I can't help but to feel that ever since Bob Chapek took the helm, Disney has been more focused on short-term profit at the expense of long-term consumer sentiment. As a new CEO, he wants to put up impressive numbers each quarter, especially during the first few years, but I feel all of this is coming at an expense. Am I the only one?
I'm referring strictly to the Parks/Resorts, as I do feel he is doing an excellent job with Disney+.
Please allow me to elaborate.
1) Magical Express. I am sure they will save quite a bit of money on this relatively benign perk. After all, will anybody really cancel or not book their trip because Magical Express is gone? No, they wont.
And that's probably exactly how that boardroom meeting went.
2) Extra Magic Hours. In the past, guests at all Disney resorts were eligible for morning and evening extra magic hours. Now, only guests at Deluxe resorts will be eligible for evening extra magic hours. If Disney were truly concerned about Covid safety, wouldn't they leave the evening hours perk in place to help cut down on crowds during the day? I know that for me, personally, I would arrive at the park much later in the day knowing I can stay later, making everyone's experience more tolerable. Leaving that perk in place would be for the greater good of everyone.
But now Chapek is essentially forcing night owls to either pony up the extra dough to stay late, or be forced out of the parks at regular closing time. Guests who fall into this category will either feel ripped off, or feel pissed off they have to leave the park while other Disney World Resort guests remain. And anyone who's been to the parks knows that lines during evening extra magic hours are not nearly as problematic as daytime lines, which will now be even more problematic, as night owls will now begin their day earlier at the parks, making for a worse experience overall for everyone, regardless of where you're staying.
3) FastPass+ retirement, Disney Genie. This is perhaps the worst of all offenders. Disney got rid of the FastPass when they reopened during covid, citing "covid" as the reason. But this horse manure excuse is illogical, obviously, because FastPass helps to organize riders, reducing the need for lines in the first place. We now know that the true reason they got rid of it was so they can roll out their new pay-for-downgraded-fastpass. That's right, their new system will cost you an extra $15-20 per day for the basic plan that forces you to be glued to your phone at exactly 7am on the day of your visit to get your selection in. Imagine who you'll feel, as a guest, who now has the added stress of knowing that you either need to wake up early after a late night at the parks to make your selection, or if you're feeding your kids breakfast and have to stop suddenly to make your ride selection. And you only get one selection. After your ride ends, you can make another selection.
So, we have to pay an extra $15-20 to help Disney solve their queue organization problem. There is absolutely no way the topic of a paid fastpass system didn't get brought up at a meeting when Bob Iger was in charge. It's obvious. But Iger had the good sense to shoot the idea down.
And if you want to lock in multiple fast passes, that will likely cost you an additional $10-$40 per person per ride. Imagine how you'll feel after that.
4) The Special events are getting shorter and more expensive. We all understand that prices go up over time, but the quality and quantity doesn't need to be reduced as well.
In summary, it appears to me that Bob Chapek is ruining the parks experience in literally every way imaginable. We all expect price increases over time, not just with Disney, but in life. But when those price hikes are accompanied by diminished services that will undoubtedly leave the guests devoid of any magical feelings after, you really have to wonder if they put the right person in charge.
I welcome your comments. And if anybody reading this knows any execs at Disney, feel free to forward this to them. They probably won't care, but it's worth a try.
