the unofficial [budget] cutbacks AAAAARGH! thread

[perlster]

It's no secret that DLR had a disappointing summer in terms of attendance. The free birthday admission promotion is obviously aimed at bringing more people into the parks. Conversely, cuts in decor and entertainment will save money, but may make some (I'm guessing AP holders) think twice about visiting as often.

I haven't been to the DLR for a while, but from recent photos and reports of highly reliable frequent Disney visitors, here are some changes that may make you scream "AAAAARGH!". If you learn of others, please add them to this thread.

• no redecorated floral Mickey for Halloween
  (true, but multiple sources give technical, not monetary reasons)
• no appearance by the Pumpkin Princess
• no more free tomato slices with burger/sandwich at several restaurants
  (I've read that you can get 2 slices for 99 cents)
• no more free soft drink refills at French Market
  (may be due to flow of customers issues. [DISPUTED->] One report from a CM on another board said
  that you may be able to get a refill by request at non-busy times. CM later wrote that a manager
  stated that "the no refill policy will eventually be implemented at all counter service locations that
  currently allow unlimited fountain drinks")
• shopper's pass eliminated
  (no report if this was done due to budgetary issues)
• no Halloween decorations for Tower of Terror - at least as of Sunday

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

It's no secret that DLR had a disappointing summer in terms of attendance. The free birthday admission promotion is obviously aimed at bringing more people into the parks. Conversely, cuts in decor and entertainment will save money, but may make some (I'm guessing AP holders) think twice about visiting as often.

I haven't been to the DLR for a while, but from recent photos and reports of highly reliable frequent Disney visitors, here are some changes that may make you scream "AAAAARGH!". If you learn of others, please add them to this thread.

• no redecorated floral Mickey for Halloween
  I was thinking maybe because this year they had the lights with Tink and it might be to difficult to put Zorro Mickey with the lights? Ehh, but I don’t know. A budget cut sounds more likely.
• no appearance by the Pumpkin Princess
  IWhaaa! No Miss Pumpkin Princess this year? Boo, I thought she was cute last year!!
• no more free tomato slices with burger/sandwich at several restaurants
  Blech, I don’t like tomatoes anyways, so now you have to ASK can I please have tomato on my burger? That’s kind of lame..
• no more free soft drink refills at French Market
  Hmm. What about Rancho and Redd Rockets? I know you get free refills there? But isn’t French Market closed right now anyways?

But I’m sure the whole birthday admission will boost attendance in 2009. Smart thinking on Disney’s part.

The budget cuts don’t really bother me much, but I haven’t been to the parks since June, so we’ll see how I feel about this when I go next week. As long as they’re not budget cutting on ride maintenance or park cleanliness I guess I’m okay…

 

[Rainforest_Elf]

They're not redecorating the mickey head at the entrance in halloween theme this year??

THAT MAKES ME UPSET!!! I was really looking forward to getting a picture in front of there with my best friends =((( I mean we'll still do it, but the halloween decorations were what we were really looking forward to

 

[Sherry E]

They're not redecorating the mickey head at the entrance in halloween theme this year??

THAT MAKES ME UPSET!!! I was really looking forward to getting a picture in front of there with my best friends =((( I mean we'll still do it, but the halloween decorations were what we were really looking forward to

Apparently not - we will be missing the Halloween-decorated floral Mickey right at the entrance to DL, before you go under the tunnel to Main Street. I am upset about that too! They did it last year, and they redecorate it for Christmas, but maybe they didn't feel it was cost effective this year to just do it for the very brief Halloween season, whereas the Holiday/Christmas season lasts much longer and it might be worth it for them to do it up! I really think that the floral Halloween Mickey at the entrance added a lot to the overall Halloween transformation of the park, along with all the pumpkins strewn about. It really seemed like they were committing to the theme, really getting into it, as opposed to just sticking some pumpkins here and there. But what can I do? If it is not there, it's not there, and I can't make them bring it back, darn it!

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I just hope this does not start effecting food quality at DL, that would be a real shame since SO many of us look forward to all the eating we do at the parks.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

that sucks

 

[Sherry E]

I just hope this does not start effecting food quality at DL, that would be a real shame since SO many of us look forward to all the eating we do at the parks.

Yes, I know I look forward to it - that is probably 40% of what I enjoy doing at DLR! Also, it took DLR SOOOOOO many years to improve their food quality and choices. For years, in the old days, the food was NOT good at all. Some would still stay it is not good, but it has improved greatly in the last 16 years or so from what it was. So I would hate to see DLR take a step backward in food options and quality to cut costs. What they SHOULD do is skip a year or two without raising the prices on the Park Hoppers and tickets. They used to skip a year here, two years there, every so often, without raising prices. Lately, it seems like they want to just keep hiking up the prices every single year to the point where NOBODY - locals or tourists - will be able to afford admission anymore at this rate.

I remember a client of mine telling me many years ago that he had taken his whole family of 4 to DLR and it was so expensive, and the whole trip cost $300. That was then. Today, a $300 trip for a group or family of 4 would actually be a BARGAIN!

 

[perlster]

Here's another change, but who knows if the motivation is monetary?

• The shopper's pass has been discontinued.

 

[Sherry E]

Here's another change, but who knows if the motivation is monetary?

• The shopper's pass has been discontinued.

Is that where they let you go into the park for just one hour to hit the shops if you need to, and you have to leave collateral with them, like a credit card or something?

 

[JadeDarkstar]

so wierd

 

[perlster]

That was it.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Do we know for sure that the entrance flowers aren't going to be done? That seems like a very inexpensive feature considering how often Disney changes out landscaping.

 

[Gisele]

Interesting, I can understand having to make changes in order to save money, especially in this day and age. Hopefully, the parks will be decorated very nicely for Halloween and Christmas.

 

[perlster]

There are LOTS of great decorations as can be seen in these pictures.

Very nice, but those photos are from Paris.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Very nice, but those photos are from Paris.

HAHA! You are SOOOO right. Anyone else just out of it today? sigh...... thanks for catching my goof.

- Dreams

 

[mommaU4]

Is that where they let you go into the park for just one hour to hit the shops if you need to, and you have to leave collateral with them, like a credit card or something?

That's interesting. I'd never heard of that before! Guess it doesn't matter now.

 

[Sherry E]

That's interesting. I'd never heard of that before! Guess it doesn't matter now.

Yep. They had limitations on it though. You could only go before or after a certain time of day, you had leave your credit card number with them or some form of collateral, and then you had one hour, I think, to go to whatever shops you needed to hit. I guess it was a good idea for folks who had forgotten or neglected to buy certain things in the park. But I guess they stopped it. There were probably folks trying to abuse the system somehow!

Your pictures in your signature make me alternately happy and sad! Happy because I will see the fun Halloween stuff like the HMH in three days, but SAD because that darn floral Halloween Mickey is most likely gone!!!

 

[mommaU4]

There were probably folks trying to abuse the system somehow!

There usually is.

I know what you mean about the pics. We'll be there in 2 weeks and I can't wait. But some of the changes I'm reading about do not sound very good.

 

[DoomBugger]

How about the tree being a fake for the hoiday overlay? I think that was done to be "green" and not cut down a 120 year old tree just to sit at DL for a few weeks but no doubt it will save money too.

The shopper's pass they are dumb as many locals who don't care to go to the parks go shop for gifts at DLR Main Street and spend a fortune. Now they will just buy something else, not Disney.

DLR cutbacks are kinda like America these days; less quality and attention to detail and more ways of squeezing an extra buck out of you and hoping you won't notice. Maybe Disney management hired some of the people who work in Washington or Sacramento, that would explain it.

 

[Gisele]

That would not surprise me, DoomBugger, regarding Disney Co. hiring politico types, for making certain types of decisions.