Listening to the Whispers on Disney Buses 2022 Edition

Something I love to do at Walt Disney World is listening to people excitedly talking while riding Disney transportation and Disney buses.

These folks cannot wait to relay every detail of their trips to anyone and everyone willing to engage in conversation.

Photo: Disney

So, I smile, exchange pleasantries, lean back, and close my eyes. Then, I just listen as people relish in or vent about their Disney vacations.

Here are the topics I overheard the most during my most recent Disney visit.

Photo:visitorlando.com

How Is Cosmic Rewind?

Walt Disney World has introduced new E-ticket attractions in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Oddly, I only heard a little discussion about Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

Photo: Disney

Conversely, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind proved extremely popular as a conversation topic.

That’s likely because the roller coaster has proven somewhat divisive.

Photo: Disney

Anecdotally, I recently rode it twice in an hour. I hadn’t planned that, but my virtual queue ran early, intersecting with my Lightning Lane purchase.

While I adore the attraction, I can say with confidence that riding Cosmic Rewind twice in an hour is a bit much. I definitely felt a bit nauseous as I exited the ride, which is rare for me.

Some other Disney guests struggled with the ride. They found the unique storytelling roller coaster disorienting. For this reason, it made them sick.

EPCOT officials know this possibility exists, as Cosmic Rewind features a rest area near the exit. Also, we watched multiple guests beg off at the last minute.

So, there is some cause for people to debate its ride experience. But, overwhelmingly, guests adore the ride because it is legitimately fantastic.

You board a coaster cart, encounter a Celestial, and navigate a solar system. At one point, you kind of freefall toward a planet. It’s mind-boggling.

Still, for some folks, it’s just too much. My wife spoke with a woman who could not WAIT to talk about how she threw up in her mouth during the ride.

Meanwhile, my wife wore an anti-nausea bracelet, which more than did the trick for her. So, I’d recommend one of those if you’re worried about getting sick.

Why Does Rise of the Resistance Tear Up So Much?

These two topics naturally blend together. So even though I mentioned two other new E-ticket attractions at Walt Disney World, these are the alphas.

People perceive Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Cosmic Rewind as the best that Disney has to offer right now. In fact, Avatar Flight of Passage is probably third on that list.

Photo: Matt Stroshane

For all the complaints about intellectual property-driven attractions, they’re also the people’s choice.

So, when folks visit Disney, they expect to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, which can be an adventure.

Image Credit: Disney

To wit, we booked a Lightning Lane for the attraction at 12:50 p.m. Unfortunately, it glitched and didn’t go through until 2:50 p.m., which isn’t even supposed to happen.

We tried to move the time back to 12:50 p.m., but the cast member couldn’t do that because the ride was down. At 2:50 p.m., the ride was also down.

Photo: Disney

When we left the park to get dressed for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, the ride was – you guessed it! – still not working.

Disney refunded the money, so it was no harm, no foul for us. However, I understand the frustration of others. We’ve ridden Rise of the Resistance many times.

Photo: Getty

It would have been a series of heartbreaks for people trying to experience this attraction for the first time.

The greatness of Rise of the Resistance is also what causes problems. The sheer volume of interwoven ride mechanics leads to frequent breakdowns.

In a way, Disney has stitched together half a dozen popular ride concepts in a single attraction. Then, if any of them malfunctions, the entire ride goes down for repairs.

So, nobody is imagining things here. Nearly three years since its inception, Rise of the Resistance remains a problematic attraction to keep online.

Photo: Disney

I don’t think that’ll ever change, either. Therefore, it’ll continue to frustrate some guests for this reason.

Is Disney Genie+ Worth the Money?

I’ll say right now that my answer is yes. However, I recognize why this topic is such a hot-button issue among Disney fans.

For many years, the parks offered FastPass free of charge for guests. Disney did this to maximize the park experience and increase survey scores.

Satisfied customers provided excellent survey results, making park management look like geniuses.

Photo: Disney

Then, Disney changed the system to Genie+, which does the same thing but most assuredly isn’t free.

So, tourists debate whether the juice is worth the squeeze. Should they pay $15-$25 per person to ride an undefined set of attractions?

Photo: Disney

That’s the trick here. Customers need to maximize the value of Disney Genie+ to make it worthwhile.

Using Disney’s Hollywood Studios as an example, you could theoretically book Disney Genie+ reservations for Slinky Dog Dash, Runaway Railway, and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

Photo: TheCoasterKings.com

When you do that, you’ve had a good day at the park. But, conversely, your luck could prove poor. You might wind up with Muppet*Vision 3D, Star Tours, and Alien Swirling Saucers.

I won’t diminish any of the latter three experiences. Still, I think we’d all agree that they’re not the ones you’d pay $25 to do.

The chaotic part of Disney Genie+ is that I cannot assure you of which set you’ll get. In truth, during my recent visits, I’ve had days filled with good luck and bad as well.

For this reason, the debate about Disney Genie+ will remain until Disney streamlines the system…which is to say that it needs to get better.

Photo: Disney

I heard a LOT of disgruntled customers during my last vacation. People are willing to pay for Disney Genie+, but they want guarantees they’re not getting yet.

Is Bob Chapek Ruining Disney?

Oh, come on. You knew this one was coming.

Photo: CNBC

Bob Chapek may bristle at the perception that he’s a bean counter. He may even believe he’s doing everything necessary to keep the lights on at Disney parks.

However, guests on Disney transportation think of him as the enemy, and they’d throw bullseye after bullseye if his face were at the center of a dartboard.

Photo: Disney

I can state unequivocally that Chapek is working from an adversarial position in terms of public reception.

Seriously, a not-insignificant number of people hate his guts, and it’s a problem. I was genuinely alarmed by some of the things I heard people say about him.

Source: Variety.com

People take perceived attacks on their Disney vacations personally. And he’s the person they deem responsible.

Chapek has lined up Disney’s finances to where they’re acceptable again. His next step is getting people to like him again…and I suspect it’s gonna take a while.

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Feature Photo: Cartoon Bucket