Fool on the Hill: You Can't Cheat Quality

[cindyfan]

You forgot to add that 3 of the parks will be getting brand new parades!! And TON will be revised slightly !
Considering the time and money that goes into parades I think that is pretty major!!

I also agree with budget cuts being meaningless!
And I don't know anyone that can truely last til midnight, unless they have taken a rest in the afternoon. Even on late night we have never stayed past 10 or 10:30 and that was to watch the parade or fireworks.

The quality is still there!! Maybe it is just that it isn't growing as fast as in previous years. But why would it need to. Let people enjoy what is there. There are alot of people that only go to WDW once in their lives or even just every few years...

It would be interesting to see the stats on how many people that go to WDW are "repeat" guests and how often they go..........once a year, every 3 years......????
Anyone out there know that stat???

 

[Another Voice]

I said that to myself several times as I waited in the twenty minute line to take the escalator down from Disneyland’s new parking structure. Fifteen thousand parking spaces with one set of escalators and one set of elevators make perfect sense.

Budgets don’t matter.

As I strolled past the abandoned Rocket Rods track and the shuttered ‘America The Beautiful’ building, I knew that budgets cuts don’t impact the magic on bit. Look, by the empty submarine lagoon, the characters from ‘Atlantis’ – proof that under funding story development has absolutely no impact on the final film.

It makes no difference to the magic.

How about a ride on the ‘Columbia’? Oops, more maintenance problems again. How about ‘Pirates’? Sorry, a boat sank because the floor board rotted – try again later. The ‘Haunted Mansion’ is nearby. You know, that peeling paint, broken windows and rusting queue lines really makes the place look haunted, doesn’t it. And you can hardly see the patch work in the scrims through the all the dust now. The place is decaying rather well.

No one notices these things.

What do we do while waiting for our ‘FastPass’?. Let’s do some shopping. Conveniently, the very same merchandise that I saw in Frontierland is right here on sale in Adventureland. Must be some sort of program to improve the guests’ experience. Want something to drink – well I’m sure we can find at least one food location that’s open. You think the profit margin on $2.50 for a small Coke would be worth hiring some kid at $5.95 an hour.

But it’s a sacrifice I’ll make for the good of the corporate budget.

Hey kids, let’s hop across the esplanade and visit that brand new park. The one that’s so financial well conceived and so fiscally responsible that they can afford to let kids in for FREE! What a marvel of business genius. Why look – an unthemed steel roller coaster, an attraction from WDW, a Ferris wheel, an attraction from WDW, a kiddie’s playground, an attraction from WDW, and lots and lots of carnival rides. Wow, you usually have to drive all the way to Santa Monica for this kind of stuff! And don’t forget your half of a tortilla. Yea, that video with Rosie and the bald guy from ‘Who’s Line’, tubular man – just cutting edge stuff! Who needs those E-ticket rides when you can have THAT kind of entertainment!?

Anything they put the ‘Disney’ name on just has to be good, doesn’t it?

As a consumer, I understand that the Company does not need to compete for my money. They don’t have to earn my business or to keep my trust. They have stockholders to please and I, as a simple ticket buyer, will never notice the cutbacks, reductions and eliminations to the product that I used to gladly buy. I just hand over my money and whisper to myself that budgets don’t matter. Really, they don’t.

 

[KimCon]

All I know is that I had a better time at Universal staying at PB and HRH for 7 nights than I had staying at the Polynesian 2 years ago. Didn't miss Disney at all!

Kim

 

[johare]

Same here...we are Orlando area residents and quit buying Disney seasonal passes a couple years ago. We've had Universal passes the past few years and we don't miss Disney one bit, though we still visit once a year for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party so the kids can trick-or-treat at the 'not so Magic Kingdom'.

 

[DisDuck]

Same old, same old. A subjective look at what turns someone on about a theme park. Some like just thrills, some like just rides, some like a combination of both.

I have been to WDW (18 times), USF (5 times), IOA (twice), BG (twice), Circus World (for you old timers). I have seen the shows, rode the rides (except most coasters as I am not a coaster rider). In my very subjective opinion WDW offers a more balanced approach than the others and does a better job at THE SHOW (as DVC puts it) than the others.

At IOA last year I found Dudley to be poorly themed even with their BIG announcement about the new themeing. Poseidon was nice but I have seen similar at Ceasars Forum in Las Vegas. Sinbad bored my 16 yo daughter and was OK for me. T2-3d is spectacular but also hasn't changed much over the years so why complain about shows not changing at WDW if they don't change at USF. Think Beetlejuice as USF for a non-changing show.

How great is Triceratops Encounter or Pterodon at IOA. You want to talk about 'lame'.

So like what you like and we will like what we like.

 

[DisneyFanGuy]

Dear Disney.

I have spent my life with you. As a child I longed for your movies. As a teen I may not have seen you as much, but you never lost my heart. As an adult I have given you my trust and my faith.

I used examples of your company when I delivered seminars on focus, intelligence, and drive. I ordered from your on-line catelogs, visited your stores, and bought your clothing. I dined in your restaurants, stayed at your hotels, and swam in your pools.

I annually brought you many guests at Disneyland, where you re-captured their hearts too.

And I brought my children to you. Together we rode your rides, saw your shows, and read your books.

And then...........

Last year I was at Disneyland and my heart was broken. I saw dirty bathrooms, a Tiki Room with only 1/2 of the birds singing, the Haunted Mansion had rotted walls, and a "New Tomorrowland" where very little was new.

I was at DisneyWorld and went on 3 rides out of 3 offered at the AK before my children announced that they were bored. I found dirty bathrooms. I encountered my first rude employees, and I took in a new Journey to Imagination ride that almost brought me to tears.

I watched a park get built in CA that I have no desire to visit. That has NEVER happened before.

I went into a Disney Store and found my priceless collectables replaced by infant toys. My books replaced by stuffed animals. And for the first time ever, an employee tried to pressure me to buy something.

I waited for a Lion, and got instead a New Groove. I looked for Titanic and got instead a sunken harbor. I found myself laughing outloud at the "In Jokes" in someone else's movie just before I read about another round of layoffs among the people making yours.

Now I find myself using your company, along with others as examples of "Greatness" losing it's way. It breaks my heart to say your name along side of Xerox, Motorola, and others.

I can't wait forever, Disney. My heart can take only so much pain. You have lost my children already as they look to Universal, Busch, and others. Even if I still remain in your fold, who will carry the torch after I am gone? Will my children bring their children back? I don't think so, unless you take a serious look at what you are doing.





Please.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

DisneyFanGuy,

I strongly suggest you send that letter. PLEASE!!!! To Ei$ner, Pre$$ler, Iger (damn! no 's' in the name!) and anyone else we can collectively think of. (Come on gang, let's get some names and addresses for him!!!)

PLEASE do it!! Just as written. Don't change a word. IT IS PERFECT!!

Thanks. And let us know how (or if) they respond.


PS: When you address it to Ei$ner and Pre$$ler, leave out the '$'. Just use a plain 's'. Something tells me they may not take it seriously otherwise!!!

 

[johare]

DisDuck,

You want to talk about lame? Look no further than the latest MK has to offer...the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Much more thrilling and fun than Pterandodon Flyers, right? Oh wait, don't forget the Big Blue Hat over at MGM. My kids will be begging me to take them to see that! What they are really looking forward to is more new parades...they just LOVE sitting on the curb for an hour waiting to see some foam-heads in snow-globe go by.

DisneyFanGuy,

SEND THAT LETTER!

 

[BRERALEX]

just wanna say heck yeah send that letter disneyfanguy

 

[HBK]

After all of the posts, all of the hours, and all of the energy I've spent arguing with Duck, JeffH, Captain, Peter, Yoho, et al.....DisneyFanGuy has summed up my frustration, feelings, and thoughts in one tidy post.

I hope you send that to Disney....if only to the customer service address.

 

[DisneyFanGuy]

I appreciate everyone's kind feedback. I will send the note exactly as is, but I need an address. Can anyone please provide it?

Thanks.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Unless someone beats me to it, I have Ei$ner's address. But, alas, it is on my computer at work. So we need to wait until tomorrow, at about 9:30 or so.

Sorry.

 

[Another Voice]

Disney has a sequel to 'The Love Bug' in active development right now. A remake of 'Escape to Witch Mountain' is already shooting, and a script is being written for a sequel to 'The Apple Dumpling Gang'.

As for seeing Greater Anaheim - I can easily do that from ground level from inside California Adventure. Sadly, that can not be done from Disneyland.

Perhaps the current "good" Disney is not so different from the ancient"bad" Disney as some would like to believe.

 

[HBK]

Originally posted by thedscoop
....AV and I finally agree!

Huh? Did you just do a total turnaround on your statement?

 

[Captain Crook]

For over a year!!! The interent has put such a spotlight on Disney that the glare is blinding...Eisner makes a succesful financial move and is lauded by the Street and lambasted by the purists. Eisner pays too much attention to core Disney and he's a hero to the purists but the stock plummets or, if they're successful, become a ripe takeover target once again...

 

[ww52]

DisneyFanGuy:
I just want to second your comments wondering if our children and their children will have the same feeling about Disney as we did. I know my kids, all teenagers now and soon to be adults, have lost a lot of excitement for Disney. We haven't been to WDW in three years and they don't seem to miss it at all - they do want to see IOA however, especially after seeing some of the shows on the Discovery Channel or the Learning Channel. As has been said on many boards, Disney is losing its brand appeal. Many people on these boards will disagree, but I don't think the people who spend a lot of time on these boards represent the public at large.

I've said this before - when my kids get to the age when they are spending their own money on vacations - will they choose Disney? They've never been to DisneyQuest (we live less than hour away and go downtown to Chicago several times a year) and they never expressed a desire to go. Now it's closing - I'll bet tonight when I tell them none of them will express a desire to get there before it closes in September. But they all love Gameworks and go often (since its close, of course - but the fact is they are repeat customers there and have no desire to see DisneyQuest..)

How many disappointments can Disney take in one year (DCA, Pearl Harbor, to some extent Atlantis, now DisneyQuest). And the sequels? My kids laugh at it and compare it to the Land Before Time series (which I think is up to 5 or 6 now). There is no doubt that older kids like mine see it as a cheap money making ploy and a departure from quality. Sure - the videos sell well and a lot of little kids like them. But my kids liked He-Man and the Ninja Turtles when they were little - and we spent a ton of money on toys and videos etc. - but they sure don't see that as quality now that are older. Does Disney want to be thought of the same way by this generation?

Do they care?

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

First things first. The all important address!!

Michael Eisner
Walt Disney Corporation
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, California 91521

OK, now a couple of responses:

First thedscoop.

No. My point has always been that today's Disney is not any better or worse than a couple of decades ago.

Yeah, you might be right. When did Ei$ner take over. Hmmm. A couple decades ago (almost). Before that we were definitely in a stagnate period. But I contend that the situation that we find ourselves in today is much worse. And do not forget, the only reason that we were ripe for take over in the Walker/Miller days was because the film library and the parks (especially the Florida real estate holdings) were worth more apart than together! The parks were making money hand over fist! And don't kid yourself, we were taken over. From within.

No sir! I vehemently disagree! We were much better off (parks wise) several decades ago. The only thing that was need was a little forward movement. A plan for development. And in fairness to the Walker/Miller regime, that plan was already in effect. It was during their tenure that Touchstone was begun and The Little Mermaid was developed. Ei$ner inherited both.

It's just now we have these message boards to learn no info and critique more often and in greater detail.

You know, I really can't refute this with any hard evidence. All I can do is give you my personal perceptions and history. Very subjective, I know.

When I first started losing faith in Disney I had never even heard of the DIS, Laughing Place, MousePlanet, WDWBLUES, RADP or any of the other countless internet sites. I thought all these things up, all by myself, through direct observation. I was feeling more and more frustrated at the 'dumbing down' of the Disney experience. I was saddened by what they were doing to the "SHOW". I felt they were quickly, almost as if on purpose, becoming… well… I guess, 'ordinary' is the best term to describe it. I was never a huge Walt fan, I didn't care for Mickey cartoons, Disney movies were only tolerable, and I didn't know spit about the rest of the company. But I knew the parks!! Boy, oh boy, I knew the parks. And I was intimately acquainted with the "Disney Experience". I could spot a 'Disney Touch' a mile away.

So, it was years before I connected, on-line, that I saw the first signs of the slippery slope we are now racing down. And I wonder if your take might not be a little inaccurate. Of course it could be that we are discussing 'the chicken and the egg'. But I feel that the internet has become a place where people can vent. Those people already have their opinions. The 'net' just provides a forum where they can come together and grip about what's wrong with the personal laughing place. But the ideas and concepts are formed away from the computer screen.

Let's face it. It didn't take the internet to help form the opinions held by HBK, JeffJewell or Another Voice, did it? No!! These opinions were already there. And conversely, how many converts have all our words and great thoughts created? Is DisDuck or The Captain or yourself signed up to drive in the car pool? No!!

Now I will grant you that the internet is a remarkable tool for education. When I first entered this realm I didn't know that the unique Disney experience I had been enjoying for the past thirty years was called the "SHOW". I knew nothing about Traditions. And I have come to admire this man called Walt and even have a fondness for quoting him (thanks again AV)!! But the 'feeling' was already there. The opinion was already formed. And the 'net' had nothing to do with it.

And now the Captian!!

Eisner pays too much attention to core Disney and he's a hero to the purists but the stock plummets…

I'm a purist. And in case I haven't made myself clear - I don't think he's a hero. Ever!

 

[All Aboard]

I'm just going to loft one response in here. Several posters have mentioned that their kids "used to be interested in WDW, but aren't any more."

This is one area where I think Disney is missing a niche, without a doubt. It's with teenagers. I propose that Disney hasn't changed that much, rather your kids may have. They long for IOA based on a show on the Discovery Channel. I've seen that show, it's not about the Carrosuessel or the Pteradon Flyers or Red Fish Blue Fish. Instead it's about Dueling Dragons, Hulk and Spiderman.

That's what kids between the ages of 10 and 18 are interested in. More so today than ever before. They want to be thrilled to the limit, and WDW doesn't offer them very much and never has.

On occaision, I have eavesdropped around the park entrances to listen to guest responses to surveys. It is amazing how often the lack of thrilling attractions is mentioned as a shortcoming.

But, that's not what the Disney purists want to hear. Trouble is, PoC, HM, CoP have lost a great deal of their appeal. We absolutely adore these experiences, we want more of that. Most of today's youth likely find them boring once they hit about 8-10 years old. Unfortunately, seems like we are in a computer world and WDW is still relying on some sliderules. Tremendously built and marvelous slideules, but sliderules nonetheless.

 

[ww52]

Darn - I didn't intend to start up a debate about Disney and thrill rides. While I know my kids at this stage of their lives prefer those types of rides, I don't think they are looking for Disney to compete in that area. This part of my opinion is not well thought out, so I probably better stop right there - I might be wrong anyway.

My main point was on overall quality - sequels being one example, DQ being another, and DCA (or their perception of it) being another. The fact that the Disney brand has lost some of its shine in their eyes - which will soon translate into lost dollars for the company when they start planning their own vacations.

 

[All Aboard]

I've been invited to both car pools and several back yard barbeques, I'm getting an identity crises. YoHo, I guess we need our own car pool as "in-betweeners", eh? I remain firmly in the "WDW still gets lots of my money" camp, though. Just booked three more late fall trips under the just released AP rates. That will make my total 12 trips (42 nights - all on-property) for 2001. The Magic (or quality) hasn't dimmed for me one iota. Same is true of the rest of my family.