It appears Disney’s modern-day theme park experience has become more stressful than ever for many wants-to-be patrons, according to an expert in the industry.
Ryan Harmon, a former Disney “Imagineer” and now the owner of Zeitgeist Design & Production, says the problem is that too many people want to visit the company’s theme parks and attractions, which means walk-in numbers are unable to be taken into account.
“You’ve got this problem where you have too many people who want to come at the same time [so they try] to sort of spread the crowd out,” Harmon told FOX Business.
He pointed to a recent attempt at a last-minute visit to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, which yielded nothing more than long wait times. “We bought our very expensive tickets and went in and watched as all these people walked in front of us in the queues because they made an online reservation,” he said.
Harmon’s displeasure with the current experience does not end there. He also criticized Disney’s decision to get rid of the free fast pass, as well as the fact that theme park guests are now required to pay as much as $170 for admission and another $30 for a ride – an amount he described as “highway robbery.”
“…unless you plan ahead – which a lot of people do not – you end up going there and having a pretty poor experience because people have reserved rides and shows and restaurants,” he said.
However, Harmon has had great experiences at Disney parks when accompanied by a private guide, which he said “cost thousands” in addition to the admission tickets.
“I think they really need to take a step back, reconsider what the guest experience has become, and find a way to make it democratic and fun again, and far less time spent on your phone,” Harmon said. “That’s not what it’s about.”
Disney did not issue a formal statement to FOX Business regarding Harmon’s views, but did point to the Themed Entertainment Association’s recently released annual report showing Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and Disneyland were the top two most-visited theme parks in the world last year.
It also said both Walt Disney World and Disneyland have brought back and introduced a number of updates to the parks this year, including the Disney100 celebration, the highest-priced one-day, one-park ticket now standing at $104 at Disneyland, Disney PhotoPass digital downloads for all ticketed guests during that celebration, and the working on ways for guests to plan their visits before the day they enter the park in 2024.
It is true that a trip to The Walt Disney Co.’s theme parks has been on American families’ bucket lists for generations, likely to remain so for many more. Yet it appears more may need to be done to ensure everyone can enjoy the experience without unnecessary stress.
