A Spirited Perfect Ten

[WDW1974]

They do, but don't overestimate the "watercooler effect".

Broadcast media isn't even close to dead (though they do need to further adopt, which they have through hulu and Netflix) digital distribution.

Mind you, this is coming from someone who hasn't had broadcast or cable TV (just cable internet) since 2007...

I was a VERY early adopter. And, have watched it evolve. That said, I don't think it's anywhere close to the "future"...<grin>

Yep. I've always said you were weird!!! Just more proof!

 

[englanddg]

Yep. I've always said you were weird!!! Just more proof!

 

[englanddg]

To break it down, I haven't had broadcast TV several points in my life.

Here's a short run down.

Mid 80s - I grew up watching German TV channels and AFN (the ONLY channel that was english in Germany). I mention this only because it probably set that off.

From 1992 until 1995, my family had no cable TV. (but, we did have internet)

From 2001 until 2005 I had no cable or broadcast TV unless I was in a Hotel.

Then in 2007, I made the final jump, and haven't powered up a cable box in 8 years unless I was at my sisters or my parents house. I HAVE a cable box (because the internet / TV bundle is cheaper than internet only)...and it's sitting in my laundry room.

 

[1023]

Ok, I think you're misunderstanding me. Things like what I originally posted - The Muppet videos - are exactly what they need to keep doing. I'm not saying advertise about spending thousands of dollars to go to WDW to these youths, i'm saying promote the brands. Get the characters out where people can see them, get to know their names if they've never seen them before. That's what's great about YouTube. It's a great platform to (re)introduce content to the general public.

TV is obviously still a major player and those that watch heavily tend to skew older. That's who you market the vacations to. That's where you put a new Wonderful World of Disney. Sorry for the confusion.

Nothing like discussing from (perceived) both sides of an issue and realize you are largely agree. Ah.....Bach.....

*1023*

 

[alissafalco]

How Disney ever thought those boat horns wouldn't be an issues truly amazes me. Now, they could have gone for some truly soundproof glass and walls (I am sure some of their defense contractor friends could have gotten them 'a deal'), but the thing about today's Disney is that it is so smarmy, so arrogant, so cold that no one ever thought that people might like to sleep and not be awakened by those horns (I am sure @alissafalco had to hear those all night on her honeymoon in the real South Pacific, right? )

There really is just no comparison to these bungalows and the real ones in the South Pacific. Im not sure what Disney was going for when building these, other than a gimmick to see how high they could possibly charge a night for a room.

 

[lentesta]

As much as it pains me to agree with him… He's kind of right on the money.

I'm not sure if @lentesta still dies research on the amount of time it takes bosses to go from point a to point B but he had previously in the past. Those numbers are out there somewhere and I recall some of them being high.

When it comes to independent research of the Walt Disney World resort, he's the authority. He's the only one who was doing it.

Thanks!

I have spreadsheets of our timed bus research, showing the bus number, destination, and arrival time of every bus, at selected resorts. Somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 samples over the past 24 months, I think.

Here's a link to our 2016 edition data. Each tab is a separate resort. Where we visited the same resort on multiple days, there's an column showing which entry is for which day.

Here's our bus data for the 2015 edition too. Similar format. I'll get the 2014 edition data if anyone's interested.

In general, the average time you have to wait in the morning for a bus to a theme park, seems to be getting lower in many resorts. It's well under 15 minutes in many places, and 11 or 12 in some situations. There are still instances where you'll get a 35- to 45-minute gap, but those are rare (and the extremes seem to be down).

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Nothing like discussing from (perceived) both sides of an issue and realize you are largely agree. Ah.....Bach.....

*1023*

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I am not talking strictly cable. You do know people still watch network TV, right? And while on-demand and time shifting has become a part of the industry, right down to how ratings are measured with Plus-3 and Plus-7, TV in its traditional form ain't going anywhere. Whether it's watching the fanboi favorite Big Bang Theory or Shondaland on ABC Thursdays or Sunday Night Football on NBC, folks are turning in by the tens of millions.

Those are facts. And I'm willing to bet I have a bit more knowledge and perspective on the subject too!

Do you agree with Bob Iger that live sports are the only DVR-proof content that's left out there and will therfore be the last haven for advertisers?

 

[ParentsOf4]

Back about 2002, Howie's Angels (members of The Breakfast Club) were calling all hours of the day and night to reserve spots months in advance for Cindy's Royal Table. Things haven't changed too much.

In 2002, an adult meal at Cinderella's Royal Table cost $16.

Today with tax and automatic gratuity, it costs $58.

Things have changed a lot.

P.S. Edited to fix the 2015 price.

 

[Darth Sidious]

Hey, I got a new joke: What's 95% of this country's insurance execs dead on the bottom of the ocean? A great start!

That industry is horrific and they have so much power in DC. If people think the big ACA was so great then ponder why insurance companies liked it.

 

[Nubs70]

Well, the two closest to the ferry dock are allegedly soundproofed.

Allegedly.

As long as the bungalow is hermetically sealed. Once a door or window opens the soundproof chamber is compromised.

 

[jakeman]

In 2002, an adult meal at Cinderella's Royal Table cost $16.

Today with tax and automatic gratuity, it costs $73.

Things have changed a lot.

Where is your source for that? That's a huge jump.

EDIT: Just so it's an apples to apples comparison, you are stating that a 3 course meal with a plastic trinket for your kid was $16 a person in 2002? Because that is what the $73 includes now.

I'm not making a claim as to the value of either, just confirming the comparison is apt.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Thanks!

I have spreadsheets of our timed bus research, showing the bus number, destination, and arrival time of every bus, at selected resorts. Somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 samples over the past 24 months, I think.

Here's a link to our 2016 edition data. Each tab is a separate resort. Where we visited the same resort on multiple days, there's an column showing which entry is for which day.

Here's our bus data for the 2015 edition too. Similar format. I'll get the 2014 edition data if anyone's interested.

In general, the average time you have to wait in the morning for a bus to a theme park, seems to be getting lower in many resorts. It's well under 15 minutes in many places, and 11 or 12 in some situations. There are still instances where you'll get a 35- to 45-minute gap, but those are rare (and the extremes seem to be down).

It's interesting that a lot of transit studies have shown consistency of frequency to be a bit more important to users' perceptions than actual intervals.

 

[flyerjab]

I still think you are going far too easy on Disney. in the real world, hotels/resorts that are under massive renovation usually shutter (and Disney has closed resorts before, so it could easily have done so here). If they don't, then they usually offer 'construction specials' to begin with. They don't charge $400-800 a night for hotel rooms in the midst of massive construction that closes most of the lobby, the main feature pool and the QSR.

I won't argue that Disney made people aware to some extent of what was going on AFTER they booked. And I am sure they moved people who requested it post-booking. But people not very familiar with the Poly or even WDW as a whole may not have understood just what they were getting themselves into until they were there.

I recall riding with a family who had been on the Fantasy with Angie and myself who were getting dropped off at WDW after the cruise and they took them to the Poly before taking us to our resort (yes, I had a problem with that, but it's another tale). All I could think was 'do these poor folks (not in the financial sense!) know what they are in for?'

I'll also give Disney credit for generally dealing with these situations well after the Guests arrive IF they complain and complain loud enough. I once had a very bad experience at the YC when it was allowed to fall into utter decay around 2001-02 and when I sat down with the on-duty manager, he admitted that most of my concerns (his word, not mine) were fair, but that he couldn't do anything about them as they spoke to neglect, business and the fact the hotel was getting a major renovation within 12-18 months, so they were just ignoring things (my word, not his).

At this point, I told him that he'd have to come up with a better Guest Recovery option than to express his sincere apologies that my visit was less than MAGICal. After 15 minutes in the back, he returned and told me he could move me to either the BW or Grand Flo for the same $169 a night AP rate with one free night for my trouble. I took the GF and moved there. They had issues there as well, but I just let those go and realized that WDW resorts weren't what they once were.

But you have to be firm and demanding and not accept small tokens or apologies or that is all you'll get.

So, last summer we did a huge split stay trip. It was sixteen days, and we stayed at 6 different deluxe resorts throughout the trip. We will stay on points, but also add in club level days. For the last resort, we opted to stay club level in the Yacht Club for two nights. This was the best trip we had taken up to this point, as we had no issues or problems in the other resorts. The club level room in the YC was in bad shape. My wife and I were appalled at the condition of the room, we were miles away from the actual club lounge, and the view from our room was of the backside of a support facility where workers obviously went on smoke breaks. They also must have increased the number of club level rooms at the YC because the lounge was overfilled every morning.

My wife photographed the numerous issues with the room (and there were many), and when we got back home after the trip, she immediately typed up a long email, inserting the photos throughout. The next day, we got a call from a Disney customer service rep/manager. They spoke to us for about an hour and went over pretty much everything in her email, as well as any other problems we had at the YC.

After it was all said and done, Disney gave us two options as recompense for our poor experience at the YC: 2 nights free club level at any deluxe resort, or, 3 nights free at the AKL with a prime savannah view. We choose the three nights free at AKL and stayed over Thanksgiving last fall. It was nice that they did that but we still will not be returning to the YC any time soon. In my opinion, NO club level room should have a view like that. Also, they clearly had to have added rooms to the club level inventory in that resort because of how far we had to walk to actually get to the lounge for breakfast in the morning. If you are going to offer club level as an added level of experience at your resort, the lounge should be able to adequately support the number of potential club level guests. The YC needs major fixing before we go back.

What is funny is that when I say we truly did not have issues with the other resorts, we really did not. The rooms were clean, the views were all nice, the service we received for what we needed was of the level I expected, except for the YC. It was just bad.

 

[WildcatDen]

Tthis guy just as been doing his best on stating a point, claiming its the only one true one... then dodging all the opinions on how picky and flawed his point is.. then change his "facts" on convenience to dodge the same opinions... then dodge again the counters by claiming "hypothetical" points and then discredit other's counterpoints again.

I wonder if he's a politician.

There has to be a Pot and Kettle reference here somewhere. . .

Goof's experience is Goof's experience. As you so concisely point out, all replies are everyone else's opinions. There is no Right or Wrong in this case. Kay Sarah Sarah.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Sorry to hear about all the real life crap going down. There is no greater evil then the insurance companies in America.

Wait. So Willow Bay isn't more evil?

 

[lentesta]

It's interesting that a lot of transit studies have shown consistency of frequency to be a bit more important to users' perceptions than actual intervals.

That's awesome - would love to mention it. Any particular study I should look at?

 

[lazyboy97o]

That's awesome - would love to mention it. Any particular study I should look at?

I'd have to look around but if I come across one I'll send it your way.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

So here is an interesting review of a recent stay at The Poly. @WDW1974 is going to love it.

http://www.orlandounited.com/forums/showthread.php/9498-My-Stay-at-Polynesian

 

[wdwmagic]

So here is an interesting review of a recent stay at The Poly. @WDW1974 is going to love it.

http://www.orlandounited.com/forums/showthread.php/9498-My-Stay-at-Polynesian

Not quite sure I'd call it a review. A report about some towel issues perhaps.