When did things start going sideways?

[bonefish]

First visited WDW in '76, 5 years after it opened.
Was on the CP in the early 90's. Great experience, still talk about it.
But....things with the WDC have changed. Maybe it's just the rise and fall of corporate icons, the need to adapt to a digital age, seeking new income streams, brand expansion, M&A, focus on stock price, etc.

I'm still a share holder but the pixie dust is becoming a little less shiney as the WDC moves away from what made it great and it's core brand and now succumbing to the public pressure of being socially/politically active.

 

[Brocktoon]

Maybe it's just the rise and fall of corporate icons, the need to adapt to a digital age, seeking new income streams, brand expansion, M&A, focus on stock price, etc.

Pretty much the above ... Disney is falling prey to same things that have killed many foundational US Corps ... Short term metrics vs long term growth with the pressure to constantly keep the stock price up. Once a company goes public, you wonder if there is ever will be a long term chance for it to survive in a recognizable form. General Electric, Sears ... plenty of others that lasted decades have been chewed up in recent years.

 

[MichelinMan]

I can put an exact date on this - August 10 2016 when MSEP ended.

Having no night time parade just sums up the current state - just smacks of penny pinching. I couldn't believe they don't even have one for the 50th.

 

[Pinnochio]

I can put an exact date on this - August 10 2016 when MSEP ended.

Having no night time parade just sums up the current state - just smacks of penny pinching. I couldn't believe they don't even have one for the 50th.

agree wholeheartedly

 

[disneyseniors]

For us, it was the end of the DME following charging for parking at resorts. Things have steadily gone downhill since then to the point that we have said goodbye to disney and Hello to Universal, Sea World, Cedar Fair, Dollywood, etc. There's a whole world out there besides disney in it's present form.

 

[Wiltony]

Chapek

 

[New Mouse]

Around the early 2000s things started to turn for the worse.

I'd trumpet the comment about falling into corporate greed. CEOs and boards are self serving these days. They don't care if the company is around 50 years from now as long as they get paid. Chapek Iger and their cronies don't take pride in their staff or working at Disney in general. It's a job to them and no different than other execs they will just move onto the next job when they feel like itm

 

[mattburmeister]

So it looks like we have things going sideways

November 1957
Early 2000s
August 2016
March 2018
February 2020
January 1st 2022
March 2022