What is going on with Disney parks?

[hertamaniac]

For me, I'm not finding the value in a Disney vacation anymore.

And see that's my friction point as well. I want that value/experience back and not become this sourpuss that it has for us. It's not that we're not going to go, but the frequency has dropped off drastically and I feel there will be a greater amount of time passing between visits. I can't blame Disney at all, but myself for either setting too high of an expectation or visiting the parks too frequently.

 

[dlavender]

And see that's my friction point as well. I want that value/experience back and not become this sourpuss that it has for us. It's not that we're not going to go, but the frequency has dropped off drastically and I feel there will be a greater amount of time passing between visits. I can't blame Disney at all, but myself for either setting too high of an expectation or visiting the parks too frequently.

The consumers are the last line of defense. We mostly have failed when it comes to Disney. We did beat the cabanas in Tomorrowland though. We'll always have that, lol

 

[SaintsManiac]

The consumers are the last line of defense. We mostly have failed when it comes to Disney. We did beat the cabanas in Tomorrowland though. We'll always have that, lol

OMG I am triggered. Please do not bring that up.

 

[tkalbanese]

I feel like they've cut back on discounts and it's getting harder to get a "deal". Pair that with increasing prices I'm sure its getting harder for some to go but I wouldn't think it would make that much different. For us, we just find ourselves getting more creative.

 

[hertamaniac]

We did beat the cabanas in Tomorrowland though. We'll always have that, lol

Did we really or will they be reincarnated as site built day use suites in one of the parks?

 

[Hisgirl]

We just returned from a short jaunt, just the two of us. We normally stay at deluxe and drop a huge bundle on the room. It becomes the norm.

But this time...we didn't. We stayed closeby and spent 200-300 per night, which is still pricey but you know what? We had just as good a time and the hotel was fabulous. The food offerings in the hotel were far above even the best thing Disney has to offer and this is speaking from someone who only eats at chef-owned eateries. (some of you may know right away where we stayed just from that comment)

I loved the resort and would stay there again in a heartbeat and save a couple of hundred a night.

With that said...I had a different feeling when I came home. The crowds were insane...10/10 on most days and I couldn't get out of the park fast enough. Sure, we rode the star wars rides, but it was kind of anti-climatical after all that fuss.

I came home this time and found myself almost wishing we hadn't bought AP. We're taking our grandson this month but honestly, I think I'd rather spend my vacation days elsewhere. And I mean it this time.

It's too crowded, too expensive, too corporate, and just too obvious that I've fallen under a spell intended to separate ridiculous amounts of cash from my wallet.

It's weird. I feel a bit sad. But yeah...something has shifted and I'm kinda glad.

 

[dlavender]

Did we really or will they be reincarnated as site built day use suites in one of the parks?

We probably just made them angry so they added more party dates to teach us a lesson........

 

[dlavender]

We just returned from a short jaunt, just the two of us. We normally stay at deluxe and drop a huge bundle on the room. It becomes the norm.

But this time...we didn't. We stayed closeby and spent 200-300 per night, which is still pricey but you know what? We had just as good a time and the hotel was fabulous. The food offerings in the hotel were far above even the best thing Disney has to offer and this is speaking from someone who only eats at chef-owned eateries. (some of you may know right away where we stayed just from that comment)

I loved the resort and would stay there again in a heartbeat and save a couple of hundred a night.

With that said...I had a different feeling when I came home. The crowds were insane...10/10 on most days and I couldn't get out of the park fast enough. Sure, we rode the star wars rides, but it was kind of anti-climatical after all that fuss.

I came home this time and found myself almost wishing we hadn't bought AP. We're taking our grandson this month but honestly, I think I'd rather spend my vacation days elsewhere. And I mean it this time.

It's too crowded, too expensive, too corporate, and just too obvious that I've fallen under a spell intended to separate ridiculous amounts of cash from my wallet.

It's weird. I feel a bit sad. But yeah...something has shifted and I'm kinda glad.

Upgrading to AP's last year was the first time I had buyer's remorse from a Disney purchase.

It's the reasons behind the too crowded that pushed me over the edge. Yes, its somewhat more busy, but it feels busier because of what they've done and not done to help with that. They sat on their hands for far too long, cut back on entertainment and cast, cut back on maintenance, cut back on hours, and have relied too heavily on FP+ to make up for it, all while charging more and more. The defense is, "but they are building now". That's great, but I feel like we've paid already for the building, and now they say thanks, but pay more now that it's actually happening.

 

[hertamaniac]

Upgrading to AP's last year was the first time I had buyer's remorse from a Disney purchase.

It's the reasons behind the too crowded that pushed me over the edge. Yes, its somewhat more busy, but it feels busier because of what they've done and not done to help with that. They sat on their hands for far too long, cut back on entertainment and cast, cut back on maintenance, cut back on hours, and have relied too heavily on FP+ to make up for it, all while charging more and more. The defense is, "but they are building now". That's great, but I feel like we've paid already for the building, and now they say thanks, but pay more now that it's actually happening.

See this is where I may be blinded due to the frequency of visits when we had AP's. To me, I saw the crowds as a gradual and natural progression due to the parks becoming more popular/inviting. That was then...this is now. Sometime over the last 2-3 years is where I hit the experience "wall". Not only did I experience buyer's remorse, but it left me thinking is there anyway the guest experience will improve based on what I've seen.

A company I worked for used economic downturns (in that industry) as the best time to invest in new products/offerings. Was there a downturn for Disney over the past, say, 10 years? One would think with the cutbacks you mentioned that we are in that downturn. Did they use that downturn time to invest in build outs? My vote is generally no as I think they were in cash hoarding mode for years and just like you said, "Look at what we're doing now". Smoke and mirrors only gets you so far in the public eye.

 

[mshanson3121]

I feel like they've cut back on discounts and it's getting harder to get a "deal". Pair that with increasing prices I'm sure its getting harder for some to go but I wouldn't think it would make that much different. For us, we just find ourselves getting more creative.

For those who already had to make all the cuts many here talk about just to make it work in the first place, it makes a huge difference. Y'know, the people for whom a value resort was the best they could afford.

But it's not just the resort prices, it's the cost of EVERYTHING. In 2015 we bought 5 day passes for a June trip. They cost $323.76 for adults. Those same tickets today? $524.03, and increase of $200. Multiply that by a family of 4 and that's an increase of $800. Then of course there's the rise in lodging costs. The rise in food costs. Parking costs. The exact same trip is easily well over $1000 more. As hard as it is for many on this board to believe, not everyone can afford an extra $1000. If you have the budget to go yearly, no, you're probably not going to notice a $200 increase. But when you can only afford to go every few years, and you finally go to price your trip and see that it's increased by $1000?

 

[Darcy03231]

We just returned from a short jaunt, just the two of us. We normally stay at deluxe and drop a huge bundle on the room. It becomes the norm.

But this time...we didn't. We stayed closeby and spent 200-300 per night, which is still pricey but you know what? We had just as good a time and the hotel was fabulous. The food offerings in the hotel were far above even the best thing Disney has to offer and this is speaking from someone who only eats at chef-owned eateries. (some of you may know right away where we stayed just from that comment)

I loved the resort and would stay there again in a heartbeat and save a couple of hundred a night.

With that said...I had a different feeling when I came home. The crowds were insane...10/10 on most days and I couldn't get out of the park fast enough. Sure, we rode the star wars rides, but it was kind of anti-climatical after all that fuss.

I came home this time and found myself almost wishing we hadn't bought AP. We're taking our grandson this month but honestly, I think I'd rather spend my vacation days elsewhere. And I mean it this time.

It's too crowded, too expensive, too corporate, and just too obvious that I've fallen under a spell intended to separate ridiculous amounts of cash from my wallet.

It's weird. I feel a bit sad. But yeah...something has shifted and I'm kinda glad.

I could have written this. Once we finally broke free of the "Disney bubble" it was really great to see what other hotels/restaurants in the area had to offer. If it weren't for the fact that my neighbor booked our upcoming trip on property (first trip with a 6 y.o. - I'd have done the same), I doubt if I'll stay on-property again or make Disney my primary destination, at least until I have grandchildren.

Since we broke free we've had some amazing trips to other places. Sometimes the cost was the same, sometimes less, sometimes more, but the difference is when I came home I didn't feel like the value wasn't there. That's the difference for me.

 

[clarker99]

I think part of it, at least for me, is that the people that will drop any amount of money to go, are putting all of us that are sick of it in a bind. Meaning, Disney isn’t going to stop the increases until people stop going to Disney like its a drug.

all of the extras that people don’t mind paying for, have a negative effect of people that are tired of the money grab.

do I miss Disney? Of course, but my wallet sure doesn’t.

it doesn’t stop until Disney feels it.

honestly, sometimes it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one that feels this way

I think if this same thread was happening 10 years ago when you started going, there would have been people like you are now saying it is to expensive and losing its magic bc they paid a fraction of the cost only 10years ago. Meanwhile, you loved it.

In 10 years, I may be on here shaking my fist at Disney and making similar complaints. While 10 more people take my place loving it.

 

[Firebird060]

I think if this same thread was happening 10 years ago when you started going, there would have been people like you are now saying it is to expensive and losing its magic bc they paid a fraction of the cost only 10years ago. Meanwhile, you loved it.

In 10 years, I may be on here shaking my fist at Disney and making similar complaints. While 10 more people take my place loving it.

"Keep those Pesky Kids off my Pixie Dusted Lawn" JK

lets hope we are all here in 10 more years to see if this comes to pass

 

[kymom99]

I'm finding myself looking at different types disney vacations than we have done in the past. My cousin owns in Bonnet Creek and has mentioned maybe we could rent from her. In that case we have the full kitchen and all the space that comes with a condo. I'm not opposed to cooking simple meals on vacation and we could take a full week doing that. Another option is 4 nights in a value with 4 park days and buying all our meals from disney. The full week bonnet creek scenario is actually cheaper but the on site one is less hassle. But my point is, in the past it would have been a week onsite with a nice discount, no questions asked. I guess I'm always looking for ways to not pay top dollar for my vacations. Disney is making that tough and so will be missing out on some money from folks like me.

A side note, the determining factor here if and when we ever take this trip is how many people we might have going. If its 4, we would be more likely to just stay onsite. If it's 5, it would most certainly be off site as I'm not paying for 2 rooms. Our group configuration would not make it practical to stay in one room regardless of the set up.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

The consumers are the last line of defense. We mostly have failed when it comes to Disney. We did beat the cabanas in Tomorrowland though. We'll always have that, lol

Lol I forgot all about those!

Wasn’t it just about the same cost to rent a room at the Contemporary to “rest” in during a MK day?

 

[jkh36619]

I think if this same thread was happening 10 years ago when you started going, there would have been people like you are now saying it is to expensive and losing its magic bc they paid a fraction of the cost only 10years ago. Meanwhile, you loved it.

In 10 years, I may be on here shaking my fist at Disney and making similar complaints. While 10 more people take my place loving it.

My dad complained about the price in the mid 80's

 

[jkh36619]

I could have written this. Once we finally broke free of the "Disney bubble" it was really great to see what other hotels/restaurants in the area had to offer. If it weren't for the fact that my neighbor booked our upcoming trip on property (first trip with a 6 y.o. - I'd have done the same), I doubt if I'll stay on-property again or make Disney my primary destination, at least until I have grandchildren.

Since we broke free we've had some amazing trips to other places. Sometimes the cost was the same, sometimes less, sometimes more, but the difference is when I came home I didn't feel like the value wasn't there. That's the difference for me.

I broke out of the bubble a long time ago. I realized I could do 3x the Disney with better accommodations and food for the same price if I stayed in the bubble.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

Maybe I’m completely wrong because I’m going off memory, but I don’t think there was the same kind of jump in prices across the board in the years between say, 2000 and 2010, to 2010 and 2020. If we looked I would guess even 2010-2015 saw less jumps than 2015-2020. Yeah things always go up and yeah people always complain but there may be something to it. I’m sure the economy was a factor.

Maybe just my perception, because again I didn’t seek out the numbers.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

So I just did a search and the Tomorrowland tents were $650!

Glad those things are nothing but a (hilarious) memory now. Spends $100ish to get into the MK. Spends $650 more to sit in a tent instead of enjoying the park.

 

[SaintsManiac]

So I just did a search and the Tomorrowland tents were $650!

Glad those things are nothing but a (hilarious) memory now. Spends $100ish to get into the MK. Spends $650 more to sit in a tent instead of enjoying the park.

That was one of the absolute best threads.