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!
Wow! Lots of great comments and reasons for the un-happiness surrounding the cuts and mis- guided thoughts of the upper management at Disney. We belong to DVC, have annual passes and have a large amount of stock. We don’t care about the bottom as much as the experience of going to Disney. The best thing people can do is to let Disney know you’re not happy. Write them, call them, or stop going. They will only get it when enough people complain or stop going. That is hard to say as a Disney fan, but they just don’t get it at the top management positions. Chapel needs to go, period! He has lost sight or never had it to begin with. Tom and Sarah would be much better at running this company !
Having gone to Disney over 35 times in the last 20 plus years I can see the difference first hand. I just can’t understand what has gotten into the current management team. It just does not hold the magic for us anymore. It seems the current management is fine with being more interested in nickel and diming us than doing what made us want to come back year after year. They’re happy being just another large money making theme park. I feel sorry for first timers having never experienced what Disney use to be like.
Your Conclusion, the final paragraph, is the essence of what people are feeling. The magic is being sidelined for reasons that make no sense. The lack of emphasis on what Walt accomplished, the lack of focus on history of Disney during this 50th leads many to conclude that the leadership is out of touch with the heart of Disney. The heart is what people pay crazy amounts of money for. With no heart, eventually, people won’t trade their money for what is left.
I moved to FL two years ago. One of my biggest hopes was to become a pass holder and be able to visit Disney more often. I’m a Disney lover and have chosen to celebrate benchmark wedding anniversaries there over Hawaii Mediterranean cruises, and trips to Europe. Since moving to FL I have gone once pre-pandemic and before Bob Chapek killed the magic. The bottom line is: Chapek needs to go; visitors’ complaints and suggestions about increased costs, ticket and reservation processes, and Genie +, etc. need to be taken seriously into consideration. Simply put: Focus on bringing back the magic! Instead of your profit margin.
Because people will now be forced to rent cars to get to their resort. And once they have cars they will leave the bubble. However in a total Disney planned scenario, once they pay the parking fee at the resort they can and will use their car to park at the parks and Disney can further save on buses. It’s another 2-step ahead of you to make money move they have ployed the past 5 years. There’s a reason Parks CEO’s move up in the company. During the pandemic I had a cast member in the park relay to me that he was a maintenance man at a resort that was currently closed and so he was told go pick up trash in the park at a pay cut or go find a new job. The kind of conversation I would never have expected from a cast member.
People also seem to forget that disney+ launched during the pandemic and in the first year they hit $2.8b profit from that venture in its’ first 12 months of inception. They announced these profits in February of 2020, just a week after firing 27,000 people across both parks locations and crying poor about that.
Eff Disney. 8 years of trips and defending them while people complain about the crowds and prices of a great family vacation. We live in the northeast and have done overnight trips for just the Christmas and Halloween parties. We have met great cast members and guests. We have had some great times in lines, on rides, in shops and on buses. We have suffered long enough as a stepping stone for penny pinching executives to have me foot the bill for their bonuses and refurbishments that they have on their own overlooked so long they only added to their costs. The great stories and memories I made there as a middle class proud parent of 2 disney kids, husband to a disney princess and being just another disney dog myself have come to a slowing end.
Will I ever go there again? Yes, because my children are my world and thats what they want to do. I no longer need to be there for a week. 3 days, no vacation days used from work, cram what can be done. Hopefully they spend the next 8 years trying to convince me otherwise. This year we have an RV rented and a San Diego vacation scheduled and Disney will not be a place we go and spend our money.
There are many more that can be added to your list. I am sure to notate instances during my guest survey after our trips. We also send emails directly to Disney customer service about grievances. We hope that others do so as well. In addition, we spend less or carefully to make our point. We hate to see the old Disney go. We will adjust but only up to a certain point. Not sure where that point will be. Thank you for the great summary and happy holidays!
We’re done too. After decades as a loyal fan we’re spending our money somewhere else. Anywhere else. I just hope they don’t kill it off completely. It just isn’t worth it. Were getting half the product for twice the price. The obvious greedy cash grab is so insulting. It has nothing to do with covid either. Shame on you Disney. You’ve broken our hearts and lost our loyalty.
We go to Florida twice a year and always do disney. This June will be the 1st time we go and skip disney for many of the reasons above.
Tom – I appreciate your positivity and rationales. This gave me some perspective. That said, I just got back from my first Disney vacay since early 2019 and I just can’t shake this bad vibe I got. We are hard core WDW fans, DVC members, former pass holders, frequent Run Disney participants, etc., but seeing a fire truck come down Main Street USA and then hearing about a short-staffed emergency response dept kind of takes the magic out of things! The nickel and diming is also not a good look. It’s tacky. Am I at the happiest place on earth or a sketchy tourist trap? Couple that with the cutbacks and skimpflation and I just get kind of bummed out generally. Honestly I would pay more if Disney could get back to its historic levels of service, quality, entertainment, staffing, etc. Disney on its best day is worth it.
Honestly my biggest complaint is the lack of hotel room services. When paying over $700+/night, I want, at minimum our trash removed. We are getting “part time” housekeeping at full time prices. I am a RN, exhausted from the whole COVID way of life. Many of my peers have burnt out, checked out, retired or just quit. The rest of us still give our patients FULL time care. I would never use the excuse we are short on staff to give part time care to my patients. When I can get a vacation, I don’t want to clean my own room. I want to be the one taken care of.
We went the week before Thanksgiving, and I know this sounds dramatic, but I’m still so sad about the trip. It was our tenth and last trip I’m afraid. I can’t put my finger on what was so bad about it, but I think mostly the genie plus system. I figured it out, woke up every morning before 7 (ugh), dropped loads of cash to ride the two rides in each park that aren’t included in genie plus (ugh), but I think what I hated the most is that you can’t ride a ride more than once with a lightning lane. As soon as we would get off of a ride, my kids would beg to ride again, but I wasn’t up for waiting two hours for a 2-minute ride. Back in the FP+ days, if a FP was available, you could snatch it up and ride again. And again and again sometimes. I hate the whole genie plus thing, and I’ll never like it or get used to it. Also this isn’t Disney’s fault per se, but it was more crowded than I’ve ever seen it. There were so many things we just didn’t do because we didn’t want to wait.
We have taken our 4 children to WDW several times since 1990 and then the 4 grandchildren.
As the 3 youngest approach “Disney” age I’ve come to realize it’s not feasible anymore.
The planning alone has become beyond tedious, requiring a spreadsheet. The nickel and diming reduces the experience to a visit to a cheap carnival. It doesn’t look like fun anymore.
Our last visit was in 2014 and was our best yet. Expensive but worth it.(Yacht Club)
I think we’ll be spending our travel money elsewhere in the future.
My daughter and I visited Disney over Fall Break in October. I was blown away by how much cost for the 2 of us compared to the other times my family of 3 went. We went for 5 days and looking back it was too long considering you are limited to 1 park a day. We spent a full day at AK and Epcot which never happens. One bonus was we did ride Flight of Passage 3 times with about an hour wait each time. We waited all day to get our time for Remy and honestly I thought it was just okay. I LOVE Remy and I guess I was hoping for more. We ate Tony’s one day for dinner…Olive Garden is better considering it was a $70 meal. Genie started when we were there and I paid for it 1 day. The only real advantage to me was Peter Pan. Most of the time when we used the lightning lane the standby line was under 30 minutes. Did we still love our time at Disney…yes! I just don’t know if/when we will be back considering the cost now.
Im feeling called to share our experience with your post, your blog has been so helpful in trip planning for me & I actually met your lovely wife one time, a big celebrity moment for Disney fan. We have been going to WDW annually or more than once a year since 2012 (I know many have been going longer)…and we have finally decided we are done. Between all the changes, up charges, etc, its becoming less magical and we’ve been talking about going other places for a couple years. But This last trip around Thanksgiving was the final blow. We went this year during summer and felt like, less magical, but still had a good time. Our most recent trip however really showed us how little Disney & Disney castmembers care about customers. We were dining at Via Napoli, when a loud fall & screaming commenced. We can see a person from a few tables from us has collapsed and they are saying its a heart attack. Screaming and crying, and yelling for a doctor began. It was terrifying to witness. I began to pray. And cry. and the other customers are nearly all crying, the men are strongly holding their faces, but everyone is terrified as they continue to have castmembers running in, and one is furiously pumping the guests chest. We can see all of it. We had to witness because OUR WAITRESS told us to wait for the check, to pay our bill! When she does bring it, she slams it on the table & says sorry but theres other things going on. OTHER THINGS?! What the actual. We were in shock, from everything. My husband told my son & I to go outside & other husbands were doing the same. So from the outside as my husband and others had to wait to pay, my son, myself & the other people can still see this person getting emergency services. We almost get knocked down by 2 castmembers running in. They were having all and any castmembers run in, Im not sure why. I think about that person and their family everyday. I dont think he survived, and it overwhelms me. They could have billed us! Billed our room, or anything, but to make us stay… Ive never complained about WDW, and even slipped & hit my knee hard in 2017, resulting in damage & bursitis, slipped from water on their store rug, but I did not sue or do anything, like some have told me I should have. Accidents happen. But this, making people stay to witness such a tragedy is too much. It is just shameful. To put money before a human life.
It’s all very sad. I am a DVC member which then enticed me to purchase a home in Celebration. We’ve still stayed “on campus” a couple of times a year, or just a night or two at the end of our Celebration visit, but now…not so much. It’s now so complicated to do the most basic things that it’s taken the fun out of it. For us to spend an evening at Epcot, we have to reserve our space, try to make a dining seating and God Forbid we try to get on a ride! I have 2 Master’s Degrees and can’t figure out the Genie system so more than likely I’ll just not go–sell my DVC–and mourn for the Good Ol Days. The Heads at Disney need to talk to the guests and get back to reality–it’s too complicated, too expensive and not everyone wants their vacation to be about Princesses
I also agree with everyone. Disney now seems like a very expensive carnival, with so many people that it’s hard to real enjoy anything. It takes me all year to pay for a trip there from Ohio, and have gone 4 times in a row until 2020. Skipped a year and went first week in November. I expected it to be busy, but I don’t know how they can safely let that many people in. We had to exit Mk one night beside Casey’s corner through the back lot. My wife never gets mad but this made her furious. Walt would never have allowed this. Multiple rides were broke down everyday which makes me question the safety of the rides. Epcot has become a drunk fest, and we couldn’t even ride frozen because it was broke down when we were there. I could’ve went anywhere in the world for what I spent down there in 10 days, and I don’t think we will be back unless there are some major changes.
What a well spoken and thoughtful article. My husband and I agree with many of your thoughts and so miss the Disney magic. Sad to think that as a middle class retired couple we may have already said enough is enough.
A new rule that I have a problem with is that you can’t make a dinner reservation in a park that you don’t have scheduled. On my next trip I planned to spend a few mornings at Magic Kingdom since there are so many attractions there. I wanted to make dining reservations in other parks for dinner. This is no longer allowed. By the time I get to another park after 2 PM, the popular restaurants will all have been reserved, many 60 days out. I have parkhopper passes, but I probably will not be using them for this reason.
As a Disney fan and shareholder I understand the need to generate profits and retain shareholders. I truly get it. But it seems as though the current Disney leadership has forgotten the most important truth of all. Magic and memories. I have been to DisneyWorld countless times. Sometimes with children, and grandchildren and friends and other family. I do not believe the lasting memories that matter are the result of an $800 – $1000 Christmas party for one 4 hour night. Lasting memories are from the little things in combination with what it feels like to be together. The number crunchers believe that shareholder value will be increased by analytics and driving up expenses to heights an ordinary, average member of the middle class must struggle to afford. I totally disagree. Magic and memories are not the province of analytics. Neither is shareholder value. Disney is being run by fools who really do not get it. It’s just sad.
We were at Disney World last week and to say it broke my heart and made the Happiest and Most Magical Place on Earth a joke. I’m a die hard Disney girl, Mom and Gramma who looks forward to the day I can return to the park and share the joy and absolute enchantment that Disney has always brought to me! Not anymore!!! Fast pass has been replaced by the money generating Genie+, 50th Anniversary merchandise plan in paying astronomical prices for the same things that have just had 50th put on them. Actually handicapped people oh well you wait with everyone else, Very Merry Christmas party $200+ and if you wait goodie’s that’s extra!!. Disney World has become just another money hungry conglomerate who only cares about the profit margin and not the people who they supposedly care about. It truly make me sad to see what once was such an enchanting and dream come true place for this Gramma to want to take her grandkids to a commercial money pit., It will be a very, very long time before I plan another trip to Disney.Sorry Walt the Mouse has be placed by the greedy dollar