Am I The Lucky One?

[Zipadeelady]

Honestly, I'd be afraid for my health if I went now, with all that mold and mess in Maelstrom and now I'm hearing Philharmagic. I can't do it.

WHAT!! Not the Philharmagic. I hope that is not true. I will be going back this year so hopefully I will be able to tell you otherwise. That either it's was greatly over exaggerated or that it has been fixed. I don't want my bubble to burst.

 

[marni1971]

Ok...I have seen you type that before. But what was better? The look of the parks, the attitudes of CM, the rides?

Perceived value for money; longer park hours, far better attraction maintainence, better choice of food and eateries, and more of them, faster rotation of new entertainment, larger scope of new attractions and indeed new attraction ideas, park and resort individual identity, more shopping choice of specific merchandise at specific locations, life expired infrastructure replaced promptly, higher attraction standards for what's bad show and what's not.

Off the top of my head.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Perceived value for money; longer park hours, far better attraction maintainence, better choice of food and eateries, and more of them, faster rotation of new entertainment, larger scope of new attractions and indeed new attraction ideas, park and resort individual identity, more shopping choice of specific merchandise at specific locations, life expired infrastructure replaced promptly, higher attraction standards for what's bad show and what's not.

Off the top of my head.

Value for money and attraction maintainence I get. Faster rotation of entetainment....Can't get any faster than limited time magic. ( being funny and serious at the same time). New attraction ideas..... I read about new ones on here daily. Resort identity....didn't they just put a ton of money into resorts. Shopping...have you gotten off a WDW ride lately, there's a shop at the end of every ride. Life infrastructure...?????.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Shopping...have you gotten off a WDW ride lately, there's a shop at the end of every ride. Life infrastructure...?????.

Selling exactly the same items, items that can and are sold by supermarket chains.

 

[GeorgiaPinesRJB]

Honestly, I'd be afraid for my health if I went now, with all that mold and mess in Maelstrom and now I'm hearing Philharmagic. I can't do it.

It's not that bad though...some on here will make you believe its some post-Apocalyptic landscape.

New idea for an inmmersive environment...?

 

[marni1971]

Sorry... New attraction ideas means new ideas, not clones or regurgitated value engineered ones. And they're actually built.

Entertainment.... New stage shows and afternoon parades every year or two. With new floats.

Resort identity, as in the WDW Resort. Not a Disney Park. A place with three well defined parks where each and every component made the park greater than the sum of its parts unlike now where pockets of genius sit in pools of mediocrity.

Shopping.... Unique stores with specific merchandise. You could get a Space Mountain shirt only at Space Mountain. And not much else. Certainly not 95% of the Emporium. For example. There was even for example a Magic Shop that sold.... Wait for it.... magic tricks. Items you could only buy in that one shop. A unique shop.

Life infrastructure.... Things were replaced before they were literally worn out. Bits didn't fall off monorails. Smoke machines weren't run empty. Projector bulbs were changed before they burnt out and the ride left open. AAs weren't left with stuck limbs on show.

 

[ShookieJones]

Hatter - I'll NEVER fault anyone for being positive or how they want to direct that positivity (ie spend their money). To each his own.
I've got a pretty positive attitude toward life in general, grateful for all that I have, etc. etc. although I slip up with the occasional complaint here and there
Same goes for WDW - I LOVE the place. I've had too many great memories to count and every penny I've spent as an adult has been absolutely worth it.
However I also don't fault the "Doom and Gloomers" here -- because what @raven24 said was SPOT ON - I think that crew loves WDW just as much as the "Pixie Dusters' ...even (dare I say) more!

Me? I think I fall right in the middle. I notice all the things that are wrong at the World..and I remember when it was "WHAT IT WAS" ...and I'm upset that the parks are in the state they are today....but fo right now? The value still outweighs what's wrong with the place. Bottom line? The mouse keeps getting my money every year and when I'm finally fed up to the point I can't take it anymore, I'll express my dissatisfaction with my wallet.

In the meantime Hatter I say to you: "Stay gold Ponyboy"

 

[LittleBrownJug]

You said it. Imagine if it were a hundred times better than your opinion today.

Ok...I have seen you type that before. But what was better? The look of the parks, the attitudes of CM, the rides?

The Look of the parks, The attitudes of CMs (huge part) and the Rides. It is a whole bag of stuff.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Sorry... New attraction ideas means new ideas, not clones or regurgitated value engineered ones. And they're actually built.

Entertainment.... New stage shows and afternoon parades every year or two. With new floats.

Resort identity, as in the WDW Resort. Not a Disney Park. A place with three well defined parks where each and every component made the park greater than the sum of its parts unlike now where pockets of genius sit in pools of mediocrity.

Shopping.... Unique stores with specific merchandise. You could get a Space Mountain shirt only at Space Mountain. And not much else. Certainly not 95% of the Emporium. For example. There was even for example a Magic Shop that sold.... Wait for it.... magic tricks. Items you could only buy in that one shop. A unique shop.

Life infrastructure.... Things were replaced before they were literally worn out. Bits didn't fall off monorails. Smoke machines weren't run empty. Projector bulbs were changed before they burnt out and the ride left open. AAs weren't left with stuck limbs on show.

Now I understand. Thank you for being so specific.

Totally agree with the entertainment...I love watching the different performers. I think they need more.

Shopping i see your point, it sounds neat. But what happens when I went to MK and my DS loved Space Mountain and we wake up the next morning to get ready to leave for home and the one thing he begs for is that t-shirt with Space Mountain on it. I like that I can go down to the lobby of the hotel and get a t shirt with SM on it.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Ok...I have seen you type that before. But what was better? The look of the parks, the attitudes of CM, the rides?

One quick example. The Empress Lilly. This was a gorgeous paddlewheel dining boat, featuring live jazz, period dining rooms, salons, atmosphere.

Then the vandals took over. The smokestacks were removed, as was the ever-churning paddlewheel. Many other nautical elements. In their place massive neon signs were added.

It is so very sad. Such sophistication, taste, magic - destroyed for a quick buck, replaced by tacky, cheap gaudiness.

Things like this happened a thousand times, all over property:

 

[marni1971]

Indeed. Some merch being available in several places is a time saver. Surely one park store and in each main resort would be enough? Perhaps it was a poor example but I think you get my general drift. Shopping was more special because you couldn't buy a princesses pen in the gift shop in Tomorrowland. You had to goto Fantasyland. Or you couldn't buy a pirates wallet at Space Mountain. For example.

And you're welcome. Hopefully you can see where a lot of us are coming from. As good as WDW is today, it used to be greater.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

. I like that I can go down to the lobby of the hotel and get a t shirt with SM on it.

I remember when you could go down to the lobby and buy a whole raft of hotel merchandise, now im lucky if I can find a poorly designed t shirt amongst all the generic logo clothing. and did i mention mugs.................

 

[LittleBrownJug]

One quick example. The Empress Lilly. This was a gorgeous paddlewheel dining boat, featuring live jazz, period dining rooms, salons, atmosphere.

Then the vandals took over. The smokestacks were removed, as was the ever-churning paddlewheel. Many other nautical elements. In their place massive neon signs were added.

It is so very sad. Such sophistication, taste, magic - destroyed for a quick buck, replaced by tacky, cheap gaudiness.

Things like this happened a thousand times, all over property:

I remember when Character Breakfasts happened on The Empress Lily before Chef Mickey's was a thing at The VIllage.........

 

[Zipadeelady]

Empress... I do believe i too like the original version.

 

[Zipadeelady]

I remember when you could go down to the lobby and buy a whole raft of hotel merchandise, now im lucky if I can find a poorly designed t shirt amongst all the generic logo clothing. and did i mention mugs.................

Whats wrong with the mugs??? I love my Disney mugs. All 9 of them. I happen to be having a spot of tea in one of them now.

 

[the1nonlysinger]

I'm with you, Hatter. For a while now, I've been thinking there should be a forum specifically for those who want to complain/criticize/rip stuff apart- and then the rest of the forums can be left alone to discuss Disney magic, trip planning and other topics that make us happy instead of frustrated.

I came on the forums to be more informed about what's going on, to plan better trips, share a common love of Disney and help others do the same. It seems like so many of the threads get weighed down with negativity and quite frankly I find it really frustrating!

Granted, I respect that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so I don't pick fights- but if we all love Disney, which is why we are here in the first place, we should be able to enjoy and celebrate all the good things *more often* than we complain about the bad. I'm headed to WDW in only a few weeks and I am determined to have the best vacation ever. Will stuff go wrong? Sure! Will it be perfect? Nope. But "normal" days are never perfect either. If I write a trip report (still on the fence) I will be choosing to celebrate the positives rather than complaining about the negatives.

real mad hatter- Thank you for always being such a positive voice around here, we need more people like you!

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Whats wrong with the mugs??? I love my Disney mugs. All 9 of them. I happen to be having a spot of tea in one of them now.

All exactly the same no doubt.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Me? I think I fall right in the middle. I notice all the things that are wrong at the World..and I remember when it was "WHAT IT WAS" ...and I'm upset that the parks are in the state they are today....but fo right now? The value still outweighs what's wrong with the place. Bottom line? The mouse keeps getting my money every year and when I'm finally fed up to the point I can't take it anymore, I'll express my dissatisfaction with my wallet.

In the meantime Hatter I say to you: "Stay gold Ponyboy"

Yes, that's all the right attitude!

I dislike what the vandals have done to WDW. I hate it, with a vengeance. But either I go, or I don't go. And if I do go, I put on my rosy glasses and snort the pixie dust when I'm there. Life's too short and vacations too precious not to walk around WDW on little magic clouds.

Besides, there are people who would love to be there with me, or instead of me, I would feel ungrateful for being blessed enough to be there and then not be mindful of that.

 

[Zipadeelady]

All exactly the same no doubt.

Not a one is the same! Drives the husband nuts.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Whats wrong with the mugs??? I love my Disney mugs. All 9 of them. I happen to be having a spot of tea in one of them now.

I too have got a cupboard full of WDW mugs! I'm never more than an arms length removed from a cup of tea in one of them.

Other than that mugs have greatly increased in size over the years - which I am pretty neutral about - I notice little difference in the quality and attractiveness of the mugs. Some are silly and ugly, some are delightfully designed. As has always been the case. No decline here!