I am writing as a longtime Disney devotee, who has visited at least one of the parks (often two) with my entire/extended family every single year without fail, for the past 28 years.
My wife and I got engaged at the Port Orleans Resort in 1996, we honeymooned at the Caribbean Beach Resort in 1997, we brought our first child as a baby to All Star Movies in 2000...well, you get the picture.
Disney parks have long been part of our lives..our two daughters have practically grown up in them.
They hold so many fantastic memories for us...and I've always recognised the commitment to maintaining Walt Disney's original ideals, integrity and family values.
But our latest trip will be our last.
For us, the magic has gone.
And the charm, personality and dedication to incredible customer service has gone also.
Prices have been hiked, while previously-included services have been cut.
"What's the very best we can aspire to?" has been replaced by "What can we can get away with?"
"And what can we charge extra for?"
More importantly, cast members who would routinely go the extra mile for every single guest, have been replaced by an entirely new breed, who don't know the answer to your question...and really don't care.
I'll give you an example.
A security supervisor at the main entrance to the Magic Kingdom...older guy, with a bad attitude and a power complex.
Surely the worst 'cast member' I've ever witnessed, in almost 30 years of annual Disney visits.
With his attitude, he should NEVER be allowed anywhere near members of the public - he's literally a lawsuit waiting to happen.
The friendly, welcoming security staff of the past have been replaced by clowns like him.
Aggressive, abrasive, impatient...and absolutely charmless.
I'll explain...I was looking for a smoking area outside the park, and was directed towards a nearby bench, having asked another cast member.
Wrongly, as it turned out...apparently he didn't actually know where the smoking area was, and had just guessed (!).
The security guard ran over, and screamed "PUT THAT OUT!!" at the top of his voice, scaring nearby children.
When I tried to explain I had been directed to that exact spot by a cast member, he screamed even louder: "I DONT CARE!!", much to the horror of parents and other cast members nearby.
Twenty years ago, staff of that 'calibre' wouldn't have got near a job with Disney, let alone be allowed to assume a position of responsibility.
I saw him bark at several other families in the same way, just in the following minutes that I was watching him.
Now, is this really the first Disney cast member they want welcoming families from all over the world, as they visit their flagship park?
There was also Casey, a dim-witted bus driver who inexplicably drove off with most of the spaces on his bus left empty, leaving three lines of frustrated guests, shouting after him.
And the entire Disney Guest Relations team at the Dolphin Hotel..six of them, sat chatting among themselves behind the desk.
Now there was a time when we described Disney Guest Relations staff as the 'Special Forces' of Disney....there was literally nothing they couldn't or wouldn't do for you.
You'd go in with a complaint, and come out with a smile.
Not any more...as when I asked if any of them knew where I could buy cigars, they all just looked at each other, shrugged and said: "No idea..."
When I pointed out there was a stocked humidor less than 100ft away from them, at the Shulas Steakhouse on the same floor of the hotel they were currently in, they hurriedly tried to backtrack.
"Ah yes, ask the concierge..he often finds out if anyone from Shulas comes in early with a key?"
Hang on....a moment ago, you claimed not to know anywhere that sold cigars?
Either way, someone's not telling the truth.
Smoking is a contentious issue, and I appreciate they probably don't want smokers at their parks and resorts, hence dramatically reducing the number of smoking areas.
Thats absolutely fine and understandable, but if this is the case, why not just be honest, so we can all book our holidays elsewhere?
Far better this than hiding designated areas, not putting out signs, not training staff to deal with it and generally pretending we don't exist?
I had this very conversation several times a day with dozens of other smokers, all of whom felt unwelcome and unwanted.
The smokers are often the bill-payers, and this seems like a really good way of driving all of us and our families offsite and into non-Disney bars and restaurants in the surrounding areas.
For the first time ever, we had dinner off-property every single evening on our recent trip, and from conversations with other families, this seems to be a fast-growing trend.
Previously, we'd go two or even three weeks without once leaving Disney property, but this actually opened up a whole new aspect of Orlando for us.
Offsite restaurants have always been cheaper, especially with Disney's dramatic price hikes in recent years, but I always considered them inferior, compared to the food and service of onsite staff, with the obvious advantage of remaining in the Disney 'bubble'.
Now I find this is no longer the case....local establishments have really raised their game, and the food, service and (especially) overall value often exceeds that of Disney restaurants.
The future of the company though, probably rests with the likes of Bryson, a (very) keen young maintenance assistant at All Star Movies, who told me of his lifelong ambition to work for Disney, and his undoubted pride in his new job.
I wished him well, but although he definitely deserves to pursue a career in the corporation we've both admired for so long, is the Disney of today really deserving of young people like him, who are prepared to dedicate their lives to it?
I'm not sure it is, anymore.
I wish the company all the very best for the future, but my family and I (along with lots of others, apparently) will not be visiting again.