1
Credit: Inside the MagicThe Walt Disney World Resort is bizarrely walking back on its extensive booking structure and telling Guests that they should not plan for their trips.
The Disney World Labyrinth of Plans
In recent years, Disney Guests have become increasingly frustrated by the elaborate processes needed to book a visit to the theme park. Every year, it seems there are changes to Disney Genie+, Lightning Lanes, meal plans, and basically everything you need actually to have a good time at Disneyland or Magic Kingdom. On any given day, Guests can find ticket prices skyrocketing or even begin sold out, necessitating that they treat a theme park visit like a complex military campaign.
The booking system that Disney World has built over the decades is so complex that it has actually produced a whole ecosystem of third-party guides, instructional seminars, and, basically, homework for anyone who just wants to have a fun family trip at a Walt Disney Company resort.
Related: Caution: Disney App Declares Guests Should Not Enter Disney World
Magic Kingdom Crackdowns
Disney is well aware that planning a stay has become so cumbersome that people literally have to pay experts to figure it out, but the company seems to be having a very strange reaction to Guest frustration. Rather than trying to make things significantly easier, it is banning third-party guides from its parks and telling people they just shouldn’t worry about planning things out.
Never mind that travelers are currently dealing with huge potential delays at Orlando International Airport, having to be on guard for sell-outs, and, of course, the constant cycle of breakdowns, refurbishments, and repairs at Disney World attractions. Instead, Disney just thinks people should relax and is walking back its entire system.
No “Predetermined Plans”
In a strange new commercial airing during breaks on the What Now? with Trevor Noah podcast, Disney is actively telling people not to make plans and just take risks for Lightning Lanes and whether or not they’ll have a place to stay. Given that Mouse has been exhaustively trying to get people to understand and use Genie+, it is hard to see this as the company doing anything but walking back its own developments.
The commercial states, “At Walt Disney World Resort, magic is found in spontaneity, the unplanned, the unexpected: an inside joke born in the Haunted Mansion queue, a surprise Stitch sighting in Tomorrowland, watching fireworks from your room. These memories aren’t made from predetermined plans but manifested from simply being present and together in the most magical place. Find your moment at Walt Disney World Resort.”
Related: Record-Breaking Masses to Overwhelm Orlando Airport, Disney World Put on Alert
This messaging seems in direct contrast to the wealth of information that Disney provides to Guests during the booking process, including an entire page on just how to get ready for your trip. Among other things, Disney encourages people to “Use Online Check-in Service for Your Disney Resort Hotel Reservation Before You Arrive,” “Make Dining Reservations Up to 60 Days in Advance,” “Book Enchanting Extras,” “Purchase Memory Maker,” and download the Disney experience app.
That’s a pretty far cry from “the unplanned, the unexpected.” Maybe Disney realizes that its own systems have gotten so complex and tangled that it’s difficult for Guests to enjoy their stay, but they could do a little better than tell people just to chill and not worry about plans.
Do you think Disney is walking back its own advice to use its booking and planning systems? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below!