Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Already happened, Praetorian
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Ditching Disney
- Thread starter EPCOTCenterLover
- Start date
Dutch Inn '76
Well-Known Member
I've been going since '76, and I say the Magic Kingdom is better than ever. What about it is in decline? Sure, I miss Mr Toad & 20,000 Leagues, but they've been replaced with other attractions that (probably) more people prefer.
jimbojones
Well-Known Member
might have just been timing, but last summer groups of drunk adults where pushing my kids, spilling drinks on them, and generally behaving badly for a kids theme park. funny thing about drunks is that you don't notice how obnoxious they are when you're not sober too.
my kids are plenty worldly. its about context, a pre-schooler should not be in a bar and epcot after 5 is an open air bar.
BlakeW39
Well-Known Member
what???? who in gods name prefers pooh and mermaid to toad and 20k? did they hit their heads? my mom loves pooh and even she prefers toad. and no one likes mermaid.
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the_rich
Well-Known Member
Well I'm assuming the toad in wdw was the same as dl. If that's the case then it really isn't anything special.
It's not difficult folks.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
I’ve only been to MK once, so I can’t speak on what it used to be like, but when I went last year, I noticed lots of maintenance issues and things that needed attention, whether it was a simple cleaning or something else. I noticed a lot of trash around as well, but that could have just been more of a random/bad timing thing.
If what I experienced is the best condition the park has ever been in, then…wow.
jaklgreen
Well-Known Member
But I don't think that it is fair to compare all day entertainment with the rides, shows, fireworks, etc to just sight seeing. You can enjoy that, but it is not necessarily entertainment in the same way that an amusement park is. You have to compare apple to apples. If you were to get entertainment all day, maybe a sporting event or go to several theater shows, THAT is what you would compare to a day at WDW and price that out.
jaklgreen
Well-Known Member
That is horrible. But I do think that is rare. Of all of the hours and hours over the last 30 years that I have spent going to WDW, I have never seen groups going around and pushing kids and spilling drinks on them. I hope that you informed someone and had them escorted out.
Jrb1979
Well-Known Member
What park was that? If it was a Six Flags I'm not surprised.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
Vacation is vacation. The two are comparable, in my opinion.
Jrb1979
Well-Known Member
You can't compare Disney vacations to other parks. It's apples and oranges. Nobody other than me takes a week long vacation to regional park.
BlakeW39
Well-Known Member
I've actually never ridden toad before, but I have never once met anyone who didn't prefer it to pooh. and 20k vs mermaid....
hell I prefer the new sucky subs at DL over MERMAID....
TehPuddingMan
Well-Known Member
I spent the last week at Disney with my family for a delayed Covid trip. My family, my parents, and my in laws were scheduled to check in on March 15, 2020. But unfortunately that was the day Disney shut down from Covid.
While we had a good time, my wife and I have decided to scale back our Disney trips and go do something else. My parents, who took me yearly growing up, won’t be returning any time soon. They consistently told me that it’s not like it used to be and longer worth the money.
It’s sad. Disney has always been my happy place. I just cannot honestly say it’s worth it anymore.
While we had a good time, my wife and I have decided to scale back our Disney trips and go do something else. My parents, who took me yearly growing up, won’t be returning any time soon. They consistently told me that it’s not like it used to be and longer worth the money.
It’s sad. Disney has always been my happy place. I just cannot honestly say it’s worth it anymore.
Chi84
Premium Member
Unfortunately, the only way Disney will change is if enough people stop going. And even then it won’t go back to the way it was in the past. Any significant change is probably a long way off, so your decision is a sensible one.
RoyWalley
Well-Known Member
Didn’t you say in another thread that you just renewed your annual pass?
Don‘t give up, it’s still a happy place.
TehPuddingMan
Well-Known Member
I did, along with my wife and three kids.
We will definitely go back. Just not for a while. Taking a break is a good thing.
This is a long post, and I hope it makes sense.
Something that I wonder is how much social media and where/how the public gets information has impacted the way people see the parks. Before I explain, let me say that there are definite problems/flaws within Disney and this is not at all a post where I am not placing any blame on Disney. And nothing about this is intended to be political.
Pre-social media, Disney had a way of controlling what the average Guest saw. The nostalgia that people long for is their memories of perfection from the Disney planning videos or other advertisements. The videos that show Mickey & Minnie running through open fields or the interviews with families talking about how perfect a Disney vacation is. There is a "magic" there that we remember and want back.
While problems existed (I remember being young with my family and checking into a Disney hotel room that smelled and was gross), that was a problem for my family and me. And of course Disney took care of us and put us in an upgraded room. And at the same time, the general public was still seeing their own magic.
But today, someone could have the same issue in a hotel room, Tweet about it, and then ITM or one of the other blogs sees it, runs their own story about it, and now it is going viral on social media, absolutely coloring people's perspectives on the way the rooms will be.
I don't remember attractions like Horizons or World of Motion or even places like Pleasure Island, but I do remember very specific images that I have from books that I looked at as a kid. I can distinctly still hear the voice from the planning tapes saying "and on special nights" (I think this was referring to fireworks), because it always gave me excitement. But when that's the exposure that you see more consistently - I looked at those books at least once a week - that's what you remember/sticks out.
Back before social media, there were angry Cast Members, there were disgruntled Guests, there were mishaps and downtimes. But, unless it was a major newsworthy event (i.e. the monorail fire), exposure to people's experiences was limited (mostly word of mouth).
I tend to think that there are major implications of this. Before social media, we weren't necessarily paying attention to those bad things around us if they didn't affect us directly. We were looking for the good things that we had seen in the planning videos - going off of those memories. Now, we may be looking for (maybe not even cognizantly) the things we see playing 24/7. Things that we may never have paid attention to we now are paying attention to because our memory is drawn to it.
Similarly, I have video of myself from the early 90s having the time of my life at WDW. But my memories are based only in what I can see in that video. Who knows what was happening to other people at that same moment that never came my way. Now as soon as someone has a bad experience, it is posted in an AP group on Facebook.
Of course there's trends and other Guest behaviors that have impacted the experience and have likely made cast members jaded and frustrated - whether that is "hacks" to take advantage of a process that is meant to help people or outright dangerous like jumping out of ride vehicles.
When everything is posted and examined, and when everyone now has the ability to share their opinions - there's bound to be a more general disappointment because everything is known. There's no surprise waiting around the corner anymore because everything is being discussed all of the time. And with some blogs, the headlines can be so misleading that if you don't dive deeper and read the full article (usually the content is buried beneath fluff as well) you will believe that a ride that is experiencing a downtime is "closed indefinitely" and that will color your view every time a ride is down.
I can't express enough that I'm not saying that social media is the root cause of all of the problems at WDW. There have 100% been cuts to everything that's already been said in this thread. There were amazing experiences that no longer exist - attractions, entertainment, food & beverage, merchandise, the general Cast Member attitude. Processes have become more complex, prices have risen. I just think that there is a likelihood that "core memories" are being disrupted based on the content that is thrown at us all day, every day. Disney doesn't have the power to control the messaging, so now I think they are challenged to find other ways they can steer the conversation.
Something that I wonder is how much social media and where/how the public gets information has impacted the way people see the parks. Before I explain, let me say that there are definite problems/flaws within Disney and this is not at all a post where I am not placing any blame on Disney. And nothing about this is intended to be political.
Pre-social media, Disney had a way of controlling what the average Guest saw. The nostalgia that people long for is their memories of perfection from the Disney planning videos or other advertisements. The videos that show Mickey & Minnie running through open fields or the interviews with families talking about how perfect a Disney vacation is. There is a "magic" there that we remember and want back.
While problems existed (I remember being young with my family and checking into a Disney hotel room that smelled and was gross), that was a problem for my family and me. And of course Disney took care of us and put us in an upgraded room. And at the same time, the general public was still seeing their own magic.
But today, someone could have the same issue in a hotel room, Tweet about it, and then ITM or one of the other blogs sees it, runs their own story about it, and now it is going viral on social media, absolutely coloring people's perspectives on the way the rooms will be.
I don't remember attractions like Horizons or World of Motion or even places like Pleasure Island, but I do remember very specific images that I have from books that I looked at as a kid. I can distinctly still hear the voice from the planning tapes saying "and on special nights" (I think this was referring to fireworks), because it always gave me excitement. But when that's the exposure that you see more consistently - I looked at those books at least once a week - that's what you remember/sticks out.
Back before social media, there were angry Cast Members, there were disgruntled Guests, there were mishaps and downtimes. But, unless it was a major newsworthy event (i.e. the monorail fire), exposure to people's experiences was limited (mostly word of mouth).
I tend to think that there are major implications of this. Before social media, we weren't necessarily paying attention to those bad things around us if they didn't affect us directly. We were looking for the good things that we had seen in the planning videos - going off of those memories. Now, we may be looking for (maybe not even cognizantly) the things we see playing 24/7. Things that we may never have paid attention to we now are paying attention to because our memory is drawn to it.
Similarly, I have video of myself from the early 90s having the time of my life at WDW. But my memories are based only in what I can see in that video. Who knows what was happening to other people at that same moment that never came my way. Now as soon as someone has a bad experience, it is posted in an AP group on Facebook.
Of course there's trends and other Guest behaviors that have impacted the experience and have likely made cast members jaded and frustrated - whether that is "hacks" to take advantage of a process that is meant to help people or outright dangerous like jumping out of ride vehicles.
When everything is posted and examined, and when everyone now has the ability to share their opinions - there's bound to be a more general disappointment because everything is known. There's no surprise waiting around the corner anymore because everything is being discussed all of the time. And with some blogs, the headlines can be so misleading that if you don't dive deeper and read the full article (usually the content is buried beneath fluff as well) you will believe that a ride that is experiencing a downtime is "closed indefinitely" and that will color your view every time a ride is down.
I can't express enough that I'm not saying that social media is the root cause of all of the problems at WDW. There have 100% been cuts to everything that's already been said in this thread. There were amazing experiences that no longer exist - attractions, entertainment, food & beverage, merchandise, the general Cast Member attitude. Processes have become more complex, prices have risen. I just think that there is a likelihood that "core memories" are being disrupted based on the content that is thrown at us all day, every day. Disney doesn't have the power to control the messaging, so now I think they are challenged to find other ways they can steer the conversation.
GladToBeHear
Well-Known Member
These are all great points. And I see the same things going on with the movies now. They're all DOA.
MagicRat
Well-Known Member
Before the social media it was word of mouth, I t worked on small societies like college campuses or the local newspaper. People suck and other people want to suck with them, message boards don’t help but if you can learn to be a bit of a wise apple and appreciate the board for what it is, “sometimes having information”, then have fun with it and don’t get mad or sad from the experience. I mean this site must be doing well enough to have pop up adds now. That’s a good thing they are making some money, is it annoying to me? Sure, now I have to wait for the thing to load or be interrupted.
People suck, some are good and informative but most suck! Learn to differentiate the two and you have your vacations and your life made.
People suck, some are good and informative but most suck! Learn to differentiate the two and you have your vacations and your life made.