Does Disney care less about DVC members now?

[RoseGold]

Disney has been a phone-dependent process since I've been going. But post-Covid is a whole different level. Planning at 7AM was brutal. I really didn't like getting up that early to click as quickly as possible to blow $100. I see no reason that couldn't have been done the day before. Or, heck, even an hour before park open. They already know my park reservation.

The park decisions in general are alienating to a lot of people, in and outside DVC.

A lot of Disney's decisions don't make a lot of sense to me, but it's not DVC that's in charge here. DVC is the tail here, and the parks are the dog.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I agree. I think that people voicing dissatisfaction with disney were well aware that buying dvc was always a risk. Everything in life is risk and we all take calculated risks every day. And yet when you buy a nice house in a well off American neighborhood, no one is expecting it to become Tijuana over ten years. i.e. some things are shocking. No one ever expected that DIsney would become less customer friendly. Everyone knew prices would go up, and most of us are happy to pay them. But no one ever thought they’d hear Disney executives calling customers overweight on an analyst call. No one ever thought Disney would get into a personal fight with the governor of Florida. I mean, what is this? We all thought the company had self-preservation. This is the opposite of caring about the bottom line. They are so reckless now with their reputation and customers.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

We don't own DVC, but I watch these threads bc we rent often. So I might not have the same exact perspective as DVC owners, but I do tend to agree that there is something missing from Disney as of late. For me I think it's down to Genie+ - not necessarily even in the cost of it but in the functionality. I loved being able to plan fastpasses for a time that suited us, and then be able to just pop into the park for the fastpasses, an then pop back out if/when we were done. Things were so much more flexible, especially without the limitations of park reservations and park hopping. With Genie+, I feel forced into hanging around the parks for longer than I'd like. Yes, I get that's the point, they want my money I just felt a lot more relaxed (especially since I have small, unpredictable humans) when I knew that I could get in and get out if needed (ie, in the event of child meltdown).

 

[Minniesgal]

Things have changed over the years with WDW but for us, the aspects of DVC are still the same for us, and to be honest, having DVC has made our Disney trips a lot more relaxing then they once were.

I think that the cost increases for a Disney trip have made us do things we didn't do before...more snacks in the room and our owner's locker which holds our adult beverages so that we are not buying as many throughout the day at the pool, or in the parks.

But, we still find it enjoyable and worth having DVC for our visits

Agree with this I’m less interested in the parks and I don’t love the restaurants as much as I did but I still love my DVC accommodation. We just see it as a chilled resort vacation in the sun now parks are incidental

 

[hfattorosi]

We don't own DVC, but I watch these threads bc we rent often. So I might not have the same exact perspective as DVC owners, but I do tend to agree that there is something missing from Disney as of late. For me I think it's down to Genie+ - not necessarily even in the cost of it but in the functionality. I loved being able to plan fastpasses for a time that suited us, and then be able to just pop into the park for the fastpasses, a then pop back out if/when we were done. Things were so much more flexible, especially without the limitations of park reservations and park hopping. With Genie+, I feel forced into hanging around the parks for longer than I'd like. Yes, I get that's the point, they want my money I just felt a lot more relaxed (especially since I have small, unpredictable humans) when I knew that I could get in and get out if needed (ie, in the event of child meltdown).

I agree! My 4 year old can barely last a few hours in the parks and he never seems to make it to more than 1 lightning lane and if I stack them at night it’s too late for him and he’s cranky.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

You should NEVER buy for perks. If they did not explain that to you, you should have spent a bit more time reading the documentation. Perks can and will change. Perks are never guaranteed. I am sorry to say, if you purchased direct for perks, you might want to look to sell out.

I don’t know why anybody would pay 20-50% to buy direct other than for the DVC member perks. I am aware they can and will change over time, as Disney sees the need to offer them, I was remarking on the very low relative amount of Tron preview spaces they gave to DVC members vs. AP holders.

Selling out points purchased from DVC makes no economic sense unless you plan to stop visiting DVC resorts (or perhaps if you own at Grand Floridian). We will check out Polynesian, Grand Californian, and Aulani this year, and if we like the experiences enough to commit to going more than one week a year, we’ll buy more points on the resale market.

 

[tom1944]

Exactly. That’s why we choose Universal. Unlike Disney, Universal is a place where things are changing for the better.

How many days do you go to Universal

I can see vacations where I stay at SSR and drive over to Universal and Seaworld.

That trip would probably include Disney Springs and one of the water parks also.

 

[tjkraz]

I have been a member since 1999. In the last couple years I have seen and read things about Disney targeting first time visitors at the expense of long time fans. I have to say that I agree with these statements as of late.

I wouldn't word it quite that way. First time visitors pay crazy high dollars for their trips so I'm not sure how you could say disney is "targeting" them. It's not like infrequent guests are getting lower prices or better perks than DVC members. The opposite is still true.

However, I Disney has focused greater efforts on increasing per-guest revenue. Not selling APs is part of that.

With the theme being removed from so many of the Disney and DVC resorts during refurbs...

I guess you'd have to name specifics here. Based upon my reading, the recent DVC refurbs at Saratoga Springs, Poly, Grand Floridian and Boulder Ridge have been highly praised.

People seem disappointed in a few things. The OKW lobby refurb comes to mind. Some have questioned the setup of Resort Studios at VGF. But those complaints seem to be the outliers in the greater DVC world.

...the constant money grabs and being required to constantly be looking at a smartphone for planning and navigating a trip to a park, it seems like you have to spend so much and work so hard and plan so much to just visit a park both before you go and while you are there. I remember the days when I could use my phone to take pictures and tuck it back in my pocket. It wasn't required that I have to live my vacation through my phone.

What has happened?
Does anyone else feel this way? What have you done to get the magic back in your Disney vacations?

Time doesn't stand still. I don't think it's fair to issue a blanket condemnation that everything which has happened in the last 10-20 years has been bad.

Personally I like mobile food ordering. And the easy ability to get ADRs. (Lot better than making phone calls or rushing to kiosks.)

Given a choice, I'd take FastPass+ over Genie+. Both for the ability to secure timed rides and the fact that there was no cost. I absolutely would not want to go back to the days of grabbing paper tickets from FastPass machines.

In my experiences, Genie+ at least gives me more line skips per day than the 3x rides with FP+. So that's a side benefit. Though I do not care for the 7am wake up time.

Everything I've just listed is optional so guests actually CAN do WDW without a cell phone. Especially if you're not buying Genie+. If you're still pulling out your phone, it's likely for features that weren't even available before the My Disney Experience app existed. Like checking wait times (remember when we used to have to find a board or walk to the attraction itself?) Or seeing if we can get a last minute dining reservation. Or looking at our PhotoPass pics.

 

[Hubie]

You should NEVER buy for perks. If they did not explain that to you, you should have spent a bit more time reading the documentation. Perks can and will change. Perks are never guaranteed. I am sorry to say, if you purchased direct for perks, you might want to look to sell out.


I have to say - I have read about this, but have yet to experience it. However, my stays over the past few years have been largely confined to AKV, BLT, SSR, and OKW.



to be fair - these changes are not really aimed at short term fans over DVC, or long term fans. These are just changes. During the FP+ days, cell phones were still part of our daily lives. You even needed them to route and plan for FP tickets, or you were on them wildly if you choose to participate in the refresh method (personally, I did not). I think a lot of the drive to cell phone has been the fault of WDW's success. The parks have gotten so crowded now that you can not just wander the park and go on whatever ride you want and if you hope to eat anywhere other than QS, you better be good at booking and have a little luck. These are again not aimed at a particular class of people - they are the result of park crowded.

It's a touch place to be. If Disney raises the prices too high, they get yelled at for price gouging (even you reference it above). On the other hand, if they do not, the parks get crowded and they get yelled at for not being able to be spontaneous. I have to admit, it's not a problem that I have a solution to and I am not surprised they do not either. Short of the invention of a space-time-warp machine, different realities, or dimensional-shifts, I am not sure how they could solve some of these problems.

Change is inevitable.

The move to cellular devices was going to happen... any sufficiently broad new technology that invades on everyday life will invade on Disney as younger generations enter the mainstream demographics and are always the first to adopt new technology. Airports use cell phones now to ticketing as much as paper tickets if not more. Movie theaters use cell phones. Heck, at my local Walmart, if you use Scan and Go, you save a ton of time compared to others who do not. One could make the same argument about any of these businesses or locales. There are so many things in our daily lives now that if you call customer service, the response is just as likely to be "We have an app for that - have you tried using it?". You could make the argument that mobile pay has pushed out the older check writers, and you would be right. They have even taken over vacations (mobile technology is increasingly necessary on cruise ships, too).



I feel that my Disney vacations have changed - but I do not blame Disney for the change. I blame the changing face of society. I do not see these as preferring short term or first time over long term or returning customers and certainly not a slap at DVC. As I said above, change in inevitable and the invasion of technology is, too.

What do I do to preserve the magic? FOR ME (and this is going to be different for everyone), I find great joy in finding something new to do every time I am at Disney. They may or may not be in the parks. Sometimes, it's a restaurant I have never done before. Sometimes, it's an experience (like a fireworks cruise). Sometimes, it's just searching for hidden mickeys or doing a monorail crawl or exploring. There is always something to do that I have personally not done.

I have my must do's at the parks, and I will always do those - but more and more I look forward to having shorter days at the parks where I can do my best to avoid some of the over-crowding and focus on something I have never done before.

I also try to embrace new technology as much as possible and learn to use it to my advantage. As I mentioned, in my daily life, it's almost like you have to - even if you are on vacation.

Eliminating Magical Express had nothing to do with new technology!

 

[Sandisw]

I don’t know why anybody would pay 20-50% to buy direct other than for the DVC member perks. I am aware they can and will change over time, as Disney sees the need to offer them, I was remarking on the very low relative amount of Tron preview spaces they gave to DVC members vs. AP holders.

Selling out points purchased from DVC makes no economic sense unless you plan to stop visiting DVC resorts (or perhaps if you own at Grand Floridian). We will check out Polynesian, Grand Californian, and Aulani this year, and if we like the experiences enough to commit to going more than one week a year, we’ll buy more points on the resale market.

I like direct points because they are good at RIV and future resorts. Resale points are not. That was and is a big one for us, especially since RIV is our favorite. This is not tied to perks but the DVC resort agreement with BVTC and part of the POS.

Perks, though, which are membership extras, can’t be guaranteed and can come and go. It is those aspects people should not assume will be there and that if those are needed to justify direct, then it may prove frustrating or disappointing if they don’t turn out to be what you want.

So, I think there are two different things that can make direct worth the extra,,,use of points and the ability to enjoy perks, when and if they exist…

 

[Matty B13]

Given a choice, I'd take FastPass+ over Genie+. Both for the ability to secure timed rides and the fact that there was no cost. I absolutely would not want to go back to the days of grabbing paper tickets from FastPass machines.

In my experiences, Genie+ at least gives me more line skips per day than the 3x rides with FP+. So that's a side benefit. Though I do not care for the 7am wake up time.

We would prefer the FastPass+ as well, even if it was paid, over the Genie+. We did pretty well with maximizing Genie+ our last trip, but just the stress of trying to get the most out of it was a pain..... and we have no problem with the 7 am wake up time (usually up by 6 to 6:30 am most days) but still hated having to do that instead of one day 90 days before our vacation.

 

[dwg]

I wouldn't word it quite that way. First time visitors pay crazy high dollars for their trips so I'm not sure how you could say disney is "targeting" them. It's not like infrequent guests are getting lower prices or better perks than DVC members. The opposite is still true.

However, I Disney has focused greater efforts on increasing per-guest revenue. Not selling APs is part of that.



I guess you'd have to name specifics here. Based upon my reading, the recent DVC refurbs at Saratoga Springs, Poly, Grand Floridian and Boulder Ridge have been highly praised.

People seem disappointed in a few things. The OKW lobby refurb comes to mind. Some have questioned the setup of Resort Studios at VGF. But those complaints seem to be the outliers in the greater DVC world.


Time doesn't stand still. I don't think it's fair to issue a blanket condemnation that everything which has happened in the last 10-20 years has been bad.

Personally I like mobile food ordering. And the easy ability to get ADRs. (Lot better than making phone calls or rushing to kiosks.)

Given a choice, I'd take FastPass+ over Genie+. Both for the ability to secure timed rides and the fact that there was no cost. I absolutely would not want to go back to the days of grabbing paper tickets from FastPass machines.

In my experiences, Genie+ at least gives me more line skips per day than the 3x rides with FP+. So that's a side benefit. Though I do not care for the 7am wake up time.

Everything I've just listed is optional so guests actually CAN do WDW without a cell phone. Especially if you're not buying Genie+. If you're still pulling out your phone, it's likely for features that weren't even available before the My Disney Experience app existed. Like checking wait times (remember when we used to have to find a board or walk to the attraction itself?) Or seeing if we can get a last minute dining reservation. Or looking at our PhotoPass pics.

Here is the blog article about legacy fans. I could not get the original article which appeared in the WSJ


excuse-me-legacy-fans-we-might-just-be-disneys-only-way-forward

 

[dwg]

I don’t know why anybody would pay 20-50% to buy direct other than for the DVC member perks. I am aware they can and will change over time, as Disney sees the need to offer them, I was remarking on the very low relative amount of Tron preview spaces they gave to DVC members vs. AP holders.

Selling out points purchased from DVC makes no economic sense unless you plan to stop visiting DVC resorts (or perhaps if you own at Grand Floridian). We will check out Polynesian, Grand Californian, and Aulani this year, and if we like the experiences enough to commit to going more than one week a year, we’ll buy more points on the resale market.

Early on when we bought into DVC I do not think resales were really much of a thing and the prices were not the crazy level they are today.

Maybe if we were buying today we would look at resales but I can honestly say that I am glad that we bought direct because of the additional options we have for using DVC especially with what the parks have become lately.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Eliminating Magical Express had nothing to do with new technology!

And that's one area where I must have rose-colored glasses on, when it comes to the elimination of Magical Express. I can't help wondering if Mears just looked at what Disney was paying them and decided they could cut out the middle man and make tons more. So perhaps they just demanded too much from Disney to renew the contract, and Disney wouldn't pay. Maybe I'm way off, but I do wonder.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I don’t know why anybody would pay 20-50% to buy direct other than for the DVC member perks. I am aware they can and will change over time, as Disney sees the need to offer them, I was remarking on the very low relative amount of Tron preview spaces they gave to DVC members vs. AP holders.

Selling out points purchased from DVC makes no economic sense unless you plan to stop visiting DVC resorts (or perhaps if you own at Grand Floridian). We will check out Polynesian, Grand Californian, and Aulani this year, and if we like the experiences enough to commit to going more than one week a year, we’ll buy more points on the resale market.

Let me qualify my statement. You should never buy DVC direct with specific perks in mind. Although it is possible to eliminate ALL DVC perks (and there have been brief times that has happened), in general, I think it's a good bet there will BE perks. But you should never be thinking of specific perks (such as previews to Tron). Keep in mind that much of the perks DVC does get are obtained by negotiating with the other business units. DVC in and of itself has very little actual power short of the relationships that it is able to leverage and where it can scratch someone else's back. So saying that we only got 3 days of previews of Tron is not really a great rating system. There are multiple reasons why that may be. There are also multiple reasons for purchasing DVC direct. I maintain that if it's perks you are interested in, you will likely be disappointed.

No one ever expected that DIsney would become less customer friendly. Everyone knew prices would go up, and most of us are happy to pay them. But no one ever thought they’d hear Disney executives calling customers overweight on an analyst call. No one ever thought Disney would get into a personal fight with the governor of Florida. I mean, what is this? We all thought the company had self-preservation. This is the opposite of caring about the bottom line. They are so reckless now with their reputation and customers.

This is a place that I wish the boards here had the ability to agree multiple times. I would smash that button like i'm playing an idle game on my phone. I get that Disney costs a premium, and I am happy to pay that premium, but I expect premium service in return. Disney used to be FIERCELY protective of it's brand. I have myself been in more than one meeting with Disney where they were not interested in a technology because the risk of it breaking down or of it leaving a bad taste in guests mouths was too dangerous to the brand.

It seems to me like Disney has indeed lost it's way. I do not want to violate board rules by involving politics, so I won't. But suffice it to say I do not agree with some decisions Disney as brand has made lately in the parks and in it's programming. However, I am deeply invested in the company - not just in DVC, but in emotional investment and other financial investments, and I really wish Disney would go back to just entertaining people and not trying to make the world by it's own vision.

Having said that and before anyone beats me to it - YES, I KNOW I CAN LEAVE. Disney has a RIGHT to do whatever they want within the law. If they want to make a brand that is all about making the world in their image, they have every right to do that and I have every right to leave. This is not about their rights. I am just stating my.... preferences and my expectations when I became invested in the company in various ways.

I loved being able to plan fastpasses for a time that suited us, and then be able to just pop into the park for the fastpasses, an then pop back out if/when we were done. Things were so much more flexible, especially without the limitations of park reservations and park hopping. With Genie+, I feel forced into hanging around the parks for longer than I'd like.

Another hit the nail on the head. I used to plan my 3 FP+ and tried to be in and out of the parks. I enjoyed being able to plan my 3 guaranteed rides, hit a couple of others that I knew I could make, grab a lunch and spend the afternoon back at the resort. As such, Genie+ has not been ideal FOR ME. But I also recognize that I am not the only person using the system and they were designing it around a lot of people.

Eliminating Magical Express had nothing to do with new technology!

I never said the ONLY changes Disney made were because of technology. The OP was talking about the expanse of needing cell phones. If you want to talk about DME, eliminating Magical Express arguably was one of the least of things aimed at DVC... We DVC people can find our way if we have to. Take any DVC person, drop them off at MCO, blindfold them and spin them around 10 times and they will find their way to WDW by bus, car, bike, uber, limo, taxi, or whathaveyou. If anyone got the most out of DME, I would argue it was the one time or first time visitors who didn't and don't know the Orlando region. So it would be silly to frame the elimination of DME as having ANYTHING to do with DVC or any of the repeat classes of Disney demographics.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

And that's one area where I must have rose-colored glasses on, when it comes to the elimination of Magical Express. I can't help wondering if Mears just looked at what Disney was paying them and decided they could cut out the middle man and make tons more. So perhaps they just demanded too much from Disney to renew the contract, and Disney wouldn't pay. Maybe I'm way off, but I do wonder.

I have mentioned it on these boards before. To Disney, DME was more than just a bus service. If it was just a bus service, that is what Mears did. I ran one aspect of DME for one company. We were one cog in that wheel. That department shut down during covid and I moved to another company. Most of the people who knew how it worked - all people I still keep in touch with - we all left for other companies or departments. Even if my company WANTED to rebuild it, without us, they would have a difficult time of it. Another of the companies went out of business. Another was purchased. I lost track of some of the others.

Simply put - and without putting too fine a point on it - rebuilding DME without those cogs would be a herculean task - and one which even Disney would be hard pressed to do on it's own since it simply did not have all the connections that the various other players did (which is why DME was such a cobbled together partnership). The most effective way would be to try to court enough people back from enough companies - and Disney alone didn't have all those contacts.

Would it be possible? I mean, with enough time and money, anything is possible. But option 1 - getting enough of the critical mass of the original people would have been incredibly difficult, and option 2 - it would have taken years for Disney to do on it's own and it would have to come up with ways to bypass a number of patents which are still held.

Covid killed DME more than anything - and not because of the negotiation of one company (Disney) with another (Mears), but because of all the other parts of that complicated machine.

 

[AdamsMum]

I don't think they ever did care. It's a business and they are in it for the profit. What I think has changed is their ability to make us think they cared about us (and other guests). We've lost the warm and fuzzy. There is nowhere in the world that I felt so good after spending so much money. I guess the reality of the past few years, and the ham fisted ways of a certain CEO have taken away from the illusion. I still enjoy myself when I'm using my DVC points, but I've definitely adjusted my expectations.

 

[s.r.disney nut]

Exactly. That’s why we choose Universal. Unlike Disney, Universal is a place where things are changing for the better.

My wife and I purchased AP's at Universal since we are not yet able to purchase them at Disney. Hopefully that will change soon. I really don't understand their reasoning to be honest.

 

[CarolynFH]

I have mentioned it on these boards before. To Disney, DME was more than just a bus service. If it was just a bus service, that is what Mears did. I ran one aspect of DME for one company. We were one cog in that wheel. That department shut down during covid and I moved to another company. Most of the people who knew how it worked - all people I still keep in touch with - we all left for other companies or departments. Even if my company WANTED to rebuild it, without us, they would have a difficult time of it. Another of the companies went out of business. Another was purchased. I lost track of some of the others.

Simply put - and without putting too fine a point on it - rebuilding DME without those cogs would be a herculean task - and one which even Disney would be hard pressed to do on it's own since it simply did not have all the connections that the various other players did (which is why DME was such a cobbled together partnership). The most effective way would be to try to court enough people back from enough companies - and Disney alone didn't have all those contacts.

Would it be possible? I mean, with enough time and money, anything is possible. But option 1 - getting enough of the critical mass of the original people would have been incredibly difficult, and option 2 - it would have taken years for Disney to do on it's own and it would have to come up with ways to bypass a number of patents which are still held.

Covid killed DME more than anything - and not because of the negotiation of one company (Disney) with another (Mears), but because of all the other parts of that complicated machine.

Thanks for enlightening me that DME was a lot more complicated than simply putting people on buses and luggage on trucks.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

How many days do you go to Universal

I can see vacations where I stay at SSR and drive over to Universal and Seaworld.

That trip would probably include Disney Springs and one of the water parks also.

Since covid we have only been back to Disney parks with moonlight magic. We gave up our Disney annual passes during covid. We got premier 3 park universal passes after covid (they were selling 15 month annual passes at the time) and stayed at cabana bay and endless summer for a couple of 4 night trips. We did a week at Saratoga, as you described, and Saratoga is a great resort. It is close to the highway and easy to get to universal. We also did a week at riviera. And another at BLT— that’s the worst one for highway access. But when we stayed at Disney we generally stayed at the resort until midday or later, then headed over to Universal. Our APs gave us free express passes after 4pm and free parking. So we would usually go eat at universal— where you get an AP discount on all food, even on butter beer, not just sit down restaurants- and then use the express passes. We didn’t usually stay at the parks that long, maybe 3 hours. And universal express passes mean you get on any ride at any time. It’s like you’re back in the USA. There was one time when we basically just headed to volcano bay 2 hours before close the entire week, tapu tapu then hung out in the lazy River, and went on a few rides/slides.

We are Disney people, or were Disney people— my husband and I have been taking our kids for 20 years. I’ve been going since the 80s as a kid, and we’ve never had any desire at all to go to Universal. We’re not roller coaster people, although we will ride occasionally. Then during covid, after Disney reopened, we went to HHI and Vero, both for the first time, and, even though we loved the properties and had a great time, the Disney cast members were different. Post covid, they seemed downtrodden, sometimes almost angry, and it was a real turn off. So we thought let’s give universal a try. We didn’t buy universal passes because we couldn’t get the Disney annual pass— at that point Disney was still doing that weird claw back thing where if you had been an annual pass holder previously, you could call Disney, sit on the phone with them for three hours, and get your annual passes back. (That’s almost as logical and professional as their genie plus baloney or the fun way you don’t have to have a reservation to park hop IF you have an annual pass and IF you hop after a certain time and IF you don’t try to go to the magic kingdom. I’m surprised they don’t add IF you scrub the floors and IF you wash the dishes and IF you clean the fireplace as well. Oh please disney I want to go to the ball too!). So we bought the universal premier pass with free parking and after 4pm express pass. We went in with low expectations and didn’t think we’d be wowed. But wow. The first thing we noticed was vibe— it was like Disney used to be. Positive. Thrilling. Fun. No agenda. The employees were happy. The people around us were happy. There was no one yelling about masks. The management was walking around, showered, presentable, and picking up the rare piece of trash, smiling at people, just like Disney management used to be. (I later found out they were Disney management lol). Even the people working security were genuinely friendly, not forced, laid back but astute, joking around with our kids about their Disney t shirts. No one digs through your purse there and forces you to unzip the extra compartment that has feminine hygiene products. They just run it through an X-ray and you’re on your way. There was respect. We didn’t read about universal or what went on there (We are not planners, hence our nausea over the new “fun”way Disney “helps” you organize your day. Like you weren’t capable of organizing it on your own. Thanks big government disney! We love your new DMV vacation experience!), so we were surprised at all the stuff universal had going on. We were there one day at thanksgiving and found we couldn’t cross the street and this massive macys parade with balloons came down the street. It was awesome! We were there at spring break and they had Mardi Gras parades. Universal parades are way beyond any Disney parades. And then we were heading out one night and everyone was gathering for something and we asked an employee what was going on and she started singing, “Set me free why don’t you babe!” Diana Ross was singing in 20 minutes, so we stayed and watched. What? Diana Ross? Crazy!! We learned then that they have live concerts throughout spring. We never read about any of it- just experienced it as it came. Everything is included with universal. No $180 disappointing after party. We also got a free HHN ticket with the annual passes but we never used it. And I’m not sure how they do it, but it takes five minutes to pick up a passholder magnet at universal.

This year we are mostly cruising. Not on Disney. Done with that. Going to HHI next week. And we’d originally planned on doing the Disney annual pass next year (not an option anyway, so it appears), but the kids want to go back to universal. “You should have renewed the universal passes, mom!!” So it looks like universal will win out next year. And then there is epic. And the following year we want to do Hawaii and London. And there are requests for Panama Canal and 10 night Caribbean cruises. Amazing how cheap it all seems compared to Disney. So disney can keep their coveted annual passes that only SOME people get to have. No annual pass, no Disney. My husband has a foul mouth and says it more effectively than I do. We play fair. And we only play with those who play fair. Everyone gets to play at universal. Not just vloggers and people who happen to live in Florida. Isn’t it funny how the New Disney says everyone’s included. Haha. What gaslighting that is. And then there’s an entire world out there beyond the clutches of a foolish entertainment company that has squandered what was a golden reputation based on joy and love and sincerity. Disney has become the most insincere company in the world. So we really, really hope for a reversal, and we will be the first ones to cheer on a Disney reversal, but we’re not planning on it. We definitely have other plans and dreams.