DISers View of WDW

[NYDisGuy]

You can tell by my join date and messages that I frequently lurk this site rather than respond/post. Having said that, there is alot of good information and people are willing to help. It really comes down to your family and whether or not you value that experience. Disney World is truly a magical place for a family's first visit or if they visit infrequently. However, I can also understand the frustration from people that go multiple times a year. That's really how everything is though nowadays.

 

[mco65]

I pay no attention to negative posts.. who has time for that?

I typically visit these boards as I ramp up for a Disney vacation and then after I return, I disappear for a while. In a way, its depressing to read about all the magic happening knowing you just got back and wont be visiting again for another year.. So, I wont visit for a few months after returning from my most recent trip.. I sux, I know!

Still I find this place intoxicating.. I love it!!!

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I will say though I have personally felt the disboards is not as informative as it used to be. You used to be able to weed through the negative to find some useful info. That is harder to find anymore. imho

I think this is really interesting... and I was just reflecting back to see if I'd agree... Not sure... Here are some things that I think could be at play...

• There are A LOT more sources out there besides DIS these days. And Disney has gotten better at including some real info on their website, AND IMPORTANTLY using their own social media sources more effectively and breaking their own news more (FB, Twitter, etc.) ---> this means we could "need" DIS less now for ACTUAL INFORMATION.
• Once you come up that first Disney trip learning curve and learn a ton on DIS, each incremental learning just isn't as great -- not as significant.
• I think that with people using more social media platforms with anonymity over time, that negativity that's out there across all these platforms becomes NORMAL. Snarkiness and rudeness becomes the most common way of communicating, not for everyone, but for enough people for us to notice the difference. I think this lends itself to more griping, and less actual information sharing.

Don't know... Just some thoughts...

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

It depends on what you focus on. There are A TON of positive posts on the DISboards, too.

I agree that there are many positive posts. However, hard to argue with numbers... If you look at the average "negative" thread, it gets FAR MORE POSTS/ACTIVITY than the average "positive" thread. Though there are obviously exceptions.

I think it's just human nature... People are far more likely to call up a company and COMPLAIN than they are to PRAISE. It's just a PR/Marketing reality. People are far more likely to post a rant about something that went wrong on their WDW trip than all the things that went right.

It's a matter of seeking through all that stuff... which sometimes feels more challenging than other times, IMO.

 

[Ambear]

The negativity here doesn't bother me or affect my vacations. I guess because I form my own opinions based on my own experiences. I like reading reviews and advice from the people here, but just cause someone encountered a dirty bathroom and vents about it doesn't mean it's going to affect my outlook on my trip.

 

[mshanson3121]

It depends on what you focus on. There are A TON of positive posts on the DISboards, too.

This. I'm sorry, easily 90%+ of the posts on this board are positive or helpful. There are hundreds of new posts every day. A mere handful might be negative - and in all fairness, they are legitimately negative. The things that are happening at Disney right now, are not good things. There's no way of sugar coating that. It doesn't mean you can't still have a great time however. But it's like anything - it's the negative threads that people choose to dwell on, that generate the attention. And those who have taken the time to come on here and "complain" on this post about all the "complaining" on the board, are kinda being hypocritical in a way And honestly... so is creating a thread in the first place complaining about the complaining, lol. Though I do understand OP's point.

Disney is not all rainbows and unicorns. It's a business. And right now, they're making some pretty crappy decisions that are affecting customers in a negative way, that I think in a way is hurting their "fantasy" facade that they've had going for a long time. And it's fair for that to be discussed on here. But that said - we all have a choice. If they bother you, don't focus on the negative threads - heck, don't even open them or read them! You can pretty well tell by the title if it's going to be a complaint. Instead, just focus on the positive: read the great trip reports, ask questions about your next trip, answer the questions from those seeking help etc... I think in choosing to do that you're going to find that despite the mistakes that have been made or are being made, Disney is still a place unlike any other in the world, and the magic is still alive.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

I'm just going to throw out there that this thread came off as pretty negative. Complaining about complainers is still complaining....

I was really hoping when I read the title (this usually helps a lot for determining the direction of the thread) that it would be about things we know about in the parks that others don't really know.

And for the poster who said dirty bathrooms and the occasional rude CM happen everywhere, you're missing the whole point of being upset. Rude CMs did NOT used to exist at Disney and whenever I go on vacation I expect to not encounter any rude CMs.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I'm just going to throw out there that this thread came off as pretty negative. Complaining about complainers is still complaining....

I don't think this is fair.

OP asked a legitimate question: what impression is this board leaving with newcomers to WDW vacations? And ended with a positive suggestion about how to deal with what some will undoubtedly perceive as negativity: "My advice is to go to Disney, enjoy yourself and take all these posts with a huge grain of salt. Just my opinion, but I'm guessing a lot of people feel this way"

I don't see this as "complaining about complainers".

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I just realized something that is happening more recently that might actually help the issue OP brought up...

A LOT of threads are being moved OFF TPA&S and into "Community" recently!!! Probably more than I would like (I'm just NOT going to scour every board on here!!), but there it is.

Benefit would be that those looking just for strategies for a WDW vacation won't have to wade through as many of these "negative" threads...

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

I don't think this is fair.

OP asked a legitimate question: what impression is this board leaving with newcomers to WDW vacations? And ended with a positive suggestion about how to deal with what some will undoubtedly perceive as negativity: "My advice is to go to Disney, enjoy yourself and take all these posts with a huge grain of salt. Just my opinion, but I'm guessing a lot of people feel this way"

I don't see this as "complaining about complainers".

Well saying "I see so many negative complaints. It's depressing. I don't buy it." came off as very negative and dismissive to me. I did think it was fair.

I also offered a suggestion for a more pleasant experience on Disboards.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Well saying "I see so many negative complaints. It's depressing. I don't buy it." came off as very negative and dismissive to me. I did think it was fair.

I also offered a suggestion for a more pleasant experience on Disboards.

Agree to disagree!

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

Agree to disagree!

We can do that b/c Disboards remains a respectful and overall helpful board.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

We can do that b/c Disboards remains a respectful and overall helpful board.

Most of the time... ...

 

[GPC0321]

I just realized something that is happening more recently that might actually help the issue OP brought up...

A LOT of threads are being moved OFF TPA&S and into "Community" recently!!! Probably more than I would like (I'm just NOT going to scour every board on here!!), but there it is.

Benefit would be that those looking just for strategies for a WDW vacation won't have to wade through as many of these "negative" threads...

I've noticed this too, and I think it's a great thing.

 

[ChloesDaddy]

I always enjoy a chance to complain, especially when it is to complain about people complaining that other people complain.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I always enjoy a chance to complain, especially when it is to complain about people complaining that other people complain.

You sound like Ron.

 

[ChloesDaddy]

You sound like Ron.

He's my hero. Well, him and Mr. Peabody.

 

[tj6285]

Rude CMs did NOT used to exist at Disney and whenever I go on vacation I expect to not encounter any rude CMs.

I said the "occassional" rude CM and no one EXPECTS to run into rude CMs or hotel concierge or wait staff or whatever on vacation (Disney or otherwise). My whole purpose for saying what I said was for people to realize that this happens EVERYWHERE! There is no escape from reality but Disney does come VERY close! It's a matter of whether or not people can look past the "occassional" issue or not.

I travel for work and when I get the "occassional" rude flight attendant, front desk clerk, waiter/waitress, I kill them with kindness - I smile more, say hello/goodbye, please/thank you, tell them they are doing a great job, apologize they had to deal with that other "rude" person, tell them that "I've been there", etc... Anything to try to lift their spirits a bit! It works 99.9% of the time. The human race is emotional and we seem to forget that. We deal with small issues on a daily basis. Do we want to have those small issues creep into our "happy place" like vacation? NO! But if they do, it's how you handle them that makes a difference.

Again, I'm not against people venting on these boards because I feel venting is healing. We should all be able to treat each other like Disney family. We will have the occassional squabble but in the end we all LOVE Disney in one way or the other!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Constructive criticism can be very positive. Real Disney fans know what Disney is capable of, and we want to see Disney live up to their capabilities. Holding a company accountable to do its best work is in the best interest of everyone who loves Disney. If people don't speak up, write e-mails, visit guest relations, etc, when things are sub-par, the parks will not improve and the company will continue to skate on its reputation.

There is a distinct sub-set of the Disney fan community that takes any criticism (no matter how valid) and internalizes it, interpreting it as a personal attack. It doesn't make any sense but people have been doing it for as long as I've been part of the community. Do they feel like making criticism makes you disloyal to Disney Fandom?

My pet theory is that it stems from "fear of missing out" or fear of having missed out, that they missed out on the golden years of the theme parks in the 80s and 90s, that they missed out by not having been able to travel to the parks as often as others. This fear manifests itself in a knee jerk reaction where they have to justify that their vacations are just as good as any that took place in the past, therefore they are very sensitive to any insinuation that the current state of the parks isn't top notch.

I assure you, anyone who is on these boards is a fan of Disney, there is no way anyone would be wasting their time here if they didn't love the parks. Just because you love the parks and just because you vacation there regularly doesn't mean that you have an obligation to turn a blind eye when things are not up to Disney standards. In fact, I would argue the opposite, that if you are a real fan, that you are the only one who cares enough to press for positive changes. Disney fans deserve the excellence we know that the company can deliver, but we enthusiastically except less, that is exactly what we are going to get.

 

[Nanajo1]

My view of the DIS has always been positive. Since the days of lime green ribbons! It is a great source of information.