Disney Faces Massive Backlash, Guests Claim It’s “Too Expensive”

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downtown disney family shopping

Credit: Disney

Everyone knows Disney World is “The Most Magical Place on Earth,” with all four Parks packed with exciting rides, attractions, and fine dining. The Disney Resort in Orlando, Florida, proves extremely popular, with the Magic Kingdom being the most-visited theme Park in the world. But many cracks are starting to form for Disney Guests, with many realizing there are a lot of issues piling up.

Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom
Credit: Disney

Related: Guest Drops Bag Onto Tracks, Entire Disney Ride Shuts Down

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic s and other reasons, Disney Parks have struggled recently, increasing prices and offering a less-than-ideal product for Guests. From lackluster food, smaller portion sizes, quality control issues, and price increases in seemingly every area, Guests are starting to become frustrated with the Walt Disney World experience.

Cast Member Mask
Credit: Disney

Related: Pirates of the Caribbean Attraction Sets Multi-Week Closure Tomorrow

These frustrations were shown in a massive thread on Reddit, where a Guest recently shared their “miserable” experience while visiting Walt Disney World. They claimed that Disney World has become too expensive and not worth the effort or money. The post gained a ton of traction, with nearly 400 comments from other Guests. See the full post from u/ExternalCool2000 below:

The prices finally got to me
by u/ExternalCool2000 in WaltDisneyWorld

User u/vtfb79 claimed to have worked for Disney previously, saying:

Used to work in Revenue for WDW, oh my the dollars that come in. Everyone is literally a walking dollar sign. One of the key metrics they look at is Revenue per Attendee. What does the average person spend. If Revenue and Revenue per attendee both go up, they couldn’t care less about attendance…unless they want more revenue….

User u/indipit commented:

Unfortunately, I think this is the way Disney has chosen to reduce crowds. If you keep charging more for the experience, those who cannot afford it will fall away, and only those who can afford it will be there. Lines will decrease naturally as a function of this effect.

It sucks, but I don’t think Disney cares about ‘ the little guy’ in the long run. Once they hit a certain price point, it will balance out.

Maybe another visionary will step up with another gate that is just as much fun, affordable and magical. Universal is getting better, with Harry Potter and Jurassic Park properties.

User /ThomW shared their idea of what could help with this issue:

They really need another big park to spread people out. They’re cramming more and more hotels full of people into the same parks that have been there since the 80s and it’s collapsing. :/

User u/Stewbattalborg criticized how Disney is handling its other Parks:

The need to finish Animal Kingdom and fix EPCOT first.

User u/lunardeathgod agrees with the original post, saying:

Disney tries to find a balance between price and park attendance. If the park is always full, they increase the ticket price until park attendance goes down. We are in that process now, they will keep raising until attendance stops, then that will be the new normal.

Not defending Disney, because it does suck that prices are going up while services goes down.

Disneyland Disney Genie
Credit: Disney

Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane were released last year to much criticism and frustration, leaving many Guests confused by the service. In theory, this paid service should enhance Guests’ experience at the Parks, but in practice, it seemed just an expensive itinerary planner. These paid services allow Guests to skip lines for a price, meaning Disney now has a financial incentive to have long lines. At Disney World, for $15.00 per day per Guest, you can skip the long standby queue by making a Lightning Lane reservation (new FastPass) and returning at that time.

Genie-Phone-Flat-TopPicks
Credit: Disney

Many Guests are also becoming frustrated with Disney’s new Genie+ and Lightning Lane systems, calling them overpriced and just another way for the Walt Disney Company to make money. The service is supposed to help the Guest experience, but many are frustrated and confused.

At each Park, however, there are two attractions that Guests would need to purchase a separate Lightning Lane ticket if they wanted to skip those lines. Those attractions are: 

  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
  • Space Mountain
  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
  • Frozen Ever After
  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
  • Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
  • Avatar Flight of Passage
  • Expedition Everest
bob chapek onstage
Credit: Disney

Many Guests also blame the issues the Parks are facing on current Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who is “controversial” within the Disney community. Many Guests feel Chapek is only profit-driven and is not creative enough to lead the Disney Parks and Resorts. A few months ago, a petition was created to remove Bob Chapek, as it became one of the most signed websites. Many Guests call Disney’s upcoming Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser too expensive, with the future of the Resort being questionable at best.

What do you think of the experiences shared in this Reddit post? Do you agree or disagree that Disney is too expensive? Let us know in the comments below!

Let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan your next magical vacation to Disney World’s water parks, four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — and the Disney Springs shopping and dining district!

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