Do you still feel a loyalty to Disney?

[DisneyFans4Life]

For me personally...I still feel very loyal to Disney. I'm not against going to Universal (mostly just want to go for Harry Potter World since my wife loves the story). We will still do SeaWorld, Legoland, Busch Gardens, etc., but Disney is our main place, where we have APs, and where we do our vacations. We've actually been talking a lot about joining DVC in the near future.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I guess there is a measure of loyalty to Disney in me. At home I will shop, dine and deal with certain companies and people because they have continually given me better service, better attention, better deals, and work hard to keep me as a returning customer. I have received enough from Disney to remain a fan and seek out return visits. They have yet to disappoint me or give me reason to step away from them. I do favor Disney over other parks, but I do not necessarily trash the others, rather I will give my opinion so friends can choose wisely over what to do when visiting FL. I do see value and alternative thrills in what the other parks offer for attractions, and will visit them at times but still give Disney my major time, money and loyalty.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I think of Disney World as one of my happy places.

 

[Brad Bishop]

I'd say I was more of a fan than really loyal. I'm not married to Disney, or any other company, and, thus, I feel no loyalty to them.

What I have been a fan of:
- Classic Animation
- Computer Animation
- really unique and top-class theme parks; The whole idea of "themed lands" was really great to me.
- Future/forwards thinking (Monorail, Peoplemover, etc.)

They did with both theme parks and animation what no one else was doing. You can look at something like Six Flags or Busch Gardens and see where they had themed parks and have, for the most part, given up on that idea. The theme of Six Flags is "regional amusement park chain". The theme of Busch Gardens is "better than Six Flags but not quite Disney"-chain.

I did write, "was," above. Here's why the "was":

They're doing the same thing Six Flags and Busch did. Each of those used to have unique lands that tried to stick to their theming. As time went on it became more important to just add a ride/coaster than it was to stick to the theming and, it's what we have now with Six Flags and Busch. There is still theming there but you don't go there for the unique theme experience but for the rides/coasters.

Disney isn't quite there with "just plop down a coaster and people will be excited" but they definitely don't stick to the themes that they used to. There are numerous examples of this. Disney, instead of following their past, is really following the Universal model now of: Where can we stick the IP? Even the Tron Coaster, which sounds kind of cool, is, in my head, going to seem like, it's just stuck behind Space Mountain (as I picture it - they may do something more). It'll be like: Look at Space Mountain! Oh, look just beyond that and see Space Mountain II! It's kind of a sequel ride.

They've completely given up on any sort of future/forward thinking ideas which was one of the reasons I was kind of in awe of them back in the early MK and Epcot days.

I think with how management is (both current and you can go back a few decades) that what we'll have, say 20 years out, is roughly Disney's versions of Universal parks (save for the MK which I think will take longer to change though you can already see this in Tomorrowland). They'll be very good parks, up to Universal standards, but that is where this is all leading. You'll think, "Do I want to go see the IPs at Universal or the IPs at Disney?" and both will be really well done.

As futuristic items degrade (like the Monorail / Peoplemover) I feel fairly confident that they'll just shut them down and leave the tracks for years (Epcot's like will probably be the first). People will look past it like they look past the Peoplemover at DL.

Disney, and this is nothing new, is the only theme park I know that leaves dead things in place, be they rides or buildings. The only other parks that I know that leave dead things in place are usually when they're involved in a lawsuit with the manufacturer. For Disney, they just leave it in place and then maybe open it up for an new festival.

I'd also add that a lot of the good-will I had towards Disney was eroded over time by not upgrading the parks for decades while they worked on some CEO's new "legacy". You saw it with Eisner and you've seen it with Iger. They want some crown jewel to be "their park" and they got that at the expense of WDW. Yeah, they're upgrading things now but it's a little bit late for me. Add to it the constant money-grabs over guest experience and I went from being a pretty big fan to being soured.

Add to all of this that everything has to be IP-based and you can't just have an original/unique adventure (Haunted Mansion, Pirates, etc.). I'm not against IP-based rides and there's a long history with that. I just wish we could get unique attractions. I think you have to go back to Everest to get a recent unique attraction. Epcot opened without any IP based rides and it was pretty fantastic.

Let's take a look at their movies:
- They seem largely out of ideas. It seems sequels are the thing and, even better, they just make live-action versions of animated movies rather than new ideas. This is the safe and boring bet.
- They buy properties now instead of inventing new ones (Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars). Then they just keep churning the same movies out again and again in the form of sequels.

With everything above you can make the argument that it's all "a safe bet" business wise, but Disney didn't become Disney by making safe bets and history has a long legacy of "safe bet" companies that became boring and slowly faded (you can see that happening to Apple right now after Jobs died).

To me, the things I really used to like about Disney:
- future/forward thinking ideas/technologies
- Unique/classic animated movies
- Unique/very distinct parks where everything was laid out and had a very specific purpose
- Unique guest experience
... those are all fading away.

 

[POLY LOVER]

For me personally...I still feel very loyal to Disney. I'm not against going to Universal (mostly just want to go for Harry Potter World since my wife loves the story). We will still do SeaWorld, Legoland, Busch Gardens, etc., but Disney is our main place, where we have APs, and where we do our vacations. We've actually been talking a lot about joining DVC in the near future.

A note about DVC, do it sooner than later. I remember thinking about it when it was 7,500 dollars to join. I wish I had done it.

 

[POLY LOVER]

I'd say I was more of a fan than really loyal. I'm not married to Disney, or any other company, and, thus, I feel no loyalty to them.

What I have been a fan of:
- Classic Animation
- Computer Animation
- really unique and top-class theme parks; The whole idea of "themed lands" was really great to me.
- Future/forwards thinking (Monorail, Peoplemover, etc.)

They did with both theme parks and animation what no one else was doing. You can look at something like Six Flags or Busch Gardens and see where they had themed parks and have, for the most part, given up on that idea. The theme of Six Flags is "regional amusement park chain". The theme of Busch Gardens is "better than Six Flags but not quite Disney"-chain.

I did write, "was," above. Here's why the "was":

They're doing the same thing Six Flags and Busch did. Each of those used to have unique lands that tried to stick to their theming. As time went on it became more important to just add a ride/coaster than it was to stick to the theming and, it's what we have now with Six Flags and Busch. There is still theming there but you don't go there for the unique theme experience but for the rides/coasters.

Disney isn't quite there with "just plop down a coaster and people will be excited" but they definitely don't stick to the themes that they used to. There are numerous examples of this. Disney, instead of following their past, is really following the Universal model now of: Where can we stick the IP? Even the Tron Coaster, which sounds kind of cool, is, in my head, going to seem like, it's just stuck behind Space Mountain (as I picture it - they may do something more). It'll be like: Look at Space Mountain! Oh, look just beyond that and see Space Mountain II! It's kind of a sequel ride.

They've completely given up on any sort of future/forward thinking ideas which was one of the reasons I was kind of in awe of them back in the early MK and Epcot days.

I think with how management is (both current and you can go back a few decades) that what we'll have, say 20 years out, is roughly Disney's versions of Universal parks (save for the MK which I think will take longer to change though you can already see this in Tomorrowland). They'll be very good parks, up to Universal standards, but that is where this is all leading. You'll think, "Do I want to go see the IPs at Universal or the IPs at Disney?" and both will be really well done.

As futuristic items degrade (like the Monorail / Peoplemover) I feel fairly confident that they'll just shut them down and leave the tracks for years (Epcot's like will probably be the first). People will look past it like they look past the Peoplemover at DL.

Disney, and this is nothing new, is the only theme park I know that leaves dead things in place, be they rides or buildings. The only other parks that I know that leave dead things in place are usually when they're involved in a lawsuit with the manufacturer. For Disney, they just leave it in place and then maybe open it up for an new festival.

I'd also add that a lot of the good-will I had towards Disney was eroded over time by not upgrading the parks for decades while they worked on some CEO's new "legacy". You saw it with Eisner and you've seen it with Iger. They want some crown jewel to be "their park" and they got that at the expense of WDW. Yeah, they're upgrading things now but it's a little bit late for me. Add to it the constant money-grabs over guest experience and I went from being a pretty big fan to being soured.

Add to all of this that everything has to be IP-based and you can't just have an original/unique adventure (Haunted Mansion, Pirates, etc.). I'm not against IP-based rides and there's a long history with that. I just wish we could get unique attractions. I think you have to go back to Everest to get a recent unique attraction. Epcot opened without any IP based rides and it was pretty fantastic.

Let's take a look at their movies:
- They seem largely out of ideas. It seems sequels are the thing and, even better, they just make live-action versions of animated movies rather than new ideas. This is the safe and boring bet.
- They buy properties now instead of inventing new ones (Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars). Then they just keep churning the same movies out again and again in the form of sequels.

With everything above you can make the argument that it's all "a safe bet" business wise, but Disney didn't become Disney by making safe bets and history has a long legacy of "safe bet" companies that became boring and slowly faded (you can see that happening to Apple right now after Jobs died).

To me, the things I really used to like about Disney:
- future/forward thinking ideas/technologies
- Unique/classic animated movies
- Unique/very distinct parks where everything was laid out and had a very specific purpose
- Unique guest experience
... those are all fading away.

But why I keep asking myself!

 

[ShoalFox]

I feel more of a loyalty to what Disney used to be than what the company is now.

 

[World_Showcase_Lover007]

I feel a loyalty still somewhat because Disney is still a superior product and it is difficult to feel anything resembling "magic" anywhere else. But the strain on the pocketbook does tend to put a dent in to that loyalty.

On a recent trip to the World, after dining in-park for several meals, we drove off property to a restaurant and ate like kings for half the price of a Disney meal. They made me stop and think. But money aside, there is still that edu-tainment perspective that makes Disney still top notch. Now, I feel absolutely no loyalty to Disney Springs because while it is nice, it is simply a nice, expensive shopping mall with restaurants that aren't operated by Disney.

 

[RogueHabit]

I have never felt a "loyalty" to Disney. I am a big Disney fan but I am also a fan of themed entertainment in general so I would being doing myself a dis-service by not also visiting Universal. Just like movies, I am a big fan of Disney, Marvel and Start Wars movies, but that doesn't stop me from going to see movies made by other companies.

That's exactly how we feel. Whenever we go, it is with the intention of visiting both main themeparks. We have favorite rides across all the Orlando attractions.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I think that some folks are confusing loyalty with enjoyment and liking a product. Loyalty is a much deeper attachment and usually not for an object or thing. Refusal to accept that other things can give you that same feeling maybe doesn't have a name, but, it is personal choice, not loyalty in the absolute sense of the word.

 

[Magenta Panther]

i don't know about you but I always felt a loyalty to Disney and avoided the competition I know it sounds strange but I did, i think true Disney fans have or feel this loyalty. I would steer folks to Disney when they visited us. Lately I have been more open to going to universal and suggesting it to others as an option to Disney. Is it something Disney has done lately or just the way they run things now, or the attitude of those in charge? Maybe it's the dewaltizing of the parks?

I am a fan of WALT Disney. I am not a fan of the Robert Iger Company. As long as the Disney parks have some spark of Walt and genuine Disney magic, I'll keep going, but frankly Universal has become more appealing to me as time goes by.

 

[danlb_2000]

I think that some folks are confusing loyalty with enjoyment and liking a product. Loyalty is a much deeper attachment and usually not for an object or thing. Refusal to accept that other things can give you that same feeling maybe doesn't have a name, but, it is personal choice, not loyalty in the absolute sense of the word.

Brand loyalty is a very common thing. Might not be a term you like, but it's still a valid word for it.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Brand loyalty is a very common thing. Might not be a term you like, but it's still a valid word for it.

For me, its not a term that I like or dislike, I just don't see it as intellectually valid in the case of a theme park. But, I do see what you are talking about. I didn't think of it in the terms of "brand" loyalty, but, it still would be a loss to anyone to dismiss a different experience because of some misdirected loyalty. It's not like others out there do not have the same or superior quality in park design. Heck, some of the same people that designed attractions and themes for Disney are now working for others like Universal. Same imagination, same concept ability... different label on the can.

 

[graphite1326]

Not anymore. They took out my two favorite rides. AE and now TGMR. The latter was once my favorite and one of the reasons I kept coming back. I am a huge old movie fan. I am also an engineer so I really like looking and analyzing animatronics. I was in awe on my first rides on TGMR and SE (our first ride as a family when we went in 1997 was SE). If they change out SE I am done.

 

[graphite1326]

I feel a loyalty still somewhat because Disney is still a superior product and it is difficult to feel anything resembling "magic" anywhere else. But the strain on the pocketbook does tend to put a dent in to that loyalty.

On a recent trip to the World, after dining in-park for several meals, we drove off property to a restaurant and ate like kings for half the price of a Disney meal. They made me stop and think. But money aside, there is still that edu-tainment perspective that makes Disney still top notch. Now, I feel absolutely no loyalty to Disney Springs because while it is nice, it is simply a nice, expensive shopping mall with restaurants that aren't operated by Disney.

I always enjoyed the edu-tainment also. But then they put in the Frozen ride at Norway which leads me to believe they are going in a different direction with that sort of theming. Is it all about the money now? I hope they don't continue with this trend and ruin other attractions.

 

[ford91exploder]

My loyalty to WDW is somewhat less than my Hilton Honors program. Hilton at least gives me points and other things in return for my business.

WDW gives no benefit to loyalty. While WDW professes a relational facade, it has evolved into a transactional arraignment.

I fear I also feel more loyal to Hilton than WDW, Hilton at least rewards me for my loyalty to them.

WDW used to be my 'happy place' over the past 3 years it's turned into a place that you would have to pay me to visit.

This is the result of several distinctly unmagical events at WDW relating to DVC stays where 'guest recovery' did not seem to care because we were DVC and they 'had our money and were coming back regardless'. Did anyone say that of course not but the attitude was there nonetheless.

 

[pax_65]

I feel more of a loyalty to what Disney used to be than what the company is now.

^THIS. I feel a loyalty to Walt's vision and how it was carried out in the parks up until maybe 10 years ago. Today I find myself searching for traces of it

 

[Jedi Stitch]

I find myself more Disney centered. I am a big fan, and look foreword to another Disney trip. For me when growing up, my family drove down to Southern California. We always hit Disneyland, because it was the big shot. We would usually go to Knot's Berry Farm or Universal. Mostly Knot's because it was close to Disney. If you spent a week in in LA, you would have done a disservice to your self just staying at Disney, and not tried to see the sites around. We spent a week at WDW, but the difference is that after a week, we still did not see everything there was to see just in Disney. That is the biggest difference I can see between the coasts. I still and will vote Disney, and if I want to pay upfront and have an all inclusive package. Disney Wins, in Florida. Back Home I will still spend more days in Disney, but I will also hit a day or two in the other parks.

 

[Brad Bishop]

This is the result of several distinctly unmagical events at WDW relating to DVC stays where 'guest recovery' did not seem to care because we were DVC and they 'had our money and were coming back regardless'. Did anyone say that of course not but the attitude was there nonetheless.

That's one of the things that would keep me from doing DVC or "lifetime"-like deals with other companies. As soon as they have your money, the incentive to service you is lost. You just become an expense to them (cost money to deal with you).

In addition, you're also assuming that you'll like the product/service as much 10/20 years out as you do today which isn't often the case. You age. Your priorities/interests change. The company naturally goes through various management cycles/changes in direction/"synergies".. It's just the way it is.

 

[danheaton]

I've never really felt loyalty to Disney instead of competition. We went to Universal in 2008 and 2012 and Sea World too. I've also been to quite a few parks around the country. What made me choose Disney a lot more was the total experience. It's still on the top of my list of places to go, but the competition is higher now. The increased prices also make it a trickier prospect. We still go often, but it's not because I feel any obligation at all.