Back in the day...

STITCHGEFAN

STITCHGEFAN

Member
Original Poster
These boards are heaving with comments referring to 'the good old days' or something similar.

My question to you all is... What made Disney that much more magical in its heyday in comparison to now?
 
Tom

Tom

Beta Return
This thread Wil be fun....but I'll start it off with generalizations.

Lots of things were different, and a lot has to do with the decline in the quality of society. People (guests) are less behaved, less appreciative and more demanding than ever.

Characters used to roam, but now they're limited and have cattle herds lined up.

Nothing was cut for the sake of money. If guests enjoyed something, Disney spent top dollar to make it incredible.

There was no dining plan or free dining. Food wasn't homoginized and you could walk up to any full service, any time.

I could go on but I'll let everyone else have a turn.
 
xdan0920

xdan0920

Think for yourselfer
Tom said:
This thread Wil be fun....but I'll start it off with generalizations.

Lots of things were different, and a lot has to do with the decline in the quality of society. People (guests) are less behaved, less appreciative and more demanding than ever.

Characters used to roam, but now they're limited and have cattle herds lined up.

Nothing was cut for the sake of money. If guests enjoyed something, Disney spent top dollar to make it incredible.

There was no dining plan or free dining. Food wasn't homoginized and you could walk up to any full service, any time.

I could go on but I'll let everyone else have a turn.
Click to expand...

I'll add to this.

There has been a general dumbing down in the parks, especially in E.P.C.O.T. There used to be a respect for guest intelligence. Now, things seem to be designed more for the lowest common denominator. That's how we wind up with things like an unfinished Spaceship earth descent, and toys in the HM queue.
 
graphite1326

graphite1326

Well-Known Member
The first time I went was in 1978. I was 24 and thought it was boring. Swore I would never go back. There are a couple of things I wish were back like AE at Tomorrowland. But, for the most part I like it just fine as it is today.
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
Tom said:
This thread Wil be fun....but I'll start it off with generalizations.

Lots of things were different, and a lot has to do with the decline in the quality of society. People (guests) are less behaved, less appreciative and more demanding than ever.
Click to expand...
I would have to say that this is correct.


Characters used to roam, but now they're limited and have cattle herds lined up.
Click to expand...
This was due to guest demand. Everyone wanted that picture wit Mickey. Disney gave them what they asked for.

Nothing was cut for the sake of money. If guests enjoyed something, Disney spent top dollar to make it incredible.
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It might be a little more in your face now, but money has always been a factor in which attractions stayed open or got closed.

There was no dining plan or free dining. Food wasn't homoginized and you could walk up to any full service, any time.
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Disney has had some sort of a dining plan as far back as the late 80's to early 90's, it just was not publicized or used as a promotion. There was also a good stretch in the 70's-80's where the food at WDW was incredibly bad as a rule. QS was lousy hot dogs, hamburgers and pizza. You can now get a roasted beet and goat cheese salad or oak grilled fish from a quick service location. I am not saying that the current version of the DDP has not have an effect on the food at Disney, but there were times when it was much, much worse.
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
Tom said:
And this. We get wrapped up in finding the negative, even if it doesn't exist.

I miss the old days, but overall the place is still magical for me.
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Same here. When I look back at all of the good memories I have of Disney I find a consistent theme. The memories are not about the rides, the shows, the landscaping, what color Mousegears was painted or any of that. It has always been the cast members and our friends that make the memories and that is still as good as ever.
 
Cmdr_Crimson

Cmdr_Crimson

Well-Known Member
The way the parks were marketed
There was No Disney Jr or really crappy Actors mulling up the "Magic" that was Disney
There was No One Disney Bullspit
Movies opened like this...
walt-disney.png

NOT THIS!!
disneynew.jpg


There was original ideas for attractions
Holiday Parades were great compared to the recent versions and it was the only way to know what was new at the parks
 
MaxsDad

MaxsDad

Well-Known Member
I keep going back, so it can't be all that bad. Perhaps it is just because we go so much, and think about it so much. How would riding Small World 20 times compare to riding Soarin 20 times? Has this aspect really changed?

If you watched the same magician do the same magic trick 20 times, would it remain amazing to you? Would you find fault in later attempts? Would you eventually figure out how they do it and loose the wonder of it all?

I feel the experience is getting more and more ... programmed. Magic is spontaneous and unexpected. A 60 day ride reservation is not magical. It is a foreseen, expectation. Magic surprises you. What is surprising about FP+, ADR's, reserved viewing areas, Dining PLANS, etc.? I will not say technology and magic are mutually exclusive, but in the way WDW is using them, they might as well be. Tech could be used to make magic, but instead it seems to be used to take it away.

I think a key to bringing the magic back is back-staged-planned spontaneity. Also, CM empowerment. Year of a million dreams dream squads are the closest I have seen in a while.
 
75disney

75disney

Well-Known Member
For me, I think it was the size of the resort. For most of the 1980s, there were only two parks, a few hotels, and the Marketplace. The resort seemed more intimate. You could spend a few days there and really see everything. Disney could use their money to focus on the little details and to go over the top. As the resort expanded, the money and attention needed to be spread out more. I also think that the corporation has gotten away from the "What would Walt do?" mentality. I also feel that I personally don't "stop and smell the roses as much" because I am racing to make the most of all the money that I am spending to be there. Don't get me wrong, I still love WDW and I eagerly await each new development, but I do miss the old days. Sometimes, bigger isn't always better (could I have used more cliches in this message?).
 
DisneyPrincess5

DisneyPrincess5

Well-Known Member
Oh boy it's a long list. To @Tom point, people were just better a few decades ago, cheaper, less crowds, less marketing, more secrets, more discovery, less fighting for a vacation. It's great now, but man was it ever great 10-20 years ago.
 
Tom

Tom

Beta Return
marni1971 said:
If you didn't experience it you wouldn't get it.

Probably.
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This really is true. It's hard to describe it in words. And not everyone who visited "back then" sees it any differently now. But some of us do.

I come back to the first thing I said in my first response....the guests have contributed significantly to the lessening of the magic. It can make for a less than awesome experience when you have to be around thousands of people who never learned how to behave in public. And it makes it really hard to maintain a place when the customers are constantly tearing it up.
 

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