What will WDW "cut" next?

[eva]

This is a great point and one I was going to point out as well. I started going to Disney parks (on a regular basis) 19 years ago and none of this stuff existed--no refill mugs, no fancy napkins, no free buttons for every occasion, no EMH, no fastpass, no dedicated princess signing pavilions, no nuthin'. You went to the park, you got in line, you left when they shut off the lights, and you liked it. I feel spoiled now by all the "perks" that Disney has added in the last 10 or so years. I think they will continue to experiment with adding things and some of them won't work (or won't be worth the cost) so we'll occasionally see one taken away. It's not time to panic yet.

Now, on the wifi, I do agree THERE that it's ree-donkulous that it took Disney so long to catch up on this. Every hotel I've stayed at over the past four or so years, even rinky dinky B&B's, has free wifi. Sheesh.

That was pretty much my point. In the past you were paying to be in the parks, ride the rides, meet the characters, good customer service, and eat a meal. If you got a perk, it was just that, a perk. There was no expectation for anything more. So as long as I can still have that in a clean environment, I will keep coming back.

"SPOILED"? When I pay thousands of dollars on a family vacation, I better feel "spoiled".

People have always paid thousands to vacation at WDW. As a matter of fact, you will pay thousands to vacation most anywhere now a days. I feel that any vacation is more about how you make it, not how the destination makes it. If people go feeling entitled to this and that because "I am spending thousands on this trip", the place is going to be filled with a bunch of "spoiled" people that no one can totally satisfy.

 

[ppony]

Re: the wi-fi and taking so long. Evidently it was reported that it had to do w/ Walt's desires for people to be on VACATION when they were at WDW. Though of course, we know he didn't know about wi-fi back then, it fit w/ the mantra loosely of "stop working!". We all know though it's far beyond what he would have seen coming and the positive impact it has. I do admire them trying to stay w/ as much of Walt's visions as possible. Naturally though, there is a lot we can argue with that has left that vision (which is what DISers argue about daily anyway). I'm glad to have the wi-fi at least in the resorts.

 

[crostorfer]

"SPOILED"? When I pay thousands of dollars on a family vacation, I better feel "spoiled".

This. This is the problem, right here.

 

[mom2rtk]

If Walt wanted us all to feel like we were on "vacation" the he probably wouldn't be a big fan of the new Xpass with pre-scheduled rides.........

Seriously though, with Xpass and Dining CC holds on all the most popular restaurants, it seems to me that free wi-fi just needed to happen.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Many, maybe most, high end hotels in the 'real' world charge for Net access in rooms, some even in common areas. Anywhere from $9.95 a night to $15 and higher.

I would argue that Disney hotels are not high end...merely high priced

But even if I were to concede your points...why would they not grant it at values and moderates?

 

[famsen]

All the apologists for Disney or any corporation that continues to cut away at perks and amenities while continuing to raise prices can not be for real You are saying to a company "Take my money, PLEASE! Please take more and more of my money every year and cut back on what I've been getting for my money. I don't care!" Do you not see something wrong with that?
I'm all for a free market society and for companies making a profit but do you really feel good when companies raise prices while taking value away? I feel a company that truly cares about giving people value for their money can raise prices whenever they want but would offer their customers the same things they have been getting. Cutting back AND raising prices is ridiculous for a Disney. Face the facts; The Disney Company is NOT HURTING. They continue to build more resorts, Vacation Club properties, cruise ships, etc. They won't go out of business any time soon. As a long time customer who has willingly given my money to Disney for vacations even though I know it is pricey, I am offended at all the little touches being chipped away little by little.
Heck yeah I want to feel "spoiled" on vacation. I work by butt off all year to save money and get away to a place that makes my happy, cared for and even a little "spoiled".
Whatever. Keep on shouting from the rooftops that you don't care how much Disney charges you and how much they take away while doing so. Eventually you will get a vacation destination no better than the local parking lot carnival blowing into town and leaving their garbage behind for you to pick up.

 

[Phatoomch]

I would argue that Disney hotels are not high end...merely high priced

But even if I were to concede your points...why would they not grant it at values and moderates?

They do - well, I know the mods do anyway and am sure value do too. Someone just reported back how great the signal was at Port Orleans Riverside

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Re: the wi-fi and taking so long. Evidently it was reported that it had to do w/ Walt's desires for people to be on VACATION when they were at WDW. Though of course, we know he didn't know about wi-fi back then, it fit w/ the mantra loosely of "stop working!". We all know though it's far beyond what he would have seen coming and the positive impact it has. I do admire them trying to stay w/ as much of Walt's visions as possible. Naturally though, there is a lot we can argue with that has left that vision (which is what DISers argue about daily anyway). I'm glad to have the wi-fi at least in the resorts.

Pretty sure that Walt thing is a flimsy excuse...

 

[Phatoomch]

All the apologists for Disney or any corporation that continues to cut away at perks and amenities while continuing to raise prices can not be for real You are saying to a company "Take my money, PLEASE! Please take more and more of my money every year and cut back on what I've been getting for my money. I don't care!" Do you not see something wrong with that?
I'm all for a free market society and for companies making a profit but do you really feel good when companies raise prices while taking value away? I feel a company that truly cares about giving people value for their money can raise prices whenever they want but would offer their customers the same things they have been getting. Cutting back AND raising prices is ridiculous for a Disney. Face the facts; The Disney Company is NOT HURTING. They continue to build more resorts, Vacation Club properties, cruise ships, etc. They won't go out of business any time soon. As a long time customer who has willingly given my money to Disney for vacations even though I know it is pricey, I am offended at all the little touches being chipped away little by little.
Heck yeah I want to feel "spoiled" on vacation. I work by butt off all year to save money and get away to a place that makes my happy, cared for and even a little "spoiled".
Whatever. Keep on shouting from the rooftops that you don't care how much Disney charges you and how much they take away while doing so. Eventually you will get a vacation destination no better than the local parking lot carnival blowing into town and leaving their garbage behind for you to pick up.

See, I don't think you are actually reading any of these posts. Nobody is saying they are happy to have things taken away but pay more. Duh.

Its more a case to some, like myself, those perks are small - napkins & 1 EMH for example - and do not really impact the vacation as a whole.

Disney have high operating costs, are expanding MK, just built AoA and Port Orleans was just totally refurbed from head toe. Its not like they are just taking and giving nothing back.

Personally, if you sweat the small things, life in general will be very difficult.

 

[Sam81]

Just posted something similar on the napkin thread. Better question do you think Disney Execs have a forum where they discuss:

• What new ridiculous demands will our guests make
• What is left for someone to be allergic too
• What will we be sued for today

 

[Phatoomch]

Just posted something similar on the napkin thread. Better question do you think Disney Execs have a forum where they discuss:

• What new ridiculous demands will our guests make
• What is left for someone to be allergic too
• What will we be sued for today

 

[crostorfer]

See, I don't think you are actually reading any of these posts. Nobody is saying they are happy to have things taken away but pay more. Duh.

Its more a case to some, like myself, those perks are small - napkins & 1 EMH for example - and do not really impact the vacation as a whole.

Disney have high operating costs, are expanding MK, just built AoA and Port Orleans was just totally refurbed from head toe. Its not like they are just taking and giving nothing back.

Personally, if you sweat the small things, life in general will be very difficult.

Thank you for this. The voice of reason, as usual.

 

[famsen]

See, I don't think you are actually reading any of these posts. Nobody is saying they are happy to have things taken away but pay more. Duh.

Its more a case to some, like myself, those perks are small - napkins & 1 EMH for example - and do not really impact the vacation as a whole.

Disney have high operating costs, are expanding MK, just built AoA and Port Orleans was just totally refurbed from head toe. Its not like they are just taking and giving nothing back.

Personally, if you sweat the small things, life in general will be very difficult.

"Duh"? Wow! Yes I have read the posts and just because you consider some of these perks "little" does not mean others do. Many "little" things add up to a big thing. There have been far too many of the "littles" in the past few years.

 

[nansmama]

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[Phatoomch]

"Duh"? Wow! Yes I have read the posts and just because you consider some of these perks "little" does not mean others do. Many "little" things add up to a big thing. There have been far too many of the "littles" in the past few years.

Firstly, those little things were added in the last 10 yrs (approx), MK has been open over 40yrs. And there have been quite a few big things added.

Sorry if you found the 'Duh' offensive but your overall attitude is very angry and laughing at others because they felt spoiled is rather offensive. You can stand on your soapbox all day, its not going to convince me that Disney are "evil".

If napkins make your vacation then all power to you. Personally I didn't even notice.

 

[crostorfer]

All the apologists for Disney or any corporation that continues to cut away at perks and amenities while continuing to raise prices can not be for real You are saying to a company "Take my money, PLEASE! Please take more and more of my money every year and cut back on what I've been getting for my money. I don't care!" Do you not see something wrong with that?
I'm all for a free market society and for companies making a profit but do you really feel good when companies raise prices while taking value away? I feel a company that truly cares about giving people value for their money can raise prices whenever they want but would offer their customers the same things they have been getting. Cutting back AND raising prices is ridiculous for a Disney. Face the facts; The Disney Company is NOT HURTING. They continue to build more resorts, Vacation Club properties, cruise ships, etc. They won't go out of business any time soon. As a long time customer who has willingly given my money to Disney for vacations even though I know it is pricey, I am offended at all the little touches being chipped away little by little.
Heck yeah I want to feel "spoiled" on vacation. I work by butt off all year to save money and get away to a place that makes my happy, cared for and even a little "spoiled".
Whatever. Keep on shouting from the rooftops that you don't care how much Disney charges you and how much they take away while doing so. Eventually you will get a vacation destination no better than the local parking lot carnival blowing into town and leaving their garbage behind for you to pick up.

Since when has Disney been a good value for your money? It is not any secret that you can go elsewhere for half the price. If you want to feel spoiled and pampered you can go to a spa retreat and eat gourmet meals and treat yourself to daily massages and mud baths for the same price as a week in a value resort with tickets and a dining plan. For half of the cost of a Disney vacation, you could go to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico or the Caribbean and have 5 star cuisine and all alcohol included while relaxing on a white sand beach swaying in a hammock from the trees. $850 a night over Christmas break will nab you a palatial room at a grand resort with every amenity know to man kind on a tropical beach, where as at Disney get you a 40 year old room at the Poly with hair in the sink and peeling wallpaper.

There is no "value" at Disney. It's not that kind of vacation. You know that going in, you accept the personal responsibility in choosing this kind of vacation. And, it is a GREAT vacation if this is what you want. Everything has a price though. People need to temper their expectations. The Disney Corporation may not be hurting for money, but their operating costs are sky high and go up every year. Our utility bills go up every year, so does theirs. People need yearly raises, cost of food has skyrocketed. Food alone has to be a ridiculous overhead expense at WDW with the amount of people they feed on a daily basis.

I'm not making excuses for cutbacks and price hikes, but I think people need to be more realistic. Disney execs don't give two hoots if you work all year to pay for your vacation. They could likely care less about your complaints that the napkins have changed.

They are not your family, they are a business. If Disney was a member of your family, they'd be the niece or nephew that shows up while you are on your deathbed with a crocodile grin, kissing your tookus and professing their affection to be sure they get a cut of your estate.

 

[famsen]

Since when has Disney been a good value for your money? It is not any secret that you can go elsewhere for half the price. If you want to feel spoiled and pampered you can go to a spa retreat and eat gourmet meals and treat yourself to daily massages and mud baths for the same price as a week in a value resort with tickets and a dining plan. For half of the cost of a Disney vacation, you could go to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico or the Caribbean and have 5 star cuisine and all alcohol included while relaxing on a white sand beach swaying in a hammock from the trees. $850 a night over Christmas break will nab you a palatial room at a grand resort with every amenity know to man kind on a tropical beach, where as at Disney get you a 40 year old room at the Poly with hair in the sink and peeling wallpaper.

There is no "value" at Disney. It's not that kind of vacation. You know that going in, you accept the personal responsibility in choosing this kind of vacation. And, it is a GREAT vacation if this is what you want. Everything has a price though. People need to temper their expectations. The Disney Corporation may not be hurting for money, but their operating costs are sky high and go up every year. Our utility bills go up every year, so does theirs. People need yearly raises, cost of food has skyrocketed. Food alone has to be a ridiculous overhead expense at WDW with the amount of people they feed on a daily basis.

I'm not making excuses for cutbacks and price hikes, but I think people need to be more realistic. Disney execs don't give two hoots if you work all year to pay for your vacation. They could likely care less about your complaints that the napkins have changed.

They are not your family, they are a business. If Disney was a member of your family, they'd be the niece or nephew that shows up while you are on your deathbed with a crocodile grin, kissing your tookus and professing their affection to be sure they get a cut of your estate.

The point is that yes, company execs, including Disney's do give a hoot about your tookus when people speak using their mouths AND wallets about how they feel about price hikes and cutbacks. Ever hear about the Coke 2 fiasco?

 

[Phatoomch]

The point is that yes, company execs, including Disney's do give a hoot about your tookus when people speak using their mouths AND wallets about how they feel about price hikes and cutbacks. Ever hear about the Coke 2 fiasco?

Really? Isn't that why AoA was built? Because people spoke out and said there was not enough affordable resorts that could take in families larger than 4?

Its a typical problem of today, when it comes to companies making money some people only want to see the greed in that and not what they actually contribute to society.

 

[Colleen27]

I wonder what it is they hope to gain by that information. If Disney truly is looking at guests as one time only (get 'em in and get 'em out) customers, then why do they ask?

Because that's an easy way to keep track of the number of first-timers vs return guests. If 70% (the generally quoted figure, though I'm not sure of source or accuracy) are choosing the "never been" option they know they don't need to worry too much about the opinions of repeat guests. If ever that shifts, expect them to reassess their policies at that point, but so long as all their feedback is showing first/very-occasional guests to be the vast majority they can safely continue to disregard the perception of frequent guests.

Right now, I'd even go so far as to say they're moving to subtly discourage repeat visitors... They've been reporting higher attendance but lower per-guest spending through the recession and I think they're attempting to reverse that trend. The hike in AP prices with the elimination of the child's rate and the cutbacks on AP rates that make them less desirable than GP offers tell me that they're tired of frequent guests who know all the money-saving tricks and don't buy piles of souvenirs every trip. They'd rather be filling rooms with first time visitors who will buy a dining plan that costs more than it is worth and shop like there's no tomorrow because "its once in a lifetime".

Many, maybe most, high end hotels in the 'real' world charge for Net access in rooms, some even in common areas. Anywhere from $9.95 a night to $15 and higher.

I don't think free wi-fi at WDW resorts is about competing with off-site accommodations as much as it is about allowing more ways for guests to interact with dining and eventually Xpass reservation systems. One of the big complaints for a very long time about ADRs was that booking takes 30 seconds online but if you want to cancel while at WDW, you're looking at 30min on the phone. Wi-fi solves that, at least for people traveling with devices smart enough to handle Disney's web site.

As far as hotels in the real world, I think that depends on how you define high end and what destinations you're looking at. In our experience, it is normal for resort-hotels to charge but most just-hotels at all price points include internet access either in the base rate or as part of an unavoidable hotel fee.

 

[crostorfer]

The point is that yes, company execs, including Disney's do give a hoot about your tookus when people speak using their mouths AND wallets about how they feel about price hikes and cutbacks. Ever hear about the Coke 2 fiasco?

I was alive for the "new coke" fiasco. Here is the thing. Many, many, many more people world wide drink coke than vacation at Disney.

So, I get what you are saying. Disney won't do anything unless we both complain vocally AND start spending less there. That is your plan for change.

I see by your ticker you're going soon. Way to start that wave of change.