The Fall of Disney Parks (Part 1)| Disney Genie's Impact on Guest Experience 

I'd like to correct a minor mistake made in the video, and I'd like to thank Tulin Firenze in the comments for pointing it out to me. The development of My Magic+ is estimated to cost around 1.5 to 2 BILLION, rather than million that I stated.

Went to Disney World just under a month back, took my friend who'd never been to the US expecting for at least some enjoyable experience. Really disappointed, could rant on about everything I hated but already did that in a review. All I'll say is that it's ironic that they can't respect the legacy of Robin Williams, a man who openly said he didn't want his likeness used for marketing purposes for his role in Aladdin, plastering his character over the disgrace that is Genie+.

Dislike having to plan everything for every minute, you just cannot have spontaneous fun at Disney anymore. It has become more complicated than a military operation, and almost as extensive.

Walt Disney wanted everyone to enjoy his parks, not just the wealthy. Damn shame that this is happening.

Parks attendance grows and grows. Universal: well, looks like we’ll have to build more attractions and add another park. Disney: well, looks like we’ll have to charge people to be in the crowd.

My advice is, if you want a decent Disneyland experience like the days of Yesteryear, save up more money and go to see Disneyland in Tokyo. They are so removed from the BS since it's not actually run by Disney and is run by people who actually know what they're doing.

I feel like I need another college degree to go to Disney. Going to a theme park shouldn't be so complicated.

I was an improvisational actor at Disney Studios for 13 years. The rapid decline in quality guest experience was always obvious (and disappointing) to me. The movement from live entertainment to giant screens really bugged me. As a live performer I could see the writing on the wall. I left in 2010 and the Streetmosphere show that I was a cast member in was cancelled in 2020. The pandemic made it easy for Disney to cut that show without much guest clap back. The fact was, our show kept guests out of the shops and restaurants.

And meanwhile, guess what the Tokyo Disney parks are doing? Building more attractions and expansions that are actually worthwhile, with amazing theming that's based on animated fantasy movies (you know, actual Disney) and not Marvel or Star Wars. And they still have the paper fastpass system. Yeah, OLC should just take over all the rest of the Disney parks.

I just discovered your channel and as a former Cast Member, I LOVE your channel. Thank you for saying what all CMs have been saying for YEARS. Please consider making a patreon and I would happily give to keep this channel alive.

After going 14 times in 11 years, we have given up on Disney. Price keeps going up while the experience keeps going down including quality. We went last October and were treated rudely several times for the first time ever. One days park ticket will get you a season pass to Dollywood. Employees are friendly. Entertainment is great. Food quality is good. And lower crowds!

Chapek is the worst CEO Disney has ever had. Hopefully he gets fired.

I brought my two teenage children to WDW in 2017. We live all the way in Tasmania Australia. I hadn't visited WDW since the 1980s and so I was expecting my kids to have the same magical experience I remembered from all those years ago. Boy was I ever wrong! The crowds were HUGE. The spontaneity of just walking around and going on rides (sometimes more than once!) was gone. We knew there was a system called Fastpass, but found everything was already booked up for the entire day by the time we arrived at 10am. Several of the big attractions were broken (Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain) which meant the lines for the remaining rides were ridiculous (2 hours plus for Haunted Mansion). Our once-in-a-lifetime visit to WDW was garbage. My kids asked us to leave at 5:30 in the afternoon. The saddest part for me was excepting that the magic of WDW was gone.

I feel that out of everything, the biggest problem with the parks today is how Disney is relying too heavily on ip's, something that was never meant to happen within the Disney parks. When Walt designed and built Disneyland, the biggest aspect of the park was that each land was based around a generalized theme. Main St. was based on his home, Adventureland was based on the jungles, Frontierland being that of the old west, Fantasyland being the land focused on the stories he told in art form put to rides, and Tomorrowland being the land for future ideas we normally couldn't see. What this did was give Disney and the imagineers unlimited freedom as they weren't bound by an ip and were instead able to decide what should go where as long as the ride itself fit within the general theme. You can't do that with Star Wars, Marvel, and Cars due to how limited you become since now, you're not only bound to the theme, but also the IP.

After having an Annual Pass with my wife since 1993, Disney has officially exhausted us so we will not be purchasing anymore passes Annual or otherwise. The reservation requirement alone made us reluctant to return to Disney but the Annual Pass prices and issues associated with them was the final nail in the coffin. Over the years we gave Disney's "new and improved" ideas a name: We call them Disney Non-Perk Perks. Disney continues to have a better idea with policies designed to look like they benefit the guest but in the end, they benefit Disney not the paying customer.

When they started training CM’s about genie+ they literally told them at the end of the presentation that no matter how you feel about genie+, be enthusiastic & tell guests how great it is. True story

We giving up on Disney. We’ve lost count how many times we’ve visited over the past 41 years always staying on the property. Heck, we did the Grand Plan (no longer exists) twice including the year the Grand Floridian opened. As for the old MKC World plan, it’s safe to say we did that 20 plus times. The perks were amazing. Play golf, use the boats, guided fishing trips and 3 meals per day. Including meals at any table service restaurant restaurant. And yes, that included Victoria & Albert’s, the California Grill, the Yachtsman Galley and all the dinner shows. Now there are no perks with only new and improved ways to nickel and dime you to death. We sold off our 500+ points in DVC. We honeymooned at Disney before it was a thing. We had a great room on the 10th floor of the Contemporary Tower facing the Magic Kingdom. The hotel gave us many little perks like champagne, fruit, chocolates, flowers, and large Mickey & Minnie plush animals. Yes, we are quite done with Disney. They don’t even give you a kiss when they are done screwing you.

I worked Pirates of the Caribbean before and after it got fastpass. We went overnight from, on a mid-sized day, the ride usually having a 15-35 minute wait for standby to everyday having a wait of over an hour in the standby ride. It was so bad that the Fastpass line was usually a 25 minute late. Pirates and Mansion were designed to absolutely chew people up. They can hit almost 3,000 hourly capacity. Fastpass fucked up a perfect system.

When disney genie was revealed I thought: wait, Did Disney just said "screw you, visit universal studios instead"?

Hubby is a former Disney exec, long time APs (since back when they were 99.00), our children were raised on Disney, it's a major part of our family heart and traditions. For the first time EVER, we are planning a trip to Universal Florida.

I'd bet a dollar to a donut that the execs have meticulously calculated the the gains vs the losses from folks like us that have had enough and leave the brand. The gains are worth it to them. They do not care about you. I hear all the time that Disney works so hard to make people happy. Meh, I'm going with they want to keep people just happy enough to come back. At the end of the day, they care about your money, not you. RIP Mr. Disney.

My friends works in ticket and resort sales at Universal and has said that many people have told him they have canceled their reservation at Disney and booked with Universal because of the recent changes Disney has made.

Universal bending to JK Rowling's every plea to win her franchise rights was critically brilliant. They clearly had kind of foresight that Disney stubbornly didn't.

This is spot on. We've been going to Disneyland for decades. In September 2021, for the first time ever, we had an AWFUL time. The entire experience has gone downhill. The reservation system was difficult to navigate, the standby lines were impossible, and no one was able to interact with other guests because you had to be on your damn phone the whole time! Walt has got to be turning over in his grave. I hope he haunts Bob Chapek and makes that money-grubbing POS miserable. Oh, and we were about to dump our stocks, but they dropped suddenly, so we're waiting for them to go back up a bit. We no longer want ANY part of Disney and that's sad considering my hubs has been a fan of Disneyland for literally 60 years.

Universal has certainly listened to guest feedback while Disney has gone on with "Disney knows best." No, no they don't. You know what Universal did after the bad opening of F&F:S? They went back to the drawing board and built TWO massive coasters costing more that Disney spent on Rise. And that did it for them. People like story yes, but when it takes favor over thrill, that's an issue. I think Disney has spent far too much time thinking kids still drive the majority of park purchases. Parents today are much more aware of what's a deal and what isn't. $150 for a princess dress? Not a deal. Kids are on their phones more, or an iPad, not going gah over some bubble wand. Disney has opened some okay, very safe additions while Universal has made a complete 180 with Hagrid's and Velocicoaster. In just a.few years they're gonna be opening A WHOLE NEW PARK with space for even another in the future. What's Disney response gonna be? Cause other than rehashing star Wars with the mandalorian or some misguided attempt to integrate more D+ synergy, there's not much.

People called me crazy and "awfully negative" when on that February morning in 2015, I said "this does NOT bode well", referring specifically to Chapek's consumer products background and how eerily similar it is to Paul Pressler. What we're seeing today is what would've happened in the 2000s if Pressler was allowed to stay longer. Those people aren't laughing at me anymore. I called all of this for YEARS now. Unfortunately, too many fans and the general customer just don't "read the tea leaves" of the business before it's too late.

Disney created the problems they’re trying to solve with Genie. They have just been adding and adding and adding rooms. Without adding experiences or capacity.

“Pride goeth before the fall.” Disney has become too prideful and arrogant over the last few years, and it may eventually come back to bite them in the next decade, especially if Universal continues to improve. I had been a yearly WDW visitor since 1981, but the last time I went was 2019, and I’ve no near future plans to return with the way things are going.

I have been going to Disneyland since the early 1970s. There were summers when we were there every Friday because it was just $9 per person. I worked at the Disneyland Hotel in 1988-1990 and have remained a resident of Orange County for decades so I could keep my family near Disneyland. BUT, since the destruction of the retro atmosphere at the hotel, with lots of fun things to see and do, and the creation of the Downtown Disney shopping district, with absolutely nothing to do but shop, that side of the Disney experience has been lost to the sands of time. I no longer love Disney as I once did... and that's a sad thing to admit.

Unfortunately I don’t think much will change. Disney will eventually be their own demise. When you slowly eat away at the Legacy and Love you created, it’s very hard to get that trust and joy back.

We just got back from our first trip to Disney as adults with our own kids (I hadn’t been in nearly 30 years since I was a kid), and while we had some fun, there was a certain…bad taste in my mouth after we left. We stayed on property because that’s what people who had lots of Disney experience recommended, but only once we were there did we realize that most of the perks that historically justified the on-property hotels were gone. And on top of the INSANE hotel cost, they charged us for parking! So we felt we were getting fleeced, which only got worse when we had to pay for food. $13 for a crappy, dry, flavorless burger that’s not even as good as something from Steak ‘N Shake for $4. Insane rates for buffets that offer food that’s just OK (Biergarten). Cocktails at Oga’s Cantina whose costs rival the most expensive hotels I’ve ever been to, but there’s no characters (at the moment, anyway) to enhance the experience. On top of those bigger issues, there was a bunch of other stuff - transportation issues, ride breakdowns (I got evac’d from Mine Ride and at least three times we wanted to go on a ride but it was broken at that particular moment), long waits for grab-and-go food. I’ll say as the parent with the wallet that I left less than thrilled. I’ll not be rushing back next year, and if we do go again, we’ll be staying off-property for sure.

We fell in love with Disney on our once in a lifetime trip, and went on four annual trips. We had planned to keep going. When we went to book for this December (i.e. December 2021) we opted not to pull the trigger because the price had gone up so much since we started going four years ago. We ended up booking Portofino Bay for less than we had paid to stay at a moderate at Disney. When the Genie+ news dropped I was so glad we had never booked Disney this year, and snagged the Universal Deal. Excited to check out Universal this December.

I said it on Offhand Disney's video and I'll say it again. The Chapek Era: Let's Cheapen the Experience and Charge you more for it.

Do not forget to blame Josh. As head of parks, this is also on him.

This morning I woke up and thought, "we haven't heard from posiden entertainment in a while, I bet he's making a long video critiquing disney for all the crap they just announced." Glad I was right! Good video! This is getting ridiculous

All my young life I wanted, needed to go to WDW... and when I finally did as a young father with his kids in 1998, it was an exceptional time.... I and my family loved it so much we decided to go a second time 2000.. But this time we would stay on the Disney property... and include the "Disney Dinning experience"... OMG.. the experience was beyond belief and enjoyable. The "Fast Pass" was a dream come true... At the end of the experience, we even had enough "Disney Dinning" money left over we could buy a bottle of wine due to the fact we couldnt spend enough on food during the stay..... And then things started to go down hill....the next 3 trips got progressively worse with each visit. Not only did they get rid of the "Disney Dinning" they also got rid of the "Fast Pass" altogether... I could go on but it would be senseless due to the fact Disney will care less what I think... Suffice to say, Disney will never be Disney anymore. Walt would be pissed if he was alive today.

This is so depressing. Took my kids to Disney World twice when they were little and we loved it. We did everything without having to have a crazy schedule. My kids have grown and flown, but we all talked about wanting to experience Disney again. No thanks. This isnt my idea of a vacation. Sad. Disney is preying and capitalizing on people’s FOMO. It feels like the theme park version of Black Friday. If you don’t get there early or plan ahead, you might miss the big prize! Ugh

I am worried Disney is like Nintendo and Apple. Even when quality drops or prices increase, the level of fandom is too strong. Universal is smart to fight hard and do its best to build a base of fans but Disney will probably only need to lower prices a bit again and most people will come right back.

This video was outstanding...I just got back from Disney world and I've gone over 40 times in my life. This was by far the worst experience I've ever had. I can't even wrap my head around the decline. In part 2 or 3 make sure to talk more on the ride updates that not only suck but also take months to do and still sick. Disney could build stuff and prep while still running to so they can minimize downtime during refurbishment. Instead its easier to just shut down a year or even 2 to do work that's underwhelming. You're also right with the new rides. They seem to be reaching only for the bare minimum, if even. Look at most of the new ones they do have. Nothing really earth shattering. Lastly, can you touch on the total failure of the once outstanding transportation system they had....man I have at least a dozen topics I wish you could do...I was a loyal fan of Disney for many years but I was pushed over the edge this years. You could almost make a mini series called The Decline of Disney: Vacation Kingdom of the Rich

Have been a die hard Disney fan for many many years. Have always said that nobody does it like Disney. My wife and I married 35 years ago, had six children and spent all our entertainment money at Disney parks. Over the years it became harder and harder as prices began to rise. They began taking away things like “no expiration “ tickets which we would buy and use for three or four years just so we could have a little touch of Disney on each trip. But, what we have continued to see is that Disney keeps taking away ways to make it a possibility for lower income families like us to enjoy the “magic “. With the new system they are promoting a class system in their parks showing that the people who they really care about giving costumer satisfaction to are those who have more money. Shame on you Disney. I believe that Walt would be ashamed at what you are becoming. This is a final straw for us. You are loosing a family that has always stood up for you in the past, but this is just too far. My heart is broken

We have been Disney vacation club members for over 20 years and over the last few years Disney has made it very clear that they just want to cut offerings and charge for what used to be free. We just keep getting squeezed tighter snd tighter. We stayed offsite last year snd had an amazing time! I don’t think the “Disney Difference” exists anymore. Oh and let’s not forget that annual passes just shot up about $300

As a life long guest, former cast member, and former annual pass holder, Disney has really gone down hill. Of course prices will rise with the higher demands but charging for parking per night at their own resorts is ridiculous. Not only that but now if you fly it’s cheaper to take an Uber than to use magical Express. Resorts go up in price and then the gauge you with lack of services making the vacation a piece of work. I would like to add that the rides have not been very impressive over the past decade either. Cheap layovers, no original IP’s. Disney use to take everything into consideration now they don’t give a rip. I use to frequent the parks about 3-4 times a year for a bout a week long trip. Now I go once a year for maybe 3-5 days. I’m finding myself traveling to other places that allow me to have a unique experience for a fraction of the price.

You’ve basically just put all my conversations of the past few weeks in a video. It is so sad and sucks. I remember meeting cast members outside the parks and learning about all the rules they used to have and how strict the hiring was and everything and now it’s just an absolute disaster.

Its not even about the price to me. Its the lack of innovation, creativity, and immersion that seems to be quickly fading away by everything just getting a moving logo. I brought my fiance on her first trip to disney world in 2018 and the whole time I wished she could have seen it 15 years ago

Will Disney ever stop turning their unique, painstakingly designed classic attractions into revolving door cookie cutter fixtures that can transition from one popular intellectual property to the next popular intellectual property? One can hope.

Can't stand that Disney is so cold and careless to the opinions of their longtime fans, that this is just NOT what people want.. I've been a lifelong Disneylander, going my entire life thanks to Disney-loving parents, but I feel more and more guilty for buying into their garbage by the year; but at the same time I don't want to miss what little of Walt's magic is left before they snuff it out. I'm absolutely dreading the Splash retheme at the moment as it's been my all-time favorite ride with its awesome music/animatronics/theming and its replacement will no doubt be as soullessly corporate and low-budget as everything else they've made lately. I can't imagine how ashamed Walt would be at what the company's doing these days. The movies are nothing special anymore, their renowned ride theming and cutting-edge technology is turning to rust, and they're squeezing every cent they can from their fans at every turn, with not an ounce of respect in return. I can't say "I hate Disney" with Walt in mind and all the good he did, but *MODERN* Disney can go take a hike.

I grew up in socal and always went to Disney. Five years ago we moved to the south east and I started going to world. I started to notice the park decline in land before we moved and then slowly world followed. Prices go up, rides are replaced with different themes versus fresh rides, food quality is dog crap and cast members are bitter due to rude customers. We use to go multiple times a year. We went during off season but it started to not make much of a difference the past few years. We have sworn off Disney parks and their crap movies until they get it together and don’t just see me as a wallet. I completely agree with your videos on Disney.

I have been planning a Disney World trip for my family for next year, but am now reconsidering it due to this new Genie change. I still enjoy Disney World as a place but not the amount of money I get ripped off from them. Overall great video and keep it up!

For much of my life I have gone to Disney world and had some pretty amazing memories made there. My family was at Magic kingdom opening day in 1971. I've gotten to take my daughter there and made more memories. Today though, it would be almost dead last as a choice of a vacation or even just for a day visit. Does anyone really want to have to plan that much to have a good time? Not me. And if I just wake up and decided to be spontaneous, I couldn't. Universal studios is a better option in those regards. Is Universal studios absolutely perfect? No. But it allows for a much better experience over Disney in so many ways. It's become a better place to enjoy over the mouse trap.

You said “expensive but underwhelming additions” just as you showed Starwars World. Exactly!

I agree wholeheartedly with this video. I’ve taken my sons to two Disney parks in the last two weeks with the Florida resident deal. First, getting a reservation was near impossible; the website was either down or it took hours to reach a ticket service agent! Second, I was amazed how many animatronics were down in MK and how fuzzy, blurry and faded were many of the projections and pictures. It’s barely two weeks before the big 50th celebration at MK, so you’d think that these details would be taken care of. And the cost just isn’t worth it. With the Florida resident deal, you can kind of justify it, but you’re very aware that you’re not getting what you paid for. Paying to park makes no sense when you consider that there is no other alternative since you have to pay for transportation to get on property regardless. In other words, it’s easy to see that Disney is about making money and not about the actual guest experience. They’ve lost their brand and are no longer the standard for hospitality by far.

I think imho, putting a penny pincher in the position of CEO is a huge red flag. Let alone a good thing. The second red flag is the extreme lack of experiences of both attractions and shows, and of course, another red flag: the already poorly executed genie app. I don’t think calling Disney too big to fail will work to wave off criticism is going to work anymore.

I'm from Ireland and me and my partner have been planning to go to Orlando for a few years now. The changes at Disney world have changed our plans significantly. Instead of going to Disney for 2 weeks, staying in a disney hotel, getting the dining plan, only going to universal for two days, we are going to stay at a non-disney hotel and only be in Disney for around a week, instead exploring other brand parks in Orlando for the other week. That's a lot of money Disney will be losing out on and I have no doubt it's not just me and my partner thinking this, the UK and Ireland market are big spenders because we go for a few weeks and they will definitely lose out with all the cuts they're making to guest perks.

Almost every line could end with "Except for Tokyo Disneyland Resort."

As a current Disney cm (I do photography), I completely agree with everything you said. The max pass at Disneyland was considered the least greedy deal and was generally well received at the parks. The removal of it has resulted in a lot of annoyance at the parks with guests often expressing to me how bad the decision was. I love that universal has been pushing hard to please guests as hopefully it will cause Disney to address their own greediness as well.

Corporate greed kills the magic. They’ll let the whole thing crash and burn!

Really pleased you’re making videos on this. I’m still trying to wrap my head around why Disney might think that the Disney Genie, LL, etc will work? Is this purely a cash grab? Keen to discuss Part2 as surely there needs to be more perks for resort guests (now there aren’t EM hours either, what do resort guests actually get apart from a blandly refurbed room?? Also keen to get your views as to whether you believe MNSSHP and MVMCP will ever return? The After Hours events seem to give Disney the $ without the need for the great guest experience which MNSSHP and MVMCP brought…

AMEN! my last time I went to Disney world was May 17 2021 and left knowing I wouldn't come back to it again for another 20 years. The magic is not there anymore.

Alternate Title: Yet another reason why you should be going Universal Studios Florida instead.

I went to both universal and Disney in February. I felt much safer and had a much better experience at Universal. Universal didn't cut the experience due to COVID. They adjusted the experience to match the times we're living in. They spaced out the character meet and greets instead of getting rid of them like Disney, the employees at Universal squirt your hands with sanitizer to make sure you got on the ride with clean hands. Disney had sanitizer machines you got to choose whether or not to use. And Universal kept the street shows and street performers. Disney cut them. And like the video said it was much more affordable. I love Disney, but other than the cast members kindness Universal won me over for overall experience. When I make my next trip to Orlando I have no issue skipping Disney. ESPECIALLY if Epic adventure is open.

It’s really sad. I mean I love Disney! It use to be a magical place, but now. It’s just not the same. No more Magical Express Buses, and now Disney Genie+. Disney has lost the value of its magic. You are paying for very little. There new quote should be “The most anti consumer friendly place on earth.” -Disney Walt is probably ashamed right now because this is not what he wanted. This is all a disgrace to his dream. 😔

FINALLY somebody does a piece on what has been obvious to many of us (who remember what made Disney and the parks unique and fun!) for some time now. I would say they started downhill since leaving the hands of the Disney family. What originally made an attraction to children, and some adults, originally was imagination, fun, and adventure. When I went as a young child (60’s 70’s), it seemed REAL to me! And it stimulated my imagination for many things and places. From jungle adventures, old Dixieland New Orleans, Space, Fantasy, and the microscopic world! That seems to be totally lost in current Disney! Tour guides used to play along with the experience (for children and some adults) acting as if it were real. Now they act like bitter employees cracking lame jokes about the attractions. The focus now, which is very apparent, is making lots of money, and not offending anyone. Also, the focus is now directed more towards young adults, rather than children and families. In short, it is RUINED. 😢

My wife and I first visited Disney World in 1988. It was wonderful. A few years later we went again. Again, it was a wonderful experience. We couldn't wait to go again. A few years later we did so, and it was not nearly as good. I attempted to book a trip for next year (2022) and most of the things we enjoyed about the Disney World experience seems to have gone away. The cost has gone way up. We've decided not to return. We are very disappointed.

I appreciate you making videos like this, not being afraid to rake Disney over the coals for the ridiculous changes for the worse that they've been making for years. I'm sick of all the vloggers who basically live in the parks every day and are too scared to say anything negative, which could compromise their precious access. And you could do a whole other video (or video series) about the terrible theming changes to the parks and the rides in recent years. I have amazing memories of going to Disney World as a kid and as a teenager. I haven't been there since 2015, and I'm not sure when I'm ever going to want to go back. I thought I'd be taking my daughter there every 2-3 years. But that isn't happening.

The sad thing is Disney will have record-breaking profits with the new decisions, so ultimately it proves them right will further encourage more degradation of the experience where you have to pay $$$ to get the full scope. Tbf this was a long time coming as they have already done this in their other divisions.

If Disney didn't have the history and it's name behind it, I honestly think it Universal would probably out do Disney just out it having so many rides.

I really liked the scramble on the iPhone to try to get into Ride of the Resistance. What a damned joke. You have a what, 10 or 20 second window at 7:00am. Went with five people. None of us could get on either of the two most popular attractions so we said, "So what, we just won't do it." Fast Pass was a very good system. What does a company do with a very good system - screw it where the sun doesn't shine. That's Disney 2021.

Honestly, I'm having trouble understanding why anyone tells me they still think Disney is worth it right now. I agree with everything you said in your video except for the comment about New Fantasyland being cheap because it focuses more on character experiences than rides. I was really pleased with the "magic portal" that opens into Belle's library and the enhanced experience of her storytelling as well as The Little Mermaid ride and Beauty and the Beast restaurant, which actually has better theming than Cinderella's Royal Table. However, that was almost a decade ago, and I think they were genuinely more focused on creating a better experience at that time than they are now.

It’s sad how the magic has been depleted by the current leadership. He not only cares more about the bottom line than the guest experience, but he cares even less for cast members. I have been going since the 70s, but am starting to visit US more often. They seem to care much more for both guests and employees and that matters deeply to me. I am also shopping vintage, thrifted, or artisan rather than buying from the parks. It’s better for the environment and the sellers. If Disney can’t support fans and employees, then we have to support each other (Including YOUR monetization). Great video. Thank you for putting this out there.

Most memorable line from business school, ‘You can be greedy…or stupid…:but not both’

The new spider man ride at DCA is absolutely awful! It’s the kind of garbage you would see at a six flags park

Disney: pay up or move out the way, there is twenty million waiting in line behind you

I can’t believe they would dirty Genie’s name like this 😔

I never thought that I would think twice about a Disney trip and I’m leaning on not going. I’ve always loved universal And Disney made me realize that.

I went to Universal Singapore back in 2011 completely blind with my parents barely speaking English yet I was able to have such a fun time. I can't imagine having the same fun in Disney parks with all these confusing planning and ridiculous wait time

It's gotten so you have to preplan everything when you have a disney experience and there is no ability to have any spontaneity. My last visit in 2014, we didn't make reservations for all our dinners and spent 1-1/2 hours looking for some place to eat. The fact that it is so expensive and they are nickel and diming their guests is making me rethink Disney vacation. Too bad because my young family had the best time ever, but I doubt I will take my grandkids.

I’m not a theme park person in any way, shape or form…but continue to follow the Saga of Disney to see just how long people will put up with their ridiculous money-grabs…that are blatantly evident even to this outsider….carry on - carry on!!

I thought I was the only one who noticed these things! Thank you! Disney has no regard for guest experience. After becoming a SW and then UO passholder, I realized how overpriced and under served my Disney experiences were. The last straw for me was struggling in shoulder to shoulder crowds to get out of MK for almost 3 hours one night. Who can do that with small kids? No fun!

We went to the Magic Kingdom on October 22, '21 and I'm happy to report that my 9 and 11 yr olds absolutely hated it.

I believe it and feel it when we go there. Disney wants all. Disney plus, less service, expensive food. The fall of a company if they keep going like this. In this life nothing is forever.

Yet another great analysis! My family has always made use of fast pass systems no matter the cost but this Genie system is definitely a step too far. Express at Universal works so much better although I do kind of miss the convenience of magic bands when walking around Universal. It's kind of a pain to have to scrounge around for paper tickets ngl.

I've always suspected that the end goal is, to put it bluntly, to eliminate the riff raff. Simply price them out of the equation and subsist on those already hooked with passes/plus memberships/etc.

Magic Kingdom is a rather small for the crowd it handles. Instead of expanding it to increase capacity, they are jacking up the prices. The loss of many of the original rides at Epcot such as World of Motion has really ruined the experience. I am sure the new replacement for Innovations will be completely underwhelming. Less and less a reason to go to these parks.

I went twice a year for 10 years. Haven’t gone since the resorts started charging for parking. For me that was the straw that broke the camels back. Needless to say it’s only gotten worse from there. There is no value there any more. There is a tipping point, and that was mine.

I was so impressed to see how Universal managed the standby line, single rider, and express lines so easily

Man, no other youtuber wants to talk about this, some of them just try to convince people that theres a positive side of this and that its worth it. Thank you for this video.

I'm from overseas and it's difficult enough trying to juggle work leave with international flights and available hotels in the Disney area. So now park and ride availability is in the mix too and it's disappointing, so I won't be going back any time soon. My husband and I are older and the last thing we want to do on vacation is to use a smartphone just to go on rides. My first visit was in 1979 when they had the ticket system - which I didn't like. It was great when the one entry included everything. When the fast pass system started, in my opinion, is when the whole experience started declining. And by the way; no 'ride' is worth $30USD!!

Ironic, RW warned that the use of his Character would lead to the industry's downfall and here we are.

Genuinely sad to see Disney become so cynical. My dad was a paving foreman and he could afford taking a family of 6 to Disney world. It used to be somewhere special that made you feel good and important. People need a get away that's not $1,500 a day, I mean Disney was already expensive af in the 90s, but at least it was possible.

Truly an A+++ vlog! Something everyone should watch before they go, and something those of us who have been going for many years have been thinking!

Just found your channel and every video I’ve watched is articulated so well.

Great vid. Love to see in depth stuff like this, so keep it coming!

I never thought the day would come where I'd be sitting wanting to go to universal over Disney, I've been a fan for long but they have just strayed so far from Walt's vision

I first visited Disney 19 years ago - with my ex and then little girl. I wanted to make new memories with my now adult daughter (30) her fiance, and my new husband who is the love of my life. I had been going on and on for ages saying how magical it was and emotional etc. So booked up to go in 2020 which was my 60th birthday, however, Covid struck, so the monies sat with the travel company and we waited. This May our chance came, but right from the get go I had a feeling that things had changed. We got a great deal for the parks, but now no water parks included. Then I was asked to book the parks on the days I was going to go! But wait I said, I don't know how we are all going to feel on a particular day, we arent used to the heat, if we book this far in advance we cannot change our plans and be spontaneous. But I was told very politely I had no choice. So book the various parks we did, we looked up the price of the water parks and decided not to include them. So the arrival day came. Luckily we stayed with a relative in a town an hours drive away. All excited we began to look at our itinerary and thankfully my relative let me borrow his car (which meant we had a bit more to spend). we were warned that we would now have to pay for parking at each park daily!!!! whaaaat? Then, download genie and if you want to go on any of the rides you are going to have to pay 14$ each!!!! no way!!!! oh yes way. So our whole time in Disney parks was spent with my daughter on the phone all the time trying to get the rides, bless her heart she managed to get us on most of the ones we wanted except the rise of the resistance, which incidentally being huge star wars fans was going to be the highlight of the trip. No characters walking around, some staff were so miserable (not the majority I hasten to add). food was really expensive, but this was a trip of a lifetime. anyway, for me and my daughter it had lost its magic, we wont return. For the boys, they have not known Disney any other way and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Epcot for us this year was the best park, because at least there you didnt have to spend a vast fortune to eat around the world at the little food booths (during the flower festival). So whoever the CEO is, I hope he realises that he has taken the heart out of Disney. It is no longer magical, I didnt see one character close up, a few on a stage far away but that was it, and please dont tell me they arent walking around because they kept getting attacked!!! its because for each character there was a chaperone, so delete this magical thing and you have made a killing on the savings on staff wages. Next time I come to Florida I will spend more time seeing real Florida, I will visit Epcot but not as many times. I will not be going to magic kingdom because that now needs to just be called Disney. So so sad.

For the first time ever ( after taking 12 trips to Orlando and Disney) we will be taking a universal trip only. It's killing me too.

Bob Chapek, more like Bob Paycheck since that’s all he cares about…

can’t believe you only have 4k subs! your videos are so well made, so good to see someone looking through Disney’s cheap facade

I waited in the standby line for toy story midway mania last August. There was 1 room of people, and we waited like 2 hours. When we got to the fast pass merge point, they were letting 40 people in through fast pass, before letting 1 party of 2 in through the normal line.

The reason I like this channel is because it doesn't pull the necessary punches. We like Disney and we want to keep liking it. But we WILL NOT accept being ripped off! Disney doesn't need to rip off their fans to succeed. I hope they realize that before it's too late.

Universal having a better skip the line system than disney that offers a better experience but still keeps the standby lines moving? Shocker. Can't wait for part 2 and I'm waiting for the moment that sub count rockets up