Is the magic gone?

[WrigleysWagon 32]

We just returned from our 6th trip to Disney in 12 years, including 5 trips in the last 4 years. I know that probably pales in comparison to most here but it's what we're able to do. Our first two trips were pretty amazing, the next three were enjoyable, but this last trip was not what I had come to expect from Disney World. For the first time I felt like I did not get my money's worth out of our trip. Many of the cast members were, simply phoning it in. Many of them were very sarcastic, and some were just plain rude. The magic kingdom was just dirty, half the faucets in the bathrooms weren't working, and a hole in the wall at Space Mountain was patched with painters tape. Seriously!?  We saw a manager at AK yell at a guy to put shoes on as she zoomed through the line without stopping.  Rides were frequently down, and several of the guests were screaming profanities, wearing inappropriate clothing, and just generally being nasty. There were other instances as well. It was really a disappointing trip. The only saving grace was that my 8yo had fun, but even he asked a couple times to just go back to the camper. The whole reason we go to WDW is for the experience. We certainly don't have to drive 15 hours and pay thousands for a full hookup campsite, or an amusement ride. I really hope this was just an off trip for us, but it was consistently disappointing all week. We may try again next year, but maybe it's time to take a little break from the mouse house. 

[LONE-STAR 370]

I have found the more you go the more you notice what's wrong. The first couple of trips your amazed but then after the amazement whereas off you notice what's wrong.

But keep going because you soon realize it's still a better place then most.

Sorry the trip wasn't what you hoped.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Whenever I feel the magic disappearing, I sit back and enjoy a warm, ooey gooey Main Street Bakery cinnamon roll.

Sent from my handheld doohickie

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

We're on our 3rd weeklong trip this year. I haven't encountered any rude cast members, but there's been plenty of examples of rude guests. I chalk that up to general decline of society and cultural differences of some people. I don't let that bother me.  

I think the maintenance issue is now based on how long a ride has been operating since a refurb. I think in the past they did more repairs at night now they seem to patch it up and wait for the long return. I don't like that.  It reminds me of six flags.

 

[PghBob 31]

We have been going to WDW several times a year lately.  Even if we are staying multiple weeks, we only go to the parks a couple of times each visit.  We enjoy the Fort and guests at the Fort more than the mega-crowds at the parks.  When I talk to CMs or other guests about the Fort, I refer to it as the un-Disney because it is much more quiet and laid back.

We have also noted the umm, lack of up-keep in the parks.  Maybe the large crowds get in the way of routine fix-ups???

[DaveInTN 3,247]

We have also noted the umm, lack of up-keep in the parks.  Maybe the $$$$$ get in the way of routine fix-ups???

I made a small adjustment to your post.

Sent from my handheld doohickie

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

I think an old expression rings true for me. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but familiarity breeds contempt." For the first time in many years, I do not have an AP and do not plan on having one. The continuing "year of a million schemes," higher prices, lower quality and less service definitely made me lose my magic.

I get a bit ocdish at times so I researched the cost of a 7 day trip to wdw in 2007 compared to 2017 during value season (Haha there are so few days now) to POR with dining plan and a 6 day MYW PH. I understand inflation, but the price has right at DOUBLED! And for that extra cost, you get less. I will post the details when I get back to my laptop.

I'm sad that my happy place is gone. I have fantastic memories of our time there with Mama and friends. Even though I had a pass, I did not care enough to go see any of the new stuff. it's the end of an era for me.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Edited May 29, 2017 by PureTcrazy...rita
OLD AND SENILE! LOL

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

2007 Port Orleans standard room (5 season rates and 3 room categories)				2017 Port Orleans standard room (15 different season rates and 10 different categories)
Room STANDARD VALUE SEASON (AVAILABLE 128 DAYS JAN/FEB & AUG/SEP/OCT & DEC)	145 X 7	1015		Room STANDARD VALUE SEASON (ONLY AVAILABLE 33 DAYS JAN/FEB)	213 x 5 + 233 x 2	1531
DDP INCL TIP, TAX AND APP	39 x 2 x 7 + 11 X 2 X 7	700		DDP DOES NOT INCLUDE TIP OR APP	68 X 2 X 7 + 24 X 2 X 7 plus tip 125 and price of apps 105	1515
6 DAY MYW PH	247 x 2 + 219 x 2	932		6 DAY MYW PH	495 x 2 + 473 x 2	1936
TOTAL		2647		TOTAL		4982

[PghBob 31]

On 5/28/2017 at 9:15 AM, DaveInTN said:

I made a small adjustment to your post.

Sent from my handheld doohickie

Edit accepted.  Thanks.

[BigTom 76]

I feel the same way, we use to go 6-8 times a year and held passes, last year we went one time, Halloween and have only  1 reservation for this year. We have begin to take what it cost and taking a Disney cruise instead. Still spending as much money, but enjoying it more.

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Ugh.. these posts make me so sad.  We didn't have an annual pass last year, but purchased one this Spring (to start this Fall).  We have three trips currently planned including Thanksgiving and New Years.  I had also planned on two trips next year, but now I'm not so sure.

Sigh...

[DaveInTN 3,247]

24 minutes ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Ugh.. these posts make me so sad.  We didn't have an annual pass last year, but purchased one this Spring (to start this Fall).  We have three trips currently planned including Thanksgiving and New Years.  I had also planned on two trips next year, but now I'm not so sure.

Sigh...

If you are still enjoying your trips, and making good memories with your kids, by all means take those trips.  Keep in mind that everyone on here is in different stages of their Disney relationship.  Some have been going for many years and are jaded.  Others have been going a long time and will continue, as they simply love Disney.  Many more are in the early stages of their Disney crush and the magic is still being made.  If your only doubts about continuing on your journey are due to the opinions of others, please pay them no attention.  You may come upon Disney burn out on your own, in your own time.  But if you're not there yet, go and enjoy yourself.  Even I, a recovering Disney addict and sometime hater, still find many things at WDW that I enjoy, despite my complaining.  Don't let me or anyone else get you down.    

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

50 minutes ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Ugh.. these posts make me so sad.  We didn't have an annual pass last year, but purchased one this Spring (to start this Fall).  We have three trips currently planned including Thanksgiving and New Years.  I had also planned on two trips next year, but now I'm not so sure.

Sigh...

Ditto to what Dave said too.

 

We bought AP's this year. We've done 3 1 weeklong stays at the fort this year and we have 2 more trips planned this year. There are some negatives, but we're having the time of our lives. We're planning on the same next year. 

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

55 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

If you are still enjoying your trips, and making good memories with your kids, by all means take those trips.  Keep in mind that everyone on here is in different stages of their Disney relationship.  Some have been going for many years and are jaded.  Others have been going a long time and will continue, as they simply love Disney.  Many more are in the early stages of their Disney crush and the magic is still being made.  If your only doubts about continuing on your journey are due to the opinions of others, please pay them no attention.  You may come upon Disney burn out on your own, in your own time.  But if you're not there yet, go and enjoy yourself.  Even I, a recovering Disney addict and sometime hater, still find many things at WDW that I enjoy, despite my complaining.  Don't let me or anyone else get you down.    

Couldn't have said it any better......

FWIW, there was a woman posting on the Fort FB page earlier who had lived full time at the Fort for 4 years and she said it had it's ups and downs but overall it was still magical for her and she is looking forward to doing it again.  :-)

 

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

Ugh.. these posts make me so sad.  We didn't have an annual pass last year, but purchased one this Spring (to start this Fall).  We have three trips currently planned including Thanksgiving and New Years.  I had also planned on two trips next year, but now I'm not so sure.

Sigh...

I'm so sorry. Please do not let my burn out color your future trips. I know lots of folks who recently went for the first time and they love it. It was hard for me to go back after losing Mama, but I ended up feeling fine being there because it brought back so many happy times we shared. Maybe that is part of my issue, it's not the same without her. I'm a Florida resident and have been going for multiple trips over many years and I'm sure that contributes. That and two bad crowd experiences back to back. I hope you and your family have a fantastic time on your trips!

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[keith_h 420]

We haven't been since late 2015. From some of the comments I could ascribe some of the complaints about poor maintenance/cleanliness to the same problems shared by many of our national parks. Being loved to death. With the increasing attendance wear and tear is just going to go up and if you reach critical mass it becomes close to impossible to keep up with it. There is a solution and that is to decrease the density in the parks and other Disney facilities but that costs money. Since it does cost money that brings in the whole ROI thing, bean counters, .....

We are still looking forward to our trip. The increased costs have made us reconsider how often we go and helped push us off to other types of vacations where we can get more in but the Disney magic is still there.

[PGHFiend 140]

We did APs 2 years back to back, and they ended over a year ago. We only started going in the last 5 years, so we've seen many changes in that short time span (think paper fast passes). We still love going and will continue to do so at least once per year, but do notice the overcrowding even since we've started coming to the parks.  We both commented about how there were overflowing trash cans on the last visit before easter.  I even asked a CM to have one emptied inside Ariels grotto as it was so full people were throwing trash on the ground all around it.  When I asked, the people behind us in line overheard me and said that they had never seen the MK like that before.....people are definately noting the decline. 

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

15 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

If you are still enjoying your trips, and making good memories with your kids, by all means take those trips.  Keep in mind that everyone on here is in different stages of their Disney relationship.  Some have been going for many years and are jaded.  Others have been going a long time and will continue, as they simply love Disney.  Many more are in the early stages of their Disney crush and the magic is still being made.  If your only doubts about continuing on your journey are due to the opinions of others, please pay them no attention.  You may come upon Disney burn out on your own, in your own time.  But if you're not there yet, go and enjoy yourself.  Even I, a recovering Disney addict and sometime hater, still find many things at WDW that I enjoy, despite my complaining.  Don't let me or anyone else get you down.    

Thank you...

 

14 hours ago, PureTcrazy...rita said:

I'm so sorry. Please do not let my burn out color your future trips. I know lots of folks who recently went for the first time and they love it. It was hard for me to go back after losing Mama, but I ended up feeling fine being there because it brought back so many happy times we shared. Maybe that is part of my issue, it's not the same without her. I'm a Florida resident and have been going for multiple trips over many years and I'm sure that contributes. That and two bad crowd experiences back to back. I hope you and your family have a fantastic time on your trips!

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 Where's the little huggy-guy (those silly things all disappeared awhile back), when you need him 

 

[WrigleysWagon 32]

I certainly wasn't trying to bring anyone down, or discourage anyone.  I was just commenting on a pretty drastic drop in customer service. After our first couple of visits they kind of plateaued a bit, and we always had a blast. This trip just seemed like Disney was off their game. It was much more of a chore than anything. My son still had fun so really that's what is all about.   

[Travisma 1,317]

10 hours ago, WrigleysWagon said:

I certainly wasn't trying to bring anyone down, or discourage anyone.  I was just commenting on a pretty drastic drop in customer service. After our first couple of visits they kind of plateaued a bit, and we always had a blast. This trip just seemed like Disney was off their game. It was much more of a chore than anything. My son still had fun so really that's what is all about.   

The one noticeable improvement (that took way too long to implement) is the security changes at the MK.  So far that has worked out great splitting the checks into different areas.  Now if they can figure out a way of getting everyone out of the parks at closing without it being a mob scene...

Yes, the parks are definitely showing their age, and like someone else had mentioned, as the rides get older they are requiring more and more maintenance to keep them up and running.

But little things are also being overlooked, We were at the boat ramp at HS and the railings were in terrible shape with peeling and missing huge chunks of paint.  Not the Disney of old.

..

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Interesting thread.

I think every Disney fan often asks "is it worth it?"  I know that I do.

I've been lucky to have visited WDW from the time it was just the MK and a few hotels all the way up to now.  Has the quality declined?  No question, it absolutely has.  Are the prices to high?  Of course they are. You definitely get less bang for the buck than you used to. Are there Cast Members who should be working somewhere else?  Absolutely.  Has inept management wrecked some things at the Fort?  Heck yes.I could make a long list of things that are gone that used to be very fun and enjoyable.

But, is the magic gone?

No. Not at all.

The TCD gang just returned from a long Memorial Day weekend stay at the Fort.  We were in that mob of guests who packed Animal Kingdom for the opening day of Pandora.  The Fort was packed to the gills on Saturday and Sunday night.  It was hot and humid.  The sound didn't work for the fireworks at the Fort Wilderness beach party on Sunday night.  And we loved it.

I can't wait for my next trip to the Fort.  There's no place I'd rather be.

TCD

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

 

On 5/29/2017 at 4:49 PM, DaveInTN said:

If you are still enjoying your trips, and making good memories with your kids, by all means take those trips.  Keep in mind that everyone on here is in different stages of their Disney relationship.  Some have been going for many years and are jaded.  Others have been going a long time and will continue, as they simply love Disney.  Many more are in the early stages of their Disney crush and the magic is still being made.  If your only doubts about continuing on your journey are due to the opinions of others, please pay them no attention.  You may come upon Disney burn out on your own, in your own time.  But if you're not there yet, go and enjoy yourself.  Even I, a recovering Disney addict and sometime hater, still find many things at WDW that I enjoy, despite my complaining.  Don't let me or anyone else get you down.    

^THIS^

6 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

... Has the quality declined?  No question, it absolutely has.  Are the prices to high?  Of course they are. You definitely get less bang for the buck than you used to. Are there Cast Members who should be working somewhere else?  Absolutely.  Has inept management wrecked some things at the Fort?  Heck yes.I could make a long list of things that are gone that used to be very fun and enjoyable.

But, is the magic gone?

No. Not at all.

...I can't wait for my next trip to the Fort.  There's no place I'd rather be.

TCD

^AND THIS^

With the exception of last year, DH and I been going for a few weeks every year for 11 years now.  Our expectations have changed over time, as have our attitudes about what those trips are about. We've found some changes good, some bad. We've gone from hitting the parks all day every day, to popping in and out; enjoying our favorite things; finding some new things; and generally relaxing a whole lot more and just taking it all in.   Yeah there seem to be a lot more rude people around (mostly Guests in my experience) but that's everywhere these days and for whatever reason, WDW is the one place it doesn't bother me so much.

There's still nowhere else I go where I walk around with a smile on my face most of the time, feel comfortable just saying "hi" and talking to complete strangers, and generally letting go of the outside world. The magic may have changed over time, but it's still there for us.  :)

[WrigleysWagon 32]

8 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

The TCD gang just returned from a long Memorial Day weekend stay at the Fort.

 

Not to belabor the point but this may be a big factor, all least in our case. Assuming you live close and have the ability to go on weekend trips on a somewhat regular basis, an off trip may not impact you as much.  We travel 16 hours over two days to get there and place a great deal of our "vacation eggs" in Disney's basket.  An off trip for us has an especially disappointing sting.   All things considered, we are blessed enough to even have the opportunity to go to Disney at all.  That in itself, after a bit of time to cool off, makes me feel a little better about the whole thing. 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

I agree with TCD.  There's no place I'd rather be.

We've been visiting WDW since 1976.  Yes, we've seen a huge amount of changes.  And, as others have said, some of the changes are good, others are bad.  Overall my feeling is that the changes at the Fort are good.  It's the parks that I have mixed emotions about.  Are they as clean as they were 40 years ago?  Definitely no.  Is Disney allowing too many people into the parks?  Definitely yes.  I greatly dislike having to plan my meals 180 days out and having to get FP+ for the attractions and the restaurants we could walk right into years ago.  Yes, the attitude of many CMs has changed for the worse.

But we are fortunate to be at the point in our lives where we can be at the Fort for 4 weeks or more on each trip.   A few disappointments won't mar our overall experience because there are so many great things to explore.  We are counting down the days until our next trip.

[Starbuc71 162]

What a great thread. I'm not going to carry on with my usual negative rant since almost all of you hit the nail on the head. But I will reiterate this; Yes, the magic is still there, yes the fort is still in the top 3 campgrounds in the US, yes society is changing and does not stop at Disney, yes definitely the more you go, the more negative you see, yes we all think Disney management could improve and yes for some reason we keep going back. 

As DIT will tell you Disney could learn a lot  from Dolly Parton and her theme park. Customer service should always be number one. Of course bottom line is what drives everything but you need to do it in a way your customer does not notice it. Putting blackout dates for certain tickets on every date kids are out from school and forcing you to buy a higher priced ticket is not a a good customer service practice if your not going to offer more for your dollar. First impressions are everything and painters tape patching holes won't cut it. 

Believe me, they are the almighty Disney. There is no excuse not to provide a clean upgraded park and experience and still make a zillion dollars. In my opinion, the run down of the parks is my biggest issue these days,  there is no excuse for it. As stated in another post, I feel so bad for attractions like the land in Epcot. The ride is not only outdated but filthy and run down. No excuse in my book.  And last, has anyone noticed every time at Epcot that wonderful poop smell coming out of the character meet and greet opposite innovations West?   It's there ALL THE TIME.  No excuse Disney