Best Strategy for a trip in 2022? Lower Your Expectations

[mom2rtk]

I did a Universal only trip with Disney dinning at some of the Disney resorts in the evening. I did a dinner at poly, so that we could watch fireworks. I couldn't get California Grill last minute. We did the hoop dee doo. And we did dining at AKL to see the animals. This was pre-COVID. We were able to get our Disney fix while spending our time at Universal during the day.

That's very much along the lines of what we are aiming for.

 

[glocon]

It feels like we have no choice really. We're there in a week for spring break. Park pass is sold out most days and can't buy AP's which are open for park reservations. No park pass reservations available for onsite guests. We'll be driving from Poly and AKL to Universal each day and might check out Seaworld.

I really don't understand why Disney is making no effort to help out onsite guests. At a minimum they should have park pass availability specifically for people paying a huge premium to stay onsite.

Maybe try seeing if you can buy tickets at the gate day of. It’s an expensive way to go, but maybe you can get at least one park day. Is it possible to cancel your Poly/AKL stay and just do a UO vacation? That really stinks for you!!!

 

[RamblingMad]

It feels like we have no choice really. We're there in a week for spring break. Park pass is sold out most days and can't buy AP's which are open for park reservations. No park pass reservations available for onsite guests. We'll be driving from Poly and AKL to Universal each day and might check out Seaworld.

I really don't understand why Disney is making no effort to help out onsite guests. At a minimum they should have park pass availability specifically for people paying a huge premium to stay onsite.

I would cancel Poly and AKL and get a universal hotel instead.

 

[Prince John Robin Hood]

Maybe try seeing if you can buy tickets at the gate day of. It’s an expensive way to go, but maybe you can get at least one park day. Is it possible to cancel your Poly/AKL stay and just do a UO vacation? That really stinks for you!!!

I would cancel Poly and AKL and get a universal hotel instead.

We're DVC so we'll get moonlight magic at least. We need to use the points but it's hard to understand how they haven't created a park pass reservation bucket for onsite guests. Years ago onsite guaranteed you could get in 365 days a year if you had a ticket. Pete's criticism's of the company are warranted imo. Disney is being extremely short sighted right now.

 

[JJsmama]

No park pass reservations available for onsite guests. We'll be driving from Poly and AKL to Universal each day and might check out Seaworld.

I really don't understand why Disney is making no effort to help out onsite guests. At a minimum they should have park pass availability specifically for people paying a huge premium to stay onsite.

that’s ridiculous! I am sorry that happened to you, i would not give them the money for hotel if they would not consider onsite guests.
in other news, i hope you have a great trip at US and Seaworld. We actually had a much better day at Universal 2 years ago than our Disney trips in recent years.

 

[Delirium]

yes, some of the changes were due to our feedback. I’m not saying scrapping fp+ and making genie was purely because of our complaints. Genie was always going to happen. Disney is always going to make new ways to control crowds. If you are expecting them to stop trying to grow, your expectation is flawed. Even Walt said they will never stop.

But some aspects of Genie grew out of guest feedback. If you really think Disney took a thousand developers, gave them a billion dollars, put them in a room, shut them away from the world, told them nothing of the current guest experience for 5 years, you’re horribly mistaken.

you may not like the solution they came up with, but believe it or not, they started requirements with the flaws and complaints people had.

Feedback from whom? I would venture that less than 5% of the people that normally stay onsite at Disney would have provided feedback to Disney suggesting that they be placed on a level playing field with those that stay offsite. Staying onsite HAS to be worth something, but there are virtually no meaningful perks left. The only one that really carries any value is the once a week Extra Magic hours at Magic Kingdom and Epcot. even then, you need to stay at the most expensive resorts to get that one.

And, talking about money, didn't Disney throw billions of dollars at FP+. It lasted less than 5 years. How does that even make economic sense? I'm sorry, but Disney is not thinking about the guest experience at all.

You brought up Walt. I'm sure he did always expect the Disney experience to evolve. But, I can almost guaranty that compromising the guest experience to do so would have never been approved in order to achieve that.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Feedback from whom?

If you believe - which you clearly seem to - that Disney just took a bunch of people, shut them in a room with no feedback, no access to the internet, no information from social media, no requirements, no explanation of what should be done and said "Go build something", then it's pointless for me to try to convince you otherwise, since rational arguments will not sway you. So I am not going to continue to post the same explanation again and again.

All I can tell you is that is not how software development works. Not even at Disney, as much as we hate their IT group.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

that’s ridiculous! I am sorry that happened to you, i would not give them the money for hotel if they would not consider onsite guests.
in other news, i hope you have a great trip at US and Seaworld. We actually had a much better day at Universal 2 years ago than our Disney trips in recent years.

We drove to Seaworld from SSR recently. We wanted to see a concert and we enjoyed their Mardi Gras festivities and food festival. While I enjoyed Epcot's F&G and the deluxe evening hours at MK, I appreciated how much more relaxed Seaworld seemed (it wasn't the case for Seaworld trick or treat weekend back in October, but this time of year, it seemed more relaxed).

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Here part of the closing for this piece written by Jackie Gailey from wdwinfo.com

..........and this just talks about the planning and NOT the present in park experience!

copy/paste--

"It really feels like some of the joy of planning a Disney vacation has been unexpectedly removed for us. Planning seems to be more about the financial aspect(s) rather than the fun aspect(s), and, money sadly does not grow on trees.
I am somewhat of a sad Walt Disney World fan right now. Planning a Disney vacation is more confusing and difficult than it’s ever been and it just doesn’t need to be. I’d love to go back to the simpler times and I don’t think that I’m alone."

Link-
https://www.wdwinfo.com/planning/planning-a-disney-world-vacation-is-not-as-fun-as-it-used-to-be/

 

[Mom2Anna&Elsa]

More bad reviews. Cannot imagine this is the press that Disney wanted. Bloomberg financial, now Washington Post?:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/03/07/disney-world-disneyland-ticket-prices-fees/

 

[Love Tink]

If you believe - which you clearly seem to - that Disney just took a bunch of people, shut them in a room with no feedback, no access to the internet, no information from social media, no requirements, no explanation of what should be done and said "Go build something", then it's pointless for me to try to convince you otherwise, since rational arguments will not sway you. So I am not going to continue to post the same explanation again and again.

All I can tell you is that is not how software development works. Not even at Disney, as much as we hate their IT group.

So, in your mind, there is no middle ground between "revenue-driven, not customer-driven" and "shut in a room with no access to the internet"? You can post this as many times as you want, it still makes no sense.

 

[Delirium]

If you believe - which you clearly seem to - that Disney just took a bunch of people, shut them in a room with no feedback, no access to the internet, no information from social media, no requirements, no explanation of what should be done and said "Go build something", then it's pointless for me to try to convince you otherwise, since rational arguments will not sway you. So I am not going to continue to post the same explanation again and again.

All I can tell you is that is not how software development works. Not even at Disney, as much as we hate their IT group.

Feedback is dependent on who you ask. If 75% of the people they 'polled' were offsite guests, then, yeah, they are going to get feedback that supports the opinion of offsite guests. And, I don't have the numbers, but 75% of park guests probably are offsite.

But, if you're going to charge outrageous resort prices for staying onsite, you're making more money off that demographic. Therefore, that demographic should be favorably weighted in those opinion polls.

If you believe - which you clearly seem to - that Disney has treated onsite guests equally in their decisions the last 3-4 years, then it's pointless for me to try to convince you otherwise. That said, since you brought up the internet and social media as measuring tools, then compare the number of positive responses your position has received in this thread compared to mine.

 

[ppony]

You can see in my signature that I have been to Disney many times.

I even made my second trip on my current Annual Pass and was at Bay Lake Tower and then Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House just a few days ago.

If you are going in 2022 you need to lower your expectations a lot.

I have used Touring Plans and been a rope dropper for many, many years.

I was often able to get 90 percent of my rides/shows done by lunchtime .....and wrapped up each day with a feeling of joy and happiness.

I was able to ride some rides more than once each day and sometimes would hop to a second or third park if I wanted to........I felt free as a bird.

This is not the case anymore.

For the moment, let's put aside the huge cost of resorts, food/beverage, Genie+, and ILL.

Even if G+ were free, it is an inferior product to FP+.

I can even accept the Park Pass requirement for the first park of the day, but park hopping at 2pm it like hitting my kneecaps with a baseball bat.

In the old days, I would often rope drop park number 1 and then hop to park number 2 sometime in the morning.

The present system makes each day feel like we have a national speed limit of 55 again and I am driving around with my parking brake engaged.

If we had little ones in our group, the focus of a typical day would be very different.....even only doing 3 or 4 rides with a child/grandchild, the day's enjoyment is derived from seeing the little ones have a wonderful day.

For years, I tried to maximize the number of days I could be at WDW with my AP.

I would stay off site and on site.

These days, it is not so much that the on site folks have a huge advantage compared to the past.......it is that the off site people barely get adequate leftovers by the time they can enter the park and/or buy ILL rides.

I have trips planned for April/May/Sept/Oct on this AP. (I do not like the super hot months)

I am not going to focus on max days at Disney this year.

I went in Dec 2021, Jan 2022 and have a trip with our daughter (a teacher) over the President's Day weekend.

I will have been 3 times on this AP.......I feel I have broken even on the cost.

I will be cancelling the rest of the trips I had on the books for later this year.

That money and time will be spent elsewhere.

Although some of the environment has been impacted by Covid...... a large part of the reduced experience is due to decisions made by management.

Now......I have not said much about the nickel and diming that really adds up now.

At a value resort, a couple on a trip has to pay an extra $47 each day just to park and use Genie+.

When you add the impact of a diminished experience with the very high cost, the value of the experience has been greatly reduced.

Look......I am a Disney fan.

Disney, Coke, a Big Mac, are all part of a truly American experience. I can not imagine life as we know it if they were to all disappear.

Disney has very good customer service.....if the IT situation was not so mediocre, I would say Disney has some of the best customer service of any company.

However, at this time, the overall experience requires a lot of money, a lot a planning, and each day has a lot of chaos caused by the unpredictability of getting a LL or ILL,........and to be under the gun to compete at 7am for a seat on a ride is not relaxing or enjoyable.
And having my face buried in the phone a good part of the day does not add to my enjoyment either.

I composed this because I saw some small headlines about Disney guests not being really thrilled right now.....I thought I may have been the only one that felt this way.......but there is now a bit of rumbling going on........and social media has the ability to provide us to look at the good and the bad comments.

The experience has changed for the worse.

They better improve it substantially and quickly.

I think many of the 2022 visitors may be so unhappy, they may not return or postpone future trips.

In a way, Disney has messed up my Happy Place................and I am a bit sad about that.

We’re at WDW for 13 days and on day 6 today. All I have been able to think for the last 3 days is how dead-on accurate the OP was. In fact, lower your expectations and then lower them again. As ppl that have been visiting almost every other year for the last 25 years, this is our last visit for a good long time.

Disney has ruined everything we loved, and now it’s just not fun for us anymore. ESPECIALLY w the Genie + and LL+. Time slots being gone by lunch for the whole day and buying a LL+ only to have times actually end up being hours later than you signed up for as you started the purchase process. (Just to name a few of the issues) For this family w a child on the spectrum that CAN NOT do long waits in line and just can’t do long days in the parks anymore, we blew through $90 on those items we didn’t even get to use once despite paying for them because of how they’re constructed. The only reason we got to do a single thing was because of the DAS. Even then, we got only 1-3 attractions done each day so far. There’s something about paying over $100 to do 1 or 2 in a day attractions that is making my stomach churn. I’m furious w the parks (NOT CMs) right now. I’ll write in for all the good it will do. But at least I’ll have had my peace. Any survey opportunities I’ve been given so far, I’m taking advantage of.

 

[gharter]

We just expect it to be very busy and are planning to do what we can and not worry too much about what we can't. Luckily, we've done everything there along the way and will be back in October.
The April trip is split between Universal and WDW.

 

[ppony]

We just expect it to be very busy and are planning to do what we can and not worry too much about what we can't. Luckily, we've done everything there along the way and will be back in October.
The April trip is split between Universal and WDW.

It’s pretty easy to not sweat what you can’t do when you’ll be back in 6 months. Most ppl don’t have that luxury.

 

[Jen81NYC]

It’s pretty easy to not sweat what you can’t do when you’ll be back in 6 months. Most ppl don’t have that luxury.

This is how I feel—this is a trip I earmarked a lot of money for but the goal is for this to be it. I feel like people on the boards forget that most people don’t plan to go to Disney on a regular basis—it’s so expensive and there’s a lot of other world out there. But knowing that this is kind of it for us is stressful. I know we can’t do *everything* but the prospect of having some of these stressful and terrible experiences for the thousands and thousands of dollars I’m spending is a huge bummer

 

[gharter]

It’s pretty easy to not sweat what you can’t do when you’ll be back in 6 months. Most ppl don’t have that luxury.

True, there are many that only go every few years. However, there are many DVC members who go multiple times a year (far more than we do) . Having purchased DVC a few years back, makes the changes easier to take.

 

[Jennasis]

I'm DVC and have 4 trips planned (December 2021, May 2022, Sept 2022 and Dec 2022) and the changes have infuriated me. The fact that I know I'll be back doesn't make things easier to swallow....it makes me mad and sad. that each of those 4 trips will be far FAR less than they should be.

 

[Westerner]

I feel for DVC owners who are frustrated by the recent changes. They have made such a big commitment to Disney. That Darth Vader line from Empire Strikes back comes to mind: I am altering the deal. Pray I don’t alter it any further.

Potential DVC buyers take note.

 

[Mom2Anna&Elsa]

I feel for DVC owners who are frustrated by the recent changes. They have made such a big commitment to Disney. That Darth Vader line from Empire Strikes back comes to mind: I am altering the deal. Pray I don’t alter it any further.

Potential DVC buyers take note.

Agreed. So thankful we didn't buy DVC.

I always hear 'we were only promised a room when buying into DVC, not anything more'. Yes, that's true. But the fact of the matter is that most people buy those rooms with the understanding that they are close to Disney theme parks (not all DVC is, I realize that). You're paying a premium for that location. Otherwise, if you just wanted a 'room', why not spend substantially less and buy into another timeshare company? Disney and the increased value of those rooms is what made it such a coveted timeshare. If the Disney parks are no longer an enjoyable experience, then the value of what you purchased has dropped, in my opinion. Maybe not on a balance sheet, but the value to the owner.