Wow how things have changed.

[Steve19842015]

Planning on heading out next March. I’m a huge planner and wow, how things have changed since I went a few years back. So let me get this right. FP+ is gone. No more is the free 3 FP, booking 30 days or 60 days in advance. Instead we now have Genie plus for $15 per day per person and you can only schedule it the day of and only 1 at a time. But wait there’s more. Not only do you have to
Pay for Genie plus but if you want to get on some
Of the premium rides like SDMT then you have to
Pay per ride if you want to essentially get a fast pass.

 

[Eastern]

That's a good summary

 

[Ninja Mom]

Don't forget: No parking trams, longer waits for resort buses, and Mobile Order for a lot of the food places, sometimes hours in advance of when you'd like to eat, and hard to get dining reservations at other restaurants.

Pro Tip: Families going to WDW these days are learning to subsist on those $12 refillable popcorn buckets for nourishment during their trip.

~NM

 

[gharter]

Good summary.
Don't forget the park reservation to get into the park, even with a ticket
Park hopping only after 2 pm.
For us, we didn't notice any difference in waiting for a bus.
We really like Mobile Ordering. Especially that they, in general, don't let you into the QS restaurant until your food is ready, so finding a table has been much easier.

 

[BrotherCraig]

Just wait... someday it will be $180 per person to get in and then you have to pay for each ride you want to ride separately. LOL!

 

[TheBigErn]

Yep. It has not gotten easier, better or cheaper.

 

[Jennasis]

The lack of trams is inexcusable. We are hear now and it's just awful watching people drag themselves to the car at the end of the night.

 

[DisneyDude71]

Gone will be, Magical Express

 

[becauseimnew]

I know these type of post keep coming up, but I actually find them a good reminder not to go back. Every time I find myself dreaming of Disney I run across a post like this and I’m glad.
I do still love Disney, but will only be going back for one day special events. Like DAH or the Christmas party

 

[shh]

I do still love Disney, but will only be going back for one day special events. Like DAH or the Christmas party

That's our exact strategy...just splurge on 1 party or afterhours event at holidays or maybe at another time during the year to soak in some Disney, then spend rest of my vacation dollars elsewhere. I get to skip park reservation, genie, LL, ILL nonsense and never even look at my phone while there.

I also love reliving all the fun we had at WDW in '80s thru early 00s by watching youtube videos of parades, Osborne light displays, EPCOT storyteller videos, etc, etc, on my beautiful top of the line 85" HTDV screen (purchased for way less than an average 2 night trip. Better seating and free wine and popcorn refills.

Of course, above is easier said than done when you live in easy driving distance. Flying to WDW isn't really worth it for a single hard tic party.

 

[loves to dive]

You can still ride the rides without paying, you just have to do standby. Depending on the time of year and the park, SB might not be that much longer than the LL.

Some of the QS do still allow you to line up to get your food and not mobile order. I don't know which ones as we rarely eat QS.

The parking trams are coming back either the end of this year or the beginning of next.

You will most likely always have to make a park reservations from now on. Park hopping after 2 is most likely going to be a thing for awhile and frankly as long as they have the reservation system I don't see them doing away with it, maybe adjusting the times. Magical Express from the airport does go away at the end of this year.

I've been twice this year and didn't have any issues with the buses but I might have either just gotten lucky or been at the bus stop at the right time or have a higher tolerance for wait times.

I expect some of the issues with get a little better when they are able to hire more people and the pandemic slows down more. It is certainly not back to the before times but it is getting better.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Don't forget: No parking trams, longer waits for resort buses, and Mobile Order for a lot of the food places, sometimes hours in advance of when you'd like to eat, and hard to get dining reservations at other restaurants.

Pro Tip: Families going to WDW these days are learning to subsist on those $12 refillable popcorn buckets for nourishment during their trip.

~NM

MK trams back in December!

The trams will return to Magic Kingdom starting this month. For the other parks—Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom—service will resume “throughout” next year.

 

[rwdavis2]

Just wait... someday it will be $180 per person to get in and then you have to pay for each ride you want to ride separately. LOL!

Back to the original way to do rides. E-tickets forever!

 

[Karebear]

Pack to the original way to do rides. E-tickets forever!

True but in the beginning I don't think that you had to pay to go into the parks. My mom remembers as a kid going to Disneyland in the late 50s and she said it was free to go...you just had to pay for the rides. She said people would go just for dinner or whatever since you didn't have to pay to get in.

 

[E.Jane]

You will most likely always have to make a park reservations from now on. Park hopping after 2 is most likely going to be a thing for awhile and frankly as long as they have the reservation system I don't see them doing away with it, maybe adjusting the times. Magical Express from the airport does go away at the end of this year.

I understand how this was necessary when attendance was restricted during the worst of covid, but once life returns to normal, not sure why this would be necessary to stay in place. If so, gone are our last day at the parks, knocking out all 4 parks and favorite rides, in one day.

 

[gharter]

True but in the beginning I don't think that you had to pay to go into the parks. My mom remembers as a kid going to Disneyland in the late 50s and she said it was free to go...you just had to pay for the rides. She said people would go just for dinner or whatever since you didn't have to pay to get in.

When WDW opened, there was a small charge to enter, then you purchased individual tickets or books of tickets for each ride. having done, that, I don't want to return to that model.

 

[TDSAXX]

When WDW opened, there was a small charge to enter, then you purchased individual tickets or books of tickets for each ride. having done, that, I don't want to return to that model.

Don’t worry the new Disney model will be a LARGE charge to enter, then you will purchase tickets for each ride.

 

[BrotherCraig]

True but in the beginning I don't think that you had to pay to go into the parks. My mom remembers as a kid going to Disneyland in the late 50s and she said it was free to go...you just had to pay for the rides. She said people would go just for dinner or whatever since you didn't have to pay to get in.

Knoebels is that way. Love that park. Free to get in but pay for each ride or get a handstamp for the day.

 

[Darcy03231]

I know these type of post keep coming up, but I actually find them a good reminder not to go back. Every time I find myself dreaming of Disney I run across a post like this and I’m glad.
I do still love Disney, but will only be going back for one day special events. Like DAH or the Christmas party

That's the way I feel. I used to go 2-3x a year. Last trip was in 2017 when DH and I tacked 2 days on to the end of a cruise because he wanted to see Pandora. I don't see it as being a primary destination anymore, at least until I have grandchildren. Once I broke the bubble it's become easier and easier to not go back. I've found we can vacation in other destinations for longer periods of time, spend less money, and have just as much (if not more) fun.

 

[DavidNYC]

Yup - Disney has turned from the happiest place on earth to something straight from Orwell's 1984. The changes are bad enough - but the continually pushing from Disney about how wonderful all these changes are for the guest with the fake smiles plastered on the faces is starting to get downright eerie. They treat the customer as if they were stupid and will believe anything they are told about how their complete cash grab which benefits nearly no one other than the pockets of executives while allowing them to continue to make cuts which affect guests and on the ground cast members is the best thing ever. "The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears . . . " I think it's their continual framing of every cut, price increase, and reduction in flexibility as good for the guest when clearly they know how much harder they're making the vacation which is the worst part of it.