Pixie dust is gone

[DebbieB]

I arrived today, it's alive for me. Despite the huge crowds at Epcot today. I arrived at BWV around 12:45, I had a FP+ for Soarin at 2:30. Under the old system, I would have never been able to walk in and go to Soarin and get practically an immediate fastpass. Thanks to the glitch earlier this week, I also had a fastpass for Test Track and then Spaceship Earth.

 

[smylie1]

I posted a similar post to yours several years ago after our third trip in as many years. I think our first visit was so perfect, that anything after that was certain disappointment! We had VERY low crowd levels (rode KRR 7 times without even going through the line!), somehow ended up seated center of every attraction (after "moving all the way to the end"), weather was beautiful, every CM was in chacrater...it was truly magical.

The second visit wasn't quite as good as the first, but still so wonderful we needed to go a third year.

The third year, the most prominent thing was the number of bored or disgruntled CMs. I'm not sure what may have been happening behind the scenes during that time, but the unhappiness was palpable! We had noisy neighbors at the resort, even the screen on Soarin' had black spots in the picture!

So we decided that was it for us for a while. Maybe we had been enough times that we just weren't seeing the magic anymore. Or maybe that first visit had been absolutely EVERYTHING we'd hoped it would be and we just couldn't recreate it. Whatever it was, we had had our fill.

Well, it seems that 4 years is about as long as we could resist the Mouse! Going back in January, and I could not be more excited!!! We are taking 7 people with us who have never been and THAT makes it all brand new to us, too!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . What happened to the Disney we were all in love with? . . .

Let's see,
. . . Ogre (I mean Iger) on-the-job *
. . . executive bonuses
. . . stock price growth
. . . stock dividends
. . . executive bonuses
. . . profit
. . . cash generation
. . . executive bonuses
. . . less concern for employees
. . . less attention to guests


* I can't believe I am saying this, but, BRING BACK EISNER !

 

[tim123]

Last year my DW, DD, and myself rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. My DD left her Minney ears on the train. She had placed them in the front compartment. Later on she realized she had left them so we went back to the ride and it was broken down. She was very upset. A wonderful CM Bob heard our story and asked us to follow him. He took us to a store next door to Peter Pan's Flight. He asked my daughter if the ears were there and she found the same type of ears she had lost. He signed for the ears and she was so happy. And to top it off, he walked us over to Peter Pan's Flight and put us on the next pirate ship off to Neverland. Now that was MAGIC to me.

Let me start out by saying Disney is a greedy corporation, they are solely in business to earn huge profits! Period. And so it ain't 1974 anymore when going to the swamp was unreal. Now we got vacation club condo shares to sell, sell, sell. BLT. Ugh. GF vacation monster building smack dab next to the Poly. Oh and the Poly pizza huts. Don't get me started. And they are going to build another tower between the Poly and GF where Luau cove beach stands with its weeds and scum. I hate that you can not buy anything at the Contemporary Hotel that says "Contemporary Hotel' on it. What? And I hate that every stupid cup and plate and bag and thing says the generic creepy "Disney Parks" on it. I am at fricken Walt Disney World! I mean come on how much cash are they saving by being pixy less?

NOW, with that aspect of my opinion of the loss of 'dust'…lets look at why I disagree with the poster….

Went for 10 days last month. Checked into the Poly because I had a convention rate of $189! Yeah. "Aloha Mr. Tim" Smiles, smiles everywhere. Oh look there is Auntie….she has been working and making people smile at the Poly for 43 years! Oh look over there, there's Sefa and EB and John and Doulce…40 year vets…now thats some magic pixie dust.

"I know I'm way early, is my room ready by any chance?"
"Yes Mr. Tim…room 3304 just as you have requested."

For 10 days I was pixie dusted up the wazu…My magic band had a glitch one day for a couple minutes I couldn't add something or other…sooooo they gave me my park ticket free to the MK….went to guest services at MK to ask a question and the nicest friendliest girl gave me free Fps for the whole trip. Huh? "Why" I asked. "Oh just because" she answered.

Every single CM, bartender, waitress, bus driver, manager, grounds keeper, front dest staffer, bellman and construction worker I bumped into was off the wall pleasant, nice, helpful and pixie dusty.

I had some outstanding meals, rode everything, made several films, walked everywhere, cried when the 'Mayor" said "Let the memories begin" when he opened the MK in the morning.

I sat in my room and watched the monorail go by and I was as happy as Piglit
in….

The answer is a big fat NO. There is magic there on that swamp, there is a spiritual vibe there from the hundreds of millions of people's memories, joy and laughter and life gone by…
Ya can STILL feel it today if you bring the right attitude!..its different than the 70s, 80s, 90s etc..but where is that not the case on planet earth? WDW is fun and I am going back. I'll be the first to tell ya otherwise if that day comes.

Ohana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95GkQP9XI3A

WDW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCDjdbRcEHU

Poly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skLUfDNfKZY

I think Im turning Japanese
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7brMX8Y9sk

WDW Early Years
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmsjbuYEvpw

WDW The Beginning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3ETQ1TPqiA

Epcot Beginnings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOq_jc33WJ8

Japan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIFx6gvqfys

 

[Lacoccinelle]

Nope, not at all. We went last year during the magic band test phase and had a perfect trip. We are going back this year.

I think the problem is that people feel entitled. They expect extras and too much. They do not take the time to sit back and enjoy the simple things. WhenI think back to last year, the best part of the trip was not being there for Anna and Elsa on opening day or having fast passes or dinner reservations, it was the smile on my 2 and 4 year olds' faces at the simple things like the Mickey Rice Krispie treats, seeing Snow White by chance at the wishing well, then Jessie and Woody dance party, Dumbos, the carousel. Pixie Dust is what you make it.

 

[tony67]

Does anyone else feel this way? Being sprinkled with "pixie dust" now feels like being pelted with "rock salt"! What happened to the Disney we were all in love with? Now we cringe at the thought of a Disney vacation. p.s. We used to feel like the phrase below in my signature...we miss that

Yeah - totally agree - I don't know why I keep going back...other than the weather.

I feel like this all started about a year into the DDP - when they started to maximize the profit involved in it.

First it wen't from 27 a day to 32 and they took out the tip and the appetizer.
Then the started to dumb down the menus - all the restaurants had the same food from a central food depot and they just prepared it differently.
What they found out is people did not care - they were just happy to be in Disney and since the food was "free" they were quite happy.

The price continued to go up and they continued to optimize it, once they took the second snack away from the QSDP that became useless. Now the plan is basically a break even for the customer and really just a convenience IMO, but for Disney it is profit center.

Then they added all sorts of ticketed events so not depending on the time of year you went one or to nights of your stay the MK closes early and you have to pay more just to use the park.

Then they started to charge a nominal fee for the seminars at the F&W festival - these were previously included in the entrance fee on a first come first served basis.
Initially the $5 seemed reasonable - but now it's $15 for the exact same thing that used to be free.
What really amazes me about this is for many of these seminars (wine and mixology) Disney pays nothing for them - the companies bring their products. - and maybe the companies even pay Disney for the opportunity to promote their products.

Oh and lets not forget - we are paying Disney to get into Epcot - just so we can buy overpriced beer and wine, 90% of which we can get anywhere else.

Then they added all the ticked events within ticketed event...love that one.

And then even more special events - dessert parties and such.

So for me a a customer it's not been great and I now spend more and more time each year at Universal.

Next year I'm thinking Universal only, so Disney will be loosing someone who has gone between 30-40 times, and seems like I'm not the only one anymore.

Well it's been great for their stock - it was under $15 when this started - it closed at 83 on Friday.

But based on the numerous comments I see about people not wanting to go back, I really have to wonder where the parks will be 5-10 years from now.

 

[Sandy817]

Just got back after a 20+ year absence and covered in Pixie Dust. Yes, there were things we weren't able to do (FP for POTC, but ride kept breaking down), however we did some tours that were absolutely fun!!! Backstage Safari Tour and the Segway tour were our favorites. These were extras but well worth the $$. This was our first trip without kids, so we planned things accordingly.

However, after reading Bellanota's post, I realize we need to take part in making the pixie dust happen. Whether its seeing the sparkle in our kids or grandkids eyes, or seeing the sparkle in ours. I was only able to take glimpses of Wishes as we were exiting the park. The crowds were amazing and we wanted to get a head start to the buses. However, that is the first thing on my bucket list for next time.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

I am one who is somewhat sad about the changes (just this week we were lamenting the loss of Alien Encounter for the burping Stitch) but I am also excited to check out the new. This time I will be looking through the eyes of a 2 year old and 4 year old and I'm sure the magic will be there!
Reading this board had me so tied up in knots worrying about crowds, ADRs, MB glitches, FP impossibility (A&E, 7DMT) I was sure I'd have such a miserable time. I decided to chill out, make some fp selections that allowed for down time (not at all worried about the 4th fp) and just let the pixie dust reign down.
I think if you let the stories about crowds and long lines created by fp+ get to you, you're jaded before you go. I think the conceived biggest loss is the ability to just wing it. I've got some ADRs, Fps, and a positive attitude! We're going to have lots of magic and pixie dust on this visit in December!

 

[atricks]

I think the best thing you can do is compare Disney against Disney (say from 10 years ago). In this case 10 years ago you had ticket prices nearly half of what they are now, and in the case of Epcot and Hollywood Studios, had more open attractions/shows back then than they have now.

It's basically less value for more money. Sure it's still fun and a great trip, and a lot of the cast is still great, but the trend is more than a bit worrisome. It's things like this that (and the entertainment cuts, dining program devaluing, and proliferation of hard ticket events) are driving some people to be jaded.

FP+ is just trying to play a shell game with the fact they really haven't added much over the last 10 years. And it's not practical for those with young kids that can get tired/cranky or could not care less between Be our Guest and cheese pizza.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Well, the magic of planning is certainly gone for me, but my last trip included four total newbies and that was very stressful for me. Basically, the entire trip was on my shoulders. I have the benefit of hindsight now and since it all worked out and went well (no glitches, no issues getting A&E or Mine Train, Disney newbies had a great time, etc.) I can look back and realize I probably stressed out simply by reading a lot of negative threads here. I got so caught up in "what if" scenarios….scenarios that never came to pass so it was a waste of energy to even worry about them.

My kids can't wait to go back and I would like to go as well….maybe just our family next time to chill a bit…so pixie dust or magic or whatever you want to call it is clearly still there for some. For me, nothing will ever top Disney in the mid-90s….Lion King at its height, Toy Story just emerging, animation studios actually operative in DHS, Pleasure Island at night. That was the golden age and it's hard not to see a contrast now. This time I actually did notice things like clueless CMs, etc. But the good still outweighs the bad. For us anyway.

 

[Suvadoo]

I think the best thing you can do is compare Disney against Disney (say from 10 years ago). In this case 10 years ago you had ticket prices nearly half of what they are now, and in the case of Epcot and Hollywood Studios, had more open attractions/shows back then than they have now.

It's basically less value for more money. Sure it's still fun and great trip, and a lot of the cast is still great, but the trend is more than a bit worrisome. It's things like this that (and the cuts, dining progress devaluing, and proliferation of hard ticket events) are driving some people to be jaded.

FP+ is just trying to play a shell game with the fact they really haven't added much over the last 10 years. And it's not practical for those with young kids that can get tired/cranky or could care less between be our guest and cheese pizza.

Totally agree. After my trip in April, for Flower and Garden, it's time for a very long break. When I start asking myself if the trip is worth the aggravation, I know it's time to move on.
A lot of people wonder why people who are critical of Disney are on these boards, and I can only answer for myself. I have written to Disney, called Disney, and e-mailed Disney and have received a basically "canned" response. I'm hoping that Disney reads these boards and sees that there are quite a few unhappy people and I'm hoping it prompts change.

 

[Bullseye]

Every single CM, bartender, waitress, bus driver, manager, grounds keeper, front dest staffer, bellman and construction worker I bumped into was off the wall pleasant, nice, helpful and pixie dusty.

The answer is a big fat NO. There is magic there on that swamp, there is a spiritual vibe there from the hundreds of millions of people's memories, joy and laughter and life gone by…
Ya can STILL feel it today if you bring the right attitude!..its different than the 70s, 80s, 90s etc..but where is that not the case on planet earth? WDW is fun and I am going back. I'll be the first to tell ya otherwise if that day comes.

Tim,
I like how you added a "Y" to pixie dust to make it an adjective ...I'm going to use that in the future and I agree with you wholeheartedly that yes some things, even many things have changed about WDW yet there is still plenty of magic and memories to be had. And yes most things in society have changed over the years, so WDW is no different.

I don't know, maybe I'm in the minority but we've be going for ten straight years and we're having more fun than ever. In fact, we just increased our DVC points. Between the resorts and parks, and US/IOA we still have a great time every year

 

[MaleficentRN]

Pixie dust varies from person to person. For some people rock salt is pixie dust. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that.

I will say that when I begin to feel jaded about a vacation destination then a new destination is in order. In other words, you might need a break from Disney.

This is what I am thinking. What is meant by "pixie dust"? A free upgrade to club level? A chance encounter with a favorite character? It's all relative. I know I don't go looking for ways I've been "pixie dusted" By some accounts, I never have. I do have special moments from each trip in my mind, though. That's what I enjoy the most about WDW.
Before each trip I think to myself this is the last for a while. But by the end of my stay I am plotting a new trip and when I get home I am already scheming deals on gift cards and rooms.

 

[Suvadoo]

This is what I am thinking. What is meant by "pixie dust"? A free upgrade to club level? A chance encounter with a favorite character? It's all relative. I know I don't go looking for ways I've been "pixie dusted" By some accounts, I never have. I do have special moments from each trip in my mind, though. That's what I enjoy the most about WDW.
Before each trip I think to myself this is the last for a while. But by the end of my stay I am plotting a new trip and when I get home I am already scheming deals on gift cards and rooms.

So how is Pixie Dust defined? I thought of it as being a feeling of happiness when you visit the WDW resort. I never associated it with free upgrades, free FP's, or free ice cream. If any of those things happen, that's great but it's not an expectation.

 

[willowsnn3]

Hate to be a "So don't go" person, because I hate when people diminish concerns with that counter, but if it is cringe inducing, maybe another destination is best for you.

I feel the same way. We go to WDW four or more times a year and still have a great time. Last trip was 6 weeks ago and I'm having really bad withdrawal symptoms.

 

[MaleficentRN]

So how is Pixie Dust defined? I thought of it as being a feeling of happiness when you visit the WDW resort. I never associated it with free upgrades, free FP's, or free ice cream. If any of those things happen, that's great but it's not an expectation.

That's my point. Many people do think of pixie dust as being showered with free stuff. Others think different. Some think every trip should have mountains of magical moments. Others are happy with a small encounter, once during their trip. Again, it's all relative.

 

[vatali]

I took a trip out to DLR and it changed everything. I love DLR, with its little parks, and everything compressed and the much darker rides, and it put back in perspective DW. We are going back to DLR early next year, then xmas back in DW and I am 100% positive all of the little things that get in your way go away when you go back to "the big park"

 

[Rosanne]

That's my point. Many people do think of pixie dust as being showered with free stuff. Others think different. Some think every trip should have mountains of magical moments. Others are happy with a small encounter, once during their trip. Again, it's all relative.

Well, to us pixie dust is pretty much just that the CM smiles and says a word or two to your child when she tries to buy a Mickey balloon. Instead on this last trip the CM was clearly irritated that my child interrupted her discussion with the other balloon CM, snapped at her, yanked the balloon out, tied it angrily to the black Mickey head and took the money without a smile, a thank you or anything. Similar situation for the wait staff who brought our food at BOG, the waitress at San Angel Inn and the CM at the FP+ kiosk. You try to bounce back from this stuff but if there are too many encounters like that there isn't enough recovery time to do your bouncing. We are always patient and polite with our interactions but we did find this trip to be deflating.

Yes, we could write a letter to Disney but at some point you pretty much give up. I don't entirely blame the CM's because I think they are being stretched beyond what is reasonable as well.

We certainly enjoyed our family time there and found many CM's and experiences to be positive but we definitely weren't fans of the over-structuring.

 

[cakebaker]

This time I will be looking through the eyes of a 2 year old and 4 year old and I'm sure the magic will be there!

This was me. It's been 25 years since I got to go to WDW and enjoy just watching a child experience it for the first time.

My grandson is 2.5, has been several times already, but this was the first time he actually could really experience the parks. My days were filled with pixie dust just listening to him laugh with delight over the smallest of things- watching a leaf get blown off a spray of water at Epcot- tiny things that just make your heart sing.

It was crowded, it was hot, it was rainy. The crowds were pushy and rude. But we have some of the best memories we'll ever have from this trip. No trip anywhere else gives us that.

Can't wait to go back! Hopefully his memory will fade a little and we get to do it all over again!

 

[Suvadoo]

Well, to us pixie dust is pretty much just that the CM smiles and says a word or two to your child when she tries to buy a Mickey balloon. Instead on this last trip the CM was clearly irritated that my child interrupted her discussion with the other balloon CM, snapped at her, yanked the balloon out, tied it angrily to the black Mickey head and took the money without a smile, a thank you or anything. Similar situation for the wait staff who brought our food at BOG, the waitress at San Angel Inn and the CM at the FP+ kiosk. You try to bounce back from this stuff but if there are too many encounters like that there isn't enough recovery time to do your bouncing. We are always patient and polite with our interactions but we did find this trip to be deflating.

Yes, we could write a letter to Disney but at some point you pretty much give up. I don't entirely blame the CM's because I think they are being stretched beyond what is reasonable as well.

We certainly enjoyed our family time there and found many CM's and experiences to be positive but we definitely weren't fans of the over-structuring.

It's kind of tough to enjoy your vacation when some of the people you encounter are stressed and rude, especially when they're employed to help make your vacation fun!

This is one of my main issues with FP+. It's not easy for a lot of people. Both when planning a vacation and then being there in the parks. The parks are more crowded because of the improved economy, the new FP+ has been instituted and it can be glitchy. Combine just these two factors and magical vacations can sometimes transform into nightmares. I don't think any of us go into the parks hoping that our misgivings about FP+ will be confirmed. I don't want my vacation to be filled with standing in lines at guest services. But it does happen. If you spend enough time at guest services, I truly think it can really make anyone's vacation less than magical.