Do We Take Walt Disney World For Granted?

Madi100

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 25, 2000
Messages
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I've been to Disney World three times. Every time I do more and more research. I love the trivia. I love the history. I love knowing how much detail goes into putting it all together. I think that most people here do. They want to have the most perfect vacation and know all they can. They I see posts where people come back and they say that the bathroom was dirty. This CM was rude. I'm guilty of it myself. We've come to expect so much from Disney, that we forget how good it is.

I was reminded of that last weekend when I went to the amusement park in Iowa, Adventureland. I think I've gone to this park every year since I was probably 7. Some years more than others. My kids went twice this year. They have fun. It's so fun for them. But, as I was riding the train (and fearing that if I leanded over too far to one side it would fall over) I realized that I LOVE Disney World, and there is just no comparison between the two parks.

First of all, the people that work there. Now for the most part, Adventureland has gone to hiring senior citizens. It's great having grandmas and grandpas. Most are pretty friendly. But there is still the high school student that doesn't really care about their job. I took my daughter on one ride, and I couldn't figure out who the worker was. He was sitting on one of the benches with his chin propped on his hand. So, the employees can't compare to Disney World.

Secondly, it was dirty. Disney needs to share some paint with them. The waiting area for lines was dirty. People write all over the walls. The bars need paint. The roller coasters need paint. The don't do anything to try to hide the working part of things. As I was riding the train I got to see the parking lot, a slab of cement where a ride used to be, and the beside the scenes area. There is a ride that people sit around a tower and it shoots you up in the air. It's called the Space Shot. It's a fun ride, but the appearance of it is very unappealing. There is grease all over it. I walked into the gift shop, and they have downsized the size of area they cover in the store. They had shelves to block it off, but behind were extras that they weren't using.

Last of all, there is just no magic. The sidewalks are the same no matter where you walk. There is one area that has a western theme, and they've done a good job with theming there. Otherwise, it's the same all over. There are no characters to see. No special meals to enjoy. The only show is the circus.

The point of this post wasn't to bash Adventureland. It was to point out how fortunate we are to experience Disney World. And, I hope that I never again want to point out any of the bad in the place. Sorry for the long post.
 
DW and I will be making our 30-something trip in early September and I expect to be amazed as usually. Things work, they are clean, they are on time and the detail in the parks and at WL is unbelievable. I have some issues with how the parks have been run recently but Disney is still the master of the detail.
 
I wouldn't say we take WDW for granted. Rather, we hold it to a high standard because 1) that's what we've come to expect and 2) Disney charges premium prices for the parks, hotels, meals, etc., so we expect a premium experience.

When something goes wrong, I think people tend to overreact becuase they've seen or heard stories of Disney CMs going above and beyond the call of duty for Guests in the past, they expect it to happen every time. There's also some though that "I spent x thousand dollars on this vacation and it better be perfect!"

This is not to say that some guests don't have legitimate complaints, of course, but some of the things I see here can fall into the "Don't sweat the small stuff" category.
 
I was reminded of that last weekend when I went to the amusement park in Iowa, Adventureland

This is too funny that you started this thread. My DH and I were just at Adventurland last weekend and said the same thing. Great post!
We leave for Disney in about 3 weeks, and being at Adventureland made us even more excited to head to FL. Thinking about the Disney magic and that special feeling that you can only get at one place. Dirty bathrooms or clean, that feeling is only at DW! :D
 

My family definitely does not take WDW for granted, but I know what you mean. We enjoy visiting other parks like Silver Dollar City in Branson and Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, and we went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg this June. All of these parks are VERY nice...clean, well landscaped, and the workers were nice and friendly. They are not much less $$$ than Disney though. What all of these parks are missing, besides the characters and great themeing, is FAMILY rides. They have kiddy rides which my youngest DD still likes, and they have water flume rides that DH and our oldest DD like, but none of us really love coasters. We all enjoy bumper cars, cars you can drive, ect. but we miss the PotC, HM, and other dark rides that all 6 of us can do together. We have a Six Flags here but we don't even go as we are not thrill junkies. I can see why WDW adds coasters to compete with US and the like, but I hope they don't forget about the family audience with little ones and grandparents in tow!!! I know people expect a lot from a Disney vacation, but some of the minor things should just be overlooked IMO.....Lacee
 
Originally posted by luv2tvl
This is too funny that you started this thread. My DH and I were just at Adventurland last weekend and said the same thing. Great post!
We leave for Disney in about 3 weeks, and being at Adventureland made us even more excited to head to FL. Thinking about the Disney magic and that special feeling that you can only get at one place. Dirty bathrooms or clean, that feeling is only at DW! :D

I didn't know that people came from other states to go to Adventureland :) We met a couple there that drove down from Rochester for the day. They really liked the park. I'm sure we take Adventureland for granted. But, I realized it just can't compare. DH said it's just carny rides. It, he's right. It has improved over the years, though. I remember when I was a kid going there, and how little it had. I wish they had a kiddie roller coaster because my daughter really likes the coasters, and she was sad she was too short to ride on anything.
 
There are so many places to take your family on vacation.

There is a reason why the first (and sometimes only) choice is WDW.

::MickeyMo
 
/
I agree with laceemouse.

Earlier this summer I, DW, DS8, and DD4 went to Cedar Point in Ohio. There was the obvious lack of theming, restaurants, shows, magic, etc. We quickly noticed that our choice of rides was either carnival style "kiddie" rides or terror-inducing, sky-scraping roller coasters. There are no FAMILY rides. We ended up spending most of our time riding the old-fashioned cars together.

DW has just the right mix of family rides, exciting entry-level roller coasters, and the occasional terror-inducing roller coaster. There is no substitute. (Although we will be trying DL next year)
 
Take Disney World For Granted? I don't believe that I do. However, I didn't have a very good trip last year (which I won't go into). Than I read about all the Charges Roy Disney makes about the parks & resorts not being up to par (which I experienced last year at Coronado Springs) SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I'm headed back here in about 3 weeks. While I'm looking forward to the tirp I am also afraid. Afraid because I fear that there could possible be a repeat of last year. I do NOT expect a perfect trip, however if something is wrong I would just like it fixed thats all. If my room is not clean send house Keeping in to clean it. No harm no faul. I don't need anything for free or any special perks just fix the room. Don't make me keep asking for the problem to be resolvesd.

Take for granted? No I just want a similar experience from my previous trips (except last year of course)

Just my 5 cents

Dan
 
I too went to cedar point this year. Everything that redwingsmickey said is true. This is a park for thrill seekers. I enjoyed the park very much. I love coasters and there is like 16 at cedar point. But if your looking for the total experience this is not it.

Just my 5 cents

Dan
 
glad to see another fellow iowan here. we go to adventureland every year. more than once a year. i even grew up in altoona. your right about the themeing and it being dirty. i just love seeing gum stuck all over the rides....like the falling star...:( the kids dont care...adv. land pays bare minimum. when i was in highschool i wouldnt even consider a job there. while its still fun, your right its not magical like disney. There is something that sweeps you off your feet at disney making you into a child all over agian. giving you the same excited feeling as the first time you enter. i definately do not take disney for granted....love that place. its my special place. however, adventureland....i definately take for granted.:p
 
I didn't know that people came from other states to go to Adventureland

Well, I technically came from Nebraska to go to Adventureland, but I live in Omaha which is right on the IA border. I didn't come far.....
I'm orginally from Ankeny which is pretty darn close to Altoona. Small world, huh?
 
Originally posted by te2077
glad to see another fellow iowan here. we go to adventureland every year. more than once a year. i even grew up in altoona. your right about the themeing and it being dirty. i just love seeing gum stuck all over the rides....like the falling star...:( the kids dont care...adv. land pays bare minimum. when i was in highschool i wouldnt even consider a job there. while its still fun, your right its not magical like disney. There is something that sweeps you off your feet at disney making you into a child all over agian. giving you the same excited feeling as the first time you enter. i definately do not take disney for granted....love that place. its my special place. however, adventureland....i definately take for granted.:p

It is a small world. I love seeing other people from Iowa on here. My sister lives in Altoona now. She loves the town. My best friends graduated fro Bondurant. Is that with Altoona?

I wonder if what Adventureland pays their employees is comparable to Disney World. For some reason, though, I didn't think that Adventureland even paid minimum wage.

The following is not in reply to the above.

As far as paying premium price and expecting premium entertainment, I think that Magic Kingdom is a lot bigger than our local amusement park (the one I've been talking about). There are a lot more services, shows, parades, fireworks, etc. So, the $27 I pay to get into our park vs. the $45 (rounding) to get into Magic Kingdom could be justified in the amusements. Our local park has no sitdown restaurants. There is no parade. There are no fireworks. So, that more than makes up for the price. Then on top of that they have great theming, service, employees, and care for their park.
 
Great topic,

My DH and I were talking about this very thing as we were walking around Busch Gardens - Williamsburg this summer. I made the mistake of buying 2 day tickets ahead of time which we didn't need. We love WDW and accept normal problems as part of life, and we also enjoyed BG, but it didn't even compare to WDW and as previously stated prices were not much different.

I also agree that if there are problems at WDW or with any other place you are visiting you should expect things to be corrected in a reasonable time. What I see on these boards again and again are the perfect vacation expectations which are hard to meet. If you start out with extremely high expectations you are bound to find things not up to par. I also hate to see people expecting something for the smallest problems like free tickets etc, all that does is cause the cost to everyone else to go up.

We have always enjoyed our trips to WDW and will continue to go back again and again....we are not expecting perfection....

Denise
 
So why did all you Iowans waste your time at Adventurland when the one and only fabulous Iowa State Fair was just miles away!! :hyper: I am sure you know that USA Weekend edition ranked it as the number 2 summer fun spot. Just kidding...

Good to see other Iowans around!

Anne
 
Originally posted by luvsTink
So why did all you Iowans waste your time at Adventurland when the one and only fabulous Iowa State Fair was just miles away!! :hyper: I am sure you know that USA Weekend edition ranked it as the number 2 summer fun spot. Just kidding...

Good to see other Iowans around!

Anne

Hey!! Didn't you see that the Iowa State Fair made it on 3 lists. I was in USA Weekend. It was in Esquire magazine about one of the top things to do before Labor Day, and it was in a book of 1000 Things To Do Before You Die. That isn't the exact title of it, but close. We went to the fair, TWICE. Had to get the chocolate chip cookies :)
 
In cinematic terms, comparing WDW to amusement parks is like comparing The Godfather to Dude, Where's My Car;)
 














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