Disney World’s Biggest 2023 Fails

Mickey-shaped treats, holiday celebrations, and returning beloved fireworks shows…there are many things that most Disney fans can agree are highlights of a trip to Disney World.

But, hard as they may try, Disney can’t please everybody all the time — and occasionally, some choices leave more disappointed than not. So, we asked our readers what Disney World’s BIGGEST fails have been so far this year, and they had some thoughts.

Requiring Park Pass Reservations

After the pandemic closures of 2020, Disney introduced the Park Pass Reservation System to manage crowds. Once this was implemented, guests would have to make a reservation for the park they planned to visit if they wanted to get into the park that day.

This allowed Disney to manage the capacity of the parks each day as needed, but it hasn’t been the most popular decision. In fact, it has even inspired Passholders to file a lawsuit against the company.

Fortunately, the company has already started easing up on the restrictions for Park Passes recently. Last month, Disney started allowing Annual Passholders to enter the parks without a reservation after 2 PM, except on Saturdays and Sundays in Magic Kingdom.

In 2024, park pass reservations will be disappearing for most ticket types — learn all about the changes coming next year.

And starting next year, Disney will begin offering “Good-to-Go” days for Annual Passholders and Cast Members. These Good-to-Go days will allow these visitors to enter the parks without a reservation and will show up on Disney’s website similar to how Blockout Days do now.

Not Bringing Back the Dining Plan Earlier

Another gripe that many have with Disney World in 2023 is that the Disney Dining Plan still hasn’t returned.

The Disney Dining Plan is a package that guests can add to their trip that allows them to pay for their meals in advance. After choosing a plan, guests would pay a set fee and receive “dining credits” for food around the parks.

However, after the parks reopened following the pandemic closures of 2020, the Dining Plan did not return. Many have been disgruntled over its disappearance.

Similar to the Park Pass Reservation System, however, Disney is addressing those concerns. In 2024, the Disney Dining Plan will return — get all of the details here!

Taking So Long on EPCOT’s Construction

Another issue that visitors have had with Disney World in 2023 is how long all of the construction is taking — particularly in EPCOT.

EPCOT is in the middle of a very lengthy overhaul. New neighborhoods are in the works, we’ve seen new restaurants and shops arrive, and new rides have been completed. But, not everything has been finished according to Disney’s desired timeline. Guardians of the Galaxy, for example, opened later than expected.

But, many of the projects going on in EPCOT are taking quite some time to complete — and some of them have been canceled altogether. Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana will be a walkthrough attraction where guests will be able to interact with water and learn about conservation. While we finally know this experience will open in the Fall of 2023, it has been a long time coming.

Along with the opening of this Moana-themed attraction, we are still watching the construction of CommuniCore Plaza and CommuniCore Hall. The first is an outdoor venue that can hold a stage for live performances, the latter is an indoor venue that will have galleries, a demonstration kitchen, a mixology bar, and a new Mickey and Friends Meet and Greet.

Unfortunately, as exciting as all of these updates to EPCOT are, they are taking a lot longer than guests would have hoped.

Read more about EPCOT’s full overhaul here

Ride Maintenance and Engineering

Disney schedules ride closures for maintenance occasionally, which allows them to update the attractions and keep them safe. Unfortunately, unexpected closures can happen frequently as well.

Rides have technical difficulties from time to time which forces Disney to shut them down temporarily while they work on the problem. This means that your carefully planned day might have a wrench or two thrown in it.

Some guests believe that these unexpected closures happen too frequently. According to one reader, it’s “absolutely disgraceful how many rides fail or break down on a regular basis.” While we understand things happen, it can feel like these rides go down at the worst times sometimes. It’s not uncommon for multiple rides to go down at once — sometimes multiple major rides at once.

Genie+

Lastly, many visitors are disappointed with Genie+. Disney introduced Disney Genie in 2021 — a free program that helps guests plan out their day in the parks. But with it came a new, paid version of the old FastPass+.

With Genie+, guests pay one flat fee (that fluctuates with demand), and have the ability to schedule timed Lightning Lanes for select attractions throughout the day. In addition, Disney released Individual Lightning Lane Selections which are pay-per-ride passes that work on the most popular attractions across the parks.

While many were waiting for FastPass to return, some guests were disgruntled when a new version of this system made guests pay for something that was once free.

On top of that, some dislike the “surge” pricing that goes on within Disney Genie. Genie+ costs at least $15 per person, per day, but increases in price on busier days. We’ve seen it reach as high as $35 per person during Spring Break!

Individual Lightning Lane Selections can fluctuate as well. The busier the day, the more expensive the selection.  While charging for Individual Lightning Lanes and Genie+ based on how busy the parks get helps manage the demand, some think Disney should be managing it by selling fewer park tickets and keeping the pricing consistent on these extras.

Although the prices aren’t likely to change, Disney has announced that updates are coming to the Genie+ system. No full details have been released just yet, but it may have to do with pre-planning Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections.

So, not all of Disney’s decisions have been popular. In 2023, they had a few misses in the eyes of some guests, but, you can’t please everybody all of the time. If you’d like to participate in a future poll, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook! As always, stay tuned to AllEars for more.

The number one theme park in the U.S. is…NOT a Disney park? Read more here.

What do you think is Disney’s biggest failure this year? Let us know in the comments below!

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