3 BIG Changes at Disney World to Improve Guest Experience & Value!
Walt Disney World has announced a trio of major changes–one of which is quite surprising–that will improve the guest experience and value for money in 2023. This post shares details of the additions and subtractions, potential motivations for the moves, and more.
The announcement starts by recapping the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary celebration last year, which saw the debut of EPCOT’s newest groundbreaking attraction with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and returning favorites from Fantasmic to the Walt Disney World Railroad. (Three big wins from last year, right there!)
Walt Disney World also notes that 2023 brings even more to look forward to – from the triumphant return of the Happily Ever After fireworks to the opening date for TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom, the dates of which were also announced today. Personally, I’d also add “removal of the Water Tacos and Stargate” to that list of highlights, but Disney chose Moana’s Journey of Water instead. Beyond the hideous Harmonious infrastructure departing in only a couple of months, more addition by subtraction is on the horizon at Walt Disney World…
According to Walt Disney World, these other updates are being made “to improve the guest experience and to let our fans know we are listening to their feedback, including Annual Passholders, who are some of our most loyal guests.” This is significant, and something we’ll circle back to in the commentary.
For now, here are the specifics about what’s changing in 2023 at Walt Disney World…
Complimentary Self-Parking Returning to Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
We’ll start with the big addition by subtraction change. Beginning tonight (January 10, 2023), overnight self-parking will once again be offered complimentary to guests staying at Walt Disney World Resort hotels.
According to the company, “this is a Disney difference many of you have asked us to bring back, and we’re happy to reintroduce it to make your vacation a little easier and more affordable – whether you’re road tripping across the country, renting a car or vacationing as a local Florida resident.”
As a reminder, Disney Resort hotel guests also continue to receive complimentary standard parking at Walt Disney World theme parks, daily early theme park entry (with valid admission and a park reservation) and complimentary on-site transportation options such as buses, monorails, and Disney Skyliner.
“Relaxed” Reservation Rules for APs After 2 pm
Beginning in the next few months, Walt Disney World Annual Passholders will be able to visit the theme parks after 2 pm without needing a park reservation, except on Saturdays and Sundays at Magic Kingdom.
Pass blockout dates will continue to apply like they do today. Unfortunately, Walt Disney World notes in this change that “the theme park reservation system remains important to manage attendance in our parks, especially on busier days.” As we’ve written repeatedly, we do not see park reservations going away for APs–even after they’re inevitably eliminated for everyone else.
With that said, Walt Disney World also realizes that Annual Passholders enjoy more spontaneous visits – and this change will make that possible. Passholders will also receive access to Disney PhotoPass lenses and one complimentary Cinderella Castle Mural of Memories experience (age restrictions apply). Visit Cinderella Castle Mural of Memories and Disney PhotoPass Lenses for details, restrictions and other information.
A start date for these offerings will be shared soon with Annual Passholders, as well as information about a new offering that is planned where you can create and share short Disney-themed video slideshows with favorite photos from your theme park visits.
On-Ride Photo Downloads Coming to Genie+
Beginning in the next few months, guests purchasing the Genie+ service will also receive digital downloads of their Disney PhotoPass attraction photos, taken in the park on the day of their purchase, at no additional charge. This is similar to the policy already in place at Disneyland, but only applicable to on-ride photos.
Attraction photos are taken while in the parks at more than a dozen of Walt Disney World’s most popular attractions including Space Mountain, Slinky Dog Dash, Test Track, Expedition Everest, and more. (Soon including, presumably, TRON Lightcycle Run!) An exact launch date will be announced at a later time.
Walt Disney World concluded the announcement with the following note:
We will keep listening to you and adapting as we focus on making the guest experience even better for more people who visit us here at The Most Magical Place on Earth.
That includes making planning easier for everyone. For example, we recently added the ability to modify Disney Genie+ attraction selections in the My Disney Experience app, began automatically making theme park reservations with the purchase of 1-day, 1-park specific tickets and made our dining reservation policy more flexible if you need to modify or cancel.
As we’ve shared before, we’re also committed to providing a wide range of options to visit, which is why we roll out special offers from time to time for Florida residents and other guests.
Before we delve into the commentary, here’s a similar message from Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences & Product to Cast Members (edited for brevity):
Happy New Year everyone!
What an amazing year we had! There was so much to celebrate – a new cruise ship, Avengers Campus at Disneyland Paris, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Walt Disney World Resort, the announcement of Storyliving by Disney, award winning consumer products, books, and games and a ton more. So, I wanted to start off the new year by saying how PROUD and THANKFUL I am for each of you. You are an incredible team!
Not only did you introduce exciting new products and experiences to our guests, but you also navigated through a significant amount of change in terms of how we operate our business. These changes were centered on creating a better experience for our guests and building a future where we are constantly introducing new stories and experiences across the globe. Of course, change is never easy, and I want to express my gratitude to all of you for how you rose to the challenge and helped reshape our future.
As we step into this bright future it is important that we continuously evolve to help deliver the best guest experience possible. Many of you know that I’m in the parks fairly often … and I listen to you and to our guests about the things that are working … as well as the things that might need some change. And, as we enter this new year, I want you to be the first to hear about a few enhancements that we are going to be making – specifically ones that our guests have asked for and you’ve shared with me. And while this doesn’t address everyone’s feedback, these changes will increase flexibility and add value to our guests’ experience.
I’m excited about all of these changes and offers and want you to know that we are committed to listening, adapting, and staying relentlessly focused on making the guest experience at our Disney parks even better.
I believe there’s no other place like Disney and of course, nothing helps our guests connect with Disney like you do. And while it’s easy to celebrate the products we make, the moments we create, and the experiences we provide … I think it’s important that we recognize all of YOU who make it happen.
Thank you for all that you do. Here’s to an amazing 2023! Cheers!
Josh
Our Commentary on Changes at Walt Disney World
This first and foremost feels like a vindication of the high hopes Disney fans have for big changes following the Firing of Bob Chapek and Rehiring Bob Iger as CEO. I don’t want to rehash the many articles and sky-high expectations that were raised in the weeks after Iger returned, but perhaps the most notable one covered how Bob Iger was “alarmed” by Walt Disney World price increases, and was concerned that Chapek was “killing the soul” of Disney.
Even early in his return, it was rumored that Iger had plans to undo Chapek’s changes, with a focus on building on the company’s rich history and legacy of “creativity, innovation, and inspiration.“ You also might recall that Iger sent a holiday letter to fans, indicating his intent to exceed our “highest expectations” in 2023. Some of you might’ve viewed that as a hollow corporate end-of-year newsletter, one that talks a good game but is meaningless without action to support it. Well, today is that action!
With that said, we’ve gotta admit to being surprised by the specifics of this news. Our “wish list” of positive changes that Iger could realistically make (see 7 Good Changes CEO Bob Iger Could Make to “Fix” Walt Disney World) included only 1.5 of these (we’re going to take “half-credit” for calling to improve Genie, which this technically accomplishes, albeit via alternative means).
The biggest surprise here is the return of free parking for on-site resort guests. We hate the charge for parking, and thought it was a bad decision that diminished the differentiation between Disney and its real-world counterparts. Nevertheless, it did not make our wish list for a few reasons–all of which boiling down to our thinking that it was “unrealistic” to undo.
First, the fee was implemented under the prior Iger regime, so it seemed highly unlikely that it would be eliminated. Second, it was a ‘free’ revenue stream and it’s difficult to give that up once companies get a taste of it. Finally and most importantly, resort occupancy has been incredibly high for the last couple of years, so there really was no incentive to do this.
With that said, we’ve noted before that few announcements were as met with as much backlash as the ‘New’ Overnight Parking Fees for Walt Disney World Hotel Guests post. That post garnered over 300 very “impassioned” comments. (Spoiler alert: they are 99%+ against the parking fees.)
At the time, that was the most controversial change we had seen from Walt Disney World. It has probably since been surpassed by reactions to the end of Disney’s Magical Express and replacing free FastPass with the paid Genie+ service and Individual Lightning Lanes. Back in 2018, the backlash was relatively unprecedented. I was honestly surprised that Disney didn’t roll back the decision right away (but it was pretty clearly here to stay when parking prices increased in early 2020).
We’ve documented a lot of price increases at Walt Disney World over the years. Unsurprisingly, there has never been an overall positive reaction to any of them, but that’s sort of the nature of the beast. Few people will happily pay more for the same product they previously purchased. Sure, there are the ardent Disney brand evangelists who perform mental gymnastics to justify the increases to themselves (and others). By and large, there’s always at least some degree of grumbling about price increases.
Usually, what happens is that once people get the complaining out of their systems, they go about their vacation habits as normal. Some people are unfortunately priced out, but in our (admittedly anecdotal) observations, they represent a minority of guests. And if attendance trends are any indication, those who are priced out are replaced by (more) new guests.
The reaction to the resort parking fee felt different. It was more emotional than normal. My overarching assessment (again, anecdotal) of the feedback is that Walt Disney World fans are generally comfortable paying more for a premium experience, but are fed up with being nickel and dimed.
It struck me as a tipping point for many long-time fans, and I think the grassroots ‘campaigns’ on social media and crowd-sourced review sites reflected this. Walt Disney World was inundated with a barrage of 1-star reviews on Facebook, TripAdvisor, and elsewhere, with many pointing to this fee. It seemed like a bridge too far for a lot of fans, and I wondered whether the revenue was truly worth all of the outrage and damage to the brand’s reputation.
While fans often talk a big game about being “done with Disney,” I know a few who actually followed through and either quit visiting or quit staying on-site as a result of the parking fee. Again, entirely anecdotal, but I think that did a lot of brand and goodwill damage. Until now, it didn’t really seem like Disney cared. That the revenue stream was more valuable than the lost business, which, it appears, was replaced with different customers who happily filled the rooms and paid the fees.
As for what’s causing the rollback of the resort parking fee…my guess is that it’s coming direct from the top–either a personal initiative of Bob Iger or Josh D’Amaro. Really the only plausible explanation is that the parking fee was a pet “project” of Bob Chapek, who was known for creating new revenue streams where none previously existed.
Chapek was chairman of Parks & Resorts when the parking fee was introduced, so that would check out. Obviously, Bob Iger would’ve outranked Chapek then and could’ve overruled him, but perhaps he didn’t give it his due diligence–or any consideration at all. When it comes to a conglomerate like the Walt Disney Company, hotel parking is presumably below the CEO’s pay grade.
It’s also possible that guest satisfaction scores have been negative, specifically pointing to parking fees, causing the company to reevaluate a range of its most unpopular recent decisions. From the outside, it’s really difficult to know how the decision to “undo” hotel parking fees went down.
It’s also (arguably) unfair to simply blame everything bad on Chapek and good on Iger/D’Amaro. Honestly, though, I’m not particularly concerned with being fair to Bob Chapek. Especially in this case, when the bad change was made under him, and the good one is coming shortly after he departed the company.
Some Walt Disney World fans might be inclined to attribute this to decreasing hotel occupancy. That’s definitely plausible, but I highly doubt it. We’ve been incessantly looking forward to a fizzling of pent-up demand and a normalization of discounting and everything else at Walt Disney World, but that is only just getting started.
Even with more aggressive discounting starting last October and accelerating further this week, Walt Disney World is still coming down from historical highs in resort occupancy and per guest spending, coupled with unprecedentedly low discounts. Special offers are becoming more abundant, but from a baseline over the last 2 years of very bad.
Keep in mind that the parking fee was implemented back in 2018. That was prior to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and other major additions debuted–almost an eternity ago by Walt Disney World standards. Occupancy and per guest spending were nowhere near as strong as they are today–or will be even under a “worst case scenario” (for Disney, not fans) for the remainder of 2023.
In short, the reversal of the resort parking fee decision cannot be driven by fears over a slowdown in the economy, recession, or Disney’s business being on the decline. Whatever concerns might exist there going forward, Disney is not going from unprecedented success to panic. The elimination of resort parking fees almost certainly must be a mandate from on-high, and likely one driven by guest satisfaction surveys.
To the latter point, we’ve mentioned repeatedly in the last ~10 months that guest satisfaction dropped precipitously around October 2021. Iger is probably aware of that by now. D’Amaro definitely is. (Once again, there’s a reason we’ve repeatedly expressed confidence in both D’Amaro and Jeff Vahle, the president of Walt Disney World.)
As previously pointed out, falling guest satisfaction scores have been a major area of concern for leaders on-the-ground in Florida. It might be difficult to believe, but there are leaders who care and are pushing for positive changes Walt Disney World. For most of the last two years, their hands have been tied due to initiatives and expectations from above.
From my perspective, today’s news reflects a foundational paradigm shift. No, undoing all of the unpopular changes won’t happen immediately–or at all. But based on the wording of this announcement, it’s pretty clear that tough decisions are (finally!) being made with guest satisfaction in mind. Unlike some prior feel-good news stories, this one is actually backed up by substance.
Suffice to say, it’s increasingly obvious that both Josh D’Amaro and Bob Iger realize fan goodwill is frayed and that they need to undo the damage done by the Chapek regime. It’s a small start, but it’s a major move in the right direction–and a breath of fresh air. As exciting as the TRON Lightcycle Run and Happily Ever After debut dates are, we think this is the most consequential news of the day. Kudos to everyone who made all of this happen.
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
What do you think of these 3 big changes to the guest experience at Walt Disney World? Happy about these moves or do they not impact you? Surprised that Disney is rolling back the resort parking fee, adding more value to Genie+ or eliminating park reservations for APs after 2 pm? To whom or what do you attribute these positive decisions? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? 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!
Agree with everyone else re: including the costs elsewhere. Wondering if more people will drive directly or now rent cars at the airport?? Increased driving is worse for the environment but may help us Disney bus riders especially at the end of the night when the bus system seems to implode.
Just curious are there electric charging stations in the park and resort parking lots?
The loss in parking fees will likely be recouped before I get this posted through increased prices else where. As an out of state DVC member, being able to even purchase an AP would improve my guest satisfaction.
I will begin believing that Disney respects annual pass holders when I am actually allowed to become one. Until they actually start selling them again, this all just feels like typical Disney lip service. At this point, I’m honestly not even sure how much I care. I am a Universal AP and am eagerly anticipating the opening of Epic. I’m not sure how much the Disney name will even mean in another decade once Universal hammers yet another nail in the Disney coffin and Disney continues making such poor business decisions.
Sure are a lot of people in the parks these days, though.
I think this is a good start towards caring for the open wounds Chapek created, and not just a Band-Aid. It will be hard to put those parking fees back in place from here forward. I think you will see some other benefits coming to AP holders in the form of LL or similar. It was a disappointment when they announced that those staying at resorts other than in the “Bubble” would receive the same benefits as those of us who paid more to stay in that “Bubble”. It seemed unfair, but no real tears here. ME was a loss, but we survived. Losing the luggage check in was a disappointment as well, but again, we survived. Despite many of the perks being taken from us, we kept renewing our AP’s and will again. Sure, things have changed and the magic isn’t is what it used to be, but we still like to visit. Hopefully the stock goes p as a result of these small changes. Chapek cost us and I think he should write us all a check to cover our losses. Does anyone know where I can get the Chapek brand toilet paper?
These changes seem targeted to fairly specific types of Park consumers rather than, well, the broad category of all visitors. I am also shocked they are removing parking fees, and though we don’t drive, it is a pleasing development. I can also see the appeal with the AP adjustment without being APs ourselves. The photo news is very bland to me. I have put off planning a trip with the hopes that park reservations and limited park hopping would be phased out. I can appreciate that it might merit a slower roll back rather than an abrupt end, but I’m starting to get a bit worried it’s here to stay. That will be an incredibly disappointing permanent change if it ends up sticking.
While cost is always a consideration for me the biggest downside to all of these changes is that a Disney World vacation is no longer “easy” and “carefree”. I have visited several times over the years (twice staying off-site and 3 times staying on-site). After the first visit staying off-site I was a HUGE believer in staying on-site with a dining plan for the sheer convenience. Once we checked our bags at our home airport, Disney took care of everything from the Magic Express and our retrieving our bags and delivering them to our room to checking our bags at the hotel when we were leaving and taking us back to the airport. I had paid for everything except tips and souvenirs before we got there so there was no need to keep up with meal expenses. The FastPass allowed us to make our FastPass reservations before we got there and modify them easily. All of these changes have eliminated that: no more Disney Express, no dining plan, and Genie+ means you are checking your phone all day. Not my idea of a “magical” vacation. We changed our vacation plans and are now going somewhere else.
I agree Michelle, we were last there a month before the pandemic struck, the Disney Dining Plan, the Magical Express and many other perks we loved and were the difference for our family were stripped away. Were going back again in March for the first time since 2020, but I must admit my wife and I are pretty shocked at all the change and a bit apprehensive to what the new Disney looks like in comparison to what we were so use to and enjoyed…hopefully Disney is on a path to restore some of those magical things that really made a difference to many families.
One of the things I would LOVE to see which would definitely increase my spending is bring back the park to resort and/or front of park package delivery. I can’t tell you how many things I see that I think about purchasing but don’t because I don’t want to carry it around all day or take time to rent a locker which may or may not fit whatever it is I want to buy. Sure I can still ship directly home, but what if it’s a big stuffed animal for my niece, who wants it back in the hotel that night.
I would totally spend more if they brought this option back.
Steps in the right direction for sure with customer satisfaction. I would like to see Free Lightning Lane passes for Guests staying on property, similar to the former Fast Pass system. If they can’t (won’t) go back to 3/day, then modify for 1 pass for Value, 2 for Moderate and 3 for Deluxe, which would help fill up the resorts fast. Another return perk would be free Magic Bands since they sold us on the technology years ago. I find that when a line is being held up for park entry or an attraction entrance, it is usually because someone is having a problem with his/her phone app.
Hotels are already full.
These changes wouldn’t affect my family personally but I’m sure are welcomed by many- so its a good start. Probably not returning to Disney World till 2025 and the new splash mountain is running- hopefully there are a lot more positive changes by then
So, here is my take on how both ends of the resort pay parking might have gone in the executive offices. Starting with the introduction of paid parking.
Bob I: We’ve dumped a ton of money (debt) into the Fox acquisition and will be burning dump truck loads of cash supporting the launch of Disney+, so we need to back fill those losses via the other sector revenue increases. Bob C., I need you to increase parks revenues by X% without adding costs or investing in infrastructure. Pull whatever levers you need to, to make it happen.
Bob C.: Okay, I’ve had some ideas I’ve been kicking around that should do the trick.
And on the other end:
Bob I: Guest satisfaction has plummeted to historically bad levels, and people are starting to revolt. We’re not seeing a drop in attendance yet, but we won’t be able to maintain the brand value and sustain future attendance levels in the long term without getting new guests addicted to the parks experiences. Josh, you need to significantly raise guest satisfaction ASAP, using existing resources and without any investment in infrastructure. Pull whatever levers you need to pull, we can sacrifice some revenue and then blame it on the coming economic down turn at the next shareholder meeting.
Josh: Okay, I’ve got some ideas that we can easily implement. It should only take a couple of emails and a call to IT to make it happen.
As for the intensity of the umbrage about free parking, I don’t think it’s just the parking fee that elevated the intensity of the reaction or caused some diehards to quit the parks. Rather, I think the parking fee was the most obvious (and egregious) symptom of a tangible, but not overtly visible alteration in managerial philosophy at the parks. Occasional and casual guests wouldn’t have picked up on it, but the habitual parks attendees can feel that subtle shift in the wind and know that something very bad is coming. We let our AP’s lapse because we stopped having fun in the parks, largely due to crowding, long waits, drops in quality and poor operational management. I think that most of us Disney Parks junkies already felt something bad, and unstoppable, was happening. When the parking fee hit, we all just had an “Oh, $#&@ moment” where we realized how bad things really were.
This is excellent analysis and it wouldn’t surprise me if you are over 95% correct, right down to the specific conversations that took place.
I think that’s the easiest way to reconcile the parking fee being implemented, and then eliminated, under Iger. In both cases, it probably was not a specific mandate from the CEO. Rather, it was probably something like this–generalized goals for increasing revenue or guest satisfaction, and the Parks Chair was tasked with hammering out the specifics.
As has been mentioned on your site before, a juggernaut as big as parks doesn’t turn on a dime. Like a cruise ship or tanker, once the input is given it takes a while for the ship to turn. I know we all hope there’s more to come, but here’s a moment of appreciation for the ship finally starting to steer our way!
Exactly. It’s also worth underscoring (again) that something like a tacked-on parking fee is so much easier to implement or eliminate than so many other things about which fans have been complaining, almost all of which have more “moving parts” or involve externalities. The parking fee exists almost in a vacuum–much easier to “solve for” on a short timeline.
My family LOVES Disney, but we will NOT be coming until
the Dining Plan comes back, or any of the other things Disney had, we also loved
getting the refillable cup! Is that in the plans at all to bring back! Also when you
replace rides with new ones they should take into account people in wheelchairs. Most of the new rides they have to be able to transfer into, but what if you are NOT ABLE TO DO THAT, THEN THAT PERSON MISSES OUT WHILE the rest of the party goes on! (NOW HOW FAIR DOES THAT SEEM!)
YES!!! Thank you! This is definitely a few steps in the right direction. Iger still has yet to “exceed my expectations” (yes, I got that letter), but this is a very good start. I hope it keeps up! I love Walt Disney World, but I was disappointed on my last visit, so much so that I have delayed another visit. Looks like I may have to consider another visit soon… my hopes are renewed.
not that impressed! one less thing to pay for but they need to fix the line problem. what is the point of reservations when your still in line for over 90 minutes for rides. I have been to Disney many times in my life and have never experienced lines like this since covid! it’s awful and ruins the whole experience. This is not the Disney I knew and loved. I have one more grandchild to take to Disney in May and I’m retiring from Dusney. Mush better places that are more affordable to spend my money and a whole lot less stressful.
Unfortunately, as an AP holder and DVC member, none of this affects me for the better. I refuse to purchase Genie+ and even if I did, although the pictures are fun (and I have a ton of them dying in the Cloud somewhere, un-accessed and unused beyond the initial giggle), they hold no real value. Bringing back the free Magical Express and park hopping would make a huge difference. I read your explanation of ME above and it makes sense, but I really don’t see them doing it at all in the future. They are offering the very least they can do and reaping a lot of positive press for the effort (or lack thereof).
“They are offering the very least they can do and reaping a lot of positive press for the effort (or lack thereof).”
Online reactions only matter so much. The people writing and reading this are diehards and are the most likely to have entrenched opinions one way or another.
What matters is whether this actually moves the needle on guest satisfaction scores and intent to visit/return metrics. Consumers will ultimately decide whether these changes are good, bad, or neutral. Positive PR is always great, but it’s not as outcome-determinative as how actual customers (including the less “connected” general public) feel about the changes.
Great PR but I am sure Disney will just bury the loss of parking cost into the hotel cost. It is what I call the shell game. The cost is not here but here. No corporation takes money off the table. This is just good PR
Perhaps. We’ll see if rack rates increase by more than 4-5% (recent historical average) when they’re released in July.
Also, easy to extend this logic to pretty much everything…
“What’s the point in getting rid of Genie, they’ll just increase ticket prices.”
“What’s the point of bringing back DME, they’ll just increase hotel prices.”
“What’s the point of bringing back DDP, they’ll just increase food prices.”
Conversely, what’s the point of complaining about any of these changes in the first place, when you could’ve argued: “this doesn’t really matter, they would’ve increased prices had they not done this!”
One of the issues with nickel and diming is that it conceals up-front costs so consumers cannot make informed decisions about total prices. That thus disrupts dynamics of demand and market pricing. Those are valid critiques, as that’s the entire point for companies to create new revenue streams out of thin air–it allows them to obfuscate actual pricing and capture more revenue than they otherwise would have with straightforward pricing models.
I still maintain that many of us would happily pay double ticket prices if crowds were back to the 90s levels…
I really miss the old Hub area at MK with the planters versus the mega paved area a 747 could land on. It was so, so much better before the first expansion, much less the last one!
Well, many of us said that they should’ve just bumped room rates instead in the first place and no one would’ve noticed or complained. But you’re right about corporations not eating costs. These fools who keep yelling that corps need to pay “their fair share” in taxes, whatever that’s supposed to mean, are terrible at math because they are just going to increase prices to compensate for otherwise lost profit. In this case, we aren’t talking about a huge number for Disney in the overall scheme of family spending on trips. Some people love the Dining Plan because it hides the real cost of food and they don’t have to think about it, just enjoy their trip. Some of us, however, do the math and realize it’s not the deal it appears to be and are fortunate to just go and spend what we spend. Most families cannot do that and are on strict budgets. I still cannot imagine how my Mom was able to scrimp and squirrel enough for us to drive there in the motor home from NM in the 80s on two young teacher salaries that were I think at or under $20k a year. But she did, and those vacations were amazing.
Most of these changes will not have any significant impact on most WDW guests. Therefore, I’m surprised at the level of excitement for these changes I’m seeing all over the internet. (Though maybe it’s because these changes disproportionately benefit the more hard core WDW fans). Might be a matter of perception — A reversal of years of nickel and diming guests.
Most WDW visitors are not AP holders (and you still can’t even become a new AP holder). The “free parking” will be huge for some people, but I’m sure under 50% of on-site guests drive. (might be significantly under 50%, but I really don’t know… most people fly and then take buses/ubers, but I suppose it’s possible that drivers and car-renters may add up as high as 50%).
So here is why I’m a bit disappointed — After rumored changes to park hopping and park pass, the only change we get is that AP holders no longer need reservations after 2. This suggests that the park reservation system and park hopping limitations are not going away any time soon for most guests. (If they were about to do away with park reservations altogether, there would be no reason to announce this policy for AP holders).
Here are some changes I’d really like to see:
-Lift park hopping restrictions altogether, or at least advance the time to 11am
-Either get rid of park reservations or at least do not require them after 2 (or 11 or 12) for any guests. (Thus, if you decide to sleep in and skip your morning reserved for DHS, you can still go to Epcot for dinner without checking in to DHS first).
“Might be a matter of perception — A reversal of years of nickel and diming guests.”
This is precisely it. When is the last time you can recall this positive of a Disney news day without any catches?
“If they were about to do away with park reservations altogether, there would be no reason to announce this policy for AP holders”
There are no credible rumors of this, as there are absolutely no plans to do away with park reservations for APs. A lot is on the table right now, but not that.
Completely agree that we should applaud positive moves like this. At the same time, don’t think it’s enough to set off the fireworks. More like, “good start WDW/Iger…. can we keep going along these lines now?”
I don’t despise the park pass reservation system as much as some people. To the extent it can better distribute crowds, it can enhance the guest experience for everyone. But there are some things about the implementation where it simply restricts guests way too much. (Example — where 1 member of our party decides to sleep in and skip the morning park, and therefore is locked out of park hopping with the rest of our party in the afternoon).
Totally off topic… but an idea just popped into my head that would balance guest distribution without any need to impose restrictions — The old “bonus paper FP” system. Imagine waking up in the morning and the MDE app gives you an alert, ” surprise… Enjoy a free bonus LL on Test Track from 9-10am!.. Click here to redeem!”… “Surprise.. Come Ride Safari at Animal Kingdom with a free bonus LL for your party from 10-11am… Click here to redeem and let us know you’ll be coming to AK!”
A few well placed free LL’s could likely steer crowds. (Also, variable pricing for Genie+ BY PARK…. Genie+ is $25 per guest today for use at DHS, but only $9.99 for Animal Kingdom!”)
Any time you give guests perceived freedom and choice, it’s going to play better than perceived restrictions.
I think that’s what they were trying to do with the free Genie service, but got too heavy-handed with the desire to steer people towards underutilized capacity to the point that it’s totally broken. I’d love to see a better, mutually-beneficial attempt made at that in the future. What you describe would be amazing and well-received by guests.
However, I don’t have a ton of confidence in Disney IT’s ability to implement such a sophisticated system at scale given, well, everything.
Yeah, outsourcing IT to China was possibly the worst possible decision ever made int eh history of the company, besides screwing up the Treehouse at DL… The system hasn’t worked since then.
Could not agree more.
Happy to see this change. Any change in the “other direction” from what we have become accustomed to over the past 4-5 years is good IMO. Even if I dont drive to the resorts. I would have preferred they brought back ME and kept the parking fees, but that is just me wishing on a star most likely. Here’s to hoping for more changes in this direction!
” I would have preferred they brought back ME and kept the parking fees, but that is just me wishing on a star most likely. Here’s to hoping for more changes in this direction!”
Bringing back Disney’s Magical Express would be such a herculean undertaking that, even if negotiations with Mears began today, it would take until 2024 before it was restored. So many moving parts–including existing reservations for Mears Connect.
My guess is leadership sat down once the dust settled on Chapek’s firing and looked at guest satisfaction surveys, most common complaints, and what could be easiest and most quickly addressed. Parking fees are something that can be dropped literally overnight. Most other changes take a lot of time to implement.
Hopefully this is just a start, and a lot more is to come!
Does the free parking include Disney Springs Hotels? Like the Wyndham Garden. Thanks
This only applies to Disney-owned hotels–so nothing with another brand in the name.
Until they return to saying “Welcome ladies and gentleman, boys and girls,” I’m out!!!
You’ll have to wait a long, long time for that. Time travel device recommended. Meanwhile, there’s other things to complain about that are higher priority.
So happy to hear we won’t be seeing you!