# Why Is Orlando Taking So Long to Recover?



## dioxide45 (Sep 13, 2020)

We checked in to Sheraton Vistana Villages today. Occupancy is 18%. Nothing is open, which we knew. You can really only swim in the pools. They did open up the towel exchange at the Bella and Key West pools again. You previously had to get towels at the front desk.

I asked at check in what occupancy was over Labor Day weekend and they said it may have gotten up to 30%. We also recently visited three beach resorts and they have all been busy. Occupancy probably upward of 80%. So that has me wondering, what is it about Orlando that is unappealing? Is it simply the over supply? These resorts probably run about 80% occupancy throughout the year. But over several stays after WDW reopened occupancy has pretty much been in the same 20% range.

I suspect it won't go much higher until Thanksgiving and then drop back down until Christmas and New Year's. Why is Orlando taking so much longer to recover than beach locations?

Everhone talks about Hawaii because they are essentially at 0% occupancy, but I don't think Orlando is very far behind and there are no travel restrictions with Orlando.


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## klpca (Sep 13, 2020)

dioxide45 said:


> We checked in to Sheraton Vistana Villages today. Occupancy is 18%. Nothing is open, which we knew. You can really only swim in the pools. They did open up the towel exchange at the Bella and Key West pools again. You previously had to get towels at the front desk.
> 
> I asked at check in what occupancy was over Labor Day weekend and they said it may have gotten up to 30%. We also recently visited three beach resorts and they have all been busy. Occupancy probably upward of 80%. So that has me wondering, what is it about Orlando that is unappealing? Is it simply the over supply? These resorts probably run about 80% occupancy throughout the year. But over several stays after WDW reopened occupancy has pretty much been in the same 20% range.
> 
> ...


Are the theme parks open? Is there much else to do if they are not? Sorry, I'm unfamiliar with Orlando. We were just in Lake Tahoe and at least over Labor Day the place was hopping. And our local beaches have also been very busy. Both locations offer a lot of outside activities such as hiking or hanging out at the beach.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 13, 2020)

klpca said:


> Are the theme parks open? Is there much else to do if they are not? Sorry, I'm unfamiliar with Orlando. We were just in Lake Tahoe and at least over Labor Day the place was hopping. And our local beaches have also been very busy. Both locations offer a lot of outside activities such as hiking or hanging out at the beach.


Yes, the theme parks are open. Reservations and park tickets are required. WIth Disney however, someone not staying on property can only make three reservations at a time. So I suspect that is keeping many people away who may want a longer trip because there is no guaranty you can get additional reservations once you use the first one up. So if you come, only expect to go three times to the Disney parks.


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## klpca (Sep 13, 2020)

dioxide45 said:


> Yes, the theme parks are open. Reservations and park tickets are required. WIth Disney however, someone not staying on property can only make three reservations at a time. So I suspect that is keeping many people away who may want a longer trip because there is no guaranty you can get additional reservations once you use the first one up. So if you come, only expect to go three times to the Disney parks.


Maybe it's a combo of some people not being ready to go to theme parks, plus those who don't like the new reservation policy. Plus the weather. Isn't it uncomfortable there right now? I haven't been but my sister went for her birthday a couple of years ago in mid-September. She is a DL passholder who loves, loves Disney and she said that she would never go back to Orlando for her birthday because it was hot and sticky.

My guess is that it is a bunch of little things that add up to a big drop in tourism.


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## jabberwocky (Sep 13, 2020)

There are restrictions on Canadians which effectively bans trips south of the border (you can't drive down, and even if you go by air there is a 14-day quarantine on return).  I'm not sure how significant of a crowd that would be normally, but I expect it isn't insignificant. 

Parks are limiting entry.  School is back in, and the older generations who would normally travel this time of year are probably hesitant about the health risks.

Also, going to Orlando in the summer months (June-September) has never really appealed to us since it is too hot and humid.  I would much rather go to a beach location or the mountains in summer. Temperatures seem to be more moderate there.  We've always liked going to Orlando in the December to April period.


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## CPNY (Sep 14, 2020)

No one wants to deal with quarantines. Northern states don’t want to be bothered with having to fill out forms and be made to stay home when they get back up north. I guess it’s a way to keep people in their home state and spend money closer to home. Universal was at its COVID capacity over Labor Day weekend, annual pass holders were locked out when it hit capacity. Also, many southern states schools start in August so it makes sense.


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## Lisa P (Sep 14, 2020)

Orlando has been such a major international destination... but not now due to quarantine rules.
The economies of many countries have suffered... less leisure spending.
Fewer people are flying on vacation... beach trips are more likely to be drive-to.
People who had planned an expensive "Disney trip of a lifetime" delayed plans since so much of the entertainment at the parks has been cancelled (shows, parades, fireworks).
Orlando theme parks have offered special deals to get Florida residents to come... many of them don't stay for a week at a timeshare.


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## travelhacker (Sep 14, 2020)

I think it's a mixture of things:

1) A lot of people are afraid to travel.
2) A lot of people have more pressing concerns than travel (job less, income loss, etc).
3) People are scared to visit the parks.
4) Orlando is soooo built out. 
5) Various reasons due to COVID. For example, a guy on my team at work booked flights from Denver to Orlando for $99 per person roundtrip and was going to be able to take advantage of a getaway for about $330 in a 2 bedroom. He was really excited about going, but realized if they went to the parks they would need to wear masks the entire time. His wife works in healthcare and wears a mask 9 hours a day and decided that it wouldn't be a vacation for them if she wore a mask the whole time. They are not anti maskers by any means, it just isn't the experience that they want on vacation.


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## travelhacker (Sep 14, 2020)

I should add that I was super close to booking a DVC week via RCI for our fall break, but with little kids it just isn't the experience that we would like. I understand why they don't have parades or character greetings but that is the biggest draw for the age of our kdis. One of our boys is only 38 inches tall which means he wouldn't be able to go on a lot of rides that his twin brother and older sister can go on (Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, Dinosaur, etc, etc).


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## CPNY (Sep 14, 2020)

travelhacker said:


> I think it's a mixture of things:
> 
> 1) A lot of people are afraid to travel.
> 2) A lot of people have more pressing concerns than travel (job less, income loss, etc).
> ...



they should have done it. The masks are fine. You get so used to them. No one needs an N95 mask. They lost out! Best time to be away is NOW!I have 21K restricted star options left and I’m trying to get a weekend in the Bahamas in October if I can. As long as Atlantis opens Oct.15th. If I could go back to Orlando and do DVC and universal I would in a heart beat.


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## travelhacker (Sep 14, 2020)

CPNY said:


> they should have done it. The masks are fine. You get so used to them. No one needs an N95 mask. They lost out! Best time to be away is NOW!I have 21K restricted star options left and I’m trying to get a weekend in the Bahamas in October if I can. As long as Atlantis opens Oct.15th. If I could go back to Orlando and do DVC and universal I would in a heart beat.


Oh I agree completely. I really think they would have a great time if they decided to go. I may to try to talk him into it one last time, but I'm not holding my breath. His wife can't imagine wearing a mask outside in Orlando for 8-10 hours a day, so they have backed off on it.


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## CPNY (Sep 14, 2020)

travelhacker said:


> Oh I agree completely. I really think they would have a great time if they decided to go. I may to try to talk him into it one last time, but I'm not holding my breath. His wife can't imagine wearing a mask outside in Orlando for 8-10 hours a day, so they have backed off on it.


Don’t bother. Heaven forbid one of them get sick, you’ll never live it down haha. Myself on the other hand, I’m searching for airfare.


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## pedro47 (Sep 14, 2020)

CPNY said:


> No one wants to deal with quarantines. Northern states don’t want to be bothered with having to fill out forms and be made to stay home when they get back up north. I guess it’s a way to keep people in their home state and spend money closer to home. Universal was at its COVID capacity over Labor Day weekend, annual pass holders were locked out when it hit capacity. Also, many southern states schools start in August so it makes sense.


true observation


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## bnoble (Sep 14, 2020)

dioxide45 said:


> We also recently visited three beach resorts and they have all been busy. Occupancy probably upward of 80%. So that has me wondering, what is it about Orlando that is unappealing?


I am (was?) a huge theme park fan. But right now I’d much rather vacation at the beach or in the mountains where it is easier to keep distance. The parks are doing a good job of safety from everything I’ve heard, but it still doesn’t strike me as something I want to do.

I bet I’m not the only one.


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## ilene13 (Sep 14, 2020)

I think that people who are not coming to Florida destinations are being prudent.  Our COVID numbers in Florida are not great.  If I didn't live here I would not be here.  We have not gone to a restaurant since March 14,2020.  We sometimes bring food in but we don't go.  I go to grocery stores, the hair salons that cut and color my hair and the nail salon.  All of whom are extremely careful and have plexiglass barriers throughout.  My husband is a physician n the frontlines and he is tested weekly.!!


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## dioxide45 (Sep 14, 2020)

ilene13 said:


> I think that people who are not coming to Florida destinations are being prudent.  Our COVID numbers in Florida are not great.  If I didn't live here I would not be here.  We have not gone to a restaurant since March 14,2020.  We sometimes bring food in but we don't go.  I go to grocery stores, the hair salons that cut and color my hair and the nail salon.  All of whom are extremely careful and have plexiglass barriers throughout.  My husband is a physician n the frontlines and he is tested weekly.!!


They are still coming to Florida, just not Orlando. All the people at those beach locations are not Florida residents. I saw lots of car license plates from other states as well as talked to others that flew in from out of state.


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## LMD (Sep 14, 2020)

bnoble said:


> I am (was?) a huge theme park fan. But right now I’d much rather vacation at the beach or in the mountains where it is easier to keep distance. The parks are doing a good job of safety from everything I’ve heard, but it still doesn’t strike me as something I want to do.
> 
> I bet I’m not the only one.


Exactly! I cancelled my Disney annual passes when I had the chance and did not renew Universal. We have been doing mountain, beach vacations where social distancing is easy. Although Disney/ Universal  is tempting at this time to me it is  totally not worth the risk.


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## CPNY (Sep 14, 2020)

bnoble said:


> I am (was?) a huge theme park fan. But right now I’d much rather vacation at the beach or in the mountains where it is easier to keep distance. The parks are doing a good job of safety from everything I’ve heard, but it still doesn’t strike me as something I want to do.
> 
> I bet I’m not the only one.


I spent a lot of time in universal in June. I’ve been seeing pictures July/August on the annual passholder Facebook page. The place was/is dead. There were times I saw no one! The best time to enjoy the parks is now.


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## pedro47 (Sep 14, 2020)

CPNY said:


> I spent a lot of time in universal in June. I’ve been seeing pictures July/August on the annual passholder Facebook page. The place was/is dead. There were times I saw no one! The best time to enjoy the parks is now.


How are the theme parks able to pay employees and other overhead costs . This is sad story for the United States..


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## CPNY (Sep 14, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> How are the theme parks able to pay employees and other overhead costs . This is sad story for the United States..


They started to cut back a bit and laid off workers. The economic fallout will negatively affect more people than the actual virus


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## AnnieBets (Sep 14, 2020)

Crowds are back at Disney, at least on weekends.


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 14, 2020)

I think the experience at Disney World is much-reduced: no shows, no character greetings, and ridiculous waits for fast food because of Covid.  People don't want to pay $100 + per day.  You can only make reservations for as many days as you have purchased new tickets as well, which means you can book 7 days, if you buy brand new tickets.  Annual passholders can only get 3 days and can add an additional day after using the first one.  Of course, unless you are staying onsite, and then you can just go as often as you want.  If you don't think that is lining the pockets of Disney, you don't see the truth of Disney.  

Wearing face masks in this heat is not even an option for many of us who live in the west and are used to hotter temps with no humidity.  The thought of breathing with a mask in already humid, hot air, that does not appeal to me or to our kids.  And honestly, our granddaughter is on the spectrum of autism, somewhere, and she will not wear a mask, and she is 3.5 years old, so it's required that she wear one.  Even our trip in mid-October has our son hyerventillating, just thinking of wearing masks in that heat and trying to keep our granddaughter in a mask, so we don't get kicked out of the parks.   

It seems that governors make decisions about policy and then mayors make their own policies that have to be followed.  Then the parks do what they do and decide whom to follow, mayor or governor.  Universal is a more positive experience and has not limited annual passholders.  

I am hoping by January things are back to normal, but if they are not, at least it will be cooler.


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## silentg (Sep 14, 2020)

We tend to use or own judgement on Covid restrictions. The bars are opening up today but we are not bar people. 
I’m going back to my walking club tomorrow, limited capacity, so far 15. This has been hard for elderly to have activities canceled. We had an elderly woman 99 who looked forward to seeing people at the club, but she passed away in June. Her daughter said when they stopped taking her out, she just went downhill fast. The effects of Covid are making people depressed and isolated. Even without the virus the deaths are happening. I will social distance as best I can. But looking forward to seeing some of my friends again.


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## Lisa P (Sep 14, 2020)

rickandcindy23 said:


> I am hoping by January things are back to normal, but if they are not, at least it will be cooler.



Yes. This. 



silentg said:


> I will social distance as best I can. But looking forward to seeing some of my friends again.



Indeed! Texting, Zoom, standing around outside at a distance, masked... not the same.


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## CPNY (Sep 14, 2020)

silentg said:


> We tend to use or own judgement on Covid restrictions. The bars are opening up today but we are not bar people.
> I’m going back to my walking club tomorrow, limited capacity, so far 15. This has been hard for elderly to have activities canceled. We had an elderly woman 99 who looked forward to seeing people at the club, but she passed away in June. Her daughter said when they stopped taking her out, she just went downhill fast. The effects of Covid are making people depressed and isolated. Even without the virus the deaths are happening. I will social distance as best I can. But looking forward to seeing some of my friends again.


Many elderly people had this virus and beat it.


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## Luanne (Sep 15, 2020)

CPNY said:


> Many elderly people had this virus and beat it.


And many haven't.  80% of Covid 19 deaths are those 65 and older.


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## CPNY (Sep 15, 2020)

Luanne said:


> And many haven't.  80% of Covid 19 deaths are those 65 and older.


True, because the older population has other health issues. It’s why the flu is lethal for anyone over 65. Imagine a population of 65+ without a flu vaccine. You have no way of knowing the true scope of this virus. It’s been here WELL before we were told.


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## Firepath (Sep 15, 2020)

We can handle the cut backs of amenities as we have APs, but not wearing a mask when it feels like 120 degrees. That and the risk of a long flight and layover in the airports will keep us closer to home.


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 15, 2020)

CPNY said:


> Many elderly people had this virus and beat it.


We have a few different friends who live at The Villages, and there are very few deaths that came from that community.  They are all older, all over 55.  It's a huge retirement area.  Our friends are 65, and the virus is not running rampant in the community.  Activities are much curtailed, however, and golfing requires social distancing.


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## CPNY (Sep 15, 2020)

rickandcindy23 said:


> We have a few different friends who live at The Villages, and there are very few deaths that came from that community.  They are all older, all over 55.  It's a huge retirement area.  Our friends are 65, and the virus is not running rampant in the community.  Activities are much curtailed, however, and golfing requires social distancing.


Correct. Not denying the virus is real or the consequences of what may be. We were going off of what we were seeing in Italy. In elderly population there is at the mercy of their health system which was letting the elderly die off. Not to mention the smoking rate is much higher. The virus ran through every community already and exposure is much higher than reported.


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## silentg (Sep 15, 2020)

We had a larger turnout at the walking club today. Everyone was in good spirits. We had to have temp checks and sign a waiver. Instead of 6 attending there were 12. Our instructor wants to add an additional day for the club next week. I am so out of shape, so taking it slow. But I felt safe there.


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## Sea Six (Sep 16, 2020)

silentg said:


> We had a larger turnout at the walking club today. Everyone was in good spirits. We had to have temp checks and sign a waiver. Instead of 6 attending there were 12. Our instructor wants to add an additional day for the club next week. I am so out of shape, so taking it slow. But I felt safe there.


I can relate to being out of shape.  This virus is killing us in so many ways.  So glad to hear you are getting out and moving.  I need something like this.


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## pedro47 (Sep 16, 2020)

rickandcindy23 said:


> We have a few different friends who live at The Villages, and there are very few deaths that came from that community.  They are all older, all over 55.  It's a huge retirement area.  Our friends are 65, and the virus is not running rampant in the community.  Activities are much curtailed, however, and golfing requires social distancing.


Sound liked The Villages community needs to share what they are doing correctly with our local, state and federal government officials.  LOL. IMO..


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## Big Matt (Sep 16, 2020)

I'll just share my thoughts and why it isn't on my list.  For me, I need to fly (I'm not driving 14 hours each way).  That's a non starter for my wife who has respiratory issues and is at risk.  Second, I only go to do the theme parks, but also love the resorts and what they offer in non-park time/days.  I'm not interested in how the parks are run in terms of reservations, etc.  Couple that with the limited offerings in terms of shows, food service, etc., I don't see the reason to fork over hundreds of dollars for a couple of days.  Without the parks, the resorts don't cut it in terms of stuff to do.  If I'm going to a Marriott resort with limited things, I'll take a South Carolina or Florida resort on the ocean or one in the mountains before heading to Orlando.  I'm sure Branson is getting hit just as hard as Orlando.  Vegas?


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## CPNY (Sep 16, 2020)

Big Matt said:


> I'll just share my thoughts and why it isn't on my list.  For me, I need to fly (I'm not driving 14 hours each way).  That's a non starter for my wife who has respiratory issues and is at risk.  Second, I only go to do the theme parks, but also love the resorts and what they offer in non-park time/days.  I'm not interested in how the parks are run in terms of reservations, etc.  Couple that with the limited offerings in terms of shows, food service, etc., I don't see the reason to fork over hundreds of dollars for a couple of days.  Without the parks, the resorts don't cut it in terms of stuff to do.  If I'm going to a Marriott resort with limited things, I'll take a South Carolina or Florida resort on the ocean or one in the mountains before heading to Orlando.  I'm sure Branson is getting hit just as hard as Orlando.  Vegas?


I haven’t been to Disney but I can speak to universal. It’s been extremely enjoyable, little to no crowds, haven’t waited more than 15 minutes on ANY ride. Almost all restaurants open with distancing. It’s been great without crowds. The drive would be worth it.


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## bizaro86 (Sep 16, 2020)

Holiday Inn Club Vacations just sent me an email waxing poetic about how great Orlando is, and how most of the amenities at their resort there are open. That suggests to me that occupancy at Orange Lake specifically is lower than they expect compared to the rest of the chain, which matches the other observations in the thread.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 16, 2020)

Thinking about this more with Orlando compared to beach resorts. If you only go to the beach resorts to hang out at the pools, Orlando is really the better option. Come to a resort in Orlando with 18% occupancy and have the pool almost all to yourself and no concern about social distancing. Go to a beach resort which is near capacity and have hoards of others with little social distancing. Another problem with the pools at beach resorts is that they have pulled many of the pool loungers for social distancing. Our experience is that just pushes people into the pool instead. Unless you have to go to the beach, just go to Orlando instead, even if you never go to a park. But I am okay with everyone staying away, though we will be at a beach resort in October again.


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## Sea Six (Sep 16, 2020)

In the fall we would normally book a room at the Swan, then ride a Friendship boat to Epcot to enjoy the Food and Wine Festival. I'm hearing the boats aren't running, and many of the festival activities we love are cancelled, like the Eat to the Beat concerts.  Plus, we are so out of shape from sheltering in place I don't think we could make a good day of it until we get our legs back.  We even cancelled our annual passes.


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## silentg (Sep 17, 2020)

bizaro86 said:


> Holiday Inn Club Vacations just sent me an email waxing poetic about how great Orlando is, and how most of the amenities at their resort there are open. That suggests to me that occupancy at Orange Lake specifically is lower than they expect compared to the rest of the chain, which matches the other observations in the thread.


We stayed at Orange Lake for 5 days recently. The East Village was completely closed. We stayed in a tennis villa. There were others staying but much less than I’ve ever seen. Only a couple of restaurants were open and just one golf course. River Island Lazy River was open, and we were able to social distance and eat by the pool for lunch. Plenty of tables. It was a nice get away but very different. We mostly cooked and enjoyed staying in the condo.


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## IslandTime (Sep 17, 2020)

dioxide45 said:


> Thinking about this more with Orlando compared to beach resorts. If you only go to the beach resorts to hang out at the pools, Orlando is really the better option. Come to a resort in Orlando with 18% occupancy and have the pool almost all to yourself and no concern about social distancing. Go to a beach resort which is near capacity and have hoards of others with little social distancing. Another problem with the pools at beach resorts is that they have pulled many of the pool loungers for social distancing. Our experience is that just pushes people into the pool instead. Unless you have to go to the beach, just go to Orlando instead, even if you never go to a park. But I am okay with everyone staying away, though we will be at a beach resort in October again.


BUT in Orlando you don't get the ocean breeze or the sound of the waves in the background while sitting at the pool.  We live in Cape Canaveral, only 45 minutes from Orlando but every time we have to drive over there now, I complain about the heat.  It's much nicer at the beach.


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## Big Matt (Sep 17, 2020)

dioxide45 said:


> Thinking about this more with Orlando compared to beach resorts. If you only go to the beach resorts to hang out at the pools, Orlando is really the better option. Come to a resort in Orlando with 18% occupancy and have the pool almost all to yourself and no concern about social distancing. Go to a beach resort which is near capacity and have hoards of others with little social distancing. Another problem with the pools at beach resorts is that they have pulled many of the pool loungers for social distancing. Our experience is that just pushes people into the pool instead. Unless you have to go to the beach, just go to Orlando instead, even if you never go to a park. But I am okay with everyone staying away, though we will be at a beach resort in October again.



Your assumptions make sense and was what I was expecting, but they weren't reality when I was at Grande Ocean this summer.  On July 4th week (I checked out on the 5th) it was busy that weekend at the beach, but not from GO.  It was all of the people coming in at the two public walks on either side of the resort.  I was in Starfish and saw the mobs coming in.  You would think the pools would be crowded with 55-60 seats per pool (as opposed to 200-250), but it wasn't and people weren't being turned away much.  You needed special wristbands to get into the pool areas so you couldn't just go in and get into the pool without a chair.   The next stay was from July 11-25.  Much less crowded and very few people on the beach.  Instead of 100 chair rentals, there were maybe 20.  The week leading up to Labor Day felt empty. There was nobody at the beach and the pools were half full even at the limited capacity.   The resort was 80-95% full each week with the first one being close to capacity.  It was very different than what I'm used to which would have been people everywhere partying until late.  None of that at all.


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## Monykalyn (Sep 17, 2020)

Lisa P said:


> Orlando theme parks have offered special deals to get Florida residents to come... many of them don't stay for a week at a timeshare.


 And to AP holders at the theme parks. GREAT rate at Universal Deluxe for a few extra days after Thanksgiving when our MVC resort week is done-going to spend it with the kids and grandkid-his first time-he is 5. I may finally get to ride Pterondon Flyers at Universal for first time! And still far far far far cheaper than Disney's "deluxe" even with the "great" AP discount. Problem with Disney is they hiked the prices so much that even a 40% discount is still a couple hundred more than what I paid in 2015 (with ~50% stacked discount-but I doubt I will ever see Beach club for $220/night again)


travelhacker said:


> His wife can't imagine wearing a mask outside in Orlando for 8-10 hours a day, so they have backed off on it.


 Understandable. There are lots of areas to "rest" and take off mask, and not required once seated in restaurants but it is still hot.


CPNY said:


> Myself on the other hand, I’m searching for airfare.


 OMG right?? Have you seen the airfare to Cancun? I priced out a 5 day all inclusive with airfare for the 3 of us in October-fraction of cost of any theme park trip!! So tempted but trying to convince hubby about going to stay with his mom in PVR at Grande Bliss in January (for a week-she and his stepdad are there 5 weeks). Airfare from our airport to PVR direct is less than half what they paid last 2 years.


CPNY said:


> I spent a lot of time in universal in June. I’ve been seeing pictures July/August


 Did June and again in August when we went back. August definitely busier than June (and hotter), but still not 'normal'. Glad to see they finally did away with the stupid "social distancing" on the outside fast moving rides so lines are again short. They do a great job spacing out in the shows. Agree if you can do the mask thing-it's actually not a terrible time to go...


silentg said:


> The effects of Covid are making people depressed and isolated. Even without the virus the deaths are happening.


 And is under appreciated just how hard this has been. In my longterm rehab building I assessed 3 people admitted this past week for hip fractures-despite family trying to visit zoom (or cautiously in person) all had weight loss, depression and this led directly to weakness/falls/fractures. Now their risk of dying is MUCH higher in the next year due to fracture. All were fine prior to isolation.  


Luanne said:


> And many haven't.  80% of Covid 19 deaths are those 65 and older.


 0.6% of population in NH yet accounts for 45% of deaths according to one study. Most NH locked down, and continued to lockdown so really am at a loss as to how this could have been prevented... hoping we learn so in future we do better. If there is a silver lining-with all the low viral load/asymptomatic spread now it does appear that now when covid hits more residents are recovering or not even getting symptoms.


Big Matt said:


> I'm sure Branson is getting hit just as hard as Orlando


Branson is rebounding a bit, most things are open including shows with distancing/capacity limited. But down from past, and shortened season too. This winter is going to harsh economically. Lake of the Ozark is way way up though.

We dropped our Disney AP's too, requested the refund. Our Universal ones though I am renewing while the 3 extra months is in effect. Just got my son his AP as it was around same price as the promo (2 park to park buy 2 days get 2 free) and the seasonal AP will be good for 15 months.


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## ciscogizmo1 (Sep 27, 2020)

Bummer!  We live on the other coast and don't want to fly right now. We generally get an annual pass to WDW every other year or every 3 year and go 3 or 4 times during that year.  We were scheduled to go in April with our annual pass.  I miss Disney but not sure I want to fly that far yet.  Now that Florida is back to 100% occupancy everywhere, I might wait a little longer to see how the Covid numbers pan out.


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## Sea Six (Sep 27, 2020)

ciscogizmo1 said:


> Bummer!  We live on the other coast and don't want to fly right now. We generally get an annual pass to WDW every other year or every 3 year and go 3 or 4 times during that year.  We were scheduled to go in April with our annual pass.  I miss Disney but not sure I want to fly that far yet.  Now that Florida is back to 100% occupancy everywhere, I might wait a little longer to see how the Covid numbers pan out.


Don't assume Florida is at 100% just because the governor allowed it.  That is not the case.


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## Lisa P (Sep 28, 2020)

Sea Six said:


> Don't assume Florida is at 100% just because the governor allowed it.  That is not the case.


Agree. Counties, municipalities, and individual businesses may still require masks, just as restaurants may require shirts & shoes. Reasonable social distancing and capacity limits are still expected but determined by local needs. Local governments cannot require that businesses close so long as they keep capacity at 50% or less - supporting businesses' right to operate. Outdoor social distancing in public spaces is going to be more self-monitored. The public will have to determine their own comfort level and take personal responsibility for their own risk. The public has now been thoroughly educated on how to avoid this communicable public health issue, just as they have been educated about transmission of tuberculosis or the flu.

As a nurse who personally takes an immunosuppressant medication, I wear a mask correctly, avoid close contact with others, avoid crowds, clean my hands frequently, use store pick-up for most of my groceries, view church services online, and socialize in very small, distanced get-togethers. We do occasionally eat inside restaurants because the staff are all masked and they've done a great job of blocking off tables. I recently flew to Tampa without fear, thankful that Delta still keeps the middle seat empty. While there, we went to the Zoo, the Aquarium, the beach... had a great time! These visits cost me nothing because my son's family has annual memberships... so a shortened visit of 2 or 3 hours in a mask is fine and doesn't waste an expensive admission fee.

Yet, to be honest, I'm still holding off on theme park visits until it's cooler out because it's really too hot out now for me to spend the WHOLE DAY with a mask on, or spend that kind of money for a short visit. Maybe if they sold cheap "after 3 pm" tickets for out-of-state visitors like us, I would go. But that won't happen. So we'll wait until the weather is cooler to visit any theme parks.  I still doubt the parks will increase their capacity limits by very much unless they also add back the larger capacity shows and more restaurants as well, to handle the capacity. YMMV.


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## ciscogizmo1 (Sep 28, 2020)

Sea Six said:


> Don't assume Florida is at 100% just because the governor allowed it.  That is not the case.


I didn't that is why I said I had to wait and see what the Covid numbers present.   I live in CA.  I understand how NYers think we are walking around with no masks on here.  I'm not making any assumptions.  For me it is a long way to travel for limited park options at WDW.  I'm not sure I'm ready to risk that.  If it was a short flight I'd probably be more comfortable but for me it is a layover as there are no direct flights.


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## ilene13 (Sep 30, 2020)

I live in Sarasota.  Florida should not be open 100%!!  Yesterday Florida had 3266 cases.  We have not been below 1800 in at least 5 months.  Florida has not flattened the curve!!


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## dioxide45 (Sep 30, 2020)

ilene13 said:


> I live in Sarasota.  Florida should not be open 100%!!  Yesterday Florida had 3266 cases.  We have not been below 1800 in at least 5 months.  Florida has not flattened the curve!!


I think they look at more than just new cases.


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## Sea Six (Sep 30, 2020)

I watched the Toronto Blue Jays play the Tampa Bay Rays today.  NOBODY in the stadium.  OK, the restrictions are lifted, but the venues don't care


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## twise625 (Sep 30, 2020)

CPNY said:


> I haven’t been to Disney but I can speak to universal. It’s been extremely enjoyable, little to no crowds, haven’t waited more than 15 minutes on ANY ride. Almost all restaurants open with distancing. It’s been great without crowds. The drive would be worth it.


Waited 50 minutes today for the Hagrids motorbike and Gringott's rides.  Skipped the Mummy which said it was 45 minutes (WHAT?!).  It was a mixed bag today, we rode most of what we wanted to but the crowds are coming back


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## CPNY (Sep 30, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> Our Universal ones though I am renewing while the 3 extra months is in effect. Just got my son his AP as it was around same price as the promo (2 park to park buy 2 days get 2 free) and the seasonal AP will be good for 15 months.



I renewed my UOAP and when I added it to the cart it came up with a $0.00 price, it renewed. Score!!


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## CPNY (Sep 30, 2020)

twise625 said:


> Waited 50 minutes today for the Hagrids motorbike and Gringott's rides.  Skipped the Mummy which said it was 45 minutes (WHAT?!).  It was a mixed bag today, we rode most of what we wanted to but the crowds are coming back


Aye..... I rode hagrids 12 times consecutively and 26 times overall in my few visits during June. I’m going to miss that


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## Monykalyn (Oct 2, 2020)

CPNY said:


> I renewed my UOAP and when I added it to the cart it came up with a $0.00 price, it renewed. Score!!


Are you KIDDING?? Please tell me you are kidding-mine did same and since I thought it was a glitch I called to pay!!


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## CPNY (Oct 2, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> Are you KIDDING?? Please tell me you are kidding-mine did same and since I thought it was a glitch I called to pay!!


I’m not kidding lol. What did they say when you called??

it went through and I just checked again. 2 park Renew valid on sept 2020.


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## ilene13 (Oct 2, 2020)

dioxide45 said:


> I think they look at more than just new cases.


Those are the new cases for that day!


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## amycurl (Oct 2, 2020)

Rolling 7 day average of percent positive cases in Florida is 11% as of today. That is *crazy* high and basically represents unchecked community spread. It's at a level where contact tracing won't help.


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## Monykalyn (Oct 2, 2020)

CPNY said:


> I’m not kidding lol. What did they say when you called??
> 
> it went through and I just checked again. 2 park Renew valid on sept 2020.


You aren't kidding?? 
Well I wanted to renew my daughters pass too-and that comes up with right price but technically her window shouldn't be open for another 2 months to renew. When I did both mine and my daughters hers was correct price in cart, mine was $0.00.  So I called to get it fixed as I didn't want the 3 month free thing to go away. TM told me I shouldn't be able to renew kiddos (her expiration is in december) but he could do mine, so I did...ugh!
Now I am mad  LOL

Oh well - DH got the refund for his disney annual pass today. And if I get same amount of refund I will have gotten a free 8 day disney ticket for our trip in January 2020. I had an AP certificate from Sam's club before price hike - we activated same day he got his pass.


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## CPNY (Oct 2, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> You aren't kidding??
> Well I wanted to renew my daughters pass too-and that comes up with right price but technically her window shouldn't be open for another 2 months to renew. When I did both mine and my daughters hers was correct price in cart, mine was $0.00.  So I called to get it fixed as I didn't want the 3 month free thing to go away. TM told me I shouldn't be able to renew kiddos (her expiration is in december) but he could do mine, so I did...ugh!
> Now I am mad  LOL
> 
> Oh well - DH got the refund for his disney annual pass today. And if I get same amount of refund I will have gotten a free 8 day disney ticket for our trip in January 2020. I had an AP certificate from Sam's club before price hike - we activated same day he got his pass.


Wow. That’s rough. Of course I’ve come to know that anytime there is a glitch in the system they find out about it. I’m holding onto my confirmation and screen shots of the renew valid in September just in case. Lol


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## TTSDavid (Oct 7, 2020)

dioxide45 said:


> We checked in to Sheraton Vistana Villages today. Occupancy is 18%. Nothing is open, which we knew. You can really only swim in the pools. They did open up the towel exchange at the Bella and Key West pools again. You previously had to get towels at the front desk.
> 
> I asked at check in what occupancy was over Labor Day weekend and they said it may have gotten up to 30%. We also recently visited three beach resorts and they have all been busy. Occupancy probably upward of 80%. So that has me wondering, what is it about Orlando that is unappealing? Is it simply the over supply? These resorts probably run about 80% occupancy throughout the year. But over several stays after WDW reopened occupancy has pretty much been in the same 20% range.
> 
> ...


The tickets to the parks must be bought in advance and some precautionary measures must be followed. Perhaps some people are unaware that Orlando opened its parks or think that the precautions are difficult to follow.

In general, Disney is taking a lot of care, there are people cleaning the surfaces of the parks all day long, there is space for the lines, before entering they take the temperature and they have a maximum of people per day. I hope they can soon increase their occupancy, like the beach destinations!


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## heathpack (Oct 7, 2020)

I just had some photos show up today in my FB feed that tell me we have not been Orlando in a decade, so obviously it’s not a high priority place for us.

BUT we are DL locals and easily went to Disneyland 10x in the 6 months prior to the COVID shutdown.  We have less-than-zero interest in going now.  A huge aspect of DL for is us is a sense of being carefree.  It would not feel very carefree to have everyone in masks, to know some folks think COVID is a hoax, and to have no idea who those people are.

Additionally, DL is expensive and a lot of what we enjoy (fireworks, shows) isn’t happening now.  Meaning we have even less-than-less-than-zero interest in going.

I imagine we’re not terribly different than a lot of people.  It’s just not appealing right now.  More power to the folks who want to go, I don’t care if others go or stay home.  But cheap airfares and cheap getaways and short wait times for rides are not inducements for us in the least.


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## Sea Six (Oct 7, 2020)

One son lives in Orlando.  We said we had some options left over and were considering going to Disney for a week for a visit and to see them.  He told me DO NOT COME HERE.  Several of his friends caught COVID at Disney.  He said it was a petri dish.  I guess he hears more news up there than I do.  We're waiting it out a bit longer. I get why Disney is not opening more, even though the .gov allowed it.


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## dioxide45 (Oct 7, 2020)

Sea Six said:


> One son lives in Orlando.  We said we had some options left over and were considering going to Disney for a week for a visit and to see them.  He told me DO NOT COME HERE.  Several of his friends caught COVID at Disney.  He said it was a petri dish.  I guess he hears more news up there than I do.  We're waiting it out a bit longer. I get why Disney is not opening more, even though the .gov allowed it.


How does he know he caught it at Disney? Was he only at Disney or at home? Not in contact with any other people?


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## rickandcindy23 (Oct 7, 2020)

Sea Six said:


> One son lives in Orlando.  We said we had some options left over and were considering going to Disney for a week for a visit and to see them.  He told me DO NOT COME HERE.  Several of his friends caught COVID at Disney.  He said it was a petri dish.  I guess he hears more news up there than I do.  We're waiting it out a bit longer. I get why Disney is not opening more, even though the .gov allowed it.


Nothing new.  Disney has always been the best place to catch whatever cold or virus is out there.   I do not care.  I am going next week.  I had the antibodies, but the doc wasn't sure how long those last.  I will get tested when we get our flu shot tomorrow.  Doc said just to go to the lab because the antibody test is ordered.  We had very mild cases of Covid starting 3/1. Sore throat, mild cough, pain in the chest and back.  Then after 3 days, symptoms were gone.


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## Sea Six (Oct 7, 2020)

dioxide45 said:


> How does he know he caught it at Disney? Was he only at Disney or at home? Not in contact with any other people?


I'm just repeating what he said from his friends in Orlando.  There won't be any scientific evidence to back up this statement.  At least consider he and his friends live and work in Orlando every day - you don't.


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