Choose a Carpool

[All Aboard]

Seems as though we have more passengers on the board than ever before. Maybe it would be fun to do a carpool signup sheet. Since this is a WDW board, I'll ask the question this way: How do you perceive the Magic of Walt Disney World today. Please use the poll feature and then you can write whatever you want. I am starting with just four cars, if I need more - let me know.

Of course, we will need a driver for each - feel free to volunteer.

I'll start. I put myself in the "Magic is as strong as ever" car. Since we are talking just WDW (not ABC, Pearl Harbor, Disney Stores, go.com, etc.) [I know, DVC, one relies on all the others, but..] to me, I look forward to nothing any more than the trips up to WDW I take with my family. And each time we get there, I am not disappointed in the slightest.

To me, the addition of the All Star Resorts is a wonderful thing. It gives me the opportunity (at $49 a night) to go as often as I do and stay on-site. They, by no means, cheapen the experience.

My daughter asks nearly daily when we are going to WDW. I get great pleasure from showing her all the things I have loved so much since my first trip in the mid-70's. We marvel together at the new things too. Now that she's tall enough, she is amazed at the wonders of Splash Mountain. We could watch ToN & RoE over and over (in fact, we do.) The parks are as clean as I remember, the cast members just as friendly and helpful.
__________________________________________

While all of the above is still true, many decisions made in the last year and a half have pushed me into car #2. Specifically:

1) The elimination of EE
2) Dinorama
3) Pop Century
4) Operating Hours reductions

What will it take to get me back in Car #1. Restoring EE, bringing back some of the operating hours and giving AK some much needed quality attractions.

In general, I need to be convinced that Disney is committed to pushing the envelope of entertainment and not allow WDW to flounder.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Car #3 is my car of choice. And as of this moment there are three votes for that car, but no posts. So it looks like I'm driving.

ALL ABOARD!!!

 

[ww52]

Great idea! I voted "in serious jeopardy" (based primarily on my teenaged kids' reaction along with their friends- since they are future Disney vacation consumers) but I am in fact somewhat optimistic. Their reaction to AK, their perception of DCA and their opinion of the sequels are their biggest negative issues.

But I've offered the opinion before that it could change overnight with a truly grand announcement - which could happen with the 3rd gate at DL or a BK announcement. If that happened, I'd switch my vote in an instant.

 

[Captain Crook]

I'm with my friend gcurling for exactly the same reasons as you ww52, my kids reactions. My daughters are 12 & 8 & LOVE WDW. They think DCA looks great (it's me being troubled about it) and like gcurling we look forward to every single moment of every single trip!

I'd be in a different car were we discussing Disney, the Company, but since it's WDW, it still gets a big thumbs up!

 

[Sarangel]

Put me down for Car #2 - I think the Disney Theme Park Experience is in trouble, but with a little attention could easily be repaired.

Animal Kingdom & DCA both take a lot of knocks on the boards, but I think that we all forget how new these parks are and how long it takes to mature a park. Disneyland was a monumental success, but it was the first one in the tank. Other parks have taken 5-10 years before they mature enough to reduce the grumbling of the masses (DLP, MGM/Studios - I count TDL as the anomoly).

That being said, I will join DVC Landbaron in wishing that maintenance could be a little bit more regular - my favorite DL ride (Storybookland Boat Rides) is missing major parts & *really* needs a paint job. I'm afraid I don't really care if the maintenance is done during the day or at night, it just needs to be done.

Corporate also needs to take a good look at building real e-ticket rides once in a while. The preponderance of film-based attractions at both Epcot & DCA can't have serious staying power, and the tendency towards minor modifications to an off the shelf ride is a little disturbing... How much harder is it to give a ride real theming and a story?

Sarangel

 

[hopemax]

Where's the car for the "I'm saying the magic is fading because I'm too scared to admit that the magic may already be gone but I'm still optomistic that someone will force Disney to turn around someday but still may take another 3-5 years?"

A month ago, I was in WDW for a family reunion. I took my Grandmother, and 3 sets of aunts & uncles and 2 teenage cousins who had never been to Disney and another set of aunt and uncle who went to WDW in 1983. It was lots of fun showing them around and everyone had a really good time. But I couldn't help but notice that the lion's share of the things I enjoyed were things built pre-1995, and the lion's share of the things we avoided were built after 1995. After 5 stays at Dixie Landings I've never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus, this trip I can count the number of times we waited LESS than 10 minutes on one hand; it was awful. Prior to the trip my Mom called several times to check on our reservations, including 2 days before, but that didn't stop us from spending 5 hours at the reservation desk trying to straigten out the mess they had us in and having to switch rooms; there was never an "I'm sorry about this situation" uttered from the people at the desk, instead they acted like we were the ones who made the mistake. What did we ask for? Alligator Bayou, and not to be spread out. Those things leave bad impressions.

I've been trying to deal with trying to not financially support this current Disney while not punishing myself by giving up something I love. My solution is to concentrate for the time on the "old" Disney. I'm going to the NFFC convention, next week where I can talk to Sam McKim, Bob Gurr, Harriet Burns and the others who helped make the "Magic". There will be a presentation about Ub Iwerks, and another about the documentary about Walt that the Disney family is putting together. The money I'm saving by not going to WDW is being used to buy Disneyana I thought I could never afford and to save for Tokyo.

 

[toefungus]

The main reason I voted for The Magic is in serious jeaopardy is becuase of the reduced park hours. There were other little small things, but when I saw that MK closed at 10pm in the summer, that really runied it for me. I remember back when MK was open 11-12am. I wish they would keep the parks open more!

 

[space42]

Well, I am in Car #3!

The thing that is driving me CRAZY is AK! I love the park. I think it is the most themed park in all of WDW. However, it is VERY appetent that budget cuts have killed what this park was supposed to be. If you saw any of the pre-openening stuff on TV you would have seen how woderful this park should have been. Instead we got only 1/2 of it built with the rest on the back burner. And that burner doesn't look like it is going to be lit for some time.
Have you seen what they are doing in Dinoland!!! This is an outrage! Dino-Rama is a mistake. They are building a rollercoaster that you can see the track and support structure!! Plus it is the same Wild Mouse coaster that you can ride at other amusement parks. This is unheard of in a Disney Park before the DCA nightmare. I dont want to hear the excuse that is is THEMED to be a roadside carnival either! This is like a bad dream that I cannot wake up from!
Oh well, sorry for my rant. This is all very upsetting to me.

and just think this same company built one of their best rides (Spash Mountain) IMHO just a few years ago. Well, I hope things turn arround soon.

 

[johare]

Put me in car #3 also (which needs to be a bus by now!) and please drop me off up the road at Universal!

 

[noblemickey]

I voted for car #3 as I feel Disney is not putting much into WDW at this time. In fact they are taking things away. No new "E" ticket attractions in the Magic Kingdom of late, just cookie cutter new rides at MK and also apparently at DAK. Hope the economy doesn't make a bad thing worse and that Disney Management sees the light and addresses 20 Thousand Leagues with an "E" ticket soon.

 

[daannzzz]

As usual with a poll ( like the ones Disney does at the turnstyles) my real opinion is not on the list. I fall between 2 and 3 and am getting closer to 3 fairly quickly. Though there is plenty of magic left it is not being as well taken care of and the new stuff is pretty weak. I can still go to all the parks (and hotels) and have a great time but there is a funny opressive feeling over things sometimes. I do love the Animal Kingdom though and think it is much better than Disney MGM. DCA has many, many wonderful spots and details but it lots of glaring bad areas too and the whole doesn't jell like any of the other parks. Everything seems to be fixable if they start now!!!!

 

[space42]

no, I wasn't forgetting Thunder Mountain.
The difference is most of the structure is built in to the mountain. The parts that you can see are "themed" to look like railroad tracks. Lets assume that Disney just put up Thunder Mountain without the rockwork/buildings/fake railroad tracks. It would be just a regular old coaster. And not a very exciting one at that. But the fact is that the did all of this because of the "show" and the "story". Even if the coaster is not that great compared to other more extreme rides. It is still on heck of an ATTRACTION. It also still packs 'em in 20 years later!!!

From looking at the concept art of "Dino-Rama", this new coaster looks like something from a shopping center carnival! I still cannot belive Disney is doing this. And the "themeing" is plywood cutout dinos!
Woo! I'm sure that will fix Animal Kingdom's attendance problems. Way to go Disney

BTW, if anyone has not yet seen the concept art I am referring to, you can check it out here http://www.wdwmagic.com/dino-rama.htm
Look a little down the page. You can see the coaster in the back of the image. Does this look like it belongs in a Disney park??????

 

[larworth]

As someone else stated neither car 2 or 3 is exactly right for me, either. I'm another in-betweener.

I think there is a heck of a lot of magic there today. However, there has been a decline in the quality and boldness of their product of late. They have gone into cruise control and have unfortunately decided that 5 miles under the speed limit is good enough.

It is not too late to turn things around, but given their current direction, prevailing corporate mentality, the downsizing of their creative engine (WDI)....I am not optimistic it will happen overnight.

From the results of the poll, hardly anyone actually thinks the magic is gone. Most of us will still be in line at Summit Plummit with smiles on our faces ready and willing to enjoy the show. However, many of also know that it wouldn’t have been that hard for it to have been even better than it is.

 

[ww52]

I thought maybe it would be worth bumping this up to see if we get some more votes. Interesting that it is essentially a three way tie.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

i picked #2

 

[airlarry!]

I picked #3. Even though my heart tells me #2, my head tells me #3.

The company that gave us Splash Mountain, is giving us Dino-rama.

The company that gave us the concept art for Animal Kingdom, gave us the real Animal Kingdom. By the way, my wife and I love AK. It is very close to my favorite park ----- if it ever gets finished. Right now it just doesn't feel finished. It is beautiful, but there are some parts that you get this sad feeling like something is missing -- I know I will give you an example.

Head down to the Flametree. Get a Bbq sandwich -- we do every trip -- but don't eat right outside the stand, instead meandor down to the riverside where there are nice covered pavilians for you to eat under. Take a look out at the river. If you are feeling a little sad, then read Jim Hill's article on what was supposed to be out there. Then you will understand why I am between #2 & # 3. I want to believe that the magic is there, and I think if Eddie Sotto and John Lassiter were running the Theme Park and Movie division respectively, it would come back, but right now I am pessimistic.

Oh yeah. I will still make my annual Mardi Gras trip...but with a heavy heart.

 

[renknt]

I'm Picking car 1 Let's face it when ever I go to any of the parks the 9 year old switch flips on and some times doesn't reset for 2 or 3 days. But having said that I ride in car 2 with sarangel cause she knows where she is going

 

[Janet2k]

I chose car 2 but almost chose car 3. I would have loved to have chosen car 1.

I hope that Eisner indeed does want to be remembered along the lines of Walt. If that is true, I anxiously await the future...and my hop back into car 1.

 

[HorizonsFan]

I'm in car 1 with the usual suspects. I know I'm late so I'll sit in the back, but I'm not sittin' on the hump!

 

[Wes]

What is interesting about this poll is that 3 of the 4 carpools acknowledge the loss of the magic ... and more than 2 out of 3 people voting (right now the no-loss carpool is at 32.9%, leaving 67.1% on the other side of the vote) are acknowledging that loss.