Disney slowly losing our dollars.

[willtravel]

May I ask, how often do you go to WDW?

 

[itsbetsyh]

my daughter is 5 so we are totally disney people right now. i refuse to go to SeaWorld for personal reasons and have never had any interest in Universal although at some point I'm sure we will go. We will definitely continue to throw lots of money at Disney for the next couple years at least.

 

[draybook]

I hope there are lots, it will make the parks less crowded for the people that don't mind higher prices. Frankly I wish they would double prices and eliminate AP tickets. Imagine a visit with 25-40% fewer people... would be like heaven.

If you double the prices I'd bet you'd see more like 70-80% less people, which in turn would shutter the whole place.

 

[ddbowdoin]

Something jumped out at me recently, a small but minor thing but bears mentioning.

Anyone remember when the Resorts would have free lemonade and cookies out in the lobby around check in time?

How much can that possibly cost? A couple thousand a month, at most? Its been gone at least ten years if I recall correctly and is fairly standard at other hotels around the country that are not classified in the Deluxe/upscale category.

1 in 1,900,000,000,000,000,000,000 people are allergic to a protein located in a certain seed of lemonade, as a result the rest of lose out on lemonaid.

As for cookies, think about it... guests come in, "oh cookies, I'd love one"... three seconds later a question is directed to a manger "um, are these cookies made with organic and fair trade cocoa beans? Are they gluten free?"

lol

 

[ddbowdoin]

I hope there are lots, it will make the parks less crowded for the people that don't mind higher prices. Frankly I wish they would double prices and eliminate AP tickets. Imagine a visit with 25-40% fewer people... would be like heaven.

heaven!

 

[cheezbat]

my daughter is 5 so we are totally disney people right now. i refuse to go to SeaWorld for personal reasons and have never had any interest in Universal although at some point I'm sure we will go. We will definitely continue to throw lots of money at Disney for the next couple years at least.

That's the way my family was...of course back then Disney was higher quality than today's overinflated priced product.
Lucky for me, my family tried out Universal, Sea World, and Busch, and we realized that there is so much more to Florida than just Disney.

 

[Skippy's Pal]

1 in 1,900,000,000,000,000,000,000 people are allergic to a protein located in a certain seed of lemonade, as a result the rest of lose out on lemonaid.

As for cookies, think about it... guests come in, "oh cookies, I'd love one"... three seconds later a question is directed to a manger "um, are these cookies made with organic and fair trade cocoa beans? Are they gluten free?"

lol

What a sad -- and totally accurate -- commentary on our times.

 

[SherlockWayne]

you do realize he is CEO of The Walt Disney Corporation...not just Disney parks.

If the leader of the free world, literally the man with the power to end the world if he so chose makes a salary of 400K, I have a hard time justifying 50 million dollars. I have no problem with people making money off their own work. If someone earns royalties on a book or film, absolutely, you earned that money.

The President makes all his money in either the house or the senate.. Barry's net worth is high, very high.

I have no problem with people making money off their own work

His job is to provide a positive return for his investors, which he continues to do, hence... yes, he does his job.

Trust me, I realize he's the CEO of the entire company, as do all of the folks laid off this year despite record profits. As this is a site dedicated to WDW, I chose to focus predominantly on the parks and resorts segment, but these concepts are not restricted to just WDP&R.

President Obama, from the information I've found, has a net worth of about 12 million dollars, roughly a fourth of what Bob makes in a year. He also earned most of that net worth from the sale of books he's written, what I refer to as "his own work". Bob, and CEOs/top executives like him make these amounts of money only because the people who actually keep the company running make so little. He makes money based solely on what other people do. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but I think in the recent past, this concept is being forgotten and/or ignored under a sense of executive entitlement. I don't even have a problem with the top executive of a company making a large salary, but there is a point when it's too much. How can our economy ever get back on track if all of the money is in the hands of those who accumulate and hoard?

The problem I see is that when the people receiving the benefits get to determine those benefits, there is no oversight, and no limits. I also see this as a collective passing of responsibility. Both of my Grandfathers, one of my Grandmothers and my dad worked their entire careers with one company. There was a degree of loyalty, not only from them to the company, but from the company to them. Today's attitude is, no, we don't have to pay a living wage, they can get another job with someone else, it's someone else's problem, or its the government's job to pick up the slack, but god forbid if we have to pay for it!

Walt Disney was a firm believer that American free enterprise could solve humanity's biggest problems. I think that may be true, but it takes motivation and will. Modern private industry lacks both, and there's no sign they'll ever have either. Henry Ford was famous for compensating his workers enough that they could afford the products they make. I wonder how many parks cast members could afford a Disney vacation, if they didn't have discounts. Even with them, I'd be curious to see how many could ever afford to stay at the Poly or AK lodge.

I wonder how Walt would react to polls that say only 14% of Americans feel today's children will be better off than their parents? Personally, having grown up idolizing the optimism of Walt, I don't find it enraging or depressing, just very disappointing.

 

[ddbowdoin]

Trust me, I realize he's the CEO of the entire company, as do all of the folks laid off this year despite record profits. As this is a site dedicated to WDW, I chose to focus predominantly on the parks and resorts segment, but these concepts are not restricted to just WDP&R.

President Obama, from the information I've found, has a net worth of about 12 million dollars, roughly a fourth of what Bob makes in a year. He also earned most of that net worth from the sale of books he's written, what I refer to as "his own work". Bob, and CEOs/top executives like him make these amounts of money only because the people who actually keep the company running make so little. He makes money based solely on what other people do. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but I think in the recent past, this concept is being forgotten and/or ignored under a sense of executive entitlement. I don't even have a problem with the top executive of a company making a large salary, but there is a point when it's too much. How can our economy ever get back on track if all of the money is in the hands of those who accumulate and hoard?

The problem I see is that when the people receiving the benefits get to determine those benefits, there is no oversight, and no limits. I also see this as a collective passing of responsibility. Both of my Grandfathers, one of my Grandmothers and my dad worked their entire careers with one company. There was a degree of loyalty, not only from them to the company, but from the company to them. Today's attitude is, no, we don't have to pay a living wage, they can get another job with someone else, it's someone else's problem, or its the government's job to pick up the slack, but god forbid if we have to pay for it!

Walt Disney was a firm believer that American free enterprise could solve humanity's biggest problems. I think that may be true, but it takes motivation and will. Modern private industry lacks both, and there's no sign they'll ever have either. Henry Ford was famous for compensating his workers enough that they could afford the products they make. I wonder how many parks cast members could afford a Disney vacation, if they didn't have discounts. Even with them, I'd be curious to see how many could ever afford to stay at the Poly or AK lodge.

I wonder how Walt would react to polls that say only 14% of Americans feel today's children will be better off than their parents? Personally, having grown up idolizing the optimism of Walt, I don't find it enraging or depressing, just very disappointing.

an incredibly simplistic and emotional response to economic reality...

I hate to break it to you, but wealth has always remained in the hands of select few. We are compensated for our skill sets with wages that are bearable in the free market.

Big Iger does exactly what he is supposed to do, he maintains and operates a profitable business for his shareholders, creditors, and investors. The concept of a living wage is now almost borderline absurd, why? Because our society has expanded to the point where cable TV is considered part of a standard living wage. The CM's of Disney are wonderful people, but a majority of their roles are low skilled labor. That's not my personal opinion or a testament to their work ethic, it simply is what it is. The same argument you're making can be applied to every industry. The guy pumping gas is making minimum wage while Exxon turns record profits.

The system that we have is what made America a great economic Titan... our free market creates incentives to innovate, expand, and discover new technologies, products, and methods of industry. There is a reason why people fly here from all over the world to take part in the medical discoveries American corporations have given us as a society. A part of all innovation is the incentive for profit, we can't expect every industry to invest millions upon millions into R&D to benefit society... they aren't all John Hammond, life isn't a movie. "We can have a coupon day... says the bloodsucking lawyer".

 

[ddbowdoin]

Trust me, I realize he's the CEO of the entire company, as do all of the folks laid off this year despite record profits. As this is a site dedicated to WDW, I chose to focus predominantly on the parks and resorts segment, but these concepts are not restricted to just WDP&R.

President Obama, from the information I've found, has a net worth of about 12 million dollars, roughly a fourth of what Bob makes in a year. He also earned most of that net worth from the sale of books he's written, what I refer to as "his own work". Bob, and CEOs/top executives like him make these amounts of money only because the people who actually keep the company running make so little. He makes money based solely on what other people do. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but I think in the recent past, this concept is being forgotten and/or ignored under a sense of executive entitlement. I don't even have a problem with the top executive of a company making a large salary, but there is a point when it's too much. How can our economy ever get back on track if all of the money is in the hands of those who accumulate and hoard?

The problem I see is that when the people receiving the benefits get to determine those benefits, there is no oversight, and no limits. I also see this as a collective passing of responsibility. Both of my Grandfathers, one of my Grandmothers and my dad worked their entire careers with one company. There was a degree of loyalty, not only from them to the company, but from the company to them. Today's attitude is, no, we don't have to pay a living wage, they can get another job with someone else, it's someone else's problem, or its the government's job to pick up the slack, but god forbid if we have to pay for it!

Walt Disney was a firm believer that American free enterprise could solve humanity's biggest problems. I think that may be true, but it takes motivation and will. Modern private industry lacks both, and there's no sign they'll ever have either. Henry Ford was famous for compensating his workers enough that they could afford the products they make. I wonder how many parks cast members could afford a Disney vacation, if they didn't have discounts. Even with them, I'd be curious to see how many could ever afford to stay at the Poly or AK lodge.

I wonder how Walt would react to polls that say only 14% of Americans feel today's children will be better off than their parents? Personally, having grown up idolizing the optimism of Walt, I don't find it enraging or depressing, just very disappointing.

also... Walt Disney, our beloved friend, was notoriously anti-labor and anti-Union. If we take off the rose colored bi-focals he wasn't a very kind businessman.

 

[SherlockWayne]

an incredibly simplistic and emotional response to economic reality...

I hate to break it to you, but wealth has always remained in the hands of select few. We are compensated for our skill sets with wages that are bearable in the free market.

Big Iger does exactly what he is supposed to do, he maintains and operates a profitable business for his shareholders, creditors, and investors. The concept of a living wage is now almost borderline absurd, why? Because our society has expanded to the point where cable TV is considered part of a standard living wage. The CM's of Disney are wonderful people, but a majority of their roles are low skilled labor. That's not my personal opinion or a testament to their work ethic, it simply is what it is. The same argument you're making can be applied to every industry. The guy pumping gas is making minimum wage while Exxon turns record profits.

The system that we have is what made America a great economic Titan... our free market creates incentives to innovate, expand, and discover new technologies, products, and methods of industry. There is a reason why people fly here from all over the world to take part in the medical discoveries American corporations have given us as a society. A part of all innovation is the incentive for profit, we can't expect every industry to invest millions upon millions into R&D to benefit society... they aren't all John Hammond, life isn't a movie. "We can have a coupon day... says the bloodsucking lawyer".

I can agree with parts of what you've expressed, but not all of it. First, the system we have did make us a Titan, but it is also turning us into a Titanic. The countries with the strongest growing economies are building the middle class, while we've elected to destroy it. Wealth has always been in the hands of a select few, but as a few around this forum have pointed out, the worker-to-CEO pay ratio is growing at an alarming rate. By the way, the low pay at Disney does not just extend to the "low skilled" positions. There are management, information technology, and administrative positions, some of which require 4 year degrees or above that are still paying under 25K annually. Meanwhile, the cost of living, even without luxuries like cable and Internet (which incidentally is quickly becoming increasingly classified as a basic necessity) is ever increasing.

This isn't an indictment solely on Disney, although they are gaining a notorious reputation for it, for which I feel they should be embarrassed.

There is nothing wrong with profiting from innovation or quality, but I strongly feel the profits should benefit all who contribute to its success, not just the figurehead in a cushy office. The Disney Parks can live without Iger, they can't live without their cast. I wish more people could understand that.

 

[SherlockWayne]

also... Walt Disney, our beloved friend, was notoriously anti-labor and anti-Union. If we take off the rose colored bi-focals he wasn't a very kind businessman.

I'm not especially fond of most unions either, doesn't mean I inherently have to be ok with poverty.

 

[SherlockWayne]

an incredibly simplistic and emotional response to economic reality...

I hate to break it to you, but wealth has always remained in the hands of select few. We are compensated for our skill sets with wages that are bearable in the free market.

Big Iger does exactly what he is supposed to do, he maintains and operates a profitable business for his shareholders, creditors, and investors. The concept of a living wage is now almost borderline absurd, why? Because our society has expanded to the point where cable TV is considered part of a standard living wage. The CM's of Disney are wonderful people, but a majority of their roles are low skilled labor. That's not my personal opinion or a testament to their work ethic, it simply is what it is. The same argument you're making can be applied to every industry. The guy pumping gas is making minimum wage while Exxon turns record profits.

The system that we have is what made America a great economic Titan... our free market creates incentives to innovate, expand, and discover new technologies, products, and methods of industry. There is a reason why people fly here from all over the world to take part in the medical discoveries American corporations have given us as a society. A part of all innovation is the incentive for profit, we can't expect every industry to invest millions upon millions into R&D to benefit society... they aren't all John Hammond, life isn't a movie. "We can have a coupon day... says the bloodsucking lawyer".

To be fair, I acknowledge there's nothing I can say to change your mind, just as there's very little you could say to change mine. That's not the point. I am passionate about things like this, my perspective is probably very different from yours. I was brought up,to believe hard work and an education allowed people to make something of themselves, only to find out harshly that its not the case anymore, at least not for those who start with nothing.

The biggest challenge I pose is for someone to find a way to explain to me how the CEOs job, in any industry, is 2800 times (difference between his earnings and a 9.00hr full time cast member) more challenging and requires 2800 the skill. I'm rational and I consider myself a reasonable person, I'd be interest to hear a rationale for this.

 

[Hot Lava]

This is correct. It was just on Chuggington.

LOL! I laugh at this, mostly b/c I completely identify. And I certainly have learned a ton from Dinosaur Train. Mostly pronunciations. Even though we have a book with pronunciations, I was still mispronouncing Giganotosaurus.