Six Flags passed Disney up in thrill rides decades ago. They have never made an attempt to keep up with the Jones's when it comes to thrill rides. That's not to say they won't take the plunge one day, but if they are going to truly attempt to keep up, it will be through a separate park.
Universal Florida has done an admirable job of trying to blend theming with thrills, but there are simply too many things that a family with sub-40" children cannot do. Yes, they are gaining customers and moving towards being a stand-alone resort, but through all of their gains, WDW has continued to grow. There is some overlap in their markets, but not enough to force Disney to start building monster coasters. Disney does need to continue focusing on E-ticket attractions, but they cannot lose what makes them stand out.
Yes, a new attraction was supposed to go in the 20k Lagoon, but that was before Disney realized how expensive it was going to be just to get the water out. They started draining one of them (DL or WDW) and the walls started crumbling. Where is Pooh? Well, CBJ has only been closed for 5 months. Disney definitely wants Pooh built because they are trying to get traffic in that area of the park that CBJ never delivered. That's why they are putting it there and not in Fantasyland. The only thing I can see de-railing Pooh is the current lawsuit over rights.
I simply don't agree with the notion that Disney believes there is "too much to do" in DL, and therefore also in MK, Epcot, Disney Studios, etc. Am I in complete agreement with all of their decisions and capital spending? No, but Roy, you have canceled a trip to WDW and told people to stay away from the DL Resort, yet you have an annual pass??? You want improvements and changes? Fine, call out for them. But how can you tell people to stay away while you use your annual pass? This makes no sense, unless of course you are not going to renew your pass and will stay away yourself...
Once again, dissenting opinions are fine, but they still need to be honest and balanced if you want them taken seriously.
As for BobO, I agreed with him that dissenting opinions are helpful, but was just pointing out that yours are contradictory, and while still welcome in an open forum, cannot truly be helpful.
Dawn- The cuts that Disney has made mostly surround park hours and the frequency of some shows/entertainment, things like that. By the vast majority of first hand accounts they are still providing 1st rate customer service to their guests. They have not slashed prices, but this is part of keeping the guest experience consistent. Cheaper prices tranlate to decreased profit margins per guest, and if that happens, there are only two choices: Allow profits to fall further, or decrease the services offered PER GUEST.
Cutting hours does not decrease the amount Disney spends per guest, provided there are fewer guests, and of course, we know there are fewer guests right now. My point is not that Continental is wrong, only that what Disney is doing in response to the recession is more in line with Continental than you realize. Disney may have cut hours in response to fewer guests, but this is equivalent to cutting flights, which I'm sure Continental did do, if only until customers return. But we have read accounts of customers walking into Universal Florida at opening and finding many rides closed until 11am or even Noon. Same with restaurants. Disney does not do this. Whatever they will have open for the day is open when the gates open. The vast majority of trip reports talk of nothing other than friendly and pleasant CMs. A few exceptions, sure, but they are few and far between.