Another Recent Returnee, With Controversial Opinions

[Pooh88]

Um. Wow. Well, I think maybe Six Flags may be more your thing. If you are looking for thrill rides, WDW is NOT it; and it is not meant to be. As for the older rides, I think they remain because of the uproar it would cause to remove them. For every person like you who thinks Jungle Cruise should go, there is someone else out there who has fond memories and rides it every time. Over time I'm sure they will replace it, especially with Kilaminjaro Safaris out there in AK. However, If they can keep adding without subtracting they will. They have been updating little by little and I'm glad to see SSE finally getting a face lift.

What I disagree with you the most on however is the FOOD!!! My DH and I go almost every year mostly to eat. :slurp: Can't believe you had so many bad food experiences. Rainforest Cafe is nowhere near the quality of most Disney restaurants in the WS or many resorts. You must have had some REALLY bad luck or something....

 

[Empress Room]

I've found dozens of Detroit area restaurants and national chains that do a better job. This is just one man's opinion. No need to get all defensive.

PL: I am curious. What Detroit restaurants do you think do a better job than the likes of Jiko, Le Cellier, California Grill or Victoria & Albert's? In West Bloomfield, I'll give you The Lark on Farmington and Zinc on Orchard Lake - a nice bistro. The Sea Grille on Orchard Lake cannot compare to The Flying Fish on the Boardwalk. And the Rattlesnake downtown never disappoints, but it's no better than The California Grill. I do consider myself a bit of a "foodie," and I think that the high-end restaurants at WDW absolutely blow away most anything and everything around Detroit.

I don't think it's fair to compare a Boma buffet with a Cameron's of Birmingham steak house, but Yachtsman's and Le Cellier are comparable if not better - and Cameron's is a "chain" itself.

Inside the MK, none of the counter service or sit downs have great food - you are in a theme park - but the resort restaurants, Boardwalk and Downtown Disney are, IMHO, quite unique and noteworthy.

 

[Slipknot]

This attraction is new and unique, they just changed Alien Encounter to an Alien we all reconized.

Not really. It was new and unique when it was Alien Encounter. And it still does what the original attraction (AE) was closed for (scaring the crap out of little kids). :brick: :hammer:

 

[LenYJr]

I was thinking about this topic during my drive into work today and think I've got something to add to the discussion.

This summer will be my 6th visit to WDW. I only took one trip as a kid, all of the rest have been when I was an "adult".

I guess my response would be to know what you are looking for when you visit. If I wanted to go on thrilling, whiteknuckle rides, I could go to Six Flags Great Adventure or Dorney Park, which are both about an hour away from where I live.

When I go to Disney, I go for the overall experience of amazingly friendly and helpful staff, a wonderful homey atmosphere, and just the overall feeling that is part fun, part nostalgia and part you-can't-get-this-anywhere-else.

Just my $.02 worth

LenYJr

 

[Pooh88]

Well said EmpressRoom!

 

[k.hunter30]

I was thinking about this topic during my drive into work today and think I've got something to add to the discussion.

This summer will be my 6th visit to WDW. I only took one trip as a kid, all of the rest have been when I was an "adult".

I guess my response would be to know what you are looking for when you visit. If I wanted to go on thrilling, whiteknuckle rides, I could go to Six Flags Great Adventure or Dorney Park, which are both about an hour away from where I live.

When I go to Disney, I go for the overall experience of amazingly friendly and helpful staff, a wonderful homey atmosphere, and just the overall feeling that is part fun, part nostalgia and part you-can't-get-this-anywhere-else.

Just my $.02 worth

LenYJr

Exactly!

 

[JWG]

I was thinking about this topic during my drive into work today and think I've got something to add to the discussion.

This summer will be my 6th visit to WDW. I only took one trip as a kid, all of the rest have been when I was an "adult".

I guess my response would be to know what you are looking for when you visit. If I wanted to go on thrilling, whiteknuckle rides, I could go to Six Flags Great Adventure or Dorney Park, which are both about an hour away from where I live.

When I go to Disney, I go for the overall experience of amazingly friendly and helpful staff, a wonderful homey atmosphere, and just the overall feeling that is part fun, part nostalgia and part you-can't-get-this-anywhere-else.

Just my $.02 worth

LenYJr

:sohappy: :sohappy:

Exactly. Magical everytime I visit.
Thought, let me say, after having done the Disney Cruise a couple of times, you really do notice the crowds and cost a bit more. A cruise being all inclusive masks the fees you pay daily in the parks. The crowds are always what ruins my experience - not Disney. Grumpy, impatient, inconsiderate guests who think they're more important than those around them. That's the only issue I've ever encountered.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Opinions are like bottoms, weve all got one, but they are all prone to emitting poo.

Controversy or attention seeking, its all about opinion

By the way I think WDW has gone down hill fast, and I think there should be a boycott from mid August.

 

[JWG]

By the way I think WDW has gone down hill fast, and I think there should be a boycott from mid August.

No no, start sooner for more immediate action. I think 60 days prep leading into a post July 4th boycott is more appropriate. I don't want to mess with peoples' holiday plans. But come July 9 on - I think you're right, every stay away! :animwink:

I will, of course, stop over toward the end of July just to be sure the affects are being felt.

 

[happymom52003]

With daily advances in science and technology, do you think your grandkids and great grandkids are gonna come back for POTC and the Haunted mansion 40 - 50 years from now?

Yes....I would bet money on it. Because these rides are classics. Just like "Snow White" and the other older animated Disney films are classics. My kids enjoy watching these older films just as much as the newer ones such as "Cars" and "The Incredibles". There is a place for old and new, and I think Disney recognizes this. Think about all of the cool rides that are there now that were not there when you were a kid (EE,MS, and Soarin just to name a few). I am quite certain that as the years go by, Disney will contine to add/update attractions. But as many previous posters have pointed out, it is the "classics" at Disney that play a large part in the magical feeling you get when you are there, and THAT is what keeps people coming back, and that is what sets Disney apart from other theme parks, in my opinion. My kids are making magical memories each time we go....and it is these memories that will make them want to bring their own children someday...NOT whatever advancments have been made. It is often the simple things in life that are most enjoyable.

 

[SallyfromDE]

I would love to. In fact I considered it, but then I remember reading here or somewhere that it is fruitless to try and make suggestions to corporate Disney.

Does anyone have an address I could use? I would love for them to hear from someone other than those that think everything is great forever and relate change to "blasphemy."

Mom likes to play the lottery, and she's always told us that you can't win if you don't play. So, you don't know how fruitless it is to try, unless you actually do it. I know we'd all like to know what kind of response you get.

Meg Gilbert Crofton (she replaced Al Weiss)
WDW Resorts
Box 10,000
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Sorry, I don't have the zip code.

 

[kverdon]

Hmm, I suppose alot is "diffent strokes for different folks" Just a few examples, we love the food at WDW and have eaten at many of the places mentioned. Peter Pan may be a bit long in the tooth but my wife LOVES it and when we took her 8 and 11 yr old nephews a few years ago, it was the first ride they absolutely begged to ride again. Some of the rides may be a bit old but the Disney Magic goes along way to keep them entertaining. Changes to the parks will come, they are happening now, they are just evolutionary not revolutionary and I would not have it any other way.

Kevin

 

[NadieMasK2]

Yes my kids and grandkids would still go. It's a magical place where you can leave all your cares behind. After several trips for them it never gets old, it's not all about thrill rides. Kids learn their behavior from their parents, and my kids see how much joy WDW brings to me and my husband. Now, if I spent the whole time examining each ride with a critical eye and not allowing myself to feel the magic, who knows how they would feel.

As someone already said, when you really truly love going to a place, be it any vacation spot in the world, I would expect to hear warm and fuzzy comments. Perhaps you have outgrown WDW if you don't feel the magic anymore.

 

[PLTram]

Which AA did you see dust coming from? GMR AAs may be outdated, but the Witch is one of the most advanced AAs ever (she is only operating at 34% of her full capacity). I worked at GMR for over a year and I never saw any dust. :lookaroun Then again, the whole ride (scenes, props, AAs) is cleaned/dusted every night.

I of course was speaking of figurative dust. I saw not one spec of literal dust on my ride. Nice work!

And if the witch is only working at 34%, then it is exactly this witholding of 64% of the magic that I am critical of.

 

[fizzle75]

You stick with IOA and the Water Parks - it'll keep the lines shorter for those of us that appreciate and enjoy the place

My thoughts exactly!

 

[PLTram]

Yes....I would bet money on it. Because these rides are classics. Just like "Snow White" and the other older animated Disney films are classics. My kids enjoy watching these older films just as much as the newer ones such as "Cars" and "The Incredibles".

I actually find the animated (hand drawn) cartoons of old to be superior to the new (hand drawn) cartoons. I think this is not necessarily a subjective argument as they actually used more frames per second of film in the olden days, or something of the sort. i.e. their superiority is measurable.

And maybe the kids in the year 2080, will still be fascinated by the 1960's technology of POTC, though I doubt it, personally. To rehash some of my earlier statements, it would be as if Walt and company presented some 1920s ride technology at the 1964 World's Fair. I don't think too many people would be that impressed, but then again, I've been wrong in the past.

 

[Slipknot]

I of course was speaking of figurative dust. I saw not one spec of literal dust on my ride. Nice work!

And if the witch is only working at 34%, then it is exactly this witholding of 64% of the magic that I am critical of.

I was being sarcastic about the dust. :wave: Just kind of a funny way of saying old since there are a lot of older attractions with older AAs than GMR... :shrug:

Why mess with a good thing (witch's capacity) if it already does its job well?

 

[Slipknot]

And maybe the kids in the year 2080, will still be fascinated by the 1960's technology of POTC, though I doubt it, personally. To rehash some of my earlier statements, it would be as if Walt and company presented some 1920s ride technology at the 1964 World's Fair. I don't think too many people would be that impressed, but then again, I've been wrong in the past.

Then again, that is why they updated some of the PotC scenes with Jack AAs. Haunted Mansion is due for a rehab this summer. One can only hope that it gets some updated effects like DL or even better effects. Also, Spaceship Earth is getting a rehab as well with some updates. Who's to say that in the year 2080 any attraction won't get any more rehabs to update them for the new generations?

 

[happymom52003]

And maybe the kids in the year 2080, will still be fascinated by the 1960's technology of POTC, though I doubt it, personally.
The technology is not what fascinates my son....it is the experience. I am sure he is just as fascinated as the kids who saw potc when it was new and cutting edge. I do not think kids in the future will be any different. Heck, give my son the choice bewteen a cardboard box and a new high tech toy and he would probably choose the cardboard box because he likes to use his imagination. That is just the human nature of children.

 

[happymom52003]

To rehash some of my earlier statements, it would be as if Walt and company presented some 1920s ride technology at the 1964 World's Fair. I don't think too many people would be that impressed, but then again, I've been wrong in the past.

I do not understand this comparison because potc and hm are older rides...they are not being presented as new.
I think that people now and in the future can appreciate the technology in the potc for the fact that is WAS cutting edge at the time it was presented.