My next trip will be my last for a while…

[MickeyLuv'r]

It's a difference of scale, Universal has fewer rooms per park capacity then Disney does if Disney gave everybody express pass the express line would look like the lightning line

Ugh.
Because that is beside the point. Express Pass is easy to use. G+/ILL is not easy to use.

It is absurd to say WDW could not have come up with a pass that was easy to use. WDW was not required to come up with the current abomination they put in place.

 

[JoeCamel]

Ugh.
Because that is beside the point. Express Pass is easy to use. G+/ILL is not easy to use.

It is absurd to say WDW could not have come up with a pass that was easy to use. WDW was not required to come up with the current abomination they put in place.

The point is if you give it to everyone that no one has it

 

[Roy G. Dis]

What did people do before message boards when they found out they stopped liking the thing they liked? Did they just stop liking it and moved on with their lives? Simpler times.

 

[Diamond Dot]

I have a trip booked for November, no flights booked yet, just hotel and tickets with WDTC because the £50 deposit will be refunded with no quibble by them if I had chosen to cancel after this trip I just came back from. I'm 90% certain that trip will go ahead, helped by the dining credits and the discount offered for being part of the UK military discount scheme, which offsets a lot of the costs. But, this next trip will take into account lessons learned from this trip. Saying that, I'm hoping the reservation system will be gone (as if) or that you can start park hopping at noon, both of those are ridiculous. But, the reality is that none of what is wrong with Disney is going to change because those who made these changes will never have to experience them, so they will never see the negatives of them.

Update: I just went on Virgin Atlantic to check out flights now my Virgin miles have been credited. There are no direct flights for my date, I've never seen that before. Admittedly there is only one direct flight to MCO for the date I want, plus all those around the same time, but, economy being sold out?

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

The point is if you give it to everyone that no one has it

Huh?
When did I say every parkgoer has Express Pass?

I think perhaps you are confusing me with someone else.

In moving to paid system, WDW should have an easy-to-use pass. We pay for the pass or we don't, but it is easy to use.

Disney has ample opportunity to improve G+. I'm hoping they make it easier to use.

 

[debg32]

I totally agree. The greed has taken over. I understand adding new experiences to keep up with the newer Disney movies, etc. However, don't get rid of the old. There is still a generation that remembers Walt Disney and how he created such a magical place for families to enjoy together. We went back in October. My family bought into DVC 20 years ago. If it wasn't for that we probably would not go. We wanted to spend our 10 days there as usual but were not able to get accommodations for that amount of time. We ended up spending the second part of the trip at the Vero Beach Resort. We loved it there. Returning home we talked about going back there instead of the parks. We had the opportunity to stay at Aulani a couple of years ago. Figuring out the cost of our flights (from the east coast) to Orlando and the cost of the park tickets, we could combine those 2 things, fly to Hawaii and spend a relaxing vacation, not dealing with the obnoxious people that seem to permeate Disney World now. Hearing about all the instances of fights breaking out, it is not the wonderful, fun place it used to be.

 

[Diamond Dot]

At the end of the day the FP+ system truly worked and if you go to the parks now after having been used to FP+ you will notice a huge difference in how people use stand by lines. In FP+ days I certainly didn't get up every morning at 6am to make sure I was in line for transportation and I do not remember the ridiculous queues at 7am for MK that went right down to bell services and back again. I found the way the opened MK for early hours a bit annoying, funnelling everyone over to the bridges that lead to Tommorowland and Fantasyland (by Merida meet n greet) not to mention dangerous because of the risk of a stampede and crush in the mad dash for 7D and Space Mountain and it was for those two rides because one morning I decided to do Buzz Lightyear and there was absolutely no line so I did it twice and could have even done it a third time just walking on. Why couldn't they open the entire park for early opening?

 

[BASS]

What about clicking on a thread that you know you’re going to dislike yet doing it anyway? What about reading the subject line, clicking on it, then posting how much you dislike these types of threads? Find another hobby.

If you not only don’t agree with the topic but also are going to actively complain about it, then skip the thread. There are lots more happy-sunshine posts to read in this forum. There are even humorous posts mocking these types of threads. Perhaps you should stick to reading those and others that better align with your (Disney) worldview.

Sorry, but it's just mind-boggling to me folks are apparently so displeased with the product yet hang around these parts.

And for the record, Disney isn't perfect. I'm far from an apologist or some obsessed fan. Quite the opposite actually. I haven't been since the pandemic simply because for the same money, there are better vacation options. But I'll come every so often just to see what's brewing. I don't post much, but lately, this place has become an echo chamber for displeasure of one sort of another and it's been consistently peculiar to find that on a site entitled wdwmagic. If the magic is gone for you, then what appeal does this place continue to hold other than to scratch old wounds? To warn others, as someone said? Not really sure this site of all places-where folks know the names of imagineers, for example!-is a spot to dispel others of that magic.

 

[Editor516]

Sorry, but it's just mind-boggling to me folks are apparently so displeased with the product yet hang around these parts.

And for the record, Disney isn't perfect. I'm far from an apologist or some obsessed fan. Quite the opposite actually. I haven't been since the pandemic simply because for the same money, there are better vacation options. But I'll come every so often just to see what's brewing. I don't post much, but lately, this place has become an echo chamber for displeasure of one sort of another and it's been consistently peculiar to find that on a site entitled wdwmagic. If the magic is gone for you, then what appeal does this place continue to hold other than to scratch old wounds? To warn others, as someone said? Not really sure this site of all places-where folks know the names of imagineers, for example!-is a spot to dispel others of that magic.

I think you answer your own questions here. It’s because people love the place that they’re so passionate about it. They know the names of imagineers because they care. Disney World is a place of fond memories and true magic, and when those things are threatened, those who love it get concerned and voice an opinion. We hope that at least some of the magic comes back.

For some of us here, it’s not a matter of dispelling magic for others. That sadly happened over our recent trips and because of recent corporate decisions. To avoid losing that magic, skip the posts that disagree with your perceptions.

And if this isn’t the place to find others who share those concerns and to voice their concerns, then where is the appropriate place?

 

[Mindy55]

Sorry, but it's just mind-boggling to me folks are apparently so displeased with the product yet hang around these parts.

And for the record, Disney isn't perfect. I'm far from an apologist or some obsessed fan. Quite the opposite actually. I haven't been since the pandemic simply because for the same money, there are better vacation options. But I'll come every so often just to see what's brewing. I don't post much, but lately, this place has become an echo chamber for displeasure of one sort of another and it's been consistently peculiar to find that on a site entitled wdwmagic. If the magic is gone for you, then what appeal does this place continue to hold other than to scratch old wounds? To warn others, as someone said? Not really sure this site of all places-where folks know the names of imagineers, for example!-is a spot to dispel others of that magic.

I know for me, I’ve never witnessed anything like this, the transformation of the parks did not seem subtle, or consistent with changes made In the past, I think everyone is just reacting- in their own way, to the surprise in it all. the people I see posting have been using this forum as a place to share - all kinds of good, bad, indifferent… it certainly makes sense we are all seeking some sort of company in our experience, positive or not. For me the question isn’t what are these people who’ve always been here, still here for?
I don’t post much either - I find it validating that it’s just not me that went had a similar experience to others though, it’s honest and from people who have been long time fans, goers and have seen tons of modifications and updates over the years - I just think it’s different this time and everyone is asking / sharing / in the places we have relied on doing so…
I don’t think it’d be a stretch to say we would all love that magic to comeback and are hopeful it will- I keep searching for the kind of news that carries that hope -
Anyway, I said more than I planned to- sorry for the longer post

 

[BASS]

I know for me, I’ve never witnessed anything like this, the transformation of the parks did not seem subtle, or consistent with changes made In the past, I think everyone is just reacting- in their own way, to the surprise in it all. the people I see posting have been using this forum as a place to share - all kinds of good, bad, indifferent… it certainly makes sense we are all seeking some sort of company in our experience, positive or not. For me the question isn’t what are these people who’ve always been here, still here for?
I don’t post much either - I find it validating that it’s just not me that went had a similar experience to others though, it’s honest and from people who have been long time fans, goers and have seen tons of modifications and updates over the years - I just think it’s different this time and everyone is asking / sharing / in the places we have relied on doing so…
I don’t think it’d be a stretch to say we would all love that magic to comeback and are hopeful it will- I keep searching for the kind of news that carries that hope -
Anyway, I said more than I planned to- sorry for the longer post

Some of the financial complaints are valid. For those with lesser means, that's a legitimate gripe. Like I said earlier, there are IMO better options, particularly with smaller children. But see my last post. Disney is a monstrous corporation. ?



At the end of the day, for my family, Disney isn't for "me." It is for my children and for our memories. Short of something shocking the conscience, I really won't permit any purported political position to affect my enjoyment because my kids don't know and don't care.

 

[NelleBelle]

I think someone mentioned somewhere pages back (or maybe another thread) that disney has always had lobbyists, as all mega-corporations do. I think they've just more quiet about it in the past. Now that controversial bills have come up and they've been outed as a political donor, disney has had to make statements I'm sure they would have loved to keep silent about. I don't think they've traded politics for park neglect, I lay park neglect solely at the hands/feet/head (pick a body part) at the Bobs!

 

[MagicRat]

When you do go for your last trip for awhile, have you considered making custom tshirts? Put that this is the last trip for awhile on the front, then bullet point the reasons on the back. This will really get your message out and spark the movement. Have fun with it, different colors for different days. I have seven some interesting disney trip tees and they always grab my attention.

 

[Ayla]

At the end of the day the FP+ system truly worked and if you go to the parks now after having been used to FP+ you will notice a huge difference in how people use stand by lines. In FP+ days I certainly didn't get up every morning at 6am to make sure I was in line for transportation and I do not remember the ridiculous queues at 7am for MK that went right down to bell services and back again. I found the way the opened MK for early hours a bit annoying, funnelling everyone over to the bridges that lead to Tommorowland and Fantasyland (by Merida meet n greet) not to mention dangerous because of the risk of a stampede and crush in the mad dash for 7D and Space Mountain and it was for those two rides because one morning I decided to do Buzz Lightyear and there was absolutely no line so I did it twice and could have even done it a third time just walking on. Why couldn't they open the entire park for early opening?

Opening up the entire park for early opening costs additional money. Can't have that!

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Sorry, but it's just mind-boggling to me folks are apparently so displeased with the product yet hang around these parts.

You both raise some valid points here. Some folks who post here rarely go to WDW and periodically admit they haven't been to WDW in quite some time.

We're all strangers here, so we should always take posts with a grain of salt. I sometimes wonder if certain forum members are paid to post by Disney or Disney's competition.

I think you answer your own questions here. It’s because people love the place that they’re so passionate about it. They know the names of imagineers because they care. Disney World is a place of fond memories and true magic, and when those things are threatened, those who love it get concerned and voice an opinion. We hope that at least some of the magic comes back.

For some of us here, it’s not a matter of dispelling magic for others. That sadly happened over our recent trips and because of recent corporate decisions. To avoid losing that magic, skip the posts that disagree with your perceptions.

And if this isn’t the place to find others who share those concerns and to voice their concerns, then where is the appropriate place?

 

[Editor516]

You both raise some valid points here. Some folks who post here rarely go to WDW and periodically admit they haven't been to WDW in quite some time.

We're all strangers here, so we should always take posts with a grain of salt. I sometimes wonder if certain forum members are paid to post by Disney or Disney's competition.

I wish I was paid to post by Disney or Disney’s competition. Then I could easily pay for my upcoming trip, or at least some of those cool shirts MagicRat described!

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Oh me too!

I've also been giving away crowd prediction tips for free for years, when I could have been making $ off the idea!

 

[witom]

I’m a Disney fan. I’ve been to WDW more than 30 times. I’m a shareholder. I’m the guy friends turn to when they plan trips.

But I’m pretty much done with Disney for a while.

I’m old enough to remember when IP wasn’t smeared across EPCOT. When on-property hotels were both specially themed places and affordable for a family of four. When Extra Magic Hours were, you know, actual hours. When Disney didn’t charge you to park at their hotels. When they picked you up and dropped you off at the airport, and the price of that service was baked into the cost of your stay. When you didn’t have to pay for FastPass. When you got MagicBands. When tickets for special events didn’t run you hundreds of dollars. When you’d never see a burned out light bulb on the facades of the Main Street USA shops, and when the insides of those shops were filled with unique items (like the magic shop). When all of the boutiques inside the EPCOT pavilions had unique and cool items from the countries they represented.

I remember a time when you could immerse yourself in the bubble and forget about the world that went on outside that bubble. It seemed that Disney corporate leadership worked hard to create and maintain that bubble, too.

But those days are long gone, and probably won’t return.

I get that the parks have to adapt to modern guest sensibilities. I get Disney is a moneymaking business.

But what I don’t get is how or why Disney has sucked the magic out of what used to be a special place.

Gone is the importance of the guest experience. Here is the new Disney, a woke corporation that will add their intellectual property to anything and everything, who will burst the bubble of fantasy with the preachiness, posturing, and lecturing of every other modern corporation, and who will charge you hundreds and thousands of dollars for the privilege.

Like sports leagues did to their games, Disney is ruining their products by letting their new corporate ideology permeate the way they operate their parks. Just as I watched a pro football game to escape from the crushing weight of the news, I would go to Disney to enter that bubble of fantasy. But as far as I can tell, that bubble burst and has been replaced by a greedy, unimaginative corporate landscape.

I’m scheduled to next visit Disney World in December. It’s going to be my last trip for a while. I’m showing my dissatisfaction with their woke-profiteering-first, improved-guest-experience-last attitude by taking my dollars elsewhere. If friends weren’t traveling a great distance to meet us there, I’d have already cancelled the trip.

Disney World used to be a magical place. It’s not anymore. It’s a mashup of politically correct profiteering coated with a veneer of intellectual property. And I can’t - and won’t - support it anymore.

I agree! For me it's making a reservation to enter the parks. I like my vacations to have a little of spontaneity. I don't like being tethered to my phone. I'm trying to get away from that stuff when I vacation. It's always been expensive but I never felt like I had been cheated like I do now.

 

[Dog Ate Mouse]

I too am disgusted with the way Disney is shaping up. I decided the next vacations are to New Orleans, Yellow Stone and hopefully Alaska. I will not get involved as to why or my feelings. I don't want to start an issue due to this is not the place nor time for them. I have been a long time Disney fan who has been disenchanted. My wife feels the same way and we do not want to let Disney have our money any more for vacations.

The sad part my daughter and her family feel the same way. We would never think twice about not going to WDW but now like the times that too has changed. WDW in my opinion really is getting close to being at rock bottom.

 

[Naplesgolfer]

Sorry, but it's just mind-boggling to me folks are apparently so displeased with the product yet hang around these parts.

And for the record, Disney isn't perfect. I'm far from an apologist or some obsessed fan. Quite the opposite actually. I haven't been since the pandemic simply because for the same money, there are better vacation options. But I'll come every so often just to see what's brewing. I don't post much, but lately, this place has become an echo chamber for displeasure of one sort of another and it's been consistently peculiar to find that on a site entitled wdwmagic. If the magic is gone for you, then what appeal does this place continue to hold other than to scratch old wounds? To warn others, as someone said? Not really sure this site of all places-where folks know the names of imagineers, for example!-is a spot to dispel others of that magic.

I can only answer for me. Everyone has a different situation and nuance on how they respond to lower satisfaction with Disney vacations. I have DVC contract's, so for me the choice to stop going is more complex and the tipping point was harder to reach. In the end Disney trips for me have been saved by the arrival of grandchildren and just enjoying showing them WDW and seeing it through their eyes.