What Defined the Decade at WDW?

[yensidtlaw1969]

Was tempted to make this a poll, but there were so many options I couldn't fathom it . . .

I'm curious, what move do you think was the one that best defined WDW in the 2010's?

It doesn't have to be your favorite thing, or even the best thing - what was the thing that, to you, most encapsulates what Walt Disney World was from 2010 to 2019?

Was is the opening of New Fantasyland? Was it the removal of "The Hat" from DHS? The opening of Pandora? The removal of straws? The building of the Skyliner? The addition of so many upcharge events?

The opening of Rise of the Resistance? The construction of so many DVC rooms? The transformation of The Maelstrom to Frozen Ever After? The loss of The Great Movie Ride?

That's just me spitballing, I'll have to think more before I offer my own answer, but as the decade wraps up I'm interested to know what comes to mind for other people. A lot has happened in the World in the past ten years, and I wonder what one action you would point at to paint a picture of what this decade was like in the lifetime of Walt Disney World.

Happy New Year, everyone!

 

[drizgirl]

FP+ and staff optimization.

 

[marni1971]

The almighty dollar.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

A severe lack of leadership and vision that resulted in billions of wasted dollars, embarrassing press about the significant rise of a close competitor and a scramble to raise prices ASAP to inflate revenue and stock value.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Price of 1 day ticket in August 2010: $79-$82

Price of 1 day ticket in March 2019: $109-$159

That about sums it up right there.

 

[Genie_naughty_whispers]

RIP maelstrom

 

[Nottamus]

this will be different for eneryone...

for me it was taking my wife to Wdw in 2014 For the first time ...absolutely loved how WE loved it there.

by 2016 we bought into DVC....by December 2019 we ended up taking our 11th trip

So...WDW ended up pretty strong in our decade. It changed us!

 

[larryz]

Crowds, FP+ and price increases.

 

[RobWDW1971]

FP+ and staff optimization.

FP+ and the complete loss of spontaneity.

 

[Victor Kelly]

Rising prices.

 

[Minthorne]

3 parks are larger than they were but overall there are about the same number of attractions.

 

[Magicart87]

Cupcakes?

 

[wm49rs]

The almighty dollar.

Quarterly numbers....

 

[trainplane3]

The almighty dollar.

I was going to say "finally deciding to add new stuff to the parks after being stagnant for a decade (I think?)" but your summary is even better.

 

[rob0519]

Overcrowding, excessive price increases in all areas, lack of maintenance, over building of resorts and DVCs, budget cuts, and staff reductions. Oh yeah and they put a few new attractions in Animal Kingdom and the Studios. Shareholders and Senior Management made out like bandits.

 

[Nemo14]

Katiebug?



or maybe Sam?

 

[Disnerd2003]

One man. @realBobChapek

 

[bryanfze55]

Even after all the new attractions that were added in the 2010s, in comparison to other Disney resorts around the world, WDW remains a disappointment.

Prices are higher than at any other resort. Maintenance is worse than at any other resort. Worst quick service food (maybe not as bad as Paris, but that is relying on word of mouth as I’ve never been). Standby wait times are significantly greater than at any other Disney resort. Attractions that WDW shares with other resorts are, in most cases, worse at WDW. Just little things, like the Grand Canyon and Primeval World dioramas along the railroad in Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, make a big difference to me. And WDW just doesn’t do that stuff. Where’s the Fantasmic updates Disneyland got? Where’s the dynamite scene at the end of Big Thunder Mountain? Most of the Hollywood Studios shows haven’t been updated in 25-30 years now. WDW just seems to have no interest in the little details that add to show quality. It’s a shame. WDW nowadays seems to care far more about their hotels than their parks. All that being said, there are still a few experiences you can only get at WDW, so I think it’s still a worthwhile visit. But it’s getting harder to justify in comparison to Disneyland.

 

[Little Green Men]

Pandora

 

[hsisthebest]

Harry Potter difined the decade - or Universal focusing on making a magical theme park while Disney used theme park (and movies) revenue to gobble up media franchises.