Disney's own survey is a list of Walt Disney World's 50-anniversary shortcomings

May 20, 2022 in "Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary Celebration - The World’s Most Magical Celebration"

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Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary October 1 events

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Posted: Friday May 20, 2022 12:33pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Critics of the Walt Disney World 50th anniversary may find some comfort in knowing that Disney shares many of your feelings.

Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary October 1 events

In recent guest surveys, Disney has been asking for feedback on Walt Disney World's 50th-anniversary celebration and offers a multitude of reasons as to why the celebration may have fallen below expectations.

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse - Fab 50 Character Statue

In particular, the survey points to the common complaint that the new nighttime shows are not as good as their predecessors and do not celebrate the 50th.

Disney Enchantment has been poorly received by guests

Other notable responses suggest that the celebration was not special enough for the 50th, and that it felt like "just another day in the park."

Guests packed the hub on October 1 to witness the start of Disney World's 50th celebration

Lacking nostalgia and not celebrating "classic Disney" was also a suggestion.

Here is the complete listing of the survey's responses.

The celebration didn't celebrate "classic Disney" and lacked nostalgia
Crowds made it difficult to enjoy the celebration
The décor was limited
Commemorative entertainment for the celebration was limited (stage shows, parades, etc.)
There were long lines to purchase the merchandise
The 50th-anniversary merchandise I wanted was unavailable
The fireworks shows/nighttime spectaculars were not as good as previous shows
There were long lines to purchase the special food and beverage offerings
It was difficult to find the special food and beverage offerings
It was not as good as other Disney celebrations
It seemed like Just another day in the park
It was not special enough for a 50th-anniversary celebration
The prices for 50th-anniversary merchandise were high
The fireworks shows/nighttime spectaculars didn't celebrate the 50th anniversary
The special food and beverage offerings were limited
The merchandise selection/variety was limited

How would you answer this survey? Join in the vote here.

Discuss on the Forums

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World_Showcase_Lover007Jun 04, 2022

Plus someone got a prize every 15 minutes!

BrenthodgeJun 04, 2022

https://kicentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/41057-phantom-theater-encore-reviews/. Cedar fair and KI nail another one. Bring back a beloved dark ride that PREVIIUS MANAGEMENT removed as a stage show for the 50th complete with a lobby display of the original ride model and set pieces. Hmmm that seems like something a mouse Should’ve done. Brilliant way to satisfy your fan base of loyalists.

WorldExplorerJun 03, 2022

Nah, they're still very eager to trot his image out over at Epcot whenever they want to pretend they're doing something profound.

LSLSJun 03, 2022

Very true, and honestly SORELY needed at CP, but yeah, guess I should have prefaced with a roller coaster. It does feel like CP is overdue for one, so I get why people thought some sort of record breaker would be on tap here for that reason alone. BUT, that's a small complaint to me with how well they did everything else for that anniversary. I highly doubt they need to put out a survey asking what failed for customers.

drizgirlJun 03, 2022

I don’t know what their reason was, but it’s very obvious they didn’t want him to be part of the celebration. There is no excuse for him being left out of Enchantment.

Magenta PantherJun 03, 2022

I have to wonder if the suits at "Disney" want everyone to forget that Old Dead Guy and his vision and values, and that's why there was little to no nostalgia attached to the 50th celebration...

trainplane3Jun 02, 2022

Snake River Expedition was the new ride. I know people wanted their 500ft RMC aquatrax but SRE is a solid family ride. And considering they're doubling down on family experiences, people probably won't be happy for a bit. Anyways, I'll drop the Cedar Fair stuff and let the thread go back to how crap the WDW 50th is.

LSLSJun 02, 2022

Cedar Point really did do great. The ONLY complaint I know of is that people really thought there would be a new ride for it. BUT, they had committed to KI for the big bad new ride (which was very needed). But the shows, the workers, everything was just incredible. Excited to get back there.

trainplane3Jun 02, 2022

"Small" when compared to the monster that is WDW. Actually heading there this weekend too. SSE was going to happen regardless of the 50th so I kinda count it as a 50th thing but it's not truly a thing that happened because of the 50th.

correcaminosJun 02, 2022

I personally wouldn't call Cedar Point a small Ohio park! I do think the EWP end is great. I also like SSE's upgrades for the 50th. Better than the fireworks at least.

trainplane3Jun 02, 2022

Knotts did a great job. Cedar Point did a great job. Kings Island did a great job. It's almost like their management knows nostalgia should be the center of an anniversary. Remember the past but also celebrate where the park is at now. I do love the idea of "small Ohio parks show Disney what an anniversary is meant to be". The commercials even showed them up. For anniversary specific things, Disney got one single thing right and that's the Electrical Water Pageant tag. That's it. It's amazing what good things can happen when management stays out of it (or...uh...forgot it exists) and creatives have full control.

Minnesota disney fanJun 01, 2022

Maybe there wasn't much celebration because they didn't want one. Maybe they want the nostalgia gone and replaced by new IP and new ideas and new ways to gouge the guests? I don't know, but why would they Not celebrate something that has been so important in the past of WDW? Makes you wonder?

Californian ElitistJun 01, 2022

I just came back from my first visit to WDW, specifically MK. If I didn’t follow this type of news and if it weren’t for the 50th medallion on the castle, I don’t think I would have known that the resort was celebrating 50 years of operation. This is the quietest Disney park milestone celebration I’ve ever experienced.

mgfJun 01, 2022

We've given our vacation dollars to Legoland the last two summers. The ability to walk in with essentially zero planning and for the kids to be able to point to what they want to ride and get to ride it have been huge selling points. We stayed on property at LL this time and it struck me that they are leaning into all those little extras that used to make Disney stand out. Every restaurant has custom napkins, toiletries are all branded (and you can take them!), kids get a little surprise in the room every night, characters visit in the lobby, there is a resort newspaper outside your door the day after you check in, etc, etc.