5 Things Disney World Needs to Fix Now
Disney World is a great place to go on vacation, but there are some adjustments that Disney could make to improve guest satisfaction. Now, I’m not talking about big ideas that would take years to complete or require massive investments.
In my latest YouTube video, I present 5 realistic things that Disney can easily fix to improve guest satisfaction.
Watch this on YoutTube now >
#5 Gratuities With Disney Dining Plans
The Disney Dining Plans are back and even Free Dining has returned for select dates. The regular Disney Dining Plan includes Table Service Meals of course. It’s a nice way to make your vacation at Walt Disney World feel a little more all-inclusive. If you stick to just what your table service meal includes, you won’t have to pay out of pocket, you simply redeem your dining credits. But it doesn’t cover the gratuity for your server.
At the end of your meal, your server will bring you the bill with the cash total on it. You only have to pay for things you ordered that are not included on the dining plan. For me, this is rare. The total is provided to help you determine how much of a tip you should leave.
It would be so much easier if the gratuity was included as well. I personally never carry cash, especially in theme parks, I’m always afraid I’ll lose my wallet on a ride or leave it somewhere.
And charging your server’s gratuity to your credit card or Magic Band doesn’t seem right either.
I’m sure Disney doesn’t include gratuities so the cost of the dining plan seems cheaper. But I think Disney should borrow an idea from the cruise line industry where you have the option to prepay your gratuities in advance for the included meals. On a cruise ship, you simply get up and walk away when you're finished. All you have to do is show up and have a great time.
I find that most menu items are similarly priced so unless you want to split hairs on the total cost of the meal, the server should still make a decent tip. And in some cases, they may do better if the customer would otherwise be a lousy tipper.
The whole idea behind the Disney Dining Plan is to make it convenient for the guests. Disney knows you’re going to leave a tip, so why not just include it from the beginning?
# 4 Daily Housekeeping at Disney World
The trend of limited or even no housekeeping began across the hotel industry during the pandemic. But now it’s becoming the industry norm. I expect more from Walt Disney World, a company that prides itself on excellent guest service and often uses terms like the Disney Difference to demonstrate how they are better than other resorts.
To be fair, Universal Orlando has a similar policy and Royal Caribbean has cut housekeeping back to just once per day.
But when Disney cut daily housekeeping to every other day at its Value and Moderate Resorts, it made national news, as it often does. And housekeeping is limited to new towels and trash removal. I believe the term for this is now skimpflation.
Daily housekeeping is offered at Disney Deluxe Resorts which often hover around $750 per night. But room and ticket packages at a Moderate hotel can easily be $5,000 or more. For that kind of money, it would be nice if the bed was made.
Being pampered is part of the fun of staying in a hotel. It’s time to bring back daily housekeeping.
#3 Disney World Theme Park Hours
In recent years the Orlando theme parks have been closing earlier than in the pre-pandemic years. While Magic Kingdom often stays open until 10 or 11 pm, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios often close at 9 pm. And Animal Kingdom can close as early as 6 pm. Universal Orlando is the same, sometimes closing both parks before 8 pm.
Epcot used to open in phases, first Future World, and then World Showcase would open at 11 am and often stay open until 10 pm or later. Today, the entire park opens at once. I would be ok with a phased opening if it means being in the parks later. Now the only way to stay in the Epcot later at night is to stay in a Deluxe hotel that includes a Monday night stay.
Being in the parks at night, especially in the summer months when afternoon temps are in the high 90s, is the only escape from the heat parkgoers have. And I think the parks are more fun at night.
#2 Seating at Disney’s Quick Service Restaurants
Remember when you had to be online at 6 am, 60-days in advance to make your dining reservations for Walt Disney World? Especially if you wanted Be Our Guest Restaurant.
Today, you can often get into Be Our Guest as a walk-up. Table service dining at Disney just isn’t as popular as it used to be. I still recommend making reservations 60-days in advance, but there is a lot more availability than in previous years.
Today, Disney World Quick-Service Dining is where it’s at. I think this is for two reasons.
Quick-service meals are good! Disney has really upped its game here.
Now that guests are paying for Genie+, they feel like they don’t have time for a lengthy table service meal or it might conflict with a Genie+ return time.
This means quick-service restaurants are crowded these days and it’s very hard to find a place to sit.
Disney has experimented with different ideas to help people find seats. A few years ago, Disney tested out a system where guests would enter a queue after they got their food. A Cast Member with a radio headset would talk to other Cast Members who were out scouting seats. I didn’t like having to wait in another line, but I knew I was going to get a table. At the Connections Eastery at Epcot, Cast Members were only allowing people to sit at tables who had trays of food. This is loosely enforced today.
Disney needs to find a way to provide seating so guests are not meandering around with trays of food and balancing soft drinks with no lids - because Disney banned lids on cups. But that’s another show.
#1 Simplfy Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane
I’m aware that Disney Genie+ is a very controversial topic. I’m not here to say we should eliminate it and go back to paper Fastpass tickets, (but I know I’m not the only one who would love that!)
Disney could make a small change that would make a big difference. Why do we have 2 terms that describe the basically same thing? Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane. Have you heard a Cast Member trying to explain the difference between the two? Not to mention Individual Attraction Selection and Virtual Queus. And while we're at it, PhotoPass and Memory Maker too. This is straight from the Department of Redundancy Department
I think they should just call the whole thing Lightning Lane. Ultimately that’s what guests want. No one is buying Genie+ for the Photopass lenses, or the in-park audio features. Call it Lightning Lane and tell guests they get some free perks with it. And while we’re at it, Individual Attraction Selection doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue and it only refers to a handful of attractions. Can't that just be absorbed into Lightning Lane at this point? I seriously think the reason some people don’t visit Disney World is because Genie+ feels overwhelming to them.
I’m sure these 5 things won’t solve every issue, but I think these are some realistic changes Disney could make to enhance guest experiences at Walt Disney World Have something that Disney needs to fix?
Do you agree or disagree with my list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Have questions about planning your Orlando vacation? I have answers! Contact me now to get more out of your vacation.
Since 2010, Darren has been making Orlando vacations easy! As an Orlando resident, he is able to provide insider, expert advice on Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and Florida-based cruises.
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