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

[lovealatte]

Maybe there's more reasoning behind why they haven't switched to the air dryers. The toilets are automatic flush, and we've all heard how many kids are scared by them. The dryers are super loud, maybe Disney thinks some kids would be afraid.

 

[brunette8706]

There's the "hands down" comment. (remember the g2g).

I have to agree with you about the Flame Tree. We have gone there at least a half dozen times and they were always very good. This past time in August and I was disappointed. Perhaps it was a bad week.

*
Yeah, not sure what is going on with the Flametree.

Another issue on the the restaurant board, people were complaining how much the food at the restaurants were going through the roof. People are paying much more (i.e. PRIMETIME Cafe, meatloaf, potatos and veggie), people were stating the meatloaf was the size of a deck of cards. I mean come on Disney how much could meatloaf cost? When we were there the serving of the mashed potato's were the size of a golfball. Yet, the price was $17.00 plus tax and tip. We will be going back in January and I will tell you we will be going to maybe one sit down dinner and will bring sandwiches in for lunch. I truly believe Disney is no longer a value when it comes to eating at their Table Service.

Yes HANDS DOWN comment. I'll never forget it!

 

[Princess Janay]

Like most here I have sat back an watched as my precious WDW has slowly gone down hill. I completely agree with why they haven't put air hand dryers in.My DD thought she was going to get sucked into the toliet . . . on more than one ocassion.

 

[GiGi30]

Maybe there's more reasoning behind why they haven't switched to the air dryers. The toilets are automatic flush, and we've all heard how many kids are scared by them. The dryers are super loud, maybe Disney thinks some kids would be afraid.

My kids HATE the loud toilets. I guess its their way of keeping stop-ups from happening! MAJOR suction!

 

[GoldieSaysMeep]

We did the DDP (with the TS meals) for the first time and my only complaint is that you have to make ADR's and then plan your trip around that. From now on we'll keep doing the regular CS dining plan, I like that one. It'll come in handy for the F&W festival with 2 snack coupons per day.

I agree. DB & his family are going to WDW for the first time in a few months and told me their ADRs. They have 3 TS meals a day on the DDP. They are literally spending their entire vacation eating...

I love food. I'm a food snob. I admit I'm annoyed with the quality of WDW dining lately but I still have a few hold out spots for interesting fare. I'd never do the DDP though. It's just two of us and I don't want to have to plan my life around when and where I eat.

 

[yellowshell]

Disney is really cannot be replaced for the unique happy time and the happy memory it brings to us. However, not every one can afford an Disney ticket.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

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[Planogirl]

You need to removed your link in your signature. It's repulsive and disgusting.

Hello moderators. Please remove this person with the porn/sex link!!!

How did you catch that in this huge thread? Did you report it?

 

[brunette8706]

Hi Planogirl! Unbelievable! Why some people would bring this to a G rated site is beyond comprehension.

Hope you and everyone here had a Great Christmas and overall GREAT HOLIDAYS! Another year has gone by. Will be going back to Walt Disney World January 5th! Whooo Hooo!

I have been reading a lot on the boards lately, and it seems that there are quite of things that have gone by the wayside. It's very unfortunate.

If you look at the Dining board, you can read about all the Table Service that has been in decline there is a thread about the California Grill that has gone downhill. It's a shame, because this has been a GREAT restaurant. But, on the other hand maybe that was just one incident from the hundreds of dishes they serve weekly. Not sure.

There are issues with buffets that are really getting skyhigh. Boma, for example is now $40.00 per adult PLUS gratuity! They have outpriced themselves in my opinion and we will no longer go there. Again, it's a shame.

The decorations have been cut back also. But, I will say the castly looks absolutely stunning as usual and the Osbourne light show is magnificent as usual, so that's a good thing.

There were also other complaints about merchandise in Epcot. The merchandise is more general and they have taken away the countries ethnic merchandise and replaced it with general Disney stuff. I think this was in Germany but other countries could follow suit.

All in all Disney is a great place to visit. Very clean, a lot of fun, but they just keep chipping away at it. Between the prices, holiday decorations, food it's a wonder they'll still be in business.

Any other thoughts?

Thanks all!

Brunette

 

[brunette8706]

You need to removed your link in your signature. It's repulsive and disgusting.

Hello moderators. Please remove this person with the porn/sex link!!!

*
Hi KYCruiseCrazy-

Thanks for catching that. It looks liike the post has been removed.

Brunette

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

We just got back before Christmas and these are a few things we noticed from our 2008 Christmas trip. There was noticeable amount of LESS Christmas decorations at the parks!! DHS is known as Tinseltown right? Where is all of the tinsel? Seemed like there was a lot less decorations at DHS. And no doubt about it, way less decorations at Epcot.

In the words of ESPN Monday Night Football, Come on Man!! At the same time, not only was WDW less decorated, so was the normally decorated areas in my town. A lot less homes were less or not even decorated. I guess it just shows the sign of the times. I know we put up less decorations. Even had someone steal 2 of our decorations.

I'll show with photo's of MGM and Epcot from 2005, 2008 and 2010.

MGM 2005

DHS 2008

DHS 2010 - See all of the jackets It's Florida in Dec. Come on Man!!

2005 Epcot

2008 Epcot - This was the tree after what we saw in 2005

2010 Epcot

It was Christmasy at the resorts, the parks for sure (even though there is less decorations). Service is still "Out of this world" (Thank you Richard!! AKV). Dinner at CP wasn't worth the $32.99 we paid for dinner. The selections were less then the past. Breakfast was still great at CM and CP. Dinner at Le Cellier was amazing as always. We saw a guest get an under cooked steak and they fixed it right away.

And our first dinner at Tutto Italia was the best we ever had for service at a WDW restaurant. The service he was down right amazing. Fabio was a great CM and we thanked him for the singing in Italian to use for our Anniversary.

Another note, we noticed a lot less winnie the pooh and friends antenna balls. It seemed like to use there was less selection in area's. Build your own bags of taffy at MK. How much does it really cost for a balloon at MK? I was next to a CM selling them for $8, $10 and $15. I know it doesn't cost that much to fill a balloon. We did also notice that there were long waits for a bus to and from AK to AKL/AKV. How hard is it to keep 1 or 2 buses for those resorts?

Even with all of the extra Sheriff's and State police cars patrolling the roads around WDW property, most of the people were still driving 10+ MPH over the limit. HEY PEOPLE DRIVING CARS, your on vacation right? Why rush to get everything done in 1 day at the park you are going to?. Relax dude!!

Just my quarters worth. We still love WDW and will continue to return. Thanks

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

How did you catch that in this huge thread? Did you report it?

You bet I reported it. There is enough "sex" on TV as it is. We don't need it here too.
I love to look at "earning my ears" posters and see who is going on vacation and when. We are planning a July trip and looking for reports. I just noticed the Name on the link. I clicked on it and . I'm a still guy. but what if it was your 5 y.o. just clicking the mouse. I've heard of enough stories. I'm also a reader. Some people love to read books. I used to hang out reading as a kid at the library.

I bet some of ours kids out there haven't been to a library outside of a school one.

 

[Pirate Jeff]

There's the "hands down" comment. (remember the g2g).

I have to agree with you about the Flame Tree. We have gone there at least a half dozen times and they were always very good. This past time in August and I was disappointed. Perhaps it was a bad week.

Well I just got back and went to the Trails End Buffet for the first time since they changed lunch to ala carte. The dinner price seems to have gone down as it is only $22.95 and includes Prime Rib and the best fried chicken around!

Hands Down the BEST!!!

 

[Q-man]

We saw a new type of hand dryer somewhere. I can't think of where... But you stick your hands into this partially enclosed area and warm air blows from all directions. My hands were almost instantly dry.

DysonAirBlade

 

[buffettgirl]

DysonAirBlade

they have these at the public restroom near the lobby in Shades of Green.

it's ...really neat. lol.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

DW and I were discussing this on one of our recent dog walks. Something feels different. The food feels like it has changed, which led us to try the Swolphin establishments this past trip. We'll be deleting a couple of traditional Disney places to make room to return to Shula's and Il Mulino in the future. The CM's seem top quality still, but the souvenirs don't seem as interesting or unique. The prices to stay where we'd like have risen to a point where WDW is pricing themselves out of the market, unless you have a discount. The value to cost ratio has changed. Given that we've vacationed at WDW or DCL every fall since 2005, including b2b on DCL this fall, Disney has us hooked. But I see us taking 2012 off, and possibly longer.

 

[Melissa8905]

The one thing that I've noticed over the past decade at WDW, is there are some Cast Members who should NOT be working there. Rude, curt and/or incommunicative CM's should not be tolerated at WDW. I've experienced the bad CM's mostly at Hollywood Studios, and perhaps a few times at Animal Kingdom. That being said, the CM's who do their jobs well (truly the majority of CM's) really make our vacations magical.

 

[disneyphilip]

Has anybody seen a decrease in ride quality?

2005 brought us Everest, and that's the only new E-Ticket ride to be built as an original Disney attraction. Everything since then has been brought over from another park or has been lame. Rides like the Nemo thing at EPCOT are just throwaways--its a short, rehashed dark ride used as a marketing strategy. Also, things like Stitch! are evicting solid, original rides for the sake of milking the Disney characters for all they're worth. And don't get me started on Monsters Inc Laugh Floor--why is that in Tomorrowland???

The FE sounds like it'd be a good idea, but it seems like its just a bunch of meet and greets (again, milking their characters) with no real creativity. Just another aspect of it...

Sorry, BuckeyeGuy, but I completely disagree.


Also, if any of you think that certain things at WDW are going downhill, do any of you actually write letters or emails to the resort or stop by Guest Relations in the parks to make your voices heard? Those are the only ways to get change to come to WDW.

 

[soulmates]

Nope, not at all. I think Disney World continues to find ways to make our stay magical. Each trip outdoes the former. There will always be a bad experience here and there. What some consider bad others only see as a minor bump in the road. I go there with the understanding that people are people, and that includes DW. There will always be someone having a bad day. I choose to NOT let that affect my vacation. This attitude serves me well, as ALL my DW trips are phenomenal!

 

[Luv2CtheMouse]

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.

AGREED!!!

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.


AGREED! This is absolutely ridiculous, but I dont think this has anything to do with cutting back. Though the true roots of Christmas/December 25th have nothing to do with Jesus, fairy tales over the years have led people to retell the tale and they see it a Christian holiday. Disney is very much about being PC and therefore I think they are trying not to do overkill for Christmas.

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.

This would not be a big deal if they were not laying people off and cutting back on quality of food.

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!

I am sorry, but this does not bother me. If it reduces the number of strollers in the park, I say $80 a day is great. Maybe that is what Disney is after - trying to keep the 7 year olds out of the strollers.

Ticket increases - Every August there is a ticket increase!

Agreed.

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.

While I agree that they are obnoxious and rude, so is Pop Warner. Disney is a business and wants to make money. They cannot control the actions of people. They should do a better job of making them "behave" in the park.

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