Biggest Guest Complaints About Disney World
Walt Disney World fans have a lot of complaints right now, so much so that the Festivus-style airing of grievances has become a year-round tradition. There have been many changes that are unpopular with loyal guests, including cutbacks, temporary policies that have become permanent, price increases, and more. Plus, decisions viewed as short sighted to increase profits and per capita spending, all to the detriment to consumers and the experience.
It’s impossible not to notice this. Many complaints we hear from readers are prefaced with “I’m normally a fan no matter what who defends Disney, but…” or “I don’t normally complain, but…” There have been far fewer fans offering defenses of unpopular decisions with the rationalization that Walt Disney World is a business. There’s also less knocking of those who air their grievances as “so-called fans” and much more agreement and acknowledgement of Disney’s shortcomings.
While I enjoy channeling my inner Frank Costanza from time to time, I’ve also made a concerted effort in the last couple of years to appreciate what I have, savor the little things, and look for the silver linings. A lot of feel good fluff, but it’s helped give me a more positive perspective. That probably hasn’t always been evident because there are times when it has been tough to find the upside in some things Walt Disney World is doing.
Nevertheless, it’s in that spirit of positivity that I’m going to air these grievances fans have with Walt Disney World but also attempt to play devil’s advocate and try to make sense of the decision or justify it from their perspective. Perhaps that’ll make me a “pixie duster,” but Walt Disney World still is my favorite place on earth and I’ve gotta rationalize that somehow.
Anyway, let’s begin. Welcome, new comers. The tradition of Festivus begins with the airing of grievances…
Slow Return to Normal – Just today, the Walt Disney World Railroad officially reopened. Last month, Fantasmic finally returned–the last nighttime spectacular to come back, and a major step forward for normal operations and crowd dynamics at Walt Disney World. Still, a lot of entertainment is gone, as are shows like Jedi Training Academy and Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Much of that may never return.
Earlier this week, the company announced Chef Mickey’s and Cinderella’s Royal Table going back to normal in Winter 2023. Almost every restaurant is back with the recent reopenings of Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Monsieur Paul, and Takumi-Tei. However, a few remain closed or have scaled back their meal services. Again, some of that may never be back.
Readers of this site have likely tired of hearing “staffing shortages” as an excuse for just about everything that still isn’t back, but it’s true (for the most part). Even then, almost all of this has been exacerbated by Disney’s own decisions, or lack thereof. Staffing shortages exist and persist because Disney furloughed so many people and was slow to recall them. A lot of entertainment still isn’t back because the company waited rather than making modifications early-on.
In a vacuum, it might be possible to rationalize or explain away so much of Disney’s lethargic pace in resuming normalcy. However, once you step back and look at the totality of the circumstances–especially as compared to their competitors and in light of the prices being charged–it’s all much less forgivable. For the purported leader of the theme park industry, they’ve sure been doing a lot of following.
Disney Park Pass Reservations – Even after Walt Disney World raised its capacity caps by significant degrees, the company left the park reservation system in place. Many days, it’s little more than a formality–a pointless source of friction and yet another thing to book as part of the tedium of planning a trip. It decreases spontaneity and many fans argue that it isn’t doing anything on crowded days, so what’s the point?
At this point, the Disney Park Pass system doesn’t exist for keeping crowds low—that hasn’t been the case for ages. It’s to redistribute them and prevent attendance from overwhelming staffing levels and available resources at each individual park. Walt Disney World still is not firing on all cylinders, and is unequipped to handle the same guest loads as in a normal year. I’m no fan of the reservation system in the long term, but it’s a “necessary evil” in the short term given the demand-capacity imbalance.
Nevertheless, this is highly likely to change in January or February 2023. While park reservations will likely stick around for some groups (like Annual Passholders and Cast Members), they’ll become a non-factor for most guests.
No Disney Dining Plan – Far and away the most common reader questions we receive concern the return of the Disney Dining Plan. It still isn’t back, despite assurances from the company that it was only being temporarily suspended and would return “soon” (quite a while ago).
Like many things that have happened (or not) over the last year-plus, the suspension of the Disney Dining Plan was originally motivated by one thing (physical distancing and closures) and that rationale has morphed over time to other reasons (staffing shortages, inflation, per guest spending, etc).
At its core, the underlying reason for the Disney Dining Plan not being offered has always been an imbalance of supply and demand. Like with a few other complaints on this list, this is arguably being done for the benefit of the guest experience. Visitors would be even more outraged if they were allowed to buy a “useless” Dining Plan with credits they couldn’t redeem due to a lack of ADRs. In short, we get and sympathize with fans’ complaints, but ultimately understand why the DDP still isn’t back.
Restricted Park Hopping – Walt Disney World brought back Park Hopping last year, which was a huge relief to anyone who tried to fill a full day at Animal Kingdom sans shows or wanted to spend 1.5 days at Magic Kingdom. However, Park Hopping began each day at 2 pm and required that guests enter the first park for which they had reservations, even if it was already after 2 pm.
I love the freedom to Park Hop, and often used to bounce between DHS and Epcot very early in the day. With that said, I’m going to defend this practice in whole. For one thing, there’s enough to do at any park until 2 pm. For another, it serves a practical purpose. If Park Hopping were totally unrestricted, you’d have busy days when people would circumvent the Disney Park Pass reservation system by booking Epcot but immediately hopping to Magic Kingdom. Disney can’t get rid of the Park Hopping rule until it gets rid of Park Pass. Hopefully they’re both gone by early 2023!
Construction Delays – When the parks closed for a few months, Walt Disney World paused all construction. Contrary to popular perception, this was not mandated by the state–work all around Central Florida continued during that time. Some projects that were near completion pre-closure were held back for months even after being finished and other attractions that were slated to open “in time for” the 50th Anniversary didn’t restart until months after reopening. The resulting delays, in several cases, will be over two years. Other previously announced plans were scaled back or abandoned entirely.
From my perspective, the degree to which this is excusable depends upon the project. While I don’t like it, I can understand Disney sitting on Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and other things. Theme parks add attractions to incentivize new bookings, and they largely would not have fulfilled that role had they debuted last fall. Universal is the one anomaly in continuing to open new things, and a true kudos to them in going against the grain; otherwise, virtually every theme park operator has held back additions.
This is far less excusable when it comes to the central spine redesign of Epcot–also known as the Giant Epcot Dirt Pit™️. Having the park not be a maze of construction walls isn’t something that’s marketable or excites people into booking trips. No matter how long the closure lasted, its financial fallout, or what austerity measures were necessary, it was patently obvious from the outset that would need to be finished.
Disney squandered an opportunity by not kicking the Epcot overhaul into overdrive during the closure and subsequent reopening when the parks were uncrowded, and should be downright embarrassed by the leisurely pace of work in the year that followed.
Another embarrassment is the speed of TRON Lightcycle Run. The entirety of Universal’s Epic Universe will end up being built in about the same time it took Walt Disney World to construct a cloned roller coaster in a mostly-empty warehouse. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this ride, but I think many WDW diehards are going to be disappointed by its duration and lack of show scenes given how long it took to build. There will probably be a sense of “that’s it?!” when it finally debuts in Spring 2023.
Underwhelming 50th Anniversary – The biggest “limited time” component of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary is statues honoring 50 characters, the majority of which have minimal presence in or significance to the parks. There are two new nighttime spectaculars featuring movie moments and songs. There’s also some other stuff, none of which offers a nod to the past or the rich legacy of the Vacation Kingdom of the World.
In the latter regard, the unequivocal bright spots have been that the merchandising and culinary teams have truly outdone themselves. There’s a wide range of clever and inventive 50th offerings that appeal to a broad spectrum of guests. These items are varied, fun, and celebratory–perfect for the anniversary celebration. But it’s also mildly insulting that the value of nostalgia is limited to the degree it can be directly monetized.
Over the course of its 51 years, Walt Disney World has grown a fierce fandom, fostering huge communities and accommodating a range of niche interests. It has resulted in one of the most lucrative timeshare programs ever and an immensely lucrative Annual Passholder program, the growth of which not even surging prices can stop. Despite this, if you only paid attention to the substance of the World’s Most Magical Celebration, you might assume it was a tribute to the company’s characters and movie intellectual property.
In normal circumstances, none of this would be particularly surprising. Increasingly, people visit Walt Disney World to be immersed in all things IP. Unimaginative as it might be, Disney is giving the park-going public what it wants. During the 18 months of a milestone anniversary and given the aforementioned passionate fanbases? It comes across as out of touch with its own community, unappreciative of their decades of patronage, and unconfident in the strength of theme parks as a standalone product. I was so excited for the 50th Anniversary, but at this point, I’m anxiously awaiting April 2023, when the ‘event’ will be put out of its misery.
Limited Hours – This is one that has improved considerably this year, and hopefully will further improve in 2023. The big change has been earlier opening times for Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT, which have been great–and hugely advantageous for early risers.
As much as I hate the gradual erosion of park hours, which started long before last year, it’s at least in part supported by guest behavior. No matter how crowded in the morning, Animal Kingdom still clears out by late afternoon. Hollywood Studios is not nearly as busy the last couple hours of the day. Future World empties an hour before Harmonious.
However, Magic Kingdom’s hours are not nearly as defensible. It opens late and closes early by historical standards, with the park frequently having 9 am to 10 pm or 11 pm hours at times when it operated from 8 am to 12 am in the past. On busy days, that 9 am opening time is especially unfortunate, as rope drop is unpleasant and offers minimal strategic upside. On top of that, the colossal crowds lingering on Main Street a full hour after park closing are a pretty good indication that the park should stay open later.
Most likely, this is a staffing issue. Magic Kingdom’s hours are limited by available Cast Member shifts, making it difficult to add another 2-3 hours per day. With each passing month, this feels less like a compelling justification and more like a lame excuse.
Catering to the “Rich” – There have been no shortages of examples of this–or at least, decisions that have prompted this refrain among Walt Disney World fans. Price increases are the big one, but so too are the proliferation of pricey upcharge offerings, VIP tours, After Hours events, and more.
Disney is trying to squeeze the middle class, not exclude them. That might offer little solace, but it’s an important distinction (more so than a “defense” of the practice). The rich are not booking motel-style rooms with exterior hallways at the Value or Moderate Resorts, let alone the many nearby off-site budget hotels that Disney relies upon to fill the parks. Rite of passage vacations among the affluent are certainly a thing, but not nearly enough to sustain Walt Disney World.
Simply put, Walt Disney World is a middle class vacation destination. Even on the high end, it doesn’t offer the caliber of service, amenities, or general quality the affluent expect of real world destinations. This is why Disney “outsources” that to Four Seasons on the hotel side. There are low-volume niche experiences at Walt Disney World aimed at the wealthy, but they’re relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Disney’s bread and butter is still the middle class…and the current trajectory doesn’t change until that group says “enough is enough” and pulls back in its spending and splurging.
Paid FastPass – Roughly 14 months later, Walt Disney World retiring free FastPass and replacing it with a paid alternative continues to be one of the biggest fan grievances we hear. From the outset, our position on this inevitable change was that it “could’ve been worse” and offers downside and upside. This has not been well received by fans, many of whom consider us Disney apologists as a result.
We get it. The move to Genie+ represents a paradigm shift, and is an encapsulation of so many other frustrations. The Genie system is unnecessarily convoluted and has too steep of a learning curve. Excluding some attractions from Genie+ comes across as an unnecessarily crass cash grab. It clearly launched several months before the app feature was ready.
On the plus side, Genie+ has improved in several ways big and small this year. (However, it did take over a year after launch–to add a modify button, the most basic of features. On the downside, Walt Disney World introduced date-based pricing, resulting in a spike from $16 per day to nearly double that. For peak dates, the service currently costs ~$31 after tax, which sure feels like infringing on my right to celebrate new holidays.
With that said, we’ll have to “agree to disagree” on a lot of the other complaints. Getting up at ~6:50 am on vacation stinks, but that’s already par for the course if you want to beat the crowds. At least in theory, having some Individual Lightning Lanes incentivizes construction of new headliner attractions, which can be directly monetized. FastPass+ might’ve been beloved by hardcore fans who always stayed on-site and knew its quirks, but it created its own losers (anyone off-site or learning of its existence upon arrival). FastPass+ was stretched to its breaking point and a change was needed.
Genie is very far from perfect and should’ve been more like MaxPass, but it’s not as bad as it’s made out to be. It will hopefully improve over time, and even simple UI and reliably fixes, plus booking prompts will improve the overall Genie+ experience. Not everyone will love it, but not everyone loved paper FastPass or FastPass+ either.
Too Much Screen Time – Refreshing Genie+ for better Lightning Lanes. Mobile Order for counter service restaurants and Merchandise Mobile Checkout to buy stuff. Constantly checking Walk-up Waitlist for new table service availability. Checking wait times and showtimes. Joining the Cosmic Rewind virtual queue. Reading restaurant menus. Playing the MagicBand+ mini games or the DuckTales World Showcase Adventure.
One of the fastest-growing complaints we’ve heard this year is that visiting Walt Disney World involves too much screen time. We see this as a double-edged sword and, honestly, a bit overblown (sorry!). Refreshing Genie+ is similar to doing the same for FastPass+ to obtain 4th (and beyond) ride reservations. Mobile Order, Merchandise Mobile Checkout, and Walk-up Waitlist are not required–they’re optional offerings that can cut down waiting at restaurants (and are increasingly common in the real world). Same goes for the minigames in the Play Disney Parks app.
As a general matter, we do agree with this criticism. One of our core ‘theses’ was that Walt Disney World leaned too heavily on technology (ironic, since it’s something the company is objectively awful at) and not enough on tactile experiences. To paraphrase my favorite Walt Disney quote, “it’s people that make the dream a reality.”
The best memories are formed as a result of interpersonal moments, and so much emotional resonance is derived from guests connecting with Cast Members. Even if people can’t put their finger on it, so much of what differentiates and defines the appeal of Walt Disney World is the ‘little things’ that connect them to other people and the environments around them. Sure, ‘sexy’ rides like Cosmic Rewind get people to take the trip, but it’s the myriad little things and those connections that convince them (even subconsciously) to return.
So while we won’t point to Genie+ or any other new feature in My Disney Experience as being “bad,” like many fans have done, we very much agree with the generalized sentiment that spending a day at Walt Disney World now nudges guests towards spending way too much time with their faces buried in their phones. These new features are great in isolation, and benefit the company by improving efficiency and cutting costs. However, the totality of all of this amounts to Walt Disney World effectively leaning into its weakness and away from its strengths. And that’s worthy of a pretty big ‘grievance,’ if you ask me.
Cutbacks & Charges – This is already getting really long, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least acknowledge all of the cutbacks and charges for things that used to be included. Want a MagicBand? That’ll cost you! Bread to start your table service meal? Prepare to pay extra! Evening Extra Magic Hours? Upgrade resorts! Want to see a parade or stage show? It’s behind an After Hours paywall.
I’m not a fan of nickel & diming. I don’t want to give this major grievance only cursory treatment, but there’s just not a ton I can add here that hasn’t already been said. There are arguably some scenarios–like cutting back on plastic waste with MagicBands or hiring more housekeepers being nearly impossible–where some of this is understandable. By and large, it’s just a way to improve margins. It’s an effective approach because each is minor in isolation, but there’s a reason why “death by a thousand cuts” is a saying. The totality of these cost-cutting measures has become very noticeable.
End of Disney’s Magical Express – We knew it was coming, but it was still difficult to believe that Walt Disney World would actually follow through and end Disney’s Magical Express this past January. Even until the very last minute, many fans felt the company was playing hardball and would extend its contract with Mears. That did not happen.
To this day, we still hear from readers holding out hope that Disney’s Magical Express will return in 2023. Given that there’s no basis for this belief, it’s one of the more surprising common questions we’re asked. Although its spiritual successor is still operated by Mears and there’s another fun train-themed alternative, Walt Disney World does not offer airport transportation.
Even more than paid FastPass, this has garnered the most backlash and confusion among fans. A year later, I still cannot make sense of this one. Retiring DME is the equivalent of pulling your ace starting pitcher throwing a no-hitter during the World Series. Sabermetrics somehow justifies it, but it makes no sense to anyone in the real world. It’s analytics gone awry, justifying decisions that diminish the overall quality of the experience. The fun is being sucked away by people who don’t actually love the game, armed with computers that have deemed those decisions to be “correct” and “good.”
It seems like the decision to eliminate Disney’s Magical Express was arrived upon in a similar manner, and I can muster no defense for the move, whatsoever. Like stupid sabermetrics decisions that are hurting baseball, I fear Disney is doing something similar with an overreliance on analytics. Perhaps these will bring short-term gains, but also, unknown long-term pain.
Eliminating Disney’s Magical Express is short sighted and will cost the company hotel stays, visits to other theme parks, meals outside the resort complex, and more. One of Walt Disney World’s greatest strengths was its bubble, and the company has voluntarily punctured that. The captive audience that was viewed as advantageous for years is gone–and at a time when Walt Disney World’s #1 competitor keeps growing and getting stronger. Make it make sense.
The thing is, I’m sure there is a business justification for the decision, with complex calculations performed. It all makes sense, if you’re a computer. And yet, it does not pass the simplest of smell tests for humans. (I don’t want to give any false hope, but I still think Walt Disney World might find itself reversing this decision once Epic Universe opens.)
This encapsulates my biggest fear for the future of Walt Disney World. More decisions by analytics, fewer by real people. Less that’s interesting and unique, more that’s beholden to brand deposits and dictated by accountants. Beyond some of what’s listed here, I also see this mentality reflected in entertainment like Disney Enchantment. That nighttime spectacular is easier to explain as something assembled by algorithm, predicated on Disney+ marketing targets or viewership data. I also see it repudiated in things like KiteTails, which is why I love that chaotic and unpredictable show.
Above all else, Walt Disney World should be fun and creative. Its leaders should never lose sight of that, and realize that a decision is only as “good” as its resulting guest satisfaction. They should be cognizant of the fact that everything has a cost, including short-term financial gain. The price paid for guests returning from trips feeling deflated or devalued should be deemed too high, no matter what per capita spending might have to say. Walt Disney World is a business and always has been. It’s also innovative and imaginative, an ambitious endeavor built not by MBAs and accountants, but by creative visionaries–it should be treated as such by those who now lead it. Guests have long known that the company was after their money, but never before have they felt that was the essence of Walt Disney World.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Have any grievances of your own to air about Walt Disney World? Do you agree or disagree with our airing of grievances? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
And yet in spite of all these complaints people continue to go. I wish they wouldn’t. I am mostly OK with everything stated and I would be more than happy if the parks were less crowded.
I think I would honestly trade all of the changes and “improvements” that have taken place over the last 10 years (new attractions, new hotels, new restaurants, etc.) and have WDW magically change back to the way that it was 10 years ago. It used to be fun to plan the trip, and even better once you got there. But it seems that all is now lost to planning “strategy” and needing to get up early, and pay extra, to try to get reservations for the rides you want. I think if Disney would have just buried the cost for “free” magic bands, “free” magical express, “free” Fastpass, and “free” hotel parking, like they used, to in one of their annual or even an extra price increase, people would have grumbled a bit, but we sure wouldn’t be having these ongoing discussions or complaints that we are having now. What’s next?…Perhaps resort fees?
@Maria
It sounds like you are a local, which means your calculus for Disney spending in your head is already quite different from the “normal” visitor and/or Disney’s target audience.
To add to that you seem to be building a strawman argument. Of course spending any money at all is better than spending no money but the remainder of your comment is fairly asinine as none of your examples are based in reality. Disney isn’t going to slash prices 50% especially when there’s plenty of demand at the current pricing levels.
You’re also clearly committing a logical fallacy by price anchoring. You’re not suggesting a price you would buy it at based on other market analysis but rather saying I would never pay Disney prices unless it were 50% cheaper. Where exactly is the push-pull point at which you would buy a mickey bars knowing that to take your family of 5 out to Baskin Robbins or Cold Stone is going to run you $20-25? Is Disney’s $30 that unreasonable? How about those bubble wands for your kids? Where’s the push-pull between the generic $15 bubble wand you can get on Amazon and the $26 bubble wand Disney sells the Disney-themed one for? Is the $21 it would cost in “normal times” when passholders get a 20% discount on merch acceptable? What if Disney sold a 4-pack of them for $80? If your answer is no I’d only ever pay $15 well you are exactly the type of frugal passholder Chapek is trying to discourage from coming to the parks.
Beyond all of that, your argument further is comparing apples and oranges. We’re talking about “upcharges” and “debundling” of services not “price increases” in general. Disney didnt offer “upgraded” styles when magic bands were free. You either were happy with the solid color ones they sent out for free or you bought a new magic band… And the paid magic bands today dont cost anymore than they did before they did away with free magic bands. The net result is that someone willing to spend $30 on a magic band is still going to do so… The person who before was happy with the free one now no longer gets a magic band for free though they have the option to buy one and when they put the expense of $120 in magic bands for a family of 4 into perspective of their $3000+ dollar trip for many, the cost of the magic bands aren’t going to make a significant difference and be a deal breaker… They’ll probably by the magic bands for the whole “Disney Experience.” Which is the same argument Disney uses to upsell add-on’s like Dining plan (when its available) and lightning lane as shown by @Beth. More to the point however is going back to your bubble wands, if Disney offered a 4 pack for $75 would you buy the 4 pack knowing you have no use for the 4th one but hey, they’re at the $15/wand price you’ve built in your head? I’d hazard a guess and say you’d say $75 is greater than $60 so even though the individual unit price is exactly where you wanted it to be, you’d say no.
A study was done on college campuses for the book Predictably Irrational. They put out Hershey Kisses for free and more expensive Lindt chocolate truffles for $0.14. By a margin of 7-3 people went to and were satisfied by the Hershey kiss but when they changed the price of the hershey kiss to $0.01 and the Lindt chocolate to $0.15, the buying habit changed and people actually weighted the options and people bought the Lindt chocolate over the hershey kiss 3-to-1.
Ultimately, your take away from my comment seems to be that Disney thinks a captive audience means they can charge whatever they want and that’s not at all what my comment says.
@Beth. Well said!!
My first experience with Walt Disney World Resort was in early November. I expected high crowds due to it being the opening of the 50th anniversary.
We stayed at The Cabins at Fort Wilderness and Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was planned as an engagement trip for my future wife and so plans were made well in advance ( 6 months) to insure the best experience possible.
Expectations were high; after all, Disney has been the industry standard in customer service and hospitality.
Unfortunately, it is no longer that. Customer service, Concierge service, Bus service, and other aspects of what make a good experience were shattered.
Not only were the resort stays disappointing, so were many of the employees at the parks. There were a few employees that were great. They stood out amongst the others.
Some examples of such poor quality was the insistence of the concierge to knock on our room doors at 8am daily, to check our rooms without any prior notice, no delivery options for food ( we had to walk 1/2 a mile, multiple times, if ordering from instacart for groceries), a lack of emergency services in the parks ( my mother-in-law received a wheel chair in EPCOT but they insisted on giving us grief when traveling to and from the parks to the on-site hotels) as well as a bus that smelled like sewage because their back – up coach had a bathroom overflowing with poop.
I would have expected problems to occur during this trip but NEVER thought the rudeness of employees and their lack of customer service would have EVER been a problem.
Our experience there was ruined.
My bank account was depleted due to wasted Genie + services, and no benefit of a dining plan for my party of 8.
I would not have had a problem with spending $$$$ if customer service and the concierge were happy to have us.
Instead I paid for a mediocre vacation.
One ray of sunshine was The Lowes International Hotel at Universal Studios Florida as well as their park employees and services. THEY WERE VERY COURTEOUS AND WELCOMING!
I will DEFINITELY be returning to Universal but not Disney World.
It is a shame that Disney will NOT listen to the concerns of their fans.
Now, when I watch Disney+ or read articles about them, all I can remember is the horrible time my family had at the parks. The arguing, the constant annoyances, and the lack of customer service is paramount.
Disney really needs to go back to its roots and start making their customers first instead of their pocket books.
Now that everyone has to have a park reservation to start their day, has anyone NOT been able to get a park reservation they wanted? What, pray tell, is the capacity per park per day? Hmmm.
AND, they keep building more and more hotels with more and more rooms, where are those people going to go? Looks kinda like the church that sold time shares and not enough time or space to accommodate them.
Are the parks too crowded because Disney does not charge enough or because of poor planning by Disney?
How much did the decision by Disney to prematurely dismiss trained cast members affect the current guests’ experience and the bottom line?
Oh no, Disney magic still exists. Disney can now make more of your money disappear and reappear in their pockets.
Yes, many businesses are adopting a model for pricing by individual components, But, they usually become the most hated among their respective industries not the most loved.
As I recognize my limited perspective having grown up on the 50’s and 60’s version of Disney and that far younger fans must have their say and version of Disney. It makes me sad when my grandkids overrule me and insist on our next trip to Orlando be to Universal and not Disney.
@Tony that’s not true. Stadiums found that per guest spending went up when they lowered prices. They thought they had a captive audience and could charge whatever they wanted but people wouldn’t go for it.
Likewise I will not buy Mickey bars for $6 a piece for my family. If they were $3 I would buy 5 Mickey bars. So instead of spending $15 I’m spending $0
I will not buy 3 bubble wands for my kids at $30 a piece but I will get each child a bubble wand for $15. So instead of spending $45 I’m spending $0.
When Magic Bands are included free I’m likely spend a few bucks on the upgrades styles. I’m just using an old band now. So that’s $0 on Magic Bands.
Yesterday we went to Disney Springs with our Christmas gift cards and only ended up getting dinner and a snack. At those prices for merch we were just like “nah, maybe it will come to the outlet.”
The disincentivize spending with high prices. It’s pretty counter intuitive.
Prices are much lower in DLP. I ended up spending $100 on dinners most nights and we got a bottle of wine (cheap wine was a huge plus) and we bought merch. I don’t think I was ever walking around without a vin chaude in my hand something that at Epcot would cost at least $12 a cup.
@Tony
I agree. Just received my $179.00 Disney credit card statement for LL and Genie+ for four days over Thanksgiving. (Two guests) I didn’t really think twice about it because I was treating my nephew visiting from out of state!
I feel the need to defend Disney just a bit on the increase in charges for things that used to be included from magic bands to fast pass.
I dont like the feeling of being nickel and dimed any more than you but this change seems less driven by margins in some areas than it is a counter to claims Disney is only “catering to the rich.”
It seems like every year the community is up in arms about how Disney is getting more expensive and yet every year there are also complaints about the diminishing experience as a result of larger and larger crowds. Something had to give and just like the airlines going a la carte in the early mid-to-late 00’s when passenger counts were dropping as a result of rising airfares caused by soaring gas prices, Disney came to realize that they could improve the experience for those willing to pay while simultaneously keeping ticket prices lower than they probably ought to be.
The problem of course is that on the low-end of the income/spending dynamic it increases the perception of Disney catering to the rich while on the top-end of the income/spending dynamic, it doesn’t address the crowd complaints (in fact it may just make things worse in some ways since crowds increase demand for genie/lightning lane) AND it creates a feeling of being nickel and dimed, which as you note elsewhere is a lower caliber of service, amenities, and/or general quality than the affluent expect or want. As a result no one is really happy with these changes.
I agree Disney wants to squeeze, not exclude the middle class but there are psychological factors at work here that show the average person on a loose budget will spend more when they have to make multiple “micro-transactions” than if they have to make one large transaction so its hard to say what impact it will have on Disney in the long term… It may cannibalize attendance by bigger spenders but as the airlines, other theme parks and several other industries that have already implemented such changes show, despite the complaints, its unlikely to dissuade the target middle-class from attending and is actually likely to result in them spending more.
Thanks for the Festivus laundry list. It will be interesting to see the impact of Omicron in the coming weeks. Can’t imagine it improve the situation. We had postponed our 5 year visit to Jan 2022 only to cancel it due to Omicron and based on the list of grievances, was likely a wise decision. Perhaps the expectation exceeds the experience. Looking forward to a return to normal and the Disney experience of yore.
Your last two paragraphs are spot on, Tom! I was very forgiving when COVID first happened. I understand Walt Disney World is a business. It has to do some things to protect itself legally and financially. But, at this point, I am losing patience. I feel like it is one excuse after another with little thought to guest. The nickel and diming is getting bad. That is not what Walt Disney had in mind. Oh, I want them to be profitable. I understand standard price increases (fireworks are not free!), but charging for every little thing – parking, Genie+, transportation from airport, etc. I wanted to explore more of Disney’s resorts, but after my last visit (October) I feel like on-site perks are fading, so I have decided to wait a few years and possibility stay off-site for the next visit. I can stay some place with more room for less money. They need to get back to normal and get some things worked out before I can be serious about another trip. It breaks my heart to say that, as Walt Disney World has always been my escape since childhood. But, the last visit was not an escape. I had fun, yes, but it was not the same.
Let’s not forget Iger was in charge when these new policies such as LL, Genie, ME cancellation etc. were conceived. Chapek is now implementing them. We don’t like any of it especially the 7am daily vacation wake up times but it will be interesting to see what happens beginning on Jan 1 when Iger is officially retired! Hopefully someone at Disney is listening to their loyal fans.
My family has always been huge Disney fans, and like so many others we are fed up with all of the changes that has been made, it truly broke our hearts when we lost our Disney store in the mall,”always busy”. I have a Disney themed Christmas tree and every year we add to our ornaments, not this year. When Disney decided to throw their ears in to the political arena it really pissed me off, I do not believe any corporation should take a stance, so just like many others Disney took a position, “the WOKE side”. They have really out priced themselves this time, if there is no MAGIC how can it be the most magical place on earth, I am sure Walt would not agree with the management of HIS parks, after all it does have his name on them. I understand they are in the business to make money, to keep up with the innovation as Disney fans so dearly love, but when people no longer want to spend their hard earned money, on a trip that has doubled over the last couple of years, get less than previous trips for more the money, why would we, it is time that true fans take a stand, no attendance, no spending, maybe all of the Disney top dogs would have no other choice than to STOP and LISTEN to the fan base. It is a sad day when I can take my family on two all inclusive vacations per year, or one trip to WDW with less magic.
Our family of four visited the parks for a several days, departing on Tuesday prior to Christmas. We are normally @ Disney for 8-10 days every year including Thanksgiving week. We understand what full parks and long lines look like. That said, we saw lines we really couldn’t comprehend – the Haunted Mansion line wound through Liberty Square and began across from the Trading Post!?! We have also mastered whatever “fast pass” or virtual queue has been put in place but found the Genie+ really frustrating and barely worth the money. Probably most disappointing though was that Disney was in no way prepared to feed the number of guests who were allowed in. We had a hot breakfast at our hotel, brought snacks and had some table service reservations, but the long, long lines at counter service and for holiday treats were again like we’ve never seen. As usual, we encountered some cast members who went above and beyond including the Ride of the Resistance team who “held us captive” for over an hour as it malfunctioned mid-experience for us. (They switched seamlessly from barking orders in character to offering water or restroom breaks. The maintenance crew members were cheered as they walked through the final time before we were able to complete the ride, exiting 45 minutes after park close, (7:50 pm-9:45 pm)). However, there are clearly many more “just here for the paycheck” cast members. Very disappointing. After reading reviews of some loyal Disney fans, we chose to save $ and stay off property (only the 3rd time since 2003). That worked out fine and we enjoyed the clean, refreshed room when we came home each night. All in all, we are happy we didn’t miss the 50th anniversary celebration, but we realize the glory days of affordable, MAGICAL vacations, dining plans and “working” the fast passes are over and it’s time to consider including Disney in some much smaller way in an Orlando vacation versus being our only destination.
this was our 38 year in a row even last year we went in july and in dec.this past moth we went and styed at the swan.the whole idea is to have fun and its not /they are getting rid of bus and it cost more no more dinning plan it is a total joke nowi never would think to say that i am done with disney it has became something for rich people and i know walt never wanted this the money they make and the money we the people put out is a shook the ceo makes a furture for what.i have had issues with the lighting line had to pay extra for star wars ride why…i have two special needs children and had long waits even with the pass.i am done with disney its a shame that this was built for kids to have fun as too adults and its not anymore
@Ashley:
You realize the statements:
1. There are too many people
And
2. Everyone is unhappy!
inherently contradict each other, right?
Minus all the complainers here, many people love it enough to keep coming. Prices need to go up, Not down to keep crowds manageable
For the first time in my life, I am not excited to go back to Disney. We have a trip planned for next year, only because we need to use our airline credits from a canceled flight, otherwise we will lose them. After that, our Disney days may be over.
Vote with your wallet folks. That is the only way anything will change.
There is nothing magical about Disney anymore! It simply comes down to too many people and only a handful a good rides. We were there the week before Thanksgiving for one day with park hoppers for my 50th birthday. After finally getting up main street we went to space mountain and left. SIMPLY HORRIBLE! My 12 year old asked if we could leave and I was thrilled! NO ONE IS HAPPY THERE! Total waste of $600. They need to limit the crowd number and the genie only let us skip the line that morning and not again until after 7pm. If you have nothing better to do than stand in lines and wait for groups of people stopping with strollers in the walkways to talk then enjoy. THE ONLY WAY TO DO THIS HELL HOLE IS WITH A VIP TOUR GUIDE! NO OTHER WAY!
Like many others, I echo that between losing the Magical Express if we fly, paying for parking if we drive, and the Genie only allowing for early morning people (we were always evening and end of night folks which worked great for over 12 years of multiple trips per year. While their food allergy restaurants mean it will stay a possible trip now and then, if they keep up with the allergy care, it will not be our top choice and definitely not multiple times per year! Getting rid of Magical Express bursts the Disney bubble as if they got rid of internal transportation! Insanely stupid. Now we’ll just stay off site for less, maybe do one day in a park and get allergy food at their hotels, no point in actually doing the week long vacations we used to do.