Well stated. There was a time when even considering going to Universal was out of the question; it was Disney all the way. Boy, has that changed. Now it’s Universal all the way, with zero consideration of ever going back to Disney until they get rid of the stupidest idea they’ve ever come up with - having to be glued to your cell phone all day starting at 7am.

We actually went in 2015 and 2022 from the UK. The magic has gone. Over priced, over crowded, perks gone, increased stress of having to manage EVERYTHING through an app with spotty wifi. I genuinely don’t think we’ll ever go back. The only time I’ll go back to Florida now is to see Epic Universe.

We've just got back from two weeks in Orlando and I must admit that the whole atmosphere around Disney has changed. Since 1993 I've been to Disney World four times, Disneyland Paris three times and Disneyland California once. Each time, I've walked around the parks smiling, believing all is good with the world and have left with a magical feeling having had a great time. After this visit, I just feel I've been bent over a barrel and had my pocket picked and am not really in any rush to return. Long queues, poor service, over priced merchandise and food - while its never been the cheapest, its never been as expensive as it is now. Not only do you have to pay for your park ticket, you get stung for $25 to park your car each day (and that's the cheap service), to get anywhere near all the rides in a park completed in a day you need to purchase Genie+ (as well as possibly purchasing Magic Bands) and then that doesn't even cover you for the best rides, you have to pay extra for those on top. Character Meet and Greets have to be booked weeks or months in advance, as do tables at any restaurant you might want to visit and that is before you even get into booking a place at the park. Two weeks prior to departure there was only a single day available to book for Magic Kingdom in the fortnight we were there. Its just stressful, no longer magical, and just keeps you glued to your phone from first thing in the morning to last thing at night, rather than enjoying your time there with your family. You don't even get a decent fireworks show at the end of the day any more, with both Magic Kingdom and Epcots evening shows being distinctly underwhelming and bearing little relevance to Disney traditions, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom didn't have one. Maybe it's as a result of the pandemic, pent up demand or current global issues, but the only talk within our family since returning has been about the fun we had during our days at the Universal parks. Such a shame.

For such a high ticket price, waiting in line/ queue for over two hours seems like a complete waste of time. Then bear in mind that’s just for one ride, it becomes ridiculous. That was my experience in may/ june. I’ve been going to Orlando annually since the 80’s (except during covid) and it’s drastically changed for the worse.

Honestly I am a huge disney parks nerd and have planned my extended family trips to disney for between 10-14 people every other year for quite awhile now. We always would like to spend a day or two at Universal, but Disney always made it so convenient and easy to stay there we never did. This time we're skipping Disney entirely. It's just stopped being worth it.

I’ve only been once, back in 05. I remember the lengths Disney world went to keep you immersed in the Disney experience from the time you left the airport to the time you were dropped back off to fly home. Seems like those days are long gone….

My husband flat out refuses to get genie+ when we go next year. Coming from another country we pay enough as it is. Plus we don't want to be on our phones constantly. He has a very positive attitude when it comes to queuing. "If we have to wait for 2 hours for a ride then so be it, we'll have fun!" He says!

Our experience in Feb 2022 was that the early theme park entry just meant that the park was open 30 minutes early for what seemed to be about 70-80% of the park visitors for the day. There was no benefit and long lines formed early. Maybe the biggest disappointment though was the discontinuation of the fast pass/lightning lane as a free concept. The Genie+ system seems to be both much worse and more expensive at the same time. Sad. Then there were the wait times/crowd sizes. Compared to a similarly timed visit in 2017, the crowds and wait times seemed significantly larger in 2022. We will probably not go back.

The New CEO is definitely out for money and not guest satisfaction. We are passholders and almost nothing is free anymore. Of course their sales are up, you cannot visit Disney without Genie+. The waits are insane!

You know a corporation is scrambling when an ad they made a mere seven years ago feels like a nostalgic period piece

I was not expecting to cry, I remember those few trips back then, it really was so incredibly fun and well, magical.

Great in-depth video! My wife and I have booked a WDW trip for early 2023, and I've honestly never had such a low level of excitement about a Disney trip. I see this as Disney's last chance to prove to me they're still worth the money. I'm willing to go one more time, but whether or not I plan Disney trips in the future depends a lot on how this one goes. In this trip we're incorporating a day at Islands of Adventure so our trip isn't completely dependent on Disney World's performance. 3 years ago I'd have never dreamed of going to Universal on a WDW trip. My how things have changed.

Interesting you selected 2015 for your comparison, since that year marked the first and only time I've been to WDW. As a 50 year-old, the perks that drew me to stay on property were the Magic Express and the Magic Band, which allowed me to enter the parks carrying literally nothing with me -- especially the @#$%& phone! It made for the most stress-free vacation of my adult life. If I ever go back, I highly doubt I'll stay on property.

Great video as always - Sounds like Universal couldn't ask for a better marketing tool than Disneys current leadership. Its the age old problem of large corporate companies, CEO's and leadership are incentivized to focus on short term gain....Chapek can effectively focus on trashing the parks reputation and jacking up prices for the next few years because the parks are so hugely popular that it will mask guest dissatisfaction in the short term - and by the time the decisions made today begin to bite, it will be some else's problem and Bob will be happily retired on a mega bonus and pension. If CEOs in large corporates had their bonuses linked to company performance in 5 years time on a rolling basis, we'd see very (very) different decisions being taken today as the temptation to trash the future for short term financial gain would be gone! its pretty telling that a company that was once used as a case study in guest satisfaction has ditched that approach despite spiraling profits which were built upon that very ethos. - the more profitable Disney has got, the more they've begun to treat their guests and staff with contempt. It will eventually come back to haunt them....if history has shown us anything, its that no company is untouchable or too big to fail if customers vote with their feet and go else where!

Wish I could time travel back to 2015. That video feels so classic Disney I wish it was still like that. I'm even more saddened by all the changes because I dreamed of going to Disney for years and finally went in 2019. I only got to experience FastPass+ once. I just started going before Disney started to get rid of all their perks. Just makes me sad. And now after years of dreaming I feel like my time and money is better spent at Universal. It just breaks my heart because Disney has amazing rides but everything is so expensive now.

Just back from our holiday in July & having been many times before over the years, this will likely be the last time I do Disney unless they drastically change their strategy. The whole booking system is a farce & that’s before you even get to GENIE+…they also drastically over inflate their wait times to almost force you into buying it which is very sketchy when you think about it. Wait times can be advertised as nearly two hours, but in reality it’s only 15 minutes. As a result, everyone (and there are a lot of people despite the capacity restrictions) is just walking around the park on their phones trying to get in virtual queues or lightning lanes and you barely get to go on any rides (and we were there for 3 weeks). We only figured out these false wait times near the end. Then the prices of EVERYTHING has gone through the roof and is increasing by the day. Stick to Universal, it’s the way to go…hopefully it doesn’t make the same mistakes once EPIC opens

What a great video!!. I love Disney and have been coming every year since 2012 (with the exception on pandemic) and cannot believe how the focus has gone from the customer to profit. Pre pandemic we came in October 2019 our last trip to include Disney was April this year. We found it unbelievable, that you get so much less for the inflated prices. We love everything Walt Disney stood for as it made people of all ages feel like a kid again and leave your worries behind (or at least on hold) whilst on vacation. Now it just creates stress and anxiety. We are back again in Florida (Aug 2022) and decided to go with Universal, Busch Gardens etc and although the pandemic has affected these parks also we are getting so much more value for money, eg Annual pass options which include things like express passes, food / drink & merchandise discounts, but more importantly no park reservations. I truly believe Disney are continuing to do what they are doing as they have seen a money opportunity, but have not taken into account that they are only still busy due to the pandemic restricting people who had booked now able to travel. Once this rush is over I’m thinking things won’t look so great!

This needs to go viral

That took a lot of work to average out the 2015 to 2022 satisfaction results, so thank you.

If I'm on vacation I wanna be away from my phone as much as possible, not be glued to it all day 😅

Man. Disney was so much simpler and wasn’t as costly back then. I sure do miss those times, they make me feel old.

This was a GREAT informative video (and a depressing one, considering how much BETTER everything was PRE-pandemic!) We’re from Denmark, and in 2015 a childhood-dream came true for me; I visited Disney World/America for the very first time! It was amazing, and DW was MAGICAL! Post-pandemic, it’s become a total NON-magical-shit-show, and it truly saddens me :-( Disney have dropped the ball in MASSIVE ways, unlike UNIVERSAL, who’s STILL as awesome as ever!! We’re looking at planning a huge 2025 vacation to DW and Universal, but if good old Bob Eiger can’t right the ship to a certain degree, within the next year, we might skip Disney World all together (which sucks) I can’t believe how much everything has changed to the absolute WORSE. Just seeing those promo’s from 2015, that you showed in this video, blows my mind! The PERKS and service back then was stellar! And hardcore-planners could arrange their Disney-trip 60 days in advance. One could even pre-book those first 3 FastPass-rides at that point! Now at days, you’d be FORCED to get up before 7:00 AM, to stress over booking rides - it’s just not acceptable! And that BS “park-reservation” needs to go as well. People might be coming from the other side of the world, and though they had bought tickets, they still might not be granted access to a specific park of their wish, on the day they like = NOT acceptable! QUESTION: If all of these changes, which according to Disney is to help “better things”, then howcome it’s all WORSE for the people these days??? How_come everything worked amazingly back in 2015, and now it’s like visiting a PRISON; one you even have to pay to be in? Howcome everything back then felt truly MAGICAL, but now it feels dead and without charm????? Bob Eiger should SEE this here video, and use it to start making some major adjustments (if not already) to help RE-capture the magic and restore what once was - as best as possible! Universal haven’t missed a beat, so it’s EMBARRASSING that this needed to happen to Disney!.. “You sound mad?”… Correct, I am… “Dude. You don’t know anything about how economics works”.. Fuck economics! Universal Studios managed to stay HONORABLE throughout all of this, and Disney absolutely could’ve done the same, but they DECIDED not_to - period (Walt Disney is 100% turning over in his grave!) Things need to change back. Disney is drowning.

I’m just back from 2 weeks staying in All Star Sports (I’ve never stayed in a Value previously, always Moderate or deluxe) and after hearing so many reports and vlogs about long bus wait times, huge price increases, longer wait times, my experience was the following; PROs - VERY frequent bus collections (faster than my previous 7 trips in the past from 2010-2016 - queue lines shorter than previously - managed to book last minute reservations in Le Celier, Space 220, walk ins to Nomad Lounge regularly - never had a problem booking a park reservation, even the day before when I changed my mind CONS - general prices of food & drinks, always expensive but this was noticeably even more on this trip But overall, I was impressed and am still a lover of Disney World

Everyone complains about the lines, but we ALL know it can take hours, yet we still go, we still wait in line. So what really makes us want to go? That’s what Disney needs to focus on.

I have never seen these “classic” commercials. I’ve been going to WDW every year since 2006. Fun to see them though! Bob Chapek is actively turning WDW into an elites only destination. Which is funny in a way as I have NEVER seen more garbage in the parks. Literally. Garbage on the ground. Garbage in the queues. Garbage everywhere. It looks like a six flags. In 16 years of repeated visits I have never ever seen a cockroach at disney world. I saw roaches seven different times in one dang day on the last visit. Always near garbage cans. Yes it’s Florida but previously disney used their disney magic against them. Seriously gross. And kind of heartbreaking. Disney seems fuller but Chapek is using Genie plus to control crowds 100%. They want to give the illusion of insane demand and super full parks to justify their continued dismantling of joy. I really hate Bob Chapek. He’s such a leftist wealthy folks boot licker. He’s vile. He is destroying WDW. Walt would be horrified. This was not what he wanted. Guests were valued. Not anymore. Which is why my family is staying on property at universal this year. We are staying seven nights, club level at Portofino Bay. Daily front of the line passes included in that price. And it’s LESS than the same amount of time at a Disney MODERATE resort (motel!) Wow. Considering that Portofino Bay is a far superior hotel to any of the deluxes on Disney property, it is a no brainer. We feel like valued guests at universal. This is not the case any longer at WDW. It’s kind of devastating. I loathe Chapek. He needs to go.

This was excellent and very well researched. As a Florida resident, Magical Express was never part of my planning, but I know it was a very important perk for the rest of the U.S. and certainly for international guests. Back in the day and through 2019 I had the Gold AP, which I let expire in December 2019 to be replaced with a less expensive one in 2020 (I'm retired now). And then came the pandemic. I made plans to go to WDW in December of 2020, but the COVID19 numbers were still too high all over Florida, so I canceled. Since Disney does not refund tickets, I knew I would have to use that money or lose it. And I did in May 2021, combined with a trip to Universal as a brand new Universal passholder. For three days at Disney, I paid almost twice what I paid for four days at Universal. Being retired, this is not sustainable, so my Disney trips now will be every once in a blue moon, while I continue to go to Universal once or twice a year. We'll see what happens in the future, but I completely detest having to make park reservations. No more bus roulette ever! And having to get up early just to buy or not buy Genie Plus is a big PITA. And, while I'm a very techy person, I don't like having to be glued to my phone 24/7 and missing what's happening around me. I obviously don't have the kind of money that WDW is now going for, so I won't be able to visit much. I used to go 2-3 times a year. I haven't been back since May of last year, and probably won't be back until the last part of next year, if at all. I'm really sad about it, but it is what it is.

Also, back in 2015 if you stayed at a Disney resort, you could park at the resort AND at any of the parks for free. No more.

We have just got back from Disney World. Simply the magic is gone. You are forced to sit on your phone to book rides, you have to pre plan days to book entrance to parks, normal perks we used to get are gone. The whole 'Magic' of Disney has dissapeared. I simply wouldnt reccomend going if you go during peak times of the year.

You shared great data that's hard for Disney not to realize (I'm sure they know). I'm a shareholder too, but I hate hearing the bragging of Q3 profits when I feel the brand isn't the same anymore. They've declined and don't seem to care about the loyalty factor or customer satisfaction. You can't even get an Annual Pass holder ticket if you're a DVC member. Universal is seizing the opportunity they know is happening with the dissatisfaction and are offering great discounts and an annual pass too. When their third park opens Disney will finally notice and probably start to incentivize again.

We just visited Epcot and had a great time. However, when people ask me how Epcot was that day I describe it like this: ' it was the kind of day you used to have at a Disney park and I didn't think those exisited anymore.' That response pretty well sums it up for us.

Seems like the increase in wait times can be chalked up to adding more popular rides with low capacity that break down too often.

Thanks for sharing this! Your video was spot on. I do miss the way the Disney parks used to be, especially the old Fastpass system. It was so efficient and an easy way for guests to ride all the rides in the parks. Genie+ is just terrible and looking at your phone all day isn’t fun. I also watched the D23 expo live stream and it was such a lacklustre event. It definitely seems like Disney are getting worse and Universal is getting better, what with the new park they are building!

Spot on! Good job with the research and numbers!

Been there so many times I can’t remember how many. Will never go back. I do not walk and be on the phone all day long. The magic has disappeared, just like the good morning ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Makes you wonder what demon has decided to change for the worse. They only want upper class there now, but upper class don’t go every year to “Disney”

Excellent video. It perfectly captures the sentiment of “the Disney magic is gone!”

Great Video!!! My daughters and I were just discussing how many of the options in that 2015 are no longer offered.

Also a lot of people dropping out of Disney college and a lot of Imagineers leaving to work for Universal

This video is dead on. It’s so accurate it’s depressing.

Hello there! I just wanted to say thank you for all the excellent content you put out. We’re traveling to Orlando this October for the very first time and your videos have made planning so much easier. By far the best and seemingly most elaborate guides and ranking videos out there! The inclusion of park maps alone are helpful beyond words 😊

Visiting Disney sounds like a job these days. Really glad I grew up in the 90s before all of this nonsense.

This was an interesting watch. Really puts into perspective what Disney thinks of the people who buy their tickets. Must have taken a great effort to put this together, much appreciated. Going next year to Disney as we have two little kiddies, however if it was just me and the hubby I would happily not give them a dime. But I'm sure we will have a great time with empty wallets 😂😩 Thanks again 👍👏

Fantastic video the gives a great overview of the changes. Like many we have travelled to the UK to Disney for the best part of 19 years but this year we opted to give Disney a miss. We used FrugalBrits excellent universal and international drive videos to great effect this summer!

And the sad demise of the Disney Dining Plan. As a UK Disney visitor, the DDP saved us an absolute fortune. Have only just returned from a 12 night trip,staying at Port Orleans the price of everything is shocking. I did like Genie +,but only because we had it free for our stay.We were locked out of our room for a couple of hours so Disney gave us complimentary Genie + for our holiday.

Nothing like having Sunday breakfast watching a new video The Frugal Brit. Thanks for all the info. I went to WDW on January and had not such a good time with this gene+ crap. Didn't enjoy the moment, then went to Universal Studios and let me tell you the experience was completely different, I was a kid again and enjoy every bit of the parks. Disney has lost the magic touch. Looking forward to experience Epic Universe!

Agree with everything. AP holder here with both Disney and Universal. So far this year I’ve been to Disney once. Universal? At least once a week including Volcano Bay. Disney makes it both difficult and expensive. That’s not a good thing.

Hi excellent Vlog as always. I have followed you from the beginning and think your Vlogs are great. As for Florida me and the wife have lost interest. I have been to Florida 15 times since 1995 and seen the best and of late the worst. We like staying in the Avanti on international drive. Have to say the restaurants have improved over the years we are not buffet type people we like a proper sit down meal. Disney was the theme park to go to when we first visited but now it’s not, Universal is our go to theme park but we have been for the last time for now as we have found Dubai. We are both 53 years old now and have seen Disney go from exciting to dull. If we do come back it would be for our granddaughter who at the moment is 7 years old but we took her to Dubai and she loved it.the theme parks there were less packed and no fast pass and they don’t make you have to pay to jump the queue. Keep up the good work 👍👍👍

different but great and honest video. It is sad to see how many perks have been lost while prices keep on increasing and more frustrating to see no solutions to long waiting times (which favors them so that people use lightning lane). The magic is slowly fading and I have enjoyed my stay far more at the universal parks.

Having visited WDW annually from 2016-19, I feel like the only way to get a worthwhile Disney experience now is to go on a Disney Cruise. I'm seriously considering that now just so I can get my character fix.

Really good video and very timely. As uk visitors, we've discovered that what cost us 3k in 2018 and 2019 would now cost us 6k - for so much less! We went last year and it was so disappointing - mostly because Genie+ has ruined it but I really missed the Magical Express too 😔

Hey FB , wow this vid was so interesting . Having been at Disney 2013,2015 and 2018 it’s so cool to see what you did get to what you actually get now . For me and I believe I’ve said it on previous videos . It’s all got to integrated with technology . This I personally believe actually distracts from the magic that was Disney . Unfortunately however you present the ben3fits in 2022 it’s all about the $$$$$$$$. It was all so much more spontaneous and easy in 2015 and before . You defiantly got better value for money 💰. Now it’s buy the ticket and then additional this and that . It all just adds up . In in my view it’s not for the better . I wonder how things might change once the New Universal Worlds Open . Really in-depth vid , nice one ☝️. Dax 🤝

I’ll add mobile food ordering to the list . It was awful for us not being from USA everywhere was heavy on mobile ordering for someone that doesn’t own a credit card and has no desire to use my bank card abroad found it exceptionally frustrating .

The mouse is getting no more of my money. It’s beyond a joke.

I love your review. It shows that Disney has lost site of the people and fans. Yes they are making more money but they are not making the guests happy. They should have the CEO and all the stock holders go to the park and use the park like we are and see how they like it.

Excellent review. Not been since 2009 and we were going to go back Next year for a family holiday.

I know its a hell of a lot of work but giving us a 2015 vs 2022 on the other 3 parks at WDW would have been very insightful too.

I’ve pretty much given up, sadly…at least with the Florida parks (thankfully, I live in Southern California so I’m only ninety minutes from Disneyland and DCA) but, after having been an Annual Passholder from 2000-2014 and again in 2017-8, even if we COULD get one nowadays, it’s just TOO ridiculously expensive now… additionally, we probably have gone to the California parks ninety plus times total in the past thirty years (as well as nine cross country trips to the Florida parks)…so a single day trip is about it now simply because We’ve just DONE IT SO VERY OFTEN it’s really Not worth ALL OF THE NEW HASSLE, sadly….This was a different type of vlog for you, and you did a very nice job!

Genie plus made my last trip a nightmare

Wow what a amazing vlog thank you very much for sharing this with us , so much has changed for the worse, we need to try and learnt to love the new changes but it’s hard for fans like myself who have been coming to Disney since early 90s Brilliant information though seeing how much has changed through the years

Another great video… loved the magic band time of Disney, we seemed to get the system and accepted the lines and understood how to navigate it all, going forward we will only go to the other parks like universal, and I think the new epic park will topple Disney easily, but also hit universal studios as in age and need to improve, but as Disney stands, we will not advice friends or family to attend, nor will we . We did look at MNSSHP for next September but prices have rose significantly, so sadly won’t be paying close to £400 to go for one night, looks like HHN instead will be the plan. Great information as always and continue to look out for the next.. 👍🏼🇺🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

I haven't been to Disney in Florida since the '70s , & don't regret it , the overly high costs, fighting & the people with their terrible attitudes this day I'll never go back, would rather remember the real magic the way it was.

It's sole destroying watching them singing about all the perks. We only ate at the restaurants due to the dining plan, that was a great offer when you could get it. By the time we pay to get there and stay we won't have any money left to eat or buy anything especially with the hotel prices now

I have been many times with my family, but unfortunately it is losing that magic touch that we hold so dear to our hearts. I’ve also been looking at Universal for our next trip. We will still visit Disney parks but we will not be spending 6k on their hotels, so unless Disney listen to to their customers I feel they will be losing a great deal of business over the next 5 + years. It’s just not accessible to everyone anymore, and I’m sure that is not what Walt and his Brother had in mind

I still don’t quite understand the new system but by the sounds of it…I would need to be up at 7am on my holiday? That simply isn’t happening

Isn’t it sickening just HOW MANY references you make to Disney Executives Gloating or bragging about How much money they’re making and how Thrilled how things are going even though we all hate what we’re getting?! They’ve lost me! This should matter (but it never will to money grubbing fools like Bob Cheap-ek) because I’ve been a die hard since I first visited Epcot in 1983 when I was Twelve…and they’ve lost me! Honestly I don’t think I’ll visit Florida again until Epic Universe is open, because, at least, IT SEEMS LIKE UNIVERSAL GIVES A DAMN!

In June, we stayed at a deluxe resort for a week. During this time, no evening extra magic hours were available. Also, soo many people enter the parks 1/2 hour early, most of the time you'll only be able to ride on attraction before park opening. You will still need Genie plus if you don't want to wait in really long lines.

We're going to Orlando in a few weeks, but skipping Disney all together. We won't be going back until they get their act together

Spot on! I have always felt Disney was expensive but delivered value and exceptional customer service for my money. When you said “Universal and Sea World don’t offer…” I feel that is the new standard. Without the Magical Express, I opted for a car service my last trip. It felt much less magical than riding the Magical Express.

I’m taking my kids for the first time in April 2024 and it worries me slightly that we won’t be able to do things spontaneously or off the cuff. I certainly don’t want to be on my phone all day checking out ride reservations. I hope it goes back to a more simpler way of doing things as I obviously want the kids memories to be magical and not mainly queues and overly busy parks 🥺

Another great video 👍🏻

Another great vid, keep up the good work 👍 I wasn't blown away when we visited MK & Hollywood Studios 6 years ago compared to Universal Studios. But we are going back for 3 weeks end of April & plan to do all Disney Parks this time, so I'm hoping we love it. I think Disney needs to push the boat out with new rides & entertainment in its parks, because it could well find customers moving in vast numbers to Universal. Especially when Epic Universe opens.

Thanks for that video. I am a Vacation Club Member and collector of Disney Memorabilia. My love for Disney World is hanging on, but I fear it may weaken with the removal of classic items from the parks, like the removal of Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Da from the musical loop. I am disappointed in the new annual pass system. When the time was right, I was going to purchase an Annual Pass, but new purchases were halted not long after implementation. As stated in the video, I can understand why the Park Reservation System remains, however, I believe that Park Hopping should start around 12 noon instead of 2 pm. I have faith that the "Magic" will bounce back, but it will take time.

3 months later: chapek gets fired and we may get some idea of 2015 again. Universal still is winning the guests.

Great video 👍🏼 I’ve just returned from Florida, my first trip there since 2018. Back then I thought the experience had gone downhill but now it’s an all time low, in my opinion. Paying over £100 per day per person for basic admission (only on days when you can actually get a reservation) then having to pay c. £40 per person on top of that to skip queuing for 90 minutes at a time in extreme heat - that’s outrageous. One thing that doesn’t seem to get much coverage is preferred parking. After being put in the very farthest car park at Universal days before, I opted to splash out $45 for preferred parking at the Magic Kingdom. While it gets you ‘closer’ to the park there is no tram service so we had to walk around half a mile to the transportation & ticketing center while ‘basic’ parking guests streamed past on trams. On the way back, no tram again and in a huge thunderstorm it was a half a mile walk back, leaving many people absolutely drenched. When I questioned preferred parking with a parking cast member, her reply was “it is kind of a scam, I agree”. Just another way for Disney to price gouge guests while dragging down the experience.

What on Earth were they thinking by lessening the services provided for staying on Disney property?

We WERE annual pass holders living 2 hours from Disney since 2016. We learned the fast pass in and outs and had a great run! We even went back when Disney opened back up. BUT now it just isn’t worth it anymore. Now you pay way more for way less and the mobs are there every day. We are done with Disney. Looking forward to epic universe!

Ehh I preferred the old late night extra magic hours. Parks weren’t really ever crowded during those times. Rode space mountain 20 times easily.

With tickets, meals, airfare, hotel and Genie, a Disney Holiday can easily cost $5000 or even $10,000. At that price, they are competing with literally every tourist destination or cruise in the World. You'd have to be a real Disney fanatic to argue that there's no other place in the World that's more interesting and fun than Disney World--especially with the new rules, the crowds and the constant phone checking for reservations. Even if you love theme parks, Universal is much cheaper and less hassle, and is right up the street.

Spot on. Last visited in 2019… Planning to wait until/if I’m seeing they’ve taken action on these items before I risk my vacation $ and time on another trip. Prior vacations were so good I don’t want to end on a downer

My family has gone to Disney 13 times since 2003, we are no longer going anymore. We don’t condone to blatantly being charged for services that were once free, that’s just unacceptable.

We are here now, it’s our first trip since 2018 and Disney wasn’t even a consideration. I quite comfortable not doing it which is strange. We are toying with doing it in ‘23 to let me little boy experience it all, but that will likely be it for us.

There's only one thing more criminal than Disney's prices, and that's how few subscribers you have! Thank you Frugal!

going for the very first time in January next year after wanting to go since I was a child, but am now starting to worry that I may have left it too late to actually feel the magic of it all, it seems so much has been taken away and thats gutting.

Of all the changes the park reservation system bothers me the least. I just wish we could start hoping at 1pm like in Cali. The prices of the value resorts is insane. I have to stay offsite now on my solo trips.

The more that price rises the more the magic fades….. I loved it, took me 40 yrs to get to Disney… to price a simple week or two there now is eye watering…. Even Paris France fir 3-4 days is sickening.. Walt Disney would be sick to his stomach probably to see the corporate greed involved in his vision..😔🇺🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

When Disney opened originally the tickets were $1.50 for adults and a dollar for kids.

The Walt Disney Company has ZERO INCENTIVE of improving the guest experience at Disney World (or Disneyland) as long as throngs of people continue line up and pay top dollar for a mediocre experience

Very well done video

*now disney is too stuck on connecting everything to kitschy movie theming and not imagining authentic stories or designs* Hotels/Rooms • Lands/Rides _where is the imagineering of decade’s past?_ *gone are the space mountains, mission space, adventure land & future worlds now it’s tron, cosmic rewinds, galaxy’s edge & pandora*

I’m hoping lines will be lower during our 2 weeks in September. The fact that both animal kingdom and both universal parks shut an hour early, I’m guessing sales for that month aren’t as high as they expected. Maybe being just trying to be optimistic though.

I'm basically a Disney lifer and I'm used to things like the ticket prices going up every so many years or so. You usually expect at least the same service you've been getting if not better after these price hikes, but the perks have either been drastically reduced or removed entirely instead which leads to those subpar customer reviews. I went to Epcot a few months ago the week the new Guardians ride opened up and still had a fun time. I got to ride everything I wanted at least once including the new ride. I didn't use Genie+ or any other bonus perks since I didn't stay onsite so I could possibly go tomorrow and have a completely different experience. The reservations and constantly needing to stay glued to your phone are some of my main turnoffs outside of spending money. I sincerely hope Disney can right the ship so to speak before they've irrevocably turned too many fans away or I'll be going to Universal the lion's share of my visits to the Orlando area.

In 3 days we head over the atlantic for what is either our 16th or 17th (I've lost count) vacation in Orlando since we first went in 1996. This trip is going to be different though, for the first time, we are having nothing to do with Disney whatsoever. I am done with Disney, and I have no desire to deal with their complexities or pay their rip off prices any more. It just isn't the Disney I remember anymore, as this video illustrates very well. Its all about the $$$ now and whoever is making these top level decisions seems to not care whatsoever about the guests anymore.

Well done 👏🏼

Great video, excellent content!

Pass on all this. My affections were lost when - at 8:30 pm - a walking rope came toward us telling us the back half of the park is closed (park being Disneyland) for a corporate event. We had gone back to the hotel to take a nap with 3 young children and came back when it was cooler. Only to discover that we were forbidden from going on Small World or toon town. Very corporate and ....

Also Art of Animation Mermaid rooms get jipped from discounts or extras however its one of the most expensive rooms. Even cheaper rooms get discounts. I don't understand that logic.

Reading the comments, it will be interesting to see attendance figures for 2023-2025.

I've never been to Disney World but alway fancied going. Now it just seems too expensive for most things and unattainable. I'm still saving but can't see myself going for at least a few years. It's not just flights and hotel I have to budget for but also food and merchandise. Hoping to go during the months with lower crowds such as January.

After our trip in May of this year, we've already said next time we won't be doing Disney. Florida has so much more to offer than just Disney and I'd rather part with my money in places that aren't ripping people off whilst the company benefits from increased profits each year.

Disney had lost what the Disney vacation are suppose to be, a place we’re you can forget all the problems of the outside world

We have taken our last trip to any Disney park as of this past spring. We actually canceled another visit this fall. The value is gone. No amount of nostalgia can overcome the deterioration of the Disney experience. It used to be a premium price for a premium product. Now, it’s an astronomical price for an embarrassing and 2nd rate experience. It’s sad.