Credit: UnsplashDisneyland has been in the hot seat for a while, and a recent lawsuit and declining standards have many guests unwilling to continue to pay for a lackluster experience.
The U.S. Disney Parks have been slipping in attendance the last year, as Universal Studios Hollywood recently opened SUPER NINTENDO WORLD and Universal Orlando Resort works on bringing Epic Universe to life. As the price of tickets, hotels, food, merch, and more continue to rise for the Disney Parks, many guests are finding it harder and harder to justify spending the money as the parks seem to slowly drop their standards.
Disappointing Destination D23 Weekend
There have been complaints of consistently downed attractions at both the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World, complaints about rude cast members and entitled guests, rides that need a good deep clean or a paint job, and animatronics that need more maintenance than they’ve been getting. Combined with a recent Destination D23 weekend that offered a lot of possibilities and magic without confirming anything, and fans are starting to think Disney’s losing its touch.
Destination D23 is a weekend event held biannually opposite of D23, with both being major events in the Disney realm. Tons of announcements about upcoming shows and movies are released as well as anticipated park projects and concepts. Unfortunately, this past Destination D23 was disappointing for some fans, especially in comparison to Universal’s upcoming park.
While a reimagined Country Bear Jamboree was announced to be coming sometime next year along with a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed tavern, not much else was actually confirmed to be coming to the Disney Parks. Animal Kingdom’s DinoLand U.S.A. has long been under scrutiny and the subject of rumors as more than half the area faced closures this past year. With DINOSAUR being the biggest thing still open, fans speculated that everything from Moana (2016) to Zootopia (2017) would eventually take its place.
While the area was addressed at the convention, with a projected “tropical Americas” theme suggested to take over the area, the panel didn’t have much else to offer guests other than a possible Encanto (2021) or Indiana Jones-based attraction. With Epic Universe set to open in summer of 2025 and no major projects actually offered or confirmed to be coming to Walt Disney World, fans are starting to wonder what The Walt Disney Company plans to offer guests to compete.
Disneyland Magic Keys “Just Too Expensive”
Disneyland is facing similar problems, with a Pixar redesign of the Paradise Pier hotel getting mixed reviews from fans and complaints about the new San Fransokyo Bridge being cheaply done, even the California park isn’t free from disappointment. Earlier this year, Disneyland resumed sales of its Annual Pass to new guests, rebranded under the name “Magic Keys” in 2021. Unfortunately, it came with a hefty price increase and eventually a lawsuit due for deceptive business practices.
When purchasing the formerly-called “Dream Key,” the highest-tier pass, guests were promised no black out dates. Now called the “Inspire Key,” the same ticket only promises admission during “most days of the year,” causing issues with guests trying to enter the park on one of these days and resulting in the company settling in a lawsuit over “deceptive business practices.”
Now, some guests are choosing to cancel their Magic Key completely, stating it’s just too expensive for the experience Disneyland now offers. One guest even said they recently saw “a bunch of roaches by the ferris wheel in DCA a few weeks ago and 3 rats in Toontown,” when explaining the obvious decline in park standards.
The Disneyland website now has an obvious warning to guests looking to renew their pass to check the calendar for black out dates before purchasing, stating, in part,
“Park reservations for Magic Key holders are limited in number and subject to the availability of park reservations allocated to Magic Key passes as determined by Disney, applicable Magic Key pass blockout dates, and theme park capacity. Magic Key park reservations are not guaranteed for any specific date or park, no matter the pass type.”
Will you be renewing your Magic Key this year? Let us know why or why not in the comments below!