I honestly don’t feel bad for theses people at all. The only reason this happens to people is because they keep coming back. They know your going to pay to jump through hoops for what you want to do. And they’re laughing all the way to the bank at the guests expense
Disney SUCKS !
How can the lines be so long when Bob Chapek brags that their are fewer guests than 2019 and he is making more money ????
The idiots must have all the rides running at half capacity.
BOB CHAPEK HAS RUINED THE ENTIRE DISNEY EXPERIENCE !
I grew up on Disney starting in ’73. For several years during pre-teen to teenager I was with family every other weekend at the Disney parks. I grew up with the Mariachis at Epcot. They knew us by name, and even Randy had greeted me by name after I hadn’t seen him in 10 years. Background was so you understand I’ve LOVED Disney. Dec. 2021, our family went to the Magic Kingdom for the full day. We only managed to go through 7 attractions. That’s a LOT of money spent for only 7 attractions.
Sadly this year we will not visit the mouse. Instead we will visit SeaWorld with our grandchild. I wish I could take my grandchild to Disneyworld, but the crowds and cost to attraction availability is just not realistic at all anymore.
I echo those statements. The parks aren’t as clean. Employees don’t exhibit the Disney magic. Employees can be seen looking at their cellphones while working.
We just visited Epcot last Saturday and it was pretty much hell too. I purchased the Genie and expected to be able to use it for a good part of the day. Nope..I was only able to use it on 2 rides! The standby lines were over 2 hrs long for most rides and some of the LL’s were completely sold out for a lot of the rides by 10am. Worst trip ever!
We went earlier this year. Magic kingdom was just that magical. The only rides we didn’t do that day were Peter Pan cause it broke down, and seven dwarF mine. Cause the LL was book solid. Then animal kingdom was fun and easy. The only ride we didn’t do was Everest, because it was in the middle of a remodel.
Finally though was Hollywood studios. They didn’t have the fans out or the mist Machines and the heat was in the triple digits. They claimed they were at Covid levels and the park was not at full capacity but it was packed. 3 hour wait for tower of terror they originally said 2 hour. Which bled into my LL time so I waited for 3 hours just to leave the line so I could use my LL. From about noon to 9pm I got to ride 2 rides. TROTR was painful. We were stuck in the queue for 4 hours. I have video of people laying on the ground sleeping. Some little kids crying. Some people started to get claustrophobic and had to leave the exits.
When did Disney start catering to elitists? The average family can’t afford to go there & pay hotels/regular ticket prices & now Genie + and Lightning lanes double the ticket price but you have to get them or stand in atrocious lines? Universal food is 25 percent less, don’t have to get the express pass & lines are manageable & you wonder why they are getting more visitors? I am 62 & going to Disney World for the first time. It’s crazy how expensive!
We just came back from Disney 2 days ago, it’s been 15 years since we last visited. We have been a few times, it was always easy to plan our days, we utilized FastPass for rides, easily planned our dining and more. This trip was miserable, tickets were triple what they used to be, and now you need to pay even more, per day, to have a shot at going on half the rides. Guardians of the Galaxy “sold out” in 4 seconds in the morning and 32 seconds for the afternoon queue. The standby lines were all over an hour and with a 7 year old, it was less than stellar, dining reservations were difficult, and it was not nearly enjoyable as it once used to be.
This trip was a promise to my grandson, he has been counting down our trip for 4 years, he has wanted to go since he found out Mickey lived there.
I’m not sure how the average family is supposed to be able to afford a trip to to Disney with their family.
Now that is over, I don’t plan to return, I will talk him into any other park before we go back, unless there are major changes and the magic of Disney returns.
If anyone is ignorant enough to pay to go to Diz now, they get what they deserve. You’re either brain-dead or fully dead outright to believe at this point that the parks are worth traveling to, let alone paying for!! Diz has been dead for quite some time.
We have just returned to the UK after 2 weeks in Orlando. In short I would personally call it Walt Misery World – there was no joy in spending £446 for 2 people to enter Park for one day only to queue for over an hour for rides that broke down. Only managed a few rides in the day and that was because we used single rider lane – horrific experience.
Because Disney doesn’t actually care about customers, especially people from Florida whom they despise. I had a premium annual pass for 18 years and the constant price hikes have made it impossible to continue going. Reading these visit experiences proves nothing has changed.
I have to admit, what I’ve always considered my favorite place in the world was just not as magical when I visited this year.
First of all, the heat. Which was honestly my fault, I didn’t realise that late September in Florida would be so soul-crushingly hot. Can’t blame Disney for that.
Secondly was the crowds. Insanely busy. Everywhere. Every attraction seemed to have ridiculous queuing times (even though I forked out for Genie+). There were a number of rides I didn’t end up doing because the wait times refused to go down, even up to the middle of the night.
Genie+ was a blessing and a curse, but mostly I didn’t like what it did to the experience. I felt like I spent the whole day on my phone, mostly getting frustrated. When it DID work, it was great. Turn up to the ride and jump straight on. But FastPass lines used to do the exact same thing before, only without all the extra payments and trudging through the app.
With the heat, the crowds and the app, I just didn’t enjoy my visit as much as I have in the past. Which kind of breaks my heart.
Went back in mid may and had zero issues with crowding or Genie+. There are tons of blogs and YouTube Video’s on how to best use the service. Take the time to learn it a week or so out from your trip and you’ll be golden. The system works extremely well, if you take the time to know how it works and plan your accordingly. The longest my group waited for a ride was about 15 min and that’s because the ride was down, everything else was either a walk on or 5 min wait. The staff at our resort was amazing and my group had a blast and cant wait to go back.
You must be from China or a Disney employee forced to write this crap. Disney must be spending all its profits for employees abortions because the rides constantly break down and even the bathrooms which used to be spotless are like gas station quality now. And don’t bump into someone by mistake or they might attack you
I agree with you Jediguy we were there 1st week of October and sane experience. We had a great time ate great food at the food and wine festival. Only bought genie+ when we thought we would use it. Bought LLs for 2 rides to guarantee that we could experience the ride. We have been going every 3 years since 2004 and the crowd issue hasn’t changed still crowded as usual also learned when to go to avoid weather issues.
I travelled to Orland unexpectedly for a conference and didn’t want to pass up going on the new Star Wars Rise of the Resistance ride…being an avid fan. I did not know that these things need to be booked months in advance…at short notice the only way I was getting in to the Hollywood Studios was on a hopper ticket… travelling on Aussie dollars made this excessively expensive. Then I misunderstood the hopper entry conditions, I thought you had to be in the next resort by 2pm so I wasted my whole morning clocking in to the Animals Kingdom then rushing to the Hollywood studios…I begged the customer service people to let me in early, I was alone so no biggie right but they would not budge… finally after killing 2 hours waiting I got in… definitely not LLs available…the standby of 90 minutes was the only option. Thankfully he ride was good !
The Disney experience really left a bad taste in my mouth, I certainly felt that it was all about the money and profits to be made…very sad and very badly done Disney 😡😡😡
But of course, it’s all about money and profits. They’re a business, not a charity. They found out they can make more by doing less. EVERY business’s golden ticket.
Went to Disney first week of October. Had a great time. Love genie+ but you have to know how to use it. A few rides were broken down but not for long. Hotel was great. Halloween party was a little crowded but fun. The new aspace 220 restaurant is amazing. Overall a great time.judy
I’ve been going to Disney with our family for many years. We had always enjoyed it. We were there in August. It was dirty, overcrowded,long lineups, no parades. If you wanted to take pictures of your children with characters you must pay for an expensive meal with characters. We all caught COVID, it was truly filthy, so no wonder!!! Torrential rains caused a sewer backup with 8 inches of dirty to walk through!!!!!!! Then I caught bacterial pneumonia as well! 10,000$ later!, it was the worst time of our lives. It was something we always enjoyed, now it’s hellish!!!😡
Is it even possible to go to Disney without a phone or some sort of device?! Why I don’t want to be permanently attached to my phone. I am at work – permanently connected. I want to leave it behind. Not be on my phone to download apps, checking lines and to order food.
My family was at Disneyworld in June. Learning and managing the reservation for which park you start at, can’t hop until 2:00, Genie +, virtual line, Lightning Lanes, show times. The parent has to spend their entire time looking at their phone to try to maximize their time. Then you stand in line because you can only get one LL at 7:00 am. Every attraction had over 100 minute lines and rides would breakdown causing the lines to actually be around 2 hours. In your mind you are saying “I’m paying for this torture?” I’m pretty sure that was the last time I’ll go to Disney.
Went to MK in January then we just did all 4 parks in Oct . In January cast members directed half of the 8children I was with on a different path in our way to the fireworks show they were behind us with my 15yo son bringing up the rear no one would listen that we were right in front of them he called us right away but had no idea which way they were sent the park was so packed I couldn’t see them , fortunately my daughter in law had gps trackers on their phones but we missed the show tracking them down. The October trip was ok MK closed early for the Halloween party so we got a little jipped there but my daughter in law knew how to use the lightning lane and we got on most rides fairly quickly we missed seven dwarfs and splash mountain though then we park hopped to HS did ToT and rocking rollercoaster twice it was fun Epcot was crowded and hot a lady passed out right behind my husband from the heat I could not find a park attendant so I went to the Canadian food booth for help and a wheelchair the young man was very helpful the ride lines were long we waited 90min for Remy but the show in the evening was amazing highly recommend. The final park we went to was AK way overcrowded hot hot hot the streets seem so small compared to the openness of the other parks we left early adults and kids had enough after 90min waiting for Kali River rapids with no fans until you were about 20 min out people kept walking out of line it was fun but short . I have to say the Avatar virtual ride was simply amazing we scored a lightning lane for it but I gladly would have waited. I guess my take away is it worth the expense probably not it’s a lot of hassle , would I go again definitely I am a glutton for punishment ☺️
Chapek has run the parks into the ground. People may pay higher prices probably because they’ve saved for so many years to take a family. Then decide they’ve waited long enough, what’s a few more dollars.
But here’s something to ponder. It takes ONE person to fight Disney for political correctness and Chapek decides to spend those families money on whatever the correctness is about. One to say, fight the government and Chapek spends the money. Well I don’t know about others but I’m tired of Chapek wasting Disney away. It’s time for him to step down and the board to pick someone who cares about the Disney legend. I’m one person. Hopefully THAT ONE person that Disneys’ board will finally listen to. No flags needed. No protest parades. Just a firing of a CEO that really doesn’t care for Disney. STEP DOWN CHAPEK! You’re insulting us with these prices so here’s an insult to you. YOU’RE A WASTE! #firechapek
Greed greed greed greed. I will never ever go there! The heat, crowds, and waiting so long to be on a ride is not my kind of vacation. I’d rarher camp under the stars in Colorado and watch magic happen.
I recently traveled for a family vacation to Walt Disney World( late August through September 7th.)
Yes it was unbearably hot, yes some rides had long queues, yes we used the Lightening Lane and Genie Plus.
Honestly the worse thing we encountered was the rain!
I’m not exactly sure what people expect when they make the decision to go to any place such this…
If everyone went in with the understanding that it was going to be packed, lines were going to be long and people were going to be rude, maybe they’d have more of that elusive ‘magic’ everyone speaks of!
Any experience is how you choose to react to it!
We had no problem maneuvering any of the parks.
We have been holidaying on property for 20 years, we stayed again in Disney Port Orleans Riverside for the last two weeks of September.
Sadly although we did have a good time, the prices and lack of services for your money is terrible value now. Lots of things you got included are now chargeable, Buses and Boats have changed routes and do not go to Downtown Disney from the parks anymore. The boats in the Magic Kingdom do not do several hotels like they used to, the cutbacks in the hotels are also a plenty, so it is simply not worth paying the price Disney is asking. We have paid already for May next year, but this will be the last under the regime. I can say that the only thing we did not find was the food portions being smaller, where we dined the food was as it always was, but just more expensive, or Disney will use Chicken thighs where before it was breast, but again the price had risen. Sadly for my family and I although we are lucky enough to afford it, we will not be going as its just not worth it anymore.
Disney blows right now….Main stream media starting to pick up on it too…..CNN and WSJ both had recent articles of how bad it is………Problem is, people are still going……….I think thats a function of the overall time we are in coming out of covid and the excess money people had……I dont think it will last and i think Disney will regret their moves because Universal is on the brink of eating their lunch. Their 2 orlando parks beat out every Disney park except MK last year. Wait until Epc Universe opens……..Disney, you get what you deserve
Not hell, but the magic is gone. So many of the rides are down, paying for genie+ and lightening lanes and the ride to disney along with increaded prices for EVERYTHING! The park is going to turn completely elitists (I know it already was). It may not hurt the bottom line now, but it will in the future. They turned a favorite memory into a frustrating F%$@&! mess!
Apparently you people are new to theme parks because people that Frequent them know hour lines are normal in the summer and Christmas. That’s why locals go to them during none turist times.
Not sure where all this discontent is coming from. We rarely have a problem while visiting the parks. Guess it’s just bad luck for some people or they don’t know how things work. Most of the time we only have issues with food workers getting orders correct or someone farting in line. Savages.
Thought about going back in January….but nope! The Disney of old days when you could wander a park, get on rides in under 30 minutes and make dinner reservations at Epcot in the morning at a kiosk at the park entrance are long gone… I didn’t mind FastPass or booking 90 days in advance for dinner but the magic is gone. I noticed the signs of fatigue 3 years ago…silly things like out light bulbs and dirty bathrooms. Cast members that have had it and SHOW IT. Disney has changed. I’m not arguing the demise with anyone…just not returning.
We went in September. Didn’t purchase Genie, did stand by. Crowds were higher than we expected, but manageable at all parks but Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom was so busy! 30 minute wait for Its a Small World! We were told it was because we went the day after a Halloween party. Did not know that bit of info! But as for Hollywood Studios, it wasn’t too bad. We just had to be flexible. If one ride was high wait time, we just went to another instead. Stayed until 1, went back to our room, then came back at 5 until close. Everyone runs to Rise at open. We did not. Went to Mickey, then Tower, then Aerosmith. 15 minute waits for all three. After, we did Smugglers and Toy Story Mania, both at 20 minutes. Did Rise an hour before close at 20 minutes. Never did Slinky because it was over 45 minutes all day (that’s the only ride there we didn’t notice dips in wait time, it stayed steady) and we don’t like it enough to wait more than 20 minutes, lol! Star Tours and Muppets walk on all day, we did Star Tours three times. Walked on Tower before close too. I couldn’t justify getting genie. Being told when to go to various rides so your whole day is mapped out, AND have to pay for it? No thanks. Us just playing it by ear worked just fine. Not that I would do this high crowd seasons. But, I wouldn’t go high crowd seasons either, lol!
We have just returned to the UK after 2 weeks in Orlando. In short I would personally call it Walt Misery World – there was no joy in spending £446 for 2 people to enter Park for one day only to queue for over an hour for rides that broke down. Only managed a few rides in the day and that was because we used single rider lane – horrific experience.
I wouldnt call it Hell. We kinda expected these things. What we didn’t expect is how high fooď and souvenirs have got in 2 years since last visit. We just got back from Disney. I guess we had a little bit of luck because only 1 ride was down they was interested in for a very short period of time. Some rides was at least an hour wait but once again it was kinda expected but sucks.
I go to Disney World 6 times a year and I’ve never had problems. You gotta wait in line, deal with it and grow up. The whole world is there, wait your damn turn and if the Genie+ doesn’t cater to you, get over it. Nothing is perfect.
As a native Disneyland person, I can say this trip to DW was such a bust. The cost is so over the top. The crowds are unreal and this Genie system? It worked out okay for Epcot, and AK. but we only got one ride out of it for Hollywood. Animal kingdom is such a tiny park, and there is not that much to even do there. It was packed.
I feel like the paying extra money to ride the top rides is such a greedy cash grab. Disney World is so expensive already. Disney World takes in $19.68 million per day. I will never return to DW. The crowds, the lines, the expense. Luckily I got a nice airbnb with pools and hot tubs and lakes and beaches and it has been lovely.
We are here now. We are born and raised on Disneyland. This has been hell. Animal Kingdom was wall to wall people with all lines super long.
We did manage to use Genie to get on the few it offers. Waited an hour for the Avatar ride, which was a real disappointment, the video/film looks old, it is faded and blurry in some parts and stutters. The entire ride felt worn and tired. Animal kingdom feels sad to me. We saw a few animals and they looked mangy and bored. There is a huge lack of places to sit down as well. Next day was Epcot, which was much much better. This was the only park I felt I got my moneys worth from the Genie. Wall to wall people by mid day made it very unpleasant, but we went home and came back to wait an hour for our virtual queue for the Cosmic Rewind, which was quite good and then see the Harmonious show from an okay spot on the side of the show. Great fireworks.
Hollywood. Now that was horrible. We got one ride using the Genie for the entire day. What a waste of money. Did single rider for smugglers, and waited 90 min for rise of the resistance. Not wowed. Enjoyed our one ride with the Genie, Tower of Terror. Then we went home. It was wall to wall people and horrible. Our final day will MK. Which we are dreading really. I feel like Disney is pure greed right now. They over pack the parks, and you have to pay extra to ride the best rides and parking is 25 bucks a day. The rides you remember or want to get on have serious long waits. Disneyland cuts off attendance at a certain amount, and it is not like this. This is some next level packing people in and pure greed in not allowing people to ride some rides that should be included in your very expensive tickets and Genie. As a lifelong Disney lover, I am done. I am truly done with any Disney theme parks. I do not support them and how they are doing things right now.
We just returned this week for a 2-day visit to Animal Kingdom and Epcot. We bought annual passes but our other family members had park tickets. We spent hours trying to add everyone to one account so we could buy the genie for LL options. 1. Disney’s IT is the worst. 2. We paid extra for the LL and then realized they do t include the popular rides and if they do include them they are either not available or CLOSED.
3. DISNEY IS NO LONGER THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH
Our family spent thousands of dollars for two days of hell. The employees are not happy and not helpful at all. We we’re celebrating two birthdays and in two days I think only 3 employees said HBD to our party. Years ago that was not the case. They always made us feel happy. The new system only benefits the bottom line for Disney. They no longer care about a guest having a good experience. Those days are gone. My suggestion is to avoid Disney and try Universal.
Disney also keeps the characters in hiding. We looked around for Mickey and it was impossible to find him for a picture let only meeting. The kids went home feeling disappointed. We felt bad because we spent so much money that we saved for this special trip.
Flew into Jacksonville late Aug for the Steelers preseason vs the Jags on Saturday. Well, we decided to make it a longer weekend and drive down on Sunday with my niece and her boyfriend (they live in Jax and he’s from the Pitt area like me). Everyone said it was a “slow” time as kids return to school. The last time I was there was for a week in March 2002 and my wife and I stayed at the Contemporary. Heck – I think we spent more money in one day for 4 people than we did for the entire week for two (minus hotel). It was hot -but whatever it was August. The lines were miserable, no cast members in sight – unless in a store or food kisok, no bands in Main Street, shops were crowded. Like how many do they let in? The parking seemed empty too. I have fond memories of DW from the 70’s as a little kid. Also of DL…. But I don’t think I’ll ever go back. Way too expensive for what you get. I can go other places with my remarks (about other visitors) but I’ll just leave that alone too – we’ll except that they are in the USA…. Don’t yell at a cast member for not speaking your language. (I saw it more than once – grown ups getting angry at cast members for not undergo their language).
I live in Los Angeles. I can go to Disneyland anytime I want but I don’t. I couldn’t afford it… and I have a really good job! The prices are astonishingly high to get in, to eat, to park and get souvenirs. And when I leave, I’m home in 45 minutes. I can’t imagine also having to pay for hotel, flights and meals outside the park. There is an entire population in America that can never go. In fact, there are thousands of people who live within a few miles of Disneyland who will never get to go. Never. The guy who works at the car shop just down the road could never afford to bring his wife and three kids even for just one day. It would be a month’s salary. What does that say…?
Comments for “Absolute Hell” as Guests at Disney World Resort Face Extreme Circumstances
J
“Absolute Hell” is a term for war criminals n the trenches…not for spoiled brats at a theme park. Grow up Disney babies.
Mike
Sex
Jennifer
I honestly don’t feel bad for theses people at all. The only reason this happens to people is because they keep coming back. They know your going to pay to jump through hoops for what you want to do. And they’re laughing all the way to the bank at the guests expense
Jamie
Exactly what I’m thinking. Or people who say they we’re “traumatized” at Disney. It really is ridiculous.
Penne Carpenter
Disney SUCKS !
How can the lines be so long when Bob Chapek brags that their are fewer guests than 2019 and he is making more money ????
The idiots must have all the rides running at half capacity.
BOB CHAPEK HAS RUINED THE ENTIRE DISNEY EXPERIENCE !
Janet
I grew up on Disney starting in ’73. For several years during pre-teen to teenager I was with family every other weekend at the Disney parks. I grew up with the Mariachis at Epcot. They knew us by name, and even Randy had greeted me by name after I hadn’t seen him in 10 years. Background was so you understand I’ve LOVED Disney. Dec. 2021, our family went to the Magic Kingdom for the full day. We only managed to go through 7 attractions. That’s a LOT of money spent for only 7 attractions.
Sadly this year we will not visit the mouse. Instead we will visit SeaWorld with our grandchild. I wish I could take my grandchild to Disneyworld, but the crowds and cost to attraction availability is just not realistic at all anymore.
David
I echo those statements. The parks aren’t as clean. Employees don’t exhibit the Disney magic. Employees can be seen looking at their cellphones while working.
Joe
Amen to that-You are absolutely correct!
Mindy
IMHO Disney parks are always Hell. I work with disabled clients and changes made by Disney always make their experiences worse.
Jenny
We just visited Epcot last Saturday and it was pretty much hell too. I purchased the Genie and expected to be able to use it for a good part of the day. Nope..I was only able to use it on 2 rides! The standby lines were over 2 hrs long for most rides and some of the LL’s were completely sold out for a lot of the rides by 10am. Worst trip ever!
Eric holdren
We went earlier this year. Magic kingdom was just that magical. The only rides we didn’t do that day were Peter Pan cause it broke down, and seven dwarF mine. Cause the LL was book solid. Then animal kingdom was fun and easy. The only ride we didn’t do was Everest, because it was in the middle of a remodel.
Finally though was Hollywood studios. They didn’t have the fans out or the mist Machines and the heat was in the triple digits. They claimed they were at Covid levels and the park was not at full capacity but it was packed. 3 hour wait for tower of terror they originally said 2 hour. Which bled into my LL time so I waited for 3 hours just to leave the line so I could use my LL. From about noon to 9pm I got to ride 2 rides. TROTR was painful. We were stuck in the queue for 4 hours. I have video of people laying on the ground sleeping. Some little kids crying. Some people started to get claustrophobic and had to leave the exits.
Jack
Horribly written article. Obviously by someone who doesn’t speak English. Atrocious grammar. Go back to where ever you came from.
Lacey
What are you talking about? Most Americans have horrible grammar.
Kate
Wondering instead of wandering…
Alleta Baltes
When did Disney start catering to elitists? The average family can’t afford to go there & pay hotels/regular ticket prices & now Genie + and Lightning lanes double the ticket price but you have to get them or stand in atrocious lines? Universal food is 25 percent less, don’t have to get the express pass & lines are manageable & you wonder why they are getting more visitors? I am 62 & going to Disney World for the first time. It’s crazy how expensive!
Jules
We just came back from Disney 2 days ago, it’s been 15 years since we last visited. We have been a few times, it was always easy to plan our days, we utilized FastPass for rides, easily planned our dining and more. This trip was miserable, tickets were triple what they used to be, and now you need to pay even more, per day, to have a shot at going on half the rides. Guardians of the Galaxy “sold out” in 4 seconds in the morning and 32 seconds for the afternoon queue. The standby lines were all over an hour and with a 7 year old, it was less than stellar, dining reservations were difficult, and it was not nearly enjoyable as it once used to be.
This trip was a promise to my grandson, he has been counting down our trip for 4 years, he has wanted to go since he found out Mickey lived there.
I’m not sure how the average family is supposed to be able to afford a trip to to Disney with their family.
Now that is over, I don’t plan to return, I will talk him into any other park before we go back, unless there are major changes and the magic of Disney returns.
D-nak
Dont be an a$$hat
Debby
English isn’t the original language of the Americas. You should go back to England
Debby
English isn’t the original language of the Americas. You should go back to England
Audrey
3 hours for Tower of Terror? That’s insane. Why would you bother?
Angie
195 min wait for the ride we wanted in animal kingdom. I have the screen shot to prove it.
P trevino
We love Disney but it was horrible when we visited October 1-5. Hollywood was as described above. How do they have so many rides break down every day…
Nan
If anyone is ignorant enough to pay to go to Diz now, they get what they deserve. You’re either brain-dead or fully dead outright to believe at this point that the parks are worth traveling to, let alone paying for!! Diz has been dead for quite some time.
JJi
We have just returned to the UK after 2 weeks in Orlando. In short I would personally call it Walt Misery World – there was no joy in spending £446 for 2 people to enter Park for one day only to queue for over an hour for rides that broke down. Only managed a few rides in the day and that was because we used single rider lane – horrific experience.
Greg
You are so correct
People are sheep!!
What really really amazes me.. is… some people go back more than once… without kids.. get a life..
When I see a “ Disney pass” sticker on a car.. I steer clear … that person is a squid !!!
Christopher
Because Disney doesn’t actually care about customers, especially people from Florida whom they despise. I had a premium annual pass for 18 years and the constant price hikes have made it impossible to continue going. Reading these visit experiences proves nothing has changed.
Peter
I have to admit, what I’ve always considered my favorite place in the world was just not as magical when I visited this year.
First of all, the heat. Which was honestly my fault, I didn’t realise that late September in Florida would be so soul-crushingly hot. Can’t blame Disney for that.
Secondly was the crowds. Insanely busy. Everywhere. Every attraction seemed to have ridiculous queuing times (even though I forked out for Genie+). There were a number of rides I didn’t end up doing because the wait times refused to go down, even up to the middle of the night.
Genie+ was a blessing and a curse, but mostly I didn’t like what it did to the experience. I felt like I spent the whole day on my phone, mostly getting frustrated. When it DID work, it was great. Turn up to the ride and jump straight on. But FastPass lines used to do the exact same thing before, only without all the extra payments and trudging through the app.
With the heat, the crowds and the app, I just didn’t enjoy my visit as much as I have in the past. Which kind of breaks my heart.
Nicole Bridle
It sounds like you want Disney to significantly raise prices so that the crowd sizes would be smaller.
JediGuy
Went back in mid may and had zero issues with crowding or Genie+. There are tons of blogs and YouTube Video’s on how to best use the service. Take the time to learn it a week or so out from your trip and you’ll be golden. The system works extremely well, if you take the time to know how it works and plan your accordingly. The longest my group waited for a ride was about 15 min and that’s because the ride was down, everything else was either a walk on or 5 min wait. The staff at our resort was amazing and my group had a blast and cant wait to go back.
Ed s
You must be from China or a Disney employee forced to write this crap. Disney must be spending all its profits for employees abortions because the rides constantly break down and even the bathrooms which used to be spotless are like gas station quality now. And don’t bump into someone by mistake or they might attack you
D S
I call Bull💩!!
Familyof4
I agree with you Jediguy we were there 1st week of October and sane experience. We had a great time ate great food at the food and wine festival. Only bought genie+ when we thought we would use it. Bought LLs for 2 rides to guarantee that we could experience the ride. We have been going every 3 years since 2004 and the crowd issue hasn’t changed still crowded as usual also learned when to go to avoid weather issues.
Linda Gibson
I travelled to Orland unexpectedly for a conference and didn’t want to pass up going on the new Star Wars Rise of the Resistance ride…being an avid fan. I did not know that these things need to be booked months in advance…at short notice the only way I was getting in to the Hollywood Studios was on a hopper ticket… travelling on Aussie dollars made this excessively expensive. Then I misunderstood the hopper entry conditions, I thought you had to be in the next resort by 2pm so I wasted my whole morning clocking in to the Animals Kingdom then rushing to the Hollywood studios…I begged the customer service people to let me in early, I was alone so no biggie right but they would not budge… finally after killing 2 hours waiting I got in… definitely not LLs available…the standby of 90 minutes was the only option. Thankfully he ride was good !
The Disney experience really left a bad taste in my mouth, I certainly felt that it was all about the money and profits to be made…very sad and very badly done Disney 😡😡😡
Paul
But of course, it’s all about money and profits. They’re a business, not a charity. They found out they can make more by doing less. EVERY business’s golden ticket.
Judy
Went to Disney first week of October. Had a great time. Love genie+ but you have to know how to use it. A few rides were broken down but not for long. Hotel was great. Halloween party was a little crowded but fun. The new aspace 220 restaurant is amazing. Overall a great time.judy
Minda
I’ve been going to Disney with our family for many years. We had always enjoyed it. We were there in August. It was dirty, overcrowded,long lineups, no parades. If you wanted to take pictures of your children with characters you must pay for an expensive meal with characters. We all caught COVID, it was truly filthy, so no wonder!!! Torrential rains caused a sewer backup with 8 inches of dirty to walk through!!!!!!! Then I caught bacterial pneumonia as well! 10,000$ later!, it was the worst time of our lives. It was something we always enjoyed, now it’s hellish!!!😡
Park
Is it even possible to go to Disney without a phone or some sort of device?! Why I don’t want to be permanently attached to my phone. I am at work – permanently connected. I want to leave it behind. Not be on my phone to download apps, checking lines and to order food.
Diane Hutchins
My family was at Disneyworld in June. Learning and managing the reservation for which park you start at, can’t hop until 2:00, Genie +, virtual line, Lightning Lanes, show times. The parent has to spend their entire time looking at their phone to try to maximize their time. Then you stand in line because you can only get one LL at 7:00 am. Every attraction had over 100 minute lines and rides would breakdown causing the lines to actually be around 2 hours. In your mind you are saying “I’m paying for this torture?” I’m pretty sure that was the last time I’ll go to Disney.
Tina
Went to MK in January then we just did all 4 parks in Oct . In January cast members directed half of the 8children I was with on a different path in our way to the fireworks show they were behind us with my 15yo son bringing up the rear no one would listen that we were right in front of them he called us right away but had no idea which way they were sent the park was so packed I couldn’t see them , fortunately my daughter in law had gps trackers on their phones but we missed the show tracking them down. The October trip was ok MK closed early for the Halloween party so we got a little jipped there but my daughter in law knew how to use the lightning lane and we got on most rides fairly quickly we missed seven dwarfs and splash mountain though then we park hopped to HS did ToT and rocking rollercoaster twice it was fun Epcot was crowded and hot a lady passed out right behind my husband from the heat I could not find a park attendant so I went to the Canadian food booth for help and a wheelchair the young man was very helpful the ride lines were long we waited 90min for Remy but the show in the evening was amazing highly recommend. The final park we went to was AK way overcrowded hot hot hot the streets seem so small compared to the openness of the other parks we left early adults and kids had enough after 90min waiting for Kali River rapids with no fans until you were about 20 min out people kept walking out of line it was fun but short . I have to say the Avatar virtual ride was simply amazing we scored a lightning lane for it but I gladly would have waited. I guess my take away is it worth the expense probably not it’s a lot of hassle , would I go again definitely I am a glutton for punishment ☺️
Rm
Chapek has run the parks into the ground. People may pay higher prices probably because they’ve saved for so many years to take a family. Then decide they’ve waited long enough, what’s a few more dollars.
But here’s something to ponder. It takes ONE person to fight Disney for political correctness and Chapek decides to spend those families money on whatever the correctness is about. One to say, fight the government and Chapek spends the money. Well I don’t know about others but I’m tired of Chapek wasting Disney away. It’s time for him to step down and the board to pick someone who cares about the Disney legend. I’m one person. Hopefully THAT ONE person that Disneys’ board will finally listen to. No flags needed. No protest parades. Just a firing of a CEO that really doesn’t care for Disney. STEP DOWN CHAPEK! You’re insulting us with these prices so here’s an insult to you. YOU’RE A WASTE! #firechapek
Deborah
Greed greed greed greed. I will never ever go there! The heat, crowds, and waiting so long to be on a ride is not my kind of vacation. I’d rarher camp under the stars in Colorado and watch magic happen.
Nicole Bridle
I can’t fathom why you would be on this site if you’d never go to Disney.
Andie
I recently traveled for a family vacation to Walt Disney World( late August through September 7th.)
Yes it was unbearably hot, yes some rides had long queues, yes we used the Lightening Lane and Genie Plus.
Honestly the worse thing we encountered was the rain!
I’m not exactly sure what people expect when they make the decision to go to any place such this…
If everyone went in with the understanding that it was going to be packed, lines were going to be long and people were going to be rude, maybe they’d have more of that elusive ‘magic’ everyone speaks of!
Any experience is how you choose to react to it!
We had no problem maneuvering any of the parks.
Nicole Bridle
Thank you for this eloquent and sensible reply. You’re spot on.
Julian H
We have been holidaying on property for 20 years, we stayed again in Disney Port Orleans Riverside for the last two weeks of September.
Sadly although we did have a good time, the prices and lack of services for your money is terrible value now. Lots of things you got included are now chargeable, Buses and Boats have changed routes and do not go to Downtown Disney from the parks anymore. The boats in the Magic Kingdom do not do several hotels like they used to, the cutbacks in the hotels are also a plenty, so it is simply not worth paying the price Disney is asking. We have paid already for May next year, but this will be the last under the regime. I can say that the only thing we did not find was the food portions being smaller, where we dined the food was as it always was, but just more expensive, or Disney will use Chicken thighs where before it was breast, but again the price had risen. Sadly for my family and I although we are lucky enough to afford it, we will not be going as its just not worth it anymore.
Steve
I pleasure myself to this article, I love it.
Jeff
Disney blows right now….Main stream media starting to pick up on it too…..CNN and WSJ both had recent articles of how bad it is………Problem is, people are still going……….I think thats a function of the overall time we are in coming out of covid and the excess money people had……I dont think it will last and i think Disney will regret their moves because Universal is on the brink of eating their lunch. Their 2 orlando parks beat out every Disney park except MK last year. Wait until Epc Universe opens……..Disney, you get what you deserve
Nicole Bridle
I can’t fathom why you would be on this site if you’d never go to Disney.
Matt
Not hell, but the magic is gone. So many of the rides are down, paying for genie+ and lightening lanes and the ride to disney along with increaded prices for EVERYTHING! The park is going to turn completely elitists (I know it already was). It may not hurt the bottom line now, but it will in the future. They turned a favorite memory into a frustrating F%$@&! mess!
Eric Lawton
I think people wait and pay tickets at diz is because the place í going away you always want to watch the last show
Gustavo Rodriguez
Apparently you people are new to theme parks because people that Frequent them know hour lines are normal in the summer and Christmas. That’s why locals go to them during none turist times.
Chris
Not sure where all this discontent is coming from. We rarely have a problem while visiting the parks. Guess it’s just bad luck for some people or they don’t know how things work. Most of the time we only have issues with food workers getting orders correct or someone farting in line. Savages.
MMM
Thought about going back in January….but nope! The Disney of old days when you could wander a park, get on rides in under 30 minutes and make dinner reservations at Epcot in the morning at a kiosk at the park entrance are long gone… I didn’t mind FastPass or booking 90 days in advance for dinner but the magic is gone. I noticed the signs of fatigue 3 years ago…silly things like out light bulbs and dirty bathrooms. Cast members that have had it and SHOW IT. Disney has changed. I’m not arguing the demise with anyone…just not returning.
Shayna
We went in September. Didn’t purchase Genie, did stand by. Crowds were higher than we expected, but manageable at all parks but Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom was so busy! 30 minute wait for Its a Small World! We were told it was because we went the day after a Halloween party. Did not know that bit of info! But as for Hollywood Studios, it wasn’t too bad. We just had to be flexible. If one ride was high wait time, we just went to another instead. Stayed until 1, went back to our room, then came back at 5 until close. Everyone runs to Rise at open. We did not. Went to Mickey, then Tower, then Aerosmith. 15 minute waits for all three. After, we did Smugglers and Toy Story Mania, both at 20 minutes. Did Rise an hour before close at 20 minutes. Never did Slinky because it was over 45 minutes all day (that’s the only ride there we didn’t notice dips in wait time, it stayed steady) and we don’t like it enough to wait more than 20 minutes, lol! Star Tours and Muppets walk on all day, we did Star Tours three times. Walked on Tower before close too. I couldn’t justify getting genie. Being told when to go to various rides so your whole day is mapped out, AND have to pay for it? No thanks. Us just playing it by ear worked just fine. Not that I would do this high crowd seasons. But, I wouldn’t go high crowd seasons either, lol!
JJi
We have just returned to the UK after 2 weeks in Orlando. In short I would personally call it Walt Misery World – there was no joy in spending £446 for 2 people to enter Park for one day only to queue for over an hour for rides that broke down. Only managed a few rides in the day and that was because we used single rider lane – horrific experience.
Mg
Whoever writes for this “publication” … needs a punch in the face.
A) As of July this year LL worked great and made our trip awesome. We did everything and everything and barely waited in line.
B) Grow up…be better… this site is basically slander trash
NETA
I wouldnt call it Hell. We kinda expected these things. What we didn’t expect is how high fooď and souvenirs have got in 2 years since last visit. We just got back from Disney. I guess we had a little bit of luck because only 1 ride was down they was interested in for a very short period of time. Some rides was at least an hour wait but once again it was kinda expected but sucks.
Sheldaine
“…guests are left wondering the Park??”
Kate
I go to Disney World 6 times a year and I’ve never had problems. You gotta wait in line, deal with it and grow up. The whole world is there, wait your damn turn and if the Genie+ doesn’t cater to you, get over it. Nothing is perfect.
Lee Chase
As a native Disneyland person, I can say this trip to DW was such a bust. The cost is so over the top. The crowds are unreal and this Genie system? It worked out okay for Epcot, and AK. but we only got one ride out of it for Hollywood. Animal kingdom is such a tiny park, and there is not that much to even do there. It was packed.
I feel like the paying extra money to ride the top rides is such a greedy cash grab. Disney World is so expensive already. Disney World takes in $19.68 million per day. I will never return to DW. The crowds, the lines, the expense. Luckily I got a nice airbnb with pools and hot tubs and lakes and beaches and it has been lovely.
Lee Chase
We are here now. We are born and raised on Disneyland. This has been hell. Animal Kingdom was wall to wall people with all lines super long.
We did manage to use Genie to get on the few it offers. Waited an hour for the Avatar ride, which was a real disappointment, the video/film looks old, it is faded and blurry in some parts and stutters. The entire ride felt worn and tired. Animal kingdom feels sad to me. We saw a few animals and they looked mangy and bored. There is a huge lack of places to sit down as well. Next day was Epcot, which was much much better. This was the only park I felt I got my moneys worth from the Genie. Wall to wall people by mid day made it very unpleasant, but we went home and came back to wait an hour for our virtual queue for the Cosmic Rewind, which was quite good and then see the Harmonious show from an okay spot on the side of the show. Great fireworks.
Hollywood. Now that was horrible. We got one ride using the Genie for the entire day. What a waste of money. Did single rider for smugglers, and waited 90 min for rise of the resistance. Not wowed. Enjoyed our one ride with the Genie, Tower of Terror. Then we went home. It was wall to wall people and horrible. Our final day will MK. Which we are dreading really. I feel like Disney is pure greed right now. They over pack the parks, and you have to pay extra to ride the best rides and parking is 25 bucks a day. The rides you remember or want to get on have serious long waits. Disneyland cuts off attendance at a certain amount, and it is not like this. This is some next level packing people in and pure greed in not allowing people to ride some rides that should be included in your very expensive tickets and Genie. As a lifelong Disney lover, I am done. I am truly done with any Disney theme parks. I do not support them and how they are doing things right now.
Cathy
We just returned this week for a 2-day visit to Animal Kingdom and Epcot. We bought annual passes but our other family members had park tickets. We spent hours trying to add everyone to one account so we could buy the genie for LL options. 1. Disney’s IT is the worst. 2. We paid extra for the LL and then realized they do t include the popular rides and if they do include them they are either not available or CLOSED.
3. DISNEY IS NO LONGER THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH
Our family spent thousands of dollars for two days of hell. The employees are not happy and not helpful at all. We we’re celebrating two birthdays and in two days I think only 3 employees said HBD to our party. Years ago that was not the case. They always made us feel happy. The new system only benefits the bottom line for Disney. They no longer care about a guest having a good experience. Those days are gone. My suggestion is to avoid Disney and try Universal.
Disney also keeps the characters in hiding. We looked around for Mickey and it was impossible to find him for a picture let only meeting. The kids went home feeling disappointed. We felt bad because we spent so much money that we saved for this special trip.
DK
You have to schedule meet and greets with the characters and I think it costs money. That’s messed up.
m_toyman
Flew into Jacksonville late Aug for the Steelers preseason vs the Jags on Saturday. Well, we decided to make it a longer weekend and drive down on Sunday with my niece and her boyfriend (they live in Jax and he’s from the Pitt area like me). Everyone said it was a “slow” time as kids return to school. The last time I was there was for a week in March 2002 and my wife and I stayed at the Contemporary. Heck – I think we spent more money in one day for 4 people than we did for the entire week for two (minus hotel). It was hot -but whatever it was August. The lines were miserable, no cast members in sight – unless in a store or food kisok, no bands in Main Street, shops were crowded. Like how many do they let in? The parking seemed empty too. I have fond memories of DW from the 70’s as a little kid. Also of DL…. But I don’t think I’ll ever go back. Way too expensive for what you get. I can go other places with my remarks (about other visitors) but I’ll just leave that alone too – we’ll except that they are in the USA…. Don’t yell at a cast member for not speaking your language. (I saw it more than once – grown ups getting angry at cast members for not undergo their language).
Tom Peters
No need to raise prices,, Just cut Chapeck’s bonus. I never got a bonus if I saved someone’s life.
LAGreg
I live in Los Angeles. I can go to Disneyland anytime I want but I don’t. I couldn’t afford it… and I have a really good job! The prices are astonishingly high to get in, to eat, to park and get souvenirs. And when I leave, I’m home in 45 minutes. I can’t imagine also having to pay for hotel, flights and meals outside the park. There is an entire population in America that can never go. In fact, there are thousands of people who live within a few miles of Disneyland who will never get to go. Never. The guy who works at the car shop just down the road could never afford to bring his wife and three kids even for just one day. It would be a month’s salary. What does that say…?
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