Best Strategy for a trip in 2022? Lower Your Expectations

[PrincessWithABlaster]

It is BS, but they also have no staff. At least they were unbelievably short-staffed at AKL when we were there in December.

We were at Portofino at Universal the first week of Jan and had full housekeeping with no issues. The hotel itself didn’t seem to be short staffed (the restaurants did though). I wonder if Disney is paying less than other resorts in the area.

 

[Miffy]

We were at Portofino at Universal the first week of Jan and had full housekeeping with no issues. The hotel itself didn’t seem to be short staffed (the restaurants did though). I wonder if Disney is paying less than other resorts in the area.

Good question. I wonder too. I've seen reports of ads offering sign-on bonuses, but that doesn't mean anything about the actual salary. It must be extremely difficult for the staff that is there, probably having to do the work of 2 or 3 (or more) people.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Good question. I wonder too. I've seen reports of ads offering sign-on bonuses, but that doesn't mean anything about the actual salary. It must be extremely difficult for the staff that is there, probably having to do the work of 2 or 3 (or more) people.

Present pay is a minimum of $17.00/Hour for housekeepers at WDW

Edit- at Loews Hotels (UOR) the pay is also 17 bucks

link for WDW--

https://jobs.disneycareers.com/job/orlando/housekeeping-full-time-walt-disney-world/391/21339886608
Link for Loews--

https://loewshotels.wd5.myworkdayjo...Beach-Resort/Room-Attendant---15-hr-_R0027861

 

[Jennasis]

Disney's new slogan: BYOM

Bring your own magic.

 

[Summer2018]

The issues caused by the pandemic should eventually be resolved, however, the other things going on to increase profits while providing a lower quality experience for guests is very discouraging and disappointing.

We haven't been back to WDW since our 2018 stay at the Polynesian to celebrate 25 years of marriage. In 2019, we enjoyed Disneyland tremendously, and I ended up liking it more than WDW not only because the preparation is a breeze, but it is much more walkable. I also found it to be much more magical. Anyway, we had a June 2020 Club Level stay at the Polynesian which was canceled, rescheduled, and canceled again. July 2021, we had two ocean view rooms at the Margaritaville Resort for 50% of the price of what we usually spend on one room at the Polynesian. It was a wonderful vacation right on the ocean which was much more relaxing and in many ways, more enjoyable. This July we are spending 80% less than we normally spend on a Disney vacation on a Cape Cod Bay front room where my family vacationed every summer of my childhood.

Disney's new policies are saving me LOTS OF MONEY. We usually spend anywhere from $8,000 - $10,000 on a Disney vacation every other year. Right now, it looks like the next time we go will be for DD's Disney wedding sometime in the next couple of years. Then after that, we will go with our future grandchildren. I don't know that we will ever return to our regular visits unless things change dramatically for the better for guests.

Thank God we didn't buy DVC.

 

[Summer2018]

My wife begged me never to go again after last trip, but she agreed for this one last trip. She went over in detail how many luxury vacations to tropical islands we could have for one trip to Disney.

I'm thinking Hawaii when the pandemic is over...

 

[DCLMP]

We were at Portofino at Universal the first week of Jan and had full housekeeping with no issues. The hotel itself didn’t seem to be short staffed (the restaurants did though). I wonder if Disney is paying less than other resorts in the area.

Good to know. I’m staying at Portofino for four nights in May and then 6 nights at SSR, but I rented points so no housekeeping anyway, but I saved a ton of money.

 

[DCLMP]

Disney's new slogan: BYOM

Bring your own magic.

Or bring your own mop.

 

[ScarletFire]

Disney is a different vacation than 20 years ago. My family of 4 went at least once per year; sometimes with friends and sometimes just us. I was the planner and LOVED making the magic happen. I ran across the parks for FPs, rented points for DVC, took advantage of Disney Youth Programs, on the phone at 7am for ADRs and eventually the computer. We are not millionaires. We had FUN!!!!!

DH and I are retired. I am a teacher and DH was IT; we have pensions and supplement our incomes. My retirement gift was the Incredipass AP. It expires in September and I may or may not renew.

Our WDW vacay is not like it used to be....

We have a little camper and think Fort Wilderness is about the best campground in the US. It's still pricey but less than any of the resort options. Up to 10 people may stay on a site with no increase in price. Friends and adult children join at no extra cost. There's room for tents, camper and two vehicles on a single site. We bring our bikes and sometimes our dogs. No upcharges for vehicles. Lots of kids getting lots of outdoor activities. It's very clean including the comfort stations. Amazing wildlife and eating options. Orlando food trucks mid-week. The boat ride to the MK is sublime. Vehicle is steps away to drive to the parks. We love, LOVE the Fort Wilderness experience.



Orlando has camper rentals, delivery and set up. Many campers rent golf carts. Not us, we ride our bikes. And, there are lots of interesting decorations on the campers. Christmas and Halloween are insane!

I wish Disney had more campground sites. It's an effort to get a site on the fly, advanced planning is required. Lots of cancelations last minute but you have to check and re-check to modify the reservation. We always get what we want eventually.

We've seen all the park attractions multiple times and with no young children, there's no urgency to ride. The Disney atmosphere makes me smile but I refuse to pay extra for attractions. We rope drop for new attractions like Remi at Epcot.

We had a teenager with us in September 2020 before Genie+ and had an amazing time. We rode every attraction with no problems.

This thread makes me sad for young families.

 

[DCLMP]

Present pay is a minimum of $17.00/Hour for housekeepers at WDW

Edit- at Loews Hotels (UOR) the pay is also 17 bucks

link for WDW--

https://jobs.disneycareers.com/job/orlando/housekeeping-full-time-walt-disney-world/391/21339886608
Link for Loews--

https://loewshotels.wd5.myworkdayjo...Beach-Resort/Room-Attendant---15-hr-_R0027861

I don’t know how many people tip, but I used to. That a reduction of their income if they are not receiving tips.

 

[Minniemoo15]

I agree with your point that Genie+ is inferior to FP+, regardless of pricing. I would be happier to pay for FP+ than Genie+.

What I liked about FP+ was not having to wake up at 7am every day of vacation, being able to pre book our must do attractions in advance at times that worked for us, and the ability to modify reservations.

 

[Eastern]

I agree that we should not be attacking each others' views. No reason to try to discount someone else's Disney perspective. You can have a completely opposite view but you don't have to compare it point by point with another post, and you do not even have to quote the post. You can also just keep scrolling.

In my case I have a trip booked for end of May. Staying 4 nights instead of the usual 5-6. We usually stay deluxe, usually CL, but the prices are so stupid I have booked Swan for a relative 'bargain'. Our expectations have been properly lowered.

My United flight numbers have been changed twice, allowing me the option to cancel at no charge. It's nice knowing that we can still bail if things get 'worse' or we just decide to do something else.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Families, retirees, campers, and deluxe people...........

The stories are all very revealing about how important a trip to WDW was in their yearly routines.

Btw....WDW was the first place we let our 14 year old go out on on her own regarding public places.

We had brought a friend along......and had discussed it with the parents.

Since our daughter knew all about WDW and the transportation options, we "released" the two of them for the afternoon. They had cell phones. We told them to be back at Pop by a specific time......and told them to call us if they were running late.....we all knew it would be hard to perfectly time a bus!

For both, it was a memorable experience..............and we gave them some cash so they could grab a bite to eat while they were on their own.

They had a really good time together.

 

[MommyMouse143]

Families, retirees, campers, and deluxe people...........

The stories are all very revealing about how important a trip to WDW was in their yearly routines.

Btw....WDW was the first place we let our 14 year old go out on on her own regarding public places.

We had brought a friend along......and had discussed it with the parents.

Since our daughter knew all about WDW and the transportation options, we "released" the two of them for the afternoon. They had cell phones. We told them to be back at Pop by a specific time......and told them to call us if they were running late.....we all knew it would be hard to perfectly time a bus!

For both, it was a memorable experience..............and we gave them some cash so they could grab a bite to eat while they were on their own.

They had a really good time together.

Thank you for sharing---- I have to be honest though I thought you were about to tell a story that went horribly wrong lol

Im glad they had a wonderful time!

 

[bsmcneil]

I wrote this in response to another post by tsme that was entitled "Last time...for a while" and pasting what I wrote here for it's relevancy:

"Was just there in January btw and I feel the same as you and experienced the same.

Had to scavenge for coffee stirrers at QS after a few days. The whole housekeeping thing is so petty on Disney’s part at this point. Seeing the CEOs salary this week and juxtaposing it with the barely there housekeeping when this is a major offering of any hotel room is just insane. I understand it while we were all locked down but the fact it’s gone beyond that is just a straight up scam I think. Especially the rates don’t account for the lack of service.

We are taking a break too. We rolled with the punches on ILL and Genie+ and loss of Magic Express and housekeeping. The real reason is the time it takes to plan these now very complicated Disney trips just feels too exhausting. It’s a job! I’m the planner and I saw no difference between what I did at work and what it takes to plan these trips. It’s too much.

I'll also throw on the pile that waking up at 7 AM each morning to add Genie+ and then engaging in a "rat race" of booking ILL and G+ rides that early in the morning was not fun and not vacation-like. A lot falls on the planner of these trips. It's crappy.

And, yes, I was that person throughout the day scrolling through G+ for our next "find."

I've gambled a few times in my life when I happened to be at a casino, but I'm by no means a gambler. My perception of all these changes between the ADR hustle and G+ rat race is it arouses a feeling similar to gambling. Perhaps they are purposely triggering that part of our minds to get some people to spend more. IDK... It just felt at a very physiological level like I was at a casino between the low level anxiety of clicking clicking clicking and racing against other people and against the clock to "win."

It doesn't equate with relaxation. One of the best parts of the trip for me was the pool day and trying all the restaurants on property (we stayed at Coronado Springs)."

The gambling part feels super, super spot on

 

[bsmcneil]

I enjoyed my trip. I thought I had my expectations appropriately low; and, each day I found I needed to lower them. This isn't to say we didn't have fun - but it was super complicated (especially with G+ and it being my kids' first time). Luckily, I've been a lot (and fairly recently - though pre-Genie+ launch). But yeah. There's a line from my favorite show where they talk about lowering expectations - and all I could think about was:

Josh Lyman:
Okay, forget what I was saying. I want you to get out there and lower expectations now.
Louise Thornton:
Beyond what they are?
Josh Lyman:
Lower than low! Go for low! Hades low! Spinning iron core in the planet low! Low!

 

[bsmcneil]

I have to agree with the OP. I still love Disney, but it's not as fun anymore. We went in June and December last year, so once without any fastpasses and once with Genie+. I don't mind spending a bit more for a better experience, but we got less done with paid Genie+ and ILL than we did with free FP+ (or with no fastpasses at all in June, but that doesn't seem like a fair comparison). It's just a hassle now. During our December trip, Genie+ was meh. The dessert party was meh. Even Animal Kingdom Lodge, which I love, was basically meh. During our four nights at AKL, our group of three people got two clean towels and no trash service (I assume they checked the room while we were gone to the parks, but no towels and trash service?). I did call for extra towels - I don't even mind that they don't clean or make the beds, but with three people, the little trash can fills quickly, and the towels don't dry very well on the hooks in the bathroom. It was still a fun time, but it was a lot more work and cost to achieve less of an experience. I have been trying to convince a friend to go to Disney for years, but I've stopped trying - I don't want to recommend an average experience at such a high cost. And we'll be back, but I'm not really in a hurry to plan the next trip. I get that Disney will monetize everything possible and I don't even blame them, but the guest experience is lacking right now. It just makes me sad.

Word for word, this could've been a summation of my trip last week.

 

[bsmcneil]

Here is my question though.

If you leave Genie+ out of the picture (you don't HAVE to buy it), since FP+ did not exist in most of 2021, how is going now DIFFERNET than it was in 2021? I mean, there are more crowds - of course. <shrug> Did we think Disney was going to get LESS crowded than it was in 2021 or 2020?

In fact, with the return of the parades, bigger calvacades, and more attractions opening up, the parks are getting BETTER than they were in 2021 or 2020 with the exception of the increased crowds - which again if you didn't see that coming, I don't know what to tell you. Again, leaving the OPTIONAL purchase of Genie+ out of it.

I stand by my original point. This isn't a 2022 thing. It's a jab (again) at Genie+ vs FP+. Which is fine, but call it what it is. You thread should be "yet another Genie+ complaint".

They may get better in 2022 but the parades, etc aren't back now - so, for people who have just gone, 2022 isn't as ideal as you portray.

 

[bsmcneil]

Not anyone. Not me at least.

I went last August and it was one of the best trips we've ever had, loved standby only - just like the old days. We never saw or had the issues others were having back then - the overflowing trash cans etc.

I just came back from a short stay, bought Genie+ for one day at MK, and actually really liked it. I was among the many here actively bemoaning the announcement when Genie+ was first introduced. Now having used it for myself I think it's a far superior system to any version of FP. I've been going to wdw for decades, yearly or more. I expected the worst and was surprised how well it worked for us. We managed 9 attractions, plus our lunch at CRT, an hour break on Tom Sawyer Island, and the fireworks (secured a good spot in the hub a couple hours before). If we hadn't gone over to the island and stayed after the fireworks we could have done even more. I wasn't glued to my phone all day trying to stack, or even setting an alarm every two hours. Our LL waits were never more than 7 minutes. And we could book LLs for the immediate time if we cared to, giving more room for some spontaneity as well as some planned attractions for later in the day.

This was not a splurging trip. We stayed at ASM, only had two ADRs at CRT and CM, and the only thing that was slightly disappointing with our stay was CM. We had dinner last August and it was so surprising that it was one of our best meals of that trip, with some excellent character interaction. We were hoping for a repeat with breakfast on 2/2, but were let down with both the food and the characters. It wasn't even as good as the pre-pandemic buffet, and that was never great.

ASM was clean, lots of attentive CMs, fresh towels a couple days later, trash taken. If I were paying rack rate at a deluxe I'd be annoyed at the lack of housekeeping, but right now the values still have some "value."

Fascinating as it seems very different from most people's reports recently going (given the crowds). Seems like you had a great experience and it would be awesome if this was universal!

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Fascinating as it seems very different from most people's reports recently going (given the crowds). Seems like you had a great experience and it would be awesome if this was universal!

Crowd levels were very low last August. It was after Delta really started surging in Florida and many people cancelled their trips. I’m sure Disney is lovely on a crowd level 1 day even without fast passes.