Is this a reflection on the Magic?
With acumen that cuts straight to the heart of the matter you have asked the singular question. It is paramount in our understanding of Walt's magic and philosophy. It is the very foundation upon which Snow White was made. And
Disneyland. And WDW. You asked not just the "right" question. You asked the
perfect question.
But sadly, Captain, you missed the answer. You continued with:
No, it's not. It's more a reflection on our personal greed and when thought about, why shouldn't Disney charge for valet service like every other hotel?
How pedestrian. How mundane. How ordinary. I can get 'every other hotel' in every other corner of the world! Every rotten city in the country has a 'big-buck' hotel that contains very little magic, or should we say magic at a very steep price. This is Disney!! This should be special. And extra (or "free") is VERY special magic indeed!!!
It is just this type of "magic" that sets Disney apart from the rest of the world. When Walt build Disneyland and put 'crystal' chandeliers in the fast food joint instead of cut glass, he didn't try to recoup the cost by charging $10.00 for a burger. It was something extra that gave the place the famous 'Disney Touch'.
Do you really think that Pirates or Small world were the first 'dark' rides? Of course not!! Every city in America had an amusement park with a tunnel of love, or spook house. It's just that Disney was the first one to do it right. Without the rats swimming in the moldy water next to the boat, or the cheap cardboard cutouts with chipped paint. One might expect such an extravagant ride (compared with their contemporaries) to cost the average ride going guest many, many times the going rate. BUT IT DIDN'T!! It cost only
slightly more.
Before the advent of VCRs, way back in 1972, Disney used to run movies in all of their resorts. Even the campgrounds. Every night they would run a feature that hadn't even hit TV yet. They were unobtainable. Every seven years they'd make the circuit in the lower movie houses, but to the general public they were not available at all. Snow White, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Jungle Book, etc. WOW! And you know what Captain? THEY WERE FREE!!!! Yes! Free! They could have easily charged a buck or at least fifty cents at the time and still would have packed the house. But again they didn't!! More of the "Disney Touch"!
Anyone can create 'magic' for the right price. Those five star hotels we hear about in Europe contain a certain amount of 'magic'. You're pampered 24 by 7. Every little desire is met with an army of personnel. Every whim answered. But for THOUSANDS of dollars. Hmmm. When you think about it, there's really nothing magical about it, is there? Money can make ANYTHING happen. That wasn't Walt's way and it is NOT the trademark of the Disney I have come to LOVE!!
As first thought this pisses me off. I use Disney valet (always tip the valet) and get to feel like a big shot
The big shots out there won't understand this at all. And maybe to really appreciate these benefits you have to come from a certain economic class. I'm sure there are people who see crystal chandeliers all the time. They could spot cut glass a mile away. So they don't see anything special about a hamburger joint having one. In fact, they kind of expect it. But I don't. I don't even have one of cut glass. And that is the something extra that Disney has always given me.
Because I really can't afford that type of luxury.
But in Disney you could. And that, my friend, is the famous "DISNEY TOUCH" that I'm always squawking about.
This is exactly the type of profit centers that should be maximized and hopefully will allow the cutbacks to Magic enhancing areas (like discontinuing the Resort water transportation, for instance) to cease
This isn't a profit center!! It is a magic center for those who use it!! A person who never uses the Resort water transportation could use the same argument!! Don't you see that? If we look at it from a purely bottom line perspective we could say that (or excuse the taking away) about any aspect of Disney 'magic'!!