Chapek out - Iger back

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I like active vacations in general though and I have no issue getting up early.

We typically are like this as well however Disney has never been a relaxing vacation. Years past there were more relaxed pace of things but Disney does not evoke relaxation to us.

People who have been countless times may feel differently as their park touring patterns change. We did however feel much more relaxed at Universal (and always have felt this way it was just extremely stark this past May trip compared to WDW) despite our park touring patterns being the same.

 

[DLgal]

I've never heard of anyone ever coming back from a WDW vacation, and saying they were relaxed. it's not that type of vacation unless you lounge at the pool all day

We come back relaxed because we aren't park commandos. We spend maybe 4-6 hours in the parks every other day. We only go in after 4pm because it's too hot during the day in summer. We lounge at the pool, shop and eat at the Springs, go to the waterparks and float around the lazy river, etc. It's pretty relaxing.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We come back relaxed because we aren't park commandos. We spend maybe 4-6 hours in the parks every other day. We only go in after 4pm because it's too hot during the day in summer. We lounge at the pool, shop and eat at the Springs, go to the waterparks and float around the lazy river, etc. It's pretty relaxing.

I can't spend that much money on a theme park vacation and do that. At least not when it's my husband and I. Not to mention vacation time. For those activities that you are doing a beach vacation is much more what we would do one where we can sight see, do activities and then laze about the water and go out for dinner.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I typically feel relaxed after a WDW trip. For me they are a "reset" that really help me releive some stress. That said, being there can be stressful, and isn't really relaxing, though I see it more as energizing. I like active vacations in general though and I have no issue getting up early.

i agree with that sentiment, i come home feeling better, i just wouldn't describe it as relaxed.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

We come back relaxed because we aren't park commandos. We spend maybe 4-6 hours in the parks every other day. We only go in after 4pm because it's too hot during the day in summer. We lounge at the pool, shop and eat at the Springs, go to the waterparks and float around the lazy river, etc. It's pretty relaxing.

sounds like it! i just think you may be in the minority in that camp haha

 

[BrianL]

We typically are like this as well however Disney has never been a relaxing vacation. Years past there were more relaxed pace of things but Disney does not evoke relaxation to us.

People who have been countless times may feel differently as their park touring patterns change. We did however feel much more relaxed at Universal (and always have felt this way it was just extremely stark this past May trip compared to WDW) despite our park touring patterns being the same.

I was at Uni recently and felt MORE stressed becaus eI don't go often and was completely out of my element. Also, I think the vibe is more stressful in general.

At Disney, I am in my element, and while I am sometimes stressed about certain things, generally I am just ready to get at it!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I was at Uni recently and felt MORE stressed becaus eI don't go often and was completely out of my element. Also, I think the vibe is more stressful in general.

At Disney, I am in my element, and while I am sometimes stressed about certain things, generally I am just ready to get at it!

Aw man that's the total complete opposite of basically everyone who goes to Universal! You could spend more time on the Universal side of the Boards and you'd def. see how many people find Universal much more relaxing than Disney. And the guests were so much relaxed at Universal. The rudest crankiest, stressed out, look like they hate the world people can be found (if comparing the two parks) at Disney.

The difference between Disney and Universal to you is not the difference people are talking about when they discuss how stressful Disney feels for a vacation (i.e the planning involved, the keeping track of the product which now is Genie+ and ILL, the rules surrounding it, the expense, the park reservations and countless other things). Your thing is that you are used to Disney and seemingly prefer it. I can understand feeling like you don't have a good grasp of how a park that you've not really been to before may feel but trust me if you went more and more to Universal (assuming you actually liked the rides and all) you'd begin to see the difference there

 

[J-Dog]

For park yes it is a problem. From Disney's side it's working wonders. It's making all parks busy and not just MK. Prior to reservations, parks like AK and Epcot would be a lot quieter then they are now.

The cynical side of me agrees with you. But the optimistic side thinks that it's fairly clear that re-hiring Iger was done for PR purposes. So in order to cement his "return legacy", he will need to implement some PR moves that the average customer will approve of - and park hopping and park reservation modifications are easy to do (relatively speaking).

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

You do realize this is part of the cause of your problem right? Back when fastpass+ was going on most of the good rides were near impossible to get because they were hoarded months in advance. If folks could simply only book when at the parks then chances to get your preferred ride are much better. Like at DLR, whose LLs don't sell out at 10am but you can get even at night for the most popular rides.

Your comment really made me think this through a little more. I don't have any issue with selecting attractions day-of. In fact, I think being able to wait it out is preferable in the sense that you don't always know exactly what you're going to want to do on any given day and it can be hard to know so far in advance.

My issue, as it turns out, is with two things. One being that with Genie+ and the ILL system, it feels like a mad dash and a competition with other guests, which isn't really in the spirit of what Disney usually invokes. It's a stressful way to start a day of vacation, particularly when you've spent thousands and thousands of dollars on the trip, on the flights, on the on-site hotel stay, and your family is counting on you to secure X attraction because you have little kids and doing it standby is just NOT an option, and because you have to go home in a week or less and if you miss it, you're SOL. This right here is why I think on-site guests should get some kind of priority here.

The other issue is I want control over my times. I want three slots released to me at the beginning of the day that I can schedule in any way I wish. I want to schedule them around my kids' naptimes, I want to schedule them all together in a block of time where I know the kids are likely to be fed, and happy, and ready for the park.

I want to make Disney fit into MY schedule, instead of having to squeeze my family into Disney's schedule.

On our last trip, we used Genie+ every day, and while it worked in some aspects, we found we absolutely could NOT just walk into the park, book a LL, and then WAIT for said LL to come around. Often our next LL would be 90 minutes later, and we'd be left figuring out how to kill those 90 minutes with little kids who can't tolerate long lines in a park where every standby is a 40+ min wait. Our only solution was to leave the parks for an afternoon break, and stack up the attractions for the evening. But even that wasn't great because my kids are LITTLE and get tired and cranky at a certain point.

So there I'm left feeling like maybe Disney just isn't FOR us. My kids are small, they're little, and they're CHILDREN so they can't do standby. But they don't qualify for DAS just for being little, you know? Genie+ doesn't work well for families with small kids, and I get that every service isn't going to work for everyone, but Disney Parks are heavily marketed as a place for families. Except Genie+ in its current form doesn't make it feel very conducive to MY family.

Surely there could be a happy medium somehow so that we don't have to plan every detail down to the bathroom breaks, two months out from our vacations, but that doesn't alienate families with little ones either.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

You do realize this is part of the cause of your problem right? Back when fastpass+ was going on most of the good rides were near impossible to get because they were hoarded months in advance. If folks could simply only book when at the parks then chances to get your preferred ride are much better. Like at DLR, whose LLs don't sell out at 10am but you can get even at night for the most popular rides.

Your comment really made me think this through a little more. I don't have any issue with selecting attractions day-of. In fact, I think being able to wait it out is preferable in the sense that you don't always know exactly what you're going to want to do on any given day and it can be hard to know so far in advance.

My issue, as it turns out, is with two things. One being that with Genie+ and the ILL system, it feels like a mad dash and a competition with other guests, which isn't really in the spirit of what Disney usually invokes. It's a stressful way to start a day of vacation, particularly when you've spent thousands and thousands of dollars on the trip, on the flights, on the on-site hotel stay, and your family is counting on you to secure X attraction because you have little kids and doing it standby is just NOT an option, and because you have to go home in a week or less and if you miss it, you're SOL. This right here is why I think on-site guests should get some kind of priority here.

The other issue is I want control over my times. I want three slots released to me at the beginning of the day that I can schedule in any way I wish. I want to schedule them around my kids' naptimes, I want to schedule them all together in a block of time where I know the kids are likely to be fed, and happy, and ready for the park.

I want to make Disney fit into MY schedule, instead of having to squeeze my family into Disney's schedule.

On our last trip, we used Genie+ every day, and while it worked in some aspects, we found we absolutely could NOT just walk into the park, book a LL, and then WAIT for said LL to come around. Often our next LL would be 90 minutes later, and we'd be left figuring out how to kill those 90 minutes with little kids who can't tolerate long lines in a park where every standby is a 40+ min wait. Our only solution was to leave the parks for an afternoon break, and stack up the attractions for the evening. But even that wasn't great because my kids are LITTLE and get tired and cranky at a certain point.

So there I'm left feeling like maybe Disney just isn't FOR us. My kids are small, they're little, and they're CHILDREN so they can't do standby. But they don't qualify for DAS just for being little, you know? Genie+ doesn't work well for families with small kids, and I get that every service isn't going to work for everyone, but Disney Parks are heavily marketed as a place for families. Except Genie+ in its current form doesn't make it feel very conducive to MY family.

Surely there could be a happy medium somehow so that we don't have to plan every detail down to the bathroom breaks, two months out from our vacations, but that doesn't alienate families with little ones either.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

You do realize this is part of the cause of your problem right? Back when fastpass+ was going on most of the good rides were near impossible to get because they were hoarded months in advance. If folks could simply only book when at the parks then chances to get your preferred ride are much better. Like at DLR, whose LLs don't sell out at 10am but you can get even at night for the most popular rides.

Your comment really made me think this through a little more. I don't have any issue with selecting attractions day-of. In fact, I think being able to wait it out is preferable in the sense that you don't always know exactly what you're going to want to do on any given day and it can be hard to know so far in advance.

My issue, as it turns out, is with two things. One being that with Genie+ and the ILL system, it feels like a mad dash and a competition with other guests, which isn't really in the spirit of what Disney usually invokes. It's a stressful way to start a day of vacation, particularly when you've spent thousands and thousands of dollars on the trip, on the flights, on the on-site hotel stay, and your family is counting on you to secure X attraction because you have little kids and doing it standby is just NOT an option, and because you have to go home in a week or less and if you miss it, you're SOL. This right here is why I think on-site guests should get some kind of priority here.

The other issue is I want control over my times. I want three slots released to me at the beginning of the day that I can schedule in any way I wish. I want to schedule them around my kids' naptimes, I want to schedule them all together in a block of time where I know the kids are likely to be fed, and happy, and ready for the park.

I want to make Disney fit into MY schedule, instead of having to squeeze my family into Disney's schedule.

On our last trip, we used Genie+ every day, and while it worked in some aspects, we found we absolutely could NOT just walk into the park, book a LL, and then WAIT for said LL to come around. Often our next LL would be 90 minutes later, and we'd be left figuring out how to kill those 90 minutes with little kids who can't tolerate long lines in a park where every standby is a 40+ min wait. Our only solution was to leave the parks for an afternoon break, and stack up the attractions for the evening. But even that wasn't great because my kids are LITTLE and get tired and cranky at a certain point.

So there I'm left feeling like maybe Disney just isn't FOR us. My kids are small, they're little, and they're CHILDREN so they can't do standby. But they don't qualify for DAS just for being little, you know? Genie+ doesn't work well for families with small kids, and I get that every service isn't going to work for everyone, but Disney Parks are heavily marketed as a place for families. Except Genie+ in its current form doesn't make it feel very conducive to MY family.

Surely there could be a happy medium somehow so that we don't have to plan every detail down to the bathroom breaks, two months out from our vacations, but that doesn't alienate families with little ones either.

 

[disneyseniors]

I don't see why letting park hoppers hop to another park when they want to is a problem? It worked fine this way before. People hopped to where they wanted to go, and that's the way a park experience should be IMO. People paid for this addition and should be able to use it how and when they want. There was never a mass exodus to the MK or other parks every day due to park hopping that I'm aware of.

 

[starlite_]

Your comment really made me think this through a little more. I don't have any issue with selecting attractions day-of. In fact, I think being able to wait it out is preferable in the sense that you don't always know exactly what you're going to want to do on any given day and it can be hard to know so far in advance.

My issue, as it turns out, is with two things. One being that with Genie+ and the ILL system, it feels like a mad dash and a competition with other guests, which isn't really in the spirit of what Disney usually invokes. It's a stressful way to start a day of vacation, particularly when you've spent thousands and thousands of dollars on the trip, on the flights, on the on-site hotel stay, and your family is counting on you to secure X attraction because you have little kids and doing it standby is just NOT an option, and because you have to go home in a week or less and if you miss it, you're SOL. This right here is why I think on-site guests should get some kind of priority here.

The other issue is I want control over my times. I want three slots released to me at the beginning of the day that I can schedule in any way I wish. I want to schedule them around my kids' naptimes, I want to schedule them all together in a block of time where I know the kids are likely to be fed, and happy, and ready for the park.

I want to make Disney fit into MY schedule, instead of having to squeeze my family into Disney's schedule.

On our last trip, we used Genie+ every day, and while it worked in some aspects, we found we absolutely could NOT just walk into the park, book a LL, and then WAIT for said LL to come around. Often our next LL would be 90 minutes later, and we'd be left figuring out how to kill those 90 minutes with little kids who can't tolerate long lines in a park where every standby is a 40+ min wait. Our only solution was to leave the parks for an afternoon break, and stack up the attractions for the evening. But even that wasn't great because my kids are LITTLE and get tired and cranky at a certain point.

So there I'm left feeling like maybe Disney just isn't FOR us. My kids are small, they're little, and they're CHILDREN so they can't do standby. But they don't qualify for DAS just for being little, you know? Genie+ doesn't work well for families with small kids, and I get that every service isn't going to work for everyone, but Disney Parks are heavily marketed as a place for families. Except Genie+ in its current form doesn't make it feel very conducive to MY family.

Surely there could be a happy medium somehow so that we don't have to plan every detail down to the bathroom breaks, two months out from our vacations, but that doesn't alienate families with little ones either.

I understand what you are saying, but children 100% can do stand by. Little kids have been waiting for things since the beginning of time. We waited for stand by before fast track lines were even a thing. Children wait for snacks after school, to watch a movie, to open xmas presents, for the parade, for nighttime shows. I don't honestly get why you say your kids cannot wait because they are little. It is on parents to keep kids entertained while they wait, it's a skill that kids need to learn. You can't possible believe 40+ min wait times are a new thing only current kids have had to endure.

There are soo many things that you can do so you don't have to "kill" 90 min, and I'm not even sure what you mean here, do you sit in a bench and wait? How is that different than stand by? . Do a short ride, fish for MEPs, watch a show, enjoy the atmosphere, check for LLs around nap time, etc etc.

The mad dash for LLs, well, it is exactly the same as fastpass was but in the commodity of your phone. I'm not against on-site guests getting perks for paying those ridiculous amounts of money. But getting frustrated because "kids can't wait because they are little" is kinda not it imo. Kids can wait, but it's on parents to show them how. Not wanting to wait for whatever reason is fine, I have so many reasons why I don't wanna wait 40+ for a ride. Not wanting to wait is very dif than cannot wait imo.

 

[fatmanatee]

I don't see why letting park hoppers hop to another park when they want to is a problem? It worked fine this way before. People hopped to where they wanted to go, and that's the way a park experience should be IMO. People paid for this addition and should be able to use it how and when they want. There was never a mass exodus to the MK or other parks every day due to park hopping that I'm aware of.

It’s a problem for a certain someone who wanted to optimize staffing. By trapping people in one park until 2, you knew exactly how many CMs you’d need at each park for their shifts, and furthermore you could prepare better for the later shift because you’d have better data on where guests were going when they could hop. The question Iger will have to answer is whether this is worth the guest satisfaction drops that have resulted from it.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

I understand what you are saying, but children 100% can do stand by. Little kids have been waiting for things since the beginning of time. We waited for stand by before fast track lines were even a thing. Children wait for snacks after school, to watch a movie, to open xmas presents, for the parade, for nighttime shows. I don't honestly get why you say your kids cannot wait because they are little. It is on parents to keep kids entertained while they wait, it's a skill that kids need to learn. You can't possible believe 40+ min wait times are a new thing only current kids have had to endure.

There are soo many things that you can do so you don't have to "kill" 90 min, and I'm not even sure what you mean here, do you sit in a bench and wait? How is that different than stand by? . Do a short ride, fish for MEPs, watch a show, enjoy the atmosphere, check for LLs around nap time, etc etc.

The mad dash for LLs, well, it is exactly the same as fastpass was but in the commodity of your phone. I'm not against on-site guests getting perks for paying those ridiculous amounts of money. But getting frustrated because "kids can't wait because they are little" is kinda not it imo. Kids can wait, but it's on parents to show them how. Not wanting to wait for whatever reason is fine, I have so many reasons why I don't wanna wait 40+ for a ride. Not wanting to wait is very dif than cannot wait imo.

I couldn't care less about waiting in lines, and it's exactly what we did before we had small children we were bringing into the park. Not all children can do standby. My 5 year old, sure. My less-than-2 year old on our last trip? Absolutely not, no matter how much we "entertain" him. Which is why I was HAPPY to pay for Genie+ to skip lines as much as possible. I don't expect it to be free but if I'm going to pay for it then yes I would like it to work for my family. Getting on parents who have trouble getting a toddler to wait for 45 minutes, and acting like it's the parents' fault that the child is a child, is reductive and dismissive.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I couldn't care less about waiting in lines, and it's exactly what we did before we had small children we were bringing into the park. Not all children can do standby. My 5 year old, sure. My less-than-2 year old on our last trip? Absolutely not, no matter how much we "entertain" him. Which is why I was HAPPY to pay for Genie+ to skip lines as much as possible. I don't expect it to be free but if I'm going to pay for it then yes I would like it to work for my family. Getting on parents who have trouble getting a toddler to wait for 45 minutes, and acting like it's the parents' fault that the child is a child, is reductive and dismissive.

i agree with you, i had a two year old tyrant (i love her more than anything haha) the last time we went and I can attest to the fact that you are on THEIR schedule, and they cannot be reasoned with. The next time we'll be going with a threenager so that should be even more challenging (I'm just a glutton for punishment). As much as i'd love Disney to cater to my unique schedule, i do understand that it is not logistically possible for them to accomplish, so it is what it is

 

[starlite_]

I couldn't care less about waiting in lines, and it's exactly what we did before we had small children we were bringing into the park. Not all children can do standby. My 5 year old, sure. My less-than-2 year old on our last trip? Absolutely not, no matter how much we "entertain" him. Which is why I was HAPPY to pay for Genie+ to skip lines as much as possible. I don't expect it to be free but if I'm going to pay for it then yes I would like it to work for my family. Getting on parents who have trouble getting a toddler to wait for 45 minutes, and acting like it's the parents' fault that the child is a child, is reductive and dismissive.

I apologize if that is how it sounded, it was not my intention. I have seen so many "Karen" parents and your first comment sounded kinda like that. Glad to know it is not the case. Unfortunately, it is how Disney is. Waiting is part of the experience, if your toddler cannot wait for some reason then they can't and maybe going on a ride that needs the wait is not where your energies should be focused on. Sometimes you simply need to skip on things and that is also something that kids need to learn, sometimes you can't do everything you want.

You can 100% do the work to have Genie+ work for you and I'm glad you could do it on your trip. Hopefully next trip when the toddler is older you have an easier time.

 

[Moliphino]

I don't do relaxing vacations, but I also try to avoid waking up before 8am on vacation.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I don't do relaxing vacations, but I also try to avoid waking up before 8am on vacation.

this is the chant of my people

 

[starlite_]

I don't do relaxing vacations, but I also try to avoid waking up before 8am on vacation.

I think I am the opposite. Bless wfh because I can simply wake up 15 min before I need to log in and be ready. I cannot function on a daily basis if I need to wake up early every day. But for vacations? I will wake up at 4am if needed to make the most of it haha.