Bob Chapek tarnishes the whole idea of “The Greatest Place on Earth”. He’s the Grinch that stole Christmas. Where’s the magic envisioned by Walt, himself? Sadly, it seems to be usurped by visions of the dollar sign, not Mickey, Minnie, and friends. Disappointing and disillusioning to fans everywhere.
If they value vacationers sooo much then why cut so many perks and benefits for those staying at Disney hotels? No more early entry. No more delivering purchases to rooms. There are ways to keep things profitable without scrapping Walt Disney’s legacy and vision. Bob just wanted to squeeze every last penny out of every guest while cutting quality, magic, and tradition. Stereotypical soulless corporate CEO. Honestly it’s shameful and he doesn’t feel one inkling of regret for his decisions. Disney should vet their leadership to select those that align with the spirit of Disney.
Disney after I take over will no longer care about either no longer have shareholders as it will cease to be a publicly traded company as I will use my majority share controlling interest to take it off the stock market. It will only care about trying to figure out “What would Walt do?” again and avoid his divine wrath while appeasing only the purists and traditionalists even if that means being stagnant and stuck in the 20th century.
It will only care about appeasing its purists and figuring out “What would Walt do?” when I take it over and make it great again. The whole Iger and Chapek eras will be erased and Disney will no longer have shareholders because it will no longer be a public corporation under me. I will be the sole Owner the way sports teams have meaning the buck will stop with me alone and I will not answer to anyone but Walt himself.
I have said this a million times! Raising the price and keeping monthly payment plans will not prevent these locals from buying the passes. Many of them are on government assistance and don’t have the money to spend on anything else. They go every day! Crowd the parks etc. if he truly wanted to sell less passes, he could have eliminated the monthly payment plans. Most of the local passholders that are going daily don’t know that saving and paying in full costs the same. I say this as every time I mention getting rid of monthly payment plans those entitles passholders that act like they own the park, jump down my throat shouting how nobody would be able to afford it. This would get rid of overcrowding and annual pass prices would not have gone up to 1899!!
This is such an unbelievably gross take lol “many of them are on government assistance” – how would you even know this? You just sound bitter, cruel-spirited, and honestly not that bright 🤷🏼♀️ nothing will get rid of the overcrowding at this point, they’ve designed for it, and locals deserve to be able to enjoy the luxuries they’re sacrificing peace for in the name of tourism.
I’d quit going all together. The annual passes are already not worth it anyway. So we will go from spending a little to nothing at all. So many other venus out there.
I visit the parks twice a year, so I’m a bit biased. If I had my way, I’d keep the reservation system and eliminate all annual passes making everyone pay the same. My experience with many annual passholders is they act like they are privileged spoiled brats who think they deserve special treatment when they flood the parks mid-day and/or in the evening, increasing wait times and crowding for attractions, shows, parades and food.
What an odd take, please know that locals recognize that the real entitled brats are the tourists 🤣 and this is the perfect example. I mean listen to y’all, acting like you are due some advantage over the locals – many of whom make your vacation possible. Just seeming bitter because you can’t go once a week…
I am a local, I still only go twice a year! I never said I hate locals, I just don’t appreciate the entitled brat Magic Key holders who I’ve seen harassing Cast Members!
Please stop raising the entrance fees. People would love to purchase more souvenirs and eat in the parks more if the ticket prices weren’t so high.
We save up for an entire year just to buy our tickets and now we spend more money to buy lightening lane passes. Fast passes were once free. We also love to sign up for a tour and now those are very limited and cost a fortune.
Disneyland is supposed to be for everyone but I think now it is more for the wealthy. Sad!
The point that is both obvious and lost is that the negative side of annual passes, from a corporate perspective, is directly related to low cost in-state pass options. Passholders from other states and countries are more likely to spend more money with the company on every visit than are in-state passholders.
Casandra Lee Mandeville is the true CEO of Disneyland and Walt Disney. She has been since 1997. You need to stop this bull and give her back her parks.
Over 10,000 employees knows this, she is in Walt Disney’s will.
Bob knows, this, everyone does.
You cannot change anything with out her approval.
Once she re files the lawsuit, you will lose. She will clean up the parks, before reopening.
I will be letting every news station, newspaper, you name it, I will be sending these letters to them again.
Casandra Lee Mandeville is the true CEO of Disneyland and Walt Disney world.
I used to love going to Disney. Always at the top resorts with concierge.
Now that every worthwhile perk has been removed or pay walled I won’t be going to Disney again.
Gone: magic express from airport, extra hours, real concierge service, buying stuff and having it delivered to the room, fast pass that was free-now you pay and pay to get on a ride and so much more.
The magic is gone, now it just another theme park trying to gouge you on everything
Having the privilege to use to sing at Disney in the past. Every chance I could, I gave my tickets away. It’s magical in moments and creativity, but it’s been about the dollar for a long time. Highly doubt I’ll ever spend another dollar at a Disney park for the rest of my life.
Bob Chapek tried to defend his position of increasing annual pass prices by saying it was aiming to reduce the number of casual guests who pop in and bulk up the capacity, diminishing the experience for once in a lifetime holidaymakers.
To this, I say, why on earth didn’t you just ditch the passes and put in a locals discount instead?
It does suck, but ditching the passes will boost the experience for people who don’t get to go often.
Annual passes might not be their big money-maker…but are they not making enough money? The point is to try to make it accessible to locals who have to endure the negative impacts of Disney tourism, and to keep people coming to the parks even during off-seasons. I’m near WDW and most tiers of pass already include blackout dates surrounding peak times. Listening to the tourists whine about locals is cute though, you ever think your own entitlement may be the problem?
‘Overcrowding kills the ‘Magic Experience’ ,,, waiting in lines is a ‘big ‘drag ,,, Give the new program a try and you’ll see the results either way !? #lol
We don’t care either way if they keep the Disney World Annual Pass. We are one and done. First and last time buyers. We drive 1000 miles one way because we are retired and enjoy road trips. But the way fuel is and Disney raising the price $120 for each pass is like being told, we don’t want your business! Well that’s fine. Ours will expire in August next year and It is too much to invest for. I know it’s about the all mighty dollar for Disney
I grew up in West Anaheim in the 1980s and could see the fireworks from my front lawn. My parents to the park once a year which was pretty normal back then. People didn’t go every day. Then Disney came out the with annual passes by the time I was in high school and had a car, and all my friends and I wanted to start going after school and for swing dancing they had at the Carnation. We loved swing dancing at the time. So, I asked for one for Christmas. At the time it cost $99 a year for a basic pass (black out dates) and $199 a year for entry 365. It was a lot of money back then when people earned $4.25 an hour. But I used it a lot and have a lot of good memories there as a kid and teenager. In my 20s and onward, I’ve had an AP throughout most of my life, off and on, depending on where I lived and if I could afford it. I have seen the park attendance and park experience change DRAMATICALLY over the years. It went from being basically empty on rainy days and Sundays – so much so that oftentimes, when we finished a ride, the operator would ask if we wanted to go again because no one else was in line – to now being absolutely so packed that you can’t even sit anywhere if you’re tired and seeing people pushing each other, yelling, and fist fighting. I’ve seen the manners and behavior of the people who visit dramatically decrease over the years. And the heat, intense crowds, strollers, price increases while benefits are taken away is all absolutely exhausting and bound to bring the worst out in most people. What is Disney even doing taking away all those benefits from people who stay at the hotels?! It’s like $800 a night minimum to stay but they don’t get early entry anymore? Wild. I’m surprised by the idea in the article that AP holders don’t spend money in the park because all the folks I know who have had them over the years (including myself) buy clothing, ears, snacks, pay extra for genie/fast pass and pay extra for boarding rides quickly like Cars and Star Wars. We also buy special event night tickets that aren’t event included in the AP. My husband and I had the highest tier passes but let them expire. We still live in SoCal but not close enough to want to deal with traffic, we are too busy with kids and life, and even though we were using it for a twice a month date night, it was no longer fun to go because the crowds took all the joy out of it. Even before we left it was an exhausting experience just being able to reserve an entry date and time. Even though we had the highest tier pass, most of the time we couldn’t even go when we wanted to because the dates were all booked far in advance. Then when we got there, driving up to the area was awful and crowded, parking was awful and crowded, going through security was awful and crowded, then we would walk up to just absolute hoards of people going in the gates. It was the opposite a magical experience. I do sometimes miss going but then remember what it has been becoming over the last 15 years and I immediately lose the desire. Moving forward, plan on just buying special event night tickets if we want to visit the park and may take all the money we used to spend and put it toward a Disney cruise with our whole family. The special events nights are the closest to how it was in the early 90s on a normal day at the park (crowd-wise) – except maybe the Oogie Boogie night. That’s insane. That being said, I do think it’s dumb that you pay $300 per person for a ticket but then they close all of the best rides for the event. But we do love the food and events and special release t-shirts. But honestly, the ONLY thing that will keep us coming back and paying for a special event ticket is the fact that they are not crowded. We are basically paying extra to experience the park uncrowded. Sad, and not magical, but the truth.
This is exactly what is wrong with today’s society, never enough!!! This guy obviously isn’t rich enough already and doesn’t care about your average person or family. Definitely 0doesn’t sound like the happiest place on earth and is sending a message to today’s youth, money is the most important thing on earth. Absolutely pathetic and a poor ex use for a human being!!!
We had the top level pass for 10 years. We live 6 hours away. W went almost once a month. The first year I had a job nearby and went once or twice a week after work. I had dinner each time and usually bought items in the stores. When my wife and I went, we had at least one sit down meal daily that required a reservation. Truth be told I would not have gone most of those work nights if I didn’t have free parking with the pass. The prices went up, we didn’t renew and we haven’t been back in 3 years. We have no plans to return at this point. I own a few shares of Disney. They are way down from what I bought the for. The unhappiest place on earth needs to go back to the basic values that caused Walt to build the park in the 50’s. They have lost the vision of the company.
I think they should be ashamed of themselves!! Their prices are so high most families can’t afford to go! I have a 7 year old that would love to go but I can’t afford to take her. Heck my 28 and 24 year old would love to go as well for that matter. I never got to go either.
My wife and I considered annual passes but Chapek killed those dreams with his continual price increase. A dollar goes only so far. You pay for admission, then you pay for the ride enhancements. Your next two expenses would be food and merchandising, that’s where consumers start cutting back. For us out went the merchandising unless there was something we had to have. We got creative with the food expense but it’s still pricey.
This is exactly what I had said back in 2021: Disney no longer wants there to be AP’s. So much was cut from the program. Then the reservation system prioritized/favored those guests buying regular tickets. There were available days for those guests staying at the resorts & buying date based tickets. No availability for AP’s. I gave up my AP at renewal 2021. With so much closed/shutdown, and costs raising, AP did not make sense. I go several times a year. So now, I very rarely go to the parks.
I’ve been thinking about this for 40 years. The park is too crowded. The ticket prices are too high. It’s not fun when you can’t even cross the street or move freely. Walts vision was never to be crammed in like sardines. Disney has so much money it could make the park free.
Payment plans have to go. The parks are too crowded and feel more like block parties than magical family fun. The little perks that made Disney special have disappeared, too.
I have been a Pass holder for some time now. I go at least once a month for a 2-day stay (off-site). I spend a lot of money at WDW. Stopping the annual pass will keep me from ever coming again!
Killing APs would have been a horrible decision. Many AP holders are DVC members and visit WDW 2 or 3 times per year. Many of the Chapek takeaways seem to be coming back, slowly, like extended park hours for the DVC Villas, which are also considered Deluxe resorts. The dining discounts for AP’s are very helpful, especially during the slower season. Disney doesn’t do anything quickly, including changing the reservation system and eliminating free fast passes. Many of the changes that Chapek got blamed for were ideas that were incubated and approved during Iger’s first term as CEO. Both of those guys nearly ruined WDW and DL. Disney’s biggest problem is that their creative division only makes one good and profitable movie out of five or six losers. So milk the Park guests to support the corporation. Gone is the ability to make blockbuster after blockbuster that we saw under Michael Eisner.
Bob was a moron if he thought alienating the locals from attending parks as passholders would bring in more money. Don’t bite off the hand that feeds you Bob. Clearly this was one of many reasons why you were fired!
As a longtime DVC member who has visited WDW & Disneyland more than 65 times since 1989, time and again I have seen policies predicated on maximizing company profits while reducing guest value, two ideas that need not be mutually exclusive. This is in total contrast to Walt’s philosophy that Disney Parks are for everyone, and Bob Chapek is the ringleader for this misguided thinking. It’s bad enough that I have to pay for what I used to get included with park admission with Fastpass, but getting rid of Magical Express was really bad judgement-If you stay at most high dollar resorts, Las Vegas, for instance, they send a limo out to the airport to pick you up, the idea being your stress ends and your vacation begins the minute you get off the plane. If I had to do it all over again, I would not make the long-term commitment by buying into DVC.
Comments for REPORT: Disney CEO Considers Eliminating Theme Park Annual Pass Program To Maximize Profits
R Burnett
Bob Chapek tarnishes the whole idea of “The Greatest Place on Earth”. He’s the Grinch that stole Christmas. Where’s the magic envisioned by Walt, himself? Sadly, it seems to be usurped by visions of the dollar sign, not Mickey, Minnie, and friends. Disappointing and disillusioning to fans everywhere.
Jessica
If they value vacationers sooo much then why cut so many perks and benefits for those staying at Disney hotels? No more early entry. No more delivering purchases to rooms. There are ways to keep things profitable without scrapping Walt Disney’s legacy and vision. Bob just wanted to squeeze every last penny out of every guest while cutting quality, magic, and tradition. Stereotypical soulless corporate CEO. Honestly it’s shameful and he doesn’t feel one inkling of regret for his decisions. Disney should vet their leadership to select those that align with the spirit of Disney.
Leonard Hatzell
Sadly in todays world the only thing they care about is “maximizing profits” and “shareholders”
Steve
Disney after I take over will no longer care about either no longer have shareholders as it will cease to be a publicly traded company as I will use my majority share controlling interest to take it off the stock market. It will only care about trying to figure out “What would Walt do?” again and avoid his divine wrath while appeasing only the purists and traditionalists even if that means being stagnant and stuck in the 20th century.
Steve
It will only care about appeasing its purists and figuring out “What would Walt do?” when I take it over and make it great again. The whole Iger and Chapek eras will be erased and Disney will no longer have shareholders because it will no longer be a public corporation under me. I will be the sole Owner the way sports teams have meaning the buck will stop with me alone and I will not answer to anyone but Walt himself.
Christina
I have said this a million times! Raising the price and keeping monthly payment plans will not prevent these locals from buying the passes. Many of them are on government assistance and don’t have the money to spend on anything else. They go every day! Crowd the parks etc. if he truly wanted to sell less passes, he could have eliminated the monthly payment plans. Most of the local passholders that are going daily don’t know that saving and paying in full costs the same. I say this as every time I mention getting rid of monthly payment plans those entitles passholders that act like they own the park, jump down my throat shouting how nobody would be able to afford it. This would get rid of overcrowding and annual pass prices would not have gone up to 1899!!
Patrick
🙌🏼BINGO🙌🏼
Kristin
This is such an unbelievably gross take lol “many of them are on government assistance” – how would you even know this? You just sound bitter, cruel-spirited, and honestly not that bright 🤷🏼♀️ nothing will get rid of the overcrowding at this point, they’ve designed for it, and locals deserve to be able to enjoy the luxuries they’re sacrificing peace for in the name of tourism.
Jack
Honestly you sound bitter, and not very bright yourself. It’s probably way past time for your nerve meds
JustSomeGuy
Locals don’t “deserve” anything! It’s that “deserve” attitude that’s disgusting among the Key Holders!
Dave
I’d quit going all together. The annual passes are already not worth it anyway. So we will go from spending a little to nothing at all. So many other venus out there.
JustSomeGuy
I visit the parks twice a year, so I’m a bit biased. If I had my way, I’d keep the reservation system and eliminate all annual passes making everyone pay the same. My experience with many annual passholders is they act like they are privileged spoiled brats who think they deserve special treatment when they flood the parks mid-day and/or in the evening, increasing wait times and crowding for attractions, shows, parades and food.
Patrick
Yet, Another ..spot on🙌🏼BINGO🙌🏼
Kristin
What an odd take, please know that locals recognize that the real entitled brats are the tourists 🤣 and this is the perfect example. I mean listen to y’all, acting like you are due some advantage over the locals – many of whom make your vacation possible. Just seeming bitter because you can’t go once a week…
Jack
Said the Disney adult who probably blows triple digits on Stitch merch
TheObvious
If you hate locals, STAY OUT OF OUR STATE. You’re not entitled to clog up our roads.
JustSomeGuy
I am a local, I still only go twice a year! I never said I hate locals, I just don’t appreciate the entitled brat Magic Key holders who I’ve seen harassing Cast Members!
Matthew
Nice try, I am a local. I choose to go twice a year and spend 4 nights at the Grand!
Donna
Please stop raising the entrance fees. People would love to purchase more souvenirs and eat in the parks more if the ticket prices weren’t so high.
We save up for an entire year just to buy our tickets and now we spend more money to buy lightening lane passes. Fast passes were once free. We also love to sign up for a tour and now those are very limited and cost a fortune.
Disneyland is supposed to be for everyone but I think now it is more for the wealthy. Sad!
Rod
The point that is both obvious and lost is that the negative side of annual passes, from a corporate perspective, is directly related to low cost in-state pass options. Passholders from other states and countries are more likely to spend more money with the company on every visit than are in-state passholders.
Lith
Casandra Lee Mandeville is the true CEO of Disneyland and Walt Disney. She has been since 1997. You need to stop this bull and give her back her parks.
Over 10,000 employees knows this, she is in Walt Disney’s will.
Bob knows, this, everyone does.
You cannot change anything with out her approval.
Once she re files the lawsuit, you will lose. She will clean up the parks, before reopening.
I will be letting every news station, newspaper, you name it, I will be sending these letters to them again.
Casandra Lee Mandeville is the true CEO of Disneyland and Walt Disney world.
Mike
I used to love going to Disney. Always at the top resorts with concierge.
Now that every worthwhile perk has been removed or pay walled I won’t be going to Disney again.
Gone: magic express from airport, extra hours, real concierge service, buying stuff and having it delivered to the room, fast pass that was free-now you pay and pay to get on a ride and so much more.
The magic is gone, now it just another theme park trying to gouge you on everything
Jane Doe
FU** YOU Disney! Walt is rolling over in his grave!
Bob I
Having the privilege to use to sing at Disney in the past. Every chance I could, I gave my tickets away. It’s magical in moments and creativity, but it’s been about the dollar for a long time. Highly doubt I’ll ever spend another dollar at a Disney park for the rest of my life.
Lewis
Bob Chapek tried to defend his position of increasing annual pass prices by saying it was aiming to reduce the number of casual guests who pop in and bulk up the capacity, diminishing the experience for once in a lifetime holidaymakers.
To this, I say, why on earth didn’t you just ditch the passes and put in a locals discount instead?
It does suck, but ditching the passes will boost the experience for people who don’t get to go often.
Kristin
Annual passes might not be their big money-maker…but are they not making enough money? The point is to try to make it accessible to locals who have to endure the negative impacts of Disney tourism, and to keep people coming to the parks even during off-seasons. I’m near WDW and most tiers of pass already include blackout dates surrounding peak times. Listening to the tourists whine about locals is cute though, you ever think your own entitlement may be the problem?
Jack
Maybe look at your own entitlement problem first before pointing your finger at others?
TheObvious
It’s TOURISTS like you, and probably is you, who spend their days cutting lines and shoving their way in front of everyone else.
You’re a GUEST here. Act like it. You are entitled to nothing.
JustSomeGuy
The only people I’ve ever seen pushing for special treatment and being rude to Cast Members are Key Holders!
Frank
‘Overcrowding kills the ‘Magic Experience’ ,,, waiting in lines is a ‘big ‘drag ,,, Give the new program a try and you’ll see the results either way !? #lol
james smith
We don’t care either way if they keep the Disney World Annual Pass. We are one and done. First and last time buyers. We drive 1000 miles one way because we are retired and enjoy road trips. But the way fuel is and Disney raising the price $120 for each pass is like being told, we don’t want your business! Well that’s fine. Ours will expire in August next year and It is too much to invest for. I know it’s about the all mighty dollar for Disney
Kimberly C.
I grew up in West Anaheim in the 1980s and could see the fireworks from my front lawn. My parents to the park once a year which was pretty normal back then. People didn’t go every day. Then Disney came out the with annual passes by the time I was in high school and had a car, and all my friends and I wanted to start going after school and for swing dancing they had at the Carnation. We loved swing dancing at the time. So, I asked for one for Christmas. At the time it cost $99 a year for a basic pass (black out dates) and $199 a year for entry 365. It was a lot of money back then when people earned $4.25 an hour. But I used it a lot and have a lot of good memories there as a kid and teenager. In my 20s and onward, I’ve had an AP throughout most of my life, off and on, depending on where I lived and if I could afford it. I have seen the park attendance and park experience change DRAMATICALLY over the years. It went from being basically empty on rainy days and Sundays – so much so that oftentimes, when we finished a ride, the operator would ask if we wanted to go again because no one else was in line – to now being absolutely so packed that you can’t even sit anywhere if you’re tired and seeing people pushing each other, yelling, and fist fighting. I’ve seen the manners and behavior of the people who visit dramatically decrease over the years. And the heat, intense crowds, strollers, price increases while benefits are taken away is all absolutely exhausting and bound to bring the worst out in most people. What is Disney even doing taking away all those benefits from people who stay at the hotels?! It’s like $800 a night minimum to stay but they don’t get early entry anymore? Wild. I’m surprised by the idea in the article that AP holders don’t spend money in the park because all the folks I know who have had them over the years (including myself) buy clothing, ears, snacks, pay extra for genie/fast pass and pay extra for boarding rides quickly like Cars and Star Wars. We also buy special event night tickets that aren’t event included in the AP. My husband and I had the highest tier passes but let them expire. We still live in SoCal but not close enough to want to deal with traffic, we are too busy with kids and life, and even though we were using it for a twice a month date night, it was no longer fun to go because the crowds took all the joy out of it. Even before we left it was an exhausting experience just being able to reserve an entry date and time. Even though we had the highest tier pass, most of the time we couldn’t even go when we wanted to because the dates were all booked far in advance. Then when we got there, driving up to the area was awful and crowded, parking was awful and crowded, going through security was awful and crowded, then we would walk up to just absolute hoards of people going in the gates. It was the opposite a magical experience. I do sometimes miss going but then remember what it has been becoming over the last 15 years and I immediately lose the desire. Moving forward, plan on just buying special event night tickets if we want to visit the park and may take all the money we used to spend and put it toward a Disney cruise with our whole family. The special events nights are the closest to how it was in the early 90s on a normal day at the park (crowd-wise) – except maybe the Oogie Boogie night. That’s insane. That being said, I do think it’s dumb that you pay $300 per person for a ticket but then they close all of the best rides for the event. But we do love the food and events and special release t-shirts. But honestly, the ONLY thing that will keep us coming back and paying for a special event ticket is the fact that they are not crowded. We are basically paying extra to experience the park uncrowded. Sad, and not magical, but the truth.
Scott
This is exactly what is wrong with today’s society, never enough!!! This guy obviously isn’t rich enough already and doesn’t care about your average person or family. Definitely 0doesn’t sound like the happiest place on earth and is sending a message to today’s youth, money is the most important thing on earth. Absolutely pathetic and a poor ex use for a human being!!!
Jimbo
We had the top level pass for 10 years. We live 6 hours away. W went almost once a month. The first year I had a job nearby and went once or twice a week after work. I had dinner each time and usually bought items in the stores. When my wife and I went, we had at least one sit down meal daily that required a reservation. Truth be told I would not have gone most of those work nights if I didn’t have free parking with the pass. The prices went up, we didn’t renew and we haven’t been back in 3 years. We have no plans to return at this point. I own a few shares of Disney. They are way down from what I bought the for. The unhappiest place on earth needs to go back to the basic values that caused Walt to build the park in the 50’s. They have lost the vision of the company.
Rachel
I think they should be ashamed of themselves!! Their prices are so high most families can’t afford to go! I have a 7 year old that would love to go but I can’t afford to take her. Heck my 28 and 24 year old would love to go as well for that matter. I never got to go either.
ObiDon54
My wife and I considered annual passes but Chapek killed those dreams with his continual price increase. A dollar goes only so far. You pay for admission, then you pay for the ride enhancements. Your next two expenses would be food and merchandising, that’s where consumers start cutting back. For us out went the merchandising unless there was something we had to have. We got creative with the food expense but it’s still pricey.
D
This is exactly what I had said back in 2021: Disney no longer wants there to be AP’s. So much was cut from the program. Then the reservation system prioritized/favored those guests buying regular tickets. There were available days for those guests staying at the resorts & buying date based tickets. No availability for AP’s. I gave up my AP at renewal 2021. With so much closed/shutdown, and costs raising, AP did not make sense. I go several times a year. So now, I very rarely go to the parks.
Elle
I’ve been thinking about this for 40 years. The park is too crowded. The ticket prices are too high. It’s not fun when you can’t even cross the street or move freely. Walts vision was never to be crammed in like sardines. Disney has so much money it could make the park free.
Mary
Payment plans have to go. The parks are too crowded and feel more like block parties than magical family fun. The little perks that made Disney special have disappeared, too.
Starr Barineau
I have been a Pass holder for some time now. I go at least once a month for a 2-day stay (off-site). I spend a lot of money at WDW. Stopping the annual pass will keep me from ever coming again!
April Vaughan
100% agree!
RandyC
Killing APs would have been a horrible decision. Many AP holders are DVC members and visit WDW 2 or 3 times per year. Many of the Chapek takeaways seem to be coming back, slowly, like extended park hours for the DVC Villas, which are also considered Deluxe resorts. The dining discounts for AP’s are very helpful, especially during the slower season. Disney doesn’t do anything quickly, including changing the reservation system and eliminating free fast passes. Many of the changes that Chapek got blamed for were ideas that were incubated and approved during Iger’s first term as CEO. Both of those guys nearly ruined WDW and DL. Disney’s biggest problem is that their creative division only makes one good and profitable movie out of five or six losers. So milk the Park guests to support the corporation. Gone is the ability to make blockbuster after blockbuster that we saw under Michael Eisner.
April Vaughan
Bob was a moron if he thought alienating the locals from attending parks as passholders would bring in more money. Don’t bite off the hand that feeds you Bob. Clearly this was one of many reasons why you were fired!
michael
As a longtime DVC member who has visited WDW & Disneyland more than 65 times since 1989, time and again I have seen policies predicated on maximizing company profits while reducing guest value, two ideas that need not be mutually exclusive. This is in total contrast to Walt’s philosophy that Disney Parks are for everyone, and Bob Chapek is the ringleader for this misguided thinking. It’s bad enough that I have to pay for what I used to get included with park admission with Fastpass, but getting rid of Magical Express was really bad judgement-If you stay at most high dollar resorts, Las Vegas, for instance, they send a limo out to the airport to pick you up, the idea being your stress ends and your vacation begins the minute you get off the plane. If I had to do it all over again, I would not make the long-term commitment by buying into DVC.