Never thought I'd do it- Cancelled.

[DCLMP]

It's interesting when people mention the magic. While at WDW and DL since Covid I've noticed more guests arguing with each other, CMs being less cheerful and more gossipy. Maybe it was always that way and I never noticed, but I think what's going on in the world is being reflected in people's experiences. CM's don't feel secure in their jobs, Disney is trimming experiences and dining while asking for more money.

For myself, personally - I try to keep in mind the maids who are out of work because some hotels now don't do daily mousekeeping, the CMs who don't know if they'll have a job next month, and those who lost people close to them to Covid. I lost my uncle, my friend lost his mother. I can only imagine having job insecurity on top of that.

I figure it’s the worker shortage that is responsible for no maid service or cost cutting. It’s pretty easy to find a job right now if you want one. Everyone’s hiring.

 

[COASTIEandMATE]

I am so sorry to hear about your son, my prayers are for his returning health. Makes everything else seem so unimportant. God Bless

 

[Carrie in AZ]

So many, “we’re considering” / “I’m considering” / “we plan to” / “we might” cancel our APs.

Not many “we/I did cancel APs”

Funny, right?

YOU are a barrel of laughs.

 

[shawthorne44]

On the argument that people must be fine with Disney's skrimpflation since it is crowded. What percentage non-AP and non-DVC guests are aware? Everyone here is, but what about your average guest? Think of the people that arrived for their first Disney vacation unaware of FPP. Even those that don't know what is missing, a good number will leave with the feeling that the cost wasn't justified. They will notice that a lot of the shows are still closed, even if they don't know it is about half the entertainment. They'll notice that the menus are limited and roughly the same and food quality is sub-par. They probably won't consciously notice that many of the CM's are using generic uniform rather than a themed one. But, they will notice that Disney is just another theme park. Think of the story about Walt insisting on the leather straps because that is what is authentic. Can you imagine anyone at Disney now doing that?

 

[kalista]

Probably a pretty high percentage. We fit that group and found ourselves commenting on how tasty the drive-thru meals were on our 19-hr trip home.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

they will notice that Disney is just another theme park.

Not to be a realist but TBH that's exactly what a decent amount of people do think, I mean always have thought, I mean long before the pandemic and long before the Chapek. When you actually talk to people NOT highly in love with Disney you usually find a "meh, I mean it's a theme park and all"

I'm not saying people don't love it when they go (there are people who do) but there's quite a lot of people who never did nor ever will see it with the same lights as many of the diehard fans here. People here on this Board typically overestimate the amount of love Disney gets from non-Disney lovers. To many it really is just another theme park, albeit a very pricey one (and long has been to them).

 

[kathy884]

I'm personally blown away my the number of responses to this post. It really shows how special a place WDW has been for so many over the years. People care enough to say they don't like the changes.

We're more ones to do a mini visit here or there to a park or two of Disney's if visiting relatives in the area (and we usually do a day at SeaWorld too) with next March just being my fourth full week visit in the last 25 years. We're not the regular onsite vacation visitors who are experiencing the biggest brunt of the changes and shelling out the bigger dollar outlay too for a more inclusive experience. I tend to get down to Orlando about every other year, but more often than not for a long weekend rather than a full week stay. If you like theme parks, a day or two at one of the Disney theme parks with others who love theme park with a little planning IMHO is a ton of fun and a unique experience.

We're more ones to vacation elsewhere (western US a lot in particular), although we've done plenty of tropical destinations, city visits, cruises, etc. over the years too. The theme parks really are quite unique and different than most other types of vacation experiences. My guess and I could be wrong is that many of you may after a break (so many great places to go, so mix it up for sure), give Disney another try now and then. The fun we have at the parks gets us back again and again, but that's just for those of us who really like theme parks.

And this is just me. If I'm looking for a warm place in the tropics the Orlando theme parks are my favorite because I never get mosquito bites there. I am a mosquito magnet and despite trying so many different things from Deet spray/Deet wipes, other lotions, mosquito repellant clothing, and changing my diet, this is really an issue for me at most tropical destinations that puts a damper on my trip. I never take any mosquito precautions when visiting WDW and have never in all my years of visiting Disney since 1971 gotten a mosquito bite at a park -- how do they do it? I am sold. I may have pretty low standards lol, but this is a HUGE contributor for me loving Orlando for a warm weather get-a-way.

 

[bsmcneil]

My guess and I could be wrong is that many of you may after a break (so many great places to go, so mix it up for sure), give Disney another try now and then. The fun we have at the parks gets us back again and again, but that's just for those of us who really like theme parks.

This is a little bit true for me but I want to give it some context for how the recent changes have impacted this. For a long time, and without planning but a great deal of good luck, I went every other year (usually 3-5 days, never on-site). Like, it just happened randomly (helped with a family member's vacation by helping babysit the kids during the trip, then my HS chorus had a competition there, and then my college offered a hugely discounted trip over spring break, etc). But as those lucky breaks stopped occurring, it became once every 3 years. Now? It's been 6 years; I went in late 2015 (oldest kid was just shy of 3 and youngest wasn't born). I'm taking the two in a few weeks (oldest will be days short of 9 and youngest is 5). I'll see how the kids fare but my guess is that we won't go back until they're probably later on in HS.

I've always gone to the other places in the meantime (usually alternating between large cities and somewhere focused on nature, like the SW or Hawaii). But they're way more common/frequent and WDW is dropping off as a really, truly only sometimes idea. I love Disney and theme parks but the current trajectory of me going to WDW is definitely on a downward swing (and on one hand, I would think WDW would care - I'm someone who had regularly gotten PINs, strongly looked into DVC, etc).

 

[Flagondry]

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.

same. For the first time since 1999 I have no current planning. Next trip will be universal. I had high hopes for genie plus and improving the visits, while also understanding it would increase their profits. What rolled what not what I hoped. Cutback after cutback, so much planning, huge crowds and I can’t see it as worth it for yearly trip anymore. Transitioning to other considerations for future destinations and may travel to Disney maybe one more time when the kid is a teen. It feels unbelievable that my feelings have shifted so significantly

 

[shawthorne44]

Probably a pretty high percentage. We fit that group and found ourselves commenting on how tasty the drive-thru meals were on our 19-hr trip home.

That is one thing I love about having our car and staying off-site. A majority of the time as we leave any theme park, I am 20 minutes from Hangry and 30 minute from collapsing. One of our favorite drive-thru's really fits the bill. I don't have the energy to deal with anything more involved.

 

[Flagondry]

Good for you! Speaking as a financial counselor, the average family doesn't have $9K to spend on a vacation, especially when there are hundreds of alternative spots for a fraction of the cost and no need to spend that astronomical amount. You will still smile, laugh, enjoy good food, sleep in a good bed, sing, dance, experience thrills, and go home with thousands still in your possession to go towards college, your retirement, unexpected bills.

There was a day coming when Disney went too far. I hope that day has come. If it keeps going at this rate, a trip to disney for a family of four will be $20,000. Only the wealthy can afford that.

If that's their plan, so be it. Dollywood is ready when you are. I went in April and had a ball and spent very little.

funny you mention Dollywood! We are leaning universal, but he alternative is Dollywood. No need to fly or rent a car and it looks much more relaxing.

 

[bearzabout]

Since so many things have changed, now might be a good time to go to new places and make new memories instead of having constant reminders of everything we have lost.

We are adventuring to new places and have loved them all. There are so many amazing places to see in the country. It is hard to let go of our favorite places we have enjoyed for decades, but we are embracing change and moving on to new experiences to help take the sting away from all that we have lost and still miss.

 

[ktlm]

We planned for years to be at WDW on or near the week of the 50th anniversary and were looking forward to it. We had gone to WDW for fall break several years, so it would have fit in with a time that we used to go. I booked it, but they expected us to pay $3,000 more than we paid for the exact same category room on the same dates in 2019? A non-club room was $2,000 HIGHER than we paid for a club level room with the same view category in 2018 for the same dates? They wanted us to pay that much more, but were giving us substantially less? We cancelled. We were not paying that much more for as much less as it was at that point. We still gave our money to Disney- we went to Disneyland instead just for not as many days. We weren't new to DLR- we have been there in the summer several years. We were kind of sorry we spent the money to go there in October. First Disney trip we did not feel like we got our money's worth. Outside of going to the Oogie Boogie bash, which was fantastic- it was a mess. It was very crowded and with no version of fast pass/max pass at all at that time and difficult to get boarding groups for ROTR and Webslingers it was a high stress trip where we couldn't do as much as we have done at DLR in the past. No time for shopping because we were in line all the time. No time for animation academy which is one of our favorite things to do at DLR. Wake up completely stressed out before 7:00 a.m. to try to get a boarding group only to fail and have to disappoint the family in the mornings. Rides that we usually walked on or waited less than 10 minutes like Monster's Inc. had a 45 minute line. We despised the park reservation system that prevented hopping before 1:00 p.m at DLR- no jumping for lunch at CA- seeing the lines over an hour for everything at DL where we were and extremely short across at CA, but we couldn't hop to the shorter lines as usual (and if you know DLR- you know that unlike WDW- hopping takes 5 minutes and it is like one big park with a plaza in between). Not only that, but every single morning of our trip we saw crying children with parents trying to explain to them that they couldn't go to Disneyland that day because the parents had tickets, but didn't know about the park reservation requirements. We also had friends join us one day, and they would have liked to have stayed another day, but couldn't get park reservations to stay the extra day. We spent the same amount as usual on our trip and got so much less. We did enjoy seeing the characters and mini shows at Avenger's Campus. And although trying to get a Boarding Group for ROTR was stressful and miserable and we got shut out multiple times-- the one time we got to ride it was incredible even if we had to wait in line an hour and a half once our boarding group was called. If we had it to do over again, we probably would have just stayed home (although again Oogie Boogie Bash was a fantastic night- but I don't think I could justify spending what we did on that trip for one really fun night and seeing Avenger's campus). We said after the trip that we were never going back to either WDW or DLR without some type of fast pass/Max pass/LL back in place (and we are people that have gone to both WDW and DLR in the same year). I'm one that is usually optimistic and doesn't think that WDW and DLR are as bad as some complain-- but this trip was really disappointing and we have been to WDW in a hurricane.

 

[JZCubed]

I'm personally blown away my the number of responses to this post. It really shows how special a place WDW has been for so many over the years. People care enough to say they don't like the changes.

We're more ones to do a mini visit here or there to a park or two of Disney's if visiting relatives in the area (and we usually do a day at SeaWorld too) with next March just being my fourth full week visit in the last 25 years. We're not the regular onsite vacation visitors who are experiencing the biggest brunt of the changes and shelling out the bigger dollar outlay too for a more inclusive experience. I tend to get down to Orlando about every other year, but more often than not for a long weekend rather than a full week stay. If you like theme parks, a day or two at one of the Disney theme parks with others who love theme park with a little planning IMHO is a ton of fun and a unique experience.

We're more ones to vacation elsewhere (western US a lot in particular), although we've done plenty of tropical destinations, city visits, cruises, etc. over the years too. The theme parks really are quite unique and different than most other types of vacation experiences. My guess and I could be wrong is that many of you may after a break (so many great places to go, so mix it up for sure), give Disney another try now and then. The fun we have at the parks gets us back again and again, but that's just for those of us who really like theme parks.

And this is just me. If I'm looking for a warm place in the tropics the Orlando theme parks are my favorite because I never get mosquito bites there. I am a mosquito magnet and despite trying so many different things from Deet spray/Deet wipes, other lotions, mosquito repellant clothing, and changing my diet, this is really an issue for me at most tropical destinations that puts a damper on my trip. I never take any mosquito precautions when visiting WDW and have never in all my years of visiting Disney since 1971 gotten a mosquito bite at a park -- how do they do it? I am sold. I may have pretty low standards lol, but this is a HUGE contributor for me loving Orlando for a warm weather get-a-way.

Thank you for including details about how you typically vacation.

Walt Disney and the original imagineers took painstaking efforts to control as much as they could as part of the design. So, like the forethought that had Disney World built on top of tunnels, engineers purposefully designed systems to prevent the type of water 'pooling' that are the breeding ground for mosquitos.

I am of the group that have (mostly) cancelled for 2022. I say mostly because we are Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members and have to do something with annual allotment of DVC-nights. But instead of spending our typical 10-nite stay at just Disney, we're electing to spend half at Universal.

Bottom line, we spent less at Disney than ever this past summer, and will spend less even next year - because we are spending someplace else.

But what has also happened, and you are reading on these Boards & in this Thread - I'm not recommending my friends go to Disney. I am not recommending friends or family come spend time with us. I'm not recommending Disney to anyone looking for a family vacation.

For me it's two-fold:
1.) Too much is still missing. Disney is 'promising' for most things entertainment to be back in 2022. I remain skeptical.
2.) Too much ride uncertainty for the cost (where we used to have little uncertainty).

 

[Disneyliscious]

Universal is already feeling the brunt of all the Disney migrants. Pretty soon, it will be just another Disney. Universal is'nt capable of handling the Disney level crowds.

 

[Octoberbaby]

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.

I have been visiting Disney at least once a year my whole life. I absolutely love Disney. We are booked at the YC for Sept. and I am almost to the point of clicking "cancel reservation." I love the beach, but hubby hates it. He likes the mountains I hate it. The only place we both love is Disney....but boy oh boy are they leaving a bad taste in my mouth lately. I know we will more than likely be back in 2022 because why not? But who's to say we won't be staying offsite instead? The YC is my favorite resort along with the Polynesian, but like you said maybe I'm just getting older and more reluctant to throw money in someone's pocket who continues to disappoint.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Universal is already feeling the brunt of all the Disney migrants. Pretty soon, it will be just another Disney. Universal is'nt capable of handling the Disney level crowds.

Well, that is why they are opening another entire park soon...

 

[DCLMP]

Since so many things have changed, now might be a good time to go to new places and make new memories instead of having constant reminders of everything we have lost.

We are adventuring to new places and have loved them all. There are so many amazing places to see in the country. It is hard to let go of our favorite places we have enjoyed for decades, but we are embracing change and moving on to new experiences to help take the sting away from all that we have lost and still miss.

I've gone three times since Covid started. I had no plans to go in 2020 or 2021, but because international travel has been not worth the hassle wdw is where we've ended up. Our vacations were wonderful in some ways better than pre covid. I'm guessing the new places you vacationed have probably seen some changes over the last year, but they were just new to you. A vacation is what you make of it, but if you feel like it's not worth the money then that is certainly a reason not to go.

 

[Delirium]

There are no discounts on hotel rooms and people are still going. I think that says a lot.

It will be interesting to see if you feel the same way a year from now. I think by then you will understand what everyone else is saying.

Disney, in its current form, is ruined.

 

[tigertides]

$9000!?!!! You could spend a
Week at all-inclusive beaches Turks and Caicos for that sum. I can’t imagine spending that much money for mediocre food and long lines at WDW. So many other better options at that Luxe-price point.

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.