Why is this article even posted anywhere? This seems like "one of those people" who never have a good thing to say no matter what they are talking about. Nothing is good enough. I don't like this and I don't want to do that.....then guess what......don't make a single fastpass and don't make a single ADR and just wing it when you get there. He seems like the perfect Universal vacationer so I suggest he stays there.
It's probably posted because its not always "disney is amazing, they can do anything and i will love it" - Not everyone has drank gallons of the kool-aid.
I agree with some of the things the writer has mentioned but also not all - That's the great thing about boards like this - Freedom of speech. To ask why its even posted it a little ridic.
We were huge WDW fans and went about 3-4 times a year for 5-7 day trips each time- since i was 5.....I am now 38 so that's a LOT of trips. I was an intern back in college. We always said WDW is the best, nothing could top it. And then things did take a turn downhill a bit -
The author said "The Disney cast members are not as friendly, the service is not as good, and the parks don’t seem as well maintained as in the past. I noticed that there were less “sweepers” keeping the parks clean, and it showed. You would see full trash pails on occasion, and bits of trash on the ground here and there. Still clean by amusement park standards, but not up to Disney standards. On my last couple of trips, I was surprised to see quite a bit of trash floating in the water around the parks. "
This is 100% true in our opinion as well - There are more and more cast members who look like they rather be anywhere else than at their job, there is paint peeling on rides, on walls, etc. Trash cans don't seem to be emptied as quickly as they used to be. And I could go on.
It wasn't until we went to Tokyo Disney and saw how their parks are run, how spotless they are, how OVERLY friendly their cast members are (and its 100% genuine) that we realized, "wait, why can't our parks be like this"
We haven't stopped going to WDW but we have cut back our trips significantly each year - And we have been back to Tokyo Disney again, and plan to go a 3rd time next may. We have found other places to spend our Childless Millennial cash