Magic is gone

[Cinderelley]

F Second, the tech may be frustrating at times, but ultimately if Disney is doing their job well then the apps and their offerings should bring pleasure...not pain.

Disney doesn't do their job well. Their tech is subpar.

[1DisneyNut]

Disney doesn't do their job well. Their tech is subpar.

I completely agree with that. It started getting better but now they have completely changed everything and moved to Genie+ so who knows how that will work. I spent more time at Guest services in the past 5 years than all of the other years I have been going combined. I spent most of that time trying to get tickets and fastpasses straightened back out that were messed up on their end out of my control.

There is no doubt that a WDW vacation is nowhere near as magical as it used to be. It used to be a great value and you got a lot for your money but now.......I feel like cattle being herded through as fast as possible while at the same time being charged for anything and everything they can find a way to put a charge on. One of the charges that tick me off more than most is now having to pay to park my car that I don't even touch for the entire week I am there in the resort parking lot that was built decades ago and I have parked there for those decades without paying. That makes my blood boil. I am one of those that looks at parking charges when I make hotel reservations anywhere. It is actually a determining factor in what hotel I choose.

[baldburke]

Disney doesn't do their job well. Their tech is subpar.

I did put the big "IF" in there...

[azcavalier]

I'm excited for the changes, and if you think that Disney introducing "tech" into the Disney Experience is removing the magic, then I don't know what to tell you. For years here on Intercot, there has been a loud group lamenting the fact that Disney was stagnant, not keeping up with Universal, content to not upgrade anything, etc, etc. But then when they introduce new rides, new technologies, change shows and experiences, people complain that the "magic is gone" because it is not the Walt Disney World that you have known and loved. What's a company to do?

We went in May, and had a really nice time. It was a different sort of trip, as we were staying off-site, there were no fireworks, no buffets, no Fast Passes, etc. But it was still great. I actually really like the Virtual Queue system for the really popular rides. I am unconvinced about the Genie app actually working like they say it will...I mean, if it is supposed to tell you when the rides you want have low waiting times, and it notifies you, it's also notifying everyone else who wants to ride it and...bam!...there go your short wait times. So, for Disney, this will probably be a home run as it will eventually average out wait times all over the parks.

The tech has indeed gotten better, and am SO HAPPY that FP+ is gone. I'm even cool with them charging $15/day for the Lightning Lane access. I am, however, very disappointed that they are upcharging on their upcharges for Lightning Lane access to the most popular rides. I'm also not happy that they're removing free PhotoPass for AP holders.

We have a trip coming up in January, just the wife and I, and we're staying at the Polynesian for 8 days. It's my bucket list hotel. I've been wanting to stay there for 20 years. I can't wait.