lodging insights for STR, a company that tracks analytics regarding the global hospitality industry.
"Obviously, cleaning will get much more intensified, and it's going to be interesting to see how hotels ... communicate that something happened that the guests can see," he says.
"Is it little fliers everywhere that's 'This was cleaned two hours ago' or is it when you check in you got an email that says every hard surface will be cleaned every two hours?" Freitag asks.
Keyless entry and remote check-in options should gain popularity, he says. Hotels may also consider leaving rooms empty for a couple of days after checkout and the ensuing cleaning. Larger resorts may reintroduce elevator operators to reduce the number of human fingers pressing the buttons, he says.
Convention hotels may have clients that question the value and the safety of gathering. A group could expand beyond its usual ballroom setting to meet social distancing guidelines, or it could choose to spread out further - inside or outside the resort.
"Does it make sense to put our 30 best salespeople into the same ballroom or is that too dangerous? Should we just have them ... connect online?" Freitag says.
An option for hoteliers could be rethinking uses for rooms, he says.
"Does it make sense for hotels to say, hey, what you need is a place away from your kids with Wi-Fi that's comfortable. And guess what? We have perfect offices for one person. They each have their own bathroom," Freitag says.
"Can we just reconfigure hotel rooms to be the new office space?"
THE BRITISH STILL ARE COMING
There is pent-up international demand for an Orlando vacation, particularly in England, says Susan Veness, author of "Brits' Guide to Orlando" and "Walt Disney World Hacks."
"The Brits are pretty solid in their desire to have their Orlando vacation. You know, it's always been one of those things they would put off remodeling the kitchen or the bathroom or fixing the roof if it meant they couldn't have their Orlando vacation," she says. "And for the most part, that's still true."
Some British visitors have postponed their Orlando trips until October or later of this year, while others are pushing back for an entire year, she says.
"I would say probably 90% of the people that I'm hearing from are saying 'We cannot wait to get back to Orlando,' " Veness says.
Americans have more of a "restrained optimism," she says.
"A lot of the Americans we're talking to are very much, you know, I'm going to wait and see," Veness says.
Another hurdle for vacationers to get over is the thinking that bad things won't happen on vacation.
"Mickey is going to keep you safe. ... It's just this magical thinking," Veness says of that mindset.
"There is going to have to be a dose of reality to the Magic Kingdom and all the parks," she says. "You have to be an active participant in your own safety."
Six Flags is planning to open all 26 of its amusement parks and water parks in 2021, including five that didn't operate last year due to the pandemic.
Disney World plans a phased reopening on July 11 for its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom parks and July 15 for EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.
