Walt Disney World is not what it used to be..

[Eeyore2003]

We were there last week. My brother and families first time. This is a quote from my trip report. When I told him that people complain on one hand, of seeing the "painters and workers" out in the day painting, but on the other hand, "the chipped paint", he couldn't believe it. To him everything looked clean, detailed and unbelievably amazing. People here on the board also had me worried about the "shabbiness" of the "studios" at OKW. I'm wondering where these people stay other than Disney??? The rooms were beautiful and spotless. People complained that the pool had no slide, (I started worrying about this too as I wanted my brothers first Disney experience to be perfect), the pool was wonderful, the atmosphere homey and friendly. For $50.00 a day, (they had 5 day park hopper passes) he could park hop to any park and take advantage of all the attractions, and they were not only run of the mill attractions, they were all above and beyond imagination in his opinion. He was shocked at the friendliness and helpfulness of all the people. Everyone complains about the price of food, but he thought that with the characters, games and amazing atmosphere at the restaurants, they were very reasonable. I don't think there was one place that he didn't love the food either. I guess if I were "flawless", I could complain, but since I'm human and not perfect, I have to look at what others offer for a price, and Disney offers a high quality product for a very reasonable cost. When I really saw it all again for the first time, the rides, the attractions, the shows, the fireworks, the atmosphere, all I could say is WOW!!! Can't wait for December!!! I was so glad I could begin planning another trip as I came home!!! Which reminds me, all the seasonal activities also come with the deal, really amazing.

I learned to see WDW for the "first" time again. It was so wonderful seeing it through their eyes. I think we people here that go often get immune to the unbelievable enormity of the productions, the care in every detail and what WDW really offers for the money. My brother thought it was worth EVERY nickel, and for what he got, the tickets were unbelievably cheap. Even the meals were reasonable he thought, considering the good food and especially the "detailed" atmosphere. He's a banker, so he does watch his pennies and the value of things. When I told him some of the things the people complain about he couldn't believe it. I heartily agree!!! Especially seeing it again "for the first time". Disney offers allot of "bang for your buck", and unless you're REALLY rich and can stay at the most "posh" resorts, I don't know where else you'll find all of this for your money. When you see the "whole package" again "for the first time", it's all truly amazing!!!

 

[PamNC]

I agree with the OP's opinion on MGM. It's not the same as it use to be. The Great Movie Ride and Star Tours are outdated, that awful hat is in the way of the Chinese Theatre, the Backstage Tour is an embarrassment. However, I'm confident that the powers that be will improve the park. At least I'm hopeful. It use to be one of our favorites. I'm even sick of the Millionnaire game.

I am, however, excited about many new additions to the World like Wishes, Philharmagic, the upcoming Soarin' over CA, Mission Space, and the new coaster at Animal Kingdom...oh I forgot one the New Stunt Show at MGM. And at the same time I'm very happy to be able to ride the classics, my old favorites like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. And don't forget the best attraction in the World - SPLASH MOUNTAIN.

We were there 7/6 - 7/13 and things seemed pretty clean except the bathrooms. I must agree that they need some attention. At least later in the day.

As far as sponsors and Epcot - I think it sucks that when they lose a sponsor - the attraction shuts down. Case in point - Wonders of Life. Okay - they lost the sponsor - attraction is down. This happens too frequently. I think we pay too much for attractions to shut down for this reason. Not a good excuse in my book. IMHO.

PamNC

 

[deelam]

Does anyone know if they lost the sponsor for spaceship earth. Because I heard that ride was in danger of closing or changing, and I love that ride. It is so relaxing.

Deneen

 

[brunette8706]

that awful hat is in the way of the Chinese Theatre
**********************

Yes, I agree! I don't really care for that magical hat either....Okay and here is my other gripe...(don't kill me on this one, lol) I can't stand the fact that they put that stupid arm along with a wand and the word EPCOT on top of spaceship earth. Hell, the sphear (globe) was all that was needed it was beautiful and it used to change colors at night...now they added this tacky arm and wand and Epcot sign on top of spaceship earth. Only my opinion. But if you already have something that is rather stunning why change it to make it tacky???

brunette

 

[brunette8706]

I agree with you! I love spaceship earth also. I didn't know they were thinking of changing it! Yes, it really is relaxing. Like I said in an earlier post (way back) is that they should bring back the Global Neighborhood (AT&T) where you can make your reservations for the World Showcase for dinner. I really thought that was clever and people were standing in line just to talk with the guy on the tv monitor...Maybe they should get sprint or verizon....? Take the darn boards down and redo it....JMO.

brunette

 

[mickey12810]

Disney World does not seem to be as magical when you get older, unless you are like my husband who has pixie dust running through his veins.

 

[Eeyore2003]

I'm really sorry, but all of this is just beyond me. Like I posted earlier, I think for the money, it's ALL amazing.

In August, I am paying $305.00 to stay at Hotel Breakers at Cedarpoint in Ohio. For this "great" price, we get the "wonderful" deal of getting into the park ONE HALF hour before the regular crowd. We have a "lake view", but for $20.00 more I could have a lagoon view at the CR towers, or pretty much a nice room at any deluxe resort in WDW.

The price online for the tickets for Cedarpoint are $39.95, that's $4.00 less than the gate price of $43.95. That's ONE park of rollercoasters and rides, a few "nice, but substandard shows" compared to the "awesome productions" at WDW, and I think they do "pop off" some fireworks at closing, compared to the beautiful and amazing night time productions at WDW. (I've seen all of the shows at Cedarpoint) It's clean, but not Disney standards, it's themed, but nothing like the detail at Disney World.

Resort guests at Disney get one hour EMH, comparing Hotel Breakers to even Pop Century etc. is like comparing peanuts to caviar. Last year we paid $150.00 to stay in the older section which had an air conditioner blowing the moldiest smelling air into the room, I have never stayed at such an awful place, but we DID stay to get my son that extra 1/2 hour!!! Since I have an allergy to mold, it didn't make my stay too much fun and no one at the desk seemed to really care one way or the other.

For just a bit more you can get unlimited use of FOUR theme parks at WDW, night time shows, awesome performances, all kinds of rides to satisfy any taste and friendliness and detail I find unsurpassed. Even the smallest touches, "talking garbage cans, fountains everywhere to keep kids cool, details abundant".

If I were perfect, I guess I could "throw the first stone", but since I'm not, I really appreciate all the work and effort that go into making my little "get away" vacations wonderful. Also, to all the great CM's reading this, I want to thank you for spreading your "pixie dust" so that my stay can be just that much more magical. Well, that's JMHO.

 

[deelam]

I don't think you can compare Disney to other parks. Disney really is the best vacation spot for families. There is so much to do and see. My gripe is that there are signs of cutbacks by corporate Disney that goes against the foundation that Walt built his parks upon. Personal cutbacks and the lack focus on improvements can only hurt the park in the long run. Walt made the parks his number one pryority. It seems that the current powers don't have the same vision for the parks.
Just as I said about street sweepers in an earlier post. They were everywhere a few years back. Now, You are lucky to find one. People who are just going to Disney for the first time have no idea that just a couple of years ago, if you spilled your popcorn a street sweeper appeared right away and cleaned it up, then refilled your popcorn. New people to Disney will never know of the Disney that you never saw an overflowing trash can at. It is sad, because Disney is losing a big part of who they are.

Deneen

 

[PatriciaH]

Originally posted by phamton
Yes, the trash can was inside the building. I saw a CM empty the trash while we were there around 5:00 PM. It wasn't overflowing though. The trash was all along the queue, everywhere. It was really a mess. I can see if someone accidentally spilled popcorn but this was also trash where people just thew down their cups and wrappers right down on the carpet. One was a bottle of red soda that had red punch dripping on the carpet. Some people are just slobs. I kept expecting that a CM would come in and pick up the trash all along the line but no one did.

People are such class acts now a days

 

[phamton]

In a prior post here, I wondered why the attractions CMs weren't cleaning up in the line at PhilharMagic. I also mentioned how the ride operators at Universal Studios clean up their area. You usually see at least one attractions person sweeping up or wiping up spills, etc. at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

Last night, I talked to a friend who works at Universal during the week and Magic Kingdom on weekends. He told me that at Universal that all the "team members" at Universal are required to pick up trash in their area and keep the parks clean. At WDW, the jobs are all unionized and the people who clean the parks and the cast members who run the attractions are separate unions. Attractions CMs aren't allowed to clean or they could be taking a job away from the cleaning crew, possibly eliminating a job from someone. This sounds crazy enough to be true.

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

I'd like to clear up a misunderstanding, again. Brunette, the Global Neighborhood at the exit of Spaceship Earth was not the same area you speak of with the reservations for World Showcase restaurants. That was a previous incarnation, BEFORE the Global Neighborhood. So what you are wishing was still there, was not what was taken down. The reservation area that you describe was replaced with the Global Neighborhood, then within the last year, it was removed. The Global Neighborhood was several exhibits displaying AT&Ts wares of the future. At&T pulled their sponsorship and it is being replaced.

Again, the painted plywood is what is used to cover rehab areas, property wide. It covers the 20,000 Leagues area, Expedition Everest construction, etc. It may not look great, but what other alternatives do they have?

 

[brunette8706]

Thanks for clearing that up! They should really make a comeback for that reservation system. I loved it! I thought it was so cool. Now it's boarded up! I think I said in a previous post that they should make the boarded area a boutique or gift shop or throw in another sponsor or something disney-ess. The boarded up part really is an eyesore. The 20k leagues Under the Sea has been boarded up since 1995. Now, to me that is UNCALLED FOR! Do something with the attraction....or bring back 20k leagues. Why they took down the skyride I have no idea! I thought it was really great ride, and it took you to one area of the mk to the other...

thanks again for your comments!
brunette

 

[webmomom]

If I am wrong about this, please someone correct me.

I have read on these boards the reason the skyride was taken down, is because someone fell and was killed. I think it was a worker, but being on the safe side they took it down.

 

[phamton]

Originally posted by webmomom
If I am wrong about this, please someone correct me.

I have read on these boards the reason the skyride was taken down, is because someone fell and was killed. I think it was a worker, but being on the safe side they took it down.

Snopes lists it as false: http://www.snopes.com/disney/parks/skyway.htm

There was a death at Disneyland on the skyway and another death at the skyway at Disneyworld. The Skyway was not dismantled out of a fear of similar incidents, but for a variety of economic factors, including the attraction's age and carrying capacity, staffing requirements, maintenance costs, and the expense required to upgrade the Skyway to conform to newer safety and access standards.

 

[deelam]

Does anyone know if they ever plan to upgrade the skyway so that it can be used again.
It's been down so many years, maybe there are no plans to ever upgrade. What a waste.

Deneen

 

[WDSearcher]

The Skyway is in such need of repair that they can't really update it ... they'd have to totally rebuild it, which would effectively take half of Fantasyland out of commission. It's not likely that they'd spend that kind of money on such a low-capcity ride.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by brunette8706
Why they took down the skyride I have no idea! I thought it was really great ride, and it took you to one area of the mk to the other...

There were a lot of issues with the Skyway, including the death of a maintenance worker which caused a lot of negative publicity regarding the ride and its safety. And, as one poster said, safety standards are changing constantly, and to bring Skyway up to the new standards would be a very expensive proposition for a relatively low-capacity ride.

However, Skyway was also a ride that had more than its share of complaints. Not from riders, but from people in the park below them. There was a rash of complaints over a fairly short period of time regarding Skyway riders spitting on people, pouring sodas on people, dropping handfuls of popcorn, water balloons, apples, bananas, and other foods, kids smoking pot in the skyway gondolas, and during Grad Nite one year, the two things to do were to either have sex in or "flash" over the side of the skyway gondolas. It was, after all, one of the few places on property where it was pretty difficult to get to you if you were doing something wrong. Sure, you could be caught and punished once you "docked," but that doesn't help the person standing below you who just got soaked with soda. Or the family of guests who looked up and saw girls baring their chests or guys mooning the crowd.

There were a lot of issues with Skyway, and so it was finally just closed.

 

[Cinderella37]

Originally posted by brunette8706
The 20k leagues Under the Sea has been boarded up since 1995. Now, to me that is UNCALLED FOR!

Though the ride has been closed since 1995, the "boarding up" just occurred a few months ago when they began to drain the lagoon. Prior to this spring, a portion of the area was used for character meet and greets and the lagoon was still visable. It seems to be the best kept secret WDW has had in a long time - no one knows what will replace the lagoon area, though there's a lot of speculation. They may not even touch it for a while.

 

[brunette8706]

Originally posted by WDSearcher
There were a lot of issues with the Skyway, including the death of a maintenance worker which caused a lot of negative publicity regarding the ride and its safety. And, as one poster said, safety standards are changing constantly, and to bring Skyway up to the new standards would be a very expensive proposition for a relatively low-capacity ride.

However, Skyway was also a ride that had more than its share of complaints. Not from riders, but from people in the park below them. There was a rash of complaints over a fairly short period of time regarding Skyway riders spitting on people, pouring sodas on people, dropping handfuls of popcorn, water balloons, apples, bananas, and other foods, kids smoking pot in the skyway gondolas, and during Grad Nite one year, the two things to do were to either have sex in or "flash" over the side of the skyway gondolas. It was, after all, one of the few places on property where it was pretty difficult to get to you if you were doing something wrong. Sure, you could be caught and punished once you "docked," but that doesn't help the person standing below you who just got soaked with soda. Or the family of guests who looked up and saw girls baring their chests or guys mooning the crowd.

There were a lot of issues with Skyway, and so it was finally just closed.

There was a rash of complaints over a fairly short period of time regarding Skyway riders spitting on people, pouring sodas on people, dropping handfuls of popcorn, water balloons, apples, bananas, and other foods, kids smoking pot in the skyway gondolas, and during Grad Nite one year, the two things to do were to either have sex in or "flash" over the side of the skyway gondolas.

Hi WDSearch!

I find that rather disgusting! Some people are just that "ignorant" and "rude".

thanks for your comments wdsearcher!

brunette

 

[disneymom2one]

I think it's all relative. We travel a lot and not just to Disney. But nothing compares. Chicago was great but I honestly would have rather been at WDW. Gatlinburg was wonderful for my kiddo who had never seen snow. Truly magical. But again, I probably would have been just as happy at WDW. I know it might not be the WDW I first fell in love with on my honeymoon many years ago but it's still this incredible place where I truly get away.