They massively expanded “capacity” this week. Today, Friday, all parks had open reservations at least into the afternoon. This was after Magic Kingdom being fully booked up to Thursday. Looks like Wednesday night they made the change.
May be a prelude to the reservations disappearing. Wait times were higher than I have seen them despite open reservations.
We always stay at the very expensive Beach Club and pay extra to park hop. Our ideal day is rope drop at the Magic Kingdom, rides until lunch, monorail to Epcot for lunch then the resort pool around 2ish. Late afternoon we go to another park. We aren’t visiting DisneyWorld until this is possible.
I have been going to WDW for several years, but I will not be going back. The magic is gone. I don’t want to spend the entire day staring at m phone. It has become very stressful to visit the parks. Maybe that’s why violence has increased at the parks. Plus they nickel and dime you on everything.
I feel the exact same way. A week there this summer was the most stressful experience I’ve had in a long time, and I’m a teacher!
There are far better ways to spend my time and money. G’bye WDW!
We are annual pass holders from Florida and we used to be able to get up on our days off and say let’s go to Disney. We cannot do that as much with the reservation system. It needs to go away. They are the only ones doing it. Our friends won’t even consider going to Disney until the reservation system goes away. They are losing a lot of loyal followers who made them what they are today.
I totally agree, but those with money can go, use genie/LL and its fine. I wont get it, I see too many people on their phones and not getting the times they want for the rides they want……Most of the time they cant get them till the evening. I also am a florida passholder and miss the times we just got up, said Lets go to a park, and just go BUT we pay much more for the passes now…….I am going to renew my pass one more time this month and see what happens in the next year, I just dont like it the way it is, plus the mobile ordering for food, WHY? Even Universal dropped it because it was a pain for them….
We went for a few days in March. Not having reserved Park passes in advance, but having paid for Genie+ and Park Hopper in advance through a travel agent we were able to get by. Started at Epcot every day as it was the only available park, then hopped at the stroke of 2. Overall I agree that it’s stressful, overcrowded, and a real pain. Won’t be going back and feel bad for the Mickey junkies.
We’ve lived less than 10 miles from WDW for years now, it was a dream come true up until the last year. Even though we hated a lot of the restrictions during the pandemic, it was worth it for the low crowds and the people that were at the parks were so thankful, everyone was so nice.
It is so crowded, stressful and such a nightmare now that we hardly go these days. It’s like totally different crowds that obviously do not care about DISNEY. It’s so very sad.💔
Disney has lost their loyal lifetime followers. They are making money on the people who are making up for missed vacations due to Covid. But they are going to pay for it in the long term. We’ve gone for decades but after how they treated us last year we are done with them.
Disneyland / DCA is too crowded because Team Disney Burbank says “who needs maximum capacity when we can sell you Genie+ / Fast Lane for an extra fee for every single ride and attraction” (please go back to maximum capacity per day, that way every Park Guest has an equal opportunity to enjoy a quick Queue Line!)
We are still loyal to Knott’s Berry Farm, however after the recent gang violence? We will be taking a break until Knott’s + Buena Park Police can do more than “oh those under age 18 need a 21 and older chaperone” (gang members come in all ages – just saying!)
Upon reviewing the youtube footage of that horrible WDW fight between two Groups? This is why we can’t have nice things, because people have no courtesy anymore (and those long Queue Lines during a hot summer are going to acerbate the situation and potentially leave Cast Members at risk – do better Team Disney!)
The Genie system sucks too. I was expecting a better system since we now have to pay for it. We used it in Disneyland this January. Now you can only have 1 fastpass at a time, and you can use a fastpass on a ride once in a day.
Went to WDW in May, for a friend’s 50th birthday. Her father paid for us all to stay at the Polynesian, which was amazing. But that was the only amazing part of our trip! Genie/LL/park reservations, I’ve never had a worse time at a Disney Park in my life. We will not be going back, the magic is completely gone. And we are lifer type Disney people.
I remember back in 2008 we had annual passes for five years to Disneyland. There were definitely crowded days and non crowded days based on the day of week, time you visited the park, local school schedules, etc. We were able to wake up on a Saturday morning and say “let’s go to Disneyland” and hop in the car, drive to Anaheim from San Diego, and enjoy our day. We usually could ride everything we wanted to by noon and the crowds would start picking up about 1:30-2p.m.
When we would go to Disneyland we would keep our cell phones turned off inside the backpack (in case we had an emergency and needed to make a call). My significant other and I spent the day enjoying each other’s company, riding our favorite rides, and eating our favorite (once good food) meals at Disneyland. It was tough for us because I am disabled and we would always take my rollator/walker, but it was worth it for an escape from real life, Disney magic, and just quality time together.
During those five years I don’t remember brawls being in the news. I don’t remember food portions shrinking. I don’t remember merchandise being so low quality that clothing falls apart before you leave the park. I don’t remember the park being short on staff. I don’t remember the rides being always broken down. I don’t remember these things because that was not the case.
About five years ago, before the pandemic hit, Disneyland started going downhill. Disney merchandise quality started to tank and basically turned into cheap China garbage that you could buy online for a fraction of the price. Stores like Target, Walmart, and Kohl’s were selling better quality merchandise than the parks and Disney Store online, and this was BEFORE the pandemic hit. Also the food quality started to really go down. It went from tasting like county fair food to tasting like bad school cafeteria food and the prices only increased. Cast members were overworked and underpaid and a large portion of the cast members had been homeless at least once in the last two years.
Then the pandemic hit and Disney lost their absolute minds. They fired the Disneyland employees who weren’t making good money to begin with, and then they couldn’t find new employees because they pay lousy wages. This meant that the cast members who are working are doing more work for the same crappy pay and they are cranky and take it out on the guests.
Then there is the reservation system. No more spontaneous trips. And for us it meant no more trips because of my health issues we can’t plan ahead because we don’t know how I will feel from day to day. It also meant that everyone was glued to their phones and tablets to look at park maps, make dining orders and reservations, and fill up the calendar of available days. If you don’t have a phone tethered to you at the parks you can’t take advantage of all the parks have to offer. They claimed it was because of Covid, but while the rest of the world returned to normal, Disneyland and other Disney theme parks did not.
I don’t go to Disneyland to be tethered to my phone. If I’m hungry I want to walk up to a window and order food. I want to be able to ride the rides like I always did without paying for things like Genie+. They took away the free Fast Passes which worked for years. They did help manage the crowds but they didn’t help make Disney money and that’s why they were replaced by Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
I wish the old Disney had stayed around. I wish that the parks were still about Disney Magic and an enjoyable guest experience. I wish they paid their employees better salaries. But Disney has become nothing but greedy and out of touch with their fan base. But as long as people continue to go to the parks and continue to subscribe to Disney+ nothing is going to change. Until everyone stops going to Disney theme parks they have no reason to change the way they are doing things.
I do not think Walt would be happy with the way that the parks are today. I think Chapek was the worst thing that ever happened to the company and even Michael Eisner has expressed regret about moving him into a lead role. It’s disappointing to watch something that I once loved so much tank so badly!
Comments for Disney World Guests Are “Uncomfortable” Due to Park Pass System
Steve
They massively expanded “capacity” this week. Today, Friday, all parks had open reservations at least into the afternoon. This was after Magic Kingdom being fully booked up to Thursday. Looks like Wednesday night they made the change.
May be a prelude to the reservations disappearing. Wait times were higher than I have seen them despite open reservations.
lisa
We always stay at the very expensive Beach Club and pay extra to park hop. Our ideal day is rope drop at the Magic Kingdom, rides until lunch, monorail to Epcot for lunch then the resort pool around 2ish. Late afternoon we go to another park. We aren’t visiting DisneyWorld until this is possible.
Jeff
I have been going to WDW for several years, but I will not be going back. The magic is gone. I don’t want to spend the entire day staring at m phone. It has become very stressful to visit the parks. Maybe that’s why violence has increased at the parks. Plus they nickel and dime you on everything.
Kathy
I so agree! I love Disney but the magic is dwindling. It’s still there but not as bright. So crowded and I feel they are catering to the wealthy
Kim
Totally agree Jeff and Kathy! Add to that Cast Members who watch hoards of people cut the line. Magic is gone!!!
Alex
I feel the exact same way. A week there this summer was the most stressful experience I’ve had in a long time, and I’m a teacher!
There are far better ways to spend my time and money. G’bye WDW!
Pam
We are annual pass holders from Florida and we used to be able to get up on our days off and say let’s go to Disney. We cannot do that as much with the reservation system. It needs to go away. They are the only ones doing it. Our friends won’t even consider going to Disney until the reservation system goes away. They are losing a lot of loyal followers who made them what they are today.
lorraine
I totally agree, but those with money can go, use genie/LL and its fine. I wont get it, I see too many people on their phones and not getting the times they want for the rides they want……Most of the time they cant get them till the evening. I also am a florida passholder and miss the times we just got up, said Lets go to a park, and just go BUT we pay much more for the passes now…….I am going to renew my pass one more time this month and see what happens in the next year, I just dont like it the way it is, plus the mobile ordering for food, WHY? Even Universal dropped it because it was a pain for them….
T Gannon
We went for a few days in March. Not having reserved Park passes in advance, but having paid for Genie+ and Park Hopper in advance through a travel agent we were able to get by. Started at Epcot every day as it was the only available park, then hopped at the stroke of 2. Overall I agree that it’s stressful, overcrowded, and a real pain. Won’t be going back and feel bad for the Mickey junkies.
ShugD
We’ve lived less than 10 miles from WDW for years now, it was a dream come true up until the last year. Even though we hated a lot of the restrictions during the pandemic, it was worth it for the low crowds and the people that were at the parks were so thankful, everyone was so nice.
It is so crowded, stressful and such a nightmare now that we hardly go these days. It’s like totally different crowds that obviously do not care about DISNEY. It’s so very sad.💔
lorraine
same here
WT Guthrie
Disney has lost their loyal lifetime followers. They are making money on the people who are making up for missed vacations due to Covid. But they are going to pay for it in the long term. We’ve gone for decades but after how they treated us last year we are done with them.
CJ
Disneyland / DCA is too crowded because Team Disney Burbank says “who needs maximum capacity when we can sell you Genie+ / Fast Lane for an extra fee for every single ride and attraction” (please go back to maximum capacity per day, that way every Park Guest has an equal opportunity to enjoy a quick Queue Line!)
We are still loyal to Knott’s Berry Farm, however after the recent gang violence? We will be taking a break until Knott’s + Buena Park Police can do more than “oh those under age 18 need a 21 and older chaperone” (gang members come in all ages – just saying!)
Upon reviewing the youtube footage of that horrible WDW fight between two Groups? This is why we can’t have nice things, because people have no courtesy anymore (and those long Queue Lines during a hot summer are going to acerbate the situation and potentially leave Cast Members at risk – do better Team Disney!)
Michelle Cooper
The Genie system sucks too. I was expecting a better system since we now have to pay for it. We used it in Disneyland this January. Now you can only have 1 fastpass at a time, and you can use a fastpass on a ride once in a day.
Cooki
Went to WDW in May, for a friend’s 50th birthday. Her father paid for us all to stay at the Polynesian, which was amazing. But that was the only amazing part of our trip! Genie/LL/park reservations, I’ve never had a worse time at a Disney Park in my life. We will not be going back, the magic is completely gone. And we are lifer type Disney people.
SarahELuvsDisney
I remember back in 2008 we had annual passes for five years to Disneyland. There were definitely crowded days and non crowded days based on the day of week, time you visited the park, local school schedules, etc. We were able to wake up on a Saturday morning and say “let’s go to Disneyland” and hop in the car, drive to Anaheim from San Diego, and enjoy our day. We usually could ride everything we wanted to by noon and the crowds would start picking up about 1:30-2p.m.
When we would go to Disneyland we would keep our cell phones turned off inside the backpack (in case we had an emergency and needed to make a call). My significant other and I spent the day enjoying each other’s company, riding our favorite rides, and eating our favorite (once good food) meals at Disneyland. It was tough for us because I am disabled and we would always take my rollator/walker, but it was worth it for an escape from real life, Disney magic, and just quality time together.
During those five years I don’t remember brawls being in the news. I don’t remember food portions shrinking. I don’t remember merchandise being so low quality that clothing falls apart before you leave the park. I don’t remember the park being short on staff. I don’t remember the rides being always broken down. I don’t remember these things because that was not the case.
About five years ago, before the pandemic hit, Disneyland started going downhill. Disney merchandise quality started to tank and basically turned into cheap China garbage that you could buy online for a fraction of the price. Stores like Target, Walmart, and Kohl’s were selling better quality merchandise than the parks and Disney Store online, and this was BEFORE the pandemic hit. Also the food quality started to really go down. It went from tasting like county fair food to tasting like bad school cafeteria food and the prices only increased. Cast members were overworked and underpaid and a large portion of the cast members had been homeless at least once in the last two years.
Then the pandemic hit and Disney lost their absolute minds. They fired the Disneyland employees who weren’t making good money to begin with, and then they couldn’t find new employees because they pay lousy wages. This meant that the cast members who are working are doing more work for the same crappy pay and they are cranky and take it out on the guests.
Then there is the reservation system. No more spontaneous trips. And for us it meant no more trips because of my health issues we can’t plan ahead because we don’t know how I will feel from day to day. It also meant that everyone was glued to their phones and tablets to look at park maps, make dining orders and reservations, and fill up the calendar of available days. If you don’t have a phone tethered to you at the parks you can’t take advantage of all the parks have to offer. They claimed it was because of Covid, but while the rest of the world returned to normal, Disneyland and other Disney theme parks did not.
I don’t go to Disneyland to be tethered to my phone. If I’m hungry I want to walk up to a window and order food. I want to be able to ride the rides like I always did without paying for things like Genie+. They took away the free Fast Passes which worked for years. They did help manage the crowds but they didn’t help make Disney money and that’s why they were replaced by Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
I wish the old Disney had stayed around. I wish that the parks were still about Disney Magic and an enjoyable guest experience. I wish they paid their employees better salaries. But Disney has become nothing but greedy and out of touch with their fan base. But as long as people continue to go to the parks and continue to subscribe to Disney+ nothing is going to change. Until everyone stops going to Disney theme parks they have no reason to change the way they are doing things.
I do not think Walt would be happy with the way that the parks are today. I think Chapek was the worst thing that ever happened to the company and even Michael Eisner has expressed regret about moving him into a lead role. It’s disappointing to watch something that I once loved so much tank so badly!
Comments are closed.