We love Disney and go to wdw every year fora while now....I can definitely say food has gone downhill and cleanliness at some resorts is awful....but Disney magic still exists and we love going here.....
We went to universal in dec 2011....it was different and fun....all my kids even my teens said they liked disney better! I was shocked because I thought they would like all the rides more....WWHP is awesome! Some of the best theming I have ever seen....we will go back after the expansion but just not every year like we do Disney....I did like their downtown area...totally different vibe than downtown Disney....
I understand the "magical" aspect. And, realistically, I still look forward to going to WDW (maybe the looking forward part is even stronger than the being there.....in that, the anticipation outweighs the reality). And, therefore, WDW will always be a part of traveling to Orlando for us.
But, IN our experience this past trip, it just seemed like UO was trying harder. The overall time there was better than the rest of the trip at WDW. Maybe just a fluke.....maybe just an anomaly.
In our party, it just seemed as though WDW was slacking a bit. The dining seems as though it is suffering, due to more homogenized offerings. The need for 6-month-out ADR's for any in-demand TS is unpleasant (I remember....not so long ago.....being able to wake up in the morning at our resort and deciding what sounded like a good dinner or lunch that day, and making ressies at the concierge desk before heading out).
WDW seems to be concentrating more on the mass-appeal (and profit-wise, who can blame them, I suppose), versus the individual impressions. The idea that a visitor's immersion is important is not as fundamental. They are more concerned with plopping down as many DVC's as they can, with a bit less concern for the operational integrity of the rides and attractions.
The New Fantasyland expansion, while interesting, is not that impressive. It's not that creative. Walt Disney was amazing in his creative visions, and very effective at utilizing strong creative minds and talents to bring those visions to life, both on film and in life at the parks. It seems as though so much of that creative vision is gone. The attractions (even new ones) seem half-baked and, when changed and updated, done so with little thought to the end result. As though, finances are more a driving force than creativity.This is an understandable concern, but it is also affecting the visitors' experiences a bit.
A return to the creative initiatives that defined
Disneyland and WDW, would substantially re-invigorate the corporate mindset, as well as the guests' responses. Nostalgia, while a very strong emotive aspect, will not always push the masses through the gates. Neither will Avatarland, or a Little Mermaid ride.
The "magic" still exists and still makes me wish I were at WDW rather than sitting at my desk, working. But, the powers that be at WDW (and Disney in general) need to remember what they are selling, how to (with changing technology) reach and activate those senses of imagination, and how to do all that without looking like they are "selling," as it were.
They need to 'lead' again rather than 'compete' (in the most generic of terms). They no longer 'lead.' Maybe they do in mass numbers. But they are not doing so in creativity. So many attractions and rides could be made so much better and could fulfill their promise, with even minor 'fixes' (i.e.: the Yeti on EE, the dilapidated film on Soarin', the hot mess of minor cosmetic uglinesses on so many things).
