My Slow Divorce from Walt Disney World

[karen4546]

I was responding to you saying that no one cares and also that people maybe shouldn't say how they feel. Some do care and people should absolutely feel free to say how they feel within the website guidelines. Also, you are correct in saying that this is not a Disney site. It is primarily a Disney-centric site to be more accurate.

I said i don't care how they spend their vacation dollars. I did not say I don't care about how they feel.

 

[karen4546]

It isn't a Disney owned website. But it is a Disney themed website.

And expressing opinions on one's Disney experience is one thing. Chastising others for sharing a negative opinion is another.

We actually had a nice time on our visit in January. I doubt we would have enjoyed it as much without properly adjusting our expectations by reading the full range of experiences from those who went before us.

Geez, I state MY OPINION on Disney, the facts that transportation options are available, and that I don't care how people spend their vacation dollars, and get misquoted.

I did not chastise anyone. We can agree to disagree that this is a "Disney themed" site. It is a discussion forum for a multitude of topics from WDW, UOR, to words ending in "Y".

You stated you had a nice time in January-with the changes. That gives merit to my post that there is still a great time to be had. Does it take a little extra accommodation? Yes.

 

[Moliphino]

Geez, I state MY OPINION on Disney, the facts that transportation options are available, and that I don't care how people spend their vacation dollars, and get misquoted.

I did not chastise anyone. We can agree to disagree that this is a "Disney themed" site. It is a discussion forum for a multitude of topics from WDW, UOR, to words ending in "Y".

You stated you had a nice time in January-with the changes. That gives merit to my post that there is still a great time to be had. Does it take a little extra accommodation? Yes.

It's literally called The DIS Disney Discussion Forums. Sounds pretty Disney themed.

 

[mom2rtk]

Geez, I state MY OPINION on Disney, the facts that transportation options are available, and that I don't care how people spend their vacation dollars, and get misquoted.

I did not chastise anyone. We can agree to disagree that this is a "Disney themed" site. It is a discussion forum for a multitude of topics from WDW, UOR, to words ending in "Y".

You stated you had a nice time in January-with the changes. That gives merit to my post that there is still a great time to be had. Does it take a little extra accommodation? Yes.

Did you miss the part where I said reading the full range of experiences here was a key part of that? Without a realistic idea of what to expect I would have been very disappointed.

 

[bcla]

No one is technically excluded, however, monetarily, many are excluded, Same as many, monetarily, are excluded from any kind of a Disney vacation at all, or in many, many cases, a vacation of any sort, a weekend away at a local Red Roof Inn. Wealth is our society is not evenly distributed, and not saying that is should be. Just that realistically, many people are excluded from the niceties of life that many look at being just part of 'normal' life.

Quite a few people get their Disney fix through other than theme parks. But for whatever business reasons, Disney has nearly eliminated physical Disney Stores other than at outlet malls. That was actually quite a good experience and I'm disappointed that they're now gone.

 

[mom2rtk]

.Does it take a little extra accommodation? Yes.

AKA lowering of expectations.

 

[Ms.Minnie]

The costs to visit the parks have gone through the roof and they have added in even more upgrades. It’s ridiculous.

Especially when so many attractions seem to be down for one reason or another on the day we visit the park. A person doesn't get full value of the cost of admission when this happens.

I've been back and forth on WDW over the past few years. One trip it's the best ever and the next it's a crap show. The last 3 trips have been amazing! Reading many post here actually helped me look at our trips with a different point of view. IF you go into your WDW vacation with a positive outlook, it will be a positive experience. We do not purchase LL or Genie+. We make ADR and park reservations and that's it. Not being able to ride all the rides has faded and what replaced that is just being there. It's still magical to me and my family even if the price is a little bit more.

This is how we now approach WDW. The rides aren't the high points of our trip to WDW. Unfortunately if the annual pass program isn't reinstated w/DVC discount we will have to rethink how we do WDW. When we had an annual pass we would go into the parks to walk around, enjoy a meal and possible ride a ride or two if the wait wasn't too long. Going forward we will have to just enjoy all the rest of WDW excluding the parks. I think there is plenty to do without going to the parks to keep us busy and happy. We will see how it goes this coming January without park passes.

 

[Planogirl]

I said i don't care how they spend their vacation dollars. I did not say I don't care about how they feel.

This is a contradiction. Some feel that their vacation dollars are better spent elsewhere because the value at WDW is less. So that is how they feel and involves how they spend their vacation dollars.

I don't enjoy arguing and won't do so any more. Thanks.

 

[Ms.Minnie]

Quite a few people get their Disney fix through other than theme parks. But for whatever business reasons, Disney has nearly eliminated physical Disney Stores other than at outlet malls. That was actually quite a good experience and I'm disappointed that they're now gone.

I'm very disappointed that Disney has done away with their outlet stores, now we have a small area in some Target stores that is supposed to compensate for a full Disney store. It doesn't cut it for me. I have pretty much stopped buying from them and also not buying from them on-line. I have four grandchildren and used to really enjoy buying things for them from the store or online but not anymore. I guess they finally broke this camel's back. LOL

I still LOVE the idea of Disney. No matter what they do, for me they can't destroy the idea of Disney and Walt's dream.

 

[tcufrog]

I wonder how much they can continue to nickel and dime and raise prices before they reach the point of diminishing returns.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

... I still LOVE the idea of Disney. No matter what they do, for me they can't destroy the idea of Disney and Walt's dream.

Well, no surprise there. Disney magic is in your DNA. After all, you are "Ms. Minnie."

 

[John VN]

Thanks for the tip about MSC Yacht club. I will definitely look into them. We are looking to branch out from DCL but are scared we will be miserable on another cruise line.

Our need for the Disney Aura Immersion has not existed for some time, DCL Concierge in 2017 was disappointing and our last cruise then WDW shortly after but we still went *just because.*

As for Yacht Club Level, we do not avail ourselves of the complete immersion experience because it's more than we need but knowing that it is there and a level that DCL can not reach provides that warm and fuzzy feeling especially since we can sail more often. Hope you sail MSC and enjoy.

 

[dvcgirl67]

For this divorce, until Disney leaves its "booty call" and comes back to me with an "I'm sorry", I'm staying divorced. And even then I may not take her back. Nothing trial about me. I've already moved on. I bought a nice new boat last year, built a killer rec room and finished basement, getting ready to build an awesome deck, and just booked a 10 night cruise in the South Caribbean in another cruise lines suite than DCL. I've discovered another life that is quite enjoyable away from Disney. I guess you can say I have fulfilled the wish of many a Disney apologist who so often say on these boards, "Good, stay away less people for me to enjoy Disney." To that I say your welcome. LOL

Good for you....and yes, there's a big wide world out there and plenty to see that isn't focused on Disney. Hope you enjoy your new boat, rec room, deck and that cruise!

 

[dvcgirl67]

I wonder how much they can continue to nickel and dime and raise prices before they reach the point of diminishing returns.

I think that if inflation remains this high....they're going to find out fairly soon . There's still pent-up demand and supposedly some pandemic stimulus left over in bank accounts, and so they're still riding that wave. But even if inflation has peaked, it's likely to remain uncomfortably high, or higher than we're used to for some time. If we stay up in this range for an extended period discretionary income will begin to decline for a lot of households. And Disney is Discretionary....with a capital "D" .

 

[john7994]

I wonder how much they can continue to nickel and dime and raise prices before they reach the point of diminishing returns.

I have a trip in May, September, November and December planned for this year - so I guess I will find out.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I wonder how much they can continue to nickel and dime and raise prices before they reach the point of diminishing returns.

I have seen this question asked time and time again for the past 23 years that I have been here.

 

[dvcgirl67]

I have seen this question asked time and time again for the past 23 years that I have been here.

Ha...very true Dan. But I do remember there being a drop in their park numbers during the Great Recession when unemployment almost hit 10%. And we definitely haven't seen inflation like this in quite some time. Somehow though, I agree...Disney will find a way to survive.

 

[cabanafrau]

I haven't been to Disney since 2010...but have watched as the push to monetize every inch of space, every hour of the day, and seemingly every experience... has made Disney an increasingly expensive vacation...even for some upper middle class households in the U.S. If you want to have anything resembling an enjoyable experience, you not only have to plan months ahead, pay lots extra, but also get up at the crack of dawn every day of your "vacation" in an attempt to snag a spot on an attraction that you just paid an extra $20 per person to do. On top of that, you may plunk down hundreds more for an after hours event where you experience lower wait times. Or need to pay more to eat at a signature restaurant to get a decent spot at a show (think Candlelight Processional), Or hundreds more for a decent viewing spot with mediocre snacks and bad wine...to see the fireworks. Or thousands more for a VIP tour to get real front of the line access. And with private events and weddings eating up more and more theme park geography for evening shows...it's just too much.

It just seems as though there's a secret department at Disney called "Monetize it!!"....where they just spitball all day to come up with ways to take away from average guests to give more to those who are willing to pay. Yes, a lot of that is obviously what any company does...attempts to come up with ways for more income. But it feels like Disney has reached a tipping point. It's like that line in Jurassic Park when the lawyer tells John Hammond that they can have a "coupon day" or something....so regular people can see the dinosaurs.

We were never the type to visit WDW yearly, instead looked forward to returning maybe every 3 to 5 years. After our visit in 2013 we realized the changes being made complicating how to tour the parks, the serious lack of capacity in comparison to the expanding crowds, and the diminishment in overall quality of the entire resort meant it was no longer the place we looked back on fondly and the current configuration didn't hold any appeal.

For sometime I held out hope that the changes might cause attendance to flag and trigger a positive course correction. I've since come to terms with the realization that any drop in attendance is almost certainly unlikely to trigger the kinds of changes we would find appealing, and would in fact be more likely to spur the sale of the property altogether, likely in a financial distress scenario. For us the good old days of WDW are gone. I hope those still visiting and those yet to come enjoy their visits, because I recognize they're paying handsomely for the privilege and putting up with way more hoop jumping and hassle than I would ever care to in order to visit a theme park. I wish the eager new visitors could experience the quality, guest-forward experience we looked forward to in the past.

 

[shh]

We haven't been back since value resort parking fees were added and the crazy resort and tic increases the past couple of years- and we used to do 3-4x/year trips for decades.

We won't do another vacation there again, but I will spend the $200 or so per person to do a Halloween or Christmas party one year.

I figure that's around what a popular broadway show would cost with service fees and whatnot. To me, that feels like the best value they offer right now.

I'll enjoy 6-7 hours total, when you figure in the early entry privileges, soak in all that amazing MK holiday atmosphere late into the night - my favorite time - which is rarely offered to non-deluxe guests these days - plus no dealing with Genie, LL or other nonsense.

And a mickey bar or two to boot, lol

 

[dvcgirl67]

We were never the type to visit WDW yearly, instead looked forward to returning maybe every 3 to 5 years. After our visit in 2013 we realized the changes being made complicating how to tour the parks, the serious lack of capacity in comparison to the expanding crowds, and the diminishment in overall quality of the entire resort meant it was no longer the place we looked back on fondly and the current configuration didn't hold any appeal.

For sometime I held out hope that the changes might cause attendance to flag and trigger a positive course correction. I've since come to terms with the realization that any drop in attendance is almost certainly unlikely to trigger the kinds of changes we would find appealing, and would in fact be more likely to spur the sale of the property altogether, likely in a financial distress scenario. For us the good old days of WDW are gone. I hope those still visiting and those yet to come enjoy their visits, because I recognize they're paying handsomely for the privilege and putting up with way more hoop jumping and hassle than I would ever care to in order to visit a theme park. I wish the eager new visitors could experience the quality, guest-forward experience we looked forward to in the past.

Yes, you really nailed our feelings here. I feel like there was a sweet spot in mid 90's through the mid 00's and then there was a serious change in direction. There are no "down times" any longer. There used to be plenty of "downtimes" back in the days when we visited. Now they've filled those periods with all kinds of RunDisney event weekends. Or Star Wars weekends. I think the only "events" we worried about back then was the dreaded "Jersey Week" (and I'm from NJ..lol), and maybe Cheer Week? I know that there was *one* "Marathon" weekend....I think in early January....with a Full and a Half Marathon, and that was it. Then there were the obvious times we all knew about....the weeks before and after Easter. Christmas week....etc. There was a time when the time in the parks from the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend until about December 18th or so were *magical*.....it was so empty, and the parks were all decorated. It was amazing.

Now...it's always crowded...or completely packed....all of the time. And when I heard that they were doing the park reservations, I thought that perhaps they would limit attendance, raise prices....and make it more enjoyable for those who could afford it. But, that's not what they're doing. They're raising prices, creating new ways to separate people from their money....and packing those parks.

Like you, I think that's great for anyone who is really into Disney....good for you....I was one of those people one day. And, I never say never...who knows, maybe DH and I will go back for a vacation again some time in the future. If we do, I'd like it to be a trip with some splurge to it...maybe even a VIP day, because I think my days of 90 minute wait time are long behind me and least then we'd be guaranteed to ride most of the attractions we'd want to enjoy without all of the hoop jumping.