DEBATE: "Removing Blinders" or "How I stopped worrying & came to disrespect Ei$ne

[DVC-Landbaron]

Originally posted by Testtrack321
Where is our good friend Barro anyway...

Originally posted by Peter Pirate
I think he's locked in a room with no windows and no doors, just going round and round and round...

Don’t pay the ransom!!! I’ve escaped!!

And since I agree things have been VERY dull here lately, I thought I’d give a reasonable answer to a reasonable question posed a few threads back. Maybe you’ll have some time on a lazy Autumn Sunday afternoon to read it and comment or give your own account.

------------------------

Ohanafamily,

Glad you asked! (Although you may not be!! A little longer than usual, I’m afraid!! And if I’m admitting it, you know it’s gotta be long!! )

I have a question for you, have you ever met Ei$$ner?

No.

you seem to ha...disrespect him so much!

Ah! I’m glad you corrected yourself. Otherwise I would have had to. For I do not hate the man. Heck, if I met him, I may even like him. I’ve found that most people in his position have at least a modicum of charm; otherwise they would never have gotten that far. It may be phony, but that is something you should judge only when you physically interact with someone. No! I do not hate him.

However!! Yes, I do disrespect him. I first ‘met’ him as many did. He saved Disney!!! I clearly remember an article I read at the time where he stated his views on the previous administration and specifically regarding the two resorts that were in WDW. He said, in a nutshell, that they were crazy!! He cited how they were proud of the fact that they were solidly booked, two years in advance, and that they had a 98% (or so, it may have even been 100%) rental rate, at any given time. He asked the interviewer what that fact alone told them. His answer was that it told him that they were ‘grossly’ undercharging and seriously underdeveloped!! He stated that his goal was to have an 80% rental rate! And he was going to achieve that by hiking prices until the demand was at that level. And at the same time build more resorts!!

Well, I agreed with him, wholeheartedly!! I KNEW that the Poly in particular was very, very inexpensive and I fixated on the “build more resorts” aspect of the plan. I was EXCITED!! That was my major complaint about the Walker/Miller era. Stagnation! The five year plan simply ignored!! Now here was someone with vision!!

And I weathered the first price hike. Bit the bullet because I knew it was for the greater ‘Disney’ good. And he made good on his promise. He built new resorts and water parks and mini-golf joints and Pleasure Island and Downtown Disney! And he created Little Mermaid, which is probably my least favorite now, but at the time it BLEW ME AWAY! WOW!! Revitalization!! Hooray!!!

And I found that it didn’t stop there! They kept it up, and up, and up, and… Until one day, I turned around and found I could no longer afford my beloved Poly! And I had more than doubled my salary (inflation included)!! WHOA!! I hadn’t counted on that! But I was still an Ei$ner supporter. He was “THEE” man! After all, he ‘saved’ MY Disney!!

And that great man even went one step further. He kindly and benevolently ‘gave’ me a new place to stay that was in my price range. I totally ignored the fact that the Poly used to be easily within my price range. Instead I said to myself, “This new place was Disney! How bad could it be!!??”

So, I happily booked two weeks in the Caribbean!! And it was GREAT!! Not quite as great as the Poly, but it was still… ah… well… Nice! Very, very nice. LESS, but nice!! And I contentedly, almost blissfully, went along my ‘Disney’ way.

I visited the Floridian!! Not quite what I had in mind when he said he was going to build resorts, but I FORCED myself to LOVE it! My wife, who is a Disney nut as well, but has no background (not much of a reader) didn’t like it all. When questioned she said it didn’t ‘feel’ Disney. It ‘felt’ too extravagant. As if it was blatantly trying to appeal exclusively to the very rich. My brother felt the same way. He even commented that he saw one of the lizards there scurrying into the bushes wearing a polo shirt with a person logo embossed on the chest! Quite frankly I couldn’t see it! It became my favorite! (How’s that for an disclosure!!!??)

Now the next bit is partly my fault. We had another kid! Now it was four! I clearly needed two rooms now. And that really bit the old pocketbook. And at the same time the prices kept going up! It wasn’t until I found out about the building of a new resort that I figured out why. The All-Stars was coming on line. And prices in the Mods had to rise in order to make way for the ‘lower’ priced place or they’d find themselves giving the rooms away. It all made sense. And I figured it out all by myself, way back then. No internet conversation, no talk to anyone else. Like a light bulb going off, for the first time, I saw the “Money” aspect of Ei$ner. But still I supported. Take every argument that Peter Pirate, Scoop or lately Mr. Kidds use and wrap them all together and you have the LandBaron philosophy roughly ten years ago. Even with this ‘revelation’ I still had my rose col… Heck, I admit it; they were BLINDERS, well in place!!

We bought into the Vacation back in ’92 quite simply because it was the ONLY way I could legally afford to feed my habit. I had become used to getting a ‘Disney fix’ at least every other year, and for at least two weeks at a time. DVC was the ONLY answer. And talk about WOW!! It was the Vacation Club back then!!

Fast forward to 1998. When we arrived we were handed a little piece of paper. On it was something about a new program they were instituting. It was called E-Ticket Nights. For and extra ten bucks limited attractions were available. WOW!! Now this was a place that just kept on giving!! MK opened until three in the morning!! Ah! Not so fast there, the CM said delicately. The new MK hours were only to 11:00 now. Yeah! But still! Look at all the magic you can get!! My wife, the money manager for the family, was less than enthusiastic. In fact, she was downright mad!! She pointed out that we were ‘buying’ back the same hours that they used to give us for the price of admission. Remember the 1:00 am closings? Yeah but there’s and extra hour now!! She answered that it didn’t seem worth it, as only a handful of rides would be opened. As is my usual habit, I ignored her. This was DISNEY!!! It had to be good!!!

So the first week of our trip (the last week of July) we fought the crowds and the summer heat and more than our share of rain and did Disney!! We did two E-Ticket Nights, though the second one we did in a very wet, slightly ‘more-than-drizzle’ rain all night! And I was $140.00 less for the experience. Those little hairs started to act up. And my wife’s attitude didn’t help at all!!

On the first Sunday of August, the last day of my sister-in-law’s vacation, we wanted to visit the MK. Finish up on a high note!! They had spent two mornings in the MK and several evenings, but rain on those two or three nights (out of their six-day stay) really put a damper on their MK experience. They needed to catch up on a few things. So tonight would be that night! They had yet to see the parade due to cancellations, because of rain, every time they were in the MK, and CoP and the Space Mountain somehow were missed as well! (Nobody said they were good at doing Disney by themselves!!) Anyway, it was a clear night for a change and their last night in Disney!! So, we mapped out the strategy!!

We would get to the MK at about 4:30 or no later than a little before 5:00 if we wanted to see CoP. Having already had dinner, we would not waste any time on that kind of nonsense!! We’d make a beeline to CoP and then hit anything under a fifteen-minute wait (Peoplemover, of course, was a given and anything else we lucked into). Then we’d bite the bullet and stand in line for Space Mountain, no matter what the wait! Afterwards, it should be closing in on the first parade time. We’d hit a few of the less crowded things, maybe Pirates and Small World (her one kid LOVED that one) and anything else under a fifteen-minute wait. Fireworks time. We’d watch and then on to the bigger rides in the Splash area as many times as possible, the adults staking out a claim for the second parade near the end. Afterwards, slowly walk out with a very long stop at the Ice Cream shop and finally be one of the last ones out of the Magic Kingdom!! What a PERFECT last night for them!!

Well, we were a little late getting to the bus stop at around 4:10 or so. CoP would be a close call! The bus finally picked us up at 5:20, after waiting a little more that an hour!! (After talking to the bus manager the next day he offered to give our party free shuttle service all day long. Of course I refused, telling him the perk I wanted was to fix the system!! I can be such an idiot sometimes!!) So arrival at the MK was now estimated to be around six-ish!! CoP was right out of the question!! And it turned out the rest of the night didn’t go much better.

I am probably no better than anyone on this board, but I am good! I know Disney. So it should come as no surprise that I don’t use a map. Since 1974 I haven’t used a map. No need for one. They usually don’t relocate attractions (kinda hard to pick them up and move them!). And closing times from mid-July to Mid-August haven’t changed since the World began (except of course, when they increased the hours in the late ‘70’s early ’80’s!!). I say this in defense and to let you know that I had no forewarning about the radical change that was about to kick the blinders right off my head!!

As we pulled up to the Magic Kingdom it was announced that the MK would be closing at 10:00!! I asked the driver if she could have possibly been mistaken as she said 10:00. Nope! That was closing! For the entire month of August! Summer was over, she said as she rolled her eyes in disgust. (She was very nice. She was the one who told me to call the bus manager and complain. She said that the cutbacks had left them very short staffed and it was taking its toll on everything!)

So, we make our way over to Tomorrowland. CoP is closed! And the MK is packed!! And it’s a Sunday!! Supposedly the least crowded of times. There is a line for the Peoplemover which extends to CoP!! I had never seen that before!! Space Mountain is 70 minutes. Everything had HUGE lines!! And it occurs to me that most of the people there are in the same boat as us. The parades and fireworks have been cancelled for three or four nights of the last seven. And EVERYONE is now hanging around for the one and only parade on the first clear night in quite a while!! And it also occurs to me that the people sitting on main street at a little after 6:00 pm when we rushed to Tomorrowland, were not just biding their time, but were already staking out a claim!! I ask my sister-in-law what is more important, the parade or rides? She wants to see the parade!!

OK!! I send my son and her son off to Space Mountain and the rest of us walk through the huddled masses to Frontierland. Right around the Diamond Horseshoe we finally found a spot that most of us could squeeze into. An hour and a half before the Parade!! We watch the parade and at 9:45 or so it finally passes us. We now have fifteen minutes before the place closes! And we haven’t gone on one stinking ride!!!

On the way out we still stopped for ice cream. And spent an hour, taking our time and soaking in the sights of the MK at night. It was then I noticed, for the first time, SEVEN vacuum cleaners, frantically making their way up and down Main Street. At times you could not out-shout them. It was after this that I made my first trip ever to City Hall.

The CMs there were very friendly. And in hushed voices, told me about the real reason for the E-Nights. And the early closings. And the vacuum cleaners. They told me about the wildfires in Florida and how they were terribly afraid their numbers would go down, so they cut hours and implemented a money making scheme to make up for lost revenue (I HATE when my wife is right!!!!) How every division within the company needed to cut 10% of their budget and increase 10% of the profits (the first time I had ever heard that)!! That explained why they had less bus routes. Less hours. Less CMs. Less food stands opened later in the evening. And many, many more plush pushers and cheap trinkets.

Over the next week I started to look at the place with the blinders off. And I can tell you, I did NOT like what I saw. But, true to LandBaron form, when I got home I forgot about it. Another trip saw the same type of things only a little worse. And more time spent at City Hall. And Guest Relations in EPCOT!! Talk about erratic hours for attractions!! You really needed a score card for that place!! And again, at home, it left me. Around this time I finally got connected to the Internet. Some searching for sites and I stumbled upon the DIS. And I lurked there for quite some time.

One day, on the community board, someone brought up the name of WDWBLUES and how this guy was simply BASHING Disney!! I read the thread and went to the link. It did NOT seem like bashing to me at all. I was in total agreement. And I worked up the nerve to post it. At just the same time ParrotHead (the owner of WDWBLUES) posted in his own defense. And it was ParrotHead and LandBaron defending their anti-Disney position, which really was a deep LOVE for Disney position, and a realization that the true Disney was eroding before our eyes. This is when I first met Peter Pirate. And my education about all things Disney grew!!!!! Until I came to understand that Walt’s philosophy and Ei$ner’s are diametrically opposed! And the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that EI$ner was definitely NOT the kind of guy that should head a company like Disney. I lost every ounce of respect I ever held for him and in fact replaced that with double the disrespect!! He is inept! And he has been since day one! You see, a guy just can’t ‘become’ that inept overnight. Or in a short while. It takes years of practice to be as inept as he is. He doesn’t even do things right by accident anymore!! So I would guess, in this particular case, he’s been practicing ineptness his whole life (or at least his life with Disney)!!

So, in the end, I don’t hate him. But I blame him. I hold him personally responsible. For taking what was once a great service company, one that made the ‘guest’ feel special, and turned it into a commodity outlet for the ‘customer’ with enough cash. Or as AV so vividly put it, taking “Walt’s” Disney and turning into Disney ®!!

Sorry I went so long (even for me)!! If anyone is still out there, you are to be congratulated for your tenaciousness if nothing else!!!! Thanks for listening and as always:

I welcome any thoughts, comments, questions or debates?

 

[Testtrack321]

Good point(s) Baron.

The general attatude NOW for Esiner is of disgust and rejection.

But face it, he saved Disney in the 80's. If it wasn't for him, there would be no more Disney, instead we would see Universal treading Mickey like a prisoner and Goofy would be locked outside.

But now he's gone too far. VERY. Sure, recession, we're in one, but that shouldn't hinder the parks. Keep them going. This will pull you guys out faster.

 

[scooby-the-doo]

Nice commentary from Baron.

Although on these recent times 'little' things such as service, opening times and that inexplicable Disney-factor have erroded in the park sector before our eyes, we must still continue to give Mr. Eiser his dues. His contributions to Disney are not limited to the parks, but most notably the film and animation division. Coming from Paramount, he oversaw the rivitalisation of the then dismal animation situation and created Touchstone to produce successful mainstream, commercial films. Although we are not currently happy with the handling of the parks, there is a dim shining light that allows us to see that Disney, as a company, has been built up to a position where they are able to turn things around again and are not liable to hostile takeovers or sell-offs that would hurt the company (selling the Angels won't hurt the company one bit).

Of course, hearing stories of the imagineers being laid-off make me want to get the noose

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

But face it, he saved Disney in the 80's. If it wasn't for him, there would be no more Disney

I could not disagree any stronger without coming to blows!! He did NOT save the company!!! Or rather he merely did what any other mega-company that took them over would have done. And I truly believe that if they had been split up we may even have been better off!! Read back in the Scoop threads. He keeps saying that a mega-corporation cannot possibly run the company with Walt’s ideals or standards. That only a niche company could pull it off. While I don’t completely buy into his argument, I find that I agree more than I disagree.

So tell me how he “saved” the company. Cause maybe I missed something.



scooby-the-doo:

Coming from Paramount, he oversaw the rivitalisation of the then dismal animation situation and created Touchstone to produce successful mainstream, commercial films.

Sorry Scooby, but Touchstone was started under the Walker/Miller period. And as for this “revitalization”… Well, remember that Ei$ner's sure fired hit back then was “The Rescuers Down Under”.

Also, at the same time, thankfully he didn’t get his way and deep-six the project begun under Walker/Miller and wholeheartedly supported by Katzenburg. A small offering called “The Little Mermaid”.

Nah! I think we can thank Katzenburg for the majority of that ‘revitalization’ you mentioned. Don’t agree? Well do you think that it’s merely coincidence that Disney hit the toilet just as Katzenburg was told to hit the road? And that a relatively short time later he hits with Shrek and Ei$ner consistently strikes out!?

 

[Testtrack321]

Baron, I my book, if a company that isn't destroyed into little bits is saving it. I cannot see where theme parks, animation, live action, and others being owned by other companies with lower morals and standards would help this company.

I think he saved the company, but that was his job, to do that, not to run it for the next 20 years.

 

[BRERALEX]

darn just wanted to say thanx for takin the time to post such a good long post about your personal disney experience.

lizards there scurrying into the bushes wearing a polo shirt with a person logo embossed on the chest!

that was just too good had to tell my gf that one.

He is inept! And he has been since day one! You see, a guy just can’t ‘become’ that inept overnight. Or in a short while. It takes years of practice to be as inept as he is.

that should be in your signature when you post.

 

[Planogirl]

So much of my experience is just like yours LandBaron. I guess that is why I keep hanging on for dear life to the door handle in the back seat of Car No. 3.

I do have one question though. Who gets the credit for the big turnaround in your view? I tend to give most of the credit to Katzenberg (PLEASE come home, all is forgiven!) but he couldn't have done it alone.

I want to comment on the opinion that no other company could run the Disney parks well. I don't think the company matters, just finding someone, ANYONE who understands the Disney vision and what makes it all work.

 

[Werner Weiss]

Eisner, Wells, Katzenburg and an army of creative people and business people -- some who had been with Disney for many years, and some who were brought on by the new management -- achieved amazing results in the last half of the 1980s and into the early 1990s.

The new management leveraged the initiatives of Walker and Miller -- including the new Touchstone label (which had made Splash), the Disney Channel, Epcot Center, and the fledgling video business. The new management made numerous price increases, ramped up of movie and TV production (to become the top grossing studio most years), starting a real advertising program for the theme parks, built more hotels, launched Disney-MGM Studios Theme park and Pleasure Island, started the Disney Vacation Club, dramatically increased character merchandising (including starting The Disney Store chain), and milked the company's library of movies (especially through video sales) all they could.

Sure, they raised prices and milked existing resourcing -- but they also approved a lot of wonderful creative efforts. It doesn't really matter exactly who did what; they deserve to share credit for the renaissance at Disney.

Alas, Wells tragically died and Katzenburg left Disney because of his famous split with Eisner. So now Eisner gets the credit or blame. Unfortunately, as a fan and shareholder, I'm now disappointed with Eisner. I wish he could understand why The Walt Disney Company enjoyed such great success when he, Wells, and Katzenburg first came onboard.

 

[VintageKnight]

Sad way to start my posting career after lurking for 2 yrs., but i do agree with baron on most things i just read...

Eisner and Katz were a good couple, but it should have been eisner out , not katz.

VK

 

[Pinnie]

Baron,

Thanks for posting your reasons for your position. As one who came recently to the board, it was good to see how you came to your convictions.

I think that Eisner has served his time and it's time to move on to someone with fresher ideas. Face it, Eisner did some revitalizing but he did them in economic times that are quite different from what we are experiencing now.

Right now they are running ads up in my neck of the woods aimed at Empty Nesters. While it appeals to me , I'm not sure if it will get the families down there.

Thanks again for a thought provoking post

pin
remember the magic
DVC/BCV 2002

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Originally posted by VintageKnight
Sad way to start my posting career after lurking for 2 yrs., but i do agree with baron on most things i just read...
VK

TWO YEARS!!!! And a post so short!?!?! I really don't know how you do it!!

But WELCOME!!! Post early and post often! (Or is that vote early, vote often(?)... Well in Chicago it works both ways, I guess!! ) Anyway, there's plenty of room in car three!!

BTW - you also said:

I'LL STILL GO

If you've really been lurking for two years, you KNOW that's what I do!!! In fact, that's what everyone in car #3 does!!

And you know what? We HAVE FUN too!!!

Welcome again!!

 

[ohanafamily]

WOW, Baron, I didn't relize all that you had been through!

It seems to me that CoP is closed for good, I have been told it is a seasonal attraction. This hurts my "Spirit" a little. On our last trip we really didn't have enough time to do everything we wanted; we even cut out most of AK (We had an early breakfast there then went to Epcot and never made it back).

As far as US goes, been there, done most of it, may go again someday, but it is not planned for any trips in the near future. One day is enough if you don't mind missing some of the shows and if you stay on property. The difference between the Poly and the RP is night and day. The poly has lots of theming, and the Disney experience imbues from the walls. The RP has a few bits of theming, but reminds me mostly of a Lowes Hotel (it is one). I have never stayed at any of the All Stars, but I would assume it is similar. I sprang for the concierge level. We got our use out of it, but I would not do it again. We ate Continental Breakfast there every morning, I would have preferred real food. We took (they let us take some into the park each day) about 24 bottles of water with us (the large bottle was $7.00 in the room, and these were ½ size). I guess I can say that the top floor room was worth a little more, but US does very little to hide the parking lot and neighboring buildings. We stayed there for 3 nights and then went to the Poly. Our worst experience was on our last trip there (1 night last April). We got in at 10:00 PM ish, wanted a light snack. We went to the restaurant in the Hard Rock. We asked the waitress for a recommendation. She said that a lot of adults liked the Macaroni and cheese. We ordered 2 adult portions, one with Shrimp, One with chicken, and two salads, and a Coke. We only got one salad, so they didn’t charge us for the second. During the meal the fire alarm went off and we were told to ignore it. The meal cost $50.00 Plus Tax and tip. I am trying to say that they gouge for food at US.

Back to my rose colored glasses. I understand that Ei$ner makes a huge salary. I can understand why they would want him out. I think that without his salary they could increase all departments by more than 10%. There are some bad things, but WDW seems to correct their mistakes with enough complaints. They refuse to recognize them, but they do seem to correct them. EE is back, but the hours are shortened. The new JIYI (3) is back to a decent ride. I was partial to the original, but this one can stand on its own.

I am greatly upset by the closing of the Magical Engagements department. I proposed to my Darling Bride with their help. I could not have done what they did for me on my own (and I don’t need a map either) If someone wants to know, I will post the specifics. I cannot fathom how this could save them money; and there is even a current commercial with a couple getting engaged in a Disney way that is running on their Company Clips channel. I guess I wish that the Magic were still out there for everyone… My Darling Bride and I will always be extreme Disney fans if for no other reason than that one memory.

Closing the Disney Club is a slap in the face to all of the faithful, and removing the Gallery items from the Disney Stores is another place that may look like a cost savings but is actually costing them money. If you use cost centers to play with the numbers breakage in the stores looks expensive, but if you trace the items back to where they were made, by Disney authorized production, and don’t show the huge profits by department, you will find that Gallery Items are some of the most profitable.

Customer service? We were with a friend one of our days there, and she told me that a CM rudely insulted her sister. A lot of them don’t seem to care. If you notice a few CMs have pins on their name tags. The Steam Boat Willey on means that they have been there at least a year. There weren’t a whole lot of CMs with even the one year pins. Most of the ones I ran into were DVC, or Ex DVC. Two of those had an excellence award, and BOTH OF THOSE PEOPLE WERE IN THE POLY. There is less interest in the quality of service than the pay rate…IE more turnover and less magic.

I am also still waiting on responses on letters that I wrote to TDS Management. I have to write them another round of letters. Do you know that for International Guest Relations at TDS there are 2 people and a voice mailbox? You have to leave a message. They say they return calls. This isn’t very Disney

BUT, I am still in car 1. I love the parks, and have no need to go to TDS since they removed the collectables. TDS Online wants my business badly and they still have great customer service. I have 2 more trips planned for next year, and have yet to bank a point with my DVC. Indeed, I have already used all of next years and have reservations for all of the year after that.

So My Dear Baron, I guess I am like you were 10 years ago, but I will say this…My DVC membership, I can get most of the money I have spent back if I were to sell it. Figuring that I could rent my points out for $10 each, that would give me $6.23 after fees. That is much more interest than I could make in the bank right now, and If I were to sell, I would have had all of my vacations for virtually nothing. My point, DVC was the best investment I made in the last 3 years.

Sorry for the long post,
< EOR > (End Of Rant)

 

[DisneyKidds]

From silence to 5 pages . The Baron is back – whew!!!

Thanks for sharing your story my good man – and thanks for disclosing your dirty little WDW secrets, you GF lover you .

A couple of observations. Get ready for this one because it might floor you………………………………………………………………………………………………………………I agree with a lot of what you say. You see, we agree on a lot more than one might think. Fine lines and shades of various colors. The specifics on many subjects we can agree on, it is that philosophy thing that gets in the way. I just don’t buy into some of philosophical things you do. The wanton disregard for the guest experience. The wholesale disregard of quality for the sake of the almighty buck. The sole Ei$ner strategy to fleece the WDW public. Eisner the person is not evil, but these things would probably fit the definition of MEvil (bwaaaaahaaaahaaaa………), if such a word existed to describe business practices. You and I just disagree with how much MEvil exists in the World. Take for example the roadway signs on WDW property. In my readings it says that the redo of all the signs on Disney property was an Eisner initiative. They spent big bucks to develop road signs. They are only road signs for crying out loud. Do road signs themselves feed the bottom line? No. Do the road sighs that were designed add a distinctive element of Magic to the Disney experience? Absolutely. There are many little such example that just might show some kind of understanding for what made/makes Disney 'Disney'. Ultimately, the symptoms of something amiss I can agree with. Diagnosing the disease is a little harder. So on to the specifics……

First and foremost………..

Well, I agreed with him, wholeheartedly!! I KNEW that the Poly in particular was very, very inexpensive and I fixated on the “build more resorts” aspect of the plan. I was EXCITED!! That was my major complaint about the Walker/Miller era. Stagnation! The five year plan simply ignored!! Now here was someone with vision!!

Agreement with the ‘caste system’. Hmmmmm………….who’da thought . Now you might say that this agreement was strictly ‘blinder induced’ at the time, but I find that hard to believe. You see, either you have fooled some people around here (maybe just me ) or you are a pretty intelligent person. At some level you instinctively knew that raising resort rates and building new kinds of resorts was good for the company, it was the right thing to do. Now you would call it a slippery slope, but the change was good for the company – and you knew it. Well, everything in moderation – and things may have gone too far. However, you can’t fault the original concept. Gets back to the MEvil. Was there a MEvil plan all along, or did things just evolve and go bad somewhere along the way?

And at the same time the prices kept going up! It wasn’t until I found out about the building of a new resort that I figured out why. The All-Stars was coming on line. And prices in the Mods had to rise in order to make way for the ‘lower’ priced place or they’d find themselves giving the rooms away. It all made sense. And I figured it out all by myself, way back then.

This is a perfect example of your propensity to blame a MEvil plan that just might not exist. Where is the proof. The day that AS Sports opened was there a corresponding jump in the ‘moderate’ rates that wasn’t in line with an appropriate measure of inflation? We have danced around the ‘deluxe’ rate thing to no avail and we could probably do the same thing here.

Until I came to understand that Walt’s philosophy and Ei$ner’s are diametrically opposed! And the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that EI$ner was definitely NOT the kind of guy that should head a company like Disney. I lost every ounce of respect I ever held for him and in fact replaced that with double the disrespect!! He is inept! And he has been since day one! You see, a guy just can’t ‘become’ that inept overnight. Or in a short while. It takes years of practice to be as inept as he is. He doesn’t even do things right by accident anymore!! So I would guess, in this particular case, he’s been practicing ineptness his whole life (or at least his life with Disney)!!

I’ll invoke the gray color again. Many mistakes? Yes. Mistakes that could call his business acumen into question? Yes. Mistakes that shout MEvil philosophy to me? No. We talk so much about regimes around here. The early Eisner regime was a good one as he had the right people around him. Well, money corrupts and that didn’t last long enough, but I don’t know that Ei$ner was corrupt from day one. Maybe inept, but he had a good team around him.

Also, at the same time, thankfully he didn’t get his way and deep-six the project begun under Walker/Miller and wholeheartedly supported by Katzenburg. A small offering called “The Little Mermaid”.

You say earlier that Eisner didn’t save anything, much less the Disney Company. However, if Disney was taken over from the outside (as opposed to from within as you like to say) do you think things like the Little Mermaid would have survived? Who knows. Eisner stepped in and had a positive effect on the company that is impossible to deny. Since then many mistakes have been made, but double disrespect may not be in order.

In the end we all have feelings about Eisner we wouldn’t want to write in a Christmas card. However, in every case you have to take the good with the bad. It is unfortunate when the bad gets such a strong hold. Has everyone donned a pair of blinders? I think not, and we all view the things we see a little differently.

 

[raidermatt]

It does not matter if the new CEO was ME, FW, or Steve Wynn... Disney's assets were under-utilized and the new CEO was going to utilize them. So from that perspective, Eisner did his job. Congratulations. But to say he SAVED Disney is ludicrous. He did what he was hired to do, which was no small feat, but the saving was done by those who hired him, and there were probably dozens of others who could have done just as well at the time.

BUT, I am still in car 1. I love the parks, and have no need to go to TDS since they removed the collectables. TDS Online wants my business badly and they still have great customer service. I have 2 more trips planned for next year, and have yet to bank a point with my DVC. Indeed, I have already used all of next years and have reservations for all of the year after that.

Ohanafamily, you seem to be missing the key to the car definitions (pun intended). We ALL love the parks (or at least most of us do). Most of us continue to plan trips, and us DVC members are not selling our interests.

That's not the point.

The point is in what DIRECTION do you think that current management is taking the company with respect to the parks. If you think of the Disney park Magic as a big piece of pie (pick your favorite flavor), we all still think the pie is great. Most of us still think its better than anybody else's pie. But is current management making the pie better than it was, having no affect, or are they actually making it worse? When I say worse, that means worse than it WAS, not worse than anybody else. If worse doesn't sound right because its hard to put a negative word with such a wonderful place, we can instead say "not as wonderful as it could be". Whatever. But we have to get beyond "we still go and have a wonderful time". We all do. If we didn't have a wonderful time, we wouldn't keep going.

Think of Disney as a child. Let's say your child's grades have always been perfect. Then, they slip, just a tad. Still better than their schoolmates, but not quite what they were. Do you ignore the decline because they are still great, or do you try to find out what's causing the decline.

Hopefully, you would try to find the cause. Let's say you find out the cause is due to a change in attitude from your child, one that places less importance on studying, and more on something you consider detrimental to their long-term education. What do you do? Do you "leave well enough alone", or do you acknowledge the strong performance, but try to get your child to live up to their potential?

We in car 3, at least from my perspective, are taking the latter approach. The Disney park Magic is still our destination of choice (or at least one of them). But we are concerned with the changes that have taken place, and with where the current direction will ultimately lead... at best to parks that are still wonderful, but not what they could be, and at worst, to a day when Disney no longer is the destination of choice for us or our children.

 

[raidermatt]

However, you can’t fault the original concept. Gets back to the MEvil. Was there a MEvil plan all along, or did things just evolve and go bad somewhere along the way?

You know, we could go back on forth on this all day long (again), but in the end, what's the point? In its current form the plan is seriously flawed, and there is no desire on management's part to do anything about it. In fact, they don't even see it as flawed and are continuing to "enhance" it.

The early Eisner regime was a good one as he had the right people around him. Well, money corrupts and that didn’t last long enough, but I don’t know that Ei$ner was corrupt from day one. Maybe inept, but he had a good team around him.

So Eisner has a strong team around him, but gets rid of the strong peformers because they don't agree with him. He replaces them with lessor performers who will do his bidding, and the team's performance declines.

What exactly are you giving him credit for? I'm not sure about who was responsible for building the team, but I don't think it was Eisner for the most part. (Certainly he is not responsible for bringing in Wells...)

 

[Peter Pirate]

Mr. Matt, what can you show to support that many businesmen could have 'saved' Disney in the same way ME did? I mean it is widely regarded in the business community what a spectacular job he did in saving the Company and it seems to me too pat to simply say any number of people could have done it. Walker & Miller couldn't. Roy didn't want to try.

Look a the original compensation arrangement made with Eisner...All predicted on earnings (I know that changed in later years)...But people were appalled at his bonus's despite the fact that the Company was thrilled to be in the situation of having to worry about paying him TOO much. I'm sure when the terms were negotiatd Disney NEVER expected such success which is why you neve heard any complaints from inside the Company when the profits started rolling in...Even if Mike was getting rich.

I think Eisner was the right man to save Disney just as Walt was the right man to invent it. It's too bad that the game has pased Eisner by and it is time for him to go (IMO) but it doesn't change what he did in the past.

 

[raidermatt]

I disagree. If this was really such a "Duh!" move, then there would have never been the need for a replacement in the first place.

If this was so obvious, why didn't Miller or Walker then just do the obvious?

It was obvious to enough people that Walker/Miller found themselves fending off corporate raiders by purchasing greeting card and real estate companies.

Hindsight is always 20/20, and maybe it wasn't obvious to Walker/Miller. But the overall strategy of making use of stagnant assets was a done deal by the time Eisner took over. It had to happen, or the raiders would have shown up at the door again.

I'm not saying any John Doe could have done it, only that there were other CEO types who could have. The whole reason Disney was in danger of being taken over was that those who took the time to do an asset valuation realized they were undercharging at their resorts, they had a shipload of land sitting idle next to hot commodities like MK and Epcot, and they had a film vault full of titles that people would LOVE to get on VHS.

Eisner was not the only man in America capable of raising room rates, building hotels, and releasing videos.

He was handed the keys to a Corvette that had never been taken out of 2nd gear by Walker/Miller.

 

[VintageKnight]

In life its the slippery slopes that get you.....and eisner is learnin hard it is to stop.....


VK

 

[Testtrack321]

TIME OUT!!!

ESINER DID SAVE DISNEY FROM SHARKS!! Why? He saved it. Period. No lower morals, even now with out b-ing around about lower quailty, it's still better off than Six Flags, or hell, Universal (pust on falme retardent materal.) The thing is this, HE DID HIS JOB AND HE DID IT WELL. We're mixing up our feelings of him now and the feelings of him when Beauty and the Beast, Splash Mountain, and the other great things came out. Should be behead him for not having a huge, sucesfull 3 years? Many companys go through many years of recesson untill them come up to par.

Do I dislike Eisner, hell ya, lowering standards and cutting prices, but do I HATE him and think his head should roll (NOT figuratively), NO!

He did what he was supposed to do. He just outstayed his invatation when all those sparkaly new things came out.

 

[ohanafamily]

I am not sure I know enough about Ei$ner to post in this column, but I feel a little responsible...I also do not like the recent cutbacks, and My Darling bride thinks I am in Car #2...