Let’s just all admit it. Despite the “Most Magical Place on Earth” name, sometimes parts of a trip to Disney World can feel a little…less than magical.
EPCOT
Maybe you have a trip where everything goes wrong — your favorite ride breaks down, you can’t get a reservation for your favorite restaurant, and they totally sell out of the Minnie ears you were hoping to get. Or maybe some of the recent changes — like the addition of Genie+, the removal of Disney’s Magical Express, or the new versions of extra hours in the parks for resort guests (Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours) — have made you feel like things aren’t quite as “good” as they used to be. Some might be feeling like the guest experience in Disney World just isn’t what they had hoped or what they were used to. Or some of you might be perfectly happy, but know that there’s always room for improvement! So, we reached out (via Facebook) to you all to see what you think Disney World can do to improve the guest experience. And you had a LOT of thoughts.
We received over 2,000 comments on our Facebook post on this topic. So, yeah, you’ve got some feelings here, we can see that! 😂 And that’s totally fair! As Disney World guests, lots of things probably come to mind when you think back on your last trip and question “what could Disney World have done to make my experience BETTER?”
Here are some of the most popular responses we got!
Cost
One of the biggest things that readers mentioned was COST. Disney World is expensive. There’s really no joking around about that. And things have gotten pricier over time. From hotel costs, to ticket costs, to food costs and merchandise costs — you can expect to pay THOUSANDS more on your Disney World trip in 2022 as compared to previous years.
Many guests said that they’d want for Disney to make the entire experience more affordable. One reader specifically asked for it to be affordable for the average family to go on a trip “without going into credit card debt.” Another said Disney should lower prices generally.
Dole Whip got an increase at Aloha Isle.
Some readers mentioned just how expensive a Disney World trip is for those coming from overseas, especially with flight costs increasing. This reader shared that if Disney made the experience cheaper, people might not need to make it a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip, and instead be able to return more frequently.
Another reader said that Disney should change how guests now have to pay for all kinds of little things that were previously included as part of the experience (Genie+, transportation to/from the airport and the hotel, etc.).
One reader said that they used to feel like staying on Disney property was worth it because of the perks. But now all the “per person, per day extra expenses” that they feel are a necessary for a good experience are an extra financial burden.
Magic Kingdom
Another put it simply and said Disney should “stop nickel and diming” guests.
Crowds
We’ve seen some pretty tremendous crowds in the parks lately, and we’re not the only ones who have noticed. A number of readers said that crowding was a big problem Disney could address to make the guest experience better.
One reader said Disney should let less people into the parks. They shared, “who can enjoy themselves when you’re fighting to walk through crowds of people or waiting [in] line for an hour for a ride[?]”
Crowds
Others echoed that sentiment and said Disney should limit the number of guests in the parks so lines aren’t as bad. One reader said that the crowds have simply become “too much” and are taking away from the magical feeling of the parks.
Another reader specifically noted that lower crowd levels could make them feel better about the high prices because they’d be able to experience more in the parks.
Hollywood Studios Crowds
While some saw lowering/tightening capacity limits as the solution to big crowds, others had more creative ideas! One suggested Disney build another theme park in the middle of the USA to help draw some crowds away from the existing parks.
Another said that Disney should open a 5th park right there in Orlando to help alleviate congestion and spread people out. Regardless of the “solutions” people devised, the crowds seemed to be a big issue.
Click here to get a look at some of the CROWDS we’ve seen in Disney World!
Park Pass Reservations and Ticket Changes
A number of guests brought up other changes to be made regarding tickets and Park Passes. Some wished that Disney would entirely get rid of the Park Pass reservation system.
One reader presented the following scenario as a reason why the system should go away (note that we’ve altered some of the punctuation): “Had so much fun at the Magic Kingdom [that] you want to go back the next day? Well you can’t because you don’t have a reservation! Maybe wake up on a Saturday or Sunday and say “let’s go to Disney”? Oh that’s right, no reservation!”
©Disney
Of course, these presume that no last-minute reservations are available. But still, the danger of Park Passes filling up for the dates you want to visit is real.
Click here to see for what BIG date Park Passes are filling up!
Other guests mentioned some ticket-related changes they’d like to see made — specifically the end of the date-based ticket system. Right now Disney’s system does assign a specific price for each date, so your ticket price for a date in December near Christmas is very different than a ticket in a slower time of year. And you have to buy tickets for specific dates — you can’t just buy a 3-day pass to use any time of the year.
December 2022 Ticket Prices
Another also wanted tickets to no longer have expiration dates. Current Disney World tickets do have expiration dates which depend on the selected start date for your trip.
Click here to learn all about Disney World theme park tickets!
Disney Genie+
Another topic that a LOT (and we mean a LOOOOOT) of readers brought up is…Genie+. This is the new paid system (truly 2 systems — Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection) that replaced the free FastPass+ system.
Many readers said that Disney should go back to the old FastPass+ system and remove Genie+ entirely.
Lightning Lane Sign at Town Square Theater
Others didn’t necessarily want Genie+ to go away, but did have some ways in which it could be changed to make the experience “better.”
Some shared that they find Genie+ to be stressful and are not a fan of that 7AM wakeup call (7AM is when guests can make their first Genie+ reservation, and when Disney World hotel guests can make their first Individual Attraction Selection purchase).
©Disney
This reader also said that they’d much rather get up early, 60 days in advance, lock in their initial selections, and then “breathe easy” when they get to the park. This is a reference to the old FastPass+ system, which did let you make 3 initial FastPass+ selections ahead of your vacation.
Another totally agreed on this point! They said they’d rather plan their Genie+ selections in advance. They admitted that this takes out some of the spontaneity of the day, but said that it also can help eliminate some of the stress and complications of the current system (at least in their view).
Genie
Another shared their frustration at the fact that Genie+ cannot be used twice for 1 ride (i.e. it can only be used to skip the line once for a particular ride).
One said that Genie+ should just be simplified so you “don’t need to take a 6 hour course to make use of it.” The new Genie+ system can certainly come with a learning curve, but we are here to help!
Click here for our step-by-step guide to using Disney Genie!
Others were okay with keeping Genie+, but wanted Individual Attraction Selections to be done away with (this is the system where guests can purchase the ability to skip the line at some of the super popular rides).
And some were ready to go ROGUE and get rid of it ALL! One guest said Disney should eliminate any kind of “skip the line” system and just put everyone through the regular standby line to “enjoy the details Imagineers put into the queues.”
How many rides can you get on per day with Genie+? We dig in!
Magical Express
Another big one that was brought up was Disney’s Magical Express. This service used to be free and would transport hotel guests to and from the Orlando airport and their Disney World hotel.
The free Magical Express service ended in 2022, so guests now have to figure out and pay for transportation to/from the airport and their hotel on their own.
The good old says
Many guests specifically asked for the free Magical Express service to come back as a way to improve the guest experience!
Click here to see how long it takes to get to Disney World from the airport!
More!
But wait, there’s MORE! We’re not joking folks — our readers had a LOT to say on this topic. What else could improve the guest experience? Well, some felt that Park Hopping changes could make things better. Specifically, they wanted a return to all-day Park Hopping. Remember that right now guests can only Park Hop starting at 2PM each day.
LET’S GO!!
Others wanted a return to the traditional Extra Magic Hours previously offered to all Disney hotel guests. Extra Magic Hours previously allowed all Disney World hotel guests to spend extra time in the parks in the mornings and/or at night (this was for select parks on select dates).
Extra Magic Hours has since ended and been replaced with Early Theme Park Entry (allows all hotel guests to enter any theme park 30 minutes early any day) and Extended Evening Hours (allows Deluxe Resort or Deluxe Villa guests to spend extra time in select parks at night on select dates).
Some wished it would go back to the old days or at least allow ALL resort guests (not just Deluxe Resort guests) to experience the extra nighttime hours.
Early Entry
Others wanted Disney to stop charging for hotel parking, bring back package delivery from the hotels to the parks, bring back the Dining Plan (and specifically FREE dining offers) (note that the Dining Plan is set to return in the future), bring back free MagicBands, stop relying so much on the phone app, offer more perks for passholders, make refillable mugs available for refills in the parks, put more money into maintaining rides, create more shade, bring back nighttime parades, and more! WHEW.
Others focused on Cast Members and shared that Disney should hire more staff and take extra measures to keep them satisfied and happy with their work.
The Festival of Fantasy Parade has returned
Basically, there’s a lot that some fans think Disney can do to make the guest experience better. From taking things back to how they used to be, to making changes that could be better for the future — there were suggestions on nearly every part of the experience.
What do you think? What could Disney do to make the guest experience better? Tell us in the comments!
And be sure to check back with us for more Disney news!
Click here to see how inflation could impact your 2022 Disney World vacation
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Abolish genie plus. Bring back fast pass. Stop having offers that are impossible to obtain. Fine print on offers and limited availability is frustrating.
Decreases in cost will increase crowds. Can’t have both. A Disney vacation is very expensive and they’ve eliminated many perks but WDW is still crowded. Why would Disney decrease costs when they are able to fill the parks? Only way to decrease costs is lower attendance.
Much the same as above, but also full time housekeeping at the resorts. Nothing beats coming back from a day at the park and your room is clean, beds made, new towels and trash removed.
Honestly, yes to almost all of that. I’ve been going religiously (from KY) for 18 years and I felt like I was robbed blind this last trip. Things that were included previously were very expensive add ons. I was stressed because I couldn’t pre-plan. I was looking at my phone half of the time. I’m going to use my money to see the rest of the country and the world for a while. I’ll be back, but not nearly as frequently as we have in the past. It’s sad. I love the place but it’s too expensive to justify now.
We went, with our family of five, this January. We are DVC owners. We have an extended family trip, 25ish people, every 3 years. In priority order, we would change the following: We would like Genie+ to go back to some form of being able to reserve a few rides before arriving for vacation. We would like to be able to park hop anytime of day. We miss the Disney transportation very much as our family members arrive at different times and it was a lot of driving. We can’t imagine how we will do a future extended family trip as we all did our own things, but met for our three fastpass reservations. We have created some many family memories together, in the past, on rides like the Safari, Mount Everest and many more rides together! Hopefully Disney will adjust things so we don’t have to spend so much of our vacation making last-minute plans! Thanks!
Planning for a Disney trip is necessary but if they are going to insist WE do the legwork DISNEY needs to improve their system. We’re going in a month and I can’t believe I have spent literally 200 hours on the phone on hold or on line trying to get in to do something that wouldn’t work on the website. They need more manpower and SHOULD have increased computer software capacity BEFORE making patrons jump through hoops. Disney definitely needs to plan another park or have longer park hours to help with crowds.
Used to be an annual pass holder, but not allowed to purchase one now.
We have gone to Disney for the last 37 years with our children and more recently with our childrens kids. I used to love not driving for 10 days being able to use the magical express! Now you have to pay for the bus, 35 $ X six adults and three kiddos. 300 dollars. Genie plus is tough, hotel parking if you rent a car is ridiculous 15-25 dollars a day, and then lastly the crowds. Then to be told we’re only at 65 percent of capacity???? Really?? Is that what Walt intended when he made the park? I doubt it!
Just was there in February with a family of 7 and Walt must be rolling in his grave at the way customers are treated. Pure greed. One day tickets are expensive, add on more costs for park hopper, oh wait, add 15.00 per person per day if you want the lightning lane (who doesn’t when most rides had 2 hour waits). Oh wait some rides are not included in the genie plus, and now you have to pay an additional 15.00 per person per ride…”if” you can even get one because some sell completely out early. If you don’t stay in the park, you can’t even try to get a genie plus for those individual rides until the park opens. If you are not savvy enough to make dinner reservations 60 days ahead you’re out of luck.. All of this while there are less services than before Covid. No parades, many shows not back. It’s very very sad and I don’t know how the average family affords it. Our grandkids had a wonderful time because they had never been but it made me very sad to see what it has become
I had never stayed on property until 2019. I was so thrilled to get free magic bands and ride the magical express. It really made our trip. Unfortunately we won’t stay on property again. There are not enough perks to justify the cost. We’ve been twice since then but with always having to be on our phone to plan EVERYTHING and having to carry a charger was a magic killer. I do appreciate mobile order though.
The BIGGEST magic killer is Genie+. Having to pay for that extra cost and waking up early Same Day to make ONE reservation is awful.
I’d like to see the company take care of the employees. Last time we were there, some of the employees were standing around chatting with each other and ignoring the guests. It made me sad. The cast members have always been a big part of the magic but that didn’t feel magical at all. Just felt like another theme park.
Price reductions will not happen. Crowds will continue to get bigger. Also, the Magicial Express won’t return. Would like to see park purchases sent back to resort hotels come back. Last year we bought so many different 50th merchandise at Magic Kingdom we had to return back to the Poly cause our bags won’t fit on any rides.
Bob: You only have 10 months left on your contract. You need to start listening to YOUR CUSTOMERS.
I’m on board with so much of the consensus here. I’m taking myself and 6 family members in June, and I’m shocked at what I’m going to end up paying for the hotel, food, G+, and IAS. I’ve told everyone in the family this is our last big blowout. We’re going all out, doing all the once-in-a-lifetime stuff, and then walking away. I know we all say it, but I can’t justify doing another trip after this. I have very special memories with my family at Disney World, but I can make just as special memories with them other places too. A river trip, camping, going to the Grand Canyon… there’s so much to choose from if we just have the willpower to look away from what is making us so angry.
A third park near my home of Houston will probably never happen. I think when us vs Disney execs see the same long lines at the parks we’re seeing the same thing two different ways. Us; the obvious inconvenience. Them; that no matter how much we complain and threaten to never come back, people will continue to stand in lines, however long they get, pay whatever Disney decides to charge, and this is one constantly ringing cash register. The only thing to do is to find something else to do. We just have to have the will to find it, because options are there.
Thanks for letting me join the rant-wagon.
But does Disney ever listen to these suggestions??
The easy answer is PUT EVERYTHING BACK TO HOW IT WAS BEFORE 2020. I mourn that we’ll never be able to visit WDW again.
You can’t have lower crowds, eliminate park reservations, and reduce costs. If you want lower crowds then tighten up on the park resv AND up the price. As DVC members, we get nothing acknowledging our long-term devotion to The Mouse. Throw us something: free Genie+, 30-day advance Genie+, DVC Dining Plan, DVC ticket cost, free Magic Bands, just something than jacking up the fees for the same experience.
This is the fantasy list, right? Forget the wonderful Disney you remember, with an off-season and free dining plans . It’s dead, dead, dead. And stand by – this is just the beginning.
The New Disney does want one of the things on the list, though; fewer people in the parks. Fewer guests (guests, customers, marks – pick your descriptor) equals fewer CMs to pay and lower operating costs all-round. The unfortunate caveat to that is that they will extract much more revenue from each of those fewer marks so that the bottom line looks even better. Fewer guests – Fewer CMs – Lower operating costs -More revenue. Simple.
Entry priced high enough, Evil Genie could go away because revenue would be maximized and crowds reduced by the $350 day-tickets. Who knows – FastPass and Magical Express could even come back for “FREE” (wink wink). It’s all in the magical accounting analysis.
Bob already said that he wants people looking for higher-end (or some fashionable word for it) experiences, didn’t he?
They have the perfect storm, don’t they; unlimited customers knocking down the doors regardless of cost and an unlimited pool of hopeful employees ready to wear the uniform and work for near-minimum-wage.
It gets worse from here.
Go back to fast passes. Let us plan our vacation 60 days in advance and enjoy the planning. This also makes it easier to plan dining reservation especially if we do away with the reservation system. Disney had something that worked and traded it in for something that doesn’t. We have been going a few times a year since late 70s. We lived in Ohio then moved to Florida. It was our family together time and I am so very disappointed with the changes that have been made.
We just returned from a month in disneyworld and it was the worst. I don’t know who in their right mind wants to spend all day on their phone trying to get on rides. The parks were so crowded you could hardly move. Trash Gemini plus and go back to the fast pass system and bring back the free magic bands. Nothing was more frustrating than standing in line for an hour and then being told the ride broke down. Maintance! You pay all that money and what do you get to do……stand in line.
Why fix what wasn’t broken.
From a UK traveller we know when our holiday started once we stepped onto the Disney Express coach to be taken to our hotel.
Days where not spent thinking had we booked for that park because we could say no we shall go somewhere different today and now worrying about budgeting as our Disney Dining Plan covered all that so no worries. I’m sorry but unless something changes we won’t be visiting for a while we will just have to remember the good times.
All valid. Reliance on my phone to even order fast food in the morning for later in the day, book Genie etc hard for a senior, or at least me. Is Disney listening to any of this??
Disney should pick a vacationer once a week and give them their trip free. Totally random. The spirits of Walt and Roy are angry right now and CEO needs to appease. At least bring back magical express. Charge us for it…but bring it back
As DVC members from the U.K., we had our last trip cancelled in 2020 and have not been back since. To be honest with all the changes it does not appeal to me anymore as I know I will just compare it to how it used to be, which I loved. No way am I paying for a park ticket and then paying again just to be able to get on a ride. We are not early risers and I’m certainly not getting up early on my holidays to look at a phone to work out what ride to go on. Not to mention the cost for 14 days. It seems many Americans go for a couple of days at a time so the cost f the Genie thing is probably bearable.
Magical express was perfect for guests from U.K. as we stay at least two weeks, so plenty of luggage and after a nine hour flight, remembering we are 5 hours a head in the U.K., it’s late when we arrive and we are tired.
Disney is short sighted, get guests from over seas for two weeks, give them incentives to stay on site and spend money or charge them for everything and drive them offsite to spend money elsewhere.
I can not see any value or magic in the current system, I don’t want to be tied to a park through the booking system and I hate using my phone at anytime, certainly don’t want to keep using it on holiday. This is technology overkill. I don’t want the stress. I liked planning in advance everything ran smoothly, only arguments were when we had not planned a day then know one could decide what they wanted to do.
Very sad at the direction Disney has taken, unfortunately unless people vote with there feet and stop giving Disney money for all these extras (not really extras) they will just keep taking.
Shame on you Disney, no longer a magical fun place to be.
And just a thought maybe they would have more cast members if they did not insist they were jabbed, free choice!!
I’d love to see a more dedicated way for entry guests to move in one direction, with exit guests being able to bypass through their own dedicated exit lines that move only in that direction. It’s no fun fighting your way into and out of the parks. I know Disney wants to force us into the gift shops but it’s also very dangerous to funnel so many guests together at these crucial points. Come on Disney, don’t wait till a tragedy occurs to realize this safety issue!!!
We’ve been WDW annual visitors (sometimes twice a year) since 1972. The difference in level of service and “guest” care was truly magical in 1972. Despite some clearly beneficial changes over the years (Free Fast Passes, Magical Express, Park Hopping opportunity), the “enhancements” have subtly been directed at revenue enhancement. The changes directed at revenue enhancement are now blatantly obvious, effectively serving to destroy the “Magic” which had been carefully cultivated. The legendary Disney attention to customer experience, environmental cleanliness, meticulous maintenance, almost never-fail ride mechanisms, and ease of access all served to distract from the ever-increasing costs. Disney, please bring back Walt’s vision of a fantasy world of family relaxation, that doesn’t require a mortgage revision, six-months of detail planning, and continued attachment to your cell phone to navigate your vacation. Specific requests: 1) Bring back Magical Express – free, with Resort Airport Check-in; 2) Fast-Pass, free – 3 selections; 3) Daily room services – certainly for the top tier resorts; 4) Bring back complementary Magic Bands for resort guests – The appearance of freedom from money, although only an appearance, is a tremendous psychologic asset. 5) Stop allowing the financial engine be front and center, squeezing out all of the fanciful “Magic” that you continuously tout; don’t lose your essence!
Finally – Stay out of political positions! Disney is in the escape and entertainment business. Stay out of politics, or your currently deserved protected positions as a truly national resource may be in danger, and it may be even more difficult for you to maintain the suspension of disbelief upon which you fundamentally depend.
First, get rid of Chapek. Then quit emphasizing profits over guests.
Bring back the evening hours limited entrance tickets. This creates more income for Disney, smaller crowds for the patrons and a break from the Florida sun. Win, win, win.
Change the pay for it rides to a wrist band system as used in some of the other parks . Gets people off the phones and takes off some of the stress. Don’t bring back the virtual queue for anything!
Create a family ticket offering The high cost of tickets creates a get your money worth attitude rather than the original intention of a get your happy worth attitude.
Read the article plus all the comments and I agree with all of it! We have gone to Disney World every year since 2012 and I can’t believe how much things have changed….and not in a good way. If things keep going in this direction, we won’t be able to go much longer. My son who has special needs absolutely loves Disney and looks forward to our trips. I worry it won’t be too long before I have to tell him we can no longer afford to go ☹️. I liked pre-Covid Disney so much better! I could afford pre-Covid much easier!
I totally agree with everything… the magic is really waning. We also have been every year for a long time and missed it for 2 yrs during Covid so we are trying it in a week. We are already frustrated with everything we have to do and learn! It was so much more fun not having to take a course to learn it all!!! And I am not looking forward to being attached to my phone. Who came up with all this crap anyway? Go back to the way it was! After this trip we’ll probably be done… we’ll go out west and see National Parks for cheaper. I will miss it…and the way it use to be! I’ll continue to watch DFB for a ‘fix’!
I agree with most people to get rid of Genie+ and bring back FastPass. I also feel they should get rid of the reservation system and let it be first come, first serve at a set capacity level. The parks open at 9:00 am, so those who chose to arrive much later may or may not get in. So that will be on them if they arrive too late. You snooze, you lose.
The major changes that hurt the most are the the loss of the Magical Express & the Genie+ but the real problem is the CEO celebrating huge profits and keep raising prices. He could care less about people just huge profits.
I also miss fast pass, airline check in at the hotel, package delivery from the parks to your hotel, magical express, dining plan, the list goes on. Has anyone from DFB sent this survey to the higher ups in Disney. I suppose though with the crowds Disney doesn’t much care.
Bring back fast passes and late nights for all. Housekeeping is a big deal as well! There is nothing better than going on vacation and sliding into a fresh sheets every night.
I feel like a paid fast pass was inevitable, but I wish Disney would make it less complicated. Why not have genie+ for all rides at $20 a day for everything, and $10 for each child, to make it more affordable for families. Then instead of all the complex rules, make it so everyone can make their first genie+ choice when they enter the park and can make the next selection after they use their first selection. They can continue to do this throughout the day until the genie+ selections run out. Disney resort guests can make their first selection an hour before they enter the parks. They could cut down on how many guests use the genie+ service by letting all the resort guests stay later in the parks. Then they’d be more inclined to sleep in and do things at their resort before heading to the parks.
Another thing that Disney does that bugs me is announce they’re going to do things with no seeming concrete plans in place to do them. ( Magic Bands+, Disney Dining Plans, even Disney Genie [I’d begun to think that was never going to happen, it happened so long after they announced it] and many other things.) Why don’t they announce these things when they have a definite completion or launch date? Sometimes we’re waiting for years or they are never heard about again. They’re becoming the boy that cried “wolf”.
Stop DICTATING to guest how to go on their vacations. Get rid of all aspects of genie+, park reservations and park hopping limitations. Bring back full everyday housekeeping. And stay out of politics. Our family has been going to disneyworld for over 45 years staying at deluxe club level hotels, dining at sit down restaurants twice a day, buying extras like luau, hoop de do, specialty cruises, etc. for 7 – 10 days trips. Until disney stops the price gouging going on and reverses all their greedy ridiculous policies to attend their parks, we will be going elsewhere.
GET RID OF GENIE+!! GO BACK TO OLD FASTPASS SYSTEM!!!!
Hire real IT professionals to work on your IT. Whether it is in-park or shipboard WiFi or any of the Disney web-based systems, the one thing Disney seems to fail at again and again is IT.
If you are going to base such a large portion of your vacation planning on the Disney apps, fix the IT before you deploy it.
I agree with the Nickel and diming.
But as we’ve seen, the hidden actual culprit for long lines is the Fastpass/Lightning Lane/Genie+
When that was on hold, the lines were practically zero all day long. As soon as yhis return wait times innediately began shooting upward to the hour rang where previously they were practically nothing.
Genie+ seems to be created just to extract more dollars from patrons to make up for Covid-closed parks. We buy Genie+, wake up at 7 to get our fav rides, and often those rides have ‘no availability.’ So, we get Genie+, get up early daily for our week’s stay in an expensive Disney hotel, eat at expensive Disney restaurants, and STILL can’t ride the rides we love…unless we wait in a two-hour line in 90+ degree temps.
Disney has tarnished its luster with us. They have created a caste system within the parks. Isn’t Disney supposed to be a champion for all? Now it seems they are only a champion for you if you have extra money to spend on rides (often times ‘without availability’).
If Disney is going to sell me a product, give me the product. Don’t ask me to pay for a product that I might/I might not get.
Agree – bring back all day, any park, park hopper and the old fast pass. Also miss the Magical Express. It all takes away from the Disney experience of old. Some only get to Disney once every few years and need to make the most of their stay.
Honestly I don’t know how the average income family can visit Disney and not go in debt.
With the price increases and lack of pleasant staff, much of the “Magic” is gone. Walt would be horrified at the current state of his dream.
I really want part hopping back to normal, with the park reservation system in place , you have to pick which parks you are going to so far in advance but your priorities may change when you are actually in the parks! I hate the feeling of being locked in to one park until 2pm especially since when you buy park hopper tickets you have to buy the for your whole vacation not just a day or 2.
I’m going in Sept for food and wine and I liked to get tix to The Party For the Senses, does that mean I have to have a park reservation for Epcot that day? Or can I just park hop in??? Same question if I buy tix for The Halloween party??? It just makes your trip that much more complicated.
I totally agree about getting Disney to improve their IT, too. And I’m currently on the phone for an hour and 45 minutes still waiting for a video chat for a DAS pass. You’d think they could set up appointments or at least a time window so you wouldn’t be tied to your phone for an entire day waiting for a five minute chat. I signed on the system seven minutes after they opened the line. There’s gotta be a better way.
We’ve all heard the saying about government “Never let a crisis go to waste” This is now Disney’s perspective. As long as we are all reacting to not being able to go to Disney for a year and a half, Disney knows we will come back (for now) no matter how much they rig the price, system and former amenities. I don’t like to admit it, but that is what they are doing. It’s sadder for those families that have the younger kids that don’t want their kids to miss their time of amazement. As for me and my family, we are done with Disney – for now. In the hope that enough people feel the same, we will wait for better times at Disney, and when we rediscover other things to do for now, if we have lost interest in coming back to Disney, that will be fine too. Everything has it’s initial seed of originality, it’s climb to greatness, then stagnation and decline.
Frank New York
Bought into DVC back in 1999 so I could enjoy the magic and relaxation with my grandkids in years to come. I would buy annual passes for the whole family and go 2-3 times a year, sometimes spur of the moment and surprise the kids. So sad now! It is a full time job hours of planning hours on the phone most times being shut out of our home resort or having to move from one resort to another as we can’t get as DVC members a stay in a DVC resort for our complete vacation! Can’t afford annual passes as now they cost thousands of dollars for family of 4. So stressful with dining and park reservations pay all that money no housekeeping and the added charge of transportation with no magical express. So we drive which cost us lost time to vacation due to travel time. Then added cost to pay for rides reminds me of when Magic Kingdom opened and we had Ticket books E ticket was the best rides but you had to buy more as you only got 2 E tickets. So we will make memories by booking all inclusive resort vacations which include free bus to n from airport to resort, food, drinks, daily housekeeping, activities, shows and parties at night. Some resorts are family and for those wanting only adults there are adult only resorts. So relaxing everything set before you go get there lock your wallet up and RELAX. Some have character meals n shows for the kids. So I will rent out my DVC points and use the cash for a real VACATION!!!!!!
Great thanks we went as DVC members just stayed in resort as we pay the taxes and maintenance can’t afford to go to parks. We go to sea world, universal and other Orlando attractions now we will travel elsewhere
As long as crowds flock to Disney no changes will be made. Prices will continue to soar! DVC will continue to lose benefits!
DVC members feeling like you locked in to Disney? Well your not! rent out your points use cash to make memories at affordable all-inclusive resorts elsewhere it is really less expensive and no stress a true vacation
The pay-per-ride is standard at Universal Studios, Six Flags Parks and I imagine at many other amusement parks across the country. What makes us sad is that Disney is now just another amusement park, not really that special. The Disney “Magic” is not part of the new business plan going forward. Disney has become an industry follower, no longer a leader. Soon you will here children asking “why is that man wearing a mouse costume ?”
Go back to fast pass. How many folks spend more time on their phones vs enjoying the experience? If you don’t have a smart phone you just might as well stay home. And I do have the phone just not glued to it.
Lois, good luck getting through to a DAS cast member!! My daughter signed up for it and was on hold waiting FOR NINE HOURS!!!!! LITERALLY, NINE HOURS!!!!
Went last August into September figuring it would a little cheaper. Hadn’t been in 21 years. Wow! The planning was insane! I had to take a loan out on top of the money I had saved. I wanted to take my three teenage kids before my eldest graduates. They had never been. I’m glad we went, but the cost is unjustified. I can’t believe how much they nickel and dime the guests. It’s such a turn off to see how they are charging for everything! Would like to go back, but highly doubt it. Too expensive, way too crowded. Not what I consider relaxing or fun. I work too hard for my money to be double paying for vacation. I can’t see anything changing because most people will keep going no matter what. Very sad.