“Uncertain times.” “Unprecedented.” “In an abundance of caution.”
We’ve seen a lot of these phrases lately. The other thing we have seen too much of is speculation, especially related to the re-opening of Disney’s theme parks.
Earlier this week, a stock analyst changed his Disney stock rating from ‘buy’ to ‘neutral.’ But he decided to take it one step further and said he doesn’t anticipate Disney will be able to re-open parks until 2021. This has prompted lots of emails, texts and phone calls, so I wanted to share my thoughts.
First, this man is a stock analyst. He really should stick to analyzing stocks and leave the reopening of the theme parks to the professionals who are making plans to reopen theme parks.
Second, it would be really great if bloggers and news outlets didn’t take his ONE statement about his opinion of when the parks will reopen and use that as click bait for their articles. The real news out of that interview was the change in the stock rating. This analyst has absolutely no credentials for declaring when the parks will reopen. But he did and they did and here’s what comes next:
“When do you think the parks will reopen? Do you think this story is accurate? How do you think the crowds will be affected? How do you think this will affect my trip? What’s your opinion?”
“When do you think the parks will reopen?” The million-dollar question.
Here is my opinion: It is too early for me to give an opinion. Sorry, I know that’s not what you wanted to hear. But I’m a Type A, stick-to-the-facts kind of girl and right now, the facts are Disney parks are officially closed “until further notice.” I would encourage you to stop reading the bloggers who just want to increase their traffic so they can keep their advertisers happy. I’m not that kind of blogger. I’m a travel professional and as such have a responsibility to be truthful and provide guidance that is helpful to my clients based on facts.
Here is what I do know:
The team at Neverland Adventure Guides is monitoring all things related to the theme parks so we can assist you with your travel needs, whether that is now or later. We are on regular calls with Disney managers getting the latest official news, we are watching industry trends, we are making recommendations when appropriate for client trips. But we don’t think it would be professional for us to share anything other than official information. And as soon as we have that, we will share it!
I know Disney is working with local, state and federal authorities to come up with a plan to safely reopen the parks. What does that look like? I’m not sure. Could it mean additional screening? Maybe. Could it mean they reopen in phases? Maybe. Could it mean they temporarily decrease park capacity to allow for more social distancing? Maybe. All of these sound plausible to me.
I also know it is heartbreaking to have to cancel or move your vacations. And I know it is incredibly frustrating to be in a holding pattern with trips you have planned or those you want to plan. And I HATE this for you and your families. As travel professionals, we are working hard assisting our clients affected by park closures to rebook trips and recreate the magic we originally had planned. Helping you create the vacation of your dreams has and always will be our highest priority.
I also know that when you are ready to travel again, we will be here. So, for now, focus on the happy! Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see our new Armchair Adventurer series where we take you through some of our favorite destinations. We hope they are fun and inspiring to you as you “Imagine Now. Adventure Later.”
