The Walt Disney World Resort is the place where dreams come true, but recent outcries from guests and cast members have made things an absolute nightmare. However, that doesn’t mean the House of Mouse sits idly by.
As reports of price gouging, wage disputes, cast member strikes, and outrage from parents continue to plague The Walt Disney Company. After all, it’s awfully hard to enjoy all the rides, games, attractions, and experiences Disney has to offer if guests can’t access them in full.
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At the time of writing, guest satisfaction appears to be at an increasing low as the Disney parks continue to be Yelp-reviewed into oblivion. As Disney itself rushes to do even more damage control, the company has already made several steps to regain favor with its notoriously vocal audience. But will it be enough?
Damage Control at Disney World
A report from Bloomberg this week shared that the average cost for a trip to Disney was venturing into astronomical territory, reaching tens of thousands of dollars. The report made the following statement from a recent guest:
“The cost of a high-end trip to the Florida parks has now reached around $40,000 for a family of four. Plus poorly managed crowds and clunky reservations systems, Walt Disney World (WDW) is suffering from a social sentiment crisis. On Yelp, the number of four—and five-star reviews has tumbled from almost 52% in 2019 to 33% in 2022. Last year, more than 40% of Yelp reviewers gave the theme parks a one—or two-star review.”
In the words of Rumplestiltskin, “All magic comes at a price, dearie.” That’s certainly truer now than it ever was in Disney trips past, but not everything is as bleak as some might believe.
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On the contrary, Disney recently implemented several protocols as early as May 2024. It’s a slow process, but the company is undeniably addressing cost, reservation systems, and even the menus at the Disney parks.
What Has Disney Done?
The report thoroughly illustrates the number of grievances people have taken with Disney World in roughly the past two years. However, it also highlights many features implemented by the parks to help them regain their good graces.
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As of tomorrow (July 24, 2024), Disney is reinstating the FastPass+ system in the form of the new Lightning Lane Multipass. In theory, this new practice cuts out the infamous Genie+ and gives guests a more flexible way to manage their time in the parks.
Additionally, Disney reintroduced the popular Disney Dining Plan to many of its vacation packages. In doing so, guests now have the option between table service or quick service plans designed to better fit their party and their budget.
The Bloomberg report also shared how Disney attempts to quell cost concerns on the ticket front. Sharing a limited-time event that began in May of this year. The report reads,
“News you may have missed: Starting in May, WDW started to quietly discount ticket prices, which had hit a high of $254 for a one-day park hopper ticket. Through Sept. 24, the company now offers $89-a-day access for people buying three-day tickets, with the caveat that guests can use the tickets to visit only Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom. (Magic Kingdom access is purchased separately at full price.)”
Although the offer is only valid until September, it’s still a clear attempt at regaining guest satisfaction that can’t be denied. While there is undoubtedly still much work left to be done, Disney is at least trying to regain its magical image.
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In reality, it’s still not a perfect system, but it is a decisive improvement over previously reported conditions. It won’t be an overnight solution, but progress is still progress.
Are you making any future trips to Disney World? Tell Inside the Magic why or why not in the comments below!
No planned returning trip to Disney after 36 trips. Woke to much for us. Not everything needs fixing and not everything is offensive. Ticket and resort price, no magic express. Food quality and quantity terrible. No free fastpass. Resort rates should be the same price every day without fluctuating. Special parties should be included with the daily ticket price. Rude cast members. To much expensive for us and no magic anymore having to be on phone all day to plan something.
I was just there and I agree. They nickel and dime you with the lightening lane foolery. Instead of explaining the virtual cue to me I was told we can’t ride with no explanation. We won’t be going back this was our 10th trip. I think they got enough from me.
We are not going again for a while after our recent trip – 9 days in mid July. We have DVC points and APs (but are letting those lapse). The dream that Walt had has been sullied over the last couple of decades. It has gotten progressively worse though since 2020. Those of us who are old enough to remember the original ticket system also remember that the entry fee was nominal. One did not pay a lot for entry and then paid whatever could be afforded for the ride tickets. Moving away from guest satisfaction as their metric was possibly their biggest mistake though. The new metric became dollars spent. Guess what happened… People who are dissatisfied with the changes are not spending dollars. That seems like a no brainer, but apparently there was no logic applied to that decision. Finally, there seem to be few if any dollars being spent on maintenance. Tons of rides broke down and/or were off line for hours at a time, trash was more prevalent, and there was a level of disrepair that was distressing to say the least.