Hopefully, now things will improve at Disney

[JenniferParker]

This. I’m not delusional enough to think prices are going to go down but I would like to see more money/attention paid to the parks. Routine maintenance has obviously gone by the wayside (look at the number of rides randomly down at any given time- that never used to happen) and I couldn’t believe how dirty the bathrooms/parks in general seemed last month compared to before. I know cm’s are doing their best with what they’re given but Disney really needs to get staffing up and get caught up/ahead on ride maintenance. If everything was actually clean and working, the prices would seem a little more “worth it” to me.

I agree that I understand the business side, and understand prices will never come down. But, for the higher price, I expect shorter wait times (without paying extra) and cleaner parks. Working for 23-plus years in the tech field, I would think they could find a way to help direct park guests to specific rides more evenly throughout the day with an app FOR FREE. I believe Genie+ is attempting to do that. But the app glitches a fair amount of the time and guests have to pay extra for it. And, older people who are not tech-savvy are missing out.

I'm likely going to give Genie+ a try on my next visit, even if just for one day. But, I hate paying the extra cost when I've already invested so much money. I don't like the feeling of being nickeled and dimed to death.

 

[focusondisney]

I guess if I still lived near there and got the FL resident discount, it might be easier.

Yea, at some point Florida residents might be the majority of guests there.

 

[Dakota731]

How could prices possibly go down with the inflation in this country right now? My grocery bill and electric bill have all doubled this year not to mention the higher gas at the pumps. I was checking air fare for a non Disney trip this summer and it’s $200 more a ticket than two years ago. And since companies can’t get people to work, they are paying employees than can get more per hour than ever in history. So as much as I don’t like Disney’s rising costs, I understand it. For our family of six, we spent $125 (snacks included) to see a 90 minute mediocre movie at the theater over the weekend so it’s not just Disney

 

[BostonEd]

@Dakota731 Disney inflation has far exceeded general inflation for decades. So, if they wanted to, they could hold the line or even drop prices in an otherwise inflationary environment, even if they had to pay their employees more. They absolutely WON'T, but they could.

If necessary, what they more likely would do is adjust some things with perceived value like eliminating park day reservations and offer a slightly earlier park hopping time. Genie+ now has a range of prices; they could keep them at the lower end. Disney resorts regularly offer discounts on their rack rates; they could make those a little more available. But actually lowering prices? No.

 

[tvguy]

@Dakota731 Disney inflation has far exceeded general inflation for decades. So, if they wanted to, they could hold the line or even drop prices in an otherwise inflationary environment, even if they had to pay their employees more. They absolutely WON'T, but they could.

If necessary, what they more likely would do is adjust some things with perceived value like eliminating park day reservations and offer a slightly earlier park hopping time. Genie+ now has a range of prices; they could keep them at the lower end. Disney resorts regularly offer discounts on their rack rates; they could make those a little more available. But actually lowering prices? No.

No reason to hold the line. Higher prices help prevent things from becoming even more crowded than they currently are, improving the guest experience. And Disney discovered when that happens, guests spend more and Disney makes more.

 

[NightGuardianAngel]

At least one of the very few things left that is still free at Disney is the transportation within the property (even though free transportation from the Orlando International Airport to Disney World is eliminated). However, it sure will not surprise me if they start charging for that too.

 

[Titanium]

You know all those acquisitions happened under Iger, right?

Or before. Ron Miller, Walt's son-in-law, was head of the company when Touchstone was started and EPCOT was built.

 

[notatallmagic]

Exactly this! I don’t see prices going down, but please give me Disney quality for Disney prices!

I would have never said this 2-10 years ago, but Disney is still suffering in this regard, and our anecdotal experience over the past 18 months says the competitors are not. We've had "Disney + " level customer services on two recent trips to Universal as new Passholders there (no longer Disney Annual Passholders). The parks were clean; the landscaping was lovely, walking between parks, CityWalk, and resorts was quick and easy; NO overflowing garbage; the staff we encountered were much more magical, well trained, and attentive than ANY Disney Cast Members for at least the past 2 years; the prices were exceptional; IT/tech worked well; planning was easy; lines were manageable; not a single ride was broken down/closed; merch was cute and well-displayed; rooms were clean and beds made every night...it was much more "Disney" than Disney has been lately.

And the Universal Passholder lounge! We had complimentary drinks, and a super fun visit from the Grinch, a place to rest our feet and charge our phones. It literally costs Universal nothing - but certainly made us feel special and valued again.

So, we're getting Disney quality at Universal for less than half of a Disney vacation; and at Disney, we've gotten lousy quality and crappy service for much higher prices. Something isn't right.

 

[LiDa]

This. I’m not delusional enough to think prices are going to go down but I would like to see more money/attention paid to the parks. Routine maintenance has obviously gone by the wayside (look at the number of rides randomly down at any given time- that never used to happen) and I couldn’t believe how dirty the bathrooms/parks in general seemed last month compared to before. I know cm’s are doing their best with what they’re given but Disney really needs to get staffing up and get caught up/ahead on ride maintenance. If everything was actually clean and working, the prices would seem a little more “worth it” to me.

I remember reporting many years ago (like ... decades), the average piece of litter in WDW lasted 8 minutes before it was removed. So, yeah, things are different these days.