Time to say Goodbye for Now....

[Gator Kate]

I'm considering a 2 night trip to WDW in June. My first thoughts were ,"What a hassle facing me to buy tickets, make park , hotel , and restaurant reservations then link all with each other and with family members...."

One should look upon new vacation planning with joy and anticipation, not dread.

 

[MillauFr]

I'm considering a 2 night trip to WDW in June. My first thoughts were ,"What a hassle facing me to buy tickets, make park , hotel , and restaurant reservations then link all with each other and with family members...."

One should look upon new vacation planning with joy and anticipation, not dread.

I'll agree with you that it is dread booking a WDW vacation. Disneyland however is a complete 180 with very little planning needed. I think it is outrageous that the flagship park gets 2nd class status.

 

[kathy884]

Just went in March. Really enjoyed the Disney and SeaWorld parks and our lovely offsite timeshare condo (great place and great deal). I am saying goodbye for a while though too. For me I'm just not liking the driving in the tourist areas of Orlando now (Maybe part of it is age -- I'm in my 60s, maybe it's that I work from home now and don't drive as much, maybe traffic is worse and there are more obnoxious other drivers than there were in the past). I'm not really sure what is different for me now. I used to think driving around Orlando was a piece of cake. Sure I could get around that by staying onsite (but I wouldn't want to pay those prices when part of what I have loved about Orlando is the great deal and quality off offsite timeshare properties) or by doing ubers everywhere (don't really want to do that either - more costly and I end up not doing that extra Walgreens run or trip to Publix that I feel so free to take with a car).

Also, park tickets are really pricey - but that's not really the reason. Overall, though, as an offsite visitor almost anywhere else I like to vacation costs as much as an Orlando trip for me. Other places have higher air, condo costs, and rental car prices, but tours I take are less than theme park tickets, and it's uncanny how various vacations cost almost exactly the same. My budget for my Southwestern Colorado trip in June, for example is almost exactly the same as my spring break Orlando budget was.

 

[Mrs.Reese]

I was looking at doing a week this summer and bowed out. We are close enough that we can do day trips but they are LONG day trips. The hotels are just not worth it. Seriously $200/night for Pop? I can do Spring Hill suites for that much and I get breakfast.
We have to use DAS for my son so the lines are not too terrible but I feel for anyone having to use that LL garbage. What a joke! Pay for something that doesn't actually provide value.

 

[figarofan]

I was looking at doing a week this summer and bowed out. We are close enough that we can do day trips but they are LONG day trips. The hotels are just not worth it. Seriously $200/night for Pop? I can do Spring Hill suites for that much and I get breakfast.
We have to use DAS for my son so the lines are not too terrible but I feel for anyone having to use that LL garbage. What a joke! Pay for something that doesn't actually provide value.

 

[figarofan]

I have an upcoming trip with grandaughter and this is end of Disney for me. I have done many DL. Trips (was 5 and there when it opened) and WDW trips over the years and loved planning for and then enjoying each trip.

Magic is gone. I loved being immersed in the whole Disney experience. I loved free Fast Passes and ME. I loved calling Disney CS and having no more than a 5 minute hold....oddly I considered that as "being on hold forever."

Now I feel like a sucker. I will suffer without LL or Genie by choice. I will mobile order fast food and snacks...i feel I have to. I did take advantage of Dis+ offer for room discount (but again well aware Chapek is trying to boost numbers). Dis+ will be canceled when trip is complete.

I will use 12 year old 10 day. parkhoppers, buy no souvenirs and fly free on miles. I will pay for transport to WDW and back to MCO....grudgingly...miss ya ME!

I will have a great trip but it is not something I will pay for in the future.

Disney gave me decades of memories to treasure. Currently it seems like work...Magic is disappearing. I won't miss the current Disney but I will certainly miss the Disney I used to know.

What's next....charging to ride the park busses?

 

[SteveH]

I am happy we went to Disneyland in the Summer of 2019 and then Disney World February 2020, we totally enjoyed both. We'd planned to go back for the 50th but bailed after all of the changes and opted to spend the same number of nights on two Islands in Hawaii... and saved money. We're now going back to Hawaii and two more new Islands. I don't see us going back to Disney until things with management change, and the magic truly returns. I'm sad but have no regrets and even less with the current dust up with Chapek. When my 3rd year of Disney+ ends I will no be renewing, not enough content that appeals to me and adding (insert bad word here) like Dancing with the Stars makes it even less appealing.

 

[RamblingMad]

Makes sense. I love Universal Orlando.

No idea where this idea of Disney magic came from. Must have been marketing that I missed.

 

[tano]

I understand where the OP is coming from and latter this year will be our last 2 day visit to WDW for a couple of years if not more. The price increase is annoying and not justified but what really ruined it for us was the move to Genie+ where we are constantly stressed/planning about future rides vs. when there was FP+ and everything was already confirmed in advance and we just took it easy. WDW used to be a relaxing vacation for us but its the opposite now. I don't mind using the phone for stuff, but waking up at 7 every morning and stressing whole day fighting with the crowds is a thanks but no thanks.

I wouldn't be going if it wasn't for having already bought these tickets last year.

 

[Arielfan98]

Update: Folks just spend your money and time at Universal. I got an annual pass for active duty military for only $200!!! What a value!
Universal is the GOAT Right Now

 

[disney-inspired]

Update: Folks just spend your money and time at Universal. I got an annual pass for active duty military for only $200!!! What a value!
Universal is the GOAT Right Now

I'm going in September. I don't go frequently enough for the AP but their buy 3 days, get 2 days free was a great deal for us. Excited to take my sister!

 

[DISness Casual]

I agree with everybody's sentiment here. While I am doing a 5 night stay at Animal Kingdom Kidani Village later this year, I am wondering if the money is better spent doing a tour of Europe. It does seem like the middle class has been completely priced out of Walt Disney World. Sadly, one never sees pricing going down. As long as people flood the parks, it gives the Disney execs no incentive to lower them. It certainly seems like Disney is catering more and more each day to the wealthy.

 

[figarofan]

You know, what really got me was the extra evening hours for Deluxe guests only.

 

[djmeredith]

I have been a big Disney fan but I also love Universal. These days I definitely prefer UO. It still offers a great deal on ticket prices compared to Disney (we upgraded to AP last fall and will make at least 1 more trip with them) and hopefully 2. Meanwhile, I refuse to spend a dime at Disney right now.

The UO premier hotels with Express Passes included are no longer an insanely good deal like they had been before/during pandemic, but still worth it to me. I am spending the most I have ever spent on a hotel room for UO this Memorial Day week. I will gladly pay this rate because it includes EP and club access. I have never and would never pay this much for a Disney Deluxe because it doesn't include enough perks. If Disney Deluxe offered automatic LL on most rides, I would be willing to pay a pretty high Deluxe rate. But there is just no value in a Deluxe currently.

The UO lower tier hotels are still a great value even though you don't get the EPs. Newbies to UO beware though, demand has increased significantly over the past couple of years (for all the reasons stated in this thread and others), so it is getting pretty crowded. Overall, it is still a good value IMO but I am worried that could change when their third park opens. For now, they will continue to get my Orlando theme park money. I will do one more Disney trip after Tron opens so that we can hit Ratatouille, Guardians of the Galaxy Rewind, and Tron all in one trip. After that I don't see us returning until our family has grandkids in a decade or so.

 

[Arielfan98]

You know, what really got me was the extra evening hours for Deluxe guests only.

Say what :O Wait, really?

 

[Darcy03231]

Say what :O Wait, really?

Yes, it's true. Another reason, along with countless others, that made me decide not to rebook my cancelled 2020 trip. I' going to wait for another year or two to see if things get any better before I even attempt to book another trip. We've taken several other vacations over the last year, all costing less than WDW, and have had a great time.

 

[djmeredith]

I agree with everybody's sentiment here. While I am doing a 5 night stay at Animal Kingdom Kidani Village later this year, I am wondering if the money is better spent doing a tour of Europe. It does seem like the middle class has been completely priced out of Walt Disney World. Sadly, one never sees pricing going down. As long as people flood the parks, it gives the Disney execs no incentive to lower them. It certainly seems like Disney is catering more and more each day to the wealthy.

A 10-14 day trip to Europe could easily be less than a 1 week Disney trip. If you/your family have never gone to Europe, I highly recommend skipping Disney and doing Europe instead. You could even squeeze in a day or two at Disneyland Paris and still be much cheaper than WDW. DP tix are actually not that expensive.

 

[Smugpugmug]

A 10-14 day trip to Europe could easily be less than a 1 week Disney trip. If you/your family have never gone to Europe, I highly recommend skipping Disney and doing Europe instead. You could even squeeze in a day or two at Disneyland Paris and still be much cheaper than WDW. DP tix are actually not that expensive.

I agree with this 100%. Doesn't even apply to just Europe either. I did a 3 week trip to Japan pre-Covid and it was WAY cheaper than my upcoming 9 day stay at WDW. Even included a 2 day Tokyo Disneyland ticket for $120 total. Most expensive part was airfare but everything else was relatively inexpensive.

 

[QueenIsabella]

A 10-14 day trip to Europe could easily be less than a 1 week Disney trip. If you/your family have never gone to Europe, I highly recommend skipping Disney and doing Europe instead. You could even squeeze in a day or two at Disneyland Paris and still be much cheaper than WDW. DP tix are actually not that expensive.

The only "problem" with this is, once you take kids to Europe, you'll never get them back to WDW! My youngest's two favorite memories are (1) watching the Eiffel Tower light up at midnight; and (2) the Sistine Chapel. Disney's fireworks and attractions just can't compete!

 

[kymom99]

I hardly recognize Disney anymore. In 2019 my college age son and I went to MK for a day. Drove over from the beach. I couldn’t believe I had to pay $300 for 2 of us plus $25 to park, but I had missed it so much. We had a wonderful day despite all the crowds. MDE was kind of fun to use.

A few months after, Covid hit, but we still traveled a lot because my son did a couple internships in other states. Last spring I went to coastal GA 3 times. Spent time in St. Augustine, St. Simons, Jekyll Island… so many beautiful places I had never been. This past fall and winter I had 3 trips to SE Arizona. Sedona, Tucson, numerous national park properties.

I still long for Disney. We had so much fun there, but the costs are staggering and the hoops to jump through just aren’t my idea of fun anymore. It’s like learning a new language every time you go.