Disney Parks Don't Want YOU Anymore 

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As a former Club 33 member, I'll be the first to attest that guest-relations is no longer a concern. The artists who build and design the parks are the true magic, not the execs or low-level managers. Club 33, specifically under their newest manager, Luke Steadman, began treating their original Gold Member as though they were low-buck baggage and were no longer wanted or needed, opting for higher paying, new-level platinum members, primarily from overseas investors and companies. Wealthier members, paying more annual dues, who frequented the club much less. Higher profit, lower operating expense. We began to see fewer and fewer of the original members who frequented and supported the ol' club, some for over 30 years and the membership constituency began to change. Disney prefers higher-value guests who spend more, take up less park resources, therein, keeping crowds down, lowering park expenses, precisely as this chap states. As one Imagineer told me, 'Disney has a problem... We can't keep people out!". We drank the DIsney-Kool Aid many years ago and I'm happy to say, we're over it. There is a real, non-fantasy world out there to explore.

I'm suddenly interested in that 20 day cruise from Hawaii to Australia

I respect anyone who is willing to call Disney out when and where it's deserved. Anyone who isn't a shill, tells it like it is, and doesn't think being a legitimate fan of the company, or rather what it used to be, means you can't say anything remotely negative about it even when it's perfectly-justified. Hats off, big fan of your channel.

This reviewer hit this perfectly. My wife and I started going to WDW in the late 90s and her and my son have gone at least twice per year since 2005 or so as they are enormous fans of the park. I will join them every few years because it is not really my preferred way to relax, but seeing them have fun is worth the haul. Disney has always been expensive, but has become egregiously so in the past 10 years. We just returned from 8 nights and I would have to say that I was incredibly disappointed with the experience. We stayed at a Deluxe resort which I cannot even call deluxe any longer. They NO LONGER have maid service. Your room DOES NOT get cleaned during your stay. 600 plus per night and you have to live in a dirty bed and a dirty bathroom for your stay. They are supposed to give you new towels every other day but that never happened unless you called housekeeping, and half the time they would never show. They used to speak about magical service, but they DO NOT care about customer service any longer. They keep removing things from the experience and charge more. I hope and pray that people will eventually vote with their wallets. The place really kind of disgusts me.

Im by no means a big Disney fan, but I’m OBSESSED with the growing discontentment among Disney fans online. I love seeing everyone break through their nostalgia and acknowledge that Disney is still a corporation and though they can claim anything they want corporations exist to make money. If people will pay more for a lesser or equal experience they’ll let the experience suffer to save money on their end.

Just because you are able to afford something does not mean you should be willing to be ripped off. Hopefully big spenders will also push back

Why do we keep calling Disney a “Premium Experience” when they offer fewer attractions, entertainment, and food choices than 5, 10, 15 years ago? The company publicly brags about cutting costs and raising prices. They’re not a premium experience anymore.

The biggest impact to Disney is their loss of culture. There was always this symbiotic relationship between the guests and cast. The parks are now filled with overstressed guests that have no emotional ties to the parks. With Disney’s reliance on nostalgia / everyday relevance to justify price, this current practice will hurt them in the decades to come.

The really weird part of this is that even as they're trying to make Disney World more "exclusive", they're simultaneously dumbing down a lot of their attractions in to more "lowest common denominator" stuff that is going to make it less attractive to people willing to pay for high end experiences.

Walt would turn over in his grave if he saw the price gouging. HIs dream was a family park that was affordable.

As a Floridian who used to frequent the Disney parks for many years up until after the pandemic, everything in this video is 100% on point. The value to visit or become a pass holder really just isn’t there. It’s a shame, but this throttling of the market, high crowds, and constant extra charges makes the experience so unbearable. I went twice post pandemic, and everything is done through the app and all the freebies that seemingly added value to your cost all went away. It was nothing but stressful.

Disney wants the people that make a big trip every 2 to 3 years (annually would be better). However, if you keep charging more, cut perks and keep making a rides and features that are poorly made, Disney is counting that these people don't care or are stupid. Everything Disney is doing is short term focused, which is how every CEO operates these days.

How many attractions can you possibly see in a day when you’re waiting 2 to 3 hours in line?! It’s always been ridiculous to me that people pay a lot of money to walk around amongst an overcrowded place & eating overpriced food

My family and I went to WDW back in 2015 and it was honestly so much fun. The waits weren't ridiculous, we rode several rides several different times and all the character interactions were super fun. Our friend let us use their time share at the Saratoga Springs resort, so we had a bus pick us up at the airport and take us to whatever park we wanted each day we were there. It was fun and convenient...I felt we were really getting the Disney experience! Then I went to Disneyland with a friend in February 2020. Even if it was right before the pandemic hit, I didn't feel the Disney magic I remembered experiencing as a child and a young teen. There were people everywhere, lines were insane and there were hardly any characters out and about. Prices for the food was CRAZY. Merch was lackluster and to me, not worth the money. I was thankful I got into the park at all because my friend's family worked for Disney, but I think that's the only way I would ever be able to step foot into a Disney park again. Nor do I want to! I can't support a corporation that caters only to those with a lot of money. It's just a waste at this point, at least for me.

It can be more expensive but it can't be more expensive and you get less. That's the trick they seem to be trying to pull. People will pay a premium price for a premium service but disney seems content to dissolve their brand integrity

When D*sney announced they were getting rid of free Fastpass earlier this year, that was the moment when I lost all my remaining respect for their theme park division, and it left me with (even more) ill will toward the corporation as a whole. Thanks to you, Dom, I have a better understanding of why things are this way, and that their actions aren't necessarily borne out of malice. That doesn't mean I have to accept it. D*sney can still shove an oversized turkey leg where the sun don't shine for all I care.

The last time my wife and I went to Disneyworld, it was a nightmare. THe crowds were shoulder to shoulder, literally, and those people were rude. I have back injuries from service connected injuries while in the Army so I use a cane and I move slowly. I try to walk to the side so people can pass but at times I had to cross over. In one of these cases a young boy about 10 was behind me complaining loudly I was too slow and pushed me to the side. I was waiting for his mother to discipline him but she just said “he’s anxious.” No apology. That was a decade ago. I will never go to Disney nor Universal Studios again.

Ahhhhhh! I've been saying this for years. I went on my HM in January 2018 and it was so packed with people, it mildly ruined the trip. I used to go to WDW every 2-3 years, stay at a value/moderate hotel, and enjoy the parks. There's no enjoyment anymore, it's whales... and nothing else. This is disheartening and completely against what Walt envisioned and built. I've noticed a lot of reevaluating Disney CEO's and management styles and I've noticed Eisner is getting better reviews than ever. I wouldn't have enjoyed working for him (and he certainly made his share of mistakes), but the truth is that everything the Bob's are taking away, Eisner made. He used to put on a pair of sneakers, khaki shorts, a baseball cap and spent a day walking around the parks. He stood in lines and listened to people talk, what they liked and didn't like about their experience. He actually cared about ALL VISITORS!

I remember going to Disney World when they had the paper tickets. I used to go whenever my family had time to spare (one of my parents was a cast member, and the company used to give away a lot of extra passes back in the day). I went to Disney for school field trips, or when my family wanted to celebrate something special. I remember walking freely, with no crowds, no lines wrapping around the sides of buildings, no exorbitant pricing, just a clear, straight path to that classic gray and blue castle. It was a beautiful time! It’s never going to be the same, but I’ll never forget how special the parks used to be.

I was planning to drop $10-12k for my family of 3 to go to Disney this summer, but I am seriously reconsidering after watching this video.

My first thought is that Disney needs to open a new park, perhaps in Texas, to handle larger crowds while still making plenty of money. But looking at the comments, it looks like Disney has become greedy, and it's time for someone else to disrupt their business model by creating an even better destination theme park.

I went to Disney World for the very first time last year as an adult with my two best friends and boy was it stressful. With my naivety, I just though you go to the parks and just...have fun, but my friends, who are bigger Disney fans than me, we're planning all of our meals, transportation, shows, rides etc and even woke up early to get a pass for the new Ratatouille ride. It was just insane to me.

The Disney magic is going away. They’re making visits more complex with reservations and lightening lanes. We’re having to pay more for less. And worst of all, the quality seems to not be on par with what it was in the Michael Eisner era. Sure, places like animal kingdom still are top tier, but that isn’t the case for most of the parks. We stayed at a Disney hotel in September. We bought a few to many trinkets so we decided to buy a cheap bag on Amazon so we could take them home and avoid paying through the nose - 100 bucks - for an extra travel bag at Disney. The mouse charged us to simply pickup our bag! It’s insane. In short, it seems that Disney is catering for rich instagramers who care more about showing off their travel with filters as opposed to people looking for a real experience.

Feels like we’re seeing a repeat of the Paul Pressler Era where instead of the rides being neglected in maintenance in order to maximize profits, now the ticket prices are being exponentially increased to maximize profits. I wonder if the tepid reaction to the Galactic star cruiser is going to be the first big example of people voting with their wallets against this type of profit maximization.

I was planning on spending tons of money at Disney over the next several years. 1. Dream Wedding Celebration at Disney 2. Disney Vacation Club 3. Disney Family Reunion Not anymore. I'm glad I was saving up for all of this and hadn't spent a dime yet. I'm going to take that money and go to other parks. Knott's, Universal, etc. I might do a Disney Cruise, but that's a fraction of what I was intending to spend.

It's incredible how you talk about all the planning that comes with making a Disney trip to the US. I went to Disneyland Paris last summer, and I plan to go again next Spring, and we just buy the tickets, and figure out what to do when we get there. I can't imagine having to plan your whole day planned in advance, it would feel like a chore, not a fun thing ! Also, the price seems much lower in France. Last time, my friends and I bought tickets together, and it made them cheaper, and next time, one friend is going to have an annual pass, enabling her to give us discounts. It's incredible how the smaller park, the one whos beginnings failed so hard, seem to be having better perks now.

I've gone to FL twice in my life. The first time was last june, the second was just a couple weeks ago. Both times I went to Universal Studios. I stayed at one of their resorts. I bought wizard robes that I wore every day, and a wand Im so proud of (after my second trip, Im up to 3 wands haha), and every toy, collectors item, snack, food, drink, and whatever else I wanted. I felt so happy and connected to that inner child I thought died years and years ago. I never in my life thought that I would be able to go to Universal, it was a truly spectacular experience both times and Im planning to go AGAIN; this time bringing my siblings along. I'm not super rich, but both trips costs me (including food and travel) around $1500 give or take. Thats it. And BOTH times I stayed there a week. Left to go Sunday, came back home the following Saturday. Both times I went to FL, I considered going to Disney, as I've wanted to go since I was very little. However, the way things are now? Even though I could probably afford it, I don't care to spend that much money. I don't WANT to make spread sheets throughout the day. I don't WANT to have to follow a strict schedule. I don't WANT to have to be whipping our my wallet just so I can get to ride a ride. I could do it, I have the money, but I DONT WANT TO. Universal lets me go and just...have fun. Be an adult kid. I get to just be spontaneous and go wherever my heart takes me. Ride Revenge of the Mummy 4 times in a row? I did that last June with a friend and had a blast. Spend a morning wandering around Diagon Alley "shopping for school supplies" and having everyone treat me like a student? Yes please. At night, just chill on Citywalk? It was so much fun! Just spend the afternoon at the resort, relaxing by the pool? It was so nice. At this point, Disney can suck an egg. Universal has shown time and time again to me and everyone else who visits that they just want us to be happy and entertained, and I am more than happy to give them my money for the top tier experience I got. I'm excited to see what they do next with the main parks after Epic Universe is built. Im excited to go back. I'm excited to spend more time there, with more friends and family. I'm just excited. I've made my choice, and it's not Disney.

What gets me is that the company sings the poverty blues after going on massive shopping spree. Marvel, Star Wars , etc. clearly we are paying for their bottom line.

Like Discovery Cove, they should have a daily guest limit. A limit that ensures reasonable wait times and a good experience .

I've been a Universal annual pass holder for about 6 months and it is so worth it. Granted I am a Florida resident but still, the top level pass at Universal with free parking, discounts on everything in the park except alcohol, hotel discounts, express pass after 4PM, no blackout dates, and one free admission to Halloween Horror Nights, is about the same amount of money as the lowest level Pixie Dust pass at Disney.

When I was little WALT walked around the park all the time, he would not like this at all,He wanted everyone to be able to afford to go to Disneyland WALT was Great and kIND those were the good days it was always a wonderful time when Walt showed up

I'm glad I have my fond memories of WDW in the 80s and 90s (especially Epcot), because I've lost all desire to go back again. I'll have more fun going to a science or natural history museum.

I went to disney with fam a couple years ago, it was like a job to get the best experience. I think if youre a planner, its probably the most exciting vacation you can have. I had an itinerary for everything we did down to 5-10 minute intervals. If we got off schedule, the stress built. Its supposed to be a vacation...

This video is so heartbreaking, only because I understand exactly the point you are making. Even though weirdly enough, the last Disney trip I went on (last summer) was probably one of the best, these price hikes are outrageous. This whole lightning lane thing has me on the tipping point as well, Universal is honest to goodness what I consider to be my preferred park as of late. Especially when it comes to the new additions to the parks, yeah Star Wars land was neat, but they haven't really done anything "mind-blowing" lately. On the other hand, Universal has given us Hagrid's, Velocicoaster, and even a pretty rad stunt show based on a franchise I never really even cared about in the past three years. I think Disney Parks just needs to go ahead and perform a changing of the guards and get in a set of new eyes, because Bob Paycheck is only making things worse...

"You don't need to go to Disney." Exactly! Disneyland hasn't been worth the money for at least 20 years. I'm sure WDW is worse. The millions who go to a Disney park anyway tell the Mouse that they can keep raising prices and lowering what people get in return. Just don't go.

THIS! This puts into words the experience my friend and I had in November. We were super disgusted with Disney by the end of 5 days when we had went just a couple years before and had the time of our lives. Genie plus is a joke, they had NOTHING for souvenirs, literally whole gift shops closed (I understand that supply chain issues are a thing, but that wasn’t our case at Universal), the fact that we had to order our food ahead every single time we wanted to eat was absolutely ridiculous and takes the freedom out of your day. We were going to take my friend’s cousin who had never been there and by the end of it decided it was good she wasn’t able to come with because we didn’t want that to be her first experience of Disney. This year, we are going to Universal again. We are staying in one of their not premium hotels, getting transportation to the parks, early access, etc. All the things you USED to get with Disney before they only started to care about the money they bring in. We both agreed we really have no desire to go back to Disney any time soon and honestly, that’s sad and kind of sucks since it used to be one of our favorite places.

Universal also just added one of the best, if not the best, roller coaster in the world with Velocicoaster. I almost was gonna let my annual pass expire but then that ride opened and I almost considered upgrading it! (I have the preferred pass which is the cheapest one with free parking, great great value). I feel it's been said a lot recently but Universal has been much better than Disney lately in terms of providing a satisfying experience. I'm sure Disney's data will make them more money but it's hard for me to imagine how well it work out for them long term. In my head, driving away hardcore fans and people that want to come more frequently will lower the reputation overall and in the long drive away attendance and money.

I remember when I would visit Disneyland atleast once a year. Slowly it turned into every other year and then no visits at all. Whatever they got going on now is not my Disneyland that I remember. This saddens me that they have devolved into this mess. There is no magic anymore.

We just got back from Orlando and did both Disney and Universal. Your video is spot on. Before I even saw it, I've decided I'm done with Disney and will return to Universal in the future. I didn't enjoy having to live on my phone every minute of the day while I'm at Disney. Felt more like work than enjoyment. No Magic there. And I've been a Disney fan for 50 years. I'm sad.

You are SO RIGHT!!! I live in FL and I can remember the days in the early 2000's of staying on property at a value resort for $ 50 a night!!!! Park Admission was $ 50!!! And....you could move about freely....NOW- it is wall to wall people, that same hotel room is now $ 159 to over $ 200 a night. They've eliminated the airport transportation, and FREE Magic Bands & FastPass!!! They even cut the trams that take you from the parking lot to the park entrance!!!! It's just not even worth the hassle or expense anymore. GREAT VIDEO ~ TIMELY TOPIC

The "live" cast member with whom you spoke, who had been with the theme park "or decades," has almost certainly been fired. Nearly all live performers (no matter how long they've been with Disney) have been let go. The salaries they were paid are now spent on Marvel, Lucas, and other non-traditional Disney themes, as well as the Disney Web channel. New CEO Chapek is reportedly behind these changes, but don't expect them to stop, Disney stock was at an all-time high last quarter. Walt and Roy Disney, the company's founders, were in debt much of their lives because they focused on entertainment, not profit. I'm a big fan of Capitalism, but greed is greed. I no longer _do_ Disney.

Who would have thought "Galactic Starcruiser" is "reasonably priced" as far as Disney is concerned. Still overall the overpriced side of Disney is a problem. But it also explains why Disney quality has sort of plateaued and in some cases declined recently. They're looking for people who spending a huge chunk of money and don't really care about the quality because "it's for the kids" etc. Sad, but probably won't change for a long time I guess. Unless Disney runs itself into the ground like it did in the early 80s, which who knows if Disney learned this lesson or not.

Imagine having a business you can continuously raise prices and business keeps growing

You have added facts to what I have felt for awhile. Living in Florida and going to Disney world once or twice a year for past 12 years, I have felt that they are turning their focus to the top 5% of families in the country. That's a bold strategy Cotton, let's see if it pays off.

We switched to Universal this year. We loved it. It was much more affordable but even more important for us, it was much less stressful.

They should build another park to absorb the crowds. Especially since Universal is building Epic Universe.

I have been taking my family to Disney World since 1997. I've been a DVC member since 2001. When we started, my older daughter was five and my younger daughter wasn't even born yet. We usually go once a year (yes, in the late January/early February timeframe) Now I am taking my grand children. As someone who has seen all the changes that have been made through the years, I have to agree with you. The more the prices go up, the heavier the crowds. I have photos of my kids, now adults, doing many things, mostly character interactions, when they were little. I don't show those pictures to my grandkids. They are pretty smart and I am certain they would wonder what they were looking at. The WDW in the photos is not the WDW they know. If they were to take part in the activities, they are out of luck because most can't be done any more and the rest are pay-per-play, and because I am now on a limited income, that's not happening. It is still a great vacation and the little ones love it. But it isn't the Disney World we remember.

Me watching this video with a trip planned in a month with my friends who I know will have me be the manager of the entire trip. It's almost sad how right you really are. The trips just start to feel exhausting now if you aren't there for multiple days, staying at a premium hotel, or paying extra for the lines and early morning. I'm already tired just thinking about how this trip is going to go.

Lucky Me .... I first went to Disneyland in April 1958 (11 years old). My brother and I were already watching Mickey Mouse club on TV. It is my favorite Childhood Memory. When we went on the Mark Twain Riverboat we got invited up to The Pilot House to ride with the Captain and Steer the boat. The original Disneyland may it rest in peace ...... I'm sure Walt is up on his cloud looking down and "Shaking His Head"

Even as a kid, I always felt that Disneyland was meant for the experience: you go to get your Instagram pic and that's that. The rides aren't that fun, the lines are too long, everything is expensive... I don't ever intend on going back unless I'm dating someone that both wants to go there themselves and is worth the visit. There's just so much that, for someone who doesn't have social media or a love for Disney, makes it a bother to go.

Keep it in perspective. Once in a lifetime is enough. Plenty of other things to do, and no, you don't have to buy everything. Too many people attend anyway.

You said it yourself Dom, "You don't have to go to Disney" But as much as people complain about prices they keep going in droves. I cant tell you how many times ive seen someone not renew their pass or proclaim "I'm never going back" They always do back, some even caving in and starting a pass again. It's an addiction for alot of people, the emotional connection isnt the same like Universal, or Cedar Fair or any other major theme park

Thank you for making this video. My two times at WDW in the 1970s were very pleasant. The third and last time I went was the mid-1990s and I noticed the cracks in the cement, the need for repainting and overall a much needed sprucing up. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride also lacked canon sound effects so the only sound coming from the firing canons was the sound of compressed air shooting out the smoke effects. The "Magic Kingdom" became just another amusement park. With Main Street being one gift shop after another, the greed factor started to hit me. That last trip put me off on any further trips to WDW. With Disney becoming an ever-consuming company and its chummy relationship with a current genocidal communist China, I look at everything "Disney" with disgust. The fact they don't care for the person or family scrimping to afford a stay at their parks and figure all other people will take what the company gives them solely because of the Disney name makes the theme parks the very opposite of the Happiest Place on Earth. They are just a cold, ruthless corporate revenue collector. It makes one wonder what Walt would think of this if he were somehow still alive to see his company run this way.

Nothing in this video surprises me. It's been 18 years since I've been to a Disney park, and I can't imagine ever visiting one again. Between the unbelievable cost and the excessive reliance on technology (excuse me, but maybe I don't feel like doing this, that, or whatever on a cell phone all the time), I'd rather keep the fun memories I have. As much as I'd like to see what Disney has done with Marvel, as much as I'd like to visit Star Wars Land, as much as I think the Tron attraction will be cool -- NONE of it is worth it. I see what their menu prices are for a basic meal, and I could feed myself for a week on that here at home!

Very sad and I am certain not what a boy delivering newspapers in Missouri and creating animated mice and Imagineering happiness for the average person had envisioned. As a former imagineer and lifelong fan of my hero Walt - It breaks my heart ❤️.

Growing up in Florida it used to be a family thing we could do in the late 80s and 90s. It was a very family friendly place overflowing with nostalgia. Since I've been an adult Disney World fan I've watched them systematically take away, hike up cost, lessen quality, make less inclusive and sterilize almost every aspect of what used to be the Most Magical Place on Earth. It's like with every head change the Disney stamp and brand gets further away from any resemblance of the original dream. On that note I hear Walts spinning corps generates the electricity for Hall of Presidents.

There's just no way I could enjoy a place that crowded and consumerism oriented. Especially with my kids... Ugh, I can't imagine where I would want to be less other than a gulag. And I have to pay $5k minimum for it too? I just get stressed going to our local zoo lol. Not to mention my husband has a low tolerance for bs. I'm ok with never going, I went when I was 5yo in the 90s.

It took me until I was 15 years old to get to Universal Orlando for the first time. I have loved and VISITED that park more than Disney and I plan to keep doing so. I did Christmas 2018 at Disney and while we DID have Disney moments, as an adult, I could NOT properly relax. It wasn’t a vacation for me because the micromanaging BETWEEN the magic. Universal let’s me genuinely relax because I know the park isn’t run like an elitist hunting ground for the wealthiest guest.

They suck. Plain and simple. I am a FORMER Platinum PH and usually stayed at Yacht Club and Boardwalk (sometimes GF). Our Daughter got married in Disney and I wouldn't go back if you paid me. Too much construction. Too much change. Eliminating EVERYTHING that made them special. Every Pavilion and ride being refurbished to a movie. NO THANK YOU. All set.

They should have expanded/built more parks about 20 years ago. We're paying for their lack of foresight and investment. Also, there's a pent-up demand due to lockdown but suspect numbers will be dropping in a few years time.

My family has had annual passes to Disney for the past 8 or 9 years. Last month we let our passes expire and switched to Universal annual passes. Have not regretted it yet. It had become overcrowded, impossible to chose the park we wanted on most days and overall the trips to Disney just stopped being any fun.

Last July 2020 in the middle of the unpleasantness, my boyfriend and I scored great prices for universal tickets. Basically bogo 2 nights. Spent 4 days at the park with virtually NO people at all. Like during the week, it was empty. We rode everything at least twice. It was an amazing experience. I ended up extending my trip and scored Disney tickets for like 1/4 the price they are now. I spent 4 more days and went to each park. Virtually no lines either and basically got on everything. I ended up staying like 2 weeks and went to SeaWorld, Legoland, and even the Kennedy space center. No lines, and basically no crowds. It's probably one of the best experiences I've had in my life. I felt like I owned the parks in a way at how empty they were at times. I understand the unpleasantness is going away which is good but it seems like now the greed is kicking back in and in high gear where these companies are just trying to everything they can go make back that money they lost last year, even if it means making a lot of people unhappy. I understand I will never have that type of experience again and most likely won't be back for a long time. I did visit universal once more since that for their HHN this past October and although it was fun, the amount of crowds and lines made it very frustrating at times.

My family and I visited December 1st through 4 th, it was still super fun! BUT for some reason Disney felt it was OK to make their guests walk from the parking garage and park. No tram if you couldn't walk you had to rent a wheelchair or scooter. They ran out of scooters by 10 AM every day. I paid $30 a day for parking. I asked a cast member renting scooters when it would return and he said I hope soon! Terrible customer service! It wasn't because of covid you are much closer on rides.

Full disclosure - I've been to WDW many times, and I could wander a place like the Magic Kingdom for days on end and be perfectly happy. This is all unscientific of course, but I've been wondering this lately - if you did an informal poll of all adult guests entering the Magic Kingdom on any given day, I'd wager very few would say it was their first time there. For the majority, they'd be return guests, many of them multiple times over. The reason, I think, is that they're coming back not so much for the attractions themselves, for the nostalgia and to introduce their kids to the experience. I see so many of these kinds of people now questioning whether they aren't just going to give Disney a break for a year, or 2, or 10. If Disney loses these nostalgia collectors, they are going to be in dire straights. I haven't been since 2019, and for a time it looked like my son and I might be able to do a quick visit this spring. I had just started the planning process when that opportunity fell through. It was overwhelming and felt like I was coordinating the D-Day landings. As much as I love the experience, I seriously wonder whether, if I had never been before, if the cost and planning needed (it was one thing to reserve meals 6 months out, now it seems like you need to almost do the same with a seat on Space Mountain) would either prevent me from bothering, or, if I did go, would convince me never to go again.

As a long time Disney parks enthusiast for 20+ years, any more I’m having trouble staying interested in Disney anymore because it feels like they care more about money and the casual fans, money in particular, than the hard fans and everything just feels like a slap to the face, it’s like they see a beloved attraction or parks character and says “watch me take this thing you love and trash it”

Can’t blame the business for making these decisions the problem I see is 10-15 years from now Disney won’t be able to just ride on their name and legacy like they are right now. It’ll wear thin and others will come for their throne and they’ll have to claw their way back up after they have a hard fall from grace.

Such a great video. I wish more American Disney channels could understand all this. Times are a changing and that does not include the locals and vloggers but interstate travellers and international guests.

I am one of the people that Disney hates now. In previous years I held an annual pass and visited Disney World four times a year at my max since I was coming from out of state. My spending at the parks was minimal since I was there primarily for the experience. With the annual pass pricing being what it is now, I doubt I’ll ever buy one again.

We went in October. I've been 4 times in my life. It was my wife and child's 1st. Wife never wants to go back. That should be concerning. Everything is now done on phones. And they tell you this is to make life easier. And it quickly becomes apparent that it is really to maximize people in their parks wo messing with fire code. That's it. At your families experiences expense.

When I was a kid, every Disney movie we had on VHS advertised the Disney parks. I’d see them every time and… I was disinterested. I don’t even remember if my parents asked my brother and I if we wanted to go and we lived in Florida. I’d see an ad for Six Flags and I had mild interest in it, not enough interest to ask to go though.

"Passholders add to the crowd..." Truly. We went to Disneyland in October, 2019, and by noon each day the park was gridlocked by crowding. You had two choices, leave, or stand in line for attractions for hours. Disney let it slip at the time that 80% of the people in the park were annual pass holders. We spent nearly $5,000 on that three-day experience, but got little out of it except frustration. California Adventure was just as bad. In a fit of optimism, we went back in October, 2021. The crowd situation was slightly improved, but the single rider lines had been closed and were being used for VIPs and the mobility challenged. (Never could figure out how you got to be a VIP.) Wait times on some attractions were back to two hours +. For nearly $6,000 this time we were able to access about four attractions per day, spending most of each day in lines. Disney, if you're listening, if you're in line for attractions, you're not shopping. Never could get into the virtual queue of Rise of the Resistance, despite trying twice a day for three days at the 0700 and 1200 windows.

I can't help but think that Disney could help mitigate this crowding by using the added revenue to build more. Put in new attractions, ore even open a fifth gate.

There are also these marathons around 4am, going around the Magic Kingdom, with a huge souvenir store and a lot of medals. They make money even during the night.....!

We've easily spent 10s of thousands on Disney vacations since 1995 or so. Been AP holders. Always stayed on property, in deluxe resorts. But no more. Our last trip was 2019 and it was so crowded and so expensive we kept asking ourselves... why?

Walt Disney was my second cousin. I met him in 1968. These theme parks are nothing that he would have approved of. Now that Disney owns ABC and many more companies, they are as corrupt as can be. I’ve never been to a Disney theme park and I never would.

My family has been visiting Orlando yearly for decades but stopped going to Disney parks once Islands of Adventure opened. Universal has been a better experience for awhile now and will likely continue to be into the near future.

Their hotel prices are to the level of obnoxious. I am not sure who their target audience is but clearly they are pushing their limits with that. I priced for hotels in March and saw that most of the basic roms in the most basic hotels ran in the 500s and up a night. Even the campground starts at 150 nite to pop your own tent. I understand they are this self contained world but they don't take any consideration into the fact that there are people on budgets. They used to offer budget style hotels only now those hotels are into the mid 300s and up per night. I used to go there once a year and now I can go to Hawaii for a whole week and not spend as much as I would for a long weekend in DIsney. That is the sad truth.

I think it's probably fantastic living in Florida and having an annual pass and treating Disney like your local municipal park. But I've heard people talking about going like forty times in one year. Does seem like the priority should probably be families coming from far and wide who might attend once or twice...in a decade. But they should show appreciation to anyone who chooses to spend their hard earned money on food and merch and tickets.

Has anyone ever doubted that Disney is classist? The stories they portray says everyone should be embraced. But yet here we are.

Disney, the most crowded, expensive, and unhappiest place on Earth.

Throne of hubris. That about sums it up for Disney. And they are sitting upon it.

I was priced out of Disney some time ago, but oddly, I don't miss it. It's a big world, explore it!

I haven't been to any Disney Park since the 80's. It was fun. It was affordable. I haven't been to Universal in over 10 years. I prefer to rent a house on the beach and just relax. If you need events pick a small town where they will have a summer festivals with rides maybe once or twice during the summer. Your money will be well spent. You can bike ride. Go to gathering. Play land and water sports. Spend way less money and have a more relaxing time.

There are better ways that Disney could do this that would not annoy their guests, but would still price out the "undesirables". The guest does not want to take their wallet at every single thing they do. There should be just one bill. It's an expensive bill, but it covers everything. The so called "undesirable" customer simply won't buy it. By doing it this way they are annoying EVERYONE. It's not a good guest experience even for the guests willing to spend. That supposed once in a lifetime customer doesn't want to deal with all this nickle and dime behaviour either. They want to just go and have fun.

Just got back from a trip to Disney/Universal. The weekend we went must have been unusual because the longest wait we experienced was a 1 hour wait for Splash Mountain. But Disney was SO overrated when compared to the experience you get in Universal. My fiance and I both agreed that we would only be coming back for Universal in the future.

Supply and Demand. Very basic. Supply (park saturation point, amenities, dining, experiences (building lightsabres et al)) is limited and demand exceeds supply. Therefore, raise prices incrementally until supply exceeds demand. Then reduce prices until demand and supply are equal. That price point is a Known Unknown (as we say in the project management biz). We know the price point exists; we just don't know what it is. So, experiment until we find it.

I live only 3 hours from WDW and used to go frequently. I was a pass holder for a couple of years. I used to know how to do it on the cheap. Now, with all the changes, I don't even want to bother. No more slow season, no more waking up and deciding to go to Disney today. It's like the only way to enjoy it is to spend weeks planning every second. I don't want to have to do all that.

I'm glad I got my theme parking out of my system as a kid/teenager. Going today would be literally impossible. It doesn't seem worth it

Back in the 80s and 90s, we used to go to Disney World every Christmas. We would arrive on Dec. 26 and leave Jan 1. As Florida residents it was very affordable for a family. We drove our own car, there were all sorts of discounts for Florida residents, and actually, the prices were reasonable. That, now is no longer the case.

This was a great video, clear explanation of the changes and reasons. As an annual pass holder I do feel like I’m being squeezed out on purpose. The free fastpass+ system was amazing for us we loved it. We are going to switch to Universal this coming year.

Well done, Dom. Your analysis is insightful and spot-on. Perhaps they could start marketing a new attraction called The Great Egress.

I live 30 minutes from a Disney resort, I haven't been there in 10 years. I can afford it easily enough, but I would much rather spend my money elsewhere then stand around in 4 hour lines for 5 minute rides all day

I’ve seen enough Disney World on RU-vid I don’t see any reason to have to go to Disney World.

disneyland in japan is $60 for a ticket…

I wanted to go to Disneyland SO BAD last year but everything I’ve watched in the last 6 months makes it sounds just awful! It’s so depressing. They sell too many tickets, they need to reduce capacity massively. So sad.

What monsters! Imagine a for profit business saying that if you are not willing to pay then they don't want you there...the audacity!

They don't want us? fine I've been to Disney enough times to not care anymore. It's easier to "save money" at Disneyland by staying across the street and walking and eating outside the park etc, it's obvious they don't like that. AS far as the "AP" system goes, its' been long understood that they don't like the AP's especially the locals. Unfortunately that's their fan base

They need to build another park.

Disney is like: We’re all for equality and everyone is the same Also, Disney: We will make it ridiculously expensive so all those poor people can’t come