I think they need to keep the maximum number of people allowed as it is right now, but bring back all attractions, shows, restaurants, etc. and that includes all attractions presently under construction.
The maximum number of people allowed in the parks should not increase until after constructions begins and finishes on an another attraction that is not presently announced or under construction. This will spread the crowds out more.
And let’s face it, before COVID, the maximum capacity was way too high in all of the parks. So, not returning to that would be a good thing.
The problem is nobody is saying where “it is right now” and so you’re left to wonder not only what the max capacity is but to what percentage of the max the current capacity has been capped.
On the face of it, the maximum capacity doesn’t matter (except when Disney wants to whine about how much money they’re losing at any particular time), instead the real issue is the standard operating capacity, that being the level of attendance which doesn’t put an undue hardship on the system has to be established. I think that’s happened and is what’s being referred to as a reduced capacity. And, that’s accurate because it’s some number lower than the maximum.
I have no problem with the capacity reduction in concept or practice. The parks, with the reduction in place, are currently very crowded and long wait times are the rule instead of the exception. Disney has no aversion to crowds as long as they’re crowds Disney thinks they have some control over.
I’m at Disney now and the current operation stinks. They may not be at full capacity but lines are 2 hours long, rides are constantly breaking down. It’s not the park it used to be hard to believe I paid $1000 for my family to stand in line for 8 hours to ride 4 give minute rides, and then add on the cost of food and snacks..
Imagineers need to figure out how the working class father that wanted a special vacation for his kids can enjoy spending that kind of money to stand in line
“Reduce park capacity” and employment capacity. Less workers needed if less people. Prices on food is crazy ridiculous as well as most souvenirs. It all comes down to the dollar not the family.
But the opposite will happen. If they reduce capacity, they will have to raise the prices on everything in order to keep profit margins up for the shareholders.
Exactly, the article even says that instead of raising the price of concession food due to a smaller capacity, they will make portions smaller so you’ll get a lobster roll with no meat in it, or a slider for a cheeseburger… So it’s strange that capacity-wise they are “catering to the guests” but give us morsels of food at the same high-prices?… This is all a sham,, it’s a cover because Disney was expecting their usual employee base from Eastern Europe since Covid restrictions mostly are gone now, but now with the war in Ukraine all those eastern Eupopean employees and interns will not be come to Florida to work anytime soon so Disneybis quite frustrated so this their public announcement as to why they will have limit the park attendance.
Saying full capacity will never be back isnt really saying anything..the full capacity is set so high its never reached..no one has ever gone to Disney and been turned away and the parks are still so packed you cant move today.
“no one has ever gone to Disney and been turned away”
I can’t tell if this is sarcasm… They’ve closed the gates to new visitors tons of times. They even stopped allowing park hoppers on Oct 1 (50th celebration). I was there.
They absolutely HAVE reached “maximum capacity” and turned people away, pre-COVID. It wasn’t frequent, but it happened at MK on New Years Eve 2019, for instance. The monorail from Epcot to MK was closed and there was a huge line at MK parking gate because people were being turned away.
In going in 2023 only just booked holiday, staying at I drive , so wont get tkts until 5 weeks before travel so how can I book for what park I want to go to ,ie start at animal kingdom for safari ,lion king ,Rapids, then Hollywood studios for beuty and the beast but then epcot for frozen ,soarin ,,etc
I agree with marry, cancel & go to universal, disney got Greedy, not about families but money,
If from overseas by time you book up the tickets will be gone, unfair for those traveling from Europe to book tickets & get there & can’t get into the parks, & all this you can’t book rides until your in parks, is wrong as you pay to get in parks but rides times are gone, is it really worth the disappointment 😡
I agree with marty, cancel & go to universal, disney got Greedy, not about families but money,
If from overseas by time you book up the tickets will be gone, unfair for those traveling from Europe to book tickets & get there & can’t get into the parks, & all this you can’t book rides until your in parks, is wrong as you pay to get in parks but rides times are gone, is it really worth the disappointment 😡
I was just at Universal, and it’s not cheaper at all! Damn, we found it was actually more expensive!
A 1 day ticket can cost as much at $150, and if you want their lightning pass, that can cost an additional $250 a day on certain dates, but no less than $100.
Food and drink is the same as Disney, overpriced fast food served in an over crowded dining room.
Take it from somebody who visits the parks on a regular basis, the price difference is negligible between the two. Universal has better rides, Disney has a better atmosphere and environment 🙂
Just returned from there. If they are not at full capacity then I would truly hate to see them at full capacity. With wait times for rides upwards of two hours and multiple rides breaking down while we were in lines, Disney is not capable of handling full capacity anymore. If their machines cannot even handle the amount of people that were there (which in my opinion was far too many) then they need to reevaluate how many people they are letting in. Been going to Disney yearly for 25 years and it is no longer what it used to be. The experience used to be wonderful and magical. Clearly the almighty dollar has taken over their priorities and it shows. Guests and their experience is not their priority anymore. This is one Disney fan they have lost. Universal will get my money.
Exactly what do they mean it isn’t full capacity the past 2 weeks have been a nightmare. Every ride has atleast a 60 minute wait. We waited 3 hrs for ROTR
Chris Kinney Did you do this as a solo person, with youthful legs and no strollers or wheelchairs? Family groups of various ages and circumstances have more of a challenge in the rope drop masses.
No entity can satisfy every single person or group of people, it’s simply not possible.
Here you have a suggestion on how to reduce your wait time which works for a number of people (me included), instead of arguing about it, why don’t you try it.
I’m so glad I went to WDW in Sept 2020. It was the best time I ever had at Disney. Aside from the (at the time) new Mickey and Minnie ride there were no lines I had to wait in that lasted more than 30 minutes for the vast majority of rides I went on. I rode Flight of Passage five times in one day! Everest 3 times! That never happens!
Same! We went beginning of Sept 2021 and it was a “sweet spot” due to kids going back to school for the first time in two years (no more remote learning), international travelers weren’t allowed yet, people were holding off for the 50th in Oct, people were holding off because of mask mandates, and that delta variant had just came out. The only rides we waited longer than 20 min for was ROTR and Avatar, and even those were only 45 minutes. Avatar was 20 minutes once. We walked on Tower of Terror three times in a row and Frozen twice in a row! We walked on rides like splash Mtn, haunted mansion, space mountain, Aerosmith, Everest…I got so excited to come back that I’ve been watching the web site. But it’s been INSANE since the 50th, hardly any resorts available, snd park reservations filling up fast! I don’t think an “off season” trip like ours will ever happen again. My cap is 45 min for a ride. 20 for lesser ones like It’s a small world. So not sure we’ll come back unless it calms down some. It’s sooooo expensive!
I feel it is a pain in the butt because we bought year long magic key passes but have only been able to get in the park once this is unfair since we live a simple car ride from Disney but can’t even get in more than once but have to keep paying our monthlydues?
Same. We booked a Disney cruise in 2019 for 2022 and then we got a email from universal. It was half the price for a longer stay and since it’s at a premier hotel we get free fast pass. We can’t wait to go. My Disney doesn’t exist anymore it’s gone. It’s just a money sucker now.
The Disney Parks already believe that riding 3 attractions in a day is a bargain for $100. Myself and my friends have experienced this since 2000. Too many people for an enjoyable day.
What about annual passes return for out of state people. We were planning 3 trips this year but looks like we may cancel 2 and sell DVC. We can’t keep buying tickets and paying maintenance fees. Tickets for 8 days is over 2700.00 per trip. Annual pass would be about 3900 fir family 4. Sorry to say I have gone to Disney since 1972. Time to end it
I have been a DVC member for over 20 years. We just finished a trip there. Way too many people, I fully don’t believe it’s not at capacity. We hated making reservations for a park, and then Genie reservations on top of that. You can’t be spontaneous anymore. It was not an enjoyable visit. We spent two days at Universal and loved it. Their fast pass system works, no park reservations needed, loved it. May sell our DVC in the future.
The whole idea of our trips to Florida, from NY, was that we could decide to go to one of the parks the night before. Our vacations were always full of spontaneous plans. If we now have to plan our trips around their availability, it’s not going to work. Was hoping to go this summer, but now we’re probably having to wait until summer of 2023. May be the start of trips to Fla without anymore visits to any Disney parks. Prices will no doubtedly rise across the board due to less visitors.
The fact is that Disney Parks are not at max capacity but they were seldom at max capacity prior to the plague except during holidays and spring break. You can believe that or not.
Making reservations is as easy as tapping on you phone which you’re pretty much doing all day long anyway. There’s no requirement to use Genie.
Universal’s AP’s cost about half of what a comparable WDW AP would cost and that makes sense because you’re getting half the number of parks, 2 parks Vs. 4 parks. The Universal Unlimited Express Pass is over $100 per person per day.
Instead of selling your DVC, rent the points, you’ll make a profit which you can use to go to Universal.
Yeah, who ever heard of crowds at a theme park? Here you have the most popular tourist destination in the world, why would anyone think it’d be crowded?
And, reservations? Another unheard of thing that’s too complex to consider?
I guess you didn’t make reservations for the transportation to get to Orlando or for the transportation to the hotel or for the hotel itself.
I guess you never make dinning reservations or doctor or dentist appointments which are reservations in disguise.
Well I was just there last week and in my opinion it was difficult to have a great time in this magical place because of the amount of people. Waiting in lines for two hours with a five year old is nuts. Takes the fun out of it. Two, I needed to rent A ECV. None available. Really for the amount of people you let in the park you really need more. Thank good or hotel was great we had a good time there. The whole experience was a little disappointing. Let’s talk about no trams or buses from the pushing lot. Yup, the first day I walked even though I needed to ride. The next few days days I paid the ridiculous price thst is charged for premium parking, but no ECV’S. I wish it was magical but I think Walt and Roy are turning over in their graves. Sorry. For what I paid, I needed a little more magic.
Was there for 9 days recently and worst time ever. It was so overcrowded and overwhelming that it was no fun. Food was mediocre at best. Thank God for the Yacht Club as was there more then the parks cause was insane and not magical. You better make sandwiches and food before you go in cause the lines are crazy. Goodbye Disney. Never again. Left a day early as the trip was so bad.
Honestly with reduced entertainment, guests are now concentrating on rides, parades are coming back which should help, but something has to soak up people.
Hey, JM, relax, your dreams are fine, I did exactly that, left NY two years ago, landed around the corned from the MK and haven’t regretted it for a minute.
I wish people would come to the obvious revelation that theme parks get crowded, they’re supposed to. that was the whole objective, to get lots of people in and make money. What person in their right mind would plan and open a business which nobody frequented and be happy about it?
Just visited the Magic Kingdom in February and there is not enough staff there are dirty bathrooms the food was atrocious the tables were dirty absolutely a nightmare. There is nothing magical anymore..disney is just greedy and not hiring enough staff.
Honestly, WDW went from being a world class destination theme park to being beat out by cedar point and six flags. It’s ridiculous what Chapek and friends are doing to Walt’s legacy
I believe Disney is “gaslighting” us all. We have been annual pass holders for many years. We’ve been there many times each year, at various times/dates. And, the crowds we encountered a couple of weeks ago was insane. It rivals peak summer and holiday crowds. There is absolutely no way they are operating at reduced capacity. The only things reduced are staff, working rides, and courteous patrons. That, along with drastically rising prices, makes it awfully hard to spend our hard earned money there. We are currently on the fence about if we will renew our annual passes this year.
We’re AP holders as well. We pretty much decided to downgrade to the lowest pass. This way we can still go on weekdays but not spend a fortune on a pass anymore. We used that extra money and purchased top Universal AP’s.
I agree with others, that the ability to control crowds has nothing to do with guest experience and everything to do with Disney reducing staff and services based on reservations. They have used the pandemic to destroy the out of State Annual Pass to better control who enters and the cost per day they are charged. Really need to rethink visiting again.
They raise their prices on everything, cut staff due to reservations/low capacity system, and reduce their operating schedule…we KNOW that this is going to backfire!!! Sadly, Disney is headed in the WRONG direction. They may disappear all together, down the road. We’ve actually changed our minds about visiting again. We haven’t been to Disney in many years, but after learning about all of this, and the fights breaking out in the parks, we decided against returning. We want to remember Disney the way it used to be!!!
Chapek is a die hard bean counter who really sees guest experience as secondary to bottom line numbers. I’ve been a car member at WDW twice before, all pre pandemic. I’ve also been an annual pass holder for many more years than I care to count. But I’ve decided I’m done until Chapek is gone, hopefully sooner rather than later.
The first time I worked there was sitting the “year of a million dreams” celebration where all cast members were highly encouraged to go out of the way to give guests magical experiences every day (free pins and some merchandise, and even vacation upgrades). My advice: WDW needs to stop figuring out ways to lessen and be cheapen the guest experience (and for God’s sake bring back the trams already!). Eventually people are going to get tired of it and do like my family is doing: heading to Universal Studios for a few annual pass years. They seem to be still trying to consider their guest’s overall enjoyment and experience as an essential part of the business day.
I think it’s time to build another Disneyland somewhere in America beacuse it’s way too crowded in California for that location. Preferably next door in Arizona…. where I live heeheehee
There is zero chance that Disney leaves money on the table by not going to full capacity at some point. With all the price increases and things like Jafar+ and slow lane to extract dollars from their customers I don’t believe this exec for a second.
Was there in Nov Dec last year.the entire week it was more crowded than it was 6 years ago for a 4th of July weekend. It was not supose to be at capacity last year, but I do not believe it.
For all it does, why can’t Disney integrate the reservation and ticket buying like airfare or movie theaters. It’s simple to go into the calendar, find and select the open dates and make a purchase right there so you get what you want. Not some stupid back and forth maybe you’ll get what you want with a lot of buyer friction. Who came up with this dysfunctional austen, process?
There is absolutely NO need for reservations, now that society has mostly gone back to normal. Other major theme parks such as Six Flags, Busch, and Cedar Fair have dropped their reservation policies. By Disney keeping theirs, is only going to hurt their business. People will get frustrated, go elsewhere, and forget all about Disney. If Disney can’t figure out how to manage long lines for attractions, shows, and food service, then maybe they should just shut down all together.
They, Disney, figured out how to manage long lines, so did Universal. It’s the public who haven’t figured out how to manage them because they feel too entitled to either wait for access or pay extra for access.
Disney has standby lines and Lightning Lanes accessible via Genie+ using a tiered buy in system ($15 pp/pd for most rides/attractions, a la carte selections running between $5-19 each), Universal has standby lines and Express Pass lines accessible via Express Pass (from $80 pp/pd/single park or $90 pp/pd/two park which allows you to ride most thing 1 time) or Express Pass Unlimited (from $110 pp/pd/single park, $120 pp/pd/two park which allow unlimited rides on most but not all attractions).
Are you a WDW employee or something? Everyone on here has given their opinions on how they feel about paying more for getting less at Disney and you just crap all over them. “Who would have thought large crowds at a theme park” most people are complaining because they used to get a lot for paying a lot and they were fine with it. My aunt and uncle went since wdw opened and haven’t missed a year except 2020. They used to get extra park hours at any resort (no longer) now only at select hotels do which are usually 400-700 a night. Get those extra hours. Yet they pay more each year for tickets. Universal if you stay at 1 of 3 premier hotels you get free fast passes. And you still get early park admission when staying at any universal hotel. Or if you buy a vacation package through universal their partner hotels get them too. With Epic universe opening in the near future I don’t see Disney being top tog for long.
Long time WDW fan but it’s not what it used to be. My family stayed on site for a week in January and parks were mostly packed. If they weren’t at capacity, as someone else said, I would hate to see what capacity looks like. We even sprang for Genie+ for Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom and it didn’t help much. We also paid an extra $13 per person to avoid a 3 hour wait for ROTR, which I had to wake up before 7 am to anxiously hover over my finger over a button on my phone to make sure I snagged a time. Yea, not very magical. It breaks my heart to see it like this.
Maximum park capacity before Covid was NEVER normal in the eyes of a sane, rational human. Before all this when the park was at what they called maximum capacity you couldn’t walk down the street. We’re talking shoulder to shoulder. The cast members could see a piece of trash on the ground but couldn’t physically get to it to pick it up. I don’t think their current number should even be maximum. If you’re going to make people sell a kidney to get in they should be able to walk without someone stepping on the back of their shoe!
Just got back haven’t been since 2007 and 6 times before that. Crowd ridiculous, price for food which was subpar ridiculous,. 3 rides I went to broke down. Indiana Jones finale technical difficulties, haunted house stopped 4 times mission to Mars returned to base after lift off. Never again.
As a little girl, I was at DW when they opened. Later, we obtained resident annual passes and would go whenever we got the chance. I now have not been to DW since the end of 2019, did not renew the pass I have had for years and years, and from the sounds of it, will never step foot in DW again. I miss it, but this isn’t DW any more. Mr. Walt is probably turning in his grave about now, to see the mess that has been made of DW, which was his dream park.
How is the can’t say gay bill connected to this? The can’t say gay bill is just not allowing the indoctrination of gender theory on kids in public school kindergarten-third grade.
Concur Mason.
The left uses any opportunity to push its agenda.
We used to be able to go to WDW to get away from the world’s problems and all of the social issuess and mess. Not now!
I may go back one more time (August or October). Used to be an annual visitor, staying at the Dolphin Hotel. Very sad about WDW being in such a mess…
Everyone has their pet soapbox and they can’t wait to stand on it for any reason whatsoever.
BTW, WDW isn’t as big a mess as is purported on this blog by entitled people who are convinced that even though prices have gone up everywhere for everything over the last 20 years that it shouldn’t have happened for them at WDW.
Woody Sir, you got that right. I use to be a Maingate Hostess & was told that Everything AFTER you get in Past the Gates are DISNEY ROYALTIES. Ticket prices are what keep the parks operating and Everything else it the Cherry on top!!!!
I have the perfect solution if you don’t like what Disney is doing recently…don’t go. We have a DVC property and have no intention of going…we will rent out our points to cover the maintenance…Disney has gone to hell in a hand basket and they are just concerned about the bottom line, not a quality experience for their customers. Hurt them on the bottom line and they will be forced to give us what we want. Otherwise, enjoy a reduced quality for ever increasing prices. I was fine without Disney for decades and will be fine without them going forward, even if I never return.
I agree with others. I have lived near Disney and had passes since they first came out. Took my kids, grandkids and now my great grands. I had a hard time getting into the park because I only wanted a 1 day ticket. Those were sold out for that day. My daughter had just bought a pass for 5 people and I wanted to go with them. I had to buy a pass to go in which is ridiculous because they obviously had room for me. It was very crowded. The kids were miserable. Even Disney Springs was ridiculously crowded. Things just aren’t as they used to be. I’m happy I was able to go a lot in the 80’s and 90’s when it was enjoyable and when they first opened after the pandemic. The fireworks show in front of the castle made my day worth it though.
What does the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill, the higher price/lower portions of food and a link to a travel agency have to do with full capacity never returning? This site always tries to sneak in its agenda and paid sponsors to every article. These articles are getting to be unreadable.
There is NO such thing as the ‘Don’t Say Gay” bill. That was made up by the media to lash out at Governor DeSantis. It is an education bill that does not allow teachers to discuss sex of any kind in the classroom with students without parental consent and bring allowed to be present.
It sucks that so many people can’t enjoy the parks with the way it is. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to any Disney Park (FL & CA). After reading so much of this.. why would I want to go? I think people being unable to attend for so long are one of the reasons it’s so bad. Really.. it’s like this all over the place. Gas is WAY up, Groceries are way up… It’s not just vacation spots. Everyone needs employees, but people won’t take the jobs. Just need to wait it out. And seriously, Walt had a plan that worked in his time, but folks Disney is a for profit business, they really don’t care. And all of you who are giving up annual passes, jettisoning Disney as a future destination.. they don’t care. For every one of you, 5 people will take your place. They just. don’t. care. They’re just making up for lost revenue. Personally, I would love to take the grands there… but I think it’s good advice to wait a few years or more. The prices will never go down… but it could become a more doable trip if you’re able to move around.
I want to see what happens to capacity once the 50th anniversary is done. Spring break is done. Even after the summer is done. My bet is the stim dollars will be spent. DVC points will be up to date (No banked points left). Covid restrictions will be gone. Then parks will be back to semi-normal. Hoping anyway, but only time will tell.
It’s clear that the definition of “capacity” has changed. We’ve been coming to Disney World regularly for decades in both summer and holiday periods, and never seen crowds or wait times across all attractions like we saw on Monday. Attendance is abolutely higher than pre-pandemic “capacity”. Guess it’s how Chapek is choosing to recover lost revenue during the pandemic, while establishing a new normal for record profits going forward. Down side is a poor un-magical guest experience that will cause first timers to never return. But I suppose there’s enough future first timers that this won’t be a problem for Disney.
I do not understand why people flock to Disney when Universal, Sea World and Bush Gardens are sooo much better. Disney is boring and outdated, way overpriced, and simply not worth the headache you WILL have at the end of the day.
Prices are pretty much the same for what you get.
Disney 1 day/1 park ticket 3/23 = $139, with park hopper (4 parks available) = $204
Universal 1 day/1 park ticket 3/23 = $139, Park to Park (2 parks available) = $194
Sea World 1 day/1 park 3/23 = $100, they’re having a 25% off sale on admission tickets right now
Bush Gardens 1 day/1 park 3./23 = $97, same story as with their sister park, Sea World, they’re having a 25% off sale but you have to pay $50 extra for the safari, and it’s a 3 hr round trip from Orlando.
Parking cost is about the same, food costs the same and is no better, add ons are similarly priced.
So, I guess I don’t where the “sooo much better” part is.
How about if I spend an extra 100 extra I can actually ride all the rides I want and not wait for some stupid app to tell me if I can or can’t. Disney sucks now you should just get over it. Sorry Nick not everyone loves Disney as much as you. You’re either an employee or a family memeber of their crappy CEO. People don’t mind paying more if they get more. Disney prices have gone up yes but they’ve taken a lot of things that made it great away. Universal if you go to the park 3 days or more an AP would pay for itself and you get park to park with it. At least their premier hotels give you fast pass while staying there. And with deals ( you know the thing that give you money off of full price of things? That somehow Disney doesn’t do anymore or it’s not significant enough for middle class people to afford it yeah those things) it’s cheaper to stay “on site” by sometime half the amount per night.
I Was at WDW in May of 2021. It felt like the old days of going to the parks. Waited in line for 1/2 hour here and there, casually strolled down Main Street, no pressure of having to get to an attraction on time or trying to secure a time for a ride, ate when we wanted to. It was the absolute best trip yet! No pressure to be anywhere. Never even had to pull out my phone! Fast pass was not available which was fine, magical express was still running, magic bands were $5 and still being used. Walt would be mortified of how much it has changed in the past year. Nothing is the same. Very very sad. Magic is completely gone. Everything is about the money. Such a shame. Desire to return is gone. I Cancelled my April trip and don’t regret it at all.
We went the end of February and every ride we rode had some tech difficulties. Waited 45 minutes for rise and it broke down. It was the most crowded I’ve actually ever seen before so not sure how it’s running at lower levels? It was our first time back since January 2020 and I couldn’t believe how hard things have become.
We need more patriotic companies who are willing to spend more for the American way of life instead of looking how to make more money. This is how China took over the free world.
I went back in 2019 before COVID so I don’t understand what would be the difference to go back to full capacity. It’s sad I can’t even get a Annual pass and I live here. And the one they offer is weekdays, I work M-F, I don’t want to always take off work or take the kids out of school all the time.
I was at Disney World this last week on March 6th,8th and 10th (2022). I find a disconnect with this article and the reality of Disney World. While the article claims the attendance has been reduced as does the CFO of Disney, it was wall-to-wall people. We purchased for an additional cost for the five members of our group the lightning pass. Half the time it was not usable to us as it wasn’t being permitted or there was preference for Resort guests or other inclusions that excluded us. Additionally, we had to get on apps to buy food and plan a pick up time. We spent half of our time with our faces buried in our Genie – Disney app to be able to access things and it took a lot of fun out of our experience. Not to mention having to wait in lines- two and a half hours or more for some rides. I think they should reduce capacity and not tell us how they have already done it. It’s a very expensive trip to make with airfare, hotel accommodations and then the expense of the passes, in our case Hopper passes. It was disappointing that we couldn’t do more because of the very long lines.
A friend who lives in FL said the same thing. They used to be pass holders then they just stopped bc it’s been terrible. They went one time and they said they paid extra for the genie app and got on 2 rides that’s it. The ended getting refunded when they complained to customer service about it at the end of the day.
Sorry my Disney is gone forever. Disney is all now just a money sucker. This new CEO is terrible they are pricing out most middle class families. In 10 years Universal will be the bigger draw bc they at least give you perks for staying at all their hotels.
Went Feb 22-24. Packed2-3 hour waits. To me the LL system causes the big delays except for the two that you’ll get, one of which you’ll likely have to pay for even if you purchased the Genie. The LL while sounds good really just causes longer waits for non LL. Do away with LL then the line will just keep moving for everyone and overall wait times will come back to when 60 minutes was considered “long”
I have called fifteen times to get connected to the ticket department, to change the dates of my tickets. After waiting a total of many hours on hold, my phone has disconnected each time before someone takes my call. I am completely frustrated with Disney.
Come to Disney Paris. On and off ratatouille 3 times no wait with single rider. No wait times higher than 45 mins apart from crush coaster
Oh wait though. Half the rides shut down, park rides close at 6.30pm ready for 7.30 disappointing show. But it is far cheaper than Florida at £52 per day ticket. No need to buy expensive fast track either.
The Disney Corporation is too greedy, People are finely realizing that $$$$ is all they care about. If Disney does not lower prices they will go belly up in the next 5 years. Us lower class can not afford admission price any longer.
I am constantly reading All of these complaints on this site pretty much every chance I get & im dreading our Granddaughters 13th birthday coming up in May & she wants to GO BACK TO OUR LOCAL “DISNEYLAND,” here in Sunny & Beautiful Anaheim California. We live 10 minutes away from Disneyland & I went just recently to “DownTown Disney” & just THAT PLACE Alone was ridiculously Crammed pack like I’ve never seen it before. Even Before the Covid thing. I can only imagine what it’s going to be like when we go in May 😭😭😭
Not worth the money. Sure, the attractions are awesomely (usually) done. But the outrageous cost makes it next to impossible for many families and those of fixed income to partake. This is about as far from Walt Disney’s vision and intent as possible.
Comments for As Park Passes Disappear, Disney Announces Full Capacity Will Never Return
Chris
I think they need to keep the maximum number of people allowed as it is right now, but bring back all attractions, shows, restaurants, etc. and that includes all attractions presently under construction.
The maximum number of people allowed in the parks should not increase until after constructions begins and finishes on an another attraction that is not presently announced or under construction. This will spread the crowds out more.
And let’s face it, before COVID, the maximum capacity was way too high in all of the parks. So, not returning to that would be a good thing.
Nick
The problem is nobody is saying where “it is right now” and so you’re left to wonder not only what the max capacity is but to what percentage of the max the current capacity has been capped.
On the face of it, the maximum capacity doesn’t matter (except when Disney wants to whine about how much money they’re losing at any particular time), instead the real issue is the standard operating capacity, that being the level of attendance which doesn’t put an undue hardship on the system has to be established. I think that’s happened and is what’s being referred to as a reduced capacity. And, that’s accurate because it’s some number lower than the maximum.
I have no problem with the capacity reduction in concept or practice. The parks, with the reduction in place, are currently very crowded and long wait times are the rule instead of the exception. Disney has no aversion to crowds as long as they’re crowds Disney thinks they have some control over.
Joseph Gregory
I’m at Disney now and the current operation stinks. They may not be at full capacity but lines are 2 hours long, rides are constantly breaking down. It’s not the park it used to be hard to believe I paid $1000 for my family to stand in line for 8 hours to ride 4 give minute rides, and then add on the cost of food and snacks..
Imagineers need to figure out how the working class father that wanted a special vacation for his kids can enjoy spending that kind of money to stand in line
Karen
“Reduce park capacity” and employment capacity. Less workers needed if less people. Prices on food is crazy ridiculous as well as most souvenirs. It all comes down to the dollar not the family.
Mike
But the opposite will happen. If they reduce capacity, they will have to raise the prices on everything in order to keep profit margins up for the shareholders.
Backcountry164
Pricing out the plebs so Richie Rich can have a better experience is literally the Chapek plan…
Cameron A.
Exactly, the article even says that instead of raising the price of concession food due to a smaller capacity, they will make portions smaller so you’ll get a lobster roll with no meat in it, or a slider for a cheeseburger… So it’s strange that capacity-wise they are “catering to the guests” but give us morsels of food at the same high-prices?… This is all a sham,, it’s a cover because Disney was expecting their usual employee base from Eastern Europe since Covid restrictions mostly are gone now, but now with the war in Ukraine all those eastern Eupopean employees and interns will not be come to Florida to work anytime soon so Disneybis quite frustrated so this their public announcement as to why they will have limit the park attendance.
CRAIG EASTOM
Saying full capacity will never be back isnt really saying anything..the full capacity is set so high its never reached..no one has ever gone to Disney and been turned away and the parks are still so packed you cant move today.
Miles Jones
“no one has ever gone to Disney and been turned away”
I can’t tell if this is sarcasm… They’ve closed the gates to new visitors tons of times. They even stopped allowing park hoppers on Oct 1 (50th celebration). I was there.
Janet
They absolutely HAVE reached “maximum capacity” and turned people away, pre-COVID. It wasn’t frequent, but it happened at MK on New Years Eve 2019, for instance. The monorail from Epcot to MK was closed and there was a huge line at MK parking gate because people were being turned away.
Peter Hensey
In going in 2023 only just booked holiday, staying at I drive , so wont get tkts until 5 weeks before travel so how can I book for what park I want to go to ,ie start at animal kingdom for safari ,lion king ,Rapids, then Hollywood studios for beuty and the beast but then epcot for frozen ,soarin ,,etc
Marty
I recommend canceling and going to universal. It will mostly likely be cheaper and if not you’ll still get more for the money you spend
KTS
I agree with marry, cancel & go to universal, disney got Greedy, not about families but money,
If from overseas by time you book up the tickets will be gone, unfair for those traveling from Europe to book tickets & get there & can’t get into the parks, & all this you can’t book rides until your in parks, is wrong as you pay to get in parks but rides times are gone, is it really worth the disappointment 😡
KTS
I agree with marty, cancel & go to universal, disney got Greedy, not about families but money,
If from overseas by time you book up the tickets will be gone, unfair for those traveling from Europe to book tickets & get there & can’t get into the parks, & all this you can’t book rides until your in parks, is wrong as you pay to get in parks but rides times are gone, is it really worth the disappointment 😡
Miles Jones
I was just at Universal, and it’s not cheaper at all! Damn, we found it was actually more expensive!
A 1 day ticket can cost as much at $150, and if you want their lightning pass, that can cost an additional $250 a day on certain dates, but no less than $100.
Food and drink is the same as Disney, overpriced fast food served in an over crowded dining room.
Take it from somebody who visits the parks on a regular basis, the price difference is negligible between the two. Universal has better rides, Disney has a better atmosphere and environment 🙂
Karl Joseph Eichholtz
This is some kind of joke, right? I want full capacity back.
Kelli
Just returned from there. If they are not at full capacity then I would truly hate to see them at full capacity. With wait times for rides upwards of two hours and multiple rides breaking down while we were in lines, Disney is not capable of handling full capacity anymore. If their machines cannot even handle the amount of people that were there (which in my opinion was far too many) then they need to reevaluate how many people they are letting in. Been going to Disney yearly for 25 years and it is no longer what it used to be. The experience used to be wonderful and magical. Clearly the almighty dollar has taken over their priorities and it shows. Guests and their experience is not their priority anymore. This is one Disney fan they have lost. Universal will get my money.
Walt
Exactly what do they mean it isn’t full capacity the past 2 weeks have been a nightmare. Every ride has atleast a 60 minute wait. We waited 3 hrs for ROTR
Chris Kinney
Stay at a resort and rope drop ROTR, I was on and off both it and Smuggler’s Run by 9:00 A. M. last December.
Monica
Chris Kinney Did you do this as a solo person, with youthful legs and no strollers or wheelchairs? Family groups of various ages and circumstances have more of a challenge in the rope drop masses.
Nick
No entity can satisfy every single person or group of people, it’s simply not possible.
Here you have a suggestion on how to reduce your wait time which works for a number of people (me included), instead of arguing about it, why don’t you try it.
Julian H
What a load of CRAP, Disney are way passed Full Capacity, honestly has Disney hired a Russian Diplomat to do their PR…
Rix
I’m so glad I went to WDW in Sept 2020. It was the best time I ever had at Disney. Aside from the (at the time) new Mickey and Minnie ride there were no lines I had to wait in that lasted more than 30 minutes for the vast majority of rides I went on. I rode Flight of Passage five times in one day! Everest 3 times! That never happens!
Gail
Same! We went beginning of Sept 2021 and it was a “sweet spot” due to kids going back to school for the first time in two years (no more remote learning), international travelers weren’t allowed yet, people were holding off for the 50th in Oct, people were holding off because of mask mandates, and that delta variant had just came out. The only rides we waited longer than 20 min for was ROTR and Avatar, and even those were only 45 minutes. Avatar was 20 minutes once. We walked on Tower of Terror three times in a row and Frozen twice in a row! We walked on rides like splash Mtn, haunted mansion, space mountain, Aerosmith, Everest…I got so excited to come back that I’ve been watching the web site. But it’s been INSANE since the 50th, hardly any resorts available, snd park reservations filling up fast! I don’t think an “off season” trip like ours will ever happen again. My cap is 45 min for a ride. 20 for lesser ones like It’s a small world. So not sure we’ll come back unless it calms down some. It’s sooooo expensive!
Roxanne Miller
I feel it is a pain in the butt because we bought year long magic key passes but have only been able to get in the park once this is unfair since we live a simple car ride from Disney but can’t even get in more than once but have to keep paying our monthlydues?
Marty
Same. We booked a Disney cruise in 2019 for 2022 and then we got a email from universal. It was half the price for a longer stay and since it’s at a premier hotel we get free fast pass. We can’t wait to go. My Disney doesn’t exist anymore it’s gone. It’s just a money sucker now.
Geoff
You must enjoy higher prices and longer lines.
Kent
The Disney Parks already believe that riding 3 attractions in a day is a bargain for $100. Myself and my friends have experienced this since 2000. Too many people for an enjoyable day.
Peggy G
What about annual passes return for out of state people. We were planning 3 trips this year but looks like we may cancel 2 and sell DVC. We can’t keep buying tickets and paying maintenance fees. Tickets for 8 days is over 2700.00 per trip. Annual pass would be about 3900 fir family 4. Sorry to say I have gone to Disney since 1972. Time to end it
Kim
Try Universal. Far less complicated, little advance planning required, and you can buy APs if you are out of state.
Michael Smith
I thought about selling DVC but it’s more profitable to rent the points yearly even with maintenance considered
Ben
My sister has an AP and we live in Jersey. There’s definitely an option for people out of state
Suzan Miles
I have been a DVC member for over 20 years. We just finished a trip there. Way too many people, I fully don’t believe it’s not at capacity. We hated making reservations for a park, and then Genie reservations on top of that. You can’t be spontaneous anymore. It was not an enjoyable visit. We spent two days at Universal and loved it. Their fast pass system works, no park reservations needed, loved it. May sell our DVC in the future.
Vgk
The whole idea of our trips to Florida, from NY, was that we could decide to go to one of the parks the night before. Our vacations were always full of spontaneous plans. If we now have to plan our trips around their availability, it’s not going to work. Was hoping to go this summer, but now we’re probably having to wait until summer of 2023. May be the start of trips to Fla without anymore visits to any Disney parks. Prices will no doubtedly rise across the board due to less visitors.
Nick
The fact is that Disney Parks are not at max capacity but they were seldom at max capacity prior to the plague except during holidays and spring break. You can believe that or not.
Making reservations is as easy as tapping on you phone which you’re pretty much doing all day long anyway. There’s no requirement to use Genie.
Universal’s AP’s cost about half of what a comparable WDW AP would cost and that makes sense because you’re getting half the number of parks, 2 parks Vs. 4 parks. The Universal Unlimited Express Pass is over $100 per person per day.
Instead of selling your DVC, rent the points, you’ll make a profit which you can use to go to Universal.
Sara
Too too too complicated. Planning a Disney vacation is already stressful, but now reservations, two different tickets/passes, and crowds? Uggg.
Nick
Yeah, who ever heard of crowds at a theme park? Here you have the most popular tourist destination in the world, why would anyone think it’d be crowded?
And, reservations? Another unheard of thing that’s too complex to consider?
I guess you didn’t make reservations for the transportation to get to Orlando or for the transportation to the hotel or for the hotel itself.
I guess you never make dinning reservations or doctor or dentist appointments which are reservations in disguise.
Josylin
Well I was just there last week and in my opinion it was difficult to have a great time in this magical place because of the amount of people. Waiting in lines for two hours with a five year old is nuts. Takes the fun out of it. Two, I needed to rent A ECV. None available. Really for the amount of people you let in the park you really need more. Thank good or hotel was great we had a good time there. The whole experience was a little disappointing. Let’s talk about no trams or buses from the pushing lot. Yup, the first day I walked even though I needed to ride. The next few days days I paid the ridiculous price thst is charged for premium parking, but no ECV’S. I wish it was magical but I think Walt and Roy are turning over in their graves. Sorry. For what I paid, I needed a little more magic.
Amber
I totally agree with you about walt and Roy turning over in their graves.
Sandy
I agree!
Nick
You can rent EVC’s from off site providers and have them delivered to your hotel.
Clifton Brewer
Much cheaper and like he said they drop it off at your hotel door and pick it up the same way.
Axt113
I would say wait at least a year before going back to Disney if you can, maybe by then things will be better
Christian
Was there for 9 days recently and worst time ever. It was so overcrowded and overwhelming that it was no fun. Food was mediocre at best. Thank God for the Yacht Club as was there more then the parks cause was insane and not magical. You better make sandwiches and food before you go in cause the lines are crazy. Goodbye Disney. Never again. Left a day early as the trip was so bad.
Walt
I can’t imagine a more packed park then what we saw last week. 3 hr stand by times on some rides and most rides were atleast 60 minutes.
D
Honestly with reduced entertainment, guests are now concentrating on rides, parades are coming back which should help, but something has to soak up people.
Stella
The magic is gone and after 10 years as an annual pass holder…so am I😢
James Moore
I’m sad to hear that. I had wanted to retire in the Orlando area and go see the mouse every so often, I guess I need different dreams….
Nick
Hey, JM, relax, your dreams are fine, I did exactly that, left NY two years ago, landed around the corned from the MK and haven’t regretted it for a minute.
I wish people would come to the obvious revelation that theme parks get crowded, they’re supposed to. that was the whole objective, to get lots of people in and make money. What person in their right mind would plan and open a business which nobody frequented and be happy about it?
linda
Just visited the Magic Kingdom in February and there is not enough staff there are dirty bathrooms the food was atrocious the tables were dirty absolutely a nightmare. There is nothing magical anymore..disney is just greedy and not hiring enough staff.
JT
Honestly, WDW went from being a world class destination theme park to being beat out by cedar point and six flags. It’s ridiculous what Chapek and friends are doing to Walt’s legacy
Kurt
I believe Disney is “gaslighting” us all. We have been annual pass holders for many years. We’ve been there many times each year, at various times/dates. And, the crowds we encountered a couple of weeks ago was insane. It rivals peak summer and holiday crowds. There is absolutely no way they are operating at reduced capacity. The only things reduced are staff, working rides, and courteous patrons. That, along with drastically rising prices, makes it awfully hard to spend our hard earned money there. We are currently on the fence about if we will renew our annual passes this year.
Jill
We’re AP holders as well. We pretty much decided to downgrade to the lowest pass. This way we can still go on weekdays but not spend a fortune on a pass anymore. We used that extra money and purchased top Universal AP’s.
John
I agree with others, that the ability to control crowds has nothing to do with guest experience and everything to do with Disney reducing staff and services based on reservations. They have used the pandemic to destroy the out of State Annual Pass to better control who enters and the cost per day they are charged. Really need to rethink visiting again.
Suzanne
They raise their prices on everything, cut staff due to reservations/low capacity system, and reduce their operating schedule…we KNOW that this is going to backfire!!! Sadly, Disney is headed in the WRONG direction. They may disappear all together, down the road. We’ve actually changed our minds about visiting again. We haven’t been to Disney in many years, but after learning about all of this, and the fights breaking out in the parks, we decided against returning. We want to remember Disney the way it used to be!!!
Wilnice Wookner
“They have used the pandemic to destroy the out of State Annual Pass”…. corrected “They have used the pandemic to destroy the Annual Pass”.
Michael Shimer
Chapek is a die hard bean counter who really sees guest experience as secondary to bottom line numbers. I’ve been a car member at WDW twice before, all pre pandemic. I’ve also been an annual pass holder for many more years than I care to count. But I’ve decided I’m done until Chapek is gone, hopefully sooner rather than later.
The first time I worked there was sitting the “year of a million dreams” celebration where all cast members were highly encouraged to go out of the way to give guests magical experiences every day (free pins and some merchandise, and even vacation upgrades). My advice: WDW needs to stop figuring out ways to lessen and be cheapen the guest experience (and for God’s sake bring back the trams already!). Eventually people are going to get tired of it and do like my family is doing: heading to Universal Studios for a few annual pass years. They seem to be still trying to consider their guest’s overall enjoyment and experience as an essential part of the business day.
Lisa D
I think it’s time to build another Disneyland somewhere in America beacuse it’s way too crowded in California for that location. Preferably next door in Arizona…. where I live heeheehee
franklin
There is zero chance that Disney leaves money on the table by not going to full capacity at some point. With all the price increases and things like Jafar+ and slow lane to extract dollars from their customers I don’t believe this exec for a second.
AH
Was there in Nov Dec last year.the entire week it was more crowded than it was 6 years ago for a 4th of July weekend. It was not supose to be at capacity last year, but I do not believe it.
David
For all it does, why can’t Disney integrate the reservation and ticket buying like airfare or movie theaters. It’s simple to go into the calendar, find and select the open dates and make a purchase right there so you get what you want. Not some stupid back and forth maybe you’ll get what you want with a lot of buyer friction. Who came up with this dysfunctional austen, process?
Suzanne
There is absolutely NO need for reservations, now that society has mostly gone back to normal. Other major theme parks such as Six Flags, Busch, and Cedar Fair have dropped their reservation policies. By Disney keeping theirs, is only going to hurt their business. People will get frustrated, go elsewhere, and forget all about Disney. If Disney can’t figure out how to manage long lines for attractions, shows, and food service, then maybe they should just shut down all together.
Nick
They, Disney, figured out how to manage long lines, so did Universal. It’s the public who haven’t figured out how to manage them because they feel too entitled to either wait for access or pay extra for access.
Disney has standby lines and Lightning Lanes accessible via Genie+ using a tiered buy in system ($15 pp/pd for most rides/attractions, a la carte selections running between $5-19 each), Universal has standby lines and Express Pass lines accessible via Express Pass (from $80 pp/pd/single park or $90 pp/pd/two park which allows you to ride most thing 1 time) or Express Pass Unlimited (from $110 pp/pd/single park, $120 pp/pd/two park which allow unlimited rides on most but not all attractions).
Max
Are you a WDW employee or something? Everyone on here has given their opinions on how they feel about paying more for getting less at Disney and you just crap all over them. “Who would have thought large crowds at a theme park” most people are complaining because they used to get a lot for paying a lot and they were fine with it. My aunt and uncle went since wdw opened and haven’t missed a year except 2020. They used to get extra park hours at any resort (no longer) now only at select hotels do which are usually 400-700 a night. Get those extra hours. Yet they pay more each year for tickets. Universal if you stay at 1 of 3 premier hotels you get free fast passes. And you still get early park admission when staying at any universal hotel. Or if you buy a vacation package through universal their partner hotels get them too. With Epic universe opening in the near future I don’t see Disney being top tog for long.
Dulcie
Long time WDW fan but it’s not what it used to be. My family stayed on site for a week in January and parks were mostly packed. If they weren’t at capacity, as someone else said, I would hate to see what capacity looks like. We even sprang for Genie+ for Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom and it didn’t help much. We also paid an extra $13 per person to avoid a 3 hour wait for ROTR, which I had to wake up before 7 am to anxiously hover over my finger over a button on my phone to make sure I snagged a time. Yea, not very magical. It breaks my heart to see it like this.
Truely Bruely
Maximum park capacity before Covid was NEVER normal in the eyes of a sane, rational human. Before all this when the park was at what they called maximum capacity you couldn’t walk down the street. We’re talking shoulder to shoulder. The cast members could see a piece of trash on the ground but couldn’t physically get to it to pick it up. I don’t think their current number should even be maximum. If you’re going to make people sell a kidney to get in they should be able to walk without someone stepping on the back of their shoe!
Bill
Just got back haven’t been since 2007 and 6 times before that. Crowd ridiculous, price for food which was subpar ridiculous,. 3 rides I went to broke down. Indiana Jones finale technical difficulties, haunted house stopped 4 times mission to Mars returned to base after lift off. Never again.
Kim
As a little girl, I was at DW when they opened. Later, we obtained resident annual passes and would go whenever we got the chance. I now have not been to DW since the end of 2019, did not renew the pass I have had for years and years, and from the sounds of it, will never step foot in DW again. I miss it, but this isn’t DW any more. Mr. Walt is probably turning in his grave about now, to see the mess that has been made of DW, which was his dream park.
Ant
Bob paycheck what will you think of next? Your paycheck I assume lol?
Mason
How is the can’t say gay bill connected to this? The can’t say gay bill is just not allowing the indoctrination of gender theory on kids in public school kindergarten-third grade.
Ken Brenner
Concur Mason.
The left uses any opportunity to push its agenda.
We used to be able to go to WDW to get away from the world’s problems and all of the social issuess and mess. Not now!
I may go back one more time (August or October). Used to be an annual visitor, staying at the Dolphin Hotel. Very sad about WDW being in such a mess…
Nick
Everyone has their pet soapbox and they can’t wait to stand on it for any reason whatsoever.
BTW, WDW isn’t as big a mess as is purported on this blog by entitled people who are convinced that even though prices have gone up everywhere for everything over the last 20 years that it shouldn’t have happened for them at WDW.
Woody
Prices have gone up on everything, yes. But Disney has gone up 300%+. This is just the gate prices.
DLand
Woody Sir, you got that right. I use to be a Maingate Hostess & was told that Everything AFTER you get in Past the Gates are DISNEY ROYALTIES. Ticket prices are what keep the parks operating and Everything else it the Cherry on top!!!!
John
I have the perfect solution if you don’t like what Disney is doing recently…don’t go. We have a DVC property and have no intention of going…we will rent out our points to cover the maintenance…Disney has gone to hell in a hand basket and they are just concerned about the bottom line, not a quality experience for their customers. Hurt them on the bottom line and they will be forced to give us what we want. Otherwise, enjoy a reduced quality for ever increasing prices. I was fine without Disney for decades and will be fine without them going forward, even if I never return.
Susan Vega
I agree with others. I have lived near Disney and had passes since they first came out. Took my kids, grandkids and now my great grands. I had a hard time getting into the park because I only wanted a 1 day ticket. Those were sold out for that day. My daughter had just bought a pass for 5 people and I wanted to go with them. I had to buy a pass to go in which is ridiculous because they obviously had room for me. It was very crowded. The kids were miserable. Even Disney Springs was ridiculously crowded. Things just aren’t as they used to be. I’m happy I was able to go a lot in the 80’s and 90’s when it was enjoyable and when they first opened after the pandemic. The fireworks show in front of the castle made my day worth it though.
Kevin
What does the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill, the higher price/lower portions of food and a link to a travel agency have to do with full capacity never returning? This site always tries to sneak in its agenda and paid sponsors to every article. These articles are getting to be unreadable.
Sue
There is NO such thing as the ‘Don’t Say Gay” bill. That was made up by the media to lash out at Governor DeSantis. It is an education bill that does not allow teachers to discuss sex of any kind in the classroom with students without parental consent and bring allowed to be present.
Susie-Q
It sucks that so many people can’t enjoy the parks with the way it is. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to any Disney Park (FL & CA). After reading so much of this.. why would I want to go? I think people being unable to attend for so long are one of the reasons it’s so bad. Really.. it’s like this all over the place. Gas is WAY up, Groceries are way up… It’s not just vacation spots. Everyone needs employees, but people won’t take the jobs. Just need to wait it out. And seriously, Walt had a plan that worked in his time, but folks Disney is a for profit business, they really don’t care. And all of you who are giving up annual passes, jettisoning Disney as a future destination.. they don’t care. For every one of you, 5 people will take your place. They just. don’t. care. They’re just making up for lost revenue. Personally, I would love to take the grands there… but I think it’s good advice to wait a few years or more. The prices will never go down… but it could become a more doable trip if you’re able to move around.
Mickeymouse3
I want to see what happens to capacity once the 50th anniversary is done. Spring break is done. Even after the summer is done. My bet is the stim dollars will be spent. DVC points will be up to date (No banked points left). Covid restrictions will be gone. Then parks will be back to semi-normal. Hoping anyway, but only time will tell.
Dave Hastings
It’s clear that the definition of “capacity” has changed. We’ve been coming to Disney World regularly for decades in both summer and holiday periods, and never seen crowds or wait times across all attractions like we saw on Monday. Attendance is abolutely higher than pre-pandemic “capacity”. Guess it’s how Chapek is choosing to recover lost revenue during the pandemic, while establishing a new normal for record profits going forward. Down side is a poor un-magical guest experience that will cause first timers to never return. But I suppose there’s enough future first timers that this won’t be a problem for Disney.
Chuck Richards
I do not understand why people flock to Disney when Universal, Sea World and Bush Gardens are sooo much better. Disney is boring and outdated, way overpriced, and simply not worth the headache you WILL have at the end of the day.
Nick
Prices are pretty much the same for what you get.
Disney 1 day/1 park ticket 3/23 = $139, with park hopper (4 parks available) = $204
Universal 1 day/1 park ticket 3/23 = $139, Park to Park (2 parks available) = $194
Sea World 1 day/1 park 3/23 = $100, they’re having a 25% off sale on admission tickets right now
Bush Gardens 1 day/1 park 3./23 = $97, same story as with their sister park, Sea World, they’re having a 25% off sale but you have to pay $50 extra for the safari, and it’s a 3 hr round trip from Orlando.
Parking cost is about the same, food costs the same and is no better, add ons are similarly priced.
So, I guess I don’t where the “sooo much better” part is.
Max
How about if I spend an extra 100 extra I can actually ride all the rides I want and not wait for some stupid app to tell me if I can or can’t. Disney sucks now you should just get over it. Sorry Nick not everyone loves Disney as much as you. You’re either an employee or a family memeber of their crappy CEO. People don’t mind paying more if they get more. Disney prices have gone up yes but they’ve taken a lot of things that made it great away. Universal if you go to the park 3 days or more an AP would pay for itself and you get park to park with it. At least their premier hotels give you fast pass while staying there. And with deals ( you know the thing that give you money off of full price of things? That somehow Disney doesn’t do anymore or it’s not significant enough for middle class people to afford it yeah those things) it’s cheaper to stay “on site” by sometime half the amount per night.
Mac
I Was at WDW in May of 2021. It felt like the old days of going to the parks. Waited in line for 1/2 hour here and there, casually strolled down Main Street, no pressure of having to get to an attraction on time or trying to secure a time for a ride, ate when we wanted to. It was the absolute best trip yet! No pressure to be anywhere. Never even had to pull out my phone! Fast pass was not available which was fine, magical express was still running, magic bands were $5 and still being used. Walt would be mortified of how much it has changed in the past year. Nothing is the same. Very very sad. Magic is completely gone. Everything is about the money. Such a shame. Desire to return is gone. I Cancelled my April trip and don’t regret it at all.
Kate
We went the end of February and every ride we rode had some tech difficulties. Waited 45 minutes for rise and it broke down. It was the most crowded I’ve actually ever seen before so not sure how it’s running at lower levels? It was our first time back since January 2020 and I couldn’t believe how hard things have become.
Mike
We need more patriotic companies who are willing to spend more for the American way of life instead of looking how to make more money. This is how China took over the free world.
Allen
I went back in 2019 before COVID so I don’t understand what would be the difference to go back to full capacity. It’s sad I can’t even get a Annual pass and I live here. And the one they offer is weekdays, I work M-F, I don’t want to always take off work or take the kids out of school all the time.
Ron
Disney has no desire to have passholders on the park ..they only want full list price ticket holders in the parks
Carrie
I was at Disney World this last week on March 6th,8th and 10th (2022). I find a disconnect with this article and the reality of Disney World. While the article claims the attendance has been reduced as does the CFO of Disney, it was wall-to-wall people. We purchased for an additional cost for the five members of our group the lightning pass. Half the time it was not usable to us as it wasn’t being permitted or there was preference for Resort guests or other inclusions that excluded us. Additionally, we had to get on apps to buy food and plan a pick up time. We spent half of our time with our faces buried in our Genie – Disney app to be able to access things and it took a lot of fun out of our experience. Not to mention having to wait in lines- two and a half hours or more for some rides. I think they should reduce capacity and not tell us how they have already done it. It’s a very expensive trip to make with airfare, hotel accommodations and then the expense of the passes, in our case Hopper passes. It was disappointing that we couldn’t do more because of the very long lines.
Marty
A friend who lives in FL said the same thing. They used to be pass holders then they just stopped bc it’s been terrible. They went one time and they said they paid extra for the genie app and got on 2 rides that’s it. The ended getting refunded when they complained to customer service about it at the end of the day.
Marty
Sorry my Disney is gone forever. Disney is all now just a money sucker. This new CEO is terrible they are pricing out most middle class families. In 10 years Universal will be the bigger draw bc they at least give you perks for staying at all their hotels.
BobbyC
Went Feb 22-24. Packed2-3 hour waits. To me the LL system causes the big delays except for the two that you’ll get, one of which you’ll likely have to pay for even if you purchased the Genie. The LL while sounds good really just causes longer waits for non LL. Do away with LL then the line will just keep moving for everyone and overall wait times will come back to when 60 minutes was considered “long”
Carlos
I have called fifteen times to get connected to the ticket department, to change the dates of my tickets. After waiting a total of many hours on hold, my phone has disconnected each time before someone takes my call. I am completely frustrated with Disney.
Pat
Come to Disney Paris. On and off ratatouille 3 times no wait with single rider. No wait times higher than 45 mins apart from crush coaster
Oh wait though. Half the rides shut down, park rides close at 6.30pm ready for 7.30 disappointing show. But it is far cheaper than Florida at £52 per day ticket. No need to buy expensive fast track either.
Michael
The Disney Corporation is too greedy, People are finely realizing that $$$$ is all they care about. If Disney does not lower prices they will go belly up in the next 5 years. Us lower class can not afford admission price any longer.
DLand
I am constantly reading All of these complaints on this site pretty much every chance I get & im dreading our Granddaughters 13th birthday coming up in May & she wants to GO BACK TO OUR LOCAL “DISNEYLAND,” here in Sunny & Beautiful Anaheim California. We live 10 minutes away from Disneyland & I went just recently to “DownTown Disney” & just THAT PLACE Alone was ridiculously Crammed pack like I’ve never seen it before. Even Before the Covid thing. I can only imagine what it’s going to be like when we go in May 😭😭😭
John
Not worth the money. Sure, the attractions are awesomely (usually) done. But the outrageous cost makes it next to impossible for many families and those of fixed income to partake. This is about as far from Walt Disney’s vision and intent as possible.
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