Ditching Disney

[Dutch Inn '76]

That's not really an accurate assessment of 20k's demise - the ride was closed and left to rot for a decade before there was any meaningful movement on replacing it - and then once the land was reclaimed it was another half decade before announcing a meaningful replacement, and almost another half decade before that expansion was actually completed. "Sacrificed" is overly generous.

To your earlier point, WDW's Toad was not the same as Disneyland's - it featured two individual, intertwined ride tracks, making it literally twice the ride the DL version is (love it though I do).

Yeah I knew all of that. I was trying to make a succinct point: the MK is better now than on opening day, or any other time in its history.

 

[jloucks]

Going to Six Flags in TX in current temps 105-115 degrees to include humidity ? No thanks.

Tell me about it. Going anywhere in 115 is miserable. Includes just walking to your car after work.

 

[jaklgreen]

Cruise ships you stay on property and are transported around from your hotel and have all day entertainment.

You can compare WDW to any destination that has...

• Rides
• Shows
• Costumed Characters
• Dining
• Hotels
• Airports etc

So you can compare WDW to Six Flags, Sea World, State Fairs, Circuses, etc. You really only need one like characteristic to compare.

I have said this several times before over the last decade, but when you compare Six Flags to WDW, Six Flags wins in several criteria. Maybe not all. Maybe not overall. But in several ways Six Flags is superior to WDW.

But most people don't stay for a week or more at Six Flags because it is one park. WDW is so much more than Six Flags, obviously. That is like comparing a corner Bodega to Costco.

 

[J4546]

last time I went to Six Flags it was terriible and the people (guests) there were just trashy as all hell, yelling slurs and cuss words in large groups and almost saw a fight in line for a coaster....seemed like it was full of the trashiest people. This was Magic Mountain btw.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Lol, that's fine. That's half the fun of this board.

I was a season pass holder for Six Flags over Texas for over a decade (when the kids were prime theme park age).

Here are the way Six Flags is better that WDW.

• Off-season, the lines are shorter to non-existent.
• Tickets and Parking and food and, well, everything really, is more affordable.
• Six Flags is only 45 minutes from the house.
• Six Flags season passes apply to any Six Flags park. We toured parks all over the nation. (this is sorta like affordable)
• The coasters, especially the giga-coasters are world class and far superior to the coasters in WDW.
• Six Flags is more intimate. It feels grittier and more down to earth. You can be broke and not feel out of place.
• The people are friendlier. I don't mean the staff, I mean the fellow parkgoers.
• Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio) was cleaner than WDW, overall, all parks. (Six Flags Over Texas is gross tho)

Granted, there are lots of ways Six Flags is inferior, but that wasn't my point.

Some of these points may vary from park to park. The most recent Six Flags I went to was Six Flags America and it was dirty, coasters weren't super great, food was disgusting and employees were extremely rude. It's about an hour from where I live so that was a plus.

 

[jloucks]

But most people don't stay for a week or more at Six Flags because it is one park. WDW is so much more than Six Flags, obviously. That is like comparing a corner Bodega to Costco.

That is a pretty good example.

When you are in a hurry for milk, do you go to the Bodega next door, or the Costco a few miles away?

Very comparable.

...but I think we are getting mired down with the definition of the word "comparison"

I think at this point we are talking about contrast or disparity.

 

[TQQQ]

I’m sure Disney Will suffer badly from your departure.

Ummmmmm......They actually are in case you havent noticed

 

[King Panda 77]

Ummmmmm......They actually are in case you havent noticed

The reality of the situation doesn't seem to validate your comment. Am sure they have recovered the monitary losses of having one family not vacation at their destination place.

 

[Weather_Lady]

The reality of the situation doesn't seem to validate your comment. Am sure they have recovered the monitary losses of having one family not vacation at their destination place.

I think the OP was talking about the obvious recent downturn in attendance, which has been forecast by a number of sources, and attributed to a combination of factors, including the exhaustion of post-COVID "revenge" travel, economic uncertainties, a return to pre-COVID seasonal attendance patterns, and -- as the OP illustrates -- decreases in guest satisfaction, brought about by Disney's own decisions in recent years, related to lapses in park maintenance and attraction upkeep, insufficient staffing/longer lines, Genie+ and ILL, parkhopping restrictions, elimination of EMH, reduced park hours/increased double-selling of the parks for "parties," elimination of DME, unsightly construction projects that drag on for years, etc. The OP is hardly alone in finding that one or more of these issues is a deal-breaker.

This year, Disney has offered a level of discounts not seen in years, trying to win guests (or win them back). The question is whether Disney will take any meaningful action to address the core guest satisfaction issues that are losing many loyal repeat guests in the first place, or whether they'll simply rely on first-timers and one-and-doners (whose views won't be affected by memories of how much better some parts of a Disney vacation used to be) to try and stem the gap.

 

[TQQQ]

Thanks for posting.

We went in December 2022 and can't blame you a bit. Disney really sucked for us on that trip for many reasons and currently no plans to go back anytime soon. The magic is dead, and it is yet to been seen if it ever comes back again.

we love Disney and have been more times than i can count.......

What i can say, we went in April this year and it was the most expensive trip ive ever been on.......I couldn't believe how much more $ that Genie+ and ILLs add to the cost (never mind all the other hidden price increases they've had)

We are going to Hawaii next month and a 2 week trip to Hawaii is costing me less than my week long April trip to WDW

No wonder attendance is slipping.......People realize they can go anywhere in the world for less money than central Florida

 

[TQQQ]

The reality of the situation doesn't seem to validate your comment. Am sure they have recovered the monitary losses of having one family not vacation at their destination place.

Only problem is, its not one family.....

Disney World Hasn’t Felt This Empty in Years

Shorter wait times for rides and more discount offers are signs of thinning crowds at the theme parks.

www.wsj.com

 

[TQQQ]

The reality of the situation doesn't seem to validate your comment. Am sure they have recovered the monitary losses of having one family not vacation at their destination place.

ummmmmm.........this is a microcosm of what's happening on a much bigger scale.......you cant comprehend this concept?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Tfw you plan a nice "lazy day" at a museum to "avoid the crowds" at Walt Disney World.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Really? Posting a picture of the crowd in the Louvre in Paris as they try to catch a selfie with the Mona Lisa? Captain? Maybe. America? Hardly

 

[JohnD]

Tfw you plan a nice "lazy day" at a museum to "avoid the crowds" at Walt Disney World.

View attachment 729718

Or more likely, avoid the crowds at DisneyLand Paris.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Really? Posting a picture of the crowd in the Louvre in Paris as they try to catch a selfie with the Mona Lisa? Captain? Maybe. America? Hardly

Lol wut

 

[FettFan]

I’m sure Disney Will suffer badly from your departure.

Multiply those sentiments by thousands, and yeah, Walt Disney World is suffering.

Their attendance has taken a MAJOR hit this year.

Wall Street is worried Disney theme parks could be losing their magic

Data from Touring Plans indicates signs that Disney's theme park attendance in the US could be moderating.

finance.yahoo.com

 

[StarshipDisney]

Multiply those sentiments by thousands, and yeah, Walt Disney World is suffering.

Roger that! I am certainly doing my part. I talk negatively about Disney every day to as many people as I can. Hopefully it comes to a point that Disney begins to care about their reputation and the guest experience again. Right now...not so much.

I have seen other recent stories beside the one you mentioned.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

DH has 4+ weeks, but I am fully aware that is not the norm for most.

Many in the US get multiple weeks per year…I think the disconnect is that most employers either frown upon or not allow employees to take long, multiple week trips except for perhaps a honeymoon.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Well they just renewed Bob's contract for another 4 years, so I'm sure they're really concerned with the trashing.

10 years on these sites , I wish I had a dollar every time folks fantasize about Disney's comeuppance.
We'll see, crowds are supposedly lighter, I'm hoping they stay that way until my September trip