It remains a weird time to be a Disney parks fan…
On one hand, we are in a season where there are a lot of positives to celebrate at Disney parks. Capacity has increased, and pandemic restrictions continue to slowly reduce. Dining experiences like signature restaurants and buffets are returning. New attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind are nearing long-awaited opening dates, and classic rides that have been in much need of maintenance have been getting some love.
There are definitely some negatives, however.
While controversy isn’t exactly anything new for Disney, there has been an increased timbre of frustration among longtime fans of the parks. In response to the extended closures of 2020, Disney has surgically cut costs wherever possible throughout the parks, particularly at Walt Disney World—from the ending of free perks like the Disney Magical Express and MagicBands, to an increase in new upcharges like the controversial Genie+ system.
While there is a lot that Disney fans are frustrated about (we’ve covered some of these issues and potential solutions at length before), one of the biggest issues irking fans is a perceived decrease of value for a Walt Disney World ticket. It feels like even though prices have risen, you don’t get as nearly as much for the cost of admission as you used to. In everything from the loss of perks to diminishing quality in some experiences, the change has been noticeable.
We want to acknowledge that Disney has walked a very challenging line keeping their business afloat in the midst of a global pandemic. There’s no question that difficult budgeting decisions have needed to be made to maintain the integrity of the core Disney parks experience. Overall, Disney has done well navigating this.
As the threat of pandemic surges shift and revenue bounce back, however, one has to ask: will Disney take steps to restore elements of the parks experience that add value back into a ticket, or will these changes simply become part of their new business model?
We sincerely hope for the former and wanted to look at a few areas where Disney might be able to improve the perceived value of a Disney parks ticket with a few smart changes…
1. Expand park hopping
This is a huge one, and it’s a bit of a puzzler that Disney hasn’t done anything about it—park hopping remains unusually restricted at Walt Disney World.
For those unfamiliar, as of 2021, park hopping returned to Walt Disney World in a limited capacity. The main catch has been that guests with park hopper access have to start their day in whatever park they have a Disney Parks Pass reservation, and you cannot park hop until after 2PM.
While this was a workable solution in the midst of the pandemic, we are surprised Disney has not taken strides to expand park hopping hours beyond the 2PM window. While the Disney Parks Pass system remains in effect (which it might for the next few years), we understand the reasons behind having guests start in a specific park to manage capacity.
However, we do wish that Disney would at least allow park hopping a little earlier. Even moving the time back to 12 PM would be a step in the right direction. For Passholders in particular, the park hopping issue has remained a real bummer, and it seems like a very easy way for Disney to add some value back into tickets and annual passes.
2. Restore (some) perks that used to be free
One of the biggest moves Disney made to recoup lost revenue from the closures was cutting perks guests used to have access to for free. These included the closure of the Disney Magical Express (now replaced with a paid shuttle service), the replacement of Fastpass+ with the (hit-or-miss) paid services Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane Access, and the elimination of free MagicBands.
While Disney’s cost-cutting moves are understandable to a point, there is no question guests would react favorably to seeing some perks restored or new ones added. Complimentary MagicBands are a major one—these have largely been replaced by the Disney MobileMagic feature on My Disney Experience which allows you to use your smartphone as a MagicBand.
While MobileMagic is a nice option to have in the event you can’t easily access a ticket card or MagicBand, a replacement for either it is not. Disney has increasingly relied on My Disney Experience as the primary tool for guests to interact with elements in the park. While the features of My Disney Experience are helpful, the app (as well as Disney’s in-park Wi-Fi) is notorious for battery drain. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that guests could end up in a frustrating predicament if something happens to their smartphone mid-trip.
While we don’t expect to see the return of a free Fastpass system, and it seems unlikely the Disney Magical Express with return anytime soon (though a train system from the airport remains a promising option), small perks like very basic free MagicBands are a very simple way Disney could improve guest experience and inject a little bit of the old magic back into the experience. You can currently go to guest services to request something like the old “Key to the World” cards, but these do take an extra trip to get. Cutting out the extra step might be a welcome move, even if its something guests can request when making their reservation.
Other perks that could potentially be restored include improving the overall speed of Disney’s transportation network, reducing costs for hotel guest parking, and expanding early hours for resort guests back to a full hour (instead of just 30 minutes).
3. In-park additions that aren’t upcharges
As we mentioned earlier, there are a lot of great experiences coming to Walt Disney World, like the upcoming Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser resort. The problem is many of these new experiences require paying extra for access.
I am certainly hoping the best for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, but there’s no question some guests are frustrated by the idea that some of the best ideas intended to be part of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge have instead been rolled into an experience so expensive, a majority of Disney guests will not be able to afford it—things like interactive missions with cast members throughout the land, Star Wars Datapad standing affecting cast member interactions, and new entertainment experiences. We love Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but two of the land’s most noteworthy experiences—Build-a-Droid and the lightsaber building experience at Savi’s Workshop—are both upcharges.
Disney could do much to improve the perceived value of a Disney ticket by continuing to integrate new and creative experiences into the parks that don’t require an extra upcharge. These don’t necessarily need to be rides—rides are great, but they involve expensive construction projects. A mix of personal, interactive experiences, fresh entertainment options, and self-guided attractions could make for some really rich additions to Walt Disney World.
New experiences don’t have to be complex. Consider Epcot’s festivals—all four introduce a range of new experiences to Epcot, always including a few fun things that don’t require any extra cost. Guests are going to spend on special food and souvenir items, which helps cover costs. Another great example would be expanding integrations with the Play Disney Parks app throughout the resort. We would love to see an expansion to the Star Wars Datapad game in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge! Small additions like these could go along way to increasing guest satisfaction.
4. Expanding character experiences
This one will remain a challenge until we are truly out of the woods with the pandemic, but it remains a noteworthy issue—anything Disney can do to make character interactions more personal will prove a win right now. It also is an area we continue to see encouraging forward movement on from Disney.
We understand this one has been particularly difficult for Disney to navigate. Keeping both guests and cast members safe is crucial, and Disney has come up with some wonderfully creative solutions for getting characters out in the parks. Random character cavalcades were so well-received, many guests are hoping they remain a permanent part of the Disney experience.
While social distancing continues, Disney will have to continue being very creative with searching out ways to make character interactions meaningful. Judging by what we’ve seen this month, they are doing a laudable job with this, but there is still ground to reclaim. This one will depend entirely on when things are safe for cast members again, but when it is, we do think expanded character offerings will do a lot to inject some magic back into the Disney experience.
5. Empower cast members to make magic
We’ve said it before—Disney cast members continue to need a lot of love and grace during this season. There’s no question it has been a challenging year for those in the travel industry. It’s hard not to notice the signs of cast member fatigue while visiting Disney parks right now.
One of the frustrations voiced by some cast members has been that the shift of seasons has made it difficult to make “pixie dust” magic moments for guests. Some of this has been due to pandemic restrictions, while other issues stem from the arrival of paid systems like Genie+ where Disney has a stake in encouraging guests to spend extra.
One of the simplest ways Disney could inject magic and value back into the Disney parks experience is in empowering cast members to make these magic moments and creative decisions again. It may even be worth revisiting something like The Year of a Million Dreams, when Disney cast members were empowered with a selection of pixie-dust “dream moments” they could hand out to random guests throughout the day. Some of these were as simple as giving a sticker, special card, or pin, while others involved substantial prizes like walking in a parade or staying in the Cinderella Castle suite.
Even if you weren’t directly party to a pixie-dust moment, the spontaneity of it created a wonderful energy of the unexpected throughout Disney parks. Being able to make these moments happen more often won’t only improve guest satisfaction—it very well could improve cast member morale if executed correctly.
6. Quality, quality, quality
Waning quality has been one of the biggest laments of Disney fans—again, Disney isn’t going down the tubes, but veteran guests have noticed areas where the edges have frayed in some experiences.
This is more of a philosophical shift, but it could have noticeable effects. A push for increased excellence in quality in dining, attractions, entertainment, guest service, and overall offerings could go a long way to win back frustrated fans and remind guests why Disney is so different from any other theme park. With Disney, it’s not just about the quantity of experiences but a rich quality that you experience from the moment you walk in the gates all the way to the “kiss goodnight.”
When you increase quality, you increase value overall. It’s understandable Disney has had to cut back on some experiences to meet the bottom line. The season is shifting however, and we do hope to see a strong push in the coming year for Disney to reclaim their reputation for total excellence in every aspect of guest experience. Small improvements like improving quality at languishing dining establishments and ensuring stand-by line lengths are accurate (a major issue right now–we encountered three lines our last trip that took 2-3x longer than posted due to over-saturation of Genie+ users) can make a big difference. Despite some areas that still need substantial work, we remain optimistic for what the future could hold if Disney makes the right steps to reclaim guest loyalty.
How do you think Disney could improve the value of a Walt Disney World ticket? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook! Thanks for reading!
