Why "News & Rumors" is needed for debate.....

[All Aboard]

There is no longer a scoop.

 

[Onemoretime]

Did something turn ugly in this thread ?

 

[BRERALEX]

Cue evil music.

 

[Onemoretime]

..... close up PI for the first time in 10 years and I miss a biggin' ?

 

[raidermatt]

It was fun in a getting your gums scraped sort of way.

 

[Onemoretime]

Does Greg morphing into All Aboard have anything to do with the fun ?

 

[All Aboard]

Does Greg morphing into All Aboard have anything to do with the fun ?

Who?





typing extra characters, because the board won't let me post just "who?"

 

[Sarangel]

OK, Campers, some stuff did vanish last night and it does have to do with thedscoop. There are no more posts from him anywhere - which is messing up counts, etc. I'm afraid that I can't tell you more, except that All Aboard had nothing to do with it as either cause or effect.

Sarangel

 

[Lord Fantasius]

Sorry I jumped out of the scene for awhile...been traveling abit.

Anyways, for consideration - what would happen if all the rooms at WDW were exactly the same price throughout all the resorts and rooms were filled on a first-come/first-served basis, let's say $100/nt. How many of you would choose any of the values over any of the deluxes? I truly doubt any of us would. Ergo, I don't think this debate is so much about which resort is better than another, even on a value-basis (cost vs. amenities) since that's all in perception, and what is important to one person isn't necessarily as important for another, rather I think the debate still remains whether Values give one a truly Disney experience.

While growing up, our family stayed mostly at the campground for a week and then splurged the last 2 or 3-nights at the Poly. Strangely, the FW experience always seemed more "Disney" to me than the Poly even though I loved the Poly and would like to stay there again one of these days. However, when you read Walt's original desire/purpose for the founding of DL and WDW, it was to help families vacation together as a family unit, and camping together provided that opportunity better than any sterilized hotel room possibly could. Surprisingly, even as a kid I really didn't like having a TV around while being on vacation, and partiularly if I was at WDW, kind of ruined the magic for me...even when we moved over to the Poly, I think we turned the TV on once during all the years we stayed there.

O.k., in today's age the nuclear family, and the "traditional" 1950's model of the family has changed abit, but there is still the basic foundamental need for a "family." Ergo, ther other part of the equation is that the Poly, as a Disney resort, required a certain amount of "family-ness" as well as responsibility on the part of the parents. No, kids didn't run around the hallways or even outside all the time, and there was an expectation of behavior since a Disney vacation was special since nobody could afford to go more than once every other, or every three years, while going more than once a year was unthinkable. At that time the Disney resorts were priced just above the standard rate of a nicer hotel so you knew you were staying at something special and magical while you were on Disney property.

Unfortunately, with the development of the Moderates and Values, it's not that Disney, Inc., has allowed more families to come, but rather the same families to come more frequently. To explain, while there are some families that don't really care about going to WDW (I know, there really are people out there like that, my wife's family is one of them), those that do come, are going to come regardless of how long it takes them to save up, or pay-off, a vacation at WDW. What the values allow is those families to come once a year, or once every other year, that would only normally come once every three or four years. Is this necessarily better or not?

From a corporate POV, it's fantastic, since most people tend to spend alot more on other things once they are on property than they would not being on property. However, I guess I'm from the camp that sees cheapening a resort so everybody can come more frequently just cheapens the whole...it does not add "magic" to the experience. Is this a snobbish attitude? Possibly...but remember perception and expectation are the basis of value. If we see something priced cheaply our perception is that it is a cheap hotel...no matter how nicely maintained or themed...and will treat it according to our expectations. Similarly, even though both the WL and AKL are considered deluxes, their price ranges are on average $25 - $50 less than the Poly or CR, which are $15 - $35 less than the GF. Is one deluxe any less of a deluxe than another? No, it's its location with the price mostly based on demand. I truly don't think a Deluxe hotel costs that much more to build than a Moderate or Value, but we can compare those in another thread.

It is interesting that while the Deluxes, and to some extent the Moderates, are designed to immerse one in a theme or environment, the Values merely regurgitate a concept and have you accept it plastered on a standard hotel room. To enjoy a Value, one most already know and enjoy either Disney movies, sports, music, etc., to get the enjoyment out of it, whereas a Deluxe allows a total theming to be experienced. Yes, it's my opinion, but I don't think the Values were created or designed with any special thought or effort, but rather Eisner said, "Let there be something cheap!"

-R