I’m MAD😡😡

[Starbuc71 162]

Hey all, I usually do not post here anymore for a few reasons. Mostly because we are not campers any longer and as I am not anti Disney, we have been saddened by the changes (even pre Covid) the mouse has made.  Our daughter is now 15. We started camping at the fort when she was 2. Unfortunately, Disney priced us out of the fort around 2016/2017.  Our daughter is still a huge Disney fan and will stay up to date with all things Disney at the parks. She wants to go back so bad, and honestly, the wife and I wouldn’t mind a little bit of happy place after this past 15 months working in the medical field. Now here is where I get frustrated.  I know everyone has suffered somehow through this pandemic and every business that survived is trying to figure out how to recoup their losses.  My plan was to possibly purchase Epcot after 4 passes for Christmas. With the latest announcement of AP last week, I don’t see the after 4 pass. This irritated me but didn’t get me mad yet. As I looked at the new passes, it started to get me more mad. To get a decent pass that allows you access on weekends or when school is out will run you close to $1000 each and for the poor out of state people, your looking over $1200.  This is just plain crazy.  Don’t make me quote the famous Walt speech about creating a place EVERYONE can enjoy. So, this got me mad, but this last one got me pissed. So now I figure I would get tickets for this new Christmas party special event ticket. Mind you, it’s 9pm to 1am with letting you in at 7, not 4 like previous hours. To my holy surprise, a November ticket was $189 and a December ticket was close to $230 each…. Sorry but WTF.  THIS IS TOTALLY INSANE.  I’m not buying these. If it were not for the love of Disney from our kids, I would ban these morons for life.  They might as well do a credit check at security and only let certain income people in.  They are doing this hypothetically by charging what they do.  And don’t get me started on Disney cruise line prices. It’s something WE WILL NEVER AFFORD. Thanks Disney for absolutely nothing

[LONE-STAR 370]

The price has gotten high. How about now you have to pay for a fast pass, which now it has a new name. If it wasn't for my kid I could be done  based on price. But she loves Disney and we like it to, so for now I guess we keep paying. Everything has gotten so expensive now we went to a camp ground last weekend that we have been going to for 20 years and it's now $80.00 per night and there are zero amenities other then river access. 

[Starbuc71 162]

2 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

The price has gotten high. How about now you have to pay for a fast pass, which now it has a new name. If it wasn't for my kid I could be done  based on price. But she loves Disney and we like it to, so for now I guess we keep paying. Everything has gotten so expensive now we went to a camp ground last weekend that we have been going to for 20 years and it's now $80.00 per night and there are zero amenities other then river access. 

I hear ya. They priced us out years ago, but what they are doing now is BS. $230 each for 4 hours of a Christmas party?  Come on. People need to boycott the parks but it will never happen

[kadancer 82]

The price and limitations on all tickets has gotten outrageous.  We live out of state and generally hold annual passes, but did not have active ones when the pandemic hit.  Consequently, for our 21 day stay in the campground in August we bought 10 day tickets which we could not even use at any time during our stay.  We prefer to spread our park days out.  To compound this we have a son on the severe end of the autism spectrum who literally did not leave the house for 18 months because he does not tolerate wearing a mask. Nor can he understand the question, "what do you want to do several months from now 900 miles away?"  We fully understand that his limitations are ours to bear, so we made the decision to buy his tickets on the daily basis as he requested a park.  We also knew that we would have to function without a guest assistance pass because waiting in line and getting that to happen exceeds his tolerance and we are done in the park for that day - I could not financially justify buying a ticket to have his needs accommodated and frankly, do not believe I should have to do so.  I was so proud of his patience and happy that he could keep his mask in place to at least experience some of the attractions.  Now with the newly announced annual pass prices which you must pay an upcharge for water parks and photo pass, Disney has probably priced us out of that market.  A very sad day for our family.....

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

3 hours ago, kadancer said:

The price and limitations on all tickets has gotten outrageous.  We live out of state and generally hold annual passes, but did not have active ones when the pandemic hit.  Consequently, for our 21 day stay in the campground in August we bought 10 day tickets which we could not even use at any time during our stay.  We prefer to spread our park days out.  To compound this we have a son on the severe end of the autism spectrum who literally did not leave the house for 18 months because he does not tolerate wearing a mask. Nor can he understand the question, "what do you want to do several months from now 900 miles away?"  We fully understand that his limitations are ours to bear, so we made the decision to buy his tickets on the daily basis as he requested a park.  We also knew that we would have to function without a guest assistance pass because waiting in line and getting that to happen exceeds his tolerance and we are done in the park for that day - I could not financially justify buying a ticket to have his needs accommodated and frankly, do not believe I should have to do so.  I was so proud of his patience and happy that he could keep his mask in place to at least experience some of the attractions.  Now with the newly announced annual pass prices which you must pay an upcharge for water parks and photo pass, Disney has probably priced us out of that market.  A very sad day for our family.....

I’m sorry, trying to understand... you have to pay extra for a guest assistance past (I’m guessing that’s the handicap accessible type pass)?

Agree with you on the pricing...it’s awful 😞

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

On 9/5/2021 at 8:45 AM, Starbuc71 said:

Hey all, I usually do not post here anymore for a few reasons. Mostly because we are not campers any longer and as I am not anti Disney, we have been saddened by the changes (even pre Covid) the mouse has made.  Our daughter is now 15. We started camping at the fort when she was 2. Unfortunately, Disney priced us out of the fort around 2016/2017.  Our daughter is still a huge Disney fan and will stay up to date with all things Disney at the parks. She wants to go back so bad, and honestly, the wife and I wouldn’t mind a little bit of happy place after this past 15 months working in the medical field. Now here is where I get frustrated.  I know everyone has suffered somehow through this pandemic and every business that survived is trying to figure out how to recoup their losses.  My plan was to possibly purchase Epcot after 4 passes for Christmas. With the latest announcement of AP last week, I don’t see the after 4 pass. This irritated me but didn’t get me mad yet. As I looked at the new passes, it started to get me more mad. To get a decent pass that allows you access on weekends or when school is out will run you close to $1000 each and for the poor out of state people, your looking over $1200.  This is just plain crazy.  Don’t make me quote the famous Walt speech about creating a place EVERYONE can enjoy. So, this got me mad, but this last one got me pissed. So now I figure I would get tickets for this new Christmas party special event ticket. Mind you, it’s 9pm to 1am with letting you in at 7, not 4 like previous hours. To my holy surprise, a November ticket was $189 and a December ticket was close to $230 each…. Sorry but WTF.  THIS IS TOTALLY INSANE.  I’m not buying these. If it were not for the love of Disney from our kids, I would ban these morons for life.  They might as well do a credit check at security and only let certain income people in.  They are doing this hypothetically by charging what they do.  And don’t get me started on Disney cruise line prices. It’s something WE WILL NEVER AFFORD. Thanks Disney for absolutely nothing

Dave-  I can’t believe your daughter is 15! Wow!  If it’s any consolation, you are making a good choice to not give your money to Disney.  Even without the price increases, the current parks experience is awful.  Hardly and shows, no parking lot trams, poor crowd control, long lines, price gouging on food, no Fastpass.  It’s just not nearly as fun as it used to be. It’s very sad- especially for anyone who remembers how things used to be. If you need a fix, wait for one of those Florida Resident three day pass deals. They always pump those out and probably still will when attendance lags. 

TCD

[Starbuc71 162]

6 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Dave-  I can’t believe your daughter is 15! Wow!  If it’s any consolation, you are making a good choice to not give your money to Disney.  Even without the price increases, the current parks experience is awful.  Hardly and shows, no parking lot trams, poor crowd control, long lines, price gouging on food, no Fastpass.  It’s just not nearly as fun as it used to be. It’s very sad- especially for anyone who remembers how things used to be. If you need a fix, wait for one of those Florida Resident three day pass deals. They always pump those out and probably still will when attendance lags. 

TCD

Yeah, time flies. I remember when your girls were little tikes at the fort also. It’s sad because our daughter reminds us of yours, she still loves Disney as a young adult and was hoping to do the college program there. I told her to slow down because of so many changes. I hope they reconsider the Epcot after 4, but if they do, I’m sure the price will skyrocket with restrictions.  Your right about food prices as well.  Even though the last time we were at chef Mickey probably 3 years ago, the four of us walked out spending about $275. I’m sure it’s higher now. We still stick with Dollywood up in Tennessee. Their prices have gone up, but not out of control. Hope your all doing well

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

17 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

 .  Even without the price increases, the current parks experience is awful.  Hardly and shows, no parking lot trams, poor crowd control, long lines, price gouging on food, no Fastpass.  It’s just not nearly as fun as it used to be. It’s very sad- especially for anyone who remembers how things used to be.  

TCD

Ugh... I know this in my head... but it's still hard to hear 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

3 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Ugh... I know this in my head... but it's still hard to hear 

Here’s something that will make you even madder- Disney is once again siphoning off profits from WDW to balance out the losses from their other parks. At WDW, even with the 50th anniversary approaching, they shut down everything during the pandemic. So Epcot still is a torn up mess, and the completion of the new Tron attraction and the reopening of the railroad have been delayed indefinitely. Meanwhile, at Disneyland they completed a refurbishment of their Snow White ride, made a bunch of improvements around both parks, and opened a whole new land- Avengers Campus.  The Disneyland Halloween party at California Adventure includes a complete parade, fireworks, and much better decorations. Disney knows WDW guests will accept a watered down experience while paying premium prices because that’s what they’ve always done. Disney always wins. 

TCD 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Don't worry.  Sure, we are just 3 weeks from the actual 50th anniversary, and not much new is ready for guests to enjoy.  But Disney has planned a celebration lasting at least 18 months, and they will slowly trickle out new rides, shows and attractions throughout that 18 months to keep the diehards repeatedly coming back.  People that want to be there in October for the anniversary will be there regardless of whether they can ride Tron, Guardians, or see the new nighttime shows.  And then when these things are introduced, one at a time, they'll return, over and over, to get their pockets picked by the greedy little rodent. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

31 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

Don't worry.  Sure, we are just 3 weeks from the actual 50th anniversary, and not much new is ready for guests to enjoy.  But Disney has planned a celebration lasting at least 18 months, and they will slowly trickle out new rides, shows and attractions throughout that 18 months to keep the diehards repeatedly coming back.  People that want to be there in October for the anniversary will be there regardless of whether they can ride Tron, Guardians, or see the new nighttime shows.  And then when these things are introduced, one at a time, they'll return, over and over, to get their pockets picked by the greedy little rodent. 

Yup. That’s the plan. I certainly heard a lot of interesting shop talk when I was on the DCL Castmember cruise a couple of weeks ago. Disney has an army of analysts whose sole purpose is to devise schemes to extract the maximum amount from each guest while providing the absolute minimum in guest experience.  Not one of these folks seemed the least bit concerned about their ability to pull it off. Why should they be concerned?-Disney always wins.

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

20 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

 an army of analysts whose sole purpose is to devise schemes to extract the maximum amount from each guest customer.  

 

Replace the word guest with customer, and this applies to most any corporation.  Corporations exist to maximize two things;  shareholder return and executive compensation.  Why is it so difficult for so many of us to accept that Disney stopped being the magical company that Walt built and became a ravenous, money sucking corporation?  This literally happened decades ago, and yet we still somehow want to believe that they are somehow "different".  They're not.  Maybe they were still a bit different a decade or so ago, at least from a customer service standpoint.  But I don't think that was because company leadership demanded it, but because there were still legacy CM's at WDW that cared.  But by now, I imagine most of them are gone, and have been replaced by folks hired and trained by the current management.  I bet a lot of them went to work there because they have good memories of the magic, and want to be a part of that.  But they're working in a system focused on profits, not magic.  That's got to be depressing. 

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

3 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Here’s something that will make you even madder- Disney is once again siphoning off profits from WDW to balance out the losses from their other parks. At WDW, even with the 50th anniversary approaching, they shut down everything during the pandemic. So Epcot still is a torn up mess, and the completion of the new Tron attraction and the reopening of the railroad have been delayed indefinitely. Meanwhile, at Disneyland they completed a refurbishment of their Snow White ride, made a bunch of improvements around both parks, and opened a whole new land- Avengers Campus.  The Disneyland Halloween party at California Adventure includes a complete parade, fireworks, and much better decorations. Disney knows WDW guests will accept a watered down experience while paying premium prices because that’s what they’ve always done. Disney always wins. 

TCD 

This is all so stupid.  Sorry, I know that's an illiterate response... but I'm just so sick of it.  I have my memories and I want the magic to stay.  

Stupid.

 

1 hour ago, DaveInTN said:

Replace the word guest with customer, and this applies to most any corporation.  Corporations exist to maximize two things;  shareholder return and executive compensation.  Why is it so difficult for so many of us to accept that Disney stopped being the magical company that Walt built and became a ravenous, money sucking corporation?  This literally happened decades ago, and yet we still somehow want to believe that they are somehow "different".  They're not.  Maybe they were still a bit different a decade or so ago, at least from a customer service standpoint.  But I don't think that was because company leadership demanded it, but because there were still legacy CM's at WDW that cared.  But by now, I imagine most of them are gone, and have been replaced by folks hired and trained by the current management.  I bet a lot of them went to work there because they have good memories of the magic, and want to be a part of that.  But they're working in a system focused on profits, not magic.  That's got to be depressing. 

I agree... when you loose those who know how to provide service... everything changes.  I've said that for the past couple of decades with stores and car dealerships.  Sales used to be a career that you were proud to dedicate your life to.  You knew your product, you knew your consumer.  In most places, that is long gone.... and that is incredibly sad.

[keith_h 420]

18 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

Corporations exist to maximize two one things;  shareholder return and executive compensation. 

Updated your post to modern business theory. While shareholders might get to ride along I think most modern corporations are designed to do nothing more than to enrich the executive corps. If you need proof look at the number of companies where shareholders lose value but executive pay increases. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

23 minutes ago, keith_h said:

Updated your post to modern business theory. While shareholders might get to ride along I think most modern corporations are designed to do nothing more than to enrich the executive corps. If you need proof look at the number of companies where shareholders lose value but executive pay increases. 

Good point. I would add, however, that hedge fund managers and insiders are also raking it in, while Joe Sixpack shareholders twist in the wind. 

TCD

[lightbikes 73]

18 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

This is all so stupid.  Sorry, I know that's an illiterate response... but I'm just so sick of it.  I have my memories and I want the magic to stay.  

Stupid.

Not stupid at all and not illiterate.  

It's our memories that are the most important to us, they sustain us, and they become more so as we grow older.  The biggest disappointment we have about Disney now is how they have eroded that magic to the point you can't find it anymore.

Yes, the ugly price increases have priced us out of many of the things we used to do, like going to the Christmas Party and Halloween, and even staying on property, but I think the really really harsh part is the disappearance of the magic.  

The Disney emphasize on maximizing their profit at the expense of the guests/customer/client means that my grand-children will have no experience of the amazement and enchantment that was waiting around every corner for their parents when we took them.  That experience came from CMs who took it as their mission statement to make every GUESTS' experience special.  Because we were guests, and we were treated as quests, not as some kind of ATM.

Makes me sad more than mad I guess.

 

 

 

[kadancer 82]

On 9/5/2021 at 6:47 PM, twiceblessed....nacole said:

I’m sorry, trying to understand... you have to pay extra for a guest assistance past (I’m guessing that’s the handicap accessible type pass)?

Agree with you on the pricing...it’s awful 😞

No, we did not have to pay extra, but because of my son's very limited ability to wait in lines and his inability to understand why we stand in Guest Services for such a long time while we are setting up his pass (he is 20, non-verbal, and has the abilities of a young child) means that we would use an admission day, just to set up his pass.  With an annual pass this was not an issue-when paying by the day it is.

 

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

17 hours ago, kadancer said:

No, we did not have to pay extra, but because of my son's very limited ability to wait in lines and his inability to understand why we stand in Guest Services for such a long time while we are setting up his pass (he is 20, non-verbal, and has the abilities of a young child) means that we would use an admission day, just to set up his pass.  With an annual pass this was not an issue-when paying by the day it is.

 

Okay... I understand.  I was thinking that Disney was trying to squeeze out more money.