Worst change in the last 10 years...What do you miss most

[Tikitoi]

I'm sure it was mentioned, but I miss Tarzan.

 

[Lisa x]

I liked the wand at Epcot, too. I'm cheesy like that.

Woohoo seems Im not on my own!!

 

[sukhakuli]

I haven't seen the new ride in Mexico, but when dh and I rode the old one, we both walked off the boat really offended, and we're not Mexican. It was terrible.

Watching Captain EO with the kids was a blast. They just could not believe that Michael Jackson wasn't a girl. The high pitched voice and make-up was too much, and they thought dh and I were lying to them. The show is cute. The 3D made my eyes hurt, though. We probably won't watch it again.

 

[rutgers1]

After reading through a bunch of pages in this thread, I feel the opposite of how I expected to feel. I really expected to feel more cheated, yet I am relieved that there weren't too many things listed that I wholeheartedly miss. On the whole, I think Disney World is better now than it was when I was a kid, and even if you just go back 10 years, I am overall happy with the changes. Part of that happiness comes from being a DVC member and enjoying the growth of that program (new resort options) and being introduced to cruising with Disney (recently cruised the Dream).

I probably feel the loss of the Adventurers Club the most. I have great memories of River Country as a kid, but my children will undoubtedly have great memories of Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. I miss some of the rides that have been retired, but I wouldn't trade them for some of the newer ones.

I remember when my dad said in 1983 that Disney was going "downhill." He said that again the next year, and the year after that. Then he took a few years off again and saw it with fresh eyes, and suddenly that year was the gold standard --- with subsequent trips representing a turn for the worse. In sum, I think my dad - like many people - is very nostalgic about Disney and holds the company to a very, very high standard that can't possibly be met. The further away he gets from any trip, the closer to perfection that trip was. And perhaps that's the way it should be. I too would like to someday look back at my old trips with that type of longing and nostalgia.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I like that Disney changes things periodically. It keeps it fresh and keeps us excited for going back again and seeing what's new. But, there are a few changes that I have not agreed with.

-The Dining Plan as a whole (free and otherwise). It has made the Disney Dining experience very generic. On our first few trips, enjoying great dining experiences was a highlight of our vacation. Now, we eat because we need to. The food and restaurant atmosphere is still good, just not great.

-The Adventurers Club. We really loved this on our pre-kids trip. I can't say we truly miss it because now that we have kids we wouldn't take them even if it was still there. But we definitely enjoyed it when we could.

-Wonders of Life Pavillion. I can't say I loved it, but it just seems odd to me to completely close it completely without replacing the attractions with something new.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

After reading through a bunch of pages in this thread, I feel the opposite of how I expected to feel. I really expected to feel more cheated, yet I am relieved that there weren't too many things listed that I wholeheartedly miss. On the whole, I think Disney World is better now than it was when I was a kid, and even if you just go back 10 years, I am overall happy with the changes. Part of that happiness comes from being a DVC member and enjoying the growth of that program (new resort options) and being introduced to cruising with Disney (recently cruised the Dream).

I probably feel the loss of the Adventurers Club the most. I have great memories of River Country as a kid, but my children will undoubtedly have great memories of Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. I miss some of the rides that have been retired, but I wouldn't trade them for some of the newer ones.

I remember when my dad said in 1983 that Disney was going "downhill." He said that again the next year, and the year after that. Then he took a few years off again and saw it with fresh eyes, and suddenly that year was the gold standard --- with subsequent trips representing a turn for the worse. In sum, I think my dad - like many people - is very nostalgic about Disney and holds the company to a very, very high standard that can't possibly be met. The further away he gets from any trip, the closer to perfection that trip was. And perhaps that's the way it should be. I too would like to someday look back at my old trips with that type of longing and nostalgia.

Welll said,, I agree with you on this.

 

[bytheblood]

nevermind.

 

[mmforme2009]

I miss the arches in Epcot, just before the lake, they would bring out during the Christmas holiday. So pretty and bright.....always took my breath away.

 

[mom2rtk]

I miss the arches in Epcot, just before the lake, they would bring out during the Christmas holiday. So pretty and bright.....always took my breath away.

Ahhhh......... yes............ the Lights of Winter. Didn't you hear? The technology was outdated. And apparently there has been no alternative technology available at all to the Imagineers for nearly 3 years now to replace them with.

 

[AlabamaBelle]

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. I remember riding this when I was very small. I wish it was still there so I could remember it better.

 

[jm-mom]

It was a temporary change, but that god-awful birthday cake facade over the castle.... worst decision in company history

I must be one of the few who loved the way the castle looked tthat year.

 

[Disneyhayes]

The Dining Plan in general. Since restaurants are only compensated xxx dollars per meal credit, they have been forced to alter menus, go to premade standard desserts, get rid of unique entrees, etc.

Also, it has turned the nicer restaurants into family restaurants so that any attempt to have a quiet, romantic meal with quality food and a nice bottle of wine must now be tried at only those places not on the dining plan.

So are you saying that because a place is a signature dining restaurant then my family shouldn't eat there When I was 11 years old I had a pretty good palate and would prefer a nice duck confit over mcdonalds. Maybe there should be separate "adult only" rooms for those trying to have a quiet meal but I wouldn't alienate families all together. Plus...I know of a few adults that can get kinda rowdy in restaurants.

 

[DisneyDuo]

Oh my, I miss the original Journey to Imagination - loved the carousel, so beautiful - I can see that whole ride in my head, we rode it so often.

Miss Horizons - loved picking our own ending.

Wish we could eat at the Norway restaurant without it being semi-Americanized and all princesses all the time! I want to eat Norwegian food at Norway!!! It was always such good food!

And my DH would say he misses 2000 Leagues under the sea - it was hokie, but his favorite ride.

And I have to agree that I preferred the World before the Dining Plan - the meals seemed better and more interesting.

Blessings - Lin

 

[Cinderella's slipper]

In my opinion the introduction of the Dining Plan has created an evolution in the dining experience from one of delicious and unique treats for your taste buds into one of uniform and not particularly delicious choices.

Resort, Park and Ride specific merchandise. Souvenirs are what many of us Disney obsessed fans purchase with our hard earned dollars as a way of attaching a memory to something material.

Something unchanged that should be is the COFFEE available to guests on Disney property. It seems that Disney should be able to provide their guests with a decent cup of coffee.

 

[ashleypmo]

The closure of the Adventurers Club.
The removal of Alien Encounter.

BrerVixen, you may be the only other person on earth that I've ever known to also miss Alien Encounter. Soul sistah! Unlike 99.9% of other DisFans, I thought AE was BRILLIANT! I wish Disney hadn't bowed to the masses who decided to ignore the many, very clearly worded signs that warned that the ride would eat...I mean, scare, young children. After hearing my play-by-play, my children (who didn't meet the height requirement at the time) couldn't WAIT to go back to WDW to ride it. And of course, when we went back, it was SGE, which isn't nearly as awesome as Alien Encounter was!

 

[minnie mouse ears]

I am going to miss Alien Encounter this time as well. I loved that ride...and haven't heard good things about the stitch ride.

We have only been to Disney World once before so I can't comment on anything else. We did do Disneyland twice years ago though.

 

[sunny_stace]

I too miss Alien Encounter! I remember the first time I went on it and was literally terrified! It was a great attraction!

I also really miss the Adventurer's Club and the old atmosphere of Pleasure Island. It was a ton of fun and I hate walking past the old abandoned buildings now...same with Epcot and all of the old pavillions. I miss Horizons and Food Rocks and Body Wars and The Making Of Me and all of the other missing attractions. It was sad to go into the old pavillion during the F&G festival!

And I really miss Alfredo's at Epcot....honestly some of the best meals I've ever eaten!

I miss a lot of the old attractions too like Mr.Toad, the "original" Journey Into Imagination, Captain E-O, the old spiel on the peoplemover, etc. etc. But I am excited about a lot of the changes they're making and look forward to seeing all of the new things they come up with!

 

[harpinjean]

Everything done to Epcot in the last 10-15 years. I loved Epcot when it was the land of the e-ticket dark ride. I miss World of Motion, Horizons and the old Journey into Imagination...and Imageworks UPSTAIRS.

Me too.

 

[Dayton Flyer]

The blah-ification of the dining options. Last time we went, the hamburger we had was so abysmal, that my wife and I took to calling it... um, well not a very nice name. That was probably our biggest takeaway from our last visit, how generally awful the park hamburger has now become. Seeing as that is probably the most widely sold item, it is occasionally hard to get through a day without desiring to order one if you are eating mostly quick service.

We managed, but are a lot more apt next time to plan days without dinners inside the parks.

 

[Edgehopper]

I miss a lot of the old "working studio" attractions at the old MGM that have since been taken out, like:

* The predecessor to "Sounds Dangerous", which was a Martin Short horror movie with live Foley Artist stuff--they showed the correctly edited movie first, then had a cast member demonstrate all of the live sound effects, and then grabbed 4 volunteers from the audience who tried to correctly time the effects on the second pass through--usually with hilarious results.

* Superstar Television - dozens of audience members got to participate in each show, playing parts in a famous classic TV scene (for example, I twice as an 11-12 year old got to play one of the parts in the Gilligan's Island opening sequence). It was where the American Idol attraction is currently.

* The old stunt tour that was separate from the Backlot Tour, which took about an hour to go through and showed how about 13 different stunts worked, instead of just having the water tank in the current Backlot Tour.

* Who Wants to Be a Millionaire - Play It! I have a soft spot for this one because I was on the hot seat twice