Is Disney World Eroding Fan Goodwill?
While reading the comments to the recent news about Walt Disney World charging for parking, I noticed many readers indicated that this was their tipping point: they were done with WDW. This has been a trend I’ve in comments to stories of this kind the last couple of years. More and more one-time fans seem fed up with what they view as nickel and diming, and practices that don’t value them as customers.
It’s easy to write off these comments as hollow words that won’t be backed up with action when it comes time to book their next vacation. Impassioned initial responses will give way to cooler thinking or ways to adjust behavior and ‘make it work’ to continue feeding the Disney addiction. The internet being what it is, there is no doubt some (a lot) of that.
However, dismissing the chorus of complaints out of hand would be foolish. I’ve been around the fan community a while, and have seen a lot of people move on the last few years; fans with thousands of posts suddenly disappearing or social media accounts changing their focus. These are just the prominent, visible examples. If even the most passionate fans felt alienated, no doubt more casual lurkers have reached their own tipping point. For me, this raises a couple of interesting questions: has Walt Disney World eroded fan goodwill, and if so, will that have negative ramifications down the road?
For those unfamiliar with the term, goodwill is basically the consumer relationship with and perception of the brand “Disney.” What you think when you hear the word, the loyalty you have as a result of past experiences, and how likely you are to be an advocate for the company. (This is all reductionist, but it provides a working understanding of the term, and why it’s a significant intangible asset for Walt Disney World.)
In Walt Disney World fandom, this manifests itself in myriad ways. People accumulate thousands of posts on fan forums, spend their hours discussing the parks on social media, and even descend upon the comments sections of articles critical of the parks. People spread the ‘Disney gospel’ to family and friends. Heck, it even leads the most overzealous fans to start blogs about Disney, documenting every experience, no matter how insignificant.
Historically, the Walt Disney Company as a whole has enjoyed exceptional consumer goodwill. Last year, Forbes ranked it as the #6 most powerful brand in the world (#1 was LEGO). The year before that, Disney claimed the #1 spot in Forbes’ measure of goodwill. Those impressive rankings sort of beg the titular question here. However, I’d argue that there’s a significant difference between goodwill for Disney and goodwill for Walt Disney World, which is a subset of the former.
For Disney as a whole, it’s easy to see why goodwill is so high. The company has a solid reputation as being family-friendly, producing toys and television shows that kids love. Then there are the Disney and Pixar-branded animated films; both studios have enjoyed an impressive streak of films that are well-received by families. (I’m inclined to withhold Star Wars and Marvel from consideration here, as I’m not entirely sure the average consumer associates those with Disney.)
Evaluating the theme parks is a bit trickier. Whereas every first-run movie, regardless of quality, costs the same amount to see, theme parks exist in a world of vacation destinations that are not exactly apples to apples comparisons for a multitude of reasons. Pricing, crowds, nature of the experience, etc., all vary dramatically, making head to head comparisons exceedingly difficult.
It’s entirely possible that Walt Disney World enjoys a similar level of goodwill as the Walt Disney Company as a whole. Given the prevalence of “Disney parks are overpriced, tourist traps” articles and sentiment in the mainstream, I find that a very difficult premise to accept.
Walt Disney World does enjoy its own unique reputation, earned from decades of its–and Disneyland’s–existence. The United States Disney parks are viewed as rite of passage vacation destinations where parents, even the most cynical and Disney-averse, take their children. Hugging Mickey Mouse (and capturing the photo to prove it!), getting that first flight on Dumbo, being tall enough to ride Space Mountain, etc., all are experiences that have become ingrained in our culture. Suffice to say, Walt Disney World is an American institution, and a place many people aspire to visit.
Among the general public–the ones who don’t read blogs like this–experiencing this cultural touchstone is important. In today’s strong economy, it’s also easier to justify. Sure, there will be sticker shock when seeing hotel prices, but they’ve heard brand advocates like us touting Walt Disney World for decades.
As a culturally-important, rite of passage vacation at a time when unemployment is at historic lows and they have record high confidence in the economy, Walt Disney World is very appealing for casual consumers. This is true even if the vacation costs $6,000 to $8,000 and requires going into a bit of debt to fund.
These first-time visitors who will spend big on their vacation, doing everything they can to ensure that their important trip lives up to expectations, are a lucrative audience for Disney. These guests generally don’t know hacks to save cut costs, and generally spend more money than regular guests. (Obviously, there are exceptions to every generalization–we know plenty of Annual Passholders who are merchandise-addicts.)
A compelling argument can be made (one that I’d agree with) that Walt Disney World is tailoring its business strategy towards one and done visitors, eager to score big financial results in the short term. Right now, it’s also quite conceivable that Walt Disney World is not particularly interested in loyal customers. It doesn’t need them to fill hotels, and doesn’t recognize their long-term value.
The first problem with this line of thinking is what happens when another recession hits or an event negatively impacting the tourism industry. Since 2000, this has occurred twice. Even if you think the fundamentals of our economy are sound (I don’t), it does not take a vivid imagination to envision a time in 5 years or less when things are not so rosy.
During both of the past recessions, Walt Disney World discounted heavily and was very much reliant on its ardent fans to pick up the slack. Following the last recession, the argument was made that Walt Disney World is ‘recession-proof’ in light of its healthy performance.
I’d retort that this misses the mark. Historically, Walt Disney World fans have had an ironclad passion/addiction that they would prioritize going to Disney over other discretionary expenditures. More casual middle class families with kids of the ‘right age’ would do likewise since the parks enjoyed such a strong rite of passage reputation. Sound promotional strategies plus these demographics meant that a recession was not enough to discourage robust attendance numbers.
This raises several questions. Are there still just as many fans with that ironclad passion today as there were a decade ago? If not, can those one-time fans be lured back with aggressive discounting? Is Walt Disney World raising new generations of fans in the same number as it raised my generation and those before mine? Does Walt Disney World’s longstanding institutional rite of passage reputation outweigh its newfound “Walt Disney World is a playground for the wealthy” reputation?
I don’t have the answers to any of these questions. I’m guessing Disney does not, either (if they’re questions even being asked within the company). While I can understand Disney’s eagerness to capitalize on short term trends, I’m weary of what some of the company’s decisions mean in the long term. There are obviously still a ton of things I love about Walt Disney World, and I’m incredibly enthusiastic about what’s on the horizon between now and 2021. I also have a bit of trepidation about pricing trends, and find myself a bit disenchanted with a business plan that, in my opinion, does not hold a whole lot of regard for loyal customers.
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
Has Walt Disney World lost some of the goodwill you once held for the parks? Do you agree or disagree with our analysis? Other thoughts on this topic? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
For me it had taken me 50 years to get to WDW. I live in Australia, and for us it is mostly a pipe dream to even get there to visit. I did it and I have to say I wont be returning. I am an avid fan of Disney and the magic it creates. But after my trip in late February I will not return and prefer Disneyland any day,
To me WDW is a money machine, the poor effort on ride access – regardless of fastpasses, and getting them 60 days out was great – by the time I got access tot he time window all my ride times were gone and I had to spread them out over the day. This meant I could not book another until all 3 were done.
Add to this the poor accommodation at Pop Century, the level we could afford was poor. The shower head was hand held and the room was no bigger than a motel room. We come 9700 miles in wish 50% of our trip cost was on WDW.
There was no magic at Magic Kingdom, and EPCOT were just a joke. The lines for beer at world showcase were just stupid. Buy one, line up up drink it and then buy another just to line up again.
If it had not been for Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom the trip would have been a very sour one. Add to this Citrico and HIghway in the Sky dinners and it added some level of magic as these were awesome but expensive.
For me the comments on ‘Goodwill’ are right I have friends coming and I will not be recommending staying onsite and to look for a hotel offsite that offers free shuttles. I will also recommend 4 days only not 8 like we had as they were wasted.
I had a long time dream of feeling the magic but was left flat and disappointed by WDW and it will be very unlikely I will return in. 🙁
Teeny Tiny Tommy engages in another few hours of navel-gazing, furrows his brow, and excretes out another column of Very Serious Thoughts. The Amen Chorus shows up en masse to wail and rend garments at the deep injustice of it all.
I think you grossly overstate the importance of the serious fan. It’s a comparatively recent thing. Before rec.arts.Disney.parks on usenet, I doubt there were more than a handful. There was no equivalent of ‘zine culture for Disney fans. The greatly lowered barrier of entry to instant communication not only feeds the obsessive rumor culture, but greatly magnifies the ludicrous self-importance of those participating in it. Half the time I think Disney treats bloggers and “influencers” as working press just to troll all of you.
As for affordability, re-check your statistics on the number of even middle-class families living paycheck to paycheck. Wages are stagnant, even in decline, for large swaths of the working population. Look at the mass layoffs and industry “disruptors” looking to turn whole new sectors of the economy into jobless husks. The Labor Department releases statistics on wage growth that, 20 years ago, would’ve been deeply disappointingly low, and it sends the Wall Street Casino into free-fall for a week. We’re in the middle of another bubble, and it’s going to pop more spectacularly than in 2008.
As for low CM morale and wage stagnation, welcome to 21st century financial capitalism. Did you think Disney would be immune? There’s nothing the vampire squids hate more than labor costs, and Disney is all labor costs. Iger could tell Wall Street to eff off, that Disney is all about good show, and good show needs a good (read: well-compensated) cast. Since he has God knows how many tens of millions in stock options, and anything short of crushing the life out of labor will erode that stock value, he’ll be manning that 20-ton hydraulic press.
I think you underestimate diehard people that go to Disney that expect a
Disney level experience. When I say that I mean that in the past Disney set the bar and it was High! That is why you went to Disney and not Universal or Sea World. The issue now is Disney is not maintaining the same level of satisfaction to its guests. As Disney increases costs and adds new fees guests will expect to receive the same level Disney has provided in the past. I Don’t see it happening and before long it will Bite Disney in the rear. There is a tipping point and I think its closer than people think..
Backups on the highways. Five and six hour wait times for rides. Full parking lots and garages (even at Epcot!). Park closures due to capacity. Inability to see the fireworks at the parks due to the sheer number of people. Early pool closures due to a large increase in the number of hotel pools in the area and no similar increase in the number of lifeguards.
As an AP at WDW, I have encountered all of these in the last six months, and Galaxy’s Edge isn’t even open yet! The biggest problem for visitors of Disney parks isn’t the screwing over of fans, but the extreme number of fans. I pray every day for a recession to bring back the good old days of 2008, with walk-on rides, restaurant visits without a reservation, and discounts everywhere. And I notice that Disney didn’t go out of business during that downturn, so I wouldn’t worry too much about their fate in the future if things go South as will inevitably happen.
An interesting examination.
I’ve been going to WDW since 1971, and I really feel like I’m done now. I have a trip scheduled for August and after that, we are done. More and more I feel like a sucker… especially when I read about 6+ years of revenue, earnings, and margin increases for Disney Parks, and a worse and worse experience in the parks. It’s not any one thing, it’s the stacking up year after year of many, many smalls things.
I guess a 40+ year run of excellence is pretty good, and all good things must come to and end, but it’s still sad. The last excellent trip I had was in 2008, the Year of a Million Dreams celebration. That was awesome. Every trip since has been slightly worse than the last. Less magic, less convenience, more crowds, more expense, more stores throughout the park instead of experiences. Main Street USA used to be interesting. Now it’s just a ridiculous mall of the same crap you can get in every other Disney store.
In the future, when I want to feel a bit of Disney magic, I can always put on my headphones and watch a steadycam video on Youtube. So much cheaper.
Fedner, I would think it would be hard to go on a “last” Disney trip, not sure how I would feel about that emotionally and all.
I do agree with Tom on not discrediting so many people becoming discouraged though, that sentiment does indeed seem to be picking up steam.
I had to laugh a little bit about your last comment though, watching on youtube. Actually it was just last week, thanks to this blog, that I discovered some of the Disney background music tracks on youtube, so so awesome and nostalgic, (Tom’s post about Tomorrowland). But I came across an old one of The Living Seas and it reminded me of just how much I loved that at the old WDW. They really made the effort to make you believe you were being transported to a different place. Now, it’s just a cartoonish Nemo ride and they dump you off in the aquarium, no real story that I can discern – definitely another example of magic lost. Wow, how I loved that ride as a kid!
I’m having the same feeling. Since 1971 was my first visit. The crowds this spring break were worse than ever and as a result I didn’t feel my money’s worth based on line length and choices. Even though I’m a dvc I think I’ll spread my visits considerably.
I’m not sure I agree with the one and done premise, aren’t they building even more units for DVC members?
Sure, it’s easy to become cynical about Disney when costs go up and up, but I also see a lot of expansion going on. It would be one thing if they parks were the same as they were 30 years ago, then naturally you wouldn’t expect additional costs to exceed normal inflation. However Disney continues to add more and more and I’m sure those things don’t come cheap.
Additionally, as crowd sizes continue to increase and ever more advanced planning becomes a necessity, it’s understandable that public relations will have some outliers so to speak here and there. When a family spends months and months planning down to the tiniest detail, and saving for just as long if not longer, it’s disappointing to say the least when rides break down, etc. That, it seems to me, is difficult to avoid. Now maybe Disney isn’t providing goodwill as they should when things go awry, but just last year my kids were on the Dinosaur ride when it broke, they got cookies and a couple of extra fast passes which to me more than made up for the inconvenience. Maybe they need to improve in that area.
I will say one thing that does disappoint me though is seeing so many foreign workers that I can’t help but feel are probably treated like slave labor. I imagine they have very long hours and probably stay in dorms or something in Kissamee? Working their fingers to the bone all so that my family can have a great time and Disney can profit tremendously.
I don’t mind paying up a bit more for additional attractions but I’d love to be assured that a good chunk is going towards the cast members as well.
We’ve been going almost every year for about 15 years. We’ve also been on 2 Disney cruises. At first we went to WDW as a family of four but lately sometimes it’s just me and my youngest son who is now 20. His girlfriend has joined us the last couple years. I was always a big Disney fan. I cried happy tears my first time watching the fireworks over the castle on our first family trip. I always thought some day I’ll bring my grandchildren to WDW. The first few times we stayed off property to cut costs. You can rent a really nice 3 bdrm condo for less than a hotel rm at WDW and with having a full kitchen and buying groceries you can save a lot of money. We also ate out but not for every meal. Eating every meal at a restaurant every day for a week for a middle class family of four is quite costly and was never in our budget. We only started staying at Disney Value resorts when the free dining promotions became available. In the last 6 or 7 years the price of a pkg with 2 people staying in a value resort with a park hopper ticket for a week has almost doubled. The increases are huge. The price keeps going up. Add on exchange rates (from Canada) and airfare and it’s just getting too expensive for us. And there are no rewards or perks for being a loyal repeat customer at WDW. I have been one of those die hard Disney fans but, we are not going this year. This will be our first year in about 10 that we are not going to WDW. I’m no longer recommending it to friends and family and co-workers as a must do vacation the way I used to. When people ask me about it now I warn them it’s very expensive and suggest if they go they may want to stay off property. I tell them lines are very long, it’s crowded and food is expensive. I tell them it’s not for everyone and maybe just go for 2 or 3 days instead of a whole week to see if they like it instead of investing their whole vacation budget on Disney. I think you “maybe” can book a 1 or 2 or 3 night stay on site and still get a 6 or 7 day ticket with your booking and book fastpasses early for all 7 days of your ticket – something to look into to see if we can cut down on the cost of an onsite stay by staying off site for part of a trip but still get all of the fastpasses booked early?
Every year they raise the price of tickets and rooms and now if you bring or rent a car you will get hit with added parking fees. Will they be charging their resort guests parking fees at the parks as well? Staying on site is not that special! If they’re phasing out the free dining the only perks left for me would be booking fastpasses early and using their bus transportation system which is not enough of a benefit to pay so much more! Last trip it was difficult to get fastpasses for Pandora rides even with the early booking benefit & lines for those were 90 – 120 minutes. If you’re going mainly to try out the newer rides and you cant handle a couple hours waiting in a line you may want to wait a few years for the lines to go down. Staying on site is no longer worth the extra cost. I’m very disheartened by all the cost increases at WDW. I dont believe Disney cares at all if they lose repeat customers like me. They clearly feel they dont need us. Not feeling the magic anymore. I can’t say we’ll never go back to the parks. I’d like to see some of the new attractions they’re adding some day but, it will no longer be an annual week long Disney trip for us & we’ll likely stay off property when we do go back. I’m sure a lot of average repeat customers who are not extremely wealthy are feeling the same as I do about all of the increased costs. We definately wont be back this year. Will I take my grandchildren to WDW one day? Maybe, maybe not.
I’m not sure what is more depressing for me; the reason why this article was written, or all the discouraging comments? I’m not pointing fingers at anyone, and I certainly understand why people are upset. But continuing to read these negative comments is pulling me deeper into the Disney=Bad rabbit hole. I haven’t had the wool pulled over my eyes by any means, but I think i will stop letting the negative Nancy’s negatively affect my day.
Good luck to everyone out there!
“Disney CEO Bob Iger Could Earn Up To $423 Million In Compensation [over the next four years], Advisory Firm Says” -Deadline Hollywood
Yay! Parking fees are only one way we can help Mr. Iger. Hopefully visitors to Disney World have enough credit card room to get Mr. Iger to his $423 million.
This year my kids are finally big enough to do Universal for the first time. Before it was my fear that they would prefer Universal from here on out. Now it is my hope.
The erosion of goodwill has been an ongoing thing, that started with treating their guests like criminals. Sadly, once it is gone, or even to the low point that it is today, it isn’t something that just bounces back up. It has to be earned back just as slowly as it eroded. I don’t think a few discounts during the next recession are going to cut it.
“Because every other hotel out there does it?” I call BS, along with “who cares what everyone else does????”. According to a quick search on expedia, slightly more than half the hotels in Orlando charge a parking fee. And for all those pointing to NYC, Las Vegas, etc., you CAN stay at nice hotels in NYC without having to pay to park your car. I’ve done it. But who really cares? The fact that Disney is using the “everyone else” excuse is reason alone for this to be a blunder. Disney was never suppose to be “everyone else”.
I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve been to WDW. I was there opening year. Annual passholder for several years now. Had been going at least once a month for years. Most trips are weekends, a few were long weekends, with 1 trip a year being a week long. Last year, we slowed to once every two months. Not because we were “tired” of it, but because it was becoming more and more of a disappointment with each visit. Faux security at the gates, that really just CREATE a huge security risk while harrassing guests (I actually got a pat down once … came a dime from consulting a lawyer afterwards and definitely will if they try that again). Seriously, for all those that think this is making you “safe”, think about it. If you, or I, as generally nice people and not bad guys, can think of a dozen ways to sneak something bad in, then don’t you think the really bad guys can think of it too? And wouldn’t it be a heck of a lot more convenient for bad guys to do whatever bad thing they want to do right there at the security checks where everybody is jammed up together making a great target?
Loss of magic everywhere you turn, with nothing in return to show for it. And frankly, just not that impressed with anything they’ve done inside the parks lately. So much of it has been “almost”. Pandora is pretty. Rides are okay, but nothing I would wait an hour for, let alone longer. And then all that money, and only two attractions. It seems like they PLANNED for you to spend 2+ hours in line to make the area worthwhile. Flower and Garden this year? Huge disappointment, and it SHOULD have been a WOW to celebrate an anniversary year.
What’s the big deal? It isn’t JUST resort parking. It has been a constant diminishing of value. The constant raises in prices to pay for all the blunders, or to help shore up other divisions. One of the layoffs last year, despite whatever reason they claimed (terrorism I think was the “blame”), was really due to cost overruns in Shanghai. With ESPN bleeding like a horror flick, parking fees was probably seen as the easiest bandaid. Iger’s on his way out. Do you think he cares about what the loyalists think?
With the loss of privacy thanks to the elimination of ‘do not disturb’, long waits for bus transportation, and fewer & fewer magic hours, parking fees are just one more reason to stay offsite. I get free parking at the parks as a passholder, and rarely use fastpass, so there are no perks for me to overpay for a room.
This is one (former) Disney fanatic (and SHAREHOLDER) that will be staying offsite until the end of our current annual passes. Then … goodbye Disney. I may not have a lot of votes, but the few I have will also reflect my opinion of the current corporate management.
Tom,
As a CM at WDW, I share some of your concerns and some of the concerns posted by your readers. Since beginning here, I have witnessed many CMs leaving the company or transferring to Disneyland. Some have complained that the guests are rude and demanding here at WDW compared to the California parks. I have seen some of that firsthand, particularly when the monorails or ferries are experiencing delays or an attraction is down for refurbishment. I have rarely seen a CM be rude to a guest though I have seen many guests be rude to CMs, many of whom work 60 hours a week due to CM shortages. I have talked to guests upset with prices, crowds, etc.
Yet, most guests do not care about the trivial things. They KNOW Disney is expensive and they expect to be nickeled and dimed. They expect to pay too much for everything if they stay on property. I did for a decade before moving here and becoming a CM. I stayed off property twice in ten years and swore I’d never do it again no matter the cost savings.
Are there problems at WDW? Absolutely. CM morale is at an all-time low. Wage negotiations are ongoing with the unions, CMs are forced to work six or seven days a week in ‘mandatory’ overtime shifts until two or three AM, sometimes doubling back after getting off at 11 PM and returning by 7 AM the next day or working 16 hours straight through. Add to that the complaints from guests not allowed to bring selfie sticks, giant coolers, and a host of other items into the parks. Then there are those who think the rules just don’t apply to them. We get the same questions dozens of times a day and the same complaints about waiting in lines. Most of us smile and try to be as nice as we can. We are empowered to make a guest’s experience as magical as possible but we cannot say yes to every request.
So does Disney care about goodwill? Of course, it does. We are always being reminded to create goodwill and magical experiences. Most CMs go out of their way to accommodate even the most demanding guests. There are some that don’t and, in my opinion, should go work somewhere else. If goodwill is declining, it will take more than a few dollars of parking charges to make that happen. Besides, Disney is investing billions in new transportation systems and attractions for all the parks. The money has to come from somewhere to pay for those expansions.
Brent I believe that most of what you are talking about comes from the non loyal guests of disney.most of the loyal guests understand that wdw isn’t perfect but we love it anyways. What we’re talking about is wdw sudden and deliberate attack on the loyal fans if wdw. One of these was taking the night time parade away from us and giving it to disneyland another thing that was deliberate was their taking away the Osborne lights yes I know they are building the star wars galaxy edge but tell me in a park that size they couldn’t have put it elsewhere for example pixars area it might have been a little smaller but it could have been done it also could have been moved to disney springs without much hassle. Hollywood studios is a complete shell of itself there are what 4 rides in that amusement park(lol). Yet they charge full price for people to go there almost a hundred dollars a day. That is a pretty good amount to most of us. Now they are taking away some of the positive things that the guests have been afforded and you wonder why people that have been loyal to disney are discouraged. If your fellow coworkers want to leave so be it. You want to know why they have less problems at disneyland is because they treat their guests better there. They take away one parade they replace it with another just one example. So next time you want to do a tirade on disney world guests remember they are the ones paying your salary. They are the ones keeping your doors open. They deserve a little bit of a chance to go through a period of not being happy about negative changes that will affect them. I’ll trade jobs with any one of you any time of the week. I believe in their haste to make things so called better they have lost a lot of the magic that used to be there. Look at epcot they were in a haste to put in thrill rides, but the park in no way carries its mission statement anymore. I definitely like the theme parks earlier days. A lot of us do. Look at hollywood studios it used to have a lot of things that made it more magical. Like the live production area and the drawing class again annexed for what a character greet they could have either waited for or out in another area. Just my thoughts from someone that first step foot in disney world probably long before you were even thought of and still a fan( just have some trepidation now) today. I will be going to the other coast for the first time ever this year and can’t wait to learn about their parks.
Michael,
I think you misunderstood my post. It was not to engage in a tirade against the guests…I am frequently one of them myself as an annual pass holder (Platinum Plus) as well as a CM. I spend as much time as my role allows talking to guests about their experience so I can learn how to create more magic for them. My only point was that guests who encounter rude cast members may want to consider how they treated that cast member as well. We are not responsible for the price increases, the refurbs, the mechanical failures, etc. We experience them, too. I feel bad every time I encounter a guest who has had a bad experience. I do all that I can to try to make it better.
As for the company deliberately attacking the loyal fans, we’ll have to disagree. As a pass holder, I have seen many new benefits added for us, like the opportunity for reserved seating free of charge at the Garden Rocks concerts this year during the Flower & Garden Festival. I hope it is offered during Food and Wine this fall also. We still get free parking everywhere, merchandise and dining discounts, and much more. Have things changed? Sure. Everything changes over time. I have never felt slighted by the company as a guest and remain a loyal Disney fan and CM.
Hollywood Studios and EPCOT are in transition right now and some of the changes may not be appreciated by everyone. I, for one, wish EPCOT would stick with the original vision but that has been dead for a decade or more. Some of that was due to changes in the tastes of the younger generation who are bored by anything that teaches them something. In many ways, Disney is responding to changes in the marketplace, especially as competition for the entertainment dollar intensifies. I agree with you regarding the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. I hope they find a way to bring them back.
That said, I’ve got my Fastpasses booked for the mountains at the Magic Kingdom. Gotta ride!
Well written article and I really think you hit the nail on the head with this being a goodwill issue. I am a long-time Disney fan and my first job was a cast member at the Magic Kingdom back in the 80’s. We have since moved far from Orlando but travel down once a year and try to make the most out of it by staying at least a week. We always drive down and feel that this is part of the fun. While those parking fees will certainly add up in that time, the money isn’t the main issue. Every vacation has been increasingly expensive and that is to be expected. As the hotel rates go up, I know that Disney is renovating the rooms regularly and as ticket prices go up I know that they are adding experiences to the parks. I can’t imagine that parking my car this next trip will be any more exciting than in past years. Also, we often stay in the value resorts and in the back there are many empty spaces even in peak seasons (empty spaces on July 4th weekend). So, this particular price hike really made me think….well…”yuck” is the only word.
We will go ahead with our plans this summer but have already begun to make different plans for future years. I haven’t been gravitating toward listening to my park music and searching disney websites because they have chipped away at some of the magic with this decision. If Disney Parks are really aiming efforts at the “one and done” crowd, I fear that is terribly short-sighted. It is the Disney fan base that help talk the “one and done” crowd into taking that first (or only) trip. I wonder if we begin to say, “You know, I’d skip it and go to….” how this will impact the bottom line. We can’t really compare the fees in Disneyland (where space is more limited) to Disney World because, “Here in Florida, we have something special that we never enjoyed at Disneyland . . . the blessing of size.” Walt Disney
Brad. We’ll said. I agree that there are no improvements to be made by charging $20 to park a car in a lot that doesn’t offer an invested ride improvement, added transportation, etc. It’s the same for the $22 a day to park a car in the theme park lot. It’s obnoxious and a cash grab.
I have no problem with rising ticket prices, etc. I still maintain that Walt Disney World is a good deal for themed family entertainment. My children are little. If my family wants to take a vacation, WDW is still the most fun place we can go, and it’s still a good deal relative to a lot of other things. My kids are too young to sit on a beach for hours or appreciate European landmarks, or museums. My family can’t go skiing, or to an NFL game for example, for what we can do a day at Disney for. I will still tell anyone with young kids that Disney is a great vacation, and yes, a decent value. It’s not cheap, but I still think you get a good product for what you pay. Maybe not at all of the resorts and restaurants, but the parks themselves, yes.
The problem I see in terms of goodwill erosion is the waning of onsite benefits and the ever-inflated resort prices. The steady decrease of onsite benefits, the parking just being the latest in a long line of them, has caused me to no longer recommend onsite stays to friends and family planning trips. I used to. My biggest piece of advice for anyone planning a Disney trip was “Stay onsite. It’s worth it.” Not anymore. And honestly the parking wasn’t necessarily the reason, but now it’s just another one to add to the list. Most of our friends drive to FL to save money on airfare – we’re just outside of DC so it’s not a terrible drive. I am the go-to Disney person for literally all of my friends, and friends of friends. I’m sure I’m not the only person on this site who is also that person for their friends. It’s word of mouth that could eventually hurt Disney’s bottom line in the long run. I’m not angry with Disney for what they’re doing. They’re a business and can do as they like, so long as they are willing to reap what they sow. I’m still going to go to the parks. I’m just changing how I give them my money and how I recommend that friends give them their money.
I agree with most of what you’ve said. I have always argued that any kind of highly produced entertainment is expensive; tickets to broadway shows, professional sporting events, etc. often pass the $100 mark, and that’s just for a couple of hours of entertainment, whereas you get a full day of entertainment at a Disney park. When you look at it that way, I think the value is still pretty good.
That said, I’m discouraged by recent developments. Like you said, the value of onsite stays is definitely waning, eg. the extension of EMHs and 60-day FP+ to Disney Springs hotels is a biggie for me. I’ve always been an onsite diehard, but I’d seriously consider one of these other hotels now, given the better bang for your buck in terms of room quality, etc. There’s also the undeniable decline in the park experience, as heavily documented among the fan community.
Like you, I’m also the WDW advocate/surrogate travel planner among friends and family. Right now, I definitely hesitate to recommend onsite stays, and honestly, I’d advise people to approach their whole trip with some caution. I’d feel terrible if I nudged a family on the fence about WDW into booking a trip and they ended up having an overall negative experience, which lately, seems increasingly possible. Of course there will always be hiccups, but for example, I heard that President’s Day week (a big school vacation week here in MA) was a total mess at MK with ride breakdowns, etc. and there’s just no excuse for that.
Disney did not get off to a good start on my kid’s first visit there in February. February was unusually warm in Orlando. According to the stats, only 1 day during the entire month did not see at least 80 degrees. For this Massachusetts based family in the middle of winter, it felt like summer. We arrived in the evening hoping to get a quick dinner and let the kids get a swim in the pool. We arrived at the Hippy Dippy pool at 8:15pm (while the air temperature was still an unbelievable 78) to find the gates locked. We asked the bartender at the pool bar what was going on. He explained that all pool closed at 8. “All of them?”, we asked. “Unfortunately, yes”. At this point my daughter was in tears: “Worst vacation ever.”
The next morning we headed off to rope drop at the Magic Kingdom and luckily (for us anyway) did Peter Pan. After exiting that ride the crowds were unbelievable. 30 minute wait for It’s a Small World and Haunted Mansion, 30 minutes after the park opens?!?!? A look in the app revealed the answer, Seven Dwarfs, Space Mountain, and Splash Mountain were all closed. I realize these things come down to random chance but the top 3 rides in the park all at the same time? Seven Dwarfs reopened shortly after 11 but the others were closed until after lunch. Because of all the botched FastPass’s, lines were absurd everywhere for the remainder of the day.
Is Disney trying to save pennies with shorter hours for lifeguards and overnight maintenance folks? Anyone who showed up for this fiasco was certainly pushed towards one-and-done. Backdoor benefit cuts are the same as raising fees in my mind. Raise room rates $5 a night or cut the pool hours 20%? Either way its a cost that the customer pays for.
Hi Jon,
I’m not sure what the deal with the pool hours was. Maybe it was because it was February that hours were shorter. It is usually a bit chilly at night down here. Schedules are often made weeks in advance for CMs and there is a shortage of trained lifeguards right now. Pool hours today are 9 AM to 11 PM at POFQ, where I am sitting while I write this.
Sadly, as anxious vacation planners we watched the weather for weeks leading up to vacation. The long term models from NOAA pointed to well above average temperatures for weeks leading up our trip. The warm weather, while unusual for February, should not have been shocking to anyone who had been watching the local weather forecast.
Even if its usually cold in February, it shouldn’t be unreasonable to keep 1 of the 3 pools at Pop open until 10PM. The average temperature for March 20, is only 3 degrees higher than February 20.
https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KORL/2018/2/19/MonthlyCalendar.html
I really believe that this situation was Disney pinching pennies and not putting guest satisfaction first.
I have had the privilege and good fortune to have been to Disney World 9 times since 1981. Its a great place but like you said its changing to the wealthy. ie viewing spots in Epcot catered food and drinks best viewing spots. Now they have added liqueur which will end up with fights and annoying customers. Family fun don’t need booze, Prices keep going up and still we see cooperate advertising. We try to escape the real world in Disney but they keep injecting more and more greed. Now a parking fee what a shame.. I don’t believe Walt would like this type of management. I hope they change but I don’t believe its going to happen. I have my daughter and son-in law and now his brother and family are going and have been there several times already but they also commented on the atmosphere is changing and cost is almost to much. Its a real shame because it was a wonderfully place to visit. Money Money that’s the name of the game now.
Yes, well, it makes sense. Chapek is more of a consumer goods guy, and there has been a downturn in customer service and goodwill for a number of years now. They are playing for short gains, and banking on the long-term goodwill of fans to carry them in the event of another recession, which is almost a certainty at this point. It seems likely that this trend will continue until it reaches the breaking point, and then they’ll capitulate and try to appeal to the die-hards again, until things are rosy and the cycle will begin again.
The parking fee will probably not affect me since I fly and don’t tend to rent a car. The only times I have rented a car, I stayed at Saratoga Springs and I’m a DVC member, which is a type of stay that was excluded from the new parking fee structure.
That said, it’s not so much the nickel and diming that has made me question my trips to WDW as it is the way castmembers have changed. On my last trip I experienced more outright rude and complaining castmembers than I ever have before. I always felt that castmembers made the huge difference and were why I’m willing to pay so much more to go to WDW as opposed to Universal. I put this down to a combination of poor training and probably underpaid castmembers. I think It might be time for Disney to consider giving castmembers as a whole a raise and/or some perks and maybe double down on the customer care training.
I saw them be very rude to an older man in front of me in line, completely blow off his issue (even though there was an easy fix to help him) and then sarcastically complain about him when he walked away. When I asked a question about something they could have done, they yelled at me about it. That’s unacceptable behavior in a random Applebee’s, let alone in a Disney park.
I still have Disney trips planned this year, but I will not be renewing my annual pass next year. I don’t want to visit WDW for at least a year after Galaxy’s Edge opens because I just don’t want to face the crowds.
“Right now, it’s also quite conceivable that Walt Disney World is not particularly interested in loyal customers. It doesn’t need them to fill hotels, and doesn’t recognize their long-term value.”
This has been true for some time. Otherwise, Disney would have offered loyalty programs similar to hotel chains. (To their credit, DCL, I understand, does have a loyalty program).
The goodwill has been eroding for quite a few years. There are some bright spots here and there, but the trend has still been downward. With the very aggressive price increases over the past few years, I can’t see how this puts them in a good position in the future. I’ll happily spend big $$ for quality, but there are times lately when I just feel like a sucker. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and I say this as a huge WDW fan since the 80’s. The once-and-done crowd often leaves with the feeling of having a decent time, but finding the place overrated and outrageously expensive.
When it all hits the fan at some point, I can’t wait for the Wall Street analysts and business journalists to explain the downfall of the parks division as caused by millennials using their phones too much and therefore are not interested in going to actual themed environments.
When in reality it is being caused by years of deliberately made business decisions that favor short term gains over long term growth and sustainability, customer be damned. By the time it all happens though, the Bob’s will be long gone, the Wall Streeters will have cashed out, and somehow it is all played out as an inevitable part of the business cycle, when in reality it didn’t have to be this way.
What has me head scratching around the parking charge is how Disney announced it. They are masters at marketing and did nothing to spin or package this as a perceived benefit to guests. Just spit it out there “we are now going to charge for something we gave away”…Bc we can, Bc everyone else does, Bc you didn’t appreciate it.
I think the announcement was worded just as Disney wanted it to be. The parking charge announcement was clearly aimed at those who drive down or rent cars upon flying. Disney doesn’t want people to have the option to leave property and spend money elsewhere.
The fact that they did phrase the announcement like they did is proof (to me) that Disney doesn’t care about goodwill.
This is the exact reason. Guests without cars make them more money.
Charge for parking = less guests with cars.