I just have to ask (not trying to start an argument... just wondering) what is "Walmarting" exactly?
WalMarting is a term I use for dumbing down/homogenizing the WDW product to the lowest common denomenator. Lower quality, less selection, same crap all over, dirtier parks etc ...
I see you throw that term around a lot lately.
Actually, I have been using it for many, many years now. It's also widely used by many inside TWDC who share my views for what is being done to 'the brand.'
I understand that some of the stores/shops do not carry unique merch anymore and I've seen the term "Walmarting" used to describe what has happened to the shops in WDW. While I may not like this... I understand why Disney does what it does! If a certain kind of merch is moving and selling then put it in every store. But they should still keep some of the unique merch as well.
Except, they don't. Not to mention it goes against the way Disney parks were created. Merchandising is part of the show and is supposed to help continue to tell the tale of the area it is located ... that's why you should only get pirate and nautical themed items at a PoC shop ... jungle goods and wares at a shop near the JC ... futuristic items in Tomorrowland ... historical items in Liberty Square etc ... when you get Jonas Bros CDs or Tink hoodies or Grumpy tees or assorted pins for other parks and resorts and cartoon characters in every shop, it immediately takes you out of the story (whether you are conscious of it, care about it or not) and reminds you that you are at a GENERIC DISNEY STORE.
Whether it sells (and they are struggling to sell anything these days) isn't the point, so I am not going to argue it.
If this marketing is making Disney money... then why do we have a problem with it. Doesn't Disney making money mean we get more attractions, shows, etc. and less cutbacks!?!
Except that's not how it works.
And I don't understand what this has to do with Remy in Chefs de France and DDP. I know there are DDP haters out there but again the DDP has filled Disney restaurants thus more money... again, why do we have a problem with this!?! Are you disliking the fact that Chefs de France is being turned into a character meal (if I read the OP correctly)? And how is this "Walmarting"? Isn't putting a character into a restaurant a kind of "Disney thing"? Disney is characters... it sells... and that's what Disney likes ($$$$$)!
Just askin'!:shrug:
The DDP has destroyed WDW dining. It has raised prices to absurd pricepoints ... the exact same noodle dish I had at Brown Derby less than two years ago for $14 is now $22 ... a basic a la carte steak is $32 FOR LUNCH. The idea is to force people into buying the DDP, which is working, and then it allows them to go to a cruise line type menu model where you may have six or eight entrees at a restaurant. DDP has utterly destroyed so many places. And the absurd pricepoints give people who buy DDP the ignorant notion they are getting 'a great deal' when in fact they are getting screwed and paying more for less variety and quality and more crowded restaurants. Locals/APers are screwed completely because they can't simply walk up anymore as NO tables are held back for day of ressies and if they do get in, they are forced to pay absurd prices.
If you want some idea as to how much WDW locations have raised prices while limiting variety you might want to check out Deb Wills' great WDW site and do an archive search of her menus.
As to characters, no, Disney isn't simply about characters. It is that mindset that has helped allow Disney to dumb down its offerings. That Walmart simplistic notion that Disney is simply a place to see teens in foamhead costumes chase kids through a dining room while you're trying to eat.
Do you know that EPCOT didn't have a single character meal its first 15 years? And it did just fine.
Can you imagine a WDW without any character dining?
I can. I lived it. It was better.
