I dont' think they're "dead" or have a very serious problem...but if i recall their numbers have a mixed bag. Money is up comparatively but attendance really isn't.
As a traveler, that's pretty good news...less is always more enjoyable as crowd goes.
But, i tend to agree that there could be a developing problem that disney is aware of but has been hesitant to pay to fix. And maybe why it is a foregone conclusion that they do a large scale addition/redesign or studios and spend more time, money...and what's really needed: dedication to EPCOT and animal kingdom.
They don't really give us much new anymore...and no matter how unfair the suits in the Dwarf Building might think that's unfair...the minute they decide to build a park they should just plan on spending large construction for the life of the park to keep people on the hook. They are selling the most frivolous/disposable of consumer products...and if you are doing so you don't get any time to rest on your laurels and "collect" then thats the deal. Their investments in orlando have slowed to a trickle based on their volume and revenue there...be honest and say it. A cutesy little redo of abandoned space with shops and a couple of rehashed replicated rides out of the 1960 WDI playbook at the magic kingdom represents their most dedicated activity in WDW since animal kingdom (and that went off the rails from the get go too...not a crown jewel for disney parks) isn't cutting it if you want to maintain your position of themepark dominance. Eventually erosion is gonna occur...if only on the margins.
But its not all bad for "poor" disney...they use particularly WDW for a large amount of operating capital and stock bump...and they charge basically as much as they want (which probably IS part of the problem...i'll get to that)...so they still are reaping the benefits.
But luckily for us they'll throw money and getting the parks to try and get them back up...instead of bleeding them into decay (a la six flags who even has done alot of investment themselves)...the empire will strike back. And they can because they are a corporate entertainment juggernaut that has never been worth more (if you believe in the "value" that the pack of criminals known as "finance" peddle on the rest of the world). Disney has an interest to keep their gravy train on the tracks...so good days for the customer could be ahead. The period since animal kingdom has been the most stagnant time in the history of disney parks for some of the sites...notably the Flagship and Paris. They just haven't done what they need to do (and spend) to keep the places fresh. If the market determines everything...then they should be in decline, all things being equal.
But as much as they throw how much they've "spent" at investor events and press functions...they really have done the cruise control thing in florida for along time. Eisner lost his mojo and Iger is real proud of himself for basically squeezing the oranges to get a little more juice out of them. Iconic entertainment giants...they are not.
But i also think they've priced some people out...prices always rise...but they've really gone a little haywire the last five years or so. Realistically, they should have probably froze or even reduced during the condo scam bubble collapse...but they kept chugging along with increases as if nothing had happened...while also complaining about having to discounts.
The other thing...and this isn't disney but everywhere...is the "recovery" is a hoax. Its not for the greedys that screwed everything up in the first place...but the middle class (disney's core business)- whatever that is - hasn't seen and increase in disposable income. They're lucky to creep back to the pre 2000 level (relative to inflation) before massive, easy, stupido debt was dumped on the entire system. we all know the factors: housing gambling, massive consumer society credit debt, massive college debt, and the shifting of almost all paying wages overseas if possible...
The average joe isn't doing better...his house hasn't regained its value...he's not making more now than he did 5 or 10 or 20 or 30 years ago when looked at as part of the system.
And perhaps that is out of disney's control. But it's real, if you can find the information, read it for yourself, and process it like a math/science equation...which deal in facts.
Disney really SHOULD be suffering...they haven't done what they have needed for awhile.
Here's hoping that they - grudgingly of course - just swallow it and make more effort to do so.
We are going down in Oct. and I can't get into a sit down restaurant for dinner the whole time we are there, unless we want to eat at 8:00 at night. We were there June 16-22 and it was busy at every park we went to. Prices are going to be high as long as WDW can get people to pay the prices. If they stop coming, believe it or not, WDW will do something to get us to come back. I would like to find a day or two , when the parks were slow, so we could stroll just a little slower.
