Never thought I'd do it- Cancelled.

[jimmymc]

Yes our experiences are certainly changing!! So tell me what you mean about scooters, are there more of them? It has become a tech world experience and for those who are not comfortable with it it will be such a challenge and sadly it has a negative impact on every one else. It can become so frustrating
to us all.

In my trips since late 2020, it seems like there are more scooters around the park than in 2019. I have no idea if there actually are, or if being away for a year just made me forget how many there were pre-covid, but it seems like a lot. I think the popularity of off-site scooter rentals has increased in recent years.

 

[jimmymc]

fun read. I just got back from a week in DW - we stayed off-property for the first time (Margaritaville) and had a blast. The pool was awesome!

We did Epcot, MK, and HS - in that order - on different days. We were just there in October with park hopper tickets and didnt use them so no need this time - money saved!

First the pros:

• Wait times were not accurate - in our favor! We found them to be much less than advertised - especially RoTR - it was posted as 245 minutes (ridiculous, i know) but we did it anyway - we were in the first shuttle in 75 minutes!
• We enjoyed quick-service restaurants more instead of long sit-down meals - we had more time and more money! Ronto Wraps, for the win!
• We rode just about everything we wanted to ride!
• Love Oga's cantina and the entire Star Wars experience.
• Lack of merchandise

Now the cons:

• Genie+ and LL were a waste of time and money. Our last visit was pre-genie and we thought "this will be SOO much better when Genie comes out!" - yeah, wrong. We feel we didnt get any benefit at all from LL. They were at weird times and when we'd arrive, the stand-by times were relatively low so we felt like we wasted the LL.
• While we are tech-savvy, MANY MANY MANY people are NOT which made park entrance, LL, and mobile orders incredibly tedious as we waited for the less tech inclined visitors to figure it out.
• Scooters.
• Disney Springs - I pine for the old days when I could park and quickly walk to a shop - the parking garages, security, and LINES to get INTO a store are terrible. There were a coupel dozen cast members with guide-lights directing us past the stage, and down along the road to queue up to spend money! Sorry, but I wont be back to disney spring for a LOOONG time...
• Surly cast members - they're not all nice anymore! We were trying to watch a MK parade and a CM (Ian) just kept walking around in front of the crown yelling at kids who touched the rope or may have crossed the imaginary line with their crossed knees or pointed finger... or someone behind us that stood on a bench or wall... or any other reason to interrupt the "magic".
• Queue managers seemed to get off on sending people through circuituous routes even when not necessary. It was just bizarre.
• Magic Kingdom is gone. It has lost it's magic. Too many people, not enough rides or attractions.
• Planning takes too much effort and creates too much stress - the stress I saw from my wife and mother-in-law over dining reservations took away the "magic"

I realize I went at the busiest time of the year and take that into account - and maybe it's me getting older - but it's just not worth the time and effort anymore. It's not fun and I want nothing more than to get home for a vacation FROM vacation. As others have said, there are better options out there and while a significant number of vacationers seem to be spending their money at Disney (probably first time visitors) - those of us who have been there several times before may just need to take a step back - lay on a beach - and let the first timers expereince the parks b/c despite the crowds, lines, prices, etc. - it's magical for them!

I've never been a fan of Disney Springs. The shopping is worse than my local mall (which is admittingly a fantastic mall) and the walkways get insanely crowded. I will go there for restaurants but that is it, and even then the walk from the bus to the restaurant is more stressful than rope-dropping Flight of Passage.

Did you have Genie+ for all 3 parks? I've heard it works well at Magic Kingdom but not the others.

 

[MainMom]

There's a lot of negativity here. I'd love to hear why it was your best trip- and I'm happy it was!

Well, the thread is about canceling plans. I don’t think happy, satisfied customers cancel their plans. Maybe start a new thread for positivity.

 

[hubbard53]

In my trips since late 2020, it seems like there are more scooters around the park than in 2019. I have no idea if there actually are, or if being away for a year just made me forget how many there were pre-covid, but it seems like a lot. I think the popularity of off-site scooter rentals has increased in recent years.

this was my perception as well. In both October and December it seems the number of scooters has increased. . . and I'm not judging whether someone needs a scooter but it seems they are more of a convenience for some than a need. For example, I was behind a group of 10 in RoTR. . . there was one scooter among them - it was probably 5 feet long with a basket on the front and a basket on the rear. Backpacks and shopping bags slung all over it and held in place with bungee cords. It could barely make the turns in the queue and took the driver some time to navigate the tight turns. A few members of the group took turns sitting on it. . . my impression was that it was more of a pack-mule than a necessary mobility device.

And in general, they're everywhere but no differnt than strollers. .. but so prolific I wonder if they need their own lanes ?

 

[jimmymc]

this was my perception as well. In both October and December it seems the number of scooters has increased. . . and I'm not judging whether someone needs a scooter but it seems they are more of a convenience for some than a need. For example, I was behind a group of 10 in RoTR. . . there was one scooter among them - it was probably 5 feet long with a basket on the front and a basket on the rear. Backpacks and shopping bags slung all over it and held in place with bungee cords. It could barely make the turns in the queue and took the driver some time to navigate the tight turns. A few members of the group took turns sitting on it. . . my impression was that it was more of a pack-mule than a necessary mobility device.

And in general, they're everywhere but no differnt than strollers. .. but so prolific I wonder if they need their own lanes ?

I think most people in scooters are in the condition where they can walk short distances but not around the parks all day. So getting out of it in line or even sharing between two people doesn't bother me. I do think ROTR and Runaway Railroad need to move towards wheelchairs in the queues instead of allowing scooters, since there are some narrow hallways.

 

[scard192]

If I hadn't promised my 2 grand daughters that we would celebrate my retirement at WDW in April 2020 I would cancel, but they would be SO disappointed. postponed this trip 4 times, now scheduled for this Spring.

Prices are way too high, no more free airport transfer, no more extra magic hours for on site guests, no more free FP+, Genie+ with the upcharges for rides does not seem like anything but a money grab on Disney's part.

I usually am excited to go to WDW, this time resigned to the fact they it's going to cost way more and we will likely only be able to do a lot less in the parks.

This is the last trip for my family. Looking at Universal next time.

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

I just waded through most of this thread. Whew.

I am wondering, after reading so many thoughts and feelings, if anyone has reflected about their own changes due to lockdowns and illness and how those changes might impact their personalities.

I was actually at Disney when New York shut down. We were super fortunate to enjoy our trip unplugged from media until the very end, when the announcement came that the parks were shutting down the day after we left. We made it home and I dealt with things quite well at first. I am one of those people that is good in the emergency and fall apart after the crisis is resolved. When it became clear that things were not going back to normal, maybe ever, I took it upon myself to start aggressively saving and planning for early retirment. I attacked every angle and wrote multiple plans. Combat Karl never gives up. Combat Karl finds a way. I am on track to retire the very first day I am eligible, but don't tell the boss.

And my fever for Disney World, and my plans for DVC at AKL, and my awareness of all things new in the parks, and my blog reading, and vlog watching....all died. I am a vastly different person than the one that left Beach Club in March of 2020. I garden. I meditate daily. I dream of a hideout in the woods. And I don't love Disney right now. Is it Disney? Or is it me?

 

[pixiedust2u]

I just waded through most of this thread. Whew.

I am wondering, after reading so many thoughts and feelings, if anyone has reflected about their own changes due to lockdowns and illness and how those changes might impact their personalities.

I was actually at Disney when New York shut down. We were super fortunate to enjoy our trip unplugged from media until the very end, when the announcement came that the parks were shutting down the day after we left. We made it home and I dealt with things quite well at first. I am one of those people that is good in the emergency and fall apart after the crisis is resolved. When it became clear that things were not going back to normal, maybe ever, I took it upon myself to start aggressively saving and planning for early retirment. I attacked every angle and wrote multiple plans. Combat Karl never gives up. Combat Karl finds a way. I am on track to retire the very first day I am eligible, but don't tell the boss.

And my fever for Disney World, and my plans for DVC at AKL, and my awareness of all things new in the parks, and my blog reading, and vlog watching....all died. I am a vastly different person than the one that left Beach Club in March of 2020. I garden. I meditate daily. I dream of a hideout in the woods. And I don't love Disney right now. Is it Disney? Or is it me?

I hear ya, and respect what you’re saying.

….but the pre pandemic me would still not
appreciate getting up before 7am on vacation. a prepandemic me also would want some flexibility, especially on vacation with young children that require flexibility. And the pre pandemic me would still recognize being taken for.
If anything the pandemic has opened my eyes to the big world of opportunities out there including travel.

 

[soniam]

I just waded through most of this thread. Whew.

I am wondering, after reading so many thoughts and feelings, if anyone has reflected about their own changes due to lockdowns and illness and how those changes might impact their personalities.

I was actually at Disney when New York shut down. We were super fortunate to enjoy our trip unplugged from media until the very end, when the announcement came that the parks were shutting down the day after we left. We made it home and I dealt with things quite well at first. I am one of those people that is good in the emergency and fall apart after the crisis is resolved. When it became clear that things were not going back to normal, maybe ever, I took it upon myself to start aggressively saving and planning for early retirment. I attacked every angle and wrote multiple plans. Combat Karl never gives up. Combat Karl finds a way. I am on track to retire the very first day I am eligible, but don't tell the boss.

And my fever for Disney World, and my plans for DVC at AKL, and my awareness of all things new in the parks, and my blog reading, and vlog watching....all died. I am a vastly different person than the one that left Beach Club in March of 2020. I garden. I meditate daily. I dream of a hideout in the woods. And I don't love Disney right now. Is it Disney? Or is it me?

I understand. I used to not be bothered by lots of crowds or rude behavior. However, I am much more sensitive to crowds now, less now that I am vaxed/boosted. I have also had it with rudeness. Unfortunately, I see this at the theme parks as much as I see it elsewhere. That's the one thing that I find a big negative right now at Disney. I usually avoid most other rudeness by doing curbside shopping and to go food.

 

[tjmw2727]

Back from our modified Christmas trip - as I mentioned above, I modified my 10 night 11/day trip onsite to 7 nights offsite and 3 onsite over NYE. I am so glad I did and will definitely stay offsite at least part of our future trips. Reduced our park days down from 11 days to 4 with a few ADR's canceled as well.

Started with 3 nights in Clearwater beach, fun and relaxing as we have family nearby who usually join us in Orlando, it was nice to spend time there before we all went to Orlando together.

Then four nights at Margaritaville in a townhome with a private pool and access to the resort amenities for less $ than the AOA suite we would move to. We spent a day at Busch gardens before checking in and then a day at Epcot in the middle of the 4 days offsite.

Finally crammed into the AOA suite for New Years, parks were way less crowded than I anticipated and we got decent use out of G+ the two days we bought it. Didn't purchase ILL as we got a BG for Remy and as AP holders didn't need to ride any of the other "fancy" rides.

So yes, I canceled 7 of 10 nights after returning from a stressful Thanksgiving trip and saved quite a bit of $.

I really don't like the Genie + and it's not just the $.... the need to purchase at 7am without knowing when and what attractions will be available is annoying to me. Twice we had a glitch that eliminated one of my dd's from selections because the system thought she had already used a G+ for that ride that day. Guest relations couldn't figure this one out either. I also dislike the fact that you can't lock in your time before you reserve, often the time would jump hours from the time I selected to the time I confirmed.

I am very seriously considering letting our AP's lapse in May, one of the main reasons is the park reservation system. I paid for a no blackout park pass yet unless I stay onsite I can only book 3 days in advance, on busy weeks park reservations book up well in advance.

Since I am now leaning toward staying offsite for at least part of my future trips and can't guarantee that I can even visit a Disney Park I don't know if an AP makes sense anymore.

 

[kathy884]

I am wondering, after reading so many thoughts and feelings, if anyone has reflected about their own changes due to lockdowns and illness and how those changes might impact their personalities.

I know for me COVID-19, lockdowns have changed what I want to do on vacation. I'm not doing any international travel (more work than I want to do to check out rules, testing, insurance, have a plan B if someone in my travel group tests positive for COVID-19 and can't get back to the US -- sounds exhausting and I am just not up for or fired up in any way to research and plan this. I used to be way more into more exotic destinations and research, but I don't want to touch that with a 10 foot pole now. I just want to do something easy in the USA instead that is less expensive and easier to plan.. A European trip to Paris/Belfast that was canceled due to lockdowns may never happen. A Puerto Vallarta, Mexico trip we were originally planning will unlikely ever happen. It's made me just want to chill more and just hang with family at a nice backdrop place.

I'm more these days into getting a condo (my own space and space for family / extended family and sticking to the USA). 2022 is Orlando in March (offsite condo) and Southwestern, Colorado in June (condo in Ouray). I've almost always been someone who stays offsite in Orlando and does other things rather than just the parks, so changes aren't too big an issue for me. And I've been to Orlando so many times that planning an Orlando trip is a piece of cake. I'm doing two Disney days and the changes really don't bother me at all. I'll just be chilling at Epcot / hanging out for Flower and Garden (doing two days there). I'll get the LL/Genie + stuff for my family members who are doing one day at the MK, and I think it will work out well for them. I've not concerned about the cost with just getting this on one Disney day. As we never do onsite, most of the complaints others have don't affect us at all.

Compared to checking out Covid rules, testing, etc. reading about how LL/Genie plus works was easy/peasy -- so much like the old fastpass that I liked way more than fastpass plus. I'm not stressed out about that at all. Plus I guess, I'm not all that concerned about a few longer lines or skipping things. I just like the vibe of the parks and hanging with family there. The parks for me and just a nice backdrop for hanging out with my family and extended family (so much fun). The mountains in Colorado and activities there are similar (great place to just chill / hang out with family).

 

[cgattis]

Does anyone have some good email addresses for concerns/complaints about trips? Sent mine to the general guest relations one, got the generic auto-reply, and then nothing further. I want to pursue it.

 

[whiporee]

Does anyone have some good email addresses for concerns/complaints about trips? Sent mine to the general guest relations one, got the generic auto-reply, and then nothing further. I want to pursue it.

If they want to reply, they will. I've written twice -- once I got a generic response, the other a got a phone call. It helps if you have a specific thing you are asking for -- either some sort of refund or discount on future trips or the like. If you're just complaining, they don't have anything to respond to.

If you want to make sure you talk to someone, you'll probably need to call.

 

[GeneralTso]

I think it's good there is a sanctioned, dedicated Gripe Thread. This 26 page thread is proof of that. People need an outlet and have a lot of gripes.
Park life has definitely changed. People seem to want to forget or ignore the fact we're still in the middle of a very scary pandemic. That's what started all this chaos and drama and it's ongoing. It affects the parks, therefor YOUR experience.

We'll always have people posting pictures of their magical, cold French fries and castle pictures with 5,000 people in the background. More power to 'em. It makes them happy and you can not rain on their Disney parade.

I think this pandemic has helped people realize there are other places in the world to travel. Sites outside of a Disney park to behold. Everyone has been holding their breath for a long time, and if Disney doesn't feel safe enough, they're going elsewhere. Expanding their horizons.

 

[bbak30]

I feel the same way. We are locked into our May trip because we rented DVC points. It was booked before the whole genie, LL stuff came out. If I could cancel, I would. I’m so sad that I’m not excited about this trip. Our girls are 16 and 12 and this is likely our last one for a very long time. I really hope we are pleasantly surprised when we get there. Right now I’m planning just 4 non-hopping park days, 1 water park and 1 resort pool day. And several off site meals. We opted to drive 10 hours over flying due to no ME and this also gives us the freedom to have more meals offsite. We don’t mind paying for good food, but $250 for a subpar meal gets really old at Disney.
I am really hoping for some changes before May.

 

[Kitkattsmom]

planning a trip to Disney used to be fun, now it's too much work and too much money for things that used to be included in your package. We had a trip booked for POFQ next Spring and also cancelled for most of the same reasons. We are going to try Disneyland (most likely a one and done for us) but WDW has somehow lost some of it's magic for me. this makes me sad as it was our go to vacation for me and my adult grandson who is my travel companion

i just got back yesterday from a week long trip to Disney and I said to my husband “NEVER AGAIN”. The magic is gone. You’re nickeled and dimed for everything. Paying for rides. Less services, less magic. It was just not a fun Disney trip this time. We were attached to our phones trying desperately to book rides and by noon any popular ride was sold out.

walt would have never wanted Disney parks to end up like this.

 

[DCLMP]

i just got back yesterday from a week long trip to Disney and I said to my husband “NEVER AGAIN”. The magic is gone. You’re nickeled and dimed for everything. Paying for rides. Less services, less magic. It was just not a fun Disney trip this time. We were attached to our phones trying desperately to book rides and by noon any popular ride was sold out.

walt would have never wanted Disney parks to end up like this.

I don’t have a choice. I have 6 day tickets I bought a year ago. I’m eventually going to have to use them. It’s good to be forewarned. It’s disappointing to hear about genie plus. It worked so well for us at DL.

 

[DCLMP]

I think it's good there is a sanctioned, dedicated Gripe Thread. This 26 page thread is proof of that. People need an outlet and have a lot of gripes.
Park life has definitely changed. People seem to want to forget or ignore the fact we're still in the middle of a very scary pandemic. That's what started all this chaos and drama and it's ongoing. It affects the parks, therefor YOUR experience.

We'll always have people posting pictures of their magical, cold French fries and castle pictures with 5,000 people in the background. More power to 'em. It makes them happy and you can not rain on their Disney parade.

I think this pandemic has helped people realize there are other places in the world to travel. Sites outside of a Disney park to behold. Everyone has been holding their breath for a long time, and if Disney doesn't feel safe enough, they're going elsewhere. Expanding their horizons.

Its funny because the pandemic brought us back to WDW. We were happily exploring the world prior to 2020.

 

[maryj11]

I wasn’t feeling the magic for our last trip this past December before we went. We didn’t cancel and when I got there I was excited again. We had fun and tried some new restaurants . I still felt the magic after arriving. Anyway I understand how you feel.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I think it's good there is a sanctioned, dedicated Gripe Thread. This 26 page thread is proof of that. People need an outlet and have a lot of gripes.

Have you taken a serious look at the posts out here on this board? I don't think folks have any problem voicing their gripes, and that's true since and also way before the pandemic. The truth is, it seems (and I'll emphasize this is my opinion) WAY easier for people to take the time to post negative stuff and vent than it is for people to take the time to post positive experiences. And that's not something I see just on Disney boards, but on most boards.