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WTF Disney?

For us, there's been so many things that have put us off returning to Florida. For a while we were going 2x a year, but now with:

-No free fast pass
-No advance fast pass reservations
-No included dining plan (although I think this has mostly returned lately)
-No service to take your purchases back to your hotel
-No magical express
-Less immersive experiences (for example on the boat from French Quarter to Disney Springs there used to be Bayou Ambient Music, last time we went they were playing dance music)
-general feeling that everything is understaffed/rushed

Now we haven't been back since 2022 and are unlikely to go again until Epic Universe opens, and even then I expect to spend more time at Universal than at Disney, which would seem crazy to us pre-covid.
 
I wanted to post a post about why I would never revisit WDW or probably most Disney Parks. If I go to Orlando, I will be visiting Universal, Seaworld, and Busch Gardens. The Disney Parks are incredibly unappealing and stressful these days, more so than the past.

Why are people wasting $1000+ to have the most basic of hotels and park access, with mediocre food. Theme parks are expensive but Disney just take the robbery to the extreme. The whole Genie Plus thing is I guess standard for theme parks, but I hate the ILL thing where you can pay to get a ride on something like Tron, but it costs like a lot of money for one ride.

The thing is with Disney is the parks are practically unbearable without genie plus most of the year. Buy it or enjoy queuing 3 hours for a mediocre mine train like SDMT. Disney is just a soulless cash grab, nothing more or less. The theming isn’t even like the best, what’s the appeal. Micky mouse has brainwashed the masses.

Universal on the other hand have built Hagrids, Velocicoaster, Volcano Bay, Epic Universe, the new finale show. Universal is rapidly rising while Disney is stagnating and raising prices though the parks are getting worse.

DAS is another subject, now I believe systems like this are tricky to run and some strictness is needed. But Universal’s seems to be a lot more straight forward and less stress, the whole interview thing sounds pretty needlessly stressful, and painfully flawed. Apparently it’s designed for more developmental disorders, so as soon as you mention some mobility problem they just stamp DENIAL! Apparently they advise some to buy Genie Plus..
 
Furiustobaco said:
I wanted to post a post about why I would never revisit WDW or probably most Disney Parks. If I go to Orlando, I will be visiting Universal, Seaworld, and Busch Gardens. The Disney Parks are incredibly unappealing and stressful these days, more so than the past.

Why are people wasting $1000+ to have the most basic of hotels and park access, with mediocre food. Theme parks are expensive but Disney just take the robbery to the extreme. The whole Genie Plus thing is I guess standard for theme parks, but I hate the ILL thing where you can pay to get a ride on something like Tron, but it costs like a lot of money for one ride.

The thing is with Disney is the parks are practically unbearable without genie plus most of the year. Buy it or enjoy queuing 3 hours for a mediocre mine train like SDMT. Disney is just a soulless cash grab, nothing more or less. The theming isn’t even like the best, what’s the appeal. Micky mouse has brainwashed the masses.

Universal on the other hand have built Hagrids, Velocicoaster, Volcano Bay, Epic Universe, the new finale show. Universal is rapidly rising while Disney is stagnating and raising prices though the parks are getting worse.

DAS is another subject, now I believe systems like this are tricky to run and some strictness is needed. But Universal’s seems to be a lot more straight forward and less stress, the whole interview thing sounds pretty needlessly stressful, and painfully flawed. Apparently it’s designed for more developmental disorders, so as soon as you mention some mobility problem they just stamp DENIAL! Apparently they advise some to buy Genie Plus..
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I agree that strictness is needed. I have a friend who uses DAS. She has an issue with her blood sugar and passes out easily, and also has autism. Both of which make it hard for her to stand in lines. A while ago, she told me a horror story of when she tried to use her DAS to get on a ride, but the DAS line was longer than the regular line! That is absolutely insane. There’s no way that many disabled people were actually waiting in line. It was clearly able-bodied people abusing the DAS system. Which is sick.
 
I totally get where you're coming from with this. It seems like Disney has been making some head-scratching moves lately, especially in their parks. The decision-making around ride closures and updates has definitely been controversial. Personally, I've been a bit torn about the changes to classic attractions like Splash Mountain—it's sad to see them go, but I understand the need for updates.

As for the cultural changes and re-theming, I think it's a tricky balance. Disney wants to stay relevant and inclusive, but sometimes it feels like they might be erasing some of the charm and nostalgia that drew fans in the first place.

What do you all think about the rising ticket prices and the trend towards more exclusive experiences? It seems like Disney parks are becoming less accessible to everyday fans, which is a concern for many.

Overall, I'm hopeful that Disney will find a way to blend innovation with respect for their heritage. But I'm definitely keeping an eye on how things unfold in the future.
InvertsAreMyJam said:
Alright, I’m taking inspiration from the other WTF? threads for this one. Disney has been making a lot of…questionable decisions lately, especially with the parks. So I feel like this thread is needed.

Post whatever bad decisions Disney has made here.
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davidm said:
"Genie+" is dead, long-live "Lightning Lane Multi-Pass"

I have no inclination to decode all the implications of this, but as a start (if you cared) perhaps peruse this twitter thread;

https://twitter.com/x/status/1805662499808886801
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It's the same service under a more direct name and a return to the Fastpass+ days where you could book them in advance (at WDW. The service in Anaheim is still day of). Seems like they came to the conclusion that the "Genie+" branding was causing too much confusion.
 
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Apparently if you are an international visitor you can't book them until the first day you get to America, by which point they'll all be taken by the hotel guests who live in the US.

I'm guessing you could use a VPN to get around it but that's a crappy requirement.
 
Geeky Pastimes said:
Apparently if you are an international visitor you can't book them until the first day you get to America, by which point they'll all be taken by the hotel guests who live in the US.

I'm guessing you could use a VPN to get around it but that's a crappy requirement.
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I'd be surprised if that turns out to be true given the huge numbers of international visitors. The old system worked fine from outside the US, and this is basically just that being brought back.
 
Gavin said:
I'd be surprised if that turns out to be true given the huge numbers of international visitors. The old system worked fine from outside the US, and this is basically just that being brought back.
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This is from WDW Magic but all the Disney sites seem to have the same information (I'm guessing from a press release, I can't find the FAQ on any official sites)
But basically Hotel Guests can book 7 days in advance, non-hotel guests can book 3 days in advance, and international guests can book from when they meet those criteria and are in the US. Good luck getting one you want if you arrive the day before your first day in Disney!
I guess the answer will be VPNs or plan your holiday so you are in the US a week before the Disney part of your holiday begins, but that's obviously not going to be an option for a lot of people.

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Geeky Pastimes said:
This is from WDW Magic but all the Disney sites seem to have the same information (I'm guessing from a press release, I can't find the FAQ on any official sites)
But basically Hotel Guests can book 7 days in advance, non-hotel guests can book 3 days in advance, and international guests can book from when they meet those criteria and are in the US. Good luck getting one you want if you arrive the day before your first day in Disney!
I guess the answer will be VPNs or plan your holiday so you are in the US a week before the Disney part of your holiday begins, but that's obviously not going to be an option for a lot of people.

View attachment 32340
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It is a strange move - they are forcing more people to visit Universal first and bolt on Disney at the end in my opinion. Very odd.
 
Yeah that's what I said to my wife. For next year, we'll head to Epic Universe for the first week and then not go to Disney until the 2nd week of the trip, when usually we'd do maybe 3 nights at Universal and then 11 at Disney.
 
Geeky Pastimes said:
This is from WDW Magic but all the Disney sites seem to have the same information (I'm guessing from a press release, I can't find the FAQ on any official sites)
But basically Hotel Guests can book 7 days in advance, non-hotel guests can book 3 days in advance, and international guests can book from when they meet those criteria and are in the US. Good luck getting one you want if you arrive the day before your first day in Disney!
I guess the answer will be VPNs or plan your holiday so you are in the US a week before the Disney part of your holiday begins, but that's obviously not going to be an option for a lot of people.

View attachment 32340
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That's incredibly stupid of them in that case. I can't think of any situation where pissing off so many guests is a good idea.
 
The worst about this: If you are staying off property, you will have to wait longer until you can make your reservations that you paid for. That means that over 60,000 people (apparently WDW has >30k hotel rooms) are in front of you to grab the fast passes for the most interesting attractions and you will have to fight for the rest.
I know that this also occured with the old fast pass system, but there are 2 big differences.
1. The new system does categorise the attractions in Tier 1 and Tier 2. Every single person will grab their Tier 1, because they feel like it is a great bonus (which it is). Whilst the old system - please correct me if I am mistaking here, as I've never been to WDW, had all attractions in the list, giving a decent chance that uneducated visitors might waste their fast passes on lower-wait attractions anyway
2. You do have to pay extra to even use the system. This is basicly Fast Pass +, but with an upcharge. You could argue with the free system that the upcharge is staying at a Disney-Hotel, so you "deserve" a bonus for doing so. But now, everyone has to pay extra, but only Hotel guests will get the most sought after attractions.
 
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Trax said:
The new system does categorise the attractions in Tier 1 and Tier 2. Every single person will grab their Tier 1, because they feel like it is a great bonus (which it is). Whilst the old system - please correct me if I am mistaking here, as I've never been to WDW, had all attractions in the list, giving a decent chance that uneducated visitors might waste their fast passes on lower-wait attractions anyway
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The tier system isn’t new, it was there with Fastpass+.
 
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