Does Disney World HAVE to be This Hard?

[@kristygrossman9659]

I started planning our September trip in January. You need every bit of 9 months to prepare. Hoping all the hours of planning and watching DFB pay off in 12 days!

[@louisyock9285]

The reason I've settled on Disney as my go to vacation, despite the expense, is the huge variety of entertainment and food in a safe place where I don't have to drive. I maximize research (thanks DFB and AllEars), and minimize planning. If something we're wanting isn't happening or available, we just head towards that other option we've learned about that's in the same category. At Disney we can always find something that scratches the itch.

[@eclipse_eternal8178]

I don't even plan on going to Disney in the near future but I still love watching your videos and find them entertaining :)

[@amydoran9987]

The new CEO has made it a lot more challenging and pricey. I miss magical express, not having to reserve each park and free fast passes.

[@Canrugger]

Magical Express was cancelled by the bus company

[@michaelridout5134]

@@Canrugger no it wasn't. They raised the cost to Disney so much that Disney did not renew the contract.

[@marciec6859]

Who wants to work and stress that much to take a vacation. We’ve been 8x and the hassle just isn’t worth it anymore. Good luck to everyone else who still hopes it will be magical.

[@cosmiccometchichi]

sorry to say this honestly but now you know how anyone whos been stuck not traveling internationally to canada and other countries feel. I mean zero disrespect its just now time to really go down the rabbit hole of where this is going and why is Disney doing this actually. Let me know what you come up with. Happy to chat anytime.

[@desmodus5635]

I'm done too unless they make some drastic changes and go back to putting their fans first and not their bottom line. The new CEO stinks and should be replaced.

[@jeffaltier5582]

Unfortunately Disney (and used car salesman Chapek) has made Disney World hard. We as consumers should not have to stress out 60 days in advance getting on an app at 6 AM just to sign up to eat dinner someplace. We as consumers should not have to spend extra money for the privilege of getting on a ride (already included in the $150 I'm spending to get into the park). We as consumers should not have to keep our noses in our phones the entire day to make sure we're doing things properly according to Disney rather than enjoying the park. We're stuck with it because Disney has made it so.

[@carol2girls]

That’s not stressful at all

[@MindiB]

The only way for consumers to fight back is to withhold their money, and the existence of this channel demonstrates that this pushback is not going to happen. I think Disney is trying to determine just how much misery people will accept (more money for stockholders, less fun for visitors)-and so far, no significant evidence of any real limit to fans’ tolerance. The Disney “magic” has been wearing thin for a long time, and the latest blatant, tone-deaf corporate cash-grabs are its death-knell for me.

[@NinthShinigami]

@@carol2girls …

[@mike9147]

Yep, Disney = Rules, rules and more rules! :(

[@duchkal2]

Disney died in the 50s before this park even opened. This is not on Walt.

[@jameshogan1094]

Speaking of Meet the Robinson's, it might be helpful to remember the family motto (which is actually Walt's). Moving forward means trying new things, developing new methods to disperse the guests, using available technology, etc. Absent this, we'd all still be buying ticket books, effectively paying for every attraction. Because we aren't thrilled with some of the business decisions doesnt mean all of the magic is gone or that Disney is ruined. You don't have to go right now or use Genie+ or stay on property or fill in the blank. You do you. AJ put this out to help keep the difficulty levels down for you on your trip and how to cope should things go sideways. Thanks, AJ!

[@lavetaloca7790]

I hear alot about Disney accommodating "any" diet, but then it seems to be all about allergies, gluten & vegan. I never hear anything about the most common dietary restrictions in the US: low-sodium and diabetic diets. These are more difficult but are very important. perhaps its time for a video about those.

[@eliseg0001]

The Disney World website mentions accommodating low-sodium and no-sugar-added diets as part of their ‘special dietary requests’ so it looks like it’s something Disney is aware of, but isn’t as forward with like vegan, etc. There are also several online forums that have discussed these special diets with firsthand experiences that might be helpful to look at in the meantime

[@hairdresser1300]

@@eliseg0001 good to know...are you referring to the dis forums?

[@lavetaloca7790]

you guys are nice. I k only patients won't do any of this. I guess I was just hoping for the same amount of discussion on DFB as is given to the less common dietary restrictions

[@queenland6471]

My brother has a milk and gluten allegories. You can’t order online he can’t have a ronto dog because you can’t choose the same allegrie

[@mkweave8597]

I do hate that Disney makes it so complicated-However, if you are one of the people that can figure this out, you will have very short wait times. I also recommend going with a travel agent-it will not cost you anything, and you will have an expert booking your hotel, tickets, and dining reservations. I recommend Donna at Pixie vacations-she was amazing, and was available throughout our trip if we ran into any problems. We got reservations at Space 220, Be our Guest, Oga’s Cantina, Sci Fi Cafe, and Cinderella’s Royal Table using her services.

[@Canrugger]

As someone who works in the travel industry NEVER use a travel agent….you will pay more

[@vincent412l7]

You do not pay more if you use a real disney travel planner

[@mkweave8597]

Disney pays the travel agents-I double checked and we paid the same price for our hotel and tickets that we would of had we not used her. Disney travel is different in that Disney pays them, not the customer. They get a commission from Disney.

[@mjfury9183]

Thanks DFB! Staying on top of all the changes are no easy feat, but you all do it flawlessly.

[@StillPooh62]

Sounds like the answer to the title question is YES. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Who wants a vacation that’s more work than their actual job?

[@pussydestroyer87]

I hear ya. I've never been to Disney and wanted to take the kids at least once but next year is an all inclusive in Mexico.

[@StillPooh62]

@@pussydestroyer87 hubby and I went to Disney for a 5 day all-inclusive (except alcohol) back in the early 90's when it actually WAS easy. And affordable! I'm glad we did it back then, because I doubt we'll be back. Unless we actually do retire to Florida, and annual resident passes aren't crazy expensive.

[@Bur6212]

Just remember… you’re at Disney to have fun!

[@jadecoloredglasses5822]

I just want to point out how important it is to call the right number when you need to call Disney! I have waited hours in the main phone queue before but recently I called to reschedule a vacation package and fortunately found the number for the reservations line! I called twice and each time I spent less than 10 minutes talking to a robot (giving my name and package details) before I was connected directly to a cast member. Each phone call was less than 20 minutes in total. I rescheduled and upgraded my entire vacation package! Find the number you need before you call.

[@lucianacoutinho4484]

That's exactly my problem now! Please which number did you call to reschedule your package? The same here in the vídeo?

[@mela1580]

It's insane that we wait for hours on hold. For what we're paying, and for a company that literally promises a "magical" experience, hold times should be minutes, if that even.

[@pamwaldron2566]

I miss the days when they had Florida residents' days (lower admission prices.) And the days when you could just show up at the park on a whim, pay your entrance fee and walk on in if they weren't full that day... Ride whatever rides you wanted when you wanted (provided you didn't mind the lines) and eat when you wanted. I can see reservations for fine dining, but some places aren't fine dining. Just sit down. Now you have to make a reservation just to get in? A reservation to eat? A reservation to get on a ride? WDW is not fun anymore.

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

Good question. I’ve been to DW several times, but now, to my knowledge, it’s gotten so expensive and complicated, that I think I’ll just pass.

[@Canrugger]

Its not

[@vincent412l7]

More for me

[@mirandareneesanchez]

Aj, my husband and I have decided that we just want you to go with us. Your knowledge is incredible and I really think we'd all have fun together 😉

[@NinthShinigami]

It really shouldn’t. I can understand in trying to be one massive experience with sooo many things to do, but it shouldn’t be as hard as it is today…

[@carol2girls]

It’s only as hard as you make it

[@BAM5636]

@J A Y S When was the last time you planned a Disney vacation?

[@forcewielder2000]

I think a large part of the reason WDW feels so complicated is because it...well, is. They're trying to be all things to all people, and it's just getting to be too much (after all, when the size of WDW is being compared to the size of cities like San Fransisco, that's a lot of stuff!).

[@carolynnettles3767]

DFB you guys are the best! Because of y’all, I was able to plan my Disney World trip by myself and I felt completely capable! Y’all rock!!! 😊❤

[@ajburk46]

It’s shouldn’t be this hard, but here we are. Great job breaking it all down and helping the guests get a great experience, but Disney should be the one doing this job, not just you. Unless they want to pay you 7 figures to do their job for them.

[@ajburk46]

@@justins9886 your opinion definitely feels like it’s in the minority. Even with people that have been going to the parks for decades. Disney is unnecessarily making things difficult. Between reservations, restrictions on park hopping, and Genie plus, just to name a few. And they rely heavily on bloggers such as this one to do much of the explaining for them. I stand by my original comment.

[@Canrugger]

Its not hard at all

[@BillRich1277]

@@ajburk46 I agree with Justin. It's not hard, it really isn't. We've been to Disney multiple times and we know exactly how to plan with no issues.

[@lijohnyoutube101]

I don’t think its hard at all. We went again last June we were in the area for approx two weeks went dozens and dozens of places including a day trip to Clearwater and a day trip to NASA Kennedy space center. It took us maybe 4 or 5 hours total to get flights, reservations, tickets for everything, put together a schedule etc Now granted we do travel fairly often compared to some others but it’s no where near hard.

[@ajburk46]

@@BillRich1277 I’m not saying it’s calculus, or that no one can figure out how to use these things. I’m saying Disney is forcing guests to plan more and learn a bunch when it’s really not necessary and obviously isn’t meant to improve the guest experience. You can see from many of the other comments on this video, that I’m not alone with this thought. People view it as Disney sucking some of the fun out of their vacation by adding difficulty (again, not necessarily hard to learn, but adding information people have to know). And Disney knows this consensus is out there. But instead of changing it to put it back the way it was originally- because that would be another PR nightmare with egg on their face, they rely on bloggers such as Disney Food Blog to hopefully train up their guests to learn their unnecessarily complex systems and rules.

[@elisabeth2166]

Always love a Meet The Robinsons reference.

[@amysoderstrom1180]

I’ve been the one taking the “walk of shame” back to the TTC to ask for help finding my car. The CM’s were so kind and directed me to the correct row based on the approximate time we parked.

[@macroni6164]

for parking- if you have google maps and timeline enabled, it keeps track of your location all day and usually can give rough estimates of where you parked!

[@JamieP_Syracuse]

I've had success finding Dining Reservations by searching specific times vs instead of by specific meal. I've also found different availability on the website vs the app. Thanks AJ and DFB for all your hard work!

[@Megs658]

These are the most informative videos!

[@brendanbuehler4352]

Just finished a trip, only had one day available for the park and we hit 12 rides, 3 parks and we were up for a total of 18 hours with 20 miles on our feet!

[@carol2girls]

You’re probably up 18 hours anyways if you wanted to say so what’s the difference walking 20 miles is not bad 12 rides for three parks that’s bad

[@brendanbuehler4352]

@@carol2girls we only go on the most popular attractions and did not pay for genie plus. Also, kindly, screw off.

[@saratalbot6147]

Wow! Impressive!!

[@donjoy33]

7:30 is why I won’t be going back to Disney for a long time. The park hopping, fast lane management and everything is a nightmare. You can’t look up from your phone!

[@ddyodaman5515]

I have not viewed this but the title says it all! Leave the electronics at home! Or off period! Embrace the idea of getting away from reality for a bit! Might do you some good! So boooo to the new Disney heads! This is a vacation or entertainment. Escape! Ty

[@charliewilson1725]

You know taking pictures of your reservations is a great idea not just at Disney world but Disneyland too. We went in may and I thought I set my park reservation and we got there but mine was not set. My son and wife was. But the cast members there was great and got me in with no problem. I thought coming of Montana I was not going to get in. 😆

[@ZeldaAndIkeLove]

I'm going tomorrow and so excited!!

[@rockstarTraveler]

My brother is headed to Disney World in just a few weeks. The amount of planning he has had to do for the trip is INSANE. He isn't letting it spoil his enjoyment of the trip but I doubt everyone is going to want or enjoy all that pre-planning. Woah boy.

[@bediliarodriguez9632]

That tension piece hit… my 18 yr old daughter apparently doesn’t handle heat well and was sooooo moody and cranky. I ended up yelling “we’re at WDW so smile!” Speech at Epcot. Smh.

[@hungerheroes1]

Well AJ you should add the title of "Travel Psychologist" to your other monikers! Having visited WDW literally hundreds of times I still find you always seem to offer new & salient info; and today the "quiet" places for recuperation from crowds etc was brilliant!

[@johnds6621]

These days a Disney trip is nothing but stress. I'm staying home.

[@BAM5636]

@ J A Y S You have no idea what you are talking about. You don't go to the parks.

[@TheCoolCookieKitchen]

My husband and I just put a down payment on a trip for next year this week because if anything we’re locking in the price

[@franny3995]

I didn’t use genie plus once, not even the free version. I didn’t want to pay extra for rides and I didn’t want to be constantly on my phone. I was able to get all the key rides I wanted to do done, by just optimising my time efficiently but also I don’t mind waiting up to an hour for some rides. Of course in the middle of the day I would avoid rides that had little shade outside. I also had two weeks at Disney world which not everyone does so I can understand why some people would pay for Disney genie.

[@markthomas6236]

I love what you do

[@tmsala59]

Thanks AJ! Valuable Information! I'm Booked For A September 2023 Trip To WDW! 10 Days 9 Nights At All Star Movies Resort! With Brandi At Small World Vacations! Soooo Looking Forward To It! Haven't Been To WDW Since 1993! Yikes! Hope I Get My ADR For Space 220 And Olga's Cantina! P.s. Wish Me Luck For A Safe, Fun Travel And No Hurricanes! Eee-Gads😉💖

[@SailorMoonFan92]

A Disney vacation is as easy or as hard as you make it. I'm super chill and patient so don't mind waiting in hour plus lines, when going to Disney it is to be expected. What annoys me is seeing people whining about it and getting angry about it lol how dare Seven Dwarfs mine train, the most popular ride in the park, have a long line. If you do moderate planning and go in with a positive anything goes attitude you will always have a good time. Don't over plan and expect to do everything otherwise you'll just stress yourself out. Just go with the flow.

[@pamcrosby8951]

Thank you for all these helpful videos. We will win Disney World thanks to DFB❤️

[@reytech1786]

Yay another awesome video! ❤️❤️

[@alysamendes9166]

As always, Great video! Meet the Robinsons quote made it even better ❤️

[@bryantavares9471]

Stayed up all night so I could get a reservation to cinderalls royal table for my 3 year old and of course it was gone as soon as it opened... I've been checking 3 times a day and will continue until I get it!

[@ellen2321]

Check again for ADRs you didn't get 10-15 mins after they open. People who failed to finish their reservation process (like me the first time I tried, whoops) will lose their spots and go back into the system. That's how I lost, then found again, a California Grill reservation!

[@HE65432]

This is nuts. Could someone tell the geniuses at Disney that a vacation is supposed to be a RELEASE FROM STRESS, not a struggle to comprehend and adhere to a list of imperatives that are more complex than the rules and chores that burden us in our daily lives? What is wrong with these people?

[@emilyrenewithlove]

A lot of these frustrations could be at least partially remedied by push notifications from the my Disney experience app

[@elizabethraia2194]

Did you reference Meet the Robinsons, AJ, with "keep moving forward"? I love all your videos by the way!!!

[@BeautyInTheMagic]

We have our trip in less that 6 months, and we’re currently debating dining. And it’s super intimidating tbh. There’s SO many great options, and FOMO is a super real feeling. We are trying to figure out primary and secondary options in the case we aren’t able to grab the primary one, and I think that helps some with the missing out thing?

[@carol2girls]

You best get your dining reservations now !! We lived Cinderella’s round table. Even if we had to wait 1/2 hr. We made reservations for 7 PM but wasn’t seated until 7:30

[@BeautyInTheMagic]

@@carol2girls We still have a couple months until our booking window opens! Be Our Guest is my dream pick, though. Beauty and the Beast is in my top 3 favorite movies (not just Disney,) so fingers crossed!

[@carol2girls]

@@BeautyInTheMagic oh funny on beauty and beast. That’s my least favorite . Just don’t forget 3 months out they do say 6 months in advance

[@jadecoloredglasses5822]

Wow clearly some of these folks haven’t been watching enough DFB! I’m glad YOU know that dining reservations don’t open up until 60 days before your trip. I’m hoping to grab a Space 220 reservation for my January trip. Good luck on your quest for Be Our Guest!

[@BeautyInTheMagic]

@@jadecoloredglasses5822 Thank you! Good luck on your Space 220 one! :D

[@erinfitzgerald7789]

I am a huge Disney fan. I lived near to Disneyland for most of my life. I was privileged to have a father-in-law who was an Imagineer. That allowed us to spend lots of time in the parks. I have been to Disney World three times and would like to go back with my adult children. The thing that gives doubt that this is a good idea is the crowds. It appears that there are crowds all year long that detract from peoples enjoyment of the Disney Experience. Any advice is much appreciated.

[@cosmiccometchichi]

theres ppl starving two streets away from the park crazy right?

[@cottonyaaah]

I’m finally early! I really wish, that I would be able to go to Disneyland one day!!

[@bmargo18]

I really don't feel like Disney is inherently difficult. I regularly do Disney with very little planning. It just depends on what you want to get out of your trip. If this is your first time, or you only go once a year, then sure, you'll probably want to plan. But I don't think you NEED one. Also, from my own experience, the more planning/things on the itinerary, the more likely you are to spend extra $$. I always recommend packing a lunch or bringing snacks and water. After many not-so-memorable vacations, I have come to realize that Disney, regardless of the price is always the best option, especially with kids. It's not just about the rides.. the amount of entertainment and shows to see alone are worth the trip. I just could not imagine spending a similar price to sit on a beach somewhere for a week.

[@rayriley1334]

Love “Meet the Robinsons”!!

[@nikkibee5608]

I’ve gone last minute as a solo traveller a couple times and had no problems doing what I wanted without any kind of reservation., but this was pre Covid. I wonder if this is any way possible now. So many new hoops to jump.

[@briancoy7297]

It'll definitely be different than when you went before at the very least. The rest will depend on your planned destination and if you plan on doing anything extra like dining or genie+. I went down to Orlando a few months ago without any early reservations and it worked fairly well. The only downside was the only park that was available was Epcot, so if you want your choice of parks(especially MK) you'll probably want to reserve those tickets well in advance. When i got to the park though i was able to ride everything i wanted at least once including Guardians(on opening week nonetheless) without genie+ or any extra hours. I figure a lot of mileage may vary, but if you know how to handle the parks at least, you'll probably be okay.

[@Samkeepgoing]

Man, this is insane.

[@ericesposito3787]

DFB for the win!

[@queenlover007]

Just genuinely curious/musing, I remember going to WDW in 2012/2013 with my mom and I don't remember the crowds being as bad as I'm seeing on all these videos. Granted that's now 10+ yrs ago but has the world population really boomed that much? Or have all the time consuming chunking systems that WDW does in fact just jam more people in? Just a thought 🤔

[@demoldbones]

Revenge travel post-Covid (not that Covid is over yet). Also, more people in the US now (check the census). More hotel rooms as well. Disney needs another theme park or two (suggest a west coast version of Tokyo DisneySea and maybe something similar to California Adventure with an east coast motif).

[@queenlover007]

@@demoldbones my mom always said, "they need a second magic kingdom to handle all the people." And yeah I definitely agree that revenge covid is a thing

[@jamesonstalanthasyu]

my morning bar routine is actually the end of a party the previous night. :)

[@brclyn]

3 minutes in and it already seems that you have to spend hours on your phone. So the answer is a resounding YES.

[@iwrite6388]

Nice finish! ❤️👍🏻😉

[@mapleleaffss]

I love disney! :)

[@esfwr17]

I know MyGenie+ is known to be a pain, but it's relatively easy to figure out once you're there in the park. My primary struggle was dealing with the MDE app and planning out the vacation. I ran into multiple problems, had to call Disney a couple of times to speak with a cast member, ended up holding for over 3 hours during one call to speak with someone. Had to plug my phone in to keep the battery from dying, and just put it on speaker while I did things around the house. The Cast Member I spoke with was extremely helpful, but even she had to go in and manually edit details for one person in my party. She claimed that there was nothing I could have done through the MDE app to fix this problem. Going through the park/hotel reservation process was quite infuriating, knowing that I couldn't reach out to someone in an orderly fashion if/when i encountered app problems. The app/website also crashed numerous times, regardless if i was on an Android, Ipad, or PC. I am sure you may have already done a tips video of the MDE App, but anymore helpful tips would greatly be appreciated! Thanks for all of your hard work.

[@demoldbones]

@@mugen9147 Some of us go with the flow. Others whine. Vote with your wallet - don't go to WDW. If enough people do and their profits drop, Disney will change.

[@esfwr17]

@@mugen9147 I hate genie+, as I can first-hand relate to the struggles my elderly parents faced when they went with us on our last Disney trip and was largely dependent on myself and my girlfriend to schedule all of their plans since they don't even own a smartphone. My point is that genie+ wasn't nearly as pitiful as the MDE app is, and once I was at the park using genie+ it was less daunting than what I thought. I'm an analyst that works a lot with computers, so I'm not a stranger to tech and may have a slight advantage, but ill still admit that it was garbage, especially for a large corporation like Disney.

[@esfwr17]

@@demoldbones I'd agree with that, but Disney was a large and exciting part of my childhood, I don't want to deprive my children of that during those fundamental years. I don't agree with a lot of their politics, but in my opinion, it's more dangerous to send kids to a public school than it is to take them to Disney. Not to mention, there are likely numerous things in your own household that you've purchased where the proceeds have gone to "less than ideal" corporations, including food/beverages, kid's toys, video games, streaming services, televisions, the car you drive and even the device you're watching KZbin on.

[@esfwr17]

@@mugen9147 I mean, if someone is a half-decent parent, then they should be able to be a greater arbiter of truth to their child than a theme park/movie. I grew up watching and going to Disney, and I have all of my ducks/priorities in a row. I know that the modern Disney agenda is far worse than what i had when i was younger. and agree that they do have intent on injecting their beliefs into the minds of the audience (kids), but again, more concerning questions are asked by kids about bumper stickers, people at the grocery store or restaurants, homework assignments, etc than there are about Disney characters. I also feel much better about accompanying my child to Disney, than I do about dropping them off at a public school. I turned out pretty well, despite being around Disney, but I also had parents who injected a greater bit of reality into my youth than others may have. Again, as a parent, you should always have greater influence on your child than a television or theme park.

[@BAM5636]

@J A Y S Have you ever used Genie+?

[@RandomNameXY]

That’s ridiculous! So I have pay for a ticket to get into the park, then pay for genie plus to avoid ridiculous queue times and actually be able to go on rides but not only that I then have to pay a further $15 to go on a ride that I should have already paid for twice with my ticket and genie plus? Wow ok Disney!! Won’t be getting a cent from me anymore..

[@cosmiccometchichi]

they are only looking for compliant ppl sorry its the truth. I pray not everyone gets conned by this company. I have personally had to separate the company from the characters to not be completely traumatized.

[@paperbackstories]

5:45 ?!? Disney World suffers the same problem as everyone else on the east coast. They forget that most of the country is not in the eastern time zone

[@CA-tk8yn]

People, please just take a picture at the end of your parking row. They're painted on each row on the road. If the app goes down, you wont be stuck wondering the massive lot for an hour when your feet are killing you. It's how Disney Pros have done this for years because it works!!!! Technology will fail and often at the worst time.

[@vincent412l7]

And take a picture of the car if it's a rental, so you remember what to look for.

[@simplyparticular]

We actively avoided Disney vacations for 10 years, because the DVCers and fans made it sound exhausting and we can't plan a vacation more than 6-8 weeks in advance due to work schedules. WDW 2022 Aug 21-29 , which we booked Jul 5 - resort and parks only. Booked lunch ADRs to match parks while waiting in ride lines. Booked most dinners same day based on where we were - it was busy enough and the weather was complicated, so walk up lists weren't a good plan in late Aug. We ate dinners at Boma, Garden Grill, 50s Prime Time, brunches at Ohana and Cape May and filled in mid-day quick service snacks or meals at parks and resort hopped. Disney Springs - Terralina's was mediocre. We bought Genie+ the last 4 park days of the trip and were able to LL on 5-8 rides. We also got courtesy LLs when Test Track went down twice while we were in line. Bought Genie+ 6pm on our last day at MK (surprised we could) and we still used it for 4 rides before 10p. Paid for the 2 ILLs for RoR and GTOGCR, used early entry to standby FoP and 7DMT. The regrets: only got through about half of Food and Wine, and going in late August because that's when we can. Hurricane Dorian cut our first WDW trip short in 2019, and 2022 was heavy lightning storms ranging from 12-7pm most days.

[@romanhoppe3868]

The name of the movie is meet the Robinsons

[@blackfox1320]

What a mess Chapek has created. The old system was great and everyone enjoyed it. Not going back until changes are made and Chapek is gone.

[@ChillSensesASMR]

You should do one about how to best experience Disney if you have someone disabled in your party.

[@forcewielder2000]

Unfortunately, WDW is very much hard. The simple fact that DBFGuide (probably one of WDW's biggest supporters out there if there ever was one) even has to do a video like this at all is proof of that, in my viewpoint. I've watched quite a few of their videos, and to hear them tell it, in order to have a good WDW trip I've got to jump through all these different hoops (watch tons of videos and read lots of books about planning WDW trips, get up at early hours of the morning 60+ days in advance, constantly keep an eye on the Disney website if I didn't get my originally desired reservation date, sign up for Genie+, etc., etc., etc.....), and on top of all that, apparently I *still* have to get a travel agent on top of all that to help me keep everything straight and to keep an eye out for anything I might have missed (and you'd better believe that unless I have literally nothing else going on in my life worth noting, I'll have missed something if I were to plan a WDW trip on my own - all relevant information may very well be on Disney's website, but unless you know *exactly* where to look for the stuff you want, it's easy to get lost in all the info there). Going to an amusement park (and yes, even Disney theme parks!) should NOT require that much planning!

[@awnb95]

Ought to do a video showing how much at Disney World you can do without your phone.

[@dee_mcgee11]

AJ: Does Disney HAVE to be this hard? Disney: Yes. Yes it does.

[@shannakilmury4707]

Can you make a dining reservation at a park and not have to use your park choice for that day? Hopefully that made sense

[@CrispiePotato]

Could I get a response on this issue? Yesterday i got on the disney website at 4:45 CST to make my reservations. Everything said there was an issue and there were no reservations. But the moment 5AM hit all the reservations appeared. So do the reservations actually drop at the :45 mark or do they drop at the top of the hour? I missed out on trying to get a Sci-Fi Drive In Reservation. We aren't staying on property but we got the tickets of course.

[@wbr9401]

In my experience it’s pretty inconsistent. Sometimes they do drop at :45 but other days it’s not til the exact top of the hour. I just start trying at :45 and keep refreshing if they aren’t there yet. Have always gotten what we had on our list with that approach.

[@JaysCashVault]

Just looking at the thumbnail, YES it is that hard! We woke up the last 3 days at 3 in the morning to try and make reservations and of course we didn’t get any! Ridiculous!

[@masonsanders6755]

Can you guys make a video and/or blog post about specific gluten free friendly meals/snacks/goodies in Disney World? Recently gluten free and missing cupcakes and pastries :'(

[@maddog6620]

Super amazing video

[@disneyfunatic3179]

everyone keeps saying dining opens at 5:45a but I have tried and it is always 6am for me.....so confused!

[@CrispiePotato]

This happened to me yesterday morning! I'm in Central Time so I got on my computer at 4:45AM and there was nothing, but the moment 5AM hit all the reservations appeared! I was pissed because that's so early to wake up.

[@disneyfunatic3179]

@@CrispiePotato totally understandable! Hopefully you got all you wanted though. If not, keep checking to see for cancellations! Enjoy your upcoming trip!

[@CrispiePotato]

@@disneyfunatic3179 Unfortunately I didnt. We wanted a Sci-Fi Drive In reservation and didn't get one. Managed to snag an Oga's Cantina one which was awesome! But I made a 50's Prime Time and Mama Melrose reservation so my mom can pick where she wants to go as a replacement. I'm still going to keep checking like, twice a day for the next 2 months for a cancellation though!

[@disneyfunatic3179]

@@CrispiePotato been checking Sci-Fi too just to see what is out there and seems like if you have a party greater than 2, nothing pops up. But if you select a party of 2, there are openings

[@CrispiePotato]

@@disneyfunatic3179 That's so annoying! We're a party of 3. I might try calling the reservation line to see if maybe it's a glitch?

[@maddog6620]

Awesome 😎

[@bassbymea]

“ KEEP MOVING FORWARD “ Meet the Robinsons (:

[@dmwatters4560]

What good does it do to go to the walk up wait list on the day of? you already would have a different reservation by then and you CANNOT cancel same day for the other reservation!

[@Mrtfarrugia]

Not necessarily. Sit down dining is not mandatory and you could be willing to settle for quick service if you can't book the one you want. I'm going in a few weeks and one have 5 reservations for 2 weeks.

[@bmargo18]

@@Mrtfarrugia but if you cancel your reservation 24 hours before you are charged $10 per person. That's what this person meant...

[@fskerrat1]

Disney is no longer the most magical place on earth. The title of this video confirms this reality. Watered down themeing and cost cutting measures on ride construction and refurbishment have resulted in a far less immersive, less enchanting guest experience than I have enjoyed in the past. CGI is cheaper, I guess, than Animatronics, and probably doesn't demand as much maintenance but it is highly inferior and much less charming. The themeing of Disney's shops, hotels and some restaurants is also lacking. One notable exception is Gideon's Bakehouse, in Disney Sorings, which is perfectly and incredulity themed. Eftling and Phantasialand in Europe are two absolutely jaw--dropping examples of theme parks that have attained a next level status and should be emulated by Disney. While I get that Disney conjures up a great deal of nostalgic affection, it is no longer one man's dream destination for families. It has become a shameless cash grab by a huge corporation that no longer has a soul.

[@NinthShinigami]

I completely agree with everything you just said! Are you subbed to Poseidon Entertainment? A lot of what you said here is stuff he’s said as well, and he’s right, as are you.

[@hairdresser1300]

@@NinthShinigami ty for the recommendation

[@Eternaldarkness3166]

Remember when the hardest part of going to Disney was the car ride there? Yeah miss those days

[@calliemalsbury]

32 days till my second Disney trip!!!

[@craigchristensen]

Meet the Robinsons! I would like my points now

[@Hyperyote]

My food allergies is weird. I joke that anything on the allergy menu will make me hit my allergies. So ordering for disney is hard. I literally sometimes have to order off the children's menu not because i think chicken tenders is good but everything else will hit most of my plant based allergies.

[@wiggydebates3944]

It shouldn't be this difficult. Takes all of the magic out.

[@Canrugger]

Its not

[@virgo_things]

@@Canrugger That's great for you Patrick. Why do you insist on commenting on everyone that does think it's difficult though?

[@janetlea4073]

I missed out even with the 60 day notice. =( So far I prefer Disneyland and I have not set foot on Disneyworld yet...will in Sept.

[@candycemonroe7345]

Check the last 24 hours when the cancellation fee might hit. Hoping to do story book dining and I missed it, too.

[@janetlea4073]

@@candycemonroe7345 Hope you are able to get in, Space 220 was the one we missed.

[@kelsieadami8919]

Hi I haven’t been able to get in at 5:45am! It won’t work until 6 for me. I feel like I’m missing out on my opportunity. Help!

[@ruthlys]

All i want is ONE more not so scary halloween ticket for Sept 9 😭. Sold out with no way to be on a cancellation wait list

[@YourMoneyGuide]

Without genie+ the waits would be 2 to 3x lower, just charge more on dynamic pricing ticket and do away with it and it will be worth paying more

[@UmmYeahOk]

Agreed. If it’s $15 they want, just charge $15 extra on every ticket and bring back fastpass+

[@YourMoneyGuide]

I think wont even need fastpass if everything is standby only. Everyone happy

[@Mrtfarrugia]

@@UmmYeahOk you should check out Defunctlands video on lines. Basically getting rid of fastpass would be better.

[@UmmYeahOk]

@@YourMoneyGuide that’s how off peak used to be 15 years ago. Everything was literally a walk on.

[@badbiker666]

I am under doctor's orders to get the majority of my protein from plant-based sources. That means I eat a lot of vegan ... stuff. I can eat meat, I just have to keep it limited to keep the doctor happy. But when I am on vacation, I eat MEAT! I am there to enjoy myself, not to eat tofu. Ugh. But, on the upside, when the wife is watching and I have to order a vegan meal at WDW, the wait staffs everywhere I have been have been extremely happy to accommodate my needs. They do it with enthusiasm, too, and honestly everything they've brought me has been really great tasting. Yeah, I admit it, I've eaten vegan and enjoyed it, despite myself.

[@MariaTorres-xx7th]

Hi I love your videos.What if we miss our shuttle /bus ride can we call an Uber to pick us up at the park?

[@vincent412l7]

Yes, taxi Uber Lyft or Minnie Van. Just know where the pick-up is.

[@StephanieOlea]

Meet the Robinsons!!!!

[@yakovhadash]

How to avoid Disney stress: 1. Don’t go

[@watchthepoint1604]

I just got back from 10 days in Orlando and visited all 4 parks. Was it a stress free holiday? Absolutely not. Was it still worth it? Yes. I’m afraid Disney will not change the way they are doing things any time soon simply because there are still thousands of people attending there parks day in day out. The genie+ ride booking was the most frustrating thing as Wi-Fi kept dropping out and on some days it took over 5 hrs before I could book a 2nd ride after booking the 1st one at 7am. As for the restaurant booking I found it ok. Was able to book good times for each day and no issue booking at Disney Springs. Plus everything extra you want to do is also an extra cost. The fun is lost if you are the paying adult as it’s all about profit for Disney now and the fun comes a distant 2nd.

[@bkstarkey]

Just starting this video and I can immediately say. No. It doesn’t and shouldn’t be as hard as it is.

[@carol2girls]

It’s not at all hard

[@carol2girls]

@@mugen9147 Don’t call me mate !!! Your not my mate and never would be

[@maddog6620]

You are cool 😎

[@jwild4501]

Meet the Robinsons!

[@LorenaMoraes]

What video camera do you use for stable videos?

[@StargazingSketcher]

It's so weird because like-- i think Disney is trying to cater to the "plan everything " crowd created by FP+ and the like. But they're kinda pissing off even them by ALSO attempting to act like the 'spontaneity' people will be able to or even want to use the same systems. It's still possible to do some spontaneity, but you have to accept that you can't do everything -- which was true even before this year. My family goes every few years so there's not much ride wise we haven't done once, and this year we aimed to just pick up the new rides and things we haven't gone on. No g+ needed. There's still a ton of planning needed, though if you're aiming for reserved activities and park passes. Also I don't know what this is like for the one-and-done crowd. I know I'll probably come back eventually, even if it's 14 years from now.

[@UncommonSense81]

I’m already not especially looking forward to an holiday postponed by Covid because it seems like such a complicated, stressful misery. Not to mention overpriced. Talk about taking the magic out of the supposed, “happiest place on earth”.