Hey you get no argument from me. That sounds wonderful but again it's a little like the old folks saying "when I was young". There is no way for me to experience those days, so don't think im crazy because I love the world ( not that you do). As you said before Disney is always changing so maybe in 20 years from now it will go back to some version of what you knew and enjoy. I'm equally glad i still feel the magic, I wouldn't want to go somewhere and constantly wish it was different. I still feel the magic, I still cry when i step onto main street. I just got back from a vacation with 5 20 something millenials. Im beyond happy that noone whined about how a ride wasn't a "E" ticket ride but instead simply had a good time on the ride.
Wishing you better times.
Many say that all the folks that had the bad judgment to be born years later then us are not crazy for loving the place. Even without the little things from the past, if any of us had made our first trip there this year, we would love it too and think it is great. Why? Because it is. Unfortunately, many see the past through distorted eyes. They remember only the good things and not the bad. Disney listened to the demands of many. They also promoted themselves and brain washed so many into thinking that they have to do things Disney's way (which is also defined as the most expensive) to the point that they were forced to schedule everything. Disney created that system and designed it as a way to make as much money as possible and it forces people to jump through hoops to achieve the goals that Disney set for them.
I remember a less stressful time, not necessarily a time where the actual things to see and do were better. What did exist was just easier to experience and way less stressful. I have done Disney basically the same way now that I did 35 years ago. I have done that in a way that many just don't want to do. They have convinced themselves or have been convinced that unless they pay the long dollar to "immerse" themselves in mouse juice, they cannot possibly enjoy themselves.
In my early years I had no financial choice but to do the parks the cheap way. I didn't stay onsite, I ate very few meals, with the exception of lunch, onsite. I showed up at rope and enjoyed the parks. I left at night and went back to comfortable hotels at one quarter of the price and ate at a variety of good restaurants at around a quarter of that price too. Then as I got older and made enough money to be able to pay Disney prices, it just never seemed worth it to me. I could see nothing that I gained by that special immersion and could save literally tens of thousands of dollars over the years. At the same time I could find no reason, no net gain for spending that much extra to get the same thing I got for what I paid. Might I have been to "cheap" to spend the money? Sure, maybe. But, I never had to ask myself if what I did spend was worth it. That greatly enhanced my enjoyment. But, having experienced both the old way and the new way I still see things that I feel worked better in the beginning before you had to spreadsheet your vacation.
The reality is that the attractions are shorter then before, but, technically the new ones are superior to the old stuff. The appearance of the parks is brighter and cleaner in a sense then it was back in the good old days. That is part of a cultural change, not necessarily the lack of concern from Disney, People are now slobs, more so then most of the people that were fortunate enough to be able to afford to go there were brought up to respect the property of others. I've always been interested in asking the people that complain about trash in the paths, how many of them picked up that trash and put it where belonged. There is an old saying that goes... If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. If you don't help keep the place clean and just say... where are the CM's, why aren't they picking this up then you are part of the problem. You many not have placed it there but you certainly played a huge roll in it staying there. CM's cannot be everyplace at once. But, let's blame Disney and the "budget" cuts.
Sorry for the rant here, but, it really is upsetting for me to listen to the whining when in many instances it is only being looked at from one perspective. Many remember the place through very young eyes as children. No one remembers things exactly like they were back then because our perspective was jaded. For those that can go back to where you were raised and look around. Remember how big the place seemed back then. How did it happen that it looks so small now? Because of youthful perspective and youthful memory when our attention span was a flash. So I try to enjoy what is there, not what isn't even though I occasionally think that some things could still be the same. For example the eating onsite situation. Know why it is like it is now? To make things better? No, it was because Disney decided that they wanted to be Inn Keepers. You basically imprison people in a location you have to have a lot more places to feed them and you have to be able to plan how many. There is an increase in the numbers of people that visit WDW, but, considering they added 3 more parks since the beginning, the actual voluntary usage of the restaurants has increased because the captive audience has no choice but to make reservations months ahead of actually needing them. That is where things got bad, the parks themselves are still great entertainment, but, the peripheral needs are what is making it more stressful.
