Park deterioration article in Sun Sentinel

HauntedPirate

HauntedPirate

Park nostalgist
Premium Member
Interesting article. The picture of the neon sign on the sidebar made my heart sink - Walt ---ney World....

It saddens me to read about execs spinning obvious problems off as nothing. I hope they got a great deal from the devil when they sold their souls to Eisner and his "make money" mantra. Disney is supposed to be the standard for excellence, not just maintaining the status quo and doing as little as possible to get by.

Peeling paint, rotting wood, and deteriorating roads are not just things pointed out by specialists. Guests notice these things. They should *never* see things like that. If they do, there should be an immediate fix of the problem, not just a band-aid. My family and I have noticed the trash, the mildew, and just poor maintenance and a deterioration in quality-of-service over the past 5 years. Yes, times have changed. But Walt's committment to quality never did. And until things change in the management's philosophy for it's theme parks, the cash cow for the company by the way, these issues aren't going to go away.
 
Sloan

Sloan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Managements' responses

I agree that it was dissapointing to see the efforts to "explain away" the problems, rather than address them in a meaningful way. I think that poor attitude/approach must be a root of the problem. There must be a change in the institutional attitude to return the "magic" that draws us there over and over despite the prices, crowds, other travel options, etc..
 
CTXRover

CTXRover

Well-Known Member
Within one week, the DIS in the Walt Disney World sign was working, then it was out and then it was fixed...I saw it myself as we went through that entrance three different times during our trip. In no more than what I think were three days after it went out, that sign was fixed...it might have been sooner. I really don't know what we expect. It should have been fixed the next day after it went out, and it might have been....but either way, it was fixed very fast.
 
PeterAlt

PeterAlt

Well-Known Member
GREAT ARTICLE!!!!

Interesting quote....

"The 20,000 Leagues lagoon will be reclaimed"

Hmmmm... I can not wait to hear what the announcement could be!!!!!!!


So who do you believe? Is Disney actually starting to rennovate the Magic Kingdom?

After IASW, please please please rennovate Space Mountain, PotC, and Haunted Mansion!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Dayma

Dayma

Well-Known Member
I think that the help "now a days" is not a good as it used to be. People do not have that same sense of doing a good job as they used to. I think that this is what is happening at Disney. I see way to many workers ( kids ) that just walk past trash now instead of picking it up.

These parks are aging and problems are going to pop up. The problem is that people complain when ticket prices are raised but yet still want everything fixed right away. There is so much to be done that they have to do it slowly otherwise we will be paying a lot more to get in.

Also these people that wrote the article say many times that they are pro's at this and most vistors will not even notice the problems. I personally dont look at the grass and wonder why there are grubs. That is just silly.
 
mickey04

mickey04

Member
Originally posted by CTXRover
Within one week, the DIS in the Walt Disney World sign was working, then it was out and then it was fixed...I saw it myself as we went through that entrance three different times during our trip. In no more than what I think were three days after it went out, that sign was fixed...it might have been sooner. I really don't know what we expect. It should have been fixed the next day after it went out, and it might have been....but either way, it was fixed very fast.
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The lights should have been replaced before they ever had time to go out. I know people around here always say that Disney is doing the very best they can, but articles like this just prove they are no longer as concerned with the little (or in this case big) details that once made it an industry leader. I couldn't imagine driving into Disney World for the first time, with my heart beating a million beats a minute (as it always is when we're driving there) and seeing the sign not working, it would be incredibly dissappointing. And sadly that's just the tip of the iceberg. I notice the attention to detail decreasing everytime I go, it's just so sad.
 
Dayma

Dayma

Well-Known Member
I notice the attention to detail decreasing everytime I go, it's just so sad.
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Is it alo possible that now that we are getting older that now we are starting to notice these problems? I know that when I was 10 I was not looking at the paint on the walls.
 
mickey04

mickey04

Member
Originally posted by blackride
Is it alo possible that now that we are getting older that now we are starting to notice these problems? I know that when I was 10 I was not looking at the paint on the walls.
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Absolutely true, and a good point- little kids don't really notice this stuff as much, and for them it probably doesn't ruin the the magic, which is great. But WDW is for everybody- a place for parents and children to have fun together, for people to forget about the everyday world around them, and this maitenence issue is something that is becoming more and more noticable to older kids and adults.
 
ILOVEDISNEY

ILOVEDISNEY

Active Member
As I stated in another thread, this is not a new problem. Regardless what the official word is from the WDW higher ups, the park is really showing its age. The only way to fix it is pour money into it or tear it down and start over (another ongoing thread). My biggest complaint is the lack of cleanliness in the bathrooms. Disney was reknowned for having the cleanest bathrooms; not any more.

P.S. Holiday World in southern Indiana (the US' first theme park)is the cleanest theme park in the country; has been for years.
 
T

TURKEY

New Member
Does there need to be a stall inspector after each person goes to the bathroom? Does Disney need to put an attendant in the baths to wipe people's butts and make sure they don't make a mess?
 
Tom

Tom

Beta Return
It's funny to see the responses Disney Execs give to make things seem ok:

"It's become part of the folklore that we're magically able to get things done before the guests arrive every day....Certain tasks have always been done during the day," he says. "Paint needs a temperature of at least 70 degrees to dry properly, so painting must be done during the day."

This is incorrect. I've read in Disney-published books on Imagineering and other Park-Related topics that they paint at night. I even witnessed a section of concrete sidewalk near the hub that had been replaced overnight. And it is FALSE that it has to be 70 degrees for paint to dry properly! I'm a General Contractor and we paint building in temps as low as 33 - however, it does need LOW humidity to dry properly, which occurs overnight in Florida.

(Disney's Warren says the brown trash cans are temporary; the vendor who made the themed cans has gone out of business.)

Again, false. I took the Backstage Magic Tour twice. Both times there were themed trashcans in the Central Shops Warehouse. Once they were being repainted, and touched up. The other time they were actually making them for Tokyo Disneyland, along with the trams for that park. So, again, it's BS! They DO make their own trashcans and they just aren't keeping up for some reason.
 
ILOVEDISNEY

ILOVEDISNEY

Active Member
Yes, an attendant would be a good idea, but (pun intended) not as you mention TLB. People would not make such a mess if they knew someone is near. The messes come mostly from children using the facilities unattended by an adult or guardian, just ask any elementary teacher. Also, an attendant could clean up sooner rather than later.
 
disneyman23

disneyman23

New Member
interesting article, and i agree that there has been a decline in much of the maintanence of the park, but overall they were commenting on many things that the average person would never notice--and even with all the faults that the park has in upkeep it is still better than any other park when it comes to maintanence. im sure they are doing as much as they can to keep things as perfect as possible, but its a huge area dealing with millions of different problems and millions of people, so with that in mind i think they are still doing a great job
 
MartyMouse

MartyMouse

New Member
I feel that yes the cut backs have caused some problems at WDW, but most people never point to the guests. What??? How can I blame the guests?? Let me tell you.

I’ve spent a few years studying the changes in the behaviors of society over the last 15 years and I feel that we should look at the attitudes of the guests in this decade as opposed to the 80s.
As a whole we Americans have become more “European” in our attitudes towards neatness, in that 15 years ago people were more likely to place their trash in a waste can as opposed to just tossing it on the ground.
Also next time you’re at Disney just sit and watch young parents with their children they have a tendency to let them run loose and tear apart the park with no regard for property or the comfort of others. The change in parenting styles is at the heart of the decay of American “culture” - television has replaced the family structure so when at places like Disney they have no idea how to behave.
Perhaps I’m rambling and applying my work to my love of Disney, but just think about how the quality of American life has decayed not because of any outside force but because of the lack of structure in our homes and think about the lack of respect we have in our world let loose on Disney’s World.

I don’t know it’s late and I’m sleepy but think about it.
 
Hank Scorpio

Hank Scorpio

New Member
Originally posted by MartyMouse
I feel that yes the cut backs have caused some problems at WDW, but most people never point to the guests. What??? How can I blame the guests?? Let me tell you.

I’ve spent a few years studying the changes in the behaviors of society over the last 15 years and I feel that we should look at the attitudes of the guests in this decade as opposed to the 80s.
As a whole we Americans have become more “European” in our attitudes towards neatness, in that 15 years ago people were more likely to place their trash in a waste can as opposed to just tossing it on the ground.
Also next time you’re at Disney just sit and watch young parents with their children they have a tendency to let them run loose and tear apart the park with no regard for property or the comfort of others. The change in parenting styles is at the heart of the decay of American “culture” - television has replaced the family structure so when at places like Disney they have no idea how to behave.
Perhaps I’m rambling and applying my work to my love of Disney, but just think about how the quality of American life has decayed not because of any outside force but because of the lack of structure in our homes and think about the lack of respect we have in our world let loose on Disney’s World.

I don’t know it’s late and I’m sleepy but think about it.
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I think you are spot on. Yes its true, Disney is making cut backs and they really shouldn't be but I think the biggest factor in the state of the parks lies firmly with the guests.
 

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