This is an oversimplification of Disney theme park history. Frank Wells was not the saint people make him out to be, although he did balance some of Eisner's excesses.
Wells died young and fanbois and bloggers have gone off on the Walt was balanced by Roy and Michael was balanced by Frank comparison. It is true to some extent. Some extent.
Michael Eisner and Frank Wells took over Disney in 1984. WDW immediately saw four years of double-digit price increases, the biggest percent increases in the history of WDW. The value of a WDW vacation dropped considerably even if quality did not.
I'm a big fan of MDE -- as I have made no secret of (while I also believe he should have left the company by 1998-99). I still largely agree with the above, but can also argue that since WDW was actually so underpriced for so many years -- and, the important thing, Michael and Frank, invested so much in the swamps that the value increased because there was a constant flow of new and quality reasons to visit. And return ... and return ...
Eisner had a low opinion of Disney's theme park management. Eisner infamously called Parks & Resorts management "monkeys" around this time, as in "even a monkey could do their job".
Pushed by major Disney shareholder Sid Bass, Eisner began to invest heavily in WDW in the late 1980s, largely creating the resort we know today.
By 1990, Eisner and Wells both started pushing out Parks & Resorts management, who I call the Old Guard. These were folks who had cut their teeth under Walt and Roy Disney, who truly believed in providing their Guests with the "value" mentioned in earlier annual reports.
By the time of Wells' premature death in 1994, the Old Guard (at least at the top levels) had been replaced by those "sharp-pencil guys" Walt warned about decades before. Or at least replaced by managers who were willing to sell their souls in order to keep their jobs.
This point is overstated. Many of the people pushed out, and there were plenty, were nearing their expiration dates. Some were considerably older than George K, who is considered ancient by today's Disney because he is on the downside of 60. And many of the guys who came in, like Lee Cockerell (who was beloved by even frontliners, despite doing more damage to WDW than just about anyone not based on the west coast), had great resumes and reps and had worked at large American corporations like Hilton, Marriott, IBM etc.
Eisner and Wells were both a blessing and a curse to WDW. They grew the resort tremendously but also were both to blame for starting the trend of ever increasing prices coupled with lower quality, a trend that continues today.
This is where we diverge. Quality absolutely was near its zenith when Wells died. Prices, also while higher, weren't obscene (they are today!) I would be hard-pressed to see any major declines in quality when Wells died. And even after he passed, WDW added DAK, added BB, added the BW, added Coronado Springs, added wonderful upscale dining, added major attractions, entertainment was updated regularly (look at the new annual parades at Disney-MGM for an example) etc.
Quality was still incredibly high. My first recollection of issues came later ... a room that was beat up and in need of work at the BC late in 96, the embarrassingly bad Test Track (although we all know it was beloved from the start), which signaled the start of dumbing down/killing EPCOT, a 25th Anniversary that was largely style over substance ... much of it I tended to overlook because DAK was amazing when it opened and the Millennium Celebration breathed life into a troubled park.
By the early 21st century (2000-2003) it was very obvious that WDW was troubled and being run in a vastly different fashion than it had been.
But, again, Bob Iger came in and simply took that business model and put the pedal to the floor. The vast majority of the damage came in MDE's final 4-5 years and then since Iger took over.
I think for me it would take some serious problems to not go back. My kids are only 7 and 10 right now and the young childhood years go by so fast. Each trip we take is a different experience as they get older and I am enjoying experiencing different aspects of the parks for the first time again through their eyes. I enjoyed time at WDW before I had kids but I wonder if I would still be going back as frequently or even at all if I didn't have kids.
