the old feeling is gone.... or at least reduced a lot..

[Shiriki_Utundu]

Disney hasn't changed

really??

 

[MoragL]

we were recently back after 5 years away (partially due to Covid). Agree that it is not the same although it was quite busy while we were there. We actually gave up one of our Disney days and added an additional Universal day. Next time we go I think it will be more Universal with maybe a little Disney added in instead of the other way around.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

We had an EPIC trip... At the end of 2019. Covid happened. And Disney has been on a tear... Killing off entertainment, cast members, lots of perks (e.g. DME, EMH, etc.), many big projects (e.g. SSE), Epcot is largely (still) a construction zone and all the while, prices go up like clockwork. To add insult to injury, FastPass was binned in favor of Lightning Lanes and Genie+ for that extra special nickel-and-diming experience, kneecapped park hopping and instituted park reservations.

You know what? I'm out. We're taking multiple trips to Europe instead. Sad thing is, they're quite a bit less than a single trip to the 'World.

 

[Graham9]

Disney - that once-magical place we worked and saved for - is out. We are finished with it. It seems nearly every week or so when I read about the latest with WDW, I see yet another reason why WDW has completely lost it and we have yet another reason not to bother with it. It is no longer worth it, all the magic has completely gone. If we were to come (which we intended to this year) all we would end up with is the feeling of being financially violated. It seems the original vision of Disney has been overtaken with short term gain/long term loss ethic of business management of wringing out every last cent out of everyone and everything they can, which means I would rather go elsewhere than be extorted out of my money.

 

[drizgirl]

Disney - that once-magical place we worked and saved for - is out. We are finished with it. It seems nearly every week or so when I read about the latest with WDW, I see yet another reason why WDW has completely lost it and we have yet another reason not to bother with it. It is no longer worth it, all the magic has completely gone. If we were to come (which we intended to this year) all we would end up with is the feeling of being financially violated. It seems the original vision of Disney has been overtaken with short term gain/long term loss ethic of business management of wringing out every last cent out of everyone and everything they can, which means I would rather go elsewhere than be extorted out of my money.

But it's a bizness! Wall Street requires that they do these things!


.......or so I've heard.

 

[HauntedPirate]

But it's a bizness! Wall Street requires that they do these things!


.......or so I've heard.

Let's see:

• Diznee iz a bizness
• They have a duty to shareholders to make money
• If you don't like it, don't go, shorter lines for me
• There are plenty of people who are waiting to take your place and give Diznee their money

Did I cover all the usual responses?

Edit: Removed something I realized was in the wrong thread.

 

[drizgirl]

Let's see:

• Diznee iz a bizness
• They have a duty to shareholders to make money
• If you don't like it, don't go, shorter lines for me
• There are plenty of people who are waiting to take your place and give Diznee their money

Did I cover all the usual responses?

I'm somewhat surprised that the ride didn't stop when the cockwomble jumped into the show scene. As mentioned, Hoot and Chief stayed out of sight, and figured out that Horizons was the one ride (at the time) where there weren't pressure sensors (I believe?) that would stop the ride if they were triggered.

They should just put that all in a sticky thread.

 

[lordsigma]

I took a trip in October and had a great time. I guess it’s all about perspective. I loved the newest addition - Cosmic Rewind. Yes there are differences to what it was years ago but it’s far from bad. Every meal I had on Disney property was A+, all super friendly cast members, and while some rides had some downtime (usual suspects like EE) they all managed to get them back up and we got to ride - didn’t miss anything. We just booked our trip for next October without any regrets.

Reading some of the back and forth after I posted that I enjoyed my trip - I would share my own point of view that the purpose of my post on this thread (at least for me can't speak for others) certainly wasn't meant to be hostile or snarky towards those who feel the parks have become mediocre or terrible or that the magic is gone - just sharing my perspective. Obviously whether the magic is still there or not or whether the parks are good anymore is up to every individual person and is entirely a matter of opinion, perspective, personal preferences, and what we are value and want to spend money on. The magic isn't gone for me and I don't think it's bad - but if it's gone downhill for others for what it is they're looking for out of a Disney trip or a vacation in general who am I to criticize? No one should spend money on something that isn't providing the enjoyment they seek for the value. Just interesting to see the different takes and points of view.

 

[Goofyernmost]

• If you don't like it, don't go

Amazing and exactly what I and many others have done. The lines will be shorter and the cost will be higher because someone has go to pay the electricity bill and labor costs. Or at least they will until your money runs out.

 

[BuddyThomas]

I'm surprised to hear you doing blanket judgements of the people that have become disenchanted with the difference between what Disney was and what it is now. You know as well as I do that the majority of the complaints here are not about rides that haven't been built or movies unreleased with or without LGBTQ or characters of color. The Blanket condemnation of all of us with the accusation that besides our concern about Disney's management policies, now we are also bigoted and without any basis of justification for our being upset. To indicate that we are wrong in being upset by unnecessary changes of things that we feel are important to us, is pretty narrow minded thinking on your part, don't you think?

Nope. I know what I’ve read on the Tiana thread and the threads for movies that feature LGBT characters. As you may know, the thread about a black mermaid got so horrifically bad that it had to be locked. The same goes for the majority of threads about gay anything. Just do a search for “gay days” and the locked threads will come flowing out like the River Jordan. So yeah. I stand by my original post.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Nope. I know what I’ve read on the Tiana thread and the threads for movies that feature LGBT characters. As you may know, the thread about a black mermaid got so horrifically bad that it had to be locked. The same goes for the majority of threads about gay anything. Just do a search for “gay days” and the locked threads will come flowing out like the River Jordan. So yeah. I stand by my original post.

Anything you might have posted on those other threads was legit, but that wasn't at all what this thread was about. I have no reason to do any research because I don't consider you to be anything other then another human being living in this world. You, like the rest of us have your good sides and your bad sides, but we are still human beings. You can give yourself a group name, but that doesn't stop anything. I'm sorry about those that feel superior but I cannot control them and I personally have never been on that thread or the one about the "black mermaid".

I thought we had gotten past that, but the past 6 years have reignited that fight and I and others did our best to send the message recently that we are sick of the BS. I didn't however, expect it to fix overnight. We have a lot of adjusting yet to do. Ideally, sometime down the road we can get to the point of maturity where we do not have to feel the necessity to inform everyone of our sex.ual preferences. Instead of getting better it is getting worse. When I go for an medical appointment at the VA we are now asked what we identify as. I'm as offended as anyone not because I have a problem being a hetero male, but because they are asking something that is none of their damn business unless I have an illness that might be connected one way of the other. That almost isn't relevant either. So I don't apologize for what I am or what others might be. I can' only control myself and quite frankly I am offended that you decided to lump me into that group you are upset with. This thread is about why the magic was gone for those of us that have been fans of Disney for decades and none of it that I know of had anything to do with human very personal preferences. I'm sure that none of it had to do with what you were referring too.

The talk has been about prices, Genie Crap, lightening lines, sign colors or anything other then physical changes made that have sent us in another direction and none of that was connected to bigotry in any way, shape or form. If there were some posts that did that, I don't remember seeing it so I feel you needed to vent on the thread where it was happening instead of to those of us that didn't have that even mildly in our thoughts.

 

[BuddyThomas]

Anything you might have posted on those other threads was legit, but that wasn't at all what this thread was about. I have no reason to do any research because I don't consider you to be anything other then another human being living in this world. You, like the rest of us have your good sides and your bad sides, but we are still human beings. You can give yourself a group name, but that doesn't stop anything. I'm sorry about those that feel superior but I cannot control them and I personally have never been on that thread or the one about the "black mermaid".

I thought we had gotten past that, but the past 6 years have reignited that fight and I and others did our best to send the message recently that we are sick of the BS. I didn't however, expect it to fix overnight. We have a lot of adjusting yet to do. Ideally, sometime down the road we can get to the point of maturity where we do not have to feel the necessity to inform everyone of our sex.ual preferences. Instead of getting better it is getting worse. When I go for an medical appointment at the VA we are now asked what we identify as. I'm as offended as anyone not because I have a problem being a hetero male, but because they are asking something that is none of their damn business unless I have an illness that might be connected one way of the other. That almost isn't relevant either. So I don't apologize for what I am or what others might be. I can' only control myself and quite frankly I am offended that you decided to lump me into that group you are upset with. This thread is about why the magic was gone for those of us that have been fans of Disney for decades and none of it that I know of had anything to do with human very personal preferences. I'm sure that none of it had to do with what you were referring too.

The talk has been about prices, Genie Crap, lightening lines, sign colors or anything other then physical changes made that have sent us in another direction and none of that was connected to bigotry in any way, shape or form. If there were some posts that did that, I don't remember seeing it so I feel you needed to vent on the thread where it was happening instead of to those of us that didn't have that even mildly in our thoughts.

Thank you for saying all of this. I’m a fan of yours, actually. Just remember that some of the posts you haven’t seen have probably deleted by the mods. Anyway, onward.

 

[Eeyorenot74]

The upcoming trip to Universal & Disney will obviously carry more weight than what has been said here...but the thread does help me form opinions about whether the trip after that might be DLP instead of US based and is DIS a long term investment. There's more to the company than the theme parks but if the magic is down, that brings up questions.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Thank you for saying all of this. I’m a fan of yours, actually. Just remember that some of the posts you haven’t seen have probably deleted by the mods. Anyway, onward.

I appreciate this post, however, please understand that I am not responsible for things that others say or posts I have never seen. I don't even have any relatives that follow or post on the Disney boards. I also am not going to be associated with the aholes that are stuck in the primordial ooze that prevents them from ever becoming an individual that can be taken seriously. With that said... onward!

 

[Mr Mindcrime]

keep my expectations as low as possible and everything that happened better than I expected was a win.

Back in the day when visiting WDW, I didn't have to do that. My expectations were high and they were exceeded every time. Not so any more. That's why we stopped going. I love what I remember WDW being, that's why I read these forums I guess...hoping that the tide may turn and WDW goes back to what I used to love. Gotta admit that I'm losing hope .... fast.

 

[5minnie]

We just returned after a 3 1/2 year absence and to us it is still the Disney "bubble " and we totally enjoyed ourselves. Will we go back next year.... probably not. The service at restaurants and quick service was excellent but the choices of food offered was limited. Also we missed fast pass and chose not to wait in lines therefore maybe going on 25% of the rides we would normally go on. Focused on entertainment instead. Europe or Hawaii next year

 

[dreday3]

We just returned after a 3 1/2 year absence and to us it is still the Disney "bubble " and we totally enjoyed ourselves. Will we go back next year.... probably not. The service at restaurants and quick service was excellent but the choices of food offered was limited. Also we missed fast pass and chose not to wait in lines therefore maybe going on 25% of the rides we would normally go on. Focused on entertainment instead. Europe or Hawaii next year

Honestly, I would never suggest to anyone to go back the next year. It's just too much. Going to Europe or Hawaii sounds like a great idea.

Normally we go about every 3-4 years, but we are going next April and it will be a little less than 2 years since our last trip and I feel this is a little too soon to go back, but I wanted to sneak in one more trip before we turn 50. I don't know why, it's just a thing I have. :

 

[Graham9]

Back in the day when visiting WDW, I didn't have to do that. My expectations were high and they were exceeded every time. Not so any more. That's why we stopped going. I love what I remember WDW being, that's why I read these forums I guess...hoping that the tide may turn and WDW goes back to what I used to love. Gotta admit that I'm losing hope .... fast.

I proposed to my wife in MK. We had our honeymoon there. We came back several times afterwards and each time we had a better time than the last. We planned to come back a few years ago, but Covid happened and we had to wait until things settled. When Covid receded and things began to open up, we started to plan again, arrange finances, arrange time off work. We even started to plan out where to go, what to do, where to eat and catch up with all the new stuff and doing the best we can to have a great time at WDW - as we used to.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. That nice cheerful CEO decided to rip the heart out of it and would try to fleece every penny we had attempted to go. We totted up the prices we would have to pay for everything which used to be free, such as the increases in park tickets and resorts, the park entry restrictions and that Genie+ money-extraction app, among others. Now, I am reading about further increases in park tickets and the appalling state of the parks and rides, given lack of maintenance and general cleanliness (This I once considered unthinkable). At the end of it all, we decided that WDW is no more. There are other resorts we can go to and if we come to Orlando again, they will the focus of our trip and not WDW.

I just hope that some day, someone is going to realise that the parks are going to degenerate to the point that they will be too expensive to go to, the quality of the parks are falling into decline and begin to lose profit because no one wants to go there anymore, which will be helped by the increasing media coverage of how WDW is gradually falling apart. I dare say WDW's illustrious CEO won't care, as he will have made his fat bonus for the year having squeezed the last drop of blood out of people's wallets. When there is no profit growth left in the parks, he'll be replaced with someone else looking to earn a bonus with yet more cutbacks and money-earning schemes, to the detriment of those who want to come to WDW and have a good time. Thus the decline of the parks will only accelerate.

We desperately want to come back to WDW and have a great time and come away with amazing memories bolstered by all the photos and videos we take whilst there, but as things stand, it's not going to happen. The reasons to stay away keep mounting up and it will take a massive turn around in WDW's business ethics before that happens. Of course, I know that will never going to happen so I will sit here and watch the media pull the place apart and wait for that fateful day when WDW becomes financially unviable and are forced to either partially or fully close altogether. It breaks my heart to think that, but that's the way I feel it's heading.

 

[DisneyHead123]

I was there recently. I'd say the magic is reduced by maybe 25-30%-ish. On the positive side, Disney simply offers a unique product that you're not going to find anywhere else. They have a huge existing infrastructure in the parks / resorts, and that is still there. There were some new rides since I was there in 2019, so some amount of growth to that infrastructure as well. It must be insanely complicated to simply make that experience happen 365 days a year - the logistics are staggering - and they have figured out a way to do that. So to my mind, the central golden goose is still there.

On the downside:

• Quality of food has gone way down. And seriously, I have the world's most unsophisticated palate - Panera is like the height of culinary experience for me. So if I notice that there is a banal "all the dishes in this buffet kinda taste the same" quality to much of the food at the pricey character buffets, I can't imagine what the average person thinks. It's not bad, exactly, but it's gotten way more "elementary school cafeteria" style food for insane prices.

• 95% of the cast members were great, but it was jarring to see that 5% who weren't. For example, at our resort, someone asked a bus driver if they were going to X park. The bus driver pointed angrily at the destination sign and snapped "Does that say X park?!" Like I am all for employees not having to be in a subservient role, but it's weird to see employees be straight-up rude at Disney.

• This isn't a new thing, but it was new to me. My extended family and I waited about an hour and a half on a bus with several (sometimes crying) toddlers so that Disney could have roads closed to attract more tourists for a half marathon. That left a really bad taste in my mouth. FFS, have some kind of plan in place to address traffic when you know you're closing down tons of major roads on your own property. It's not like this was a surprise traffic jam. At the very least, notify people that a 15 minute ride is now going to be about five times longer.

• Park entry was a bit of a s*** show at HS. No clear lines so people kept continually cutting in front of other people as the crowd tried to merge into lines.

• Crowd level was uncomfortable. Rope dropping to run to a ride and be told that there is a 70 minute wait first thing in the morning is annoying. Genie+ was only good for 2, maybe 3 rides in a 6-7 hour park day.

My takeaway was this - I viewed this as a transitional year. Not quite back from Covid, labor and supply chain shortages abound - ok. If it doesn't improve in five years I'll reconsider, but for the time being, I'm willing to give it another chance.

 

[Calmdownnow]

There have been a lot of little things over time that did the parks in for me but I think the final straw was Genie+. The parks and resorts were at one point fun and relaxing for me. While I still love them and enjoy new attractions such as Cosmic Rewind, I find I can't relax and enjoy the moment as much as I once could. You're probably wondering what does that have to do with DCL.

I find that I can relax and have fun on DCL ships, while still being able to enjoy many of the things that we all love about Disney. As a DVC Member, I stay on property a lot and enjoy live entertainment, as well as eating at restaurants like Jiko, Flying Fish, Topolinos, Citricos, Narcoossee's, and Victoria and Alberts. I miss a lot of the live entertainment such as the Grand Florida Society Orchestra, entertainment on the Boardwalk, etc.

DCL also has yummy meals and tasty beverages and also special meals such as Palo and Remy. DCL has wonderful Broadway talent on the ships, with shows such as Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, The Little Mermaid, Tangled, etc. There is also a lot of specialty entertainment such as magic shows, comedy, and live music. While you won't find rides, they do have theatres, sports areas, a miniature golf course, pools, water play areas for the kiddos, water slides, and an Aqua Duck tube ride to enjoy, as well as many adult only areas, which kind of provide a stroll back to the Pleasure Island days. In addition to the above, there is a lot of Disney magic sprinkled throughout the ships, including characters, shopping, history, and unique theming. A big thing for me is, I don't feel like Disney is trying to nickel and dime me while I'm on the ship.

I'm surprised I've reached this point but here we are. My family has been having a lot of ongoing discussions about whether or not we will renew our annual passes. We are leaning towards taking a break from the parks and simply using our points to relax at the resorts. We'll probably make some trips over to Aulani with our points as well and come back to the parks in a few years. We love Disney, we are just currently finding DCL to be more relaxing, enjoyable, a better value, and ultimately more magical for us. The parks and resorts hold a special place in my heart but DCL has won me over for now.

Forgive me for being obvious, but maybe you are more comfortable cruising because you do not have to reserve in advance your day at the pool on the cruise. Nor do you have to pay a fee and get on-line at 7am on the cruise to reserve a spot on the Aqua Duck ride?