Breaking up with Disney?

[Dizzydizney]

The rule as I always knew it was you had to upgrade your pass before entering the park for the first time. Haven’t done it in a while, but many times UT and AAA would offer ticket deals that were upgradable at the gate....BEFORE entering. The ticket was already used for 8 days....so why expect to more or less get those 8 days for free? If the ticket person was rude right off the bat, that is not acceptable, but if the customer refuses to accept the fact that he’s wrong and continues to argue....

 

[TinkB278]

I just bought DVC last year and took my first two trips this year as a dvc member. When I purchased, I had no idea DME would be going away, that fast pass wouldn’t be coming back, etc.

On our two trips this year, both times things just felt “off”. I didn’t enjoy being in the parks. I have such little patience that I can’t hardly stand being in long lines for rides. The new rides I went on were major letdowns (Star Wars rides, I’m looking at you. I know, unpopular opinion).

I did enjoy relaxing at my resorts, but I didn’t really know what to do to fill all that time besides the pool and eating. However, even the quick service at the resorts got old super fast. I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten everything on the primo piatto menu three or four times now, same for capt cooks.
They really need to undo things that were initially changed under the guise of Covid. Bring back full menus at resort quick service, extend park hours, bring back closed attractions snd shows. There just isn’t an excuse for it anymore and it truly makes me not want to take yearly trips anymore. Especially with the extra costs of airport transportation and “lightning lanes” (that extra fee for certain rides is a major “ugh”).

 

[quandrea]

Thank you for echoing my sentiments.

Here's an example-- My brother, an SSR owner, just upgraded TODAY to an AP on his 6 day ticket PH on his last day at Disney.

Guest services REFUSED to upgrade him starting TODAY, October 11th (he is texting me furiously as I type), instead backdated his upgraded AP to the FIRST day he entered the park EIGHT DAYS AGO, which was October 3rd.

In other words, his AP ends next year on October 3rd, 2022 even though he upgraded today, October 11th 2021. He said they were being SUPER rude to him at guest services.

Maybe I was wrong with my advice to him on telling him to upgrade on his last day, but ??? isn't it supposed to be the day that up upgrade as the last day of your AP?

It's just so upsetting to have little rugs pulled out from under you and feel so incredibly nickel and dimed. It's everywhere. It was almost every day. I had a CM yell at me for trying to get into a ride 3 minutes earlier than my return time. He basically said "THERE IS NO GRACE PERIOD-- YOU COME WHEN YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO COME, NOT BEFORE". I looked at my watch, and lo and behold, I was three minutes early.

That was just one of a gazillion examples of so many negative experiences.... yes, there were also nice CM's but there were also sooooo many rude and mean and ill tempered CMs. I was so taken aback.... over and over again.

Like I said, the room is nice and cheap and a fixed cost. But the experience is no longer... wonderful. And it's not just me. It's all my Disney regular friends and family, some DVC and some are not DVC.

Shrug. I'm a little sad, but for the $8-9k we just dropped on this most recent trip (granted, we were there for 2 weeks), we can go elsewhere, and now I'm thinking we may go elsewhere.... after our AP's expire. Sigh. It does make me sad, as DVC used to be so special to me.... note the past tense.

Now it's just a cheap(er) room (than it would otherwise be). DVC is now just a timeshare that has thankfully retained its value/principal, so that when or if I sell, I will not lose money.

But it's not longer my home away from home, which is super sad.

Maybe someone will read this and try to get the culture and customer service back to what it used to be... maybe not. Here's to hoping.

When you upgrade, the Ap is back dated to the first day you entered the park using the original ticket.

 

[DonMacGregor]

When you upgrade, the Ap is back dated to the first day you entered the park using the original ticket.

Exactly. When you upgrade, you're basically converting your ticket to the pass. So, like any AP purchased outright, it is good for one calendar year from the date first used for park entry (the first day of entry on the ticket). Otherwise, you'd be paying for a one-year pass (by combining the credit for the ticket with the balance paid in cash) but getting a year and almost two weeks (a 6-day pass has to be used within a 10 day window).

 

[WilsonFlyer]

When you upgrade, the Ap is back dated to the first day you entered the park using the original ticket.

Correct. And it has always been that way. And you have always been able to upgrade your ticket on any day it's valid up and until your last exit from a park on the last ticketed day.

 

[crisi]

I'm a little late to this thread, but as a pretty experienced young traveler and recent DVC buyer, I'll give my perspective.

If you base your opinions on the top threads here on the boards, you'd think the parks are on fire and cast members are throwing trash at guests while Bob Chapek points and laughs from the top of the castle. But my most recent trip at the beginning of September had the best cast members I've ever experienced on a Disney vacation. Everyone from the resort check in to the attractions to dining was over the top friendly, asking about my day, and making magic with kids. The parks are also simpler. No worrying about fastpass times, park hopping has only been blocked out one day for Magic Kingdom on the 50th, and shorter lines than on any of my pre-Covid trips. And I really want to emphasize the cast members and shorter waits, since I still try to get on as many attractions as I can during park days.

With all that being said, Disney is rarely my only vacation for the year. This summer I also went to Yellowstone and Grand Teton, and last year was Hawaii. So if you only have the time or money for one trip a year, then I would totally understand renting out your points every other year or banking them for a huge trip in the future. There is more to travelling than Disney, but the magic is still there when I go back.

That's actually part of the problem - we are pretty experienced old travelers. We bought DVC when our now young adults were preschoolers. And we've always travelled other places - we only have every other year points and generally took at least two "air travel" vacations a year (and at least one more local vacation). Disney has a lot of great memories and will always retain that magic. But since we've always travelled other places, we are well aware of how else we could be spending our time. Pre-Covid there was an annual trip to London - and we were about to start adding a week in Europe (the trip was for a conference). We took a safari and have been trying to figure out when our young adults could go with us for another one. We are about to visit Peru. There is so much world out there to visit - and the attractions of WDW - which were great for the first dozen years of kids - aren't as attractive on an annual basis - or even more often than every three or five years.

And now that the kids are young adults - and travelling with them is difficult since they have jobs/school - I do sort of regret so many Disney vacations when we could have taken them more places. The vacations they remember - the ones they got the most out of in terms of growth - were not Disney. There is a huge difference between visiting Mexico in Epcot and walking the ruins of Tulum or visiting the UK at Epcot and wandering through the British Isles. There is a huge difference between The Hall of Presidents and a week in the halls of the Smithsonian. Between WDW entertainment and Broadway - or Madame Butterfly at the Sydney Opera House.

And we've always been Foodies. WDW food has been disappointing for the two decades we've owned DVC - subpar and expensive - I don't mind paying $200 a person for a meal when I'm getting a great meal - I don't want to pay $40 for a steak that isn't worth $20. When a big part of your vacation is dining - WDW is not a good vacation.

But as I said upthread, we like a midwinter trip to HHI - and this year will be getting out of the snow to go to Aulani. And since we only ever bought points for an every other year trip - every other year at HHI or Aulani is fine - so for now at least, we have backed off on our relationship with WDW, but will retain our points. And we will likely visit WDW again - just not for several years.

 

[jimmymc]

That's actually part of the problem - we are pretty experienced old travelers. We bought DVC when our now young adults were preschoolers. And we've always travelled other places - we only have every other year points and generally took at least two "air travel" vacations a year (and at least one more local vacation). Disney has a lot of great memories and will always retain that magic. But since we've always travelled other places, we are well aware of how else we could be spending our time. Pre-Covid there was an annual trip to London - and we were about to start adding a week in Europe (the trip was for a conference). We took a safari and have been trying to figure out when our young adults could go with us for another one. We are about to visit Peru. There is so much world out there to visit - and the attractions of WDW - which were great for the first dozen years of kids - aren't as attractive on an annual basis - or even more often than every three or five years.

And now that the kids are young adults - and travelling with them is difficult since they have jobs/school - I do sort of regret so many Disney vacations when we could have taken them more places. The vacations they remember - the ones they got the most out of in terms of growth - were not Disney. There is a huge difference between visiting Mexico in Epcot and walking the ruins of Tulum or visiting the UK at Epcot and wandering through the British Isles. There is a huge difference between The Hall of Presidents and a week in the halls of the Smithsonian. Between WDW entertainment and Broadway - or Madame Butterfly at the Sydney Opera House.

And we've always been Foodies. WDW food has been disappointing for the two decades we've owned DVC - subpar and expensive - I don't mind paying $200 a person for a meal when I'm getting a great meal - I don't want to pay $40 for a steak that isn't worth $20. When a big part of your vacation is dining - WDW is not a good vacation.

But as I said upthread, we like a midwinter trip to HHI - and this year will be getting out of the snow to go to Aulani. And since we only ever bought points for an every other year trip - every other year at HHI or Aulani is fine - so for now at least, we have backed off on our relationship with WDW, but will retain our points. And we will likely visit WDW again - just not for several years.

My hope with DVC is that it becomes like a second home, more like visiting a relative's house than a vacation. There are a few places like that now, mostly where family and friends live. Somewhere I can take a cheap flight and spend a long weekend at, or maybe even work remotely.

 

[crisi]

My hope with DVC is that it becomes like a second home, more like visiting a relative's house than a vacation. There are a few places like that now, mostly where family and friends live. Somewhere I can take a cheap flight and spend a long weekend at, or maybe even work remotely.

That's sort of HHI when we snowbird for us - but WDW is too frenetic. And, as I said, bad expensive food. And the WiFi has never managed to be sufficient or dependable enough for working for more than emergencies. Plus, there are - you know - places where friends and family live - include a few who have second homes we are privileged to use.

 

[pineapplepalms]

That's actually part of the problem - we are pretty experienced old travelers. We bought DVC when our now young adults were preschoolers. And we've always travelled other places - we only have every other year points and generally took at least two "air travel" vacations a year (and at least one more local vacation). Disney has a lot of great memories and will always retain that magic. But since we've always travelled other places, we are well aware of how else we could be spending our time. Pre-Covid there was an annual trip to London - and we were about to start adding a week in Europe (the trip was for a conference). We took a safari and have been trying to figure out when our young adults could go with us for another one. We are about to visit Peru. There is so much world out there to visit - and the attractions of WDW - which were great for the first dozen years of kids - aren't as attractive on an annual basis - or even more often than every three or five years.

And now that the kids are young adults - and travelling with them is difficult since they have jobs/school - I do sort of regret so many Disney vacations when we could have taken them more places. The vacations they remember - the ones they got the most out of in terms of growth - were not Disney. There is a huge difference between visiting Mexico in Epcot and walking the ruins of Tulum or visiting the UK at Epcot and wandering through the British Isles. There is a huge difference between The Hall of Presidents and a week in the halls of the Smithsonian. Between WDW entertainment and Broadway - or Madame Butterfly at the Sydney Opera House.

And we've always been Foodies. WDW food has been disappointing for the two decades we've owned DVC - subpar and expensive - I don't mind paying $200 a person for a meal when I'm getting a great meal - I don't want to pay $40 for a steak that isn't worth $20. When a big part of your vacation is dining - WDW is not a good vacation.

But as I said upthread, we like a midwinter trip to HHI - and this year will be getting out of the snow to go to Aulani. And since we only ever bought points for an every other year trip - every other year at HHI or Aulani is fine - so for now at least, we have backed off on our relationship with WDW, but will retain our points. And we will likely visit WDW again - just not for several years.

I can definitely see how different our perspectives are given the current state of things and what stage of life we’re all in. Those who have grown kids and have already spent decades going to Disney may be more likely to walk away since they’ve already had a lifetime of memories. Then again, there are those who have done that but are now excited to bring the next generation of grandkids.

We have 3 young kids (infant to 5) and I don’t see us breaking up with Disney anytime soon. We were already Disney adults before having kids and hope to continue to go after the kids are grown. We view it this way - when our kids are this little, we have no desire to take them all over the world (especially now) and Disney is our preferred vacation destination. As they get older, Disney will become our consistent vacation while the other vacations will change every year. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to a lot of the places you mentioned like London, Sydney, DC, Tulum, etc and loved traveling… we were fortunate to have traveled quite a bit pre-kids. But we’d rather do that later when our kids are all potty-trained and a bit more independent. The idea of that type of travel right now just sounds exhausting. For us, Disney is convenient and relaxing. We go for a week or two and just have fun without trying to do too much in a day. There’s so much available for young kids to do. It’s hard to beat for us right now.

 

[Rob Huff]

I can definitely see how different our perspectives are given the current state of things and what stage of life we’re all in. Those who have grown kids and have already spent decades going to Disney may be more likely to walk away since they’ve already had a lifetime of memories. Then again, there are those who have done that but are now excited to bring the next generation of grandkids.

We have 3 young kids (infant to 5) and I don’t see us breaking up with Disney anytime soon. We were already Disney adults before having kids and hope to continue to go after the kids are grown. We view it this way - when our kids are this little, we have no desire to take them all over the world (especially now) and Disney is our preferred vacation destination. As they get older, Disney will become our consistent vacation while the other vacations will change every year. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to a lot of the places you mentioned like London, Sydney, DC, Tulum, etc and loved traveling… we were fortunate to have traveled quite a bit pre-kids. But we’d rather do that later when our kids are all potty-trained and a bit more independent. The idea of that type of travel right now just sounds exhausting. For us, Disney is convenient and relaxing. We go for a week or two and just have fun without trying to do too much in a day. There’s so much available for young kids to do. It’s hard to beat for us right now.

We largely find ourselves in this spot, too. Thanks to a few years of living in Florida, we've gotten to try just about everything and it takes the edge off. If we only go on the Mine Train once in a week, no big deal. It's not a once-in-a-lifetime trip for any of us, so it doesn't ruin the trip if we have to call a lot of audibles.

With another little one arriving any day now, I'm excited to share WDW with the newbie and to see her mom and big sisters do the same. Am I personally disappointed about the conversion of FP+ to a crappier, more expensive product? Yeah. Duh. Am I frustrated by the removal of DME with no replacement? Again, of course. Am I disappointed about the removal of pre-trip planning possibilities -- something that spread out the fun and anticipation of the trip -- in favor of *checks notes* getting up at 7am every day on vacation to pay money for what used to be free? I think the answer to that one is obvious.

So, just like we did when FP+ came around, we'll pivot and change our touring style. More early mornings and late nights in the parks, way more time during the day back at the resort. We'll also keep traveling elsewhere around the country and, eventually, the world. Between a handful of fun rides in the morning, a few more at night, a nighttime spectacular here or there, and lots of time in a pool on a hot day, Disney still checks tons of boxes for us.

(But, I must admit, my wife has been talking about Universal a lot more recently. The non-baby kids are older and bigger, and Universal's model doesn't appear to have gotten much less user-friendly in the past couple of years.)

 

[crisi]

I can definitely see how different our perspectives are given the current state of things and what stage of life we’re all in. Those who have grown kids and have already spent decades going to Disney may be more likely to walk away since they’ve already had a lifetime of memories. Then again, there are those who have done that but are now excited to bring the next generation of grandkids.

Oh, I hope I haven't had a lifetime of memories. I had my kids late, but I'm only in my fifties . Its just that I crave more variety in my memories - and the ones I treasure most from the time my kids were younger aren't Disney memories.

 

[pineapplepalms]

We largely find ourselves in this spot, too. Thanks to a few years of living in Florida, we've gotten to try just about everything and it takes the edge off. If we only go on the Mine Train once in a week, no big deal. It's not a once-in-a-lifetime trip for any of us, so it doesn't ruin the trip if we have to call a lot of audibles.

With another little one arriving any day now, I'm excited to share WDW with the newbie and to see her mom and big sisters do the same. Am I personally disappointed about the conversion of FP+ to a crappier, more expensive product? Yeah. Duh. Am I frustrated by the removal of DME with no replacement? Again, of course. Am I disappointed about the removal of pre-trip planning possibilities -- something that spread out the fun and anticipation of the trip -- in favor of *checks notes* getting up at 7am every day on vacation to pay money for what used to be free? I think the answer to that one is obvious.

So, just like we did when FP+ came around, we'll pivot and change our touring style. More early mornings and late nights in the parks, way more time during the day back at the resort. We'll also keep traveling elsewhere around the country and, eventually, the world. Between a handful of fun rides in the morning, a few more at night, a nighttime spectacular here or there, and lots of time in a pool on a hot day, Disney still checks tons of boxes for us.

(But, I must admit, my wife has been talking about Universal a lot more recently. The non-baby kids are older and bigger, and Universal's model doesn't appear to have gotten much less user-friendly in the past couple of years.)

Congrats on your growing family! I agree, I don’t love all the changes they’ve been making, especially losing DME/luggage service and Genie+. But we still love it enough to continue going and making it work for our family. We had fun at Universal pre-kids but there isn’t quite enough appeal for the baby/toddler set. Hoping to take our kids when they’re a bit older, especially after reading the Harry Potter books.

 

[pineapplepalms]

Oh, I hope I haven't had a lifetime of memories. I had my kids late, but I'm only in my fifties . Its just that I crave more variety in my memories - and the ones I treasure most from the time my kids were younger aren't Disney memories.

Haha sorry, didn’t mean it like that! I’ve just seen a lot of posts by people whose kids are grown and Disney doesn’t have the same appeal anymore. Totally valid that the memories we all treasure will vary. I’m curious to see how things will unfold for us as the kids get older. Right now it’s hard to see beyond these baby/toddler years!

 

[crisi]

Haha sorry, didn’t mean it like that! I’ve just seen a lot of posts by people whose kids are grown and Disney doesn’t have the same appeal anymore. Totally valid that the memories we all treasure will vary. I’m curious to see how things will unfold for us as the kids get older. Right now it’s hard to see beyond these baby/toddler years!

They go fast - and Disney was a great trip at that age - we knew it, there was plenty for the kids to do. I would just recommend - get them places other than Disney, let them have other experiences. Not now - but over time. You'll only have maybe two dozen vacations with them when your kids are kids.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Haha sorry, didn’t mean it like that! I’ve just seen a lot of posts by people whose kids are grown and Disney doesn’t have the same appeal anymore. Totally valid that the memories we all treasure will vary. I’m curious to see how things will unfold for us as the kids get older. Right now it’s hard to see beyond these baby/toddler years!

They go fast - and Disney was a great trip at that age - we knew it, there was plenty for the kids to do. I would just recommend - get them places other than Disney, let them have other experiences. Not now - but over time. You'll only have maybe two dozen vacations with them when your kids are kids.

My experience was the opposite. Everyone told me not to take my kids until they were older and could remember it. We followed their advice. So, we took our kids all over the country when they were little. We decided to go to WDW when they were 9 and 7. Our second trip was when they were 12 and 10. So no toddler/baby Disney memories for me!

 

[crisi]

My experience was the opposite. Everyone told me not to take my kids until they were older and could remember it. We followed their advice. So, we took our kids all over the country when they were little. We decided to go to WDW when they were 9 and 7. Our second trip was when they were 12 and 10. So no toddler/baby Disney memories for me!

I think that if you are going to take ONE Disney trip - six or seven is an ideal age. But its completely worthwhile to get photos of toddlers with characters (not that they are great at the moment) if you are going to take more than one trip. And then go again when they are older. And again when they are older yet. But DVC encourages people to take almost every vacation at Disney. And, I suppose, if that's your thing. But half as many WDW vacations would have been fine with me.

 

[quandrea]

My hope with DVC is that it becomes like a second home, more like visiting a relative's house than a vacation. There are a few places like that now, mostly where family and friends live. Somewhere I can take a cheap flight and spend a long weekend at, or maybe even work remotely.

That’s what it has become for us. We still enjoy park going, but we love everything else just as much, if not more. It’s the time spent there that is so special. I miss it like I might miss home. I will hopefully get back next October and I long for that day so much.

 

[Rob Huff]

I think that if you are going to take ONE Disney trip - six or seven is an ideal age. But its completely worthwhile to get photos of toddlers with characters (not that they are great at the moment) if you are going to take more than one trip. And then go again when they are older. And again when they are older yet. But DVC encourages people to take almost every vacation at Disney. And, I suppose, if that's your thing. But half as many WDW vacations would have been fine with me.

^^^very much this.

When discussing Disney, we always differentiate between the "once-in-a-lifetime" visitors and the repeat visitors. Should you drop an extra $500+ for three hours of minimal lines in the park one night for a special event party? For us, no way: we're not made of money and we'll be back in a year or two. For the OIAL crowd? If you've got the cash, probably yes.

Some of our favorite memories are from taking our girls when they were 4 and 1. They don't remember it. No matter. Those memories are for us, not them.

 

[kmorlock]

Thank you for echoing my sentiments.

Here's an example-- My brother, an SSR owner, just upgraded TODAY to an AP on his 6 day ticket PH on his last day at Disney.

Guest services REFUSED to upgrade him starting TODAY, October 11th (he is texting me furiously as I type), instead backdated his upgraded AP to the FIRST day he entered the park EIGHT DAYS AGO, which was October 3rd.

In other words, his AP ends next year on October 3rd, 2022 even though he upgraded today, October 11th 2021. He said they were being SUPER rude to him at guest services.

Maybe I was wrong with my advice to him on telling him to upgrade on his last day, but ??? isn't it supposed to be the day that up upgrade as the last day of your AP?
We have done this upgrade before and it is retro-dated back to the first day the tickets were activated/used, not the last.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

^^^very much this.

When discussing Disney, we always differentiate between the "once-in-a-lifetime" visitors and the repeat visitors. Should you drop an extra $500+ for three hours of minimal lines in the park one night for a special event party? For us, no way: we're not made of money and we'll be back in a year or two. For the OIAL crowd? If you've got the cash, probably yes.

Some of our favorite memories are from taking our girls when they were 4 and 1. They don't remember it. No matter. Those memories are for us, not them.

Yes! I regret following the advice I was given. That’s why I SO want to take future grandkids. I want those toddler memories! But I worry that it won’t happen with the way prices are going.