Napkins at WDW

[Eoywin]

Now, I don't really care about the change to the napkins - it doesn't make me sad or anything.

But I do remember the special Disney-themed napkins on my honeymoon in 2007 - I thought it was a very nice touch and I still remember it.

 

[Violet Parr]

All businesses have to change, or die. The trick is making the right changes.

In the grand scheme of things, whether a napkin has WDW on it isn't going to make people add or subtract a trip to the parks. Disney is doing plenty of adding on a much larger scale, and those things will attract guests.

Would I rather have a new and improved Magic Kingdom or a napkin with some writing on it. To me, not a tough choice.

I'll start complaining when they get rid of nightly fireworks.

I think what's great and brilliant is that the things they've added have roped us back in. On our last trip, we were finally feeling like Epcot was old hat. Three 12-day trips in 5 years will do that. On our last day, we decided to do the Kim Possible thing. We had a blast. All of a sudden those countries that we had been through over and over and were a little tired of were new and fun. Because of the way the adventures were set up, we noticed little details and elements of the pavillions that we had never noticed before. And the kids had a blast pretending they were on an international adventure. We were very surprised by how well-done it was. Great memories of that day that got us thinking maybe we'd go back afterall.

But for the life of me, I can't remember what the napkins looked like.

 

[DefLepard]

I had to search the "napkin" issue from the EMH thread to find out what on earth everyone was so worried about....

So basically people are upset that plain napkins are replacing printed napkins that guests were STEALING large amounts of to take home with them, c'mon just because you pay admission to the park doesn't mean you have the right to take home a bush, tree, bench, or 50 Disney printed napkins

 

[TheRatPack]

I will lament the loss of the Disney napkins, as I did the free Mickey head straws and real butter packets. Think of it as if it were a high end restaurant that slowly started replacing all the seating with plastic patio chairs. Sure, you can still sit and eat, they are still usable, but it's not quite as nice and you may feel the atmosphere no longer justifies the price.

Again, it is all a matter of personal perspective. The value of a product or service is highly subjective. For myself, it reflects a cheapening of the brand. It may be indicative of current management strategies, though sadly it is not as if the WDC is bleeding money. The removal of these small items or the changing of these products invariably brings forth comparisons between what WDW "used to be" and how it exists now. Each downgrade, (and have no illusions, they are downgrades) may not make much of a discernible difference, but when examined as a whole, is significant. New and first time visitors will not notice, not ever realizing what they missed. Only long time visitors and voracious fans will notice and regardless of their complaints, it will not stop us from visiting.

We were just saying the other day how we used to love going to Universal. But my husband said that a couple of years ago when he went it had really changed. It wasn't the fun 'nickelodeon' park our kids had enjoyed, but on the night he went, with our oldest son, they were taunted about their 'fast passes' and other things by a bunch of smart mouth teens. He said he saw people walking around without shirts on...etc. Same goes for our local Six Flags. They've all downgraded things over the years to the point of being somewhere we would rather not visit....sad really.

I hope that in 10 years we're not sitting here thinking the same of Disney. All these little things made Disney special for us. If we grabbed 10 napkins for supper and only used 8, I put the extra 2 in my bag and we carried them around for emergency nose bleeds or wiping up unrecognizable goo from ride seats or bus seats before sitting down. By the end of the trip we did have 20 napkins or so that went home with us....and it really does give the kids a smile to get one of those with dinner from time to time. Is it silly to some....well yea, probably.

Still it's the small things that add up and make it Disney and not Six Flags, Universal or your local county fair. When all these small things are gone....you'll be left with just another theme park.

 

[Violet Parr]

By the end of the trip we did have 20 napkins or so that went home with us....

This annoys me to no end. You'd walk off with 20 extra napkins? I don't remember the napkins at all, but if what you're all saying is true, these were nice napkins, right? Have you looked at the cost of a pack of nice napkins?

So you're walking off with 20 or so napkins each trip and then you're upset that they've cut this element and gone with cheap plain ones?

I don't understand how people who walk off with napkins (why???) are upset that they've gotten rid of the napkins. I've always taught my kids that you only take what you need when it comes to complimentary items like napkins, tea, ketchup packets.

Loading up on napkins as souvenirs just strikes me as somewhat...cheap? Tacky? I'm trying to not come off as insulting, but really, I had no idea people would take more than they needed. I've seen people do things like this at salad bars and buffets. I know parents of young kids might take some extra napkins because young kids are messy, but taking some to take home just seems not cool. It would be the same as taking 20 extra park maps for scrapbooks. Just raises prices for the rest of us. I just think if you want a nice souvenir, you go to a shop and buy one.

Sorry.

 

[Minnesota!]

something like this is so far OFF my radar! The napkins have never been "a part of the magic" for me. I don't blame Disney....paying to have napkins be pretty is ridiculous!

 

[EmmyL258]

This thread has gotten me wondering about how the cost of a Disney trip has actually changed over the last 15 years. For sure, it's more expensive, but I wonder if it actually was a more costly trip 15 years ago based on average income? I feel like when I was a kid, Disney was most definitely a "luxury" vacation. Even the moderate resorts that we stayed at are far better than any other vacation resort that we had stayed at (that probably cost equally as much per night). It seems like these downgrades are taking away the luxury "perks" that people got used to. I do miss Mickey butter and soap - it really did make it feel like a luxury vacation, but will plain napkins and butter keep me from visiting, no.

 

[disnut8]

No investor has ever needed to say that, because The Walt Disney Company has always been a corporation with passion. Walt Disney saw his mission as greater than just a way to make a living. His business was one that was able to define its brand well and put its customers' needs first.

If Disney stops doing that, then yes, successful businesses can and do run themselves into the ground.

But Walt died in 1966 and no one knows what he would be doing in today's business climate. So please, don't bring "what would Walt think" into this conversation. For all anyone can tell, he would have phased out printed napkins five years ago. Or ten years ago. Or, maybe never. But we will never know. Because, well, he's dead and his vision and values died with him.

 

[mom2rtk]

You know.... I've never taken the napkins home before. But I'm thinking I might have to grab a big pile on our next trip. Just so I can come post here that I did.

What an amazing thread.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

But Walt died in 1966 and no one knows what he would be doing in today's business climate. So please, don't bring "what would Walt think" into this conversation. For all anyone can tell, he would have phased out printed napkins five years ago. Or ten years ago. Or, maybe never. But we will never know. Because, well, he's dead and his vision and values died with him.

Sorry, I cannot accomodate you by not bringing Walt into this conversation. It is Walt Disney World, not Disney World. There is a reason that his name is on the park. Walt Disney World park is the pinnacle of his career, whether he was alive to see it completed or not.

And the napkins are a small detail. Any one small detail by itself does not matter much. But for anyone, like me, who began going to the park in 1976, and has seen the park change over the years, all these small details begin to add up.

It may very well be that the BEST decision Disney could make right now is to phase out the printed napkins. And if they had been smart, they would have publicized their decision as a way to be kind to the environment (whether that was their real intention or not). Because that is something Walt would have been in favor of, and that is something that those of us who love Walt could all get behind.

I am not Chicken Little exclaiming the sky is falling because the napkins are generic now. I do not think the sky is falling at Disney World, at all. But I do think the Disney brand is changing. For those of us who thought there was something very special about the old Disney brand, it is sad to see. So cut us some slack, please. For us, it is like an old friend is dying.

Walt Disney was a creative genius. And even though he died, his vision and his values have NOT died with him yet. They are alive in me. Here are a few of his words, that live on in my heart:

• "Disneyland is a show."
  
• "I don't want the public to see the world they live in while they're in the Park. I want them to feel they're in another world."
  
• "Disneyland is a work of love. We didn’t go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money."

And for the new Disney brand, I have a few words of wisdom for the stock holders: one of the fastest ways to destroy a business is to nurture your own ego. If you view yourself as the supreme expert in every situation, it’s the kiss of death for your business. So if Disney investors really are thinking,

“’Someday I hope they will wise up and figure out how to run a successful business!’ said no investor ever,”

then we are in for a bumpy ride, because it doesn’t get much more smug than that.

 

[ChipnDalebowl]

Has the toilet paper gone blank yet? Just kidding!

That was worth quoting!

Frankly I didn't notice or care....I think they are brown now...which I'm guessing means its unbleached paper which isn't a bad thing, environmentally given how many they go through daily.

 

[LeahZ]

It's so funny to see this thread when I signed on, because my husband just got done telling me about his dream from last night and it involved Disney napkins! Here's the dream:

We were on a Disney Cruise Ship and I was ordering a drink at a snack counter. When they handed me my order, my drink splashed all over my face. I asked the man behind the counter if I could have a napkin. He said yes, and gave it to me. I cleaned my face and set the napkin down. Then he told me that the napkin would cost 15 cents. He was very rude and kept insisting that I pay him 15 cents. I asked to talk to a manager. The manager came over and asked what happened, and while I told her that the man was trying to make me pay 15 cents for a napkin, she started laughing at me. I was upset that she was laughing at me, so I asked if there was someone else I could talk to.

Another supervisor comes in and sits me down in a little room, asking me what happened. I explained and she said OK. Then she pulled out a huge binder and asked if we recently stayed at Art of Animation. I said that yes, we did. She opened the book and I could see a picture of the concept art for the Nemo area at Art of Animation. She said, "Ok, here's what we're willing to offer." I got excited, thinking maybe she was going to offer me a free stay. She said, "Now, this is too expensive, so we can't offer you any free nights, but we're more than happy to give you three boxes of Disney printer paper." She pointed at the concept art and in it, I could see the 3 boxes sitting on the ground in the drawing.

I said, "What?" She said, "But it's really good quality paper!" I said, "Well, it's not that I don't trust the brand, but I just don't think that paper is worth anything. Cast members were laughing at me!"

I got out my phone and looked on Amazon and saw that the paper would only cost me $40. Another cast member came over and asked the manager what she was doing. The manager whispered, "I'm offering him paper, but it only costs us $10. Haha!"

I got upset that it only cost $10 and then I woke up.

 

[andyman8]

Whenever I'm thinking "Disney is declining" (which is rarely ever), I just read and write this kind of blog post. http://www.disneyparksplanning.com/apps/blog/show/17250484-new-fantasyland-construction-update

 

[maxiesmom]

Sorry, I cannot accomodate you by not bringing Walt into this conversation. It is Walt Disney World, not Disney World. There is a reason that his name is on the park. Walt Disney World park is the pinnacle of his career, whether he was alive to see it completed or not.

And the napkins are a small detail. Any one small detail by itself does not matter much. But for anyone, like me, who began going to the park in 1976, and has seen the park change over the years, all these small details begin to add up.

Question: Would you be happier if they never added more parks, never expanded the parks that they had, if they had only left all the details in place? Do you think WDW would have as many visitors as it has now if they had not opened more parks and expanded the ones they have?

Maybe they are sacrificing some of the small details such as printed napkins so that they can afford to expand. Or maybe it is done in order to be more environmentally friendly. Or maybe it is done to cut the amount of napkins they go through in a year as now people won't hoard them as souvenirs? None of us know the why. But if you spend too much time in the past (and the past is never what any of us remember it was) then you will miss the great things in the here and now.

 

[MissionMouse]

If all we have to worry about are napkins, then we are doing great...we have no worries.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

By the end of the trip we did have 20 napkins or so that went home with us....

This does not annoy me one bit! I happen to think it is GRAND!

I have been a business owner, and the one thing you want more than anything else is low cost advertising and marketing. And it doesn't get much cheaper than putting your logo on a napkin. As a business owner, I would WANT to give everyone on earth a free napkin with my logo on it. Because that sure is a heck of a lot cheaper than a commercial or a print advertisement.

Think about it! Disney resort cast members encourage you to take home the towel animals that mousekeepers leave in your rooms. Those don't even have the Disney logo on them. No free marketing there....

If Disney was really worried about saving money, which do you think it would phase out first? Disney logo paper napkins OR towel animals?

What has probably happened is that the park has phased out logo napkins for the environment, and the management has gotten sloppy and not communicated that message to the consumer.

I really do not think Disney phased out the logo napkins to save money. If that is the case, you can kiss your towel animals goodbye. They will probably be next to go.

 

[Violet Parr]

"My vacation napkins are too plain."

Talk about FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.

 

[bizeemom4]

I just clicked to see if there is really an 8 page discussion/disagreement about napkins.

 

[disEAR]

Napkins...? Seriously, people are upset about napkins? One man's trash is another man's treasure I suppose...

 

[disEAR]

"My vacation napkins are too plain."

Talk about FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.

lol!

This made me laugh.