Wow how things have changed.

[Boardwalk III]

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[shh]

The minute I stepped on the plane, the planning was over and I could relax, my vacation had begun

Man I miss that feeling. I can only get that on a cruise now.

 

[Rileygirl]

We are DVC members and we did decide instead of using our points in the near future for another Disney trip , we are banking our points for a Disney Cruise instead . Because I have to say , we were on the Dream a week before we got here and it was AMAZING!! No crowds, clean environment, great food and amazing service. Just my observation

When I was researching purchasing DVC, I was looking at resale, so I was checking all the sites. There is one large resale and renter site who will buy your points and then book your cruise with that cash. This is because using your points directly to get a cabin is generally considered a bad use of points. I thought this was awesome, and filed that knowledge away in case I wanted to easily, and hassle free convert my points into cash, and apply it to a Disney cruise.

i know you will get better bang for your buck if you sell your points personally, but I worry about the stress and uncertainty of it. I thought this resellers Idea would be something I would absolutely try if I was a dvcer looking to flop points. This appears to be a large and well know reseller, but I have never personally used them, so can’t say exactly how it works, and what kind of price point you get. Just thought it was worth mentioning to you.

 

[jknc]

I just hope we have changed in a positive or better way. WDW has not!! and that is not good. They are taking their long build franchise for granted and there is a great chance that will come back to haunt them.

I completely understand what you’re saying but there’s zero indications any changes they’ve made have harmed them in any ways. There’s no history of price increases, etc harming them, is there? So, why would the most recent changes be any different?

 

[gharter]

I completely understand what you’re saying but there’s zero indications any changes they’ve made have harmed them in any ways. There’s no history of price increases, etc harming them, is there? So, why would the most recent changes be any different?

We won't really know until they finally release attendance numbers for the year and financial results.
A lot of the complaints of the parks being so crowded, I believe is still due to so many people eater attractions are closed so you have larger number of people wondering around.
If attendance is close to previous and revenue is similar or higher, then the changes haven't hurt them yet. However, as their prices keep increasing, if people don't think they are getting value for it, there may be a change. I know this board is a small percent of who goes to WDW. But, I've lost track of the number of posts about not going back as often, fewer days, or going somewhere else entirely. And these are from a group who is largely very pro-Disney. If that happens in large scale, it will have a huge impact.

 

[18sprint]

Just wait... someday it will be $180 per person to get in and then you have to pay for each ride you want to ride separately. LOL!

Careful. You're dangerously close to NOT spreading pixie dust.

 

[PinkPixel]

It was practically impossible to get FOP FP+ the last two times I tried in 2019 even when I signed in at 7am. The passes were already gone from people who had 60+10 trips. I had to refresh the app everyday for months on and off like a lunatic to get it for my husband only (which I didn’t tell him the extent of my searching). I’m not looking forward to the new system at all and loved FP+ for things like Frozen, safari, Peter Pan, meet and greets and being able to have a basic plan. But I would I love the option to buy 7DMT, FOP, ROTR etc, but after Frozen II would probably be hard to get old FP+ for that also.

edited for typos and quoted wrong quote

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

It was practically impossible to get FOP FP+ the last two times I tried in 2019 even when I signed in at 7am. The passes were already gone from people who had 60+10 trips. I had to refresh the app for three months on and off like a lunatic to get it for my husband only (which I didn’t tell him the extent of my searching). I’m not looking forward to the new system at all and was loved FP+ fan for things like Frozen, safari, Peter Pan, meet and greets and being able to have a plan. But I would I like the option to buy 7DMT, FOP, ROTR etc, but after Frozen II would probably be hard to get old FP+ for that also.

I hear you on that! I always saved AK for my last day of my trips, but we never went for more than 5 days so we were lucky to get an afternoon slot for FOP when our FP+ reservation window opened. Usually, because we went the week before Xmas, regular park hours would get extended a month before our trip and I could grab one in the 8am-9am slot. But it did take a lot of forum stalking to grab those right when they dropped!

 

[Datfan1]

Last trip booked for us in April at GF. We will not return. The greed of Disney I believe has crossed the line for a large percentage of families. It may take a few years but Disney will soon realize that these decisions will inevitably hurt future revenues.

 

[PinkPixel]

I hear you on that! I always saved AK for my last day of my trips, but we never went for more than 5 days so we were lucky to get an afternoon slot for FOP when our FP+ reservation window opened. Usually, because we went the week before Xmas, regular park hours would get extended a month before our trip and I could grab one in the 8am-9am slot. But it did take a lot of forum stalking to grab those right when they dropped!

oh wow that was a good trick !

 

[Jennasis]

Gotta love the "dynamic" pricing of iLL$...2 days ago Space Mountain was $7. Today it's $9.

 

[Datfan1]

I have been a disboarder for years. It was common in the last 15 years to always see SOME threads of people unhappy with change at Disney, but I have to say, I really can’t believe what is going on.

I am a super planner, and have always enjoyed the planning. The thrill of the hunt, the score of a great dining ressie, a trio of excellent and well timed fast passes, free dining hotel discount on the room and resort you wanted. I was good with it all.

I came back to this board to plan, hopefully, a trip at the end of the summer, for a family group of 8 people, and also a potential DVC purchase. (grandkids!) I don’t think that’s going to happen now. It’s like Disney is in systemic system failure. Before, there was some decline, but then there were a lot of amazing things added. Under the leadership of the new guy, things appear to be imploding.

The cost alone is horrifying. Adding genie + to eight tickets, and then individual top ride expenses on top of the price of a ticket? The annual pass is not only stupid expensive, but now I question whether it will always be around as it’s been unavailable for purchase for periods of time, and if you buy into DVC, aps always made the best sense.

i think people would object less to genie + if it actually worked, so there is that. And perhaps, genie works really well for someone who does not plan or a first time visitor? Maybe it’s only messing up us Uber planners?

But there are other things that are indicators of a crumbling giant when you read through these many threads, and the frequency of these complaints and threads means to me that there really is cause for concern.

Dirty bathrooms and litter? Walt would be horrified. Lack of custodial service really represents that the ideals original to Walt Disney are of no importance anymore. I would also add, making the park so expensive that it’s becoming unattainable for the average family to afford is also counter to Walt’s vision.

Lack of bus and boat transportation? Monorail undependable? No Trams in the parking lot? Yikes. ( I could easily take my three young kids to Disney back in the day, because I knew I could reliably get around to the parks and hotel without a problem. When they added magical express, that made it even better- now that is going too)

The absolute decline of food quality. But this has been going on for years in my opinion- although I have not dined here in years, many people who I have sent with restaurants recommendations come back and say, really??

But the biggest thing that just blows my mind, that makes me know the mouse is coughing up blood while someone is strangling it, it’s the new Star Wars hotel. Omg, have you seen this state of the art 6,000 grand for two nights hotel? Holy cow. Every imagineer must be slinking around completely mortified. They must have been given ten bucks and an account at the dollar store for set design. Truly unbelievable. It does not even look like Star Wars! It looks like a generic sci fit set, based on the 1960s show, lost in space!. And the interactive features seem completely lame, such a huge miss, I can’t even fathom it.

It will be interesting to see how guests find it when it opens in March. But I think it’s pretty telling that every date is available for booking in June, July, and August. It was fully booked for the first three months, but now there is availability- likely due to cancellations?

i think cost, genie +, and the new leader are just killing WDW. The direction it’s going is not one I want to see anyways, and that makes me sad. But a dirty, expensive, crowded, trip, where you are required to plan each morning at 7 am or stand in long lines, preorder mediocre food, and only be able half in the parks what I could do, well, it’s not all that attractive to me. I think I will wait a year and see how things are going.

Excellent summary of the current situation. Ditto.

 

[cgattis]

I agree with the previous posters who think that this low feels different. I've been going to Disneyland off and on for 45+ years, but those every-other-year trips turned into multiple trips per year when I had a special needs son about 25 years ago. He *loves* Disney, and all things Disney have been a huge part of our lives since he was around 2.

We bought VGC when it came out, added on more points there later, and added on to WDW at BLT when RunDisney stopped doing the west coast races. We're platinum cruisers (13?) and have done 7 or 8 Adventures by Disney. We've been to every Disney park around the world and have probably averaged 4-5 DLR/WDW trips per year--a number of those around races--pre-pandemic. I don't want to add up how much money we've spent at Disney over the last 20+ years--I'm sure it's obscene.

You can definitely say that we are huge Disney fans. But we, too, are at the point where we will be severely limiting our Disney time. As other people have expressed, there have just been too many changes that have negatively impacted our Disney experience, and I really wonder what the guy at the helm is thinking. I know they historically haven't cared much about losing customers like us (there are always replacements), but I have to think that this is going to eventually catch up to them.

My first big disappointment was at the beginning of the pandemic with how Adventures by Disney handled canceling trips and offering refunds. I won't rehash here, but it was horrible. I loved ABD--and was one of the product's biggest cheerleaders in the early years--but recent missteps have made me unlikely to ever tour with them again.

But it's the recent changes at the parks that have made us decide to cut back severely on our visits. If it were just me and my husband, we would probably be done completely. But with our SN son, we will probably continue to do one or two trips to Disneyland per year and stop going to WDW 2 or 3 times a year for races. I'm planing to put our BLT points up for sale in the spring after the last race I'm signed up for (Princess). I'm sad, because I do like the races, but everything else has just become so complicated and frankly, unfun to think about--not to mention the added $$$ without a real benefit like you would get with an all access type pass. I won't be a happy camper if I pay for a specific ride and end up waiting 30 minutes in a "lightning" lane, as I've read in other threads about ROTR.

Others have posted great lists of why the park experience has changed in a negative way for them, and I agree with almost all of them. We are late risers so the 7 am part of the equation is horrible for us. It was bad (and stressful) enough with just virtual queues, but at least I could limit those early wake ups to specific days. Waking up every day of my vacation pre-7 am to try to get the rides we want? No thanks. The other biggie for me is being forced to have my phone out all day. At Disney, I want to get away from my phone not be attached to it.

I was in the camp of Disney planning as a sport, not necessarily because I loved it, but because I was good at it, and it led to really fun trips. I get that they think they needed to change things so as to not disadvantage the non-planner or guest who had no idea they needed to do x, but they seem to have gone to the other extreme with the rules surrounding Genie+ allowing no-planning and potentially messing up existing plans (i.e. choosing a LL and then having the time change to interfere with an ADR).

Anyway, thanks to the OP for giving me a place to mourn. I feel like in some ways I'm saying goodbye to what has been a really fun time of our lives. I know nothing stays the same, and change is going to happen, but it feels as if this time it was too much too fast.

I hope you’ve sent this to Guest Communications. I like the combo of facts and feelings. I’ve sent something as well, but no response yet.

 

[jsand99]

My family just returned from an eight night stay yesterday. This is the first time I've gotten home and not been sad and missing the heck out of the place. I did have fun and my kids had a blast but it was just not the same for me on this trip. First, the crowds for what is typically a slower time seemed like spring break crowds. Genie+ and ILL$ is garbage compared to fastpass. They are joke on even slightly crowded days. Waking up at 7am every day on vacation for this is torture. We saw Disney Enchantment and it doesn't come close to Happily Ever After or Wishes. Wishes and Happily Ever After were awesome and an emotional experience for me and Enchantment was not. Harmonious is not nearly good enough to justify the monstrosities they put in World Showcase Lagoon. Some cast members seem to be much more worried about a 4 year old's mask not covering their nose than guest experience. But they did make sure we packed into all the pre-shows like sardines. I also noticed, as others have mentioned, cleanliness issues, transportation issues, poor food quality, etc. It was an enjoyable trip overall but the atmosphere in the parks felt different and I didn't feel the Disney magic like I have in the past.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Gotta love the "dynamic" pricing of iLL$...2 days ago Space Mountain was $7. Today it's $9.

Unfortunately yes, the price changes on the weekends for some rides.

Cost of ILL$ according to this post (as of Nov 5, 2021 - subject to change) are:

Magic Kingdom	Mon - Thurs	Fri - Sun
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train	$10	$12
Space Mountain	$7	$9
EPCOT
Frozen Ever After	$9	$11
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure	$8	$11
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway	$8	$10
Rise of the Resistance	$15	$15
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Avatar's Flight of Passage	$11	$14
Expedition Everest	$7	$7

 

[bsmcneil]

It’s like Disney is in systemic system failure. Before, there was some decline, but then there were a lot of amazing things added. Under the leadership of the new guy, things appear to be imploding.

But the biggest thing that just blows my mind, that makes me know the mouse is coughing up blood while someone is strangling it, it’s the new Star Wars hotel.

i think cost, genie +, and the new leader are just killing WDW.

For goodness sake, someone save Mickey!

 

[PinkPixel]

Posted in error

 

[TandT]

I heard Disney is going to buy Peloton. After the Mr Big incident-Sex in the city movie , I think they have both become train wrecks . Maybe they can save eachother

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I hope you’ve sent this to Guest Communications. I like the combo of facts and feelings. I’ve sent something as well, but no response yet.

I will!

 

[jknc]

IMHO, posts on here or emails to WDW about your experience/dissatisfaction won’t move the needle.
You need to post on social media. Facebook/Twitter etc. I think those posts get more attention.