Has Disney World lost it's magic?

[lustergirl]

Scott- what are you thinking? That is already going on in this thread- ha!!

 

[KatMark]

And if you find some of these comments rude or insulting, sorry.
But they are no more rude then the way you seem to look and treat the rest of us staying at Disney and not paying $450 a night.
Which by the way is just about everyone at the resturants we were inconveniencing you from by eating at, Or riding the monorail when you wanted to.
Or taking a bus and visiting a resort open to the public.

If you feel so entitled by paying for $450 a night, my I suggest next time going to an all enclusive resort where everything is paid for when you rent a bed for the night...
And prefferably one that is CLOSED TO THE PUBIC with armed security guard at the gates and in boats on the beachs to keep anyone else away who didn't paid $450 a night.

Good for you for saying what many others wanted to say. I read "the" letter to my husband. And I can't even begin to write on the DIS what he had to say about it. His favorite part was the "paper" towels. Please...get a life!

And this is the main reason why we find the GF STUFFY--and the reason we won't stay.

 

[MusiqChic99]

I haven't been to Disney World in 10 years. I'm going in Oct. I can't wait. I dont even care if things have changed. I feel the magic already!!!!

Sorry....maybe i'll have complaints when I get back????

 

[lustergirl]

I haven't been to Disney World in 10 years. I'm going in Oct. I can't wait. I dont even care if things have changed. I feel the magic already!!!!

Sorry....maybe i'll have complaints when I get back????

Good for you! Enjoy your trip!!

I feel that magic already as well.

 

[MusiqChic99]

Good for you for saying what many others wanted to say. I read "the" letter to my husband. And I can't even begin to write on the DIS what he had to say about it. His favorite part was the "paper" towels. Please...get a life!

That was my favorite part too.

What would they have done given everyone a new towel to use, just to wash their hands??? Because for sanity purposes that is what they would have to do.

 

[KatMark]

I haven't been to Disney World in 10 years. I'm going in Oct. I can't wait. I dont even care if things have changed. I feel the magic already!!!!

Sorry....maybe i'll have complaints when I get back????

I am sure you will have a most magical trip! And my oldest DS and his girlfriend just got back and DS has not been since 2004 and they had a blast! And they felt lots of magic.

 

[rie'smom]

See I'm totally different. When you ask me to spend 3000 dollars or more on a vacation. I want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly.
How does it help me if I'm a first timer and all I hear are good reports? I want to know if the bus service from my resort is reportedly slow, I want to know if they are having problems with mousekeeping.

Why do people feel that just because some place is great, it should be absolved from criticism? No one is saying Disney isn't wonderful it is, but doesn't mean they get a free pass on shoddy services.
Why should I feel "Blessed" if I get lousy food that I pay for. Sorry, I work to hard for my little bit of money to accept piss poor food and motel 6 level service at 400 bucks a night. My uncle use to say "you get what you pay for" I pay alot for disney, I expect a lot in return.

It's crazy that some people take WDW so seriously. We've gone since it opened so we have a long history to compare today's Disney experience to our experiences over the years. It has changed and not for the better. It is not due to guests being indignant or rude. I have never seen this. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen. However, it seems to be the raison d'etre for Disney apologists rationalizing the decline in service. Poor service cannot be blamed 100% on guests being upset.

At one time, my late FIL's gourmet group made a trip to WDW strictly for the dining experiences available at Epcot. There were some true gourmet meals. These men traveled all over the world to eat at unique places and none of them would have gone to Disney Word otherwise. They raved about the food. That is one example of how Disney World has changed. The food would not draw a gourmet today- well maybe V&A but that's it.

Disney service today is comparable to what Six Flags service was in the 70s and 80s.

 

[BuckeyeDad]

I think the issue here is you have different expectations. I'm not some snobby individual that feels the world owes me anything. But If I pay for it I do expect it. I have stayed at the Ritz and Four Seasons, and yes you do get that kind of service, nice linens in the bathroom, a Valet that will go the extra mile to get my daughters blanket, staff that goes out of their way to clean your room when you request, or get you in to restaurants that you may not be able to get in otherwise. I’m not trashing anyone that chooses to stay in a economy or moderate resort, the good Lord just happened to bless me with a good job. But the point is, if I want that level of service and pay for it, why is it a crime to expect it? If I’m pay more than double some other people at Disney why wouldn’t I expect some preferential treatment? If Disney chooses not to differentiate their service levels, why not just have every resort cost the same.

 

[dstevens]

My question is why do people keep going back if they are so dissatisfied then??[/QUOTE]
We may be dissatisfied with something here or there, but, we realize WDW is still the best thing going. We also value the good, bad and ugly on the dis-boards when planning our vacations. We are DVC members and rarely eat WDW food now. We cook in room because it's cheaper, more timely and nobody cooks a better burger or ribs then me

 

[dstevens]

share the . Hey you got any ?

 

[BuckeyeDad]

share the . Hey you got any ?

Didn't you start all this fun

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

My question is why do people keep going back if they are so dissatisfied then??

We may be dissatisfied with something here or there, but, we realize WDW is still the best thing going. We also value the good, bad and ugly on the dis-boards when planning our vacations. We are DVC members and rarely eat WDW food now. We cook in room because it's cheaper, more timely and nobody cooks a better burger or ribs then me[/QUOTE]


I think perhaps you misunderstand what the increasing numbe of people are saying here.

As an example....

It would not be possible to find two bigger disney nuts than my husband and I. We were raised on Disney and carried all that Pixie Dust through our lives (we are in our early 50's).

What we find troubling is the deterioration of the brand. Yes we have expectations....but they are nothing more than the expectations we have for a Holiday Inn as an example.

We expect our rooms to be cleaned before 6 in the evening (we take care of that with generous trips for our Mousekeepers which we do all the time), we expect clean bathrooms, we expect problems which have been tactfully brought to the attention of management to be resolved.....filthy stairway at the Beach Club Resort....leaves, empty coffee cups, obvious months of neglect packed into the corner of the stairway we used every day. Nothing touched.

I can continue, but I"m sure you undertand the point.

We long for the days of Disney standards - but now we are hoping they can keep up with the Holiday Inn's we often use - and I stay in all the time for work.

It's lazy to say - just don't go - but it's not right and it's giving Disney the OK to continue to slide. We are not asking for anything they are not capable of handling - after all, they wrote the book!

Why? Because we love Disney.

 

[vacation4me]

I think the issue here is you have different expectations. I'm not some snobby individual that feels the world owes me anything. But If I pay for it I do expect it. I have stayed at the Ritz and Four Seasons, and yes you do get that kind of service, nice linens in the bathroom, a Valet that will go the extra mile to get my daughters blanket, staff that goes out of their way to clean your room when you request, or get you in to restaurants that you may not be able to get in otherwise. I’m not trashing anyone that chooses to stay in a economy or moderate resort, the good Lord just happened to bless me with a good job. But the point is, if I want that level of service and pay for it, why is it a crime to expect it? If I’m pay more than double some other people at Disney why wouldn’t I expect some preferential treatment? If Disney chooses not to differentiate their service levels, why not just have every resort cost the same.

Well this is saying it a little differently. Just because you pay more for a hotel does not make you entitled better access to common amenities of the resort itself, but you should expect a 5 star hotel if that is what Disney is charging you for.

Disney Deluxe resorts and restaurants may charge 5 star prices, but most would be lucky to get 3 stars. That is the crux of the issue in my opinion. Disney overcharges for the service it supplies...this is even at the value resorts...or on the other hand just does not supply the service it use to that allowed them to charge these prices. Eventually you hope that it will catch up to them and either prices get lowered or service get better.

 

[eliza61]

Eliza- you are so entitled to your opinion and I value it. It just seems like there is so much criticism on these boards lately. I have always had a beautiful time at disney, no matter where I am staying. I have stayed at the Poly and to me it isn't worth the cost- that is my opinion though. My question is why do people keep going back if they are so dissatisfied then??

That's easy. I still love WDW. My complaints come from my love of Disney. I want them to return to being the gold standard that every other vacation destination use to reach for. Now, I feel they are a very tarnished bronze.

Unfortunately though you are right and for the first time in 15 years, I am not planning a trip in 2010. We have cut waaaay back on the amount of money we give the world. We rarely eat on site because we feel the menus are just to sad to justify the price. August of this year we are going as a reward for my oldest son graduating. I am a dvc'er, my home resort is the Beach club and I will bank my points in 2010 and 2011. By 2012 the 4 seasons will have opened and I'm hoping the competition from a real 4 star resort will inspire disney to step up to the plate.
My 25th anniversary is this October and my dh and I were looking forward to going first class concierge at the GF. We've changed our plans because we feel there is just too big of a chance that Disney's shoddy service will not make a very special anniversary, well special especially since they want over $500/night. We're doing Disney Paris instead. and spending roughly the same amount of money including airfare from NY.

I look at it this way. I purchased my dvc 8 years ago. Back then I was shouting the praises of the world. If money were no issue would I recommend dvc now. NO WAY!! not even with BLT. The quality is not there for what they are asking.

 

[Mom2gymnasts]

4) The GF is located on the monorail (GREAT, but from what I Observed the transportation for the Value resorts seemed Better. There were more busses running and as you read in my letter the wait at night for the monorail was ridiculous. The bus stops going to the other hotels nover seemed full, while poeple staying at disney's three most expensive hotels (GF, Poly and CR) had to wait the longest because disney lets day guests ride now.

My point is, that you pay alot of money to stay at deluxe resorts because of so called Amenities, but I feel that those amenities are no longer there. I think that this post may help poeple (especially first timers) who might want to stay at a deluxe property but are not sure. I just don't feel that it is worth it anymore.

You could have taken the ferry back to the GF or one of the buses. We never waited more than 15 min. to take a ferry back to the resort after MK fireworks.

 

[Scott MC]

I guess I'll put the popcorn down and share my thoughts.
I'm going to be staying at the GF (1st time) in late August. I am in fact paying a large sum more than I would be were I to stay at a value resort. For that difference in price, I expect great transportation (POOF-Monorail), lots of dining options (POOF-1900, V&A's, Citrico's, GF Cafe, Gasparilla), a larger room (POOF-I believe the rooms are close to 100sq feet bigger than those at All Stars or Pop), and I expect to be very close to other resorts for dining and at least one of the major theme parks (POOF- Hello Poly, CR, WL and MK!).

I guess I'm getting what I've paid for.

I think that for the extra money spend on deluxes, the only "privileges" you should get should be more options, and this seems to be the case. Everyone is entitled to adequate transportation, a clean room, a clean bathroom and stellar service from the staff. I expect that from any resort.

 

[ugadog68]

I think perhaps you misunderstand what the increasing numbe of people are saying here.

As an example....

It would not be possible to find two bigger disney nuts than my husband and I. We were raised on Disney and carried all that Pixie Dust through our lives (we are in our early 50's).

What we find troubling is the deterioration of the brand. Yes we have expectations....but they are nothing more than the expectations we have for a Holiday Inn as an example.

We expect our rooms to be cleaned before 6 in the evening (we take care of that with generous trips for our Mousekeepers which we do all the time), we expect clean bathrooms, we expect problems which have been tactfully brought to the attention of management to be resolved.....filthy stairway at the Beach Club Resort....leaves, empty coffee cups, obvious months of neglect packed into the corner of the stairway we used every day. Nothing touched.

I can continue, but I"m sure you undertand the point.

We long for the days of Disney standards - but now we are hoping they can keep up with the Holiday Inn's we often use - and I stay in all the time for work.

It's lazy to say - just don't go - but it's not right and it's giving Disney the OK to continue to slide. We are not asking for anything they are not capable of handling - after all, they wrote the book!

Why? Because we love Disney.

Well said Mouseaholic!

 

[SanFranciscan]

My DH works for a major sports team in security. You would not believe what parents say upon coming to pick up their kids who have been caught drinking underage, fighting, what have you..."Oh come on, you can let it slide just this once, can't you?" Personally my parents would have had my head if I had been kicked out of a stadium for some of the stunts these kids pull. But not these folks (od course, not *ALL* - there are some people left who know how to raise children)...and they are dealing with POLICE OFFICERS! Can you imagine, then, how the same people would deal with a cast member who catches their kid cutting in line or littering at WDW?

We had an issue with our room last trip-they were painting outside our door and it drove my daughter's allergies crazy. They moved us, to concierge level no less, with no fuss! When we called to thank the CM who okayed the move, to tell her they had gone above and beyond, do you know what she said? She thanked US for thanking HER, because so few people ever do!

And one other thing; about the food...well, I find it ironic how many people hope and pray for a free dining pin code, and then complain about how the food quality has declined! If free dining but "dumbed down" menus still keeps the parks/resorts close to full in "slow" seasons, there is no incentive for WDW to change it, is there? Just MHO.

Welcome to Disboards DonaldQuacksMeUp!

Your husband's story is probably pretty typical anywhere there is a crowd of people who are hiding behind the fact that others in the crowd do not know them.

I wasn't ballpark security, but I worked as a photographer for the San Francisco Giants last year and in 2007. The drunks and the fights resulted in a murder at AT&T Park last summer. I am sure those fans that I saw hauled off by the police, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, felt pretty stupid when the woke up in jail the next morning. I am wondering how many problems at Disney are the result of alcohol, which I heard was not allowed on Disney property in the past; but another big problem is the feeling of safety in numbers, which is probably why the complaints about bad guest behavior are primarily about Disney World and not Disneyland.

There is something very reptilian about the human brain. People are nicer in small towns than in big cities because in a small town everyone knows everybody else. In a small theme park like Disneyland it is easier to hold people accountable than in Disney World, which is the size of a city.

 

[dstevens]

I think perhaps you misunderstand what the increasing numbe of people are saying here.

As an example....

It would not be possible to find two bigger disney nuts than my husband and I. We were raised on Disney and carried all that Pixie Dust through our lives (we are in our early 50's).

What we find troubling is the deterioration of the brand. Yes we have expectations....but they are nothing more than the expectations we have for a Holiday Inn as an example.

We expect our rooms to be cleaned before 6 in the evening (we take care of that with generous trips for our Mousekeepers which we do all the time), we expect clean bathrooms, we expect problems which have been tactfully brought to the attention of management to be resolved.....filthy stairway at the Beach Club Resort....leaves, empty coffee cups, obvious months of neglect packed into the corner of the stairway we used every day. Nothing touched.

I can continue, but I"m sure you undertand the point.

We long for the days of Disney standards - but now we are hoping they can keep up with the Holiday Inn's we often use - and I stay in all the time for work.

It's lazy to say - just don't go - but it's not right and it's giving Disney the OK to continue to slide. We are not asking for anything they are not capable of handling - after all, they wrote the book!

Why? Because we love Disney.[/QUOTE]

Mouseaholic;
The reason i started this thread was because of these type of complaints. The opening post explains my thoughts.

 

[rluey29]

If you think Disney has lost it's magic just visit a smaller park like Six Flags or Carowinds, ect. Just the clean bathrooms alone make Disney magical for me! I'm not knocking either of those parks they are very fun but you can see the difference.