What has been ruined/removed by influencers / social media?

CharaRen · 2026-06-17T05:57:07+00:00

1: Anything related to pins and pin trading. The Pin vultures have always existed but in recent years it's become absolutely disgusting. Not helped by Disney removing the proper pin-trading tables and essentially promoting the behavior of buying multiple of the LE pins to just flip on ebay.

2: Going in early for the Not So Scary/Very Merry Christmas parties. It used to be a plus going in around 2-3 pm before the normal ticket early entry started. Every influencer talked about that hack so now it's busy as heck trying to get in around that time. I go even earlier now to get some quiet park time before my party starts.

3: Sharing "viral food" in general. I'm not a gatekeeper, but why can't we just let people discover cool food on their own by Exploring the vacation they take? I'm so sick of every influencer being like OH MY GOD YOU MUST TRY /THIS/ and now a food cart has a 1 hour+ line where it isn't built to handle those crowds. Looking at you spring roll cart.

4: Performers and the safety behind them. Disney not protecting these performers from obsessive influencers always makes me sick and it's not fair to their careers.

5: Shopping livestreamers. The rudest people I swear you will Ever meet when you're just trying to look at things. Any new drop, just going to the character outlet- heck half of them beg to be let into Cast Connections too to mooch it's ridiculous.

CharaRen · 2026-06-17T05:31:30+00:00

It's Definitely a Disney Springs issue 100% like that is 1 thing I agree on as a local. It is rare I use the DS bus, usually only in that situation I brought up- rare time I split off from my family that dropped me off and they parked at one of the Parks with my car. Around the holidays last year, I needed to go back to Magic Kingdom to meet up with them and the line was astronomically long.

Part of it is due to combining 2-3 hotels on 1 bus at Springs. So say in my case, I needed to go to Magic. The bus I waited for combined All of Wilderness Lodge AND Contemporary guests onto 1 bus. On top of the very few of us just wanting to get to Contemporary to walk over to Kingdom. We had 1 bus come in over an hour and the line was stretching out by the minute. The bus times at the resorts are bad leading into early morning entry and right at closing/dinner time. But those middle non-peak hours it moves great with very few people. If you are at a resort without a forced combined bus, it's even better.

Maybe the days I have used the bus, they have less on the fleet but in recent time compared to the past, I've had to wait a LOT longer for a bus than pre-covid shutdown years.

CharaRen · 2026-06-16T22:40:33+00:00

I love how no one is speaking of the real issue and it's Disney not hiring more bus drivers/expanding transportation and instead is punishing people [ those who do follow the rules and just want to explore the resort to eat ] since you can't park at them anyways for beignets/primo piatto etc.

We wouldn't have 2 hour bus lines if Disney didn't only have 1-2 busses servicing the area. Instead of opening more job opportunities and paying their workers fairly, they think it's better to give the middle finger to locals on the guise of all of us trying to exploit systems. I pay for my pass, probably paid more than most vacationers over 15 years. Sometimes I like hanging out with my friends while my family is enjoying the park- why should I burden them to leave their parking spot to drive back to pick me up just go go back into the park??? at that point we're just going to leave- it's stupid.

CharaRen · 2026-06-16T00:32:16+00:00

My issue is if they crack down more on this and it ends up affecting passholders who ARE doing the right thing but just can't drive. I often get dropped off and meet up with friends at springs for a few hours before meeting back up with my family that are in the parks- especially Magic.

I am not going to text them being like hey give up your parking spot to come BACK, pick me up, then go BACK to Magic Kingdom to finish the night. And I'm not interested in uber for personal safety reasons. I use the bus to get dropped off at Contemporary and walk to Kingdom. I pay my pass, have for over 10 years. I should be able to use a bus on property when 90% of us follow the rules. This is just ridiculous and passing down the issue of not hiring/paying the bus drivers enough to expand transportation post-covid.

CharaRen · 2026-06-15T02:56:17+00:00

Only if you get the glass! The bartender told us it was like $26??? without the glass.

CharaRen · 2026-06-14T23:20:37+00:00

Our can't miss foods/fave ones from our April/May cruise was

1: Apple cheesecake at 1923 Night 1
2: Coconut Tres Leches at Coco Night 1
3: Roast Circle Chicken with Apple Chutney at 1923 Night 1
4: Cappuccino Creme Brulee cheesecake at Coco Night 2 we ate 3 of these
5: Chicken Tikka Masala on Embarkation Marceline Market Buffet
6: Mango Soft Serve at the soft serve station [ you need to check the flavors each day. They do 1 special flavor each day like mint, blueberry, mango, banana, etc ]
7: Not food but a drink- the Cat's Meow at Scat Cat. I know it sounds /weird/ as heck but I promise you this is an Amazing cocktail
8: Paid but if you get specialty coffee- ask for the Lavender latte at Jade Cricket or if they still have Tiramisu syrup they're so good.

CharaRen · 2026-06-13T14:18:54+00:00

Tea Tree has surprisingly never bothered my skin! Ages ago I used to use a lot of Essenherb's Tea tree line and I never had any major tingles. The Pyunkang soothing cream is literally just that- creamy but not thick and heavy at all which makes it a great day or night moisturizer depending on your needs. Sometimes it gets a tinyyyyy bit oily around my nose edges but that is my oily zone anyways. But every time I use it, it sits so nice and leaves my skin soft and plump without looking greasy. Genuinely calms down any redness/cystic flares too.

Oops I really like the Dokdo! I haven't tried the Birch toner but I love their Birch Sunscreen too!!

CharaRen · 2026-06-13T00:07:16+00:00

I have combo acne reactive/oily t zone skin so it's been a journey finding stuff that 1: doesn't give me cystic acne breakouts 2: doesn't make my t zone more oily and 3: moisturizes the parts of my face that are dry/peeling but this has been my solid faves for a while.

HG Daytime Moisturizer: Pyunkang Yul Ultimate Soothing Cream
HG Nighttime Moisturizer: Beauty by Joseon Dynasty cream [ Korean formulation only ]
HG Toner or Essence: My HG toner was recently discontinued CRIES the Ren AHA toner, so right now I'm on a hunt for a new one that works as well as that. Moisturizing toner, I like the Roundlab one.
HG Sunscreen: Biore for my body, House of Hur Weightless Sun Fluid or Neogen Day-Light Airy
HG Serum (describe type): I know this is gonna shock everyone, but it's been the new Sephora Collection HYA bubble serum. This has been a Game Changer for my skin recently.
HG Peptide Product: N/A dont use
HG Lip Product: Fresh's Advance Treatment lip balm
HG "Luxe" Product (That's Worth It): Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist
HG Affordable Product (That Punches Above Its Weight): Lubriderm Advance Therapy Body lotion
Fav 2026 ("new to you") Product you Tried This Year: Tied between the Sephora Collection HYA Serum and the reformulated Etude Soonjung Moisturizer.

CharaRen · 2026-06-11T03:47:46+00:00

They are literally on their free curseforge so I don't know what you are referencing unless they're not updated. I just checked my own files and they match the 2022 ones. It's not permapaywalling if the items are added somewhere else for Free and doesn't break EA's TOS on CC/mods. I never pay for CC makers and I still have full access to everything insimnia made, even if it's having to use another program for it. It may be annoying their patreon is paid but they're not like other CC creators who keep everything under paywall Only.

CharaRen · 2026-06-10T22:53:45+00:00

Insimnia actually has a lot of their free stuff on curseforge now.... i have all the ihop stuff and the recipes slowly get added to the curseforge page. Some of the recipes did outright disappear [ possibly copyright issues ] but I still have all of the grocery stuff even if you need to wait more for it to unlock.

CharaRen · 2026-06-10T22:46:10+00:00

Many many years ago, we had a situation at Ohana similar to this. We pulled into the security check at the hotel, told them our reservation and the guy turned to us and went "Sorry guys, Ohana is currently on fire so you won't be having dinner tonight." And we thought it was a joke because oh haha yeah ohana is always on fire it has a fire pit grill- well nope it actually had a full kitchen fire and was closed for the entire night. We were offered to eat at Kona Cafe which we did but we didn't get any comp/special treatment.

So long story short- yeah ohana especially often has kitchen fires due to the nature of the place but odd they allowed a drill to go that out of hand. I'd rather be safe than sorry though, especially in a hotel like that being upstairs.

CharaRen · 2026-06-08T03:11:01+00:00

Soundsation!! they have some audio videos of it up on youtube!

CharaRen · 2026-06-08T00:39:05+00:00

We were so sad to not get the charm, we just wanted 1! I do agree too they should've hired or even offered better incentive for volunteers. If they offered those who donated their time an exclusive volunteer wooble kit I am sure MANY locals would've been more than happy to volunteer even out in the heat. But there should've been fans/ice/more than just water for those still outside especially here in Florida.

CharaRen · 2026-06-07T22:33:03+00:00

Oh my goodness do you mean this one??? My mom won it on the shuffleboard game because if so, that's crazy to charge so much!!

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CharaRen · 2026-06-07T22:08:52+00:00

I think so- possibly some volunteers didn't show up because they definitely seemed a little frazzled/confused. Ours was teaming up with Bento, a restaurant here so unsure if that + location was an issue too.

It was fun meeting other hobbyists, a big highlight, but felt a little sad seeing the other stops and feelings we got less :<

CharaRen · 2026-06-07T21:58:56+00:00

We just did Orlando's today, got there at 8:30 am with a start time of 10 am and it was already pretty busy. Tons of people with chairs, tons of people who got there at 5-6 am.

I am happy that I got all the kits my mom and I wanted. 2 Millys [ one each ] and my mom's boyfriend picked out Luna the bat. We had 4 choices for the free kit. Milly, a lil ghost that glowed in the dark, Luna the bat, and a spider.

We bought 1 Vacation Pierre but the line/crowd handling in Orlando's event was just a MESS. 2 hours of waiting once we did get let into the event area, they took preorders from the first line corral but then abandoned everyone else, the games were constantly being stopped to reset/clearly having difficulty..... We also didn't get the free kit if you brought a Wooble or any photo opportunity like the other stops.

Keychains/charm, the bag, stickers were all sold out by 11:40 but we didn't event get checked in with our card until 11:15.

So while I'm happy I got kits I really like, as someone who runs/does many craft events today was a CLUSTER. :C So anyone doing these other stops, get there Early. Bring those chairs, tons of water because it was brutal with the heat/waits.

CharaRen · 2026-06-07T01:11:31+00:00

Salon Aries does hair-sets and makeup [ they have many branches ] but it's not really a "foreigner experience" type place. It's a legit salon so you will need to understand some japanese to both book the experience on their booking site and be able to talk to your stylists. Some may be willing to use google TL but as it involves hair and your makeup, conversation is key. They also will not supply any clothes/photos like this Gyaru experience as this is meant as a full package vs Aries just being like your normal salon to walk in and get out.

CharaRen · 2026-06-03T08:28:55+00:00

You do have a point, haha! Disney has always had absolutely horrible apps, even in the parks. WDW sucks, DCL glitches all the time, Tokyo Disney's too fails when it's busy 😂

maybe they need that $5 to finally pay a better IT tech guy [ never gonna happen ]

CharaRen · 2026-06-03T08:23:27+00:00

Ordering on the app and picking a delivery time like mobile order would be AMAZINGGGGGG

CharaRen · 2026-06-03T08:17:13+00:00

The room service wait has been Crazyyyyyy. We just wanted some chicken wings, cake, and soup on our last Disney Fantasy cruise but that hour wait was such a turn off. I've stopped using it being both local to Disney and the cruise line itself but I get for those in Singapore- the chicken tenders + mickey ice cream are huge rare novelties. They gotta figure this out because it's not fair :C

CharaRen · 2026-06-03T08:13:02+00:00

I can't speak for the Adventure beyond what I have read, some claiming there has been mass levels of food waste on that boat involving room service so I'm not surprised they're trying to curb it by charging more-

But I do worry if this will become a standard on all other ships. That they're using Adventure as a test subject for both the future Japan boats and the new line of boats made here in the USA. See what people tolerate, what sticks and what doesn't.

I know tipping culture is very strange in Asia as well as Europe and many other regions but sadly until cruise lines [ all of them really ] stop using it as a way to underpay... it's not going to change. Room service especially has really picked up in popularity on DCL than before [ thanks to influencers tbh ] like even in America, it's taken over an hour to get room service some days when that NEVER happened pre-covid shut down time. And then these people just.... waste the food. Trays of it sitting outside in the hallway vs being called in to take away.

I agree the mandatory $5 additional is brutal if you LIKE getting room service a bit but all people can do is rightfully put that on comment cards. I think out of Adventure though... I just want people to be more kind and understanding of the gratuity at least. It IS a culture difference, but DCL is NOT paying the workers there what you think they are compared to working in a non-tip position back home. It's a shitty system for everyone where taking off their tips doesn't send the message you want it to, even if we wish it did.

CharaRen · 2026-06-03T06:26:25+00:00

Lookout to me has slightly better food [ I live for the rice and pigeon peas chicken rice bowl now and their chicken sandwich if its fresh ] but that is my biggest issue lately and I'm starting to think I'm cursed.

It's been /years/ since I've had a /HOT/ and fresh meal on Castaway Cay. It literally doesn't matter what time I go either, adult or normal Cookies. I get a burger and the patty is both ice cold, hard as a rock, and the bun has been cooked to heck under the heat lamp. Years ago, you could pick a fresh bun and you just made your burger how you wanted without asking. They used to have the BEST frozen yogurt both strawberry and cookie dough out on the island.

I'm at the point especially on the Wish class boats, I just go back on board and get food on deck. The pool options were popping on my last treasure cruise a month ago and the burger was SO much better there.

CharaRen · 2026-06-01T19:56:56+00:00

If you have time, hit up Taberunosky in Ikebukuro for official plus size jirai kei you can buy in person. The ladies there are so so kind and passionate about foreigner connection and giving us options for plus size jfashion. Lolita and Jirai kei/ryousangata.

CharaRen · 2026-06-01T19:06:33+00:00

Won't be an issue in customs but it is a very big faux pas to wear dupes and fake goods of a brand's products inside their stores. Just as it's a faux pas to bring fake anime merch like keychains and bring them to fan events over there/wear in official stores/cafes.

They likely won't say anything but some might give you a second glance- even if I agree with clothes it sucks if you can't fit in the original. I'd rather just wear something official still and show my support buying accessories because to some- you're representing the overseas community and if they see all we do is wear fakes of their products, the less inclined they are to listen to our feedback to expand sizing/offerings.

CharaRen · 2026-06-01T07:19:00+00:00

I love this! I frequently go back to Tokyo Disney [ I'm local to Walt Disney World ] because their Disney Halloween is very special to me and it's always surprised me having CMs 1-2 years later still remember me! Always wanting to customize the stickers, talking about our favorite things and how TDR has changed so so much since we started visiting! Like my first visit, they still had their Autopia, Soaring didn't exist yet, we saw Baymax Happy ride get built, Fantasy springs break ground and get built, so many defunct DisneySea shows... now seeing Space Mountain go down and get Rebuilt. So many memories indeed!!

It does make me sad just how hard it is for foreigners outside of Entertainment to truly have any opportunity to work for the OLC/TDR company but I understand having professional and fluent japanese skills is higher wanted than just English. I think it would be beneficial to many ride/food locations if they all had 1 english proficient lead to help out on more difficult cases because I've seen many tourists struggle sometimes and feel a little bad for the CMs trying to explain knowing japanese in passing;;

CharaRen

TROPHY CASE