can Disney bring it all back.. or have they gone TOO FAR...

G00fyDad

Well-Known Member
What does it matter? It's all going to be spun off once Disney sells to Apple and Bob Iger makes his hundreds of millions cause the stock price will shoot higher than an Elon Musk SpaceX rocket.
And will probably tank just as fast as Elon Musk's Twitter.
 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
Can it be fixed….sure. Will it be… now that’s the question to ask. The answer is a resounding… No. I very much doubt you will see Dis return to the wonder years ( or even come close to that) everyone on here reminisces about and wants to see. Some changes are coming to placate the bad press and bad feelings but nothing has happened to show they have to pull a 180.
And you can’t put Dis in the same grouping as Sears, Pennys , Kodac and others. It just isn’t the same because the competition isn’t the same that drove them out. Dis can manage against Uni, as well as all the other parks in the US . They aren’t surrounded by enough others that can chip away critical business. They have the brand and attraction that will not be lost. No matter the competition they can manage. It will take a calamity of Covid or 911 or massive recession to affect them.. yet they can still hold on and manage through it.
Those who claim they will never return because it’s not Walt’s parks anymore doesn’t phase Dis because their numbers aren’t enough and they are replaced by others in similar numbers. As long as Dis continues to give just enough to keep people interested and willing to pay out they will survive.
I would agree that it has a good chance of survival long haul, but never say never. For financing and debt it dwarfs those retail spaces that you mentioned. When I was younger, first married, I relied on Sears to get me quality goods at a reasonable price. That was when there was a middle class. Other stores came out of nowhere. Stores like Walmart and others and beat the prices. The hold Sears had was partially because they had a credit card department before things like Visa, MC and other really took hold. They had easy access to a Credit card. Hell, I even got one when I was a 16 year old high school student. I still have the guitar that I bought with it almost 60 years ago.

After I married I relied on it for furniture, appliances, tools and even clothing. Years later when I had to file for bankruptcy we were allowed to choose, I think it was 3, things that you didn't want the legal procedure to cover. For many of us, it was our home mortgage, gas credit card and Sears. They hardly ever got stiffed because we relied on them to Kenmore and Craftsman us into comfort and dependability. Then they started to change. The quality dropped, the variety of items available declined, they did away with what was at the time a huge draw, their catalog sales department. They stopped serving the middle class and looked for ways to increase profit while lowering the standard that we had come to expect and need.

Any of this sound familiar? They stopped serving the loyal customers and pointed themselves toward the wealthier class of customer. Like Disney currently is doing by making their target audience the more affluent they can maintain for a while, but those with a lot of disposable income will soon tire of the same things and can afford to experience real world attractions. The world seems a little rough right now, but that will pass and they will find new adventures to pursue. Nothing is making them loyal. They go, spend a lot and do not make it a family pilgrimage. Once and done is how I see it.

Those of us that went year after year have been kicked to the curb and unless drastic changes happen they will not be returning. Our not going does not mean that it will change anything, it is just a sign that for many it was a literal point where for us it is no longer worth the cost and especially the hassle. When I used to drive 1500 miles from Vermont or even 600 from NC, I don't want to take the chance after spending a fortune for a ticket to be told that I cannot go to the park that I went to see today and that's just to bad for you, because there are no refunds and it is just your tough luck. If others want to take that chance that is fine with me. I just think that their grab what you can get for now company policy may lead to a sad tomorrow. I'd hate to see that happen because I know how important those parks were to my mental health and always gave me a thing to look forward to no matter how rough things got. Now to me it is more jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. It's hard to maintain the fantasy when reality is constantly kicking you in the wallet.
 
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eliza61nyc

Well-Known Member
The only ones in power to change things is the consumer. As long as we keep buying, keep going, nothing needs to change.

My family has not been to the parks since Dec. 2019 and we let our three APs go in 2020, and we never returned to the movie theaters, but I did renew D+ and we do still buy merch with our Disney Visa 😀

So I too am part of the problem.
And depending on who you ask Steve, you have to get them to agree there is a problem. I have young moms on my old job (30-40 with small kids) that LOVE Disney, they're not complaining about much except the crowds. I mentioned my neighbors many times who said "I'll pay any amount of money not to wait in line" so for her genie plus is not evil.
Now as to the op's question?? I really don't think it's a valid question. No they haven't gone "to far". That's evident by the number of folks in the parks.
Will much change?? For the short term, no.
Im keeping my fingers crossed for small victories, I'm hoping they simply adequately staff the place.


Lol I'm a proud part of the problem 😅 I was hanging out at Disney Springs on a short layover last Wednesday and we just decided on another trip next year while watching Black panther 2 today.

Perspective is a lot
 
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ohioguy

Well-Known Member
It's a shame Steve Jobs isn't still alive... he would have made the perfect CEO. He knew how to make money, maintain quality, AND keep a loyal customer base. I could have seen him moving over to Disney in his latter years and aiming for a vision. If they can find someone of that caliber, then Disney would be in good hands. Mark Cuban comes to mind.
 

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member
so we have a change in CEO's this week.. and the promise of "fixing things" .. but i honestly want to know.. HAS DISNEY GONE TOO FAR.. have they "jumped the shark" so to speak.. can they really bring back the true magic? How much Pixie Dust is going to fix this because just a little ISN"T ENOUGH.. I mean its time to bring out the shovels of the Dust.. mountains.. i honestly don't know if Disney can recover from all of this.. but its gonna take a big change of heart.. and it better be filled with Magic and Dreams and Visions and NOT BEAN COUNTING.. because one more bean counting session may be enough... again.. GM went Bankrupt.. Sears was the number one store in my lifetime.. So was Penneys.. Kodak.. the list goes on and on.. Gateway computers.. all for different reasons but they all were number ONE at one point in time.. Gimbal's .. Macy's is a shell of its self..
I love Disney.. I have never had a bad day there. I cry when i look at my old photos of the arch or gateway entering the park..
Has Disney gone too far..? i really really want to know..
Drama much?

I 100% guarantee there will be bean counting forever no matter the CEO, so adjust your expectations accordingly.

If you’ve never had a bad trip, be grateful and stop obsessing over what some people are saying on the internet. Those with complaints and negative comments are more likely to post about it than those who had their usual great time.

To read about good times, go to the trip report section of this site.

Remember: WDW owes you nothing but the turnstile turning when you’ve paid for your ticket. You make of the day what you make of the day.

If it’s over, it’s over. Life went on after Sears and Kodak. Remember fondly what you enjoyed.

But it’s nowhere near over, and the “sky is falling” routine is getting old.
 

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member
advocating for delivering a quality product/service above profit
That will put them out of business faster than anything else discussed here.
It’s got to start with one thing really - Disney has to somehow make their cast members LOVE their jobs again.

That happiness translates into the magic we miss.
That’s difficult when outside forces have convinced everyone who isn’t a doctor or lawyer they are underpaid for selling churros.
And depending on who you ask Steve, you have to get them to agree there is a problem. I have young moms on my old job (30-40 with small kids) that LOVE Disney, they're not complaining about much except the crowds. I mentioned my neighbors many times who said "I'll pay any amount of money not to wait in line" so for her genie plus is not evil.
Now as to the op's question?? I really don't think it's a valid question. No they haven't gone "to far". That's evident by the number of folks in the parks.
Will much change?? For the short term, no.
Im keeping my fingers crossed for small victories, I'm hoping they simply adequately staff the place.


Lol I'm a proud part of the problem 😅 I was hanging out at Disney Springs on a short layover last Wednesday and we just decided on another trip next year while watching Black panther 2 today.

Perspective is a lot
💯

Here’s the new benchmark: when you and I start complaining we’ll never go again, THEN Disney has a problem.
 

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member
The empty Star Wars Hotel will disagree with you.

But I mean why should a company involved in the hospitality industry give two ***** about providing a quality product right?

Some people seem to intentionally misread what I typed. It's almost like the way they react to WDW press releases.

Get your emotional baggage out of my posts. Don't put words in my mouth; don't misquote me.

Obviously, nowhere did I say they shouldn't care about a quality product.

I responded to a person who suggested putting a quality product *above* profits was the way to go. Sure, it's the way to go out of business. Profits are not optional, for all the people out there with an emotional age of 12 and a pie-in-the-sky view of how businesses work.

They exist *for* profits. They can't survive without profits.

They have to walk the line between maintaining a quality product and maintaining profits while all the factors that go into those two things constantly change: costs, individual employees, customers, politics, trends, etc.

Sometimes they'll fall a little on one side of the line or the other. They'll always be pulled back to the center unless/until it's too late. What makes it too late? Loss of profits. That will be long before loss of demand for their theme parks.
 

monothingie

Proxy War 2024: Never Forget
Premium Member
Some people seem to intentionally misread what I typed. It's almost like the way they react to WDW press releases.

Get your emotional baggage out of my posts. Don't put words in my mouth; don't misquote me.

Obviously, nowhere did I say they shouldn't care about a quality product.

I responded to a person who suggested putting a quality product *above* profits was the way to go. Sure, it's the way to go out of business. Profits are not optional, for all the people out there with an emotional age of 12 and a pie-in-the-sky view of how businesses work.

They exist *for* profits. They can't survive without profits.

They have to walk the line between maintaining a quality product and maintaining profits while all the factors that go into those two things constantly change: costs, individual employees, customers, politics, trends, etc.

Sometimes they'll fall a little on one side of the line or the other. They'll always be pulled back to the center unless/until it's too late. What makes it too late? Loss of profits. That will be long before loss of demand for their theme parks.
Clearly now that you were called out in it, you’re back tracking. What you said initially was quite clear. Now you’re just responding with word salad.
 

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member
Clearly now that you were called out in it, you’re back tracking. What you said initially was quite clear. Now you’re just responding with word salad.

A lesson in following a thread for those who may benefit:

advocating for delivering a quality product/service above profit

That will put them out of business faster than anything else discussed here.

They had a pretty good balance in Orlando for 40 odd years.

They didn't put a quality product/service above profit; they had both.

Indeed. There’s the balance they used to have.

The original point in the first post cannot be lost halfway through the discussion. My comment was only in response to that comment and should not be taken out of context.

Marni's post clarified my comment.

Your post, a wholly separate thing, exaggerated my comment into something which was not what I said or implied. I corrected you.

And that's the last time. When every interaction with a person is unpleasant (as it has been for too long with you) there is no point in that person existing in your world. Therefore, @monothingie, you are now on my ignore list. Have a wonderful holiday season and I hope you eventually get over your Disney bitterness.
 

orky8

Well-Known Member
Disney, under Iger's leadership, under invested in park capacity for a decade. MyMagic+ was the chosen solution to invest in technology to maximize existing capacity rather than properly invest in expanding capacity to meet the growing demand.

So, now after a decade of under investment and selling nostalgia Disney is facing the harsh reality we've been saying on these boards would eventually catch up with them and the tide of sentiment is shifting, perhaps snowballing out of control.

So, yes, Disney may need to put investment ahead of short-term profits to make up for their decade of under investment. My only hope, and I'm not very optimistic, is that Iger can blame Chapek for all this and make the difficult investments that are now needed. The truth, though, is that it is Iger's fault. Frankly, given Iger's complete dilution of the Disney brand, I find it more likely he tries to sell the company.
 

tanc

Well-Known Member
Only OLC to me would be a worthy contender for buying the other parks but that will never happen. Even then I don't think I would want it to because I think there would be a drop in quality with OLC if that ever did happen.

I want magical express and the luggage service back, and whatever else but I think it's all just dead now. I'd be completely shocked if Iger ordered a bus lot for a system similar to Magical Express but I just don't see it happening.

People are willing to pay tremendous amounts as we know to go to Disney so although Iger may lower it, I don't think it'll matter much.
 

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