Same here. I can handle price increases if the quality of the experience is up to those high standards but it isn't in a lot of ways. Park cleanliness, frequent ride breakdowns and some rides having broken effects for months to even years are my biggest complaints.
Pushing guests away from where they prefer to be reduces satisfaction. I question if that can really make them more money in the long run.
I've been questioning the long term strategy for a while now. I see how they are pushing things around to maximize short term (even daily) profits, but those only work if demand stays consistently high. My concern is that these optimizations will eventually catch up to them and as guest satisfaction falls, so does demand. The biggest loss here, is that Disney is losing out on opportunity to make long-term, generational fans. Those kids that remember amazing trips, so they want to repeat them with their own kids. I worry that those are getting lost.
IMO most kids aren't as enamoured to Disney as when we were growing up.
Agreed. I think this is due to a lot of factors that have come about over the past decade. I think all of the nonsense with moving away from being family focused and customer service oriented above all else has leaked into the opinions that our kids form. If mom and dad are having a rough time in the parks, with planning, with the cost, with streaming costs, multiple streaming platforms (why is tv so hard now?!) and all the division that the Disney company has brought upon themselves, their image, their fan base, then naturally the kids aren't going to gravitate toward something that doesn't feel happy and doesn't make their parents feel happy. Despite whatever corporate notions exist, I really believe that most fans just want that family/customer service oriented old school Disney. We don't need, or want more content. We want nostalgia and quality.
I think it also has to do with a lot more competition in terms of kid's entertainment. Back in the day, other studios didn't have as much prominence as Disney. Now there are other studios making movies that are on the same level or even better than Disney. A lot of kids are watching content from Youtubers and Twitch streamers as well.
Exactly. My 3 year old would rather watch Blippi over anything Disney right now.
Ugh Blippi
My 2.5 yo could watch the indoor playground videos all day 
He loves the Disney parks but could care less about most Disney shows/movies
oh awesome good looking out, thanks <3
The increase in Cast Members comes ahead of a hiring freeze announced by Disney CEO Bob Chapek. Layoffs are also expected, but likely not in the parks segment of the business.
