Disney World’s 50th anniversary kicked off on Friday, October 1st, and we were in the parks to take in all of the celebrations.
Cinderella Castle in its 50th Anniversary decor
We tried a ton of new food items, saw new entertainment, checked out a new ride, and more! The day was exciting and historic, marking a huge milestone for Disney World — but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have its issues. We noticed some not-so-magical things happening on the 50th anniversary, and we’re here to share our experience and what could be done to fix or avoid these issues in the future.
Merchandise Issues
Let’s start out with something that was probably obvious to you if you were in Magic Kingdom on the 50th — there was a problem with how the merchandise was being handled. SO many people wanted to get their hands on 50th anniversary merchandise that there were huge lines starting before the park even technically opened.
Morning line to get into The Emporium
The Emporium saw long lines to get inside and once you actually made it IN the store, it was PACKED with people basically standing shoulder to shoulder at points. Tensions rose due to the demand for merchandise and the large crowd, and a fight actually broke out inside the store, which resulted in security being called, according to a Cast Member.
A much calmer Emporium on October 3rd
And, a good majority of the merchandise at the Emporium for the 50th anniversary wasn’t even limited edition and had been in the store for days, if not weeks, already. Much of this merchandise should be around for the whole 18-month celebration, or at least a decent portion of it. But of course, it ran the risk of selling out, which increased demand even more.
50th Anniversary Merchandise
There WAS some more exclusive merchandise back at Big Top Souvenirs in Fantasyland, and because of that, it was not a great situation either. The store used a virtual queue system, as they were probably the most in-demand store in the whole park due to those exclusive items. And, by 7:25AM, the virtual queue was full. And we mean FULL! This lead to angry guests being mad they couldn’t get into the store (more on that in a minute).
Virtual Waitlist
Then, there were new items released that day for the celebration, like popcorn buckets, that Magic Kingdom just simply did not have enough of to meet the demand there. Plus, they should’ve been located in more locations so as to not have one massive line waiting for these items. This isn’t their first rodeo — Disney knows the merch people WANT on days like this and they could have been a bit better prepared.
Mickey Balloon Popcorn Buckets
In the future, when there will be big event days or days known for being crowded in Magic Kingdom, Disney needs another plan of action! They should have stricter capacity limits for the inside of stores and they should spread out the merchandise to MANY different stores around the parks so everyone isn’t trying to get into the same place. They also should be prepared with a higher supply of items they know will be in major demand, like the popcorn buckets.
Lines everywhere on Main Street!
Disney historically has not handled limited releases smoothly, and this is no exception. Limited releases on shopDisney are still regularly plagued with issues, special merchandise drops in the parks can also still often lead to LONG waits and poorly managed crowds. The one area we DID see Disney make a change recently was implementing the 2 per guest limit on merchandise. That has helped a bit with the initial burst of people buying out a given piece of merchandise, but wrangling crowds and meeting demand is another issue entirely.
One of the days we roasted away in the sun for hours to see Minnie Ears
More virtual lines might be the answer to avoid crowding as well. More Cast Members stationed to help manage crowds would have likely been welcomed. But, it is not Disney’s fault for the behavior of guests that got angry and were fighting because of merchandise — that’s on the guests, which brings us to our next issue.
Rude Guests
A tale as old as time! Some people just don’t know how to be nice to others, and it is NOT okay. There were far too many times on October 1st we heard our mothers in the back of our heads saying, “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all!” We witnessed many, many guests being rude to Cast Members in Magic Kingdom for things that weren’t even in their control. Even if they WERE in their control, it is unacceptable to yell at a Cast Member. They are the people that keep Disney World running and help make your trip magical! Without them, there would be no Disney World, so they deserve to be treated right.
50th Anniversary Cast Member Name Tags
Because of the virtual queue limiting who could go into Big Top Souvenirs to get that day-of-only merchandise, we saw guests getting extremely angry with the Cast Members there. Guests were screaming at them, and eventually, several managers were handling the situation. While guests should not act like that toward Cast Members, Disney could’ve possibly alleviated some of this if they didn’t put the only super-exclusive merchandise in one location. Spread it out!
Big Top on October 1st
We also repeatedly witnessed Cast Members getting yelled at by guests over things like those popcorn buckets being out of stock or long mobile order waits. If you’re in Disney World on the 50th anniversary — which you already knew was going to be insanely popular — didn’t you think you would have to wait longer than usual for food and merchandise? Hate to break it to those folks, but we had been bracing for this madness for over a year — we KNEW it would be rough. We were right.
Lots of Lines
And, again, the new food items people were waiting for are going to be in Magic Kingdom for the next 18 MONTHS. They were not exclusive to that singular day. We’ve been hangry in Disney before too, but we don’t take it out on Cast Members! We will say though that this was definitely NOT the case for everyone. Many guests were simply there enjoying the day and their ability to say they were there on the historical day.
But as they say, “one bad apple can spoil the bunch.” In this case, it was a fair number of bad apples and they were mad they didn’t get their tumblers or cheese fries. We spoke to far too many Cast Members close to tears over the course of the day due to unruly guests taking out their frustrations on those magical people that are just trying their best to help.
Things can get stressful in Disney World. We know. You can be hot, hungry, and tired. But please take a deep breath, pause for a moment, and do your best to handle a difficult situation with kindness. It will make the situation better for both you and the Cast Member.
Click here to see the new way to give Cast Members a compliment!
Crowd Control
If you were following along with us on October 1st, you probably took notice of the large crowds in Magic Kingdom. When we first entered the park, Main Street, U.S.A. was filled with people everywhere. And we mean EVERYWHERE. This leads us to the first big problem we noticed of the day with the crowds.
It’s a BIG anniversary, so naturally, guests expect some sort of pomp and circumstance to go with it. Someone coming on stage, a rededication for the public — something! But an incredibly brief good morning from Mickey and Co. was all they got. If there was no real intention of having a special welcome at the Castle in the morning, Disney should have prepared guests.
That’s a LOT of humans
Station signs at the entrance if needed or have Cast Members informing the crowds what would or wouldn’t be happening. But guests’ imaginations ran wild with what could be and the result was overwhelming crowds waiting for something that was never really going to happen. This, ultimately, led to a lot of disappointed guests.
50th Anniversary Morning Crowds
Like we said, there were long lines for merchandise, but also incredibly long lines for food. We waited almost two hours at a few locations for our Mobile Orders and that seemed more common than not. This led to gaggles of guests crammed at the entrance to fast food locations. And, people started staking out their spots for the new fireworks show that night VERY early on, so the area in front of Cinderella Castle had a lot of people there basically all day.
Magic Kingdom 50th Anniversary crowds
One of the issues with crowds has to do with Disney letting people into Magic Kingdom before the park opened. The park was officially supposed to open at 8AM, with Disney hotel guests allowed in at 7:30AM, but by 7AM, Main Street was already crowded with people. Yeah, before the sun was even up. This was not great for other Disney hotel guests who thought they were going to get an early start, especially for those who specifically stayed on property for that perk.
The sun isn’t even up yet, people!
Disney could have done a better job at crowd control throughout the entire day. Since the main new offerings were all food and merchandise, that’s where the crowds were for the most part — waiting in line. There was also the new cavalcade and fireworks, but those took place on Main Street as well, where it was already crowded due to the food and merchandise situation. So, that whole area was just slammed all day.
The Busiest Place on Earth?
If Disney had more new offerings around the park, maybe that would have better distributed the crowds. New entertainment or special ride overlays could have created a demand in more areas of the park, which would have alleviated the huge crowds in line for merchandise and food. And, again, they could’ve spread the 50th merchandise out way more so guests could get it at stores all around the park. We noticed other sections of the park, like Tomorrowland, downright pleasant with lower crowds for big portions of the day!
Tomorrowland Crowds were chill!
Better yet, if a brand new ride had opened in Magic Kingdom that day, it would’ve been a HUGE draw for crowds! Imagine if TRON: Lightcycle Run had been ready, then more people probably would’ve been over in Tomorrowland instead of waiting in line for merchandise. The good news for fans of rides was that, because everyone was waiting for other things, there were super short lines for all the rides, which was awesome and very unexpected! A headlining new attraction would have been the big draw the center of the park desperately needed.
Seven Dwarfs
All of this is to say we genuinely enjoyed most of the 50th Anniversary. Did it go off without a hitch? Nope. Not at all. But at this point, it’s a teachable moment. What can we take from this so we don’t make this mistake again? Disney is a master at crowd control, merchandise drops, and more, so we know this is very much something they can get under control. And remember — days like this are few and far between. So, we hope Disney considers these issues when planning for future major events — or even busy holidays. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney news and updates!
Click here to read more about our experience in Disney World on the 50th anniversary
Check out our video for more of what the 50th anniversary was like in Disney World:
Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Details and Info
See Photos & Reviews of All of Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Eats and Treats
Check Out All of the 50th Anniversary Merchandise You Can Get Online
Get a Look at Some of the 50th Anniversary Merchandise You Can Get in the Parks
Click Here to See the 50 Best Ways to Celebrate Disney World’s 50th Anniversary
Check Out Our 50 Pieces of Advice for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary
Click Here to See the Best Ways to Celebrate Disney World’s 50th Anniversary from Home
See the New 50th Anniversary Nighttime Looks for All 4 of Disney World’s Park Icons
Check Out Our 50th Anniversary Cupcake Crawl
Click Here to See Our Rankings of the 50th Anniversary Treats in Magic Kingdom
See Our Rankings of the 50th Anniversary Treats in EPCOT
Check Out Our Rankings of the 50th Anniversary Treats in Hollywood Studios
See Our Rankings of the 50th Anniversary Treats in Animal Kingdom
Click HERE for Your Guide to Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click here to Subscribe
Did you notice any of these issues in Magic Kingdom on the 50th? Let us know in the comments.
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The entire stupid mobile order system has GOT TO GO. This is the worst mess Disney has ever come up with and its creating havoc. Plus turning people away telling them they cant get food. I heard parents complaining to cast about this, and its simply horrible. All of this has become too complicated, too restricted, and Disney is not listening. The parks are getting downright bad because of an out of control CEO. and rotten management.
It’s hard to believe that people get so nuts about cheap crap (merchandise). Soon you will see even more outrageous prices on ebay. What priorities. People are miserable everywhere these days and think they can say and do whatever they want. We cancelled our trip scheduled to begin 11/7. Just didn’t want to be part of all of this nonsense.
All of the above is correct. The worst part for us was that it was impossible to eat. When the mobile ordering went down (which the cast did not tell us) there should have been a back up or we should have been allowed to order in person. And since we couldn’t get in to any gift shops we couldn’t but any additional snacks.
We had brought less snacks than usual because of some of the new offerings but after waiting more than an hour after ordering through the mobile order we went into cancel our order at Casey’s to see cast members literally throwing food away.
We got our order cancelled and headed back to our hotel to eat. An hour later we got the notification that our food was ready. Then once we returned we learned the mobile order was still more than an hour behind and we still couldn’t order in person.
There has to be a way to fix that. We loved mobile ordering for the rest of our vacation but there has to be a plan when it fails that spectacularly.
This said some of the behavior of the guest was also completely indefensible.
I’ve been coming to the parks since 1983. The one thing I have learned is not to go on such an anticipated date.
We went to the parks the 2nd week of September for 10 days. It was crowded, but not crazy. We enjoyed ourselves. We got the Anniversary merch they had released during that time. We didn’t obsess about it.
We simply enjoyed ourselves. We’ve learned after a Christmas trip never to do that again. A lesson we have stuck to and has treated us well. We watched the 50th Anniversary special on TV.
I love your articles and you make me feel like I’m at the parks. You have taught me allot and you are appreciated. Thank you so much!🖤💜
I cannot understand how Disney is so bad at this merch thing. They know, in fact, drum up demand for these things. It’s like the merch/marketing people and the operations people are not in the same meetings at any time.
My husband and I were at Magic Kingdom on October 1 and witnessed some of the madness. We were positioned to the right of the castle, parallel to the stage. A few minutes before the morning show begun, a crowd was allowed to gather at the foot of the stage. A swarm stormed the stage, which horrified my husband. It reminded him of The Who’s 1979 Cincinnati concert where eleven people died. He told me that all it would take is one person to fall while others wouldn’t notice and could trample those in front. I hope Disney executives learn from that debacle as well.
We were there for the 50th in Magic Kingdom, it was chaos everywhere. There was a big lack of control on disneys part to control the madness.
If it wasn’t for a cast member who stopped to help me I would have been crushed by the crowds.
We stopped at Casey’s just to get a drink and were told to Mobil order it and wait the hour to get a drink. The fireworks were a disappointment, no party no parade.
This was nothing more than a Merch grab by Disnney!!
So disappointed in Disney, it was nothing less than a tragic opportunity for Disney to recoup from the pandemic.
Nothing went right on Oct. 1. Disney missed a once in a lifetime golden opportunity! I was there for the 25th and Disneyland’s 50th – all fantastic with memories that will last a lifetime. WDW’s 50th was sad and pathetic. Please don’t use the Covid or losing money excuses as Universal (with far less money in their vault) has parades, shows, full blown decorations, and is building a new theme park! WDW couldn’t even put out all their fall decorations for their anniversary! Charge more and give their guests much less at their resorts, theme parks, and screw their passholders…Walt would be so ashamed!
Again, Disney Food Blog, gets it!
PLEEEEEAAAAASE be nice to cast members.
I am a cast member, I cannot even count how many times I have had a grown a$& adult act like a 12 year old child with no home training!!
You have to wear a mask in my area. The people who have the most trouble with this know better. They came to Disney knowing there is a mask policy. Then they gat mad when we try to enforce it.
I have seen comments about how Un-magical some cast members have been. After the 100th time of asking someone to wear their mask and getting attitude, and being screamed at or told [email protected]&$ you, all before 10am, it does become hard to be magical the rest of the day.
Thank you thank you for always reminding guest to be nice to cast members.
If you witness or encounter a cast member that Handled horrible behavior well, go to Guest relations or online and give them a compliment. Make sure their manager is notified. A kind word goes along way.
We have lots of College Program young people coming in to work their dream job, only to be demoralized by horrible guest. Be nice!!
Have a magical day everyone !
And where was WALT in all of this? One would rightly expect, like AJ mentioned, one or MULTIPLE rededication ceremonies throughout the day commemorating his vision and it’s execution. Something besides shopping to make this a memorable historic day.
And that mediocre replacement for Happily Ever After??? Where was the first 50th anniversary commemoration during the projection mapping show(off)? Where was WALT??? Like so much of the current state of the World, I felt zero emotional attachment to the new show. This from a man who always had a lump in my throat during Happily Ever After; even on television!
It was an entertaining laser and pyro display with a few new shells, and projection mapping to widen the stage, but for emotional connection – ZERO in my humble opinion. I was never able to tear myself from Happily Ever After to take advantage of shorter lines during the event. But now? Mine Train, here I come!!!
All I can say is just wow! No excuse. This is not their first time at the rodeo.
Our family is going at Christmas. Yes, we know it’s for a different type of experience but we just wanted the Christmas vibe as we’ve been many other times during the past years.
At the very least, I hope we can eat! With children in tow, it would not be ideal.
Let’s hope all the complaints shakes up the CEO. Although I am somewhat doubtful.
Let’s however always try to be nice to one another!
The basic premise “What would Walt do” and the philosophy behind it has been lost over the years. When I first joined the Disney cast in 1990, an HR rep came to our Disney Store and we had an entire weekend learning the Disney way. I was so excited by the end of that weekend and one thing I distinctly remember was being told that Disney would NOT open more than 200 stores INTERNATIONALLY!! Well, we all know how that turned out, the stores turned into an expensive Walmart toy store, sold to another company, bought back by Disney and now NO stores in Indiana at all. Point is; greed and gluttony had already started to take hold at Disney and as the years have advanced they have completely lost sight of Walt’s visions and work ethic. We honeymooned there in 1973 and what a simpler world it was, rides for the fun of everyone, proud cast members who genuinely smiled (most of the time), guests who appreciated almost everything, but all was to be replaced over the years with price increases that can take your breath away, different price hotels which we a good idea to be all inclusive to now having led to exclusion of any of the low and mid price hotel guests being considered “equally” important. We have stayed as DVC guests many times and frankly even there I am surprised at the cost and the rules and restrictions that apply. My longtime fellow cast member/friend and I are heading to WDW November 8, but we are going to go slow and try to remember how it used to be, ride the few rides that are still available for those of us that can’t handle the virtual, twisting and banging around rides, enjoy a couple EXPENSIVE but usually delicious meals, thank every cast member we see and slowly shop for items we really want to keep or give as gifts. Thank you to DFB for being upfront and honest in your assessment of what is going on. I really hope Disney reads these blogs. One can always “Wish Upon a Star”!
Kelly, thank you for reaching out and for everything you do as a CM!
What bother me about Oct 1st is that we had to make a reservation to get into the park. Disney KNEW how many people were going to be in the park that day. Merchandise was a fiasco. We didn’t even know about the virtual queue for day of merchandise. I’m angry that they released the loungefly backpack early so when I arrived from Colorado the day before Oct. 1st they were already sold out. Not even a chance to get that bag. I hope they offer it again so out of towers have a chance to get it. We were able to mobile order for Cosmic Rays for lunch but we waited over 45 minutes to have our order made. People were waiting at the entrance and my daughter had to hold her phone up and we had to push past a crowd to get into the restaurant to pick up our food. I love mobile order as it allows you to pick your food and pay ahead of time. I don’t have to wait in a line and then have parents get to the cast member and ask their children what they want to eat. A much more efficient system. I did have a good rest of my trip in the other parks.
It’s not surprizing. On super busy days, crowd control and unruly behavior has been an ever growing issue. Big holidays and events draw massive crowds, especially if localized to a specific area, item, attraction or theme. Limited merchandise or experiences are often the catalysts, driving demand. As a result, cast members are often placed in precarious situations having to deal with over emotional guests. It’s gotten worse over the years, yes. Unfortunately though, it’s not that uncommon today. Disney sells things, merch, experiences, etc. They want to believe they control their consumer and to a large demographic this is true. We’ve seen Disney cycle between trying to maximize customer experiences and maximizing corporate profit. Thanks in part to global circumstances we seem to be in the latter cycle. It’s obvious Disney is pushing collectable merch, ever more so lately.
We’re big WDW fans. We stood in line at 4:30am to get into Galaxy’s Edge on opening day, and we’re from Washington St. We would’ve loved to have gone to the 50th anniversary. But our experiences led us to believe it would be an untenable zoo. We didn’t envy anyone who braved the hordes, especially if it was your job to document it (thank you, by the way).
Our advise, if you go to WDW for the experience and the ambiance, avoid these events, go a week or two later, if possible, or catch it on DFB’s YouTube. If WDW is out of that limited edition souvenir when you go, save yourself the stress and buy it in eBay, if it’s truly a must have. It’s where at least half of the sold out merch winds up and the markup, if any, is usually reasonable.
Chapek has no imagination what so ever. If Phineas and Ferb had planned the celebration, it would have been epic! Instead we get Doofenschmirtz and his “Celebrationinator”.
The crowds on 10/1 were rowdy for a variety of reasons .
Availability of merchandise
Mobile ordering of food
I also feel that there is an anger in many Disney Guests like me over the changes made by Disney for money which put much less emphasis on Family Fun. Changes like
1. Elimination Of. Magical Express
2. Elimination Of fast Pass
3. Disney Genie Plus. We pay for entry into park and now we pay for 40 rides
4. Lightening Lane. We pay to enter the park, we pay extra for 40 rides, we pay still extra for popular rides
5. Price Increases EVERYWHERE, particularly FOOD
6.Higher food prices and still a MOBILE FOOD FIASCO
At some point in time, the INCONVENIENCE and the HIGHER PRICES HOPEFULLY WILL LEAD TO THE RESIGNATION OF THE DISNEY CEO AND THE RETURN TO NORMALCY
What a disgraceful way to treat the cast members who always r there to make your visit happy my husband and myself have actually gone to Disney world over one hundred times for when there was only the magic kingdom and they sold E tickets and we grew up on disney and have always been treated very well by all cast members and also our family members have been too how dare people treat them like that and make them cry when people act like that it’s shows what a rude and hateful world this has become and also the people that bought multiples so they could sell them on e bay u r rotten for doing that when others just wanted one for a themselves and makes them as greedy as bob chapek whom should b fired and this was supposed to b a celebration of the dream that Walt Disney created and then he was disgraced and he is probably heart broken to look down and c what has happened thank u Walt Disney for all the wonderful things u created and I apologize for all the disgrace that has happened to your memory it’s so sad and it makes me sad too 😞
Here’s an idea: When people mistreat cast members or behave badly in the parks, kick them out! Back in the day, people were commonly kicked from Disneyland for misbehaving. I essentially grew up there, and we all knew the rules. We also knew plenty of people who were kicked out for breaking them. (Thanks, DFB, for such great work!)
My husband and my sister and she lives there and we r out of state and r all annuals and have been for over thirty years decided not to go to Disney for October 1st. we figured it was not a good idea we will go later those poor cast members were so over whelmed and not enough of them from has been on the blog and to b treated so mean by park goes I read that a lot of them were n tears 😭 and that is not acceptable by any standard bob chapek should have planned this a lot better and put limits if what people could buy now Disney haunted crocs r on e bay for $200.00 no way will we buy them people that wanted buy things couldn’t cause of the greed of those people we r sure Disney did not help with supply and people shouldn’t scream and cuss out cast members and then there was physical fight n a store over an item so un called for and if people can’t act right then don’t go and keep your hateful attitude at home u r not wanted there r for that fact any where all so u do is ruin it for all of us that act right and want to enjoy it as we always have and polite people And we say please and thank you b cause we r polite and remember our parents teaching us that so everyone needs to think b 4 u say something rude and hateful and if u have children lead by example got it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve agree that the mobile order needs to go we think that is a nightmare too and again always b nice to cast members and each other’s and how many times must people be told that and if people did their jobs how would feel being treated like that we had heard rbis hear that a cast member n a resort reminded a man to put his mask on and disgusting man actually spit on the cast member and then ran that is the most demeaning thing to do to a person and then the low life ran like coward he is and the low life he is we r so sorry that happened to that cast member we Apologize for the demeaning treated that u suffered that day
I love the Disney Food Blog and have a history of visiting Disney. My husband and I went to Disney on our first weekend getaway together, and went there on our Honeymoon. Disney holds many fond memories for us.
That being said, Disney is morphing into something I no longer recognize. Disney’s embrace of Woke Culture, and its intense relationship with China has created a corporate culture that borders on becoming toxic.
I do not need subtle (and some not so subtle) social and political lectures served along with my park and entertainment experience. I also am appalled at the cost of everything associated with taking a trip to Disney. Disney’s decision to monetize the FastPass, after you’ve already purchased a ticket, is as money grubbing as it gets. When you add to that, all of the rules, regulations, ineffective crowd control, apps that don’t work and merchandise shortages, you’ve got to wonder if another vacation experience would be more agreeable and relaxing.
As a Florida resident, my husband and I have always had season tickets to Disney and enjoyed hopping in the car and getting away for a short weekend. This year, for the first time ever, we will buy season tickets for Universal Studios and skip the Disney lunacy. Ultimately, I should not require an advanced degree to book a hotel, make some dinner reservations and enjoy a couple of rides at a theme park.
The greedy jerks that had all those popcorn buckets around their neck only b cause they r going to sell them on eBay and we will not but them a bunch of selfish rotten people that have only their self interest n mind while other people wanted to have something for their selves to celebrate and ha w those memories and Disney should ha e planned better for this and only let two b sold to people and bob chapek where were u at with all this going on and left the disrespected cast members to endure the rage and hatefulness that they had to deal with how dare u hide out u need to b fired and if I could I Would tell u that to your face and u did t have enough cast members for this horrible situation and the park goers that were so vicious to cast members and other park guest u r the R the problem n this environment that u alone have created and u r a disgrace
Please do not buy any of the Disney items that these greedy people got at Disney world make them stuck with it that is the only way that will stop and if u do buy from them u giving them it’s ok to do that
My family will never go again and rbis stupid mobile food order is unacceptable what r we suppose to do plan the attractions Around that and money grab For genie when we already pay to get n Disney just to walk n there is no value to even go and bob chapek and his coharts r nothing but money grabbers and no magical express no fast passes high prices to stay n resorts and for people that rent a car to pay to park staying at a resort and the list goes on the magic is gone for ever what a shame we will stay on the beach and never go to Disney again b cause the greed has ruined it and also the people that r rude and hateful park goers have ruined it too we live n a toxic world caused by the hate that people have created we understand there was a lot of that a plenty and the mistreatment of cast members by the jerks and those people should have been escorted out of the park and Disney also should have not allowed for so many people to b n the park that is their fault too and they also were understaffed we have saw so much on the blog about October 1st. Disney had plenty of time to plan this better and then not do the job of celebrating Walt Disney and his brother Roy Disney and Mickey Mouse was absolutely disgraceful the memories should have been the main the focus of the day they could ha e done so much on the castle walls like they ha e done for holiday times n the evening and had a parade to honor them and it started with a mouse my sister and myself grew up on Disney and we talked about it today and knew if we had a hand n it we would have done a job just like I said to honor them thank u Walt Disney and Roy Disney And Mickey Mouse we will always love u ❤️❤️❤️
I was wondering, has anyone done a comparison to Disneyland’s 60th? Was it handled differently or better?
Just a comment back to Fiona, Universal also charges for a fast pass type of experience. They have been for a while, but I was stunned when Disney started it too, considering the cost of their tickets already. I agree with you totally, but unfortunately for someone who cannot handle the crazy rides, like the Hotwarts ride I almost threw up on, Universal has less to offer than Disney. It is almost all fast paced rides. I enjoyed walking through the Diagon Alley area but that’s about it.
This may be my last trip to Disney for a very long time. So sad.
Mask policy at WDW is totally unscientific. Where do they get off specifying what type of mask you must wear? This has no basis in science; I’m a surgeon and know more about masks than anyone at WDW. Many people need whole head gaiters to protect from the skin cancer inducing effects of the sun. The governor of Florida has banned mask mandates, where does woke Disney get off circumventing him? It’s a total power play.
We came the week of October 11 & there really isn’t much 50th anniversary merchandise. Crocs they only have men size 11 & 12. Checked everyday for more, but not having any luck. When I asked about the stuffed Mickey & Minnie, I was told that they are out but to remember it is an 18 month celebration. We leave Saturday & will not be back any more during the celebration. There are not even stuffed Halloween Minnie Mouses. You can find Mickey pretty much everywhere, but Minnie is only in their front windows as decoration.
I came thru the gates at 6:35am (completely shocked we were let into the gates) and the day of merchandise virtual que was completely full!!! That early! I came for 1 item and couldn’t get into the Big Top for it. I was furious. So I did something constructive… I went to city Hall and voiced my complaint calmly and for 30 minutes the cast member talked to me, then went into an office to discuss with mgmt, came back talked more, went back and talked to mgmt. he said he couldn’t add me to the que unless it was 11pm at close of day. I stated it wasn’t fair to come into the park at 6:30 and have zero chance to buy 1 thing… he apologized but guess what???? Within 2 hours they opened the que again…. So your welcome lol! I had already left the park for the day, so I still didn’t get my item but felt good they listened to my remarks and others benefited. I was also hanging around the castle in the morning waiting for a stage presentation … I was at the 25th and it was spectacular! Eisner knew how to stage a celebration! I’m furious at Chapek and D’Amaro for a terrible day and rededicating the park the night before media and their friends only …. All your points are spot on. Good news I walked into most rides and rode Mine Train twice! 15 minute wait. Couldn’t believe it!
The new CEO has GOT to go! They need someone running WDW that has the guests in mind, the magic, the true Disney experience; and this idiot holding the Disney reigns IS NOT ANY OF THAT! He’s greedy and doesn’t know what the heck he is doing! He’s ruining Disney! BOARD OF DIRECTORS NEEDS TO KNOW HOW UNHAPPY THE GUESTS ARE!
I made sure I had a table service restaurant reservation for lunch that day because I luckily found one on the app around 2 weeks before October 1. I got there late morning so I missed out on the special merchandise which I wasn’t happy about. The other merchandise I had already bought a few days before. I left by late afternoon because I didn’t think they were going to do anything special and I even asked a cast member and they said they didn’t think they were going to either.
We were there too and u r right Eisner really knew to throw a celebration. It’s too bad that he’s not there n charge instead the of the two that did zero to make that a special day they r a disgrace to Walt Disney and his brother Roy what was created by mr.Disney has been treaded on by those that don’t care r have any respect for the wonderful creative mind that did all of those happy things with the great imagination that was used thank u Walt Disney my sister and me grew up on Disney and so did our husbands and we thank u for saying it all started with a mouse so thank u too Mickey
We also were there for Walt Disney’s 100 year old birthday we were n mgm studios they had a huge birthday cake with his face on it and of course no one could have a slice if we took pictures of it the disappointing thing of that celebration was it was for the media only and certain people they theremade sure that we were all out of mgm at a certain time and were c ing
So we agree it does make u very mad when the media and the friends are the only ones allowed for these very special moments just as I said about Walt Disney’s 100 th. birthday it is very unfair to pick and choose who is allowed for those very special moments n time that we all would love to experience
3rd party resellers are ruining Disney. They take orders on social media, charge crazy fees and people all over the world are buying. It would make more sense for Disney to just post items for sale on their website and crush the 3rd party market. Items sold only at the parks are driving this market.
I also feel like the new annual pass structure is set up in a way to slow down resellers and bloggers. Make room for people who want a vacation and souvenirs.
I will never understand fully grown adults going ape over actual junk. PLASTIC JUNK!! It’s baffling to me. I remember the tickle me Elmo debacle during Christmas 20 years ago and at least that I could grasp Bc people wanted them for their kids. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Disney with all my heart, but watching full on adults literally fight each other over a cheap, tacky popcorn bucket makes me physically ill.
We live in a society where many people have been brought up being told that they are entitled to whatever they want, when they want it, and everyone should just get over it. When I moved to Florida I got a pass and had one every year up to the Pandemic. In the last five or so years I’d seen the perks get less and less and more and more construction walls each year. Still, it was worth it. It seems now that if you don’t have a smart phone/tablet/etc. one cannot even eat in the parks, let alone ride. Pricing seems to be going ala carte and for some of us, we get a lot less while paying a lot more. I learned a long time ago not to go the first day of any big event. Perhaps there are thing s Disney needs to work out..that’s true of any organization that deals with large crowds. The real problem are the people who go and think they are the only ones that matter. The people who work there or anywhere shouldn’t have to put up with rude, entitled people who think they own the place.
None of us like the mask but if that is required we will do it as well on the plane they r trying to keep us safe and not spread the virus hopefully we will not have to do that if that it takes to go there then we will comply no one wants to get sick r spread the virus we have our shots and will do what ever we have to we don’t want to make anyone sick and the cast members do t want to get sick either they work so hard and people need to respect them and smile at them they doing their jobs just say thank u put your selves n their place and c what they have to and have some people that can’t get what they want b rude and down right hateful just b happy that Disney is open again
OMG. We went to Disney in Florida Oct 29-Nov 2. Have been many times in the past. The most unmagical experience we have ever had. We have decided our times at Disney are over. As mentioned by prior guests, the mobile ordering for food was a joke. Half the time, the restaurants were showing any available pickup times. Even worse than the food was the genie plus pass which we got. However, you could only do one express ride during a 2 hour period and several times ours didn’t even work with managers having to be called in. Not only was that pass a rip off, it did not include the new or most popular attractions which you then had to pay $9 to $15 per person (Star Wars) to even get access to because the lines were several hour wait. Once you waiting for over an hour, the rides would be experiencing technical difficulties and shut down for hours. It was a nightmare. I’m also sure there was NO crowd control as we were told when we booked the parks with park hopper passes which you have to buy a ticket and then book online which parks you want to go to in order to control the crowds. Didn’t help. As stated before, overpriced and unmagical!!
Merchandise promised to preorder online ebay customers. When on sale purchaser must get the number of sold items for ebay prepaid customers.
Thats why customers were so mad.
And Disney limits its supply availability to increase demand and stop second middleman scalpers buying for those who cant or wont get in or willing to travel to get overpriced made in china merch.