2014 Walt Disney World Resort hotels holiday season updates

[ford91exploder]

I'm hearing the giant Mickey Wreath on the Contemporary is a goner.

That makes me sad if true it was a really nice touch.

 

[ford91exploder]

They've managed a gingerbread tree behind where the current counter is, as well as a small gingerbread house/guardhouse in the past. Nothing in the pics indicates any less room than they've had in the past. This is a little disappointing.

But it SAVED money... Does TDO have a soul anymore???

 

[dgp602]

That makes me sad if true it was a really nice touch.

Noooooooo......is that confirmed??

 

[some guy]

Anything else big yet?

 

[jensenrick]

This Gingerbread 'display' is a very disappointing departure from previous presentations.

It looks like nothing more than a glorified sales table.

This is what it looked like 2 years ago!
View attachment 73640


Compare this years holiday display to Beach Club or Boardwalk lobbies to see how feeble this new one looks.

This is supposedly better than the Frozen display? It's a barely decorated cone. I'm not impressed.

 

[dgp602]

That makes me sad if true it was a really nice touch.

Have anyone confirmed that the giant Mickey wreath at the Contemporary is a gonner?

 

[wdwmagic]

Have anyone confirmed that the giant Mickey wreath at the Contemporary is a gonner?

Yep it won't be back this year.

 

[wendysmom]

Don't understand why...it was such a neat touch!!!

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

Yep it won't be back this year.

Wasn't that a fairly new addition, from 2009/2010 I think? Rather surprised to see it gone, and disappointed too as it was a genuinely impressive bit of decor that was the sort of thing you'd expect from Disney.

 

[peter11435]

Don't understand why...it was such a neat touch!!!

You must not have seen it during the day. It was pretty at night but up close in the day light it was one of the ugliest things on property.

 

[note2001]

You must not have seen it during the day. It was pretty at night but up close in the day light it was one of the ugliest things on property.

You had me curious so I found an image from http://milkdidmybodygood.blogspot.com/ to support your claim: (you were right: ugly)

 

[wendysmom]

Well....yeah....

 

[RSoxNo1]

You had me curious so I found an image from http://milkdidmybodygood.blogspot.com/ to support your claim: (you were right: ugly)

The problem is the wreath was made up of obsolete incandescent lights... #LightsOfWinter #NeverForget

 

[IlikeDW]

This Gingerbread 'display' is a very disappointing departure from previous presentations.

It looks like nothing more than a glorified sales table.

This is what it looked like 2 years ago!
View attachment 73640


Compare this years holiday display to Beach Club or Boardwalk lobbies to see how feeble this new one looks.

These pictures are from Dec 2008

, I cant find the picture that showed the entire display, I have not seen the new display in person but the frozen setup seems very plain. My wife said it looks like the manger walked into the kitchen and said hey we need a frozen display by next week so they did the best they could with no planning.

 

[John]

Seriously who didn't see this coming. One of the easiest ways to cut a budget is seasonal decorations. Its not the decorations themselves ( they are just warehoused), but the man hours to install them. Hundreds of hours saved.

There was a two fold reason WDW became the #1 vacation destination in the world, 1) Service.....world class 2) The small details. So when you want to wring out every penny you can what things can you squeeze to realize more profit?......exactly. When you are #1 there are only two way things can go. You either keep feeding the resort with cash to maintain your status or you start to slip. You cant say.....well it's still a nice place to visit. Is it a nice place to visit?....yes, but no one can deny it isn't slipping. You are either moving forward or going backwards. There is never a " just standing still".

As long as they continue to cut no matter what is added, in its totality it is still a negative loss. Decorations are not measured. Its not really an attraction. But part of the experience. Disney thinks people come to WDW just to ride rides. Instead of focusing on the guest experience they are now focused on the bottom line.

 

[dgp602]

Yep it won't be back this year.

So disappointing...please tell me there is another reason besides cost, and that it WILL be back next year..

 

[dgp602]

Seriously who didn't see this coming. One of the easiest ways to cut a budget is seasonal decorations. Its not the decorations themselves ( they are just warehoused), but the man hours to install them. Hundreds of hours saved.

There was a two fold reason WDW became the #1 vacation destination in the world, 1) Service.....world class 2) The small details. So when you want to wring out every penny you can what things can you squeeze to realize more profit?......exactly. When you are #1 there are only two way things can go. You either keep feeding the resort with cash to maintain your status or you start to slip. You cant say.....well it's still a nice place to visit. Is it a nice place to visit?....yes, but no one can deny it isn't slipping. You are either moving forward or going backwards. There is never a " just standing still".

As long as they continue to cut no matter what is added, in its totality it is still a negative loss. Decorations are not measured. Its not really an attraction. But part of the experience. Disney thinks people come to WDW just to ride rides. Instead of focusing on the guest experience they are now focused on the bottom line.

EXCELLENT! I could not have said it better...I have said numerous times that the small Disney touches are what separates WDW from UNI and other competitors...and we seem to be losing more of the small Disney touches...

 

[space42]

EXCELLENT! I could not have said it better...I have said numerous times that the small Disney touches are what separates WDW from UNI and other competitors...and we seem to be losing more of the small Disney touches...

Does anyone remember when they used to change all of the exterior lighting to alternate red / greed in stripes on the Magic Kingdom facing side of the Contemporary? So many little (and not so little) things have been cut. Sigh.

 

[alissafalco]

• These pictures are from Dec 2008View attachment 74822 View attachment 74823 View attachment 74824 , I cant find the picture that showed the entire display, I have not seen the new display in person but the frozen setup seems very plain. My wife said it looks like the manger walked into the kitchen and said hey we need a frozen display by next week so they did the best they could with no planning.

  Yep, I know its gingerbread, but it looks like a bunch of brown cardboard cut outs put together with a garage sale table of mediocre treats.

 

[ford91exploder]

Does anyone remember when they used to change all of the exterior lighting to alternate red / greed in stripes on the Magic Kingdom facing side of the Contemporary? So many little (and not so little) things have been cut. Sigh.

Yes I do - stuff like this WAS the DISNEY Difference, Now it's just an overpriced hotel.