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It’s been a long year, and so much has changed. Disney World has reopened but looks vastly different from the magical experience it once was. Now, as Disneyland prepares to reopen, Disney CEO Bob Chapek speaks out on what they’ve learned in the past year as well as the Guest reaction to a post-pandemic Disney World.
Some things never change
The fact is Disney World is still magical! While attempting to meet the health and safety guidelines, Disney has reopened and continues to make magic happen!
It’s true that there are no character meet and greets or parades, but character cavalcades have given us a whole new experience that is definitely worth melting for!
While it’s true that entertainment is certainly limited, more and more entertainment is returning to the Parks! We recently learned fan-favorite show Festival of the Lion King will be making a return to the parks this summer!
2021 even brought the return of Park hopping, adding a new element of fun to our Park days!
Less than magical changes
However, with the reopening of Disney World, many fans are upset by some less than magical changes.
I think one of the biggest hang ups for many right now is the lack of FastPasses. FastPasses did not return to the parks when they reopened in July 2020.
At first, the crowds were so light that this change did not really have much of an impact.
However, as we start to see “the light at the end of the tunnel,” more and more people are feeling safe and heading back to the parks, causing several Park reservations to fill to capacity.
More people in the parks=longer waits for attractions.
Without Fastpass, many Guests are frustrated by the longer waits.
Besides no Fastpass options, the noticeable lack of entertainment, shorter park hours, and the removal of some magical perks have changed the Disney experience quite a bit.
According to Disney CEO Bob Chapek, these changes have only improved Guest satisfaction!
Guests are happier than ever!
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Disney CEO Bob Chapek discussed the recent changes to Disney World and how Guests have responded to them.
Chapek stated,
“Our guest satisfaction scores since we’ve reopened across the world have shown that, indeed, our guests are even more satisfied than they were prior to the pandemic.“
Bob Chapek, Disney CEO
Chapek went on to say: “We’ve learned some things, we’ve learned to operate under constraints all the time by delivering this great same Disney magic that you expect, but we’ve been in a fortunate situation where we’ve had a lot of demand in the past.”
“In many cases, that has exceeded what we can actually supply in terms of how many people we can put in the park and there’s been no situation that’s been more like that than we’ve had upon reopening…I think its going to create a… scenario where magic is going to be even greater for our Guests when they do come back to our Parks.”
Do you agree with Chapek’s statement? Are you more satisfied with Disney World now than you were pre-pandemic? Let us know your thoughts on Kenny the Pirate’s Facebook page, or join our crew and continue the discussion!
Share the love!
DebC
Sunday 28th of March 2021
@Wanda...you are so right. His nose is now longer than Pinocchio’s. We spent $20K plus 2 years in a row for our family trips pre-pandemic. Will perhaps never go again if things don’t go back to ‘normal’. This is sad they’ve resorted to telling tall tales regarding Disney experiences.
MEGMAYO LUCAS
Monday 22nd of March 2021
I so think people are satisfied and happy that they can go to WDW, rather than sitting around the house like they may have for the last year. If the survey asked then to compare their recent visit and experience to a specific visit in 2019, I think the survey results would be quite different.
Russell
Sunday 21st of March 2021
I forgot less mouse keeping services.
Russell
Sunday 21st of March 2021
If you ask the right people you can make the results of your poll question come out however you want it to be. I agree with the other posters so far. I have read way more reviews of people who were upset about their visit and the changes implemented and few by those who enjoyed their stay and liked the changes. People are more likely to post their complaints, however. Our family went to WDW (stayed at a WDW Resort each time) once a year for 5 years straight from 2015-2019 and have not been back yet because of the higher price for less value in return. We had a trip booked for early July 2020 which was cancelled. The same trip for 2021 would cost us $ 2,300 more, and in return we would get no fast passes (which we had become experts at using), no evening entertainment, less attractions and shows open, no meet and greets/autographs with characters, limited dining opportunities and menu selections, limited resorts (we usually stayed at Port Orleans), less park operating hours, no airline baggage check, and apparently longer waits for resort busses, snack vendors, and lines just to get into stores according to some reviews I've read. Wait, there's more. Coming soon: No Magical Express.
Sue
Sunday 21st of March 2021
Someone is smoking some weed if they say they are more satisfied than before the plague.....no shows.....that’s not better, longer lines and no fast passes....that’s not better........no,buffets....that’s not better..l..l.l.limited hours....that’s not better