My Slow Divorce from Walt Disney World

[MillauFr]

Has it?

I just think Josh knows he can't get away with the stunts in California that they pull at Disneyworld

 

[sk!mom]

WDW is not the only parks in Orlando. For me the only reason I visit different cities is if they have an amusement park near them.

Well aware and have visited them. The poster I quoted stated that without out changes they would continue visiting WDW but skipping the parks. Many many places I’d visit rather than doing that. IMO, their are many nicer resorts if that’s the vacation you’re after.

 

[_19disnA]

The poster I quoted stated that without out changes they would continue visiting WDW but skipping the parks. Many many places I’d visit rather than doing that. IMO, their are many nicer resorts if that’s the vacation you’re after.

I agree. Part of the high price for Disney hotels at WDW is proximity to the 4 parks. I don't see the value of paying for a perk you won't use. If you have zero plans to do any of the parks, you can stay in a lot of other more reasonably priced Orlando area hotels if vacationing there for other reasons. Personally, I would never go to WDW if I didn't have any plans to visit the parks. To us that is the main reason we used to go.

The continuing higher prices in general for WDW (compared to other places we like to vacation) as well as the huge crowds are the main reason we have little interest in returning.

 

[DOPEY44]

Thanks to all who replied to my post. I know a lot of us on these boards feel the same way.
Maybe, some day, Disney will change.

 

[RamblingMad]

Thanks to all who replied to my post. I know a lot of us on these boards feel the same way.
Maybe, some day, Disney will change.

They will raise prices in the future. That's guaranteed.

 

[MillauFr]

Disney will change.

The one thing we can all agree on.

 

[disneyseniors]

We visited WDW before FP's were thought of.
We waited in line with everyone else. We visited or played games with the kids. Everyone was equal and we all waited together. There were no fights or people mad that others were bypassing them in line.
If we thought the line was too long, we just passed it by for a while.
No stress; everyone was equal..
I wish they would go back to that, and not make things so complicated with phones, apps, multiple ways to pay. It's just crazy IMO. KISS is my philosophy. LOL!

 

[Mokat76]

What a fascinating, though somewhat depressing, discussion. I went thru my divorce from Disney several years ago and haven’t looked back. I have some amazing memories of family times and friend times at WDW and on DCL. I even did an awesome solo WDW trip. But like so many, the more I felt Disney turning its back on us, the less engaged I became. I sold my DVC and closed the book on Disney trips. It’s a great big world and there are myriad things/places I still want to experience. Disney do-overs aren’t in the mix. It’s bittersweet.

 

[goofy4prez]

I don't care about the political views of CEOs because they don't represent the people that work there. Boycotts hurt the economy and don't accomplish much. If I'm going to divorce a company it's going to be because I no longer like their product or I don't find value in it.

This is spot on and I agree 100%. The only thing for me though is I don't like Disneys' product; I love it. The problem for me is that even though I am a free spender when it comes to vacations and I have always spent a lot of money at WDW I still found value in it. With all the changes in the parks (nonpolitical), I no longer find value in it, even sold my DVC and have begun spending my money elsewhere. It's sad for me and I know I will miss Disney more than Disney will miss me.

 

[dvcgirl67]

Well, yesterday a story came through my Apple News Feed...."Has the cost of Disney World become unaffordable for the average American family?". I skimmed the article, and listened to the *seven* minute clip that went with it. I can't tell where they're conducting these interviews...but it doesn't appear to be near Disney. I won't link it...there is one gentleman who alludes to the other reason in the news that might keep people away from Disney, and we can't discuss that here. He goes on to say that they'll be back for their annual trip because he'll lose that battle with his wife...lol. But it's 99% people complaining about what they just paid for their trip to Disney. Just google that title...and the business arm of the most popular cable news network....and you'll find the piece.

One guy, a software engineer from Salt Lake City....brought his family of six to the World in January. Spent $3,500 on tickets alone, and then talked about the day they went to the "Star Wars attraction" (lol)....and that he has three boys, all obsessed with Star Wars, and he dropped another $1,200 that day on light sabers and other souvenirs. He didn't pay the "extra" for the "lines"....so he meant genie+, but said they used to Disney app....but he felt that it limited the number of attractions that they saw because the app "kept them to an area of a park"....while waiting for their time to ride. Common complaint these days.

The article focused on a family from NJ, who *reached out* to this network on their own....lol. I mean, we're now moving in that environment where the news networks aren't going to the guests...but the guests are flagging down the news networks..."hey guys, you really should be doing a story on how ridiculously expensive it is there!" The family of four from NJ dropped 10K on a five day park hoppers (plus genie+)...on-site for only four nights, food, souvenirs...and airfare.

That feels like Trader Joe's to me....I used to get four full bags of food at Trader Joe's for $150, and not I only get three. You used to get closer to an 8 day, 7 night onsite stay at WDW with airfare for a family of four...for 10K. Now that gets you five days, four nights. Big difference.

 

[kymom99]

Well, yesterday a story came through my Apple News Feed...."Has the cost of Disney World become unaffordable for the average American family?". I skimmed the article, and listened to the *seven* minute clip that went with it. I can't tell where they're conducting these interviews...but it doesn't appear to be near Disney. I won't link it...there is one gentleman who alludes to the other reason in the news that might keep people away from Disney, and we can't discuss that here. He goes on to say that they'll be back for their annual trip because he'll lose that battle with his wife...lol. But it's 99% people complaining about what they just paid for their trip to Disney. Just google that title...and the business arm of the most popular cable news network....and you'll find the piece.

One guy, a software engineer from Salt Lake City....brought his family of six to the World in January. Spent $3,500 on tickets alone, and then talked about the day they went to the "Star Wars attraction" (lol)....and that he has three boys, all obsessed with Star Wars, and he dropped another $1,200 that day on light sabers and other souvenirs. He didn't pay the "extra" for the "lines"....so he meant genie+, but said they used to Disney app....but he felt that it limited the number of attractions that they saw because the app "kept them to an area of a park"....while waiting for their time to ride. Common complaint these days.

The article focused on a family from NJ, who *reached out* to this network on their own....lol. I mean, we're now moving in that environment where the news networks aren't going to the guests...but the guests are flagging down the news networks..."hey guys, you really should be doing a story on how ridiculously expensive it is there!" The family of four from NJ dropped 10K on a five day park hoppers (plus genie+)...on-site for only four nights, food, souvenirs...and airfare.

That feels like Trader Joe's to me....I used to get four full bags of food at Trader Joe's for $150, and not I only get three. You used to get closer to an 8 day, 7 night onsite stay at WDW with airfare for a family of four...for 10K. Now that gets you five days, four nights. Big difference.

My husband saw that piece and asked me about it. He had no clue. I’m the one who does all our planning. I told him I have planned out numerous prospective trips and they are all insane. We are at the point where we could start bringing grandkids but it doesn’t look like we will for now.

I also explained to him how everything is so complicated and I would rather pay one price at universal for the relatively simple set up of unlimited front if the line.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

It's really minor, but what really upset me was charging for parking at your own resort. No new perk, no change in service, just a charge to park.

 

[dvcgirl67]

My husband saw that piece and asked me about it. He had no clue. I’m the one who does all our planning. I told him I have planned out numerous prospective trips and they are all insane. We are at the point where we could start bringing grandkids but it doesn’t look like we will for now.

I also explained to him how everything is so complicated and I would rather pay one price at universal for the relatively simple set up of unlimited front if the line.

Yup, totally agree. The planning piece is insane now....and many of us on these boards, at one time or another found that to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of a Disney vacation. The planning leading up to it. Now, it's too much....and you're way, way too tied to your phone. I don't mind some of that, but it's too much right now. Also...if they raised prices this much and added on genie+...etc, to implement lower crowds....I'd get that. But everyone is still there...so it's packed, and awful.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

We visited WDW before FP's were thought of.
We waited in line with everyone else. We visited or played games with the kids. Everyone was equal and we all waited together. There were no fights or people mad that others were bypassing them in line.
If we thought the line was too long, we just passed it by for a while.
No stress; everyone was equal..
I wish they would go back to that, and not make things so complicated with phones, apps, multiple ways to pay. It's just crazy IMO. KISS is my philosophy. LOL!

I remember Disneyland Resort and California Adventure before the inception of FastPass (1999). We did wait in one line or went to do something else if the line was long, But then, for a while before Disney started FastPass, line-jumping became a huge problem. It was like a new moral ethic came into the parks. Cell phones were just starting to get popular and the internet was fairly new for broad based use. People started to use this new technology to put one or two people of a big party in line. Then when they started to get close to the entrance, they would call (or send a runner) to get the rest of their party. So, one or two were in line, but they were "saving places" for 6 - 15! It was a huge problem and sometimes, if the people behind them complained, became violent. It brought the annoyance and disrespect of line-jumping to a whole new level. Disney security and cast members were constantly being called. They had to place cast members to monitor the lines ($$$$ labor costs.) So, they started construction to modify the entrances and created FastPass. That's how it started. It was only a matter of time until Disney figured out a way to charge for it. They just waited for digital technology to make it (supposedly) work (for them.) So, we cannot really go back to unmonitored lines without a faster line. But, we, as the crowd, brought this on ourselves -- in a way.

 

[john7994]

Well, yesterday a story came through my Apple News Feed...."Has the cost of Disney World become unaffordable for the average American family?". I skimmed the article, and listened to the *seven* minute clip that went with it. I can't tell where they're conducting these interviews...but it doesn't appear to be near Disney. I won't link it...there is one gentleman who alludes to the other reason in the news that might keep people away from Disney, and we can't discuss that here. He goes on to say that they'll be back for their annual trip because he'll lose that battle with his wife...lol. But it's 99% people complaining about what they just paid for their trip to Disney. Just google that title...and the business arm of the most popular cable news network....and you'll find the piece.

One guy, a software engineer from Salt Lake City....brought his family of six to the World in January. Spent $3,500 on tickets alone, and then talked about the day they went to the "Star Wars attraction" (lol)....and that he has three boys, all obsessed with Star Wars, and he dropped another $1,200 that day on light sabers and other souvenirs. He didn't pay the "extra" for the "lines"....so he meant genie+, but said they used to Disney app....but he felt that it limited the number of attractions that they saw because the app "kept them to an area of a park"....while waiting for their time to ride. Common complaint these days.

The article focused on a family from NJ, who *reached out* to this network on their own....lol. I mean, we're now moving in that environment where the news networks aren't going to the guests...but the guests are flagging down the news networks..."hey guys, you really should be doing a story on how ridiculously expensive it is there!" The family of four from NJ dropped 10K on a five day park hoppers (plus genie+)...on-site for only four nights, food, souvenirs...and airfare.

That feels like Trader Joe's to me....I used to get four full bags of food at Trader Joe's for $150, and not I only get three. You used to get closer to an 8 day, 7 night onsite stay at WDW with airfare for a family of four...for 10K. Now that gets you five days, four nights. Big difference.

Having seen and read the same article, one can only hope it works for what it was clearly intended for (you know - that part we can't talk about on here). Might mean less people in the parks overall - which doesn't bother me a jot. Disney for my family growing-up was never in easy financial reach without much scrimping and saving - certainly not with the mindset of being able to go every year - we only went once. To that end, I don't recall any of my early school friends going to WDW either for that matter. Nonetheless, there is an irony to the story being on that "business arm of the most popular cable new network" with the caption "WDW becoming unaffordable for the average family"

 

[dvcgirl67]

Having seen and read the same article, one can only hope it works for what it was clearly intended for (you know - that part we can't talk about on here). Might mean less people in the parks overall - which doesn't bother me a jot. Disney for my family growing-up was never in easy financial reach without much scrimping and saving - certainly not with the mindset of being able to go every year - we only went once. To that end, I don't recall any of my early school friends going to WDW either for that matter. Nonetheless, there is an irony to the story being on that "business arm of the most popular cable new network" with the caption "WDW becoming unaffordable for the average family"

I honestly don't care at all about the part we can't talk about. That personally wouldn't keep me from visiting. This piece was really going after the affordability in my opinion. They not only bring up the increase in ticket prices, and genie+ extra fees...but also the things that used to be free....Magical Express, and Resort parking. They also point out that a lot of the entertainment in the parks is still not back, that they haven't brought back all of those 32K employees they laid off when they shut down. And, they throw in photos of garbage along the shores on the Jungle Cruise attraction. So, not only is it way more expensive, you're getting way less, oh and the parks are packed to the gills....and dirty.

Let us not forget that you'll never see a story like this on Good Morning America (ABC..Disney owned)....and *probably* not a Disney hit piece on Comcast (NBC...owns Universal)....because then ABC would have to run a hit piece on Universal. Then we'd have the Great Theme Park wars...lol. I also would imagine that if you go on YouTube, or TikTok....you'll find plenty of Disney "influencers" fighting for users, and providing lots of commentary about how expensive Disney is right now....click, click, click...boom. .

 

[Praying Colonel]

It's really minor, but what really upset me was charging for parking at your own resort. No new perk, no change in service, just a charge to park.

Yep. Someone upstream posted that Disney will raise prices, and that's true. It's always happened, and it will continue to happen. But charging more for something we used to get for free, like resort parking or FP (excuse me, "Genie+" ) leads many to be bitter and results in less customer goodwill.

 

[MillauFr]

No stress; everyone was equal..
I wish they would go back to that, and not make things so complicated with phones, apps, multiple ways to pay. It's just crazy IMO. KISS is my philosophy. LOL!

Our own government doesn't treat everyone equally. Those with more money get better services. In the Puget Sound those with money get their own freeway lanes to drive in. Orlando is doing the same thing on the 4 with the new highway project.

 

[RamblingMad]

Yep. Someone upstream posted that Disney will raise prices, and that's true. It's always happened, and it will continue to happen. But charging more for something we used to get for free, like resort parking or FP (excuse me, "Genie+" ) leads many to be bitter and results in less customer goodwill.

But people still go.

 

[disney junky]

We're selling our DVC points. We've owned since 2003. No regrets. We can still go. We can rent points. But WDW has never been relaxing, and now into retirement, relaxing is more valuable to us than what WDW has become, or perhaps always was. My idea of the Disney brand isn't Marvel or Star Wars. But that's okay. That's just me. I miss the old MGM. Just my ramblings...