Current State of the Parks

[Chef Mickey]

Was just at WDW for 10 days and finally just ponied up for an annual pass (I've had one on and off, but I should have gotten one again more recently) so I'll be going quite a bit more over the next year.

Overall, a wonderful stay with great cast member experience. Some observations:

• Port Orleans is still one of our favorite resorts.
• All 4 parks were essentially spotless, including bathrooms (within reason).
• Some evidence of hurricane damage, all to foliage.
• Space Mountain didn't have any sound effects during the entire trip.
• A LOT of downtime for attractions overall.
• Not crowded, but certainly not like September used to be.
• Food and Wine too crowded.
• I can confirm WDW isn't even close to understaffed, at least on stage.
• Food and Wine food is severely overrated and almost to the point of bad.
• Cast Members were as good as ever. Knowledgeable, well trained, etc
• Characters were GREAT.
• Halloween Party was amazing. .
• Memory Maker is GREAT with the annual pass.
• Operating hours ridiculously short.
• Extra Magic Hours really are Disney Parks "Lite."

As an investor, I was happy. People seem to LOVE Disney and are packing the place and spending money like never before. Packed restaurants, packed stores, and people having a great time.

As a fan, I am sad to see DHS in its current state. Still enough to do for a fan, but I'm ready to see some upside. We seem to have hit the low and nowhere to go but up. EPCOT desperately needs some TLC (which it's getting, but wow, it's overdue) Food and Wine is no longer enough to mask the dated feel and thin attraction offerings.

Overall, very solid experience given all the construction.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I just wanted to point out that 80% of my observations were good and Disney still has the "magic" in the parks. You can feel it. I think over the next 2 years, we'll be very pleased with the new offerings and Disney World will be back on its way to greatness.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Glad to hear the positives. F&W is always a madhouse. But thats what Disney is hoping for. Friends of ours returned from F&W 2 days ago. They had booked several workshops/seminars and were very pleased with the presentations and information they took in. They felt some of the food was outstanding while other offerings were lacking in flavor and were disappointing.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Glad to hear the positives. F&W is always a madhouse. But thats what Disney is hoping for. Friends of ours returned from F&W 2 days ago. They had booked several workshops/seminars and were very pleased with the presentations and information they took in. They felt some of the food was outstanding while other offerings were lacking in flavor and were disappointing.

For me, food and wine is all a gimmick. It's definitely a good concept and kind of nice to have all the options, but it's just a facade. The "cuisine" offered in these booths is nothing more than microwaved/reheated pre-prepped food done assembly line style. The food was usually overcooked, cold, and just overall too expensive for the small amount.

I am usually impressed with Disney's food, but this needs a complete overhaul.

 

[MagicalMaci]

Just got back myself and was pleasantly surprised at the lack of crowds at Food and Wine this weekend. Maybe it was the rainy forecast? But the only time we saw massive lines for booths was when we were heading out Friday afternoon around 2-2:30. I was prepared for mobs of people for Epcot's 35th and was able to get to try everything I wanted with only a few (if any) people in front of me! We found some gems of food that we loved but there were some duds as well!

 

[JIMINYCR]

The food was usually overcooked, cold, and just overall too expensive for the small amount. I am usually impressed with Disney's food, but this needs a complete overhaul.

Yeah a lot of the time I'm not impressed with the small amounts served up for the cost you pay out. And trying to mass produce for the number of guests in line wanting to be fed compromises quality.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Just got back myself and was pleasantly surprised at the lack of crowds at Food and Wine this weekend. Maybe it was the rainy forecast? But the only time we saw massive lines for booths was when we were heading out Friday afternoon around 2-2:30. I was prepared for mobs of people for Epcot's 35th and was able to get to try everything I wanted with only a few (if any) people in front of me! We found some gems of food that we loved but there were some duds as well!

What was your favorite dish from the pop up countries? I'd say the curry from India was "OK" and the spicy noodles from China were passable, but the shrimp was terribly overcooked.

 

[UKDisney Dave]

Whilst I would agree that the parks curerntly look clean (been here for last 15 nights, 3 more to go!!) I have been shocked with the litter in the load/unload areas of some attractions, particularly pirates and HM - both these were filthy, littered with trash, bottles, crisp packets etc. I know it's most likely the guests dropping this stuff, but surely the cast should pick it up. In the load area of HM there was easily 15-20 pieces of trash - not small bits but bottles, cups etc.

At same time one of the army of litter picking "managers" was stood chatting and laughing with fellow cast members.

Also crazyness of closing snack/drinks carts by exits of parks before parks close, or during closing makes no sense to me. I watched them close down the snack cart at exit of magic kingdom whilst park was closing, and in space of 2 minutes 4 sets of guests asked if they were still open! Where is the logic?! Clearly there is enough trade to cover the cost of CM wages?!

 

[Rumrunner]

I just wanted to point out that 80% of my observations were good and Disney still has the "magic" in the parks. You can feel it. I think over the next 2 years, we'll be very pleased with the new offerings and Disney World will be back on its way to greatness.

We have our trip planned and booked for next June (3 families) but if they keep reducing park hours we have already decided this will be our last trip.

 

[POLY LOVER]

We have our trip planned and booked for next June (3 families) but if they keep reducing park hours we have already decided this will be our last trip.

It's all cost cutting. If you need to raise revenue and can't raise ticket prices you cut operating hours. I remember the days that we would arrive and see extended hours posted and we're very happy.

 

[LilWalt]

We have a trip coming up in February and the park hours are very disappointing. I remember the days of staying at the parks from 9am to 1am almost nightly. Now its a rarity if they are open to 10pm. As much as we love WDW, the value is starting to questioned. For the people that have been going for years, we are paying more for less.

 

[John park hopper]

So true, the park hours keep getting reduced and ticket prices keep going up. Oh, but wait you can pay for an extra 3 hours if your not staying on property. How I remember the days when park hours were till midnight and beyound. Sorry to say, thinking the 50th anniversary in 2021-22 will be our last trip to WDW unless their business model changes IMO start putting their guests first

 

[LilWalt]

My wife has wanted to go else where for years but we always go to WDW. That may be changing soon.

 

[Chef Mickey]

We have our trip planned and booked for next June (3 families) but if they keep reducing park hours we have already decided this will be our last trip.

Park hours are pretty ridiculous. There were so many nights everything was essentially closed at 9pm unless you had tickets to the Halloween Party.

 

[Raineman]

Park hours are pretty ridiculous. There were so many nights everything was essentially closed at 9pm unless you had tickets to the Halloween Party.

I do agree that the park hours seem to be getting shorter and shorter, but I will say one thing-there is a way to manage this, for some people. If you are a park visitor who always likes to go back to your resort in the middle of the day for a swim/nap, cutting this out of your day, and staying at the park from open till close, may be your only option of getting a full day in at the parks. If you have young children and the mid-day break is a necessity, then obviously that is not something you can do to get more park hours in. In my case, I don't think, at my age anyway, that I could stay at the park from open till close if it was still 9 am-1 am or something like that-I find myself getting tired with sore feet by 7 or 8 pm if I've been at the park since rope drop. I do think the option should still be there, and that is not a great decision by Disney to keep cutting hours.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I do agree that the park hours seem to be getting shorter and shorter, but I will say one thing-there is a way to manage this, for some people. If you are a park visitor who always likes to go back to your resort in the middle of the day for a swim/nap, cutting this out of your day, and staying at the park from open till close, may be your only option of getting a full day in at the parks. If you have young children and the mid-day break is a necessity, then obviously that is not something you can do to get more park hours in. In my case, I don't think, at my age anyway, that I could stay at the park from open till close if it was still 9 am-1 am or something like that-I find myself getting tired with sore feet by 7 or 8 pm if I've been at the park since rope drop. I do think the option should still be there, and that is not a great decision by Disney to keep cutting hours.

I'm pretty crazy, so I never takes breaks...even if the park is open until midnight. I do agree that if you are a break type family, you'd have to cut it.

 

[Raineman]

I'm pretty crazy, so I never takes breaks...even if the park is open until midnight. I do agree that if you are a break type family, you'd have to cut it.

I guess I should paraphrase my original statement-when we stay at WDW for a week, the first 2 park days, I'm good for open to close, no complaints. By the end of the week though, everything is starting to get to me-I'm tired, got sore feet, crowds, waiting in lines, strollers, screaming kids on the bus back to the resort, everything lol.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I guess I should paraphrase my original statement-when we stay at WDW for a week, the first 2 park days, I'm good for open to close, no complaints. By the end of the week though, everything is starting to get to me-I'm tired, got sore feet, crowds, waiting in lines, strollers, screaming kids on the bus back to the resort, everything lol.

Haha, it is pretty difficult to do 7 days of open-close with no breaks. I'm usually taking it easier by the end of the trip too.

With these hours, it's almost like there is no time to take it easy.

 

[DisneyMann]

Anything over 6 days should require an off day.

The hours in January are fairly short. A few days, Epcot is the latest to stay open and that's at 9. I think MK should be open till 10 at the earliest.