What happened to the WDW I knew and loved?

[mcd2745]

I agree with those who said that nostalgia is probably the main reason many people see such a decline at WDW. Are there areas where they are clearly cutting back? Absolutely. But while there may not be as many "little touches" as there once was, I don't see them as deal-breakers - but if you do, that's your right.

Almost all of us are guilty (I know i am) of getting caught up in the nostalgia of past experiences - whether it is a WDW vacation or a much smaller moment at home somewhere. We try (sometimes too hard) to recreate special moments and events that happened organically when the people, place and time somehow aligned just perfectly for a great time...and it just never works out that way and unfortunately leads to some sort of let down. In addition, I do think for many of the people who have been going at least once a year for 10 or 20 years now....the 'law of diminishing returns' kicks in at least a little bit.

Disney is also in a bit of a no-win situation sometimes - especially when it comes to attractions. How many threads do you see with people complaining about wanting to see new or updated attractions. Then, on the other hand, when they do update or add new things you see just as many threadds with people clamoring for old shows and attractions such as Horizons, or the original JII and others. Bottom line is it's impossible to make/keep everyone happy all the time.

 

[rgf207]

DW and I visited every year. This year after our trip we decided we wold visit every 3 years. The value isn't there for us anymore. too many things being cut. Prices going up. Park maintenance declining. Just not worth it to us anymore.

 

[going/again]

At the end of the day, it IS a business. It always has been.

I'd rather have generic napkins, less themed mixed drinks, and a lesser assortment of souvenirs than pay more for a ticket.

But you do

 

[Fantasmiss]

Meh. Maybe I'm just easy to please...or a huge sucker, but I didn't find any particular decline in WDW service or offerings on our week long visit ending this past weekend. I actually had to hunt down through just about every shop to find the perfect hoodie. Trudged through the Emporium, Mouse Gears, gift shops at Poly, GF and BLT and AKL as well as a few shops in DHS before I found what I wanted at WoD.

Napkins? I fail to see how something I use to wipe my mouth with and throw away has any impact on my trip.

CM's were above and beyond all week.

The park was clean.

Food was delicious (except for Ohana, but I just didn't care for the flavors...DH loved it).

Prices are going up but...newsflash...the price of EVERYTHING has gone up. I had to raise my prices this year too. It's just how you have to run a business.

I could spend my money elsewhere but I love my time at Disney. As a poster on page 1 said, much of the complaints seem to stem from childhood or early memories of Disney.

Like.

 

[maxiesmom]

DW and I visited every year. This year after our trip we decided we wold visit every 3 years. The value isn't there for us anymore. too many things being cut. Prices going up. Park maintenance declining. Just not worth it to us anymore.

So Disney redoing rides doesn't do it for you? Changing queues to make them interactive (the Haunted Mansion one is awesome!) Or even building a whole new section to a park?

It is not as if Disney is raking in the profit and just keeping the money. They are spending a ton redoing the parks right now. I could see being upset if all they were doing is cutting back. But they aren't!

 

[goofy4tink]

Or to quote Josh of easywdw.com, whenever he spots a generic brown napkin: "VACATION RUINED! MEMORIES FORGOTTEN!"

Threads like these are the reason why I love his blog so very much (besides for the excellent touring advice, I mean).

Ok, here's the thing. You are fine with things the way they are now. I fondly remember the good old days, way back in 2000-2006, back when I was a mere child in my 50's!! There were things back then that added to my overall experience. They are no more. If you're fine with a generic brown napkin, so be it. I'm not saying you shouldn't be. But, when I look at my older scrapbooks and see those restaurant specific napkins, or beverage stirrers??? Yep, I fondly remember that trip.
Yes, Disney profited this year...they usually do. But it isn't always the parks doing that...it's a huge company. And when someone says that some of us here are complaining about Disney changing things and we can't recreate our memories?? Well...maybe so. But I fail to see how replacing Mickey's Night Before Christmas has been comparably replaced by a music/dance thing, out in an open area, across from the People Mover. No, I don't find it particularly fun to dance around with a bunch of 7 y/o's. And that's the target audience...so that's fine. But I have to say that there was never an empty seat at that Christmas show...so I'm always interested in why they did away with it.
Or the Lights of Winter. I mean, seriously, obsolete technology??? Really? Some wires or bulbs stopped working and Disney couldn't come up with a way to remedy it???? Those lights were hugely popular, but it would have cost to redo them.

I love Disney, I truly do. I go every single year...at least once. So, the changes haven't stopped me from going. But that doesn't mean I have to be happy about them. What is important to one person, doesn't have to be important to someone else...we all have different likes and dislikes. Just saying.

 

[ttintagel]

It is not as if Disney is raking in the profit and just keeping the money.

Money that's re-invested into the company isn't counted as "profit."

 

[Magpie]

Ok, here's the thing. You are fine with things the way they are now. I fondly remember the good old days, way back in 2000-2006, back when I was a mere child in my 50's!! There were things back then that added to my overall experience. They are no more. If you're fine with a generic brown napkin, so be it. I'm not saying you shouldn't be. But, when I look at my older scrapbooks and see those restaurant specific napkins, or beverage stirrers??? Yep, I fondly remember that trip.
Yes, Disney profited this year...they usually do. But it isn't always the parks doing that...it's a huge company. And when someone says that some of us here are complaining about Disney changing things and we can't recreate our memories?? Well...maybe so. But I fail to see how replacing Mickey's Night Before Christmas has been comparably replaced by a music/dance thing, out in an open area, across from the People Mover. No, I don't find it particularly fun to dance around with a bunch of 7 y/o's. And that's the target audience...so that's fine. But I have to say that there was never an empty seat at that Christmas show...so I'm always interested in why they did away with it.
Or the Lights of Winter. I mean, seriously, obsolete technology??? Really? Some wires or bulbs stopped working and Disney couldn't come up with a way to remedy it???? Those lights were hugely popular, but it would have cost to redo them.

I love Disney, I truly do. I go every single year...at least once. So, the changes haven't stopped me from going. But that doesn't mean I have to be happy about them. What is important to one person, doesn't have to be important to someone else...we all have different likes and dislikes. Just saying.

Oh, absolutely! Everyone has their likes and dislikes. What I'm referring to is the tendency of some people (not necessarily you) to assume every change is a sign of the whole place going to heck in a handbasket.

They could replace those dance parties with a show now, and there'd be a whole new group of people going, "Disney killed my dance party! They stomped all over my beloved tradition!"

I do agree it's sad the Lights of Winter are gone, but... oh well. It was nice while it lasted, and now I'm really, really looking forward to experiencing the new and improved Test Track.

Nothing stays the same. As long as Disney keeps giving me new stuff to replace the old, I'll be happy to continue visiting the parks.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Money that's re-invested into the company isn't counted as "profit."

yes it is. profit is either retained or paid out as a dividend but it is profit either way.

On a side note, this thread had me wondering so I looked:

Our 2013 planned trip for indentical dates, tickets, resort etc is 3.5% per year more than our 2011 trip (7% total increase, over 2 years).

I can live with that.

PS the dining plan has gone up more I think, but we don't pay for that.

 

[CraftyMommy]

I'm sorry you can't find the WDW you once knew and loved.

The WDW I love is still there waiting for me to visit them in a few months. It has been 3 long years and I am beyond excited with anticipation.

 

[Karabee]

Interesting thread. All I know is that I hate amusement parks and I love Disney. I went to US last time and not one person along the way said hello to me, at Disney they wave and smile all the time. We were able to try wines from Africa and watch animals and our bus driver started singing on our way back from DTD. I'll take all this over "themed" napkins any day.

 

[FloridaDreaming]

There was a WDW I remember and loved as well. There was Horizons, If You Had Wings, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the FULL Backlot Tour at MGM, the animation studio with real animators working.
Now there is a WDW that I love just as much. They have Test Track, Soarin', the new Fantasyland Expansion, Expedition Everest, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor and Toy Story Midway Mania.
I love the memories I have of the WDW trips of my younger years. I love the new memories I'm making as well. And neither of them have been made or ruined by napkins.

 

[maxaroni]

I know this thread isn't just about generic napkins, same souvenirs in each store. However, I do think much of it is nostalgic. Things change, times change, people change, economy changes, technology changes. Disney is a business and am sure most every business has changed in the last 40 years, both positively and negatively.

If everything remained the same, people wouldn't be happy either. Yes, to gain some things, sometimes it means we lose other things. As the years have gone by and more resorts have been built and crowds larger, to move people around with the buses.....there is a huge cost to buy the buses that are specially made for Disney. Production can't make enough in one year to fill the needs of the parks. Magical express is wonderful and so many people use the service but there is a cost for this as well. Some things we may not see but am sure there is a lot of money going back into things to keep them running or updated. Yes, it is the cost of running a business. However, I think sometimes we lose sight of the big picture.

I am not a Disney nut who sees no wrong in the world of Disney. We were at the parks last week, we had a fabulous time and no problems....for us. Did we see things that shouldn't have happened or we don't feel we're run as they should....absolutely

I also feel that so much of this is subjective and when it stops being fun, or a value to you, go elsewhere. We have traveled to many other places and Disney is loved and cherished in our family, it is by far not the only travel destination for us.

I was fortunate to go to WDW in August 1972 and had a VIP tour. I later went as part of our honeymoon in 1981 where new memories were made. We took our son 4 times and made even more memories. DS volunteered for GKTW and spent time at WDW and then for his senior trip and has memories from his trips. Things change but it is what is in our hearts and what we make of it. Each generation will feel the same way....when my DS19 eventually marries and takes his kids, he may feel.....gee, things have changed since I was a kid but he will be making memories with his family

Several years ago, we traveled to Aruba....anyone been there? When we got home and telling my parents about it, my dads comment was.....gee, we traveled when things were better. It had been 25 years for them. I guess my point is that everything changes and perhaps some things are not for the better, or at least that is how each of us perceives it to be for themselves.

I have worked in big business and now in small business....nowadays I hear that we haven't gotten raises in 4 years. Hello, we are in the mortgage industry and the economy is in the toilet. I look at it that I am blessed to still have a job and when I see the costs of running our company....I realize it isn't easy. Running a company, or business is hard and not everyone will be pleased all the time

 

[Magpie]

Interesting thread. All I know is that I hate amusement parks and I love Disney. I went to US last time and not one person along the way said hello to me, at Disney they wave and smile all the time. We were able to try wines from Africa and watch animals and our bus driver started singing on our way back from DTD. I'll take all this over "themed" napkins any day.

Wow, that's unfortunate!

When we went to Universal in December 2010, we were looking for differences between it and Disney, and we were startled by how similar all the TMs were. They smiled and chatted with us, just the same as they do at Disney. We stayed on site and they welcomed us, just the same. One morning we had breakfast in the park, and one of the young servers spontaneously started dancing to the music, until her supervisor frowned (not too harshly) at her and she got back to sweeping. They teased my teenagers non stop, and commented on our t-shirts, and were basically great fun to interact with.

Later in our trip, I was talking to an older gentleman in one of the stores (my lanyard kept breaking and he was trying to find me something to fix it) and discovered that he has also worked for Disney. He told me that many of the people you see working in Universal, also work, or have worked, for Disney. There's a lot of movement back and forth between the two companies.

Basically, they're all the same people!

I can't say we ever noticed if Universal has themed napkins, though...

 

[lucifie]

At the end of the day, it IS a business. It always has been.

I'd rather have generic napkins, less themed mixed drinks, and a lesser assortment of souvenirs than pay more for a ticket.

Not to mention that back in the day WDW was the only game in town. Now there's Universal, Legoland, etc. so they have to do what they have to do to stay competitive.

 

[eliza61]

Let me start with the fact that I love Disney and that love was fostered when I was a kid and we saved for several years in order to go.

I understand where you are coming from completely and you have every right to feel you are not getting your monies worth(as worth is an individual decision). Unfortunately, I think this is the way everything is going at this point. With the economy and pressure to deliver to stockholders, every public company in all areas of business are in the same cost cutting/increase net income dilemma.

We have gone with our children several times in the last 4 years on vacation and for sporting events. While I agree that the changes are good and bad, I do see that Disney is still a better value than most other detinations we have been able to go to. I think what you get for the money spent is still very good. Most people that complain or make a point about things changing in a negative way still go and enjoy the vacation, but I do understand that as things change, expectations are not met and may leave us feeling a little less "magic" than before.

And that's why I encourage people here to not take every observation as a personal attack on disney.

For example, if I write a trip report I tend to mention the good and the bad but you can't do that here because any thing remotely negative brings out the ammo quicker than a game of call of duty.
For example some one asked about BC resort and the last time I stayed there in 09 I was dismayed because the bathroom by stromalong bay every day was a pig stye (there was a really bad odor that many of the guest were complaining about) . Of course that led to me being told "I should be grateful because if you go to great adventures the bathrooms are really dirty". Huh? I'm staying at a 400 buck a night resort and I should be grateful that the pool bathroom is filthy cause it's dirtier some where else? LOL only on the Dis

That's why I no longer write trip reports, basically if you say any thing at all about some problem or unflattering observation you will be told why its (acceptable) and that overall disney is still magical so suck it up. I still do go to disney, primarily because I haven't gotten around to selling my dvc. so for me it's simply a cheap vacation. I am glad though that folks still feel the magic. like I said for me it just might be a case of too much of a good thing especially now that so many other venues are just as much fun and around the same price point. I went to DLP a few years ago for only around 400 bucks more than what I spend at the world. so I'm exploring.

It's all good.

 

[Stackie]

The management, collage or otherwise is obviously doing something right. We are going in November, and I'll wait in lines for 60+ minutes to go on the same attractions I've gone on over the past 15 years. And yes, I'll love every minute of it.

 

[maxaroni]

Meh. Maybe I'm just easy to please...or a huge sucker, but I didn't find any particular decline in WDW service or offerings on our week long visit ending this past weekend. I actually had to hunt down through just about every shop to find the perfect hoodie. Trudged through the Emporium, Mouse Gears, gift shops at Poly, GF and BLT and AKL as well as a few shops in DHS before I found what I wanted at WoD.

Napkins? I fail to see how something I use to wipe my mouth with and throw away has any impact on my trip.

CM's were above and beyond all week.

The park was clean.

Food was delicious (except for Ohana, but I just didn't care for the flavors...DH loved it).

Prices are going up but...newsflash...the price of EVERYTHING has gone up. I had to raise my prices this year too. It's just how you have to run a business.

I could spend my money elsewhere but I love my time at Disney. As a poster on page 1 said, much of the complaints seem to stem from childhood or early memories of Disney.

I agree. We just got back Saturday evening and we had a week that was nearly perfect. Adult only and immersed in the magic did wonders for our stress level. Our first day we saw something at the AoA gift shop for DS's girlfriend and didn't buy it figuring we would find it anywhere. We finally did see it, umpteen stores later. Lol.

 

[Rip]

Wow, that's unfortunate!

When we went to Universal in December 2010, we were looking for differences between it and Disney, and we were startled by how similar all the TMs were. They smiled and chatted with us, just the same as they do at Disney. We stayed on site and they welcomed us, just the same. One morning we had breakfast in the park, and one of the young servers spontaneously started dancing to the music, until her supervisor frowned (not too harshly) at her and she got back to sweeping. They teased my teenagers non stop, and commented on our t-shirts, and were basically great fun to interact with.

Later in our trip, I was talking to an older gentleman in one of the stores (my lanyard kept breaking and he was trying to find me something to fix it) and discovered that he has also worked for Disney. He told me that many of the people you see working in Universal, also work, or have worked, for Disney. There's a lot of movement back and forth between the two companies.

Basically, they're all the same people!

I can't say we ever noticed if Universal has themed napkins, though...

Yep. Lots of them work 2 jobs.

 

[DOOM1001]

It probably has to do with the amount of visitors to a Disney park like Magic Kingdom but on a visit a couple of months ago I wad comparing the desserts at the counter service restaurants of Sea World(Voyagers Smokehouse for example)to what you get at Magic Kingdom(Cosmic Rays).At the Voyagers smokehouse you had HUGE carrot cakes,chocolate cakes and cheesecakes all freshly made on site,at Cosmic Rays it was this small brownie cake shipped in from who knows where and nowhere as good as any of the ones at Sea World.Pricewise they were all in the $3-$4 range so this is another example of where Disney just falls flat,obviously they can't produce the amount of desserts that are needed with close to 20 million visitors a year while Sea World produces a greater product that's big enough for two to share.And it's also just not desserts as there are other Disney restaurants onsite that I've pretty much given up on and when compared to other theme parks in the area,especially the counter service places they also fall flat.Busch Gardens and Sea World in my opinion have some of the best food of the area parks,Universal used to be clearly in the middle but as it gets more and more visitors the quality also drops off and is now just slightly better than Disney overall.