Best Strategy for a trip in 2022? Lower Your Expectations

[Jennasis]

You have to remember, this is the internet and it's social media. For every loud person on here (and the number of posts is not reflective as some people are particularly into complaining) there are literally thousands of satisfied guests who are not hanging out on boards. Study after study has shown that the negativity and complaints on social media is exponentially higher than people's real life experiences. You don't just need to take comments on here with a grain of salt.... you need to swallow it with the entire dead sea.

From MY PERSONAL experience since the pandemic, I have had a terrific time with each vacation to Disney. Each one has gotten progressively better since they opened (for me) and I EXPECT them to continue to show improvement. One thing Disney is VERY good at is learning from their mistakes even if those mistakes are costly.



Wait.... Reduce costs AND raise revenue at the same time? FIND ME A BUSINESS WHO WOULDN'T!!!!!

I'm not even sure that's a BAD THING. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me AT ALL if that is part of their plan. For a long time Disney has been suffering from too many people and too few rides. If they are not going to build a ton more parks (and that brings it's own challenges), then the best solution to the problem is to artificially lower the crowds.

I'm a pixie dust huffing, magic farting Disney apologist. They have made a lot of unpopular decisions over the last 5 years, and each time I've shrugged and said "That stinks for those it affects..." but it never affected me. My trips were still FANTASTIC. Pay for parking at resorts? I own DVC so it doesn't apply. Discontinue ME? I drive so it didn't apply. Take away member benefits for DVC resale owners? I bought pre-2016 so it doesn't apply...and on and on..

My last trip, Disney broke me. I never thought there was a line they could cross. I didn't even know there was a line! But they did. I'm pretty devastated about it. I don't recognize the parks or the company anymore.

 

[DisneyFive]

We are going in October for 8 nights split BCV and WLV. We promised our special 36 year old son this trip. My husband and I are worried it won't be fun. We have been many times and have had some great trips. Went for his 30th birthday and felt everything was changing for the worse. Now this trip may be our last. Our son is a Disney lover. He is pretty easy going and loves the characters, shows and parades, but he is also planning to get on the new rides like Slinky and Rattatoie . He also loves to eat and we will be trying to get him into some specific restaurants. As a side note, We do not have smartphones and will therefore be severely compromised, but at least we won't run into anyone while we have our noses in our phones. Hopefully our sense of humor will get us through.

Given the current structure of the parks, I would recommend, upon checking into your resort, to explain your situation and the rides that your son really desires. The concierge might be able to help assist greatly. Disney cast members still very much care about their guests! That I can 100% attest to.

The structure of the parks has just changed enough that it makes it more difficult to do what we did, and enjoyed before.

I’m guessing that you know this, so apologies but your best bet for dining is to book online or call early the morning of that 60 day mark.

Your post is touching BTW

 

[sydneysmom]

We are going in October for 8 nights split BCV and WLV. We promised our special 36 year old son this trip. My husband and I are worried it won't be fun. We have been many times and have had some great trips. Went for his 30th birthday and felt everything was changing for the worse. Now this trip may be our last. Our son is a Disney lover. He is pretty easy going and loves the characters, shows and parades, but he is also planning to get on the new rides like Slinky and Rattatoie . He also loves to eat and we will be trying to get him into some specific restaurants. As a side note, We do not have smartphones and will therefore be severely compromised, but at least we won't run into anyone while we have our noses in our phones. Hopefully our sense of humor will get us through.

you're going to have a wonderful time because you're sharing it with people you love !! sure, there might be things that come up.... that's on ANY vacation.... but you're at Disney! grab a cupcake, watch the parades and fireworks , ride the rides and make it magical !!!!

 

[TiggerBouncy]

you're going to have a wonderful time because you're sharing it with people you love !! sure, there might be things that come up.... that's on ANY vacation.... but you're at Disney! grab a cupcake, watch the parades and fireworks , ride the rides and make it magical !!!!

I can't seem to stress this enough and I get tired of saying it.


If you go and you bring with you the attitude that you gather from social media that everything is cut backs, taking away, rude CM's and negativity, what you will find is cut backs, things that were taken away, rude CM's and negativity. You will literally LOOK for those things and yes - if you look for them you can find them. (Here I will add another Yoda'ism)


If HOWEVER you bring magic, happiness, and a childlike attitude of wonder, you will find..... that's right... magic, happiness, and wonder.

There is STILL Magic in Disney. But Magic is elusive - it always has been. Magic doesn't like to show off in bright lights and convert people filled with anger. Instead, like a small seed of wonder, it grows in those who believe in it, trust in it and let it do it's thing. It has always been thus. The magic has not gone away anywhere. There is no where for it to go. Like the force, it is everywhere. It surrounds us. it's just that at Disney we are given more opportunities to see it, feel it, and grow it larger.

CM's - as much as we like to think are some magical creatures (and in some ways they are!!! ) they are also humans. They will do their best to create magic every day. But like any human, they react to you. If you approach a CM CERTAIN that you are having a bad time and they are just a barrier which you must beat out of them what you think you need, yeah - expect to get curt, prompt replies that may not meet your needs. If you approach them as humans who have feelings and are probably having a tough time with other people who are treating them as obstacles, they will be kind and courteous. They may not be able to magically make new seats at your favorite place to eat, but they will still do their absolute best to find an alternative or help you in whatever way they can.

If you read online that some performer is gone now due to cutbacks, you will look for other performers who you remember and are gone. You will stew about it as you walk right past all the new performers who are doing their best to entertain.

Do NOT go to Disney expecting that when you walk through the gates, Tinkerbell is literally going to fly over your head and shower you with magical dust. She never did that (you just remember things differently as a kid). But if you bring your own little bit of magic and add it to the magic that is there, Disney has a way of making that magic grow exponentially.

I will throw one more movie quote at you. This one from Evan Almighty


If you go looking for Magic, do you think Disney zaps you poof full of Magic? Or does it give you opportunities to make Magic? Think about it.

Okay... off my soap box. Sorry for the rant. It's been pent up for months and I finally had to release it.

 

[WIll C]

I have to say, we had the absolute best trip this last January. Perhaps we lucked out on things but my wife still talks about how much fun it was. Weather was perfect. Crowds were manageable (we're comparing to Christmas 2019, so yah, easy) and we got to do everything we wanted. Riviera was an amazing resort and even our time at Universal was fun and different, even if the hotel wasn't nearly as nice.
We had a good attitude about the trip and didn't stress about things. We're excited about coming back and having another good time.
It's not that we didn't have some negatives during the trip but we focused on the good and didn't let anything else drag us down. You will hear the negative far more than the positive online as people that have a good time generally aren't posting about it. Go, have fun and be happy!

 

[Krissy562]

100% agree. I'd rather stay home than just say "well, there's a few thousand , it is what it is". that's why we cancelled our previous trips and waited until we felt like it was going to be better. Alot of it, and I don't mean this as a dig to anyone, but alot of the joy of your trip is what you make of it. If you go in happy, you're happy to be alive and at Disney, it will likely be a much happier trip. We're skipping Genie+ because neither of us wants to be a slave to our phone. We're going in Sept, so the lines will be shorter, so hopefully that won't matter being without it. But my DH and I are going into this like we're making this vacation ours, we're not going to be dictated how...... now, I I was bringing little kids, that might be different.

This one simple fact was the most valuable tip I EVER got from Disboards many many years ago; that's saying a lot since we've gotten some amazingly helpful information!!!

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Packing today for our trip later this week.

I have briefed my daughter on the changes and identified the things on her "must do" list.

Luckily she is mainly focused on the Arts Festival at EP and there is a particular artist she wants to see.....her rides based "must do" list is short.

We both have G+, but on 9 and 10 crowd level days it's usefulness is limited......and being a teacher she has little flexibility on when she can travel during the school year.

We will enjoy our time together and are glad we already know WDW so well.

 

[JenSop]

I don't have time to read ALL the responses, but wanted to chime in that I agree with the sentiment expressed by the OP.
LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS
We were there in January. I went in with an open mind and wanted to give it a fair chance. That being said, Genie+ is a disaster.
-Getting up at 7am while on vacation to choose the top rides is cruel and unusual punishment.
-By midday, most of the G+ return times in MK were well into the evening, which conflicted with dinner.
-I got only two rides from G+ in MK. And booked Space Mt. will the ILL. So THREE rides in MK, for a premium extra price.
-Keeping park hopping to 2pm is extremely restrictive. We ended up not park hopping at all as a result.
-I'm done with this park reservation system nonsense. When we got up and wanted to head out to lunch, I WANTED to jump into Epcot (we were at Boardwalk) before heading to DHS. But our reservation was for DHS. Just annoying.

I've said it in several places online, but I'll say it again: I know Disney wants our money. They're a business. I get it. But this felt like a slimy money-grubbing overt display. It was SO in-your-face.

If I need to pay, I'd rather have paid for the previous FP+ system, so I could book my three afternoon rides before my trip. Done. Easy. Sleep in on vacation. No conflicts with dinner. I would know that I was going to experience my favorite rides at a time that worked for me.

When we were all speculating on here awhile ago of what the new system to replace FP would be, I thought for sure they'd at least give a few free rides to on-site guests - to make it worth the on-site stay. But our only benefit now is to get up before 7am, or miss out! Who the hell thinks this is a benefit??!??!?!

And I'm a part time TA, so the sheer quantity of updated strategy tips I've had to put together for clients is mind-blowing. And so far, the clients hate the new system too. Even when I try to manage their expectations.

Sure, I'll be back, I'm DVC and I LOVE my home resort of AKV. I'm hoping that once we get past this initial nonsense that maybe they'll make some changes. Also hoping that the crowds will be better once teh 50th is over. Because the crowds were INSANE.

For the record, I've been coming to DIsney on annual trips since I was a kid in the mid-80s. I KNOW Disney World. I only skipped 2021 because of the pandemic, but otherwise I go once, sometimes twice a year.

 

[peabody58]

Disney is our Magic place and always will be. Just being in the bubble is awesome for us.

However we are also realist's and are well aware that Disney has changed, and will continue to change. As DVC owners with recently acquired more points, we are committed to years and years of trips to the WDW resorts. Notice I didn't theme parks.

With the 'current' lack of APs, our long-range planning is coming under some new and interesting reviews. This unto itself is a lot of fun as I am a spreadsheet planning junkie who gets almost as much joy out of planning our trips and actually being on them.

We are fortunate to be retired with plenty of the kid's inheritance to spend, so other than our aversion to spending above the perceived product value, we can handle Disney's prices. We also still have some NE+ tics and one set of DVC AP Vouchers from 2011 yet to use. Don;t get me wrong, once AP's are back, we will scope a set up ASAP to ensure we can vacation at WDW like we own the place! Love being able to just drop in at a park for a couple of hours and not feel like we got ripped off.

With some fine tuning and agreement from my DW, we will be doing some {egads) 'outside the bubble' attractions such as Old Town, Fun Spot, Kennedy Space Center; as well as more chilling at the resorts. We always drive to WDW from GA. Being in our mid-60's now means we can't do things at commando pace anymore. So a 3-4 hour off-site attraction should be fine with us.

Our park strategy remains the same pretty much. We still sleep in, hit a park by noon'ish, plan on an early dinner at a TS somewhere. I usually return to the park in the evening as DW chills at the resort. We don't do or need G+, but we have used ILLs to our benefit. Cost is manageable especially as we cut our TS meals in half (I'm dieting and we bring food with us).

So in summary, no we haven't lowered our expectations. We have always had realistic expectations which require us to be part of that equation. Every trip we have had to WDW since the '90's have been fun, memorable and an inspiration to come back again. Even the not so perfect ones.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

When we were all speculating on here awhile ago of what the new system to replace FP would be, I thought for sure they'd at least give a few free rides to on-site guests - to make it worth the on-site stay. But our only benefit now is to get up before 7am, or miss out! Who the hell thinks this is a benefit??!??!?!

 

[Belle5]

I don't have time to read ALL the responses, but wanted to chime in that I agree with the sentiment expressed by the OP.
LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS
We were there in January. I went in with an open mind and wanted to give it a fair chance. That being said, Genie+ is a disaster.

-By midday, most of the G+ return times in MK were well into the evening, which conflicted with dinner.


If I need to pay, I'd rather have paid for the previous FP+ system, so I could book my three afternoon rides before my trip. Done. Easy. Sleep in on vacation. No conflicts with dinner. I would know that I was going to experience my favorite rides at a time that worked for me.

I really don't want to take our upcoming trip to WDW, however, my DH really does. We are long time park vets and returned Dec. 2020 and loved it despite all the cutbacks/restrictions due to Covid. We also visited Disneyland in July 2021 and had a blast. All these changes have overwhelmed me and I really don't want to go for the first time ever! However, I will keep an open mind and hope that our experience is different than what I'm reading about from most others.

Jensop, I quoted the parts of your posts that mentioned dinner. This has been a Disney tradition for us and a big part of vacationing. We are having a family meeting this week to discuss having very few dining ADRs as we have noticed many of the Genie+ Lightning Lane (LL) and Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) return times will often conflict with dinner reservations. If this is the new system, Disney needs to remove any penalty from missing out on a meal reservation! They should forego any penalties if you cancel an hour ahead of time and show a booked lightning lane!

 

[nancyrye]

I don't have time to read ALL the responses, but wanted to chime in that I agree with the sentiment expressed by the OP.
LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS
We were there in January. I went in with an open mind and wanted to give it a fair chance. That being said, Genie+ is a disaster.
-Getting up at 7am while on vacation to choose the top rides is cruel and unusual punishment.
-By midday, most of the G+ return times in MK were well into the evening, which conflicted with dinner.
-I got only two rides from G+ in MK. And booked Space Mt. will the ILL. So THREE rides in MK, for a premium extra price.
-Keeping park hopping to 2pm is extremely restrictive. We ended up not park hopping at all as a result.
-I'm done with this park reservation system nonsense. When we got up and wanted to head out to lunch, I WANTED to jump into Epcot (we were at Boardwalk) before heading to DHS. But our reservation was for DHS. Just annoying.

I've said it in several places online, but I'll say it again: I know Disney wants our money. They're a business. I get it. But this felt like a slimy money-grubbing overt display. It was SO in-your-face.

If I need to pay, I'd rather have paid for the previous FP+ system, so I could book my three afternoon rides before my trip. Done. Easy. Sleep in on vacation. No conflicts with dinner. I would know that I was going to experience my favorite rides at a time that worked for me.

When we were all speculating on here awhile ago of what the new system to replace FP would be, I thought for sure they'd at least give a few free rides to on-site guests - to make it worth the on-site stay. But our only benefit now is to get up before 7am, or miss out! Who the hell thinks this is a benefit??!??!?!

And I'm a part time TA, so the sheer quantity of updated strategy tips I've had to put together for clients is mind-blowing. And so far, the clients hate the new system too. Even when I try to manage their expectations.

Sure, I'll be back, I'm DVC and I LOVE my home resort of AKV. I'm hoping that once we get past this initial nonsense that maybe they'll make some changes. Also hoping that the crowds will be better once teh 50th is over. Because the crowds were INSANE.

For the record, I've been coming to DIsney on annual trips since I was a kid in the mid-80s. I KNOW Disney World. I only skipped 2021 because of the pandemic, but otherwise I go once, sometimes twice a year.

JenSop, I agree with every point of your post.

We (2 DVC couples) just returned from a week stay at the WLV and we will not be returning for several years. My husband and I have been coming 1 to 2 times a year for 15 years. We also went for 5 days in April, before Genie, and enjoyed ourselves.

-Every day my sister woke up at 7am to reserve a LL+, only to be booted out of the system at payment point. By the end of a week she had had it.
-Spending $15 a day for G+, only to get 2 rides out of it because the return times are so late. Therefore making the Disney $ grab even worse.
- Each park only 1 or 2 rides in a park are under 30 minutes because of increased crowds due to promotions offered to international visitors, and decreased amount of rides and shows. There is no "low time" anymore. The long wait times posted are at least that time or longer.
-Don't waste your $ on a park hopper. Also since we were in DELUXE (only available at that level) accommodations we got 2 nights during the week to stay late at one of the parks... Didn't help, lines were just as long but you were more tired.

For anyone still interested in going to WDW right now I would recommend 2 things. Doing the morning line drop OR waiting until the parks are open later in the evening with the hope people will actually get tired and leave.

It was very sad and so disappointing for us to realize that WDW is no longer our "happy place". We were happy to be sharing a trip together but will be going elsewhere to do that in the near future unfortunately

 

[JenSop]

JenSop, I agree with every point of your post.

We (2 DVC couples) just returned from a week stay at the WLV and we will not be returning for several years. My husband and I have been coming 1 to 2 times a year for 15 years. We also went for 5 days in April, before Genie, and enjoyed ourselves.

-Every day my sister woke up at 7am to reserve a LL+, only to be booted out of the system at payment point. By the end of a week she had had it.
-Spending $15 a day for G+, only to get 2 rides out of it because the return times are so late. Therefore making the Disney $ grab even worse.
- Each park only 1 or 2 rides in a park are under 30 minutes because of increased crowds due to promotions offered to international visitors, and decreased amount of rides and shows. There is no "low time" anymore. The long wait times posted are at least that time or longer.
-Don't waste your $ on a park hopper. Also since we were in DELUXE (only available at that level) accommodations we got 2 nights during the week to stay late at one of the parks... Didn't help, lines were just as long but you were more tired.

For anyone still interested in going to WDW right now I would recommend 2 things. Doing the morning line drop OR waiting until the parks are open later in the evening with the hope people will actually get tired and leave.

It was very sad and so disappointing for us to realize that WDW is no longer our "happy place". We were happy to be sharing a trip together but will be going elsewhere to do that in the near future unfortunately

YES on your point about getting booted off at 7am. It took me almost 15 minutes to get our RotR ILL because the app kept booting me off. I kept seeing hte time get later and later, but everytime I got to the pay screen, the app kicked me out and I had to start from scratch!

 

[JenSop]

I really don't want to take our upcoming trip to WDW, however, my DH really does. We are long time park vets and returned Dec. 2020 and loved it despite all the cutbacks/restrictions due to Covid. We also visited Disneyland in July 2021 and had a blast. All these changes have overwhelmed me and I really don't want to go for the first time ever! However, I will keep an open mind and hope that our experience is different than what I'm reading about from most others.

Jensop, I quoted the parts of your posts that mentioned dinner. This has been a Disney tradition for us and a big part of vacationing. We are having a family meeting this week to discuss having very few dining ADRs as we have noticed many of the Genie+ Lightning Lane (LL) and Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) return times will often conflict with dinner reservations. If this is the new system, Disney needs to remove any penalty from missing out on a meal reservation! They should forego any penalties if you cancel an hour ahead of time and show a booked lightning lane!

Totally agree!
I just booked our trip for next January - hopefully a longer trip where we can stretch things out. (Meaning, I have a longer trip booked, and hopefully I don't have to shorten it before hand!)
Nice dinners are a HUGE part of our Disney experience. So I'm looking at a 12 day trip, but maybe 8 max TS reservations for dinner? Maybe try to have some nights without ADRs for dinner to account for the Genie+ fiasco stuff.

 

[MrsPete]

I agree that "lowering your expectations" is the best way to be happy right now. Part of this is an extension of all that's going on in society right now -- surely we're working our way out of this pandemic, right?

But another very real part of this is all the changes that Disney has wrought upon the consumer in the last decade. The ones that I personally mind tremendously:
- Doing away with the 10-day non-expriry tickets. Non-expiry tickets were a genius move on Disney's part; as long as I had a partial ticket from a previous year, I was ALWAYS planning another trip. Now, with my little ticket tin empty -- eh, I'm looking around at other options. I doubt large numbers of customers really maxed out these non-expiry tickets, but it was a way for customers to feel they'd saved a bit.
- Disney resort patrons paying for parking. We're at the point in our lives that we'll probably never stay on site again (regardless of parking), but this one seriously, seriously rubs me the wrong way.
- Genie -- its very existence offends me. Fast Pass worked. Worked great. Allowed us to make our plans ahead of time. Now we're paying for what used to be included with the tickets, and it's a lesser product.

I tried to talk to my adult children recently about setting aside a time on the calendar for another Disney trip. They wouldn't commit -- these things above were "too much" for them. They want to go to Yellowstone. Of course I said yes.

 

[Ikaikalani]

Long time Disney fan here! I understand all the complaints I've read from previous posters. I'm not thrilled with all the money grabs, decreased services, etc. But, for all those who say the magic is gone, I say it Isnt!!! It can still be found on a Disney Cruise! And for us its Bon Voyage in just 12 days!

 

[rebelbuddhist]

You can see in my signature that I have been to Disney many times.

I even made my second trip on my current Annual Pass and was at Bay Lake Tower and then Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House just a few days ago.

If you are going in 2022 you need to lower your expectations a lot.

I have used Touring Plans and been a rope dropper for many, many years.

I was often able to get 90 percent of my rides/shows done by lunchtime .....and wrapped up each day with a feeling of joy and happiness.

I was able to ride some rides more than once each day and sometimes would hop to a second or third park if I wanted to........I felt free as a bird.

This is not the case anymore.

For the moment, let's put aside the huge cost of resorts, food/beverage, Genie+, and ILL.

Even if G+ were free, it is an inferior product to FP+.

I can even accept the Park Pass requirement for the first park of the day, but park hopping at 2pm it like hitting my kneecaps with a baseball bat.

In the old days, I would often rope drop park number 1 and then hop to park number 2 sometime in the morning.

The present system makes each day feel like we have a national speed limit of 55 again and I am driving around with my parking brake engaged.

If we had little ones in our group, the focus of a typical day would be very different.....even only doing 3 or 4 rides with a child/grandchild, the day's enjoyment is derived from seeing the little ones have a wonderful day.

For years, I tried to maximize the number of days I could be at WDW with my AP.

I would stay off site and on site.

These days, it is not so much that the on site folks have a huge advantage compared to the past.......it is that the off site people barely get adequate leftovers by the time they can enter the park and/or buy ILL rides.

I have trips planned for April/May/Sept/Oct on this AP. (I do not like the super hot months)

I am not going to focus on max days at Disney this year.

I went in Dec 2021, Jan 2022 and have a trip with our daughter (a teacher) over the President's Day weekend.

I will have been 3 times on this AP.......I feel I have broken even on the cost.

I will be cancelling the rest of the trips I had on the books for later this year.

That money and time will be spent elsewhere.

Although some of the environment has been impacted by Covid...... a large part of the reduced experience is due to decisions made by management.

Now......I have not said much about the nickel and diming that really adds up now.

At a value resort, a couple on a trip has to pay an extra $47 each day just to park and use Genie+.

When you add the impact of a diminished experience with the very high cost, the value of the experience has been greatly reduced.

Look......I am a Disney fan.

Disney, Coke, a Big Mac, are all part of a truly American experience. I can not imagine life as we know it if they were to all disappear.

Disney has very good customer service.....if the IT situation was not so mediocre, I would say Disney has some of the best customer service of any company.

However, at this time, the overall experience requires a lot of money, a lot a planning, and each day has a lot of chaos caused by the unpredictability of getting a LL or ILL,........and to be under the gun to compete at 7am for a seat on a ride is not relaxing or enjoyable.
And having my face buried in the phone a good part of the day does not add to my enjoyment either.

I composed this because I saw some small headlines about Disney guests not being really thrilled right now.....I thought I may have been the only one that felt this way.......but there is now a bit of rumbling going on........and social media has the ability to provide us to look at the good and the bad comments.

The experience has changed for the worse.

They better improve it substantially and quickly.

I think many of the 2022 visitors may be so unhappy, they may not return or postpone future trips.

In a way, Disney has messed up my Happy Place................and I am a bit sad about that.

We, for two, are pleased that WDW is gradually getting to a new reality. If as many people are abandoning or not making 2022 plans that makes the parks more easily enjoyed by those of us who are not. Wife thinks the Skyliner is great for Pop visitors to Epcot and HS; so great she does not want to stay at any other resort (Rivera is too pricey so we just don't consider it). Genie+ is worth it for us some days; some parks so we decide on a daily basis whether to buy or not. $LL is far too much for us to consider worth the price except for FoP maybe. The other ILL are not on our must do list so we play that by ear each day also. We have never tried to use a commando strategy and take leisurely eating breaks twice each day. We don't think it particularly probable that WDW will return to pracademic days so yes, visitors need to adjust expectations. Perhaps the combination of more realistic budgeting/planning, an asi es la vida mindframe and an acceptance that nothing is permanent except change would be beneficial all around.

 

[DavidNYC]

I'm a pixie dust huffing, magic farting Disney apologist. They have made a lot of unpopular decisions over the last 5 years, and each time I've shrugged and said "That stinks for those it affects..." but it never affected me. My trips were still FANTASTIC. Pay for parking at resorts? I own DVC so it doesn't apply. Discontinue ME? I drive so it didn't apply. Take away member benefits for DVC resale owners? I bought pre-2016 so it doesn't apply...and on and on..

My last trip, Disney broke me. I never thought there was a line they could cross. I didn't even know there was a line! But they did. I'm pretty devastated about it. I don't recognize the parks or the company anymore.

Same here - I've not been happy with the constant nickel and diming and the big price increases but at least they kept introducing things that improved the guest experience. Not any more - now the moves seem punitive. It's "give us money or we're going to treat everyone else a lot better than you". It's "we understand you'd prefer to have some flexibility in how you want to experience the park but it helps us cut costs if we force you to do it how we want you to do it." I cannot remember anything even remotely comparable to this in affirmatively making park planning more stressful and inflexible. I have to laugh at all those people who thought it was such a burden to have to choose three rides at 30 or 60 days out. Now - you just have to lock yourself into a park up to year in advance, make your dining reservations around those park passes (and hope you can get into the park), wake up every day at 7 to make your first ride reservation, make new ones every two hours and hope the times you get don't have you walking from one end of the park to the other multiple times a day etc.

The best people seem to say is "it's better than nothing" as if we should ignore everything that Disney had the ability to offer guests beforehand.

 

[wdhinn89]

Same here - I've not been happy with the constant nickel and diming and the big price increases but at least they kept introducing things that improved the guest experience. Not any more - now the moves seem punitive. It's "give us money or we're going to treat everyone else a lot better than you". It's "we understand you'd prefer to have some flexibility in how you want to experience the park but it helps us cut costs if we force you to do it how we want you to do it." I cannot remember anything even remotely comparable to this in affirmatively making park planning more stressful and inflexible. I have to laugh at all those people who thought it was such a burden to have to choose three rides at 30 or 60 days out. Now - you just have to lock yourself into a park up to year in advance, make your dining reservations around those park passes (and hope you can get into the park), wake up every day at 7 to make your first ride reservation, make new ones every two hours and hope the times you get don't have you walking from one end of the park to the other multiple times a day etc.

The best people seem to say is "it's better than nothing" as if we should ignore everything that Disney had the ability to offer guests beforehand.

I agree with all this!

I am not upset with the price increases, it is everywhere and expected. I always knew we would eventually have to pay for Fastpass, Universal has always done this , but I am upset with all the changes that inconvenience us. The new system is a mess. Waking up at 7am is ridiculous. Not being able to change and or edit your plans without losing everything you previously booked. No mousecleaning and charging for parking while paying outrageous hotel prices. Disney has gone too far!

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Okay so here's the thing. For those who are of the mind that "attitude is everything" and "it's what you make of it," and "if you go looking for problems you will find them but if you go with the right attitude it will be wonderful." This is true ... TO AN EXTENT. I say this as someone with an upcoming trip that we are committed to due to renting DVD, who is unable to change our booking now, and who IS going into this next trip actually excited and with much of the "it's what you make of it" mindset. So I do get it.

That said, Disney is an EXPENSIVE vacation. More expensive for us even than going abroad or to other bucket list destinations. When you spend that kind of money, you shouldn't have to psych yourself up to overlook the crummy stuff. You shouldn't have to lower expectations. For that kind of money, you SHOULD have high expectations. I love Disney but I am also not willing to turn a blind eye to their blunders, to their shortcomings, or to the areas where I might feel they are slipping.

I'm keeping an open mind going into this trip, hoping for the best, and knowing that we will have a great time whatever the circumstances. But that doesn't mean I'm lowering my expectations going forward... it means I'm evaluating the situation and this trip is basically a litmus test for whether we'll be returning.