Do you still feel a loyalty to Disney?

[Sonic Sunglasses]

@Goofyernmost, vive la différence!

 

[OliveMcFly]

WDW has been apart of my life for 32 years and it always will be. It's my happy place.
I may question and disagree with some things but with new leadership comes new ideas so we'll see where it's leads us in the future.

 

[DisneyGirl3820]

Part of my fabric. I disagree with the amount of money they charge for everything but there's nothing like the giddy feeling when you first enter the MK and see that shining castle in front of you. I am loyal to Disney because it's the only place where huge crowds don't bother me and I want to return to it again and again.

 

[John park hopper]

I grew up watching the original Mickey Mouse Club and watching The Wonderful World of Disney and watching the Disney movies in the movies long before VHF tapes or CDs. As a kid I would say yes as an adult I would have to say not so much, may be in the early years 70s and 80s To me it seems Disney has become more interested in maximizing profit (realize they are private corporation) over providing the best experience for the guest. Cost for everything (lodging, food, park tickets and overcrowding) have risen beyound inflation rates. I still enjoy the WDW experience but enjoy Universal, and others. My sons who have been to WDW many times as kids have little desire to go to WDW, they vacation else where for the same cost. Long story short my loyalty has waned over the years

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I'm already thinking about my next trip to Disney World.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I love Disney, but I still try to be a good steward of my family's finances, and to make intelligent decisions about where we spend our money and our vacation time. The fact is, Disney keeps raising its prices (exponentially higher than a cost-of-living increase), while offering little or no additional value in exchange. At some point, the balance is tipped, and other places -- places which may not be as great Disney, but which offer us a more fair value for what we're paying -- become more and more attractive. As a result, over the years we've scaled back the frequency of Disney visits, and have done some great road trips around the country, weekend getaways, and even a couple of trips overseas. We've enjoyed them all.

In short, I feel "loyal" to Disney only to the extent that Disney is "loyal" to me in return, and respects my vacation dollars by giving me a good value in exchange. When the value-per-dollar begins to diminish, I don't feel at all guilty with spending some of that money elsewhere, although we still return to Disney (even if less often than we'd once imagined) because it offers a product we love.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I grew up watching the original Mickey Mouse Club and watching The Wonderful World of Disney and watching the Disney movies in the movies long before VHF tapes or CDs. As a kid I would say yes as an adult I would have to say not so much, may be in the early years 70s and 80s To me it seems Disney has become more interested in maximizing profit (realize they are private corporation) over providing the best experience for the guest. Cost for everything (lodging, food, park tickets and overcrowding) have risen beyound inflation rates. I still enjoy the WDW experience but enjoy Universal, and others. My sons who have been to WDW many times as kids have little desire to go to WDW, they vacation else where for the same cost. Long story short my loyalty has waned over the years

My biggest reaction usually comes from the highlighted sentence. It is used over and over again like it has any viable reason to be pointed out. Look around, we will find that things are based on either necessity of life or quality or both. Disney is a high end entertainment venue, it is not necessary to sustain life and does not come under any guideline identified by "cost of living". Disney is a cost of playing expense. For comparison a Cadillac Escalade can cost over $100k where as my VW Passat cost about $26k. Both will get you to the same place, at the same time with really very little change in comfort and a whole lot of difference in expense. Where is the outrage about Cadillac charging well over the Cost of Living. Because it is a cost of living well, a completely different category. Yes, it is expensive, but, to be honest if you compare the degree of entertainment derived from those tickets, etc. it is comparatively quite reasonable still. Just higher then we would like it to be or at or near the breaking point for our budgets. I know it has hit mine hard and because of that if just go less then I once did. I find the the sun still comes up every morning.

I love Disney, but I still try to be a good steward of my family's finances, and to make intelligent decisions about where we spend our money and our vacation time. The fact is, Disney keeps raising its prices (exponentially higher than a cost-of-living increase), while offering little or no additional value in exchange. At some point, the balance is tipped, and other places -- places which may not be as great Disney, but which offer us a more fair value for what we're paying -- become more and more attractive. As a result, over the years we've scaled back the frequency of Disney visits, and have done some great road trips around the country, weekend getaways, and even a couple of trips overseas. We've enjoyed them all.

In short, I feel "loyal" to Disney only to the extent that Disney is "loyal" to me in return, and respects my vacation dollars by giving me a good value in exchange. When the value-per-dollar begins to diminish, I don't feel at all guilty with spending some of that money elsewhere, although we still return to Disney (even if less often than we'd once imagined) because it offers a product we love.

There it is again. Expensive yes, governed by a scale that measures the cost of staying on the upper side of the sod, no. There are a lot of things that are greater then Disney. Travel to other places, seeing other new exciting things, allowing yourself to experience those things, and putting it all in perspective. In fact, per hour of entertainment it is quite cheap. Your reason for your "loyalty" is exactly right. It is good to be loyal if you are getting the return on investment, however, for those that blindly just refuse to see something else, well, what can I say... it doesn't matter to me, I am seeing it.

 

[fireworksandfairytales]

I absolutely feel a loyalty to Disney and always have felt that way. That being said, as much as I personally feel that Disney is superior to other theme parks, I'm not against visiting Universal or SeaWorld. We typically visit Universal about once every 2-3 years and that's always been enough for me, but now that we live in the Orlando area we are considering getting an annual pass for Universal also. But if I was someone who lived out of town and was planning a trip to Orlando, I would never choose to spend days at Universal over Disney.

For me it comes down to unforgettable moments that give me goosebumps or bring tears of happiness to my eyes; I have moments like those nearly every time I visit Walt Disney World (which is currently about once a week). In the 15ish or so times I've visited Universal in my life, I've yet to have that type of feeling there.

 

[thomas998]

i don't know about you but I always felt a loyalty to Disney and avoided the competition I know it sounds strange but I did, i think true Disney fans have or feel this loyalty. I would steer folks to Disney when they visited us. Lately I have been more open to going to universal and suggesting it to others as an option to Disney. Is it something Disney has done lately or just the way they run things now, or the attitude of those in charge? Maybe it's the dewaltizing of the parks?

Loyal when they were just a theme park providing entertainment.... but not so much when they started getting kind of preachy in their movies/TV shows/etc. I looked at Disney as a G-rated non-partisan amusement park, but when they went off the rails on their other businesses I started looking at the parks in a whole new light... I still go, but am a bit more jaded about what they do and why they do it.

 

[21stamps]

I've been on 30+ trips to WDW. I have ZERO loyalty to Disney. They will never get my entire vacation budget.

I think you can live be something and still love other places as well. Life is about experiences

 

[NickMaio]

We go to Disney and Universal every time we visit Florida - Even when we are at the beach.
However, Disney has the nostalgia factor down pat. My parent's first took me when I was three and every second year after that.
I have fond memories of romping around Disney when my father was alive. I look forward to taking our first trip with our little one.

You could say I have a sense of nostalgic loyalty for Disney Parks and products.

 

[pax_65]

Disney is a cost of playing expense. For comparison a Cadillac Escalade can cost over $100k where as my VW Passat cost about $26k. Both will get you to the same place, at the same time with really very little change in comfort and a whole lot of difference in expense.

It's more about "value" than cost. I'm sure many people who are loyal to Cadillac would tell you the extra $$$ each month is worth it for the difference in the experience you get driving an Escalade vs. a Passat. Luxury car companies build loyalty by delivering a good product at a premium price (which equals "value").

As you pointed out, Disney has never been a cheap vacation. But on our many trips up to around 2012 or so, we always felt like we got really good value for every dollar we've spent. We paid a lot but we got many hours of access to outstanding entertainment plus quality accommodations, outstanding service, efficient transportation, etc. As others have said, there really was no other vacation like Disney.

For me personally, the value has gone down because while the cost has increased, park hours are shorter, entertainment is reduced, lines are longer (I believe because of how MM+ has redistributed crowds and changed how standby lines) so I can't enjoy as much entertainment as in the past, no evening MK parade, bus waits seem longer, service seems less consistent, the MK is closed at night for upcharge events (especially in the Fall), etc.

 

[John park hopper]

As a corporation Disney (any corporation) can charge whatever they want for their services. As a consumer I can choose wheather or not use those services. As the question was asked citing the increasing prices is a factor in answering the question. If it was asked do I feel a loyality to GM I would have to cite the rising cost of a Caddy in answering the question. Don't get me worng I have a great time at WDW and have begun plannig for the 50th anniversary, however there will come a time when costs, yes costs, for me will outweigh in IMO the value. Every ones threshold is different.

 

[RoyalFool]

I'd say I feel loyal to the original vision behind disneyland, a happy place where adults and kids can spend time together. Any pursuit they undertake with these values in mind I'll happily throw my entire vacation budget at them, and still buy the t-shirt.. and pin badges

But now that they are chasing IPs, and trying to introduce more of their newer (and unproven long term) IP into areas such as Epcot which whilst far from the original concept, was unique in its focus on edutainment and dark rides. I don't really hold them in any higher regard than Universal and others, as it puts them in direct comparison.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I usually go into my local Disney Store a few times a month.

 

[ford91exploder]

I love Disney, but I still try to be a good steward of my family's finances, and to make intelligent decisions about where we spend our money and our vacation time. The fact is, Disney keeps raising its prices (exponentially higher than a cost-of-living increase), while offering little or no additional value in exchange. At some point, the balance is tipped, and other places -- places which may not be as great Disney, but which offer us a more fair value for what we're paying -- become more and more attractive. As a result, over the years we've scaled back the frequency of Disney visits, and have done some great road trips around the country, weekend getaways, and even a couple of trips overseas. We've enjoyed them all.

In short, I feel "loyal" to Disney only to the extent that Disney is "loyal" to me in return, and respects my vacation dollars by giving me a good value in exchange. When the value-per-dollar begins to diminish, I don't feel at all guilty with spending some of that money elsewhere, although we still return to Disney (even if less often than we'd once imagined) because it offers a product we love.

Crossed that boundary long ago, It's amazing how much else we can do now that Disney no longer gets new car money from us every year.

 

[ford91exploder]

It's more about "value" than cost. I'm sure many people who are loyal to Cadillac would tell you the extra $$$ each month is worth it for the difference in the experience you get driving an Escalade vs. a Passat. Luxury car companies build loyalty by delivering a good product at a premium price (which equals "value").

As you pointed out, Disney has never been a cheap vacation. But on our many trips up to around 2012 or so, we always felt like we got really good value for every dollar we've spent. We paid a lot but we got many hours of access to outstanding entertainment plus quality accommodations, outstanding service, efficient transportation, etc. As others have said, there really was no other vacation like Disney.

For me personally, the value has gone down because while the cost has increased, park hours are shorter, entertainment is reduced, lines are longer (I believe because of how MM+ has redistributed crowds and changed how standby lines) so I can't enjoy as much entertainment as in the past, no evening MK parade, bus waits seem longer, service seems less consistent, the MK is closed at night for upcharge events (especially in the Fall), etc.

This exactly this, Up to 2015 we used to take multiple trips per year to WDW, But a combination of bad experiences and the factors you note basically made the decision that WDW is now a place one needs to PAY ME to visit.

Spoken as a VERY long term DVC Member (I go back to the days when park admission during one's stay was a perk of membership) I was an active participant in Roy Disney's "Save Disney" campaign etc.

What I see now makes me very, very sad because WDW as generations have known it is being destroyed to create a pale copy of Universal's 'Ride The Movies' theme.

 

[ford91exploder]

As a corporation Disney (any corporation) can charge whatever they want for their services. As a consumer I can choose wheather or not use those services. As the question was asked citing the increasing prices is a factor in answering the question. If it was asked do I feel a loyality to GM I would have to cite the rising cost of a Caddy in answering the question. Don't get me worng I have a great time at WDW and have begun plannig for the 50th anniversary, however there will come a time when costs, yes costs, for me will outweigh in IMO the value. Every ones threshold is different.

The thing is is Today's Caddy is better in every respect than one built 10 years ago with respect to performance, fit and finish, comfort and fuel economy, The same is NOT true of WDW.

P.S.
Nothing will ever touch a Classic 60's Caddy convertible but that was a product of it's time and we'll never see it's like again.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

As far as being loyal, I think of being loyal to my wife, or kids or friends or family. I never have thought about it with a theme park. Disney is the best place I have ever visited, but I don't even think about it if I am doing another trip. It never crosses my mind.

 

[John park hopper]

The thing is is Today's Caddy is better in every respect than one built 10 years ago with respect to performance, fit and finish, comfort and fuel economy, The same is NOT true of WDW.

P.S.
Nothing will ever touch a Classic 60's Caddy convertible but that was a product of it's time and we'll never see it's like again.

My younger brother had a 58 caddy in high school in 1967 wish he still had it, did it ever suck gas