Side tangent since apparently we have nothing new to discuss about the tower - can you tell me more about this Adventures by Disney trip? That backstage tour sounds so cool!
Pour one out for Seasons of the Vine and Mullholland Madness.
I'm open to a new parade. Don't get me wrong like I said I love MSEP, Baroque Hoedown, all of it. But I also like seeing what Disney can do with more recent technology and the parks need something to bring energy to them at night. Speaking of which I wish AK would stay open later than freaking 6 PM again so I can see Pandora after the sun has gone down without needing to attend a Moonlight Magic but I digress
YES. You said it perfectly. I understand, to a point, that when something that was your truest happy place during formative years of your life starts to feel less magical because XYZ reasons, you’d be upset. It feels like the memories of your childhood are being desecrated by the evil and greedy corporate execs who know nothing about running an entertainment business except to make as much Wall Street profit as possible, that you can’t help but start hating everything that comes out this company. But the thing is, nothing they do can ever compete with your childhood/past memories. Our memories are wrapped in cotton candy and pure serotonin and frankly, we were much easier to be entertained 20 years ago then we are now, so of course everything back then felt incredible and inspiring and innovative. I was endlessly happy with some mud, leaves and sticks as a kid and now I need 4 different forms of mental stimulation at the same to get the job done lol.
), I hope I have the grace to not complain about it all over every social media platform and let the newer generations experience the magic that is changing for them.
Sadly a whole industry has sprung up on Youtube for WDW hate because that's what gets the views, aka $$. Everything is an "abomination" or a "travesty" or a "disaster". Such drama and cynicism over a theme parkYES. You said it perfectly. I understand, to a point, that when something that was your truest happy place during formative years of your life starts to feel less magical because XYZ reasons, you’d be upset. It feels like the memories of your childhood are being desecrated by the evil and greedy corporate execs who know nothing about running an entertainment business except to make as much Wall Street profit as possible, that you can’t help but start hating everything that comes out this company. But the thing is, nothing they do can ever compete with your childhood/past memories. Our memories are wrapped in cotton candy and pure serotonin and frankly, we were much easier to be entertained 20 years ago then we are now, so of course everything back then felt incredible and inspiring and innovative. I was endlessly happy with some mud, leaves and sticks as a kid and now I need 4 different forms of mental stimulation at the same to get the job done lol.
And like you said, there’s also the issue of what makes one group really happy will piss off another, and so who do you try to please? I’m not saying the direction of the company is by any means positive or currently working well, I’m just saying that it’s easy to look back and say wow those were the golden years and everything is ruined now. Somethings probably are, but I’d sure bet many, many things are probably much better.
What’s worse, for me anyway, as a “newer” Disney adult is that I only know the magic of current-ish day Disney and I love it (clearly lol). I didn’t get to experience the wondrous magic that was the Disney company through the eyes of people much older then me, or those who have been lucky enough to know and love these parks and this company for all these years. But I feel like if I like anything Disney has done recently (the Poly tower, Tiana’s, Country Bears-still love and miss the old version but the new one seems fun!), I’m a shill for the company…not that I make any money off of anything, but you know what I’m trying to saying. I want to see new things and new tech and new shows and new rides, even if that means sometimes sacrificing something I still love to make room.
If I’m lucky enough to keep going to these parks for years and years until I finally start to get sick of it or tired of the changes (of course, that’ll never happen
So every little perceived flaw is amplified.
Exactly! Every time something new comes to WDW the phrase "it doesn't feel/seem Disney to me" will inevitably be uttered. You know why it doesn't feel Disney? Because it didn't previously exist at Disney, that's why.
What’s worse, for me anyway, as a “newer” Disney adult is that I only know the magic of current-ish day Disney and I love it (clearly lol). I didn’t get to experience the wondrous magic that was the Disney company through the eyes of people much older then me, or those who have been lucky enough to know and love these parks and this company for all these years. But I feel like if I like anything Disney has done recently (the Poly tower, Tiana’s, Country Bears-still love and miss the old version but the new one seems fun!), I’m a shill for the company…not that I make any money off of anything, but you know what I’m trying to saying. I want to see new things and new tech and new shows and new rides, even if that means sometimes sacrificing something I still love to make room.
If I’m lucky enough to keep going to these parks for years and years until I finally start to get sick of it or tired of the changes (of course, that’ll never happen
There’s legitimate criticism with what you’re saying and I truly can’t argue with that. Disney likely has been cutting corners for a while now and maybe the parks are not as interactive as it once was but seeing it from fresh eyes, it doesn’t feel flat or 2D to me, at all. They’re doing what companies do best which is what makes them most profit and brings new people and generations in. And kids today don’t play outside as much and so, sadly, those interactive playgrounds and bits become underused spaces. I think kids today love the parks just as much as you did when you were younger but for different reasons and they’ll grow up with these parks in their nostalgic memories and no doubt be upset with the changes that occur in 20 years. The circle of life (Disney), and all.
I sympathize and I wouldn’t have minded if they went this direction but I don’t fully agree here (not about Trader Sam’s, that would have been great, though @KimMcGowan makes a good point. Hopefully they’ll have some good dining options regardless). I don’t think they need to build the same style they did 50 years ago for it to still be worthy of being considered a Disney resort. Like others have said, the tiki culture lives on in one half of the resort so they already went all in on that theme. This addition, with it’s more eco-friendly, subtler aesthetic appeals to families who like the luxury and modernity of those hotels in Miami you mention
it’s just the change of times, I’m sure it’ll come back to the overly themed style soon enough. I see it as a new option and style of rooms to stay instead of an echo of existing rooms. And so we get the best of both worlds that will appeal to a greater population. When I’m feeling nostalgic, I’ll book the original rooms and when I want something cleaner and lighter, I’ll book the tower.
Are we allow to link to “rival” message boards here? There is a board where Len Testa is active and also has a lot of purported insiders who leak— several people there feel very confident WDW is going to answer the launch of Epic Universe with a new light parade, seemingly at MK—but I only recently discovered the board and cannot in anyway vouch for the credibility of the rumor.Tell me more about this rumored new night parade...
You can try and post the link. If the link shows as ****** then we can’t discuss it. If the link shows in full without ***** then no problem.
I don't agree with this. One of my kids favourite parts of the park is the playground at AK, and they're not the only ones, because there are always a bunch of kids there. I wish every park had an area like that, for unstructured play, where kids can just be free to play. I also really hope they don't get rid of it when they redo that part of the park.
I agree, but truthfully I’ve only ever seen a few kids running around in the dig site, and many times I’ve seen no one, but maybe I’ve visited at the wrong times. Honestly, I love the dig site, I wish I could play in it lol (and splash pads, I’d love one of those for adults) but we always skip it because it’s too hot or raining or we have other places to be. It looks great and adds really great kinetic energy to the area but the weather in Florida is rough like 8-9 months of the year- what they should do is create more child friendly spaces like the indoor playground in Fantasyland. I don’t have kids but I’ve taken my nieces and nephews there and it’s always been full of kids and parents, cooling off and burning energy. My point is not that they shouldn’t exist, I agree with you, there should be more of them, but that doesn’t negate the fact that the many of these places seem underused (again, maybe I’ve visited at the wrong times
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Yeah Trader Sam's could be twice the size and never have an empty seat IMO.
They demo'd the one at HS back when it was always packed. It was my kids' favorite part of that park, and then it was gone. (when they got rid of half the park to build starwars)
