Our upcoming 20th anniversary trip and last to Disney

[AMartin767]

My wife and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary with a trip to Walt Disney World in September of this year. We traveled to WDW in 1996 on our Honeymoon (my wife's first visit to the parks) so it seems appropriate and fitting for us to make this trip. We will be staying at Port Orleans - Riverside for the first time and are very excited.

However, this trip will also be bittersweet for us both as we have decided to not renew our annual passes and will be planning this as our final goodbye to the resort and its parks. We have watched the decline in quality of the parks over the last decade (especially Epcot), the mishmash of direction in planning, the severe increase in pricing for everything from accommodations and tickets, to food and merchandise. It is clear to us that the new direction for the parks is one of wealth and exclusivity. The new pricing changes are leading to a single, inevitable conclusion: only the wealthy and those not so wealthy that are willing to shell out extravagant amounts of money will be the future customers of Disney parks.

With that said, we will be enjoying ourselves immensely on this trip and reveling in what was once a fully affordable, sensible choice for our vacations. Now, our money is MUCH better spent on other choices. Will we miss it all? Yes, terribly but what will we be missing really if all it amounts to is spending time and unreasonable amounts of money at a place that is, in so many ways, a pale shadow of its former glory?

I hope that somehow, someway, the parks and their management will see beyond the dollar bill and realize the legacy they are leaving behind in the name of profits alone. I don't hold much hope but I can't help myself. We are happy and looking forward to this final trip and I know we will have a wonderful time at Walt Disney World. I suppose, for the last time.

 

[Pacha]

Congrats on your 20th! Just celebrated our 20th (see my profile pic) in February and had a fantastic time. I hope you do as well!

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

Congratulations on your 20th! I will be celebrating my 25th this year!!

Pam

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

Congrats on your 20th anniversary!

 

[copcarguyp71]

We are in agreement. We celebrated our first anniversary at the world in 1996 and have found the same things to be true over the years with regard to declining experience with increased cost. We spent our 20th with our daughter in Grenada and had a great time. I too am in hopes of someday seeing a renewed love of the parks sparked within us. Have a great anniversary and enjoy!!!!

 

[KikoKea]

Congratulations on your 20th! We'll be celebrating our 34th anniversary at WDW about the same as you.

 

[Cowboy Steve]

Congratulations on your 20th! That is awesome!!

With all the money being spent on expansions/improvements in other parks it does make you wonder why EPCOT seems neglected. When EPCOT first opened it was truly a magnificent and dare I say, awe inspiring place (we visited the first year it opened). EPCOT was the first place we had ever seen the motion sensing doors that are everywhere today. Back then, the only way doors opened automatically was with pressure plates you stepped on in front of the doors. It was very futuristic and Star Trek like! On our last trip in 2014 I started to notice some chinks in the Disney armor - specially with my beloved EPCOT. Having worked for 15 years in the amusement park industry at the king of amusement parks I got to see first hand what it takes to maintain a park that has such high expectations. Disney still sets the standard... but the gap isn't as wide as it used to be. It isn't so bad that I won't spend the money to go - we would never be able to visit more than once a year though. And recently, it has been every other year after a long gap of not visiting.

 

[Chef Mickey]

This is kind of ridiculous. Proclaiming this as your "last trip" and you will "miss it terribly" just mean you reserve the right to go back at a later time.

This isn't going to be your last trip forever. Why would it? While Disney has done a poor job at EPCOT, DHS, building new rides, and replacing old ones, it's still Disney. There is still a ton to love and a lot more on the way. I agree it may be too little too late, but do you really think you'll have no interest in 10 years?

My point is, there are too many variables and too much time left in your life to give Disney some arbitrary goodbye forever and act like you'll miss it so much, but this is something you have to do. You don't have to do it. Just stop going until you feel like they've built enough to regain your interest or enough time has gone by that you miss it.

 

[StarshipDisney]

I can certainly agree with you about the cost. It was $3K for my wife and I to spend a week at the Polynesian Resort during our honeymoon back in 2000. Since then we stayed at Contemporary Resort (2004), Animal Kingdom Lodge (2007), and Yacht Club (2010). Each trip was much costlier that the last.

We are going back to Contemporary Resort in September for the "pinnacle" trip. But at a package cost of about $1100/night for a 7-night stay, I will never do this again. Disney finally broke my vacation budget so while I am not about to say that I will not go back to Disney again, I will try to go significantly cheaper in the future starting with a moderate resort. After this trip, no more deluxe resorts for us. They are simply too expensive.

Congratulations on the 20th.

 

[Cowboy Steve]

Disney finally broke my vacation budget so while I am not about to say that I will not go back to Disney again, I will try to go significantly cheaper in the future starting with a moderate resort. After this trip, no more deluxe resorts for us. They are simply too expensive.

This was our dilemma when planning our trip for this year. We looked at deluxe resorts, but with no more time that we spend at the rooms, we just couldn't justify the cost. Since we were going to have at least one 'rest' day we did look hard at WL as it was about the most reasonable (a relative term) deluxe resort... but the pool was going to be OOS during our stay, so we opted to stay with a moderate resort. The moderates are beautiful rooms and more than adequate for our needs. Because I love spending as much time in the parks as my body will allow, I basically only do the 3 "S"s at the room (Shower, Shave, Sleep).

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

OP, I sympathize with your feelings and voiced disappointment of what has been happening with Disney over the years. We have all seen it! I hope you have a great trip for your 20th, and maybe you will change your mind in the future.
You have every right to express your feelings/views without being made to feel that you are "wrong" and you "will change your mind". Don't let that attitude get to you. Afterall this is a discussion board, and you are merely expressing your feelings.
We are not there yet, but can't help to notice all of the things you discussed. For us, the magic is still there and we will keep going until it isn't. I hope you have a great trip and anniversary

 

[wendysue]

First of all, have a wonderful last trip. We had our last trip in April, and we don't have any problem not going back. After waking up and realizing the last ten grand or so and all future money was probably going to China, we have decided on other options. Disney won't care if you or I show up, they now have the opportunity to suck the wallets dry from millions more at their new park, not to mention making their movies in China now, as well. (The ones who are rich enough to not care can now move up 7 places in line.)

 

[AMartin767]

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes for our 20th! Best to all of you who have upcoming trips and anniversaries as well!

 

[threvester]

This is kind of ridiculous. Proclaiming this as your "last trip" and you will "miss it terribly" just mean you reserve the right to go back at a later time.

This isn't going to be your last trip forever. Why would it? While Disney has done a poor job at EPCOT, DHS, building new rides, and replacing old ones, it's still Disney. There is still a ton to love and a lot more on the way. I agree it may be too little too late, but do you really think you'll have no interest in 10 years?

My point is, there are too many variables and too much time left in your life to give Disney some arbitrary goodbye forever and act like you'll miss it so much, but this is something you have to do. You don't have to do it. Just stop going until you feel like they've built enough to regain your interest or enough time has gone by that you miss it.

One of these posts is not like the others ..one of these posts just dosent belong..can you tell me which post is not like the others..by the time I finish my song?

 

[danyoung56]

This is kind of ridiculous. Proclaiming this as your "last trip" and you will "miss it terribly" just mean you reserve the right to go back at a later time.

I have to say that I agree with Chef Mickey here. When someone posts that they truly love something but declining standards or rising costs make it not as attractive as before, I have a hard time buying the idea that this is their last trip ever. Everyone has to make their own choices as to what has value. For me, there is still incredible value in the place, which is why I vacation there twice a year and have no plans of cutting back. For the OP, the value obviously isn't there. But making such a grand gesture as saying that they'll never go again brings up clichés like "cutting off your nose to spite your face", "throwing out the baby with the bathwater", etc. I just don't buy it.

However, I wish them well on their visit, and congratulate them on their 20th!

 

[Chef Mickey]

I have to say that I agree with Chef Mickey here. When someone posts that they truly love something but declining standards or rising costs make it not as attractive as before, I have a hard time buying the idea that this is their last trip ever. Everyone has to make their own choices as to what has value. For me, there is still incredible value in the place, which is why I vacation there twice a year and have no plans of cutting back. For the OP, the value obviously isn't there. But making such a grand gesture as saying that they'll never go again brings up clichés like "cutting off your nose to spite your face", "throwing out the baby with the bathwater", etc. I just don't buy it.

However, I wish them well on their visit, and congratulate them on their 20th!

Exactly...and I just don't understand the "goodbye forever" kind of thinking. It's not working for you now, but things change. Ultimately, never say never. No sense putting yourself in a box that is completely arbitrary. "Goodbye" for now maybe more appropriate.. ...otherwise, you just sound dramatic.

 

[WEDwaydatamover]

AMartin767- First off congratulations on your 20th. As far as disconnecting from Walt Disney World, you have to do what you have to do. Burbank does not know or even care. They are detached from Fantasyland.

I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I'm angry and completely disgusted with the current state of the parks and the direction they're heading. I have not set foot in a WDW theme park for 6 years and I'm the kind of fan who owns a monorail door. At a certain point are they punishing us or are we punishing ourselves?

Maybe find a way to enjoy it on your terms.