Former Disney Fans Share Why They're Done With Disney Parks 

I had an AP since the 90’s. I took it on the chin with all the price increases. I was injured in 2018 and am now permanently disabled. I called to ask if I still qualify for DAS. I was told that I should make my reservation and call again when I’m 60 days out… So they want me to plan a vacation, put a deposit, purchase park tickets, flight tickets, devote many hours and money to planning without knowing if I can physically do this. I told customer service that I will not be going to WDW any time soon and will never be getting an AP again. I look forward to Epic Universe opening.

I just miss going to Disney in the 90s non of this crazy stupid crap. It was truly more magical of a place. I feel sorry for any one that didn’t get to experience what Disney World used to be.

Bob Iger's "legacy" will be the complete & total destruction of the greatest family entertainment company in history. Under Iger, Disney has increased prices by over 40%, decreased what you get with that extra money, decreased the experience you're paying for and destroyed the brand that families have trusted & relied on for decades. Iger has relied on the name of "Disney" to keep people coming back to the parks & spending money on Disney products, but he's managed to ruin that as well. Families don't trust "Disney" anymore & with good reason. There are Disney employees & executives flat out stating that their goal is to indoctrinate our children. Entire IP's have been completely destroyed. He kept Kathleen Kennedy in power, who has managed to singlehandedly gut, destroy & devalue the greatest IP in cinema history. Iger's failure will be complete in 2025 when Epic Universe opens & people truly have a cheaper & exponentially better alternative to Disney World.

For us, Disney has been pushing us away for a while, but the changes to DAS were the final straw.

Magic is gone in every way

As a current AP holder, aside from the exorbitant prices of everything, the vile behavior from the “new” clientele who are flooding the parks has kept us from going for the past several months. The pushing, shoving, littering, cutting lines has totally disgusted us.

My dad has terminal cancer, and I have neurological disabilities. We live in Scotland. We booked a Disney World holiday when DAS was still there, under the impression that all we needed to do was call and organise 60 days out or so. Then they suddenly changed DAS. I emailed them with my concerns and was disgusted when they replied to me with a pre-generated email telling me that international ‘guests’ could only apply for DAS *once we had landed on US soil*. I emailed them again asking for clarification on whether me and my dad were eligible with our specific conditions, and they sent me another email saying the exact same thing. THEN when they changed to the new Lightning Lane system, they decided to block international guests from purchasing Lightning Lane UNTIL THEY WERE IN THE US. WHAT??? So they forced disabled guests from outside the US to buy LL, and now they don’t even let us do that until on the day, essentially making us scrounge for scraps? This is a MASSIVELY expensive holiday for us. I can’t believe Disney would be so callous and insensitive. We can’t pull out of our trip, but until there are HUGE changes to Disney management, we won’t be back. I feel like I’ve been made a fool of, robbed. Disabled people already suffer enough Disney. Thanks for showing how you really feel.

When they got rid of the Magical Express, I was upset. When I found out *why,* I was done. I just got back from a week in Universal and I’m never going back to Disney.

I’m a previous DAS person. I’m angry that I had everything booked, paid for, and renewed passes. I can’t enjoy the parks anymore. But I just came back from Universal where I had an amazing trip! Universal is stepping up their game, and Disney is stabbing themselves in the chest.

Was a Disney AP holder ever since 1998 when I moved to Florida. Yesterday,...for the first time ever...i got the Universal Power Pass (annual pass) I'm typing this I sit in a booth at the "Mell's Drive-in" in Universal Studios. I no longer have a Disney AP and I used that money to buy this one. Why not? There is nothing at Disney in 2024-2026. It feels like ALL the Orlando action will be HERE in 2025. I might buy a one day ticket for MK...only for the purpose of taking pictures and saying goodbye to the Rivers of America. :-(

Several reasons why my family is stopping. High prices on Everything, No complimentary transportation, Took them 5 years to build 1 Tron ride ! And Universal 2 years for 5 lands in Epic Universe ! Not starting the new projects now to keep the customer base interested ! And Procrastination within the company as usual . Not starting new projects until sometime next year. What a joke ! Just saying.

Agree with so many of these comments. Actually all of them. Been a hard core Disney fan for many years but have no intentions of going back until Disney realizes they are ruining everything. They will not change until attendance tanks and the money stops flowing. The only way for that to happen is for all of us to just stop going.

Splash Mountain was the straw that broke the camels back.

I loved going to Disney World when I was a kid. It was really a celebration of America. Not just the obvious Hall of Presidents, etc.. but things like Tom Sawyer Island, which celebrated America’s greatest author. For 12-year-old kid living in Florida it was the closest thing I could come to an exotic trip around the world. Now it’s just designed to sell me more Disney merchandise and IP. All the magic is gone. I don’t think I’ll ever go back.

Used to go every other year. Between the destruction of EPCOT to Splash Mountain to the Fastpass madness to the price increases, I haven’t felt the need to return. Had a great time at Tokyo Disney last year, though!

Universal is the king of theme parks now.

We went Last January, Stayed at Universal, went to AK and Epcot. We Will be Back January 2025 to Universal and Wont go Back to any Disney Park due to bad experiences With the lighting lane, felt very much like a money grab and left a sour taste. We Will be atiending UNIVERSAL Parks all 6 days

We moved from the Northeast in 1992. One of the first things we did as a family was an American Express White Glove Vacation at the Beach Club. During that vacation, our family of five decided immediately that we would purchase Annual Passes and return every chance we got. We were fortunate to live close enough to Disney for weekend trips and we always stayed on property. As each of our sons grew up, graduated from college, and began their work lives they moved to Orlando to be even closer. When my wife and I retired in 2010, we also moved to the Orlando area just 17 miles from the Magic Kingdom. The entire family continued their Annual Passes except me because I fulfilled a long held dream of being a Disney Cast Member. I had a couple of roles at Disney ending up at the DVC where I stayed until the end just before COVID hit and literally put the brakes on Disney. I was known to my fellow DVC Cast Members as the guy who lived and breathed Disney. Disney was in my blood! I loved Disney and everything it stood for until now. We have not been to Disney since and have no plans to return. Walt Disney World is no longer the Walt Disney World we loved and wanted to return and return. Sadly, Disney is done! And I sincerely doubt that Walt Disney World will ever return to its glory days.

I was made redundant from my government job in 2021 and got a payout. I went to the US (from Australia) in February 2022 and stayed at both DL and WDW. I had been to both before in 2001 and 2002. The difference was REMARKABLE. Firstly, the planning I had to do beforehand was (and I am not kidding here) akin to a VERY stressful part-time job. I had to keep a LITERAL spreadsheet on how many days until certain restaurant reservations opened for me and had to ensure MONTHS in advance that I had the *%$#! reservations for the parks I wanted to be in, to ensure I could actually go to the restaurants I MAY have been lucky enough to snag. Add to that park policies changing sometimes almost DAILY and keeping up with it all saw me SO STRESSED OUT, I actually had a mini meltdown in Epcot one afternoon, as it was all too much. Add to that the cost of Genie Plus, Lightning Lanes and so on and it was just a NIGHTMARE. I used to be a FANATICAL Disney park fan but I can tell you this in all truthfulness - I will NEVER go back to the US parks. I have been to the Tokyo Disney Resort SIX TIMES and I consider THAT my home resort.

Disney realized they would rather sell more Genie+ and Lightning lanes if there are fewer DAS passes issued on average. The DAS changes were motivated by pure greed.

At universal doesnt feel like work. U just show up. Maybe research what restaurants would be best for you and hotel if ur staying there. Basic holiday requirements

When you spoke about corporations caring about their guests, I immediately thought of the Universal Parks. We are not renewing our pass for the exact reasons and I do feel like we aren’t being heard, we’re just given new lands and rides and told to shut up. Universal CONSTANTLY sends out surveys to their guests whether they’re passholders, day guests, etc. to which they listen AND implement those changes in their parks.

As someone who used to go to WDW every year I have called it quits for the foreseeable future. It’s one thing to raise prices but it’s another thing to raise prices and also take away things that used to be included (ie Magic Bands, Magical Express, Fast Passes, being able to freaking park at the hotels). But now they’re getting rid of things I enjoy like Tom Sawyer Island in order to shovel in more of the beloved “IPs” that are hot right now regardless of how they fit but don’t really have that timeless quality. Universal has a new park coming next year that looks incredible and the Universal Monsters is my all time favorite film franchise so I’ll likely check that out next Orlando trip.

Even as an AP holder who lives about 20-25 minutes away I just find myself not going as much anymore. It's just not always as great. The wait times are too high (because of Genie+), it's expensive even if you got into the park for essentially free. I used to go pretty much every single weekend and now it's just every once in a while on a Sunday or something. IDK it's just not as enjoyable anymore. I also agree the special event ticketed items like MNSSHP prices are absolutely absurd! It's the same event as before when it was like $70-80/person to go and now it's sometimes up to nearly $200/person for a 4-5 hour event!!! It also seems like Disney absolutely does not care about AP's. They really don't do anything for them. They seem to forget it was local AP's that held Disney together during the pandemic. It was people like me that went and spent money on food and other misc things that kept WDW going. It's AP's that keep WDW going during slower times of the year. They just don't seem to care.

Disney doesn’t care if they upset you. They move on to the next victim.

We went in 2018 and 2019 and it was an amazing experience. We then went in 2022 and it was AWFUL. The loss of magical express was huge. We really felt conned and ripped off. Parks were dirty. They were charging loads for things that used to be built-in to the holiday. Magical Express gone. Magic bands gone. Fast passes gone. Housekeeping gone. Happy cast members gone.

I’m not going back since they changed genie plus!! Compete with people who reserved it days ago? Atleast it was an even playing field, I’ve taken my daughter about 6 times in the past 24 months, last time I went was July of 2024 , not anymore either Tokyo Disney or epic universe, rides always breaking down, haunted mansion literally broke down twice while me and my daughter were on there! The Tiana’s bayou wasn’t even running ! The snack(can’t spell it) beignets I believe was literally a fried shell, do you know how cheap it is to make fried dough? I paid over $7 for 10 cents of product, it’s kind of boring there, and now big thunder is closing for refurbishment I’ve read over a year now there is really nothing to look forward, and these morons voted Pence out of a board seat, they do thinks where the consumer is the last thing on their mind won’t get my money anymore, whatever they announce we won’t get 10% of the original idea that and it takes 5 years to build, they want to do an Indiana Jones ride that franchise is dead , look at what the original artwork for Epcot literally nothing like original artwork, they can kiss my ass won’t get my money anymore, who ever implements these ideas are morons

I remember being in the parks in 2022 trying to see my phone screen in the blazing sun as the pressure of trying to find something to ride for the kids sunk in. It was pretty miserable having saved thousands to be there. I didnt want to be glued to my phone. Then watching 20 Lightning Lane people immediately go through vs 2 standby line people- well, we felt like absolute peasants! Hardly a magical experience

I've been waiting to go to Disney for years and was disappointed. My mom whose disabled went in 2017 and they had wheelchairs from the monorail to the parks and back. We went together this year and they were none until you get into the parks. The disability accommodations are unacceptable. Universal is starting to have this problem because you could rent a wheelchair before you got into CityWalk. At least the walk to the Universal movie theater isn't as bad as the walk to the parks from the monorail at Disney. My mom doesn't want to go to Disney anymore.

I’m a huge Disney fan, and I purchase all of my merchandise from eBay, thrift stores, TJMaxx, Ross, and Burlington. 😂😂 It’s wayyyy cheaper and I saved a lot of money. I can love Disney from a distance without going to the parks. I rather watch Disney hauls on RU-vid, and visualize as if I were there 😂😂😂. Once in a blue moon I might shop the sales on Disney website of my favorite character, because im not paying full price for anything.

We have a family of 23 that went almost every year. Once they got rid of Magical Express and added the GP/LL, we sold our DVC's and haven't been back. We all went to Universal last month and are going back next year when Epic opens. Been going to WDW for over 30 years but we're done with their constant price increases and virtual queues too.

I walked away from anything to do with Disney world back in 2008. There's not enough money on the planet to get me there. I'll take my chances 20 minutes away.

No poor families can afford to go to the parks without going into debt.I wanted to go to the park in Florida,terrible prices and everything far out of my budget..The Star Wars Star Cruiser utter failure $1,000 per night.It failed after only a year no one could afford it..The executive destroying Walt Disney's dream,for an afforadable theme park.The demolishing of many things in Florida park wrecking the character of the old style decor Mr. Disney created himself to be..Everything in the park the ticket to get in,food and more very pricey.

I'm one of those long time fans who has decided to never return to WDW. I went at least once, often twice and occasionally three times a year from California. I was an annual pass holder and always stayed on property. As so many others have said, as they took away more and more little perks the vacation was more and more stressful. What was one time a unique, magical trip has become nothing more than industry standard. Planning is SO stressful now. I'm spending my money elsewhere now.

Magical express decision was idiotic. Quality and quantity cut in half across board at parks and it is going to kill them. Watch as the next generation avoids Disney like the plague.

Okay I'm a former Walt Disney World annual passholder the one thing you got to realize is when you had enough to realize this huge corporation

Fun fact: in 2003, my mom and I went to Disney for a full week for around $1200. That included flights, magical express, all meals + snacks, park hopper tickets, fast passes, a show in Downtown Disney, and we were staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I have so many good memories from that trip. Pure magic. Now, that amount of money gets you maybe two nights at that hotel and absolutely nothing else 🤦‍♀️

For us, the happy times of a Disney vacation reside only in our memories. Just too much wrong and not enough right, or value for that matter…

Disney will keep jacking up prices if people keep going. Stop going they might just listen for once

Cutting payroll costs, aka cutting jobs and not replacing people as they leave, is also impacting the experience a lot. It's pushing more work onto the underpaid college program kids. I don't blame them, the rumor is they're getting stretched thin. It's why some of them have become shorter on patience. The caliber hasn't gone down, it's just the cracks appearing in a group being massively overworked.

I’ve been saying this the whole time. As a DAS user for my son with autism, I’d rather go the route of giving them documentation to show medical/educational needs rather than just getting there and going by a cast members non professional assessment. If it’s something we as parents give permission, it’s not a hippa violation. Six Flags uses IBCCES. It’s a bit clumsy at first but once a family gets the documentation, it’s much simpler to use from park to park. I can’t remember how Universal did it when we went there (2019) but it was way easier than Disneys ever changing (in the negative) rules that families like mine can’t rely on. If we can’t rely on a consistent protocol, why would we invest that much money? Disney used to be great with DAS but it slowly became impossible to use. Now we stick with Six Flags and Cedar Fair (and Universal if we’re doing a big trip). So much easier and much less stress on an already stressed family situation. Not to mention all the rumors of rides constantly breaking.

We went from 2-4 yearly visits the in past 18 years to zero. The last straw was when entering the Lion King show my 9 yr old daughter was pushed to the ground by two young men who acted as if they couldn’t speak English. They cut in line, in front of a bunch of people. Everyone seemed afraid to say anything, but as soon as my daughter got shoved to the ground I yelled at them. I know enough Spanish to know what they called me and my daughter wasn’t nice. No cast members came to escort them out. That’s when I decided we’d not be back. I love & miss WDW but I don’t miss the rude and obnoxious people who seem to think they own the parks.

As far as DAS goes, I’ve seen on multiple occasions grown adults on those scooters plow through kids trying to get through a door or onto a ride. I think this kind of thing was the big issue. Let’s be honest. The few who didn’t need the access and acted like fools ruined it for those that do.

Between the outrageously-high price-gouge prices, the constantly busted & falling-apart attractions & the unnecessary & unasked-for changes to the functioning ones (due to "problematic theming" or whatever) AND such things as dudes with mustaches wearing dresses in Fantasyland, the number of reasons for me to _ever_ visit a Disney park ever again are rapidly approaching zero...

I use to live in LA and visited both Disney Parks at a time when tickets were more reasonable. I grew up with Disney and as of this year, I have stopped going to Disney and Universal for basically the same reasons - handicapped discrimination, high prices on everything, over crowding, destroying great rides and attractions for stuff I could careless about. The magic has gone out of both parks. I rather go to Knott's for $55 and be treated better. The plans to gut the Rivers of Adventure and Frontierland finished me off completely. That was my favorite spot in the park. It takes you back into time and where else can you ride a paddle boat? They are destroying what Walt built.

Ever since Josh D’Amaro took over as the head of the Parks in 2020, the Magic has dissipated. He got by with record profits at first, but at the expense of hard earned goodwill. The profits are starting to erode because people are bailing on Disney. If Parks struggle, Disney starts to look like a house of cards. We are looking forward to the opening of Epic Universe. The Board and CEO need to rethink who is at the helm of the Parks lest a shareholder revolt take them out. Our kids may grow up loving Universal instead of Disney.

Went to Disneyland in 2014, it was magical, loved it. Boyfriend surprised me with a Disney world trip in 2021 and it was terrible. We tried going again but to just 1 party every couple of years, terrible, stuff breaking down, customer service was lacking. I have arthritis and use a cane on big walking days and because I don't look old, many cast members talked to me about like it was an accessory. Being rude to me while I settled into a ride saying "move it or it'll break" when I literally just sat down and hadn't assessed the seat yet to account for my cane. I won't go back even the parties aren't worth it. Bad people management, not trying to make things easy for the customer, not using their tech well or not having redundancies in place. Really nickel and diming and resting on laurels and trying to game themselves for the stock holders. But at the end of the day they'll have a dj Khalid moment when they discover that they played themselves.

Had a Disney trip paid for that was during the exact month Disney shut down for Covid. I chose to get a refund instead of credit towards another trip, best decision I ever made

We started going to WDW in 2017 and we loved it. We have been going to Disneyland since 1980 and that has always been our park. We had reservations, tickets, meals, and plane tickets all paid for in 2019 then moved to 2020 then Disney World canceled it on us and we lost money. I personally don’t want to go back. Now after hearing about the DAS, I’m disabled due to the military and I use a power wheelchair but now it doesn’t seem like they want people with disabilities to visit.

We went to Disney every year for 20 plus years since 2016 we haven't been to much nickel and dime have zero desire to go again

Insane that u no longer get free magic bands that are sent to your home

From reading all the comments, it is clear that Disney is cutting costs where ever they can (which reduces quality of service), while raising prices to maintain profitability. They are losing 100's of millions on their film and TV offerings because of their woke agenda and the theme park goers are getting the shaft to compensate for the losses. This is unsustainable over the long term.

You pay a lot of money for a lot of stress, they take free service away and charge you for them.

Last year was the last time I've been to Disney World. We were never big Disney World fans, but we used to have a good time regardless walking around and experiencing what it had to offer with our daughter. But that last time we also planned a couple of days at Universal Studios Orlando because our daughter is/was a big Harry Potter fan. That trip to Universal made it clear the stark difference in enjoyment. Disney World was a part-time job's worth of planning. Universal was just pure fun and enjoyment. We immediately bought Annual Passes for Universal (our first time getting such passes for any theme park) and have gone back at least 5 times. Unless Disney makes some major changes to their operations, we're never going back.

Through several years I have made 11 trips to WDW, frequently staying a moderate priced resorts. I felt Magical Express was a standard for hospitality to emulate. I continue to keep a close eye on WDW and my wife said why don't we go one last time. As we have aged, I don't see a trip beyond the one I am invetigating for March 2025. I have a Disney All Star Movie Resort sitting in my cart (the moderate resorts are unaffordable now) and a budget flight on Breeze Airways. I haven't committed yet because of the money grab Lightning Lane where I fear we won't be able to go on the newer attractions, the reason we want to go, and end up on attractions we are very used to due to long standby lines. The premise of paying more for less is discouraging to me, so I am conflicted. Also, Universal is not an alternative for me, with their high thrill attractions and minimal theming, it seems like a glorified Six Flags to me.

DAS removal absolutely destroyed the last remnants of good will for me. The selfish carelessness is so far removed from the old days of the ‘Disney Difference’ that it’s staggering.

I d never been to Disney World and probably never will. I have several friends who go every few years. I hear them talking, planning, trying to get the best deals, trying to not spend thousands upon thousands on a family vacation and it just doesn’t seem worth it to me. I think I could spend less taking the family to Europe for a week.

We’ve had our annual passes since APs first became available. This year we will let them lapse.

Given a choice, I think I'd much prefer going to a Las Vegas casino. At least there they make no bones about it: They admit right up front that they _are_ out to get your every last penny & don't pretend otherwise. I'd much prefer that kind of refreshing honesty to the rank hypocrisy of the Disney parks, where they're out to not only grab your last penny but also insult you to your face as well.

I've been going to Disney since 1976 and am a vacation club member. Recently, we've realized we just can't afford Disney. We'll be using the vacation club as a place to stay while we visit universal. We went there recently for the first time, and it reminded me of the Magic Kingdom many many years ago. 😊

I freaking hate micro transactions in any kind of product, but what I hate the most about micro transactions is it really seems to be intentionally confusing in order to take advantage of children and elderly. and seeing this kind of tactic used at Disney really makes my blood boil. I would have so much more respect for Disney if they would just do something like Universal and make a front of the line pass $300 a pop because then at least it would be an obvious cash grab. And it would be easy to use.

The price increases are to be expected, but with those increases, you expect to see some enhanced services and/or new attractions. This has not happened. The new attractions are few and far between and not that good, the services have been cut, and the lightning lanes are a disaster; the old fast pass system was OK, so why change it other than to extract more profit? I understand it's a business, but we are already paying through the nose for everything else. I loved the Magic Express and can't imagine that there was that much savings in getting rid of it. With all that said, I still consider going, just not near as frequently as I used to. Universal will be getting my business for the next few years. But I'm guessing none of this matters because the parks for the most part stay full.

It’s quite simple. They got greedy and in the process stuck two fingers up to their core customers (families). Families now holiday elsewhere because it just isn’t worth it anymore.

I used to do to DisneyWorld quite often, up to three times in a year from NY. It's been many years since I've gone though. While the costs are frustrating, for me it was the declining quality of the Cast Members that cemented it. The final straw was one time at a counter service restaurant, the woman taking orders just "wandered off" and left the line standing there. Finally, a Manager had to go, find her, and bring her back to her station. Additionally, they went a long time when they weren't introducing new rides and had added shows instead. Many will disagree, but that's not what I went there for.

You can go to Universal, Dubai, the Maldives. I just don’t think the juice is worth the squeeze anymore. If Disney are for only a certain class of clientele, and there’s no decent transportation included, i think I will take my hard earned cash elsewhere. I am glad I visited when things were still good. I noticed a sharp decline in the standard of service pre-covid. It’s just a shame because Disney used to be such a well loved brand. 😢

Disney left me behind... It was a string of little things that all soured me to going again, some of which was me but most of which was them. For one, they keeping taking out or vandalizing all the crap I like! It started with the Tower of Terror in California and now includes things like Pirates of the Caribbean, Country Bears in Florida, and Splash Mountain. That last one they also got insulting over... I LIKE Princess and the Frog, but when I pointed out the irony of Splash Mountain being based on actual Black folktales I had people from Imagineering calling me a racist in Disney's comment sections, not to mention that they sanitized the Jungle Cruise of any jokes that could offend anyone but then ADDED a joke at the expense of Canadians. Thanks guys. This complaint also includes little things, like making Court of Angels the lobby for Club 33 (and adding that offset window in New Orleans Square so you KNOW who matters), and getting rid of Big Thunder Ranch to make room for Galaxy's Edge (which itself takes up a stupid amount of space). I don't hate everything new, but I do when it takes something I like away or makes something I like worse. Then comes the prince increases and the price gouging, Lightning Lane, losing Magical Express, all those little nickel-and-dime ways they paywall everything now. Then the unpleasantness of the crowds and castmembers now. Then the overreliance on IP from Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars and the continued chipping away at Walt Disney's work and standards, and the overall company direction into mediocrity as an IP mine rather than a creative producer. And then just my own growth as a person, getting the hint that Disney doesn't want me and moving on to explore the real world beyond theme parks (including beyond Universal, which has always been a second-string also-ran) and even visit the real world inspirations for Disney (like wanting to visit Hannibal, MO, which is basically the Rivers of America waterfront, now that Disney wants to get rid of THAT too). Would I still go to Disneyland in California or DisneySea in Tokyo? Yeah, for, like, a DAY, if I happened to already be there. But my days of taking dedicated trips to Disney are done because DISNEY didn't want me to go anymore.

For us, it was Genie+. In the past, Disney was always expensive, but worth it. Within the past 4.years, the price has exceeded the value. We used to go to Disney World annually for our family vacations. This was the first year we went somewhere else and I don't see us returning without significant changes.

I saw jenn and tim pay like $500 for a suite at a value resort. Yeah…

We've regularly gone to both Disneyland and World with our family over the years, with usually at least one trip per year. One of my kiddos has a disability that has very much impacted her life and causes a lot of struggles from day to day, but Disney had always felt like a safe space. Somewhere where we could shut out some of those problems, and just focus on the here and now. Disney used to help accommodate her in a way that kept her healthy and still able to participate with the whole family. Now, because of the new restrictions narrowing it down to only a certain portion of the autistic community, she will most likely not qualify for the DAS (and their "alternatives" are not at all thought out in a way that can even work, and most cast members haven't been trained for them and won't even allow them). With her condition, an extended wait in lines could potentially lead to her condition flaring up to a point of needing hospitalization. Now we're at the point of wondering if it's even worth trying to go. We have a trip currently scheduled, but if it doesn't go well, we will not be returning. I'm not going to put my daughters health at risk for a family vacation. Especially since so many other parks are willing to help and accommodate her.

For me, the new Lightning Lane system that replaced Genie+ is the final straw. It totally changed our experience on our holiday this month - in fact, I would go as far to say that it ruined it. The new system isn’t about guest convenience or having a good experience - it’s about making you get into the parks as early as possible and staying as late as possible. Disney aren’t making money off us when we’re sleeping, they want us in the parks spending money money money. Well, guess what, I’m not going to give them my money anymore. We are DONE.

We just got back from a Disney trip and I agree with everything in this video. I have been 25+ times in the past and have no interest in returning anytime soon. I personally believe the increase in cost is partially linked to the fact that they have had so many movies bomb that they are having to subsidize the rest of the company through profits from the parks.🤷🏻‍♀️

I have been a DVC member for over 20 years and I will tell you that service is going to hell. This last February I went to Disneyland for the first time and it was probably the worst vacation I have ever taken. The room was nice but the cast members almost totally ignored us. After checking in they did not even say "Welcome home" which they always did in the past. Food was incredibly expensive and of poor quality. The first day we used to Disneyland's early access. There were no directions as to what was open early or what was closed. In short the whole experience was terrible. My last trip to Disney World two years ago was not much better. Service has really tanked, and that is being generous.

Hey all, sharing my itinerary from Orlando last week. Day 1: Land Day 2: Park Hop all 4 Parks at Disney World Day 3: Resort Day, then Universal Halloween Horror Nights Day 4: SeaWorld, then Universal Halloween Horror Nights Day 5: Universal Islands of Adventure, then Universal Halloween Horror Nights Despite Disney World having 4 parks, I did everything in them in 1 day and bought one park ticket. SeaWorld with 1 park got 1 full day, And Universal with 2 parks got about 2.5 days spent. I stayed at Disney World 1 night, and at Universal for 3, mainly for the HHN bus convenience. I LOVE Disney, but at the rate this is going it can’t be good for them 😅 not to mention Epic Universe opening, that basically steals the entire week resort stay to being at Universal! Come on Disney, what are you going to do?

people dont like microtransactions. even IRL

I’ve gone WDW 9 times since 2016. After our August 17-24 2024 trip, i came back for first time with no “disney depression”. I’m fine with not going back for a long while. It wasn’t one thing that I can pin point, but when look back I was anxious and overwhelmed 5 out of 7 days, which isn’t worth the $10K I paid for on this trip. Genie+ does not mitigate but adds to anxiety or FOMO. This was a splurge trip too. Overall, the “value adds” are gone for price a consumer pays and experiences. No one was overly rude nor had a horrible interactions with other guests or cast members. It just was meh trip for the price paid.

For me the value is gone. We. Would always plan off season visits to limit cost. The food has gone up in price and down in quality. The focus on building more and more resorts while decreasing the amount of rides.. its way too overcrowded. It's way too overpriced for the value. I had the best of disney as a child in the 90s. My parents bought the DVC and back then we were treated like royalty. The list goes on and on.universal studios has outshines disney in the past few years and will leave disney in the dust once epic universe opens. The whole thing makes me sad that I can't create those disney memories with my son. I'm not willing to refinance my house for a week at a now mediocre overpriced park.

I've always preferred Universal Studios over Disneyland. I barely remember my Magic Kingdom experience, because I wasn't too fond of it. But I definitely had the time of my life at Universal on my only visit in 1994.

Please bring back the Citizens of Hollywood to Disney Studios

I was beginning to sour on the WDW vacation experience about 6 or 7 yrs ago, mainly based on price and value per dollar. We had vacationed at WDW for nearly 30 yrs and i loved the disney experience. I didnt feel i was getting the value for what i was spending any longer, even with DVC. I sold my half of our DVC in my divorce and started to vacation in places that are more interesting, offer more value and an overall better experience and haven't looked back.I've saved money changing up where and how i choose vacations now and will never go back to vacationing at WDW. It's just not a financially reasonable way to vacation for me anymore.

Back in 1992, I went to EPCOT. A kid on the tram asked what EPCOT meant to his Dad. The Dad said "Every Pocketbook Comes Out Trashed". That was in 1992. I can't imagine what EPCOT means now. Any suggestions?

My AP just expired last week so i'll try to wait a few years after the expansions are done and ready. Until then, I have Busch Gardens, SeaWorld and Universal, especially Epic Universe. I'm may be done with the Disney parks but i'll still visit the Springs and keep my Plus.

Disney used to give an amazing experience with nauseatingly high prices. Now it just offers nauseatingly high ticket prices.

what is interesting to me is that if you read enough of the comments you will realize that a lot of your issues are counter to each other - some say it's too packed and lines are too long while others say it's too expensive. Any American has to realize that supply and demand says that if the lines are too long then the prices will go up because if the lines are too long then the place is packed. Others are saying things along the line of there are "undesirables" and "new people" which i could be wrong but feels like code for poor people which is counter to the rest... Others complain about lightning and fastpass etc while EVERY park in the US does some version of this - I totally agree that Disney has overcomplicated it and then double sticks it to you by making the most popular rides NOT eligible an you and charging you again for that... Covid and post Covid behavior really hurt and I also think there is a mix of people that want it to be exactly what it was when they were kids and others that want it to be more like Universal. They are totally different animals....

Disney has stated they want to make more money off of fewer guests, they literally consider middle class park visitors as riff raff. Their rich customers complain the lines are too long and it lessens their experience at their parks. Disney just keeps raising prices until only rich people can afford to visit the parks. I'm a coaster enthusiast who has ridden over 700 coasters and has visited almost every amusement/theme park in the US. I've never been to ANY Disney parks, and don't plan on ever going. Besides their woke agenda, I don't want to give my hard earned money to a company that price gouges most of their customers and doesn't offer value for the money you spend for the experience. They think they can charge whatever they want because their customers will pay top dollar for ANYTHING Disney. They aren't a family friendly company and many customers are starting to realize just how ruthless Disney has become. They aren't wholesome entertainment anymore, and most people can't afford to go now, because they go into debt to take a family vacation there.

Yes I agree prices have gotten ridiculous. Let's also put some blame on the insane amount of vloggers and content creators in the park - making money off the company daily.

Almost every thing that I see is an emotional reason, nostalgia, or some expectation that prices shouldn’t change or perks decrease. I’m not sure if there’s a more childish fan than a Disney loyalist🤣. Genie+ or the new lighting lane system is still Far cheaper than express at universal. You can also stay offsite. People are dramatizing it. 😊

Disney broke my heart. I no longer trust them with my entertainment or vacation dollars.

Josh D’Amaro as Jeff Vahle should both be fired! They completely dismantled the parks

The total destruction of everything that Walt Disney stands for is the reason I’ve become disillusioned with them. The only thing that will bring me back is for Bob to be gone, the current imagineers to be gone and for Abigail Disney to take a hike.

The final straws for me were the das passes and Tiana’s bayou adventure

Less Disney Disappointment and more Hersheypark Happy for my family. I can get a WHOLE YEAR (minus winter) of Hershey for about the price of ONE DAY at Disney.

Didn't I hear that the company that handled the luggage from MCO to WDW and back went out of business during the pandemic, and there isn't any other company that does this? It was third party. Didn't I hear that Mears raised the cost of separate buses for Magical express causing Disney to drop it and Mears didn't want to handle the luggage? I don't know, I'm asking.

Not just Disney Parks- it’s everything Disney we are ditching!

go to SeaWorld! they're throwing everything and the kitchen sink to get people to their parks and it's great! 🙂

No more Disney for us for many reasons. Now Universal Annual pass holders.

Chapek killed disney, such as stark fumble when he came in

Was just at Magic Kingdom Friday 8/23/24. Lines weren't bad at all, Peter pan was 35 mins. Pirates was a wall on, haunted mansion 20 minutes, winnie the pooh was 10 minutes. The crowds have definitely dropped off over the summer a lot. Given Friday was a Halloween party so they closed early. It was sold out for the event. I find it ridiculous to pay $150 for a event such as the Mickeys not so scary. Even with our AP discount it's around $140. Since all the price increases, we go maybe once a month. Don't stay on resort we did it once and it was a waste and bus service took atleast 30 minutes, have stayed at several Universal resorts and the vaule and quick bus service is impressive. Eventually we will be pushed out. We don't buy the genie plus. If it wasn't for having a 2 year old we probably wouldn't have the passes. Last time I felt we got good vaule out of the parks was pre covid 2019. I remember 2015 the gold passes were around $500 now that same pass is $1000 plus

We used to vacation there and would go often but we now go to Universal it is way more relaxing and not so much work. We are pass holders there now and we can just go when we want no fuss not on your phone all day. I don’t see us being pass holders again anytime soon at Disney.

As a 7 season pass holder of ap at disney world. We made our mind up this weekend at coronado springs. Due to room service barging in our room multiple times, at multiple resorts. Multiple months in a row, we are done. Universal will ne our new "home".

Wokeness and prices (nickel & diming). Our last trip to any Disney park was over new years 2019/2020. Went yearly from 2004-2019 with our 2 kids. Had APs for many of those years. We have visited all the parks at WDW, Disneyland, Disney Paris, Shanghai Disney, and Tokyo Disney. Participated in multiple run Disney events. 3 Disney Cruises We also used to subscribe to Disney plus. We own DVC, however we will plan on using our DVC for either: Aulani, a place to stay when visiting universal Orlando, or renting out our points. My contribution to Disney will be limited to our DVC dues. I had hopes that the company would wake up and go back to their core values, but enough time has passed, and I have honestly moved on and really don’t care what they do anymore.