Oct 13 2007
Why Disney Sucks
I recently returned from a week-long conference/seminar hosted in one of the Disney resort hotels and have come to the conclusion that Disney really sucks. Now there are typically two schools of thought regarding the previous statement, 1) guys like me who will say “no shit”, and 2) Soccer Mom’s who will be appalled that I dare criticize “the mouse”. The conference I attended was top notch, the suckiness I’m referring to is in regards to Disney in general. As I mentioned previously, I stayed at one of the resort hotels, I won’t mention it by name but it is named after a sea-faring mammal that can perform tricks and people seem to like.  I have laid out a few examples below to prove my point.
The first example is pretty much a no-brainer but worth mentioning, Disney exists to part your money from your person. We all know this but it is worthwhile to cover the basics.
- Hotel room was in the upper $300’s per night after taxes, more taxes, hidden taxes, fees, more fees, hidden fees, and mouse pedicure fees
- I made the mistake of ordering breakfast room-service the first morning I was there. Breakfast consisted of A bagel, bowl of corn flakes, toast, OJ, and hot coco (from a pouch). Total cost, $47, before tip.
- Parking fee $16 per night… at first blush this might not seem excessive, but Disney owns half of Florida, with that much space there is no premium for parking, just a captive audience.
- Internet fee, $15 per day, with the high room costs, why isn’t this baked in? And the speed was slightly better than dial-up, as an example, youtube clips couldn’t stream.
- Mixed drink at the lobby bar, $12
People are too friendly. Why is this a problem you might ask? Because it is fake friendly, and there is an underlying “fuck you” lurking beneath the surface of most interactions. After the third “Have a magical day” spoken from a pimply faced punk, who was dying to say it, I was annoyed.
It is 95 degrees with 100% humidity in October.
The room wasn’t spectacular, I’ve been in hotels all over the world, and for this price the room wasn’t great.Â
- I actually had to request a room change for the first time in memory after I found a cockroach the size of baby’s head.Â
- In the new room, the AC was broken. I didn’t feel like moving again so I dealt with it.Â
- The bed was shaped like a U and you sunk into the middle after an hour.
- On the positive side, the view was really good and I had two balconies. I had a view of the Epcot “ball” and could see the nightly fireworks from my balcony.
It seemed that Orlando and the state were in on the fleecing, there are two main approaches to the airport and both are covered with multiple tolls to and from the Disney lair. In fact the most direct route to Disney has a higher toll fee than the longer route.
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Hey man, mellow out. I’d suggest spending some time in “Small World” to appreciate the better side of Disney. I bet you complain about the “Welcome to Wal-Mart” from the little old lady greeters, too.
Yeah, those greeters piss me off too…
OMG, you should have paddled across the lake over to the Boardwalk. I stayed there for much less and LOVED everything about it except for the tiny little issue of them testing the new fireworks at Epcot at 3am. (4 days in a row!) Other than that, I had a very enjoyable Disney experience. As a matter of fact, the next trip I took was a 3 day Disney cruise with my 2 teens, my parents, plus my sister and her kids. We had the time of our lives and can’t wait to do it again. Sorry your experience sucked. Will your company reimburse you? Hope so…
I’m w/you billymac. Eff Disney. The only thing “magical” about that kingdom is when you reach for your wallet, it’s empty & you have nothing to show for it. Sucks.
Stealth, the good news here is the trip was on expense, so my crankiness is purely out of hatred…. just kidding, I meant purely out of principle. There are two truths out there about Disney and I, 1) I will most likely always think it sucks, and 2) I’m destined to visit again and again as my kids start to get older and they really seem to like Mickey and the gang… oh well, fake smiles all around.
Disney could learn a few things from Vegas. Free parking, free drinks, and great rooms.
They get you to hand over your money with a smile instead of being pissed off about it.
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The hotel of which you speak is one that is located on Disney property but not owned or run by Disney personnel. You really don’t sound as if you travel a lot. Room service, no matter what hotel you are in, is always going to have an outrageous price tag. Disney hotels, are great hotels, have exceptional rooms and staff. Besides when visiting Disney World I plan to be more in the parks than the hotel room. Whether you or your employer is footing the bill, look into wireless internet connections provided by cell phone companies such as Verizon, Cingular, and T-Mobile. Its cheaper than paying for it at a hotel, plus accessible virtually everywhere.