Can we talk about how Difficult Disney Vacations are becoming

[goofy4prez]

Spoke to a Disney dieheart yesterday. For the last 10 years they have flown from CLE to WDW at least once and some years twice. They told me they are done and forgoing any DVC purchase. They have decided to halt their WDW addiction and start traveling other places for far less dollars for the deluxe accommodations, meals, tansportation etc. they have come to enjoy at WDW. (Not comparing using cost of APs when looking at other vacations). I was very surprised they are going to Hawaii instead of WDW for Christmas. Another frined ready to buy OKW and rethinking. And me - being tied to tech to get a meal or use a fastpass type program....... UGH! We have DVC at GF and are not adding on. It may be time for American Cruise Lines, AAA trips, and ABD via Costco.

I also fly from CLE to WDW and also think we are near the breaking point as well. We have a WDW trip coming up in Feb (may still cancel) and have a feeling it will be our last in a long time to WDW. I splurge when it comes to vacations, so cost is not really a problem for me, but I hate to keep paying more and getting less. I guess I will make the camp happy that says, "Good, that's fewer people when I go." We started looking at cruises, but this pandemic put a kibosh on the three cruises we had booked the last year and a half and were all canceled including an Alaska cruise and land package we were really looking forward to.

We also owned at the VGF and sold our points last spring and actually made a profit on the sale. This year we stayed close to home. With not going to WDW and our Disney cruise cancelled, along with two other cruises, I took that money and bought a new boat. I discovered how much fun Lake Erie can be in my own backyard. Once this pandemic is over and if life ever gets back to normal again, we will certainly be looking at other places and adventures to spend our vacation money on other than exclusively WDW as we have over the last 15 years. Never thought I'd say that. I have had some great times and some great memories. Perhaps I'll feel different in the near future, but right now it's where I'm at with things.

 

[ckelly14]

For those concerned about getting up early and getting to the parks, is it possible to just select a later LL time when you do wake up? Or do you have to take the "next available" for that ride? Not sure I 100% understand the logistics....

 

[cakebaker]

For those concerned about getting up early and getting to the parks, is it possible to just select a later LL time when you do wake up? Or do you have to take the "next available" for that ride? Not sure I 100% understand the logistics....

It's next available, but nothing stops you from not selecting your first ride until later if you don't want to be there early,

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Not a chance.

Real question - has there ever been an instance anyone can think of where something in Disney World ever went DOWN in price? I'm not talking perks or incentives like Free Dining, but an actual drop in price for something.

I do not believe they ever lower a price point. They may functionally do so with time-limited promotions (FL resident tickets, 35% off hotel rates) but I don't believe they want to create a precedent by lowering the fixed price of some experience

 

[magicalfoursome]

It's next available, but nothing stops you from not selecting your first ride until later if you don't want to be there early,

So I have to take next available or keep looking at my phone if I want a later time? This makes planning around ADR’s, parades, and such much harder. I do not want to be on my phone on vacation. I want to soak up the atmosphere and know I have at least a couple of ride selections. Now that means paying for the rides again after I already paid by buying an expensive ticket!

 

[Jrb1979]

So I have to take next available or keep looking at my phone if I want a later time? This makes planning around ADR’s, parades, and such much harder. I do not want to be on my phone on vacation. I want to soak up the atmosphere and know I have at least a couple of ride selections. Now that means paying for the rides again after I already paid by buying an expensive ticket!

According to Disney food blog you can't hold more then 1 at a time.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I tell you what I wouldn't mind paying for... give my a reality show with all the c suite executives each staying at a different resort with their families over Thanksgiving week. Show me from start(airport) to finish(airport). Just the base package with no addons.

I would honestly pay more to watch this rather then purchasing a premiere access movie on Disney+

Such a great idea for their next reality tv show! I would love watching the Chapeks lug their luggage And try to sleep in a rumpled bed or disposing their dirty laundry in the hallway

 

[DL1WDW2]

# Be Your Own Genie #

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

So I have to take next available or keep looking at my phone if I want a later time? This makes planning around ADR’s, parades, and such much harder. I do not want to be on my phone on vacation. I want to soak up the atmosphere and know I have at least a couple of ride selections. Now that means paying for the rides again after I already paid by buying an expensive ticket!

Oh yes. I would pay extra to NOT take my phone. Alas, it is my best camera, and my wife and I tend to divide and conquer at times throughout the day (I'm a ride wimp)

 

[cakebaker]

So I have to take next available or keep looking at my phone if I want a later time? This makes planning around ADR’s, parades, and such much harder. I do not want to be on my phone on vacation. I want to soak up the atmosphere and know I have at least a couple of ride selections. Now that means paying for the rides again after I already paid by buying an expensive ticket!

It works just like paper FP did as far as times. If the time is too early, then you wait and check back later. There are only 2 rides in each park you can purchase, but yes, those you can schedule and it's limited to 2 per day.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

According to Disney food blog you can't hold more then 1 at a time.

Nothing has been confirmed by Disney. I know these blogs are usually right but they are sometimes wrong too. Blogs are also saying everyone will make G+ reservations at 7 am but poster who was in training for the new G+ stated that on-site guests will have the 7 am advantage to book G+ We don’t know anything concrete yet.

 

[Alexsandra]

I think Disney has become too complicated. I don't like the idea of spending my whole vacation on a phone booking rides and preordering my food 4 hours in advance. On my last trip to WDW, I found it super stressful and annoying to have to contend with the virtual queues for Rise of The Resistance. And of course, the boarding group was called at the same time as our ADR and so we felt rushed to eat to not miss the deadline. Now add that plus Genie + and surge pricing for top tier rides. Not only will it make things more complicated with Disney planning out our day for us, but we have to pay extra for that headache. As Canadians, the vacation prices are becoming absurd, especially after we calculate the exchange. Our weeklong trip now will cost the same as taking a two-week trip to Hawaii or Europe.
We have a trip booked for March and already booked a non-refundable DVC. If it wasn't for that, we would have cancelled. Disney has already been up charging for everything for years and reducing the quality of their service but with Magic Express gone, charging for parking and with this new paid service to ride the attractions we want, we will be making this our last trip to WDW.

 

[hedg12]

Our love of Disney is dying a death by a thousand paper cuts.

With the increase in ticket and resort prices, exorbitant prices for poor to mediocre food, elimination of resort benefits, and increased reliance on Disney's (often buggy) web/app technology, the "cons" column is rapidly surpassing the "pros" column. $15/person/day for our small trips with just 3 or 4 of us isn't too bad (other than having to pay extra for something that's been included with the price of admission since it's inception), but adding it to our yearly extended family trip with all the kids & grand kids adds up fast & likely won't happen. I love World Showcase at Epcot, but we could go to Europe for 2 weeks and see the real thing for what I spent at Disney last year and have money left over. In fact that will likely be our plan in the next year or two.

We'll continue to vacation some in the Orlando area, but we'll focus on Universal and Sea World (and all the other things the area has to offer) and Disney will become a "maybe" add on. It really saddens me, because the "Disney bubble" is what drew us to the area in the first place. That magic has all but faded.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

DME was always operated by Mears, So that's not new. Disney just used to pay for it as a way to help keep you from getting a rental car. Now with Uber and Lyft it is no longer a value to Disney to offer this free service. Also, there're a lot of rumor about some sort of high speed train heading out to Disney. Not sure if there is any basis in fact to this, however for the last few years I have just used a car service. I switched to a car service from DME in 2016 because no matter which resort I was staying at it seemed like I was always last or second to last.

Also I'm not sure about ordering lunch at breakfast time. Actually, I am sure I didn't have to do that at all. I went in January, I paid cash for everything and order like normal, I actually think I got my food fast this way. I went back in June (violating the never go to Disney in a month without an "R" rule) Paid with a card, but still ordered like normal.... still think I got my food faster.

Fast Pass / Genie..... I would get my info from the Disney site rather than a discussion board... I don't see why Disney shouldn't charge for this service, or make it a perk of staying a deluxe resort. This was a free perk, however, anything in life that is free has no value and get abused. Here Disney has a great potential revenue stream, they have a duty to the shareholders to capitalize on.

We as Disney Guess have the right to either spend our money elsewhere, of just use the standby service.

If people pay for the Lighting lane and genie +, Then Disney will keep it, if the options does not get purchased it will go away quickly. I for one don't spend enough time in the parks to care to add these features so I will not. If my son wants top spend 150 dollars of his money to purchase these features I will let him.

I also have never gone to Disney to try and squeeze every thing in a park in one day or even one trip. I go on the rides I want to go on, go back to the hotel and relax. I know I'll be back again in a few months, however, I feel the propose of a vacation is to recharge, not work harder than I would at work that would be called over time not vacation...

 

[disneymomto5]

I have been coming to the parks since 10 days after the opening. And I've been many, many times, own 3 DVC contracts and have raised my children on Disney. Having said that, we're going in December to see the Christmas decorations for the first time and this may be my last time for awhile. I don't enjoy the massive planning and coordinating and scheduling that it's become. Also, I think the Christmas party prices are crazy and add in the Genie + and it makes me crazy.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

I used to go for Christmas and New Years
I hate crowed, long wait times, and rude people.
I don't go for Christmas any more.
I would like to go for new years again travel in on the 30th stay until the 10th

New years at Disney is fun

 

[Alexsandra]

DME was always operated by Mears, So that's not new. Disney just used to pay for it as a way to help keep you from getting a rental car. Now with Uber and Lyft it is no longer a value to Disney to offer this free service. Also, there're a lot of rumor about some sort of high speed train heading out to Disney. Not sure if there is any basis in fact to this, however for the last few years I have just used a car service. I switched to a car service from DME in 2016 because no matter which resort I was staying at it seemed like I was always last or second to last.

Also I'm not sure about ordering lunch at breakfast time. Actually, I am sure I didn't have to do that at all. I went in January, I paid cash for everything and order like normal, I actually think I got my food fast this way. I went back in June (violating the never go to Disney in a month without an "R" rule) Paid with a card, but still ordered like normal.... still think I got my food faster.

Fast Pass / Genie..... I would get my info from the Disney site rather than a discussion board... I don't see why Disney shouldn't charge for this service, or make it a perk of staying a deluxe resort. This was a free perk, however, anything in life that is free has no value and get abused. Here Disney has a great potential revenue stream, they have a duty to the shareholders to capitalize on.

We as Disney Guess have the right to either spend our money elsewhere, of just use the standby service.

If people pay for the Lighting lane and genie +, Then Disney will keep it, if the options does not get purchased it will go away quickly. I for one don't spend enough time in the parks to care to add these features so I will not. If my son wants top spend 150 dollars of his money to purchase these features I will let him.

I also have never gone to Disney to try and squeeze every thing in a park in one day or even one trip. I go on the rides I want to go on, go back to the hotel and relax. I know I'll be back again in a few months, however, I feel the propose of a vacation is to recharge, not work harder than I would at work that would be called over time not vacation...

The high speed train will not likely be built before 2025 so you can rule that out for the near future. Also that train will bring you to Disney Springs and then you will have to take a bus from there. Imagine doing that with a family of 4-5 with young kids and all your luggage. Nightmare!!!
Since we fly in from Canada Magic Express was a huge benefit for us and often why we stayed on property. Especially when you are a big group and would need two taxis to get to where you are going. Now with ME gone and paid parking fees, staying onsite is no longer as good of a value as it was. Especially with all the room prices going up every six months. Just saying!

 

[Robbie Cottam]

I imagine myself paying the 100 dollars for a town car, or 120 for an suv and enjoying my vacation.

From what I understand trying to hotel hop, the Disney busses do not allow you to bring luggage, which is really weird to me considering the size of strollers they allow on the busses.

I don't look at rack rate ever sorry?

I'm a DVC member at SSR, BLT, and RR. I also travel for a living and in a normal year average 200k Marriott points. I can say staying at the Swan for free is a huge bonus for all the travel I do.

There are ways to make Disney easy and less expensive,

in a normal year:

I book my resort 11 months in advance.
I book airfare the day it comes out. (if the price goes down the airlines gives me a credit)
I book dinning 180 days in advance....
I don't plan on spending the whole day in the parks,
I enjoy my vacation, i don't work to make my vacation work.
I leave the park planing and fast passes up to my son.
When I get bored with the park I go to the pool and order a blue fruity drink..... it Disney and "Rums GOOD"

I love watching people have melt downs because they cant get in to a super popular restaurant last minute.

In aviation we call it the 6 "p's" however for Disney i'll shorten it to 5.

Proper Planning Prevents p Poor Performance.

I spend a total of about two hours booking an entire 9 day Disney trip.
Most of that time is spent figuring what restaurants we are going to eat at.

DVC website, 10 minutes to book the room,
Annual passes take maybe 10 minutes to renew,
Linking the res in MDE 5 minutes
Booking the airline 15 minutes
Chosing dinning 45 minutes
Booking dinning 30 minutes
Book town car in for both pic up and drop off 15 minutes
booking parks (pawned off to my son) if he wants to book fast passes or what ever let him...

That is what it takes for an average 9 day trip..... Maybe I have been there to many times, maybe I'm missing something.

Seems easy to me,

Maybe I should write a book?

 

[ZellyB]

We have also gone many times over the last several years and while I'm not happy with some of the changes, in my opinion at least as far as G+ goes, I think it simplified things. I also haven't really understood those who bemoan park reservations but loved FP+. FP+ effectively worked as a park reservation. While, yes, you could change those, for particular popular rides one dare not try to change them because you risked losing it altogether. And, you can likewise change park reservations as well. And while there have been times early on with reduced capacity and during VERY heavy crowd days that you were limited on changing your park, it didn't seem necessarily more difficult than changing FP+ selections. Now, if you were one who didn't use FP+, then I see how park reservations complicated your day. Otherwise, G+ should actually help with flexibility throughout the day.

I know with FP+, that was always what mostly determined my schedule, so I would sometimes even switch around ADRs (that I had made months before) so I didn't fail to have an FoP or SDMT FP+ or some other hard to get attraction. I found that far more complicated than how G+ will work with ADRs.

I agree that initially it took a bit of time to understand how G+ and the IAS system worked together, but after a few reads, it really didn't seem that complicated. The devil mostly now remains in a few details that haven't yet been released, although really for me the only remaining question is when a second G+ LL can be selected if the one I'm holding doesn't occur for several hours in the future.

I don't love paying for something I used to get included in my ticket price, but I actually like a lot about the way the new G+ system will function. I don't love IAS, but frankly that was inevitable after seeing it happen in Paris, so I'm at least happy we got the option of G+ and not only IAS. Small comfort but it's something I suppose.

 

[pwdebbie]

I imagine myself paying the 100 dollars for a town car, or 120 for an suv and enjoying my vacation.

From what I understand trying to hotel hop, the Disney busses do not allow you to bring luggage, which is really weird to me considering the size of strollers they allow on the busses.

I don't look at rack rate ever sorry?

I'm a DVC member at SSR, BLT, and RR. I also travel for a living and in a normal year average 200k Marriott points. I can say staying at the Swan for free is a huge bonus for all the travel I do.

There are ways to make Disney easy and less expensive,

in a normal year:

I book my resort 11 months in advance.
I book airfare the day it comes out. (if the price goes down the airlines gives me a credit)
I book dinning 180 days in advance....
I don't plan on spending the whole day in the parks,
I enjoy my vacation, i don't work to make my vacation work.
I leave the park planing and fast passes up to my son.
When I get bored with the park I go to the pool and order a blue fruity drink..... it Disney and "Rums GOOD"

I love watching people have melt downs because they cant get in to a super popular restaurant last minute.

In aviation we call it the 6 "p's" however for Disney i'll shorten it to 5.

Proper Planning Prevents p Poor Performance.

I spend a total of about two hours booking an entire 9 day Disney trip.
Most of that time is spent figuring what restaurants we are going to eat at.

DVC website, 10 minutes to book the room,
Annual passes take maybe 10 minutes to renew,
Linking the res in MDE 5 minutes
Booking the airline 15 minutes
Chosing dinning 45 minutes
Booking dinning 30 minutes
Book town car in for both pic up and drop off 15 minutes
booking parks (pawned off to my son) if he wants to book fast passes or what ever let him...

That is what it takes for an average 9 day trip..... Maybe I have been there to many times, maybe I'm missing something.

Seems easy to me,

Maybe I should write a book?

Or become a Travel Agent and plan other people's trips for them. That still doesn't resolve the 7:00 a.m. issue though.