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

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I'm not going to pretend that I read the other 190 pages of this thread. :goodvibes

We just got back & while crowds were heavier than expected & the buses were crowded we had an excellent time. MNSSHP was good, aside from working our way through the crowd to get from one place to another. Still, it was no July.

Food was very good everywhere we ate, CM's were all highly professional & pleasant (aside from a couple, but you gotta expect it. They're human), the hotel was beautiful (even though our toilet was a bidet). The parks/hotels still feel safe.

I went there not expecting it to be perfect & it wasn't. But I loved it & had a great time. :lovestruc To me, it hasn't gone downhill. I think people expect too much because Disney built that expectation up themselves.
 
You know another thread on here summed up my position on disney the last five or more years.It was called strategy shifting at WDW.The writer chronicled what was done during each decade at disney and the last one was the poorest by the numbers.He even mentioned that disney was trying to milk everything they could out of what they have[.I found it very interesting to see what many of us have been saying now in print.Alot of people say disney pays no attention to these boards,that may be true.Now however an article from a newspaper may get there attention!:thumbsup2

Eventually the sacred cow goes dry and stops giving. That's what happens when you over milk it and greed does not allow you to recognize it until it is/almost too late.

Greed has taken over. I was amazed that the rack rate for a GF room that I paid just under $200.00 a night is now going for close to $600.00. And even then they are giving a 35-40% discount. When you price right you don't have to give discounts. When WDW first opened there were no discounts !!!! You paid a fair price for high service.
 
- there will be butts in seats at those tables whether the food is great or not. If not yours, someone else's. As long as they can manage to not piss you off entirely, or poison you, they'll fill those seats.

Do you work for the government?
 
I have skimmed this LONG thread and here is my 2 cents...

My last trip was in 2008, but I'm off twice in 2012 so I'll probably be better equipped to "judge" then but the Orlando area has been one of the hardest hit in the entire US.

I think a lot of UK visitors notice the price hikes because there has been a drop in the £ to $ conversion and they have not seen the general hike in prices that is widespread across the US. Although I'm from the UK, I travel to the US fairly regularly (because my wife is American) and there has been a massive increase in prices across the board.

I find it hard to believe that there is a HUGE drop in standards at Disney. Some CM are probably not as "magical" as they were because their lives are not as "sunshine and roses" because of the economy. A lot of them are probably struggling.
 

I have skimmed this LONG thread and here is my 2 cents...

My last trip was in 2008, but I'm off twice in 2012 so I'll probably be better equipped to "judge" then but the Orlando area has been one of the hardest hit in the entire US.

I think a lot of UK visitors notice the price hikes because there has been a drop in the £ to $ conversion and they have not seen the general hike in prices that is widespread across the US. Although I'm from the UK, I travel to the US fairly regularly (because my wife is American) and there has been a massive increase in prices across the board.

I find it hard to believe that there is a HUGE drop in standards at Disney. Some CM are probably not as "magical" as they were because their lives are not as "sunshine and roses" because of the economy. A lot of them are probably struggling.


Do keep in mind if you haven't since 08, then you haven't been since their big layoffs in 09.

Asking people to do more with less, and all with a smile on their face...... is a tall order.
 
Disney is getting greedy!

They keep building hotels and Vacation Clubs but the Magic Kingdom (which everyone wants to visit) can only hold so many guests. I know they have built Animal Kingdom and Studios but those are one day parks. It's MK and Epcot that people go to see and the crowds are really getting out of hand. This was a school week and we pulled the kids out, expecting it to be less crowded. The lack of US tourists was made up by the number of Foreign tourists.

The food used to be fabulous - now it's lacking a lot:

The food at the Aloha Show at the Polynesian was unedible. The kids took a couple of bites and refused to eat any more. I had one bite each of the rice, the chicken and the ribs and decided it wasn't worth the calories. The dessert presentation was great with flaming volcanoes, but the acutual dessert was this triangular gelatenous glob of mystery food. It was not sweet and again it was a one bite and done. We were near the kitchen and I saw the servers bringing back tray upon tray of barely eaten food and desserts.

The Crystal Palace had a severe ant issue. They were everywhere -- the window sill, on the table, crawling on the dishes at the buffet. We did not finish our dinner due to them and did not get dessert. To add insult to injury we only had 2 characters stop by. All that money for nothing. We called over the manager and she smiled and said she'd call the exterminator that evening, but no offer of a refund.

Quick service in the park was limited to burgers, italian sub, pizza, hot dog. After three days of this, I did a Walmart run and got the fixings for sandwiches as well as insulated bags and freeze its.
Columbia Harbour House serves a couple of nice sandwiches and Cosmic Ray's has some variety but I agree for the most part. Food offerings are limited and mediocre.
 
This is an interesting thread, to be sure. Epic, but interesting.

It's very easy to draw what seem to be reasonable conclusions based on one's individual expereince, or that of friends and relatives, etc., at the consumer level. These conclusions may be wrong in their assesment of Disney's strategic thinking, decision making, or motivation - but they're important in the sense that they will affect behavior - as in "Disney is being greedy, and I'm voting with my dollars". So I get it.

I personally don't feel very qualified to make a statement such as "Disney has huge profit margins". Such a statement, made out of context, means nothing. "Record profits" is similarly meaningless...it's so often aimed at oil companies as some evidence of evil greed.

Economic behavior is ultimately rational and predictable. In industries like oil and gas - and in the entertainment and theme park industry - there must be continuous investment and reinvestment in innovation, research, development, and maintenance on an absolutely MASSIVE scale. Operating "profit" margins are higher, but so are capital expenses and operational costs; "record profits" in a given year are almost always offset by reinvestment in future periods. The Fantasyland expansion isn't being funded by the federal government.

I don't mean to present a business lecture - only to illustrate that the consumer perspective is rarely the best one to evaluate what a business is up to, right, wrong, benevolent...or evil.

As a publicly held corporation, Disney is in business for one reason: TO MAXIMIZE VALUE FOR THEIR SHAREHOLDERS. Everything they do for us, right down to the towel animals, is about that. To be bluntly cynical, "Magic" is simply a way to lock in your future dollars. That's why those commercials depict it so well, and why my wife and I always cave and spring for a return trip six months earlier than we promised each other when we came home from the last one.

And btw - as many here have pointed out - dining quality suffers for the same reason restaurants tend to suck more in ANY tourist location - there will be butts in seats at those tables whether the food is great or not. If not yours, someone else's. As long as they can manage to not piss you off entirely, or poison you, they'll fill those seats.
:thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup2
 
Columbia Harbour House serves a couple of nice sandwiches and Cosmic Ray's has some variety but I agree for the most part. Food offerings are limited and mediocre.

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I do think more and more people on the DIS are complaining about Disney. Between, the crowds, the disappointment in the MNSSHP, Christmas decorations (lack of), food offerings have been cut, attractions have been on the decline and not maintained, ticket prices going up, some resorts are not up to PAR, monorail hours have been cut etc. It used to be one or two complaints but now it's nearly one complaint thread a day, or so it seems. Disney needs to make some changes like NOW.

Next Question, what exactly is the Disney Difference? Has it faded, is it still around? I don't think so in my opinion.

Brunette
 
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I do think more and more people on the DIS are complaining about Disney. Between, the crowds, the disappointment in the MNSSHP, Christmas decorations (lack of), food offerings have been cut, attractions have been on the decline and not maintained, ticket prices going up, some resorts are not up to PAR, monorail hours have been cut etc. It used to be one or two complaints but now it's nearly one complaint thread a day, or so it seems. Disney needs to make some changes like NOW.

Next Question, what exactly is the Disney Difference? Has it faded, is it still around? I don't think so in my opinion.

Brunette

Hey, Brunette! Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, so I have a few minutes to respond.

I think that on here the posters that are voicing concern are not representative of the larger guest population. We talk about this on the DVC boards often - we are not representative of the larger Disney population at all, so you can't extrapolate that across the over 50 million people who visit WDW yearly, and ascertain that it means most guests are unhappy. On the contrary, most guests are very happy, and that is exactly why WDW has, and will continue to pull services, offer subpar food/service and less maintenance.

The first/only timers will hardly, if ever, notice any of these as concerns like we all do, as we all have been there multiple times, stayed at many resorts, and eaten at pretty much most food places, so tons of comparison and ability to see a decline over the years.

So it's funny to me when people come on our monster thread here and say, I haven't read the whole thread, but I just returned from my first trip to Disney, and it was great, so you all must be complainers! Or something to that effect...No, when you have basis for comparison, as we've talked about many times on this thread, your perspective on the subject will be different.

Which brings me to your new question - are you going to start a new thread about it?

I will answer it briefly - we have experienced or noticed the Disney difference lots of times in our many, many trips. There are different levels of "difference" in my opinion.

We have been the receipient of amazing Disney customer service and caring, most recently in August when we had to cancel our entire trip due to hubby's illness (which I posted about on the boards). They not only cancelled everything for me, but returned DVC points, and paid to have items that I had shipped ahead returned to me in Canada. They did all of this out of the goodness of their hearts...so the Disney difference is alive in special circumstances, as as we have experienced it over the years.

I won't discuss any longer, should you decide to start a new thread, but I do see the Disney difference in other areas, but I have seen a bit of a decline in other areas though.

Happy Monday morning to all. As always, a pleasure to chat with you, Tiger :)
 
Hey, Brunette! Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, so I have a few minutes to respond.

I think that on here the posters that are voicing concern are not representative of the larger guest population. We talk about this on the DVC boards often - we are not representative of the larger Disney population at all, so you can't extrapolate that across the over 50 million people who visit WDW yearly, and ascertain that it means most guests are unhappy. On the contrary, most guests are very happy, and that is exactly why WDW has, and will continue to pull services, offer subpar food/service and less maintenance.

The first/only timers will hardly, if ever, notice any of these as concerns like we all do, as we all have been there multiple times, stayed at many resorts, and eaten at pretty much most food places, so tons of comparison and ability to see a decline over the years.

So it's funny to me when people come on our monster thread here and say, I haven't read the whole thread, but I just returned from my first trip to Disney, and it was great, so you all must be complainers! Or something to that effect...No, when you have basis for comparison, as we've talked about many times on this thread, your perspective on the subject will be different.

Which brings me to your new question - are you going to start a new thread about it?

I will answer it briefly - we have experienced or noticed the Disney difference lots of times in our many, many trips. There are different levels of "difference" in my opinion.

We have been the receipient of amazing Disney customer service and caring, most recently in August when we had to cancel our entire trip due to hubby's illness (which I posted about on the boards). They not only cancelled everything for me, but returned DVC points, and paid to have items that I had shipped ahead returned to me in Canada. They did all of this out of the goodness of their hearts...so the Disney difference is alive in special circumstances, as as we have experienced it over the years.

I won't discuss any longer, should you decide to start a new thread, but I do see the Disney difference in other areas, but I have seen a bit of a decline in other areas though.

Happy Monday morning to all. As always, a pleasure to chat with you, Tiger :)

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
For us Disney difference is a WOW factor in service.
When I stayed off site I loved resort but they refused to give me key even 10 min before check in time, totally different story at Disney.
It is all about details and little things when you usually do not see them from others.
On the other hand when service getting lower and excuse is " others do the same", it is difficult not to wonder where all the difference gone. For us big disappointment was when I had to walk at night to the front desk to finally catch manager and finally get rollaway bed because all my calls in the middle of the night did not work and I did requested bed at check in. Another disappointment was when I had to hunt mousekeeping for 2 days as she kept hanging bag on our door at around 10 AM. Made me wonder why exactly do I stay onsite if I can have same problems paying less.
 
Hey, Brunette! Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, so I have a few minutes to respond.

I think that on here the posters that are voicing concern are not representative of the larger guest population. We talk about this on the DVC boards often - we are not representative of the larger Disney population at all, so you can't extrapolate that across the over 50 million people who visit WDW yearly, and ascertain that it means most guests are unhappy. On the contrary, most guests are very happy, and that is exactly why WDW has, and will continue to pull services, offer subpar food/service and less maintenance.

The first/only timers will hardly, if ever, notice any of these as concerns like we all do, as we all have been there multiple times, stayed at many resorts, and eaten at pretty much most food places, so tons of comparison and ability to see a decline over the years.

So it's funny to me when people come on our monster thread here and say, I haven't read the whole thread, but I just returned from my first trip to Disney, and it was great, so you all must be complainers! Or something to that effect...No, when you have basis for comparison, as we've talked about many times on this thread, your perspective on the subject will be different.

Which brings me to your new question - are you going to start a new thread about it?

I will answer it briefly - we have experienced or noticed the Disney difference lots of times in our many, many trips. There are different levels of "difference" in my opinion.

We have been the receipient of amazing Disney customer service and caring, most recently in August when we had to cancel our entire trip due to hubby's illness (which I posted about on the boards). They not only cancelled everything for me, but returned DVC points, and paid to have items that I had shipped ahead returned to me in Canada. They did all of this out of the goodness of their hearts...so the Disney difference is alive in special circumstances, as as we have experienced it over the years.

I won't discuss any longer, should you decide to start a new thread, but I do see the Disney difference in other areas, but I have seen a bit of a decline in other areas though.

Happy Monday morning to all. As always, a pleasure to chat with you, Tiger :)

I agree 100%, I call it seeing behind the curtain. One issue that saddens me is Disney reducing the ability for CM's to make magic. I have been told by a couple of CM's that in the past they were given the latitude to make Guests feel special should the need arise. Now I'm told that it's a much more involved process that requires a supervisors approval.

:earsboy: Bill
 
Hey, Brunette! Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, so I have a few minutes to respond.

I think that on here the posters that are voicing concern are not representative of the larger guest population. We talk about this on the DVC boards often - we are not representative of the larger Disney population at all, so you can't extrapolate that across the over 50 million people who visit WDW yearly, and ascertain that it means most guests are unhappy. On the contrary, most guests are very happy, and that is exactly why WDW has, and will continue to pull services, offer subpar food/service and less maintenance.

The first/only timers will hardly, if ever, notice any of these as concerns like we all do, as we all have been there multiple times, stayed at many resorts, and eaten at pretty much most food places, so tons of comparison and ability to see a decline over the years.

So it's funny to me when people come on our monster thread here and say, I haven't read the whole thread, but I just returned from my first trip to Disney, and it was great, so you all must be complainers! Or something to that effect...No, when you have basis for comparison, as we've talked about many times on this thread, your perspective on the subject will be different.

Which brings me to your new question - are you going to start a new thread about it?

I will answer it briefly - we have experienced or noticed the Disney difference lots of times in our many, many trips. There are different levels of "difference" in my opinion.

We have been the receipient of amazing Disney customer service and caring, most recently in August when we had to cancel our entire trip due to hubby's illness (which I posted about on the boards). They not only cancelled everything for me, but returned DVC points, and paid to have items that I had shipped ahead returned to me in Canada. They did all of this out of the goodness of their hearts...so the Disney difference is alive in special circumstances, as as we have experienced it over the years.

I won't discuss any longer, should you decide to start a new thread, but I do see the Disney difference in other areas, but I have seen a bit of a decline in other areas though.

Happy Monday morning to all. As always, a pleasure to chat with you, Tiger :)
You make a good point when you mention that we aren't typical here. What do the masses think?

Most people that I know have gone to WDW at some point. A few loved it, a few hated it :eek: and most enjoyed it but don't seem to be particularly passionate about it. I don't know if my unscientific findings really mean anything but I do suspect that most people like the place just fine but aren't quite like the people here. I would imagine that those casual travelers don't expect as much to begin with and don't feel as bothered by some of these things either.
 
I agree 100%, I call it seeing behind the curtain. One issue that saddens me is Disney reducing the ability for CM's to make magic. I have been told by a couple of CM's that in the past they were given the latitude to make Guests feel special should the need arise. Now I'm told that it's a much more involved process that requires a supervisors approval.

:earsboy: Bill

I totally agree with the CM magic comment, and this could be a decline in Disney magic, as Brunette mentioned.

When I think back to different problems or mishaps we've had over the years, the response from CM's has changed, and I would agree that they are less able to make magic happen on a more regular basis. In the past, we've been given items for free, had gifts sent to our room from resort staff, and been given freebies in the parks for mishaps such as broken attractions, long character lines or misinformation. Now that I think about it, we've had some of the same things happen, with sometimes not even an apology, nevermind a freebie. Never expected anything for free, but in the past, we have been gifted items by CMs, but not anymore, despite the exact same mishaps happening. Tightening up, I'm sure...


You make a good point when you mention that we aren't typical here. What do the masses think?

Most people that I know have gone to WDW at some point. A few loved it, a few hated it :eek: and most enjoyed it but don't seem to be particularly passionate about it. I don't know if my unscientific findings really mean anything but I do suspect that most people like the place just fine but aren't quite like the people here. I would imagine that those casual travelers don't expect as much to begin with and don't feel as bothered by some of these things either.

Well, it would depend upon a variety of factors:

1. Did those travellers want to visit? If no, and forced on a family trip, they more than likely won't enjoy it, and this shouldn't be a reflection on Disney.

2. People who aren't passionate about it, may go 1x to say they've visited Disney, and that's it, as they want to see the world. I know people like this - they had no problems on their trip, and spoke highly about WDW, but that will be their only trip as they have a whole world to explore.

First/only timers are interesting...we've spoken to many on our trips, and planned trips for several as well. I find if they go with a magic and wonderfilled mind, then they really enjoy WDW, and some want to go back, but if they go because they have to, then they don't enjoy it as much, and it really has nothing to do with anything bad or problematic that happened on their trip. Not once in any conversation that I've had post-vacation, have they mentioned things like: paint chipping, bad food, lack of maintenance, etc. I'm sure none of them even noticed these things, as they were busy on vacation.

As you said, casual travellers don't notice the details as much, as they are only there for a short time, and maybe won't ever be there again. Us regulars, especially us DVC members, have lots invested in Disney, so we approach things differently. We have seen problem areas or concerns, and speak out about it, so as to gain future improvements or enhancements in a place that we love, or really, really like. :lovestruc

Tiger
 
The thing is if disney turns more and more like a six flags,which by the way as they lose magic they risk becoming.Then I fear for their future.Lets not lose sight of the fact that six flags went bankrupt and cost their share holders a pile of money.Now I know many will say that they aren't even close.I say by the last 5 years they are alot closer. I know this much, little things leave an impression on people and help bring them back, even if it costs a little more.Now if you jack prices ,lower quality,and don't install new attractions at near the pace as before it does not bode well.The whole problem as I see it is the more people who get the eh it was alright but nothing great expierience the more future customers they lose.You know they are still trying to sell time share so I am quite sure they are indeed interested in repeat customers.
 
Hey, Brunette! Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, so I have a few minutes to respond.

I think that on here the posters that are voicing concern are not representative of the larger guest population. We talk about this on the DVC boards often - we are not representative of the larger Disney population at all, so you can't extrapolate that across the over 50 million people who visit WDW yearly, and ascertain that it means most guests are unhappy. On the contrary, most guests are very happy, and that is exactly why WDW has, and will continue to pull services, offer subpar food/service and less maintenance.

The first/only timers will hardly, if ever, notice any of these as concerns like we all do, as we all have been there multiple times, stayed at many resorts, and eaten at pretty much most food places, so tons of comparison and ability to see a decline over the years.

So it's funny to me when people come on our monster thread here and say, I haven't read the whole thread, but I just returned from my first trip to Disney, and it was great, so you all must be complainers! Or something to that effect...No, when you have basis for comparison, as we've talked about many times on this thread, your perspective on the subject will be different.

Which brings me to your new question - are you going to start a new thread about it?

I will answer it briefly - we have experienced or noticed the Disney difference lots of times in our many, many trips. There are different levels of "difference" in my opinion.

We have been the receipient of amazing Disney customer service and caring, most recently in August when we had to cancel our entire trip due to hubby's illness (which I posted about on the boards). They not only cancelled everything for me, but returned DVC points, and paid to have items that I had shipped ahead returned to me in Canada. They did all of this out of the goodness of their hearts...so the Disney difference is alive in special circumstances, as as we have experienced it over the years.

I won't discuss any longer, should you decide to start a new thread, but I do see the Disney difference in other areas, but I have seen a bit of a decline in other areas though.

Happy Monday morning to all. As always, a pleasure to chat with you, Tiger :)

*

Happy Thanksgiving Tiger! :)
I agree first timers and newbies do not have a comparison of the older days, incidentally the older days meaning 5 years ago and later. Maybe the other 50 million people do like/love Disney as do we. We still love it but there are problems and I believe they are getting worse.

For instance Ohana, service is sub par, menu has changed and they RUSH you IN and send food offerings to your table before you even finsihed the first entree. It used to be a great place to go. In my opinion it has declined. Now that's just one restaurant, there are a few others have been on the decline also with lack of menu items and quality food.

Another big issue is the monorail service being limited. This in my opinion will be a biggie even for the newbie/first timer. I would think when the person books a monorail resort they would think that they would have USE of the monorail during all theme park hours. I bet there has been complaints about this.

It looks like there has been a lot of complaints about the Mickey Parties, ticket prices have risen, while at the same time, they are reducing candy, decorations, etc.

There has been numerous complaints about premiere resorts. The Grand Floridian a few rooms that were sub par ( a DISER posted about this with pictures). The Polynesian had it's own issues too. These are issues that should not happen since people are paying a premium for this. Even if people are staying in the values it still should be a AAA average rating. Some of these rooms are not. Also, as mentioned earlier by KELLYNY there was issues with getting cot bed for the room even though their were numerous calls placed. This should not happen. Same with housekeeping. Maybe Disney needs to train some not all CMs mousekeeping better. Things are certainly slipping.

But once again, you are right, the 50 million visitors a year (the new ones anyway) will probably not see a difference, because they do not have anything to compare it to. Again, within the last year there has been more and more complaints on the DIS board than I have ever seen....

I will say, that Disney is ALWAYS clean, it's always FUN and it's just enjoyable. They do have problems though, and it's not getting better. I believe the Disney Difference has been tarnished....
 
The thing is if disney turns more and more like a six flags,which by the way as they lose magic they risk becoming.Then I fear for their future.Lets not lose sight of the fact that six flags went bankrupt and cost their share holders a pile of money.Now I know many will say that they aren't even close.I say by the last 5 years they are alot closer. I know this much, little things leave an impression on people and help bring them back, even if it costs a little more.Now if you jack prices ,lower quality,and don't install new attractions at near the pace as before it does not bode well.The whole problem as I see it is the more people who get the eh it was alright but nothing great expierience the more future customers they lose.You know they are still trying to sell time share so I am quite sure they are indeed interested in repeat customers.

I've read each of your replies in this thread, so I know you are very passionate about your position that Disney is in trouble, but I will disagree that Disney can be equated to a bankrupt theme park. Disney has so far to go before that would even be a possibility.

By the way, the Fantastyland expansion is pretty huge, and that is going to bring a ton of new guests over the next few years.

And, DVC is bigger now than ever before. We have more DVC members at this time, then ever, so repeat customers aren't a problem from the DVC perspective. Rumored to be building a new DVC at Grand Floridian too.

Just as I've mentioned this whole thread, we as DIS members are not representative of the larger Disney guest. Every person I know who has gone to Disney or goes every few years, loves it. They find no faults and have no concerns, and the parks are full of this kind of guest.

Disney's numbers were up a bit last quarter, so things are going ok for them from a business perspective. The few of us who have concerns or complaints are not the regular Disney guest.

Tiger
 
I've read each of your replies in this thread, so I know you are very passionate about your position that Disney is in trouble, but I will disagree that Disney can be equated to a bankrupt theme park. Disney has so far to go before that would even be a possibility.

By the way, the Fantastyland expansion is pretty huge, and that is going to bring a ton of new guests over the next few years.

And, DVC is bigger now than ever before. We have more DVC members at this time, then ever, so repeat customers aren't a problem from the DVC perspective. Rumored to be building a new DVC at Grand Floridian too.

Just as I've mentioned this whole thread, we as DIS members are not representative of the larger Disney guest. Every person I know who has gone to Disney or goes every few years, loves it. They find no faults and have no concerns, and the parks are full of this kind of guest.

Disney's numbers were up a bit last quarter, so things are going ok for them from a business perspective. The few of us who have concerns or complaints are not the regular Disney guest.

Tiger

I respectfully disagree with you that Dis members aren't a representative of the larger disney guest.Quite a few DVC owners on here.It is a candid reflection on lots of peoples opinions on the park.Granted a small window but a window none the less.I too have friends who go to disney and the opinions are mixed.My take on the disney is in trouble is refering to the way the management has been going for the past 5 to 10 years.If the current trends continue(5yr trend) I feel they will price themselves out of the game and become very ordinary in the theme park industry.Gonna be interseting to see as legoland soon opens in florida too,another competitor in the theme park war.Lets not forget how the exchange rate for Europe has also favored disney,what happens if that suddenly changes? My point is you can't continue to go the way they have been.I want them to change before irrepairable damage is done!Did you read the article I mentioned in another post(WDW strategy shifting)?Apparently us disers aren't the only ones who are noticing the changes!
 
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Happy Thanksgiving Tiger! :)
I agree first timers and newbies do not have a comparison of the older days, incidentally the older days meaning 5 years ago and later. Maybe the other 50 million people do like/love Disney as do we. We still love it but there are problems and I believe they are getting worse.

For instance Ohana, service is sub par, menu has changed and they RUSH you IN and send food offerings to your table before you even finsihed the first entree. It used to be a great place to go. In my opinion it has declined. Now that's just one restaurant, there are a few others have been on the decline also with lack of menu items and quality food.

Another big issue is the monorail service being limited. This in my opinion will be a biggie even for the newbie/first timer. I would think when the person books a monorail resort they would think that they would have USE of the monorail during all theme park hours. I bet there has been complaints about this.

It looks like there has been a lot of complaints about the Mickey Parties, ticket prices have risen, while at the same time, they are reducing candy, decorations, etc.

There has been numerous complaints about premiere resorts. The Grand Floridian a few rooms that were sub par ( a DISER posted about this with pictures). The Polynesian had it's own issues too. These are issues that should not happen since people are paying a premium for this. Even if people are staying in the values it still should be a AAA average rating. Some of these rooms are not. Also, as mentioned earlier by KELLYNY there was issues with getting cot bed for the room even though their were numerous calls placed. This should not happen. Same with housekeeping. Maybe Disney needs to train some not all CMs mousekeeping better. Things are certainly slipping.

But once again, you are right, the 50 million visitors a year (the new ones anyway) will probably not see a difference, because they do not have anything to compare it to. Again, within the last year there has been more and more complaints on the DIS board than I have ever seen....

I will say, that Disney is ALWAYS clean, it's always FUN and it's just enjoyable. They do have problems and it's not getting better. I believe the Disney Difference has been tarnished....

I so agree with the things you've said here. I've seen much "decline" over the years but put a blind eye to it until now. On our last DVC trip in August, we checked into a room that had not been cleaned!!! We got in touch with a manager right away and he assured us we'd have a VIP cleaning by the time we got back from our park touring. When we came back, the room had still NOT BEEN CLEANED! It took two more calls to get the room cleaned. We were compensated, but this would have NEVER happened in the "old days". Also, I remember the days when the restrooms in the parks were spotless no matter what the crowd level. There seemed to always be an attendant nearby and there were never messes to be found. I also agree that food quality in the restaurants is sub-par. The whole Disney operation never seemd like a business to me. Now, sadly, it does. I will always have a special place in my heart for WDW, but I fear that things are definitely changing......and for the worse.
 
I respectfully disagree with you that Dis members aren't a representative of the larger disney guest.Quite a few DVC owners on here.It is a candid reflection on lots of peoples opinions on the park.Granted a small window but a window none the less.I too have friends who go to disney and the opinions are mixed.My take on the disney is in trouble is refering to the way the management has been going for the past 5 to 10 years.If the current trends continue(5yr trend) I feel they will price themselves out of the game and become very ordinary in the theme park industry.Gonna be interseting to see as legoland soon opens in florida too,another competitor in the theme park war.Lets not forget how the exchange rate for Europe has also favored disney,what happens if that suddenly changes? My point is you can't continue to go the way they have been.I want them to change before irrepairable damage is done!Did you read the article I mentioned in another post(WDW strategy shifting)?Apparently us disers aren't the only ones who are noticing the changes!

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree...as DIS members we are a very small minority of the 50 million guests who visit WDW each year. Sure, there are a bunch of DVC members on here, but I also know many who are not on the DIS and they are thrilled with their membership. I'm sorry, but we are a small and minute group in the grand scheme of the world of Disney...

By the way, here is the article link you mentioned: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-...rld-40th-anniversary-20110929,0,4975004.story

I'm not sure how you interpreted it, but no company should stay the same. Growth is important, and I'm not sure how you aren't happy with a $500 million Fantasyland expansion, and a $1 billion Next Gen project? Those are some pretty hefty numbers.

Everyone is passionate about Disney, I get that, but as a corporation, they need to adjust and change. If they hadn't, we wouldn't have Epcot, DHS, AK or DVC. Change is necessary. :thumbsup2 I don't feel they will ever be normal or boring at all - the other theme parks in the area don't even get close to the numbers that Disney does, and if and when they have an effect, such as Harry Potter may have, Disney will adjust...Fantasyland expansion!

I absolutely don't feel they are going to price themselves out, as Disney knows exactly where guest threshold is. Just because you think Disney is failing, it doesn't mean the other millions upon millions of guests do. The parks are full most of the year, so that was a brilliant marketing strategy on Disney's part.

Heck, I just turned 40, and have shifted my strategy in life, as it's necessary. Do I think there is room for improvement in some areas at WDW? Sure. But those areas may not have an effect on the average casual visitor to WDW, and so if I demand that Disney changes for me, then I don't have a true understanding of how the corporate world works. Disney is working for most of the 50 million visitors who visit each year, and so from a corporate standpoint, Disney isn't going to change for a few hundred passionate Internet message board followers.

It seems from your posts that you feel that Disney has failed you on a personal level, and for that I am sorry. Disney is a corporation though, and as Disneynutz said above, you have to see behind the curtain, because if you don't, you aren't going to have an understanding on a corporate level as to how they operate.

Could they do better? Sure, but so could us all.

*

Happy Thanksgiving Tiger! :)
I agree first timers and newbies do not have a comparison of the older days, incidentally the older days meaning 5 years ago and later. Maybe the other 50 million people do like/love Disney as do we. We still love it but there are problems and I believe they are getting worse.

For instance Ohana, service is sub par, menu has changed and they RUSH you IN and send food offerings to your table before you even finsihed the first entree. It used to be a great place to go. In my opinion it has declined. Now that's just one restaurant, there are a few others have been on the decline also with lack of menu items and quality food.

Another big issue is the monorail service being limited. This in my opinion will be a biggie even for the newbie/first timer. I would think when the person books a monorail resort they would think that they would have USE of the monorail during all theme park hours. I bet there has been complaints about this.

It looks like there has been a lot of complaints about the Mickey Parties, ticket prices have risen, while at the same time, they are reducing candy, decorations, etc.

There has been numerous complaints about premiere resorts. The Grand Floridian a few rooms that were sub par ( a DISER posted about this with pictures). The Polynesian had it's own issues too. These are issues that should not happen since people are paying a premium for this. Even if people are staying in the values it still should be a AAA average rating. Some of these rooms are not. Also, as mentioned earlier by KELLYNY there was issues with getting cot bed for the room even though their were numerous calls placed. This should not happen. Same with housekeeping. Maybe Disney needs to train some not all CMs mousekeeping better. Things are certainly slipping.

But once again, you are right, the 50 million visitors a year (the new ones anyway) will probably not see a difference, because they do not have anything to compare it to. Again, within the last year there has been more and more complaints on the DIS board than I have ever seen....

I will say, that Disney is ALWAYS clean, it's always FUN and it's just enjoyable. They do have problems and it's not getting better. I believe the Disney Difference has been tarnished....

Had a great turkey day with family today - thanks!

I agree that the areas above may be lacking, and need some TLC, especially housekeeping and restaurant service. With more vistors crammed into the parks all year long, these areas are suffering. I'm not sure how long Disney will go before they adjust, as again, most visitors are fine with the way things are.

I so agree with the things you've said here. I've seen much "decline" over the years but put a blind eye to it until now. On our last DVC trip in August, we checked into a room that had not been cleaned!!! We got in touch with a manager right away and he assured us we'd have a VIP cleaning by the time we got back from our park touring. When we came back, the room had still NOT BEEN CLEANED! It took two more calls to get the room cleaned. We were compensated, but this would have NEVER happened in the "old days". Also, I remember the days when the restrooms in the parks were spotless no matter what the crowd level. There seemed to always be an attendant nearby and there were never messes to be found. I also agree that food quality in the restaurants is sub-par. The whole Disney operation never seemd like a business to me. Now, sadly, it does. I will always have a special place in my heart for WDW, but I fear that things are definitely changing......and for the worse.

Yup, as we've been discussing on the DVC boards for awhile, housekeeping is in serious shape. We've had issues too, and this is the major problem area as far as I'm concerned. Is it because of: untrained staff, lack of staffing/short shifts to save money, dirty and untidy guests or too many guests? I see it as a combination of all of these factors.

I do see guests as being a big part of it - I have never seen more rude, untidy, dirty and slobbish guests at Disney than over the past few years. I can't believe the amount of garbage bags that housekeeping leaves outside of rooms on check out day, and the sheer slobbish behaviour I see on the part of some guests. Perhaps Disney is rebelling against putting on extra staff to clean up after these guests, but in time, it could be a major issue, especially for us DVC members as we pay for housekeeping, replacement and maintenance out of our dues.

As I said above, this is the biggest area of concern for me. Restaurants aren't an issue as I come from a restaurant family, so I understand that area well...food costs keep climbing, and food has to change...it's just the way it is, plus, Disney has a captive audience, so people will pay for it, as they are at Disney eating with Mickey. It's a premium experience, that most people, especially with the dining plan will pay for. I also don't care if paint is chipping and bulbs aren't replaced right away - there are more important things to tend to than that. But maintenance and housekeeping are costly, and if not managed properly, declines in those areas could be very serious.

Tiger
 
Well, it would depend upon a variety of factors:

1. Did those travellers want to visit? If no, and forced on a family trip, they more than likely won't enjoy it, and this shouldn't be a reflection on Disney.

2. People who aren't passionate about it, may go 1x to say they've visited Disney, and that's it, as they want to see the world. I know people like this - they had no problems on their trip, and spoke highly about WDW, but that will be their only trip as they have a whole world to explore.

First/only timers are interesting...we've spoken to many on our trips, and planned trips for several as well. I find if they go with a magic and wonderfilled mind, then they really enjoy WDW, and some want to go back, but if they go because they have to, then they don't enjoy it as much, and it really has nothing to do with anything bad or problematic that happened on their trip. Not once in any conversation that I've had post-vacation, have they mentioned things like: paint chipping, bad food, lack of maintenance, etc. I'm sure none of them even noticed these things, as they were busy on vacation.

As you said, casual travellers don't notice the details as much, as they are only there for a short time, and maybe won't ever be there again. Us regulars, especially us DVC members, have lots invested in Disney, so we approach things differently. We have seen problem areas or concerns, and speak out about it, so as to gain future improvements or enhancements in a place that we love, or really, really like. :lovestruc

Tiger
Of those that disliked it, they vary in opinion.

My mother went because she was curious as to why we liked it so much. She's not a fan of themeparks so I had a bad feeling and it turned out that I was right. She disliked the noise and nonsense as she put it.

A friend didn't like it because he saw as a "monument to excess". He went because he likes to see everything but he does prefer such places as rainforests and mountains.

A couple we know went to take the kids. They enjoyed it well enough but basically were glad when it was over. I think that they saw it as something fun to do for the kids but really didn't see any need to go back and haven't.

My very own husband doesn't really like it. He dislikes rides and crowds and noise. His idea of fun is restaurants and hotels and thinks that it's unfortunate that some nice places are so poorly located. :rolleyes:

That's just a few that really have no use for the parks and as you can see none were forced except maybe by themselves. :) People differ in what they enjoy and that came as a shock to me when I was one of those completely smitten with WDW. Yes, I was that type at one time. :rotfl:
 
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