Anyone else think Disney is getting Greedy?

[brunette8706]

This is a no brainier. Yes disney is getting greedy, it's been on the decline the last 8 years. Prices are going.up and quality is going way down. They have taken prime rib off the buffets, the lobster roll hardly has any lobster in it. The Spirit of luau food has declined. The decorations during the holidays have diminished, hence Epcot Winter Of Lights etc. they want to sell every little view for firework displays such as the dessert party.

The small details have been in decline such as souvenirs that are theme oriented at each resort and at world showcase. Buildings are in need of paint, the Michael Jackson experience is a waste of space, Soarin film needs to be replaced you can see how it's been worn. I can go on and on.

They used to build a new theme park every 10 years, well that has stopped. They did expand Fantasyland but that just doesn't compare to a new theme park. There isn't any State of the art rides there. Heck look at Universal and Harry Potter land. Disney hasn't developed/created any premiere rides in years. Yet disney will destroy the experience with building more and more DVCs aka timeshares.

Disney's approach to business is analogous to Gordon Gekko.

 

[jco_direwolf]

They used to build a new theme park every 10 yeRs, well that has stopped. They did expand Fantasyland but that just compare to a new theme park. There isn't any. State of the art rides there.

It would be nice if they finished AK before opening a new Park.

 

[surferdave]

They used to build a new theme park every 10 yeRs, well that has stopped.

I actually think that may have hurt the cause. They've stretched their resources beyond what they are able (or maybe just willing) to take care of, and it's starting to show. Maybe if they hadn't built their own version of Universal Studios and Busch Gardens to try to keep visitors on property all the time and just concentrated on their own unique parks those two would still be what they used to be and more.

Disney's approach to business is analogous to Gordon Gekko.

Yeah, Gordon weighed in earlier in the thread.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

I agree that getting 12K at disney is very easy and you also shouldn't feel badly about doing that. I think where people had a problem is that you have 12K to spend, but then were appalled to have to spend a few hundred more to participate in something that 1. you don't have to do and 2. could realistically afford to do by either saving $400 more before your trip(probably not that hard to do if you can save 12k) or just juggle things around if this is that high on your priority list. When we vacation we go all out or probably wouldn't go. For us it is the extra experiences that make the trip anywhere. Tours, meals, activities etc, but it just seems weird to be willing to spend a ton of money on so many of those extra perks, but it is this one extra they have thrown in that is the straw that breaks the camels back.

Only so many coupons you can clip, spaghetti dinners to be had and thrift stores to be visited. You're fortunate that every vacation you go on is all out. We don't have that luxury.

 

[brunette8706]

It would be nice if they finished AK before opening a new Park.

Good point! This us exactly what I am talking about. Forget the customer experience with more premiere rides, yet they don't skip a beat with building timeshares.

Brunette

 

[brunette8706]

I actually think that may have hurt the cause. They've stretched their resources beyond what they are able (or maybe just willing) to take care of, and it's starting to show. Maybe if they hadn't built their own version of Universal Studios and Busch Gardens to try to keep visitors on property all the time and just concentrated on their own unique parks those two would still be what they used to be and more.



Yeah, Gordon weighed in earlier in the thread.

 

[ziravan]

I remember paying 30 cents for a gallon of gasoline and 10 cents for lunch.
That doesn't make it right.
As for the below poster's glorification of greed. Yuk. Fracking is greed. Ya know pump chemicals into the ground water for short term profit. Great idea. Lets see its a business its good. Thats what they are supposed to do. Ahh except when all the fresh water is destroyed down the road and guess what life depends on fresh water. Oh and Tepco at Fucashima was GREED. Oh but its a business. Greed is good. Oh no more Pacific ocean and a dead ocean life. Whats so bad about a few million more cancers.? Its good for the medical and drug companies..they're in business. Greed is good. Heh BP British Petroleum is a business lets deep well drill and kill the Gulf.. they are in business. Don't worry we can spray corexit dioxin on it and it will be out of sight out of mind. How does this translate to WDW and no more appetizers on free dining? Where's the corporate connecting between fracking and a cataclysmic unmentionable nuclear disaster thats not allowed to be in the news and DVC and the loss of the fountain at the Poly? Whats that got to do with our beloved company Disney? Thats for you to decide. Like the guy above says..Greed is so good. You must be crazy to think otherwise. Its a business. Hail the suits and the brilliant dedication to profit above ALL else. You must be crazy not to worship and glorify greed. Teach your children well. Heh Goldman Sax is a business too. Pass the losses on to the sleeping masses. Monsanto is a business too. Care for a little roundup and pig genes in your tomato. What good are bees anyway?
Its a slippery slope and gradations abound. Eventually its about morals, ethics, and ultimately social and environmental degradation. It ain't all about profit and shareholders…Huge corporations effect mindsets and the survival of our planet. You can't have it both ways. Eventually the party ends. Thank you for listening and have a magical day!

You do realize that your Occupy Disney rant fell apart with your compliant about the fountain at Poly.

 

[siskaren]

pictures are no longer included in character dinners yet the cost has not gone down.

To my knowledge, pictures have never been with character meals other than CRT and Akershus.

They used to build a new theme park every 10 years, well that has stopped. They did expand Fantasyland but that just doesn't compare to a new theme park.

Personally, I don't want to see a fifth (or sixth or seventh) park. I feel that 4 is a good number for a week's vacation, and even then, it doesn't feel like I have enough time to do everything I want to do. (And yes, I realize that I wouldn't have to go to all 5 (or whatever number) themeparks in a single trip, but I would at least want to go once before deciding if it's something I'm willing to skip.)

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

If you aren't planning a trip, then why are you hanging out on a Disney planning board?



Sorry. I just thought I'd cut to the chase.

Since when is currently planning a Disney trip a requirement for posting here?

 

[mom2rtk]

Since when is currently planning a Disney trip a requirement for posting here?

It's not. But it's a tactic used by those trying to scare off those of us waiting for things to improve before returning to WDW.

 

[nugov2]

Only so many coupons you can clip, spaghetti dinners to be had and thrift stores to be visited. You're fortunate that every vacation you go on is all out. We don't have that luxury.

Well I'd say you are just as fortunate as me since again you ARE going all out. 12k for a week is going all out for many so you do have that luxury. You are spending over 4k on hotel. ..stay off site and you can cut your cost by a minimum of 2k for a 6 bedroom home just minutes from the park, but you want to stay on. That's your prerogative. I never said how we got there...who says I don't clip coupons too. I don't recall ever saying we take multiple vacations every year without saving because we are high rollers and sleep on a mattress made of thousand dollar bills. We are fortunate I will never go to bed a night without counting my blessings..maybe something you need to do since you are taking a luxury vacation and can't even see that because you are too busy worrying about what you can't/don't/should have on this trip.

 

[flicx]

What confuses me the most is most people think making money is the same as being greedy. Not the same thing at all! Many on here actually condone greed. That in itself is sad statement about our society!

 

[tim123]

I was replying to a specific comment. People are told not to go if they don't like something Disney is doing. Which is about as effective as complaining on here. If something upsets you, let Disney know, and then don't go. That is the only thing that may make them take notice, if you and enough people do the same.

Just coming here and complaining, while it may make the poster feel better, doesn't help solve the issue. Gotta take action if you want anything to change.

Thats about as effective as voting for Obama and his 'change'. Thousands of Poly fans pleaded not to rip out the fountain and their hearts with it.
Disney couldn't care less about me….and even if I spent all my energy organizing to get them to see something other than the bottom line I'd be wasting my time… like the government they will do what they will to serve the elite owners of both the country and the corporation. That should be clear to any aware and awake individual by now. Discussing and sharing opinion on a forum is the reason there are a million comments here…the good, bad and the complaints as well..its the very purpose of this site.

 

[maxiesmom]

Thats about as effective as voting for Obama and his 'change'. Thousands of Poly fans pleaded not to rip out the fountain and their hearts with it.
Disney couldn't care less about me….and even if I spent all my energy organizing to get them to see something other than the bottom line I'd be wasting my time… like the government they will do what they will to serve the elite owners of both the country and the corporation. That should be clear to any aware and awake individual by now. Discussing and sharing opinion on a forum is the reason there are a million comments here…the good, bad and the complaints as well..its the very purpose of this site.

If it is not effective it is because not enough people have voiced their opinions and backed up those opinions with actions. Not trying does nothing.

Or not enough people share the same view point. That is always a possibility.

 

[tim123]

If it is not effective it is because not enough people have voiced their opinions and backed up those opinions with actions. Not trying does nothing.

Or not enough people share the same view point. That is always a possibility.

That is very true. If people didn't love DVC they wouldn't build them. I don't mind them making money. I loved the villa at Wilderness lodge, tasteful, tucked away. I freaked when I saw BLT, my personal opinion was that it stole the history and fen sway of the Contemp, is unimaginative well ugly…then when I saw them built GF villas..a big box right on the lagoon so now there is no delineation between the GF and Poly, I thought ugh….Now with the 20 pizza huts squeezing out the historic beauty of the Poly with their cheesy asphalt roof shingles, wiping out 75% of the beach..well….it all smells Gordon Gekoie to me..but I appear to be in the minority..people LOVE DVC and they will buy the POLY like hotcakes….as long as that happens they will continue. My guess is they will soon build exclusive DVCs on the lagoon islands and on the former Discovery Island for the big spenders…and then they will build an enormous behemoth something or other on the last piece of land between the Contemp and TTC…then they will rip out the older Contemp area and build a second BLT…its all short term gain.
Thanks for your feed back and well spoken comments.
Tim

 

[FINFAN]

all I'm gonna say is this whole thread remind me of Jimmy Buffett's song "Fruitcakes", specifically this verse:

I don't want it
I don't want that much organization in my life
I don't want other people thinking for me
I want my Junior Mints
Where did the Junior Mints go in the movies
I don't want a twelve lb. Nestle's crunch for twenty five dollars
I want Junior Mints

lol....the world is a competitive place friends, everyone wants to be the first to have the BEST. There is so much going on at the parks it makes my head swim but it's better to me than the alternative of "what is there to do?" after 3 hours.

 

[Guatemommy]

Since I moved here nearly 25 years ago, the price of a single day ticket has gone from $31 to $99 (or $95)....that's over 300% price increase. Prices for annual passes have gone up the same percentage. They've added very little in that time with the exception of Animal Kingdom which is for the most part an overpriced zoo. Hopefully "Avatarland" will change that.

They may be supplying what their customers are demanding today, but I feel they are risking alienating a future generation of customers.

Hate to burst your argument, but the price of gas 25 years ago was $1.12 a gallon. So we pay 300% more now than we did then for that too. Disney's inflation of prices is in line with the rest of America. They have added thihngs over the 25 years so that is not accurate - there are many things in the park for the admission price that they did add in 25 years.

I for one do not feel the need to spend my vacay money paying for these extras, but as long as people are willing to do so, and they are, Disney will continue to do it.

What I feel about this whole thing is that in the past, Disney marketing was more subtle. Now it seems to be much more in-your-face and blatant. This method makes people question their greediness. Truth is they have always been doing things to get people to spend more money.

I am fine with the new VIP tours - if someone has that money to spend, let them have that experience. I think the Frozen VIP admission is a but much when people are already waiting 5 hours just to see these 2 girls in MK. But since there are enough people willing to pay whatever to please their kids' every wants, Disney is cashing in on that.

The question should really be why do people feel the need to fill every desire of their children and go overboard too? Your child can have a magical vacation whether they see A&E or not. Will their lives change if they do not sing with A&E? But since there are Americans willing to dole out for these ridiculously overpriced things, then Disney will keep offering them. For example, why would anyone pay an extra $20 to get a new magic band just because it has Olaf's pic on it when they are getting perfectly nice ones from Disney for free?

 

[wilkeliza]

Hate to burst your argument, but the price of gas 25 years ago was $1.12 a gallon. So we pay 300% more now than we did then for that too. Disney's inflation of prices is in line with the rest of America. They have added thihngs over the 25 years so that is not accurate - there are many things in the park for the admission price that they did add in 25 years.

I for one do not feel the need to spend my vacay money paying for these extras, but as long as people are willing to do so, and they are, Disney will continue to do it.

What I feel about this whole thing is that in the past, Disney marketing was more subtle. Now it seems to be much more in-your-face and blatant. This method makes people question their greediness. Truth is they have always been doing things to get people to spend more money.

I am fine with the new VIP tours - if someone has that money to spend, let them have that experience. I think the Frozen VIP admission is a but much when people are already waiting 5 hours just to see these 2 girls in MK. But since there are enough people willing to pay whatever to please their kids' every wants, Disney is cashing in on that.

The question should really be why do people feel the need to fill every desire of their children and go overboard too? Your child can have a magical vacation whether they see A&E or not. Will their lives change if they do not sing with A&E? But since there are Americans willing to dole out for these ridiculously overpriced things, then Disney will keep offering them. For example, why would anyone pay an extra $20 to get a new magic band just because it has Olaf's pic on it when they are getting perfectly nice ones from Disney for free?

I can answer you last one. The $20 magic band for me is because I go often each year. I am not a once and never again visiter. The special price bands just add to my now "collections" and so as an adukt instead of wearing a Star Wars shirt to the parks I wear my Yoda magic band. The same will go if I buy one of the Frozen ones. Now instead of wearing my dr. Who/frozen mash up shirt I'd probably wear something more subdued and just wear the Frozen magic band.

 

[JoeA]

I remember paying 30 cents for a gallon of gasoline and 10 cents for lunch.
That doesn't make it right.
As for the below poster's glorification of greed. Yuk. Fracking is greed. Ya know pump chemicals into the ground water for short term profit. Great idea. Lets see its a business its good. Thats what they are supposed to do. Ahh except when all the fresh water is destroyed down the road and guess what life depends on fresh water. Oh and Tepco at Fucashima was GREED. Oh but its a business. Greed is good. Oh no more Pacific ocean and a dead ocean life. Whats so bad about a few million more cancers.? Its good for the medical and drug companies..they're in business. Greed is good. Heh BP British Petroleum is a business lets deep well drill and kill the Gulf.. they are in business. Don't worry we can spray corexit dioxin on it and it will be out of sight out of mind. How does this translate to WDW and no more appetizers on free dining? Where's the corporate connecting between fracking and a cataclysmic unmentionable nuclear disaster thats not allowed to be in the news and DVC and the loss of the fountain at the Poly? Whats that got to do with our beloved company Disney? Thats for you to decide. Like the guy above says..Greed is so good. You must be crazy to think otherwise. Its a business. Hail the suits and the brilliant dedication to profit above ALL else. You must be crazy not to worship and glorify greed. Teach your children well. Heh Goldman Sax is a business too. Pass the losses on to the sleeping masses. Monsanto is a business too. Care for a little roundup and pig genes in your tomato. What good are bees anyway?
Its a slippery slope and gradations abound. Eventually its about morals, ethics, and ultimately social and environmental degradation. It ain't all about profit and shareholders…Huge corporations effect mindsets and the survival of our planet. You can't have it both ways. Eventually the party ends. Thank you for listening and have a magical day!

You do realize that your Occupy Disney rant fell apart with your compliant about the fountain at Poly.

You made it that far?

tim123, first - and please don't take this as me being snarky, but please consider using paragraphs in long posts. It really does make them easier to read. I am sure most people would agree.

With that said, comparing disasters and genetic modifications to having to pay extra for a premium seat at Frozen is well...a bit of bad analogy and we'll leave it at that.

We were thinking of going to see the new Transformers movie tonight and tickets are $17 each. SEVENTEEN DOLLARS! I can't help but to wonder if there is an "AMC" board out there with posts about their corporate greed!

 

[MaestroTK]

all I'm gonna say is this whole thread remind me of Jimmy Buffett's song "Fruitcakes", specifically this verse:

I don't want it
I don't want that much organization in my life
I don't want other people thinking for me
I want my Junior Mints
Where did the Junior Mints go in the movies
I don't want a twelve lb. Nestle's crunch for twenty five dollars
I want Junior Mints

Take for example when you go to the movies these days, you know
They try to sell you this jumbo drink, eight extra ounces of watered
down cherry coke for an extra twenty five cents. I don't want it.

I love it!