Changes in the last 2 years that burn your britches

[Brer Panther]

Not going to say you don't have some valid critiques, but............

1. I:RoE was past due. It had issues. Not sure Harmonious is the answer.

2. FoN created a pinch point and had maintenance issues. It is being replaced by a brand new show fountain in the Hub.

7. MMRR: Haven't ridden it yet. But looks good to me. Don't know how anyone can call it a catastrophe.

17. I don't use DVC. I've never felt it encroaching in any way of my enjoyment of WDW. How has the existence of DVC negatively affected you?

18. The holiday festival is just a handful of booths added to the usual holiday trappings, and nothing much more to write home about. The Arts Festival was a great add. Best Festival, IMO.

19. Gran Destino is fine. Don't know how it can be labeled as ruinous. Now, the Riviera... yuck.

21., 22., 24., 26., 35., 36. Club Cool, PeopleMover, EU, Castle D-Lights, FountainView, MouseGear are all coming back.

​

And furthermore... you're complaining about missing EU and MouseGear, and a Starbucks, and a Coke advertising gimmick? Your taste level leaves a lot to be desired.​

​

29. What disrespect for Gran Fiesta?

32. How have vloggers negatively impacted you?

33. Morocco's plight was caused by a pandemic, not some sort of malaise on the part of Disney.

37. I like the look of the Skyliner.

God forbid somebody have a different opinion.

Honestly surprised you didn't mention his distaste for the Splash Mountain fiasco, considering you've been so vocal about how much you like the idea.

 

[MisterPenguin]

God forbid somebody have a different opinion.

Swing and a miss...

"Not going to say you don't have some valid critiques..."

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

Having to pay for parking at Disney resorts=not cool.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Having to pay for parking at Disney resorts=not cool.

Welcome to the industry. Hotels generally charge for parking among other fees.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

1. The number of WDW CM's who are now unemployed.

2. Shorter park hours. I understand pandemic cutbacks, but the ones that started pre-covid were a huge loss, especially MK's late night hours. Now EMH will be gone; unless MK is open really late, that's a big loss, especially when ticket prices keep going up.

IMO, it was time to replace Illuminations and Impressions de France. Ratatouille will be much better. I also like Gran Destino. The rooms were really nice, and I had the best Mousekeeper ever! I really hope She is still employed by WDW.

3.It was also pretty silly - 2019 - to see MK in FULL Halloween decorations in AUGUST! Just ewwww! I'll call it party creep, a regular park ticket used to = MK 9am-11pm or later.

I'm tempted to think they'll bring back EMH, it's just going to cost $100. A regular park ticket will soon only = 11am to 6pm.

4. Oh, and lets not forget the new version of use or lose of park tickets. Remember when they used to be valid forever? Ha!

 

[PhantomTeaMistress999]

I’ve stayed at both. AKL is significantly worse, preference in theming aside. “No theming” at Riviera is unfair and is more perhaps not your taste.

AKL has several issues, for me.

• Not ideal location
• Too dark, everywhere
• No transportation options besides bus
• Lacking in decor and finishes aren’t as nice
• Not nearly as clean as Riviera

You started by calling Disney hotels awful. Now you say they are fine and really just don’t like Riviera. That’s fine, but I challenged your general “awful” claim more than I’m challenging your Riviera claim, although I think you’re wrong on that too.

I'll give you the others, but the last two in bold. AKL has plenty of wonderful theming, it's one the best themed resorts there, but if one doesn't understand what they are truly looking at and appreciate it then IDK what to tell ya.

And lastly, AKL is definitely clean or someone in my family that is highly OCD would not be staying there often and calling it their fave. You have to realize the "clean" that you see at Riviera is a difference in comparing a resort that opened a year or so ago to one that opened 20 years ago, and that's not saying that it's really any cleaner than AKL, it's just "newer looking."

 

[UNCgolf]

I’ve stayed at both. AKL is significantly worse, preference in theming aside. “No theming” at Riviera is unfair and is more perhaps not your taste.

AKL has several issues, for me.

• Not ideal location
• Too dark, everywhere
• No transportation options besides bus
• Lacking in decor and finishes aren’t as nice
• Not nearly as clean as Riviera

You started by calling Disney hotels awful. Now you say they are fine and really just don’t like Riviera. That’s fine, but I challenged your general “awful” claim more than I’m challenging your Riviera claim, although I think you’re wrong on that too.

I never called all Disney hotels awful. I was responding to the original post in which she specifically called out the Riviera, thus my comment was only directed at the Riviera (and I suppose the Gran Destino Tower too, since she also mentioned that, but I don't really have a strong opinion on it).

Regardless, my overall point had nothing to do with whether the hotel is nice in a vacuum. I'm sure the Riviera is relatively nice. My point is that there's nothing to the Riviera to make it worth the cost compared to other Disney hotels (absent the Skyliner if that's something you really care about, but you could also just stay at Caribbean Beach instead).

Most Disney hotels have elaborate theming to make staying there a different experience. You can't stay somewhere like the Animal Kingdom Lodge off Disney property. You can stay at tons of hotels almost exactly like the Riviera, including some non-Disney hotels right next to WDW. Why would I want to stay there when I can get those same perks at one of the many other Disney hotels that actually do offer something unique?

 

[UNCgolf]

As someone who stayed at the Riveria it was perfectly Disney. I stayed at The Beach a club first and thought the Riviera was better personally. The food options were phenomenal, the views were amazing, we had a one bedroom villa and it was beautiful. No less themed than Kidani Village or Bay Lake Tower either. The skyliner access is very convenient. Could the exterior be themed a bit more? Sure, but it’s no worse than BLT

Oh the Bay Lake Tower is also quite bad, but the fact that it's at the Contemporary masks it somewhat because the Contemporary has never really had the kind of theming most other Disney resorts have.

I also need to reiterate that my comments have nothing to do with the quality of the hotel itself. It's that there's no reason to pay Disney prices for an unthemed hotel when you can stay somewhere just as nice or nicer for a fraction of the cost (while admittedly losing some benefits, although those benefits are diminishing rapidly), or stay at another Disney hotel that gives you the same benefits while also offering something more than a generic hotel.

 

[Marden]

Not unique to the past two years, but I'd tack on the continued stagnation of the Imagination pavilion in general.

You have perhaps the most fertile theme for Imagineering to run wild with, and the home of what is (arguably) Epcot's mascot. What we get, however, is a cringe-inducing ride and a DVC lounge closed to the common rabble.

 

[tanc]

if you stay at pop, you are forced to use the gondolas. They're good if they work, but I think the system takes way too much time. It's too variable to me to be reliable. I found it super inconvenient when I used it, and crowds were light.

 

[heapster411]

The thing that burned my Britches; Parking Fees at the Resorts. The real estate has always been there, so no out of pocket expense for Disney. Seems that they are charging me to "self park" my car. We go to OKW every year, wife won't fly, so I truly believe that the spot that my car resides in has been paid for many, many years ago! Plus noticed this trip that the food is more generic. Olivia's for example, Plantation Key pork Chop is no more, never to return, as what the server told me. Plus, I have noticed that the Duval burger is gone to be replaced with just a cheese burger.

 

[JohnD]

if you stay at pop, you are forced to use the gondolas. They're good if they work, but I think the system takes way too much time. It's too variable to me to be reliable. I found it super inconvenient when I used it, and crowds were light.

No, you're not. There are still the busses. Unlike the monorail, it's not an either-or.

 

[OG Runner]

Is Disney different from the days of yore? Absolutely. We could all list hundreds of changes since our earliest visits. Thankfully, dear Martin gives us brilliant looks into the wonders of the past.

But focusing on just the last two years, I’ve seen changes that have repeatedly thrown my heart against the wall. Just the last 2 years. Yes there are changes all the time. WDW isn’t a museum. But I wanted to put all of my concerns in one place (asked and answered). I’m including presumably COVID-related things that I assume were on their last legs anyway:

1. Illuminations: Reflections of Earth
2. The Fountain of Nations
3. The Harmonious barges destroying both the serenity of World Showcase and my views across the lagoon
4. Impressions de France dwindling almost down to nothing
5. Beauty and the Beast: LeFou’s Catastrophe
6. Loss of the Great Movie Ride
7. Gain of Minnie and Mickey’s Screen Spectacular
8. The coming loss of Magical Express
9. The coming loss of Splash Mountain for a ride that makes absolutely no sense in Frontierland (give me a better option and I MIGHT change my mind but pls don’t turn this into another thread about it)
10. The removal of Extra Magic Hours
11. The Riviera Marriott
12. PRICES exponential for any recent era
13. A lot of Galaxy’s Edge though I don’t miss the echoes of the decaying Backlot Tour
14. Loss of Great Moments in History
15. Rise of the Resistance’s operational nightmare
16. THE PINK CASTLE
17. DVC taking up more and more oxygen in the Disney machine
18. The proliferation of Epcot festivals - more present than ever for longer and longer periods
19. The Gran Destino Hyatt
20. The Halloween Party beginning in August
21. Club Cool
22. The PeopleMover and its tenuous future
23. The hopefully discarded joke of the Reflections Resident Inn (including this because god knows it could return)
24. The loss of the lights on Cinderella Castle
25. After hours holiday parties during after hours holiday parties
26. The Electric Umbrella
27. The ridiculous new “lands” arrangement at EPCOT
28. Special limited-edition treats and the influencers who hock them
29. The disrespect toward the Gran Fiesta Tour animatronics (they’re relics, yes, but deserve better)
30. Muppets in Epcot (love them dearly but not in World Showcase)
31. eBay reseller “entrepreneurs” who have gone more hardcore in the last 2 years than I have ever seen prior
32. More and more YouTube streamers making the resort their soundstage
33. The plight of Morocco
34. If Finding Nemo: The Musical is truly gone forever
35. MouseGear
36. The FountainView
37. The blight of the Skyliner mucking up the... sky
38. Disney Springs and its continued banality
39. GOTG Box
40. Tron Box

But ask me how I really feel?

No, I am already too scared to go there.

 

[Parker in NYC]

No, I am already too scared to go there.

Nothing to see here, folks!

 

[Parker in NYC]

I really want to reiterate that though this seems to be yet another whining and moaning thread about how awful Disney is (well, take it was a grain of salt and my continued use of rose [but not rose-gold] colored glasses), this was merely my perspective of the NUMBER of changes and what I consider to be downgrades in just two years time. I'm not ignorant to change but you have to admit, it's been a lot. Also, keep in mind that whether or not something was removed or changed, a lack of replacement or the installation of a subpar attraction or experience has to be taken into consideration to try and understand where I'm coming from.

 

[OG Runner]

I really want to reiterate that though this seems to be yet another whining and moaning thread about how awful Disney is (well, take it was a grain of salt and my continued use of rose [but not rose-gold] colored glasses), this was merely my perspective of the NUMBER of changes and what I consider to be downgrades in just two years time. I'm not ignorant to change but you have to admit, it's been a lot. Also, keep in mind that whether or not something was removed or changed, a lack of replacement or the installation of a subpar attraction or experience has to be taken into consideration to try and understand where I'm coming from.

It just isn't the same. Did you mention the charging for parking at the resorts?

 

[Parker in NYC]

It just isn't the same. Did you mention the charging for parking at the resorts?

I didn't because, as Chef Mickey has pointed out, it's an established note of contention because Disney is just following the industry. It just leads to the same ad nauseum discussion had elsewhere on the boards (along with the Splash Mountain topic which I did post - but with a disclaimer)... though I must say, compounded by all of the other changes, the parking fees are yet another item that stinks. I don't drive so it doesn't directly affect me.

 

[erasure fan1]

I don't think it was on the OP's list but I'm going to say the Resort Parking Fee. That fee shows their greed to me and its ticked a lot of people off. They could have added that fee to the room price and most people probably wouldn't have notice. Now with ME going away they are probably counting on more parking fees coming in.

In my opinion the fee was already in the price. Disneys prices were always significantly higher than anything else. And it was always spun by Disney because of all the benefits included in said room. It really is a double dip in my mind and like you said, it's just a greed move.

As far as the decisions that chapped my bum in the last couple years.

*Setting galaxys edge in a locked sequel time period. Just a really poor decision.

*Eliminating great movie ride for Mickey. Instead of just giving Mickey his own building, and updating great movie ride with new movies featuring some from the fox deal.

 

[annabanana]

Is Disney different from the days of yore? Absolutely. We could all list hundreds of changes since our earliest visits. Thankfully, dear Martin gives us brilliant looks into the wonders of the past.

But focusing on just the last two years, I’ve seen changes that have repeatedly thrown my heart against the wall. Just the last 2 years. Yes there are changes all the time. WDW isn’t a museum. But I wanted to put all of my concerns in one place (asked and answered). I’m including presumably COVID-related things that I assume were on their last legs anyway:

1. Illuminations: Reflections of Earth
2. The Fountain of Nations
3. The Harmonious barges destroying both the serenity of World Showcase and my views across the lagoon
4. Impressions de France dwindling almost down to nothing
5. Beauty and the Beast: LeFou’s Catastrophe
6. Loss of the Great Movie Ride
7. Gain of Minnie and Mickey’s Screen Spectacular
8. The coming loss of Magical Express
9. The coming loss of Splash Mountain for a ride that makes absolutely no sense in Frontierland (give me a better option and I MIGHT change my mind but pls don’t turn this into another thread about it)
10. The removal of Extra Magic Hours
11. The Riviera Marriott
12. PRICES exponential for any recent era
13. A lot of Galaxy’s Edge though I don’t miss the echoes of the decaying Backlot Tour
14. Loss of Great Moments in History
15. Rise of the Resistance’s operational nightmare
16. THE PINK CASTLE
17. DVC taking up more and more oxygen in the Disney machine
18. The proliferation of Epcot festivals - more present than ever for longer and longer periods
19. The Gran Destino Hyatt
20. The Halloween Party beginning in August
21. Club Cool
22. The PeopleMover and its tenuous future
23. The hopefully discarded joke of the Reflections Resident Inn (including this because god knows it could return)
24. The loss of the lights on Cinderella Castle
25. After hours holiday parties during after hours holiday parties
26. The Electric Umbrella
27. The ridiculous new “lands” arrangement at EPCOT
28. Special limited-edition treats and the influencers who hock them
29. The disrespect toward the Gran Fiesta Tour animatronics (they’re relics, yes, but deserve better)
30. Muppets in Epcot (love them dearly but not in World Showcase)
31. eBay reseller “entrepreneurs” who have gone more hardcore in the last 2 years than I have ever seen prior
32. More and more YouTube streamers making the resort their soundstage
33. The plight of Morocco
34. If Finding Nemo: The Musical is truly gone forever
35. MouseGear
36. The FountainView
37. The blight of the Skyliner mucking up the... sky
38. Disney Springs and its continued banality
39. GOTG Box
40. Tron Box

But ask me how I really feel?

LOSS OF SPLASH MOUNTAIN!!!!!!!! OH NOOOOO WHY???

 

[annabanana]

In my opinion the fee was already in the price. Disneys prices were always significantly higher than anything else. And it was always spun by Disney because of all the benefits included in said room. It really is a double dip in my mind and like you said, it's just a greed move.

As far as the decisions that chapped my bum in the last couple years.

*Setting galaxys edge in a locked sequel time period. Just a really poor decision.

*Eliminating great movie ride for Mickey. Instead of just giving Mickey his own building, and updating great movie ride with new movies featuring some from the fox deal.