I’m Here And Struggling To Enjoy

I hope you get to enjoy your last day. You are probably up and getting ready for the parks right now.

We persevered. I’m not sure what Disney is thinking here. They clearly had a lot of guests in the park. It looked close to normal capacity for October. But their ride throughput stayed the same — two rows ONLY per POTC boat; one group per row. (A group can be as little as one person.) Many, many empty spaces for social distancing. Their queue was around 60-75 minutes for much of the day. Because of spacing, the queue serpentined through the pillars, outside and around the attraction building, along the wall up to the vendor cart by Jungle Cruise, turned 180° and went back past the POTC attraction, ending near the restroom entrances. Why? If you’re going to increase park attendance, increase a corresponding ride throughout. They could have eaten those lines up. No FastPasses, but they were allowing a VIP purchase that acted like a FP. We spent the majority of the day in lines — lines to ride, lines to get into shops for merchandise, lines to wait for a place to sit to eat because many of the tables are closed off.

As others have said - thank you for sharing this information. I am sorry the trip was disappointing for you. We typically go every year, but skipped this summer. We were already frustrated before Covid at some of the hassles associated with a Disney World vacation, but the good still outweighed the bad for us. However, I think things like what you have described would push us over the edge. We will hope that things get back to 'normal' for this summer. Our greatest hope is that some positive changes can come out of all this.

Park Hopper;2529199 wrote: As others have said - thank you for sharing this information. I am sorry the trip was disappointing for you. We typically go every year, but skipped this summer. We were already frustrated before Covid at some of the hassles associated with a Disney World vacation, but the good still outweighed the bad for us. However, I think things like what you have described would push us over the edge. We will hope that things get back to 'normal' for this summer. Our greatest hope is that some positive changes can come out of all this.

This exactly. I have been frustrated my last several trips just from all the crazy changes, prescheduling and constantly having to be on the app on my phone to check times and make changes. There is absolutely no way I could deal with all the nonsense going on now. I would most likely end up being escorted to the exit on day one.

My feeling on this entire trip can be capsulized like this:

I don’t feel like I’m on vacation; I feel like I’ve been sentenced to a nicely adorned work camp. No fun allowed.

MrPeetrie;2529209 wrote: My feeling on this entire trip can be capsulized like this:

I don’t feel like I’m on vacation; I feel like I’ve been sentenced to a nicely adorned work camp. No fun allowed.

I have been thinking about it since these trip reports like yours have been coming out.

Do you feel like they are still focusing on money rather than guest experience? That is what it sounds like. I know they are a business and they are trying to keep from losing money.....BUT and this is a big BUT, they have been focused on maximizing profits and squeezing every single penny out of the parks that they can for at least 10 years now. I would think they could use a little of those record profits to do extra things to make this time as enjoyable as possible rather than letting every cast member and entertainer they can think of go. They should be more focused on the guests and a little less focused on trying to find a way to squeeze money out of the situation. Perhaps they should go into the office a let some bean counters go.

1DisneyNut;2529210 wrote: I have been thinking about it since these trip reports like yours have been coming out.

Do you feel like they are still focusing on money rather than guest experience? That is what it sounds like. I know they are a business and they are trying to keep from losing money.....BUT and this is a big BUT, they have been focused on maximizing profits and squeezing every single penny out of the parks that they can for at least 10 years now. I would think they could use a little of those record profits to do extra things to make this time as enjoyable as possible rather than letting every cast member and entertainer they can think of go. They should be more focused on the guests and a little less focused on trying to find a way to squeeze money out of the situation. Perhaps they should go into the office a let some bean counters go.

That was EXACTLY my thought. This trip felt like a pure money grab. As a company, they lost $2B last Quarter. It really felt like “do the least and charge full price.” I fear some of these cutbacks will be permanent. I hope I’m wrong. It “appeared” they were selling a FastPass-like service to those that wanted to buy it. That was the rumor surrounding the park. I confronted a Cast Member and he assured me they were special needs access. I’m all for that and I know no one knows what is going on in another’s body, but trust me we kept seeing able-body, nimble groups in the FastPass lane and no one needing assistance. They brought their group, scanned their band, and were given a FastPass return time.

No beds made unless you asked. I was unaware so our bed went unmade for four days. Magical Express does NOT pick up your luggage at the airport. You do. No check-in at the resort. No Parades. No Fireworks. No shows! No character meet-n-greets. Poor bus service. No discount on price. I’ll give trip details later.

MrPeetrie;2529211 wrote: That was EXACTLY my thought. This trip felt like a pure money grab. As a company, they lost $2B last Quarter. It really felt like “do the least and charge full price.” I fear some of these cutbacks will be permanent. I hope I’m wrong. It “appeared” they were selling a FastPass-like service to those that wanted to buy it. That was the rumor surrounding the park. I confronted a Cast Member and he assured me they were special needs access. I’m all for that and I know no one knows what is going on in another’s body, but trust me we kept seeing able-body, nimble groups in the FastPass lane and no one needing assistance. They brought their group, scanned their band, and were given a FastPass return time.

No beds made unless you asked. I was unaware so our bed went unmade for four days. Magical Express does NOT pick up your luggage at the airport. You do. No check-in at the resort. No Parades. No Fireworks. No shows! No character meet-n-greets. Poor bus service. No discount on price. I’ll give trip details later.

I honestly think the cost to value ratio is what's bothering me most right now - along with reading your transportation issues - something you pay for staying at a Disney resort. With so many things shut down and capacity diminished - it seems like things should be deeply discounted.

I understand the frustration with paying full price for less-than a full price experience. However, I am looking at it more like I'm paying full price so that those who work there can keep their jobs as the parks are operating at 25% capacity. They're still losing money, even charging those attending full price. They still had to lay off people, had to cancel projects, had to close some operations, shows, restaurants, and events. If they discounted the tickets, I think that the operation of the parks would be even worse at this point.

azcavalier;2529221 wrote: I understand the frustration with paying full price for less-than a full price experience. However, I am looking at it more like I'm paying full price so that those who work there can keep their jobs as the parks are operating at 25% capacity. They're still losing money, even charging those attending full price. They still had to lay off people, had to cancel projects, had to close some operations, shows, restaurants, and events. If they discounted the tickets, I think that the operation of the parks would be even worse at this point.

I hear you - but in retrospect, how much money did they spend on the FOX acquisition? Might they have been in better financial shape if they weren't so eager to swallow up other media companies. It's also coming back to bite them how much they have raised ticket and resort prices above inflation for years now. I love Disney as much as the next person - but it was getting very pricey even before what's going on.

OR, if they didn't take on that debt - would they be a takeover target for someone like Apple.

I think what's killing them is that one of their Theme Park Resorts (cali) has been shut down since the beginning of the year. Theme parks were the cash cow of the company.

I feel for each and every cast member that has lost their job. I feel for each and every person outside the parks that has lost their job or is furloughed due to COVID (count my son as one of them).

Problem is - I don't see with the public hysteria surrounding this virus that things will get much better anytime soon... not to be a Debbie Downer.

It's good to get both sides of the Disney experience under Covid. I understand the entertainment business continues for the sake of people having some jobs and for profits, but keeping ticket fees at the same price seems somewhat unfair.

Hope you and your family can make the most of it. And have a good time. Just remember, you all are in the Happiest Place on the Earth!

John;2529223 wrote: I hear you - but in retrospect, how much money did they spend on the FOX acquisition? Might they have been in better financial shape if they weren't so eager to swallow up other media companies. It's also coming back to bite them how much they have raised ticket and resort prices above inflation for years now. I love Disney as much as the next person - but it was getting very pricey even before what's going on.

OR, if they didn't take on that debt - would they be a takeover target for someone like Apple.

I don't think it's fair to say that business decisions that happened years before the COVID pandemic were poor decisions, and that they should have sat tight in case something like this pandemic would arise. Besides, I think that the Fox acquisition is one of the things that is helping the company get through this time. It gave them a much broader media portfolio for the Disney+ streaming service, which is what is really keeping the company afloat right now.

Man, was Disney+'s rollout timely, or what?

The Disneyland Resort being closed isn't on the company...it's on Governor Newsome. Now, him, I'm not going to second-guess. I have NO idea what it must be like to run any government office, and California's has to be one of the toughest. That said, I think that the measures that they have put in place at Walt Disney World seem to be working just fine, and I don't see why it would be any different at Disneyland.

1DisneyNut;2529156 wrote: I hate it for you. It sounds exactly like I would expect and I won't be having any part of it. The funny thing is they are planning on increasing the amount of people they allow into the parks. I don't know how that is all supposed to work when from all accounts I have head, it is just like your experience. On top of that, you get to pay the same as you would have if everything was normal. I can't imagine wearing a mask in the parks. I can't even make it through Lowes or Walmart without pulling mine off as I am walking from one end to the other. I typically only put it back on if someone wearing one comes on the same isle as me, just to make them happy.

1DisneyNut;2529208 wrote: This exactly. I have been frustrated my last several trips just from all the crazy changes, prescheduling and constantly having to be on the app on my phone to check times and make changes. There is absolutely no way I could deal with all the nonsense going on now. I would most likely end up being escorted to the exit on day one.

MrPeetrie;2529209 wrote: My feeling on this entire trip can be capsulized like this:

I don’t feel like I’m on vacation; I feel like I’ve been sentenced to a nicely adorned work camp. No fun allowed.

Disney nut, you and me both. DW wants to go, but we agreed no sooner than 2022. I'm not doing this, and getting arrested to boot

MrPeet, yeah man. I'm sorry you had this nightmare. Poor service, situation and a remarkable price. Yeap, sounds great...Well, hopefully you are home and can have a few cocktails or five over the weekend and finally relax and have a good time.

azcavalier;2529232 wrote: I don't think it's fair to say that business decisions that happened years before the COVID pandemic were poor decisions, and that they should have sat tight in case something like this pandemic would arise. Besides, I think that the Fox acquisition is one of the things that is helping the company get through this time.
.

I have to agree with John. We're told over and over again to have enough personal savings to carry us through tough times. Companies should follow the same rule. Even if it wasn't Covid, it could have been something else. Another 9/11? A War? Lots of things could happen and being prepared for them is the responsible thing to do.