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Too expensive, too crowded, attractions are always down, loss of perks, attitudes of both the cast members and customers are terrible, It's just not a very enjoyable time anymore.

@Brandon-qd2lb

4 ай бұрын

Then go to sea world! You’ll enjoy those crowds they attract haha

@HugeRMCFanBoY-bx3od

4 ай бұрын

I still think the Disney parks operations are some of the best of any park

@tbgtabias

4 ай бұрын

@@HugeRMCFanBoY-bx3odyeah you need to actually visit other parks then

@werewolflover8636

4 ай бұрын

@@HugeRMCFanBoY-bx3odDollywood has ever bit as good employees if not better! There’s a reason why it was once again named the Best Park in world by Golden Ticket!

@appliedengineering4001

4 ай бұрын

I agree with you 100%. I went in 2023 and compared to the last time I went in 2012. WDW has really, really gone down the toilet. It's not just a few things that have gone wrong. but every thing has. It's just AWFUL down there.

Add a fourth C for "complexity". Planning a WDW vacation is now a part-time job for all but the most experienced enthusiasts. How many guests show up for their dream vacation only to be blindsided by how many of the offerings are not accessible to them because they failed to nail down dining reservations months in advance, or weren't aware of the virtual queue system for the most popular attractions?

@tulinfirenze1990

4 ай бұрын

In all truthfulness, due to visiting from Australia during covid, having to calendarize when I could start looking for dining reservations (and finding most of the ones I wanted always gone), the cost and complexity of Genie Plus and Lightning Lane - I had a mini breakdown one day while in Epcot. I'm an EXPERIENCED theme park attendee and had been studying the new systems for months/years and even I found it too much. What sucks for a basic day guest is you cannot just choose in the morning to swing by WDW and visit a park and have a decent meal. It all has to be pre-planned months, if not a year in advance. That's a JOB, and I already have one of those.

@jenb.6733

3 ай бұрын

This I agree with. You need to be up on all the tips. Days of showing up and winging it are over. Feel bad for older adults who aren’t use to that

@rm06c

3 ай бұрын

Every time I've gone to WDW the past few years, it's been like this. It felt more like a job and a chore rather than having a fun outing with the family. When we went to Universal, we just felt we could relax and walk around and enjoy ourselves. We've not gone back to WDW since.

@beetlefiend6521

2 ай бұрын

i agree. i went for the first time two years ago and this was my least favorite part. it felt really hard to just “vibe”

@nattiesgarden

2 ай бұрын

I highly agree. Disney is the last place where I want to feel glued to my phone, but you kind of have to in order to get your ride reservations and such.

Pay more, get less should really be Disney’s new motto

@rnettles6241

4 ай бұрын

Fairy dust is a hell of a drug.

@DeaDlyCorpsE528

2 ай бұрын

That is the motto incomplete. Im sure its, pay more, get less and the americans will overcrowd the park.

@GTKJNow

Ай бұрын

There's hope. Disney is Dead, I am waiting for the New City of Jerusalem that comes down from Heaven, pray that your worthy to enter in. For details about the happiest place read below: 1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. [Rev 21:1-8 KJV]

@CrazyHippy22

Ай бұрын

@@rnettles6241lmao

Now the Disney difference means getting nickeled and dimed

@juliezimmerman3476

4 ай бұрын

I commented in the KZread series DSNY newscast ideas to help budget the average Disney guest. Lightning lane, buy two get one free. My main one was ,Disney Express bussing from the Orlando Airport to Disney Springs no matter which Disney property, good neighbor, or area hotel you were staying. Guests can easily transfer by bus to their on property hotel, or boat ride to Saratoga Springs, Port Orleans, or Old Key West, or walk to Disney Springs good neighbor hotels. It will also be a fraction of a cost for rideshare to get from Disney Springs to their hotel, rather than the Orlando airport to their hotel. On a separate note, I thought that advertising from the mid 2000s back was more meaningful and touching. Whereas now it just feels like another advertisement on TV. Disneys advertising draw used to be more captivating. The mid 1990’s “Remember the Magic” was a captivating example. It had its own theme song, and the guest emotions were genuinely captured on film that is genuine advertising.

@sky0kast0

4 ай бұрын

And quartered and halfdollered

@NotMe-st8qc

4 ай бұрын

If a nickel is 50 dollars and a dime is 100 dollars.

@MiggerPlease

2 ай бұрын

@@juliezimmerman3476in GAY DADDY WHERE'S DADDY

@bethocdunwitty6641

2 ай бұрын

Without anymore magic. It's become gutted

I think Disney has lost its creative integrity. Everything new has to be based on preexisting IP, nothing new or innovative at all like Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Journey Into Imagination, etc, no new characters unique to just the parks. Its become so tired and boring. Now the parks just feel like a large marketing machine like Six Flags.

@EugenioGrant

2 ай бұрын

Well Cindirella, Winnie the Poh, Peter Pan, sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio are all kind of IP

@spinlok3943

2 ай бұрын

@@EugenioGrant I never said I was against IP in general. Its just the fact that its all they do these days with no originality. In the old days it was a balance between IP and original attractions.

@Sorcerer-SMC

4 күн бұрын

I do agree about the IP overload, I mean my only exceptions are Pandora, Galaxy’s Edge, and Cosmic Rewind because they were either done right compared to other recent additions, or just found a way to fit in with the park. But everything else just seems…… unfitting and unnecessary.

i disagree with the sentiment that wdw was "always expensive". my family started going...all the time...in the 80's and 90's. during that time, rooms were laughably cheap. tickets were cheaper than amusement parks like cedar point. food - burgers were on par with mcdonald's prices. if anything, during that period, disney was underpriced.

@Mike__B

4 ай бұрын

Yeah something like 10 years ago moderate resorts were like $140-150/night during the "value time" (or whatever they called their slow period) and that was the rack rate, before any discounts which there always seemed to be 30% discounts.

@MACMAMI

4 ай бұрын

Exactly! I was shocked with how much Browning insisted on nuance in this video, he grossly overlooked that.

@RonnieRLD

4 ай бұрын

It depends if flights were needed. Also, for that time, it was expensive relatively. Much cheaper than today, but still much more than a trip to Cedar Point or Great Adventure. You don't get the same atmosphere but a better ride selection. Heck Sea World offers a better coaster selection than Animal Kingdom has total rides. Epic Universe will open with more rides than many Florida Disney parks have still, with the same level of theming. So why do Disney when a Universal pass offers more for the same/similar price?

@xEric1993

4 ай бұрын

That’s not an accurate way to look at it though, because the cost of all entertainment (especially theme parks and hotels/resorts which are Disney parks main competition) have all outpaced inflation. Yes Disney has absolutely outpaced inflation but so has every comparable alternative If crowding remains an issue, then that obviously means the parks are selling out regardless of cost. So why would Disney not continue raising prices?

@kamaniaray

4 ай бұрын

Yeah it was “expensive” but like you said - you could make it work. Now it’s exorbitant! My Mom complained that she went to Thailand for the cost of going to Disney for 4 days. That’s insane.

Disney will be expanding capacity at Walt Disney World by sending guests over to Universal's Epic Universe.

@tulinfirenze1990

4 ай бұрын

Excellent - I love this!

@david_walker_esq

4 ай бұрын

@@tulinfirenze1990 From my understanding, the Hulu deal between Disney and Comcast/Universal will basically finance the construction of Epic Universe. Back during the post Euro Disney downsizing, Universal scooped up many Walt Disney Imagineers resulting in Universal's Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay. The altruism of the Walt Disney Company toward Universal is truly epic.

@ZeranZeran

3 ай бұрын

Ugh.. WHY? As if Disney doesn't have enough money to make an actual solution, nope. Just ship the crowds out to another park Walt AND Roy would be disgusted. They built these parks.

@david_walker_esq

3 ай бұрын

@@ZeranZeran Bob Iger's priority is to invest in the Asian parks and resorts, not Walt Disney World. If Florida tourists are unhappy with their Disney experience, they can visit Universal. But, if they want an authentic Disney experience, they can visit Asia.

@ZeranZeran

3 ай бұрын

@@david_walker_esq Yeah F that. Walt would punch him in the face

It's getting worse and more expensive because Disney has put it's focus on attracting higher income families to come to Disney world instead of it being centered on normal families.

@WaddleDee105

4 ай бұрын

Sadly this is happening with nearly all forms of entertainment, including movies, games, and special events. Corporations have learned that they can make more money off of the top 10% of families who overspend and have more time and money than they know what to do with.

@thatonerotom8999

3 ай бұрын

@@WaddleDee105 This seems like something that could backfire on them

@WaddleDee105

2 ай бұрын

@@thatonerotom8999 It could, but companies always think short term profits over long term gains. Hopefully it backfires sooner than later.

@mariamay5763

2 ай бұрын

They’re only able to get away with this cause they have no direct competition. Atleast not yet. Universal is getting close but it’s still not big enough to threaten Disney. A future business would have to be created that caters to lower income families that can provide a similar customer experince to Disney for less than half the price. That would cause Disney to start losing customers and they’d have to stop overpricing in order to compete.

@Qwent-23

2 ай бұрын

It already did with that Star Wars "hotel".

The main issue I'm concerned about is that as prices continue to rise, some people will inevitably keep paying to go, meaning the issue wont just fix itself. Unfortunately, those with smaller incomes will become pushed away from Disney as they can no longer afford tickets, disney accommodation, Genie+, and general costs within the park.

@TJ347

3 ай бұрын

Those unable to afford ever increasing Disney prices will miss seeing attractions that aren't working, overflowing trash bins, two hour plus wait times... I could go on, but the bottom line is I don't see where people who actually can afford to go to Disney are the winners here.

@CM-zl8iu

2 ай бұрын

@@TJ347not sure what you’re talking about. Maybe this is true during the holidays but I have rarely seen rides at 2 hr waits and overflowing trash cans… I have seen rides closed but that is only their new rides and it usually doesn’t last long. Universal experiences the same issues and is just as expensive… people are just hating on Disney to hate on them.

Disney world used to be a fun well vacation, now it's so much work it's so confusing, it used to be a destination you could go and leave your stress at home and literally just experience the magic and recharge, now it's so much work and everything requires you full attention and you have to be on your phone constantly, it's all work and anxiety and ends up being more stress than the stress you had at home

@kuhnology8803

4 ай бұрын

Could not agree more, it is like being a phone slave all day, and even then it can be very wasteful and a disappointment. Nothing worse than playing with your phone to get the extra charges of gene-, then have the ride break down and they leave you in line for 30 minutes with zero recourse. It really happened to me and my son, twice in one day. Went to customer service (35 minutes in a slllooowww line) They gave me paper fast passes for lightening lanes to try to "fix" me. The workers at one of the places I used the paper pass actually said "Oh you are one of those!" Which caused others in the line to quiz me and my son on what did that mean!!!!! Horrible way to treat a guest, but I believe Disney thinks we are all marks now for taking money from. WCDB

@KatAnne17

4 ай бұрын

Yes!

I used to think I'd be able to afford a trip to disneyworld And recently I've genuinely come to the conclusion I definitely never will and it's very disappointing

@WaddleDee105

4 ай бұрын

I went a few times a decade ago but I'm in a similar boat now. There's a ton of stuff I'd love to experience at Disney World that I either missed out on in the past or is relatively new but there's no way I can afford it.

More expensive, more complicated, more lines, and more stuff you have to do in the app. This might make me seem like a boomer, but the amount of time you have to stare at your phone is so much that you don't get to absorb the ambiance. I'm as addicted to my phone as anyone, but on vacation, I want to put my phone away. They can turn it around, but they have to make some huge announcements at D23, or Iger needs to go.

@Randomdude34

3 ай бұрын

I agree. I try my best to “be in the moment” but this new system makes it hard.

@largol33t12

2 ай бұрын

The FIRST thing they need to do is LOWER ticket prices. They'd rather slap their mothers 10 times than even CONSIDER that.

@Sorcerer-SMC

4 күн бұрын

Well we got part of our wish, Iger is supposedly resigning by 2026.

The quality of the park itself was never really an issue. The problem is that the quality you get is no longer worth the price you pay. For example: I come from a family of 6, a bit larger than most, and that naturally makes vacations more expensive for us. In 2013, it cost us $5000 to go to Disney - expensive, but worth saving up for. Now, that vacation would easily exceed $10,000…and *no one* can justify spending that much on a single vacation, no matter how good it is.

DVC member here, over the course of our ownership, time spent at Disney World property itself has drastically dropped. First blow was the elimination of Magical Express, which honestly led us to use cars either a rental or our own, which then led to Universal trips, which led to eventual Annual Pass purchase to Universal, which is a better value. Small penny pinching decisions by the Company lead to bigger loss, that is the cause of the downfall.

The more time that passes the more I think Eisner got a bad wrap in the end. HALF of the most loved things of Disney were bc of Eisner. Eisner ran into problems when he lost his confidence and stopped thinking and doing BIG. He pushed the brakes when he should have gassed it, then sharks smelled blood in the water and attacked. I really am starting to think everything done after Eisner has been worse than the mistakes Eisner is remembered for. (And I have a deep hatred of California adventure so that is saying a lot). The mess Disney is in is 100% caused by post Eisner management. Disney is about greed and the bottom line now not magic and creativity like before.

@loadedbun

4 ай бұрын

100% agree. For all his flaws, at least Eisner had creativity and willingness to try new things which is something imo modern disney is really falling short on

@jiru331

4 ай бұрын

i totally agree, not sure why this is an unpopular opinion.

@seaofseeof

4 ай бұрын

I partly agree and I like the Eisner era, I like some of his decision-making (especially a lot of his creativity-first decision-making) and I prefer that era to the current era. At least Disney had a real identity at the time. Whereas now I see Disney Plus being advertised with The Kardashians. Which to me feels like the brand just doesn't mean anything anymore. However, much of the good stuff during the Eisner era did not happen BECAUSE of Eisner, but in spite of him. Much of his reputation is unfair and negatively narrativized in hindsight. But much of it was fair too. His reign was a pretty mixed bag. I just don't understand much of the adamant simping for Iger that is still happening compared to Eisner.

@HugeRMCFanBoY-bx3od

4 ай бұрын

Am I the only person who thinks California Adventure is easily the best Disney park

@josephbrown9685

4 ай бұрын

Michael Eisner and Frank Wells were a great team. They balanced each other out and led the Disney decade in the 90s, undoubtedly the best WDW expansion in history. We’ll never see anything like that again.

Re: competing in the next five years - i dont think they’ve got anything to compete with. They blew their wad on Galaxy’s Edge, they can’t build a Marvel land, and even if they had another franchise that would build as much buzz, they don’t have the creativity internally to pull it off.

The only way that Disney will improve is to stop with making everything a money grab, especially things that were included free with your admission such as fast pass. This is not Walt envisioned when he opened the parks long ago!

@werewolflover8636

4 ай бұрын

Not going to happen! Disney only cares about its stock and how much money it can make to show growth to its investors! Long as fools keep buying into their products and paying outrageous prices for it there’s no reason from them to reduce prices!

The magic bus is a hugeee mistake in removing. It’s a great way to make Disney go from gate to gate, build excitement, and make it less stressful. Every change they’ve made since 2019 has been for the worse.

I know it's become a reoccurring joke on here to say "Then CEO Michael Eisner" as being a bad apple for the company but looking at the theme park ticket prices it's amazing and shocking how amazingly stable and in someways stagnant the prices were, especially with all of the expansion. And then when Bob Iger came in how it suddenly ballooned in price. I have seen many interviews of both Michael Eisner and Bob Iger and this might be controversial for you George but I dare say I think Michael Eisner probably did more to keep things fair and accessible at the park for most people compared to Igner. Also, I find in interviews he genuinely seems like a nice, honest if flawed man where Iger just has this "business man, bean accountant, cold, snake oil skin" receptivness of him. I can't really articulate but Bob Iger just somehow makes me uncomfortable and unnerves me.

@nightmare-qn6mo

2 ай бұрын

Eisner had the weirdest Disney moves where you can tell he wanted to expand the Disney brand and push it out of its box. With Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons. Notice that Kingdom Hearts’ best uses of the Disney brand were under him.

Short-term profits, long-term losses.

@josephbrown9685

4 ай бұрын

Bingo. They are shortsighted in general. They are in the process of losing generational fandom. The kids now aren’t going to have the same nostalgia for Disney when they become adults as previous generations.

It doesn’t take a boomer mentality or anything like that to see that quality is degrading and cost is increasing across-the-board. Whether you were talking about theme park or otherwise.

@TanyaOsterman-hw9wv

Ай бұрын

TRUTH!

I will say nothing has convinced me about the decline of Disney then Disney itself. I became a passholder about a year ago and I really enjoyed going the first couple month but now Ive been on the fence about cancelling my passes because compared to Universal its not as good. I feel like everything with Diseny has been on a decline.

@willfade7994

2 ай бұрын

It has. The employees are generally unfriendly and even rude too!

If Disney hadn’t started to nickle and dime me for visits I’d still be an out-of-state season pass holder for a family of 4. Honestly, without all the post Covid changes I’d be ok with the ticket prices for what we used to get. Now, I spend a fraction elsewhere and have a better time with my family. And for the record, while I’m sure Disney doesn’t care, we were spending 3-4K a trip in addition to $5,000 a year for passes. And we went 3-4 times a year. So yeah, we were fans who loved eating at the best restaurants and doing the mark up experiences across the board. Now, we spend less a year to visit Universal and other parks around the country than Disney cost us for 1 visit plus our passes. So we’re getting the same number of vacations a year at a cost of around 40% of what we used to spend exclusively at Disney. And honestly, I’m glad Disney removed the value because it’s been more fun. Bonus though, as we were such fans we have a great Disney rewards credit card. So since 2020 we did visit for 1 day last year, for free tickets and 80% of our meals paid for including a fine dinning sit down dinner at Epcot. As this allows us to spend an off day every few years to experience new attractions that’s great. In 3 years or so, we’ll return for another day during an off day from Universal and their new park which I guarantee, we’ll be visiting next year for our 4th Universal week in an annual row. Yeah, Universal has become a must do annually for my kids. I think that says the most when 2 young kids prefer Universal over Disney when they don’t consider financial return whatsoever.

My wife and 4yro son just got back yesterday. I did not go bc waiting in lines and crowds aren’t for me. But they had the time of their lives. Never seen them happier

As a working-class family in the 2000’s, in the UK, we used to be able to afford a two-week trip every two years with a dining plan. We always stayed at the moderate resorts and had some money spare to buy merchandise. If I were to book a holiday now with the same plan, without spending money, the price is over double in real terms (and this is without spending money and tip money). It’s not a viable holiday option for many families anymore, even with scraping pennies together. The last time I visited Florida was 2018, where I visited Universal. It came to be the only option where we could afford all the extras without being short for spending and tips. It’s a shame that Disney continues to keep their customers digging in their pockets for services that used to be free, and services that certainly helped holidaymakers coming from abroad (cough cough magic express). I would love to experience the new magic they’re adding to the park. It all looks amazing! However, it is no longer something I could comfortably afford, even with a decent salary.

Disneys current problem is their streaming service. Why go to the theaters if it comes to Disney + anyway? The result is that Disney has lately box office problem. But the problem goes even further. Because a streaming service needs a constant stream of content, Disney has to churn out subpar products. The result is that ips like marvel and star wars are now a shadow of their former selves. Disneys themeparks are the biggest moneymakers for Disney and a lot of their profits are used to prop up the rest of the company. Why do they get neglected? I don't know.

@intothemagic

4 ай бұрын

They also want to use Disney+ viewing figures and reviews to determine what rides should be in the parks, a terrifying prospect for those wanting original rides like those of old Epcot.

@smith9808

4 ай бұрын

@@intothemagicthere will never be an original ride built ever again unfortunately. The general public don’t care, they only get attracted by the IP. It’s sad, but true!

@Coffee_is_ready

2 ай бұрын

I agree and disagree. I was so disappointed in the Percy Jackson production. However, I did enjoy Loki and the Mandalorian.

@largol33t12

2 ай бұрын

It's also because of Disney constantly pushing their own politics into so much content that they put out. They don't want to tell a story, they want to push an IDEA. Look at the current slew of crap they put out last year. 2023 was significant: for the first time, Universal BEAT Disney in box office numbers. That's not good news for them...

@stanfordite1

Ай бұрын

Streaming is going to be outlawed by Uncle Sam. People will be required to go back to theaters. One of my first acts after taking over Disney will be to shut down Disney+ if it hasn't already been.

5+ years for Tron is inexcusable 😂

@tulinfirenze1990

4 ай бұрын

Universal is building an entire new park, hotels, roads and other infrastructure in less time. Disney is a freakin joke!

@TOCC50

Ай бұрын

Boycott the company

As someone who was there October 1, 1971 to today, I've been countless times. I stopped going in the early 2000s (2004). After the purchase of Lucasfilm I decided correctly that the company had changed (died). Disney couldn't give me all of the money on the planet to step foot on the property. I couldn't bare to see the parks deteriorated to what they are today. So, I choose to visit down the road... even if I'm not saving any money. It's just a better experience...and mostly worry free, with very little anxiety over reservations and paying extra to ride attractions that you've already paid to ride with your admission ticket. Bottom line, if you're questioning whether you should visit WDW, my answer would be how badly do you want to have that experience? Because the answer to that may be more than you'd bargained for.

The issue really stems from Disney's other businesses. Pretty much everything other than the Parks has been a freaking disaster for Disney over the past couple of years: their movies have almost all massively disappointed at the box office, Disney+ has lost them hundreds of millions, their TV channels are losing subscribers (specifically ESPN), they're still saddled with $70B+ in 20th Century Fox debt, and, worst of all, their premier brands (Marvel, Star Wars, Disney Animation, and Pixar) have all taken a big hit in reputation in one way or another. Thus, the company ups the prices of the parks, which are major money generators, yet don't give the division the budgets nor effective leadership to keep it innovating.

When I worked for Magic Kingdom in 2010 a ticket to Magic Kingdom was $89.. 14 years later it's $180 for One Day. The food prices were about $9.99 for a hamburger and fries and now the same hamburger and fries are $15.49. gas is right now $3.60 a gallon where I am in Florida. I'm taking my GF for two days on vacation one day to Magic Kingdom and the next day to SeaWorld and we've already spent over $600. When we're done we will have spent almost $1000. Meaning $500 a day for two days at $250 per person per day. Disney is out pricing the middle class for the sake of catering to social media influencers, merchandise resellers and the rich.

With all the insane prices for everything at DW, I'm still baffled that the parks are still overcrowded.

@travisvanalst4698

3 ай бұрын

Covid changed a lot of things. That’s for sure.

@largol33t12

2 ай бұрын

A significant number of these people are the kind who fit several categories: A - They've never been but feel that it's a ritual and they HAVE to go at least once. They pay and go once. Done! The issue is that there are so many of this kind out there. It's a neverending thing. B - They've been there before but they plan to throw in the towel. They go once. They KNOW it stinks. They know about all the issues that others have complained about for the last 2-3 years. But they still feel like getting one last trip in anyway. C - They just won't admit reality. These are the ones who are the meanest, loudest, rudest you meet on vacation forums. They always get offended and shout when someone dares to criticize their precious Disney. They refuse to see reality: prices are outrageous (they claim it's because it's not cheap to run anything; then explain why rides keep breaking down and people are complaining that everything is being neglected? i.e. trash everywhere, lack of service, lack of maintenance, etc.). They are enchanted and blinded by the pixie dust and will continue to spend spend and spend even if a ticket price hits $150 on a "low crowd day". And trust me, it will. I suspect many are recent fans who probably visited in the early 2000s just before things started going downhill. I've been twice: in 1988 and 2003. Even back in 2003, I noticed neglect in the parks: the track on the PeopleMover was already in very bad shape. The food wasn't great either and ticket prices were so steep I could only afford a 2 day ticket, not 3 days. Then in 2019, I TRIED to plan a vacation. The ticket prices FLOORED me. I gave up and went to Universal's website. It saved me about $500 just on ticket and hotel room. We're not including food and travel expenses. And I went alone. That means a family of 3 might have saved $1,200 going to Universal in 2020 instead of Disney! These kinds of superfans are the ones who will keep going even if Disney charged the earth for a measly ticket. I bet they account for a significant chunk of the crowds.

@bethocdunwitty6641

2 ай бұрын

Where else CAN we go. Six Flags Atlanta is always down. If there's a single raindrop in the sky, everything goes down for hours because it keeps costs low.

@annsanimationaddiction8024

2 ай бұрын

Universal and Busch Gardens are fantastic ​@@bethocdunwitty6641

At least Disneyworld gets new rides. Compare that to the studios park in paris that has only received bad clones and half baked ideas, or the main paris park that hasn't seen any new major rides since 1995, almost 30 years ago. In Paris, disney doesn't have to worry about big money competition from Universal. That's why they have left the paris resort with by far the worst dark ride lineup of any disney park.

@RakoonCD

4 ай бұрын

Compared to Disneyland, it's been removing rides

@HugeRMCFanBoY-bx3od

4 ай бұрын

Why does this remind me so much of kings dominion

Last month, I went on Mickey and Minnie’s runaway railway….the queue is DISGUSTING. Carpet is stained all over…when there is carpet. There are large sections where it’s threadbare…you can literally see the concrete.

@TJ347

3 ай бұрын

And yet you've got tons of people here in the comment section complaining that they can't afford to have your experience.

@nightmare-qn6mo

2 ай бұрын

God used his divine powers to give me a pass for the Guardians ride instead.

@TanyaOsterman-hw9wv

Ай бұрын

I was shocked at the state of facades in Fantasyland in 2017. Disneyland never looked so horribe.

Spent the last couple of days binging all of your videos. I was super excited to see this video just come out three hours ago! The biggest problem I have with Disney is it’s consistency in creating new rides that rely on 4D/VR elements instead of the old fashion rides like pirates.

18:43 thank you for the note in the corner, I wouldn't have known which one was you if you didn't tell me

@GeorgesSpace

4 ай бұрын

Glad that cleared it up 🫡

I hope they provide some high capacity rides in the proposed expansion plans. Part of the crowd problem is Disney not doing much to increase capacity despite high attendance. Park expansions would definitely help but they desperately need rides that can eat up a lot of guests at a time. I love Guardians but they should have re-themed Ellen's Energy Adventure to something more modern instead cause that monster could hold SO many people at a time. Same with the Great Movie Ride. They replaced these extremely high capacity attractions with ones that have a significantly lower capacity without anything to account for the overflow. New shows would also help regulate some of the crowds as well. Disney has reduced a lot of their streetmosphere and entertainment options which leaves little for guests to do except rides, food, or shopping and that leads to long lines for pretty much anything. Do any of the parks other than MK even have parades anymore? Parades are a great way to manage crowds because lines tend to go down due to people choosing to watch the parade instead. Lastly, they need to invest more in maintenance because having rides constantly break down means capacity is lowered even MORE. Disney's operations are embarrassing right now due to Disney overworking and underpaying staff instead of hiring more workers and compensating their current workforce fairly. Cast Members have been less friendly lately cause a lot of them are being majorly burnt out with very little to show for it. The love of Disney magic can only sustain someone for so long if they're having trouble putting food on the table. A lot of cast members are having to live out of their cars due to high cost of living. Fixing these issues specifically would make the park experience much more enjoyable in my opinion.

I disagree with a lot of points in this video, but the “nothing ever happens vs stuff is always happening” argument is, by far, the one I disagree with most. The fact it took WDW 5 years to build Tron (which is a copy/paste attraction from Shanghai, mind you) while it’s taking Universal Studios Orlando 6 years to build an all-new, all-original multi-day theme park with Epic Universe is RIDICULOUS. And both have been under construction since before the pandemic.

@tulinfirenze1990

4 ай бұрын

Plus hotels, roads and massive infrastructure.

I think Disney should shift focus to renovations of existing buildings, attractions, scenery, restaurants, and shops. Journey into imagination (with figment) could be revitalized using old concept art, if they really want to uphold the ideals of "no idea every dies at Disney", and the ride could have scenes from the original but using modern technology and theming capabilities to make refreshed versions of scenes. It's a small world needs a renovation to fix animatronics and clean up and polish what is already there. Space mountain almost hurts to ride and should have it's track replaced. Spaceship earth is a loud clunky 2007 relic and needs to be updated using the most spectacular scenes from it's history and modern tech to tell the history of storytelling or communication. Instead of having all new attractions surrounded by outdated and unpolished rides, they should refresh the rest of the parks to match with the new rides. Refresh the surrounding areas too and get rid of the concrete jungle feel most of the park areas have.

We can't really complain about the parks being too expensive AND too crowded at the same time. When demands are too high, Disney only has two immediate choices 1) raise prices, 2) limit attendance. They are doing the first, and they had the reservation system to limit attendance that everyone hated. Not to mention is Disney trips are cheaper, even more people will go.

Looks like another dark age for Disney, but will they make it out of this one?

At this point you’re better off going to international parks like Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris and Hong Kong. Better quality

I’ve been a Disney Passholder for years! And this will be the first year where I’m not renewing. Disney has become overpriced, poor quality, overcrowded, no perks, stressful and the theming is all over the place now. My parents have seen the parks change since opening day and even they both agree Disney’s falling tremendously. Universal is listening to fans, providing perks and specials, cohesive theming and lands at cheaper prices. I used to be able to ride almost every ride at magic kingdom in one day (until 2021) then it became much harder. Now on my last trip to magic kingdom (2023) all I could do was the railroad and laughfloor. It breaks my heart to see Disney become pathetic because they used to be so great. Disney all started with one man’s dream. Out of every update and new attraction Disney has done in the last 5 years the only one I actually love and enjoy is Guardians of the Galaxy Rewind. Guardians has the same re- ride ability as Flight of Passage. Everything else that was new I did it once and never wanted to do again. The Epcot overhaul was extremely disappointing. While I am excited for Tiana’s Bayou, I fear they won’t meet fans expectations and also it’s only a retheme not a whole new attraction. I wonder how long it will take for Universal to take over the number 1 spot because with the current rate, I feel it may be soon.

I think your analysis was very on point and fair. Sooner or later this all will have to catch up with them. I think the real catalyst to what will give them a good scare would be the opening of Epic Universe; from all as it appears to be and from what I hear, they seem to be sleeping on it and don't consider it a threat, but then again, they probably didn't consider the Wizarding World a threat either until it opened and it completely blindsided them. I do hope it turns around soon. I had a lot of fun last time I visited but even we agreed there were a lot of issues that absolutely needed addressing and hopefully that time will come soon. What you say about the social media generation is absolutely right though -- I was really surprised when you brought up the comparison of new rides from 2000-2004 to 2020-2024. I had never thought of it that way. Good work on the video!

Disney World FEELS like it's getting worse because we've never paid so much for so little. Remember when extra magic hours gave all hotel guests a couple extra hours in the parks at night? Now, those are only available to guests staying at deluxe resorts...honestly, those guests should be grateful that's not a separately priced "perk" yet. Give it time! It's inevitable at this point.

I grew up with WDW. Actually we used to live in SoCal so my first Disney was the original. When I was in my teens, if the wait time was over 20 minutes, we'd go to another attraction. Even back then we'd not do the parades or fireworks, preferring to be able to ride an attraction multiple times in quick succession- almost like 'ultra' special magic hours.

I have no desire to ever return to Walt Disney World in Florida. It's been ruined.

I always been a universal fan . And when I’ve tried Disney . I paid 169$ for magic kingdom alone for one-day pass . Tron was the ride and it took 6hours virtual que +45 minutes extra physical line que time . And everything was so long and 1hr30m+ wait that I only got to ride like 3 rides for the ENTIRE day. It was hot and miserable and the ride for magic kingdom was so outdated . Their genie pass hardly find any usage and for the most part their average wait time is way too long. Making guest experience lack-luster and overall not worth the price . I felt scammed .I’ve been to magic kingdom 3 times . Everytime I was just disappointed. I would rather spend money on universal , atleast the rides are worth it . Universal paid so much attention to details in their park entertainments and rides . Why give your hard earned money elsewhere.

@jasmine-rose18

3 ай бұрын

I agree on universal. There’s always deals too the longer you stay. I went to Disney for the Halloween party and it was super crowded still and average wait times were 60 minutes the whole night. I don’t understand the genie plus at the time so I couldn’t use it either… it was awful

Does Disney suck right now? You bet it does. But here's the thing. People still keep flocking down there and as long as people are willing to put up with this crap. Disney is still gonna keep dishing it out. I'm sure that this is gonna have long-term consequences for Disney down the road. Will see.

My problem with WDW is they need newer movies that relate better with children and rides related to those movies. Peter Pan, Ariel, and Winnie the Pooh are old.

Let's first talk about "The Rising Crowds" if Disney parks qualities are so low, why are the crowds SO high?? I remember going as a kid and being an AP holder as adult the crowds were never that bad, busy but never overwhelming....but Let's be real, AFTER the social media boom of 2015 and Pandemic, EVERYONE acts like they've never been to a Disney Park and HAVE TO GO just to post to social media.

TBH, this video honestly feels like a breath of fresh air compared to most other Disney Parks discussion videos. It talks about the obvious flaws of the Disney Parks nowadays, but it also talks about how many things are being over-exaggerated. I myself am mainly a casual Disney Parks fan, and I only go about once or twice a year. I’ve seen the many changes over the years and I will agree that when Genie+ was introduced, things were getting more difficult and expensive. Hotel lobbies and rooms were being de-themed, IP overload of attractions (I mean I loved Pandora, Galaxy’s Edge, and Cosmic Rewind, but that’s because they were handled better than most other recent Disney Parks additions) I mean they are creating more advanced animatronics, thank goodness for that, but putting IP-based attractions in unfitting areas just to draw in crowds and overflow your parks is honestly just a recipe for disaster. And I especially like how you mentioned that this was nothing new, because this has happened before in Eisner’s later years. I mean Eisner wasn’t a bad CEO, he was just a fallen angel. Iger on the other hand……hoo boy where do I begin? While he did save Oswald, fix the relationship between Disney and Pixar, and restore California Adventure before Chapek decided to add Pixar Pier and Avengers Campus, a lot of his other scummy decisions and such, especially what he said during the strike last year, just proves that Iger was pretty much a demon in angel’s clothing. Though while Chapek made some worse decisions, all he was is just a major idiot compared to Iger. So long story short, while I don’t like what WDW is being transformed into, the reason I still go there is because I still love the place and prefer to see the good that comes out of it despite the crowds and overpriced park tickets, and I also try my best to appreciate what still is there since a lot is being replaced and such.

The lines would move just fine without the fastpass. Go to sea world and fun spot then if you don’t want to pay the premier experience… they’ll treat you like royalty there lmao!

Disney has better rides. Too bad I couldn't get on on some of them. 120 min wait for ratatouille and frozen. 75 min for test track. Didn't even get accepted to ride cosmic rewind. I spent 800 dollars on tickets alone to ride sorin and the land basically.

I liked the highlighting of we’ve seen this kind of slump before, but at least for the time being, there doesn’t seem to be any motivation to compete with the opening of Epic Universe. If something doesn’t get announced this D23, the slump will likely continue until Iger is out. When will Disney get a CEO that actually leaves without ruining their reputation first?

The issue is, is people still go. The prices are clearly not putting enough people off to notice a drop in attendance. Sure, the old fans might be pissed off with the changes (like me) but new people are non the wiser. They don’t remember the days of free fast pass. Decent room rates. Free airport transfers. I went in May 2023 snd it was busier than 2018 and the same trip cost me almost 40% more because there was no free dining. I stayed at 2 bedroom villa in Saratoga springs for 14 days and it was £6000 with FREE FOOD in 2018! The exact same room now is nearly 10,000 with no free food. The crazy thing is, there’s no rooms left which means people are still paying it. Crazy!

The biggest problem with Tiana specifically was that they put a lot of money in replacing Splash Mountain, which was still very popular, instead of adding capacity and rides. Nobody would have been mad if they added a Tiana ride. The reason it has become so widely debated is because it replaced something that didn't need replacing.

Saying that people are just getting tired of new attractions too quickly, is just wrong. If the attraction is good, people won't get tired of it. I don't see anyone getting tired of Big Thunder, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, etc etc. The fact is, most of the new attractions are just mediocre. That's what happens when Disney Imagineering is devalued and everything needs to be linked to an IP.

When Bob Iger became the CEO of Walt Disney Company I saw him as nothing but a show off

I always laugh at the people who at the same time complain Disney is too expensive and too crowded

There are a lot of comments online that the reason why wait times have increased is because Disney has cut cast members time and reduced head count for many rides, in order to save money and maximize profits... And increase the used of Genie +. I can believe that, which is in part why I am never returning to WDW again.

We used to go every 3-4 years or so. It has 100% lost its magic. Even my daughter said she doesn’t want to go back.

@largol33t12

2 ай бұрын

I talked my father out of taking my two youngest cousins because I warned him not only about the insane prices but the possibility that they won't enjoy it. I suggested he wait until Epic Universal opens...😁

I live 45 minutes from Disney World, and I quit going years ago. The value proposition just isn't there anymore. I won't pay what Disney charges so that I can put up with huge crowds and long lines. Genie + is extremely offensive. Charging for what used to be free for years and years (the old paper fast pass) is the most hated change Disney has ever made to the parks. So sad to see a once respected company become the poster child for corporate greed.

Disney’s main weakness is over expanding to quickly without thinking of maintaining its quality across countries to remain fresh. I believe they expect everyone who are diehard loyal to the brand to hop on whatever means of travel and visit Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai or Paris. They should’ve just remained an American entertainment industry. Universal barely over reach outside the United States, as Disney did.

Florida resident here. Just got back home from 3 day trip. Spent $1,892 total for two nights at Pop Century Resort and 3 day passes to the parks and this includes food and drinks. We decided to save one of the park days for a later date. It is very expensive to go for that short amount of time.

Unfortunately the quality and changes at Disney World have made our Disney visits a thing of the past.

I've been wondering about that lately.

I had a WDW Annual pass and even worked at WDW. Have been to many Disney Parks around the world and do love their passion for detail in all the attractions. However, I just do not understand how people can afford this any more. If you stay in a 5 star resort with a family, 2 adults and 2 kids for 4 days, you are looking at $5000 including flights easily. If you go to a budget resort, you might get it down by $1k, but still, most people do not have $500 to fix their car, yet go to WDW.

Going to be very interesting what if anything is announced at D23 Expo this year

@GeorgesSpace

4 ай бұрын

I think D23 is going to be super important for Disney this year, and I'm really hopeful that they do have some impressive stuff to offer.

In Animal Kingdom news vis a vis all the blue sky renders around Indiana Jones/Canto area, WDW is building a very large backstage construction management area with numerous buildings and parking areas. There are several large expansion plots around AK. And in the MK, the rumored land(s) beyond Big Thunder that would wrap completely around the rivers of America to meet up in the pet cemetary area of the Haunted Mansion. This would be a Very large expansion loop with lots to do including at least two E tickets.

Petting a gator 🐊 is better than supporting anything Disney

Thank you for this. It’s great to see a theme park KZreadr for once call out the bad things about Disney theme parks right now, while also not sliding into total doomsday speak, recognizing the good attractions that have opened in recent years/the perks that Disney is at least slightly bringing back. I hate the extremes of “we can only talk positively about Disney” vs. the “everything sucks about Disney” that just keep being repeated again and again by Disney KZreadrs. I appreciate this more nuanced take on things, while also acknowledging that things like pricing, nickel and diming, crowding, etc. ARE bad. Very true about Disney cycles. Here’s to hoping they can swing upwards from this spiral- but agree, it’s not nearly as bad as some people will make it out to be (especially those with their own agenda, almost political at times).

Disney World is basically the EA of theme parks at this point, and is going to get way worse.

I GOT IT! I GOT IT!!! Outside of the temple is a Paleontology site with dino bones. In the temple is an amulet that reanimates dead things. Indy tries to stop the bad guy but he uses the amulet to reanimated some Carnotaurus bones. The effect can be the same as the skeleton man turning in to a pirate on Pirates in Tokyo or Shanghai (one of them). The Carnatotaurus can chase you then goes back to bones at the end when Indy gets the amulet. That would be dope!!!

Our last trip to Disney World was amazing. We always stay off-property on a neighboring golf course, which saves a ton on cost. I understand Genie+ isn't ideal for annual pass holders, but for folks who only take one Disney trip every year or two, Genie+ turned me into a theme park superhero. It was the most efficient trip in terms of being able to do everything we wanted that I've taken there since we had paper fast passes. I'd prefer that Disney would've copied Universal's Express Pass (high cost, less people buying, normalizes the standby queue), but Genie+ is a huge improvement over FastPass+, which was totally broken.

Your videos are so nuanced! Love hearing your thoughts and opinions!

Babe wake up, the GOAT just posted again

And no one wanted a retheme to Splash Mountain, which is why it's getting so much hate even before the ride is even open.

@holllyrhode

4 ай бұрын

Or u lot are just racist

@rnettles6241

4 ай бұрын

They call it, "Broke Back Mountain" now.

@batshtcrazy5293

2 ай бұрын

​@@rnettles6241They. Meaning a bunch of backward rednecks who spew hate every five seconds. Splash was iconic, for sure. It shouldn't have been replaced for ANY reason. But spitting and throwing up gay jokes and calling things "woke", is for ignorant mouth breathers who just like to complain.

At this point, you need to include the cost of Genie+ into the price of a park ticket. Let's be honest here, you will need it to get a decent amount of rides in for the day. This is especially true for families might be doing a once in a lifetime trip.

Disney may be getting worse but, it is not failing. People are still going. Tickets are still being sold.

As a recent casual visitor in Disney Tokyo...In fact, it bothered me a lot how inaccessible the best rides were just after a few hours in the morning, I couldn't really get into the attractions I was interested in like the one of Beauty and the Beast, or the haunted Mansion, the parades were phenomenal, but I entered very few interesting rides...like two. I hate that even to see the mascots you have to reserve a space, which sells out quickly, everything is simply more exclusive and complicated than when I went to Disney before ,more than a decade ago. It was very disappointed. And really made me feel as the magic of the place has gone. I would also recommend that if you want to go to Disney in Japan, go to Disney Tokyo, Disney Sea is like an Epcot only imitating Europe, the rides are cool but super short, and there are very few. There are no signs or anything like that to know where the lines go. And the parade, if you can call it that, consisted of about 6 mascots on a single boat appearing for about 5 minutes only.

@tulinfirenze1990

4 ай бұрын

They're not mascots, they're characters. And your description of Tokyo DisneySEA being like Europe is completely false.

Burbank has taken a baseball bat to the Disney logo. They have bashed it and beaten it relentlessly in the past 5 to 8 years. If there is a Heaven and if Walt is up there...he is looking down at this company and is crying at what he sees. I think it's time to remove this name from the company and just let it move forward on it's own. It does not represent Walt Disney anymore.

Iger’s bluesky nonsense is the best part.

Went to Disney recently and had a great time! Hasn’t been in years and still felt the magic, tons of people having fun

Im going for my 5th time in November and im bringing my wife and step son who have never been... im very excited for them to experience Disney. Idc about costs, idc about the politics... Disney World puts on a great show. Im a master electrician, and when im not taking in the scenery, im looking at the workmanship, lighting and all of the custom stuff that it took to bring these areas to life via "magic" and i continue to be blown away by it all. Im often asking myself "okay... how the heck did they do that?" The part i look forward to the most is my family getting to see the fireworks show, especially at Magic Kingdom. As far as costs... ive been on more expensive vacations. As far as crowds and lines, it requires no more "studying" than any trip abroad.

@simplelogic9090

Ай бұрын

Those of us who budget do care.

@z3v..

Ай бұрын

literally bro its still fun to go there 💀

Me and seven of my adult family members believe the costs are way to high, raping money from guests at every turn. The quality is poor, broken and breaking rides, electronic systems breaking down, broken and dirty restrooms, poor food, some actually uneatable, and over priced, reservation systems slow or impossible to maneuver, workers treating guest poorly, security untrained and bullying guests, transportation, missing, slow and overloaded when busy. After spending time at guest relations almost daily to get refunds or problems addressed I never feel fixed. If you have not been taken and treated badly enough try a plaid experience, it might have just been we got the worst plaid and tours, but I would never pay for that again. VIP at universal is real, plaid at Disney is a high priced joke. We used to go to the parks multiple times a year in Florida and California, we had yearly passes! Disney is frozen out now for years and unless something major changes, we will spread our funds in others.

Is disney getting worse? Well, yes, but actually yes

I nearly choked when I saw the prices now (it's been 20 years, as of writing this, since I've last been to a park). Told my wife and she thought I'd mis-read or mis-spoken unti I showed her. The inflation adjusted table says it all. Corporate greed and "ensh*tification*. Though it's interesting that the worst jump predates even Eisner! That all said: the crowds are still there, so people have and are willing to spend the money. Why wouldn't a corporation take advantage?

Some of the best parks in Europe costs between 45 and 75 euro. These are the expensive parks. Top of the top. Some much better than Disney

I can't talk about universal Orlando but, here in California universal is better than your experience was in the 2000's. No reservation system, there's an actual off season resulting in shorter wait times, and the annual pass is reasonable for locals. The only downside is that Hollywood is a very small park compared to DLand or local favorite Knotts.

@werewolflover8636

4 ай бұрын

Universal Orlando doesn’t have any kind of reservation system and it’s also 100% better than their half-assed park in Hollywood.

@JustCliff

4 ай бұрын

@@werewolflover8636 well Hollywood is the original. It was never meant to be a park where as Orlando was always intended to be one. USH wouldn’t exists as it does now (same with USF) if it wasn’t for the popularity of the Studio Tram Tour early on.

🏰💫 Appreciate this fair look at both the good and bad with the current state of Disney. If you look at the Disney company as a whole (theme parks, movies, TV, everything under their umbrella) the theme parks are largely the one thing that are making the company money. As much as has been taken away in recent years attendance at the parks remains high. However the highest level of Disney management is not putting as much money into the parks. If they would do that I feel Disney could easily be as innovative as ever in regards to the parks. The will just hasn’t been there in recent years at the highest levels of the company.

@GeorgesSpace

4 ай бұрын

Yeah absolutely. A big problem Disney is having right now is that the parks are being used to prop up the rest of the company, so what should be reinvested back into them is instead being diverted to other areas.

Disney doesn't want you to leave satisfied anymore. They want you to only be able to go on 3 rides and hope that you're willing and gullible enough to come back to do it again.

We need an Eisner and Fells duo again- so much like Walt & Roy- so many new innovative ideas came from them. Iger has ruined EVERYTHING!

i love this video so much. you bring up every point that ive been dying to hear about! thank you for bringing up the bad-faith crit, its extremely important to move away from "dead on arrival" people and toward the criticism that looks at actually built and operational rides and attractions. this goes really well with brightsunfilms' video on his personal vacations to disney cost analyses. extremely good watch!

As of now, after going 15 times since 1996, disney has lost the magic. I am now 63 yrs old, i can not justify paying this crazy amount to go. Sad as it is i now feel universal studios is much more affordable.

The fact that Disney is repeating universal’s “too many screens in attractions” failures now is what concerns me personally. They’re making the same mistakes beat for beat

They charge for a service which is given at the expense of other guests. I have to wait longer in line because there’s people cutting in line by paying Disney to do so. It’s not right and it’s not fair.

Holy crap do people really stand in line for an hour just go on a ride. You spend most of your time in the park just standing in a line.

I Don't Think That DISNEY Is Getting Worse DISNEY Is The Most FUN Thing That I've Ever Experienced It's Cool And Awesome But Alot Of People Needs To Stop Treating DISNEY Like Garbage

In 2000, a box of cigarettes and a one-day, one-park ticket to Disney World both cost $35. Now, one costs $670-70, and the other is a one-day, one-park ticket to Disney World.