Do You think DISNEY has gone down hlll the last few years?

[WDSearcher]

I'll give you another hypothetical. 8 people walk into a bathroom. They start talking when they get out. 7 of them say the floor was wet; 1 says he didn't notice. Are they all still right?

Yup.

Also ... please note that the person who "didn't notice" isn't telling the other seven of them that they're wrong. All he's saying is that -- for whatever reason -- whether or not the floor was wet wasn't a defining factor of his particular bathroom experience.

Here's another one ... 8 people walk into a bathroom. The floor is dry. They start talking when they get out. 7 of them believe the floor was wet; 1 says that he didn't notice. So ... even though the floor wasn't wet, 7 of the people perceived it as so. They go back to their group and tell everyone, "The floor was wet." Are they right?

 

[si-am]

Also, I hope you don't mind my answering your post, I know it wasn't intended for me but when I read of your missing "Horizons", I had to respond. It was a great attraction.

HOrizons was the best! Given the expense of creating Mission Space compared the relative UNpopularity of it now, I wonder if Disney is regretting the replacement.

In my mind, it still wouldn't be terribly outdated considering that we still don't have colonies in space or underwater.

 

[Pirate Jeff]

HOrizons was the best! Given the expense of creating Mission Space compared the relative UNpopularity of it now, I wonder if Disney is regretting the replacement.

In my mind, it still wouldn't be terribly outdated considering that we still don't have colonies in space or underwater.

Actually, the Horizons building was going to be condemned. It was sinking and was a short time away from being deemed "uninhabitable". So regardless of whether it was replaced with Mission Space, it would have required major structural improvements.

From Wikipedia:

No reason was publicly given, but the lack of corporate sponsorship probably played a large part in the decision. It is also claimed that one of the reasons for the attraction closing was major structural problems (that being a large sink-hole underneath the structure which emerged in 1998), along with problems with the roof. The building was claimed to have been close to collapsing under its own weight.[3]


Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizons_(Epcot_attraction)

So either way, it was going. It was however, my favorite Epcot Center attraction!

 

[Suellen]

Well IMHO most of them are great attractions. Unfortunately a large number of true attractions are not what the up coming generation wants. They want thrill rides.

Thrill rides were never what it was about for me. While I do enjoy them ~ they are not the draw for me. They are what others want though. They are more expensive to build, run and maintain (an assumption here but I think a fair one) I would also assume that this increases liability insurance costs as well.

How long has free dining been around? You see that 50% increase is because a cash payer is helping to cover the cost of the "free" diner. It has to be made up someplace. So there is that and the CPI to consider. They both come into play. Do away with that and I will pay for what I eat and you (general you not you you) pay for what you eat. I don't want to pay for someone elses meal. The 71.99 for Deluxe Dining though ~ hasn't gone up since we started doing it. Though we still effectively pay more through still with tips. I don't see this as a problem FOR ME though ~ because if we don't want to pay it we just don't. We eat elsewhere or cook in our room. When I feel like I want to pay it than it usually has some other value for me besides the food. i.e. not having to cook, saving time waiting to see characters by doing character dining, or some other value. It is more of an overall experience than just the food.

I'm rambly now though and should go do something else.

 

[Donut23]

I think MVMCP is a prime example of what some of us are talking about.

Years ago, they cleared the park of day guests at 6pm, opened it up to partygoers at 7pm. You got a free MVMCP pin at the gates. They offered free family photos which they would mail to your home within a week or two.

Now.... not only have prices gone UP, but they have increased the number of tickets sold so that it is MORE crowded. Free family pictures and pin are GONE. Day guests don't leave until the party starts, so you don't stroll into an empty Main Street with snow. Popular Christmas shows (Mickeys Night Before Christmas) are discontinued.

To me, this is just price gouging with a DEcrease in services (or magic) offered. Same with "holiday" surcharge at buffets.

You forgot the face painting.

We are not going to the christmas party now. No longer a value to us, crowds on main street simply not pleasant.....and we don't like feeling like a slice of bread in the plastic pouch any more.

Don't forget........

Give 'em less.......Charge 'em more!

 

[spacemountainmom]

Now I can understand that if a chair is broken or rug ripped up, bed sheets dirty etc. Those are important things but I would have called down right away and had it taken care of. About 5 years ago staying at Coronado Springs there was a lizard that had crawled into our room and our bed and on my leg!! So not fun, this happened at about 12:30am, they had someone come in within 20 mins and take care of everything. He was very nice and they also did not kill the lizard, he got a sticky pad thing and caught it and he let it go outside.

My concern was (and mind you I am not saying it ruined my trip, but is an indicator of poor service) that we stopped at the front desk to report the broken chair at least twice and made a few phone calls to the "desk" as well. We also reported it as we checked out as we did not want to find a suprise charge for a broken chair on our credit card. This was coupled with the fact that my sister who was in the room next to ours asked about 3-4 times for a portacrib that never was delivered. This was also requested on the reservation. I shouldn't have to ask that many times for anything at any hotel.

It hasn't stopped me from going back. In fact, we will be going again in January. Fortunately, we haven't had any other hotel issues since then. I guess, in a manner of speaking, our experience has gone uphill since our first on property visit.

 

[Donut23]

[/SIZE]

Yup.

Also ... please note that the person who "didn't notice" isn't telling the other seven of them that they're wrong. All he's saying is that -- for whatever reason -- whether or not the floor was wet wasn't a defining factor of his particular bathroom experience.

Here's another one ... 8 people walk into a bathroom. The floor is dry. They start talking when they get out. 7 of them believe the floor was wet; 1 says that he didn't notice. So ... even though the floor wasn't wet, 7 of the people perceived it as so. They go back to their group and tell everyone, "The floor was wet." Are they right?

psssst. can you say dead horse?

 

[Suellen]

[/SIZE]

psssst. can you say dead horse?

pssssst pot this is kettle ~ have you met?

 

[WDSearcher]

psssst. can you say dead horse?

psssst. There's more than one person playing. Be sure you mention it to both parties.

 

[GadgetRick]

How long has free dining been around? You see that 50% increase is because a cash payer is helping to cover the cost of the "free" diner. It has to be made up someplace.

Sorry, not true. Free dining is not being offset by increasing the prices for those of us who are, "paying," for it. Free dining is included when you pay the full rack rate for a room. That's where the free dining is paid for.

I believe (and it's only my opinion), the increase in prices for food is a combination of the following:

-general increase in costs--not something to be dismissed easily.
-incentive--an incentive for everyone to buy free dining. Disney makes out in so many ways when you're even more captive.
-just because--those of us who no longer stay on property don't have the option so they figure they can do it just because.

As usual, YMMV...

 

[flicx]

I think MVMCP is a prime example of what some of us are talking about.

Years ago, they cleared the park of day guests at 6pm, opened it up to partygoers at 7pm. You got a free MVMCP pin at the gates. They offered free family photos which they would mail to your home within a week or two.

Now.... not only have prices gone UP, but they have increased the number of tickets sold so that it is MORE crowded. Free family pictures and pin are GONE. Day guests don't leave until the party starts, so you don't stroll into an empty Main Street with snow. Popular Christmas shows (Mickeys Night Before Christmas) are discontinued.

To me, this is just price gouging with a DEcrease in services (or magic) offered. Same with "holiday" surcharge at buffets.

Couldn't agree more!!

 

[Pirates4me]

[/SIZE]

pssssst pot this is kettle ~ have you met?

Awesome!

 

[WDSearcher]

I think MVMCP is a prime example of what some of us are talking about.

Years ago, they cleared the park of day guests at 6pm, opened it up to partygoers at 7pm. You got a free MVMCP pin at the gates. They offered free family photos which they would mail to your home within a week or two.

Now.... not only have prices gone UP, but they have increased the number of tickets sold so that it is MORE crowded. Free family pictures and pin are GONE. Day guests don't leave until the party starts, so you don't stroll into an empty Main Street with snow. Popular Christmas shows (Mickeys Night Before Christmas) are discontinued.

To me, this is just price gouging with a DEcrease in services (or magic) offered.

MVMCP is a tough one for me. No, the park doesn't close and reopen at 7pm. However, party guests are allowed in at 4pm, which means they get three hours of "regular day guest" time in the park before the party begins. Many families do not buy park hoppers, and so those extra three hours in the park are really appreciated, since folks without PHs can spend the day in one park and still get in several hours at MK before the party starts. Those folks see MVMCP as a value, for that reason.

Other folks (me among them, BTW) would prefer that Disney go back to the "close / re-open" strategy. But, as other threads on the DIS would attest, that's a minority opinion!

As for Mickey's Twas ... yes, it was discontinued. But Totally Tomorrowland Christmas opened in its place. You may not like the new show as much as the old show, but that's personal preference. I LOVE TTC, but then, Stitch is also my favorite character.

Still -- based on the cast size of the show (singers, dancers, characters), it's pretty much the same scope as Twas, and it has all new costumes, music and choreography. So it's not like they took out Twas and replaced it with a character greeting or a few extra sets of PUSH to save some cash. They took out a show and replaced it with a comparable (money-wise) show. So I'm not sure that can be called a decrease in value. If anything, it's a trade-out.

Whether it's a decrease in "magic" is subjective.

 

[flicx]

wasn't the reason related to several issues? A cm death (and some other lingering safety issues) and repeated guest complaints about people spitting and dropping water on others from up in the skyway buckets among them?
Not sure still don't like it!

Ten years at wdw. Less at dl.


Could you show the numbers, please? I'm curious as to how you're comparing year to year. For example, if disney removes an attraction, but opens a new show, is that a one-for-one or are you only talking rides? I'd love to see your numbers on how many attractions. I think some of us may be defining "attractions" differently when we think about this. Thanks!
just the new parks alone not going in count for how many.would really have to dig for the others though.i'll try looking though!

Yeah ... But i think many of us will agree that both dak and dca (and quite possibly dhs) need to be a little more "finished" before they start building something new. But to be fair ... Since dak opened, disney has also opened dca, disney studios paris, hong kong disneyland and two cruise ships. So it's not like they haven't opened anything new since then. They haven't opened a new park in florida. But the company is more than just florida.

the other parks should have no bearing on this.when i pay to go to disney world i am not buying the whole disney product line, so one should have nothing to do with the other!

 

[Donut23]

[/SIZE]

pssssst pot this is kettle ~ have you met?

Hello Ms Kettle!

It's a pleasure meeting you!

 

[yitbos96bb]

Hey All!
Brunette here. Okay, I'm a Disney freak, nut, etc. I'm obsessed with Walt Disney World. I love it there, so much that we go about 6 - 8 times a year. We are annual pass holders. But I'm getting alot of bad vibes as to what is really going on in the world and it's really starting to get me to wonder. Is Disney turning into a money machine, that is only interested in making a buck and forgetting about all it's fine customers/guests? Here is my reasoning, if you will:

Disney dining - They have increased all buffets services and lowered the quality of food, i.e. took off prime rib at Boma and a few other restaurants.

Disney CL Service - I've been reading that the food isn't what it used to be. Yet people pay a large premium for this. Food runs out and is not replenished etc.


Christmas attractions - Took away the lights at Epcot. It was just beautiful. It totally ruined the whole effect last Christmas season.

Nickel and Diming the guest - Holiday surcharges for buffets. Okay, I can understand Thanksgiving and Christmas. But Memorial Day through 4th of July too! It's just plain wrong.

Doubling the price of a stroller- Double stroller 1 1/2 years ago was $18.00 now it is over $30.00. If you multiply that by 7 days it's the price of a rent a car!

Ticket increases - Every August there is a ticket increase!

Brazilian groups- Extremely disruptive, rude, crass, and down right hazardous (blocking pathways), making loud noises outside of value hotel rooms in the early morning hours. There are 2-3 threads about this outrageous behavior, with hundreds of complaints from our DIS friends. Yet, Disney refuses to do anything about this.

With the economy in the tank, people out of jobs, it would seem that Disney shouldn't be this greedy, for a lack of a better word. I'm just starting to notice some of these ill effects taking place. This is just my observation.

Any thoughts?

Thanks all!
Brunette

Short answer... Yes.

Long answer addressing what you wrote...

1) None of the Disney food is what it used to be. I mean, it was never the greatest of any category, but I had far more meals I'd consider excellent and outstanding in the 90's than in the 2000's. They homogonized the menus to save money on ingredients and training. This is also the reasoning with the buffets.

2) Its been a couple of years since I have been during December, so I am not sure which lights you mean. But there are some that I wish they would have just ponied up for... or create new overlays. COuntry Bears comes to mind.

3) Yes they have mastered nickel and diming... more so than they used to. It's not going to change. Many of the high ups bonuses are tied to stock performance and business units have to maintain a certain level of profitability. This unfortunately is how the parks people have chosen to do it. If you really want to be disgusted, look at the ticket price history... The rate of growth has increased dramatically over the last 12 years... more so than the previous 17 years when Ticket books went away.

Brazilian Groups - You obviously never saw some of the groups behavior in the 1990's. There was all kinds of messed up stuff... linking arms of a mass of people and forming a moving wall... using bushes as bathrooms (and not just the obvious gender or business you'd assume)... going backstage... inappropriate behavior and clothing (or lack of) at the hotel pools... there were a ton of things. Disney cracked down on it and told the tour groups if they didn't keep them in line, Disney would revoke their status permanently. So now there are videos and such before they come to Disney that they have to watch. Don't get me wrong, they still suck... just not nearly as much.

Honestly, Disney doesn't balance the Value to Cost ratio like they used to. There is definitely a diminished value compared to the cost now than 10-15 years ago.

 

[Donut23]

Wasn't the reason related to several issues? A CM death (and some other lingering safety issues) and repeated guest complaints about people spitting and dropping water on others from up in the Skyway buckets among them?






Yeah ... but I think many of us will agree that both DAK and DCA (and quite possibly DHS) need to be a little more "finished" before they start building something new. But to be fair ... since DAK opened, Disney has also opened DCA, Disney Studios Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland and two cruise ships. So it's not like they haven't opened anything new since then. They haven't opened a new park in Florida. But the company is more than just Florida.

Even YOU have to admit Disney is FIXING California Adventure because they failed with the original design. If they had done it right the first time, the current construction project would be far less extensive AND expensive.

I can remember escaping from the crushing crowds of Disneyland and chilling out over in CA.....with no one around....and everything but CS closed. It should have been stinking busy!

Sure parks need updates.....but most of the southwest side of the park is being updated......because they didn't do it right the first time.

We love DL and didn't mind all of the construction when we were there last winter. It means DCA will have the attention it has long needed.

I WILL stay, the introduction of WOC is fantastic. I can't wait to see it in January.

 

[WDSearcher]

the other parks should have no bearing on this.when i pay to go to disney world i am not buying the whole disney product line, so one should have nothing to do with the other!

Maybe that's true. But it's not up to us.

Whether anyone wants it to or not, WDW doesn't exist in a vacuum. It is part of the Walt Disney Company. As such, it is part of the WDC overall strategy, and it draws its funds from the same big pool that everything else does. For many years right after 9/11, the Disney theme parks survived because the movie studios were doing well and they were able to somewhat 'subsidize' the theme park division. When the film division does badly, that division is bucked up by ESPN. You may not like it, but it's how the company is set up.

WDW gets its turn for updates and new builds just the same way every other Disney park does. And I don't think that's going to change any time soon.

 

[WDSearcher]

Hello Ms Kettle!

It's a pleasure meeting you!

Hey! I thought I was Kettle!

Oh ... wait. I'm the dead horse. Sorry.

 

[WDSearcher]

Even YOU have to admit Disney is FIXING California Adventure because they failed with the original design. If they had done it right the first time, the current construction project would be far less extensive AND expensive.

Oh God yes ... totally agree! But we unfortunately can't go back and fix that. Thank goodness they're fixing it now, though, don't you think?

I can remember escaping from the crushing crowds of Disneyland and chilling out over in CA.....with no one around....and everything but CS closed. It should have been stinking busy!

I know ... I'm going to miss the chill out vibe of DCA -- sitting there, glass of wine, terrace to myself, walking onto Soarin' with a five minute wait. Ah ...

I WILL stay, the introduction of WOC is fantastic. I can't wait to see it in January.

It was pretty amazing. I saw it opening week. The photos and videos definitely do not do it justice.