As to your case, I think you had to be at SDL's opening because you knew that there was a one day only exclusive bloggers or American Disney tweeters meet-greet-and-grope (he was probably drunk at the time) with John Lasseter.
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A Spirited 15 Rounds ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
As to your case, I think you had to be at SDL's opening because you knew that there was a one day only exclusive bloggers or American Disney tweeters meet-greet-and-grope (he was probably drunk at the time) with John Lasseter.
Why wouldn't you take kids to Europe or Asia?
As to your flight search, it all depends on how flexible you are ... $5800 is quite high and I am SURE you can fly to France for less.
Yup. Amazing place! ... And close to Russia where our new good pal Vlad lives!
disney1023
Well-Known Member
Been twice: Parks decidedly not ruined
HMF
Well-Known Member
I have to say I am pretty close to as legitimately done with Disney as one could be. It's becoming more and more obvious that the company is moving in a very different direction than I find appealing. That being said I have invested too much time/money/emotion into Disney to abandon it completely but it has become too taxing on my own well-being to care as much as I have done over the past few decades. I hope the reign of the Bobs will end and some damage can be repaired but until then I will be phasing back my passion for Disney because caring this much really causes a lot of mental anguish especially when combined with current events. I will be returning next year to the parks to say goodbye to my beloved Reflections of Earth but after that, I really don't know.
asianway
Well-Known Member
The comic was a freebie at the teacher center. I can only imagine they may have distributed them to schools participating in the Educational Media programs as well.
dennis-in-ct
Well-Known Member
When will disney see they are pricing out their core audience. The people who are willing and WANT to go are now saying "no more". I am part of that crowd. I know the entertainment value I got from late 80's to early 2000's, and at this point I feel I am paying 400% more for essentially all the same experiences.
I am gravitating more to Universal as a fun theme park visit. I really enjoyed my visit last year. It was simple, fun and relaxing. If I felt like going on an attraction we wandered over and rode it as compared to the over aggressive planning at WDW. I really don't want to deal with an outlook planner while on vacation. I do not know if I want to have a Chinese food meal six months from now on a Wednesday.
They need to stop jacking up their prices - people have had enough. Keep it up. It is harder to regain a customer than it is to retain and existing one and they have pushed too many previous loyal guest over the edge to the point of no return. The conditions and terms Disney sets in order to visit WDW just sucks the overall joy out of the trip.
Another example.... men's razor blades. I was a schick fan of the Fusion pro glide. The Costco package of ten blades was 32 bucks. It was slowly raised to 53. Well- I bought Harry's blades at target (much cheaper). Costco now has the Schlick blades for 43. And a 5 dollar coupon to lower the cost further and at this point I would NOT go back just on principle. I do not like feeling ripped off. And Disney has made me feel just so. Last year's visit to WDW and sitting at Epoct's future world felt like an abandoned 80's mall. So bad. DHS had three attractions and they still charge full price ? Disgusting.
After Disney reworks all these parks I can see myself making a visit for the 50th depending on the price. This is from a customer who would go 2 to 3 times a year for many many years. Maybe all this reinvestment will regain a *little* of my business again. They need to do better.
And I agree - Paris is spectacular and the Disney Paris magic kingdom is a perfect example of outstanding design.
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ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Same here went from 3x visits per year in 2015 to 1 day in 2016 and full stop in 2017 with no intention of ever going back. It's just too hard watching all the things that one enjoys being cut and being forced to plan one's meals 6 months in advance unless one wants to eat QS atop a trash can (because there is nowhere to sit...)
Personally I have no interest in the MCU and only mild curiosity WRT Star Wars.
So I have no interest in visiting 'Bob Iger's IP World'
Not sure if this is on topic or not, but I am still willing to give TDO a chance. My kids love the parks and I still have big time nostalgia for them as well (not to mention we own DVC). I am excited about much of what they announced at D23 (especially the space restaurant), but if it means insane price hikes and no improvement in quality elsewhere, that may change.
Case in point... saved up a bunch of DVC points for 3 nights in the bungalows at the Poly... besides the "cool" factor of watching the fireworks from my deck, it was nothing special and was insanely expensive. Not to mention all the issues I had with the unit and the less than accommodating attitude from the front desk staff. The new Disney attitude with guest services is to basically refuse to admit fault until they have to, and even then, make you feel embarrassed for asking them to make it right (almost like a parent scolding a child for whining for candy, and then making them feel horrible for giving in in the end). That's certainly NOT 5 star level service for essentially 5 star price points.
What I am most concerned about is the constant IP-ification of anything new. The IJ in DAK may be a step too far.... Avatar does fit and I think is a nice addition, but I just don't see IJ there. And why does it have to be old/proven IP? If Disney is willing to spend xxx million on an E-ticket, they have proven they can build something that people will flock to if it's quality. Does it matter if it's SW/Marvel/IJ/IP de Jour? Original IP will work just as well. Constantly trying to stick IP in places it doesn't belong erodes the theme in "theme park" and makes Disney's parks stop feeling special.
Ultimately, that's what Disney risks. By continuing down this path, without focusing on service, and the little things that make Disney theme parks special, they will lose customers en masse. Because, then it's just another visit to an amusement park.
Case in point... saved up a bunch of DVC points for 3 nights in the bungalows at the Poly... besides the "cool" factor of watching the fireworks from my deck, it was nothing special and was insanely expensive. Not to mention all the issues I had with the unit and the less than accommodating attitude from the front desk staff. The new Disney attitude with guest services is to basically refuse to admit fault until they have to, and even then, make you feel embarrassed for asking them to make it right (almost like a parent scolding a child for whining for candy, and then making them feel horrible for giving in in the end). That's certainly NOT 5 star level service for essentially 5 star price points.
What I am most concerned about is the constant IP-ification of anything new. The IJ in DAK may be a step too far.... Avatar does fit and I think is a nice addition, but I just don't see IJ there. And why does it have to be old/proven IP? If Disney is willing to spend xxx million on an E-ticket, they have proven they can build something that people will flock to if it's quality. Does it matter if it's SW/Marvel/IJ/IP de Jour? Original IP will work just as well. Constantly trying to stick IP in places it doesn't belong erodes the theme in "theme park" and makes Disney's parks stop feeling special.
Ultimately, that's what Disney risks. By continuing down this path, without focusing on service, and the little things that make Disney theme parks special, they will lose customers en masse. Because, then it's just another visit to an amusement park.
seabreezept813
Well-Known Member
We've budgeted our next Disney trip and it will be about the same as it cost to go to Brazil.. only slightly cheaper. The difference for us was that Brazil was about family, and being a third world country.. things like sleeping without screens in the windows and living off a farm.. it just didn't feel like a vacation.
So our next trip is Orlando, and then maybe California or the Caribbean. We would have done the Caribbean, but we fall into the family planning stage so we were medically advised to refrain because of Zika. Also Europe has people feeling uneasy because of the recent attacks. While I don't recommend not living because of recent events, I'm sure it's a factor for many people.
So our next trip is Orlando, and then maybe California or the Caribbean. We would have done the Caribbean, but we fall into the family planning stage so we were medically advised to refrain because of Zika. Also Europe has people feeling uneasy because of the recent attacks. While I don't recommend not living because of recent events, I'm sure it's a factor for many people.
pwnbeaver
Well-Known Member
I'm about there too, but more in general rather than from a theme park perspective. The moment when I decisively knew the company wasn't something I truly had a stake in anymore was Whitmire's firing. The boring assembly line live action movies that have been pumped out like clock work, the uninspired merchandise that really offers nothing unique for kids let alone something they actually really want, the magic disappearing from the retail stores along with a ton of their physical locations. Disney really feels like the soulless corporation that it has been for many years now. When I was a kid I dreamed of being Michael Eisner. As he fell off his pedestal in the mid-late 90s the heart of the company fell with him.
The only aspect of the company I really enjoy now is animation, which just dropped another hit with the fantastic premier of Ducktales. I'm waiting for them to screw this up because they've been doing a great job in all aspects of animation (except maybe Pixar and the scheduling their cartoons) for many years now.
I have to admit that I'm still a sucker for theme parks, even though I have a "grass is greener" kind of optimism when it comes to them. I've never visited a park outside of Florida, which has lost most of its shine for me, but that will change next year as I move to mainland China to teach. I see all my friends on WeChat going to Shanghai and I get jealous. Next year I'll do all three Asian resorts.
China really is a wonderful place and I encourage everyone to go. I have never felt so humbled as I did while standing on the Great Wall, I have never felt so spoiled and vain as I did while dining with Chinese families across the economic classes, I've never felt so appreciated just for being alive and contributing something. Anyone with a capacity for reflection, which should be everyone on Earth, needs to experience life in a place completely different from their own. Living in China earlier this year was the most personally important thing I've ever done.
I thought it was funny when Spirit mentioned that Disney feared a "global village" kind of experience not resonating in Communist China. That is horribly misinformed thinking on their part. China is extremely open and welcoming to foreigners and loves to celebrate different cultures. They have over twenty officially recognized ethnic minorities that are protected and celebrated. They will pay me more to teach over there than they pay Chinese teachers because the government wants their citizens to become involved in the global world and experience cultures outside of their own. I went to a concert where I witnessed A Mei, one of the biggest celebrities in the country, wave a rainbow flag on stage and encourage everyone to love themselves and whoever they choose to love as the crowd cheered on images of LGBT members in the audience kissing each other.
China does have a long way to go, but is a lot more modern than most people would have you believe.
GrammieBee
Well-Known Member
The thing is that societies change and what people think they want also changes a good deal dependent on what information is available to them. Many of us remember the parks from the seventies through to the past few years and we see the changes, both good and bad. We remember the parks when you didn't have to plan details of your visit like an army invasion, everything. large and small, was up and running, all the restaurants and snack places,even Aunt Polly's, were open, there were parades in all parks (two each evening in the Magic Kingdom) ,amazing attention to detail and theme, there were places to sit down and twinkling lights in the trees at night..The parks truly were magical
But, like societies, the Disney parks are also evolving, perhaps mutating, into something.better known and better liked by newer generations. They know the IP's. they are used to having their entertainment and information fed to them by way of a screen, and they find it difficult to understand what they never knew. What they should know, however, is that, while the cost of a visit is increasing, the value of what you are receiving is decreasing. Disney keeps charging for more and more of what used to be free, cramming more people into the parks and cutting back on hours.and entertainment.
As for us, if we are still above ground and able, we'll try to make it for the 50th. In the meantime there are other things of more interest on our "bucket list".
But, like societies, the Disney parks are also evolving, perhaps mutating, into something.better known and better liked by newer generations. They know the IP's. they are used to having their entertainment and information fed to them by way of a screen, and they find it difficult to understand what they never knew. What they should know, however, is that, while the cost of a visit is increasing, the value of what you are receiving is decreasing. Disney keeps charging for more and more of what used to be free, cramming more people into the parks and cutting back on hours.and entertainment.
As for us, if we are still above ground and able, we'll try to make it for the 50th. In the meantime there are other things of more interest on our "bucket list".
newhorizons1
Well-Known Member
My thoughts exactly. I just don't get it. I do have a goal of visiting all of the Disney parks worldwide and only have the two in China left to go. With that being said we spent two days at TDR (absolutely loved it) out of a two-week trip to Japan. We spent 1.5 days at DLP out of a three-week trip to Europe. I was involved in some bizarre Armageddon time capsule one morning and elbowing my way to the Mona Lisa by that evening. Sadly our international travel will be halted for a few years, but these places have a much bigger draw for us than just Disney.
csmat99
Well-Known Member
Spirit you are talking to 5th generation Texan I'm shocked they leave Texas at all..because the rest is just "Ain't Texas" I know I lived there over 10 years
Christian Fronckowiak
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
They don't want long term customers that hold them up to higher standards. They can't wait to replace you with someone new who has no knowledge of how the parks have existed. And those people are willing to come over and over and buy DVC without having this prior experience.
You need to have faith in your product to not make exclusively safe bets. Especially in the domestic parks that are wholly owned by TWDC.
NearTheEars
Well-Known Member
Moved here for a job after college. Had never even considered Fla. before the job opportunity. The closest I ever came to WDW before that was watching the vacation episodes of Full House and Roseanne. Can't imagine someone moving here just to be close to WDW. Unless maybe you pull a Mr. Lou and find a way to make a living from it. Unfortunately there's probably been several inspired by his story that aren't nearly as smart as him.
Monorail_Orange
Well-Known Member
I get this is, from all outward appearances, the current thinking. It goes right into that Wall St. is the ultimate "customer" TWDC is trying to please. Thus, they continue to chase the "short term gain" without any regard to the long-term consequences. This entire build out that we are seeing, just the known projects from D23, is nothing but the first reaction of having to deal with the long-term consequences of employing this strategy for the last 10 years. I read Spirit's threads with the hope that Bob and Bob, and their strategic teams under them get this. Unfortunately, based on Spirit's info thus far, that hope has yet to move beyond anything but just that, a hope. At some point a new leader will arise to bring back what Walt tried to teach those that worked for him, "Walt is right, quality will out."