Disney World is BROKEN!

MaryS222

Earning My Ears
Joined
Dec 7, 2011
I've been to DW over 10 times in my 40+ years and the experience just gets worse each year. I really wanted to believe that each bad visit was just an anomaly...maybe bad luck, or the wrong time of year, but I've learned that it doesn't really matter when you go, the Disney Magic is long gone.

The root of all the problems are the crowds, or more specifically the over demand/ under supply imbalance related to their most popular attractions. Even in the "slow" months ( I just got back yesterday), the parks are so crowded you are forced into full Disney combat mode to make sure you have a " fun" time at the park. You all know what that is... Get there at rope drop, get your fast passes, plan your route, make ur adrs months in advance, eat early, ride while others are watching parades. It's INSANITY! But not doing all that is even more insane because you'll be stuck in lines all day and maybe even miss riding certain attractions all together if you don't follow THE plan. There has got to be a better way. A way for an average family to have a fun, relaxing, enjoyable time at a DW park without having to read the Disboards for a month, make adrs months in advance, get up at 6am to beat rope drop, or need a precise touring plan to stay one step ahead of the masses all day long.

I think it's time for a rebellion. It's time we let disney know that their parks are broken. That the experience has lost a lot of its fun. THat we are tired of them allowing more people into the parks then their attractions and restaurants can comfortably accommodate. That we expect some drastic rethinking of what sort of experience they are attempting to provide.

To address these problems won't be easy or cheap, and disney has absolutely no incentive to even try unless we make our displeasure known. So if you too found your disney vacation more of a stresscation than a vacation, speak up, let us know what you think could be done to make things better.

I'll start with my 2 cents.

1. In busy periods, far fewer people should be let in. It's that simple. Just because they are legally allowed to jam a zillion people into the park, doesn't mean they should.

2. Even in slower periods, you're still stuck in crazy long lines for the main rides or forced to get there at rope drop to ensure fast passes. This has to end. How? I don't know, but I'm sure they could try something. Maybe they change park pricing to discourage multiple rides on popular rides. How about $60 park admission, but $10 extra for each ride on splash mountain, space mntn, soarin, test track, tot, and any other super popular ride. Or maybe they offer fast passes only to those who pay like at universal, or maybe they build a second soarin, test track, etc to cut lines down.

These might all be lousy ideas, but the point is, there has to be a good idea out there somewhere. It's time disney started trying harder to find it.

Please add to this post with your comments/ideas if you too would like to see change. Dis execs do read these boards and will notice this thread if it gets big enough.
 
I know that is your experience, but it sure isn't for our family. We were at WDW the 2nd week in September. We did have 1 ADR a day and used FP+. We never made a single rope drop, and actually never made it out of bed before 9 AM. We stayed at the AKL and didn't rush out the door as soon as we woke up due to animal watching on our balcony. We even spent time at the pool. I don't feel we stood in crazy lines, and we did everything we wanted to do. This is even with having 2 half days of the 6 days we were there wasted due to me being sick.
 
I've been to DW over 10 times in my 40+ years and the experience just gets worse each year. I really wanted to believe that each bad visit was just an anomaly...maybe bad luck, or the wrong time of year, but I've learned that it doesn't really matter when you go, the Disney Magic is long gone.

The root of all the problems are the crowds, or more specifically the over demand/ under supply imbalance related to their most popular attractions. Even in the "slow" months ( I just got back yesterday), the parks are so crowded you are forced into full Disney combat mode to make sure you have a " fun" time at the park. You all know what that is... Get there at rope drop, get your fast passes, plan your route, make ur adrs months in advance, eat early, ride while others are watching parades. It's INSANITY! But not doing all that is even more insane because you'll be stuck in lines all day and maybe even miss riding certain attractions all together if you don't follow THE plan. There has got to be a better way. A way for an average family to have a fun, relaxing, enjoyable time at a DW park without having to read the Disboards for a month, make adrs months in advance, get up at 6am to beat rope drop, or need a precise touring plan to stay one step ahead of the masses all day long.

I think it's time for a rebellion. It's time we let disney know that their parks are broken. That the experience has lost a lot of its fun. THat we are tired of them allowing more people into the parks then their attractions and restaurants can comfortably accommodate. That we expect some drastic rethinking of what sort of experience they are attempting to provide.

To address these problems won't be easy or cheap, and disney has absolutely no incentive to even try unless we make our displeasure known. So if you too found your disney vacation more of a stresscation than a vacation, speak up, let us know what you think could be done to make things better.

I'll start with my 2 cents.

1. In busy periods, far fewer people should be let in. It's that simple. Just because they are legally allowed to jam a zillion people into the park, doesn't mean they should.

2. Even in slower periods, you're still stuck in crazy long lines for the main rides or forced to get there at rope drop to ensure fast passes. This has to end. How? I don't know, but I'm sure they could try something. Maybe they change park pricing to discourage multiple rides on popular rides. How about $60 park admission, but $10 extra for each ride on splash mountain, space mntn, soarin, test track, tot, and any other super popular ride. Or maybe they offer fast passes only to those who pay like at universal, or maybe they build a second soarin, test track, etc to cut lines down.

These might all be lousy ideas, but the point is, there has to be a good idea out there somewhere. It's time disney started trying harder to find it.

Please add to this post with your comments/ideas if you too would like to see change. Dis execs do read these boards and will notice this thread if it gets big enough.

Um, they are trying something - FP+
But I do wish they would build more rides.
I don't believe the overcrowding is unique to WDW though - every decent theme park I have ever been to has always had long lines except at really quiet times of the year and I would rather give FP+ a chance before paying extra for a popular ride.
We will be going again in April and I am pretty hopeful that we will still manage to have a fun time in spite of the crowds, the long lines and FP+:goodvibes
 


I think the takeaway from this is that different groups' perceptions vary a lot. A day that seems crowded to one person seems quiet to another. I'm always skeptical about claims that at some point in the past the parks were far better than they were now - how can you be sure you weren't just in a better mood or had different expectations at the time?

I think this is very true. I found myself at Epcot on Christmas Day last year, expecting to feel like a sardine in a can. I have photos of the park nearly empty most of the day at least where I was. Using FP+ for my top three attractions, and having a CP lunch/show package, allowed me to bypass crowds all day, and it felt almost like a September or January day instead of one of the busiest days of the year. But I am sure there are dozens of people who had the totally opposite experience that day, and their experiences are just as valid as mine. There are so many variables that come into play that it's impossible for any two families to have the exact same experience the same day.

Another thing that I think plays into it is that you often see posts that Disney doesn't have enough rides. That depends on how you look at it. If you only consider something with a thrill factor as a ride, then you will be disappointed. But if you look at the entire package, the thrill rides, the family rides, the shows, then there is more than enough in all the parks to fill the day. Personally, I think amusement parks are better geared to the thrill faction than theme parks are, because their focus IS on thrill rides and not necessarily the overall experience of the park.

Since the new FP+ system just went completely live last week, I believe there will be more adjustments to how the system works. I think there will eventually be differences between on site and off site as far as quantity per day, and I believe there could even be seasonal adjustments and/or adjustments based on the level of resort you are staying in. But I don't expect these adjustments for a while yet. Disney needs to get sufficient data from having everyone on the system before it decides what will be a perk for staying on site and what will remain available for everyone. We just have to be patient a while longer before we see the finished product.
 
The biggest problem is, the only way to reduce crowds is to increase the price of the tickets. It really is a no win situation. If the price goes up, crowds go down, complaints on being priced out go up. Reduce the number of people allowed in the gate, crowds go down, complaints about not getting in go up. Keep the same, crowds go up. And so on.
 
I agree with many points OP. In fact, I often wonder what people who aren't on this board or similar ones do. If it wasn't for all the tips I've seen here our previous trips would have been pretty disappointing. It's only due to meticulous planning that people can get anywhere close to experiencing the stuff you see in commercials.

Universal, Six Flags in NJ, Cedar Point in Ohio are parks we've visited that have the extra charge FPs and this seems to work.
 


I forgot to add that because of the audience here (knowledgable, experienced) you may not get that much support. Which is too bad since the collective voice here could make a difference.

We love WDW still- haven't given up hope yet. :)
 
I don't disagree with you. Our last trip to WDW was in August 2012 and it wasn't great, it was just ok. There were a lot of factors in play that contributed to that, the FP+ limitations hadn't even started at that point. Add that on top of the already declining experience, and it's enough for me to not return.

I do understand what you are saying about the crowding, particularly with special events. We went to MNSSHP the last week of September in 2010, and it was glorious. Attendance was low, and Toon Town was not yet closed for construction, so more park space was available to distribute the people that were there. At midnight, we were some of the last few people left in the park. Fast forward to the same week, one year later, and the 2011 party was a nightmare. The lines for the villains were still so long at 11:30 that we got cut off and never got to meet any of them. At midnight the park was absolutely packed. It made me so sad, because our previous experience had been so wonderful.
 
Let's face it. Everyone wants, all at the same time;

1. Room discounts.
2. Free dining.
3. Discounted tickets.
4. Low crowds/no lines.

It's just not realistic to believe all this will happen. Disney has built a world-class theme park/resort complex for the purpose of attracting people and thus making money. What is happening is exactly what needs to happen for the corporation and its products to be sustainable. They are trying to help the situation with FP+. Whether it works in its current form is for the corporation to decide. If you wish to vacation elsewhere, that is your decision to make. As for our family, we are going to give this a chance.
 
It is too crowded that is true.

The other problem is the lack of rides at the other three parks (DHS, AK, Epcot).
 
They could make Magic Kingdom into a Discovery Cove like playground for those who could afford it, but I think most of us would not want that. It would solve the problem of crowds and FP+, though. They could sell only 5,000 tickets each day with unlimited riding of all rides with short lines. Tickets would probably cost 5-10 times what they do now, but maybe that's where MK will be in 5 years and Disneyland will be the park for the masses.
 
Let's face it. Everyone wants, all at the same time;

1. Room discounts.
2. Free dining.
3. Discounted tickets.
4. Low crowds/no lines.

It's just not realistic to believe all this will happen. Disney has built a world-class theme park/resort complex for the purpose of attracting people and thus making money. What is happening is exactly what needs to happen for the corporation and its products to be sustainable. They are trying to help the situation with FP+. Whether it works in its current form is for the corporation to decide. If you wish to vacation elsewhere, that is your decision to make. As for our family, we are going to give this a chance.

We get all of this on all of our trips now. It is all about when you go. Now, if your choices of when you can go are limited, these things may not be available.

Of course, if Disney had its way, it would be very crowded every day.
 
I for one would love to see them open a 5th park, but....

near the end of the "behind the scenes tour at MK" last year, the very knowledgeable cast member asked if there were any questions, at which point I said " are there any plans for a 5th theme park" at which point he responded, " when AK was opened, Disney saw a definite decline in attendance at the other three parks, so based on that Disney has no current plans for opening a 5th park. "

I agree that all of the parks are much too crowded, but until the "suits" at Disney get the message that the lemmings are demanding more for our hard earned $$$, nothing major will change.

The new fantasyland is great, but DHS needs a major expansion as well as Epcot with more rides and more countries added..the space is there.
 
Your two suggestions are not good,first Disney is not going to allow less guests in,they do that only in real peak periods like between Christmas and New Years,but on January 26th it just ain't goinna happen.As far as your idea of charging $60 for admission and $10 for E Ticket rides is beyond lousy,in fact several of the other ideas other posters are also pretty lousy.The solutions are simple,they need more rides and within the next 4 years a new park,until they do build these it's just going to get worse.The tiering at Epcot and DHS should make it clear that's what the parks need,I don't see FP+ helping or some restructuring of ticket prices,they either need 3-4 new major rides at Epcot,DHS and AK and 1-2 more at MK along with a new park within 4 years.If they don't get around on building these then Universal building a third park and really taking a bite into their profits might just force them to go ahead and build them.
 
If packed theme parks mean more profit, do not expect the executives to make changes in capacity. IMO, FP+ is an attempt to redistribute the crowds, but the unintended consequences have been horrible for many of us. My perception is that Disneyland / DCA do a much better job with crowd control (except the night of the 4th of July:scared1:) WDW will closely monitor the bottom line and make adjustments over time. I will stay away until the changes are suitable to my vacation expectations.
 
Actually, I think the expectations of those who frequent boards like this are much higher, from reading about other people who have managed to never wait in a line longer than 5 minutes even at peak times and a feeling that all the advance work and planning should reap huge benefits.

I did some, but not a lot, planning ahead for a trip to Disneyland Paris over Halloween. It's a very busy time there, with most of Europe being off school and with only a single Halloween party running in 2013. We had a great time, excluding some terribly rude adults who felt shoving my children out of the way during character meets was an awesome idea. Oh, and not meeting Jack and Sally, but we'll find a way to do that some day. We went into it expecting it would be busy and deciding we'd have fun no matter what. If I'd planned out every meal and made detailed touring plans for each day, I would feel more upset over the things that went wrong and less happy about the whole experience.

Most people don't invest nearly as much in terms of planning, are well aware that standing in lines is part of attending a theme park and just have a good time. If that weren't the case, Disney would have gotten out of the park business years ago.
 

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