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If 2020 had been a “normal” year, I would have been at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun last week instead of driving to a Texas ranch. But as we all know, 2020 has been anything but normal.
For my family, it was a no-brainer to cancel that trip to Cancun. Resorts were closing down, virus cases are still on the rise, international travel was discouraged, etc.
As it turns out, our resort ended up opening the day before our scheduled reservation. I’m in a group on social media for fans of this resort. Some brave (or desperate) families carried on with their vacation plans in Cancun. I do not judge.
But the interesting thing to me is that people are still going despite many amenities at the resort being closed due to Covid-19. This week, guests did not have access to the main pool, the buffet restaurant and the kids clubs. Only two restaurants are open, and activities and alcohol are “limited.” What a bummer! And of course, the price was still the same.
Same Price, Fewer Amenities
This seems to be the theme of many places during this pandemic. Places are adjusting their amenities in the name of safety. Some of these changes are drastic.
Take Disney World, for example. It’s scheduled to reopen to the public on Saturday. But, the experience won’t be the same. Parades and fireworks shows are “paused”, there will be no character greetings and playgrounds are closed. Guests must have a park ticket AND a park reservation and wear a face mask. Park hopping and FastPass+ are not available.
In any “normal” year or under different circumstances, guests would be extremely agitated at all of those modifications without a reduction in price. However, that’s not the case. People are still flocking to Disney World this summer.
Maybe people are yearning for some normalcy during this pandemic, and visiting Disney will satisfy that urge. Is a modified Disney experience better than no Disney experience?
My family is not quite there yet. I’d rather wait to go in order to have more of the full experience. But if there isn’t a vaccine by early next year, we may just be one of those families traveling to Disney World with masks for a glimpse of normality. It’s hard waiting.
Are you willing to pay the same price for a vacation with fewer amenities due to Covid-19 pandemic? Or, will you wait until everything is operating at 100%?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Yep we jumped on the Universal bandwagon in early June. Both of my kids had been voraciously reading Harry Potter during the pandemic and we had been planning a Universal add-on to our Disney cruise this summer. I realize the experience was not the full one – no shows or parades, no pre-shows for rides which sometimes made the plot hard to follow, masks in the heat and humidity, waterslides and jacuzzi at hotel closed. But we felt pretty desperate for something different and fun (kids are suffering some depression due to isolation) and it fit the bill. In retrospect, with all the spikes in cases in Florida, maybe not the wisest decision risk-wise, but I’m glad we did it nonetheless. We also have reservations for a trip to Hawaii in August although as of now we can’t find any place to get the testing and results in 72 hours as required so we may have to shift plans to something more local.
@Wendy I’m glad the timing worked out for you! We hope to head there next summer. I haven’t been there since before the Harry Potter stuff was added, and my kids have never been. And I totally get the depression from isolation–my kids are lobbying hard to go back to school in person instead of online. It’s so hard to make all these decisions.