As Disney World continues to bounce back from the pandemic, Guests are still experiencing the odd in-between phase at the Parks. Although operations are a lot smoother now than they were a year ago, there are still many modifications and magical aspects that have yet to return.
Credit: Disney
We are still waiting to see parades (Festival of Fantasy will return next month), evening shows like Fantasmic!, and more! Even at Disneyland, small amenities and luxuries such as the complimentary robes at Disneyland Resort have been cut, which may not seem like a huge deal to many. Still, once Guests start missing multiple of these little doses of magic, it becomes more noticeable. Lines have also grown with the start of Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane, bringing back the “FastPass” queue in a paid capacity.
Lately, we have seen a lot of flack hit the mouse when it comes to budget cuts, and Disney CEO Bob Chapek has taken the brunt of the backlash, receiving a lot of the blame. Now, some Guests have taken to a Reddit post to share their concerns with Disney World as it currently stands. Captainn00dles started the thread by discussing a recent visit to Disney, commenting heavily on the cleanliness of the Park.
First off this post is not a Disney bashing but more of a concern from a fan. With that being said I enjoy visiting Disney but am indifferent on a few things lately. First like a lot of others have mentioned cleanliness of the park has gone down hill. Seeing more litter and graffiti more often. Was in the big thunder mountain queue saw people have scratched their names on signs. Stuff that you would normally ever see especially in Disney. Heck even saw a condom wrapper in the queue of space mountain. With the profits they are making hire some damn help and raise their pay. They might be breaking profits now but for how much longer? A lot of the diehards are already saying they aren’t going as often. If they are banking on new customers the way the park is currently won’t win them over.
From this post, we were able to see many fans were in agreement and had other issues that they were looking to voice.
nicolelynnejones believes that the issue could be staffing.
I’m sure it’s because of staffing issues since pay is so low. That being said, I grew up going to Disneyland every year (mostly) and never saw it dirty. I went to WDW for the first time pre-Covid and the first thing I noticed was how filthy it is. We rode small world at rope drop and there were half empty Starbucks cups littering the queue from the night before (we were literally the first people on the ride that morning). Monorail smells like a barn. I don’t know if it is because WDW is so huge that they can’t keep up with cleaning, but I’ve never seen that in DLR
Feeling-Dish-2449 does not think that Disney will make any changes.
The thing is, Disney probably isn’t going to fix any of it. As long as they look good on a surface level, they get their bottom dollar, they don’t have to do anything. That is the state of the company under Chapek.
Credit: Disney
ERnurse2019 seems to have an issue with the way the Park is operating in terms of ride breakdowns, costs rising, and a lack of entertainment.
Totally agree. We are die hard Disney fans. Have been every year since 2011, sometimes more than once a year and after our experience last month, we won’t be going back for a while. Parks were overstuffed, long lines for food and rides, and new/popular rides breaking down. Rise of the Resistance stayed down our entire Hollywood Studios day. The parades used to be beautiful and now it’s just random characters (Mary Poppins, Jasmine, and Goofy?) zooming by on random “Cavalcades”. It’s also frustrating with omicron cases clearly plummeting, to have to wear a mask but be crammed into enclosed spaces like sardines. (Are we doing covid protocols or aren’t we? And if you’re at a crowded theme park, how worried are you about covid, really?) but I digress. With Genie+, they have effectively raised ticket prices again since if you don’t have it, you will be waiting even longer. Definitely having lots of nostalgia for how things used to be. It’s just really sad how it’s gone from being magical to being about the bottom line just like everything else.
Credit: @3BridgesNick
At the moment, it is harder to compare the current Disney experience to a pre-pandemic one as a lot has changed, and a lot has yet to return to normal. Over time, I hope to see many of the magical elements come back, but I am glad that we are starting to see Disney shift towards their regular operational schedule with shows like Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire and Festival of Fantasy returning to Magic Kingdom soon. In terms of cleanliness, from our visits to the Park, it seems that Cast Members are still working harder than ever to ensure that a piece of trash does not distract Guests from the magic around them, but they cannot pick up everything the second it falls. Therefore, it is also on Guests to keep the Park clean and use the trash bins located only a few feet away from you at all times.
Credit: Disney
Most recently, Bob Chapek did note that the Walt Disney Company had its second-most profitable theme park quarter yet, which is great news in terms of the recovery of Disney.
How do you think Walt Disney World is doing at the moment? Let us know in the comments below.
At Magic Kingdom there is so much to see and do! Cinderella Castle is decked out for the 50th anniversary and soon Festival of Fantasy and Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire will return. You can ride the three big mountains: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain, or calm things down on Peter Pan’s Flight. Rope drop the Park to get on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and then enjoy a mid-day snack with some Dole Whip. Be sure to meet Mickey Mouse and enjoy the firework show, Disney Enchantment!
Let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan your next magical vacation to Walt Disney World Resort’s 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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Credit: ITM Kelly C.
