some observations (economy)

[DisneyCruisin']

Is it just me?

I looked at that sale going on.... Looked at that merchandise.... bought NADA!

Sorry Disney I know you need the money, but you need cuter stuff! (And every lady buying is not 12 and wants a 'baby doll' tee! LOL!)

I totally agree! They need new stuff. This stuff has been around forever with just a color change here and there. We need NEW - NEW designs - stuff!

Hint, hint - make a bunch of new DVC stuff and it will be purchased - there are a lot of us out here looking for stuff!

 

[Tiger926]

I totally agree! They need new stuff. This stuff has been around forever with just a color change here and there. We need NEW - NEW designs - stuff!

Hint, hint - make a bunch of new DVC stuff and it will be purchased - there are a lot of us out here looking for stuff!

ITA! We spent 16 days @ WDW in May, and hardly bought anything, and we normally spend a pretty penny on stuff. Now, because we do go so often we have lots of stuff, as most other DVC people can attest to, but putting this aside, there wasn't that much that struck our fancy. The clothes @ WDW used to be of much better quality, but not anymore. On our last 3 trips, we've had to contact Merchandise services as brand new stuff broke or was defective. We actually saved a lot of money by not shopping as much - not good for Disney, but good for us as we had more time to go swimming!

Tiger

 

[bavaria]

Is it just me?

I looked at that sale going on.... Looked at that merchandise.... bought NADA!

Sorry Disney I know you need the money, but you need cuter stuff! (And every lady buying is not 12 and wants a 'baby doll' tee! LOL!)

Not just you.... I would like to see better Christmas cards like they sold in past years ie the classic ones. I haven't bought things for a very long time now because it is so generic, or in the stores too long, or just not attractive to me.

And I get very tired of seeing the same merchandise in DL, WDW, and DLRP - very little 'local' things and too many generic things.

I was also disappointed with World of Disney in NYC and on the Champs Elysees as they discontinued their city specific merchandise. However good news is that the NYC store at least did bring much of it back, albeit mostly geared towards children. For those stores I see such an opportunity to sell items reflective of those unique cities, but Disney doesn't do that well anymore.

 

[LisaS]

I totally agree! They need new stuff. This stuff has been around forever with just a color change here and there. We need NEW - NEW designs - stuff!

Hint, hint - make a bunch of new DVC stuff and it will be purchased - there are a lot of us out here looking for stuff!

I agree! DH used to buy a new t-shirt every trip. Lately he can't find anything he likes. He has also been searching for a coffee mug for the past three trips but the ones they sell are either huge or have sparkly stuff on them that feels like sandpaper. This trip he didn't even want to look any more because he felt it was just a waste of time.

I've been looking for a nice DVC t-shirt since we became members in 2005. I actually found one I liked in early 2006 (pink shirt with matching hat) but they were phasing it out and didn't have any left in my size, and we checked just about every DVC resort gift shop! It was a women's style t-shirt (narrower neck band than the usual t-shirt with a more feminine neck line and slightly fitted) and was being replaced with a standard t-shirt that I didn't like as much. The following year I spotted a WL t-shirt that I just had to have. Went into the shop and discovered it only came in kids sizes. The woman in the shop said there had been lots of adults who came in asking for that t-shirt and left disappointed. She couldn't figure out why Disney had decided to make it only in kids sizes.

Just before heading to the airport last week we stopped in the WL gift shop because of the 40% off sale on t-shirts and hats and even with the discount, we couldn't bring ourselves to buy anything in the shop! I'm not going to buy something I don't really like that much just because it's on sale.

 

[d-r]

I don't think that's true. WDWMagic.com listed the parties for both 12/9 and 12/16 as also being sold-out.


.

I'm sorry, I may have misunderstood, maybe I was told "the only one left that sold out" or "the only one this week" or something and misunderstood.

The crowds are up of course. it is so hard to compare to past years of course. The hours around the holidays seem a little shorter than last year. we went to the studios this morning and it was kicking.

I agree about dining and the dining plan. We've always been "the dvc kitchen is for decoration" kind of people. But I'll admit it - last week I had to go to walmart for some baby supplies and I got a box of bubba burgers and a bag of buns. The thing is - I sort of hate to sound like this - but they were better than any burger we'd get counter service, and putting them in the pan in the villa was a lot less hassle than going to a counter serve. And last night the papa johns man brought us a pizza.

The other day at chef mickey's there were 4 characters, we are sort of used to 5, but I know that there is demand for characters with the holidays. And there was no pb&j pizza. Ok, here's the thing, you might have convinced me that was due to peanut allergies if a couple months ago they hadn't cut back putting chocolate and marshmellows on them.

But ohana seemed to be back to pre-cutbacks, so go figure.

The character times in the lobby seem cut back a lot from previous holidays.

My mil checked in the polly today and they let her pick what room she wanted, go figure.

We miss enights too. I agree I'd rather pay for the soft ticket and less crowds.

The ginger bread at beach club is better than at the grand floridian if you ask me.

.

 

[kid-at-heart]

Is it just me?

I looked at that sale going on.... Looked at that merchandise.... bought NADA!

Sorry Disney I know you need the money, but you need cuter stuff! (And every lady buying is not 12 and wants a 'baby doll' tee! LOL!)

I also agree. We just returned and I did not buy anything; even the on-sale items were too expensive for their quality. I was also disappointed in that every store, resort, etc was selling the exact same items. When we first started visiting Disney (approx year 2000) we enjoyed shopping at the different resorts/parks because some of the merchandise was "themed" for that resort/park. Now most of resort/parks are carrying the exact same products.

 

[tjkraz]

Then does anyone remember when the Disney characters used to visit the resorts for photo ops at certain scheduled times ? Loved that. I'm pretty sure that ended around 2002 or 2003 ? I think that was a temporary fix for discontinuing E-Nights ?

Yeah, that was only a temporary move. But it wasn't a replacement for E-nights, it was a replacement for EMH.

It was called Character Caravan. It replaced EMH (back when EMH was mornings only) in the first year or two following 9/11.

I kinda liked it myself because our son was young then and it gave us a great opportunity to meet with the characters without having to wait in long lines or pay for a character meal. I got some great video at OKW of our son mingling with Timon, Goofy, King Louie and others.

But that's one item I don't think is fair to label a "cut." It was just a limited time replacement for EMH and it's safe to say that the vast majority of guests would happily take EMH over Character Caravan.

As for some of the other things you mentioned, sometimes it's hard to differentiate between "cuts" and simple changes. We can't count on the parks to remain static for years to come. And sometimes Disney is forced to acknowledge that things are working as well as they anticipated.

Removing tomatoes from Figaro Fries (and keeping the price the same) is a cut. Going from 5 characters to 4 characters at a given meal is a cut. Removing the free photo from MVMCP is a cut.

But I don't think we can fairly brand E-Ride Nights a "cut." We still have a late-night park option (EMH nights) and the cost is free to resort guests. Some will like the old system--some will like the new. But that's more of a repositioning than a "cut."

Same for the character meal at Olivia's. If it was popular and profitable, it would still be there. Disney has introduced new character meals since that one was pulled so this wasn't a case of there being a glut. Instead they must have determined that Olivia's just wasn't the best location for a character meal. It happens.

No take-out at Olivias...I'd agree that's another cut. More specifically, another byproduct of that &%#@&# dining plan.

Personally, I'd be thrilled if this dining plan would just go away and the quality could slowly start to return as the restaurants have to EARN their business again. Perhaps between the rising cost of the plans, the dwindling value and our suffering economy it will create the perfect storm and sink those meals plans. We can always hope, right?

 

[snowbunny]

What bugs me is almost EVERY shop (whether in the hotels, the parks or DD, most are all just cookie-cutters of eachother.

What bugs me is that almost everything IS a shop! Main Street used to be so much fun. Now it's just retail, and yes the same things are for sale everywhere. With a couple of exceptions, like the gingerbread ornament I bought in the GF before Christmas one year, that was unique to that resort.

 

[MommaX03]

I was on the Disney Wonder from 12/14 to 12/18. These deals were going on the ship as well as the Castaway Cay gift shop. It included beach towels as well. I was surprised to see T-shirts with "2009" on them marked off 40 percent. The Orlando airport Disney store also had these markdowns.

I was really surprised. The CM said that they do always do this at this time of the year, which I do not recall from my visits to WDW in Dec 2005 and Dec 2007.

 

[OneMoreTry]

Is it just me?

I looked at that sale going on.... Looked at that merchandise.... bought NADA!

Sorry Disney I know you need the money, but you need cuter stuff! (And every lady buying is not 12 and wants a 'baby doll' tee! LOL!)

Unfortunately, I'm the same way. I look through the shops for souvenirs and gifts and almost always come up empty handed. And I'm not willing to spend the money to buy the stuff I want at Art of Disney and Swarovski.

You can't really consider it a Disney souvenir if you can buy it on the discount rack at every WalMart and Kmart back home.

 

[tjkraz]

Here's the only problem I have with the "Disney doesn't have enough unique stuff" complaint. We try to visit the nearby outlet stores during our trips to WDW. Invariably that is where we find the items that appeal to us the most. Items found at the outlets tend to be less generic and generally more appealing after a dozen trips to WDW. Oh, and they are usually marked down 50% too.

So that always leave me thinking there may be a good reason for this. If the non-generic stuff often ends up in the outlets for 50% off, that may explain why Disney doesn't carry more of it in the park shops. For as many of us who are repeat guests looking for something unique, there are probably many more occasional guests who just want a princess tee for their daughter or a gaudy "Walt Disney World 2008" sweatshirt to commemorate the trip.

 

[OneMoreTry]

Here's the only problem I have with the "Disney doesn't have enough unique stuff" complaint. We try to visit the nearby outlet stores during our trips to WDW. Invariably that is where we find the items that appeal to us the most. Items found at the outlets tend to be less generic and generally more appealing after a dozen trips to WDW. Oh, and they are usually marked down 50% too.

So that always leave me thinking there may be a good reason for this. If the non-generic stuff often ends up in the outlets for 50% off, that may explain why Disney doesn't carry more of it in the park shops. For as many of us who are repeat guests looking for something unique, there are probably many more occasional guests who just want a princess tee for their daughter or a gaudy "Walt Disney World 2008" sweatshirt to commemorate the trip.

So your argument is that what you buy in an outlet in Orlando at 50% off is something special to bring home? Am I getting that right?

That doesn't work for me.

Are you implying that Disney has a strategy of selling their unique and more prized merchandise in the outlets at a discount, rather than in their parks?

If that's true, I need to sell some more DIS.

 

[tjkraz]

Are you implying that Disney has a strategy of selling their unique and more prized merchandise in the outlets at a discount, rather than in their parks?

No. My argument is that sales of the unique stuff doesn't justify putting more of it in the parks. People don't buy it and it ends up on the discount shelves.

The unique stuff is actually out there in the parks, you just need to know where to look for it. The main places I have found things are at Epcot's MouseGear and Keystone Clothiers at MGM. I don't come home with piles of stuff after each trip, but between those two shops and the outlets I usually grab myself a t-shirt or two.

As you pointed out with your stock comment, WDW is run as a business and without having benefit of seeing sales figures I suspect they stock more of what sells.

EDIT: I should also add that this statement does not represent my feelings, either:

So your argument is that what you buy in an outlet in Orlando at 50% off is something special to bring home? Am I getting that right?

I'm not equating price to personal value. I was simply pointing out that the more unique designs seem to filter down to the outlets rather than being snapped-up by the thousands in the theme parks.

 

[permavac]

..He has also been searching for a coffee mug for the past three trips but the ones they sell are either huge or have sparkly stuff on them that feels like sandpaper...

I too am on the "Mug Quest"! I've looked a total of 10 trips and have not once found anything that appeals to me - you're right - they're too big or too small or too tacky or... Why can't they make a nice ceramic coffee mug that I can use everyday to remind me of my favorite place on earth? Then again, even if I did find a nice one, they are all made in China so I probably wouldn't buy it anyway - I would worry about the lead poisoning with all those bright colors ...

Terri

 

[kerickson]

I think the large chain stores have an impact here too.
Our first trip to Disneyland as a family a few years ago we had to stop at the nearby Walmart when we arrived because I forgot my DD's shoes (we drove and left at 5am...) Disney shirts were everywhere for about 7 bucks. I waited because I wanted to buy items in the parks to make it more special, the quality wasn't much better but they were much more expensive.
I bought a cute princess terry sweatsuit at the shops at the Grand for $80+, wore it once and the seam on the leg split (it looked like it had actually never been sewn correctly) After a few washes the material is feeling very thin. I was disappointed, thought Disney would have better quality, especially for the price, but like their hotel I think I paid for location (the fact that I bought it in their gift shop)

The big chain stuff is definiately cheaper both in price an in quality, so disney has probably seen they can follow a similar route and make a bigger margin.

Just my thoughts, but seeing stuff in all those chain stores takes the 'magic' out of Disney shopping too. You used to only be able to buy Disney stuff in the parks or the Disney Store...

 

[MiaSRN62]

You can't really consider it a Disney souvenir if you can buy it on the discount rack at every WalMart and Kmart back home.

Precisely OneMoreTry ! I just skip over the run-of-the-mill mass marketing stuff in 97% of the WDW gift shops.

The unique stuff is actually out there in the parks, you just need to know where to look for it. The main places I have found things are at Epcot's MouseGear and Keystone Clothiers at MGM.

tjkraz, yes....there is stuff unique in the parks....but it's well hidden. You said it---you need to look for it (hunt is a good word). It takes a seasoned wdw sleuther to find the real good stuff sometimes. Most of us here are seasoned guests.....every year, it gets harder and harder to find things unique or special enough that I want to put out the money for. My husband and I have joked (many times), that we should start going to WDW less and maybe we'd find more "cool" stuff as my dh says. "Cool stuff" to him, is something that you don't see in every single shop and stand in WDW. Like OneMoreTry said, the mass marketing stuff can be found in Walmart etc. As a frequent WDW traveler (2-3 times a year for at least 8-9 years now), we find we have to be much more discriment in what we purchase---thus, unique/original stuff wins out.

 

[OneMoreTry]

No. My argument is that sales of the unique stuff doesn't justify putting more of it in the parks. People don't buy it and it ends up on the discount shelves.

The unique stuff is actually out there in the parks, you just need to know where to look for it. The main places I have found things are at Epcot's MouseGear and Keystone Clothiers at MGM. I don't come home with piles of stuff after each trip, but between those two shops and the outlets I usually grab myself a t-shirt or two.

As you pointed out with your stock comment, WDW is run as a business and without having benefit of seeing sales figures I suspect they stock more of what sells.

EDIT: I should also add that this statement does not represent my feelings, either:



I'm not equating price to personal value. I was simply pointing out that the more unique designs seem to filter down to the outlets rather than being snapped-up by the thousands in the theme parks.

I see what you're saying, now. thanks.

 

[OneMoreTry]

I too am on the "Mug Quest"! I've looked a total of 10 trips and have not once found anything that appeals to me - you're right - they're too big or too small or too tacky or... Why can't they make a nice ceramic coffee mug that I can use everyday to remind me of my favorite place on earth? Then again, even if I did find a nice one, they are all made in China so I probably wouldn't buy it anyway - I would worry about the lead poisoning with all those bright colors ...

Terri

They had a nice set a few years ago, and I bought one of each, but those are pretty much phased out now. I agree with all your comments.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I too am on the "Mug Quest"! I've looked a total of 10 trips and have not once found anything that appeals to me - you're right - they're too big or too small or too tacky or... Why can't they make a nice ceramic coffee mug that I can use everyday to remind me of my favorite place on earth? Then again, even if I did find a nice one, they are all made in China so I probably wouldn't buy it anyway - I would worry about the lead poisoning with all those bright colors ...

Terri

Right now I'm drinking out of the last Disney mugs that I felt was appealing and it always makes me think of going to WDW. It's an AK one with animals all over and has the tree of life just inside the rim - very cute! But it was purchased in 2000!!!!!! I have one other mug (black with little white mickey heads all over it) that was purchased in the late 90's that I just love also. I'd be tempted to buy a mug every trip I found something like these again. They are regular sized - not the over-sized one's that start your weight lifting exercises in the morning! We also stopped doing the refillable mugs since they are no longer resort specific.

 

[groverdog]

I have mug issues also. The quality of the ceramic has deteriorated; I can't stand a mug that feels fragile and lightweight.
I collect the mugs that are available at the Flower & Garden Festival each year. They are so cute, shaped like a flower pot and are almost always terra cotta in color. The size and quality are great and the best ones have the festival logo and are dated. Last year was a huge disappointment. The mug was rather large and had a raised Mickey gnome on the front. No lettering, no date. It was also available at MK which bothered me for some reason. I liked that you had to go to the festival to purchase it. I do hope that next year they get back to the old mugs.
I hate change, I must be getting old.