Hi, Laura.
I have to say, I'm right there with you (literally even). In fact, our trips were a day off of each other. We were there Dec. 3-8, and it was a pretty bad vacation. I'm not even a "newbie". I've been going to Disney parks for 25 years, ever since I was 12 years old. This last trip was terrible, and my husband and I are convinced that the people in upper management have lost their minds. If my first trip as an adult had been this trip, it would have been my last. Our last trip before this one was only three years ago, and it was absolutely fantastic, every detail perfect. Just like every other trip to a Disney park I've ever had. But in a short time, WDW has taken a real downward spiral. I WANT IT BACK THE WAY IT WAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First of all, none of the employees were happy to talk to us or answer questions. The wonderful, "Hi, it's so nice to see a Disney family member!" attitude has been replaced by a frustrated, "Just stop bothering me...." attitude. The concierges (aren't they supposed to know everything?) were downright rude and terse. They didn't know their jobs and had little or no people skills. Their pat answer for everything was, "There's absolutely nothing I can do about that!" Even when I didn't ask them to
do anything, just asked a question about our badly put together package, that was their answer. They have no authority to resolve a concern, and they seem tired of talking to people who are frustrated with constant Disney problems. I don't blame them for their frustration. Disney is going to pay dearly if their employees aren't happier with their jobs, and aren't given any authority to handle a problem - even a simple one.
Then there were the petty things. The monorail kept breaking down, and in the last three days of our vacation, they still hadn't fixed it. There were lights burned out on signs and lightposts that were never replaced. In the past, if a ride broke down or there was a delay, you were told why and given an estimate of how long your wait would be. Not anymore, they just leave you standing there for who knows how long. I'm used to Disney being impeccable, but several rides just weren't functioning as they should (visual effects not masking the "magic"), garbage on the ground, brick walkways patched with asphalt, ducks pooping in swimming pools, doors not working, etc. And no one was doing anything about it. Not typical Disney. This was a Motel 6 version of the Disney World I've always been to.
There seem to be little pockets of competence. We ate our best meal ever at The Brown Derby, and my husband ate the worst meal of his life at Planet Hollywood. It was downright undigestable and made him sick for two days. We complained and there was no follow-up. Just really nice service from the server at Citricos that night when my sick husband had to leave his dinner uneaten.
Three years ago, our vacation was followed up by an email asking us how our vacation was, and I filled out a detailed questionairre rating everything. This time, I came home to an email asking if I wanted to be on a list to hear about great ways I can give Disney more of our money.
I came home feeling I'd been betrayed and robbed by a dear friend. I want to cry everytime I see a Disney image. And I'm surrounded by them! I called another die-hard Disney fan, and found our experience isn't unusual. She said she was having Proud Parent Syndrome, where the bragging parent finds out that the favorite child is actually a brat, and she wants to hide him under the carpet. We've referred people to Disney World for years based on our past experiences. Now we feel like the embarrassed parents, hoping no one has taken us at our word. I can't help but think that Walt Disney is rolling in his grave over this garbage. He was so committed to creating the Disney Parks as the "Happiest Place on Earth." Well, it's not that anymore.
Tamie
I do know how you feel. 
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