News Disneyland Magic Key Program

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Yep, exactly the point I tried to make above. Plenty people out there to complain about whatever Disney does: Pixar Pier, Galaxy's Edge, Guardians, Parking Increases, Less AP benefits, increased ticket prices for both day and APs but guess what, people still showed up in masses.

You forgot to add walking up The Falcon Ramp

 

[SplashGhost]

Yep, exactly the point I tried to make above. Plenty people out there to complain about whatever Disney does: Pixar Pier, Galaxy's Edge, Guardians, Parking Increases, Less AP benefits, increased ticket prices for both day and APs but guess what, people still showed up in masses.

I think there will eventually be a breaking point that people will reach though. If Disneyland ends up changing for the worse as drastically as DCA did in the last 5 years, then a lot of long term fans may lose interest for good.

So far, the bad changes in Disneyland(Pirates auction scene, un-scary Snow White ride etc.) have been balanced out by some positive things like Rise of the Resistance and the Rivers of America changes. However, with Chapek in charge, I am guessing we will get far less positive changes and far more negative ones in the upcoming years.

 

[Tamandua]

Yep, exactly the point I tried to make above. Plenty people out there to complain about whatever Disney does: Pixar Pier, Galaxy's Edge, Guardians, Parking Increases, Less AP benefits, increased ticket prices for both day and APs but guess what, people still showed up in masses.

I'm sure I used to be someone that would complain about changes I don't like but would end up going back anyways. I think I've really turned a corner. I hope the new program they reveal tomorrow is a joke. A ridiculously expensive insult to loyal fans. The only enjoyment I'm getting out of Disney lately is watching them ruin what they've created. Some men, like me, just want to watch the land burn.

 

[waltography]

How much is someone making off YouTube when they re averaging 5k views a video? Are they even covering the cost of the tickets?

Patreon is one. But also for lots of vloggers I don't think money's really a goal so much as attention/notoriety is. They're a kind of superfan that's unfortunately loud more often than not.

 

[Stevek]

The thing is Disneyland is not about attractions anymore. It's a lifestyle to most people. You go to Knotts mainly for the attractions. Some people go to Disney to do all other stuff aside from attractions. Why do you always see Youtube vids of Disneyland/DCA and not much Knotts even though it's more expensive at Disney?

I wholeheartedly disagree that Disneyland isn't about attractions. Both parks are full have classic, amazing experiences that are far better than Knotts or any other So Cal theme park. The reason these youtubers post vids of Disneyland/DCA is simply because there are far more people interested in these parks than the others. There is a clear reason that Disneyland can still get guests to pay $200 a day while Knotts charges $57. That's not a knock on Knotts but comparing the park experiences...well, they really are quite different. We had Knotts passes a couple of years. Know what, we decided we'd rather pay significantly more for Disneyland passes because it was a much better overall experience.

 

[waltography]

I wholeheartedly disagree that Disneyland isn't about attractions. Both parks are full have classic, amazing experiences that are far better than Knotts or any other So Cal theme park. The reason these youtubers post vids of Disneyland/DCA is simply because there are far more people interested in these parks than the others. There is a clear reason that Disneyland can still get guests to pay $200 a day while Knotts charges $57. That's not a knock on Knotts but comparing the park experiences...well, they really are quite different. We had Knotts passes a couple of years. Know what, we decided we'd rather pay significantly more for Disneyland passes because it was a much better overall experience.

Definitely agree with this sentiment. I have no real urge to visit Knotts beyond they times our high school hosted our dances there for the same reason I have no real urge to visit Magic Mountain; the rides and experiences don't interest me. (They almost got me though with the food festival over the summer, I'll give them that.)

 

[Stevek]

I think there will eventually be a breaking point that people will reach though. If Disneyland ends up changing for the worse as drastically as DCA did in the last 5 years, then a lot of long term fans may lose interest for good.

So far, the bad changes in Disneyland(Pirates auction scene, un-scary Snow White ride etc.) have been balanced out by some positive things like Rise of the Resistance and the Rivers of America changes. However, with Chapek in charge, I am guessing we will get far less positive changes and far more negative ones in the upcoming years.

The reality is, people like us on the boards are really the only ones that whine about these changes and quite honestly, we can't even agree on what is good or bad. We've got a lot of people that hate the Tower of Terror change while people like me actually enjoy it more. I thought Snow White was actually better...it still had scary bits but the enhancements worked. The Pirates auction scene, yeah, it was a classic and Pirates is my favorite ride ever. But it didn't kill my enjoyment for it. We spend far too much time trying to predict the demise of Disneyland yet with all of these supposedly terrible changes, the parks aren't taking any hit attendance-wise.

Change is inevitable at the parks. I can only imagine how changes like the removal of the Country Bears, Adventure thru Innerspace, Mine Train through Nature's wonderland, etc would have been lambasted had the internet and message boards like this been around during those times. But guess what, with all those changes, we all still came back to the parks. And will all the changes that will continue to happen, guests will continue to come as well.

 

[Snoballego]

This lead to the creation of vloggers. Hopefully it helps end them too.

The current model has certainly priced out some of them the past few months from being there as frequently.

Even something small like parking being required to be paid for each day helps discourage the park from being an evening hang out and contesting it from others that are there on a destination visit.

 

[WDWTrojan]

The current model has certainly priced out some of them the past few months from being there as frequently.

Even something small like parking being required to be paid for each day helps discourage the park from being an evening hang out and contesting it from others that are there on a destination visit.

Yep, vloggers are WAY more prevalent at WDW right now than at DL (which was not always the case pre-COVID).

 

[Stevek]

The current model has certainly priced out some of them the past few months from being there as frequently.

Even something small like parking being required to be paid for each day helps discourage the park from being an evening hang out and contesting it from others that are there on a destination visit.

Exactly, but you can never bring this up to the hardcore APs that will fight you tooth and nail that it was not a hangout...it absolutely had become one for many...um, social clubs ring a bell?

 

[Stevek]

Definitely agree with this sentiment. I have no real urge to visit Knotts beyond they times our high school hosted our dances there for the same reason I have no real urge to visit Magic Mountain; the rides and experiences don't interest me. (They almost got me though with the food festival over the summer, I'll give them that.)

And let me be clear, I don't really mean to disparage Knotts. It's an amazing, historical park that I think folks should absolutely visit. I always recommend that out of town guests go there and growing up, we probably went there as much if not more than Disneyland. Going to Disneyland was a treat for a reason and that's what I intend it to be again for me and my family moving forward.

 

[Snoballego]

Yep, vloggers are WAY more prevalent at WDW right now than at DL (which was not always the case pre-COVID).

I sincerely believe that a lot of them were enabled by the enhanced COVID unemployment benefits that were lingering around for a while. It gave them all a safety net to try and be like their YouTube idols and try and trade in a real 9-5PM job to be a "Lifestyle Influencer" while treating their Florida Annual Pass like a media credential that gives them the right to go and continuously film.

 

[fctiger]

They must be struggling to fill the parks if they are launching this so soon.

Yep I think so too. I been looking at the availability calendar and August is still wide open. In fact, yesterday was the first time all summer (that I can recall) DL didn't sell out in one day passes. And the park hopper passes has rarely sold out after July 17rh outside of a few days. And those passes are still wide open for August. And this is after offering Calif residents a discount on them.

Come September the parks will most likely be pretty quiet, at least until the Halloween parties start.

 

[SplashGhost]

The reality is, people like us on the boards are really the only ones that whine about these changes and quite honestly, we can't even agree on what is good or bad. We've got a lot of people that hate the Tower of Terror change while people like me actually enjoy it more. I thought Snow White was actually better...it still had scary bits but the enhancements worked. The Pirates auction scene, yeah, it was a classic and Pirates is my favorite ride ever. But it didn't kill my enjoyment for it. We spend far too much time trying to predict the demise of Disneyland yet with all of these supposedly terrible changes, the parks aren't taking any hit attendance-wise.

Change is inevitable at the parks. I can only imagine how changes like the removal of the Country Bears, Adventure thru Innerspace, Mine Train through Nature's wonderland, etc would have been lambasted had the internet and message boards like this been around during those times. But guess what, with all those changes, we all still came back to the parks. And will all the changes that will continue to happen, guests will continue to come as well.

That is fair, and a lot of changes are subjective. As much of a Tower of Terror fan as I am, I will say Mission: Breakout is far better than expected. I feel Mission: Breakout was like the high point of Chapek approved projects though. I think we will see a lot more stuff like Pixar Pier and Avengers Campus in the near future, as he seems to be testing how cheap he can go with projects.

IMO, Incredicoaster and Web Slingers are just laughable, it isn't like they tried to do something good and failed, they are just disasters in every way possible. The Incredicoaster's theming almost gets to the point of being "so bad, it's good," and Web Slingers is a colossal mess that makes Toy Story Midway Mania look like a great attraction.

 

[fctiger]

The reality is, people like us on the boards are really the only ones that whine about these changes and quite honestly, we can't even agree on what is good or bad. We've got a lot of people that hate the Tower of Terror change while people like me actually enjoy it more. I thought Snow White was actually better...it still had scary bits but the enhancements worked. The Pirates auction scene, yeah, it was a classic and Pirates is my favorite ride ever. But it didn't kill my enjoyment for it. We spend far too much time trying to predict the demise of Disneyland yet with all of these supposedly terrible changes, the parks aren't taking any hit attendance-wise.

Change is inevitable at the parks. I can only imagine how changes like the removal of the Country Bears, Adventure thru Innerspace, Mine Train through Nature's wonderland, etc would have been lambasted had the internet and message boards like this been around during those times. But guess what, with all those changes, we all still came back to the parks. And will all the changes that will continue to happen, guests will continue to come as well.

I been saying this for years lol. My own family does not remotely care about the changes but none of them spend a minute on a message board discussing Disney. And they range from 72 years old to 12 years old. Overwhelming majority of people looks at the parks as a whole, if they have a good time or not, etc. My own mother (the 72 year old) has been going to DL since literally the first year it opened. I have not heard her once say anything about any changes because it's still just a theme park to her and she loves the rides as she always did and like when they add things to it. The only thing that really bothered her when they took away Aladdin. That and she loved the Mine Train as a kid that you mentioned. That is the only times she ever complained about the changes in the park. She seems to love the parks more than ever now.

 

[Giss Neric]

I wholeheartedly disagree that Disneyland isn't about attractions. Both parks are full have classic, amazing experiences that are far better than Knotts or any other So Cal theme park. The reason these youtubers post vids of Disneyland/DCA is simply because there are far more people interested in these parks than the others. There is a clear reason that Disneyland can still get guests to pay $200 a day while Knotts charges $57. That's not a knock on Knotts but comparing the park experiences...well, they really are quite different. We had Knotts passes a couple of years. Know what, we decided we'd rather pay significantly more for Disneyland passes because it was a much better overall experience.

I get what you're saying but I'm mainly pertaining to some posters here that compares Knott's and Disneyland like Knott's is more worth it and is their new favorite just cause you get more value for your money. I would agree if they are the same park but they are not. Knott's is basically a breed of Six Flags and Disney but it's more leaning towards a rollercoaster/thrill park. Even if I get more value at Knott's financially, I can't really enjoy it if I'm not a rollercoaster person so I always end up choosing Disneyland or just don't go at all.

 

[mickEblu]

The reality is, people like us on the boards are really the only ones that whine about these changes and quite honestly, we can't even agree on what is good or bad. We've got a lot of people that hate the Tower of Terror change while people like me actually enjoy it more. I thought Snow White was actually better...it still had scary bits but the enhancements worked. The Pirates auction scene, yeah, it was a classic and Pirates is my favorite ride ever. But it didn't kill my enjoyment for it. We spend far too much time trying to predict the demise of Disneyland yet with all of these supposedly terrible changes, the parks aren't taking any hit attendance-wise.

Change is inevitable at the parks. I can only imagine how changes like the removal of the Country Bears, Adventure thru Innerspace, Mine Train through Nature's wonderland, etc would have been lambasted had the internet and message boards like this been around during those times. But guess what, with all those changes, we all still came back to the parks. And will all the changes that will continue to happen, guests will continue to come as well.

That’s fair but I think we can all agree if the quality (or lack thereof) of the parks “new” attractions under Chapek and the way it’s been operated the last few years was like this from day one we wouldn’t have a Disneyland and we wouldn’t be on a message board talking about it. They can get away with this stuff because of the geniuses that came before them and what they built

 

[Stevek]

That is fair, and a lot of changes are subjective. As much of a Tower of Terror fan as I am, I will say Mission: Breakout is far better than expected. I feel Mission: Breakout was like the high point of Chapek approved projects though. I think we will see a lot more stuff like Pixar Pier and Avengers Campus in the near future, as he seems to be testing how cheap he can go with projects.

IMO, Incredicoaster and Web Slingers are just laughable, it isn't like they tried to do something good and failed, they are just disasters in every way possible. The Incredicoaster's theming almost gets to the point of being "so bad, it's good," and Web Slingers is a colossal mess that makes Toy Story Midway Mania look like a great attraction.

I have not been on webslingers but my daughters who are 20 & 21 and have grown up going to Disneyland since they were in the womb, both loved it. It may not appeal so some of us but it’s resonating with quite a few. As for incredicoaster, the theming changes didn’t really effect my enjoyment at all. We’re they necessary, no and yes, the latter because it had to be cohesive with the rest of the pier. But ultimately it’s the same exact ride with a different skin Nathan I really don’t notice while riding.

 

[fctiger]

I have not been on webslingers but my daughters who are 20 & 21 and have grown up going to Disneyland since they were in the womb, both loved it. It may not appeal so some of us but it’s resonating with quite a few. As for incredicoaster, the theming changes didn’t really effect my enjoyment at all. We’re they necessary, no and yes, the latter because it had to be cohesive with the rest of the pier. But ultimately it’s the same exact ride with a different skin Nathan I really don’t notice while riding.

My kids both loved Webslingers too. I liked it, but yeah a little too short for me. I personally miss the music from Calif Screamin but my kids love Incredicoaster too. That ride still seem to be just as a popular because it's still a rollercoaster. Most care more about the thrill of it than the theme. Same for GOTG: MB.

 

[waltography]

And let me be clear, I don't really mean to disparage Knotts. It's an amazing, historical park that I think folks should absolutely visit. I always recommend that out of town guests go there and growing up, we probably went there as much if not more than Disneyland. Going to Disneyland was a treat for a reason and that's what I intend it to be again for me and my family moving forward.

Oh, for sure! Knott's isn't a bad park by any means, it just doesn't have what interests me beyond a visit maybe every few years. Perhaps I was a little harsh comparing it to Magic Mountain, but I meant it in the sense that I group it with parks that don't offer the kinds of experiences I'd pay to visit multiple times a year.

That is fair, and a lot of changes are subjective. As much of a Tower of Terror fan as I am, I will say Mission: Breakout is far better than expected. I feel Mission: Breakout was like the high point of Chapek approved projects though. I think we will see a lot more stuff like Pixar Pier and Avengers Campus in the near future, as he seems to be testing how cheap he can go with projects.

IMO, Incredicoaster and Web Slingers are just laughable, it isn't like they tried to do something good and failed, they are just disasters in every way possible. The Incredicoaster's theming almost gets to the point of being "so bad, it's good," and Web Slingers is a colossal mess that makes Toy Story Midway Mania look like a great attraction.

I was gonna say the opposite, Web Slingers made Midway Mania downright awful for me. I haven't waited for Midway Mania for a few years now because the screen resolution was just laughably bad; Web Slingers has awful spatial awareness, but I can get past it because the tech is cool and I can actually see what I'm shooting at.

Incredicoaster's theming is awful though, agreed. It's best enjoyed eyes closed during the Jack Jack on a stick scene (though I do admit the cookie scent is amazing).