Question for Another Voice and others

[JeffJewell]

If you perceive that only good people work at Disney, or that Disney somehow makes them better, or that people are “lesser” because they happen to work for Hilton – I suppose that’s a prejudice that cannot be logically argued.

Enjoy the Brand and everything that labeled with it.

...I'm sure glad you got here first to say this. My history suggests that you did it much more politely than I ever could have.

Jeff

 

[YoHo]

But Captain, the only thing I would need to create Myth and Legend is time. And I'm quite certain Disney DOES NOT hold any patents on that.

 

[Captain Crook]

That is exactly my point. What company, fearless leader or head-honcho type guy do you know that will make this commitment upfront and wait and wait and wait for the result? My point is that no business plan will allow for it. They are all far more like what Disney is becoming...Which generally sees no further into the future than the quarterlies...Disney's benefit is that the myth & legend are already in place and the concept is holding together despite the cutbacks and troubles, it's become second nature...

 

[Another Voice]

I think we may be getting somewhere. It’s not “magic” you’re after, you’re searching for a particular “disneyeque” kind. And that’s perfectly fine. You want to experience all the emotions you associate with “Disney” – and you’re right, that will only happen with Disney itself. It’s not a generic “magical experience”, but a very specific one with a very specific background and a very specific connection. It's also a connection that you've spent your entire life developing. That’s a perfectly valid position, and most of Walt Disney World is set up to give you exactly that. And I can certainly appreciate why that particular kind of “magic” means more to you than other kinds.

From my perspective, there are many “magical” experiences that come from many places and from many different people. My experiences are different than anyone else’s and so my desires are different too. For example, I do not find the Grand Floridian “magical”, not because it’s not a nice hotel, but because I know the Hotel del Coronado (the model for Disney’s hotel). The hotel in San Diego is a place were history seeps out of the woodwork. It is true Victorian splendor, not the pretend stuff and to me that makes it “magical”. The Captain, I suspect, feels exactly to opposite and wouldn’t trade a single night at the Grand Floridian for a week at the Hotel del. Again, it’s personal preference and an equally valid opinion.

What I object to is this thought that only Disney could create “magical” experiences. I have stayed at many hotels with staffs just as nice, as friendly and as helpful as the ones at WDW. But I can’t expect sit in a hotel lobby in San Diego and expect to be reminded of castles, Snow White and fireworks. Because the hotel doesn’t give me those emotions doesn’t mean it’s not “magical”, and just because the staff doesn’t try doesn’t mean they’re incapable – it just means it’s not Disney.

 

[hopemax]

I find this discussion interesting because it seems that the usual refrain is that Car 3 are the cynics and Car 1 are the optimists. But it the price of that Car 1 "World" optimism comes at the price of being cynical about the rest of the world, maybe I'm glad I'm not in Car 1.

I am not yet convinced that it will always take years and years to mount a sucessful assault on Disney, especially in light of Disney's mis-steps. Yeah, I know Universal tried, but aside from the marketing mistakes, I think a big mistake was building their new park in Disney's already saturated backyard. Aside from wondering what IOA would have done in S. CA, I would love to see someone try to build a true competitive park in a neutral location with an existing tourism base. I don't know enough about the country's tourism to know where that might be, maybe somewhere between St. Louis and Branson.

But basically, I don't believe the sucessful attack will never come. As long as Disney keeps getting sloppy and counting on the "brand" to protect them, a "nobody" will be sitting somewhere quietly building up their forces and planning guerilla warfare and waiting for the right day. Just becasue we don't know who, doesn't mean that there isn't someone who can. Charlie Mintz and Universal weren't scared of what Walt Disney could do and we know how that turned out.

 

[Captain Crook]

Well Hope, you and I will just have to disagree because I can't see any company making the business decision to undertake the creation of the 'personnel formula' that Disney has created and followed for all of these years. I see Disney even pulling away from the agenda because of cost, the 'magical formula' continues on in some manner due to tradition (for how long, who knows).

AV, we are getting closer although you're dead off on your assumption on where I'd rather spend a week (GF or Hotel Del). I will always take the real over the imagined (Del Coronodo over GF, Hawaii over the Poly & Africa over, my beloved AKL). Disney adds these wonderful, but not quite real, illusions to their Resorts as an enticemnt to WDW lovers & for people who don't really want to travel in the real world. In my case WDW is my (hold your hat) second favorite destination...The Captain's handle speaks of Bonaire, NA, which if given the opportunity, wins out over a WDW trip for priority every year...I love WDW but the real world still offers more. Unfortunately, the real world requires time for travel & money and while the money factor could be 'arranged', my travel limitations due to my business contraints precludes the trip to Austrailia, for example, that I dream of.

One of my amazements here on the DIS is the number of people willing to spend big bucks to go to TDS...While I'd love TDS, the fact is I've never seen the far East and were I travelling there I think a Disney Resort of any kind wouln't be in my top priority.

I will try to check back but hurricane preperation calls...

 

[airlarry!]

Man, take a few days off to enjoy your high school reunion, and sheesh....

Aren't we looking at this the wrong way? It occurs to me that JeffJ may be right when he says that no amount of posting is going to change the good Captain over to the Oust Ei$ner camp ---although I am enjoying having YoHo! on the good team now, keep up the good work Baron! ---

Isn't the question--why do *other* people go to Disney? Asking Scoop or Baron or Cap or me why we go to Disney just yields different variations of the same answer, namely, that we are hopelessly enamored Disn-noids.

Why is my friend who owns a grocery store but has never ever visited a Disney fan web site or even bought a guide book going to WDW again? Or, in Yoho! language, why did the casual movie fan watch StarWars?

For the answer, I will use an analogy, a parable maybe even. When I go to WDW, I always ride with my kids the Dumbo spinner. Everytime, every trip, no matter the wait. But I've ridden the AstroOrbiter once ever. ONCE. Yes, it is themed, yes it is fast, yes it is cool looking. But there's just something that is not as...fun? Disneyesque? pixie-dustful?...about it.

Hmm....why is that? Cause AV touched on it...it reminds us of the movie, it reminds us of all Disney movies and the wonderful experiences we have watching them. Let's fact it, I would bet all of us consider ourselves animation fans or buffs.

Now before somebody challenges me on this...yes I know that Space Mt and Big Thunder are not any reminders of Disney movies. But there was always at least two parts to Walt's pollination genius...one, creating memorable animation works of art, and two, creating stories. So, my analogy does not fall just because Big Thunder or Pirates are not from an animated feature. We love them because of the stories, the backstories. There is no backstory in AstroOrbiter. I'll reserve judgment on the Triceratopper for when I see it.


Back to the original point. Why do the casual Disney fans go every year to WDW? Heck, I know people who don't even like Disney movies or the Disney products who are still talked into or plan themselves trips to WDW? Why?

 

[YoHo]

dscoop, that was a great argument, to bad your in the wrong court room.
I agree that right now, November 4th 2001, there is noplace that offers the same level of top to bottom service as Disney, but that doesn't mean that no one else could. All it takes is to have the right components. Disney has them. Someone else could get them.