It’s no secret that a Walt Disney World vacation costs more than ever—but for some recent guests, the experience just doesn’t live up to the price tag.
A Reddit post that’s been gaining traction this week recounts a family’s stay at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, one of Walt Disney World’s Moderate-tier hotels, where things reportedly went downhill from the moment they arrived.
The post details that after arriving at the resort, the guests waited two hours beyond the guaranteed check-in time before being given a room. When they finally walked in? It was dirty, with a broken air conditioning unit, and a general feeling of being neglected and “run-down.” The kicker? The cost—over $300 per night.
“I’ve seen sleazy motels in better shape,” the original poster wrote, saying that the room conditions and guest experience didn’t align at all with what they’d paid for.
When the guest brought their complaints to the front desk, a recreation lead, and even a supervisor, the only solution offered was a downgrade to a Value resort—and only if the guest agreed to pay for the transfer themselves. After being told that every resort on property was completely sold out (a claim the guest didn’t believe), they chose to cancel their reservation entirely.
Instead, they booked a room at a Marriott nearby for “half the price, 10x nicer, bigger, cleaner, and just more comfortable.” They ultimately decided to skip the Disney parks altogether.
But this wasn’t just a one-off bad stay, according to the post. For this family, it was the culmination of growing frustrations with Walt Disney World overall—from steep upcharges for Lightning Lane Multi Pass to what they describe as a noticeable drop in Cast Member friendliness and customer service.
“Disney used to feel special. Now it feels like a corporate machine that’s lost touch with what made people fall in love with it in the first place.”
Other Guests Share Their Experiences—and the Sticker Shock
In the comments, many fellow travelers echoed the sentiment that Disney’s resort pricing has become “mind boggling”—especially as room quality and service seem to decline.
“We stayed at Port Orleans two years ago for $200 a night,” one commenter shared. “Now it’s nearly $500. That’s a luxury hotel price—not normal.”
Another pointed out the high value of off-site stays, noting that many nearby hotels offer perks Disney doesn’t: free breakfast, free parking, and lower rates across the board.
“It’s incomprehensible when you consider many value hotels off-site also offer a free breakfast that Disney would probably charge $35 a person for.”
Several comments called out the price hike with no tangible upgrade in return. One guest described staying off-property for $150, complete with a free breakfast and cheap Uber rides to the parks, compared to their $250-per-night Disney resort room—with no breakfast, long bus wait times, and “paying for everything we wanted to do.”
“For us, it wasn’t worth it. We booked the Swan and Dolphin for the same price and got the same amenities and transportation.”
Another person who stayed at Caribbean Beach echoed the original poster’s experience almost word-for-word:
“Our room was dirty, the AC was broken and loud, and even when it was ‘fixed,’ it barely worked. The manager was rude and dismissive and offered no solutions—definitely not a magical experience.”
What Happened to the Disney Difference?
It’s clear from this thread that many longtime Disney guests are feeling a shift—and not a positive one. While Disney has always commanded a premium, guests are now questioning whether the value matches the price. Add in rising prices, inconsistent service, and fewer included perks, and some guests are opting out entirely.
As the original poster put it:
“This isn’t about expecting perfection. It’s about paying premium prices and getting nickel-and-dimed while the experience gets worse.”
With rooms reaching $800 per night at Deluxe resorts—and Moderate ones now in the $350–$450 range—some families are deciding that “once-in-a-lifetime” shouldn’t mean “break the bank for basic service.”
Disney has not responded to the viral post or others like it, but guest sentiment on social media continues to reflect a growing dissatisfaction with what many once considered “The Most Magical Place on Earth.”
Disney was so magical and special. Some of the cast members still are…but it has become more corporate and I find that quite sad. My husband and I were Vacation Club members and had wonderful times for 26 years. Because of his health, we took one last trip and then sold our time share. I’m so glad we stopped when we did. So many of the restaurants have closed…the “ways to save money” are more expensive. Glad we had the magic. Our timing was good. We had a wonderful life of Disney World.
I’ve honestly not experienced anything bad staying at the Riviera resort. I know it’s one of the Deluxe luxury ones, but with my DVC it’s all been worthwhile. I’ve made a total of four trips there since I bought in 2022, and three of those times they were able to fulfill my request for a fireworks view room. The other time, they didn’t have one available but instead gave me a room on floor 4 right near the elevator and just a few steps around the corner from the laundry. This was a godsend for my girlfriend using a scooter, and cleaning our clothes the day before we departed since we were staying in a studio. And none of those trips did I ever experience any room problems, checked in on time, very clean, and everything worked every trip. And the staff was very friendly and accommodating every time.
It’s been years since we’ve stayed on property. Even with my cast member discounts, we prefer to stay at one of our timeshare properties. This way we at least know what to expect, and fortunately have never had rude employees to deal with.
We visited WDW 34 times and our last visit was in 2020, when we caught Covid in one of the parks (though no one knew what Covid really was). On our last trip, we stayed at Blue Hotel near Disney Springs. Beautiful spacious rooms and nice restaurants. We plan to visit later this year in an off-season period and will try the Drury near DS with their own shuttle, free hot breakfast and maybe an Uber. We have our favorite restaurants in WDW and will probably pay the price but we’ll no longer stay on property. My wife met Walt Disney’s former bookkeeper a few years ago and she said it best: “Walt is rolling over in his grave seeing how much they charge. This place was made for families to come and be able to afford it.” I agree with her 100%! It’s a real shame that they are running it into the ground.
As the original poster stated, they did not believe the hotel was sold out. I don’t either, but can’t fight Disney. My take on all that is Disney, as long as there are people with money (and willing to spend it) Disney will continue to to raise prices and “sell out” with resorts, special events, Lightning passes, etc. The experience is not even close to when we would bring my son as a child (he is now 22).
I have been to Disney more times than I can remember and have never encountered anything like what people are saying. Yes it is expensive but so is Universal and the people there are just as rude as you are saying. I guess it all depends on how you approach things.
Just went in May 2025 and going back in December. Prices are higher in December as it is the holidays.
The fact that people are paying the ridiculous prices Disney is charging is beyond belief. No wonder they keep raising prices. Instead of looking at alternatives, people just charge it to a card and go further and further in debt! Very sad.
Things have definitely declined and the nickle-and-diming is gross. I got sick with a neurologically and physically debilitating illness 8 years ago. At first, Disney was one of the only places I could go safely putside of home because they made it so accessible and safe and welcoming and easy. With DAS and the ADA and the great customer service in place. It made me feel human again.
_Now_ that they want to use the lanes for overpaying Lightning Lane users instead, they’ve tried to kick everyone off DAS they can. First they said it was only for things not covered by a mobility device, then they said only neurological things (which doesn’t cover lots of medical things a scooter or wheelchair doesn’t solve). Then they said only _developmental_ things (so even if your neurological condition is equivalent or worse if its from a condition you didn’t have at birth it doesn’t count). Then they said only autism. Then only children with autism, then only children with autism who don’t know what a line is. Now on the disability groups there are children of that description getting rejected. At the same time, some adults with neurological conditions are still approved- it’s totally about what cast member it is and quotas.
The process to get DAS is humiliating and dehumanizing. You have to go into intimate details about your neurological dysfunction, trauma, toileting, etc. while they stand there and judge and critique you and dismiss your pain. You have to remember that a lot of people with disabilities have medical PTSD from being dismissed or misdiagnosed or not believed. Then you have to relive that again every time you try for DAS. And if you don’t get DAS they tell you to go beg _at_every_line_ for a return time and hope. It’s sick. I nearly had a serious crash just from the process, and I hear so many horror stories from the other people on the disability forums. I’ve had the top pass for ages and I’m not going back unless they change.
Disney is no longer magical for me. It’s traumatizing.