Here now. Observations and a couple of tips.

[Klayfish]

It's sad to hear people who for whatever reason aren't enjoying their trips, or say "It's not as good as it used to be". I just don't see Disney that way, and that's not how I felt on our trip there just a few months ago. At the same time, from my own perspective if that many people say they won't go back, I guess that'll lower the crowds for those of us who do go back. See...silver lining.

Just to clarify, I was only being half tongue in cheek when I said people not going back is a good thing because it lowers the crowd for those who do. Sure, in the short term that would be true. But I also quite realize that would be a terrible business model for WDW. Crowds get too low and things close and things change. So I was kind of joking. I stand by my comments that I don't see a decline in WDW like many of you, but at the same time I don't want to see crowds disappear because that wouldn't be good for WDW.

 

[stephmarty]

Pretty sarcastic.
If OP was cognizant of unacceptable conditions to meet her expectations, the best plan is to pro actively voice that concern to Guest Services, not a Disney fan website.

Some of us come here to plan based on the honest feedback and experiences of others. While we're all Disney fans, we are not all apologists. Again, thanks to the OP for the insights.

 

[Dbktmc]

Don't you know you're never to point out flaws on here? If you see flaws, it must be in your head. It couldn't be there were actually any true areas for improvement, right?

 

[Peepster]

Thanks OP, for your thoughts. As veteran (since 1972) WDW vacationers, we have had to admit that price has finally exceeded value. And while we still know many CM's who are enthusiastic and caring, there are now just as many who could care less if we spent our dollars elsewhere. Yes, we still will visit. But we are discovering many new itineraries that will happily receive our disposable income. Poor food quality, continually increasing prices, continual cutbacks in staffing, live entertainment, less opportunity for spontaneity with FP+ (yes, we also see some advantages), overpriced lodging (really, $800 a night at high season for a GF room?? Sorry, that's a lot of meals fort a family. Especially when there are better equipped rooms down the road for half the dollars.) and promised shows and attractions that don't materialize are the reasons our decisions are based on. As for the original concept of Disney(land)(world), we're great fans and loved, appreciated and willingly paid for the extraordinary experience. We'll keep testing the waters hoping to again become impressed. And I do respect those who hold differing views. We are all at different places in our lives and see things a bit differently. That's as it should be.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I don't understand why a guest returning to a place they enjoyed last time wouldn't expect the same type of service/experience???
I am not going to say to myself "well, we really had a great time last year, so this year we won't!!"
I don't expect that things will remain the exact same (new attractions build, rides are updates, etc) but I absolutely expect the same level of service and entertainment! Especially if I am paying a much higher price!

Im not talking about the level of service. Im actually talking in general about "change". Many people are resistant to change. Whenever they scrap a ride/restaurant/attraction for something new, people complain. Quite often I hear people compare things to the past without giving the "new thing" a fair shot. I often hear: "it was much better years ago when they had...." or "it wasnt like this years ago...." or "I miss the day when...". Imagine if NOTHING was changed from how many years ago? if we had NO new attractions etc?

 

[TexasTSL]

I will add to my original report that crowds are very low. Several CMs have commented to us that crowds this year are the lowest they have seen. That part is nice. Yesterday we went to HS in the late afternoon and due to rain and low crowds, we were able to FP Toy Story three times in a row. We probably could have done more. We did Epcot earlier today and the French Bakery literally had a handful of people there at noon with plenty of open tables. I've never seen it like this. Of course, some of that may be due to weather. It only rained this morning until around 10 and then started back around 4:30, though.

Grand Floridian is really nice and quiet. I cannot even hear other guests at all in the hallways. Service here is good.

 

[Danman]

My two cents on this discussion

1. In regards to cleanliness, people are lazy pigs now days in this "me" generation. This translates to the cast members as well, after all they are part of the same population

2. Disney is the largest onsite employer in the U.S. I believe. Its going to be a lot harder to find quality employees vs. when WDW first opened (see my first comment) Every industry is struggling to find quality employees these days.

3. I know I'm the minority on this one but if raising ticket prices is driving people away and the crowds are more manageable I'm all for it. Just don't like to see the quality slip though.

4. There is more but mom just yelled dinner time! plus I type to slow...

 

[teachmedis]

I really debated on whether or not I had the right to add my thoughts to this thread, but in the end I figure it can't hurt! I say that because I've only ever gone once. I agree the rooms are overpriced. But outside of that, I still see a value. I am a season pass holder to a local six flags...and let me tell ya, in comparison Disney is a steal. Disney has something, that to my knowledge, doesn't exist any where else. There is still magic there. Maybe it'll be a good thing for some of the veterans to take a break, good for them I mean. There are plenty of other things to see and do. I have to save for a couple of years to go, and getting there is half the fun. It was the best vacation I've ever had, and I can't wait to go back.

 

[Darcy03231]

Thanks OP, for your thoughts. As veteran (since 1972) WDW vacationers, we have had to admit that price has finally exceeded value. And while we still know many CM's who are enthusiastic and caring, there are now just as many who could care less if we spent our dollars elsewhere. Yes, we still will visit. But we are discovering many new itineraries that will happily receive our disposable income. Poor food quality, continually increasing prices, continual cutbacks in staffing, live entertainment, less opportunity for spontaneity with FP+ (yes, we also see some advantages), overpriced lodging (really, $800 a night at high season for a GF room?? Sorry, that's a lot of meals fort a family. Especially when there are better equipped rooms down the road for half the dollars.) and promised shows and attractions that don't materialize are the reasons our decisions are based on. As for the original concept of Disney(land)(world), we're great fans and loved, appreciated and willingly paid for the extraordinary experience. We'll keep testing the waters hoping to again become impressed. And I do respect those who hold differing views. We are all at different places in our lives and see things a bit differently. That's as it should be.

This is us as well. Last trip was in 2013 after being yearly (and sometimes 2-3x year visitors). We plan to go back once the new stuff has opened up, probably sometime between 2018-2020. In the meantime we are discovering new places to vacation and having a great time. We still love WDW, but during our last trip we started to feel that the value for the money just wasn't there. It wasn't one thing, but the combination of a lot of things that made us decide to reevaluate. I'm hoping that when we return we'll be able to say WOW this is huge improvement from our last trip.

 

[Missymoe4]

I was there a year ago and the only complaint I had was the food.

I did the QS Dining Plan (no TS reservations except for the pizza place in Italy) and wasn't happy with the QS food. The burgers, chicken nuggets, pizza, etc are just awful to me and I think hospital cafe food is better. I was thrilled with my pizza in Italy.

I do have to agree with the QS in the parks. We ended up eating more at the Poly and Grand Floridian QS locations. BTW, I did have to laugh that the food in Gasprilla Grill is cheaper than anywhere else. For example, I was looking at a pizza on the Boardwalk and saw the price around $22. At the Grand the same pizza is priced about $17. Go figure!

I do think the room service at the hotels is really good. Also, the Tambu Lounge had some great food.

The fish 'n' chips in the MK and Epcot were our "go to" foods. Those meals were amazing.

 

[lugnut33]

Thanks OP, for your thoughts. As veteran (since 1972) WDW vacationers, we have had to admit that price has finally exceeded value. And while we still know many CM's who are enthusiastic and caring, there are now just as many who could care less if we spent our dollars elsewhere. Yes, we still will visit. But we are discovering many new itineraries that will happily receive our disposable income. Poor food quality, continually increasing prices, continual cutbacks in staffing, live entertainment, less opportunity for spontaneity with FP+ (yes, we also see some advantages), overpriced lodging (really, $800 a night at high season for a GF room?? Sorry, that's a lot of meals fort a family. Especially when there are better equipped rooms down the road for half the dollars.) and promised shows and attractions that don't materialize are the reasons our decisions are based on. As for the original concept of Disney(land)(world), we're great fans and loved, appreciated and willingly paid for the extraordinary experience. We'll keep testing the waters hoping to again become impressed. And I do respect those who hold differing views. We are all at different places in our lives and see things a bit differently. That's as it should be.

There have been entirely too many veteran WDW visitors like yourself that have voiced your exact opinion for this to be a anomaly. WDW veterans being priced out or not seeing the value in their Disney vacations has been happening for about 3 to 5 years now, which incidentally coincides with MM+ and the large price increases.

 

[Missymoe4]

I am here now with DS5. We arrived Thursday afternoon and headed straight to MK after checking in at the GF. DH will join us today. We are here until next Sunday. First, GF is nice and really convenient to the parks. We have never stayed here before, but are here with a "Magical Deal". We are in Boca Chica on the fourth floor with a view of the pool. It is very quiet and relaxing. This resort may be my favorite. We have stayed at WL, POFQ AND CBR. I loved all except CBR.


MK seemed surprisingly very dirty when we got here Thursday afternoon. Of course, we arrived at the park around 2:30, so maybe that was why. I have just never seen it dirty like that. I mean, trash and food all over the ground, really surprising. We went to MK again Friday morning, and, of course, it was clean first thing in the morning, but I have noticed a general decline in cleanliness Around the parks in general and also a decline in Cast Member service/attitude. We have run into some very friendly cast members and some really great wait staff. Our server at Sci-Fi yesterday was just delightful!

We went to Jedi Training yesterday. I had booked a PPO breakfast to get in early, but ended up cancelling. We got to HS about 8:20. They let us in about 8:45, we headed straight to sign-ups and we're done by 9:00. We got the 11:10show, which was the earliest they had left. The show was good, but I preferred the old one. I hate to seem like such a downer! We really liked the Storm Troopers at the old show. Also, there seems to be a little too much dialogue, in my opinion, in this new show, considering the kids get antsy pretty easily! My hint here is to look for the PPO Breakfast line. You can tell which one it is because there is a server there with an IPad letting people in. She was to the farthest left when we were there. We got in the line right next to that line, and as soon as the rope dropped, they opened that line up, and we were able to hop over and were second or third in line to get in.

We did the Star Wars dessert party. The viewing Location for the fireworks was great, the food was okay and the adult drinks were pretty good. I probably would not do it again, but it was a good one-time experience. The fireworks show was really good.

Transportation from the Grand Floridian is great so far. I had read that buses are shared. Yesterday we went straight to HS, no sharing. On the way back we did share but just with the Polynesian. Monorail has been great.

There was a little rain yesterday and the day before. We were able to just duck in to see a show or get something to eat and didn't even need to use ponchos or umbrellas. Weather otherwise has been nice, not as hot as I expected. I'm from South Texas though where it has been over 100 most days this last month, so low 90s is nice to me. The rain has brought cooler weather in the late afternoons.

Crowd levels have been good. We did extra magic hours in MK, and that was great. Then we hopped to Epcot where we had our FPs. Love the new Soarin! Posted wait times are much inflated, at least the last two days. There was a posted 30 min. Wait at Toy Story in HS . . . Was actually more like ten to 15. Same with Star Tours. Posted 20, more like 5. None of the shows have been packed to capacity. We didn't even need FP for any of them at HS yesterday.

Food prices have gone way up, or at least it seems that way, and quality has gone down somewhat. A lot of small changes that to me make a difference, but may not to others.

We are having a really good trip, but I think we may skip next year. We are usually annual DW travelers. Quality has just gone down and prices up to the point where I personally don't feel I can justify the expense every year anymore. Don't get me wrong. We still love DW, but that impeccable service and quality that made us return year after year just isn't here like it used to be.

I'm happy to answer any questions or check something out if I can and if anyone would like me to!

There is NOTHING like The Grand. I stayed Club Level a few weeks ago and loved every minute of it. The entire resort is amazing and the staff is by far the best. I have nothing but high regards for the resort. In fact, I'm heading back in a few months for a long weekend and opted to pay the extra money to stay at the resort. It's a whole other vacation there...and completely transforms the Disney experience.

 

[miamimi]

There have been entirely too many veteran WDW visitors like yourself that have voiced your exact opinion for this to be a anomaly. WDW veterans being priced out or not seeing the value in their Disney vacations has been happening for about 3 to 5 years now, which incidentally coincides with MM+ and the large price increases.

Our last visit to WDW was with MM+ for the second time. We realized we just weren't enjoying it as much as we had in the past. We haven't been back in 2 years.

I have become a lot more reluctant to suggest a WDW vacation. Between the planning and the prices, I think there is better value elsewhere. I hope that changes, because I love WDW.

 

[jenna326]

We just arrived back from a quick for us trip to the World (5 days vs our usual 10). We generally go every other year, but snuck in an extra trip on our "off" year. I too noticed a decline in park quality and staff friendliness. For being just under a year from our last trip, it really surprised me. There were several times we encountered cast members with a "not my problem" attitude and Others when I'd say hi or smile and get nothing in return. The parks themselves seem worn down, I realize that's going to happen, but we were in MK one day this week with not Halloween decorations and the next day the park was filled with them. Disney can make it happen - if they want to.

 

[Grumpy92]

Totally agree with the PM. Great report.

 

[DrunkJam]

We just arrived back from a quick for us trip to the World (5 days vs our usual 10). We generally go every other year, but snuck in an extra trip on our "off" year. I too noticed a decline in park quality and staff friendliness. For being just under a year from our last trip, it really surprised me. There were several times we encountered cast members with a "not my problem" attitude and Others when I'd say hi or smile and get nothing in return. The parks themselves seem worn down, I realize that's going to happen, but we were in MK one day this week with not Halloween decorations and the next day the park was filled with them. Disney can make it happen - if they want to.

Wow! Halloween has STARTED?!

We're still getting the last out of summer, with school not back in til Monday!

I am getting more worried about our christmas 17 vacation... I mean, I am ok with them having to refurb things, and obviously not everything can be running all the time, that's fine. But, cleanliness and a good attitude, those things are a basic requirement for such places? WDW really needs to care more about their reputation if these reports of worse food, less clean parks, and rooms too, and CMs who don't care are true. Especially with the huge price hikes.

We will still go, because this particular trip is a big deal - but, you know, everyone's trip is a big deal. For most people, a WDW vacation is a hugely expensive, massively valuable thing... Disney need to go back to remembering that.

 

[CarolynU]

My son did the International Program at Epcot years ago and management were everywhere, and were very vigilant making sure that the area was clean and that guests were greeted as they walked around every shop in WS. They were constantly scrutinised and had mystery shoppers and if one thing was wrong you were marked down and then came the dreaded 1:1 feedback. If you scored less than a perfect 100 on more than 1 occasion you were warned and something was written on your file. Oh and Traditions was 3 days too.
Earlier this year I walked around the shops over and over and was completely ignored. One shop was empty, and yet the CM was staring and looking bored. I even tried to make eye contact but nothing! Later I spoke to another CM who to be fair was interacting with her guests and engaged her in conversation about management now, and she said that managers rarely come around and although they are mystery shopped no one ever speaks to them about it.
I can't help thinking that in my son's days this particular CM would have passed with flying colors but the other girl would have been given a bit of a wake up call! That shows a declining standard I think. Or declining staff levels so that there are fewer managers around to keep standards up. Or no one much cares anymore. I hope that it isn't the latter.

 

[TexasTSL]

Im not talking about the level of service. Im actually talking in general about "change". Many people are resistant to change. Whenever they scrap a ride/restaurant/attraction for something new, people complain. Quite often I hear people compare things to the past without giving the "new thing" a fair shot. I often hear: "it was much better years ago when they had...." or "it wasnt like this years ago...." or "I miss the day when...". Imagine if NOTHING was changed from how many years ago? if we had NO

 

[TexasTSL]

I am definitely not afraid of change and agree it is necessary, but the CM attitude is not the same as it was even a couple of years ago. I arrived last Thursday and noticed it right away. I think it is marked. My DH arrived on Sunday and without me mentioning anything abiut my opinion, pretty quickly remarked about the CMs. He wondered why most of them seemed ao unfriendly/indifferent.

 

[miamimi]

Truth be told, we have no idea whether the last round of ticket price increases funded needed staffing and upgrades in the parks or if they padded Mr. Iger's bonus. Additional revenue does not always equate to more spending on parks operations. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't.

Based on the reports on this thread, I don't think the money funding additional CMs'. I think it is all going to executive bonuses