Thousands of Disneyland Resort fans are boycotting the Southern California theme parks they once loved as they report deteriorating conditions.
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The Happiest Place on Earth isn’t so joyful for a growing number of guests. Amid rising Magic Key Pass and Disney Park ticket prices, guests are disappointed that the once-free FastPasses turned into the paid Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane services.
Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park still haven’t retired Disney Park Pass reservations, intended initially to prevent crowding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dream Key Pass holders were so disappointed with the tricky theme park reservation system that they sued for false advertising–and won.
What’s Going on at Disneyland California?

This week, Disneyland Resort fans on Reddit discussed declining circumstances in Southern California. The conversation began with a post from u/Thin_Connection_8967, which received more than 1,300 votes of support:
“Disney needs to figure their stuff out. I went to Disneyland yesterday. The park hopper ticket along with genie plus(because you can’t get onto a ride without it anymore) was $250. Throughout the entire day, 9 of the rides broke down. Some for most of the day. Causing the lines to be hours long after opening the ride back up. Out of the 9, 3 of them broke down while I was in the line and 2 broke down while I was on the way to the ride. Paying almost 300 dollars for this is ridiculous. I have also never seen so many people at Disneyland in my life. You could barely walk. Disney is trying to shove as many people into the parks as possible, without the proper accommodations, just to get more money. Someone I know recently had a meeting with some higher ups in Disney. The only question they refused to answer was how many people they have in the parks a day. They know what they’re doing is wrong. There has to be something Disney fans can do.”
Alongside thousands of upvotes, the Disney Parks fan received hundreds of supportive comments.

“We were there July 3 and 4th. We did have Genie, we did ride everything we wanted to ride and didn’t wait long on the rides we didn’t have a [Lightning Lane] for,” said u/MelissaisTired. “With that said, I did remark to my husband how run down everything felt. The first time I felt that the park felt dirty. Bathrooms were a mess, etc. I’m so disappointed to hear that they don’t value their employees. I know it didn’t used to be this way.”
u/WafflestheWestie said that “corporate greed ruined [their] favorite place:”
“Went to Southern California in May and skipped Disneyland for the first time in a very long time. I grew up there and I love Disney, but no. I am not giving them one red cent until they fix this BS. They jam people into the parks and line the walkways with more crappy merchandise than anyone could ever want, and charge me an arm and leg to fight the crowds to get to rides that may or may not be operating when I finally get to the front of the endless line. No more… but it makes me sad. My best childhood memories are there. Corporate greed ruined my favorite place.”
Many suggested that guests boycott Disney California Adventure Park, Disneyland Park, and the Downtown Disney District.

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“Quit going,” u/coreyleblanc wrote. “Things don’t change unless they have to change. I had a pass in 2021, but let it expire due to things you mentioned. Even with a pass, after parking, food, LL, and merch, it costed $100/person every time I went, and I wasn’t seeing the value/inflation was catching up to my budget.”
“There definitely is something you can do. Stop giving Disney your money,” u/Rodeoboss66 agreed.
Disney Cast Members Warn Guests to Stay Away

Some Disney cast members weighed in with their perspectives on current Disneyland Resort offerings. The most popular comment from u/FawkesFire13 reads:
“We lost a good amount of experienced CMs after the pandemic and Disney didn’t want to give proper training to the new kids to teach them how to deal with pressure. Other thing is maintaining the rides. Disney has refused to hire enough experienced maintenance cast to keep the rides running as they should. They won’t pay experienced maintenance crew what they’re worth, so they aren’t sticking around in a low paying job.
As far as crowds….yep. Disney will pack as many people into the park as they are legally able to do without getting fined because all they care about is the money. They’re a business, that’s what they do. But they’re doing it at the cost of ignoring the guest experience.
It sucks.
Also, the CMs are overworked and deeply underpaid to the point of some of us living in our cars. Or dealing with food insecurity.
So you might just be dealing with a regular person who is managing severe stress while trying to give you the Disney Magic.
So what can you do? Stop going. Seriously. I get that for a lot of folks the Disney FOMO has got a death grip on you, and that’s exactly what they’re banking on.
Stop falling for it. The resorts will be here for decades to come, and Disney wants you to fight tooth and nail to get in. They’re preying on your nostalgia to fuel your desire to drop all your paycheck on them. Open your eyes. The reality is that the parks are doing poorly. Live entertainment is being scrapped or reduced because Disney doesn’t want to pay performers what they’re worth. Park food has become mediocre. They’re promoting Genie +/Lighting Lane as a way to squeeze even more money out of your pockets, and for what? A fast pass that used to be free before they got greedy (ier). They’re making you run from one side of the park to the other, keeping you distracted so you forget/ignore what they’re taking away.
Not to mention parking being about $30 now. Just to park your car. And the DAS system is making it even harder for people to just function in the resorts.
Stop going. Stop renewing passes. Stop buying tickets to the special events. Disney ONLY LISTENS TO THE DOLLARS. Period. They won’t change unless change is demanded. Stop visiting. Put money into Universal or Knotts. Heck, stop buying the cheap, cookie cutter merchandise as well. Demand better from Disney. They’re capable of it, but nothing changes if they think they can get away with it.”
Other Disney cast members echoed their sentiment.

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“People, listen to what is said here,” u/ItsaSlamDunk replied. “This is not from a disgruntled employee, it’s coming from knowledge and observation.”
“[Cast members] have been guests too and we’d like to see some return to normalcy but it’s never going to happen if you keep rewarding Disney for their lack of care for the brand,” the Disney cast member concluded. “I can go whenever I want for free and haven’t been in the park for fun in over 3 years because the experience is no where what it used to be.”
Are you boycotting Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort? In the comments, share your thoughts on the state of the Disney parks with Inside the Magic.