Wow, this thread has been quiet.
Anyway, the family and my parents are t-minus 27 days to our next trip. We got our park tickets yesterday and I'm astounded how much more they were than just this time last year.
We're hitting up Boathouse, Le Chef de France and Ohana for dinner, with two days still undecided. One night will just be me and my wife (we're driving since my wife won't fly and my kids and parents are taking a late flight) so we'll probably do something fancy that night.
I'm trying to do as many things as my parents want too since this is likely the last time they'll be going. Staying at Jambo House since my dad has always wanted to. Going to Ohana since it's my mom's favorite going to France because it's my dad's favorite.
Beginning of March can't come fast enough.
Has Disney fatigue officially set in for everyone? This is the first time in the longest that we really have no plans to go. ROI just isn't what it used to be, at least not IMO. Huge crowds that are seemingly becoming a bit more obnoxious, that could just be my twitter and Reddit feeds though?
Kids are busting a gut to get back to Universal though.
I have lived very near WDW for the past decade. I've had an Annual Pass that entire time, and visit the parks an average of 1-2 times per week.
In my opinion, the WDW Experience just isn't what it used to be.
It is more expensive than ever. It has been more crowded than ever, it is more complicated than ever, it is more stale than ever.
Expense - One of my favorite little activities to do as a local, is to go to Crews Cup Lounge at Yacht Club, have a couple of their Old Fashioneds and an order of the truffle fries. That is now a $50 endeavor, per person. It is still nice, but at a certain point, you have to ask yourself, "Is this worth it?" and I think more and more often, the answer is "no." You get a little cup of fries and two drinks and it's a $50 tab.
This example is just a microcosm of the rising cost of a Disney vacation. The dining, the hotel rooms, the tickets are all rising, and have moved beyond the level that seem like they're worth the money. Is the Old Fashioned at Crews Cup, really good? Yes. Are the fries good? Yes. Is the atmosphere good? Yes. Is that experience worth the price? I dont really think it is anymore. And I think that, the question of, "is this - WORTH - it?" is more often answered with "no" than "yes" in the current version of the WDW Experience.
Crowds - The post-covid era has seen large crowds at nearly all times of the year. With that said, in recent months, I would anecdotally say that crowds seem to have been thinning out. The parks aren't empty, but, it has felt less crowded than this time of year, has "traditionally" been since the end of Covid. In my mind, crowds are often about how a park "feels" rather than how long the lines are for certain attractions. During the 2019-2023 Post-Covid Era, the parks felt more crowded than ever before. More people mean more frustration, more waiting and more stress.
Complicated - Genie+, Lightning Lane. Park Reservations. No Magical Express. Parking Security at Hotels not allowing you to park there to explore the resort. Reservation windows for rooms and dining. Connecting Tickets & Reservations on the Disney website.
All of this makes a Disney vacation feel more complicated than ever before. In the past "hacking" your day at the Disney Parks was sort of fun. With just a little bit of research and strategy, you could "beat" a lot of the other guests at the park that day. Wait in shorter lines, eat at better restaurants and have a better day. In the current edition of the parks, even with a lot of research, planning and "hacking" you can still miss out on the things that you want to do, and end up having a not very enjoyable time - at a cost that is higher than ever before.
Stale - Obviously as a local, the parks are going to be a different experience for me than a family from Des Moines that comes once a year, or even a family from NY that might take multiple "long weekends" down here at WDW. But, in my opinion, the parks have really just stagnated. There have been new attractions built, and new lands over the past few years, but I would argue that several of those rides are difficult to access (Tron & Rise of the Resistance), or aren't nearly the "draw" that maybe they should be. I love Star Wars. Do I think Star Wars land is cool? Yes. Would I tell people to make a specific trip just to come and see Star Wars Land? No. It doesn't rise to that level, and the depressing part of that - is that it COULD - have been to that level. But, like many things at WDW, budget cuts hit SW Land hard, and it ended up feeling a lot more sterile than the original plans called for it to be.
I know this will make it seem like I hate WDW, or I have a vendetta against it or I'm angry with the company. The reality is, that I'm sad that the Parks simply aren't as enjoyable as they used to be, and I now have to pay more money for a worse product.
Is there still magic to be found at WDW? Yes. Is it still fun? Yes. Is it as good as it used to be? No. Is it as good of a value as it used to be? No.
The other sad part of this, is that with the current systems in place, even if WDW announced tomorrow that they were doing a major overhaul of the Parks, not only building new things, but revamping the operations of what they already have, it would take - YEARS - for this to come to fruition. If a new E-Ticket is announced at D23, it will likely be almost 2030 by the time it opens. And, even if & when it does open, what will it take for me, as a guest to actually get to experience that new attraction or land or park? How much money? How much effort?
WDW isn't a terrible place. I was at Hollywood Studios just a few days ago. But it is a worse experience than it used to be, and that sucks. I hope it can find a way to return to its former glory.