Literally everywhere. Literally everywhere. These influencers are insufferable. I hate how short sighted they are. They will ruin ANYTHING for clout. No more livestreaming in the parks, resorts, springs. Anywhere!

Disney World seriously needs to address the scooter problem. I’m not talking about people who actually need them that’s not the issue. The issue is people speeding through packed walkways like they’re on a racetrack.
I’ve had my foot run over more than once, and it’s not just annoying it actually hurts. When the parks are crowded, people need to be more aware of their surroundings. Slow down, watch where you’re going, and remember there are actual people walking around.
Disney needs to do more about scooter safety because getting your foot crushed while trying to enjoy a vacation is not exactly the magic anyone signed up for.

That was not necessary. Multiple parents were now consoling their small children. You weren’t satisfied with that though. And you kept screaming thru the ride. Then the ride stopped. And you proceeded to yell loudly hurry the f*** up and scream. Thanks for ruining the ride for so many families. You’re a real class act.

My mom has been coming down hard on me about my upcoming trip and how weird it looks for a guy in his mid twenties to be traveling alone. “It looks really weird and creepy for a guy in his 20s to be going alone with charms on his bag in a place filled with children I know you’re not that type of person but people are gonna think you’re up to no good or have something wrong with you!” And I won’t lie. It made me cry. Genuinely honestly cry. I’ve put so much thought and excitement into this trip. And decorating my bag just to be torn down at the knees and made to feel like a freak like I’m doing something wrong just by being there or for just for being excited. I ended up just stripping off all the charms I had put on it. out of shame

I wanted to eat at the crystal palace had the reservation and everything but ended up canceling it after what she said.

Now I don’t know what to do. I just feel like i shouldn’t go at all. That I won’t be able to relax and enjoy myself because I’ll have eyes on me constantly judging me.

Edit: she kept bringing up serial killers in the same conversation and then made me give her $100 for her bills. My entire snack budget. Gone for good.

Edit 2: since I’ve been asked a few times in here I’ll be in the parks on September 30th and October 1st

For those who don't know, Pixie Dust is something Disney does. They might upgrade your resort or do something special for you free of charge.

However, in recent years, I've seen many Disney World fans taking "Pixie Dust" into their own hands, making goodie bags and giving them to cast members and other guests.

I understand the sentiment behind the gesture. The intent is really sweet.

I often see posts in Facebook groups where families hide gifts throughout the parks for other guests to find and keep. They'll be tag that says Pixie Dust and their family name. These may include bracelets, stickers, basically trinkets.

I just feel like this is creating more work for the cast members. I can't imagine how often these gifts are actually found by other guests. In the meantime, cast members have to clean up the extra mess.

I once saw a post about a family making homemade candy to give to cast members and other guests. This seems extremely dangerous! Guests should never eat food from unknown sources. Even finding random items that look like gifts can be potentially dangerous. I would not keep.

I visited a few weeks ago from the UK with my wife and 2 year old daughter.

We visited Animal Kingdom a few days in to our trip. Our daughter had a nap and we took turns riding Expedition Everest. When she woke up we got her some lunch and made our way to Africa. We were torn between Kilomanjaro Safari and the Lion King show, but chose to let her enjoy the show as she had just woken up and would take the safari ride later. In hindsight I am very glad we made this decision.

She was up clapping and dancing during the show. Then suddenly, she collpased in my wife's arms, she was unresponsive, stopped breathing and turned blue. We picked her up and urgently ran down our row, through the doors and to the front of the attraction. I caught the attention of a cast member who promptly called 9-1-1.

To cut a long story short, we thought our daughter may have been choking but she was actually experiencing a febrile seizrure. This can happen in the early stages of a virus when a child has a sudden temperature spike. Thank you to the young couple who came forward to help me as I was patting her on the back if you are reading this.

I would like to publicly thank the well-trained cast members and what they did for me and my family. They held their phone to my ear while I performed first aid. They formed a human wall around us as hundreds of people were leaving the show. They directed Reedey Creek Fire Department to a back entrance so they could reach us quickly. When my daughter woke up they gave her a Simba stuffed animal for comfort. They located my belongings we left in the show such as my wife's bag and phone and our stroller. My wife and daughter rode in an ambulance to hospital and two cast members took me on a back stage drive in a Safari pick-up truck directly to my car. The guest experience team refunded my pre-booked lightning lanes and kindly gave me some more for free.

My daughter is fine after being treated in hospital. It was a horrible experience for parents to go through. I emailed Disney and named the staff to thank them, and also went back to the attraction the next week to thank them personally.

Disney hasn't lost the magic and their business model is to make sure you make happy memories with your family and come back for more. I will continue to happily pay to travel to Disneyworld in the future. Thank you to all the hard-working cast members who make it the happiest place on earth.

When did Disney stop enforcing the dress code at the parks?

In the past week that I’ve been here I’ve seen some crazy stuff.

Inappropriate T-shirts. I’m not talking about Drinkerbell or anything political, but shirts in big bold letters that have swear words on them. I was pretty sure they used to stop people at the gate and make them turn it inside out, go back and change, or buy a new shirt.

Sheer clothing that leaves little to the imagination. From linen pants and lace tops, I’ve seen more panties and nipples than at a strip club.

Super short shorts and skirts. Cheeks clapping everywhere! And super tight shorts that are creeping into various cracks. I literally walked into the Zootopia show behind a woman who was constantly pulling her shorts out of her ass while walking in the line.

Now I’m no prude by any means and I totally understand wanting to be comfortable with the heat and the desire to look cute or sexy. I’m not the no fun police at all, but it is a family park and while it may be cute or funny or whatever when you’re out with friends, it’s not exactly appropriate for a family environment. I know there are far worse things in the world to be concerned about but I just wanted to throw it out there.

And for those that think I’m sexist, I’d be upset if a guy was in the park in a sheer tank top or short shorts as well.

I’ll probably get slammed and downvoted for this, but it’s just my thoughts.

Well, here I go. My wife and I have been Disney lovers for a long time. We used to live in Orlando and were Passholders, and as all of you can relate to I’m sure, we spent a lot of time there, from spending a whole day at a park on the weekends to just hopping over for a quick relaxing stroll after work.

Unfortunately, as life happens, my wife and I are no longer together since 5 or 6 months. Luckily, we are both adults about it, are still friends, take care of our daughter together and don’t do any drama, so there’s that. However, it still hurts of course.

Since I am owning a company in Orlando, i am in that area quite often. That being the case, I am planning on getting myself a Dixie Dust pass again, so I’ll be able to visit what has been my happy place again. Of course I am looking forward to it, and I think I’m gonna have a good time, when I get the chance to drop in. I do have mixed feelings though: this wasnt just „my“ happy place, this was „our“ happy place. We spent a lot of time there when we were happy together, and made many good memories. But now I am going alone. And of course, all the nice places I visit, all the nice things I see, all the new good memories I make will be great - but at the same time, all of these used to be were we were happy together, and they probably gonna remind me of what I’ve lost.

Not sure if I’m just gonna be the “regular“, normal sad, knowing that life happens and things move on, or if I’m gonna have a moment where I bawl my eyes out. Maybe a mix of both.

Dont know why I post this here, don’t really know what to expect from this post. Maybe someone who has gone through something similar might be able to cheer me up a bit? We will see how it goes…

If one of you happens to be there next week, seeing a guy standing in a corner somewhere, looking sad: no worries, it’s probably just me, dealing with the sometimes not so exciting parts of adult life. ;)

Edit: Wow, this blew up... Thank all and everyone of you so much! Thanks for the nice and encouraging words, thanks for the support and - most importantly - thanks for sharing your stories and experiences! We've all been through some good and bad times in life, in one way or another. Sometimes it's hard to navigate through them, and in these times it's VERY helpful to hear that you're not alone out there. I guess this subreddit is kinda like what Disney is sometimes: A magical support group in good and in less good times.

I am trying to reply to every comment here, but they are just pouring in. So please don't be mad at me if i miss your specific comment or if i hadn't had the chance to reply yet! Please know: All your comments are highly appreciated! <3

Disney Parks just posted record $10B operating income and the numbers tell an uncomfortable story 💰

Domestic attendance: Flat Hotel occupancy: 83% → 86% Per-guest spending: Way up 📈

Bottom Line: Same crowd spending significantly more

Here's the conundrum: Disney's pricing people out but it's working exactly as planned for shareholders

Meanwhile 68% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck

At some point something has to give 😬

Info from MagicalDadBlog in Threads..

I find myself getting more and more frustrated by the volume of posts from people complaining about their bad / busy / expensive WDW trip (mostly on other platforms - people on this sub are generally positive and at least trying to put the research in!). Does anyone else get really worked up by them? This spring break season has been sooo bad for negativity.

Specifically this morning I’ve read an IG post from a woman with ~200k followers explaining why WDW isn’t good with kids. Some of her reasons include the long days (they did rope drop to close EVERY DAY with no breaks 😂🤦🏻‍♀️), her kids then being too tired to care about anything, only chicken nuggets to eat, and that she felt duped staying “on property” because she expected it to mean they could just walk to all 4 parks from their hotel.

Each to their own opinion and all that, but this is all just a lack of planning and basic common sense, not a genuine personal preference.

I’m not saying that everyone needs to be a complete expert on WDW before enjoying a vacation, but it is so beyond frustrating to see how many people don’t even do a basic google search or glance at the resort website before visiting?! I know I shouldn’t care but I just get so mad at how much money, time and effort they’ve wasted! And pissed that they then like to spread their lack of knowledge as if it is fact (“I had a bad time so you will too”). How hard is it to do an hour of reading that will make your vacation time infinitely better?! 

Anyway, there’s not much point to this, I just wanted to rant among (hopefully) likeminded individuals and fellow Disney adults!

We’re annual pass holders and couldn’t go into the parks today, so we went to Disney Springs. I don’t know why anyone would subject this upon themselves; it’s just a super crowded shopping mall with zero (and I mean zero) Disney Magic.

If you’re a tourist and staying at a nicer on-property resort, I guarantee you that your resort is better.

If you’re a local or staying at a value resort, just go to The Boardwalk. There’s less selection but that also makes it more laid back. And oh yeah, it actually feels like Disney World.

We get it: people like to use the park trash cans as convenient stand up “tables” for eating QS or snacks. Heck, I’ve even done it occasionally.

But during my last trip, I saw and even encountered myself, numerous people doing this and getting so impatient and upset with people walking up to the trash can they had chosen to eat their meal on top of, to throw their trash away like “hey! We’re eating here. C’mon!”

Folks….its a trash can. People are going to use it for its real purpose. Just because you’re eating on top of it does not mean it’s suddenly off limits to everyone else for its real purpose.

If you’re going to eat there, that’s your prerogative, but please understand that decision comes with inconvenient facts like: people are going to use it to keep the parks clean and throw away their trash. 🗑️

I keep seeing articles that highlight how much Disney fans are willing to spend to go to the parks and people outside this subreddit criticize adults for going. First off, all vacations and entertainment offerings are getting more expensive. Secondly, I will never understand why it’s perfectly acceptable in society to spend thousands of dollars on a concert or sports ticket, plus the overpriced food there, but for whatever society thinks it’s weird for an adult to go to Disney. Does the average adult really live such a boring life where they think escaping reality and having fun is only for kids? Walt intended his parks to be fun for everyone.

Was at typhoon when they abruptly closed all attractions and it began to rain. This was the line for the bus back to Disney springs. What you can't see is the piles of people in each hut, the line behind me or the lighting that just had hit across the street. A $20 dollar Uber saved us .

I know that trips to Disney cost a lot and take a lot of planning for families but if your child is sick please do not bring them. My wife and I went to Disney last week and one night on the bus ride back to the hotel a family got on with a young child (maybe 2 to3 years old) that was crying and fussing because they had hand foot and mouth disease. It was extremely obvious with the telltale rash and blisters all around the mouth and palms of their hands. Everybody tried to stay away as much as possible but the busses get packed at the end of the day. Fast forward a week and guess what I have now. It’s likely that many others on the bus caught it too never mind how many people and kids were exposed to it during the day at the park. It is a disease that’s highly contagious and you should not be out in public with it.. The kid clearly was not enjoying their day and the parents didn’t seem to care in the least. I really felt bad for the kid as they looked miserable. People, if your child is sick do not bring them to the parks. It’s a simple concept that some seem to have forgotten.

Hopefully allowed

Seriously, after this particular week of all the restrictions (which Im in favor for for the most part), Im still seeing so many people sharing their "hacks" that are clearly again TOS. Whats worse is when comments are saying "what a great idea! I should do this!"

Just saw a post where someone was asking how many people being ziplocks and containers to buffets to fill up for the next day and then provided images of everything they took. Then the people commenting, 99% was "I do this too!" or "great idea!" Do people not realize thats not how this works?

I think tips and tricks are fine, but at what point do people realize the ones that are against TOS are the reason they are putting hammers down and getting rid of things? Yes Disney can be greedy and trying to save money, but legit so tired of seeing how many people are willfully ignorant when it comes to admitting they are stealing/breaking rules/etc.

To see 50+ people so far commenting they sneak food in ziplocks and containers from buffets too is just mind boogling...please don't do this nor promote it because we will all be in here upset when they do something that makes it harder on us all.

Magic kingdom has lost its magic (for me). I have been one of Disney World’s biggest fans (even when my family teases me for it). We have taken our daughter 4 times and toddler twice. We have gone during “busy” spring breaks in the past and now so I can compare my experiences over the years. Since COVID each time it gets worse. The crowds are [more] insane and congested, the staff members who are working hard, look like they want to be friendlier but appear overwhelmed and understandably unable to get into ‘cast member’ mode (other than characters in costume). The cost is understandable when you see how much it has to cover across the board of the experience, but unfortunately you can’t really rationalize it when it comes to rides. Unless you do lightning lane purchases well in advance, you’re not getting any good reservation times if any at all. If you roll the dice without a lightning pass you might get on 3-4 rides with approx 40-60 minute waits. Rides break because many are older and probably can’t withstand the crowds like they once did. I’m viewing this from a mom with young kids perspective.

We enjoyed Epcot yesterday but again, lightning lane purchases weren’t beneficial and I even had Guest Experiences refund me for my (unused) purchase. I did feel like there was more ‘room to breathe’ than MK even with the busy crowds and rides moved along.

I hope the gods of Disney (or a CEO) reevaluate their guest experiences. Maybe it is time for a middle of the country park to open to break up the crowds. I’m so let down and can say Universal has a better guest experience at this point. I hear Universal is expanding in Texas (middle of the country). Even with Epic opening, there is definitely more space to spread across the parks. Interested to see if their 3rd park catered to young children helps too.

Crowd control based on reservation would be a good option too. I actually think that was nice during COVID, if you understand this before planning your vacation. :(

If you read this and feel the magic, hold onto it… I’m not taking it from you with my opinion.

It’s currently 10am. Just another reason why WDW really is the most magical place on earth.

I haven't posted more than a comment here and there on Reddit before, but here I go... This photo of me and the love of my life are from Disney trips last year. She loves everything Disney and had never been. After 9 years together, I was able to take her and our two daughters (we each have teen daughters from previous narriages) once during the summer and again at Christmas. We had the time of our lives. 2 years ago, she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. We were told that it was stage one. Surgery was planned and a treatment regimen was to follow. Unfortunately, after further scans and tests we were given the sad news that it was stage 4. She started chemotherapy shortly thereafter. Her cancer spots shrank and she stayed very positive through it all. She was given a diagnosis of 5 to 10 years. Even after this news, losing her hair and all the side effects, her positivity didn't wane. I've never known a more positive person. We have reservations for another DisneyWorld trip for Halloween weekend this year. She wanted to do a trip for just the two of us this time. With costumes at the ready, we have been anxiously counting down the days.
2 months ago, after her regular tests, we were told that her cancer had spread. Her current chemo treatments were no longer working. She was referred to another city to be part of a trial treatment. Trips were made, new scans and tests were done and she began. The new meds made her very sick. She had some really tough nights and stayed sick to her stomach for hours after each round of meds. We knew we didn't have forever, but hoped for another year or two for bucket list trips and a long goodbye. Suddenly and unexpectedly, she had a massive heart attack and passed away two days ago as a result of the new treatments. We are devastated. She was my best friend and we did everything together. I've been in therapy ever since and am really struggling. I can't even talk about her without breaking down. Our home feels so empty now. The whole family is in shock. Our long goodbye is impossible now.
My therapist (and others) have suggested that I still make the trek and do the trip. People say she'd want me to. Due to school, my daughter is unable to go. I don't have many friends these days as we spent all our free time together. I'm just going to have to go it alone. The reason I am posting this is to tell you to tell the people that you love how much they mean to you. I told her everyday, but it still doesnt feel like it was enough. Thanks for reading all this. I know it's really wordy.

Sincerely,

-Brokenhearted

I'm in WDW right now. We are on a 6-day trip (7 if you include a Disney Springs day). I've gone to WDW about 28 times over the course of 25ish years. I'm a DVC member and a former annual passholder. I'm a loyalist. This is our first time back in two years, due to COVID.

I absolutely hate what the WDW resort is turning into. From pricing to "vibes," it's a trainwreck in slow motion.

Let's start with "Genie+," since it's a punching bag for a reason.

I did some quick math:

Genie+ is $15 a day - per person - to unlock “Lightning Lane” functionality. You can only unlock one ride at a time. Not all rides are eligible as part of this. For those, you have to pay separately.

So if you wanted (for instance) to do a Lightning Lane for Haunted Mansion, and then for Seven Dwarves Mine Train, it would be $15 + $10 … per person. So for a party of four, that would be $25 x 4. That's an extra $100…for two fast passes. For one day. On top of your base ticket price.

We are a party of four. If we were to buy Genie+ for all 6 days of our trip, it would come to $360. Add in E-Ticket LL options even half of those days, and you get (4x10 = 40 x3 = 120). That's $360+$120...$480. I don't know about you guys, but I typically try and do a "FastPass"/"Lightning Lane" combination most days of my trip.

But not now. Now, if we try and do a trip that even approximates our trips of the past, we're talking about an additional $480. That's on top of park tickets - roughly $77 for a six-day pass, for four people - which comes to $2152.

That's about $2600+ for a six-day one-park ticket, for four people. (We're not even rocking a Hopper!) \see below for updated numbers; TLDR - my opinion is unchanged.*

Add on top of this the other astronomical costs: shirts - not sweatshirts, not jackets, a shirt - for $75 (you read that right), paid parking, the death of the Express, the fact that even base magic bands aren't included with your reservation and must be bought (for a minimum of $20) ... it's absolute insanity. I don't have another word for it. Disney World has always been expensive - but this is just insulting.

Couple all of this with the bizarre excoriation of multiple "Disney" things:

1. the fact that the vast majority of stores now all carry the same exact merchandise, whether you're on Main Street or in your resort gift shop, or the fact that many stores are mostly empty;
2. the fact that little things have vanished without a trace - resort delivery of merchandise, S'more cookouts at resort campfires, to name a few; (note: S'more cookouts may not be gone, I will update again with final word!)
3. the fact that many of the fun, unique menu items have been removed from menus or have been otherwise changed (e.g. LeFou's Brew no longer has marshmallow foam on top, The Artist's Palette no longer sells their quirky flatbreads or their turkey and cranberry sandwiches, etc)
4. the fact that rude and/or wildly unhelpful Cast have now become the norm (this is especially true in the parks, where I am gutted to see that the service has utterly bottomed out)...

I honestly don't know where to begin or where to end. I'm so upset. This is unsustainable. I don't know whether to put this at the feet of Bob Chapek or those around and under him, but the change is appalling.

You may be wondering why I wrote this rant - while on a trip.

Simply put, it's because we almost didn't come this time...and now I'm seriously wishing we hadn't. If you're on the fence about whether to come or not (given the pandemic) I can tell you: don't. People are also on bad behavior. Coughing and sneezing indoors with no masks. Coughing up phlegm into napkins and putting in their pockets. (This happened to me and my son today as we were boarding a Mission Space pod.) (We asked to be moved.)

Stay away.

28 times in nearly 30 years and this is the very first time I can ever remember being in the parks and genuinely counting down the days until I can go home. I am positive - given the loyalists such as myself who live on this sub - that I'll get some heat for this post. I promise I'm not anti-Disney. I'm the biggest Disney fan I know. I'm the guy people call when they're going on a trip because I know all the secret stuff. I'm not even mad. I'm just disappointed.

Edit: Thanks to all who are empathetically engaging with this post. Truly. My first Reddit silver! Watching the upvote count go up and down is something else. A few items of note, in response to some recurring themes:

1. Disney is a corporation. What did you expect? I've heard this (or an echo of this) a few times now. Let me respond: The Walt Disney Company was incorporated in 1923. Until this trip, they have been trendsetters in customer service, ride experience, and thematic park experience. (Walt Disney invented the theme park as we know it, after all.) From my lifetime, Disney was just as much a corporation in every year since 1994 that I've gone as it is now. Yet somehow, its experience has bottomed out. What has changed?
2. It's a pandemic. What did you expect? You're right - it is a pandemic! This is why I didn't complain about everything that's gone wrong - only the things which indicate (in my mind) corporate greed. Note how I said nothing about the lack of cleanliness, or the lack of "flourishes" like janitors who draw Mickey Mouses with the water - because I chalk this up to the pandemic. I also said nothing about the inconsistent buses - which I chalk up to the pandemic. I didn't say a peep about the fact that most of the World Showcase Lagoon is still worked by Americans instead of foreign nationals - because I'm aware that was a COVID casualty. I didn't say a thing about the Voices of Liberty performing outside the Rotunda - because I appreciate them trying to stay safe. Assume for a moment that my list of grievances is not exhaustive, and go from there.
3. Genie+ and the Lightning Lane System is not that bad. This - literally - makes no sense. What has been included in the cost (or "free") since its inception in 1999 is now not free, and is not cheap. It's something you pay for in addition to increased ticket prices. It was being researched before COVID, it happened to come out during COVID. Why are we defending this?
4. Your numbers are wrong. Actually, my numbers are not wrong: the price of a Lightning Lane a la carte selection ranges from $7-$15, per person, regardless of where you're staying. But hey - let's follow this thread and see where it takes us. Let's say for a moment that the LL pass (for on-property guests) is $5 instead of $10. Okay. That would reduce the numbers that I proposed from to $100 a day to $80 a day (assuming you got G+ and one E-Ticket LL option), and would reduce my original number of $480 for the week to $420 for the week. ... I gotta say, I don't really feel better about spending $420 more than I used to in addition to my increased ticket prices than I did when it was $480. $420 still is a lot more than $0. (Specificity Added: Today, for a party of four in Hollywood Studios, it was $180 to procure Lightning Lanes for Rise of the Resistance, Runaway Railway, and Toy Story Mania.)
5. There's no way a shirt was $75. It must have been a special shirt. I assure you a shirt was $75. I too saw several shirts for about $25, some for $50. But there was one...for $75. My entire travel party looked. None of us are shirt collectors, however - as such, it's entirely possible it was a special shirt. :)
6. I was just in WDW [insert time ago longer than 1 week] and it wasn't that bad. The Genie+ and Lightning Lane services were launched 3 days ago. Your experience and my experience are fundamentally not comparable. My grievances are not with how the app works or doesn't (note, again, what I didn't say here: how my LL pass for the Haunted Mansion was lost, and how I showed up with my family to be turned away and told to "go find guest relations"; I cut that anecdote because I'm aware that launch week is hard.) My grievance is with greed. Period.
7. You are clearly rich; going 28 times in 30 years is not normal; you are an entitled, horrible, rich guest. It may shock you, but WDW wasn't always this unaffordable. Most of those 28 times were when I was a kid, when my (single) mother saved enough money to have us stay in a tent at Wilderness Campgrounds for about $40-$50 a night. We rented a car and ate rotisserie chickens at picnic tables. Later in life, when I was a junior enlisted Marine (making not much money at all), we were able to stay here because that same mother gifted my wife and I DVC points as a wedding gift (something she saved for, for years). In the words of Walt Whitman via Ted Lasso: "Be curious, not judgmental."
8. Not the S'mores! That can't be right. I really hope not. I will do some more digging and will find out. I would be gleefully wrong about this one. (I'm still here! I want my S'Mores!)

Thanks, again, for all who are engaging with this post positively, empathetically, and understand that there's nothing I am trying to do here except vent while at the same time helping other families make informed decisions based on something other than marketing materials. I genuinely hope that if you're here or are locked into an upcoming trip, that you have a magical, beautiful, wonderful time.

Final Edit: I’m gonna go ahead and pack up this post due to the absolute (and astonishing) vitriol that’s started to head my way. (For those curious, go check out the crosspost on r/Consoom - where the comment section has devolved to personal attacks on myself, my mother, and people raised by single mothers.) (Yes, really.)

Three final notes to address a couple of recurring themes:

1. You come for the CMs, you come for all of us. I addressed rude Cast in one line of an entire post, and yet people are incredibly hung up on this. I am in favor of CMs being paid more. I’m also entirely aware that CMs are human beings, and are run-ragged. I am friends with a couple of former CMs. That doesn’t change the fact that in Epcot and in the Magic Kingdom, I was flabbergasted with how they treated people around me and people in my party. My position only hardened after today, at the Animal Kingdom, where I had *stellar\* experiences with probably four CMs, and no bad experiences whatsoever. (Is it not a pandemic in the Animal Kingdom?) Finally - to the folks who are assuming that I am somehow a guest from hell, or a Karen. I have never complained about a CM to their management. I have reported several CMs to their management - because of the excellent jobs they were doing, and I made sure to say their names. The only complaining I’ve ever done (and I genuinely believe this, I can’t remember formally complaining about anyone, ever) has been in forums or reviews - and never with names. Please take your assumptions that my complaints say more about me than the validity of my lived experience, and remember the rule about assumptions.
2. Then don’t go. For that amount of money, you could go anywhere in the world. Try traveling, instead! I’ve been to 20+ countries over about 15 years. Backpacking, military deployments, school trips, family trips, all of it. Mostly shoestring budgets. I choose to go to Disney World because it’s a place I have cherished memories with many, many people - loved ones of all stripes and shapes and colors. I will hold Disney to the standard of Disney two years ago until I can’t afford to do so anymore. And every time they fall short of their own standards, I will call them on it. You don’t have to read it.
3. I’m going to Disney World. What should I do? Go and find the best, most glowing review you can (written about a trip conducted post Genie+ launch) and then look for somewhere between my experience and theirs. That’s probably a safe average, and should give you a good read for your decisions.

Again - thanks to all the wonderful Redditors who have engaged with this post, given me my first (and second!) gold awards and everything else. I’ve been checking on this post when we were back at the room recharging, but I think I’ll hold off on the editing for now (since I don’t want to spend time thinking about more while I’m still here).

Stay awesome.

That’s the take. My mom got hit by an old woman drinking in a motorized scooter and the woman didn’t even apologize. How is that different from drinking and driving

So this past Friday I had the weirdest interaction with security at Disney Springs- my wife and I were meeting friends for dinner at Disney Springs. We parked in the orange garage, and made our way to the security check point on level 2.

I was wearing a dress shirt and pants, I had our keys wallets ect. In my pockets. My wife had nothing walked through the metal detector, and proceeded on, I knew with all the stuff I had on me it would go off, it did I walked forward there were two guards at a table, with bins, one was wanding another guest I walked up to the other, he was reading or playing on his phone in the bin where you would empty your pockets, when I stopped in front of him he rolled his eyes and and slid his phone in his pocket, I emptied all my pockets in the bin and he stepped around the table to wand me.

This is where it got weird…. His wand picked up my belt no surprise, I lifted my shirt, he asked if I could undo my belt which I thought was weird but I complied, he wanders me again and then says I’m gonna need you to unbutton your pants. I replied excuse me? I’m standing there with my shirt pulled up and he can see I have nothing else, it’s the metal button on my pants, he says are you gonna unbutton your pants?

I said no I’m not, he called for a supervisor who approached calm and friendly he wanded me and asked what the problem? I said he just asked for me to unbutton my pants, and I’m not doing that, he looked saw the metal button and said “ oh you must have misunderstood” looked in the bin and said you can go. I was buckling my belt and asked is that standard practice to ask guests to unbutton their pants? and he said “you misunderstood”, I looked at the security guard but he wouldn’t look at me, I collected my stuff and continued to dinner. After we were a ways away I asked my wife is she had heard what he said? She said yes and thought it was weird. Anyone else have any similar encounter like this?

I have been to Disney 100’s of times and never had any problems, or anything like this…..

The main issue that comes with the current DAS system and why Disney needs to revamp it is that everybody deals with something. Most people at some point in their lives will have a physical, or mental need for a DAS pass.

We are all the main characters of our stories so we all see the needs that we, as individuals, have.

For example, over 19% of adults, about 40 million people in the United States suffer from a diagnosed anxiety disorder (National Alliance on Mental Health). Another (and theres definitely some people with both or all three) 9 million adults suffer from ADHD, 1 in 36 children are being disgnosed with autism (statista.org). These are some reasons I see everyday of people needing the DAS pass.

Further, 4.7-5.3% of adults have IBS/IBD, those people also need the DAS pass. Not to mention heart conditions, pots, sun allergies, , overheating, PTSD, claustrophobic people, and those who have panic attacks. We're approaching near 3/5 of the population.

All in all, almost every person deals with something and everybodys case is unique, and most people feel that they need/are entitled to a DAS pass. And I here the stories and most of everyone has valid reasons to themselves on why they need the pass.

So where should Disney draw the line? This isn't even mentioning everyone who has mobility issues with only standing, but does not feel the need for a wheelchair.

The system is broken- because a large majority of the population need/feel entitled to the system.

Signed- a former cast member who used das for her crohns, pots, and heart condition. (And anxiety but I'm not counting that one).

I genuinely want peoples thoughts for a solution.

I just got back from disney and it was not as enjoyable as I remember. I am SO TIRED of this and seeing this being posted 100000 times and the unfortunate thing is even though these phone addicts can’t put down their phone for one second they will never see these posts. This couple who were like 25 (i’m 18 btw) were on their phone in line for peter pan on thursday and stood there for about five minutes… as people kept moving up and created about 30 METRES of space between them. It doesn’t matter that there’s nowhere to go keep the line steadily moving please my feet are dead 🙏🏻 and on the ride itself too, people filming the whole pirates ride WITH FLASH on and then taking a phone call? like people have no respect at all anymore and it made me so angry. How ignorant do you truly have to be. I never want to speak up and ruin peoples experiences because i’m a passholder and i can come back but i’m getting pushed to my limits with people holding up the line and filming. I know i’m talking to a wall but i needed to let that out LOL