In Defense of Bob Chapek

[Jwaire]

I'm going to put on my optimistic hat.

It'll be interesting to see how long Chapek stays. He may have a career that's opposite of Iger and Eisner. It may start off rough, but get better and by the time he retires the parks are in a better place.

I love Walt Disney World, but World in 2019 wasn't the same World in 2014 and definitely wasn't the same World from 1989 (Oh, how I miss 80's EPCOT). The crowds have gotten worse. With each additional hotel, timeshare, resort, housing district, etc., comes more people. I-Drive and the surrounding area have become so over developed. Attractions are everywhere (ICON park, Seaworld stepping up their coaster game, Universal killing it, etc.). Orlando has become an over-saturated, tourist mecca.

And it's not just the crowds. There's a lot of areas at Walt Disney World that are dire need of a refresh.

Tom Sawyer Island is a complete waste of space (I know it's peaceful and beautiful but it's still a waste of space). The dark rides at the Magic Kingdom are dingy and need an overhaul. Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan need to be modernized. Pan for cultural sensitivity (I know, I love the Indians too) and Pooh for cheapness ($2 attraction—go look at Tokyo Disneyland's Pooh and tell me the Magic Kingdom's is cute).

The Magic Kingdom needs Princess and the Frog. It needs Tangled. It needs Frozen. It needs Moana. Not only are those major IPs (and huge sellers), they've become modern animated classics. Children under 12 expect to see these and identify more with these characters than Peter Pan (Don't come for me, it's my favorite dark ride too.), Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland or Dumbo.

They're going to have to find a way, and if it means tearing down something like Tom Sawyer's Island or heaven-forbid Tiki Room, be bold and do it—as long as it's better than what came before. Magic Kingdom is not Disneyland and shouldn't be held to same preservation standards.

EPCOT needs more than what's been allotted to it. Journey has got to go, the current version of Test Track sucks, The Land is boring (I know. I know.), Mission Space is not well liked and The Seas is boring (and no longer relevant—you can see better aquariums in cities near you). When I see young kids at EPCOT, I feel sorry for them. There's nothing, other than Frozen, for them.

Studios is land constrained and a theming mess.

Animal Kingdom needs more attractions. Dinosaur needs a major refurbishment (another beloved attraction). Kali River Rapids (another $2 budget-cut attraction) is probably one of the worst water rapid rides I've ever ridden with a depressing story and broken special effects.

Walt Disney World needs some TLC and it needs someone bold enough to rip things out or it's going to become irrelevant.

And Chapek knows that. He may surprise us all.

D23 is coming. It's his to lose.

 

[Jonfw2]

I predict that from a parks standpoint, D23 will bring very little.

Hope I’m wrong.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Even if there isn't any data or evidence to say so, there is a lot more guest dissatisfaction with Disney's current management than before. Iger and even Eisner had their criticisms but I have never seen it to the level that Chapek has received. I do think Chapek was kind of left to fail since a lot of the decisions he has been criticized for were initiated by Iger but Chapek still had a hand in what people are upset the most (i.e park reservations) and the fact that he seems to be prioritizing promoting Disney+ over the parks. It's gotten to a point where just today, I was reading a thread on WDWmagic where people were practically BEGGING OLC (the company that owns Tokyo Disneyland) to take ownership of the US parks. People would rather a Japanese company own the Disney parks than Disney themselves. I find that to be so sad and this isn't even something I saw mentioned in that thread. People in Disney Facebook groups I'm in wish for it too.

 

[Jwaire]

I predict that from a parks standpoint, D23 will bring very little.

Hope I’m wrong.

I think they're going to focus on Disneyland this D23 and this thing with DeSantis is a bigger deal than people think. It may put all future World projects in jeopardy. But I'm hopeful for World, as it's my favorite.

 

[Jonfw2]

Even if there isn't any data or evidence to say so, there is a lot more guest dissatisfaction with Disney's current management than before. Iger and even Eisner had their criticisms but I have never seen it to the level that Chapek has received. I do think Chapek was kind of left to fail since a lot of the decisions he has been criticized for were initiated by Iger but Chapek still had a hand in what people are upset the most (i.e park reservations) and the fact that he seems to be prioritizing promoting Disney+ over the parks. It's gotten to a point where just today, I was reading a thread on WDWmagic where people were practically BEGGING OLC (the company that owns Tokyo Disneyland) to take ownership of the US parks. People would rather a Japanese company own the Disney parks than Disney themselves. I find that to be so sad and this isn't even something I saw mentioned in that thread. People in Disney Facebook groups I'm in wish for it too.

You know what you have now that didn’t exist at all during Eisner and less than now with Iger?

Social media. With those guys it wasn’t as easy to just go to an outlet where with two clicks you could find like-minded people complaining about Disney?

 

[Jrb1979]

Trip advisor has Disney World resort at a 4.5 out of 5.

Disneys internal guest satisfaction Scores are higher than they were before the pandemic.

Yet Disney World only has Magic Kingdom on trip advisors top amusement parks. Dollywood and Islands of Adventure are rated higher.

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attracti...Walt_Disney_World_Resort-Orlando_Florida.html

If you look at their latest reviews of the parks it's 3 out of 5 or less.

 

[Jonfw2]

I think they're going to focus on Disneyland this D23 and this thing with DeSantis is a bigger deal than people think. It may put all future World projects in jeopardy. But I'm hopeful for World, as it's my favorite.

If it’s political, don’t forget they just moved a ton of jobs out of Cali.

Due in part to the state’s refusal to play ball with then on Covid.

 

[DVacationer]

Even if there isn't any data or evidence to say so, there is a lot more guest dissatisfaction with Disney's current management than before. Iger and even Eisner had their criticisms but I have never seen it to the level that Chapek has received. I do think Chapek was kind of left to fail since a lot of the decisions he has been criticized for were initiated by Iger but Chapek still had a hand in what people are upset the most (i.e park reservations) and the fact that he seems to be prioritizing promoting Disney+ over the parks. It's gotten to a point where just today, I was reading a thread on WDWmagic where people were practically BEGGING OLC (the company that owns Tokyo Disneyland) to take ownership of the US parks. People would rather a Japanese company own the Disney parks than Disney themselves. I find that to be so sad and this isn't even something I saw mentioned in that thread. People in Disney Facebook groups I'm in wish for it too.

Yea WDW should be the shining example of what a Disney park should be. Its practically its own city that Walt had a hand in. Its the vacation destination of the world. So much potential. It will outlast any CEO that makes bad decisions, its just a matter of time until we get one that gives it the attention it deserves.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I'm going to put on my optimistic hat.

It'll be interesting to see how long Chapek stays. He may have a career that's opposite of Iger and Eisner. It may start off rough, but get better and by the time he retires the parks are in a better place.

I love Walt Disney World, but World in 2019 wasn't the same World in 2014 and definitely wasn't the same World from 1989 (Oh, how I miss 80's EPCOT). The crowds have gotten worse. With each additional hotel, timeshare, resort, housing district, etc., comes more people. I-Drive and the surrounding area have become so over developed. Attractions are everywhere (ICON park, Seaworld stepping up their coaster game, Universal killing it, etc.). Orlando has become an over-saturated, tourist mecca.

And it's not just the crowds. There's a lot of areas at Walt Disney World that are dire need of a refresh.

Tom Sawyer Island is a complete waste of space (I know it's peaceful and beautiful but it's still a waste of space). The dark rides at the Magic Kingdom are dingy and need an overhaul. Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan need to be modernized. Pan for cultural sensitivity (I know, I love the Indians too) and Pooh for cheapness ($2 attraction—go look at Tokyo Disneyland's Pooh and tell me the Magic Kingdom's is cute).

The Magic Kingdom needs Princess and the Frog. It needs Tangled. It needs Frozen. It needs Moana. Not only are those major IPs (and huge sellers), they've become modern animated classics. Children under 12 expect to see these and identify more with these characters than Peter Pan (Don't come for me, it's my favorite dark ride too.), Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland or Dumbo.

They're going to have to find a way, and if it means tearing down something like Tom Sawyer's Island or heaven-forbid Tiki Room, be bold and do it—as long as it's better than what came before. Magic Kingdom is not Disneyland and shouldn't be held to same preservation standards.

EPCOT needs more than what's been allotted to it. Journey has got to go, the current version of Test Track sucks, The Land is boring (I know. I know.), Mission Space is not well liked and The Seas is boring (and no longer relevant—you can see better aquariums in cities near you). When I see young kids at EPCOT, I feel sorry for them. There's nothing, other than Frozen, for them.

Studios is land constrained and a theming mess.

Animal Kingdom needs more attractions. Dinosaur needs a major refurbishment (another beloved attraction). Kali River Rapids (another $2 budget-cut attraction) is probably one of the worst water rapid rides I've ever ridden with a depressing story and broken special effects.

Walt Disney World needs some TLC and it needs someone bold enough to rip things out or it's going to become irrelevant.

And Chapek knows that. He may surprise us all.

D23 is coming. It's his to lose.

I agree with a lot of this. Tom Sawyer Island needs to go and have better attractions in it's place. Tokyo's Pooh ride makes the one in the US parks look embarrassing. Every non Magic Kingdom park needs at least 2-3 more rides. A lot of rides in WDW could use some TLC but I'm not sure if Chapek is someone that will prioritize giving these rides the refresh they need. The Spaceship Earth refurb, a ride that desperately needed one, was cancelled. To me he seems more focused on promoting Disney+ more than caring about the parks and their legacy.

Yea WDW should be the shining example of what a Disney park should be. Its practically its own city that Walt had a hand in. Its the vacation destination of the world. So much potential. It will outlast any CEO that makes bad decisions, its just a matter of time until we get one that gives it the attention it deserves.

The sad thing is that WDW really isn't the shining example. I would argue the parks in Japan are significantly better than WDW in almost every way except for the newer attractions like FOP, Guardians and Rise. But I would willingly give those up to go to the superior Disney parks.

 

[Jwaire]

Yet Disney World only has Magic Kingdom on trip advisors top amusement parks. Dollywood and Islands of Adventure are rated higher.

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attracti...Walt_Disney_World_Resort-Orlando_Florida.html

If you look at their latest reviews of the parks it's 3 out of 5 or less.

Because EPCOT and Animal Kingdom stink as amusement parks, but I love them anyway. I know it's relatively small, but Hollywood Studios deserves a higher spot on the list.

If it’s political, don’t forget they just moved a ton of jobs out of Cali.

Due in part to the state’s refusal to play ball with then on Covid.

They haven't moved them yet. It was delayed [likely indefinitely].

I agree with a lot of this. Tom Sawyer Island needs to go and have better attractions in it's place. Tokyo's Pooh ride makes the one in the US parks look embarrassing. Every non Magic Kingdom park needs at least 2-3 more rides. A lot of rides in WDW could use some TLC but I'm not sure if Chapek is someone that will prioritize giving these rides the refresh they need. The Spaceship Earth refurb, a ride that desperately needed one, was cancelled. To me he seems more focused on promoting Disney+ more than caring about the parks and their legacy.

Because it's not based on intellectual property. Wait until they announce the Wall-E Spaceship Earth attraction.

 

[Jonfw2]

They haven't moved them yet. It was delayed [likely indefinitely

But my point stands I think that they’re not thrilled with California anymore than they are with Florida.

 

[Jwaire]

A WALL-E Spaceship Earth attraction doesn't sound that bad.

Spaceship Earth is in the World Celebration neighborhood. If they ditched the communication theme, what could they replace it with? Countries? WALL-E could take you through all the different countries in World Showcase and you end up at the top of the Earth looking down.

Boom. Get it done, Chapek.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Exactly. Another solution to attack the demand issue is make more rides and/or live entertainment. You get much more positive publicity and public perception vs raising prices yet offering the same or less.

Hmmm... Like a 5th gate would certainly help. WDW needs to really grow, and not just adding 2 rides and calling in a new land. They can call it IP World and have a ride for each Disney movie ever made.

FP+ had its issues, but still it was nice to be able to choose 3 FPs before you even leave home. Then again, that meant mapping out your whole trip in advance, with no spontanaity. FPs were easy enough to cancel last minute but not ADRs.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

.

 

[Jonfw2]

How long is it expected to take for Disney+ to become financially stable and profitable, like the parks? Because I get the feeling the revenue from the parks that could be used to grow the parks and help with overcrowding is being siphoned off to streaming. Chapek is very experienced in parks. He can make them produce a lot of money to build streaming.

With almost 100 million subscribers, D+ is grossing around a billion dollars a month.

 

[GAN]

With almost 100 million subscribers, D+ is grossing around a billion dollars a month.

Yes …D+ doesn’t need any support. They have so much content, that they haven’t even begun to tap the reserves, and with the content they’re producing with Star Wars and Marvel …it’s a HUGE cash cow. Think of the cash from just merchandise revenue(Baby Yoda ..please, they’re still counting all that cash ).

I will say this -in watching some streams from the last couple weeks(the week before and after the 4th) the parks seemed nowhere near as crowded as what would be expected this time of year …4th of July week is typically one of the busiest weeks of the year and it wasn’t close.

 

[MillauFr]

The sad thing is that WDW really isn't the shining example. I would argue the parks in Japan are significantly better than WDW in almost every way except for the newer attractions like FOP, Guardians and Rise. But I would willingly give those up to go to the superior Disney parks.

The parks in California are way better than Florida. Now comparing the Toyko and California parks that is a toss up.

 

[Liquidice]

This isn't specific to guest satisfaction scores, but Disney as a company did drop 28 spots on the list of top companies corporate reputation. https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022...ly included on,just below Spectrum and Pfizer.

They were 37th on the list in 2021 and now 65th on the list. Their corporate reputation is listed as "good" with "very good" and "excellent" being categories higher than that. There are likely multiple reasons for this drop in reputation, but in part it is due to the parks, higher prices, lower value, etc. That doesn't necessarily translate into lower guest satisfaction I guess because there are going to be people who have been priced out of Disney and people who just won't go back to Disney because they are unhappy.

Disney actually made the list of fastest droppers for 2022 though, ranking #3 on the list for fastest droppers (below Spectrum and Pfizer).

I don't have specific data saying that guest satisfaction is down in the parks, but I can go back to my list of cut perks and say I'd be shocked if customers were happier paying more and getting less value at Disney parks today than they did in 2019.

 

[Smugpugmug]

The parks in California are way better than Florida. Now comparing the Toyko and California parks that is a toss up.

Tokyo is 100% better. It's not even fair to compare them lol

 

[MillauFr]

Tokyo is 100% better. It's not even fair to compare them lol

Um no. Disneyland is the gold standard. Just the culture and the history there can't be matched. I always envision walking in Walt's footsteps throughout the park. Toyko just doesn't have the history that Disneyland has. I'm just shocked how they let Disneyworld slip so much.