Former Disney World Fans Are Sharing The Reasons They Bailed On The Theme Parks As New Rules And Hidden Costs Came In
The one constant is change at Disney Parks, and while that usually means that there will always be new attractions at Disney World, even if that often means replacing old attractions, it also means that policies, and prices, are also always changing at Walt Disney World. Things have gotten really expensive in the parks in recent years, and if one viral tweet is to be believed, some people may finally have had enough.
A recent Twitter thread has gone viral which laments not only the increasing costs of the parks but the fact that many services that used to be offered have also disappeared. This means that people are now paying even higher prices, but getting less than they used to for the money. It’s suggested that this ultimately will, or perhaps already has, resulted in people being done with Disney World, the thread ends…
The legacy is being tarnished and while they will ride the coattails of their brand for a while, it is wearing out. Guests who made repeated trips are no longer doing that. They are telling their friends how awful the experience was. New guests will be one and done.
A lot of people have responded to the initial post, adding that they have also become very frustrated with visiting Disney World. The recent change that transformed Genie+ into Lightning Lane Multi Pass has upset some as people who just figured out how to manage the old system now have to deal with learning a new system…
A Disney Vacation is a full time job. This is my first time being the adult and having to plan the trip myself. They changed the rules on the lightening lane after I booked my vacation and studied everything I needed to know about the previous rules.
The end of the Disney Magical Express is one item specified by many as a tough loss. The free transportation system to Walt Disney World going away now means guests have an added cost as they must pay some amount to get to the resort in some way before they even get inside the parks. There’s a feeling by many that over the last few years too much has changed, and a tipping point has been passed…
I had visited every year since 1973. My Dad took us. When I had my own kids, we went 2-3 times a year staying on site. Moved to Florida in 2007. Had Premium AP & visited frequently. Noticeable changes happened around 2017. Stopped going completely for reasons u state. Sad really!
Many of those responding have actively stopped going to Disney World or stopped going as much. Several who claim to have had Annual Passes say they’ve stopped paying for it because it’s just not worth it to them anymore. While Disney World has done a few things recently to add value to the parks, it’s not enough for everybody…
We didn’t renew our APs, which we had for YRS, cause of all you mentioned, plus some others. It made me very sad. I even sent an email explaining all the reasons, tho I know they don’t care. I did it with the hope it would open their eyes cause I love Disney. It didn’t.
Another very unpopular recent change was to the way that Disney World handled its Disability Access Service. Getting DAS access for guests who have difficulty waiting in lines has changed significantly, requiring a lot more work, and it is far more limited as far as who qualifies for access. While there has reportedly been significant abuse of the DAS, that doesn’t matter to those who truly need it, with some responding…
For me, it’s all this, plus the changes in DAS. Disney used to be a place where my son could go and just be a kid. Now Universal, Cedar Point, and Six Flags are more accessible.
One of the issues is that many people plan Disney World vacations months or years in advance, which means that, if there is a significant change to attendance due to these issues, it will likely be quite a while before Disney World realizes the problem. Any intended fixes will then take just as long to have an impact. And with Universal Orlando Resort getting ready to open Epic Universe next year, there’s a potentially exciting reason for theme park fans to go somewhere other than Disney World. Many feel Disney hasn’t done enough to compete, but it may actually be what the resort has done that could be the real problem.
