Disneypocalypse
Disney World has officially jumped the shark.
I know, I know. But it’s the most magical place on Earth! Well, there are two sides to the arcane, and Disney has definitely 
started the spiraling descent into the dark side of magic. What started as one man’s dream has turned into a nightmare for millions.
Pardon me while I rant.
Let me sum up. Third trip as an adult, with my visit prior to this one occurring seven years ago. Have always visited during slow windows in the Disney population profile. Five adults and one child staying at a moderate resort and participating in the Disney dining plan within the Disney dome. We chose to visit during the statistically slowest week of tourist activity during the year.
The crowds were horrendous. Ho-rren-dous. Let me repeat, we chose to visit during the slowest week of tourist activity, and the crowds were monolithic. Wait times were 60-90 minutes for the majors before you could blink an eye. Even wait times during the extra magic hours often didn’t seem worth it. I’m a FastPass ninja. Seriously. I was fortunate enough to orchestrate above average ride enjoyment for our party, but Disney has even managed to dick up the FP tech.
The Disney app and FP+ on my phone, you say? Did it. Clunky and limiting. It’s basically a way for Disney to funnel guests into FP frameworks that better suit their queue calculations and ride participation. I spent entirely too much time staring at my phone waiting for mediocre app results than taking in the scenery.
Prepare to sacrifice 30-60 additional minutes per day in bus transportation. I have nothing against those needing a scooter to navigate the sizable Disney terrain. With the number of folks being funneled through the parks though, there is always a scooter waiting for pick-up at the bus station, and usually more like 2-3 depending on the time of day. Five minutes per load and unload. You do the math.
The vast number of patrons being shunted through the feeding stations has vastly limited the food options offered. The fare wasn’t horrible, it was just…food. Just good enough to keep you sated until the next scheduled feeding time. Ugh, and stay away from the buffets. They only emphasize the bellying-up-to-the-trough sensation. The food tech at our resort couldn’t withstand the onslaught either. A lot of out of service signs and unavailable or delayed items riddled the experience.
That brings me to the service in general. From bus drivers, to ride operators, to wait staff, to housekeepers, to shopkeepers, to performers, to security…in all of them, the magic was fading. You would run across the occasional gem who still wielded the true Disney spark, though even they seemed to struggle against the tide. By in large though, service had slipped a notch, and the smile offered was devoid of any genuine feeling.
Then of course, there was the cast member at the Epcot bus stops who incited a stampede which almost trampled my four year old nephew. But that’s a boil I lanced in a previous post.
Simply put, there is no good reason, and now no good time, to visit Disney World. If you wish your sons and daughters to feel like princesses and pirates, then cultivate their imaginations and treat them as such. Don’t shove your family through the Disney sausage grinder.
Shambling masses herded by disillusioned shepherds from queue to feeding to queue and back again, over and over and over. There’s one word for that folks. Disneypocalypse.