A long time Disney fan turns sour!

JenniferS

JenniferS

Time To Be Movin’ Along
Premium Member
RustySpork said:
Another white knight appears! This time one with only two posts, the last of which offers the actual day of the year that Disney made a change! You're not cast, nope.
Click to expand...
Okay, how about me? I’ve been going to WDW since 1991; I’ve been a member here since 2011; I have almost 29,000 posts; and I asssure you I’m not a CM, a plant, or a Mommy Blogger ....

I love WDW. I loved it before kids, after kids, and now without kids again. I can’t wait until the grandchildren start coming, so I can take them to my happy place. That being said - I will never take them in July, August, or December ... ‘cause duh!

For me, it’s not Disney that is chipping away at my satisfaction, it is the fact that that there are just too many darn people in the parks. Luckily, I can go during the few remaining off-peak times. I’m willing to skip the EMH parks which are bound to be the most crowded, and I’ve been there so often that I don’t have to do everything. I’m willing to relax and enjoy the resort pools. I’m thrilled to spend a day at Disney Springs and take the boat over to POFQ for some mid-day beignets. I no longer rush from one E-ticket to another.

And while I would prefer that FP’s didn’t exist, I am more than willing to work them to my advantage. Hubby says the dining experiences are still first rate, and he has yet to have a bad meal. I spend a lot of time picking our ADR’s, striving for the right blend of new experiences and old favourites; Signature dining and character meals.

Some of us still love WDW. Deal with it. :)
 
RustySpork

RustySpork

Oscar Mayer Memer
JenniferS said:
Okay, how about me? I’ve been going to WDW since 1991; I’ve been a member here since 2011; I have almost 29,000 posts; and I asssure you I’m not a CM, a plant, or a Mommy Blogger ....

I love WDW. I loved it before kids, after kids, and now without kids again. I can’t wait until the grandchildren start coming, so I can take them to my happy place. That being said - I will never take them in July, August, or December ... ‘cause duh!

For me, it’s not Disney that is chipping away at my satisfaction, it is the fact that that there are just too many darn people in the parks. Luckily, I can go during the few remaining off-peak times. I’m willing to skip the EMH parks which are bound to be the most crowded, and I’ve been there so often that I don’t have to do everything. I’m willing to relax and enjoy the resort pools. I’m thrilled to spend a day at Disney Springs and take the boat over to POFQ for some mid-day beignets. I no longer rush from one E-ticket to another.

And while I would prefer that FP’s didn’t exist, I am more than willing to work them to my advantage. Hubby says the dining experiences are still first rate, and he has yet to have a bad meal. I spend a lot of time picking our ADR’s, striving for the right blend of new experiences and old favourites; Signature dining and character meals.

Some of us still love WDW. Deal with it. :)
Click to expand...

You're not flying in on a 3 year old new account with less than a dozen posts though. July and August are much better months to go than they used to be now that there are no value seasons. I agree with you about just about everything else, and I also love WDW so there's nothing for me to deal with. :confused::joyfull:
 
JenniferS

JenniferS

Time To Be Movin’ Along
Premium Member
RustySpork said:
You're not flying in on a 3 year old new account with less than a dozen posts though. July and August are much better months to go than they used to be now that there are no value seasons. I agree with you about just about everything else, and I also love WDW so there's nothing for me to deal with. :confused::joyfull:
Click to expand...
Not everybody has tens of thousands of posts. It doesn’t mean they’re a Disney shill.
 
Cado603

Cado603

Member
Also like to ad. I used to be on forums years ago alot, every day and people were friendly and helpful but they are nothing like the nasty people of today, who are used to social media who are just full of nasty comments nothing positive or helpful. I just was on here because they sent an email with some update like once a month. Guess I will in the future avoid clicking on it. Have a nice day if you all can.
 
21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
This is too strange. Someone who joined a website in 2017 is saying that someone else’s viewpoint is invalid or must be staged, because of their post count on a 3 year old account.

Because ya know... to go to Disney World one must be on a Disney forum and posting daily.lol
What?! This is beyond the line of crazy. This is exactly the self inflicted crazy that I’ve been referring to.
 
J

Justquirky

New Member
fjm777 said:
I don’t post here very often but I read the forums all the time. So, believe me when I say I’m not here to stir anything up. I just wanted to relay my thoughts from my recent trip (Dec 10 – 16).

I just got back from my 14th trip to Disney World and I have to say I was disappointed. For the first time ever, I have to say I don’t look forward to going back. My family started going back in 2002 so I may not be a super Disney goer but I have been enough times that I have plenty of experience and have seen things come and go.

We stayed in an Art of Animation Nemo suite. The room was nice enough with a few things wrong … the fridge didn’t work, the remote in the bedroom wouldn’t turn the TV on, the piece that keeps water in the shower from coming out under the door was missing, and a light over the table was blinking. Not terrible things but annoying.

The parks were crowded for an early December trip (10 – 16). However, I knew crowds have been picking up lately so not unexpected. I remember the days when a trip in December meant a walk on, on all rides!

But here is what really got me. Disney is chipping away at its exceptional guest experience. This is the first trip that I CAN'T say felt awesome or magical. I have worked for a large corporation for better than 20 years and they do the same thing. They chip away at their employees until they can no longer give their loyalty. In fact, I have quit that job and moved on. The same thing is happening to Disney. In the past, I would have argued anyone down that Disney was the best vacation a family would ever take. But not anymore. Like at my former job my loyalty to Disney is fading.

So, what is different? I have been thinking about it and this is just some of the things I have come up with.

Fastpass+

This system is not thought out well and I believe has ruined a positive Disney experience for guests. 60 days prior to arrival I logged in to make my fast pass reservations. Much to my surprise there were no Avatar Flight of Passage or Frozen or Seven Dwarf Mine Train fast passes until 5 days into our trip. What? NO fast passes? I finally got a fast pass for Avatar Flight of Passage for a Thursday night but there was one problem with that. We were going to EPCOT that morning. Therefore, we could make no fast passes for EPCOT that day. You can’t have fast passes spanning parks. Also, how am I supposed to know two months in advance what ride I want to ride at what time. This is beyond crazy. People who know me know that I am a big planner. I have multiple spreadsheets and create food lists and all sorts of things. But when it comes down to it, you just can’t always know exactly where you want to be on any particular day and certainly not minute by minute. And heaven forbid you might change your mind and want to go to a park you haven't planned for. I pity the folks who can’t plan the way I do. I bet they don’t get to do anything at Disney with this new system.

In addition, the system of fast passes is driving traffic to other rides. I saw a 40 minute wait for The Land! During a “slow” time, “off season” time there was a 40 minute wait for The Land! Now, I have read on this great forum that Disney wanted to do that. But now there are no rides that have short waits. This can really make for a long day. What do you do when you are waiting for your fast pass. I guess you wait 40 minutes for The Land.


Food

We got the free quick service dining this time. We have had it many times before. We no longer want the table service dining. First everything was covered. Then tips were not covered. Then you no longer could get appetizers. And I don’t know what all may have changed since the last time we had that plan. Can you see the trend? Chipping away at the guest experience until someone like me no longer even wants it. The quick service food is the same way. Disney has streamlined everything. You can get the same hot dog no matter where you go. The thing is I don’t want the same hot dog or hamburger everywhere. The choices are really limited too. I can remember when quick service restaurants had all kinds of choices, including free hot cheese which my daughters loved. Sorry, they don’t have the cheese any more or maybe they do for a buck. (Chipping Away!)


Buses

Don’t even get me started on the buses. Waited 45 minutes on a bus at Disney Springs. Stood on every single bus back and forth from the parks except maybe once. They let every single scooter and their families on the bus FIRST even if I had been waiting there forever and they just pulled up. The driver refused to go until we had so many people standing we couldn’t even move. “Keep moving back! I can see you can still breathing there sir so there must not be enough people on this bus!” If a bus had an accident we would most likely all be dead. If I drove around with no seat belt I would get a ticket. How can they get away with 10000 people on one bus? You talk about not a good guest experience. That may be the worst of them all! Or how about when they drop you off, not at your bus stop, but at no place in particular nowhere close to the park.


Anyway, sorry for my rambling on. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m getting older and I don’t see things the same way I used to. But I won’t be going back for a while. A long, long while. Disney has chipped away at costs and such until they have ruined my guest experience. I don’t pay top dollar to go to Disney so I can go to an average park. If I wanted that I’d going to that other place. They need to get back to what made them great and not just settle for “okay” with a lot more profit.
Click to expand...
I c
 
J

Justquirky

New Member
I couldn't agree with you more!!! Couldn't have said it better myself. I went in November and had many of the same issues. I stayed in the Disney All Star Sports and waited for buses and was not impressed with the over priced food. I ended up ordering food and having it sent to the front desk from a local supermarket. The fastpasses worked pretty well for me but I did a lot of research before organizing everything. My fastpasses were way too spaced out and like you said we did a lot of walking around and trying to figure out what to do before our next fastpass. The Land when we were there was 90 minutes. Needlessto say we did not go. Thanks for letting peple know because I feel the same way and you are not alone
 
DisneyDoctor

DisneyDoctor

Well-Known Member
Justquirky said:
I couldn't agree with you more!!! Couldn't have said it better myself. I went in November and had many of the same issues. I stayed in the Disney All Star Sports and waited for buses and was not impressed with the over priced food. I ended up ordering food and having it sent to the front desk from a local supermarket. The fastpasses worked pretty well for me but I did a lot of research before organizing everything. My fastpasses were way too spaced out and like you said we did a lot of walking around and trying to figure out what to do before our next fastpass. The Land when we were there was 90 minutes. Needlessto say we did not go. Thanks for letting peple know because I feel the same way and you are not alone
Click to expand...
Will you be returning to WDW for a vacation in the future?
 
DisneyDoctor

DisneyDoctor

Well-Known Member
RustySpork said:
You're not flying in on a 3 year old new account with less than a dozen posts though. July and August are much better months to go than they used to be now that there are no value seasons. I agree with you about just about everything else, and I also love WDW so there's nothing for me to deal with. :confused::joyfull:
Click to expand...
Hey spork, we haven't agreed a lot, but I think we've found some common ground. I, too, love WDW. I guess we're not so different after all. :rolleyes:
 
winstongator

winstongator

Well-Known Member
There are so many magical changes in the world since 1973. The most powerful is the massive drop in world poverty levels. There are considerable increases in opportunities for people where they weren’t available in ‘73. Shoot, many things that weren’t available in ‘93. I am much happier with the world now than when I was a kid in the ‘80’s.
fjm777 said:
I don’t post here very often but I read the forums all the time. So, believe me when I say I’m not here to stir anything up. I just wanted to relay my thoughts from my recent trip (Dec 10 – 16).

I just got back from my 14th trip to Disney World and I have to say I was disappointed. For the first time ever, I have to say I don’t look forward to going back. My family started going back in 2002 so I may not be a super Disney goer but I have been enough times that I have plenty of experience and have seen things come and go.

We stayed in an Art of Animation Nemo suite. The room was nice enough with a few things wrong … the fridge didn’t work, the remote in the bedroom wouldn’t turn the TV on, the piece that keeps water in the shower from coming out under the door was missing, and a light over the table was blinking. Not terrible things but annoying.

The parks were crowded for an early December trip (10 – 16). However, I knew crowds have been picking up lately so not unexpected. I remember the days when a trip in December meant a walk on, on all rides!

But here is what really got me. Disney is chipping away at its exceptional guest experience. This is the first trip that I CAN'T say felt awesome or magical. I have worked for a large corporation for better than 20 years and they do the same thing. They chip away at their employees until they can no longer give their loyalty. In fact, I have quit that job and moved on. The same thing is happening to Disney. In the past, I would have argued anyone down that Disney was the best vacation a family would ever take. But not anymore. Like at my former job my loyalty to Disney is fading.

So, what is different? I have been thinking about it and this is just some of the things I have come up with.

Fastpass+

This system is not thought out well and I believe has ruined a positive Disney experience for guests. 60 days prior to arrival I logged in to make my fast pass reservations. Much to my surprise there were no Avatar Flight of Passage or Frozen or Seven Dwarf Mine Train fast passes until 5 days into our trip. What? NO fast passes? I finally got a fast pass for Avatar Flight of Passage for a Thursday night but there was one problem with that. We were going to EPCOT that morning. Therefore, we could make no fast passes for EPCOT that day. You can’t have fast passes spanning parks. Also, how am I supposed to know two months in advance what ride I want to ride at what time. This is beyond crazy. People who know me know that I am a big planner. I have multiple spreadsheets and create food lists and all sorts of things. But when it comes down to it, you just can’t always know exactly where you want to be on any particular day and certainly not minute by minute. And heaven forbid you might change your mind and want to go to a park you haven't planned for. I pity the folks who can’t plan the way I do. I bet they don’t get to do anything at Disney with this new system.

In addition, the system of fast passes is driving traffic to other rides. I saw a 40 minute wait for The Land! During a “slow” time, “off season” time there was a 40 minute wait for The Land! Now, I have read on this great forum that Disney wanted to do that. But now there are no rides that have short waits. This can really make for a long day. What do you do when you are waiting for your fast pass. I guess you wait 40 minutes for The Land.


Food

We got the free quick service dining this time. We have had it many times before. We no longer want the table service dining. First everything was covered. Then tips were not covered. Then you no longer could get appetizers. And I don’t know what all may have changed since the last time we had that plan. Can you see the trend? Chipping away at the guest experience until someone like me no longer even wants it. The quick service food is the same way. Disney has streamlined everything. You can get the same hot dog no matter where you go. The thing is I don’t want the same hot dog or hamburger everywhere. The choices are really limited too. I can remember when quick service restaurants had all kinds of choices, including free hot cheese which my daughters loved. Sorry, they don’t have the cheese any more or maybe they do for a buck. (Chipping Away!)


Buses

Don’t even get me started on the buses. Waited 45 minutes on a bus at Disney Springs. Stood on every single bus back and forth from the parks except maybe once. They let every single scooter and their families on the bus FIRST even if I had been waiting there forever and they just pulled up. The driver refused to go until we had so many people standing we couldn’t even move. “Keep moving back! I can see you can still breathing there sir so there must not be enough people on this bus!” If a bus had an accident we would most likely all be dead. If I drove around with no seat belt I would get a ticket. How can they get away with 10000 people on one bus? You talk about not a good guest experience. That may be the worst of them all! Or how about when they drop you off, not at your bus stop, but at no place in particular nowhere close to the park.


Anyway, sorry for my rambling on. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m getting older and I don’t see things the same way I used to. But I won’t be going back for a while. A long, long while. Disney has chipped away at costs and such until they have ruined my guest experience. I don’t pay top dollar to go to Disney so I can go to an average park. If I wanted that I’d going to that other place. They need to get back to what made them great and not just settle for “okay” with a lot more profit.
Click to expand...
DisneyMedStudent said:
One could make an argument that the world, not just Disney world, isn't as magical as it was in 1973, almost 45 years ago. I often wonder if the increasing negative climate that has so heavily affected the way we function as a society has anything to do with all the negative comments we see online. The comments aren't just about Disney, either. It seems like everyone has something to complain about all the time, myself included. We're so stressed all the time from work and life in general. Couple that with the countless negative stories we see in the media and on social media, and it's tough to imagine anyone being happy about anything!
Click to expand...
th
 
21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
winstongator said:
There are so many magical changes in the world since 1973. The most powerful is the massive drop in world poverty levels. There are considerable increases in opportunities for people where they weren’t available in ‘73. Shoot, many things that weren’t available in ‘93. I am much happier with the world now than when I was a kid in the ‘80’s.

th
Click to expand...

I seriously think the disconnect or feelings of disappointment are stemming from the dates when people started going. I keep noticing more and more posts from those who are unhappy now where most started going at around the same time 2001-2007.

I went annually in the 80s.. it was expensive back then. Still.. there were long waits for attractions.
I grew up in a house where my parents idolized Ronald Reagan, but many Americans did not have it so great during those years. There were millions of Americans who could not afford a Disney vacation during that time period. We just didn’t have the internet to see so many people complaining about it ;).. or maybe people just didn’t feel like they were entitled to a Disney vacation, for no other reason than being an American.
This is not a political post, just pointing out differences between then and now.
Outside of a few years in the 2000s, Disney has never been a place with low crowds nor could it have been considered “budget friendly”.
 
Last edited:
DisneyDoctor

DisneyDoctor

Well-Known Member
winstongator said:
There are so many magical changes in the world since 1973. The most powerful is the massive drop in world poverty levels. There are considerable increases in opportunities for people where they weren’t available in ‘73. Shoot, many things that weren’t available in ‘93. I am much happier with the world now than when I was a kid in the ‘80’s.

th
Click to expand...
I appreciate the positivity, winstongator (not sarcasm, it's good to be reminded of good things, Lord knows the it's hard to come by some days). But, I do think there has been a shift in the overall positivity of society. Maybe it's due to the fact I grew up in an era of competitive social media. We have to one up not only ourselves but all those around us and then post it to the internet so everyone knows. It's sad. Couple that with news outlets that rarely cover uplifting stories and instead cover violence and hate daily. It seems to me that the world is becoming more negative.

Who knows, maybe I'm naïve and have no idea. Just sharing my thoughts.
 
Disneyworld_here_we_come

Disneyworld_here_we_come

Active Member
DisneyMedStudent said:
I appreciate the positivity, winstongator (not sarcasm, it's good to be reminded of good things, Lord knows the it's hard to come by some days). But, I do think there has been a shift in the overall positivity of society. Maybe it's due to the fact I grew up in an era of competitive social media. We have to one up not only ourselves but all those around us and then post it to the internet so everyone knows. It's sad. Couple that with news outlets that rarely cover uplifting stories and instead cover violence and hate daily. It seems to me that the world is becoming more negative.

Who knows, maybe I'm naïve and have no idea. Just sharing my thoughts.
Click to expand...

Nope you hit it on the nose, things are very negative sometimes and people's attitudes about everything have become increasingly harsher. The internet amplifies all of it.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom