In 2022, we saw a BIG surge in crowds at Disney World. Disney executives said that the parks were more in demand than ever, and they weren’t wrong. In fact, only recently have we seen a glimpse of the normal ebb and flow of crowds that we’re used to seeing throughout the year.
Crowds
Now that 2023 is here, we’re wondering if this trend will continue or if there will be a drop-off in crowd levels. As popular as Disney World is, we have some very good reasons why crowd levels may drop this year. Let us tell you why.
Although we can’t predict the future with any kind of certainty, we can make some good guesses about upcoming Disney World crowds based on previous patterns, current trends, and the conversation about Disney happening in news media and on social media platforms. Based on these factors and what we’ve seen so far this year, we’ve found 5 reasons that crowds in Disney World might slow down in 2023.
Crowds heading into Hollywood Studios
First, we’re looking at a travel trend that meant BIG crowds in Disney in 2022 and could lead to a huge dip this coming year.
Revenge Travel Is Dying
In case you haven’t heard of this trend before, “revenge travel” is what experts called it when a lot of people went on big vacations after COVID-19 pandemic restrictions began to be lifted around the world. As travel restrictions and mask mandates disappeared, people took “revenge” on the pandemic for delaying their vacation plans by going on even bigger trips.
Orlando International Airport crowds
In 2020, one travel expert said, “Americans definitely have a feeling of being trapped. And granted, it’s a strange climate in the U.S. — politically, it’s like we’re living in ‘The Twilight Zone.’ People DM me, email me and post in our comments section things like ‘I’m so ready to go! I want out of here!’” (The Washington Post).
Orlando International Airport
One survey showed that people became anxious to get out of their homes and especially to reconnect with loved ones who lived far away: “Wanting to connect with distant loved ones and a change of scenery were key factors motivating leisure travelers in all states. A craving for different surroundings was strongest among those in regions with the most severe coronavirus outbreaks” (Harris Poll).
Flying away
The Washington Post reported that revenge travel began to happen in the late summer of 2020, and it really took off in the summer of 2021. However, the biggest spike in revenge travel seemed to be in the summer of 2022. By this point, most travel-related COVID-19 restrictions were gone, and many people once again felt comfortable with traveling.
Orlando Airport TSA Lines
But then late August 2022 hit and we saw a very unusual sight in Magic Kingdom: the ground. There were usually so many people packed into the park that you couldn’t see the ground at all, but suddenly the park felt virtually empty.
Basically empty
Now, late August and September are usually ideal times to visit Disney World, as many people are returning to work and school after summer vacations. However, in 2020 and 2021 we didn’t see the usual dip in crowds, which we attributed to this new trend of increased travel. In 2022, that lull finally returned.
There are usually a lot of people here!
Could that mean that revenge travel has reached an end? People have time to go on their big “revenge” vacations and may now feel satisfied with their usual routine of smaller or fewer trips each year.
Magic Kingdom crowds
Over the holiday season in 2022, crowds grew and the parks filled to capacity once again.
Learn more about revenge travel and its impact on Disney World here.
DVC Members Have Used Stocked Points
The Disney Vacation Club is essentially a timeshare program that’s just for Disney World. DVC members get a certain number of points to use each year, and they can spend those points to “purchase” stays at various DVC hotels on Disney property. They must use or bank their points each year or the points will expire and be wasted.
Disney Vacation Club kiosk in Animal Kingdom
When the Disney World parks closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney allowed DVC members to pause the timeline of using their points for the duration of the closure. Those points would roll over to be used later on, once the parks were open again.
Now may be the time to join!
However, the policy that the points timeline would be paused ended as soon as the parks reopened. That meant that a LOT of DVC members needed to use their points within the next year (2020 to 2021) in order to prevent the points from expiring. With the option to roll over extra points ending, there was a limited window within which DVC members needed to visit Disney World or risk wasting points.
Disney Vacation Club
So in that next year, a lot of DVC members were in Disney World, using up their points. But now that it’s been over 2 years since the parks reopened, that surge of visitors due to the DVC points dilemma has slowed. DVC members can once again return to their normal routine of visiting Disney World.
Learn more about how the Disney Vacation Club works here.
People Might Be Burnt Out
We already mentioned that revenge travel has slowed quite a bit, and part of that may be that people are feeling burnt out on travel and maybe specifically burnt out on travel to Disney World. So many people have visited in the last couple of years (demand has definitely been up), so those who have already been may delay another vacation — or at least another big, expensive vacation — for a couple more years.
Pretty busy
One factor that could certainly contribute to Disney World burnout is the consistent stream of price increases. We’ve seen park tickets, merchandise, food, and more getting more and more expensive in Disney World. Just recently, hundreds of menu items in the parks and at the hotels got even more price increases.
Flame Tree Barbecue Menu
Genie+ (the add-on extra that allows you to skip the line on some rides) used to be $15 flat per person, per day. Now, however, Disney World has introduced surge pricing for this add-on, which means it can get more expensive during peak times. We’ve already seen that price jump to record highs, just a day after the announcement that the pricing could change.
Disney Genie
Other extras have also gotten more expensive, like building a droid or lightsaber in Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. And some perks — like the Disney Dining Plan — have STILL not returned, so those benefits aren’t available to balance out the more expensive changes.
Building droids in Disney World
With what seems like a steady stream of price increases and add-ons being announced frequently, some people may simply be sick of Disney World. However, it sounds like those price increases aren’t going away anytime soon — Disney CEO Bob Chapek has said that Disney will continue to raise the prices based on consumer demand.
©Disney
Are the rising prices enough to keep people out of the theme parks? Over the last couple of years, they haven’t seemed to put much of a dent in the crowds coming in. However, we may see the added expenses start to weigh more on guests’ minds.
Learn more about the recent price increases in Disney World
Recession Talk May Have Some People Worried
Many people are currently worried that the U.S. economy is entering a recession. According to Steve Hanke, a professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University, told CNBC, “There’s an 80% chance of the U.S. falling into a recession.” Some other experts are less confident in this possibility, with a CNBC study of economists, fund managers, and strategists revealing that many experts claim there’s a 52% chance that the U.S. could enter a recession sometime over the next year.
©CNBC
A recession could be caused by a variety of factors — Hanke blames an excess of money in the system after the government flooded the economy with stimulus checks and other relief funds. Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, Economic Counsellor and Director of Research at the International Monetary Fund, told TIME that the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing war in Ukraine as the reasons for an “increasingly gloomy and uncertain outlook” of the global economy.
During a recession, a variety of factors come together to weaken the economy. It may involve less consumer spending, a cutback on salaries, a reduction of available jobs, slowing investment, and other trends that can sometimes create a circular pattern of less investment in business and thus fewer jobs available as businesses cut back on their budgets.
©Bloomberg
Some experts believe that a 2023 recession can be avoided. Former Federal Reserve economist Claudia Sahm told TIME that a fairly strong labor market may pull the economy through with less damage than others are predicting.
However, even if the U.S. avoids a recession next year, simply the threat of one can be enough to convince people to scale back on spending and stock up on savings. That might mean that a Disney World vacation has to wait.
©Bloomberg
When the U.S. economy took a hit in 2012, Disney used the time to invest more in its theme parks, which resulted in a boom in attendance once the recession was considered over in 2013, according to USA Today. This indicates that crowd levels did drop that year, which could be a predictor for 2023.
In 2008, Disney World attendance stalled, with visitor numbers staying about the same as seen in 2007. This is different from the usual trend of increasing attendance each year (The Orlando Sentinel). We may see a similar occurrence next year if recession fears continue.
Find out how Disney stocks are doing right now.
Guests Are Tired of Political Drama
And the final reason we could see a drop in guest attendance next year is that many people are tired of the political drama that Disney has been wrapped up in throughout 2022. The company’s ongoing issues with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis include disagreement over the Parental Rights in Education law (commonly called the “Don’t Say Gay” law by its opponents) and the dissolution of Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ©Deadline
We’ve seen both the governor and the company retaliate against one another as the drama has unfolded, and that has meant that Disney has been in the news quite a bit lately. Some guests may be getting tired of it all and could be taking a break from the parks as a result.
See the latest update on Disney’s Reedy Creek District.
All of these factors could point to fewer crowds in Disney World in 2023. However, we’ve also seen that — over the last year — the price increases and political drama haven’t been enough to keep people away from the parks. Guest attendance is still up from previous years, despite all of the changes.
Mexico Pavilion
So far this year, we’ve seen some pretty big indicators that crowds may not be slowing down anytime soon. Genie+ sold out for the first time in Disney World, and has continued to do so time and time again when demand calls for it. Not only that, but after initially reaching a record-high price of $29 per person per day, the service increased yet again and hit $35.
©Disney
It’s possible that Disney World will still be crowded if you plan to visit in 2023. If that’s the case, check out these posts to help you cope with the crowds:
- The Secret to Avoiding Disney Springs Crowds
- Genie+ Tips for the Most Crowded Days in Disney World
- 10 Tips to See Disney World Fireworks WITHOUT Crowds
- Use Mobile Order to Skip the Line at Disney World Restaurants
If you want to do some planning before your 2023 Disney World trip, check out our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining. We’ve compiled all of our BEST tips and tricks from years of Disney World travel into one eBook that you can download to your tablet or smartphone and take with you! We’re offering our readers 25% off with code WDW2023.
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Click here to find the CHEAPEST days to visit Disney World in 2023.
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Are you planning a Disney World vacation for 2023? Let us know in the comments.
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I’m definitely hoping for lighter crowds next year so my family has a better trip. 😀
We keep hearing that prices are increasing because the demand is high and people keep visiting. I’m wondering if, as people visit and experience the major increases in prices, they’ll continue to come or if they’ll decide, “No more Disney”, at least for a number of years. Only time will tell. It seems like there are so many who believe the “magic is gone”!
Cut thru all the baloney and your may agree that Disney has “Jumped the Shark” as they say in the industry by going a step too far. Many Disney fans feel abused by the company and have used the last year or so as a one last fling vacation, never to return. I know that is how I feel about the parks but I am tied to DVC until 2055. I will be dead and gone, but hopefully my daughter and her family will be visiting… The parks have just gotten too expensive for each single day, so going to the parks may be over for me and many other guests. I will stay at the resorts with my points, but not do much after that as Disney, under the management of Bob Eiger and Bob Chapek are turning the parks into a thrill parks instead of theme parks. The number of dark coasters is increasing, and the older more stable fans are not happy. It has quickly turned into one of the least happiest places on earth. Oh well,
Recession is already here – two or more quarters with negative growth. We have this now
I totally think they forgot COST as a big issue . Every week seems to bring an announcement of another price hike.
Quickly becoming unaffordable for most family’s
There are so many reasons, but cost is definitely one of them. By comparison, Disneyland feels a little more like a bargain.
Guest from the UK and Europe could be much lower. The massive price increases have been a double blow as the US Dollar has gained in strength. Recession in Europe and The UK. What was once a brilliant almost all inclusive WDW holiday is now full of so many extra costs.
The Disney Dinning plan, meant that all your meal costs were included, when staying on site, it was Fantastic, that has GONE. The Disney Bus from the airport GONE. Free fast passes GONE.
Crowds could be very low at the end of August next year.
How is it possible you missed the most basic reason? If the crowds are lighter, then the main reason people didn’t go as much is because the prices are stupid expensive (even beyond what they’ve been for the previous several years). My family of 4 doesn’t go anymore. We spend our vacation dollars elsewhere and we were the target Disney audience…going every year and staying on property up until 2020.
Plus, they’ve taken away everything that made Disney so great…Magical Express, Fast Passes, extra magic hours (nobody cares about the 1/2 hour in the morning), etc…and then on top of that, using the park reservation system and making planning a nightmare and forcing us to be on our phone all day. That-a-way to listen to your guests. Their arrogance is appalling and I’m sure we’re not the only ones to give up on them.
Really?? The number 1 reason is COSY?!??
Really??? The number one reason is COST!! Fans are sick of the magic disappearing and pricing rising.
We had a decent crowd at EPCOT earlier this month on Tuesday, October 1st.
One answer I would have expected is that people are tired or the “nickel and dime ‘ng” being done by Disney. Perks that used to be free are now “pay to play”.
One other answer is that people really don’t like the Reservation system.
I personally feel that one of the main reasons that attendance is going to begin to drop is people are tired of being nickel and dimed to death for everything at Disney. It’s become way too expensive for the average person to be able to afford to go.
There are too many hoops to jump through what with park passes, Genie+ , no DDP, the mess at Epcot, the ease of travelling from MCO changed, the time it takes Disney to build something, and the sheer expense of it all. The fun has gone. And they are making all the resorts look so cheap when they are far from being so. What have they done to the YC lobby?! It used to be such a great place. Cancelled our vacation over the Holidays. Let’s see what develops over the next year or two.
My husband and I used to go every year for our anniversary. We haven’t been able to go back since our last trip in 2017. It has just gotten way too expensive, even with all the money-saving strategies I have learned over the years. Going to Disney World shouldn’t be exclusive to the 1%. It makes me so sad because it is truly our favorite place to go but we just can’t afford it anymore. The cost of living has gone up almost 4% every year since our last trip, but my pay is only getting increased 3% per year (and that’s not guaranteed). When it comes to paying the bills or going to Disney, it’s not really a choice. Chapek has officially priced us out.
There is so much more to the political drama than Chapek’s disagreement with the governor. Disney has put a lot of people off with their wokeness, and that has nothing to do with DeSantis.
Also, the consistently, and even oppresively, higher prices make a Disney vacation less attractive or affordable for the average American family. Chapek once said he’d rather have fewer guests who were willing to pay more than many more guests paying less. By 2024, I’m betting he gets his wish.
This past week Genie+ was $22 for several days. But even the “Lightening Lanes” were quite long!
I think attendance is probably still high this year because many people book big holidays like this far in advance and don’t want to cancel. But those looking for next year can see the price increases, etc, so may not follow up. Chapek’s plan has a big lag, so it could backfire.
I still believe ‘pile on’ vacations had a large effect. People who had to postpone their vacations during the pandemic, ‘piling on’ those who were fortunate enough to have had their vacations already scheduled for the post-pandemic time. How many more could have been squeezed in when you already had reservations booked for late 2021 and 2022, trying to fit in those who were looking to get their 2020 and early 2021 stays rebooked ASAP. Especially considering the slow re-openings and low employee numbers. How many people would cancel their post-pandemic reservations to allow those that had to re-book to have their spots?
I for one, hope this will mean some rational stability soon so I may consider a second trip sometime before the 35th anniversary of my first in 1991.
My husband and I are DVC Members we are visiting Vero Beach and Saratoga Springs in May of 2023 but will not be visiting the parks going to check out Universal. Went in July of 2022 thirteen of us in total. Between Airfair from NJ , 8day tickets for the parks, and Uber’s too and from Airport cost $13,200. without food. Had 2 meals at Disney, Whispering Canyon Lunch and Cape May Breakfast total $807.00. Most dinners we ordered from outside places. We did eat some lunches at fast food places in park. We did not get Genie Plus refuse to spend money for something else that was free. My husband is on Dialysis so 1 day he needed to go in the morning for 4 hours so we did not go to our 1st park in the morning. However, we needed to take a bus when he came home to the park with our 1st reservation and go through the gates just to get back on the bus to our resort because we could not go to the next park at 2pm since they said there were not reservations available. My husband is considering selling back our DVC points. This is no longer a fun or affordable vacation.
Just got back from a Disney World vacation and Disney cruise in September. We definitely will NOT be returning in 2023, and maybe not even 2024.
The price gouging has really gotten out of control! And nothing is going to get any cheaper either. Genie+ has really killed our joy for Disney along with the taking away of the Magical Express. We were Annual passholders but we decided not to renew our passes. It’s just not worth it anymore. Having to pay for so many things that used to be included with your park tickets has made Disney World an undesirable vacation for many.
At this point, Disney is just money grabbing to make up for whatever they lost during the pandemic. I understand that they have to make a profit but the constant price increases on everything is out of control. All of this nonsense about giving guests “a great experience” is a lot of hoopla. They took away fast pass – which was convenient and free, and replaced it with the hassle of Genie+ for which you have to get up at 7 o’clock in the morning to book your rides, oh and by the way pay extra for some of the single rides! I feel it’s really a rip off.
The other option is to get up at
6 AM to head to the parks at 8:30 AM for rope drop and try to fight the crowds to stand in the heat on lines for hours to go on a ride! No way is that being guest friendly.
Going to Disney World now is more like a job than a vacation, and at least you get paid for your job! At Disney World YOU are the one shoveling out all of the money!
All Disney is doing right now is raising prices and price gouging people. We will be looking for a vacation elsewhere that doesn’t try to nickel and dime you and where you still can have a pleasant time at a reasonable cost.
In my opinion is that the only reason why crowds will be lower is all the price hikes. To some people it is no longer worth it and other simply will not be able to afford it.Thanks to Chapek, a lot of people are now priced out.
Free Dining and 90 day out fastpass would bring us back !
You bring up some very good points, Sara. That said, I think Disney will also be very nimble as they have in the past. They’ve got entire teams of analysts watching consumer demand like hawks.
While I don’t see them reducing ticket and hotel rack rates anytime soon, there are other levers they can pull. The moment demand drops to a certain level, they can bring out seasonal discounts, package deals good for the lighter seasons and last minute trips, etc.
Even bringing back the Disney Dining Plan (and “free” Disney Dining!) are things they’re still keeping in their back pocket. And with recent increases in food prices, those offerings will feel like an even better value.
Deals like this will bring back the many, many people who wished they could “revenge travel” to WDW but have been holding back.
Which is to say, I hope the crowds will go down a bit, but there are still many things Disney can do to keep the parks from actually getting too empty.
I also think there has been a surge for people wanting to attend the 50th anniversary celebration. Since that ends in March, attendance may slow down.
The rise in costs verses what is actually offered, including the loss of formally “free” items/amenities is 100% the reason we cancelled our plans for a 2023 trip. Not sure when we will come back. We’re thinking of giving Universal a try.
It makes me sad because we loved going to Disney World and had plans to return every year once we were empty nesters.
Where is there “consumer demand” for higher prices? Not just at Disney, but anywhere? I don’t know anyone who has said, “Gas is $3/gallon but I think paying $6/gal. would be much better!” What rational CEO thinks that people want to keep paying higher prices year after year? I’ve been a Disney Vacation Club member since 1997 and the “Park Reservation System” and “Genie+” are just a few of the things I’m upset about. Things that used to be free, we’ve got to pay for now. In what world does this make any sense?
I’m booked for early December but there’s a good chance I won’t go.
Main reasons are the loss of FastPass Plus and Disney’s love affair with Genie/Genie+, which I don’t share at all.
Why should Ihave to fiddle with my phone at 7AM? I’d rather stay home.
Glad we enjoyed 20 years of trips to Disney World because I don’t know if we will ever go back. Too many extra costs, too much planning required, too expensive, too dependent on having to use a personal cell phone. When we are on vacation, we don’t pre-plan every minute of every day. At Disney World, we planned a day or 2 in advance of what we wanted to do. No longer possible. Things starting going downhill for us when they got rid of the paper fast passes. EPCOT has been dumbed down so much, there is nothing for us to do there except Spaceship Earth and eat.
One thing that hasn’t been discussed much is the type of traveler who fits that “high spender” model that Disney execs are aiming for. This is a traveler who expects outstanding service, worthwhile amenities, hassle-free vacations and superb surroundings. They have the resources to select from many vacation options, and if Disney does not meet their expectations, they won’t return. Personally, with the long lines, understaffed parks, construction sites for years in the middle of Epcot, frequent brawls breaking out, loss of entertainers, “deluxe”hotels that look like generic hotel chains, and many other downgrades in the last 5-10 years, I don’t think Disney is going to be attractive to visitors who are willing and able to splurge on a vacation. At best, it will be a one-and-done. At worst, they will skip Disney altogether.
Name one thing that has improved at Disney over the last 2 or 3 years. Noting has improved. Cost is up. The experience is disappointing. People don’t like to pay more to get less. I hate the paid genie scam. Up before 7am. Constantly on the phone. Hours waiting between reserved rides. My family just purchased Universal annual passes. Had a great week there. Halloween Horror nights was awesome. Disney has lost its magic.
Excellent article Sara —- as always ! !
Sincerely,
Steve C.
Don’t know why you don’t publish my comments. I only speak the truth.
CEO’s who could care less. Disney used to be magical. Greed killed the Disney magic.
Revenge travel may be dying out but with 2023 comes the 100th anniversary of the Disney Company so I am sure they will have a lot of “extras” to see and will probably make that a 3 year celebration throughout all of the Disney parks and museums. In fact, there is already a Disney exhibits traveling through not only the US but in other countries as well. Once that if finished, they will be ready to start the 100th birthday of Mickey and Minnie. So, there will be a lot of new things to pull in the masses.
Hi Gino. When messages are not approved it is for a number of reasons including, but not limited to insensitivity, inaccuracy, language, etc. All comments must be linguistically appropriate for a wide audience, and generally not inflammatory. Thanks!
Will be interesting to see if the Chapek/D’Amaro duo attempt to maintain their “gouge them for all we can” philosophy once Universal’s Epic Universe opens in 2025.
I moved here seventeen years ago. For sixteen of those years I had a pass that I worked hard to save for. In that time there were many perks and events for passholders. It was great to be able to be spontaneous and park hop, and spend my time as unstructured as I wanted. I enjoyed the little extras the Imagineers put into every experience if you took the time to look. The last few years of my pass saw more and more “construction walls” and promises and less and less of the kinds of events and perks we once had. More and more things became ticketed events, special group events, more and more limited for those who don’t have all the “tech toys”, less and less “magical” for all guests. I worked for the company earlier in my life and remember the training and guest service lessons. I understand the “business end” and the realities post-covid. However, there seems to be so much planning and reliance on having tablets, smart-phones, etc
not to mention prices that many families cannot enjoy the many experiences. A vacation for many means getting away from the phones, etc. It doesn’t seem like a Disney Vacation allows for that or for the spontaneous experiences one used to have. It’s more like “Disney ala carte”. I’m glad I had the magic, and the great experiences I had. I looked forward to the 50th but, alas, it was not in the cards or the budget or in the timing of the reservations restrictions.
Agree with you Eric. When demand drops Disney will reach into that bag of tricks to bring people back…like the discounts you mention, Dining Plan, Tables in Wonderland and even a version of Magical express. It’s what they did in the early 2000’s to bring people in. They will never come back at the lower prices but an inflated version of those old prices, adjusted because of current pricing. I 1st went to Disney in 1993 and none of these things existed and crowds were only existent on weekends. I recall riding Splash mountain 4 times in a row on a Monday. In short, they have a plan to adjust when the attendance lags and those who have sworn off Disney will return. History repeats itself.
I expect in 2025 when Universal’s Epic Universe opens, there will be a big push to get people back to Disney. Epic is taking 4 years to build. It’s been 4 years for Disney to big one ride and get another one back on track.
A lot less people will be coming from the UK because the GBP is so weak against the USD at the moment. I got lucky and booked my 2022 trips even before the US reopened to overseas visitors and I got $700 in free dining credits and gift cards by booking so early. It was a massive help on my Spring trip and to be honest I don’t know if I would have gone ahead with my trips without this marvellous deal. They repeated the offer for early bookings for 2023 and I booked my 60th birthday trip for August 2023 because of that. But, I noticed the plane was only half full in March, but, looking at the seating map for next weeks flight it is fuller, but, I would expect Christmas to be more popular than spring time. I also get a military discount and that helped, I have the Genie+ added for this trip because of the discount, but, as I can’t add it for next year this is a one time only. I’m fortunate that my finances are fine, but, a lot of people, both in the US and UK are being outpriced because of Bob Chapek and the Disney companies greed and obsession in aiming WDW for the affluent instead of all who want to go to this happy place. It will backfire because the rich are after experiences and when they’ve done the Disney experience they will move on to the next one, the dedicated Disney fans tend to be ordinary people who save for their trips and now they can’t save enough to pay for them.
Can I add that Disney’s mousekeeping of only basic service every other day and park reservation will not sit well with the people who pay serious money to stay at deluxe resorts. I stay at a value resort and even I’m unimpressed that Disney still only do towel changes every other days and won’t make the beds in a $200+ a night hotel while other hotels do, in March my bedlinen wasn’t changed for 10 days despite calling mousekeeping about it. As for the park reservation, why? There is no reason for it now and even if they felt it was then changed the hopping time to midday. I looked at doing the virtual queue for Guardians and it opens at 7am (fine) or 1pm if you are in Epcot itself, so you would need a reservation for Epcot to be able to do the 1pm reservation. Again, why?
Disney is pricing themselves out of the market and quality is decreasing. It reminds me of walking into a Sears store a decade or two ago and seeing quality clothes and other items being replaced by cheap clothing made in China while prices increased.
Where is your local Sears store? The same place the Disney Store went, now the rot has hit the theme parks and hotels. Executives with bloated salaries, promoting a woke agenda instead of delivering to fans the traditional Disney experience. Don’t blame De Santis for the political drama, blame Disney Executives who are trying to promote an unpopular political agenda with their customer’s money. This is a great way to shrink your fan base, exactly what a publically owned company should not do. I sold my Disney stock when it was close to $200 per share. Disney won’t see that number again until it returns to what Walt envisioned.
Disney is having an identity crisis and they don’t know it. Meanwhile fans see what they once loved going to Never Neverland.
Guess what??!! I just went on my first all-inclusive vacation! What a treat! I was also fortunate enough to get to go to disneyworld the week before. Some may say, well they are 2 completely different experiences—and I agree! Prívate transportaron arranged through the resort easily and at no added expense. When I got to my all-inclusive resort I was greeted warmly with champagne and escorted to my gorgeous deluxe room which was absolutely spotless—toothbrush, toothpaste, lotions, shampoos and conditioners all included! Steamer, safe, bathrobes, slippers all included. Our room was cleaned twice a day! Walk into any restaurant and be seated within half an hour with no reservation! Oh and while you wait, here, sit at the bar and enjoy a beverage. Meanwhile at Disney I called down to housekeeping to ask if I could have some body lotion and was informed they are no longer providing it—phasing it out. Are you kidding me? A standard staple at every hotel, Disney is phasing out? On top of everything else that’s been done away with to provide ease and comfort to—let’s be honest—high-paying guests? Wow!
The only real difference between these 2 resorts is no theme park at an all-inclusive. Oh well—lots of other activities and lots of socializing with no craziness and no need to wake up at 6 or 7am to book rides you may not get to ride on due to selling out or breaking down. Something would have to change drastically at Disney for me to bring my vacation dollars back to them.
The Wife and I went on a 11 15 20?? And we were the only ones there it seemed
Cost. Having the Free Disney Dining Plan made it just about affordable to us British guests. Without it … it’s not a viable holiday – so sad that it is no longer going to be a possible trip for the majority of Disney fans.
I have to agree with most of the comments above. No housekeeping, no amenities, costs going through the roof and so many perks taken away, involvement in politics, but I have two other reasons that I am disappointed with Disney. In the fall Disneyland resumed their sale and renewal of annual passes. I needed to renew mine. We only ever buy the second most expensive because we don’t need or use the perks that come with the premium one. So, I go to renew and select the believe key and go through the process of renewing, but when I get to the end, and hit purchase I see that it has shifted me to the Inspire key which is $100.00 more a month than the one I want and thought I was renewing. So less than a minute later, I was on the phone with customer service and explained what happened. In short, they told me I was out of luck, they would not help me get the key I wanted. I felt supremely cheated. They told me it didn’t matter what I thought I was getting, I was stuck with what I purchased and didn’t want. There was no reason not to help me. It had been less than 2 minutes.
The second thing was right before the covid closures I purchased two tickets to the Disney Villans night. So, I called and said I should get my money back because they were never going to have the special night. That was nearly three years ago, and they still haven’t had it again. But they refused to refund my money, they just kept it and offered me nothing in return.
Disney has become disappointing. I have always considered Disney to be my safe space. A place I could go to get away from the real world for a bit. I still hold on to that, but it is getting harder and harder. I hope in the new year Disney gets its sanity back and starts treating us like guests again and not “marks”.
Letting my Incredipass expire. Just a few weeks before I went to renew the price was much cheaper. Just went to WDW 12/11 to 12/15 and the price was not changed. I guess I made a bad assumption that Disney would let passholders know of this change. With basically everything more expensive this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Maybe a day or two trip far into the future or a bucket list trip to Disneyland. But Disney is just too expensive for us now.
I’m on vacation and it’s not relaxing and more work than I do all week it’s not worth it. I go on vacation to enjoy family and flexibility and relaxation on my time. I have been to Disney 20 times and loved it. After reviewing these comments I won’t be back
MAGIC IS GONE, it’s more like Anxiety comes when we see the increase of prices while going around the park! How sad!!!
All we can do is hope for smaller crowds. We are following our usual schedule for two trips,(May & Oct.) for a total of 5 weeks. Running out of years on our DVC years (ends in 2042) at which point I will be 100 years old. Nothing lasts forever!