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!
Getting rid of the Magic Express was a big deal to a lot of people, including us! I miss the pre-pandemic days of just letting Disney do everything, rather like an all-inclusive resort. They’d pick our luggage up at the airport and deliver it to our resort. They’d pick us up at the airport and do the same thing. We could check our luggage at the resort instead of at the long lines in the airport. It was SO much less stressful than it is now.
And the 2:00 park hop needs to go. If you’re going to charge people close to $100 to add that on, then make it worth the cost. We get it because we don’t have a choice with the military-discounted tickets, but if I had to pay that much extra for it on a full-price ticket, I wouldn’t. It’s not a case of having enough to do at a park until 2:00. It’s a case of it being an expensive add-on that’s no longer worth the money it costs. And with ADRs harder to get now you can’t book them until two months out, you have to take reservations when you get them, not necessarily when you want them. Again, it was SO much less stressful before all these crazy rules than it is now.
My last gripe is that if Disney wants to force its guests to rely on electronics, it needs to have USB charging ports in its resorts. While most do, Bay Lake Tower doesn’t. Not one. When I questioned how we were supposed to charge our electronics, I was told to use a USB/outlet converter. I didn’t pack one because we’ve never needed to. And this was the one time I didn’t take my laptop with me to Disney, so couldn’t charge it that way, either. Luckily, we were only staying at BLT for a couple of nights before moving to the Gr Fl (which had USB ports), so our portable chargers worked until we checked out.
Genie+ was a terrible mistake. Having to wake up at 7 am to fight for a an overcharged chance do skip a line is everything but a fun vacation. Also Disney wi-fi died everyday at 7:00 so we always ended up losing our chances and getting frustated while wearing pijamas still.
Both ADR’s and fastpasses need to be more days out again. ADR was perfect at six months, fastpasses could easily be 30. Let we stress over screens back HOME please.
Is anybody listening at Disney? I’m reading all of these blog comments, and goodness knows how many people aren’t saying anything but are still unhappy, and have to wonder if its falling on deaf ears. I’m thrilled with the CEO change, however some of the poor decisions began with Iger. They lost the “bubble” with the loss of Magical Express, and now that folks have cars, they are going elsewhere. Having to be on phones and online constantly doesn’t make for a fun vacation. Being shaken down to get on rides that we’ve already paid for just isn’t working
It’s pretty simple to make folks happy.
Very basic things
Don’t know if anybody from Disney sees these posts or not, but I agree about the broken bubble. Decisions are being made according to analytics. As long as revenue is maintained, especially while costs decrease, they’ll continue in that direction even if it’s alienating visitors. At some point a tipping point will be reached and they’ll have to backpedal, but I suspect that day is still off in the distance. Too many people are willing to break the bank account for that “once in a lifetime vacation”.
My wife & I have been going to Disney World off and on for about 20 years. Over the past 10 years, we attend either MNSSHP or MVMCP each year. This year, we have reservations in late October and the first week of December to attend both parties. I’m always awake by 7am, so Genie+ isn’t an issue. I could never get the FastPasses I wanted 60 days in advance, anyway. I guess my biggest complaint is the crowds. You would think that continually raising prices would cause a decrease in attendance. Nope. I think Disney could double or triple the cost of a park visit and the park would still be overcrowded. I like the idea of a park reservation system but attendance needs to be significantly reduced. We plan our trip a year in advance. Cut capacity in half and I’d gladly pay a lot more.
I agree, I would gladly pay double the current ticket prices to have the place be like it was 10-15 years ago.
We were just there at the end of October this year and attended the MNSSHP. It wasn’t any more crowded than it was when we visited at the same time back in 2017.
From someone who stays late at the parks getting up at first light to schedule my new day’s ride on Genie + was not appreciated at all! I much prefer having all my plans made while sitting at my computer/phone in the comfort of my own home and not having to think about them while I’m on vacation! The last time I was at Disney World was December 2021. While making plans for that trip I was able to make my Genie + choices for each day before leaving for Disney World. ( I clearly remember this!) They changed the Genie + to having to make plans the “day of” shortly before we left for our trip. There were so many glitches on Genie + we decided to not go to Disney World this year or until all the bugs were ironed out and more rides were open. Still love Disney World and hoping Mr. Iger makes some much needed improvements.
A good read from earlier today on the Chapek mistakes that ultimately doomed his executive aspirations.
https://www.inc.com/peter-cohan/4-fatal-mistakes-of-walt-disneys-deposed-ceo.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab
I am in the rarity- I actually like the Genie+ system more than fastpass, it allows more flexibility in the day with young kids, As opposed to having to plan the day two months in advance. I do think over $20 is too much.
However, our biggest issue on our most recent trip was park entry- half the time our fingerprints would not work, nor could we get our accounts to link so we could schedule genie together. We spent a lot more time than necessary at the front gate each and every time.
Wow, you masterfully captured pretty much everything I’ve been thinking about WDW recently. As I’ve written in other posts, I’ve been going to WDW since it first opened. As a lifelong resident of central Florida, it’s been a nearby and frequent destination for me, for all of its 50 years.
Yet now, it no longer feels magical… for exactly the reasons you described. It’s become so “corporate” and impersonal, that my wife and daughter both let their Annual Passes expire for the first time ever. I keep mine just in case the urge to go hits, and I want to book on-site hotels with the AP discount, but my household STOPPED GOING a while back, with no plans to return anytime soon. Contrast that with our pre-COVID lifestyle of going for 2-night stays at least 7-8 times per year… consistently. It’s been a BIG change for us.
And a very SAD change, because I truly MISS going… to the park that once was. But the last 3 years or so have sucked ALL the joy out of going. The magic is gone.
One of the big grievances we’ve had is that resort home delivery and souvenirs pick still aren’t back. One of the big perks to us staying on site was that they would deliver in park purchases to our resort so we didn’t have to lug it around all day.
Then they would let you pick it up at the front of the park.
Both of these are gone. These seem to be no brainers because the first thing I ask myself now before I buy anything at the park is “do I want to carry this around all day”
Walt, with his brother Roy ran Disney for years, until Walt’s death. Walt had the dream, the vision, the creativity, the passion, and provided the philosophical base for the company, and Roy was the financial genus, the drive, and the “make it happen” guy.
In the next two years Mr. Iger has the undaunting task of fixing the problems created by Mr. Chapek and put the company back on the right track. I would suggest that Mr. Iger hire an “outside-insider” very soon and begin the mentoring process that would prepare the future leader to succeed him. What is an “outside-insider”? An “outside-insider” is someone who may not be a current Disney employee, but has the vision, the passion, the ability to lead the cast members, and a genuine love of the Disney brand. Mr. Iger needs to find an insider who will temper, advise, and be the financial genus that Roy Disney was to Walt.
If Mr. Iger by chance reads this, I hope he will consider Tom Bricker to succeed him. Bricker is not a corporate giant with expertise in numbers. He is a person who can motivate, lead people, infect everyone with his passion and honesty, and follow the philosophy that Walt created and embraced.
Walt Disney once said, “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”
You are the first of all of the responses that has taken this to the “next step” of leadership. Thank you for your insights
Great article! I am willing to pay for value. I enjoyed planning my vacations, Disney’s Magical Express was truly magical (we started going several times per year because of DME and annual passes, plus I really needed the help with the luggage), and I adored the entertainment. It’s not the cost of Genie+ that really bothers me, it is the loss of value. Now I cannot plan my activities at the park until 7 a.m. the day of my park visit (stressful and disruptive!), many rides repeatedly break down (especially at Hollywood Studios) and many of the delightful entertainment options are gone. You said it well, “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.” I still love Disney immensely, but the experience is not as shiny without entertainment, when rides keep breaking down, and it was actually a huge bummer to be forced to use the app all day for everything, even to buy food & sit down at a quick service restaurant. Instead of placing cast members at registers to help us order food, cast members were placed at entrances to turn away guests who wanted to order food and tell us we had to use the app to order. We were instructed not to sit and don’t come back until the app tells us the food is ready, and the app was super glitchy. (“I hope I can spend the whole vacation without interacting with any cast members” said no Disney fan ever.) We still love to go to Disney, but we started going other places now too, like Universal and “real” Paris. I miss you, Disney’s Magical Express, Grand Floridian Society Orchestra, Citizens of Hollywood, Stacy Must Do Disney, and just enjoying “being there” every moment, everywhere I went. I have hope that the value can be returned and the “punctured” bubble can be repaired. Some beloved things have returned like Mariach Cobre! I truly appreciated the addition of safely distanced character appearances during CoVid in areas apart from guests, like balconies and the grassy area near Brown Derby. Thank you Disney for adding that magical touch. @Disney if you read these comments, Please reinstitute more value and magic at Disney, we believe in you!
Great article as always. As a person who has been going for 50 years, the place has just lost its luster. After our 2018 Xmas visit we decided to take a vacation from Disney and quite honestly we haven’t missed it. seeing all if the rubbish that has gone on since then tells us we made the right decision. Disney will not get the message unless you stop supporting this garbage. There is hope though as we have been through times like this before. The only difference is how much damage has been done this time. We are also DVC members and have been happy to rent it out and use the revenue for other trips. Hint, Universal Orlando does it better all around now. They have been happy to pick up the mess Disney has left. Disney knows we have been absent and they can see a stream of different people coming under our DVC. When they reach out to ask why, I am not shy to tell them. You all also need to do the same. Too many blogs sugar coat the rubbish and a casual observer would think all is wonderful at Disney.
I have a complaint that I am surprised no one has mentioned.
Main St USA is supposed to be a recreation of olden days. Why would they redo the main street confectionary to look so modern??? They need to put it back to its old time feel. It just does not match what Main St is supposed to feel like.
Same goes for Mouse Gears….feels like a modern dept store…nothing magical about it anymore!
We should not have to boycott to get them to change a Genie + system that is inconvenient, expensive, complicated and user unfriendly.
The decision-makers are tone def to our issues and so far have refused to make meaningful changes.
We have been going to Walt Disney World at leat once a year since 1995 and always found it to be a very magical place for a vacation. But these past couple of years have been terrible.
We cannot get ADRs at some of our favorite restaurants, so we have had to turn to going off site. There are some great restaurants in Orlando and Kissimmee. I don’t mind paying for rides, but Genie+ has been a bust for us. On our last vacation we had multiple technical difficulties with Genie+ and Guest Services were never able to really fix the problems. Disney’s IT is lacking and really not up to the challenges that people face with all the new technology they are offering. Also, several rides were continually breaking down when we were last there in early 2022. A bummer when you have selected a certain ride at 7AM and then it is broken down. And really who wants to get up at 7AM when on vacation.
In reality Disney may come out ahead in the short term, but in the long term they will certainly lose valuable patrons who have been loyal for many years.
We have several options for our vacations and right now I am not sure it Walt Disney World is the best option.
What has made me not able to return to Disney (when I had been spending 2 weeks twice a year at Disney) is the inability to schedule fast passes in advance. It is a very long painful flight to get there and I just can’t risk flying that far and not getting to do the rides I want to do. That ability to preschedule fast passes was the great equalizer for me where I didn’t have to be treated differently because of my mobility issues. Now, if I wanted to go, I would have to get the disability pass to allow me to wait my turn outside of the queue. This creates an advantage that I don’t feel comfortable getting. I liked that, with the 60 day advance fast passes, successfully getting a fast pass had nothing to do with having a disability and I could feel good about entering the ride at the designated time.
A couple thoughts.
Fist, I’m not opposed to Disney maximizing its revenue. I just think some of its decisions are as you said, made by accountants looking at the profit and loss statement rather than visionaries thinking about Disney ten and twenty years from now. And its the visionaries who have made Disney a destination rather than just a theme park.
Second, I still think the old paper fastpass or Disneyland’s Max Pass was the best system. You could show up at any of the parks that morning and be fairly certain of getting major fastpasses. With reservation type systems, sure…you don’t have to show up for rope drop, but you do have to spend time online trying to score that hard to get ride and may not get it. And if you don’t know the system, you’re definitely screwed.
Great article – I agree with everything you wrote! But nothing will change if folks keep going to WDW (and Disneyland) in the same numbers. Disney is a Corporation driven by the bottom line more than guest experience (at least under the former CEO). Not sure what, if anything Bob Iger will change. Fans need to STOP going to WDW until things get fixed, but I never see a boycott or anything similar happening. Folks would rather suffer through all the things mentioned in the article and then just complain about rather than not go,
I hope this gets posted. my fiance and her 2 teen children went in November. day one told to catch the first bus for early entry at 6:30. we find out that there is no food till 7. so race to rise of the resistance on empty stomachs. wait an hour then kicked out of line because it was down. go to millennium falcon says 60 min. wait over 2 hours with technical difficulties. run to tower of terror. wait 45 min and kicked out of line again ride is down. go next door to rockin roller coaster also down. check the app says rise was still down so was toy story mania and I think seven dwarfs mine. so all the major rides were down at one time!! the other that weren’t had crazy waits as a result. from early entry to 1pm only got to ride 1 ride. went for food. sooo hungry. they say no walk up mobile order only. later that night go to see fantasmic show. starts 30 min late. sitting in the pouring rain. half way through the show goes dark. they say sorry and ask us to exit. parks now closed. the next day at magic kingdom was similar with multiple rides down at the same time. lastly my fiance’s son got food poisoning at Epcot food and wine fest. he spent the last 2 days
in bed. I emailed Disney customer support and no response at all. the magic is dead!! trip cost over $8k and was terrible. I came home and was depressed for 2 weeks after from just knowing that the magic was dead.
As a business owner and planner, I can not fathom how Disney dropped the ball on at least not getting that huge eyesore in Epcot completed.
I get some delay for Covid, but this is beyond that. It could have been completed and been a more welcoming entrance.
I will add one more. Packaging for sending home. Dec 2022. We sent things home from Disney, and we took light sabers and other things to UPS. The packaging from UPS was double bubblewrapped and the boxes had fragile stamped all over them.
The packages feom Disney had crumble paper and no such stickers. Our boxes from the Droid Depot were dented and no longer usable as display boxes. One droid seems to be having problems. We had a platter that had shattered. You would think that Disney would have a little more pride in their products. Sure you could argue that the shipping prices are relativly low at Disney. But I’d pay extra if they gave a little extra care in their packaging.
I’m not sure what resort you stayed at that where they only used crumpled paper for packing. We always ship things home because I like to do a lot of my Christmas shopping at Epcot’s World Showcase. The articles have always been very well wrapped and secured. This year was the first time anything arrived broken, but it was quickly replaced after I called Disney. You might have gotten someone new who didn’t know how to properly package things for shipping.
I miss the spotinatety we once had to enjoy Disney World. I resent all the required PLANNING out every detail of my vacation with the Genie Express. We are on VACATION and should have left all the schedules of the daily grind behind, for at least a short time. We also enjoy sleeping a little later instead of having to create the schedule of the days events. Being a “out of state” DVC Member we enjoyed when we were able to acquire an Annual Pass at a reasonable price. Disney must have enjoyed it when we were able too since we SPENT more money when we were able. But actually I’m not going to complain Disney has saved us an incredible amount of money since we are unable to Annual Pass Holders. Still we believe Mr. Iger will take into consideration all the fans concerns and attempt to right the ship.