My recent experience at DLR

[kikismom]

Hi all. We were at DLR from Saturday, October 2nd to Thursday the 7th. We went to the parks Sunday to Thursday each day at opening and took a break from about 2-5 each afternoon at the hotel. Our group consisted of my husband, daughter and me, we are Disneyland regulars with the exception of my husband. Also we took a group of four adults and two kids who have extremely limited to no experience.

First I have never been to DLR this packed, including spring break. Some rides were well over 100 minutes for the wait and Ariel was at 30 minutes for most of the trip. I like to use that one as an example because I've never waited more than 5 minutes for it until this trip. I am so grateful for this board and my past experiences because we were still able to do most everything we wanted.

We went on Webslingers and holy smokes it was fun! We only got to do it once because we left during a crazy storm and our group was called as we got back to the hotel. We went on ROTR for the first time, I've been since it opened but have no interest in going on the ride and did it because the group wanted to. I will never ride it again, I have pretty bad motion sickness and this one was no joke. I had my EmeTerm band on and that didn't even help. My husband absolutely loved it and has never watched any of the movies. It is his new favorite ride.

I felt a different atmosphere on this trip. It was weird and felt more crazy than in the past. I see upset park goers, I saw some not great interactions with CMs, I can't exactly describe it but it's not the DL I'm used to. We saw some clothing that was pretty inappropriate for the parks. We saw a lady who had a see through tank top on with no bra, butt cheeks hanging out of many shorts, two string bikini tops, etc. The first timers mentioned it to me multiple times that they were surprised. Now I completely get how covid changed things, it changed things at my work too and we are running extremely short handed. It's been hard and customers have been mean to staff for 20 months now. I think I just had Disney up so darn high on a pedestal that I need to remember they are just another company.

My husband was very surprised when I told him I won't be going back until the Splash Mountain refurb is done. My daughter and I had been planning a March trip up until our flight home but have decided to wait a while to go back. I booked Aulani for this spring instead for something different.

The best part of the whole trip was the Halloween party. We went on almost every ride at DCA, hit all treat trails, went through Villains Grove and watched the parade. We brought back an entire carry on full.of candy, that was three people trick or treating.

For all of the unusual things we also had great things happen and some stand out service that I will be emailing about. We bought some great souvenirs, I finally tried Maurice's gears and have craved them ever since. I had beer cheese soup twice, once on an 85 degree day, bought 6 churro toffee squares to bring home, and had the most excellent mojitos from Tortilla Joe's.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Wow, sounds Way different than our August trip. Wonder why it's so busy in October during the week? Sounds crazy.

We went on Webslingers and holy smokes it was fun! We only got to do it once because we left during a crazy storm and our group was called as we got back to the hotel

Did you go back to the hotel for good that day? If you returned to the park, did you try to use your boarding group and get denied?

 

[kikismom]

Wow, sounds Way different than our August trip. Wonder why it's so busy in October during the week? Sounds crazy.



Did you go back to the hotel for good that day? If you returned to the park, did you try to use your boarding group and get denied?

We went back for the day. The storm was pretty crazy even for us, we are used to powerful storms here in the PNW. Thunder, lightning, and hail.

 

[kikismom]

I forgot to mention that we talked multiple times about people like my parents not being able to go to DLR by themselves ever again. We had to mobile order food everyday fairly early or we had no food. At one point my daughter got hungry and we couldn't get her food. My husband even tried to ask if he could order something at Smokejumpers to tide her over and was turned away. I personally didn't have glitches with my mobile order but three orders of the people I was with said they were picked up already when we got there. The CM always made it right but jeez talk about a glitch.

 

[GBRforWDW]

I forgot to mention that we talked multiple times about people like my parents not being able to go to DLR by themselves ever again. We had to mobile order food everyday fairly early or we had no food. At one point my daughter got hungry and we couldn't get her food. My husband even tried to ask if he could order something at Smokejumpers to tide her over and was turned away. I personally didn't have glitches with my mobile order but three orders of the people I was with said they were picked up already when we got there. The CM always made it right but jeez talk about a glitch.

I'm sorry to hear about that. When we were 60 days out, there was lots of talk of experiences like that, so I grabbed ADRs for most meals. We like to sit down and have a guaranteed table anyway, though by our trip it wasn't like that. that's just awful when you need a snack and can't get anything. You are right though, people without a smartphone definitely can't get by at Disneyland anymore which is sad. Between mobile ordering and genie+ coming soon as well as not knowing wait times at rides, you're at a real disadvantage

 

[dieumeye]

I can't exactly describe it but it's not the DL I'm used to

I feel this.

I have been many times already since the park re-opened, and especially since the Magic Keys were released. I have a good time every time I go, but there’s a sense I can’t exactly describe that something is not quite right, and I haven’t yet been able to shake it.

 

[sophy1996]

I personally didn't have glitches with my mobile order but three orders of the people I was with said they were picked up already when we got there. The CM always made it right but jeez talk about a glitch.

We had a glitch too in DCA. An hour before our window, we decided to cancel the order. When I brought it up, it said it was ready for pickup (even though it was an hour early and we never hit I’m here, prepare my order). By the time we made our way to the location, the time had expired. The managing CM gave us a refund with no issues, but really, what a pain! Not to mention waste of food…

 

[kikismom]

I feel this.

I have been many times already since the park re-opened, and especially since the Magic Keys were released. I have a good time every time I go, but there’s a sense I can’t exactly describe that something is not quite right, and I haven’t yet been able to shake it.

I know that eventually I'll get back to my strong love for DLR. I fell in love with the atmosphere at 9 and it's only grown for the past 33 years. I'm thinking if I go every other year instead of 1-2 times each year I can always stay on property.

It was very hard for me to admit to myself that the trip wasn't as wonderful as past trips. I feel that sometimes I can be pretty irritating with my rose cored glasses on when it comes to Disney. My husband would definitely roll his eyes whenever I went on a tangent about how it's THE most magical place and is practically perfect in every way.

 

[deejdigsdis]

I feel this.

I have been many times already since the park re-opened, and especially since the Magic Keys were released. I have a good time every time I go, but there’s a sense I can’t exactly describe that something is not quite right, and I haven’t yet been able to shake it.

I think you and the OP both found words for what I felt. I have only been back once, I had a good time, and I look forward to returning....but something felt off. I can't put my finger on it but it's an unsettling feeling. It has nothing to do with the obvious, like missing parades, or anything like that. It's hard to describe.

 

[Buson808]

I am here now and my goodness its packed! Never again Ill return during Halloween. The hell with oogie bash and not worth it dessert party!

 

[gelatoni fan]

I forgot to mention that we talked multiple times about people like my parents not being able to go to DLR by themselves ever again. We had to mobile order food everyday fairly early or we had no food. At one point my daughter got hungry and we couldn't get her food. My husband even tried to ask if he could order something at Smokejumpers to tide her over and was turned away. I personally didn't have glitches with my mobile order but three orders of the people I was with said they were picked up already when we got there. The CM always made it right but jeez talk about a glitch.

I agree that this is a huge problem. I don't mind giving mobile order as an option but forcing guests to use their phones for everything is very bad in my opinion. Try to explain reservations, boarding groups, etc to someone who has never been to the parks before and you'll find the entire process has become complicated and not user friendly.

This, the lack of entertainment, lack of events nearby and constant price increases means that many casual fans probably aren't visiting the parks right now. So the guests who are at the park will likely be more intense and more frustrated when Disney overpromises and underdelivers. With Magic Key reservations being so difficult, Keyholders are likely spending more time at the park per visit and with no shows, this means at the same attendance level, we have more people waiting in lines for rides rather than leaving the park or watching shows.

As far as the clothing thing goes, I think part of it is cultural. Certain topics that used to be considered adult are now mainstream and clothing in general has become more revealing in certain ways. Disney even loosened guidelines on cast member attire. But the other part is that we're seeing more adults in the park. With more alcohol and expansions involving PG13 IPs like Marvel, it's no wonder guests may go more like they're planning to go bar hopping rather than to a place for children to play.

 

[Cholula]

We went back for the day. The storm was pretty crazy even for us, we are used to powerful storms here in the PNW. Thunder, lightning, and hail.

We were there during the same time period, and had actually had our RotR BG called before the storm. Once the storm hit, we were not leaving that line for anything, hail or no.

Otherwise I agree with everything you said. This was my first trip back and I wanted to go, I'm glad I went and there were some nice moments. But there were also a lot of not nice moments that have made me pause on when I want to go back.

 

[LovesTimone]

I forgot to mention that we talked multiple times about people like my parents not being able to go to DLR by themselves ever again. We had to mobile order food everyday fairly early or we had no food. At one point my daughter got hungry and we couldn't get her food. My husband even tried to ask if he could order something at Smokejumpers to tide her over and was turned away. I personally didn't have glitches with my mobile order but three orders of the people I was with said they were picked up already when we got there. The CM always made it right but jeez talk about a glitch.

I hate mobile ordering.... it just sucks... cold food, nothing ever right in the order and on and on...

There were no snack carts opened to grab a snack at? We always bring in like protein bar or something kinda small to tide us over...

 

[felice]

Wow, sounds Way different than our August trip. Wonder why it's so busy in October during the week? Sounds crazy.



Did you go back to the hotel for good that day? If you returned to the park, did you try to use your boarding group and get denied?

Pre-pandemic, when my wife and I visited from England during October (as it is our wedding anniversary during that month) one of the reasons why the parks were so busy then was because the schools in the State of Utah were on a 3-week break (or so). Not sure if it might have been some kind of a cultural or religious holiday there - anyway, as a result, many families from Utah tended to travel to the parks. Don't get me wrong, we have wonderful memories of chatting with everyone there even when they were strangers to begin with, so there were never any problems to speak of. The parks were certainly buzzing then but not uncomfortably so.

Regarding the mobile ordering - I guess when international visitors start to reappear (in the UK, we've heard of the travel ban being lifted at some point in November before Thanksgiving) - some of these visitors may be wary of using this service, particularly if they don't have international data enabled on their phones or as part of their contracts, because they'll get charged extra on their UK bill for using their data abroad. So it might be best for people to be made aware of this. My wife and I, fortunately, are existing customers of a mobile provider called Three, who fortunately do give, on their standard contracts, an allowance of data that can be used in the US, EU and some other countries so we should be OK for that personally. Other providers aren't as generous and when they can charge extra for using 'unauthorised' data abroad, believe me, they will do just that. Not just the occasional $2-3 over the existing bill, more like $50+ for every hour of data used in this way.

 

[LovesTimone]

I agree that this is a huge problem. I don't mind giving mobile order as an option but forcing guests to use their phones for everything is very bad in my opinion. Try to explain reservations, boarding groups, etc to someone who has never been to the parks before and you'll find the entire process has become complicated and not user friendly.

This, the lack of entertainment, lack of events nearby and constant price increases means that many casual fans probably aren't visiting the parks right now. So the guests who are at the park will likely be more intense and more frustrated when Disney overpromises and underdelivers. With Magic Key reservations being so difficult, Keyholders are likely spending more time at the park per visit and with no shows, this means at the same attendance level, we have more people waiting in lines for rides rather than leaving the park or watching shows.

As far as the clothing thing goes, I think part of it is cultural. Certain topics that used to be considered adult are now mainstream and clothing in general has become more revealing in certain ways. Disney even loosened guidelines on cast member attire. But the other part is that we're seeing more adults in the park. With more alcohol and expansions involving PG13 IPs like Marvel, it's no wonder guests may go more like they're planning to go bar hopping rather than to a place for children to play.

WDW AP holder here... and we see this all the the time... I will say that in the past couple of years that the swimwear with thong or Brazilian cut with all the bottom cheeks out there for the world to see are showing up, and at the Resort pools and the Water parks here at WDW , they are told to cover up...
We were are POFQ before the closure, and a young woman basically was naked, except for a couple of strings that she was calling a swim suit, and she was acting like a peacock in full strut looking for a mate, prancing and strutting around to which she received the attention that she was looking for, then either her husband or boyfriend or male companion got riled up about it and wanted to fight some man in his late 60's because he was looking at her... We have plenty of beaches here in Florida if you want to layout or swim nude... A family theme park is not the place for this...We were staying at a DVC when things first opened up, and there was a very handsome well built young man at the pool with a very small swim suit on and it was what I would call brazilian cut in the back and his bottom was clearly exposed, and they told him to cover up as well ..... sooo women and men both being told to cover up...


Our HOA just put a dress code for our community pool in place... apparently there was some type of altercation between a neighbor man that has brought his 11 and 12 year old daughters wearing a thong bathing suit at the pool, and some other neighbor's who had little kids in the pool, and he said that men were watching his daughters, and the guys were like they are playing with our little kids and we are watching the our kids... our kids.. This is the type of thing that is happening everywhere... As well we have a neighbor who goes to the pool early in the mornings, and lays out topless, she pulls her chair over to a corner that face's the lake, and is very discrete, if someone else comes to the pool she puts on t-shirt or top...

 

[Iceman93]

I felt a different atmosphere on this trip... I think I just had Disney up so darn high on a pedestal that I need to remember they are just another company.

It's interesting that this line about things feeling "off" resonated with a couple of other posters (and me). I combined it with that other thought about Disney now being "just another company". That didn't used to be the case--Disney used to be a very special company that attracted top talent across the board. Cast members may not have been paid the best, but at least felt they were part of something really special (and they were treated very well in non-monetary ways like complimentary theme park access, complimentary holiday parties, top-notch training, etc.). And guests knew things were more expensive at Disney, but were willing to pay the premium prices for what was guaranteed to be a premium experience. Merchandise was pricey, but high-quality and unique. Food was pricey, but good. Hotels were pricey, but provided intangible "extras" that made them worth the price (often called "staying in the bubble" which really meant part of a seamless experience involving happy cast members, cleanliness beyond reproach, etc.).

Now that Disney is behaving like any other company, they no longer are able to attract top talent (and I'm not saying that no one who works for Disney anymore is outstanding, just that it's no longer the employer of choice that they used to be). Standards have slipped across the board, while prices have remained high. I hear over and over how people feel nickel-and-dimed or that they no longer get their money's worth when they go to Disney. It's a dangerous trend for Disney, and I hope new leadership will be able to reverse it someday.

 

[Dmto4]

We were there the week before you. It was just my husband and I. We had tried to get to Disneyland by ourselves for 25 years. We really wanted to love it and have a magical experience, but every morning when the alarm went off, we were counting down the days til we could go home. We were regulars, too, but have never spent so much money and time planning as we did on this trip. I honestly have to say I have no desire to go back and that makes my heart hurt a little.

 

[DontSpamMe]

We were there the week before you. It was just my husband and I. We had tried to get to Disneyland by ourselves for 25 years. We really wanted to love it and have a magical experience, but every morning when the alarm went off, we were counting down the days til we could go home. We were regulars, too, but have never spent so much money and time planning as we did on this trip. I honestly have to say I have no desire to go back and that makes my heart hurt a little.

It's not good right now. And I agree nowhere near the same magic as before. Halloween time is usually one of the busiest times at Disneyland. Add covid and pent up demand to it and it's a perfect recipe for the no fun zone. I think those making the trek from somewhere other than nearby wait until covid calms down. Otherwise lower your expectations as much as possible.

I consider Disney company part of the evil empire if not THE evil empire. They say this and that about customer satisfaction, but open your eyes a little and you'll see its still all about the mighty dollar.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We were also there the week before the OP. The crowds for us were a bit on the busy side, but I think it must have gotten much worse after 10/1. As for the 'magic', or lack of it? It's a tough call for us. It's not the same as we remember it right now, but we attribute a lot of that being under the Covid cloud. Part of the magic for us in years past was the interactions with people in line and with cast members. Right now, people genuinely seem to be on edge regarding social interactions, and I think that tension is evident in a crowded public situation like DL and WDW. It's a difficult time as we try to work back to something more normal. We are really hoping it's not too long that 'true' normal extends to the Disney parks again.

As for some of the other points, like Mobile Order? I think that's here to stay. I also don't think the food they provided was any better or any worse than if you ordered it the 'old way'. It's not like your specific order was pulled and is just sitting there for 30 minutes - that's not how it works. But it is something that requires more planning than we're normally used to. We used it in both DL and DCA, and it worked fine. We hit the carts for a quick snack or drink, if we needed it.

 

[SteveH]

@kikismom thanks for sharing. After going to Disneyland in 2019 and then WDW in early 2020 we've just hit the pause button on all things Disney. We'll wait to see how Disney handles the mess they've created with all of these changes. As much as we love our Disney trips, I just don't want to feed the beast that Mickey has become right now.