Disney World can Kiss my grits...

[eliza61nyc]

Yes they will but the desire to repeatedly go back to WDW may not be there as there are so many other different vacations and activities they are doing ---time will tell

I think that will be a big part of it. when I was a kid, we did one family vacation and options were a lot smaller. for instance, when I was a youngin, cruising was definitely for the AARP crowd. NOW?? every single cruise line except maybe Viking caters to the nickelodeon set. flying was crazy expensive prior to deregulation now with spirit and frontier you really can get to somewhere fun cheaply (lol of course you'll be delayed 20 hours but that's another story).

My pretend adults still get mad if I go to wdw without them, lol now that may also have something to do with the fact that they eat better when I'm picking up the tab (they know I don't do fast food) but my upcoming trip is with 3 20 somethings that seem to have kept their love of the mouse BUT we'll see if that continues when they start having to pick up more and more of the tab.

 

[LaughingGravy]

Being a huge fan of Disney and other amusement parks, to the original OP, you may really enjoy some focus on other parks with historical attractions, such as Kennywood, Knoebels, Lakeside in Colorado, Playland in NY, and even Coney Island. I don't know where you are from, but pretty much every region of the country has something worth visiting along the same lines. Of course, it's not Disney. But, it's certainly less expensive, and there's also a lot of really good and fun food out there at those places.

Once WDW stuck the Magic Carpet Spinner in Adventureland and also pretty much necessitated booking fastpasses months before arrival, it started to lose its charm. For us, the parking fee for on site guests was the last straw for staying on site in Florida.

A lot of the hot events now are also days when new merchandise is being put out on shelves. That's just silly.

Taking down World of Motion and treating Epcot they way they have also put a drain on any enthusiasm. They are trying to make up for it now, but I can already tell it's going to come off "cheap".
Can Test Track be any more uninspiring? Oh boy, 65 mph for a brief bit. Didn't I do at least 20% more than that driving here at one point for longer than the whole attraction lasts with the added thrill of a potentially bad situation?

There's no whimsy that used to be. Watch a video of World of Motion or what used to be in the original incarnation of Universe of Energy (Martins Vids).

Things change. That's one reason we never bought into DVC. It was right there in the open that the perks included could be taken away or reduced at any time, yet the maintenance fees would of course go up at no definitive "not to exceed" rate or number. Oh and that we would always still need to buy park admission. Boating on the lakes except for pontoon boats now only coming back is also history. The resorts are hardly resorts anymore. They are now places to sleep with Disney names they 'reinvent' every few years to justify cost, while also disrupting the guest experience with said renovations. There are off site hotels with better resort amenities. Add to that the use it or lose it aspect of using points without getting someone else involved to possibly resell or rent points. The value just wasn't there for us.

For the past 7 years, DLR has been the place to go for us re: Disney Parks. It's a bunch more expensive to get there from NJ, but there's more in a smaller place, so time is better spent and with better weather.

Once this covid thing gets under control, we may save up to go to Tokyo DL, which definitely has the feel of old WDW.

 

[LaughingGravy]

I think that will be a big part of it. when I was a kid, we did one family vacation and options were a lot smaller. for instance, when I was a youngin, cruising was definitely for the AARP crowd. NOW?? every single cruise line except maybe Viking caters to the nickelodeon set. flying was crazy expensive prior to deregulation now with spirit and frontier you really can get to somewhere fun cheaply (lol of course you'll be delayed 20 hours but that's another story).

My pretend adults still get mad if I go to wdw without them, lol now that may also have something to do with the fact that they eat better when I'm picking up the tab (they know I don't do fast food) but my upcoming trip is with 3 20 somethings that seem to have kept their love of the mouse BUT we'll see if that continues when they start having to pick up more and more of the tab.

Holland America Cruises are also for the older set, FYI. But, they do formal nights nicely. On our honeymoon, we were clearly the youngest on the ship.

 

[SteveAZee]

Oh I don't think it's a slippery slope at all. Look at folks here. Some posters are living off of memories from 20-30 years ago. Still talking about how great Disney was in the 80's and still going even though their last 3-4 trips were lousy
At what point do the complaints ring hollow??

I think there's an intellectual response and there's an emotional response to Disney. Those two things are at odds with the current Disney leadership and current policies. That dissonance is frustrating and angering.

 

[Number_6]

I started reading through this post, and after about two pages, I stopped so I could go ahead and give my own thoughts. I'm in my mid-40s. The first time I went to WDW was when there was only Magic Kingdom. Now, I don't recall much from that trip, but based on the time it would have been, it was back when every attraction at WDW was assigned a ticket value and you had to purchase ticket books, which allowed you onto attractions. That whole calling a ride an 'E-Ticket' was because those were the highest value tickets and used for the best attractions (Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, etc). You had to buy enough ticket books for everyone in your party to be able to get to go on the rides you wanted to. So yeah, pay money for tickets because no-ticket, no-ride. If you loved it and wanted to go on it again, go buy more tickets.

Midway through 1981, they stopped that and started selling passport tickets that were all-inclusive, so the standard park admission tickets that everyone is now used to. Every vacation I had with my family growing up, that's what we were buying. You know what they didn't have on any of those trips when I was growing up? Fastpass. That didn't get introduced until the late 90s, and by then, I was an adult and within a few years after that, I lost both of my parents.

The first time I got to take my own wife and kids down there, Fastpass existed and it was a really cool option to have. I loved it, but as you could just get the one at a time, we were still waiting in line for a lot of the attractions we went on. And that was fine, because the queue areas for those attractions are part of the attraction itself, and often times well worth the wait.

So now we're seeing Genie+, and they are charging people for the 'Lightning Lane,' instead of a Fastpass. So I'm probably just going to end up waiting in line for all of the attractions, instead of having a couple that I bypass a long wait. I'm still going to be in a place that I love, most likely having a good time with my family and making more memories. Enjoying the opportunity to go on attractions that I've loved since my earliest visits, while also getting to enjoy new experiences on attractions I've never had the opportunity to ride. Because Genie+ isn't taking away my ability to get onto the attractions, it's just saying that if I want the privilege of bypassing the main queue, then I'm going to have to pay to do it. And honestly, I'll choose not to pay it, and still end up enjoying myself while there.

 

[Chet Dakota]

I actually did this with the "original" Charlotte Hornets after they drafted J.R. Reid around 1990 or 91, maybe. I didn't have much, maybe two t-shirts, a hat and a keychain, but I did box it all up and sent to c/o their GM at the time.

 

[ppete1975]

with the announcement of the new Disney GREEDY... and the end of the Magical express and all the rest of the End of the Mickey Mouse Club rules and learning to be fair , tell the truth and Every one is equal, .. I just want to know.. HOW DO I RETURN IT ALL.. All my shirts.. My Hats. My Pins... and more importantly my feelings.. .because Now its all a LIE.. and When Walt said that there will "always be a dime coffee at Disney land,,, " I now see that this Dream is over.. that Guess what it was JUST MY IMAGINATION.. and Now the truth has come out.. Disney is not for me and YOU.. its just for the élite. the upper middle class and the ultra Rich.. that when I now dream upon a star.. MY CHECKBOOK MUST BE INVOLVED..
so Kids. Tell me .. where to send my boxes full of LIES.. OF STUFF.. that I have been sold on for 65 years.. . That Annette , and Bobby and Jimmy all weren't there to teach me how to be a good person.. they were there to COLLECT MY MONEY.. and Now they want the BIG PAY OFF...Give me an address.. a person's name.. a place to GIVE ALL THE LIES BACK.. Because Disney now is asking for BLOOD MONEY and they want to squeeze the last dime out of me and YOU.. They had a bad year and now its time , that THEY WANT IT ALL BACK MANY TIMES OVER. and then they are going TO TELL ME TO SHOVE OFF.. because I don't qualify to go to their establishment any more.. WHY .. because I don't have enough money to go there.. WALT AND HIS IDEAS ARE DEAD.. and NOW ITS GREEDSVILLE ...until they find out that the poor schmuck like me . Kept the doors open.. that my minimal spending really got us from a orange grove and a swamp to HERE TODAY.. that all of us collectively , bought in and paid out.. and now we are NO LONGER NEEDED OR ACCORDING TO THE BEAN COUNTERS WANTED>

so GIve me an address.. and then I ask that YOU JOIN ME>. and BOX IT ALL UP AND SEND IT ALL BACK TO THEM.. Pile it on the doorstep and let them CHOKE ON IT>. and tell them that they had better enjoy it.. CUZ IT S THE LAST DIME THEY ARE GETTING FROM ALL OF US...

DISNEY KISS MY GRITS!!!!

If youve been lied to for 65 years you might want to calm down. Not good for your blood pressure

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Being a huge fan of Disney and other amusement parks, to the original OP, you may really enjoy some focus on other parks with historical attractions, such as Kennywood, Knoebels, Lakeside in Colorado, Playland in NY, and even Coney Island. I don't know where you are from, but pretty much every region of the country has something worth visiting along the same lines. Of course, it's not Disney. But, it's certainly less expensive, and there's also a lot of really good and fun food out there at those places.

Once WDW stuck the Magic Carpet Spinner in Adventureland and also pretty much necessitated booking fastpasses months before arrival, it started to lose its charm. For us, the parking fee for on site guests was the last straw for staying on site in Florida.

A lot of the hot events now are also days when new merchandise is being put out on shelves. That's just silly.

Taking down World of Motion and treating Epcot they way they have also put a drain on any enthusiasm. They are trying to make up for it now, but I can already tell it's going to come off "cheap".
Can Test Track be any more uninspiring? Oh boy, 65 mph for a brief bit. Didn't I do at least 20% more than that driving here at one point for longer than the whole attraction lasts with the added thrill of a potentially bad situation?

There's no whimsy that used to be. Watch a video of World of Motion or what used to be in the original incarnation of Universe of Energy (Martins Vids).

Things change. That's one reason we never bought into DVC. It was right there in the open that the perks included could be taken away or reduced at any time, yet the maintenance fees would of course go up at no definitive "not to exceed" rate or number. Oh and that we would always still need to buy park admission. Boating on the lakes except for pontoon boats now only coming back is also history. The resorts are hardly resorts anymore. They are now places to sleep with Disney names they 'reinvent' every few years to justify cost, while also disrupting the guest experience with said renovations. There are off site hotels with better resort amenities. Add to that the use it or lose it aspect of using points without getting someone else involved to possibly resell or rent points. The value just wasn't there for us.

For the past 7 years, DLR has been the place to go for us re: Disney Parks. It's a bunch more expensive to get there from NJ, but there's more in a smaller place, so time is better spent and with better weather.

Once this covid thing gets under control, we may save up to go to Tokyo DL, which definitely has the feel of old WDW.

Maybe the good old days weren't always good?

 

[NickMaio]

I don't believe they are doing a good job of creating that nostalgia for a new generation. And I agree it's going to be a huge problem. I do believe USO will have that working for them with the Nintendo property though.

We all shared sitting down with Walt on Sunday evening to watch The Wonderful World of Disney. Everything now has little pockets of shared experience, but not that one central thing. I think Nintendo could be that for many.

I had Eisner........Hi I'm Michael Eisner tonight's movie is about.......
That was awesome.

 

[91JLovesDisney]

And now, please take a moment to very much dislike this man..

 

[Beacon Joe]

Maybe the good old days weren't always good?

View attachment 581759

Now that's a new one for me. When and what was that?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Now that's a new one for me. When and what was that?

 

[Beacon Joe]

Thanks. Well that was certainly... different.

I just looked it up and I was at EPCOT twice during that show's run. Somehow, and thankfully, I managed to never see that.

 

[John park hopper]

It strikes me that a company that has embraced the new WOKE mentality sure is promoting class distinctions between the haves and have nots. Nothing political intended just an observation

 

[eliza61nyc]

It strikes me that a company that has embraced the new WOKE mentality sure is promoting class distinctions between the haves and have nots. Nothing political intended just an observation

I don't think Disney embraces anything really especially not a supposed "woke" mentality. They are notorious for staying mum on a bunch of current landmines.
Disney is not trying to be the moral compass of the country, no company is. they are trying ot make the most money in the shortest amount of time possible. they are not trying to solve the disappearance of the middle class, nor ease the suffering of the poor.
They have a product to sell and they are selling it to the highest bidders because they have stockholders to payback.
Regardless of the impression of the commercials, they are NOT a touchy feely small business.

 

[graphite1326]

Really? What did you contribute besides visiting? what do they owe you?

Their excistence

 

[WallyWorld]

Their excistence

That speaks volumes.

 

[KentB3]

LOL, one of my all-time favorite TV sitcoms! I still watch reruns often on Antenna TV. Here's a few more:






Anyway, I'm sorry you had a bad experience with Disney World lately, especially with the rising prices, which I completely understand. As for myself, I still love anything WDW, and plan to continue visiting the parks. It's an experience worth paying for!

 

[AdamCoddington]

with the announcement of the new Disney GREEDY... and the end of the Magical express and all the rest of the End of the Mickey Mouse Club rules and learning to be fair , tell the truth and Every one is equal, .. I just want to know.. HOW DO I RETURN IT ALL.. All my shirts.. My Hats. My Pins... and more importantly my feelings.. .because Now its all a LIE.. and When Walt said that there will "always be a dime coffee at Disney land,,, " I now see that this Dream is over.. that Guess what it was JUST MY IMAGINATION.. and Now the truth has come out.. Disney is not for me and YOU.. its just for the élite. the upper middle class and the ultra Rich.. that when I now dream upon a star.. MY CHECKBOOK MUST BE INVOLVED..
so Kids. Tell me .. where to send my boxes full of LIES.. OF STUFF.. that I have been sold on for 65 years.. . That Annette , and Bobby and Jimmy all weren't there to teach me how to be a good person.. they were there to COLLECT MY MONEY.. and Now they want the BIG PAY OFF...Give me an address.. a person's name.. a place to GIVE ALL THE LIES BACK.. Because Disney now is asking for BLOOD MONEY and they want to squeeze the last dime out of me and YOU.. They had a bad year and now its time , that THEY WANT IT ALL BACK MANY TIMES OVER. and then they are going TO TELL ME TO SHOVE OFF.. because I don't qualify to go to their establishment any more.. WHY .. because I don't have enough money to go there.. WALT AND HIS IDEAS ARE DEAD.. and NOW ITS GREEDSVILLE ...until they find out that the poor schmuck like me . Kept the doors open.. that my minimal spending really got us from a orange grove and a swamp to HERE TODAY.. that all of us collectively , bought in and paid out.. and now we are NO LONGER NEEDED OR ACCORDING TO THE BEAN COUNTERS WANTED>

so GIve me an address.. and then I ask that YOU JOIN ME>. and BOX IT ALL UP AND SEND IT ALL BACK TO THEM.. Pile it on the doorstep and let them CHOKE ON IT>. and tell them that they had better enjoy it.. CUZ IT S THE LAST DIME THEY ARE GETTING FROM ALL OF US...

DISNEY KISS MY GRITS!!!!

You can drop it off at any Thrift store they will take your donations or I'll gladly take them off your hands for you

 

[Lilofan]

with the announcement of the new Disney GREEDY... and the end of the Magical express and all the rest of the End of the Mickey Mouse Club rules and learning to be fair , tell the truth and Every one is equal, .. I just want to know.. HOW DO I RETURN IT ALL.. All my shirts.. My Hats. My Pins... and more importantly my feelings.. .because Now its all a LIE.. and When Walt said that there will "always be a dime coffee at Disney land,,, " I now see that this Dream is over.. that Guess what it was JUST MY IMAGINATION.. and Now the truth has come out.. Disney is not for me and YOU.. its just for the élite. the upper middle class and the ultra Rich.. that when I now dream upon a star.. MY CHECKBOOK MUST BE INVOLVED..
so Kids. Tell me .. where to send my boxes full of LIES.. OF STUFF.. that I have been sold on for 65 years.. . That Annette , and Bobby and Jimmy all weren't there to teach me how to be a good person.. they were there to COLLECT MY MONEY.. and Now they want the BIG PAY OFF...Give me an address.. a person's name.. a place to GIVE ALL THE LIES BACK.. Because Disney now is asking for BLOOD MONEY and they want to squeeze the last dime out of me and YOU.. They had a bad year and now its time , that THEY WANT IT ALL BACK MANY TIMES OVER. and then they are going TO TELL ME TO SHOVE OFF.. because I don't qualify to go to their establishment any more.. WHY .. because I don't have enough money to go there.. WALT AND HIS IDEAS ARE DEAD.. and NOW ITS GREEDSVILLE ...until they find out that the poor schmuck like me . Kept the doors open.. that my minimal spending really got us from a orange grove and a swamp to HERE TODAY.. that all of us collectively , bought in and paid out.. and now we are NO LONGER NEEDED OR ACCORDING TO THE BEAN COUNTERS WANTED>

so GIve me an address.. and then I ask that YOU JOIN ME>. and BOX IT ALL UP AND SEND IT ALL BACK TO THEM.. Pile it on the doorstep and let them CHOKE ON IT>. and tell them that they had better enjoy it.. CUZ IT S THE LAST DIME THEY ARE GETTING FROM ALL OF US...

DISNEY KISS MY GRITS!!!!

Send your merchandise to me and I will have a garage sale!