Truly Terrible Decisions Made by Disney World
Walt Disney World is starting a new development cycle, investing $17 billion of spending on new lands, rides and more between now and 2035. We’re going to get a lot of new attractions and entertainment in the next 5 years. Given that, it should be an exciting time to be a WDW fan. And in part, it is!
Between what’s on the horizon in 2025 and beyond, and changes this year to finally roll-back reopening policies and improve the guest experience, things have gotten better in important and noticeable ways. Crowds are down! Discounts are up! Universal is opening a new park in 2025, and fans–regardless of whether they’ll visit–are beneficiaries of increased competition! There are reasons for optimism.
So why does it feel like a case of “two steps forward, one step backwards” (feel free to swap those numbers) with just about every decision Walt Disney World makes? If there’s been a theme to this year’s biggest news, it’s that announcements that should have us excited come with a catch. There have been some poor decisions, some of which will irrevocably alter the character, charm, and personality of Walt Disney World. That’s why the flagship Festivus 2024 post “Airing our Grievances” focuses on these missteps made in the last year (or so) by Walt Disney World and corporate leadership…
This is a companion piece, of sorts, to our Top 10 Guest Complaints About Walt Disney World. That’s been updated for Festivus 2024 with a few changes as your grievances about certain problems have been resolved or heightened, as the case may be. For this list, we wanted a bunch of fresh problems–instead of just rehashing complaints about Disney’s Magical Express or paid FastPass for the thousandth time.
The good (?) news is that Walt Disney World gifted us with plenty to talk about, as there have been no shortage of misguided decisions recently. As with the rest of the Festivus “Airing of Grievances” posts, I feel compelled to preface this with a warning that this isn’t pertinent to planning, helpful, or positive. All of that should be obvious from the title, but the point is that you shouldn’t read this if you’re looking for feel-good stories and uplifting news this holiday season. I can certainly respect that, and we have hundreds of other posts like that.
This one is for the inner Frank Costanza that resides in us all (probably) and takes issue with some of the dubious decisions Walt Disney World has made lately. But enough with the yada yada yada..ing–let’s dig into the list!
Replacing Rivers of America
No one goes to Tom Sawyer Island and few fans regularly ride the Liberty Square Riverboat. Let’s just stipulate that up front, as some defenders of this decision use that as a “gotcha” for justifying the awful idea. So what?! Should Walt Disney World convert the trails at Animal Kingdom to stroller parking? Perhaps it’s time to get rid of every World Showcase pavilion, replacing them with roller coasters. Cinderella Castle is kinda pointless–more people would go to a Spirit Jersey shop.
This is obviously absurd, and should be rightly pointed out as such. But it’s precisely this line of thinking that justifies removing the Rivers of America as “underutilized” capacity or space. What ever happened to the Blessing of Size? That’s the whole reason why Walt Disney bought so much land for his Florida Project. To provide beauty and breathing room and fix the faults with Disneyland, which is a lovely little park, but lacks that key asset of Walt Disney World.
As discussed at length in the commentary to our post about Cars Land Replacing Rivers of America, this waterway is part of the heart of Magic Kingdom and not just for the guests who actively utilize these attractions. The Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island offer serenity and delightful atmosphere even to guests who simply walk along the waterfront promenade, stopping for a moment to catch their breath and take in the view.
Theme parks are not just the sum of their ride rosters, to be raced around and checked off one by one. They are as much defined by the spaces in between; by the absence of attractions, too. Sometimes Disney’s decision-makers view the parks as figures on a spreadsheet, and from that perspective, it’s easy to overlook “underutilized” things like the Rivers of America that are incredibly important to the Walt Disney World experience from a holistic perspective.
We only wish they realized this before it’s too late because circa-2024 managers didn’t create this asset or its hard-earned goodwill from the last 50-plus years. They certainly don’t know better than Walt Disney and those who did build the Vacation Kingdom.
Dinosaurs Going Extinct
Walt Disney World fans will debate the demise of Dinoland and Dino-Rama for decades to come. Fans are already upset about losing DINOSAUR, which is the one part of this decision that should age well given the superiority of Indiana Jones Adventure. I also suspect that, over time, fondness will form around Dinoland as a whole–fans will miss the extinct area even more when looking back through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia.
The thing is…these folks are sorta right! Scientifically speaking, dinosaurs are the awesomest animal of all-time, edging out hammerhead sharks and the T-800. There are dozens of slam dunk ideas involving dinosaurs in theme parks that would’ve been wondrous to behold. None of them have happened or will happen, which is truly a shame.
With that said, Dino-Rama, as it actually existed, sucked. There’s no two ways about it. Dino-Rama was awful, and not up to Disney’s high standards. This will undoubtedly be a massive upgrade as compared to what was there before. As a lover of dinosaurs, I would’ve loved to have a ride and land with the quality of Indiana Jones Adventure and what Tropical Americas appears to be. But that’s not what we got, and as such, Dinoland and Dino-Rama are ripe for replacement.
I will shed no tears over these lands closing, but I will about dinosaurs (lower case “d”) losing their lone land at Walt Disney World. I hope sometime down the road, Disney gives Imagineering the budget and freedom to create a dinosaur land that really wows. Jurassic Park and Universal don’t have a monopoly on the concept. Imagineers could create an original theme park IP with dinosaurs that knocks our collective socks off.
Ending MuppetVision 3D
The last in what I’d call a trifecta of dubious decisions that took a jam-packed slate of D23 Expo announcements and soured sentiment pretty quickly. Prior to that big event, fans were skeptical of news after being burned one too many times about announcements not coming to fruition. Ironically enough, many of us are now hoping against hope that history will repeat itself, and Disney will cancel its plans–or outside forces will intervene.
After months of waiting and speculating, Walt Disney World finally announced that MuppetVision 3D is closing to make way for the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster and Monstropolis. As an olive branch to fans, the company also announced that the Muppets are taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and replacing Aerosmith.
For many Muppets and Walt Disney World enthusiasts, this wasn’t enough. MuppetVision 3D is essentially the last legacy of Jim Henson, and when people (like me) say it’s culturally significant and should be treated as such, we aren’t kidding. MuppetVision 3D is a prime example of theme parks as art and national heritage. Equally as important, MuppetVision 3D still holds up to this day, much like Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean. I’d argue that it’s aged better than the much newer Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.
What makes this decision all the more terrible is that it didn’t have to happen. Not because Walt Disney World should build Monstropolis in Animation Courtyard, as I do think the unannounced future plans for that parcel might be worth the wait. But because Monstropolis is going to have a “Monstro Theater” in the same space as MuppetVision.
Disney is no stranger to framing devices to skirt thematic inconsistencies (Laugh Floor uses one!), and it’d be so easy to make up some stupid backstory to justify the “Monsters inviting the Muppets into their world to get laughs and generate power” or some nonsense. Whatever this new Monsters, Inc. show will be, it’s hard to imagine it lives up to MuppetVision.
“Blessing of Size” Blasphemy
This ties into the previous several entries, but is its own distinct terrible decision or direction. The biggest issue at the core of the above is that management has chosen redevelopment instead of actual expansion. Walt Disney World has the “Blessing of Size,” but despite that, the company seems dead-set on redeveloping a limited area of land that’s mostly inside the existing footprints of the parks. (Seriously, does Burbank leadership think they’re making these decisions for Disneyland? That would explain a lot!)
Admittedly, there are some scenarios where this approach makes sense. And I certainly understand and appreciate the practical realities of infrastructure and staffing costs, and how Disney can stretch budgets further if it redevelops areas instead of engages in nothing but expansion. After all, this has been a core thesis behind our long-time assertion that a 5th Theme Park Will NOT Be Built at Walt Disney World in the Next Decade. (It should now be painfully obvious to everyone why we’re right about this.)
This is evident not just in the upcoming attractions and lands, but also in resort development. Now that it’s done, can anyone in the “wait and see” camp honestly argue that the Island Tower at the Polynesian fits the Seven Seas Lagoon skyline? Do we really think Reflections Lakeshore Lodge is going to look okay next to Fort Wilderness? (I was just there–it already doesn’t, and it’s only a couple stories tall!) These resorts are or will be perfectly lovely on the inside, but that’s not all that counts. Why not put them on their own larger parcels elsewhere on Walt Disney World’s expansive property?!
The bottom line is that there’s a healthy middle ground between over-expansion into a fifth gate and doing nothing but reimaginings and redevelopments. Walt Disney World’s approach is way too conservative and strikes us as myopic and short-sighted, and a mistake in light of what’s sure to be increased competition from Universal Orlando. And not just with Epic Universe, but as Comcast turns its attentions towards the legacy gates and making Universal a bona-fide multi-day destination that draws more tourists to the Sunshine State.
Nothing at Night in Animal Kingdom
Speaking of Universal, we’ve repeatedly said that Animal Kingdom is going to be hit hardest when Epic Universe opens. The park is in urgent need for additions (and has been for the last few years), and there’s a good chance that the other parks start cannibalizing Animal Kingdom attendance until that happens.
This is precisely why Tropical Americas is coming to Animal Kingdom, and is the first big project of the next development cycle. That’ll give DAK a shot in the arm, and help revitalize the flailing park. But it won’t open until 2027. In the meantime, Animal Kingdom needs something to draw guests to the park–and keep them there in afternoons and evenings.
With nighttime entertainment “fixed” at the other parks, this year should’ve been the year that Animal Kingdom finally got a (much-belated) Rivers of Light replacement. It did not, and the park continues to close before nighttime most of the year. Our hope is that this finally changes in 2025–a drone show at Animal Kingdom would solve a lot of problems. It could be the ace up Disney’s sleeve that gives them majorly marketable entertainment for 2025.
Weaker Seasonal Events
This isn’t exclusively a terrible decision that was made this year. It’s been a series of decisions set in motion over a decade ago. Would anyone really claim with a straight face that Walt Disney World’s seasonal events have gotten better during that stretch? The list of things that have gone missing is long, and the only real counterpoint is the exceptional EPCOT Festival of the Arts.
Each existing seasonal event has gotten worse during that timeframe. Christmas is a prime example, with the obvious losses of things like the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights and the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights (and before that, the Lights of Winter). But it’s not just big things that are missing. Decorations used to be more abundant in the parks, restaurants used to have their own overlays, and more.
What really sealed this entry’s inclusion, though, is the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. This year should’ve been the park’s coming out party, with walls finally coming down, CommuniCore Hall opening, and–presumably–elements of that festival that have been missing since 2019 finally returning. Not only did that not happen, but we got re-microwaved leftovers for the limited slate of decorations, which have been the same for the last 5 years. Well, not completely. Now there’s fewer of them!
DAS Drama
Let’s be clear: DAS needed to be overhauled. It was being misused and abused, with an unsustainably high percentage of park guests using it. That made the guest experience worse for everyone else, and that includes disabled guests who legitimately need Disability Access Service or other accommodations.
Walt Disney World has publicly stated that DAS usage has tripled since 2019. Independent of that, we received credible reports pre-policy changes that the majority of Lightning Lane usage was not paid, but rather, Disability Access Services. This comes as the prevalence of diagnosed disabilities, especially among children, has increased dramatically in the last several years. The changes to the program have had positive cascading effects on standby lines and Lightning Lanes that we’re still monitoring some 6 months later.
With all of that said, the way Disney went about the DAS changes leaves a bad taste in my mouth. According to Walt Disney World, “DAS is intended to accommodate a small percentage of guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time.” This line (or a variation thereof) can be found repeatedly throughout Walt Disney World’s new DAS resources.
Even so, many guests who should qualify for DAS have been denied accommodations. Others have reported inappropriate questioning or being treated inhumanely. There have been countless stories of DAS denials that have gone viral on social media, racking up millions of views in the process. And for good reason, as they’re heartbreaking and at-odds with what you’d expect given Disney’s once-sterling reputation for guest service and accommodations. It seems like Disney’s starting point was dramatically reducing DAS issuances, and by whatever means necessary to hit that target.
Honestly, I don’t know what the answer is. I do know that DAS was abused before and the status quo was unsustainable. Something had to give. But it sure feels like the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction, with the outcome being distinctly un-Disney and untenable. That’s why this decision, at least in execution, was a terrible one.
Lightning Lane Rollout
For three years, Genie+ was one of the top complaints from Walt Disney World fans. Make no mistake, eliminating free FastPass and replacing it with a paid option was always going to be controversial. It just didn’t have to be this bad. Sort of like ending Disney’s Magical Express was worse than charging for the same service would’ve been.
One thing that this year underscored was just how badly Disney bungled the initial rollout of Genie+ back in 2021. This is because, by contrast, the launch of Lightning Lane Multi-Pass was smooth sailing. That’s probably partly due to fans already getting the outrage out of their systems over the prior few years. That isn’t it entirely, though. Lightning Lane Multi-Pass offers a much better user experience and was not glitchy when it debuted. It just works.
It also closely replicates what FastPass+ offered much more closely than Genie+ did. That continuity alone would’ve assuaged some concerns. I’m not naive enough to think the fan response would’ve been positive had Lightning Lane Multi-Pass launched back in 2021, but it definitely would’ve been better. A big issue, and one that kept fan frustrations fresh in mind, was that Genie+ was constantly changing for its first ~18 months since the half-baked product was rushed to market.
Of course, most of that’s in the past…and 2024 was simply a reminder of Disney’s terrible decision with the Genie+ rollout. But there was arguably a similar mistake in launching Lightning Lane Premier Pass months after Multi-Pass. This led to confusion and undue outrage, much of which could’ve been avoided by unveiling both at the same time and fully communicating to guests what Premier Pass is and isn’t.
CommuniCore Hall
I hated CommuniCore Hall before it was cool. From the moment it was announced, this looked uninspired and felt to me like a shortsighted mistake not to build the original multi-story festival center. That space had plenty of room for activities, not to mention special events, dessert parties, and private parties. It could’ve been upcharge central, paying for itself in no time at all. Critically from the average guest’s perspective, it looked a heckuva lot nicer than what got built.
As always, I was open to be proven wrong and pleasantly surprised. Sadly, I was not. CommuniCore Hall is sad and about as inspired as a student union, regional airport, or mid-sized city convention space. There’s nothing about it that’s even “Imagineered” and it’s hard to believe anyone at Disney thought this was up to standards. I had nothing to do with it, but I’m embarrassed for them.
Worse yet, it seems like every time the space is put to new use, someone at Disney says, “hold my beer” by trying to find new and innovative ways to put the space to even more pathetic uses. And they’re succeeding! Glittering Grove is laughable, like a closest of Christmas trees, only half of which even work.
The terrible decision here was not just building CommuniCore Hall in the first place (although that was one–albeit a few years ago); it was squandering even the limited potential of the cut-rate festival center. I’m hoping the 2025 EPCOT festivals turn this around…but am not holding my breath.
No Response to Epic Universe
Walt Disney World won’t have any official answer to Epic Universe. You’ve probably heard the proffered reasons for this by now. CEO Bob Iger claims that Epic Universe is really Universal’s answer to Disney, playing catch-up on a decade of nonstop development at Walt Disney World and that the company doesn’t have anxiety about Universal’s third theme park.
During the company’s latest earnings call CFO Hugh Johnston stated that Epic Universe is “Actually Positive” for Walt Disney World Attendance in 2025. That the company has modeled Epic Universe into its projections for Walt Disney World, and based on past precedent and booking projections, Epic Universe will be “beneficial” for Walt Disney World.
Some fans have been really upset about this decision, claiming Universal is going to dethrone Disney. That’s ludicrous, but it doesn’t make Disney’s approach any less of a mistake. The real range of possibilities is a slight decrease to a slight increase in attendance–Walt Disney World is not going to be a huge spike or catastrophic drop. However, not all parks will benefit or be hurt in equal measure. Magic Kingdom is more likely to win, as is Disney’s Hollywood Studios. EPCOT will probably drop, and Animal Kingdom will get hit hard.
Regardless, let’s assume Disney’s theory that a “rising tide lifts all ships” is correct, and Epic Universe will draw more tourists to Orlando, some of whom will also visit Walt Disney World. Why not try to better capitalize on that opportunity? Why not have a marquee entertainment offering in every park, similar to Disney Starlight Night Parade at Magic Kingdom? Why not pull out all the stops for a big event, pulling a page from Summer Nightastic or Year of a Million Dreams? Why not roll out more reimagined rides? Etc. etc.
Walt Disney World will be just fine in the long-term. And as soon as 2027, when the 5-year plan starts bearing fruit in the form of new attractions and lands. But in the meantime, this feels like a misstep–as if they’re being caught flatfooted by a park they’ve known was coming for a long time. Either they’re right about a “rising tide” and they’re failing to take full advantage, or they’re wrong and attendance and occupancy will be hit harder than projected. Neither of those outcomes seems ideal, and neither is inevitable. They could’ve done something, anything.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think are the most dubious decisions made by Walt Disney World in the last year or so? Or do you think corporate leadership is playing 4D chess, and fans simply don’t “get” the decisions, are blinded by nostalgia and rose-colored glasses, etc? Anything else that qualifies as “truly terrible” for you? Feel free to vent in the comments. You won’t change the course of construction and the trajectory of Walt Disney World…but at least it’s therapeutic! Happy Festivus!
I remember I remember I remember. but do you really remember. Disney is working on making new memories. why do I want to spend $4,000 to ride the same thing year after year after year. if they don’t update we will have a Park full of old relics that people will eventually complain about. you complain when something new is coming you complain with something old is going. all you do is complain. guess what it’s Disney’s decision and not yours. if you don’t like it then don’t go. it’s not going to hurt Disney. that Park is busy every day. I’m so tired of people complaining about Muppet vision. you can’t keep something forever. The Muppets aren’t going away. The Muppets are getting an updated life. they were dead in that old Muppet Vision building. wait until you ride the roller coaster with the and everyone say it’s the best thing that they ever did. stop your complaining and get a life. the only problem Disney has is holding on the things for too long so you old people can remember what it was like the first time. now you’re done at 50 times and it’s old. it’s time to reinvent that part for the Next Generation so Disney can make another billion dollars. Disney can do what they want. it’s their Park. so get over it
If it was just the “blessing of size” they would have kept Splash Mountain and created a different Tiana’s attraction. Wasn’t the idea that they were giving it a new, fresher theme??
I suppose that’s what the idea is with the Rivers of America area. I will miss it, I don’t go often to the island or in the riverboat but do love it. Just knowing it’s there is a good feeling since it’s a perfect fit for the area. But what do I know?
I still love disney world much better than universal.
Changes keep coming!! That is a fact of life ALL over since the pandemic. If thinking of a Disney Trip, consider making a list of expectations for the vacation. Research what fits @ Disney( go online or talk with a cast member)
It has worked for us x3. Ask, is this a good fit for you and your family! ?
The original T-Rex skeleton that was named Sue (after the person who found it) was obtained by Chicago’s Field Museum for over $8 million. Disney was one of the donors who helped the museum acquire the skeleton. In return, Disney got a life-size cast of Sue, which is on display outside of the Dinosaur ride. When I was there for the DVC Moonlight Magic event on Dec. 10, there wasn’t a single light on the skeleton. It was hard to find it in the dark. The displays in the queue area are better than what many museums have.
I’m sad to think that all of this will be gone.
I would prefer them to move the Muppets and update the show instead of doing away with them completely. Why get rid of Dinosaur? Just put something beside it. I’ll adjust but it seems like one step forward and one step back.
“Walt Disney World has the “Blessing of Size,” but despite that, the company seems dead-set on redeveloping a limited area of land that’s mostly inside the existing footprints of the parks.”
This is so sadly true. We never went to Tom Sawyer Island, though we did ride the steamboat. But that piece of nature has always been beloved, setting a great tone to Frontier Land and a picture of serenity amongst the bustle of the MK. It’s not the only park where this is true, with Hollywood likewise having been so poorly designed for future expansion that the loss of Muppetvision shows a continual refusal to bite the bullet and do what needs to be done to re-order that park. It shows a perpetual lack of vision about WDW, and affects many things, including the tacking of Riviera to the Caribbean Beach Resort and Gran Destino to Coronado Springs.
Oh, and Communicore is not just a (very bad) joke, but is an insult to the original Communicore which was a fun place with all manner of interesting future tech back in the day. I’d also put the loss of Epcot’s fountain for landscaped terraces up there as well.
I am in total agreement with the removal of Rivers of America removal. It would be a MUCH better decision to upgrade the existing “Autotopia” in Tomorrow Land into the “Cars” including replacing the gasoline powered vehicles with electrics. The atmosphere around Liberty Square will be very different if they replace “Rivers” with a joy ride. As others have mentioned this area was one of the few places where you could relax and get some quiet time with your family. Tomorrow Land and the Carousel of Progress is where the money desperately needs to be spent on upgrades to stay relevant.
I like your comparison of Rivers of America to Cinderella Castle. Those (along with Main Street, U.S.A.) are the primary things that make the Magic Kingdom’s ambience so extraordinary. As you rightly note, the castle is just as “underutilized” as Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island — more so, actually. And I applaud your words about how Disney’s current decision-makers didn’t build those, don’t even have enough sense not to destroy them, and certainly don’t know better than Walt. It’s good to see you fighting the good fight on this. Maybe we’ll get a Christmas miracle and they’ll change course. Merry Christmas!
Say what you will about Disney, and I certainly have my share of frustrations with it, but it’s the only annual pass I’ve bothered keeping. For years, I held annual passes to the 4 WDW parks, 2 Universal parks, and SeaWorld. In the last year, I’ve cancelled Universal & SeaWorld. My 2 park Universal pass actually cost me more per month than my 4 park Disney pass, and my Disney pass is one of the higher levels (Sorcerer). My complaints with SeaWorld didn’t even warrant customer service sending me a form letter saying, “Your thoughts are very important to us”. Apparently, they aren’t. SeaWorld is the most expensive park. Their food festival offerings cost as much as a counter service restaurant entree. A bottle of soda there costs over $6, & that was with my annual pass discount. Plus there’s a surcharge on everything for “park maintenance”. The rides are either high intensity thrill rides or kiddie rides, no nice, mild dark rides like Disney has ever since they ill-advisedly closed Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin & replaced it with yet another coaster. The marine life shows all get to seem the same after years of attendance, & SeaWorld is always getting annoyingly preachy about the environment. Do they think people come there to have fun or to get preached at? So it was getting to be a boring, annoying park for me. Universal is better than SeaWorld but as I grow older, I feel more guilty about ignoring the warning signs outside rides, and Universal rides always seem to have those signs. A distinct lack of mild rides again. Disney still has plenty of gentle rides that aren’t little kiddie rides, either, so perfect for older guests who aren’t in the thrill-seeking demographic.
I agree that Walt Disney World is head and shoulders above the rest. I sometimes wonder if all of the people who claim Universal is going to dethrone Disney have been to USF or IoA recently, because there are entire large areas of both existing gates that are ugly–thematically lacking and neglected.
Although it may not seem like it at times, my criticism and critique for Walt Disney World comes from a place of love. This is our “home” park, and where we want to take our daughter for decades to come. I want it to be the best version of itself and get all the attention the international parks do (or even Disneyland). This is the company’s crown jewel, it should be treated as such! 🙂
Well said, Gina. I agree with all of this.
yeah to be honest, we loved River of Lights in AK, it was the most impressive show , imo. Being able to see that, followed by glowing in pandora, then the tree of life show, really added to the magic. I get the animals need to rest, but there’s ways of finding balance there.
We’re on leave from WDW until all the projects in MK are done. We’ve seen all there is, accomplished everything wanted, now one upcoming Disney Cruise and we’re “off the sauce” for a few years
I used to think nothing could de-throne Disney, but after Boeing destroyed itself with poor management, I can easily see the same thing happen to Disney, caused by their own arrogant and overpaid management. Animatronic Lincoln was right—the danger is within!!
Boeing really should be a cautionary tale for other iconic American businesses.
I 100% agree with going to AK. Unless you have not been there since they have opened the Pandora section, there is not anything new to do. Usually we do everything we want to see in about 4 hours. We will most likely skip it next trip.
We started going to WDW in l977 with our young children. Then we came back again with a little older kids. We all loved it. It was an “experience” that was made special for the “guests”, not customers. The rides were important, but everything was unique with the imagineering touch. They were more than rides back then. Time moves on and our kids have kids of their own. So we brought them all the place we loved, WDW. We all enjoyed every visit with the kids/grandkids. Then the grandkids became teens and still loved disney until after Covid when disney decided to start nickel and diming us and charging more for less. The family lost interest in WDW at that time, and so did we. We are the ones who visited WDW every year exclusively and helped many other people with their WDW vacations. We were known as Disney experts and fanatics. All that changed with the most recent changes at WDW. I won’t go into them all and we all know what they are. It’s death by a thousand cuts.
We never felt robbed when we paid for an expensive WDW vacation. We felt like we got an excellent return for our money. It has always been very expensive but well worth it because of the unique experience.
Now, the grown kids, their children and their families could care less about going to WDW. The grandkids are not interested in Mickey Mouse and Co. There are no shows that I know of that promotes Mickey and Minnie anymore. They all want to go to Universal now, and they do. Disney is not given a thought. So, all this means that generations of families will not go back to WDW because of all the changes for the worse. There will be no more nostalgia from them for Disney like there was for us older people. I admit to some nostalgia at times, but most of it is long gone now. We go to other places, including Universal which we all love. I don’t think WDW co. cares about losing our family and the next generations of those who loved Disney, but they really should in the long run. It took WDW many years to build up a staunch fan club of WDW fanatics. A lot of that is being killed off now due to the new direction of Disneyworld. And it saddens me. It was a place of wonder, marveling at the Imagineers creations, experiencing the CM’s love of the guests and wDW, and enjoying every minute of this unique experience . I hope that WDW sees the way things are going. I hope they take off the dollar signs in their glasses and listen to their guests. Sadly, I don’t think that will happen and we will not be back until it does.
Well said, Ruth! My multi-generational family thoughts exactly.
After using it on a recent trip, I have to say I actually preferred Genie+ to LLMP. It allowed for so much more flexibility since you could decide on the day of what parks and rides you want to go on. With MP the good rides have limited if any availability day of. Here’s an example- we didn’t purchase MP for Epcot because we planned to rope drop. But that morning one of our party was feeling unwell so we got a late start. I checked LL availability around 7am that morning but the big rides didn’t have availability until much later (we were only staying through early afternoon). So we ended up just skipping the MP and skipping some of the rides. With Genie+ I think I could have gotten something for us at 7am. The next day we had MP purchased for MK but ended up rope dropping a few rides and then going back to the room to rest so that was a waste. Now granted we are rope droppers so I don’t mind being up at 7 to book the LL , but Genie+ definitely allowed for more flexibility.
Also totally agree the Animal Kingdom needs more nighttime entertainment. The park is absolutely stunning at night and it’s a shame more people don’t get to enjoy that. Disney is really missing out there. Also bring back the Dream Lights!!!!
So I was there for the grand opening summer and been going back every few years. So lots of visits. Christmas has been our chosen times because of lighter crowds and the decorations. I can remember being on a bus by ourselves- yeah I’m old. I really wanted to be there for the 50th but Covid and life got in the way.
I was there in 2016 thinking decorations were decreasing for some unknown reason. Wilderness Lodge was our favorite because of the Christmas feeling. I just got back and the decorations are even less. They took the bears from the lobby, number of wreaths is down and not as much aww feeling. Still bummed by lack of Osborn lights, lighted arches at Epcot, fountain at Epcot, even took the puff ball lights and more. They’re steadily decreasing the decorations. Steadily increasing the price. Didn’t use the gouging lightening lanes. Going to have to start packing in food.
We hotel hopped. Started at the Poly, bathroom was fantastic but room a little cramped. Animal Kingdom had a little more room. Ended up at what was my favorite Wilderness Lodge. Is the theory to gut it for the vacation club. Don’t miss the carpet in the rooms but most of the ambiance was stripped. Unfortunately left the scary bathtubs. We had a great time but my memories were a problem making me feel nostalgic for the old days.
It’s gotten so crowded and getting less for more money feeling. This very well could have been my last trip.
The inherent problem of DAS and its implementation is the percentage of people without shame has increased exponentially in the last generation. What I mean by that is unfortunately people seem to not have an issue with faking illnesses. And the only way Disney could get around that by being jerks about it. The shame of it is people not being able to self police themselves.
I don’t think any of us with true disabilities would have an issue with using one of the third party services that verify disabilities. They collect the necessary documentation to verify the disability and Disney would only need to access their list to verify a true need. There are plenty of physical disabilities and medical conditions beside autism that limit a persons ability to stand in a line. We will probably just have to sell our DVC or decide that we are willing to shell out the outrageous bucks for the Premier Pass which is not likely.
It has to do with the extreme sense of entitlement that has been fostered in the US … it has become the me me me attitude .. and has destroyed a much needed accommodation for a lot of people … the sad part is combat veterans with severe PTSD are being denied straight up ….
Great article, though thoroughly depressing. It’s really sad that so much of what Walt Disney World used to have to make it such a premium experience has been stripped away. Now all that’s left is the premium price. I remember a few trips in the early 2000s that were post 9/11 and leading up to Eisner’s departure where the parks were feeling similarly neglected but the sudden massive drop in tourism at least partially explained a lot of their austerity measures. But back then when tourism rebounded (and Iger took over) the parks rebounded and development increased again. Fast forward to today and this all feels different. Attendance has never been higher, per-guest spending is through the roof, and yet still WDW is cutting down on offerings left and right as if the parks were a ghost town and the company was going broke. It’s probably hyperbolic, but I really think the Walt Disney World wouldn’t so desperately need an “answer” to what Universal does if Disney was still providing the same level of quality and theming as they used to. It has never been a ride-for-ride competition between the two; Disney used to simply go the extra mile in being totally Disney, and that was what hooked us and kept us coming back. With the diminishing placemaking, atmosphere, and general vibe, I find my desire to visit diminishing right along with it. I’m sure if you searched for the most used words on this blog from the last five years I’m sure “short-sighted” and “unforced” would rise up to the top. For those words to refer to Disney seems unbelievable.
I love that not using the blessing of size/constantly repurposing vs. true expansion made the list a couple of times. That’s been grinding my gears for years now, and only seems to be happening more and more. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!!!
I hope other readers aren’t annoyed by that slight redundancy.
My thinking was that the ‘blessing of size’ decision was just too big to ignore as a standalone entry and relates to things beyond RoA/Monstropolis. If this were ranked, that might be my personal #1. Some of the individual decisions are more justifiable in isolation, but the trend as a whole is indefensible.
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas, as well!
On the topic of expanding beyond a park boundary … I think we lay folks may not appreciate how costly and difficult it must be to add infrastructure for a park expansion. Having said that, I think Avatar at Animal Kingdom technically was placed beyond the original AK footprint, and also the rumored Villans Land at MK may apparently go outside of the current footprint. But gee, the Muppets are so beloved. Couldn’t they have found some other location for Monsters land???
I have wondered if part of what’s holding back true expansion is a fear of guest complaints about the parks becoming too big. Many Americans are not used to walking long distances or being on their feet all day. This becomes more of an issue with young kids or older adults, two demos that Disney is pretty solidly ahead in catering to. And that’s before factoring in Florida weather.
I don’t know what the exact size is, but I do think there’s a point where the parks become so big the average guest finds traversing them too much of a hassle. I honestly don’t know how close the parks are to that point (it seems a lot fans agree Epcot is quite the hike if you have to get from one side to the other). But if some executive had it in their head the parks are approaching that point, coupled with the financial considerations, I see how they come to the decisions they have even if I personally would make different ones.
My first thought was how you could possibly get this down to a list of just 10. Lol
Good list, agree on all points. Their current thinking baffles me