Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

[Nubs70]

My planning stage years ago was to get to airport with kids, check bags, get on plane, get off plane, get on/off bus, and go to park.

 

[DisneyNittany]

I'm a Project Manager by trade, with OCD to boot, so I personally liked a little pre-planning and spreadsheeting. It wasn't much, but I felt like having some sort of plan 60-days out allowed us to put our brains on cruise-control once we checked into our flight and dropped the luggage off.

 

[Grimley1968]

Instead of using sites like this to complain about WDW like I do now, my planning years ago involved using sites like this.

- Best routes to involve the least amount of running back and forth between getting paper FP's and our current place in the park
- How to get the kids to not want to do character breakfasts (still had to do a few over the years)
- How much cash in $1 bills and coins to bring to pay Florida Turnpike and Beeline (now Beachline) tolls
- Which deluxe resort had the best amenities (staying in a deluxe is a pipe dream now)

Things have certainly changed.

 

[bwr827]

I think the best way that I can put it, at least for myself and my wife, is that WDW trips cause way more anxiety now than they ever had. Almost to the point where we experience more anxiety than we do enjoyment. Disney World was our anti-anxiety medicine that allowed us to escape the real world for a bit. Now, you're paying more for way less, as well as having to micromanage your entire vacation by the minute.

Genuine question: what things have changed that make you have to micromanage your entire vacation by the minute?

I know about Genie/Lightning Lanes being newer.

Anything else recent requiring micromanaging?

 

[HauntedPirate]

Instead of using sites like this to complain about WDW like I do now, my planning years ago involved using sites like this.

- Best routes to involve the least amount of running back and forth between getting paper FP's and our current place in the park
- How to get the kids to not want to do character breakfasts (still had to do a few over the years)
- How much cash in $1 bills and coins to bring to pay Florida Turnpike and Beeline (now Beachline) tolls
- Which deluxe resort had the best amenities (staying in a deluxe is a pipe dream now)

Things have certainly changed.

Don't forget - Shiny pennies and quarters to do a penny press machine with your kid's favorite character and/or favorite ride. Now it's dollar bills and you get 8 pennies, which takes all the charm and fun out of the process.

 

[Lilofan]

Don't forget - Shiny pennies and quarters to do a penny press machine with your kid's favorite character and/or favorite ride. Now it's dollar bills and you get 8 pennies, which takes all the charm and fun out of the process.

Starting wage entry level in parks is $20 per hour thanks to new union contract that was approved and passed. One needs to get that from operating income.

 

[fgmnt]

I feel like providing some anecdata.

Had a busy summer but wanted to take some time out to see my favorite professional baseball team play some away games down South, and decided to breech into the state of Florida in the summer months for the first time in 8 years. God, what an abysmal place to be in the summer. It's so hot I think your body has to mutate to survive it.

Anyway, had a bug up my bum to lock in some roller coasters at Busch Gardens and Sea World that I had never been on and don't know if I will ever be able to ride again. Got a comp from a friend to do a half day at Studios after a very hot, very crowded day at SeaWorld.

SeaWorld was definitely busier in the early afternoon on Saturday (an objectively terrible time to be outside in Central Florida) than the evening at Studios (definitively the best time to be in that park). 3 rides on Tower of Terror that took less than 30 minutes, 3 rides on Star Tours that were walk ons, 1 ride on Slinky Dog that I took on because the wait was actually posted under an hour and I didn't feel like chancing Rock'n or Rise maintenance issues (at least one of them went down). Got a seat on the first bus that showed up after leaving at close (got a room at a Springs hotel so I took a Saratoga bus). Truly baffling, if limited, experience. What the heck is going on in Osceola County?

 

[LSLS]

Genuine question: what things have changed that make you have to micromanage your entire vacation by the minute?

I know about Genie/Lightning Lanes being newer.

Anything else recent requiring micromanaging?

Not my quote, but I have similar feelings. This is not the deal breaker for us (that would be more down below), but I do have that feeling some. I'd say Genie is obviously a big part of it. There's also the giant push to mobile ordering food (including lines for food being way longer than they should be if you don't). Then there is date based pricing. So make sure you select the cheapest price date, and then make sure you get those tickets used in the correct amount of time. Also, this goes with the next section, but you need to do so much to maximize each park visit to justify the cost (compare hours open, attendance at parks, should we park hop, etc.).

I completely get the anxious thing on trips now. We have REALLY been phasing out park trips for this reason. It feels like there is so much less to do with longer lines. You are also paying such a price to go, you feel you HAVE to cram everything in to justify your cost. Before if the lines were especially long that day, you could see parades/characters/playgrounds/etc. and only wait in a few lines and feel it was a great day. Now, it's lines or nothing. Playgrounds are gone (or gone soon). Parades are almost non-existent. Streetmosphere way gone. Also, because of the price, we don't do 7 day tickets or so for a week trip (where we can then revisit a park if we didn't get it all in), it's now one and done at each park.

 

[celluloid]

. Truly baffling, if limited, experience. What the heck is going on in Osceola County?

In a nutshell, the target they raised prices for have not replaced the brand advocates they have lost.

Not my quote, but I have similar feelings. This is not the deal breaker for us (that would be more down below), but I do have that feeling some. I'd say Genie is obviously a big part of it. There's also the giant push to mobile ordering food (including lines for food being way longer than they should be if you don't). Then there is date based pricing. So make sure you select the cheapest price date, and then make sure you get those tickets used in the correct amount of time. Also, this goes with the next section, but you need to do so much to maximize each park visit to justify the cost (compare hours open, attendance at parks, should we park hop, etc.).

I completely get the anxious thing on trips now. We have REALLY been phasing out park trips for this reason. It feels like there is so much less to do with longer lines. You are also paying such a price to go, you feel you HAVE to cram everything in to justify your cost. Before if the lines were especially long that day, you could see parades/characters/playgrounds/etc. and only wait in a few lines and feel it was a great day. Now, it's lines or nothing. Playgrounds are gone (or gone soon). Parades are almost non-existent. Streetmosphere way gone. Also, because of the price, we don't do 7 day tickets or so for a week trip (where we can then revisit a park if we didn't get it all in), it's now one and done at each park.

Also to add to this there us far more often a hard ticket event closing the park early and or sharing that events guest space before event starts that causes park day to require more planning.

 

[wdisney9000]

I completely get the anxious thing on trips now. We have REALLY been phasing out park trips for this reason. It feels like there is so much less to do with longer lines.

I still enjoy the parks very much and I don't feel it's more anxiety but it's definitely less magic.

EMH are a shell of what it once was. Maintenance issues are more of a plague than ever. Resort prices skyrocket with little to no perks and man do I miss Tables In Wonderland.

Add in the hassle of Genie+ to LLMP and new attractions cost $15-$20 on top of it. It's annoying and sucks some of the enjoyment out of it.

 

[HauntedPirate]

In a nutshell, the target they raised prices for have not replaced the brand advocates they have lost.

 

[Bocabear]

the planning for everything is a huge kill-joy. Restaurant reservations, park reservations and then Genie et-al have impacted our desire to visit as often as we used to. We keep hearng that the parks are less crowded but they are always mobbed when we go...reservations are hard to get, lines are long, there are less attractions and entertainment... Hoping that things get better in the next few years...

 

[DisneyNittany]

Genuine question: what things have changed that make you have to micromanage your entire vacation by the minute?

I know about Genie/Lightning Lanes being newer.

Anything else recent requiring micromanaging?

Micromanage is probably the wrong word, but @LSLS pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Maybe the new structure of LL will help alleviate some of it, but the Genie+/LL setup had a lot to do with it. It still felt like it required a lot of preplanning/strategy, but without any sort of guarantee (i.e. 3 auto FP+ per day), which would make for a potentially strenuous/stressful day-of each and every day. Cards on the table, we didn't even elect into the Genie+ game, since we have two little girls and it wasn't worth the coin. However, that means that my wife an I haven't gotten to enjoy the attractions we love most, even with rider swap, since it would have meant standing in long lines (meaning one of us would have been absent for 1-2 hours from our kids at various times throughout the day). When the main reason we are going is for our kids (and to experience their joy), that was a non-starter.

Park operating hours are a shell of their former hours, so that adds extra stress for "fitting everything in", and we aren't even those kind of park goers. We are much more go-with-the-flow, or at least were during the FP+ era, but never felt like we missed out on much, since the longer hours provided more opportunity each and every day.

I'm more responsible for ordering/reserving my own transportation now, not to mention my luggage.

All of our favorite QS places are not pretty much online ordering only. Again, not really micromanaging, but just gives off a vibe that gives you an uneasy feeling when you factor in all of the others compiling.

So, yeah, maybe micromanaging was the wrong word. It is, however, no longer very relaxing and gives off a vibe that you must be constantly on your app and have your wallet open if you want all the "magic".

It's hard to explain, but our two trips since COVID have felt very regimented. We never got that feeling beforehand.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Micromanage is probably the wrong word, but @LSLS pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Maybe the new structure of LL will help alleviate some of it, but the Genie+/LL setup had a lot to do with it. It still felt like it required a lot of preplanning/strategy, but without any sort of guarantee (i.e. 3 auto FP+ per day), which would make for a potentially strenuous/stressful day-of each and every day. Cards on the table, we didn't even elect into the Genie+ game, since we have two little girls and it wasn't worth the coin. However, that means that my wife an I haven't gotten to enjoy the attractions we love most, even with rider swap, since it would have meant standing in long lines (meaning one of us would have been absent for 1-2 hours from our kids at various times throughout the day). When the main reason we are going is for our kids (and to experience their joy), that was a non-starter.

Park operating hours are a shell of their former hours, so that adds extra stress for "fitting everything in", and we aren't even those kind of park goers. We are much more go-with-the-flow, or at least were during the FP+ era, but never felt like we missed out on much, since the longer hours provided more opportunity each and every day.

I'm more responsible for ordering/reserving my own transportation now, not to mention my luggage.

All of our favorite QS places are not pretty much online ordering only. Again, not really micromanaging, but just gives off a vibe that gives you an uneasy feeling when you factor in all of the others compiling.

So, yeah, maybe micromanaging was the wrong word. It is, however, no longer very relaxing and gives off a vibe that you must be constantly on your app and have your wallet open if you want all the "magic".

It's hard to explain, but our two trips since COVID have felt very regimented. We never got that feeling beforehand.

Thankfully, a lot of people experienced "the magic" in years past, so they have no need to spend the money on any of Bob's and Josh's schemes and can focus on doing the things they want that bring them the most joy without spending any extra money because there is no need to "do everything" anymore.

 

[Grimley1968]

Thankfully, a lot of people experienced "the magic" in years past, so they have no need to spend the money on any of Bob's and Josh's schemes and can focus on doing the things they want that bring them the most joy without spending any extra money because there is no need to "do everything" anymore.

That’s my situation. I’m just sad that my kids and other younger people these days won’t experience anything like the same WDW we experienced just 15-20 years ago.

 

[John park hopper]

There is big change 15-20 yrs ago and even bigger change for those of us who were there at the opening

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Little surprised at the negative comments on mobile ordering - I love it - at the restaurants, in the merch shops, etc - anything I can do myself in the app inorder (also love mobile checked out at any stores that offer it outside of Disney - grocery stores, fast food, etc).

I definitely think places should *only* have that b the additional ion of it I see as a net positive

 

[wannabeBelle]

Little surprised at the negative comments on mobile ordering - I love it - at the restaurants, in the merch shops, etc - anything I can do myself in the app inorder (also love mobile checked out at any stores that offer it outside of Disney - grocery stores, fast food, etc).

I definitely think places should *only* have that b the additional ion of it I see as a net positive

I have had very hit and miss with mobile ordering. One of my trips not too long ago, literally two friends and I all couldnt get into the system and get it to work with 3 different phones and two different carriers. Definitely not a phone or carrier issue for sure, as a fourth friend could get in. Frustrating to say the least. Also the other thing with having so many things on the app, I dont want to have to stare at my phone all day long. I came to WDW to get away from my every day life, not to do something I can do at home for free. I want to be able to have the great experiences, see the beautiful surroundings and most importantly connect with my friends and family that I am with. Marie

 

[GhostHost1000]

Little surprised at the negative comments on mobile ordering - I love it - at the restaurants, in the merch shops, etc - anything I can do myself in the app inorder (also love mobile checked out at any stores that offer it outside of Disney - grocery stores, fast food, etc).

I definitely think places should *only* have that b the additional ion of it I see as a net positive

yeah I'll say mobile ordering is actually something I really like that they did.

 

[LSLS]

yeah I'll say mobile ordering is actually something I really like that they did.

I'd be fine with it if I didn't almost have to do it. The line shouldn't be 15 people deep unless you mobile order. Times I really like it, but times we are just walking by a place, people complain they are hungry, and we just want to jump in and eat without passing a phone around for everyone to order, then checking in, then checking are order on the app. In other words, give me options. Staff your places well enough that my options are not do mobile order or wait 20 minutes (yes some exaggeration here).