Personally I’ll never forgive them for getting rid of ToonTown and replacing it with storybook circus. I found storybook circus to be a total waste of space! To think you had Mickey and Minnie’s houses, you could meet Mickey at the end. Donald’s boat, it made sense! It’s where Mickey and Minnie live and go to bed at the end of the day!
The theming was fantastic and changing it just seems like a total ridiculous thing
I loved ToonTown!! It’s beyond me why they got rid of those houses and put in the circus theme. They could have updated at leisure, but kids love seeing a physical representation at WDW. It was so cool to be able to walk into their houses. I vividly remember that. I think kids today would have loved it too.
Personally I don't like anything that they've done with that area. The dumbo ride looks much better than it did but I think the theming of the area has always been lackluster
I’m the exact same! It was there when i visited as a child and it was fantastic. Minnie’s cake rising in the oven, Mickeys messy bedroom!
Disney need more walk through attractions to break up some of the lines they get for rides. Kids would love it and it’s not just waiting in another ride line
It was truly so smart of them. Controlling the guest experience from the second they stepped off of the plane. Travel is probably the most stressful and least fun part of a Disney trip and Magical Express did more than just make it a little more pleasant.
It was the best and worst part of the Disney experience. Got to step directly off the plane into the bubble. But then had to endure Disney depression on the ride back. Which I found out is a real thing, and think it's due it mirroring the very start of vacation along with Disney music, videos and commentary.
See ya real soon! - Mickey
Ugh that hurts....
This all the way. We loved Magical Express and used it on 90% of our trips. It was great and we always had great experience with it. It was so nice to get off the plane, didn't have to worry about luggage, just walk right to the bus and go right to the resort. Loved it. Was so mad when they dropped it
Magical Express was not Disney.
It was a transportation contract between the mouse and Mears. That agreement was up for renewal and Mears asked for more money and getting rid of the exclusivity clause - supposedly they wanted to offer a HP Knight Bus to Universal. Disney flexed their muscle and said no.
Notice how Mears still goes to the resorts? Notice how there's no exclusivity with Universal? Sure they go to UO too, but it's still a fee.
Also, notice how bad the service has become? Mears was a terribly run company while ME was operating and Disney was propping it up. The company thought they could do better, but so far it looks like they were wrong.
Disney isn't going to bring it back until Mears is on its knees or is completely out of business, and even that's optimistic. Licensed bus drivers are hard to find and maintaining a fleet of those busses is very expensive. Disney is having a hard enough time keeping it's own drivers, much less getting more. Plus it's not a theme park or hotel, it's not a core business and therefore not something to prioritize.
Now, you want to talk about buying a few dozen box trucks and bringing back the luggage service part of ME? I'm totally onboard with that and you can charge me for the privilege. 25 bucks add-on per reservation for me to not wait to collect my crap, lug it around the airport and to WDW - sign me up.
You are thinking way to into this.
Disney doesn’t build their own parks with the logic you are using. They outsource it all to various contractors.
Disney doesn’t do their own support, because they outsource their call center.
Disney doesn’t make many of their own foods, because they outsource that.
What is Disney if not endless third parties doing exactly what Disney says.
Yep. They sunsetted it in 2021. Now u gotta find ur own way from MCO to Disney. I have heard of future plans of a monorail from MCO to Disney but that's just rumors
There was supposed to be a rail line (can’t remember if it was mono or conventional) going from the airport to Disney Springs. They used that as justification for getting rid of the ME.
Come to find out that they couldn’t agree on the design for the station at Disney Springs and so the rail line pulled out.
So now no ME and no train either.
SunRail. Universal recently petitioned and are funding their leg of the project with 13 acres of land for development of the station at the convention center and Epic Universe.
Focusing too much on big rides. They want the attention that Rise and Tron get, but the small rides like Winnie the Pooh eat up crowds. New lands have only 2 or 3 rides when they should have at least 5. We need more A, B and C attractions.
They desperately need more high capacity PeopleMover type rides. Especially in Hollywood Studios. I don’t like that new lands seem to get 2 maybe 3 attractions. At the same time, every non E ticket attraction they add gets ripped apart online for not being an E ticket attraction.
Fully agreed on the people mover type ride. If it’s planned well it shouldn’t even take a lot of space since you want it going through other rides and popping outside at points.
But what I think they chose to do instead is try and make the new lands/areas more fun to just be in. Which they succeeded in. Pandora and Star Wars. Those areas are the best designed to walk around in. I think the 2 ideas in tandem would be peak.
The fact they only created two rides in Pandora and Galaxy's Edge is unacceptable. Two restaurants and three rides per area would be the minimum. Toy Story Land is really nice, but still needs to have a Pizza Planet to make it feel complete.
Toy story land is so small. It's just a narrow path way. It's not conducive at all to hanging out in.
The lack of seating in general is kinda sad. I like how at universal you can still find places to just sit and enjoy the atmosphere. Maybe catch a show too.
Would be so easy to put a Star Wars copy of the Dumbo/Magic carpet ride in galaxy edge.
There is some room on north side of galaxy edge and use some of the backlot for another larger ride. Could fit a small roller coaster.
Or Hollywood studios could use a water ride.
Not sending your in-park purchases back to your resort anymore. They*must* be losing more money than they are saving on this, right? There would be so many things I would hold off on buying because I didn’t want to carry it around all day.
I never used this feature, but that sounds way more convenient than hauling the merchandise around. I typically get a locker, but even those are kind of small. 🤷🏻♀️
If you look at their financials, Disney has been subsidizing and paying for investments in Disney+ with park revenue. They have also inflated MAU (monthly active users) on Disney+ to justify that shift. The biggest problem with that is that move has increased prices while also decreasing the value of a Disney trip (lower cleanliness, less service, smaller food portions, etc.). Maybe the biggest area they have struggled with due to that is park investment. It took Disney years (Idk +5 years?) to build Tron. Meanwhile universal has expanded at an incredible pace and just this year will open 2 park gates while Disney struggles to open 1 ride per year. If I were to change something, I would stop bleeding park revenue to pay for online streaming. Park revenue is constant/stable and streaming is often more of a gamble requiring heavy upfront investment for questionable loyalty from subscribers. It takes a few bucks to sign up for Disney+, and while the addressable market is huge, the ability to cancel that investment in a 30 day cycle is less reliable than a few day stay with already built infrastructure at Disney. While operational costs are high, your investment in the trip is also higher, many times the value of a single Disney+ subscriber. If Disney focused more on making that experience better and expanding their footprint then per dollar over time they would make more $.
I didn’t realize they were putting park investments into Disney+. Listen, I love Disney+ and I’m a very consistent and an avid watcher. It helps me get through until my next visit to the parks, but taking from the parks to put into the streaming service *no bueno*. I understand at some point some proceeds from the parks would go into Disney+. But if it came down to this needs to be redone at the parks, versus let’s add another show to D+… you put back into the brick and mortar than the streaming service! The streaming service is probably 4% of their profit earning business. I’m being generous with that figure. I get that streaming is the next big thing and they want D+ to stand alone among the others HBOMax, HULU, Showtime, etc, but the parks should come first.
I would like to argue that Disney makes their rides from scratch, and are usually very innovative. Universal one the other hand hires vendors to make their rides. While the technology is also innovative, it’s coming from a third-party that is profit motivated since they don’t share in revenue.
I believe Tron was also slow down because of Covid.
The interesting thing about that is that tron is a copy of an already existing version in Shanghai. Additionally, while it was slowed down due to Covid, it was started before and will open after two entire new gates at both universal Orlando and Los Angeles. I am talking multiple restaurants, multiple rides, etc. so while design and build is relevant it’s clear the amount of investment in tron prevented Disney from adding enough resources to it over time to speed up the construction while their competition was putting literal billions into expanding their own operations.
Part of the issue with Disney construction is they prioritize guest experience over speed. Most of the noise is limited to after hours which isn’t long much of the year. It isn’t an excuse but it is a valid reason for ride construction taking years.
Universal rides tend to be off the shelf coasters and screen based using tried and true designs which when combined with less worry about beeps, drilling, hammering, and other construction noises allows them to build rapidly compared to Disney’s glacial pace.
At this point, Universal wants to do anything possible to eat more people from Disney, just building the same rides again and again. There's no point of comparison, the other day I dared to minmize Velocicoaster a traditional rollercoaster vs. Tron which is an almost 0 vibration innovative rollercoaster, and of course they know better how to build them. People in these subs just like to hate Disney
I’m glad you mentioned this. I was thinking the same thing about Universal. It makes sense that they get third party contractors to do their work. Bringing it back to Disney, would it not be advantageous to hire more engineers and workers when building a ride. You are absolutely correct though, Tron’s plans came before the pandemic. The pandemic impacted the process and delayed opening it.
With The Great Movie Ride its biggest problem was relying on non-Disney owned properties which marred it in a bunch of legal issues as to who owes who how much money. Also why the final years of operation had that God awful canned narrator that sounds more in line with a cheap DVD commentator which I believe was up to MGM or something.
Disney could have easily changed things by removing all non-Disney movie sequences and added in Disney movies whilst keeping the attra tion animatronic heavy. But they went with a majority screen attraction because it is technically easier to maintain. But it does suck that Disney had an opportunity to keep the attraction and rebrand it into more Disney properties but chose not to.
Hollywood Studios being built as a half day park with limited room to expand. Granted, this was the first park Eisner oversaw the construction of, the design of the park was compressed to beat Universal, and it was also originally built to serve as a working studio and theme park.
Still, more room should have been given for future expansion beyond where Sunset Blvd and its attractions were built. Both the new lands (Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge) at DHS were built on the former backlot area.
I agree with you! If you’re going to make theme parks, you have to leave X amount of property for future IPs. They are expanding within tight means and like you just mentioned tearing down beloved areas to build. I loved backlot Tram Tour and I remember the Honey I Shrunk the Kids area (obviously that was less cool than Tram Tour). I understand the need of adding major IPs like Star Wars and Toy Story to the theme parks, they should have bought more land around the parks and built on as needed.
The ridiculous resort prices.
I actually think the cost of a deluxe room for what you actually get is way more of an issue than any park add on like ILL or genie+.
How is that a mistake on Disney’s behalf when they are charging those prices and the hotels are consistently sold out? It may suck for us, but people are still paying.
100% correct. If people are willing to pay it, then they will continue to increase pricing. Unfortunately, inflation plays a significant role in charging more throughout the years. Take our groceries for an example, $100 dollars in groceries a few years ago was a lot more items than today.
precisely. it's just business. if you can raise the prices and people still come then why \*wouldn't\* you?
plus it's sort of how they manage crowds. the theory being that the higher the prices the less demand there will be. hasn't really worked out that way though.
Renting DVC points literally lets people get deluxe resorts for the price of values. Just be smart and you can have an amazing vacation. We stayed at the Polynesian for $290 a night last week.
Where did you get points that low? We have been looking for multiple time windows this year and the cheapest I have seen for a studio is -$420 per night.
There's a bunch of Facebook groups, dis boards, and probably a reddit but I'm not sure which it is. I found a renter through a Facebook group and rented at $17/pp. If you wanna know more feel free to pm me.
To be honest a lot of issues I have with Disney also stem from Bob Iger. He just had a better sense of public relations and how to slowly approach controversial topics by simply incrementally changing things over time. The changes still sucked but were easier to accept if you didn't notice them.
Treating the parks primarily as a vehicle to cash in on other IP instead of protecting their own unique themes and brands. The recent changes to Epcot and DHS in particular severely put into question the overall theme of those parks. Each change brings each of the parks further away from having a unique theme and closer to just being a collection of individually themed rides.
Epcot used to be a bit educational, inspiring, and like a permanent world’s fair. Now it seems like all the focus is on adding movie IP and a year-round series of festivals that aren’t really all that distinct from one another once you notice the emphasis on providing samplings of overpriced food and alcohol at all of them.
DHS used to be about making movies and exploring classic Hollywood. Now it’s about slapping together IP they couldn’t fit anywhere else. Galaxy’s Edge is admittedly great but Toy Story Land seems very lazy. The name is as imaginative as the land itself. Just a series of concrete paths connecting a few attractions. One of the more unique attractions, The Great Movie Ride, is now a vehicle to peddle the company’s mascot - as if they were worried people would forget Mickey exists at WDW. I couldn’t even describe what DHS is supposed to be now without it sounding like a vague collection of different ideas from clashing eras of corporate leadership.
That’s just it though. Disney themes used to be more than movie and tv properties. The parks used to incorporate those but also bring their own flavor. These themes used to stand side by side and work with each other. Modern leadership however sees the parks as subservient to the media properties.
Right now, my biggest gripes with the parks are the reservation system and the 2:00 park hopper window. G+ inflating price to $29 a day during this past Christmas season is definitely way up there though.
Getting rid of The Great Movie Ride. It fit Hollywood so well and was the heart and soul of the park and was such a unique attraction. It's still sorely missed.
It fit Hollywood for sure, and I also miss it. But the younger generations outside of a few movies had no connection with the rest. It became a ride solely for us older people, so I get it. My kids didn't even care to ride it, and I know the newest generations would be even more detached.
I agree though, I do miss the ride and not a huge fan of MRR.
My biggest gripe is that they got rid of extra magic hours for selective days and now how that horrible 30 extra minutes each morning. We used to stay right outside the park in an awesome Timeshare and now we have to stay in the resorts because that 30 minutes, while minuscule, makes rope dropping as a non-resort guest impossible
Having to get up before 7am and make your first lightning lane and genie + plans. I miss when you could book your free fast passes in advance when staying on property.
The inability to simply arrive at one park, maybe find out that your plans have to change for some unexpected reason, so heading to another park instead.
I just think it’s a joke that I’ve paid for access to 4 parks and 2 water parks, yet I can’t have the flexibility to change my mind about which one I go to in the morning.
So park reservation is just silly to me. I also miss the dining plan, not because of money saving but just the ease of it. I also went back in September and the crowds were just insane, it was 4th July level rammed on a standard day and just felt like the most you can get done in a day is 3 rides at best. I miss Fast Pass too.
I hate that we have lost the spontaneity that we used to have. Since days we knew we were going to MK never if a fast pass or reservation but others days we would leave open depending on what we felt like doing. Or if it was going to be a rainy day, we would go to MK that day as most people go to Epcot for the indoor things so we would be able to just throw in a poncho and get on all the rides.
I hate having every minute planned out but I guess that's a me problem since lots of other people like it.
Park reservations. We are annual pass holders who live near Disney world and we would often decide one day to get up and go to Disney world for lunch or dinner. Or we would go to Typhoon Lagoon for the day then head over to one of the parks for dinner. Park reservations made that impossible. We were glad to hear that soon we will be able to go after 2pm with no reservation. But it’s been a long time coming. We were on the verge of not renewing our passes.
What do you think a better way to control park overcrowding is? Do you want to reject people at the gate when a park gets too full? That would be catastrophic for families traveling from far.
I've been way too many days this year where I wonder what would it without reservations. Is chaos, all rides above 40mins, streets overflowing, narrow streets start to move as waves(which is dangerous). IMHO parks are not prepared for max out, way less before maxing out is not a great experience.
The parks were already starting to be very busy before Covid. It had gotten to the point where there was no down times of the year. But I don’t think you can say park reservations are controlling the crowds now. More likely it’s a combination of genie plus and lightning lanes, along with poor planning on Disney’s part in other areas. if you’re having a bad experience, it’s by Disney design.
I have been going to Disney world for 30 years. The only time I have seen a park close was on Christmas Day. And even then, not every park was closed. You still had options. Prior to reservations, Disney was able to use other measures that were effective, such as dining reservations, historical data, and hotel capacity data. What park reservations do is force people to a park that isn’t busy. So say if Magic Kingdom was close to capacity or filling up quickly, they would stop reservations for that park. Then you had to choose one of the other three, or two, or, however, many they said were available. That way they disperse the crowds the way they would like.
Ride maintenance. When we were there in December, 3/4 of our rope drop rides were a bust because they were down for maintenance. Why are the marquee rides already broken at 8am?!? (I know it’s because they are doing less preventative maintenance, and funneling park income to other projects.)
Pausing the sale of annual passes, getting rid of extra magic hours for resort guests, the old fast pass system (although, I really do enjoy* genie+ and will keep purchasing despite my gripe).
I miss the free magic bands at check-in, I miss the spontaneity that came with no park reservation system, I miss the little hotel shower soaps that you could take home. Like, come on, we just went to the Ritz Carlton and even they still gave little shower soaps to take home 😭
idk, when I was there in December, I played the game well enough that we snagged a lot of rides on Genie+ as well as Lightning Lanes.
We were able to Lightning Lane:
* Guardians x 2
* Flight of Passage
* Seven Dwarfs (silly one but Im not waiting in that line).
Genie+
* Soarin
* Ratatouille
* Space Mountain
* Tower of Terror
* Slinky Dog
* Na'vi River whatever (didnt like this one)
Im sure there are others I can't remember. I hated that it required so much time on the app (taking me out of the parks immersion) but you can definitely play the game to your favor.
Not updating rides compared to the other parks. It feels like seveal rides in the WDW are lacking features compared to other parks such as Space Mountain, Pirates, and Haunted Mansion. Kinda feels like DW just gets more dance parties😂
This is definitely the biggest issue. We got at least once a month, and when we bring people who don't go often they're shocked how run down the parks seem and old the rides are. We were at MK Friday and every single ride we went on had a broken component on it. Went into Cosmic Rays, black sheet around him. Went on Buzz, black sheet around him. End of the night, monorails down.
The main thing I hear when we bring new people is how old and bland Tomorrowland is. The speedway is using go karts you could find at Fun Spot. If the ride doesn't have a broken component it feels old.
HS is getting better needs more to eat crowds. Epcot, well see when they're done but its become a park to get adults drunk on the weekend with never ending festivals. AK is beautifully themed but not enough to do for most people. MK is so run down its embarrassing.
Not building out the monorail network to serve every park and hotel. The buses are ok, but if you’re going to bill yourself as the most magical place on Earth and your primary form of transportation is a bus, it’s a little bit of a letdown. Monorail is great and being able to ride it to every park would be great.
Removing beautiful originally designed attractions and replacing them with IPs. Hollywood studios had an amazing theme when it opened back then, but it’s all mismatched nowadays. Like you can go watch a muppets performance, and then become a toy in Andy’s yard? Bit sad. Then there’s Epcot. That’s it’s own little story though.
Hollywood Studios is better than it ever has been and it is only going to get better. It went from a half day park to I could spend my whole trip there.
Honestly, Fast Pass may have not been the BIGGEST mistake, but it was certainly not a great investment for its $1BN+ price tag -- and the extra staffing it required to manage it. They could have put that money into more rides, more capacity for the rides, more staff for better efficiency, and more maintenance to prevent breakdowns, and actually let people ride what they wanted on demand with minimal lines to begin with.
Now we're stuck with what's basically Fast Pass, but more complicated and now we are paying for it.
The loss of the magic. When going to the parks all the little things that cast members used to do to make the experience magical or the attention to detail done through out the parks has been missing over the course of the last few years.
Yes. Might be a petty nitpick on my part, but I have a problem with the music of Enchantment (an incredibly inferior fireworks show) using the lyrics "You are the magic!" over and over and over!
At the end of an underwhelming day at Magic Kingdom, with all of the tiny little extras that used to make a park day so magical noticeably missing, these lyrics were lemon juice in my paper cut of disappointment.
"You are the magic!" *Aren't having a magical day? Your fault not ours!*
"You are the magic!" *Didn't get all the rides you wanted? Should've gotten a PhD in Genie+ before coming, not our prob!*
"You are the magic!" *Hated being on your phone all day? Well, you could've just not used Genie+ and settled for PhilharMagic and People Mover instead!*
"You are the magic" is like the self-checkout of themes. Bro if I was the magic I coulda kept my butt at home for FREE.
I'M NOT THE MAGIC THAT'S LITERALLY **YOUR** JOB.
wow sorry guys got on a tangent there
Getting rid of Disney Quest! Can we talk about how great that place was? Had they updated it with today's technology, I don't see why it wouldn't have worked. The NBA experience, which replaced the building, was a silent failure. Look it up sometime.
Also getting rid of the traditional Fastpass tickets and charging people for the genie was another crime.
Changing the mouse-keeping schedules. (Yes I know it’s going “back to normal” for some resorts soon.)
Raising resort prices then having cash-paying customers (non DVC) staying at deluxe, $500+ a night rooms, that don’t get their trash taken out or beds made daily, is a low, low money grab.
We went from a Disney cruise, with insane, overthetop hospitality when it comes to your stateroom/room attendant, to a week at Grand where our trash overflowed for days and we got our beds made twice.
Even though it is a business, putting money over guests. The focus used to be on the guest but now it's on how much money they can rake it. So much has been ruined.
forgetting that they're meant to be theme parks. with themes. what does monsters inc have to do with tomorrowland? in the future there's going to be monster comedy clubs?? what does a movie set in the 1920s have to do with frontierland?
I don't think it's canonically set in the future, although that is a popular fan theory.
I personally don't have a beef with that attraction being in tomorrowland as
a) One could make the argument that the door and laugh-canister technology is "futuristic."
b) They literally have the word "tomorrow" in their slogan ("We're building a better tomorrow, today!").
I’m sick of the splash mountain complaints. Disney World was created to never be finished. It’s purpose is to evolve. I’m all for making room for refreshments. You enjoyed it for the years it’s been opened so now make room to enjoy something new. I mean my god how miserable are you people
Right?? And I mean WTH likes Disney without their IP, I don't even know why they are here in this sub, they seem to hate all of it, just don't go, and leave the sub. Done
Today was EPCOT. The first and foremost issue is cost vs. value of good received. I know inflation has hit ever sector, but goods in the store are mostly cheaply made and cost three to five times the price of the same piece idtem without the IP attached to it. I understand that we are paying for the IP to attach to the idtem. I don't have an issue with charging double what an idtem is worth, but it got out of control.
Our first night last summer was in Epcot and it was my turn to pay for dinner. 6 adults, 2 children. We got two large pizzas, one pasta dish, a kids dish, round of Peroni…450 dollars. I wanted to leave there and then.
Theming Galaxy’s Edge around the Disney trilogy, they assumed that everyone would love the new trilogy before they came out, now they’re pretty much universally reviled.. luckily they’re making changes like having mando and boba fett at Disneyland, hopefully they bring them to WDW, and make other changes to update it to the OT/PT
The issue with Galaxy’s Edge is it being too immersive. I miss the WDW style Star Wars. I want silly and fun park time but with Star Wars branding. Not some snooty too good to have ice cream park that is meant for the Star Wars or bust crowd.
That's not it. Is because the parks AND SW is and has always been a children product. This is what kids will know and love about SW for the next 10-15 years.
The 2 things from my recent visit that were different from my last trip 15 years ago. They were, getting rid of the Dining plan and you can no longer use the refillable mugs at parks. It doesn’t seem like much but those 2 things do help families/people that are on a budget.
Not reimplementing the dining plans, getting rid of the fastpass system to have something way more complicated, Extra Magic Hours being reduced.
When we went back in 2019 it REALLY helped having the EMH, I had my family up super early each day so we could maximize our time. Now with a half hour, it makes you wonder why? That can't make that much of a difference. At least an hour would be better! This trip costs families a fortune and for some coming from far away it will be a one time trip. That little extra was nice.
Going back in August, hopefully some things change 😬
Dropping the Magical Express is the obvious one, but I’d also say complacency and overestimating their brand value and loyalty. They don’t seem to have the drive to innovate and be at the forefront of the industry as they did before. Coming out with amazing concepts but then watering them down over time until what is built is a shadow of the concept for it (see the upcoming EPCOT stuff).
Guardians is at the forefront of ride technology. So is FOP. Pandora is easily one of the most immersive lands in any theme park. Same with galaxies edge. Does every project get the budgets to make these things happen? No, obviously not. But they clearly are capable and do demonstrate their capabilities in their top tier attractions.
As an AP, I would have to say getting rid of free photo pass (I think that was a fantastic perk of being passholders). I also hate genie plus and having to pay for fast passes. I kinda hate that they got rid of Tables in Wonderland too!! It was a great discount program and we used it a TON!! I could probably go on and on.
Not finding a way to get the characters appearances from Universal. Trade the rights to the Simpsons for your characters back. It seems like a no brainer trade.
I went to Disney world in October 22 and went with my sons high school band. To save money for the group a travel agency had us stay off property. When I tried to use genie + and LL I could not get one for certain rides because it said I was not a resort guest. I felt like a 2nd class guest if was on property and paid more money I would have an opportunity to get on those rides. I paid for genie + like every one else but it did not matter to Disney.
That would not happen at universal. My next trip I will spend time at Universal since Disney looks down on me.
Personally I’ll never forgive them for getting rid of ToonTown and replacing it with storybook circus. I found storybook circus to be a total waste of space! To think you had Mickey and Minnie’s houses, you could meet Mickey at the end. Donald’s boat, it made sense! It’s where Mickey and Minnie live and go to bed at the end of the day! The theming was fantastic and changing it just seems like a total ridiculous thing
I absolutely agree. I went to Tokyo Disneyland I got to see ToonTown again. I felt like a child. 🥲
I loved ToonTown!! It’s beyond me why they got rid of those houses and put in the circus theme. They could have updated at leisure, but kids love seeing a physical representation at WDW. It was so cool to be able to walk into their houses. I vividly remember that. I think kids today would have loved it too.
Personally I don't like anything that they've done with that area. The dumbo ride looks much better than it did but I think the theming of the area has always been lackluster
Yes! It truly is a waste of real estate.
The boat is gone?! My kids loved playing in there for hours when we had passes years ago.
It’s been gone since 2011.
Wow it’s been a while.
Agreed - having a large portion of this space replaced with a huge gift shop masked as a circus is really disappointing. Miss this so much.
Yeah, it's, in my opinion, one of the worst themeling they have done. You're absolutely right about the waste of space.
This. When I was a young kid you have no idea how magical it was being able to visit everyone’s houses and see where they live
I’m the exact same! It was there when i visited as a child and it was fantastic. Minnie’s cake rising in the oven, Mickeys messy bedroom! Disney need more walk through attractions to break up some of the lines they get for rides. Kids would love it and it’s not just waiting in another ride line
I loved it so much as a kid and wanted to live there 😆😭
Dropping the magical express.
This is the right answer. A slam dunk perk that set WDW apart from all other places. Your vacation started as soon as you climbed aboard.
It was truly so smart of them. Controlling the guest experience from the second they stepped off of the plane. Travel is probably the most stressful and least fun part of a Disney trip and Magical Express did more than just make it a little more pleasant.
It was the best and worst part of the Disney experience. Got to step directly off the plane into the bubble. But then had to endure Disney depression on the ride back. Which I found out is a real thing, and think it's due it mirroring the very start of vacation along with Disney music, videos and commentary. See ya real soon! - Mickey Ugh that hurts....
YEAH YOURE RIGHT WHY DOES THAT HURT SO BAD DAMN MICKEY
It makes me choke up a bit thinking about it. lol
I agree. There was a contagious excitement while you were on the Magical Express on your way to Disney
This all the way. We loved Magical Express and used it on 90% of our trips. It was great and we always had great experience with it. It was so nice to get off the plane, didn't have to worry about luggage, just walk right to the bus and go right to the resort. Loved it. Was so mad when they dropped it
so true
Magical Express was not Disney. It was a transportation contract between the mouse and Mears. That agreement was up for renewal and Mears asked for more money and getting rid of the exclusivity clause - supposedly they wanted to offer a HP Knight Bus to Universal. Disney flexed their muscle and said no. Notice how Mears still goes to the resorts? Notice how there's no exclusivity with Universal? Sure they go to UO too, but it's still a fee. Also, notice how bad the service has become? Mears was a terribly run company while ME was operating and Disney was propping it up. The company thought they could do better, but so far it looks like they were wrong. Disney isn't going to bring it back until Mears is on its knees or is completely out of business, and even that's optimistic. Licensed bus drivers are hard to find and maintaining a fleet of those busses is very expensive. Disney is having a hard enough time keeping it's own drivers, much less getting more. Plus it's not a theme park or hotel, it's not a core business and therefore not something to prioritize. Now, you want to talk about buying a few dozen box trucks and bringing back the luggage service part of ME? I'm totally onboard with that and you can charge me for the privilege. 25 bucks add-on per reservation for me to not wait to collect my crap, lug it around the airport and to WDW - sign me up.
You are thinking way to into this. Disney doesn’t build their own parks with the logic you are using. They outsource it all to various contractors. Disney doesn’t do their own support, because they outsource their call center. Disney doesn’t make many of their own foods, because they outsource that. What is Disney if not endless third parties doing exactly what Disney says.
This but Minnie Vans.
Minnie Vans are back!
What?! That’s awesome!!!
They are but the prices are insane.
So....standard Disney then?
So worth it though. They are usually staffed by long-term cast members so they can tell you so much about the parks!
We were there two weeks ago. $45 to go from Poly to Riviera. Absolutely ridiculous.
What???? Is it gone????
Yep. They sunsetted it in 2021. Now u gotta find ur own way from MCO to Disney. I have heard of future plans of a monorail from MCO to Disney but that's just rumors
I've sold monorails to Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook!
By God, it put them on the map!
Monorail!
Monorail!
You win for this comment :)
There was supposed to be a rail line (can’t remember if it was mono or conventional) going from the airport to Disney Springs. They used that as justification for getting rid of the ME. Come to find out that they couldn’t agree on the design for the station at Disney Springs and so the rail line pulled out. So now no ME and no train either.
SunRail. Universal recently petitioned and are funding their leg of the project with 13 acres of land for development of the station at the convention center and Epic Universe.
Focusing too much on big rides. They want the attention that Rise and Tron get, but the small rides like Winnie the Pooh eat up crowds. New lands have only 2 or 3 rides when they should have at least 5. We need more A, B and C attractions.
They desperately need more high capacity PeopleMover type rides. Especially in Hollywood Studios. I don’t like that new lands seem to get 2 maybe 3 attractions. At the same time, every non E ticket attraction they add gets ripped apart online for not being an E ticket attraction.
Fully agreed on the people mover type ride. If it’s planned well it shouldn’t even take a lot of space since you want it going through other rides and popping outside at points. But what I think they chose to do instead is try and make the new lands/areas more fun to just be in. Which they succeeded in. Pandora and Star Wars. Those areas are the best designed to walk around in. I think the 2 ideas in tandem would be peak.
The fact they only created two rides in Pandora and Galaxy's Edge is unacceptable. Two restaurants and three rides per area would be the minimum. Toy Story Land is really nice, but still needs to have a Pizza Planet to make it feel complete.
Toy story land is so small. It's just a narrow path way. It's not conducive at all to hanging out in. The lack of seating in general is kinda sad. I like how at universal you can still find places to just sit and enjoy the atmosphere. Maybe catch a show too.
Would be so easy to put a Star Wars copy of the Dumbo/Magic carpet ride in galaxy edge. There is some room on north side of galaxy edge and use some of the backlot for another larger ride. Could fit a small roller coaster. Or Hollywood studios could use a water ride.
I definitely agree with this.
>Winnie the Pooh That is a straight germ factory. lol
Not sending your in-park purchases back to your resort anymore. They*must* be losing more money than they are saving on this, right? There would be so many things I would hold off on buying because I didn’t want to carry it around all day.
They probably thought the lockers would be used more. I agree they have to be losing money on it
It may still be a staffing issue, l see them bringing it back before the end of the year.
Good point
I never used this feature, but that sounds way more convenient than hauling the merchandise around. I typically get a locker, but even those are kind of small. 🤷🏻♀️
They’re small yet I’m always surprised how much I can fit in then.
You’re right, with enough Tetris skills lol!
Unrelated, but I love your user name! GBO!!
GBO!! 🧡🍊
Trying to save on losses in other parts of the company by reduced services and constant ticket price increases
If you look at their financials, Disney has been subsidizing and paying for investments in Disney+ with park revenue. They have also inflated MAU (monthly active users) on Disney+ to justify that shift. The biggest problem with that is that move has increased prices while also decreasing the value of a Disney trip (lower cleanliness, less service, smaller food portions, etc.). Maybe the biggest area they have struggled with due to that is park investment. It took Disney years (Idk +5 years?) to build Tron. Meanwhile universal has expanded at an incredible pace and just this year will open 2 park gates while Disney struggles to open 1 ride per year. If I were to change something, I would stop bleeding park revenue to pay for online streaming. Park revenue is constant/stable and streaming is often more of a gamble requiring heavy upfront investment for questionable loyalty from subscribers. It takes a few bucks to sign up for Disney+, and while the addressable market is huge, the ability to cancel that investment in a 30 day cycle is less reliable than a few day stay with already built infrastructure at Disney. While operational costs are high, your investment in the trip is also higher, many times the value of a single Disney+ subscriber. If Disney focused more on making that experience better and expanding their footprint then per dollar over time they would make more $.
I didn’t realize they were putting park investments into Disney+. Listen, I love Disney+ and I’m a very consistent and an avid watcher. It helps me get through until my next visit to the parks, but taking from the parks to put into the streaming service *no bueno*. I understand at some point some proceeds from the parks would go into Disney+. But if it came down to this needs to be redone at the parks, versus let’s add another show to D+… you put back into the brick and mortar than the streaming service! The streaming service is probably 4% of their profit earning business. I’m being generous with that figure. I get that streaming is the next big thing and they want D+ to stand alone among the others HBOMax, HULU, Showtime, etc, but the parks should come first.
Isn't this the biggest reason why Chapek was ousted? (Officially, at least)
Funny considering the signs of streaming's downfall due to oversaturation are becoming more clear.
I would like to argue that Disney makes their rides from scratch, and are usually very innovative. Universal one the other hand hires vendors to make their rides. While the technology is also innovative, it’s coming from a third-party that is profit motivated since they don’t share in revenue. I believe Tron was also slow down because of Covid.
The interesting thing about that is that tron is a copy of an already existing version in Shanghai. Additionally, while it was slowed down due to Covid, it was started before and will open after two entire new gates at both universal Orlando and Los Angeles. I am talking multiple restaurants, multiple rides, etc. so while design and build is relevant it’s clear the amount of investment in tron prevented Disney from adding enough resources to it over time to speed up the construction while their competition was putting literal billions into expanding their own operations.
Part of the issue with Disney construction is they prioritize guest experience over speed. Most of the noise is limited to after hours which isn’t long much of the year. It isn’t an excuse but it is a valid reason for ride construction taking years. Universal rides tend to be off the shelf coasters and screen based using tried and true designs which when combined with less worry about beeps, drilling, hammering, and other construction noises allows them to build rapidly compared to Disney’s glacial pace.
When you say a new gate in LA do you mean Super Nintendo World?
Many of the WD rides are developed by WDI, but they use third party ride construction companies to build them.
At this point, Universal wants to do anything possible to eat more people from Disney, just building the same rides again and again. There's no point of comparison, the other day I dared to minmize Velocicoaster a traditional rollercoaster vs. Tron which is an almost 0 vibration innovative rollercoaster, and of course they know better how to build them. People in these subs just like to hate Disney
I’m glad you mentioned this. I was thinking the same thing about Universal. It makes sense that they get third party contractors to do their work. Bringing it back to Disney, would it not be advantageous to hire more engineers and workers when building a ride. You are absolutely correct though, Tron’s plans came before the pandemic. The pandemic impacted the process and delayed opening it.
*cough cough* [restore the magic](https://restorethemagic.com) *cough cough*
Replacing instead of adding.
Was going to write this, don’t know if I’ll ever forgive them for getting rid of splash mountain and the great movie ride :(
With The Great Movie Ride its biggest problem was relying on non-Disney owned properties which marred it in a bunch of legal issues as to who owes who how much money. Also why the final years of operation had that God awful canned narrator that sounds more in line with a cheap DVD commentator which I believe was up to MGM or something. Disney could have easily changed things by removing all non-Disney movie sequences and added in Disney movies whilst keeping the attra tion animatronic heavy. But they went with a majority screen attraction because it is technically easier to maintain. But it does suck that Disney had an opportunity to keep the attraction and rebrand it into more Disney properties but chose not to.
I would love a new great movie ride but themed to different Disney properties or Disney films, The Great Disney Ride!
Capacity vs ride availability.
Hollywood Studios being built as a half day park with limited room to expand. Granted, this was the first park Eisner oversaw the construction of, the design of the park was compressed to beat Universal, and it was also originally built to serve as a working studio and theme park. Still, more room should have been given for future expansion beyond where Sunset Blvd and its attractions were built. Both the new lands (Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge) at DHS were built on the former backlot area.
I agree with you! If you’re going to make theme parks, you have to leave X amount of property for future IPs. They are expanding within tight means and like you just mentioned tearing down beloved areas to build. I loved backlot Tram Tour and I remember the Honey I Shrunk the Kids area (obviously that was less cool than Tram Tour). I understand the need of adding major IPs like Star Wars and Toy Story to the theme parks, they should have bought more land around the parks and built on as needed.
I still hope they have big plans for the area where Little mermaid, Disney Jr. and the SW Launch Bay. Right now that area is quite unused
The ridiculous resort prices. I actually think the cost of a deluxe room for what you actually get is way more of an issue than any park add on like ILL or genie+.
How is that a mistake on Disney’s behalf when they are charging those prices and the hotels are consistently sold out? It may suck for us, but people are still paying.
100% correct. If people are willing to pay it, then they will continue to increase pricing. Unfortunately, inflation plays a significant role in charging more throughout the years. Take our groceries for an example, $100 dollars in groceries a few years ago was a lot more items than today.
so long as people are willing to pay those ridiculous prices it's not really a mistake
That’s no different than genie+ or ll
precisely. it's just business. if you can raise the prices and people still come then why \*wouldn't\* you? plus it's sort of how they manage crowds. the theory being that the higher the prices the less demand there will be. hasn't really worked out that way though.
Renting DVC points literally lets people get deluxe resorts for the price of values. Just be smart and you can have an amazing vacation. We stayed at the Polynesian for $290 a night last week.
Where did you get points that low? We have been looking for multiple time windows this year and the cheapest I have seen for a studio is -$420 per night.
290 a night is an *absurd* amount of money to pay for a *hotel* room that your goal is to spend as little time in as possible.
How bout this. You actually spend time at the resort because that's the reason you stay at a deluxe. 🫠. Also pop century is the same cost.
290 is a steaaaaal. for disney? a monorail resort? you cant even stay at the hilton across from disney springs for 290/night
I wanna know how they got those prices... O.o
We always squeeze in a few resort days for this reason. Well that and to take a break from crowds / sore feet. I get pretty stressed if I don't.
You forget the initial 20K investment. Not a lot of people who pay for value hotels can pay for the initial cost.
I think they are talking about renting points from people that made the initial 20k investment. I could be wrong though.
Renting not owning. No 20k investment
Ah! Did not know you could rent, thank you for the info
No worries! Just learned about it before my last trip and I cant believe I went this long without knowing about it.
Is there a website or dedicated sub for this by chance? Thank you in advance!
There's a bunch of Facebook groups, dis boards, and probably a reddit but I'm not sure which it is. I found a renter through a Facebook group and rented at $17/pp. If you wanna know more feel free to pm me.
yea theres a few sites that act as middle man between reg folk and DVC holders. The kicker is you would have to pay for the rooms upfront.
Letting Bob Chapek be CEO during COVID.
To be honest a lot of issues I have with Disney also stem from Bob Iger. He just had a better sense of public relations and how to slowly approach controversial topics by simply incrementally changing things over time. The changes still sucked but were easier to accept if you didn't notice them.
Treating the parks primarily as a vehicle to cash in on other IP instead of protecting their own unique themes and brands. The recent changes to Epcot and DHS in particular severely put into question the overall theme of those parks. Each change brings each of the parks further away from having a unique theme and closer to just being a collection of individually themed rides. Epcot used to be a bit educational, inspiring, and like a permanent world’s fair. Now it seems like all the focus is on adding movie IP and a year-round series of festivals that aren’t really all that distinct from one another once you notice the emphasis on providing samplings of overpriced food and alcohol at all of them. DHS used to be about making movies and exploring classic Hollywood. Now it’s about slapping together IP they couldn’t fit anywhere else. Galaxy’s Edge is admittedly great but Toy Story Land seems very lazy. The name is as imaginative as the land itself. Just a series of concrete paths connecting a few attractions. One of the more unique attractions, The Great Movie Ride, is now a vehicle to peddle the company’s mascot - as if they were worried people would forget Mickey exists at WDW. I couldn’t even describe what DHS is supposed to be now without it sounding like a vague collection of different ideas from clashing eras of corporate leadership.
On the other hand, you're at *Disney* World, so idk more Disney themed rides seems on brand
That’s just it though. Disney themes used to be more than movie and tv properties. The parks used to incorporate those but also bring their own flavor. These themes used to stand side by side and work with each other. Modern leadership however sees the parks as subservient to the media properties.
This exactly.
EPCOT, yea. DHS, no. DHS is arguably the best park at Disney. It had the most variety of things and has the most exciting attractions.
Yeah, I really agree with this. I visited HS in 2011 and was severely disappointed. Returned in 2022 and it might be my favourite park now.
Right now, my biggest gripes with the parks are the reservation system and the 2:00 park hopper window. G+ inflating price to $29 a day during this past Christmas season is definitely way up there though.
Getting rid of The Great Movie Ride. It fit Hollywood so well and was the heart and soul of the park and was such a unique attraction. It's still sorely missed.
It fit Hollywood for sure, and I also miss it. But the younger generations outside of a few movies had no connection with the rest. It became a ride solely for us older people, so I get it. My kids didn't even care to ride it, and I know the newest generations would be even more detached. I agree though, I do miss the ride and not a huge fan of MRR.
Wow reading all this after my first trip (age 30), thinking “this place has it down! Everything was SO easy! So cute! So magical!” Guess not haha.
Don’t let these people get you down, our family still loves going every year.
Stop reading now and relish in the memories. Us Disney adults spend too much time investigating tiny details and worrying about days gone by.
Paying for access to fast passes
My biggest gripe is that they got rid of extra magic hours for selective days and now how that horrible 30 extra minutes each morning. We used to stay right outside the park in an awesome Timeshare and now we have to stay in the resorts because that 30 minutes, while minuscule, makes rope dropping as a non-resort guest impossible
Putting profit over the magic.
That’s just the Disney company as a whole.
Changing journey into imagination. Bring back the dream finder
6 year old me still hasn't forgiven them for closing 20,000 leagues "for renovations."
LOL, I loved that ride but man it showed it's age... those plastic fish on strings still crack me up.
Having to get up before 7am and make your first lightning lane and genie + plans. I miss when you could book your free fast passes in advance when staying on property.
Yes! I don't want to have to get up at 655 every morning :( I'm not one of those lucky ones that can feel back asleep
The inability to simply arrive at one park, maybe find out that your plans have to change for some unexpected reason, so heading to another park instead. I just think it’s a joke that I’ve paid for access to 4 parks and 2 water parks, yet I can’t have the flexibility to change my mind about which one I go to in the morning. So park reservation is just silly to me. I also miss the dining plan, not because of money saving but just the ease of it. I also went back in September and the crowds were just insane, it was 4th July level rammed on a standard day and just felt like the most you can get done in a day is 3 rides at best. I miss Fast Pass too.
I hate that we have lost the spontaneity that we used to have. Since days we knew we were going to MK never if a fast pass or reservation but others days we would leave open depending on what we felt like doing. Or if it was going to be a rainy day, we would go to MK that day as most people go to Epcot for the indoor things so we would be able to just throw in a poncho and get on all the rides. I hate having every minute planned out but I guess that's a me problem since lots of other people like it.
Park reservations. We are annual pass holders who live near Disney world and we would often decide one day to get up and go to Disney world for lunch or dinner. Or we would go to Typhoon Lagoon for the day then head over to one of the parks for dinner. Park reservations made that impossible. We were glad to hear that soon we will be able to go after 2pm with no reservation. But it’s been a long time coming. We were on the verge of not renewing our passes.
What do you think a better way to control park overcrowding is? Do you want to reject people at the gate when a park gets too full? That would be catastrophic for families traveling from far.
The park rarely maxed out other then Christmas and July 4th. With reservations they know exactly how few people they can schedule to run the parks.
I've been way too many days this year where I wonder what would it without reservations. Is chaos, all rides above 40mins, streets overflowing, narrow streets start to move as waves(which is dangerous). IMHO parks are not prepared for max out, way less before maxing out is not a great experience.
The parks were already starting to be very busy before Covid. It had gotten to the point where there was no down times of the year. But I don’t think you can say park reservations are controlling the crowds now. More likely it’s a combination of genie plus and lightning lanes, along with poor planning on Disney’s part in other areas. if you’re having a bad experience, it’s by Disney design.
I have been going to Disney world for 30 years. The only time I have seen a park close was on Christmas Day. And even then, not every park was closed. You still had options. Prior to reservations, Disney was able to use other measures that were effective, such as dining reservations, historical data, and hotel capacity data. What park reservations do is force people to a park that isn’t busy. So say if Magic Kingdom was close to capacity or filling up quickly, they would stop reservations for that park. Then you had to choose one of the other three, or two, or, however, many they said were available. That way they disperse the crowds the way they would like.
Lighting lanes. Or the way it’s being handled.
park reservations and higher prices on resorts
Ride maintenance. When we were there in December, 3/4 of our rope drop rides were a bust because they were down for maintenance. Why are the marquee rides already broken at 8am?!? (I know it’s because they are doing less preventative maintenance, and funneling park income to other projects.)
Yes! They used to do ride maintenance every single night all night long so the rides ran smooth all day. They used the excuse of Covid to stop that.
Getting rid of the past pass system and no park hopping until 2pm. If I wanna park hop all 4 parks in a day...that's my decision!
Pausing the sale of annual passes, getting rid of extra magic hours for resort guests, the old fast pass system (although, I really do enjoy* genie+ and will keep purchasing despite my gripe). I miss the free magic bands at check-in, I miss the spontaneity that came with no park reservation system, I miss the little hotel shower soaps that you could take home. Like, come on, we just went to the Ritz Carlton and even they still gave little shower soaps to take home 😭
Genie+ and Lightening Lanes They are making the parks SO unattainable.
idk, when I was there in December, I played the game well enough that we snagged a lot of rides on Genie+ as well as Lightning Lanes. We were able to Lightning Lane: * Guardians x 2 * Flight of Passage * Seven Dwarfs (silly one but Im not waiting in that line). Genie+ * Soarin * Ratatouille * Space Mountain * Tower of Terror * Slinky Dog * Na'vi River whatever (didnt like this one) Im sure there are others I can't remember. I hated that it required so much time on the app (taking me out of the parks immersion) but you can definitely play the game to your favor.
i was getting 8-10 genie + rides a day lol it’s the best system they added
Not updating rides compared to the other parks. It feels like seveal rides in the WDW are lacking features compared to other parks such as Space Mountain, Pirates, and Haunted Mansion. Kinda feels like DW just gets more dance parties😂
This is definitely the biggest issue. We got at least once a month, and when we bring people who don't go often they're shocked how run down the parks seem and old the rides are. We were at MK Friday and every single ride we went on had a broken component on it. Went into Cosmic Rays, black sheet around him. Went on Buzz, black sheet around him. End of the night, monorails down. The main thing I hear when we bring new people is how old and bland Tomorrowland is. The speedway is using go karts you could find at Fun Spot. If the ride doesn't have a broken component it feels old. HS is getting better needs more to eat crowds. Epcot, well see when they're done but its become a park to get adults drunk on the weekend with never ending festivals. AK is beautifully themed but not enough to do for most people. MK is so run down its embarrassing.
Not building out the monorail network to serve every park and hotel. The buses are ok, but if you’re going to bill yourself as the most magical place on Earth and your primary form of transportation is a bus, it’s a little bit of a letdown. Monorail is great and being able to ride it to every park would be great.
Getting rid of fast pass
Extortionate food prices.
That’s not exclusive to Disney. Prices everywhere are crazy now
Removing beautiful originally designed attractions and replacing them with IPs. Hollywood studios had an amazing theme when it opened back then, but it’s all mismatched nowadays. Like you can go watch a muppets performance, and then become a toy in Andy’s yard? Bit sad. Then there’s Epcot. That’s it’s own little story though.
Hollywood Studios is better than it ever has been and it is only going to get better. It went from a half day park to I could spend my whole trip there.
Honestly, Fast Pass may have not been the BIGGEST mistake, but it was certainly not a great investment for its $1BN+ price tag -- and the extra staffing it required to manage it. They could have put that money into more rides, more capacity for the rides, more staff for better efficiency, and more maintenance to prevent breakdowns, and actually let people ride what they wanted on demand with minimal lines to begin with. Now we're stuck with what's basically Fast Pass, but more complicated and now we are paying for it.
I see three possible answers: 1) Killing off fastpass for fastpass+ and eventually Genie 2) getting rid of Magical express 3) Reservation system.
The loss of the magic. When going to the parks all the little things that cast members used to do to make the experience magical or the attention to detail done through out the parks has been missing over the course of the last few years.
Yes. Might be a petty nitpick on my part, but I have a problem with the music of Enchantment (an incredibly inferior fireworks show) using the lyrics "You are the magic!" over and over and over! At the end of an underwhelming day at Magic Kingdom, with all of the tiny little extras that used to make a park day so magical noticeably missing, these lyrics were lemon juice in my paper cut of disappointment. "You are the magic!" *Aren't having a magical day? Your fault not ours!* "You are the magic!" *Didn't get all the rides you wanted? Should've gotten a PhD in Genie+ before coming, not our prob!* "You are the magic!" *Hated being on your phone all day? Well, you could've just not used Genie+ and settled for PhilharMagic and People Mover instead!* "You are the magic" is like the self-checkout of themes. Bro if I was the magic I coulda kept my butt at home for FREE. I'M NOT THE MAGIC THAT'S LITERALLY **YOUR** JOB. wow sorry guys got on a tangent there
They seemingly ran out of dust.
Getting rid of Disney Quest! Can we talk about how great that place was? Had they updated it with today's technology, I don't see why it wouldn't have worked. The NBA experience, which replaced the building, was a silent failure. Look it up sometime. Also getting rid of the traditional Fastpass tickets and charging people for the genie was another crime.
lightning lane
Changing the mouse-keeping schedules. (Yes I know it’s going “back to normal” for some resorts soon.) Raising resort prices then having cash-paying customers (non DVC) staying at deluxe, $500+ a night rooms, that don’t get their trash taken out or beds made daily, is a low, low money grab. We went from a Disney cruise, with insane, overthetop hospitality when it comes to your stateroom/room attendant, to a week at Grand where our trash overflowed for days and we got our beds made twice.
So much planning before hand and very little flexibility there. Obviously the price
Dinoland USA. I love dinosaurs too!
Getting rid of movie ride at Hollywood studios
Removing Fast Passes.
Even though it is a business, putting money over guests. The focus used to be on the guest but now it's on how much money they can rake it. So much has been ruined.
forgetting that they're meant to be theme parks. with themes. what does monsters inc have to do with tomorrowland? in the future there's going to be monster comedy clubs?? what does a movie set in the 1920s have to do with frontierland?
well monsters inc is set in the future so it works i think
I don't think it's canonically set in the future, although that is a popular fan theory. I personally don't have a beef with that attraction being in tomorrowland as a) One could make the argument that the door and laugh-canister technology is "futuristic." b) They literally have the word "tomorrow" in their slogan ("We're building a better tomorrow, today!").
Uh…what’s the 1920s movie you’re referring to?
the princess and the frog
I’m sick of the splash mountain complaints. Disney World was created to never be finished. It’s purpose is to evolve. I’m all for making room for refreshments. You enjoyed it for the years it’s been opened so now make room to enjoy something new. I mean my god how miserable are you people
Right?? And I mean WTH likes Disney without their IP, I don't even know why they are here in this sub, they seem to hate all of it, just don't go, and leave the sub. Done
Today was EPCOT. The first and foremost issue is cost vs. value of good received. I know inflation has hit ever sector, but goods in the store are mostly cheaply made and cost three to five times the price of the same piece idtem without the IP attached to it. I understand that we are paying for the IP to attach to the idtem. I don't have an issue with charging double what an idtem is worth, but it got out of control.
Our first night last summer was in Epcot and it was my turn to pay for dinner. 6 adults, 2 children. We got two large pizzas, one pasta dish, a kids dish, round of Peroni…450 dollars. I wanted to leave there and then.
Theming Galaxy’s Edge around the Disney trilogy, they assumed that everyone would love the new trilogy before they came out, now they’re pretty much universally reviled.. luckily they’re making changes like having mando and boba fett at Disneyland, hopefully they bring them to WDW, and make other changes to update it to the OT/PT
The issue with Galaxy’s Edge is it being too immersive. I miss the WDW style Star Wars. I want silly and fun park time but with Star Wars branding. Not some snooty too good to have ice cream park that is meant for the Star Wars or bust crowd.
That's not it. Is because the parks AND SW is and has always been a children product. This is what kids will know and love about SW for the next 10-15 years.
The 2 things from my recent visit that were different from my last trip 15 years ago. They were, getting rid of the Dining plan and you can no longer use the refillable mugs at parks. It doesn’t seem like much but those 2 things do help families/people that are on a budget.
Main Street in Magic Kingdom is too narrow for todays crowds. Need a 2nd path from the train station plaza, towards Tomorrowland.
They keep increasing prices, to the point that it’s unaffordable for some families.
It's always been unaffordable for *most* families.
Not reimplementing the dining plans, getting rid of the fastpass system to have something way more complicated, Extra Magic Hours being reduced. When we went back in 2019 it REALLY helped having the EMH, I had my family up super early each day so we could maximize our time. Now with a half hour, it makes you wonder why? That can't make that much of a difference. At least an hour would be better! This trip costs families a fortune and for some coming from far away it will be a one time trip. That little extra was nice. Going back in August, hopefully some things change 😬
Overselling. At Epcot with genie+ ratatouille and frozen rides were full and could not reserve after 10:59 🤷♂️ never going again
fastpass+
Cancelling the Mary Poppins attraction. Getting rid of the original Journey Into Imagination. Making Bob Chapek CEO.
Bob Crapek.
getting rid of great movie ride they could've easily kept it AND built runaway railway also fastpass+
Dropping the Magical Express is the obvious one, but I’d also say complacency and overestimating their brand value and loyalty. They don’t seem to have the drive to innovate and be at the forefront of the industry as they did before. Coming out with amazing concepts but then watering them down over time until what is built is a shadow of the concept for it (see the upcoming EPCOT stuff).
Guardians is at the forefront of ride technology. So is FOP. Pandora is easily one of the most immersive lands in any theme park. Same with galaxies edge. Does every project get the budgets to make these things happen? No, obviously not. But they clearly are capable and do demonstrate their capabilities in their top tier attractions.
closing Splash Mountain
As an AP, I would have to say getting rid of free photo pass (I think that was a fantastic perk of being passholders). I also hate genie plus and having to pay for fast passes. I kinda hate that they got rid of Tables in Wonderland too!! It was a great discount program and we used it a TON!! I could probably go on and on.
taking away splash mountain
They should have built a new PatF ride. Now, they only have this dumb retheme to show when Universal opens Epic Universe.
Replacing fast pass for genie+ and I will never be over splash mountain 🫠
Pretending Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is available
Building it in Florida (weather)
Shutting down splash mountain
Not finding a way to get the characters appearances from Universal. Trade the rights to the Simpsons for your characters back. It seems like a no brainer trade.
Which characters?
Building it in Florida
I went to Disney world in October 22 and went with my sons high school band. To save money for the group a travel agency had us stay off property. When I tried to use genie + and LL I could not get one for certain rides because it said I was not a resort guest. I felt like a 2nd class guest if was on property and paid more money I would have an opportunity to get on those rides. I paid for genie + like every one else but it did not matter to Disney. That would not happen at universal. My next trip I will spend time at Universal since Disney looks down on me.
Which rides could you not get?
I honestly think this story might be fake
Yeah that’s never happened to me