“We Will Not Return” Guest Shares “Ludicrous” Reasons for a Disney Trip That Fell Short

On the heels of a Neo-Nazi demonstration right outside Walt Disney World and radio silence from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after the protesters represented his name, it’s a wonder how the rest of the world views America’s hot-blooded politics.

With divisiveness characterizing American culture and tensions mounting in the Most Magical Place on Earth, Walt Disney World is garnering unwanted attention from global Guests. With Disney Parks in Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, and China, intercontinental travel has become commonplace among Disney fans, and a pair from a major city in Europe made the trek to Disney’s hub in Orlando, Florida, to compare notes.

Self-proclaimed lovers of Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland, the couple took to the people’s forum site, Reddit, to see if their thoughts on the Orlando experience were reflected in Guests who frequent the Florida Parks.

Comprehensive Cons and a Few Pros

In the original post by u/_amnesiac, the European Walt Disney World Guest gave a thorough, balanced review of the entire Disney vacation, detailing “AMAZING” customer service, “ludicrous” prices, and appalling assault-rifle apparel donned by certain Guests in the Parks. Starting with the cons, including hesitations about visiting the Parks where DeSantis has a prominent presence, u/_amnesiac said:

It’s ludicrously expensive. This was the biggest reason why we won’t return. For the money we spent, we felt we could have had a more memorable trip elsewhere. For instance, we spent WAY less money flying to Japan, spending two weeks in Japan, and doing two day trips to Tokyo Disney and Universal Osaka. In fact, even if we stayed at a value resort in Disney World, that Japan trip cost less money. I’d be less critical if I knew all that money was going to pay their cast members a great wage, but apparently it’s not.

In addition to concerns about the price in comparison to the quality of the food and drinks aside from a “great cocktail” at Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom, the Redditor also shared concerning fashion statements seen in Walt Disney World:

We felt a bit uncomfortable with the whole DeSantis thing before we left, but we were constantly reminded of the divisiveness of US politics the entire week. We saw MULTIPLE guys wearing t-shirts with literal ASSAULT RIFLES and pro gun messages printed on them. Very weird sh*t. 

While the original poster said “they will not return,” the experience wasn’t entirely negative. The post gave rave reviews for customer service from the “seriously impressive” Cast Members, the Boardwalk Villas, a smooth Genie Plus experience, and “jaw-dropping” stuff from the headlining rides like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Tron Lightcycle / Run, Avatar Flight of Passage, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

The post concluded with a suggestion to visit a European country and tour Disneyland Paris for a cheaper cost than a week at Walt Disney World. Despite their statement, the Disney fans in the comments didn’t meet the original poster with pitchforks.

The top comment from u/ClaimOk8737 said:

I agree with you on several points. The biggest one is the cast member wage.

Another Redditor, u/ChaserNeverRests, shared a balanced response to the post:

As someone who has lived in America all of my life, I can’t disagree with your cons. Lots of us find the whole Florida thing really bad, and especially the t-shirts with assault rifles and such on them (we have more mass shootings than days in the year so far in 2023…). I think the vast majority of Americans don’t like the tipping culture, too.

Many comments made cases for the Disney magic created by the Cast Members being a primary reason behind their consistent Walt Disney World trips. It’s worth mentioning that every experience at Disney is unique, and a perspective from one week at Walt Disney World doesn’t characterize the entire Park experience.

While Walt Disney World does a masterful job of capturing global countries in its World Showcase, it’s always interesting to hear a foreign account of Orlando’s most popular theme Park.