Just because Disney World is The Most Magical Place on Earth doesn’t mean it can’t use some improvements!
Main Street U.S.A.
We know that many Disney fans have thoughts about recent changes in the parks, especially when it comes to Genie+, price increases, and crowds. So how do guests propose to fix the problems they see in the parks? We’re about to find out!
We asked DFB readers on Facebook to answer the question “What do you think Disney World could do to improve the overall guest experience?” And our readers had a LOT of ideas! From bringing back Magical Express to building a Haunted Mansion hotel, here are a few of the most popular suggestions:
Lower Prices
One of the most common answers that we saw was that people want Disney World to lower prices. On park tickets, food, merchandise, etc., guests are hoping for some smaller price tags at the hotels and parks. Helena said she wants Disney to “lower prices so everyone has a chance to have the Disney Experience.” One reader simply said, “Charge less…a lot less.”
Check out prices before you come!
It’s true that Disney World has seen a lot of price increases over the last year. We’ve noticed price increases on park tickets, popular snacks, souvenirs, and more. And rising inflation rates and increasing costs to travel certainly don’t help. In fact, some guests are wondering if a Disney World vacation is even possible for the average family.
Price tags
If you’re planning a Disney World trip and getting discouraged by the ever-increasing total cost, we can help you out. Check out our page on all the current Disney deals and discounts, and follow our blog to get the latest updates on new deals that could help you save.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
We also have all kinds of resources for smart budgeting in Disney World. Here are a few posts that could be helpful:
- Complete Guide to Booking the Cheapest Flight to Disney World
- The Cheapest Days to Visit Disney World in 2022
- The Best Disney World Souvenirs for Every Budget
- 9 of the BEST Budget-Friendly Lunches in Disney World
- 15 Cheap but Filling Disney World Snacks for When You’re Ballin’ on a Budget
- Sneaky Ways You Can Save Money in Disney World
So don’t lose hope — even if Disney doesn’t lower those prices, you can still find ways to budget, save money, and make that next trip happen without breaking the bank.
Learn about hidden price increases on 2023 Disney World park tickets.
Bring Back Perks
Another common request from Disney fans was to bring back perks! Several people asked for the return of Magical Express. One reader said, “Bring back Magical Express! Having to get our own luggage to the room was awful! I miss the days of having it ‘magically’ showing up in our room!”
Magical Express has been discontinued
The free bus service between the Orlando International Airport and Disney World hotels ended at the beginning of 2022. Instead, there are a couple of replacement services available, both of which cost money. Mears Connect and Sunshine Flyer are the replacements: a round-trip between the airport and your Disney hotel with Mears Connect costs $32 for adults and $27 for kids, and Sunshine Flyer costs $32 for adults and is actually FREE for kids right now. The deal where kids can ride free will last through September 5th, 2022.
Mears Connect Bus
Although both services have gotten good reviews, the fact that they’re not run by Disney and that they’re both paid services makes these options less magical for some fans.
Sunshine Flyer
Another perk that’s sorely missed is free parking at Disney World hotels. One reader said that bringing back free hotel parking “would be a very small positive gesture for all guests.” Note that parking at Disney hotels currently costs $15 per night at Value Resorts, $20 per night at Moderate Resorts, and $25 per night at Deluxe Resorts.
If you bring a car to Disney World, don’t forget about those overnight parking fees!
Another reader requested the return of another perk that changed recently: “Bring back Extra Magic Hours — early morning for a full hour, not 30 minutes.” Previously Extra Magic Hours allowed Disney World hotel guests to enter select Disney World parks an hour early on some days and stay for an extra hour past closing time on other days. Now, however, Early Theme Park Entry has taken over. This perk allows Disney World hotel guests to enter each Disney World park 30 minutes early every day.
Good morning from Hollywood Studios
Some guests have shared that 30 minutes isn’t really enough time to do much in the parks — by the time you hop in line for 1 popular attraction, ride it, and get off, that time has usually already expired. Additionally, the nighttime component — Extended Evening Hours — is reserved only for guests staying at Deluxe hotels. These guests can stay in select theme parks for up to 2 extra hours on certain days.
Magic Kingdom Crowds
By rope-dropping in the morning (getting to the parks before opening time so that you’re ready to enter right when they open) and staying until closing time, you should be able to get in most of the activities and rides that you wanted to do in each park. And remember that you can hop in line for a ride at any point before closing time, even if the wait time goes past closing time. So if Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway has a 75-minute wait, you can still get in line 5 minutes before closing time and the Cast Members will usually allow you to stay in line and ride the attraction.
Hollywood Studios at Night
A DFB reader threw in another perk that hasn’t returned yet: “Bring back the dining plan.” The Disney Dining Plan was a way for guests to pre-pay for meals and snacks in Disney World. There were a few different plans to choose from, depending on how many meals and snacks you wanted and whether you wanted more table service or counter service meals.
Ronto Wrap
You would pay the flat rate for the plan and then use “credits” during your trip! For example, 1 counter service meal credit might get you an entrée, side, and a drink at various quick service restaurants throughout Disney World.
Disney Dining Plan Shirt
The Disney Dining Plan disappeared in March 2020 when Disney World closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It still hasn’t returned, although Disney has promised that it will be brought back at some point. In the meantime, check out some of our tips for budgeting for food in Disney World.
Find out if Disney World hotel perks are worth the hefty price tag.
Build New Rides/Parks
Disney World has added several new rides and attractions over the last couple of years, including Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, both located in EPCOT. However, guests are still looking for more additions to the theme parks.
Cosmic Rewind
A reader asked for Disney to “develop rides with higher capacity or a quicker thru-put.” Some attractions — *cough* Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance *cough* — don’t have a very fast turn-around for guests. With multiple stages of the ride, it takes a while to get guests through the full attraction. Generally, omnimover attractions (like Peter Pan’s Flight or Haunted Mansion) have a faster thru-put. Disney may need more of these kinds of rides to help lower wait times in the park.
Peter Pan’s Flight
In addition, the simpler ride system of omnimover attractions could mean fewer technical difficulties. Although the new technology is really cool (again, going to throw out Rise of the Resistance as an example here), the multiple elements and newer tech means that break-downs are frequent and can last a long time. We don’t mean to sound grumpy about a super cool ride, but Rise of the Resistance breaks down FAR more often than Haunted Mansion. Just sayin’.
Rise of the Resistance
Some fans went a step further and asked for an entire new PARK instead of just some new attractions. A reader said, “Stop building new resorts, and build a new park instead to spread out guests.”
Disney World Entrance
It’s true that Disney World’s 4 theme parks are currently pretty crowded. But we should also consider that adding a new park to the mix will also entice more people to visit Disney World in the first place, so it may not actually solve the over-crowding problem, at least at first. BUT, we’d never say no to more Disney in our lives, so maybe a 5th park is the way to go.
Will Disney World add a 5th park? Here’s what we know.
Change Genie+ Back to FastPass+
We’re not going to lie to you — we knew these comments were coming. A lot of people have been unhappy with the change from FastPass+ to Genie+, the main reason being that FastPass+ was free and Genie+ is not. In addition, Genie+ can be quite a bit more complicated to use, and we’ve heard from many readers who had a hard time understanding all the ins and outs at least at first.
Disney Genie
A reader said, “Bring back FastPass the way it was originally when it was free and we didn’t have to be on our phones non-stop!” Vanessa also disliked the requirement of using your phone to book rides with Genie+: “I spent the majority of my time on my phone trying to get spots on the rides. I’d like it if they brought back the ability to book your first three rides of the day prior to your trip.”
Lightning Lane
With Genie+, guests must pay $15 per person, per day. You’ll be able to book “Lightning Lane” passes throughout the day, using the My Disney Experience app on your phone. Lightning Lanes are the physical queues where you’ll go to skip the standby line. With some exceptions, you can book 1 ride at a time; once you’ve scanned into the Lightning Lane of that ride, you can book your next Lightning Lane.
Splash Mountain Lightning Lane
Not all Disney World rides are included with Genie+ (although most are). Some of the most popular rides have Individual Lightning Lanes (we call those pay-per-ride). You’ll have to pay a separate fee (anywhere from $7 to $15 per person) to skip the line at these rides. The pay-per-ride attractions in Disney World are Avatar Flight of Passage, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
See our FULL GUIDE to Genie, Genie+, and Pay-Per-Ride here.
Lower Capacity
We know that a lot of people are concerned about the crowds in Disney World — after all, more people in the park usually means higher wait times at rides and longer lines at restaurants. Several readers commented that they want Disney to address this problem. One reader said, “Limit the number of people at each park. It’s too crowded!” Another agreed, saying “Limit the crowds.” And another specifically said that Disney should “lower the capacity limits” at the parks.
Crowds in Animal Kingdom
In addition, a reader commented that Disney needs to “reduce capacity” because “the parks are too crowded and the lines are too long.” Disney World has certainly been very crowded recently, especially these last few months as many kids are out of school for summer break.
Crowds entering Magic Kingdom
Although Disney is limiting capacity to some degree with Park Pass Reservations, these measures aren’t enough for some readers. Park Pass Reservations are required for all guests visiting any of Disney World’s 4 theme parks. You must make reservations for the park you want to visit before you’ll be allowed to enter. These reservations do run out, so we recommend making your park reservations as soon as you buy tickets. Note that the reservations are free if you have a park ticket (and Annual Passholders are allocated a certain number of reservations at a time).
Animal Kingdom entrance
While some guests want Disney to limit capacity further, others have the opposite complaint. Stacy said, “No more park reservations!” and another reader agreed that Disney should “get rid of park reservations.”
Reserve your park passes early!
So while some guests want stricter rules, others don’t like the additional step of making reservations after they’ve purchased a ticket. It’s possible that Disney was looking for a middle ground in this difference of opinion and landed on keeping the reservations but increasing capacity so that the reservations don’t run out as quickly.
EPCOT entrance
If you’re looking for ways to beat the crowds in Disney World, we recommend rope-dropping each park in the morning (getting there early, well before opening time) and heading to the most popular attractions first. You can also stay later (until closing time), as many people tend to head out early in the evening.
EPCOT at night
For food, try using Mobile Order so that you don’t get stuck in a long wait at quick service restaurants. And if you’re concerned about getting on all your favorite rides, your group might consider purchasing Genie+ so you can skip standby lines.
Learn all about park pass reservations (and how to book them) here.
Get Rid of Technology Requirements
As we saw with the Genie+ vs. FastPass+ debate, many guests don’t like that they have to use their phone so often during Disney World vacations. The My Disney Experience app is a requirement for using Genie+, Mobile Order, Mobile Merchandise Check-Out, virtual park maps, and more. While this can be convenient in some ways, some guests don’t like being on their phone the whole time.
Phone cases
One reader asked that Disney make the experience “less tech/phone needed. It’s more stressful now.” One reader agreed: “I’m over using my phone so much at the park.” And another said, “Don’t make it so hard to go and have a good time. I don’t want to spend all day looking at my phone!”
Your phone does a LOT during your Disney World vacation!
There are some ways you can avoid using a phone in Disney World. For example, you can order at the counter instead of using Mobile Order, and check out at the cash registers instead of using Mobile Merchandise Check-Out. Although the virtual maps are handy (as they show ride wait times as well as the layout of each park), you can still pick up a paper map at the entrance to each park. Other things, like Genie+, can’t be done without a phone.
Learn the ins-and-outs of Disney World’s app here.
Bring In More Live Entertainment
A DFB reader requested that Disney bring “more live entertainment in the parks: little musical or comedy performances apropos to the environment.” Although you can find some live entertainment in most of the parks, it’d be fun to see even more of these performances throughout Disney World. And having attractions that don’t require guests to wait in any line is generally a good thing as well!
Dapper Dans
Currently, some of the consistent live entertainment you’ll find in Disney World includes the Dapper Dans in Magic Kingdom, various musical performances in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and the JAMMitors in EPCOT. You can catch the Cinderella Castle Stage Show in the morning, or wait in line to see other shows like Festival of the Lion King or For the First Time in Forever (a Frozen-themed show).
JAMMitors
We’re still waiting on other entertainment to return, as many performances didn’t make it back to the parks after the pandemic closures. For example, the Citizens of Hollywood at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have been missing for a while (although we do spot them on the rare occasion). We hope that more shows return soon!
Check out a full list of showtimes for Magic Kingdom here.
Build a Haunted Mansion Restaurant or Hotel
This is a suggestion we can definitely get behind: Doreen asked that Disney build “a Haunted Mansion restaurant and hotel.” WE’RE IN.
Haunted Mansion in Disney World
We have always wanted to dine at the wedding banquet in the Haunted Mansion’s grand hall, and of course we’d be down to stay the night in a spooky mansion. Can we request that Madame Leota read bedtime stories each night??
Madame Leota Sipper
Disney has been more invested in themed hotels and restaurants lately, with the additions of the Galactic Starcruiser hotel and updates at the Monorail resorts to make guest rooms more “Disney” (Moana rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Incredibles rooms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and Mary Poppins Returns rooms at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa).
Refurbished Guest Rooms at the Polynesian
With a new Haunted Mansion movie currently in the works, it’s possible that we’ll see more updates that involve this fan-favorite ride!
Haunted Mansion fans can’t miss these AWESOME souvenirs.
Add More Skyliner Routes to Disney World Hotels
One more suggestion we saw from a couple of readers was more Skyliner routes at Disney World hotels. A reader said Disney should “add more Disney resorts with gondolas. They would really alleviate some of the bus lines.” The Disney Skyliner is a gondola transportation system that takes guests between certain hotels, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Walt Disney World Skyliner
Right now, the only hotels with a Skyliner station include Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, and Disney’s Riviera Resort. Having this additional method of transportation is a big draw for each of these hotels.
Caribbean Beach Skyliner Station
Although it comes with its own set of problems (the Skyliner will shut down in bad weather and has been known to get stuck on occasion), the Skyliner is typically faster than using Disney World buses. And because the gondolas move continuously, the lines to board them typically go pretty fast. Additionally, it can feel more magical to ride a gondola through the sky to the Disney World parks, when compared to a simple bus ride.
Learn more about the Disney World Skyliner here!
It’s clear that Disney World guests have a lot of ideas for how Disney World could be improved! Will any of these changes happen in the parks? Only time may tell!
Cinderella Castle
If you’re planning a trip to Disney World now, it’s important to be updated on all the changes that have happened recently. Check out our post on how Disney World has totally changed over the past 5 years so that you can get caught up to speed. And we have a lot of other resources to help you have the best vacation possible, like an ideal timeline for planning your Disney trip, a list of current Disney deals and discounts, and our DFB guidebooks to Disney World dining, theme park snacks, EPCOT festivals, and more.
DFB Guide to Dining
Stay tuned to the DFB blog, and we’ll bring you all the latest updates about Disney World and Disneyland!
Click here to check out TERRIBLE changes Disney World hoped you wouldn’t notice.
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I think more perks should be given to Moderate and Value Resorts (Extended Evening Hours) and if they’re going to keep the Park Pass reservation system, the parks SHOULD limit capacity – not to the extent of an After Hours party, just so that we’re not shoulder-to-shoulder. I’d also say put a Value Resort where Reflections was going to be. I’d have to turn down your Haunted Mansion hotel idea though. That pricing would be very similar to Galactic Starcruiser I fear.
Return park-hopping to wherever you want, when you want. Get rid of reservation system – your ticket should guarantee you entrance. Also, if you’ve made a dinner reservation in one of the parks, that should count as a reservation to get into that park as well. Extra Magic Hours for all WDW hotel guests, regardless of tier. Free parking for all those already paying enormous bucks to stay at your hotels.
All the people that voted on these improvements are brilliant. I could have said it better. I hope Disney Management is listening.
The one I’ve wanted since I found out it doesn’t exist is the ability to buy a la carte park-hopping with a multi-day ticket. I really only want park-hopping for the last day of my trip, so I can go wherever it was I needed to clean up a ride or two that I didn’t get to on my dedicated park days, or pick up a souvenir I couldn’t stop thinking about. But as it stands, I forgo paying for park-hopping entirely because I can only buy it for my entire trip. Disney, please take my money!
Give us 3 free fast pass rides each day and let us plan them in advance. At least 24 he’s early so we don’t have to get up early each morning.
I am a big Disney fan and to disclose I am in the travel world.
Really the question you should be answering: Does Disney leaders care? Surveys are great, but does it effect or affect a change? The answers to your survey are good and some should be implemented like the return of FastPass+ and lowering prices. As long as guests are visiting, don’t expect any significant changes.
PS: I enjoy your blog and information you provide so thanks.
Here, here… get rid of Genie and bring back the old fast pass system.
I’d love to see a gondola system between all and the park. No doubt the cost of rooms would soar though.
That should have said animal kingdom lodge, thanks not, auto correct
Why more skyliners and not monarail?
I’m very disappointed in genie +. I refuse to get up at 7am and frantically plan my day. I like to plan ahead of time ( at least a month) to coordinate with dining plans. I surely don’t want to be on my phone all day trying to book my next ride. My family probably won’t return with this current system in place
Bring back where purchases made within the parks can be picked up at the gift shop of your hotel.
There are misting stations in Adventureland, Tomorrowland, and the circus area at Magic Kingdom. Add misting stations to each of the other lands in Magic Kingdom (for example, Frontierland and Liberty Square).
Bring back the lit-up sidewalks that were between the large Epcot sphere and the entrance to World Showcase. It was “magical” to walk along those as one made their way to the park entrance after watching the fireworks display.
Get more made-in-Germany merchandise in the Germany pavilion, more Moroccan merchandise in the Morocco pavilion, etc. Get more German employees in the Germany pavilion, more U.K. employees in the U.K. pavilion, etc.
Thank you for serving Twinings tea in the restaurants.
I vote for everything listed above, in other words, make DisneyWorld, DisneyWorld again.
My top requests?
1. Get rid of park reservations and flexible park hopping
2. Bring back Magical Express or at least add a luggage service so we don’t have to lug our luggage.
3. Bring back the dining plan.
3. Bring back Fast pass
I don’t like having to plan every minute of my trip months in advance. Dining was ok but now I have to decide which park for what day. Also during my vacation I don’t want to set an alarm to book genie+ plus stay on my phone all day. Those are things I go on vacation to avoid.
What good is taking a poll if nothing will be done about any of it. Disney will never go back to fastpass because it does not pad their pockets! All the changes have not been for the customers but for the greedy corporate people!! Who is the park for any way?????
I know i am in the minority here but i loved Genie+ on my recent visit. With the paid system there are a lot less people using the system. I just not have to get up before daylight 60 days before my visit to book FastPasses and i did not have any issues getting a pass for a top attraction. One of my park goers is handicapped and it was so nice not having to wait or maneuver through lines. Every ride was a walk on!😊 Disney vacations are only extra expensive if you make them extra expensive!
I would ask them to stop focusing on political issues and cultural ideology and go back to making the magic. Focusing or taking a stand on gender identity and those types of issues CAN never satisfy ALL guests and cast members. Everyone deserves a right an opinion, not just certain groups.
So why do it?
Stick to what Disney does best: Make Magic!
Well said Laurel Lane, I am in complete agreement with you.
I wish I had been part of this polling subject!! My first issue is the crowds. I have been an annual passholder for many years and I miss the good old days when things weren’t so complicated! Mobile ordering? YIKES! What happened to the days when you just walked into a Disney parks restaurant, ordered your food and sat and ate without having to wait for a mobile order that usually gets to you cold? I don’t use mobile ordering! It also used to be that the crowds were only on weekends and during the week it was not so crazy crowded. Not so anymore. I have a weekday pass because I work weekends. During the week the parks are so crowded. Every day is too crowded! The experience is not as enjoyable as it was before park reservations started. Get rid of park reservations. Bring back fast pass. Bring back free Disney resort parking for guests. Bring back dining plan. Bring back Magical Express. Make things more affordable because Disney is pricing itself out for people with limited finances. I am a Florida resident and I am amazed that so many Floridians have never been to Disney because they can’t afford it! That’s a shame because it is an amazing experience both for young and old! Disney, please make things less complicated because it is getting too difficult to plan a trip. I live close by so it’s easy for me to just go, but I feel bad for those who travel a long distance to enjoy themselves only to be stressed by what can be a not so magical experience because of crowds and expense. Seems each time I read your blog there is another price increase. Bring back the good old days of Disney when it was indeed a more “magical” experience! I will still go as often as I do and maintain my annual pass because I grew up with Disney and I still love it in spite of what I consider their faults!! Everyone should be able to enjoy a trip to Disney!
I’m not on Facebook so I wasn’t able to see your survey request.
I do agree with all of the suggestions that you have posted. I have been a life long Disney fan and an admirer of the innovation for a family vacation experience that Walt Disney World was created for.
But the management decisions these past two years that have led to higher prices, less value, and higher vacation stress, they have turned my family away from spending our vacation time and budget at Walt Disney World. We are getting a much better value and vacation experience at other vacation resorts and locations.
Would like to see a return of when purchases at the park were sent back to our disney resort. Last year, we had so many 50th merchandise packages we went back to the Poly to drop these off, and then, went back to Magic Kingdom. Also, having to pay $100 for photo pass is very disappointing. Need this to be part of annual passes.
How about enforcing a dress code. I am really disgusted at the way many guests are allowed to enter the parks where children are. Guests that wear latex & skimpy tops & shorts that expose body parts that should be more exposed in the bedroom, bathroom or places of ill repute.. if guests can’t respect decency then they don’t belong in disneyworld.
Now I would like to see a story on what the outcome would be. Like lower prices = bigger crowds. Lower park capacity = less availability. Lower merchandise prices = more solid out items. Sometimes the big picture is hard to see.
Disney really really doesn’t care if you’re unhappy or not. They have so many people wanting to go. If you refuse to go, there’s definitely willing to take your place. I mean, look at how crowded it is! They are a major corporation with the goal of earning as much money as possible for themselves and their shareholders. Do you really think they’ll ever offer free parking or free chances to ride the super popular rides? Why would they? People are very willing to pay extra to skip long lines. So what if extra costs to the consumer makes a few people mad. They have huge crowds of people willing to pay tons of money. Corporations have the goal of making as much money as possible. Chapel has even admitted it’s supply and demand. Prices rise when there’s less supply and more demand. Cinderellas Castle dining has limited seating, everyone with a Princess loving kid wants to go. They raise the price and people still come. Disney higher ups are not going to take a cut in pay just because a few people think it’s unfair to charge so much. They’ve got a knack for making huge amounts of money. Disney doesn’t work on charity and doesn’t strive to be affordable. Think of any high end designer handbag or shoe or jewelry store. They won’t lower their prices just because a few people whine that it’s too expensive.
why did you delete my comment
I don’t mind paying the $15.00 for Genie+, but change it back to the old FastPass so you can reserve your (3!) rides ahead of time and don’t have to get up at 7am to get a time for one ride!! That’s just ridiculous and totally defeats the purpose of trying to have a relaxing vacation
I would also love to have Disney’s Magical Express come back – even if they charge a nominal fee; the benefits are soo worth.
I agree that paying to park at the resorts is a total rip-off! I usually stay at DVC resorts on points so haven’t had to pay the parking fee the last couple times I’ve gone. Big Deal that you don’t have to pay to park at the Theme Parks if you’re staying onsite… I stay onsite so I don’t *have* to drive to the parks!
Hi Steve! I checked the deleted comments by email address and we don’t have any in there from you. Sometimes it takes a while to get to all the comments to approve them so that’s probably what happened in this case. 🙂
Bring back all the perks from the 2016 WDW Commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Nhwt8GQAI
i.e. Fastpass, Magical Express, Extra Magic Hours
And return Zip A Dee Doo Dah to the parks music loops.
My one complaint about Genie + is just the fact that I wasn’t able to sleep longer on our park days because I had to book not only Genie + but any individual lightning lane rides as well. Also, once you scan your card or band you don’t have the ability to make another ride selection until exactly 2 hours from when you booked your last lightning lane unfortunately. Other than that we had a great time minus the excessive heat.
Unfortunately it doesn’t matter what guest want and/ or would like. Chapek and his minions aren’t going to listen
(or even acknowledge) guest & fans because they care nothing about them. The only ones they are going to listen to are the share holders with most stock.
I understand the price increases because of inflation everywhere. It’s the Nickel and Diming of everything else and all that they have taken away that bothers me. They’ve taken away so much and given nothing back unless you pay for it now.
And of course the the reservation system and the later park hopping times that everyone sector hate. Please get rid of it and bring back anytime park hopping. But as mentioned, Disney doesn’t care, so it makes no sense to complain about it. We just have to accept it or go elsewhere.
I don’t know if we are returning to Disney world again we are taking a trip in 2023 we did go this June I’m going again to celebrate my kids 16 and 15 birthdays because they asked too. After the new opinions Chapek mentioned of how he’s probably going to raise prices even more not to mention the fact that genie plus requires a lot of attention and rumors of more park reservations like even for park hopping I’m not sure we will go again. My husband and I originally planned on going again in 2025 for an anniversary trip but we can go so many places now that honestly may be better
I thought I was being smart, following your advice and buying park tickets before the price hike around February. However, my husband wanted to purchase genie+ a couple of months after the price hike. And that’s how they get their extra money. They added in the extra ticket prices into the genie+ bill. I could not believe that.
I would say that Kayleigh is spot on. I came to Disney 1st in 1993, before the DDP and Magical express. They were added in the 2000’s to bring more people in. They don’t have that issue now. If that changes, they will change. Bob Chapek pretty much confirmed that.
Hi Nadene. Genie+ has always been $15 from the beginning until now.
Considering all their price rate increases and rules for parks, and rides, I have calculated I can take a 7 day Disney cruise with Inside cabin (I love virtual window), early in December, etc. with less stress for less than it cost for Disney World. And there is magic there as well. I can celebrate Christmas on the ship and later at home.
Hi DFB Gigi. I know these genie+ price hasn’t changed. I’m talking about the park tickets that increase every year. They made us pay for the increase in park tickets that occurred between the time we bought our park tickets and our genie+ purchase. We’re a large group and it ended up being a couple of hundred dollars more than it should have been to purchase our genie+. And it specifically stated that we were paying for the park ticket increase.
Hi Nadene, just a quick question… who did you purchase your tickets through? Did you buy them from Disney directly or did you go through another site? I have never had Disney increase my ticket price just for adding Genie+ so I am curious about how the tickets were purchased.
Hi DFB Gigi, yes we bought the tickets through Disney directly. I was very surprised at the price gouge. I think next time I’ll just travel to Europe. It might be cheaper and easier than a Disney vacation
You should reach out to Disney directly, Nadene. In all the times that I’ve purchased Disney tickets pre-price increases, I’ve never had to pay an extra amount for adding Genie+ besides the $15 per person. They’ve never charged an additional fee for the tickets. I would call them if I were you and show them your receipts so they can clear it up since you made the purchase through Disney directly.
As a stock holder, vacation club member since 1993 and an annual passholder for years, I tend to agree with almost all of the complaints. I don’t know what the park reservation accomplishes. Parks are as crowded as ever. We did not purchase lightning lane passes because I refused to pay for something that SHOULD be free. Plus who wants to get up early and start planning your day. It was better when you could set up your early morning at a park months ahead of time. I think that a parking fee for your car at the resort is an outrage. If they start doing that at DVC resorts I will sell my contract, even though I love Disney. I do believe some of the magic has been lost. But as long as people pay the money especially for merchandise, Disney will keep charging the outragious prices. Also as a stock holder, we have not had a dividend payment since before the pandemic. I have no problem with this as long as it is going to the workers.
It seems that everyone who has an opinion, there is someone with the opposite opinion. Whatever Disney does then, someone will be unhappy.
Thank you Ashley C for your comment on August 10 2022.
I watched the YouTube video you put in your comment. I remember that video as that was the last time our family went to WDW and felt the magic and experience the best Disney vacation with all those perks.
We have gone back 3 times since that 2016 magical vacation. Each of those 3 times the magic was less and less. The last time we went was January 2022 and the magic was gone. The experience was so stressful. We just wanted to get home.
It’s a shame that all those perks are no longer available as they were a big part of the magic.
Shame on you, Chapek and all the other greedy people. Greed is a sin!
My suggestion was get rid of Chapek… that would solve a majority of the other issues people were complaining about.
Go back to the fast pass and get rid of reservations. It’s thorn in everyone’s side. I go by the old saying, if it’s not broken don’t fix it.
Sad to say, but ask yourself… when had Disney ever reversed a decision (once made) in a timely fashion. I regard Disney, the entity, nothing but a large ocean liner on the open seas. It takes an inordinate amount of time and space to redirection the ship. Disney management is on a quest to improve the stock price because the stock holders are beginning to jump ship after the stock fall from 200 to 90 in a years time. It is all about stock holder equity and not the guest. They are searching under every stone to fine a new income stream or way to cut overhead costs. That’s it.