Never thought I'd do it- Cancelled.

[jknc]

I don't really care anymore! After spending 10's of thousands of dollars for Disney trips over 39 years. I am looking at a stranger now. The things that still exist are nice for a brief flight into nostalgia land and the new ones from what I have seen are really detailed, but are mostly coasters that I can most of the time easily pass by. They don't care about me anymore (and there was a time that I felt that they did) so, like I said before, there is a great big beautiful real world out there that I would like to see before I leave. Of course, between the Pandemic and the general feeling of the world in general around us, I find no joy in much of anything for now.

Is there guest fatigue due to lack of investment in the parks?

I mean, other than entertainment what’s really changed @ MK, EPCOT over past 5 or 6 years?

 

[MomOTwins]

Is there guest fatigue due to lack of investment in the parks?

I mean, other than entertainment what’s really changed @ MK, EPCOT over past 5 or 6 years?

That’s a really good point. I hadn’t thought of that when listing why we were taking a break, but the last time we were at the parks this year, DH even said that one day when we were particularly frustrated—“It’s not worth this just to ride x ride for the millionth time.”

We did go see Remy in October but I honestly can’t really even remember what it was like. I think the problem I have is that the virtual queue with the new rides is such a PITA it just sours the whole experience. We didn’t get a VQ in the morning so tried at 1pm and the queue number we got didn’t get called until we were at our dinner ADR back at the resort hotel. DH and our youngest opted to stay at the hotel and swim rather than schlep back to the park for one hour before closing, and I don’t blame them—we all just burned out since we stayed at the park all day until our dinner ADR hoping for our queue to get called rather than take our usual midday break. And then we got there, we had to wait an hour in line which kind of made the VQ thing feel like a ripoff—all that hassle and you still have to wait?

So yeah, some of the older stuff gets repetitive, there is not a lot that is new, and the new stuff is miserable and complicated to experience.

 

[jade1]

Is there guest fatigue due to lack of investment in the parks?

I mean, other than entertainment what’s really changed @ MK, EPCOT over past 5 or 6 years?

Not much at those 2 Parks. Quite a bit at the other 2 including 3 entire Lands.

I suppose Tron can count as an investment at this point at MK.

Epcot is Frozen (rework) and Remy, but I think we can count Guardians as an investment.

World of Pandora at AK is pretty impressive.

Galaxy Edge and Toy Story Land are as well.

A lot at Disney Springs.

 

[Bobb_o]

I literally picked a contract available today. If it was 55 points (not 50) well yea I would do that.

But since it just happens to be 50, You don't have to bank all 50. You just start off with a 6 night stay (45 points) and bank 5. That gives you 55 the next year to stay 7 nights. Then back to 6-basically the reason I said "about a week every year" for $400 in dues.

Owning there at AK lets you book it at 11 months.



I would even do that, take 1.5 years off (from $8K trips) and now its still under $100 a night. Although I would still just book the std for 55.

Some BWV resales might still make sense as well with std category available at 11 months.



Agreed-hence my advice above.



Makes $57 at AKV sound pretty good, even your $100 example.

Even so the value rooms are incredibly hard to get. There's 8 studios and 10 1BR lock offs. People will walk those reservations. Just for fun I looked and the most available right now is 4 straight days, and it's not the cheapest season (which is more in demand since it's the cheapest season) so your plan is already off. Also, 6 nights in cheap season is 48 points, not 45. Value sounds great in theory but when you actually have to book it it gets incredibly hard.

Regardless it's still a good deal for those who go to Disney every year or every other year and want to stay in Disney deluxes. If you don't care about the Disney resorts you're probably better off just staying at the Swan/Dolphin because of the initial cash requirement. And if you're not gonna stay in a deluxe at this point being off property isn't as much as a disadvantage as it used to be.

 

[VandVsmama]

I’ve only read 3 of the 10 pages so far. I understand how people are feeling about this right now. We will be headed back to WDW next October. We went in early June of this year.

We also did a quick 2 day trip to DL in early October a couple of months ago because we had unused pre-pandemic tickets to use. Based on that DL experience, though, I’m going to pass on DL for awhile. We are DL veterans and often go every year. But that DL visit, it just wasn’t as fun anymore.

The park vibe was different. People were angry, grumpy. Getting QS food was a pain in the neck. It took over an hour just to get from the Toy Story lot to the esplanade. Merchandise options in the stores sucked…I mean, usually my kids drop all their spending money in the World of Disney store and this time, there literally was nothing worth buying. Plus you can’t park hop until 2 pm, which is stupid.

So we are skipping DL for the next year. I’m a little sad about that.

Wanted to also add that when we go to DL, we are usually in park commando mode and the focus is rides, rides, and more rides. We went once about 5-6 years ago to DL in early October and it was just as crowded then as it was this recent trip, but the vibe was totally different. I don't think I'll be going to DL again in October, though, because it just felt...frantic, if that makes sense.

We've been to WDW 3 times now - twice with the kids and once in January of this year as an adults-only trip. One thing that I do appreciate about WDW is that our WDW trips feel more relaxed and we operate at a slower pace. My DH ends up always commenting on how we don't go on as many rides at WDW compared to DL, but we don't have a problem with that. I like how there's lots of fun non-park things to do at WDW.

From a Disney corporation overall, I do blame CEO Bob Chapek for all of this. I don't like his reputation for not valuing the CMs. I don't like his nickel & dime strategy of everything. Honestly, I hope that Disney replaces him soon with somebody else.

 

[katyjeka]

We are here now in the middle of a two week trip. This is our day off, going to Epcot for just the evening. We've been vey lucky this trip and are having a great time. I checked into the Hilton Signia at the employee rate but we are staying at Club Wyndham. I wanted the early hours. I will check into the Doubletree next week but will continue staying at Wyndham. Employee rates are only good for a week. We have driven to every park. We have not bought genie and have not needed it. The half hour in the morning makes all the difference. We were in and out of Pandora yesterday before opening. We were able to stay in front of the crowd from that point. Castmembers have been awesome and the parks are clean. Its strange but there seems to be a lot of people but ride times are short. Stand by times have been exaggerated. We have timed them several times and they are off by 15 plus minutes. As good as this trip is this will be our last for a long time. I think its a combo of been there done that and our family has changed. We discovered National parks and I there is a lot more we want to explore. I almost cancelled our trip after reading the reviews but decided to take our chances. As much as I love Disney it feels like any other park anymore. I honestly think they've grown to big and the charm is gone. If this makes any sense??? I will be sad when we exit the park on our last day but I don't think I will have any tears.

 

[jknc]

That’s a really good point. I hadn’t thought of that when listing why we were taking a break, but the last time we were at the parks this year, DH even said that one day when we were particularly frustrated—“It’s not worth this just to ride x ride for the millionth time.”

We did go see Remy in October but I honestly can’t really even remember what it was like. I think the problem I have is that the virtual queue with the new rides is such a PITA it just sours the whole experience. We didn’t get a VQ in the morning so tried at 1pm and the queue number we got didn’t get called until we were at our dinner ADR back at the resort hotel. DH and our youngest opted to stay at the hotel and swim rather than schlep back to the park for one hour before closing, and I don’t blame them—we all just burned out since we stayed at the park all day until our dinner ADR hoping for our queue to get called rather than take our usual midday break. And then we got there, we had to wait an hour in line which kind of made the VQ thing feel like a ripoff—all that hassle and you still have to wait?

So yeah, some of the older stuff gets repetitive, there is not a lot that is new, and the new stuff is miserable and complicated to experience.

I think it’s a valid question.

You start to evaluate your dollars more closely when attraction wise, there’s nothing new.

We wouldn’t be making a trip in February if SWGE, MMRR wasn’t new for us. We’re not even going to AK.

 

[jknc]

Not much at those 2 Parks. Quite a bit at the other 2 including 3 entire Lands.

I suppose Tron can count as an investment at this point at MK.

Epcot is Frozen (rework) and Remy, but I think we can count Guardians as an investment.

World of Pandora at AK is pretty impressive.

Galaxy Edge and Toy Story Land are as well.

A lot at Disney Springs.

All valid, however, where are most families memories made? At HS, EP, AK or MK?

Im willing to bet, the overwhelming response would be MK. Money = memories for many folks.

 

[jade1]

Even so the value rooms are incredibly hard to get. There's 8 studios and 10 1BR lock offs. People will walk those reservations. Just for fun I looked and the most available right now is 4 straight days, and it's not the cheapest season (which is more in demand since it's the cheapest season) so your plan is already off. Also, 6 nights in cheap season is 48 points, not 45. Value sounds great in theory but when you actually have to book it it gets incredibly hard.

Regardless it's still a good deal for those who go to Disney every year or every other year and want to stay in Disney deluxes. If you don't care about the Disney resorts you're probably better off just staying at the Swan/Dolphin because of the initial cash requirement. And if you're not gonna stay in a deluxe at this point being off property isn't as much as a disadvantage as it used to be.

My chart could be wrong, but it shows AK Studio low is 7 points per night weekly (35) add Fri night 10 is 45-not 48. So 50 does get you there using 6 one year and 7 the next.

And as an owner I can indeed walk the reservation if I choose.

But I think your kinda missing my point. "I" (me) would take a year off if I wasn't thrilled about going to WDW, instead of tossing $8,000 off a cliff and invest it in DVC resale, maybe even 2 years off and invest $16,000.

The reason is I have confidence that WDW will return to an even better product in the near future, if only to compete with US's 3rd gate coming.

So why not lock in 35 years of rooms with that money, and just need to pay dues for the rooms. On top of that could also rent them out for way more than the dues, or sell down the road and get that investment back.

I don't blame anyone for choosing not to go, I don't blame anyone for not investing that money in DVC-I'm just saying I (me) would eliminate the same complaint of expensive rooms in the future-because it ain't going away.

My guess is of the $8,000 maybe $4,000 is rooms, so I could just return to that in a couple years and continue to pay that (and more every year) for 35 years or $140,000.

 

[jade1]

All valid, however, where are most families memories made? At HS, EP, AK or MK?

Im willing to bet, the overwhelming response would be MK. Money = memories for many folks.

Then there is no reason to ever open a 5th gate, why would anybody go to WDW for that. And certainly US/IOA is empty.

 

[minniemimi52]

I am in total agreement! We had to take a trip Nov. 2020 in the middle of the the pandemic or lose thousands of dollars. We had to stay at the Grand Floridian because of the hotel closures and I have to say it was the worst place we have ever stayed on Disney property. Very shabby room. Staff nice. We also had a difficult time gettting onto rides. That left a bad taste in our mouths. And now the Genie and all the other stuff. Too much planning for one who loves to plan!

We will take our money and time elsewhere -- probably Royal Carriibbean.

 

[shawthorne44]

I would recommend giving Universal a chance. As a non-Harry Potter fan I was blown away by the details of the Wizarding World. It is equal to Galaxy’s Edge in terms of detail and immersion in a world. Plenty of the other areas and attractions are impressively detailed as well. It surprised me that I didn’t find it underwhelming compared to Disney.

It is more accurate to say that Galaxy's Edge is the equal to Wizarding World.

Galaxy's Edge was originally going to be this chintzy trash that would have pissed off every Star Wars fan. Disney could have had the Wizarding World, but they weren't willing to do the level of theming that JK demanded. Disney then had to up their game because of the Wizarding World. So, in uber-theming, Disney is the follower.

 

[csjordan]

Then there is no reason to ever open a 5th gate, why would anybody go to WDW for that. And certainly US/IOA is empty.

I certainly wouldn't say US/IOA is empty, by any stretch. We have been long term Disney AP's, but did not renew when ours expired. We did, however, become Universal Passholders during Summer 2020, and really love it there. It's plenty packed!

 

[jade1]

I certainly wouldn't say US/IOA is empty, by any stretch. We have been long term Disney AP's, but did not renew when ours expired. We did, however, become Universal Passholders during Summer 2020, and really love it there. It's plenty packed!

That was my point. No MK over there yet its packed.

Adding to other parks things like HP and Star Wars, Pandora and TS certainly will bring fans.

We actually have the 6 Park Pass of US/IOA/MK/EPCOT/DHS/AK. Makes for amazing times.

 

[cpep42]

I've been a member since '93 and i unfortunately have to agree with you. It has lost some of the magic but I'm hoping beyond hope that when and I this pandemic ever ceases to exist things may get back to "what we love about the Mouse". Unfortunately at my age i'm not sure i'll see it.

 

[shawthorne44]

I so agree with you. It's a pet peeve of mine to to see people saying to go to the national parks instead of Disney and implying that that kind of vacation will be easy with no planning and crowds. There are just more people in the world period and way more people who can afford to travel, meaning so many places have crowd issues. Crowds at popular National Parks appear to me to have increased way more than Disney crowds, and those vacations for me take more planning than a Disney vacation does.

We are doing a California/Lake Tahoe/Convention trip this summer. It is MUCH cheaper than our upcoming WDW trip. Also much easier to find money saving options. You can pay us much outside of WDW as the minimum staying at WDW, but it is very easy not to.

We start out driving to Carlsbad, CA. We always drive because flying is no fun now days. Three nights using the Hilton timeshare thing I'd booked for our original WDW trip. $250 total for those three nights. We will be going to Legoland. We got the Legoland annual passes on Black Friday I think for $150 each. Family is more excited about that than WDW. Grrrr. Doing the presentation will get a $200 Hilton hotel credit. Then we drive to visit the Reagan library and then Hearst castle assuming it opens by then. Haven't picked the hotel for that night. Then we stay one night in San Jose and will go to the Winchester House. Love that place. San Jose hotel will be free with the credit. Then we will spend three nights in a house just outside the entrance to Sequoia National Park. That was around $100/night after everything was added. I need internet so I can work from the house. That wasn't available inside the park. Then to Lake Tahoe for three nights. Got a priceline hotel on the lake for around $500 including the resort fees for all three nights. Then we drive to our convention in Reno where the hotel is low-100's per night and no extra fees. The convention tickets cost $250 for 3 full days and two half days and include meals and (cheap) alcohol. Then we drive home and we'll stop in Pueblo, NM and check out the dwellings.

Another thing with outside-the-bubble vacations is that you can have a great time planning as much or as little as you want. I like to plan so except for one vacation I always do a lot of planning. Even the one I didn't plan, we still had an awesome time. We just went to random restaurants having no clue if it would be any good. But at Disney, you are totally SOL if you want to do that, even more so in the days of FPP.

 

[Shellyred8]

I have an AP and am OOS but have been going and staying at the resorts since they reopened last year. I was explaining to friends how complicated and stressful planning a trip has become and they were so shocked to hear this from me after decades of enjoying myself. I was always the “Disney Person” that someone recommended would be happy to help. I’m sorry to say I don’t recommend a WDW trip for a first timer. UO is cheaper, much easier to plan and navigate. A much better alternative for a first time visitor.

This is totally me. I've been telling people that now is probably not a good time to go to WDW, especially if they are new/newer to WDW. My AP expired last week and I'm not renewing it. It just makes me sad that things have gotten to this point.

 

[lfracas1]

This is the absolute worst part of the new system. Making every single guest wake up before 7 am every day of their vacation to have a chance to ride rides later in the day is the stupidest decision Disney has made in a long time. There is just no reason for it. Even just changing 7 am to “30 minutes before park open” would be a huge difference.

I’d feel much better about it if you could book 3 like before.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Disney has changed. They like to blame Covid19 but it isn't. It is greed. Not everything is open. Yes I understand that they can't get CM's back, whose fault is that? Their fault.
I ordered Christmas donuts from the Donut Box in Epcot, they were hard and dry. Mobile ordering haha, insane. It's like fast pass for your food. I had to recharge my phone twice because of using it so much. I have been an AP holder since 95. I live 3 hours away and use to go every 6 weeks for a long weekend as well as a week over Christmas and a minimum of 3 weeks (not consecutive) over the summer. At one point I would only stay onsite. That changed, now I will not. Why should I? The perks are not the greatest anymore. I can find bigger places to stay, such as Bonnet Creek for a fraction of the price.
The guests are getting more rude with each trip. I think that has something to do with the amount of money they feel they are paying. Along with paying out so much comes the entitlement. Just last week my daughter was in line for the carousel with the baby. She left a space between her and the party in front of her to only have the party behind her walk around her.. like WTH?? Excuse me. Some of us do like to leave a foot or so between others. I listened to a guest yelling at a CM at a food stand in AK because she thought she was getting the wrong item, claimed not what she ordered...until CM showed her the receipt. Then she yelled because she was supposed to have 4 items but CM handed her 1. CM had to explain she could only make one at a time, as it was ice cream.
I am having thoughts about not renewing. Raising the prices seems to have brought out the worst in many guests. The entire situation is not good

 

[scrapquitler]

After all these years, and so many great trips, magical moments, and a lifetime of memories, I never thought I would get to the place where I'm just not excited and looking forward to WDW; but that is where I am right now. Yesterday I did the unthinkable and canceled our February reservation and our 8-night stay at the Yacht Club. I'm just having a hard time getting excited about spending 9K for just the room and park tickets. In addition, this Genie, Genie+, iLL$, slave to a smartphone, no Magical Express, more cutbacks, more add ons for extra money, closures, limited experiences, masks, the uncertainty of the near future of this nearly 2-year pandemic, I have just lost interest.

I guess I'm just getting old and not feeling the magic this time around. I'm sure I'll get flamed and there are some who will say, "Good, fewer people for me." I would say, "Your Welcome." To each their own. I'm not attacking Disney, just that I think they are starting to move in a different direction than I am going. I guess I'll just take some of that money, pack up the truck, attach the boat, and head from N.E. Ohio and find a nice cabin on the lake somewhere in Kentucky, NY, Tenn, or somewhere that's a several-hour drive away and enjoy a quiet and relaxing vacation this time around.

You do know that you can still go to the parks and not do add ons, worry about ADRs, forego the stress of Genie, long lines etc and just take it slow and go with the flow, right? And you don’t need to stay at “the best” resort. You can go Keep it simple and still have a fun stress free trip.
we do it every trip. I’m starting to think that we are the only family that doesn’t think desert parties, VIP guides, fancy meals and perfection are essential components of a fun trip.