Negativity on the boards

[kbelle8995]

If a person wants to be critical of Disney I think that's fine. As long as the discussion remains polite and doesn't become insulting.

I try to think about how I would act if I was facing that person and being as diplomatic as possible. Not that I haven't become upset once in awhile. The worst thing you can do is post when you think that way or are in that state of mine.

I think when Maelstrom became frozen, I lost it for time. I can step back now But at the time whew. Not my best moment.

 

[disneysteve]

It's like reading tripadvisor reviews - you do have to be able to read between the lines. Most of what ppl complain about I can already tell won't bother me. The things that will - I take note of it and see if I can fix it.

This is a great point. Reading complaints can be educational as it can help you avoid potential problems. It is also important to pay attention to trends in the complaints. If the same complaint is turning up over and over from different people, that's different than if everyone has great things to say and only one person says something negative. And personal preferences matter, as you noted. For example, I ignore all of the restaurant complaints about the quality of the steak dinners since I don't eat red meat.

 

[FFMatt12]

This is a great point. Reading complaints can be educational as it can help you avoid potential problems. It is also important to pay attention to trends in the complaints. If the same complaint is turning up over and over from different people, that's different than if everyone has great things to say and only one person says something negative. And personal preferences matter, as you noted. For example, I ignore all of the restaurant complaints about the quality of the steak dinners since I don't eat red meat.

I think you bring up a nice strategy for most to adopt. I do this typically when reading TripAdvisor or Yelp reviews. Many people won't be bothered to leave a review after a good meal but they sure will leave a nasty negative one. It helps me weed out the accurate from the frustrated.

 

[mcd2745]

Most areas of the boards, I find to be pretty much balanced. I think really the only area of the boards that has an over-abundance of negativity is the Theme Parks Strategies board. I often find myself avoiding that section because of it. It just seems there are a group of posters who are determined to turn almost every other thread into a FP+ bashing session - regardless of the original subject of the thread. I get the challenges of FP+, but at some point, you have to accept that it's here to stay and stop pining for the return of legacy FP. That doesn't mean you have to embrace FP+ and love it, but you don't need to bash it every 5 minutes either - especailly in discussions focused on other topics. There's nothing constructive in that.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I don't really find the negativity here...I find a certain overlay of sarcasm that's mostly in a joking manner. I would say for the most part people are really welcoming here. Some thick skin is in order, as I've seen people almost be TOO nice for some of the nonsense that's asked/goes on here.

 

[disneysteve]

I find a certain overlay of sarcasm

Well with Pete as our fearless leader, what else would you expect.

 

[Rgonzalez79]

I get what the OP was trying to say with this post, I too agree with Pete that it can get pretty negative/defensive on the boards, and I don't think he was condoning censorship at all. Not to put words in anyone's mouth but i felt like he was just trying to preach a more positive attitude all around, don't focus on the negative aspects of Disney when there is so much wonder to be had. I also understand everyone who appreciate the negative posts for they can indeed be very educational as to areas/experiences to avoid while at the parks.

Things went a bit off the rails it seems but I think we all have strong opinions on most things Disney and we love to share them. Practicing a little more politeness and happiness never hurt anyone

 

[CookiesNcream]

Well with Pete as our fearless leader, what else would you expect.

"Before the internet, you come to the parks, something's not right, you fill out a feedback form, and the only people who read that are people at Disney. Now you go to a website and you post on a board, and suddenly 10,000 people know what happened. And the louder that gets, the more likely Disney is to fix it." - Pete Werner, October 2011.

I hope he still feels that way!

 

[BugsDaddy]

The type of negativity I am talking about is the mean spirited, constant belaboring of an opinion. It usually spans multiple threads and contains little battles between groups or individuals. For example, someone comes to the boards describing a positive experience with FP+ or Magic Bands and posts their experience. I have seen much more than once where that was followed up with posters chiming in about how the OP probably did not really did not have as much fun as they could have or at times even demanding proof that what they are saying is true.

To say, for example, that a process in Disney is broken, probably implies some sort of burden of proof on the part of the person making the claim. To say that "I really like this aspect of Disney " is an opinion and requires no proof and really does not require people to jump in and turn the experience into a negative. If you don't agree, just don't post. Or post your dissenting opinion but recognize their right to have their own.

The same can be said for someone posting their opinion when they do not like something and other posters chiming in on how they are wrong to think so. Same difference.

The bottom line is that if we all respected each other's opinion (and I include myself in this) and respected the fact that everyone has a right to an opinion, the negativity would probably go away on its own.

And to Pete's point, maintain some balance and try to acknowledge more than just the things that Disney does wrong because they do a lot, very very right.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I think if you hit any number of Disney forums (in addition to DisBoards) as well as some of the more rapid fire Facebook groups, you're going to see a mix of enthusiasm, requests for info, and yes- negativity. The negativity is driving a lot of newbies away from forum style sites and it's starting to infiltrate the Facebook groups as well. I don't know if there is an answer though.

While I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinions (as well as voicing them), when you've got some people who have nothing but negativity that are also frequent posters...well, it gets to be a bit much. That's not to say their opinions are totally invalid, but if you're on a Disney forum or fan group, one would think that the positively magical aspects of Disney are at least part of the foundation for your joining said group. i.e. you'd have more than bad things to say about Disney. I mean, there are clearly things many of us miss or feel could be improved, but some people are so darn negative that they make newbies or folks who haven't been in a while fear that they're going to some dilapidated behemoth of a park system that's in shambles since nothing is maintained, nobody cares, and the mgmt is all a mess. Essentially, it's one thing to complain or have a strong opinion and it's an entirely different story with some of these melodramatic doomsday cries that some people pitch.

 

[BugsDaddy]

I think if you hit any number of Disney forums (in addition to DisBoards) as well as some of the more rapid fire Facebook groups, you're going to see a mix of enthusiasm, requests for info, and yes- negativity. The negativity is driving a lot of newbies away from forum style sites and it's starting to infiltrate the Facebook groups as well. I don't know if there is an answer though.

While I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinions (as well as voicing them), when you've got some people who have nothing but negativity that are also frequent posters...well, it gets to be a bit much. That's not to say their opinions are totally invalid, but if you're on a Disney forum or fan group, one would think that the positively magical aspects of Disney are at least part of the foundation for your joining said group. i.e. you'd have more than bad things to say about Disney. I mean, there are clearly things many of us miss or feel could be improved, but some people are so darn negative that they make newbies or folks who haven't been in a while fear that they're going to some dilapidated behemoth of a park system that's in shambles since nothing is maintained, nobody cares, and the mgmt is all a mess. Essentially, it's one thing to complain or have a strong opinion and it's an entirely different story with some of these melodramatic doomsday cries that some people pitch.

Very well said!

 

[GAN]

constant belaboring of an opinion.

Oh, you mean like fixing the Yeti!

 

[BugsDaddy]

Oh, you mean like the Yeti!

Or ride refurbs and downtime in general. You cannot please everyone, all the time yet you will always see complaint after complaint when a ride goes down for refurb. It has to affect someone's vacation.

 

[Planogirl]

If a person wants to be critical of Disney I think that's fine. As long as the discussion remains polite and doesn't become insulting.

I try to think about how I would act if I was facing that person and being as diplomatic as possible. Not that I haven't become upset once in awhile. The worst thing you can do is post when you think that way or are in that state of mine.

I think when Maelstrom became frozen, I lost it for time. I can step back now But at the time whew. Not my best moment.

I'm still not over that. I'm trying to separate out Epcot from the rest of the resort. Epcot to me is ruined anyway for this and other reasons.

I think if you hit any number of Disney forums (in addition to DisBoards) as well as some of the more rapid fire Facebook groups, you're going to see a mix of enthusiasm, requests for info, and yes- negativity. The negativity is driving a lot of newbies away from forum style sites and it's starting to infiltrate the Facebook groups as well. I don't know if there is an answer though.

While I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinions (as well as voicing them), when you've got some people who have nothing but negativity that are also frequent posters...well, it gets to be a bit much. That's not to say their opinions are totally invalid, but if you're on a Disney forum or fan group, one would think that the positively magical aspects of Disney are at least part of the foundation for your joining said group. i.e. you'd have more than bad things to say about Disney. I mean, there are clearly things many of us miss or feel could be improved, but some people are so darn negative that they make newbies or folks who haven't been in a while fear that they're going to some dilapidated behemoth of a park system that's in shambles since nothing is maintained, nobody cares, and the mgmt is all a mess. Essentially, it's one thing to complain or have a strong opinion and it's an entirely different story with some of these melodramatic doomsday cries that some people pitch.

This kind of negative thread (and yes it is negative) only seems to come up about criticism of FP+ and also somewhat MDE. I have seen so much griping over the years and I've wondered many times why certain people still go to WDW if so much is wrong. Criticism of resorts and restaurants and CM behavior and so on and so on goes on constantly and has for many years. I do wonder why the sudden need to focus solely on any criticism of FP+? I don't agree that a certain group of posters criticize everything because if you take a close look the fuss is really about FP+.

Personally, my biggest hang up is the destruction of Norway as I mentioned above. I still feel rage when I think about it so am I too negative about that? Or does that not matter since it doesn't involve FP+? I don't get it.

 

[Angel Ariel]

The message of the RVA Dis Meet - both the podcast and just the event off camera in general - was coming together over a love of Disney and sharing that love with others who love Disney. I can't speak for the other attendees, but that is what I came away from the meet feeling, and that is why DH and I are going to other meets in the future.

 

[CookiesNcream]

I love listening to those pod things and I liked how everyone really got involved in explaining what they would do if they only had one day. I took Pete's message about being sick of the complaints as a message intended just as much for Disney to hear because I know from listening to him for a long time that there are things he doesn't like either and he's not afraid to talk about them. He even added at the end how he's not trying to tell anyone to stop complaining. I'm sure he's tired of it, I'm tired of it as well but I didn't think he was trying to prosecute the complainers and I don't think it's right to represent his presentation that way. My opinion is that people whine too much about everything but that's only an opinion and I'm not trying to embarrass anybody or stifle anyone over it.

 

[Princess Jes]

Personally, my biggest hang up is the destruction of Norway as I mentioned above. I still feel rage when I think about it so am I too negative about that? Or does that not matter since it doesn't involve FP+? I don't get it.

What I don't get is the negativity towards the "destruction" of Norway?
I understand that the ride is being removed and a ride is going on that has Frozen theming, but has it actually been said (in a press release or other directly from Disney) that Norway is now Arendelle? Has it been said that the ride is 100% based on frozen and only frozen? Are they removing any other part of Norway? Or just expanding it to add a character M&G?
I feel that the negativity exploded on here when this all came up and a lot of it was (and still is unless I've missed the official word from disney) all assumptions that Norway would become Arendelle.
I avoided the boards for about 3 weeks after this went down because I was sick of seeing people's lives and vacations being ruined by it and people who were never coming back.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I'm not going to debate people's reactions to Norway/Frozen, but in response to your questions:

Has it been said that the ride is 100% based on frozen and only frozen?

From the Disney Parks' Blog announcement on Sept 12th-

The new attraction, which replaces Maelstrom, will take our guests to Arendelle and immerse them in many of their favorite moments and music from the film.

The further explanation by Tom Staggs in response to comment 23 on the same announcement also reinforces that the Frozen ride will be immersing guests directly in moments from the film/Arendelle.

Are they removing any other part of Norway? Or just expanding it to add a character M&G?

At the time it was announced, they said that part of the pavilion (Puffin's Roost? can't remember) - would be taken for the character meet and greet. They have since changed that plan and announced the entire separate meet and greet building. I haven't seen any other word on what's happening to the original pavilion now that M&G is in a new building.

 

[valentinasdad]

I posted a thread a few weeks back titled even when Disneys not at its best its still the best. I truely believe that. I think the state its in right now with the construction, hollywood studios,and just a bunch of rides needing updates they have taken a few steps back. The thing with me is I know how great it is from past visits and im confident they will get it back to that over time. I do feel they are still the best in the business. But im wondering for people that are first time visitors going there at its current state if they will love it and rush back like my family has in past and will continue to do. Being in the restaurant business i know you will never please everybody nomatter how good you are. And Disney is held to extremely high standards as they should be , its alot of money to visit. Im not sure if people are truely getting their moneys worth currently

 

[Planogirl]

What I don't get is the negativity towards the "destruction" of Norway?
I understand that the ride is being removed and a ride is going on that has Frozen theming, but has it actually been said (in a press release or other directly from Disney) that Norway is now Arendelle? Has it been said that the ride is 100% based on frozen and only frozen? Are they removing any other part of Norway? Or just expanding it to add a character M&G?
I feel that the negativity exploded on here when this all came up and a lot of it was (and still is unless I've missed the official word from disney) all assumptions that Norway would become Arendelle.
I avoided the boards for about 3 weeks after this went down because I was sick of seeing people's lives and vacations being ruined by it and people who were never coming back.

It has been a gradual process. First a great restaurant became a Princess meal. Then the stavekerk museum became all about Frozen. (Even though this one was handled pretty well in fairness.) Also much of the shop turned into Frozen merchandise and for a while a Frozen meet and greet. Then finally Maelstrom.

I didn't bring this up to rehash the Norway thing but to make the point that we can all be negative about various things. It just seems that being negative about FP+ really annoys more people for some reason.