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.

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