First Time I Ever Felt That WDW Wasn't Worth The Time and Money

[mickeyluv'r]

It's not just that more ppl. are going, but more in my opinion is how Disney keeps cutting
back and running at less and less capacity. We used to always go first week of Sept., the last couple years we've gone the last week of Aug. Our most recent trip, they were only running 1 side of Pirates, so sent every other boat completely empty making our wait almost an hr. (something that not long ago would have basically been a walk on for us during the time we go). They only had 1 bay at Cosmic Rays open, something we've never seen (this was during prime lunch time), didn't run Space or Thunder at capacity and photopass ppl. were basically non existent at the water parks (not to mention the lack of direct bus service to/from them). These were just the things we could see first hand and remembered, and I'm not that observant of a person, it was just so blatant, who knows what else. No nighttime parade, more pay extra party events, less extra magic hours etc.

The motto of Disney the last several years in my opinion is raise prices, provide less. I get it's a business, but for us that's the difference we've noticed.

Thank you! Your post supports what I posted earlier. We saw the same blatant cutbacks.

The AK summer PM EMH was pathetic. Only the Avatar area was open. Two rides isn't nearly enough capacity.

The MK AM EMH wasn't much better. Only a few attractions were open. When the rest of the attractions opened at 9am, they only offered limited capacity, as you describe.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

It REALLY bothers me that Disney doesn't do more about this stuff. I have to assume it is partially short-staffing and/or a lack of empowerment on the part of cast members to take action. Either way, it is truly unacceptable the physical misbehaviour that guests get away with. I've pretty much made up my mind that if I get hurt when I go next I'm speaking up. Maybe I'll take photos if I can. I just wish the crowds united against this kind of thing instead of turning a blind eye. Messed up.

I've been on both sides of the stroller wars - so to speak.

In short, a great many folks don't pay attention to their surroundings. It doesn't matter if they are pushing a stroller or not.

I often see folks walking right into traffic with their eyes on their phones.

I saw a guy on a bike, cross a major road with his eyes and both hands on his phone without looking up at all. It was crazy.

Just a few days ago, I saw a driver pass a school bus that had its stop sign out and red lights flashing!

Worse, the kids that ran towards the bus equally didn't pausing to look both ways for traffic.

I'm not sure what WDW can do when: Parents aren't teaching their children to look both ways, and everyone else is too preoccupied to care about safety.

 

[2vets]

Yeah, OP, I know what you mean. My parents took me for my first trip the year WDW opened, and we went nearly every year growing up (my dad had a convention there annually). I went to school in Gainesville for 5 years; I had a FL resident AP for much of that time and would go down for the day(the passes were around $100, and there were very few blackout dates, and, oh, how PO'd I was when they raised pricing beyond what I could afford). I lived in Boston for a while and would travel down for long weekends once a year, had a dear friend get married there right when FWF began (mind BLOWN, no lines for anything, you could skip through World Showcase at 5 pm with nary a crowd to be seen).

I moved to California 10 years ago and didn't head to WDW for about 7 years. When I did go again, I was not delighted - they'd just begun FP+. And it didn't seem like much had happened in the 7 years. We've been back once for a 3-day trip and have another one next month.

It isn't the same. But very few places give me such a sense of nostalgia as the World. Universal is great, but being not a Harry Potter or Marvel fan (or Nintendo), it would never give me that sense of joy. And I've been to DL, but only once (again, I don't get the same sense of nostalgia). So I do WDW differently than I used to to ensure I maintain sanity and mood - I'm religious about the pre-planning, and my park time is concentrated on the mornings and early afternoons - there is no way in hell I'd be hanging around the World Showcase at 5 pm during FWF now, for instance. We get the hell out of the parks, and we stay and/or dine in a place where we can watch the fireworks.

I do and always will love Disney (and generally avoid resenting the additional expense or the shoving idiots), but here's the thing - I see posts like yours more and more. It seems that they are sacrificing much of the next generation of people who see it as I do, who had repeated visits throughout childhood and adolescence. Even if magic still exists for visitors, the cost has outpaced the rate of inflation, and the planning is exhausting (or a total mystery) for many people. It's a shame, and it's shortsighted. I'm sorry you had one of "those" trips, and I hope that someday, the powers at WDW see that they are eliminating a swath of passionate repeaters who will introduce it to and embed it in their children in turn.

 

[Spencer Wright]

Yeah, OP, I know what you mean. My parents took me for my first trip the year WDW opened, and we went nearly every year growing up (my dad had a convention there annually). I went to school in Gainesville for 5 years; I had a FL resident AP for much of that time and would go down for the day(the passes were around $100, and there were very few blackout dates, and, oh, how PO'd I was when they raised pricing beyond what I could afford). I lived in Boston for a while and would travel down for long weekends once a year, had a dear friend get married there right when FWF began (mind BLOWN, no lines for anything, you could skip through World Showcase at 5 pm with nary a crowd to be seen).

I moved to California 10 years ago and didn't head to WDW for about 7 years. When I did go again, I was not delighted - they'd just begun FP+. And it didn't seem like much had happened in the 7 years. We've been back once for a 3-day trip and have another one next month.

It isn't the same. But very few places give me such a sense of nostalgia as the World. Universal is great, but being not a Harry Potter or Marvel fan (or Nintendo), it would never give me that sense of joy. And I've been to DL, but only once (again, I don't get the same sense of nostalgia). So I do WDW differently than I used to to ensure I maintain sanity and mood - I'm religious about the pre-planning, and my park time is concentrated on the mornings and early afternoons - there is no way in hell I'd be hanging around the World Showcase at 5 pm during FWF now, for instance. We get the hell out of the parks, and we stay and/or dine in a place where we can watch the fireworks.

I do and always will love Disney (and generally avoid resenting the additional expense or the shoving idiots), but here's the thing - I see posts like yours more and more. It seems that they are sacrificing much of the next generation of people who see it as I do, who had repeated visits throughout childhood and adolescence. Even if magic still exists for visitors, the cost has outpaced the rate of inflation, and the planning is exhausting (or a total mystery) for many people. It's a shame, and it's shortsighted. I'm sorry you had one of "those" trips, and I hope that someday, the powers at WDW see that they are eliminating a swath of passionate repeaters who will introduce it to and embed it in their children in turn.

I have never gone with children and do not have any, but cannot imagine what a nightmare it must be to bring little children. I don't know how children function or anything, but with them expecting to meet characters and things I can only imagine how that complicates planning.

Threads such as this are quite cathartic but also increasing from what I can see. While this is a strange hope, I hope that WDW loses a huge share of the market to other options such as Universal as the years go by. As long as parks are still packed and hotels continue to be booked solid, WDW has no incentive to change anything.

P.S. I absolutely love WDW and will continue to go back, but its starting to accumulate significant issues.

 

[adelaster]

I've been on both sides of the stroller wars - so to speak.

In short, a great many folks don't pay attention to their surroundings. It doesn't matter if they are pushing a stroller or not.

I often see folks walking right into traffic with their eyes on their phones.

I saw a guy on a bike, cross a major road with his eyes and both hands on his phone without looking up at all. It was crazy.

Just a few days ago, I saw a driver pass a school bus that had its stop sign out and red lights flashing!

Worse, the kids that ran towards the bus equally didn't pausing to look both ways for traffic.

I'm not sure what WDW can do when: Parents aren't teaching their children to look both ways, and everyone else is too preoccupied to care about safety.

Definitely a team effort. I think my "beef" so to speak is more with the lack of community response when someone does act out inappropriately. Like, it bothers me when people blatantly break the rules or are harmful. Disney seems to be a place where the rules are hanging by the entrance, but not enforced in any way. (Flash pictures, swinging on ropes, running, etc.) The whole "look the other way" mentality that a lot of visitors have when someone does get hurt, or physically manipulated is distressing. Ignoring the bad doesn't make it go away. It's a cheap band-aid on a wound that needs antiseptic and stitches.

Accidents definitely happen, it's a busy place with lots to look at. I just think we could all do better at being considerate. I also think people should stop and check on people when they get hurt, and that the aggressors should be held accountable. Several times I have even been hurt by children and their parents have done nothing. I know if I had seen @amberpi fall I would have asked if she was ok. I would expect that others would do the same. Many people have invisible conditions that impact how they navigate a park. Patience and consideration goes a long way.

I have read accounts of people being verbally harassed and threatened by other guests and have not gotten cast member response when they were told. That's scary to me. I don't like when bad behavior gets rewarded by ignorance. The people that shove ahead get on the ride faster (reward) and don't ever have any consequences (reward) so therefore they are all more empowered to misbehave the next time. As far as strollers... there are just too many, and they are too large. Disneyland for example isn't built for it. No easy solution there. Bumping happens naturally in crowds. I have been more than bumped on every visit. People are too aggressive.

I would love it if every park had a quiet, polite, personal space line for every ride. Even if it was longer, I'd get in.

 

[2vets]

I have never gone with children and do not have any, but cannot imagine what a nightmare it must be to bring little children. I don't know how children function or anything, but with them expecting to meet characters and things I can only imagine how that complicates planning.

I was there with my nieces/nephews a few years ago. And kids at WDW are gorgeous and adorable, of course, but like you, I can't imagine the stress of planning. My siblings were back and forth all over the place for character meets - another thing that was impromptu but is now FP+-or-RD-or-long-line. I just wonder if it's become so expensive and complex that kids now will never get that same immersion I once had. But oh, yeah - as long as the money machine is running hot, nothing will change.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I have never gone with children and do not have any, but cannot imagine what a nightmare it must be to bring little children. I don't know how children function or anything, but with them expecting to meet characters and things I can only imagine how that complicates planning.

We took our son (18 months at the time) to Disney in May and I really can't over emphasize how easy it was. Disney caters to families with very young children better than anywhere else we've been. I literally started crying when we walked out of Epcot on the last day. We had such a phenomenal time. I will never, ever forget the look on his sweet little face the first time he saw Mickey. I will cherish that experience forever. We are already planning to go back next October, the week before our son turns 3. Obviously we couldn't do every single attraction, but we weren't expecting to, and we will have different experiences as our son gets older.

OP, I'm so sorry you didn't have a great trip. I hope your future vacations, wherever they are, bring you happiness!!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Disney seems to be a place where the rules are hanging by the entrance, but not enforced in any way. (Flash pictures, swinging on ropes, running, etc.) The whole "look the other way" mentality that a lot of visitors have when someone does get hurt, or physically manipulated is distressing.

I agree. Their look the other way attitude bothers me as well.

I've long been worried that the MK hub crowds aren't 100% safe. I'm glad they made changes recently, and hopefully those help, but I worry they aren't enough. While I'm sure WDW has many security features, they also have the attitude you describe. Robust security isn't always enough.

Americans like to have our security both ways. We find bag checks so annoying. Heaven forbid, we can't have a picture of every second of our vacation, who cares if it blinds the acrobat in the FotLK?
We don't care that sitting on the ropes is dangerous, we want to sit right now.

I like the pool slides, but the WDW ones scare me. Every visit, I see young kids doing dangerous stuff and nobody cares. Their parents aren't watching and don't care. The lifeguards can't leave their posts. The combination is a bit depressing.

In a crowd, all it takes is one idiot. Sad to say, America has a great many idiots these days.

 

[disneyseniors]

Do you mean a place to go and not take children? I am middle aged but I am taking 4 kids when I go to WDW. If it were just me and my hubby, I'd much rather head to a Caribbean destination.

I do agree about the Int'l visitors. There seem to be more and more every year we go to Disney also. I guess I wonder, why aren't they visiting Disney's int'l parks that are closer to home? There are so many Asian guests, which I actually find them so pleasant and polite compared to others, but why come here when they have such great parks much closer to them??

I have friends from another country who get an absolutely fabulous deal on room packages, tickets, etc, etc. It is made very affordable for some foreignvisitors to come here, even if they have a Disney park close to them.
If we got the same perks it would be great, but we don't.
I think that is one big reason there are many foreign visitors to WDW.

 

[shystalips]

I have taken my kids who are now teenagers 4 times. I don't feel it's worth the money now, and am not planning another trip till 2021 for the 50th. With all of the new attractions/improvements it will be worth the money again.

 

[Hettie]

We took our son (18 months at the time) to Disney in May and I really can't over emphasize how easy it was. Disney caters to families with very young children better than anywhere else we've been. I literally started crying when we walked out of Epcot on the last day. We had such a phenomenal time. I will never, ever forget the look on his sweet little face the first time he saw Mickey. I will cherish that experience forever. We are already planning to go back next October, the week before our son turns 3. Obviously we couldn't do every single attraction, but we weren't expecting to, and we will have different experiences as our son gets older.

OP, I'm so sorry you didn't have a great trip. I hope your future vacations, wherever they are, bring you happiness!!

I agree with this. My husband and I are long-time WDW veterans, but have other favorite destinations such as Negril, Jamaica. Now that we have a toddler, it's just so much easier to go to WDW and everyone has a great time. We were just there in September and are squeezing in another trip in the spring before our son turns 3. I look forward to branching out again with our travel, but for now, there just aren't many places where one can easily wrangle a toddler or preschooler, while keeping them sufficiently entertained. Plus, the adults get to have fun too! I was thrilled to get out of my SAHM routine. I think having a small child also forces a family to slow down a bit and not worry so much about fitting everything in. We were able to accomplish a ton, too many rides in fact, I'm hoping to catch more live entertainment and chill a bit more on our next trip.

We're still able to find the value, but we're also satisfied with going to a park in the morning, doing a few things, then leaving after lunch for nap and pool time. We enjoy our time at the resorts as much as in the parks. Too much park time or long days in the parks makes me feel burnt out very quickly, the crowds just wear on me, even when it's not a high attendance time. We're also converts to driving ourselves to parks and avoiding buses and sadly, the monorail as well after our last trip and the frustration of maintenance problems half the time we tried to use it.

 

[StraightToDumbo]

Did you plan which park which days? Crowd levels vary in each park. .

That old "TourGuideMike" theory on "best crowd days" is pretty much dead.

Crowds are really mobile nowadays. We park hopped A LOT and there were crowds EVERYWHERE. DHS was the only respite as it was very manageable every time we went there.

 

[StraightToDumbo]

I sympathize with the OP's complaints, but I do think you get a better vacation value when you do more park days.

My concerns have nothing to do with "not being able to do all that we wanted to." We did plenty, at a great pace. We had a GREAT time. With the ridiculous crowds and food markups, it just no longer seems WORTH IT. The battles you have to fight within the parks AND Disney Springs are just exhausting.

 

[suemom2kay]

That old "TourGuideMike" theory on "best crowd days" is pretty much dead.

Crowds are really mobile nowadays. We park hopped A LOT and there were crowds EVERYWHERE. DHS was the only respite as it was very manageable every time we went there.

I disagree. I still pay attention to EMH, party days, etc. and do quite well at avoiding large crowds. I also rarely stay in a park midday when it is hottest and most crowded. If I do stay in a park midday it’s to catch shows. I agree with OP tgat pricing is insane especially tickets & hotels prices. I’m from the Northeast so the food prices don’t really phase me. I don’t plan every step of my day but I absolutely plan my E ticket rides. This helps quite a bit in my current experience.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Waaaay back in 1998, I had a bad WDW vacation. It was August and hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. Attractions were breaking down left and right, some that we'd been in line for a significant chunk of time to ride. I was rescued off Pirates. There was a propane shortage in Florida which meant no hot food at a lot of the restaurants. A lightning strike took out the hot water in our hotel and we had to take ice cold showers. I was with a fifteen-year-old who did nothing but moan and complain. There were rude people, oblivious people, and people just trying to get by in the heat. I thought at that time that I'd just taken a thousand dollars and thrown it into a hole. So I took a looooooong break, 8 years.

When I went back in 2006 it was with a fresh attitude. It was right after my mother passed away from Cancer and I desperately needed some magic. And it was there waiting, just as if I'd never had that bad experience. Now, I try to go with my sister every two years or so, and we have a fabulous time pretending to be kids again. This upcoming trip in December will be our last until the 50th. Not that we need a break, but my oldest niece is getting married in Jamaica in 2019 and I need to save for that instead.

 

[disneydreamer781]

Taking a break from Disney for a year for me wouldn't be the worse thing but I don't think Universal by itself even with Harry Potter would ever get me to Orlando. I've been there at least 3 times and I have to say I just don't enjoy those parks. I almost went a couple of years ago because of Harry Potter but I didn't want to do it enough to justify the price and taking time away from WDW. Besides, I'm not really a HP fan and I've toured most of England so nothing can compare to that. If I ever were to skip WDW for a year I'd probably do a cruise or maybe a trip to Ireland.

 

[Imamom2]

We've been to Disney 7 times and I try very hard not to compare trips or have too many expectations. Every trip has it's amazing moments and I've enjoyed them all. I think what many people are seeing is acceptance of rude, thoughtless behavior. People forget that everyone is on vacation. It's not OK to walk into people because you're staring at your phone or pushing a stroller. It's not OK to push people in line or scream at kids or leave your garbage on a table. We all need to be more aware of others. As for as the cost of vacationing at Disney - we have done vacations at the Jersey shore for years that have been just as expensive and I've spent those vacations sweeping up sand, cooking for everyone, and picking up beach towels. (They were still great vacations, tho'). I'm ok with planning and paying for a vacation I really love and I still really love Disney. I hope you get the chance to go again and have a wonderful time!

 

[Squidgyness]

Waaaay back in 1998, I had a bad WDW vacation. It was August and hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. Attractions were breaking down left and right, some that we'd been in line for a significant chunk of time to ride. I was rescued off Pirates. There was a propane shortage in Florida which meant no hot food at a lot of the restaurants. A lightning strike took out the hot water in our hotel and we had to take ice cold showers. I was with a fifteen-year-old who did nothing but moan and complain. There were rude people, oblivious people, and people just trying to get by in the heat.

It’s funny how perceptions can be. We went August 98 and though I was just a child we had a blast, don’t recall my parents ever saying anything was wrong, we were pretty oblivious back then though. Went in 2009 and didn’t have a great time to say the least, others no doubt had a blast then.

That being said, we have changed our vacationing in a few ways on our recent trip:
Went September this year - great but Irma trapped us inside for 2 Days but hotel was fab so ehhh.
Stayed onsite at universal with express pass - for an amazing deal, frankly, never going without passes again.
Only did 2 Days Disney - animal kingdom and Epcot. Probably doing this again, maybe one more day if I feel like it.

Oh, what a difference. I appreciate people not enjoying universal but my word, the experience was so much better for us even if the content we were experiencing was of a level similar to Disney (or in some eyes less than Disney). The ability to hop on and off rides and just do whatever we wanted was such a great feeling, it took me right back to the early days of our trips. “Hey guys what to do today?” “Guess we will head for universal today, maybe do some Harry Potter stuff who knows.” “Cool, let’s go!” And that was it. Even without passes waits weren’t bad but more importantly there was open space and less manic rushing it seemed.

Disney, I felt pressured into prebooking the parks, we lost a fast pass and had to reschedule some other plans, avatar was frankly insane crowd wise. I have no idea what was going on there, wait times of two hours plus, no ride at universal more than an hour. I don’t care if that’s because avatar is more popular or better, as a guest I’m not waiting two hours for one ride. Otherwise rides weren’t crazy per se, but crowds were higher, and the feel was just overall more frenetic and less easygoing.

It was so good I’ve decided to save and spend another kidney worth to do it again, though I doubt I’ll get such a good deal money wise this time but you never know. It’s not fair to judge universal and Disney identically, I’d be the first to point that out, but it still doesn’t change the fact that for us, we’ve changed our priorities. Universal can offer us more of a tailored experience for us than Disney can and that’s fine, I’m sure Disney don’t need us.

For anyone out there, never be afraid to mix things up with hotels or parks. You don’t need to abandon Orlando altogether, try a walk on the other side, and that goes for people who are tired of universal, seaworld, dlr, or any other park on these boards. You can keep a little in your life without going cold turkey. But if you do, don’t worry about it, Orlando will always be there and have something to offer you.

 

[IrishNYC]

Sorry it wasn't magical,

but it's all relative I feel.

I was just talking to someone who just came back from a trip last week 9/24 - 9/29 (they also hit Universal).
They (and I was shocked) just "winged it" .. they didn't even get Fast Passes until a few days before (and some just the day of). They just decided which park to hit when they woke up and had a great time.

He said he felt crowds were pretty light with most rides never hitting above 30 minutes, even for something like Soaring. They didn't even use Fast Passes a lot of the times. Their winging it plan worked great for them.

I attribute your issues with more people coming to Disney than years past (DESPITE the increasing prices) because Disney has been doing a great job with festivals, parties and promotions to GET people to come during the old "slow time" of September. Hotel prices are cheaper, weather is cooler. It is just a more desirable time (if you can choose) than say mid-July. If I could choose a time of the year to go for my next trip, mid-September would probably be it.

But in general, I feel less "magical" trips sometimes can just be attributed to:
Burnout - going to a place regularly means each visit has to "live up" to the greatness of the last. But since the last visit, prices go up, crowds go up, "new" experiences aren't new anymore, etc. Instead of comparing it against an inferior experience (like a regional park), you are comparing it to past trips ..(which, in most cases will always be better because things WERE cheaper, but also because of nostalgia bias (you probably only remember the good parts of the last trips).
Because you have so much experience with WDW, frequent trips allow you to "nitpick" the smaller details that are washed over in a magical first trip.

Anything I do .. whether it go to WDW or my favorite restaurant, loses its magic after frequent visits. I couldn't eat at the same restaurant every night for weeks without it eventually becoming less exciting each time, no matter how good the food or service is. Nothing is perfect.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder .

I whole-heartedly agree with this. If you take a look at the complaints in Disney forums, they're from visitors who have multiple visits under their belt.

We were also there from 9/18-9/25. While sometimes it did seem much more crowded than our previous visit, our previous visit was in May - hot, but not humid like September. We did add a day to our trip - Monday, 9/18, and we arrived early Monday, instead of late Tuesday, essentially adding 2 full days to the trip. The first day we resort hopped on the monorail, and enjoyed ourselves. The second day we added a day to our PH tickets and went to MK. It was a party day, and MK was pretty empty. DH and DD rode BTMRR 4 times in a row in less than an hour. We also had no FPs at all. As soon as I'd tried to add them in the morning I got an email warning that I had too many FPs scheduled, and I didn't want to mess with possibly losing my party FPs, so we left it alone. We had a GREAT day. The only time we felt crowded was waiting for buses at Epcot and DHS after closing, but that's to be expected.

My only complaint of the whole trip would be the family that was sitting in front of us for the MNSSHP parade that decided to stand up once the parade started, blocking my 8 year old.

 

[Parker Clan]

Sorry to hear about your experience. Disney will always be worth the money for me, it's my happy place.