No mention of Disney's social/political agenda, messaging in movies, merchandise, etc. This has turned conservative Disney fans against them in droves. Just look in any comments section on one of Disney's posts. People are upset, like it or not, and they are now going to Universal who doesn't have an agenda.
I agree 100% with everything you’re saying. For so long, we as passholders were told we don’t bring in as much money as day guests. It was even suggested to completely get rid of the passholder program. Passholders are the ones who kept the parks going when they first reopened after the shut down since almost no one was traveling. Left a very bad feeling to be treated so badly after that. I still enjoy going to the parks, and I’m sure I always will (especially for the nostalgia and memories) but I’m also a passholder at Universal now. I never thought I would be.
During the recession we first discovered the Disney World vacation. Free meal plans /free fast pass/free park hopping/free airport transportation. It was a glorious time to enjoy the parks.Our family of four attended from Michigan at least 28 times. Have stayed away since Gennie Plus/lightening lanes/virtual cues. Great observations Michael. I also think they need more benches and shading with these increasing temperatures
I was recently at Disneyland and the number of benches there, compared to WDW was crazy. They were everywhere! We definitely need more benches and shade.
Feels like Disney got cash poor after all their major acquisitions. Marvel, Star Wars, 20th Century Fox, etc. They pushed pause on parks development by playing it safe. Meanwhile, Universal went all-in on Harry Potter, did it right, then made sure to open a new attraction every couple of years. Now a third gate with room for immediate expansion. Not a Disney killer... yet. The money grab is wild at Disney right now. Families of four cannot afford a typical yearly trip. I know mine is pushing pause this year. Great conversation MK!
So insightful! I think your thoughts are similar to a lot of passholder’s mind. I could hear the hurt and disappointment in your words about how they treated us passholders. I feel the same way. Thank you Michael!
Michael just want to say thank you! My wife and I still use the trick for getting a virtual cue spot with your trick you taught us with the world clock feature. We were able to get guardians and tron over the 4th!
The 4-Day 4-Park pass was blocked out during 4th of July weekend. Many families who are going this summer took advantage of this deal. Also, several Passholder levels were blocked out for the weekend. I believe these two factors were a big reason for the lower crowd levels (the extreme heat didn't help, either).
Totally agree Michael, great commentary! This is exactly why I don’t think we are renewing our annual pass after 6 years in November 😢. Maybe one day they’ll fix things but they take far too long to do anything, other than raise prices. The festivals had us coming back, but like you said those are going stale now. We actually braved some lines recently, went on Dinosaur, and well over half of the animatronics were broken. Typical and embarrassing….just not worth going anymore.
So true with everything you said. I hope they straighten things out soon. I miss the old Disney of the 80’s and 90’s! Btw, we went to the Passholder area in Epcot when they were giving out the free nuts and M&M’s and believe it or not, they were expired! Where did they get these treats?! Were they left over from Halloween or something?! Very disappointing!
Fantastic look at the current situation. So great to hear classic Michael Kay on this podcast, offering the experience & advice that we've come to enjoy & appreciate.
One of the biggest areas that i'm still bummed about is the extra magic hours for ALL hotel guests! If your staying on property you should have access to features. There's no more transportation from airport, no more luggage transfer, no fast pass etc.
Walt Disney would NEVER EVER Treat pass holders this way !! They are still punishing us with reservations- We dumped Disney they have not gotten our money since 2019 Byeeeee lol
Good format - Disney's decisions for the last 5 years have been pretty bad on many levels - Their movies are not the best, the prices increase for parks and special events - the quality of the food as well as the quantity - even cast members aren't well treated - Agreed on the AP comments as well...the list goes on
Why on earth can you still not park hop before 2 pm!? Why do we still need park reservations?Get rid of the high cost of Genie+, lower park entrance especially for children. You can’t tell me a 3 year old is able to go on all rides. Let under 8 year old be free. They’re just going downhill and as a DVC member with 735 points per year it scares me. I’ve put a LOT of money into this company and a free magnet each year just isn’t cutting it for me.
Thank you Michael ❤❤😊. I agree with you whole heartily. Almost didn't renew my AP. But out of sentimental reasons. But did get AP discount on deluxe resorts in September. See ya around. And thanks again. 😊
You are right on all points. The daily ticket price, I believe, is the number one issue. Followed by the difficulty of planning and organizing. I am a 2-3 times a year DVC visitor and I watch Disney You Tube channels nearly every day and I am still confused by Genie + and refuse to pay extra money for it.
The poor movie performance, the politics, the Star Wars Hotel failure...all of these are temporary problems. They will figure this out, I don't know WHEN, but I know they will figure it out just like they've done for 100 years. Meanwhile, Disney stock is cheap...maybe buyable. It's something to consider.
Could be, but you need to factor in the massive debt servicing related to the recent acquisitions especially the price they ended up paying for Fox. That will be a drain in the near term. That combined with the awful decisions and short-sighted cash grabs at the cost of loyal fans post pandemic and you could be in for a bit of a long haul. I’m thinking buying and holding for long term would be the way to go. Some pain for a few years and some potential competition. Also, Disney+ is great, love having the library I grew up with at my fingertips, but it is a little weak on new content. For Disney, they’re going to have to open up the cash reserves and spend, spend and offer more value to right the ship I think.
I am breaking my 10 year streak by not going to Disney. Unfortunately they have become too political, and regardless of what I believe, its too much in my opinion. And its affecting what they do, look at pixar, lucasfilm and marvel. Its really sad.
Park reservations going away, I believe is official from Disney. Has Michael been on The Wish? He was talking about wanting new cruise ships. I may have missed those videos, I skipped a lot when he stopped showing himself, I miss those videos.
Disney announced park reservations are going away in 2024. The thing is why does Disney have to wait until 2024 to stop park pass reservations? It should be stopped now.
I hope somehow this recording lands in the hands of someone responsible within Disney leadership. Just one bad decision after another. Had to have been challenging to make so many poor decisions in such a small window of time. Awesome feedback for them Michael. They should hire you.
Everyone has there own opinions. As much as I want to go to Disneyworld I cannot support visiting Florida at this time. I have my own reasons as to why. Yours may be different.❤there's a great big beautiful tomorrow❤
Like I have been saying, Disney told their cast members not to say”Ladies and gentlemen or boys or girls” should have Walt turning over in his grave. Disney goes woke they should go broke.
It’s called inclusivity. And Walt turning in his grave…There was literally a lingerie and smoke shop on Main Street in Disneyland when it opened in the 50s.
@@patrickcutter6811 thats factually incorrect. Gender fluid people, nonbinary people...they exist. You saying they dont isn't a fact. And what dictates whether someone is "only a man or a woman", in your definition?
Disney has openly said people were complaining about crowds and super long wait times for rides. So Disney has said their answer was to raise prices and causing numbers to drop. Also people are sick of the woke stuff being shoved down your throat.
No mention of Disney's social/political agenda, messaging in movies, merchandise, etc. This has turned conservative Disney fans against them in droves. Just look in any comments section on one of Disney's posts. People are upset, like it or not, and they are now going to Universal who doesn't have an agenda.
I agree 100% with everything you’re saying. For so long, we as passholders were told we don’t bring in as much money as day guests. It was even suggested to completely get rid of the passholder program. Passholders are the ones who kept the parks going when they first reopened after the shut down since almost no one was traveling. Left a very bad feeling to be treated so badly after that. I still enjoy going to the parks, and I’m sure I always will (especially for the nostalgia and memories) but I’m also a passholder at Universal now. I never thought I would be.
During the recession we first discovered the Disney World vacation. Free meal plans /free fast pass/free park hopping/free airport transportation. It was a glorious time to enjoy the parks.Our family of four attended from Michigan at least 28 times. Have stayed away since Gennie Plus/lightening lanes/virtual cues. Great observations Michael. I also think they need more benches and shading with these increasing temperatures
I was recently at Disneyland and the number of benches there, compared to WDW was crazy. They were everywhere! We definitely need more benches and shade.
We've gone many times over the years. The older I get the more often I comment on the lack of benches. Put up umbrellas over them as well.
@@kathymcel yes!
Feels like Disney got cash poor after all their major acquisitions. Marvel, Star Wars, 20th Century Fox, etc. They pushed pause on parks development by playing it safe.
Meanwhile, Universal went all-in on Harry Potter, did it right, then made sure to open a new attraction every couple of years. Now a third gate with room for immediate expansion. Not a Disney killer... yet.
The money grab is wild at Disney right now. Families of four cannot afford a typical yearly trip. I know mine is pushing pause this year.
Great conversation MK!
Once they started taking away the fast pass, magical express, dining plan and raising the prices, the magic started fading away
So insightful! I think your thoughts are similar to a lot of passholder’s mind. I could hear the hurt and disappointment in your words about how they treated us passholders. I feel the same way. Thank you Michael!
Michael just want to say thank you! My wife and I still use the trick for getting a virtual cue spot with your trick you taught us with the world clock feature. We were able to get guardians and tron over the 4th!
The 4-Day 4-Park pass was blocked out during 4th of July weekend. Many families who are going this summer took advantage of this deal. Also, several Passholder levels were blocked out for the weekend. I believe these two factors were a big reason for the lower crowd levels (the extreme heat didn't help, either).
Totally agree Michael, great commentary! This is exactly why I don’t think we are renewing our annual pass after 6 years in November 😢. Maybe one day they’ll fix things but they take far too long to do anything, other than raise prices.
The festivals had us coming back, but like you said those are going stale now. We actually braved some lines recently, went on Dinosaur, and well over half of the animatronics were broken. Typical and embarrassing….just not worth going anymore.
So true with everything you said. I hope they straighten things out soon. I miss the old Disney of the 80’s and 90’s! Btw, we went to the Passholder area in Epcot when they were giving out the free nuts and M&M’s and believe it or not, they were expired! Where did they get these treats?! Were they left over from Halloween or something?! Very disappointing!
Fantastic look at the current situation. So great to hear classic Michael Kay on this podcast, offering the experience & advice that we've come to enjoy & appreciate.
One of the biggest areas that i'm still bummed about is the extra magic hours for ALL hotel guests! If your staying on property you should have access to features. There's no more transportation from airport, no more luggage transfer, no fast pass etc.
IM GOING TO DISNEY IN 2 WEEKS!!!! SO EXCITED
Michael’s mic drop!!!
Walt Disney would NEVER EVER Treat pass holders this way !! They are still punishing us with reservations- We dumped Disney they have not gotten our money since 2019 Byeeeee lol
Good format - Disney's decisions for the last 5 years have been pretty bad on many levels - Their movies are not the best, the prices increase for parks and special events - the quality of the food as well as the quantity - even cast members aren't well treated - Agreed on the AP comments as well...the list goes on
Why on earth can you still not park hop before 2 pm!? Why do we still need park reservations?Get rid of the high cost of Genie+, lower park entrance especially for children. You can’t tell me a 3 year old is able to go on all rides. Let under 8 year old be free. They’re just going downhill and as a DVC member with 735 points per year it scares me. I’ve put a LOT of money into this company and a free magnet each year just isn’t cutting it for me.
I couldn’t get a virtual que for either ride and had to pay for the rides. On top of admission .
Disney has abandoned Walt’s dream.
Thank you Michael ❤❤😊. I agree with you whole heartily. Almost didn't renew my AP. But out of sentimental reasons. But did get AP discount on deluxe resorts in September. See ya around. And thanks again. 😊
You are right on all points. The daily ticket price, I believe, is the number one issue. Followed by the difficulty of planning and organizing. I am a 2-3 times a year DVC visitor and I watch Disney You Tube channels nearly every day and I am still confused by Genie + and refuse to pay extra money for it.
The poor movie performance, the politics, the Star Wars Hotel failure...all of these are temporary problems. They will figure this out, I don't know WHEN, but I know they will figure it out just like they've done for 100 years. Meanwhile, Disney stock is cheap...maybe buyable. It's something to consider.
Could be, but you need to factor in the massive debt servicing related to the recent acquisitions especially the price they ended up paying for Fox. That will be a drain in the near term. That combined with the awful decisions and short-sighted cash grabs at the cost of loyal fans post pandemic and you could be in for a bit of a long haul. I’m thinking buying and holding for long term would be the way to go. Some pain for a few years and some potential competition. Also, Disney+ is great, love having the library I grew up with at my fingertips, but it is a little weak on new content. For Disney, they’re going to have to open up the cash reserves and spend, spend and offer more value to right the ship I think.
I am breaking my 10 year streak by not going to Disney. Unfortunately they have become too political, and regardless of what I believe, its too much in my opinion. And its affecting what they do, look at pixar, lucasfilm and marvel. Its really sad.
Park reservations going away, I believe is official from Disney.
Has Michael been on The Wish? He was talking about wanting new cruise ships. I may have missed those videos, I skipped a lot when he stopped showing himself, I miss those videos.
Just found his Wish series, I just needed to look 😅
Disney announced park reservations are going away in 2024. The thing is why does Disney have to wait until 2024 to stop park pass reservations? It should be stopped now.
Park attendance aside, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars etc used to be a guaranteed big money. Not anymore…
I hope somehow this recording lands in the hands of someone responsible within Disney leadership. Just one bad decision after another. Had to have been challenging to make so many poor decisions in such a small window of time. Awesome feedback for them Michael. They should hire you.
I agree, I am a pass holder, and mine is up in December and not real sure I will renew.
Well said! Thank you for the video!
Great video Michael! Love the honesty. Thank you.
Disney needs to get OUT of politics
Amen!!
I agree, but it was nice not being so busy over the 4th last week.
@@frontierlandfrank5314 hey, if you were there, awesome. I’ll bet it was great to see quite a lot less people. Right on.
They are literally married to politics
This video and Disney's low attendance recently has nothing to do with politics, but thanks for injecting poltiics, like you all do.
Wait.....So the Moana Journey of Water is not a boat ride or some type of moving attraction?
Nope. Just a walk through area.
@@kellystewart2223 Wow so disappointing.
Hopefully when we go its light crowds!
Everyone has there own opinions. As much as I want to go to Disneyworld I cannot support visiting Florida at this time. I have my own reasons as to why. Yours may be different.❤there's a great big beautiful tomorrow❤
I agree with everything you've said. Hopefully they see the error of their ways and make some changes.
Michael, spot on!
The evil mouse is going down. The boycott is strong. Stay tuned.
Like I have been saying, Disney told their cast members not to say”Ladies and gentlemen or boys or girls” should have Walt turning over in his grave. Disney goes woke they should go broke.
It’s called inclusivity. And Walt turning in his grave…There was literally a lingerie and smoke shop on Main Street in Disneyland when it opened in the 50s.
When I see people use that word "woke" on the right, I know exactly what you mean, but are too afraid to say. smdh
@@LPM12inclusivity? You’re a man or a women. A gentlemen or a lady. A boy or a girl. That’s it.
@@patrickcutter6811 thats factually incorrect. Gender fluid people, nonbinary people...they exist. You saying they dont isn't a fact. And what dictates whether someone is "only a man or a woman", in your definition?
@@LPM12 we aren’t participating in your nonsensical bs terms. 😂
Splash mountain isn’t running.
Disney has openly said people were complaining about crowds and super long wait times for rides. So Disney has said their answer was to raise prices and causing numbers to drop. Also people are sick of the woke stuff being shoved down your throat.
Great show
Woke Disney is no longer on my bucket list. Florida is most definitely on my list, just not Disney!
What is causing through life? Is that a different channel?