For the first time in 20 years, I am not excited to return to Disney World.

[ajollyholidaywithjo]

I’ve been visiting WDW since I was barely old enough to walk. I’ve gone every year since, I’ve planned multiple trips, had so many wonderful experiences.

I just returned from a trip early December and it is the first time I’ve been truly sad and disappointed. I kind of saw this coming, but I was hoping that I would go on the trip and I would be pleasantly surprised.

But the magic was just…gone. Disney World has always been my bright spot, it has gotten me through serious depression, abusive situations, terrible loss. And I’m so sad that it is no longer the place I know and love.

I know a lot of people won’t agree with this, but some people might feel the same. This is just my personal experience, so please don’t dog me for that. I hope WDW sees these complaints and maybe changes something. Who knows.

I’m hoping to use this time to travel to other locations and explore more. And maybe one day I will be back. Till then, thank you for the memories, WDW.

 

[AdamsMum]

I'm here now. I'm not one of the people who lives on a cell phone. I'm finding it really frustrating. Mobile order is a mess on my phone. For the first 2 days I couldn't use it at all- no pick up times would come up, closed app, tried again got pick up times but no menu; closed the app tried again, got times and menu then it said you don't have an internet connection. Each time I wanted to buy food, I had to prove this to CMs. One of whom (at Flame Tree) told me point blank that is the only way to buy food. Most unhelpful. I left Flame Tree and spoke (okay well, complained) to a CM on the pathway who told me they have a register and said go back and speak to another CM. I did this, and that CM directed me to a register to place my order. Finally on 3rd day was successful in placing an order, but when I arrived at Columbia Harbour House, tried to notify that I'm here, and got a message saying "something went wrong"; tried again, got the same message. Went to a cast member who requested on her tablet, that my food be prepared. I fail to see how this adds to the "magical" experience.
Add this to my frustration that it's insanely hot this week, when I expected temperatures in the low 20s (I know they can't help that), and insanely long line ups which I think are due to not using genie+. I also had a day when 3 rides broke down just as I was getting close to the front of the line. I was able to purchase an IAS for Rise of the Resistance though.
I think that perhaps Disney should have improved their on site internet access before demanding that everyone use it to do almost everything. Thanks for letting me rant.

 

[loves to dive]

I think it might depend on your expectations and how you handle it. I'm here now, solo trip and I'm having a great time. I arrived yesterday afternoon and went to Epcot. Ate at some booths, rode a few rides with no longer wait that 15 min. for the longest one (Soarin, Figment, SSE and Living with the Land). Had the best morning at AK this morning than I've had in a long time. Arrived with about 2 min. left in the early morning hours for hotel guests so walked right on Safari. All the animals were out and about, the lion was walking around and roaring, the spring boks springing. Grabbed some breakfast and sat and ate it while enjoying people watching. Walked on both the trails again the animals were all active, both tigers were out walking around and talking. Rode the train and went to the petting zoo and saw a bird getting a MRI. Only waited about 10 min. for Dinosaur and about 20 for Navi. Had lunch at Nomad Lounge. Walked around the tree of life trails. Watched the puppets at the beginning of the park for a while. It's crowded but considering the time of year it is, not bad. The days are warm and the nights cool to cold (I'm from Georgia 64 is cold). Every CM I've encountered has been pleasant (much more pleasant than some of the guests). I don't plan on buying Genie + because I don't mind waiting in line and since I'm here all week and have an AP so can park hop I'll eventually ride everything I want to. I'm just taking my time and enjoying the sites and season. The only time I've had my phone out is to take pictures. I rarely eat QS so the mobile order thing is not an issue for me.

 

[dd316]

I just returned from a trip early December and it is the first time I’ve been truly sad and disappointed. I kind of saw this coming, but I was hoping that I would go on the trip and I would be pleasantly surprised.

But the magic was just…gone. Disney World has always been my bright spot, it has gotten me through serious depression, abusive situations, terrible loss. And I’m so sad that it is no longer the place I know and love.

I know a lot of people won’t agree with this, but some people might feel the same. This is just my personal experience, so please don’t dog me for that. I hope WDW sees these complaints and maybe changes something. Who knows.

I'd love to know what made you feel this way?

 

[Cupcakesmum]

I think I could enjoy a solo trip in the current conditions (that's never going to happen) and enjoy, but I think it's next to impossible to plan a trip for 6. Even when it was fast passes, it was difficult to find anything day of at the same time for 6 people so the thought of paying extra for less than before is disheartening. We also don't live on our phones, so that aspect is very exasperating. The good news is that Disney is always evolving and changing so we may just wait it out a few years to the next new thing!

Sorry that your trip was less than expected!

 

[disEAR]

We have a trip planned for early march, before our cruise. This will be our first time going since the pandemic. This is also the first time I haven’t felt that same level of anticipation or eagerness to plan for the trip.

Maybe it’s the cost to value ratio seemingly lowered or the constant negative news and altercations coming out of the parks. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but my hope is once we’re there, we’ll enjoy our time.

 

[CBMom01]

I keep saying this but someone else was more clear:

Maybe it’s as much us as them? We’re all going through a difficult time, Disney staff included, and I think peoples’ reactions to the parks are partially a result of looking at the past through rose colored glasses and thinking that Disney will make the world go away.

so, you know. Give Disney and yourself some time to heal

 

[gharter]

We've been twice in the last year. It's different than before, but we still had a lot of fun. That's not making any excuses for what is missing, but we enjoyed what was there.

 

[cjlong88]

I'm sorry you didn't have a good time. There are many on these boards who have returned disappointed. COVID has drastically changed everything in our lives, not just WDW. While we would love for WDW to be exactly how it was in 2019, that's just not possible at this point and time. We loved both of our trips earlier this year in February and November, and we look forward to returning in January. Everyone is allowed to feel how they feel with regards to their trips.

I will say, I think how we prepare ourselves for any trip will ultimately set us up for how we will react. We are traveling to Istanbul for the last week of December. The COVID tests, health passes, not knowing if policies will change between now and then. It's all frustrating and confusing and nowhere near as easy as it used to be. But we knew that when we booked the trip and we have tempered are expectations appropriately. It's going to be different, so we cannot walk into this with the same expectations as our previous international trips. We don't expect to do everything the same way as it would have been in 2019. And that's okay. But if we were to walk into this trip already thinking it will be awful, chances are we will find every little thing wrong with the trip and make that our focus when deciding how terrible (or good) the trip is. Or if we walk into it expecting things to be the same, that also will set us up for a disappointing trip. We plan on taking things as they come, finding ways to enjoy our time there, and refuse to create these nonnegotiable conditions in our head that could potentially leave us disenchanted with our experiences in Turkey.

Our expectations set up how we allow the little things, both good and bad, to influence our overall experiences. Being adaptable and flexible is important now more than ever. We create our own magic, no matter where we vacation, where we work, or with whom we spend our time. I'm glad you have your memories, and hopefully you will be able to WDW one day in the future and be able to have an amazing time.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I think it might depend on your expectations and how you handle it. I'm here now, solo trip and I'm having a great time. I arrived yesterday afternoon and went to Epcot. Ate at some booths, rode a few rides with no longer wait that 15 min. for the longest one (Soarin, Figment, SSE and Living with the Land). Had the best morning at AK this morning than I've had in a long time. Arrived with about 2 min. left in the early morning hours for hotel guests so walked right on Safari. All the animals were out and about, the lion was walking around and roaring, the spring boks springing. Grabbed some breakfast and sat and ate it while enjoying people watching. Walked on both the trails again the animals were all active, both tigers were out walking around and talking. Rode the train and went to the petting zoo and saw a bird getting a MRI. Only waited about 10 min. for Dinosaur and about 20 for Navi. Had lunch at Nomad Lounge. Walked around the tree of life trails. Watched the puppets at the beginning of the park for a while. It's crowded but considering the time of year it is, not bad. The days are warm and the nights cool to cold (I'm from Georgia 64 is cold). Every CM I've encountered has been pleasant (much more pleasant than some of the guests). I don't plan on buying Genie + because I don't mind waiting in line and since I'm here all week and have an AP so can park hop I'll eventually ride everything I want to. I'm just taking my time and enjoying the sites and season. The only time I've had my phone out is to take pictures. I rarely eat QS so the mobile order thing is not an issue for me.

Glad it’s working out for you. Enjoy!

 

[AdamsMum]

I'm sorry you didn't have a good time.

I am actually having a good time, going back to my room mid day to rest and then back out for the evening. The temperature much more pleasant after sunset.

But it's way more difficult than I've ever experienced before. Someone commented on the weather that nights are cold to cool, that's true for the last couple of nights, but before that they weren't cooling down much. Coolish nights and warm (not hot) days were my expectation of a December trip. Still no one can control that, can they? What CMs do have control over is whether they give a guest a hard time about the app. That was only one cast member, though, the rest have been great. I also have an expectation of being able to purchase food in the theme park I'm in, and having options.
The app is difficult for me, my smart phone is older so maybe that's a factor. But really, is it necessary to demand that your customers have the latest technology at their disposal?

here all week and have an AP so can park hop

I'm not an AP holder but I am park hopping. As an AP holder maybe you live closer and can travel to WDW often without being disappointed in missing many experiences. This is a once in two year trip for me. I could travel every year, but haven't been able to travel as I live in Canada.

 

[jo-jo]

I keep saying this but someone else was more clear:

Maybe it’s as much us as them? We’re all going through a difficult time, Disney staff included, and I think peoples’ reactions to the parks are partially a result of looking at the past through rose colored glasses and thinking that Disney will make the world go away.

so, you know. Give Disney and yourself some time to heal

I see what you are saying, but I would think, on disney's end, now is not the time to raise prices on everything or start a brand new program. With covid, we had to rethink about schooling, work, cleaning, masks, etc. Now people want to get back to their happy place and having to deal with new programs and rules is extra hard. Like the straw that broke the camels back.

 

[stephk1981]

I completely understand! We have done several ' staycations' at dvc resorts this year for long weekends and have enjoyed ourselves. We also go into the parks about once a week and have been having a pretty good time with pre-planning what day of the week and time of day we hit which park. With that said, we have also had to spend quite a bit more $ to make that achievable by buying ILL and genie plus on those days. I took our children for a 10 night stay at BC last month( we only do a long stay once a year normally.) It was by far the worst trip we have ever had, and the only trip of the year I paid rack rate for the room, bought genie plus, and ILL almost every day etc. Our trip was nov 10-20. We had tons of glitches with genie plus, not worth what I paid for etc. We also had some pretty legitimate problems with housekeeping that were never resolved. I was on my phone a ton, it made the ' quality time' for the week with my children that we normally have non existent. We will still go for our morning daytime trips, and for long weekends for resort stays to enjoy pools, fireworks, etc but I think our long stays are over.

 

[ajollyholidaywithjo]

I'd love to know what made you feel this way?

So there were a number of things. Before I even went on the trip, I had a ton of issues with Disney just regarding planned. I spent about 8 collective hours on the phone with them, something that has never happened to me. They had screwed up my reservation and gave me the runaround when I tried to get it fixed.

When we arrived, the rooms were not correct, and then they gave me the run around again. Two different days members of my party could not get into the park, because of a mistake made by the ticketing agents.

The lines were just outrageous. I have never seen them so bad at this time of year. I contribute that to people maybe not wanting to buy Genie +. I tried Genie, and it was not worth it at all. Fastpass was so much better. I felt like my park tickets were wasted because there was so much I could not get done.

The app was a mess, I experienced a similar issue with Mobile ordering as an above poster. I used to love that function but it just didn’t work as well this time around.

I’ve never seen merchandise so sparse. We get Christmas ornaments every year, and they had zero, due to supply issues. I saw several stores closed because of the merchandise shortage.

Early entry is just a joke. That 30 minutes does nothing and the way they hold people back just makes for more crowds and longer lines. I truly wish they would change it to how it was during COVID, where they opened the parks early and let people roam, so crowds wouldn’t build.

Just all of these things, and others, combined just did not make it feel worth it for me. Yes, I may be over critical, but we pay a lot for these trips and the value should reflect that. And for me, right now, it doesn’t.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

I see what you are saying, but I would think, on disney's end, now is not the time to raise prices on everything or start a brand new program.

Now is the perfect time to do just that as the Covid excuse for everything is still acceptable.

 

[rangerxenos]

Got back last week from my first trip since the pandemic struck, and while it was different, and in a few ways disappointing, the magic was still there for me, albeit it at a higher price, LOL! While it was definitely a bit weird with some changes, I had a wonderful trip and it did my Disney loving soul a world of good.

Crowds were insane for early December, and that was my worst problem during the week and a half I was there. I was not planning on huge crowds, as I'm used to manageable crowds this time of year.

And just FYI, they WILL let you in line without using Mobile ordering at the QS places, I was pretty insistent several times during my recent trip when they told me I had to use it (I told them I don't have a smart phone.) and they let me in without using it. I also always asked for a paper menu when dining at a sit down restaurant, as I prefer that to staring at my phone even more, and it was never an issue.

 

[loves to dive]

So glad you had a good morning at AK! I hope we can, too, on our upcoming trip! So, the petting zoo is open? Do you know if the puppets are going to be there in January or are they only there for the holidays? Are they there all day?

I am actually having a good time, going back to my room mid day to rest and then back out for the evening. The temperature much more pleasant after sunset.

But it's way more difficult than I've ever experienced before. Someone commented on the weather that nights are cold to cool, that's true for the last couple of nights, but before that they weren't cooling down much. Coolish nights and warm (not hot) days were my expectation of a December trip. Still no one can control that, can they? What CMs do have control over is whether they give a guest a hard time about the app. That was only one cast member, though, the rest have been great. I also have an expectation of being able to purchase food in the theme park I'm in, and having options.
The app is difficult for me, my smart phone is older so maybe that's a factor. But really, is it necessary to demand that your customers have the latest technology at their disposal?


I'm not an AP holder but I am park hopping. As an AP holder maybe you live closer and can travel to WDW often without being disappointed in missing many experiences. This is a once in two year trip for me. I could travel every year, but haven't been able to travel as I live in Canada.

I live about 8 hours away so, yes, I can drive down. The past 8 or so years I have been coming at least once a year, some years twice or more. Before that, it was every other year for us, I was a single mom and it took two years for me to save up the money to come. I really don't feel like I'm missing a lot of experiences but a lot of the things that they aren't doing right now, I didn't really do a lot of any way. We rarely watched parades or shows, I haven't been a fan of fireworks since they went to the projections so we didn't watch those. I've always stayed on property but didn't make ADRs in advance, just day of and if we made FPs it was day of while standing in line for a ride. Then I would only make one and only if that was only about 30 min. out. We just stood in line. We aren't much of quick service meal eaters, we like to kind of snack for our afternoon meals and usually do one sit down a day. We really just like being here for being here, we aren't ride centric and haven't been since the first time we came when my son was just shy of 3. Things have changed, I won't deny that. Part of it is the times, part of it is just change. I'm kind of a roll with it sort of person.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

I appreciate all the live posts, thank you. This in particular sounds like the perfect plan! We went to AK in November and it was probably one of our best days. Loved the puppets!

The only problem I see is when traveling with a larger group that has expectations to ride headliners, this plan doesn't necessarily work. It is much harder to go with the flow and you wind up in the "I don't know what do you want to to do" category. Especially when G+ times are hours away.

I don't know the answer but I hope Disney finds the balance. Here's a thought, now that park reservations are a thing, limit the people in the parks until attractions meet capacity. Less profit definitely so not plausible but that is the answer to guest experience/capacity issues. They have that power. They are choosing not to do it.

I think it might depend on your expectations and how you handle it. I'm here now, solo trip and I'm having a great time. I arrived yesterday afternoon and went to Epcot. Ate at some booths, rode a few rides with no longer wait that 15 min. for the longest one (Soarin, Figment, SSE and Living with the Land). Had the best morning at AK this morning than I've had in a long time. Arrived with about 2 min. left in the early morning hours for hotel guests so walked right on Safari. All the animals were out and about, the lion was walking around and roaring, the spring boks springing. Grabbed some breakfast and sat and ate it while enjoying people watching. Walked on both the trails again the animals were all active, both tigers were out walking around and talking. Rode the train and went to the petting zoo and saw a bird getting a MRI. Only waited about 10 min. for Dinosaur and about 20 for Navi. Had lunch at Nomad Lounge. Walked around the tree of life trails. Watched the puppets at the beginning of the park for a while. It's crowded but considering the time of year it is, not bad. The days are warm and the nights cool to cold (I'm from Georgia 64 is cold). Every CM I've encountered has been pleasant (much more pleasant than some of the guests). I don't plan on buying Genie + because I don't mind waiting in line and since I'm here all week and have an AP so can park hop I'll eventually ride everything I want to. I'm just taking my time and enjoying the sites and season. The only time I've had my phone out is to take pictures. I rarely eat QS so the mobile order thing is not an issue for me.

 

[portocall]

I experienced this same feeling back in November 2012 just as they were preparing for the launch of Fast Pass+. I had been going to Disney World consistently since 1978 at that point and for me, Fast Pass + was a bridge too far. I didn't end up going back to Disney until 2019. I really needed the break and the chance to miss it and accept that the Disney of my childhood was gone for good.

I did do two day trips during the pandemic and thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the parks mostly as I remembered (mobile ordering aside)but I knew it would be temporary. As I plan for a trip this Spring with the new Genie + (which I have but don't particularly want to use) I am a little more concerned I am not going to like it. Time will tell.

 

[AdamsMum]

I’ve never seen merchandise so sparse. We get Christmas ornaments every year, and they had zero, due to supply issues. I saw several stores closed because of the merchandise shortage.

Merchandise is definitely down, I'm guessing supply issue. I wasn't impressed with the selection of merch in Creations in Epcot, and a couple of smaller shops just didn't have the merch associated with attraction. I overheard a CM tell a customer they 're expecting a deliver soon.
On the other hand early entry wasn't bad for me, probably due to arriving late due to the boat for DHS leaving the dock just when I arrived. I entered the park about 15 minutes after it started and was still able to ride slinky dog dash with about a 20 minute wait-the posted time was 45. Then Toy Story Mania, which was truly a 45 minute wait as posted. But that was it.
I'm still not able to mobile order food. Tried many times yesterday at Animal Kingdom, then I just took the first bus that was leaving, to SSR. Had a great lunch in Artists Palette and bought some merchandise, DVC Member Mug and a couple of other things.

I think if I lived closer, I would do shorter trips more frequently, but I live in Toronto and a trip to Florida takes planning and money. I probably won't go back now until 2023. As a DVC member they have me pegged.