Disney long ago has removed itself from a large number of family budgets and it's only getting worse. My family started our Disney parks journey 20 years ago and we were hooked from our very first trip and came avid fans and DVC members. A couple years ago with all the changes and steep increases, we reluctantly sold the DVC and scaled back our trips. This upcoming 50th anniversary trip that I promised the family we would take in October, was planned for well over two years in advance and making monthly payments. I'm exhausted at the cost, cutbacks, etc, and it has killed so much of the fun and joy I used to feel when planning and going on a WDW trip. I enjoy this forum and others, seeing construction progress being made and talking about the parks, but I've reach the point myself that it's just too expensive for what you get. I feel bad for the young families just starting out and getting hooked like we were in going to the parks and not being able to swing it. In all honesty, I shouldn't have went as much as I did and ignoring all the warning signs over the years. When I think about the money I spent in DVC and AP's for the family over the years, I just wince. Those memories weren't cheap.
You expressed exactly what our family is feeling when it comes to our decades-long experience with WDW. Our family used to stay on property multiple times per year, every year. Multiple trips also to Disneyland and DLP. Mickey got a huge chunk of our vacation income but we were more than happy to pay for the value we received.
The shine for us began to fade when parking fees were introduced a couple of years ago, room rates skyrocketed, and food and restaurant prices soared. Add in the ever-increasing reliance on park reservations, virtual boarding groups, limited restaurant availability and mobile ordering, (not to mention the looming possibility of pay-for-play fastpass) and we've decided to look elsewhere.
A WDW vacation for our family used to be something we eagerly looked forward to, when it was
simple, relaxing, affordable and fun*. Taking a break during the pandemic made us re-evaluate our vacation options. So now it's on to a week at Universal for us later this summer, the Carolinas this fall and no trips at all to WDW for the foreseeable future.
Sadly they've priced us out of what we feel is a fair price to pay for the value received, and simultaneously and inexplicably made it far too much of a hassle to visit.
That just doesn't seem very welcoming to me.
I miss the days when we were treated as guests and not simply data points on a spreadsheet, forced to pre-plan and re-plan, with my nose in the phone the entire trip, all to ensure Disney has the data it needs to operate with "efficiency," i.e. the bare minimum of cast members and resources they think can get away with.
You're also right about all those memories not being cheap. But take heart in the fact you were able to visit so many times when things were arguably so much better than what the Mouse is currently offering to its guests.
(* Isn't that what a vacation is supposed to be about?)
