Len Testa - “Disney positions itself as the all-American vacation. The irony is that most Americans can’t afford it.”

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The is from Frank.

…because he’s an incredibly smart man

 

[Nunu]

…because he’s an incredibly smart man

You know what they say... "Takes one to know one".

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

You know what they say... "Takes one to know one".

Golly gee whizz shucks and all

 

[CoastalElite64]

You are not in a bubble in Anaheim. It's very evident when you go out for a morning jog and you have to hop over the homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk.
WDW separates you from the outside world which I think is one of the biggest draws of vacationing there. Similar to being on a cruise.
Yes I suppose there is more to do in Los Angeles for a tourist. I lived there half my life and avoided most of it.

If you stay on property at the DLH or GCH you do get the bubble experience. It's smaller and a different bubble experience since you never have to take a bus to get to parks. (I haven't stayed at the PPH).

Or if you stay off property at a name brand hotel they often offer shuttle service to the parks and most hotels have some Disney decor. So it's comparable to a bubble experience.

I have never stayed on Harbor, but I think its perfectly fine for people who just want the basics. Anaheim is rated as a safer city than Orlando fyi.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I have never stayed on Harbor, but I think it’s perfectly fine for people who just want the basics. Anaheim is rated as a safer city than Orlando fyi.

People convince themselves due the buffer within Walt Disney worlds grounds that Orlando’s some kinda of insulated surburban honky enclave…

But that’s silly. It grew after 1965 to service tourists…which requires the lowest cost housing Built en masse to match the pay…

It’s not “unsafe”…but most of the area is very “meh” as far as aesthetics and wealth

But don’t tell Orlandites…they’ll never believe you

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

Reading the last few posts, I'm amazed at how many of you really don't venture out on vacation. An example is WDW, you stay in the bubble and rarely explore other attractions.

For us, we love a week in the Smokies during the fall. Exploring Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

I don’t understand your constant bewilderment that people who are on a Disney message board, dedicated to Walt Disney world, would choose to vacation….at Walt Disney world. Or that people who enjoy WDW enough that they take time to talk about it and post about it online even with they aren’t there aren’t going to second rate regional coaster parks?

I mean if you were on a Red Sox message board would it be all that unusual that people there were spending their money going to Red Sox game and not traveling to Toronto to see the blue jays or Baltimore to see the orioles?

With prices universally recognized as being higher and higher, is it at all surprising that people are spending money on vacations/things they know they will enjoy? As opposed to branching out?

I mean there are other things to see and do, and place to vacation, sure. And if this was a general travel forum you could reasonably expect a lot of variety. But you keep coming on a WDW specific message board and keep wondering why people aren’t goin to other places?

 

[Touchdown]

Just because you are a Disney fan doesn’t mean you only go to Disney. My coworkers continue to be confused when most of the time I’m actually traveling somewhere else. Variety is good, and I would echo JRB’s suggestion to go out and go somewhere else too. Every American should aspire to seeing some National Parks, and especially the most popular/famous ones (Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Smokies at the very least.) History is also important, I feel you should visit Washington DC, Gettysburg, Boston, NYC. Culturally significant cities (not included above) to visit as well include Chicago, LA, New Orleans. That’s just surface level stuff and not even touching international destinations.

 

[Jrb1979]

I don’t understand your constant bewilderment that people who are on a Disney message board, dedicated to Walt Disney world, would choose to vacation….at Walt Disney world. Or that people who enjoy WDW enough that they take time to talk about it and post about it online even with they aren’t there aren’t going to second rate regional coaster parks?

I mean if you were on a Red Sox message board would it be all that unusual that people there were spending their money going to Red Sox game and not traveling to Toronto to see the blue jays or Baltimore to see the orioles?

With prices universally recognized as being higher and higher, is it at all surprising that people are spending money on vacations/things they know they will enjoy? As opposed to branching out?

I mean there are other things to see and do, and place to vacation, sure. And if this was a general travel forum you could reasonably expect a lot of variety. But you keep coming on a WDW specific message board and keep wondering why people aren’t goin to other places?

My point really had nothing to do with WDW or this being a Disney board at all.

My point had to do with @Miss Bella talking about how when she goes to LA that she doesn't explore the city. Just sticks to the Disney area or where her family is.

My point was more that with in general many tend to vacation at places that are more resort style. I used WDW as an example that's all.

My post was supposed to add to the LA conversation.

 

[RoysCabin]

I've done a few trips to SoCal now (could around LA, once to San Diego), and yeah, there's plenty to see and do; got one Disneyland visit in, yes, but between the multiple trips I've gotten out to ballgames for the Dodgers, Angels, and Padres, visited LaBrea Tar Pits (little kid me was a big dinosaur/fossil head, always wanted to get there), spent time in Long Beach, a pretty full day at San Diego Zoo and a couple surrounding museums, even get a kick out of visits to breweries and an In n' Out meal. Can't say I've had the same kind of chance to explore the Orlando area as closely; I'm sure the city itself has some very nice stuff to do, but it's certainly not the same type of destination as the larger SoCal metro areas.



So on the one hand, no, this isn't exclusively a Disney thing; on the other, Disney falling into this stands out because "we're going to Disney World" has long been a status marker for the average US middle class family, who'd get there and feel like they were getting top-shelf treatment. In that sense it's a bit like what's impacting Vegas right now; Vegas was a place where middle class folks would go and get to live like high rollers for a few days without really breaking the bank, and while WDW has never been cheap (when it first opened, my then-17 year old mom was convinced she'd never be able to afford visiting) the shift towards catering to higher earners hurts that perception.

Plus, yeah, it's tough to ignore the various ways Disney feels like it nickel and dimes you these days while providing a product that seems like it's offering less than it once did, which have been discussed pretty thoroughly. Rides with lower capacity/longer waits, the prioritization of building around Lightning Lane upsells, even the way Disney doesn't exercise as much direct control over its food operations as it once did all contribute to the weird shift that's occurred.

 

[denyuntilcaught]

What do you do in Los Angeles?

Are we going to seriously act like Los Angeles, the second largest city in the country and an Alpha World City, has nothing to do? Disliking the city is one thing, which is subjective, but acting like it has nothing to do is another.

The argument that Orlando has very little to offer, entertainment wise, outside of the I-4 corridor is pretty valid.

 

[UNCgolf]

You really must remedy that the next time you go!

I do plan on getting to Disneyland at some point -- highly doubt I'll ever visit any of the international parks (even though DLP looks amazing) because of limited opportunities, though. If I'm taking the time to travel to those locations, visiting a theme park is just not high on the list of things to do. I've been in Paris for about a week and I think I could spend at least another 2 weeks in the area (not just Paris itself, but day trips etc.) before running out of things I'd want to see before DLP.

 

[LittleBuford]

I do plan on getting to Disneyland at some point -- highly doubt I'll ever visit any of the international parks (even though DLP looks amazing) because of limited opportunities, though. If I'm taking the time to travel to those locations, visiting a theme park is just not high on the list of things to do. I've been in Paris for about a week and I think I could spend at least another 2 weeks in the area (not just Paris itself, but day trips etc.) before running out of things I'd want to see before DLP.

I get that when it comes to the international parks, since they’re something of a foreign import (though I would argue that Japan has developed a very robust and distinctive Disney tradition of its own), but in the case of LA, Disneyland is so deeply tied to local history and culture that I’m really surprised you haven’t been keener to visit it.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Orlando is damn near ALL tourists…LA is certainly not

That is not quite correct. Orlando also hosts conventions/business travel, though those numbers are still down from pre-pandemic.

About 60,992,600 tourists in 2024,
7,847,000 business visitors in 2024
(Business travelers down from 2018 peak of 11,290,000) (
Peak tourists was 2022's: 61,201,000 visitors.

- according to Visit Orlando website.

 

[networkpro]

Its not only WDW that suffers this malaise Vegas suffers the same

 

[UNCgolf]

I get that when it comes to the international parks, since they’re something of a foreign import (though I would argue that Japan has developed a very robust and distinctive Disney tradition of its own), but in the case of LA, Disneyland is so deeply tied to local history and culture that I’m really surprised you haven’t been keener to visit it.

I think I just don't care about theme parks nearly as much as other people here, which is admittedly strange -- why am I on a Disney forum if I don't care that much? I've only been to theme parks (WDW twice and Universal Orlando once) three times in the past 15+ years, though, and don't have any current plans to visit one.

 

[networkpro]

I think I just don't care about theme parks nearly as much as other people here, which is admittedly strange -- why am I on a Disney forum if I don't care that much? I've only been to theme parks (WDW twice and Universal Orlando once) three times in the past 15+ years, though, and don't have any current plans to visit one.

Perhaps its the willingness of people on here, thanks to the environment Steve and the Mom curate, will engage on topics.. mind you we all see them go off the rails at times, but its still a better experience to chat about common public locations.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

That is not quite correct. Orlando also hosts conventions/business travel, though those numbers are still down from pre-pandemic.

About 60,992,600 tourists in 2024,
7,847,000 business visitors in 2024
(Business travelers down from 2018 peak of 11,290,000) (
Peak tourists was 2022's: 61,201,000 visitors.

- according to Visit Orlando website.

Two things:

According to Orlando…everything is always “booming” and or “growing” in Orlando. If things head down…they’re all screwed. And yes…I did live there during both.

And why do you suppose business/conventioneers go there?
Because of the tourism. Not the same…not THAT different…

 

[LittleBuford]

I think I just don't care about theme parks nearly as much as other people here, which is admittedly strange -- why am I on a Disney forum if I don't care that much? I've only been to theme parks (WDW twice and Universal Orlando once) three times in the past 15+ years, though, and don't have any current plans to visit one.

I’m not really a theme-park person either; for me, it’s pretty much all about Disney. But even if you were to approach it almost as a museum, Disneyland is absolutely worth a visit. It really helps flesh out one’s understanding of the LA area.

Anyway, I don’t mean to pressure you; I just think, based on all the things you mentioned in your list of things you enjoy about LA, you would get quite a lot out of Disneyland.

 

[Nubs70]

Two things:

According to Orlando…everything is always “booming” and or “growing” in Orlando. If things head down…they’re all screwed. And yes…I did live there during both.

And why do you suppose business/conventioneers go there?
Because of the tourism. Not the same…not THAT different…

I have drank more at conventions than most any vacation.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I have drank more at conventions than most any vacation.

Why wounding you?