News Washington Post: Disney trips are so complicated now you need a class to plan one!

[TP2000]

From the "It's Not Just Us That Feels This Way" file comes this new article from the Washington Post.

Being in the Washington Post, it's aimed at Walt Disney World and interviews a lot of East Coasters talking solely about WDW. But the concepts and issues translate directly to Disneyland. Here's the free Yahoo version of the article.

Disney trips are so complicated now that you need a class to plan one

Rob Kayris and his family of six were “dumping a boatload of money” into a Disney trip last year and wanted to make the most of it. So a few months before the vacation, they took a class about the new ride reservation system, Genie Plus. Then right before the trip in February, they took it...

www.yahoo.com

 

[TP2000]

Even before the pandemic, I thought TDA was going way too far with their App-based experiences. But now after Covid, it's gotten even worse. If you aren't using their App and staring at your phone most of the day, and have taken a class in Disneyspeak and corporate lingo, you aren't going to have a successful day in the parks.

At what point does Disney realize the monster they've created?

At what point are the execs who implemented all this stuff forced to try and take their family to the park for just one day without all the perks and benefits they get that allow them to avoid the App and all of its frenzy? The top Burbank and Anaheim execs get valet parking at the Grand, a plaid CM assigned to them to usher them through any Lightning Lane or ride exit they want. A plaid CM ushering them in to the roped off area of parade and Fantasmic! viewing with folding chairs and hot cocoa waiting for them. Automatic tables waiting for them at whatever restaurant they want, if they decide not to eat at Club 33. Etc., etc. And then they go out on stage at D23 Expo and talk about how fabulous their product is.

Just once, I'd love to see the D'Amaro family go to Disneyland for the day by making reservations in advance, driving into Mickey & Friends, going through security and trams, and then paying and playing the App all day just to get corn dogs and access to one ride on Space Mountain. And battle crowd control CM's for a glimpse of the fireworks or Fantasmic!.... STAY TO YOUR RIGHT D'AMARO FAMILY!!! THIS IS A WALKWAY ONLY D'AMARO!!! STAY TO YOUR RIGHT!!!

Then Sidekick Tightpants can go on stage at D23 and tell us how he's going to fix the mess they've created.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think the main problem with “app centric” is it exposed their operational deficiencies in real time…all of them.

Before you didn’t stare at the wait times the entire day and feel kinda helpless…
You didn’t notice that parks were almost always closing early for upsell nonsense…
You didn’t notice no one seem to want to book a table at coral reef or Tony’s…
Or the near constant breakdowns…that’s not supposed to be seen. Believe it or not…having people walk the paths to a ride that’s closed had value. It kept the crowds distributed…it had people divert to the shops and stands when they would try to wait it out.

Now it’s all there in real time track. And it shows the flaws in bobs “do minimal, increase prices” park plans. He was given a compound in Orlando with “flexibility” to do things…now there is no flexibility from an ops or money standpoint. They don’t have options.

 

[SSG]

I think the article oversells the 'complicated' nature of a Disney trip. Sure, the process can can be annoying, but what are the steps, really? Make a reservation (not even a thing in Florida anymore); you can pay extra to skip some lines; if you stay on property you get in a bit early.

This is not exactly solving the Fibonacci sequence.

I'm sure a lot of us regularly deal with more complicated things than going to Disneyland.