Yes, A first timer with a firm grip on their inner child will find WDW as great as those of us the went there early on. I was 35 on my first visit in 1983 and was blown over by what WDW was, but, since I wasn't seeing it through the rose colored glasses of a child, I also saw things that were less then perfect. I think that people that experienced Disney at a young age, back then, are not really remembering what it was really like. The external things, the excitement, the colors, the music, the fun rides and shows bombarded all of us, young or old, with a feeling of experiencing something special. Later on when the glow of everything started to get faded by our repeated exposure to it, we started to notice the less then shiny things and our distorted memories compared that and assumed that thing were so much better early on.
I have gone on record more then once that we just didn't noticed a lot of that stuff when we first went because we were all gob-smacked by the shiny stuff. That doesn't mean it was bad back then, but, it did mean that in many ways it is brighter, visually more pleasing and a lot of fun, even if in different ways as back in the "good old days".
I loved 20K, but really it was a slow boat ride that didn't really submerge and fish were attached with lines to the bottom. It was different and something you didn't experience everyday. I guess if you go by stereotypical thoughts someone my age would be upset because some of the things are now gone since the first time I saw it, but, some of the things that replaced them were terrific and much better then the low tech stuff that proceeded it. My only wish is that if they are going to close down something, either level it or put something else in it's place as quickly as possible. Closed attractions or dining places just makes it look like they are on the verge of going bankrupt. I don't think that they are short of money yet. I am a believer that some classics should remain for as long as they still draw a crowd, but, if they are not living up to their original expectations then it is time for something new. For example, contrary to some, TGMR was no were near the draw that it was in the beginning. I always rode it because I like it, but, I am much more excited about seeing the new Mickey ride then once again sitting through the sameness. By its nature, TGMR had to be that way unless they changed the whole story line and then people would be upset about that as well. Horizons was another that just lost its following from a more "thrill" thirsty public. It was design for around 2000 riders per hour, but, by the end, they were lucky to get 200 an hour. Why, I don't know because there were a lot of people that had never seen it before, but, for those of us that went often, something new was what was needed. Two deaths on Mission: Space confirmed the "thrill" connections and it is fun to ride (if you lived through it, I did.
Social media, like this one and others, along with the gloom and doomers, had a roll to play in forcing preconceived notions about what things were like, also You Tube, managed to allow people to be exposed before they actually ever saw it and really didn't get an accurate view of what they would have seen if they had parked their butts in the omni-movers and faux space ships.
WDW and Disney itself, is a much more complicated destination now. That doesn't mean bad, just more stressful, if you let it be, or, and this is very real, expensive to the point of causing major financial stress if experienced in the way that Disney wants to make you think is necessary for a good time. Once again they are speaking with their bank account. People are free to feel that the "total" experience is necessary, but, some of us enjoy it immensely and still return home with a few bucks in our pocket. It all depends on our individual priorities. However, a lot of the stress is self imposed.
