I had a lot of fun and my family enjoyed it but just got back from our trip (4/13 - 4/21) and easy to say that everything is worse.
Been out of state pass holders for about 8 years and come down 2-3 times a year from the Boston area. I know this has probably been beaten to death in here but I wanted to go in with an open mind, and I did, but...
No Magical Express makes the the airport experience worse
On property hotel prices make staying there worse
Barely any housekeeping makes the hotel experience worse
Reservations and park hopping at 2:00 make the park experience much worse
Genie+ and Paid LL make the in-park experience MUCH MUCH worse
Getting reservations for dining is worse
I could go on...
Again - We had a great time and I'm going back in August but my family is at a different place. Kids are older (17 and 15) and we've been a lot over the years to the point where riding Space Mountain for the Nth time is not a big deal. That being said, I'm pretty sure I'll never ride Rise or FoP ever again if things stay like this. Not willing to wait the 2 hours or pay $60. The Genie+ is actually insulting and should be redone or tossed altogether. Getting up at for 7AM and pay to get on 4 rides, which the earliest time was 1:30PM, is pretty backwards.
Anyone with kids in the 7-12 range who want to come down for their first experience, I would warn against it. In fact, spoke to a
travel agent since I've been back and asked what the feedback was that she was getting from first timers who have gone this year and the resounding response was that they would never go again.
All that being said, I'm sure I'm in the minority and everyone loves the changes and I'm happy for you. That's great. It being worse than it was last year or WAY worse than it was pre-pandemic/Chapek doesn't impact my trips too much. I'd rather hang at Nomad Lounge (if I can get in) over waiting for 240 minute for FoP but that's just me.
Had a great time visiting hotels and other establishments on property but the overall experience has taken a nose dive.
Just returned from our first trip post-COVID and unequivocally agree with the "Everything Is Worse" sentiment.
Even though I read many of these comments before the trip, with the new rides and just wanting a return to normalcy ...we booked a spring break trip like many others, one that had been canceled two years ago.
We had been 3 times prior, for about 10 days each time, and would go all out. It was shockingly expensive, but we truly would have an amazing time and ultimately those memories with our young son were worth it.
Everything that has been said I would echo, but the comment that really resonated with me here was regarding the
CMs. Maybe it was sadly inevitable after what everyone has gone through, but by and large they just didn't care. The friendly, warm interactions were gone. The extra effort was gone. It was crystal clear.
One of the younger CMs who was friendly eventually started mentioning how great it was to work at Disney, how great is was that they had applied for their unemployment during covid ...and it was clear as day he was simply mechanically reciting a rehearsed set of comments. Maybe he should have said Disney, with its billions of revenue, could have made the moral decision to take the hit, keep their staff employed, and report a few quarterly losses to preserve the loyalty that they spent decades engendering amongst their CMs.
In years past you could sense the pride, and it showed across the board in all the special interactions. Not anymore. At all.
The poor hotel service, in what was otherwise a wonderful facility (Boardwalk) almost ruined the experience on multiple occasions. We enjoyed bonding with other families and the kids playing together, all of us trying to recreate that magic, but for close to $1,000 night during spring break the experience was absolutely unacceptable.
The parks were mobbed, genie plus and ILL felt like a borderline scam, and for Dad as the main planner ....the 7am daily mad rush, like you're buying concert tickets, really added another layer of needless stress.
Some of the most hyped rides IMO fell short, even after paying for the shorter lines wherever possible...certainly not worth 2-3hr waits by any stretch. The fireworks shows were subpar, and heard these comments from many others.
Having done pretty much every ride in all the parks, most all dining experiences and with all the great memories, I think that's where we're going to leave it.
I feel sad after having experienced what it was, to now, but I doubt we'll be going back anytime soon, very possibly...never.
We went from their biggest fan, willing to overlook the excessive cost.... to now being truly indifferent to whether we ever go again. What a fall from grace.
The magic is most definitely gone, or at the least seriously degraded.
It may take years for demand to drop, given the brand that Disney has cultivated, but eventually this is going to come home to roost.
