Why we didn't get any free souvies as resort guests:

[bsmcneil]

Beyond the OP - what is the MP4 player thing about?! I wanna know (but not for 500 dollars, lol)

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

That costs Disney literally zero. A lot of people who went are AP holders, Disney loyalists, who probably didn't need it, or resellers who didn't want it, likewise media and bloggers who were not interested. Whatever. Not a trinket in the room, sad for the prices being charged, my opinion.

Carry on cheerleading.

People get really uppity about not getting free things, or upset that the free things being offered are not to their liking. Disney doesn't owe anyone anything, and they still gave out photopass. I know they are hurting for crowds right now, (there is a pandemic going on after all), but it's not like they were begging for guests prior to that. Just my opinion, but don't expect free things just for showing up, it's not like Disney charged more for that day to begin with

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

People seem to be getting fixated on the fact that the OP didn't get some sort of trinket which is understandable given the post however it really does miss the point. Disney has always attempted to promote themselves as beyond the standard business, they weren't focused solely on the profit, it was about the magic. Little touches such as small gifts helped promote that because as a customer we knew they weren't obligated to offer such things so it made it seem like Disney really was about more than just the bottom line. It was malarkey of course but as long as guests walked away from their experiences feeling they had gotten more than they paid for there was an accumulation of goodwill towards the brand. Recent moves have made some guests look at Disney as just another you-get-what-you-pay-for-and-nothing-more business. I still expect I will enjoy my upcoming trip but when I look at it as just another financial decision it makes it harder for me to justify spending a lot of money on future trips. I doubt I'm alone in beginning to look at a Disney vacation as more of a financial decision and it will be hard for me to justify the high cost when there are other quality options out there competing for my disposable income.

They did offer PhotoPass for free on the 1st. I feel like people are upset because Disney didn't offer a tangible "free" trinket. Offering people free professional photos of that day seems like a nice perk to me, but it seems like a lot of people would have preferred a button, token, keychain.

Essentially it's not that Disney isn't handing out anything for free, it's that they didn't hand out the correct things

 

[Tyler's Dad]

They did offer PhotoPass for free on the 1st. I feel like people are upset because Disney didn't offer a tangible "free" trinket. Offering people free professional photos of that day seems like a nice perk to me, but it seems like a lot of people would have preferred a button, token, keychain.

Essentially it's not that Disney isn't handing out anything for free, it's that they didn't hand out the correct things

Not to mention the endless headaches of "I didn't get _____ in my room, but I saw on Twitter that someone else did." Some of those are people who really didn't get it and some are people who want another one for their friend or family member. By giving things away at the park, they make people responsible for picking them up.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Not to mention the endless headaches of "I didn't get _____ in my room, but I saw on Twitter that someone else did." Some of those are people who really didn't get it and some are people who want another one for their friend or family member. By giving things away at the park, they make people responsible for picking them up.

I agree, there was a time when people got something for free, and were genuinely appreciative of that. Now, it feels like more of an expectation

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Well there must be a little bit of interest left in you or you wouldn't be here right?! I'm depressed about it but honestly feeling really hopeful with the future opening of Epic Universe. Not only for the product Universal will be offering, but for the fire I think it's going to light under Disney. They simply won't continue to stay this popular & profitable without some positive changes, especially when they have to compete with Nintendo World. Mario vs Mickey should be a great fight lol.

Epic Universe may make things a little more competitive, but Mickey Mouse is stitched into the fabric of the US, Mario is popular, but no Mickey, and on top of that, a Disney trip is like a right of passage in the states, Universal doesn't come close to what Disney offers, especially on the "Kid" side of it. Not to mention Disney is a content creator, who can constantly rejuvenate their parks with new material, where Universal is reliant on constantly signing contracts with content creators just to add to their parks. Could Universal overtake Disney at some point, sure, I just can't imagine that happening anything soon

 

[Eastern]

People get really uppity about not getting free things, or upset that the free things being offered are not to their liking. Disney doesn't owe anyone anything, and they still gave out photopass. I know they are hurting for crowds right now, (there is a pandemic going on after all), but it's not like they were begging for guests prior to that. Just my opinion, but don't expect free things just for showing up, it's not like Disney charged more for that day to begin with

I mean really, stop right there. They had fall discounts up until 9/30 when they knew people would be arriving for the 50th. So yes, they did charge more.

And again, people can be disappointed or have a complaint about something that is not important to you. Why do you have to describe wanting a small token for a major anniversary as being uppity? I'm sure most resort guests would have been delighted with any memento from the 50th. And maybe it would have lessened the disappointment of the many guests who did not get their choice of 'day of' merchandise because of the incredible long lines and actual fights between people in the stores. To me, photopass was an afterthought. My opinion.

Were you there? If not, you cannot imagine the packed in crowds if you wanted to buy virtually anything: Merch, popcorn, food. Extremely poor planning from a company who drills crowd control into their CMs every second of the day. How could they have been this unprepared?

We didn't want much, but it took us many virtual queue attempts and checking the group numbers for the next 5 hours before we could get into the store selling AP merch. We did not attempt Emporium as we were not going to stand in line. It was just a mess if you wanted to buy any souveniers. Would have been nice to know you already had one thing that you didn't have to actually fight for.

 

[annekablam]

Epic Universe may make things a little more competitive, but Mickey Mouse is stitched into the fabric of the US, Mario is popular, but no Mickey, and on top of that, a Disney trip is like a right of passage in the states, Universal doesn't come close to what Disney offers, especially on the "Kid" side of it. Not to mention Disney is a content creator, who can constantly rejuvenate their parks with new material, where Universal is reliant on constantly signing contracts with content creators just to add to their parks. Could Universal overtake Disney at some point, sure, I just can't imagine that happening anything soon

Almost anyone under 40 will choose Mario over Mickey in a heartbeat. Which is a huge problem for WDW in the long run. I agree they have the upper hand and COULD do so so much more (which is what I'm hoping will happen), but they seem very focused on short-term profits and not long term sustainability at the moment. Not that this means anything in the big picture, but Universal has already overtaken my holiday plans and last time I was in Orlando I spent my whole trip at WDW!

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I mean really, stop right there. They had fall discounts up until 9/30 when they knew people would be arriving for the 50th. So yes, they did charge more.

And again, people can be disappointed or have a complaint about something that is not important to you. Why do you have to describe wanting a small token for a major anniversary as being uppity? I'm sure most resort guests would have been delighted with any memento from the 50th. And maybe it would have lessened the disappointment of the many guests who did not get their choice of 'day of' merchandise because of the incredible long lines and actual fights between people in the stores. To me, photopass was an afterthought. My opinion.

Were you there? If not, you cannot imagine the packed in crowds if you wanted to buy virtually anything: Merch, popcorn, food. Extremely poor planning from a company who drills crowd control into their CMs every second of the day. How could they have been this unprepared?

We didn't want much, but it took us many virtual queue attempts and checking the group numbers for the next 5 hours before we could get into the store selling AP merch. We did not attempt Emporium as we were not going to stand in line. It was just a mess if you wanted to buy any souveniers. Would have been nice to know you already had one thing that you didn't have to actually fight for.

That’s still not charging you more, they had a “Sale” during their slow time, and removed the sale and went back to standard pricing when they predicted crowds would be back. You’re making it sound like they raised prices when in reality they didn’t

I was saying people are being uppity bc they didn’t get what they wanted for free. They gave out fliers, and PhotoPass, you obviously didn’t want either of those things.I do believe Disney is a master of crowd control, but how do you fit 25lbs of poop in a 5lb bag, when there is that much demand to shop at Disney, or anywhere for that matter, you are going to have to wait, did you want Disney to install pop up shops , it’s just insane to me that people were surprised that there were long lines on the 50th.

everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you want to post them to these boards you need to be open to hearing the other side

 

[TheRealDrDisney]

You guys I went to a pizza place the other day and I was SO pissed that they didn't bring me a free cannoli that I never asked for. Absolutely outrageous.

Thanks CaptainAmerica!
It's not often I encounter such a clear-cut example of a strawman argument in the "real world" that I can share with my class.
Don't worry, proper attribution will be made. Thanks again.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Almost anyone under 40 will choose Mario over Mickey in a heartbeat. Which is a huge problem for WDW in the long run. I agree they have the upper hand and COULD do so so much more (which is what I'm hoping will happen), but they seem very focused on short-term profits and not long term sustainability at the moment. Not that this means anything in the big picture, but Universal has already overtaken my holiday plans and last time I was in Orlando I spent my whole trip at WDW!

I disagree with your Mario statement, Mickey mouses symbol can be recognized all over the world, abd I think that speaks volumes. Mickey isn’t the only thing Disney sells either, they are constantly creating new fresh ideas to pull in more people, Frozen for example. Mario is neat, but I can’t imagine people going to see Epic universe in droves, after the initial opening

 

[Mousemom234]

You guys I went to a pizza place the other day and I was SO pissed that they didn't bring me a free cannoli that I never asked for. Absolutely outrageous.

Yeah, but they threw in free napkins with the company logo on them. I'm happy with that.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Yeah, but they threw in free napkins with the company logo on them. I'm happy with that.

I thinks it’s more like, they offered a free biscotti, but you wanted a cannoli, and therefore they are at fault

 

[Jennasis]

What the actual heck?? I didn't get a FREE GIFT?????? This is what the complaints are now?

 

[luv2cheer92]

What the actual heck?? I didn't get a FREE GIFT?????? This is what the complaints are now?

Except that it's not that they didn't get a free gift. Because everyone did (three really). Just not what they wanted/expected.

 

[FCDub]

I disagree with your Mario statement, Mickey mouses symbol can be recognized all over the world, abd I think that speaks volumes. Mickey isn’t the only thing Disney sells either, they are constantly creating new fresh ideas to pull in more people, Frozen for example. Mario is neat, but I can’t imagine people going to see Epic universe in droves, after the initial opening

Mario is a cultural icon of modern pop culture. Sorry you don’t see him that way, but he is. He will more than be able to hold his own against Disney, especially as new Nintendo systems and games continue to come out.

To writ: https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1993-05-18-1993138174-story.html

As author David Sheff notes, "In 1990, according to 'Q' ratings, Super Mario became more popular than Mickey Mouse with American kids."

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Mario is a cultural icon of modern pop culture. Sorry you don’t see him that way, but he is.

I see him as a pop culture icon, I just don’t believe he is on the same level is all. Maybe someday, but definitely not today

also that article is almost 30 years old ! That’s liKe if I pulled an article on Mickey from the 40’s.

sorry to keep editing, but I feel as though the reason Mickey is and will continue to be greater than any other cultural icon in his class, is that Disney is not afraid to reinvent him for new generations, and they have done this many times over the years. They also put all of their weight behind him, movies TV shows, he is literally the most marketed icon in the planet. Mario and Nintendo can’t even come close to sniffing at that currently, the one area I will concede Mario has is video games, (obviously). Outside of that, I feel like Disney has a lot more experience marketing their product, and would spend any amount of money to make sure he stayed king

 

[Tyler's Dad]

Mario is a cultural icon of modern pop culture. Sorry you don’t see him that way, but he is. He will more than be able to hold his own against Disney, especially as new Nintendo systems and games continue to come out.

To writ: https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1993-05-18-1993138174-story.html

As author David Sheff notes, "In 1990, according to 'Q' ratings, Super Mario became more popular than Mickey Mouse with American kids."

In 1990. That’s the important part. Since then, Mario has failed on screens and games have been lower selling with every iteration.

 

[annekablam]

Well I'll respectfully bow out of the Mario vs Mickey debate because honestly, I don't even have kids so I have no idea LOL. However I stand by my opinion that Nintendo World and 3rd gate in general will be a huge gamechanger - and hopefully - a catalyst for Disney to start upping its game.

 

[MickeyMice]

i feel like if disney was so adept at marketing mickey, he might have been included in enchantment...

personally I always thought disney should have tried to buy up nintendo