Just home, my thoughts

[flicx]

But I get your point that the mid-1990's was a great time in terms of crowd management and relaxation value. In some ways, it can be argued that the addition of the 4th gate transformed what a "week at WDW" felt like. And a 5th gate would alter the dynamic even further.

In theory we are on the same page. Just look at the list WOW!, it pretty much is some of disneys best work. They grew, they innovated and gave the customers something new to look forward to almost every year. The amount of headliners that still draw huge crowds created in that time span is incredible. Some where however I feel they have gotten lost in the money making to ride /attraction creating ratio! Just looking at the list and had to add 98,99 what a two year span Animal Kingdom, Fantasmic, kali river rapids,test track and rockand rollercoaster. Great Years!

 

[Laketravis]

In theory we are on the same page. Just look at the list WOW!, it pretty much is some of disneys best work. They grew, they innovated and gave the customers something new to look forward to almost every year. The amount of headliners that still draw huge crowds created in that time span is incredible. Some where however I feel they have gotten lost in the money making to ride /attraction creating ratio! Just looking at the list and had to add 98,99 what a two year span Animal Kingdom, kali river rapids,test track and rockand rollercoaster. Great Years!

But wait - aren't you excited that Disney's own Social Media Director just announced that WDW will be increasing the capacity of both Soarin' and TSMM by 50% by "late 2016" ??


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[perditax]

(Just jumping in briefly to the nostalgia about the late 90s: I got to do soft openings for both AK and US:IOA. I also did a number of September/Florida Resident fall trips in a row. Good times.)

 

[mom2rtk]

But wait - aren't you excited that Disney's own Social Media Director just announced that WDW will be increasing the capacity of both Soarin' and TSMM by 50% by "late 2016" ??


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Yawn.

 

[L&Lfan]

But wait - aren't you excited that Disney's own Social Media Director just announced that WDW will be increasing the capacity of both Soarin' and TSMM by 50% by "late 2016" ??


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Be still my heart! And that's exactly what's wrong with WDW today! How about building NEW attractions to ease the crowding on existing attractions?

 

[flicx]

But wait - aren't you excited that Disney's own Social Media Director just announced that WDW will be increasing the capacity of both Soarin' and TSMM by 50% by "late 2016" ??


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While extra capacity is a good direction, excited may not be the best word to describe it!

Be still my heart! And that's exactly what's wrong with WDW today! How about building NEW attractions to ease the crowding on existing attractions?

There are those of us who agree! Unfortunately the people who I refer to don't work for Disney as executives!

 

[Josh Hendy]

...

In terms of maximum attraction bang for the buck, it is hard to place WDW at its peak until Kali, Everest, RnR, TSMM, TT, MS and Soarin' were all up and running. That is why I move the peak away from the mid to late 1990's and over to the mid-2000's. To me, that is when the summit was reached. Since that time, there has been an erosion of live entertainment, atmospheric characters, Pleasure Island, DHS attractions/tours, and an entire Epcot pavilion. (Two, if you count the pillaging of Norway).

...

Besides the subtractions mentioned above, there are quite a few attractions that have long ago passed their "best before" date. They're not on anyone's "must do" list except for a few nostalgic old-timers and a lot of 1st-timers who get sucked into watching them without realizing how incredibly dated or boring they are. I call that erosion. We have a lot of threads along the lines of "what would you replace?" and the same attractions come up over and over again. And some attractions don't even come up on the lists because they are so forgotten.

 

[perditax]

Sings: If you had wings, had wings, had wings ...

 

[Cormoran]

Be still my heart! And that's exactly what's wrong with WDW today! How about building NEW attractions to ease the crowding on existing attractions?

I think you're way off base, after all Disney will probably be offereing a hard ticket party to coincide with the increased capacity on Soarin' and TSMM! Heck, they may even create a new commemorative cupcake to launch both events! What more could we ask for?

 

[Laketravis]

Besides the subtractions mentioned above, there are quite a few attractions that have long ago passed their "best before" date. They're not on anyone's "must do" list except for a few nostalgic old-timers and a lot of 1st-timers who get sucked into watching them without realizing how incredibly dated or boring they are. I call that erosion. We have a lot of threads along the lines of "what would you replace?" and the same attractions come up over and over again. And some attractions don't even come up on the lists because they are so forgotten.

To think that Country Bear Jamboree and Hall of Presidents used to be an E ticket.

But that does speak to your point - when those attractions first opened they were wonders of animatronics to be featured on the cover of Popular Science. Now, they are air-conditioned respites from the summer heat.

I look at what DS9 has competing for his attention these days and what he can hold in his hand far surpasses, technically, many of the attractions at WDW. And while he doesn't appreciate nostalgic value yet, something has to get his attention today in order to hold nostalgia tomorrow.


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[JimmyV]

What more could we ask for?

The hard ticket event would no doubt include a showing of: Soarin' over Arendelle and a special TSMM overlay...True Scandinavian Midway Madness

 

[Planogirl]

To me the glory years were when Epcot was new and shiny and amazing. We absolutely loved everything about it and spent ridiculous amounts of time there. It's so different now.

But that brings me to the downward spiral. There are improvements being made. If a substantial Star Wars presence is added to DHS, that park will again be worth the price of admission. If Avatarland knocks our socks off, then Animal Kingdom will be worth more than an 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. visit. The Great Movie Ride may make a big comeback. I don't know what the future holds, but I will predict that a WDW vacation in 2020 will be better than one now. And a WDW vacation in 2007 was better than it is now. So that puts us in a trough. I certainly hope it is just a trough. But either way, given what a WDW vacation costs, it is worthy of serious consideration whether 2015 (or 2016) is the best time to go. I know that it isn't for me. I have not skipped WDW for 2 consecutive years since it opened in 1971. But I am prepared now to wait out this lull and focus on 2017 (or later). I can't help but think about WDW in its prime (which for me, was the 2005-2010 period). I don't think that there is any chance that I wouldn't be disappointed in a trip now, when I compare it to then. So rather than go again now, spend money, and leave thinking: "It just isn't as good as it used to be", I will spend my money elsewhere and go back at a time when I am confident that WDW is back in the saddle and running on all engines. Right now, it is not.

I'll buy that once those improvements are actually made. I keep on hearing about them but promises mean nothing. Will they do them right? Only time will tell.

I haven't read all the posts, but the OP & a few others on the front page got me thinking about something.

Many people say Disney isn't as good any more and a lot of that is due to crowds making lines long and some experiences rushed, basically the parks just keep getting busier.

Therefore who would be willing to pay more for a more exclusive experience? This could be a range of experiances such as, getting to spend 30 minutes with princesses or a special dinner (similar to the Imagineer lunch) with characters where there is only a small number of tables so you get exclusive time with characters. Or maybe a more exclusive park (similar to Discovery Cove which is restricedted to 1,300 guests) where admission cost is higher but you have more chance to do things as there are fewer other guests.

They are already doing those things. Special tours and meals during special events and so on keep popping up and I imagine that there will be more of the same.

To think that Country Bear Jamboree and Hall of Presidents used to be an E ticket.

But that does speak to your point - when those attractions first opened they were wonders of animatronics to be featured on the cover of Popular Science. Now, they are air-conditioned respites from the summer heat.

I look at what DS9 has competing for his attention these days and what he can hold in his hand far surpasses, technically, many of the attractions at WDW. And while he doesn't appreciate nostalgic value yet, something has to get his attention today in order to hold nostalgia tomorrow.


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Plus a way for me to see Big Al. Big Al needs a better venue.

 

[momof2n2]

So sorry that things were so rushed.

I've always worried (for years and over many trips) that our "next trip" would be the one where things were not as magical.
And, for years and over many trips, we kept finding extra magic... every single time!

But alas, I must say that our latest trip (this January) was closer to your recent experience.
And, I am very disappointed.

For YOU to say this...



DISNEY - DO YOU READ THESE BOARDS???

I think the saddest part of your report is that seeing Anna and Elsa was supposed to be the highlight of your trip. Curious----how much time do you think each child should get with the characters?

Um - meeting Rapunzel in 2011 was amazing. Personal. Fun. Engaging.
I would have expected the same of A & E.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

We went in December, and we took our 2 DGDs ages 2 and 4. A lot of time was spent meeting characters. I, too, was disappointed in how little we got done, how crowded it was, and I simply skipped out on a lot of things. As for A&E, I thought we had a good visit, while not an exceptionally long meet, I didn't feel rushed. They both SEEMED to take their time and not push the girls ahead. On the plus side, the 2 year old visited with very few characters, so I guess that gave more time to the 4 year old. As I look back, I am overwhelmed by the amount of things I didn't do; I did sacrifice several attractions to sit with the 2 year old, but it was just so darn crowded. I will go back, but I am rethinking my strategy. Hurricane season looks mighty attractive.

 

[larryz]

Is that a snack credit or a table service credit?

It's a free car ride to the Minit Clinic at the CVS...

 

[larryz]

I worry about a downward spiral. It's gradual but that is what I see now.

I'm suspicious that they're practicing what I like to call "value extraction" from the theme parks. The strategy: maximize profits by raising prices while cutting expenses and avoiding major investments until the crowds quit coming, then you use that lowered revenue to justify selling the parks off to a competitor, and then make a killing licensing the characters to the poor sucker who buys them.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

The hard ticket event would no doubt include a showing of: Soarin' over Arendelle and a special TSMM overlay...True Scandinavian Midway Madness

Probably close to accurate.
This Frozen stuff is ridiculously out of hand.

 

[lauradis]

To think that Country Bear Jamboree and Hall of Presidents used to be an E ticket.

But that does speak to your point - when those attractions first opened they were wonders of animatronics to be featured on the cover of Popular Science. Now, they are air-conditioned respites from the summer heat.

I look at what DS9 has competing for his attention these days and what he can hold in his hand far surpasses, technically, many of the attractions at WDW. And while he doesn't appreciate nostalgic value yet, something has to get his attention today in order to hold nostalgia tomorrow.


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thats why they put the card game in.

If you have been going to Disney for Wonders of new technology, there has been very little of mind blowing past in last 10-15 years or aka deemed the best years.

 

[chrissyb2411]

It's true that Disney does allow too many FP's for the Anna & Elsa meet & greet, But in all honesty, would 'you' have wanted to be one of the ones that your child 'could' not see them because the 'cut off' for the 'number' seeing them was past?? I think not, so yes, that is why they have to be rushed, and limit the greeting time, so more little girls can have that pleasure!

They 'cannot' give unlimited time as some little ones 'never' quit talking and would 'never' know when time is up! Really can't see how you are upset about this, and think your dd should have had more special time, while so many others were waiting.

They don't have enough 'space' for most other attractions to accommodate all guests, hence the limit on FP's (just another way for them to use the 'coupon' system that they used to have - limiting E tickets, etc) to spread people out to all the rides whether you wanted them or not!!!!

The 'New Disney' - NOT the improved Disney!!!!

Yes, I would absolutely have been ok if there were a cutoff and we had never gotten a fast pass. That was a discussion we had. Once I figured out how fp+ works I started talking to the kids about what they wanted to see and do most so we could plan. At the time there were multiple threads about how difficult it was to get an Anna and elsa fp, and standby wait times were being reported of several hours at best. DD and I talked. She understood what fastpases were, and how you get them. I told her A&E were so new all the kids wanted to meet them, and that we may not be able to get a fastpases, and may not be able to meet them at all if the wait times continued to be so long. Of course she was dissappointed, but she understood and said that would be fine. She would like to meet them but if we couldn't get a fast pass she thought she would rather do other more fun things and not wait in line. See, I don't teach my kids that they are automatically entitled to have everything they want just because they want it. The world is full of disappointment, you can't always have everything.

But, we got a fastpases. And it was like winning the lottery. And we were excited. And the experience was extremly lacking. So yes, I'm disappointed, and yes I think the dissapointment is reasonable.

If disney really wanted to make sure every kid had a chance to meet A&E they would make it happen. The way it's set up now it can't possibly happen. And those kids that do get in by luck of the draw, or waiting for hours, are not given the quality experience disney advertised.

 

[chrissyb2411]

So I have thought a lot about this and am feeling a lot better by just talking about it all here so thank you.

I also was talking to a good friend of mine. Her and her family were at Disney last week as well. They had a REALY amazing time. She was saying how they loved it so much and really wished they were still there. This was their first visit interestingly. Maybe there is something to the thought that our other trips occurred at peak disney times, and it's hard to compare it to what disney is now without feeling dissapointed. Her kids are also a little older, 10 and 12, and they didn't do any meet and greets, no interest. I'm thinking now that the A&E experience on our first day tainted the rest of the trip for me and made me feel more sensitive to how rushed everything has become.

Anyway, thanks for all the thoughts and comments. This thread has helped me sort of decompress. It's easier to leave the negatives behind and look back at the week as really mostly a very good experience.

I don't think I will be back for awhile. But someday, maybe.