It’s been a season of change for fans of Disney parks, and not all of those changes have been well-received.
Criticism is nothing new for the Walt Disney Company—pretty much every major decision Disney has ever made has been met with some type of criticism, from renovations on It’s a Small World to the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
What seems to be different this year is the level of criticism—tensions are unusually high among longtime Disney fans, and many are throwing their hands up and saying they’ve had enough. For some, the shifts have just been too much. Others feel like their families have been priced out of the Disney experience. Others are frustrated with Disney regarding political issues.
It’s messy, and unlike Disney’s past rodeos with discontent, social media and an extremely vocal fanbase are playing new unexpected roles.
We’ve written about areas where fans feel Disney has missed the mark before—hot topics like the implementation of Genie+, the removal of previously free perks, and areas where guests feel like the Disney experience has lost value. As some of our readers put it, it feels a bit like Disney has started monetizing and selling off their goodwill with longtime fans… and for some, they’ve gone too far.
What can be done about it though?
What are some steps Disney could take to win back good will with fans? There are a number of simple and complex solutions that could take the company back in the right direction. A word of caution: some of these issues can be divisive, so let’s do our best to keep the discussion civil.
Here are a few ideas that come to mind…
1. Take the necessary steps to improve Genie+
Fans are distinctly divided in their opinions on Genie+. Some have enjoyed the system despite the added price, thanks to its ability to bring back something like the old Fastpass+ system. Others are frustrated with hiccups in its implementation, both with its limitations (which Disney has openly acknowledged) and with the ways Genie+ has actually introduced new problems that make it even worse for standby wait times and crowd congestion than Fastpass+ was.
So what can be done about it?
Disney has taken one step in the right direction already. One of our recent complaints with Genie+ is the way it can badly throw off standby wait time estimates. We experienced multiple standby queues back in February that all ended up taking 2-3 times longer than the time posted—a difference of hours in some cases.
Fortunately, it seems Disney has already made some moves to address this. The last time we visited, we noticed that queue times were much more accurate. This is a very positive step forward that we hope the company maintains for the foreseeable future.
What still needs to be addressed are the major issues with Genie+, and there aren’t many simple answers. In its current form, Genie+ fails to improve over Fastpass+ because too much ride capacity is allotted to Genie+ users (over 90%). This ends up inflating standby wait times and crowd congestion throughout the parks. For those who don’t use the system, it’s a noticeable problem that has made the Disney experience more tedious. For those using Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes, guests often report they aren’t getting their money’s worth because they can’t get reservations to the rides they want at convenient times.
The two possible solutions are likely to be controversial. On one hand, Disney could lower the cap for Genie+ reservations so the service doesn’t take up as much ride capacity. While this is likely to lead to more frustrations for Genie+ users, transparency on Disney’s part might be able to head this off.
The more likely approach is to raise the price of the service. This will certainly be met with even more criticism because fans are sick of upcharges. It would, however, serve the purpose of reducing the pool of people accessing Genie+, improving the issues of queue-inflation and crowd congestion.
The third option may be the necessary one: take Genie+ back to the drawing board. Look at services that have been better received, like Universal’s Express Pass, and see where improvements can be made. Either commit to making the service free like Fastpass+ was or lean into the fact it is an optional upcharge that will benefit some guests but shouldn’t feel like a necessity. It’s an understandably complex problem, but Disney could win back some goodwill if they take the necessary steps to see what fans are frustrated with and try to find innovative ways to address it.
2. Expand park hopping capabilities
We are admittedly surprised this one is still an issue considering how many pandemic restrictions Disney has rolled back, but park hopping remains extremely limited at Walt Disney World.
For those unfamiliar, guests used to be able to purchase a park hopper add-on to tickets that would allow guests to freely hop between Disney parks throughout a given day. To limit crowds, park hopping was eliminated during the pandemic reopening. Eventually it was reinstated as an option with the limit that guest can only park hop after 2 PM.
While some park hopping availability is better than none, many fans remain frustrated that park hopping hasn’t been restored.
The most likely reason for this seems to be that park hoppers introduce a wild-card factor for Disney. Disney has made it clear that they intend to keep the Parks Pass Reservation system for the foreseeable future. This makes sense from a company viewpoint as reservations allow Disney to cap how many guests are in each park, allowing them to plan for workers and resources accordingly. It makes sense that they would want to keep a tight leash on park hoppers, the one unknown variable that can unbalance that system.
That doesn’t change the fact that guests who purchase a park hopper are well-aware they are currently only getting half a day’s benefit, if that. If Disney wants to improve good will with these fans, something has to give.
If Disney isn’t ready to reimplement all-day park hopping, expanding park hopping hours could be a good step in the right direction. Even moving the start time back to 12 PM could be a welcome change for Passholders and guests who enjoy multi-park days.
3. Additions to the parks experience (that don’t come with additional cost)
It’s not necessarily anything new for Disney vacations to be expensive. Guests have always had to budget for individual areas like dining, lodging, tickets, and souvenirs. What has changed, however, is the addition of new costs to get a Disney experience on par with what one might have experienced five years ago.
It’s hard not to feel like Disney has taken a distinct turn towards nickel-and-diming guests. MagicBands were free, now they are not—indeed, if guests want to take part in new interactive additions to areas like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge or other parks, they’ll need to pay for a new MagicBand+ to access those experiences. Disney’s Magical Express has gone the way of the dodo, replaced with traditional Mears Shuttles. As already mentioned, Fastpass+ is dead, replaced with the paid services Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes.
On a larger scale, Disney has redirected some of their most innovative ideas for new attractions into areas behind a paywall. The most notable of these is Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. While Disney’s ultra-immersive, all-inclusive Star Wars adventure resort has been extremely well received by guests who have tried it, the price remains well out of reach for the average family or Star Wars fan. While we love the ideas Disney put into Galactic Starcruiser, we lament that many of these were originally pitched as additions to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
The more Disney can do to make vacations at their resorts feel like they come with significant value, the more likely they are to win back guest goodwill. Things don’t need to be as all-inclusive as Galactic Starcruiser, but guests appreciate when they feel like value, benefits, and new experiences are added without additional costs. While the addition of new attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and TRON Lightcycle/Run certainly helps, not every new addition needs to be an E-Ticket.
Implementing simple, memorable experiences can do a lot to help guests feel like they are getting more value out of a Disney parks ticket. New experiences interacting with cast members, such as animal encounters at Disney Animal Kingdom, as well as simple, quality exploration attractions like the upcoming Moana Experience or Disney Play Pavilion at Epcot are a step in the right direction. Even better, if Disney can find ways to reintroduce small freebies, that’s a bonus. The end result is guests feel like part of the Disney family, not just wallets to be squeezed for revenue.
4. A dedicated push for quality (especially in dining)
This ties into the previous topic, but one of the best ways Disney can continue to win back frustrated fans is with a dedicated push towards quality.
Quality of experience has always made Disney parks stand out from their competitors. From spectacular theming to technological innovations to culinary creativity, quality has always given Disney an edge over other parks that just focus on who can produce the biggest, wildest rides.
The problem is many fans feel Disney has been flagging on the quality front. Some of this has been because of issues beyond their control—the pandemic has been challenging for everyone, and there’s no ignoring the fact that long closures had a significant impact on Disney’s bottom line. The company has also struggled to fill cast member positions, as well as keeping those cast members from feeling exhausted amid increasing tensions with guests.
There are areas Disney does have control over, however, and it’s hard not to feel they’ve let quality dip on a number of entertainment and dining experiences in the name of keeping costs low.
The most noticeable of these has been dining. Before the pandemic, guests already had noticed shifts in the quality of many Disney dining establishments, partially due to effects of the Disney Dining Plan. Disney used to be famous for the spectacular quality of their restaurants, and while many are still excellent, in others quality has noticeably waned. The consistent theme is a feeling like Disney has tried to keep prices the same at many locations while cutting menu options and using lower quality ingredients.
We have already seen some positive signs in this area, but a push for excellence and creativity across Disney parks dining would be a welcome boon for fans. Empower chefs throughout Disney to use simple ingredients to make quality food in innovative ways–this would be a welcome step back to the company’s roots.
Last but not least is the importance and need to focus on improving the parks, not on no-win situations…
5. Focus on improving the parks—not on no-win situations
I tread into this last one very carefully, but it’s a subject that is likely to come up with readers. Many fans feel Disney has quite badly put their foot in it when it comes to their handling of sharply divisive issues among fans—particularly politics.
It’s a messy, messy subject, and I preface what I’m about to say by clarifying that I don’t intend to dive into discussion of the individual issues involved. While I occasionally write opinion pieces, my focus is largely on fun travel advice—things like Where to eat Healthy at Walt Disney World and actually enjoy yourself or Surprising Things No One Tells you about Doing Disney While Pregnant. The common theme is fun and enjoying great vacations. Nothing constructive can come from me adding more noise to the already tumultuous political conversation surrounding Disney.
It is worth addressing, however, if there are any ways Disney could dig their way out of the morass and win back guest goodwill when they’ve engaged in some extremely polarizing battles.
The problem Disney has run into is that bringing politics into the theme park business is a no-win situation. A stalemate. A Kobayashi Maru. Someone is going to be upset either way. One side inevitably feels Disney hasn’t been aggressive enough in using their clout to support a given cause. The other feels alienated and offended that Disney entered the battle in the first place and their values no longer align. Others just feel lost in the middle, wishing forlornly that the company could stay politically neutral as much as is reasonable. No one wins.
There is something to be said that Disney has inevitably lost some goodwill with fans when they’ve tread into these spheres. The minute these lines are crossed, the focus shifts off making magical vacations to arguing over divisions. One side will inevitably think Disney hasn’t been vocal enough while the others feel the company has overstepped. Both end up questioning if they want to continue to support the company because these issues, by nature, are divisive.
I’m not saying companies like Disney should never speak up on issues they are passionate about—look at all Disney has done for conservation and nature sciences over the years. The company has made its stance on a number of issues plain whether fans like it or not, and that’s fine to a point.
If they want to win back goodwill with their extremely diverse fanbase, however, the best thing Disney can do is get back to focusing on making magical vacations possible that appeal to a wide audience.
The Disney fanbase is extremely diverse and carefully navigating that diversity has been something the company has done well for the most part. The vast majority of experiences at Walt Disney World are fun, accessible, and welcoming to any who wish to take part, because the focus is on entertainment, innovation, and imagination.
Different people are going to feel differently about different issues and that’s okay—but if you read a site like Theme Park Tourist, we’re all in agreement on one thing: we love theme parks like Walt Disney World and Disneyland. We have a shared nostalgia and appreciation for the Disney experience, despite our differences. I understand Disney has to walk a tightrope with many issues and avoiding all criticism will be impossible. However, remembering the diversity of their fanbase and picking their battles wisely could go a long way to win back good will, letting the parks remain a place where we can focus on our commonalities instead of our differences.
What are some other steps Disney could take to win back good will with their fanbase? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook! Thanks for reading!
