My thoughts about our last Disney world vacation

[anniemae]

I have also noticed things slipping over the years. They are going for quantity over quality it seems. We still go and have fun, but it's getting harder and harder to justify the cost. I don't mind paying more if I'm getting more i.e low crowds, great food, cleanliness etc.

The crowds are crazy and 2 hours to wait for a 2 minute ride is something I can't wrap my head around. Spending a fortune on tickets only to ride a handful of rides stinks. Yes there is fp and all that, but the crowds in general make it difficult to move around, and enjoy things. The crowds also make it difficult to keep things clean. It does not seem they staff for the crowds. I also feel the food quality had dropped, but again, they have so many people to feed, it's hard to keep up the quality.

But you know what? The more Disney raises prices, the more people go. People are flooding Disney, so for their standpoint its wonderful. But from a guest standpoint, not so much. Disney seems more crowded than ever and I think they are having a hard time keeping up with such rapid growth.

 

[Surgie2]

That leave us Disney loyalists, the ones who spend so much money year in and year out and know exactly the Disney Vacation that we want, the only ones feeling like we're being ripped off with each new policy that removes some piece of the magical world that we really loved on our previous trips

So just curious if you feel this way, what keeps you coming back?

 

[Mom2Stitch]

Bye bye.

Sorry you were disappointed, and WDW certainly isn't "perfect". However, I'm just as excited about it and love it as much as I did in 1978...in fact probably even more.

EDIT: I also just don't understand the dirty restroom comment. In my experience, WDW has some of the cleanest public restrooms I've ever seen. Far, far, far superior to other amusement parks I've been to, and better than most restaurants/grocery stores, etc... I've seen. And if one gets filthy, that's because of a filthy guest. WDW can't reasonably be expected to have CMs stand in every rest room at all times. If they check a restroom once per hour, and a slob of a guest makes a mess, it could be 55 minutes before it's noticed...unless someone tells them.

I agree with you on the bathrooms. Most of the time I find that there are CMs cleaning just about every time I go into one. I do think that with the number of people that goes through the parks in a day Disney is still exceptional in cleanliness overall.

I'm very excited about our upcoming trip-can't wait to get there as a matter of fact. But I've learned to be cautious now with my expectations, I'm planning better, and I know my better attitude will help out a lot.

 

[TravelDad]

So just curious if you feel this way, what keeps you coming back?

Obviously, the amount of times and amount of money that we are willing to spend on Disney has reduced dramatically. As I said previously, we probably averaged 3 Disney trips per year from 2006-2014 and haven't been since January of 2016. We sold our DVC and have taken other trips and done other things.

It's sad because Disney has been such a major part of our lives. I met my wife while working at Disney, was married on the Disney Wonder, and have been countless times.

So to answer your question, we don't keep coming back at least not at the same rate. Maybe we'll just become those people who go every few years and become too enamored with the new attractions, but like another poster said, I think a lot of the "old" Disney is likely gone forever. I think I love the memories of Disney more than Disney now, and at least want my kids to have some of those memories even if they aren't quite as good as the ones from a few years ago

 

[Davey Jones II]

I hate to hear that you had a bad experience and I hate to say that I know how you feel. You do your part and put in lots of time planning and of course lots of $$ in Disney's pockets, and then it's like they don't hold up their end.

Our last family trip was Sept 2015 and it was suppose to be a low crowd time and it was so packed. There weren't enough CMs to run rides, drive busses, work food stands. It was like they didn't know all of those people were coming and weren't at all prepared. I tried to put on a happy face and go with it, but there were days I just wanted to go home. I emailed and made a complaint, they refunded my MNSSHP tickets and offered a 1 day PH, like @kalc12345 I wasn't looking for something free, I just want them to know they can and should be doing more for their customers.

DH and I went for a few days at the end of a cruise (not Disney) in Feb 2016. I felt it was a little better in the parks, but I think that may have been because I wasn't expecting much and we weren't there for a week dealing with crowds. CSR was a total mess-we had bad timing and was there at the same time as a huge hair dresser's convention, checked in and out on the same days they did.

Last September we took a few days to give Universal a try-it was AMAZING! More than once we said -this is how Disney USE to be. Best part was no planning - just go. We stayed at Royal Pacific-a deluxe there that gets you Express pass for all rides except Harry Potter-and we paid less a night there than we would have at CSR due to the AP discount. The cost to upgrade to an AP was more than covered by the room discount we got. AND because we have the AP we will be doing 3 days at Universal again before moving over to Disney on our upcoming trip.

We will be back to Disney in May-I really want this to be an awesome trip because I know it may be the last we have as a family for a long time, DS is going to be finishing college and moving on in to "real life" working and living. I learned from the last family trip to just prepare for the worst and hope that it's not that bad!

Since you're going in May, watch for Pandora soft openings.

 

[TravelDad]

I have also noticed things slipping over the years. They are going for quantity over quality it seems. We still go and have fun, but it's getting harder and harder to justify the cost. I don't mind paying more if I'm getting more i.e low crowds, great food, cleanliness etc.

The crowds are crazy and 2 hours to wait for a 2 minute ride is something I can't wrap my head around. Spending a fortune on tickets only to ride a handful of rides stinks. Yes there is fp and all that, but the crowds in general make it difficult to move around, and enjoy things. The crowds also make it difficult to keep things clean. It does not seem they staff for the crowds. I also feel the food quality had dropped, but again, they have so many people to feed, it's hard to keep up the quality.

But you know what? The more Disney raises prices, the more people go. People are flooding Disney, so for their standpoint its wonderful. But from a guest standpoint, not so much. Disney seems more crowded than ever and I think they are having a hard time keeping up with such rapid growth.

Really great post!

 

[Dakota731]

Now I'm nervous about our upcoming trip since it's been seven years for us. I wonder if maybe it's not so magical when people go so often? I can't imagine anywhere would be as exciting going several times a year as it is when trips are more spaced out. I can't imagine ever experiencing the same intense excitement as our first few trips. Of course the novelty wears off when you do anything multiple times in a row.

 

[DisneyFive]

In our experience the more you go, the more you notice the little things, which includes the bad. What's that phrase... "Familiarity breeds contempt?"

Our first year in 2010 we were simply wowed by everything. Totally blown away and completely hooked. Every attraction, meal, area, show, was a brand new experience. Now, well, we know what to expect. Disney attractions stay the same for a LONG, LONG time. (that's both good and bad).

Now, we go into it focusing on the positive. To be honest, it would still be a struggle to find many negatives, but we tend to overlook as much of that as we can because we just love being in our happy place (which includes our state of mind). I feel like the majority of the negatives now were just the same as our first stay in 2010, but back then we were in such a state of euphoria that we didn't even notice.

Dan

 

[Dakota731]

Just the rides alone, you are never going to experience the magic and surprises of your first visit when you've done them multiple times. Or even the restaurants, once we did Prime Time twice it wasn't nearly as funny any more.

 

[ArwenMarie]

EDIT: I also just don't understand the dirty restroom comment. In my experience, WDW has some of the cleanest public restrooms I've ever seen. Far, far, far superior to other amusement parks I've been to, and better than most restaurants/grocery stores, etc... I've seen. And if one gets filthy, that's because of a filthy guest. WDW can't reasonably be expected to have CMs stand in every rest room at all times. If they check a restroom once per hour, and a slob of a guest makes a mess, it could be 55 minutes before it's noticed...unless someone tells them.

Ah, you're a guy right? I think the women's bathrooms have a lot more going in them if you know what I mean. Honestly sometimes just the smell of the dirty diapers when they pile up is enough to make me want to hurl.

I do agree though, part of it is luck and timing

 

[BayouQueen]

I do think there have been noticeable cuts both in staffing -- which affects all aspects of park operations from cleanliness to ride maintenance -- and in food quality. I notice this at both WDW and DL. And prices have gone up simultaneously.

We have adjusted by simply not spending as much in the parks. I don't want to be disappointed by a bad $60 steak, but a bad sandwich I can live with. With less of ourselves "invested" in the parks, we are not disappointed and go away very happy.

Seriously, management teams come and go, and the parks go up and down with those teams. I still love my Disney and won't give it up, but I do try to keep a clear head about it and adjust expectations when needed.

 

[revdon64]

Interesting - seems that Disney would rather pay off the few complainers with passes and refunds than actually address the issues, at least by the testimony of this thread.

 

[SoCalDisneyFan2708]

A lot of things factor into why the magic might be dwindling for some people. To me first of all it depends if you're a glass half full or a glass half empty type of person. I've seen people in this thread with similar stats (been to WDW more than 20 times) and some say it's just as good or better than it used to be, some the opposite. I think on certain trips something unfortunate might happen that puts them off for their entire trip and then everything becomes a glass half empty situation. I just went to WDW this year for the first time and loved every second.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I don't look for the bad. Maybe that is why I don't see it much? Last trip was December 2015 and we had a few bumps here and there, but it was such a fantastic and magical trip I forgot the things that bugged me.

If you're so bothered by the bad that you come on a Disney community board to complain about it days later, then maybe it's time to hang up your ears for a little while.

 

[tlmadden73]

In general, things can't last forever. Things ebb and flow over time.

You go to a local restaurant. It's the best thing ever! You keep going again and again and it still great. .. But eventually time changes all things: ..
cooks change, servers change, management changes .. prices go up (as they just naturally do). You bring someone new to it and they love it but to you .. things have changed too much and it is hard to focus on the good anymore.

I think going on such a regular basis allows people to focus on the "flaws" more. I personally feel that going EVERY year for a LONG vacation will just naturally burn out people .. no matter WHAT you are doing. You've seen it all .. you've done it all .. so naturally there is BOUND to be experiences that will be different (not as good) as last time.

I have been blessed to go to WDW 4 times since 2010 and each time is as magical as the last. The trick? I don't go for very long. I go for 2-3 whirlwind days. I am going with little kids and see the Magic through their eyes. And we don't get anywhere near to "doing it all" so every trip there is something new to experience. Because we are going for so short of time we rarely repeat anything (even rides). So everything is new.
(For example this time it was the new Soaring ride and trying out the new Skipper Canteen restaurant).

As someone stated before .. your "first time" experiencing things are magical. Doing it for the 10th time in 5 years? Not so magical.

 

[kreckl]

That leave us Disney loyalists, the ones who spend so much money year in and year out and know exactly the Disney Vacation that we want, the only ones feeling like we're being ripped off with each new policy that removes some piece of the magical world that we really loved on our previous trips


Like what?

 

[BalooHoo]

We just got back from a trip last week, and overall we had a great time despite some things not being like they used to be. For us, the magic is still there, even if it's coupled with some disappointments along the way.

I just want to highlight one problem in particular that seemed far worse than in the past - rides kept breaking down. There were at least six rides down at various times of the day in MK on Friday, including Splash Mountain being down for almost the whole day, and shorter closings for Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Carousel of Progress, Philharmagic, Peoplemover and the Tiki Room. Some of these are not headliners (but some are), but they are some of our favorites and it seriously impacted our day. Not only did we not get to do what we wanted, but the multiple closings led to even longer lines on the open rides on a day that was already very crowded.

On Saturday in AK, Everest was down from EMH opening until shortly before 2:00. We headed straight there at rope drop, and it was not until we were almost there that a cast member was stationed to tell us that it was down. They could have told us this at the entrance, or at the rope, or at the entrance to Asia, or anywhere else that would have allowed us to save the long walk only to be disappointed. When we found out, we (with almost everyone else) headed to the safari and faced a longer-than-usual line despite the early time during the EMH. Everest being closed for such a long time also highlighted for us how few headliners there are in AK to dissipate the crowds. We still had fun, but every other attraction in the park suffered with heavier crowds. I know this is all about to change when Pandora opens, but it was disappointing on the heels of so many closures the day before at MK. By the way, Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl also went down for shorter times that day.

I'm not saying this to complain about our trip because we still had a great time and we adapted to the unexpected closures. It just seems like unexpected ride closures were much more rare in prior years. I'm sure Disney does everything it can to prevent this from happening, but it's another thing that makes us nostalgic for the good ol' days.

 

[TravelDad]

That leave us Disney loyalists, the ones who spend so much money year in and year out and know exactly the Disney Vacation that we want, the only ones feeling like we're being ripped off with each new policy that removes some piece of the magical world that we really loved on our previous trips


Like what?

You make me feel like you think I hate Disney or something. I am one of the biggest Disney fans on the planet, but you have to live under a rock to not see what they have been doing for the last 3 or 4 years. Here's a few:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...embership-benefits-resale-20160404-story.html

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...ld-ticket-prices-increase-20170210-story.html

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201508/4686/

http://www.dadsguidetowdw.com/11-reasons-i-hate-the-disney-dining-plan.html

http://www.bestoforlando.com/articles/paper-fastpass-ticket-system-walt-disney-world/

http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/table...count-program-price-increase-begins-today.htm

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-disney-cuts-20160304-story.html

http://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/...ly-charges-50-an-hour-for-rides-and-ice-cream

 

[KateP85]

Cleanliness has been a problem for a long time now, and Disney seems to be making a halfhearted attempt to address it. They tried something new with custodians and the way they were distributed in the parks, and they were supposed to be hiring more housekeepers (except that got cancelled.) It's a struggle to keep up with thousands of people in the parks each day, and on top of that, if one person makes a mess, the next is going to have less concern for keeping the place clean (does that make sense?)

We're locals who visit a few times a month and still enjoy it - but if we didn't live here, I probably wouldn't visit more than once every few years. I love the travel, and for me, the cost of a Disney vacation is money I could spend seeing the world. You will always have people who love Disney no matter what, and nothing that happens will ever change that. You also have people that love to complain about every little thing...but still go. I think most people on this thread are somewhere in the middle.

 

[disneyseniors]

I don't look for the bad. Maybe that is why I don't see it much? Last trip was December 2015 and we had a few bumps here and there, but it was such a fantastic and magical trip I forgot the things that bugged me.

If you're so bothered by the bad that you come on a Disney community board to complain about it days later, then maybe it's time to hang up your ears for a little while.

34 posts in this thread for the old standby, " if you don't like it don' t go", or a variation on it. It gets old.
People are allowed to voice their opinions and concerns over a place they obviously love, that's why they voice it!