Can we talk about how Difficult Disney Vacations are becoming

[The Mayor]

Disney’s explanation of Genie+ reminds me of the words Ronald Reagan said every American should fear. “We’re from the government and we’re hear to help you”. Disney trying to sell me that Genie+ is going to make my vacation more relaxing is barking up that same tree.

Please note: This is not a political post and quote was only used for reference and context.

 

[luv2cheer92]

Yes, Disney was always a more expensive vacation but it seemed like the quality was consistently there. And lots of people could make it work with value hotels, cheaper meals, and no extras: the parks were enough.

Now it seems they are just being so cheap wanting you to pay for more than what you are getting. Not as magical, for sure.

Maybe for some, the magic is still 100% there for me. Maybe even more so. Definitely better than things were 15-20ish years ago for me.

 

[Eastern]

Maybe for some, the magic is still 100% there for me. Maybe even more so. Definitely better than things were 15-20ish years ago for me.

You seem like a super duper Disney fan.

 

[luv2cheer92]

You seem like a super duper Disney fan.

I mean, yes, I love Disney, but I would expect anyone on a discussion board about all things Disney would?

 

[ChimCher-ee]

The only difference is that to rise the top attractions you have to pay extra. Up to $25 a ride.

To ride them with no wait, or to ride them at all?

 

[Jrb1979]

To ride them with no wait, or to ride them at all?

Most likely both. I can see them limiting the amount of free boarding groups and having more paid ones.

 

[No_strings]

Rub the smartphone “lamp”. Genie appears and says you get two attraction “wishes”. Oh, OK. My family and I wish to ride SDMT and SDD. Genie replies “Your wish is granted. That will be $250.”

 

[ElsasFan]

I've read that darn genie thread several times and am still confused on how it works, what's included, etc. I can't wait until they have to explain this to millions of guests whose native language is not English. What a crazy, complicated system for a theme park.

it sounds so confusing. People know we go to Disney every year and often ask me for advice for their first trip. It’s too complicated to even try to explain to someone. Where to even begin? But this is supposed to make our trips easier! Ha.

 

[ElsasFan]

Disney’s explanation of Genie+ reminds me of the words Ronald Reagan said every American should fear. “We’re from the government and we’re hear to help you”. Disney trying to sell me that Genie+ is going to make my vacation more relaxing is barking up that same tree.

Please note: This is not a political post and quote was only used for reference and context.

Notice that Genie looks at hundreds of thousands of options and plans your perfect day for you! That is, it routes the masses where Disney wants them to go.

 

[Lsyves]

I'm feeling the same as many - I guess my reaction to the Genie and "new" DAS announcements surprised me...I'm just done?

We are repeat out of state Annual Passholders; who had a disabilty diagnosis for one family member since we purchased our passes. We used to LOVE planning our Disney vacations, and pre-Covid, would come at least four times a year.

Now, I just can't wait for our passes to expire. With the Genie addition and changes to DAS - it's too much to read, learn, and figure out. We have 7 months left on our passes, and normally would be looking at one long trip and a few weekends...now I'm thinking a week-ish trip next February/March to finish out our passes so I don't "lose" money...and I dread the though of it.

I'm usually a pretty upbeat person, especially when it somes to Disney, so I was surprised at my reaction. We are not Deluxe Resort folks; my kids LOVE Pop Century better than any other resort - Skyliner and great memories, plus it just feels like home. So, with no Disney Transport (which I loved), no evening Magic Hours, no FastPass, minimal discounts, no Dining Plan/Free Dining, no DAS as we knew it...blech.

It just feels like work; losing things we loved...but paying higher prices to get less.

What do you mean by no Disney transport?

 

[Lsyves]

I co

Sigh - I miss the good old days. When we took our kids many years ago the characters were everywhere. You never knew when you would happen along one. I have so many photos of the kids with characters. Parks were busy but not overly crowded. There was "magic" all over. We all waited in line for rides. Yes - you expect to wait. I think the longest we waited was about 25 minutes.

I can't even imagine having to run around with my phone all day trying to plan out rides. I like to be spontaneous after doing my "must do" rides. All this planning for where to eat and when and being connected to a phone takes away from the magic of the parks. I want to be able to see the kids laughing and smiling, I want to be able to people watch and admire the parks. The way things are changing it just sounds like more of a chore then a fun trip.

I couldn’t agree more!

 

[Jrb1979]

it sounds so confusing. People know we go to Disney every year and often ask me for advice for their first trip. It’s too complicated to even try to explain to someone. Where to even begin? But this is supposed to make our trips easier! Ha.

It's not that confusing at all. It's actually very simple. You pay $15 and you then can book what used to FP from your phone. The only difference is if you want the top rides you have to make seperate transactions. People are making it harder then it is

 

[igrsod]

I mean, yes, I love Disney, but I would expect anyone on a discussion board about all things Disney would?

I am a huge Disney fan... but that doesn't mean I have to like or agree with every decision that the company makes.
I am really not impressed with the direction things are going. Taking away the things that made a Disney trip easy for a family... it was never "cheap".
You don't mind spending the money if you are enjoying your vacation and you are being taken care of.
That isn't the case at all anymore... hence why so many people are upset.
I really do hope the powers that be are reading and listening. They are not going on the right track here. They need to start adding in back some of what made a Disney vacation special and magical.
If I just wanted to stay in a hotel and ride rides... there are better options to be honest. That's not the focus or reason for our Disney trips, and I suspect many others feel the same.

 

[luv2cheer92]

I am a huge Disney fan... but that doesn't mean I have to like or agree with every decision that the company makes.
I am really not impressed with the direction things are going. Taking away the things that made a Disney trip easy for a family... it was never "cheap".
You don't mind spending the money if you are enjoying your vacation and you are being taken care of.
That isn't the case at all anymore... hence why so many people are upset.
I really do hope the powers that be are reading and listening. They are not going on the right track here. They need to start adding in back some of what made a Disney vacation special and magical.
If I just wanted to stay in a hotel and ride rides... there are better options to be honest. That's not the focus or reason for our Disney trips, and I suspect many others feel the same.

There are plenty of things they do that I disagree with.
I strongly disagree with the second point, which is ok. I definitely am still thoroughly enjoying my trips and feel like I am being taken care of. Not everyone needs to feel that way, which is ok. But, there are people who do. So to say it in a general sense that it isn't happening at all is incorrect for some.
My main focus for Disney trips is Disney. Yes, I like Disney. I can't get Disney at other parks, so not sure how those would compare or be a replacement. But to be fair, I take plenty of trips to other parks. I go to Universal every year, I go to all the parks in the mid-Atlantic area multiple times a year (I have a CF platinum season pass every year). I go on several other vacations all over the country and internationally every year. But, I still return to WDW, because I love it and I continue to find the value in it.

I know I say this a lot, but I don't expect everyone, or anyone for that matter, to agree with me. I just like to share my viewpoint.

 

[igrsod]

There are plenty of things they do that I disagree with.
I strongly disagree with the second point, which is ok. I definitely am still thoroughly enjoying my trips and feel like I am being taken care of. Not everyone needs to feel that way, which is ok. But, there are people who do. So to say it in a general sense that it isn't happening at all is incorrect for some.
My main focus for Disney trips is Disney. Yes, I like Disney. I can't get Disney at other parks, so not sure how those would compare or be a replacement. But to be fair, I take plenty of trips to other parks. I go to Universal every year, I go to all the parks in the mid-Atlantic area multiple times a year (I have a CF platinum season pass every year). I go on several other vacations all over the country and internationally every year. But, I still return to WDW, because I love it and I continue to find the value in it.

I know I say this a lot, but I don't expect everyone, or anyone for that matter, to agree with me. I just like to share my viewpoint.

Let me give you an example of what I mean about my second point....

When we first started going to Disney... here is what we experienced that we don't anymore, yet pay considerably more for.

1. Luggage that magically arrived in our room after we dropped it off at the airport.. no need to lug it around with the kids in tow...easy peasy
2. The same in reverse on the trip home... drop it off at the resort airline check in desk... go for one last park day and the luggage gets home magically.
3. No need to rent a car, hire an uber etc., magical express and tragical express did all the driving and we got to watch Disney tv on the bus.
4. Daily mousekeeping... with towel art and my kids stuffies set up in fun scenarios when we returned from a fun day at the parks.
5. The ability to swim after park closing when you get back after fireworks hot and exhausted.
6. The ability to get FP either the paper kind or the prebooked kind for the price of admission... thus leading to less wait times for big rides at no extra cost
7. Magic bands included with our stay, with an engraving to mark the name and date for a memory.
8. Your packages were delivered to your resort.
9. They didn't charge to receive your food delivery.
10. Park hours were much longer
11. EMH were much longer and more plentiful.

This is what I'm talking about.

Now you have to manage your own luggage, find your own way from the airport to the resort and back, you don't get your room cleaned regularly and forget any fun touches in your room, you can only swim at very shortened hours during the day otherwise it's locked up, you now have to pay for any sort of FP and potentially shell out much more for the VQ rides as there is not an option for standby, no free magic bands, no package delivery, pay to receive your groceries, shorter hours and more crowded parks, and no skipping down Main Street eating ice cream at 2:00 am as EMH are pretty much a thing of the past.


Yes everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I hope you can see why some might see the direction that Disney is going as tragic, not magic.

 

[RoseGold]

Easy peasy for that one time special trip. Hard ticket after hours party. I see them as an even better value now and the direction Disney is headed. Great solution for your trip of a lifetime, when tickets were over $100 anyway. Go to universal for a few days and then close out with the Disney party. Don’t bother to stay on site. That was literally my advice yesterday to an acquaintance who knows I go to Disney a lot.

I’ve never even been to universal, but they’ll be shlepping car seats to anywhere and at least universal still has fast pass and is SOOO much cheaper.

For me, yes, I feel the difficulty. This is going to squeeze those cheap AP holders, which I was hoping to become. And what’s the point of staying onsite or DVC anymore?

 

[antmaril]

Let me give you an example of what I mean about my second point....

When we first started going to Disney... here is what we experienced that we don't anymore, yet pay considerably more for.

1. Luggage that magically arrived in our room after we dropped it off at the airport.. no need to lug it around with the kids in tow...easy peasy
2. The same in reverse on the trip home... drop it off at the resort airline check in desk... go for one last park day and the luggage gets home magically.
3. No need to rent a car, hire an uber etc., magical express and tragical express did all the driving and we got to watch Disney tv on the bus.
4. Daily mousekeeping... with towel art and my kids stuffies set up in fun scenarios when we returned from a fun day at the parks.
5. The ability to swim after park closing when you get back after fireworks hot and exhausted.
6. The ability to get FP either the paper kind or the prebooked kind for the price of admission... thus leading to less wait times for big rides at no extra cost
7. Magic bands included with our stay, with an engraving to mark the name and date for a memory.
8. Your packages were delivered to your resort.
9. They didn't charge to receive your food delivery.
10. Park hours were much longer
11. EMH were much longer and more plentiful.

This is what I'm talking about.

Now you have to manage your own luggage, find your own way from the airport to the resort and back, you don't get your room cleaned regularly and forget any fun touches in your room, you can only swim at very shortened hours during the day otherwise it's locked up, you now have to pay for any sort of FP and potentially shell out much more for the VQ rides as there is not an option for standby, no free magic bands, no package delivery, pay to receive your groceries, shorter hours and more crowded parks, and no skipping down Main Street eating ice cream at 2:00 am as EMH are pretty much a thing of the past.


Yes everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I hope you can see why some might see the direction that Disney is going as tragic, not magic.

This! 100%!!!!! You have expressed perfectly what I have been thinking while reading all of these posts about the Genie+ and LL. As a huge Disney fan, I am disheartened. While I have spent a boat load of money over the years, that could be coming to an end. It rubs me wrong. Especially rolling this out during a worldwide Pandemic. Obviously, things had to change during the worst of it and they are using this “reset” to stick it their customers. That’s a “no” for me. The magic is gone. (I know it’s a corporation and the goal is to make money. I get it. But…).

 

[luv2cheer92]

Let me give you an example of what I mean about my second point....

When we first started going to Disney... here is what we experienced that we don't anymore, yet pay considerably more for.

1. Luggage that magically arrived in our room after we dropped it off at the airport.. no need to lug it around with the kids in tow...easy peasy
2. The same in reverse on the trip home... drop it off at the resort airline check in desk... go for one last park day and the luggage gets home magically.
3. No need to rent a car, hire an uber etc., magical express and tragical express did all the driving and we got to watch Disney tv on the bus.
4. Daily mousekeeping... with towel art and my kids stuffies set up in fun scenarios when we returned from a fun day at the parks.
5. The ability to swim after park closing when you get back after fireworks hot and exhausted.
6. The ability to get FP either the paper kind or the prebooked kind for the price of admission... thus leading to less wait times for big rides at no extra cost
7. Magic bands included with our stay, with an engraving to mark the name and date for a memory.
8. Your packages were delivered to your resort.
9. They didn't charge to receive your food delivery.
10. Park hours were much longer
11. EMH were much longer and more plentiful.

This is what I'm talking about.

Now you have to manage your own luggage, find your own way from the airport to the resort and back, you don't get your room cleaned regularly and forget any fun touches in your room, you can only swim at very shortened hours during the day otherwise it's locked up, you now have to pay for any sort of FP and potentially shell out much more for the VQ rides as there is not an option for standby, no free magic bands, no package delivery, pay to receive your groceries, shorter hours and more crowded parks, and no skipping down Main Street eating ice cream at 2:00 am as EMH are pretty much a thing of the past.


Yes everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I hope you can see why some might see the direction that Disney is going as tragic, not magic.

I'm pretty sure I said that I see others perspective, just that I was sharing mine (I've noted that more times than I can count). I don't need the rundown, I know the differences. They just don't affect the value or enjoyment of how I do my trips. Pretty much everything you listed were things that we never used, did, or took advantage of. Which is why I said I disagree, not that your opinion is wrong.. Everyone is different, that's all I'm saying. I respect that others are frustrated and I can see why. For the probably hundredth time, all I'm trying to say is that I'm not. That's it, nothing more.
For some reason other people don't seem to understand why I'm not, which is why I try to give my point of view.

 

[persnickity2020]

I'm pretty sure I said that I see others perspective, just that I was sharing mine (I've noted that more times than I can count). I don't need the rundown, I know the differences. They just don't affect the value or enjoyment of how I do my trips. Pretty much everything you listed were things that we never used, did, or took advantage of. Which is why I said I disagree, not that your opinion is wrong.. Everyone is different, that's all I'm saying. I respect that others are frustrated and I can see why. For the probably hundredth time, all I'm trying to say is that I'm not. That's it, nothing more.
For some reason other people don't seem to understand why I'm not, which is why I try to give my point of view.

I think I get your point of view, you clearly have a lot of resources (time/money) and are able to take many vacations. There's not a whole lot of weight on one trip to Disney, because you have several other outings or vacations in your back pocket and know you will be back to Disney in a few months or a year. A lot of us are very limited by work and school schedules and finances, we only get a big vacation every year or two, so maybe it just matters more.

 

[luv2cheer92]

I think I get your point of view, you clearly have a lot of resources (time/money) and are able to take many vacations. There's not a whole lot of weight on one trip to Disney, because you have several other outings or vacations in your back pocket and know you will be back to Disney in a few months or a year. A lot of us are very limited by work and school schedules and finances, we only get a big vacation every year or two, so maybe it just matters more.

Totally get that! And there is nothing wrong with that. I know I'm lucky and I know that my perception is altered because of that. Just like the fact that I pretty much always am only paying for myself on my trips, even when I go with others. I know that is not how most people are. But it plays into my perspective.