Run down and dirty

[BreezysMom]

As I stood in front of the school today picking up DD I overheard a Mom talking about her recent trip to Disney. She used the words run down and dirty. She was talking about how boring the rides were and they skipped the rest of their plans and spent the remainder of their trip at Universal. (I have not been to Universal so I can't compare myself)

It felt it was an interesting perspective on how someone else views Disney. I, of course think the total opposite. I feel they do a great job maintaining and cleaning the parks. I love the rides and find some of them them amazingly ingenious.

I am all for people having their own opinions and certianly don't fault her for them but I can't believe that EVERYONE just does not feel the disney magic when you walk down Main street.

Oh well, I think she felt a little embarressed when the other Mom she was talking to told her that my family were total disney lovers. She stated that they travel a lot to different destinations and Disney was not for them.

We travel a lot too around the country so I am not quite sure where she was going with that comment. I suspect she was back peddling at that point. Hey, to each their own. We ski, hike, lay on the beach, go East coast, West coast and in between, but when we are at Disney World our family is at our best and the happiest!

 

[ammo]

...I can't believe that EVERYONE just does not feel the disney magic when you walk down Main street...

I can't believe that everybody doesn't love pizza with anchovies, but they don't. There are nearly 7 billion different ways to look at the world, and it is very difficult for us to put ourselves in other people's shoes. But I am glad that my combination of genes and upbringing make me love Disney and anchovie pizzas. And I would probably be equally glad if the opposite were true.

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Run down and dirty? Definitely not. I am always amazed at how clean they are able to keep the parks considering how many people visit.
Your story reminds me of some negativity my son experienced with his schoolmates when talking about Disney. I suprised him for his 12th birthday with a trip for Spring Break. He knew it about 2 weeks in advance of going and told all his friends. Many of them were not happy for him and told him "Disney is for babies." He didn't think most of these kids had ever been to Disney.
I guess to each his own, but I think anyone who doesn't like Disney has either never been or has something seriously wrong with them.

 

[TinkerbellinLouisian]

I've been to US and it's just a park. We enjoy it but we always stay true to WDW. I have never noticed that either is cleaner .... (And kids are NOT allowed to discuss US once we're in WDW)

US is newer of course like HS. Knowing how old some of the rides are in MK....that's just a Totally different experience...but I love it for the tradition (Peter Pan was my favorite ride growing up) and that special feeling you get.....MK is a park unlike any other just for that and all the little things that make it special that US, etc. just don't have...

(like "hidden mickey", how we always have to stop and get a pic of Kids trying to pull the sword out of the stone....etc. etc.)

The only person I've run into recently that didn't enjoy a trip to WDW (and I was very disappointed) was the lady who does my nails....but they went down for their first trip last year, stayed in Kissimmee...no plans, no ADRs....I do think you have to plan somewhat just to "get it"...

PS: I love anchovies too!

 

[ammo]

PS: I love anchovies too!

Half the club is here tonight!

I have heard a lot of my Disney-loving friends suggest that Harry Potter will get them to venture to Universal once it opens. But that park has such a different feel that I think many folks will gain a deeper appreciation for WDW after seeing the grass on the other side of the fence (and some will really like Universal).

I am with you all. Disney feels ideal to me. Not perfect -- I complain about some things sometimes. But the richness of Walt's vision hits home. It just never gets old for me.

 

[MelanieC]

At the end of March, I was amazed at how clean the Wide World of Sports was - There was even a woman out there cleaning (with her bare hands and a rag) the water fountain.

I think Disney is the cleanest amusement park I have ever seen - all that and you don't even see most of it happening. The cleaning I saw at Wide World of Sports was super early in the morning.

 

[BreezysMom]

Run down and dirty? Definitely not. I am always amazed at how clean they are able to keep the parks considering how many people visit.
Your story reminds me of some negativity my son experienced with his schoolmates when talking about Disney. I suprised him for his 12th birthday with a trip for Spring Break. He knew it about 2 weeks in advance of going and told all his friends. Many of them were not happy for him and told him "Disney is for babies." He didn't think most of these kids had ever been to Disney.
I guess to each his own, but I think anyone who doesn't like Disney has either never been or has something seriously wrong with them.

DD gets razzing from kids at school about how the princesses are not "real" and stuff be we chalk it up to jealousy on the other kids part. A lot of them have never been to DW.

I will be the first to admit that before I ever went to Disney I could not understand why my brother in law took his family year after year. But I got bitten by the bug on our first trip and we are planning our third trip in three years.

I guess my "issue" was that this Mom did not say one positive thing. I suspect that they went without much knowledge or a plan in place. I certainly was not going to get into a debate of sorts. I would marry Mickey in a heartbeat if I did not think Minnie would beat me down! I love Disney!

 

[jayandstacey]

To look through the other's lenses:

"Run down and dirty" probably refered to the fact that most of Disney is either nostalgic on purpose or simply dated. Even Epcot. It is very clean from a scrubbed standpoint - but when you are used to a high-def TV, stainless steel appliances and new thrill rides each season, Disney will be "run down and dirty"

Plus, they may simply have had a bad day. I suspect Disney is having an increase in such experiences as a symptom of its own success and crowds. So this family may have been in a hot line next to a kid with a dirty diaper - and without a plan, FPs or other knowledge - Disney can be a real disappointment.

Other parks will have newer elements and a this time of year, maybe much lower crowds. And with much lower crowds come less dirty diapers, cleaner lunch trays and empty trash cans.

I can see what she means, even if it isn't tehnically true.

 

[SPOERLX3]

We went to Disney in December, with a 2 day trip to Universal. Our trip to Disney (POP) was AMAZING but when we left for 2 days to stay at the Universal Hotel(I can't even remember the name but it was the hotel on their Property) , we were very disappointed and were so ready to get back to POP, we liked Universal ok but nothing like Disney! The hotel was run down and almost empty. We were there for 2 days and I could count on one hand how many guests we saw at the hotel. Every time we rode the boat to the parks, we were the only ones on them. We allowed 2 days, 1 day for each park and The Universal parks were so dead that by 1pm, we had ridden EVERY ride, seen EVERY parade and show and were done with the park. Our trip to Disney in August will not include Universal.

 

[WALTSAGOD]

Run down and dirty?! WDW is always the cleanest place we have ever been, for either business or vacation, etc.

 

[disnut8]

It's quite possible that the woman's family expected more thrill rides and an atmosphere like a typical amusement park (i.e. Six Flags or Cedar Point). There are many people who only go to theme/amusement (because we all know Disney is more than an amusement park) parks and want instant gratification. They don't want to take the time to understand a storyline which many Disney attractions have. Even Illuminations, which I find impressive on its own, has a storyline to it. If you know it, the show makes so much more sense. Also with Disney World, if you haven't seen the movies on which some attractions are based, you aren't going to get it. I couldn't remember Monster, Inc. even though we've seen it so I was reluctant to go into Laugh Floor. Fortunately, I was able to piece together the storyline and enjoyed the attraction. But if you've never seen Finding Nemo, how are you going to make sense out of attractions based on that movie?

AS fas as the run down and dirty part, that's all subjective. I just stayed in a hotel in Gatlingburg, TN and I saw one day that the mattress was a bit worn. It didn't bother me but there are people who would have been horrified at the sight. Some people are put off if there is one piece of toilet paper left on a public bathroom floor.

I think with the comments the OP heard, it's difficult to determine exactly what put this woman off to Disney World. But it isn't for everyone. There is a thread on the board about why one family will never go back to Disney World. It simply wasn't for them and they expressed exactly why in the post.

 

[chigirl]

To each his own...
our very best friends HATED WDW when they went last year, they said to us "We just don't get it", but then again, they wouldn't go on Splash Mtn. because it looked "too scary"...they said their kids wanted to go back to the hotel (off-property) and swim! They have a pool at their house!!!

Then, just the two of them went to Disneyland during their 20th anniversary trip to Cali this January and LOVED it, so who knows? Maybe their kids thought it was too "babyish"???

I can say my family goes to Six Flags every year here in Chicago and have a great time, we go to Cedar Point every other year and love it....we just love amusement parks and theme parks, but WDW parks are our favorite! Yes, CP has THRILL rides, but WDW parks are just, I don't know, iconic.

 

[trac96]

we were just there last week and even my hubby commented on how clean it was. we have been there atleast a dozen times and he said that he thought it was the cleanest it's ever been. saying that however, i went into a few bathrooms that weren't so clean. maybe a better job could be done in a few bathrooms but i can only imagine that's the hardest place to keep clean.

 

[seadd67]

Of course every one has there owen oppion,and I can not belive that every one has the same love for Disney as my self and my other friends here on Dis. I think Its what you are expecting,If you come to Disny Imagining a Six flags experince,then yes you could have a let down.But coming in with a memory of Disney when you were growing up watching Disney movies and TV programs and haveing that connection then Disney Is a dream come true. So I can see when people come In and have disspoitment, they just were not brought up and exposed to the same Disney as a lot of us were.
For the comparson to US,there just two sepreat experinces.The only comparson Is the fact that they both have rides,and thats were the comparson ends.Its not that us Is bad its just Its owen park,Its really unfair to compare the two because there Is not a another park In the world compare to a Disney Park.We enjoy each of them for what they are.

 

[Silver Queen]

We were at WDW last week and visited all four parks at least once and in no way was it "run down and dirty", just the opposite. I was curious to see if the recent layoffs would result in a reduction of service, CM attitude, or cleanliness and we found absolutely no evidence of that. We enjoyed the same first class service and loved the flowers, decorations and excellent upkeep of the parks.
As I get older ( and I hope wiser) I've found that there are always some people who are prepared to be unhappy and aren't satisfied until they find something to criticize about things that other people enjoy. I feel sorry for those people. They're missing a lot in life.

 

[Donnainnj]

I think they probably went the first full week of April. (week before Easter) We were there then and I kept thinking to myself, "I feel so bad for first timers". Every time I saw a first timer pin I would think how different their opinion of Disney would be then if they went when it was less crazy. We still had a good time, because we have been before, have done all the rides, and just took it in, or moved on to something else. I didn't see it real dirty considering all the people, but there were some bathrooms that couldn't keep up with the demand. It was the busiest we remember in about 20 trips, with 3 others over Easter week.
Even knowing what we are doing, at MGM the one day we got FP for TSM (for 7:50pm - 8:50pm), then saw Mermaid, tried to get new FP's for RRC or TOT and they were out, got to see muppets, have our late lunch at Sci Fi, and decided to leave, it was to nuts for us. We gave our FP's for TSM to someone on the way out. Granted we didn't get there at opening, but i'm sure many newbies who don't research wouldn't either. We didn't expect to get on everything, but this trip we hardly did anything at that park. If I had payed full price for a ticket for that day (or even the pro-rated $40 or so) I would have been quite underwelmed and expected more for my money. (we have annual passes)
Donna

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

Weird. I totally get people liking different things... I personally hate places like Six Flags or Cedar Point and it's all good. But the "run down and dirty" comment is strange to me. Not what I would ever use to describe WDW.

 

[JLTraveling]

I grew up in the area, and my family had APs to Disney most of my life and to Universal from the time they opened. We used to do at least one park every weekend. I've also worked at both Universal parks and every Disney park except MK. So Ive seen the good, the bad, and the ugly at both places, and I've kind of moved past "the magic," if that makes sense. I still like the magic, but it's different for me now.

At any rate, I can see how some visitors wouldn't care for the WDW of today. If you're not a big Disney fan in general--movies, characters, etc., you won't "get" a lot of the rides. If you don't have childhood memories of many of the classic rides, and are a thrill-seeker by nature, you might find them boring or dated.

A lot of it has to do with the mindset and the time of year, too, I think. If you go in planning to take it slow and easy and appreciate the storylines, and you go during a season that crowds are small enough to actually do that, it's easier to grasp the magic. But let's face it. To read the threads around here, it would seem that you have to arrive at rope drop, dash to the most popular ride for a FP, and keep up that pace all day long. If that's your touring style, great! But where does that leave time for a first-timer to absorb the magic? Spending the day in a sprint, accompanied by thousands of your closest friends, virtually guarantees that you'll miss the details.

As for cleanliness, I've noticed, and it's been debated on these boards from time to time, a sharp downturn in Disney's maintenance and cleanliness standards in the past 10-20 years. With all the incredible hype and reputation that Disney enjoys, I could easily see how especially on a crowded day, a first-timer could be disappointed in the level of cleanliness. Compared to a local amusement park, yes, it's great. But compared to Disney's reputation and history, not so much all the time.

By contrast, one of the wonderful things about staying onsite at Universal is the Front of the Line access. There are only two parks total, and the Front of the Line allows you to use Universal's equivalent of FP queues all day long, in whatever order you like, as many times as you like. So you can sleep in, take your time getting to each park, and make a leisurely day of it while still getting everything done. Some people really prefer that touring style.

In addition, Universal's parks are just as heavily themed as Disney's. Many Disney loyalists will never see it, because they go in expecting to be disappointed. Or perhaps they make the same touring mistakes at Universal that many first-timers do at Disney? But I defy anyone here to spend an hour genuinely exploring IOA's Lost Continent and tell me where the lack of themeing comes in.

But I digress. The point is that for some people, it's easier to become immersed in the atmosphere/magic/whatever if they've got time to slow down and enjoy it. Without the rush rush rush of Disney, many people find themselves drawn more naturally into Universal's themeing. Additionally, with relatively smaller crowds overall, it is easier for Universal to stay ahead of the cleaning factor (though I've certainly been at Universal on days when their cleanliness was lacking as well).

Of course, Universal also offers thrill rides. Their stories are every bit as complete as Disney rides' stories, but they offer a thrill quotient to rival many of the amusement parks. Some people's theme park vacations are not complete without those thrills.

So in essence, I can see both sides of the debate. The Disney brand in and of itself holds a lot of appeal to a lot of people. Those who are already partial to the brand may be more likely to "get" Disney on the first try. But it's not everyone's cup of tea, and I think there are solid reasons for that. Different strokes for different folks, and some of us just like to have it all

 

[WillCAD]

I'm waiting expectantly for my next trip (end of October) to see how clean the parks are.

During the travel slump that followed 9/11, Disney made major cutbacks in the janitorial and maintenance departments in the theme parks. All of the parks wound up with dirty walkways, rusty railings, cracked concrete, faded paint, and especially filthy bathrooms, which got gradually worse over the course of about two years. By December 2004, I could not find a single bathroom in any of the 4 parks that was not disgustingly filthy (during this time, Universal was making slight improvements, and had Disney beat, hands-down, at least in bathroom and street cleanliness). Epcot was particularly hard-hit, with paint fading, signs falling down, sidewalks crackiing, and railings rusting all around the World Showcase Lagoon. Basically, the WDW parks had become dirty and run-down.

However, travel began picking up in late 2004, and with the beginning of the Happiest Celebration on Earth in May 2005, Disney re-hired a lot of the laid-off workers and spruced up the whole property. Between my trips in December 2004 and May 2005, the parks underwent a huge transformation, and were almost back to the pristine condition they were in when I first visited in August 1990.

Since we're in a pretty bad recession right now, I have been wondering whether this pattern will be repeated, with Disney slimming down their maintenance and janitorial budgets to stretch profits, and allowing the parks to become dirty and unmaintained again. I'll have to wait and see for myself, of course, and compare conditions when I go in October to conditions on my previous trips over the last 19 years.

I'm hoping that the comment the OP heard was an exaggeration by someone who had never been to WDW before and wasn't paying attention.

 

[a1tinkfans]

As I stood in front of the school today picking up DD I overheard a Mom talking about her recent trip to Disney. She used the words run down and dirty. She was talking about how boring the rides were and they skipped the rest of their plans and spent the remainder of their trip at Universal. (I have not been to Universal so I can't compare myself)

It felt it was an interesting perspective on how someone else views Disney. I, of course think the total opposite. I feel they do a great job maintaining and cleaning the parks. I love the rides and find some of them them amazingly ingenious.

I am all for people having their own opinions and certianly don't fault her for them but I can't believe that EVERYONE just does not feel the disney magic when you walk down Main street.

Oh well, I think she felt a little embarressed when the other Mom she was talking to told her that my family were total disney lovers. She stated that they travel a lot to different destinations and Disney was not for them.

We travel a lot too around the country so I am not quite sure where she was going with that comment. I suspect she was back peddling at that point. Hey, to each their own. We ski, hike, lay on the beach, go East coast, West coast and in between, but when we are at Disney World our family is at our best and the happiest!

I have 2 thoughts...SOME people go for THRILL rides which is NOT disney, but Universal IS, so poor planning is part to blame.
Dirty and run down???????? That is upsetting ...it is one of the primary reasons I LOVE disney, they seem so attentive to me...
I respect that it was not for her and think YEAH, one less person sharing MY space
Second, I REALLY think peoples expectations are TOO high sometimes, they really expect MAGIC and when "everything" is not perfect, they get annoyed...not sure who is to blame for that, maybe Disney marketing????
Anyway, I hope she enjoyed some of it as it sure is not a Cheap vacation for many...to me it is worth every darn penny and I think the value is AMAZING! Of course I am HAPPILY, HOPELESSLY addicted!