How is WDW not what it used to be?

[Pumbas Nakasak]

because it used to be good now its e

 

[rkleinlein]

Penny Arcade of the Past: Wow, look at all these old games. It's like the sign says...an actual arcade!
Penny Arcade of today: Oh, look, Winnie the Pooh dolls.
Main Street Cinema of the Past: Cool, Steamboat Willie is playing. It's like the sign says...an actual cinema!
Main Street Cinema of today: Oh, neat, more Winnie the Pooh dolls.

I rest my case.

This observation hit the nail on the head. I hadn't thought of the Penny Arcade or the Main Street Cinema in ages. These are but two of the countless changes that have inched Disney World a little closer towards the experiences of typical, run-of-the-mill theme parks. At the same time, other parks (namely Universal Orlando) are inching closer towards the old Disney standard. There's still a difference, but that gap is closing.

 

[Dragonrider1227]

Aisde from issing the Penny Arcade and the original Imagination attraction, the only part I feel "isn't what it used to be" is Hollywood Studios. I miss how it had a working animation studio, and how it was surrounded by Dick Tracy and Roger Rabbit stuff. But that's just me personally.

Could not agree with you more. It's actually sad how much advance planning has to go into what, as you said, is supposed to be a vacation getaway.

Having to get fastpasses months in advanced can be annoying but am I the only one who finds the uber planning part of the fun? Wets my appetite.

 

[epeterson]

While WDW has definitely declined over the past couple years (Epcot and Hollywood Studios), its mostly just that nothing has substantively improved or changed for 15+ years now, while its competitors have kept up with the time. It seems ridiculous that for over a decade, Disney has either been static or declined, yet has charged more year after year. The hotels are not worth it, with service/rooms the same as hotels half the price. The rides are the same outdated technology, providing little thrill and breaking down more often. It seems as though the only thing Disney even cares about making anymore are new gift shops for people to spend more money. Having recently visited the park, its apparent that the only thing Disney cares about is making money, even at the expense of customer service (which people have talked about how amazing Disney's customer service is. It's really not that amazing.) Fastpass+ is awful. I hated having to schedule my trip a month in advance to see the things I really wanted to see.

It just doesn't feel like a vacation going to Disney World anymore. Its just 4, incredibly expensive days of planning to ride mediocre rides and walk around gift shops all day.

My money is with Universal until Avatar Land, Star Wars Land, and Toy Story Land are all built, and even then if Disney has become appreciatively more expensive than it is now I won't be returning.

 

[Jahona]

It's hard to see issues with WDW when you've only been going in the last 5 -10 years. I went as a kid in the 90s and didn't go back until 2012. There are things that as a guest I just never noticed others stuck out like a sore thumb. One of the biggest changes from when I was a kid to now, was how dramatically character spots have changed the interaction with guests. It used to be fluid and dynamic and now it's staged. EPCOT is also a soar spot for me. There is just so much potential with future world that is currently empty space or outdated. Customer service has also suffered. In the past WDW would go out of the way to make sure their guests were having a good experience. Now it's oh you had a bad time here is an extra FastPass. Rising costs with very little redevelopment makes you wonder where the profits are going to. Another thing is a lot of the finer things that WDW did in the past would be lost to me without those on these forums. I would probably have been just another happy guest oblivious to the past. The stories from the past and just my limited memories of the 90s let me piece the puzzle together and see that WDW can do better than it's current form.

On the reverse side of this. I took friends in 2014 that had never been to WDW. They loved it. They didn't grow up with a different WDW and to them the current version was a lot of fun. They both want to go back soon.

as for planning..... My family always planned our vacations pretty thoroughly and that rubbed off on me a bit. I don't mind planning things way in advance.

I still plan on going to WDW in the future. I've been 2 years in a row and now I think it's time to visit other locations while I let the construction dust settle.

 

[BuddyThomas]

I dunno. I hear everything that everyone is saying and you all make good points but nothing ever stays the same, and I personally have an amazing time every time I go. And I've been going since I was a toddler in the 70's when they had the ticket books instead of unlimited rides. Regardless of what might not be as great as in the past, it's still great. And I can't wait to go again.

 

[wwzesq]

My family and I are long time Disney devotees, traveling to WDW at least 1-2 times a year since 2008 when my son was two years old. I made my first trip to the Magic Kingdom in 1977 and had returned as often as possible until 2008 when our trips became an annual family event. It was, and still is to some extent, our favorite place, but is has changed and not for the better. What I have noticed over the last few years is a general decline in the "happy factor" of the cast members which has greatly diminished the "magical" feeling that was once WDW's greatest draw. I believe this is mostly due to Disney's hiring of too many student interns as cast members as opposed to actual employees. Many of these interns are too filed with a sense self importance and arrogance to realize that they are there to make the guests' park experience as enjoyable as possible, not to act as some type of malevolent boss. For example, on our trip last October may family and I were stuck in the Haunted Mansion for approximately 45 minutes when the ride broke down. We were escorted from the "stretching room" to the staging are before the walkway to the doom buggies and packed like sardines with WAY too many other guests waiting to find out how long the ride would be down. It was a hot day and after some time, some of the guests were getting uncomfortable and began asking the one young female cast member how long we would be stuck like this. She replied in a very loud and curt tone that "it will take as long as it was going to take" and that she did not want to hear any nonsense about it or she would show him "some real special effects". On another occasion on the same trip my family and I had stopped at Casey's to have a hot dog while the parade went by. Cast members were literally pushing people back onto the sidewalk so they could set up the rope barriers and telling the guests that they needed to either keep walking or get behind the ropes. Along came a middle aged man pushing a stroller with two small children in tow, who stopped for literally 3 seconds to look at the "fire breathing dragon" float as it went by. Immediately a young male cast member came stomping over to him and yelled "Hey what part of you cant stand there are you not understanding". I felt really bad for the guy as I could see he was embarrassed by the cast members outburst in front of his children. I suppose some of the other guests also felt this way as they began describing the cast member as the "rope Nazi" I am an attorney, so I understand the need for compliance with the park rules, but I saw no need for such rudeness in "the happiest place on earth".

 

[danyoung56]

...All of this stuff and Rooms at Deluxe hotels for $85 a NIGHT.....

To be fair, the commercial didn't say you could stay in a deluxe hotel for $85 a night. They were showing a sky shot of the CBR, the only value they had at the time.

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

You are going to get so many different opinions on this subject. You have those on this forum that think WDW is in total disrepair, that the executives don't care about anything other than money and that it's getting to the point where it's not worth going anymore.

IMO...those people should just stay home and keep their negativity to themselves. Of course things are more expensive now than they were 40 years ago. Do people like it...no...who wants to pay more for stuff...but it's just how life works. I wish I could pay $0.50/gallon for gas...but instead I pay $1.65 now.

If you're running your own business and know that you can charge $20 instead of $10 for a product and your demand will be just as high...wouldn't you do it too? You'd be stupid not to.

The parks are changing and though they may not be up to the standards of some, they are still well above the standards of other parks around the country/world and it is still a great place to visit for vacation. As others have said, you don't have to plan everything so far in advance, no one forces you to do that. No you may not get to eat at CRT the day of, but there are other options to choose from.

What's weird is that people don't complain about booking airfare or hotels or rental cars far in advance, but then complain about booking restaurants. I don't know about you, but I've never just "winged" it when it comes to a vacation. Yes I want a vacation to be relaxing, but I also want to ensure I get to do all the things I want. IMO, booking ADRs is just part of the experience and planning.

 

[caseybrn]

Of course WDW still is great, but one of things I miss is World Showcase "lands" used to sell and overall be more of the land itself....like a gift shop would include more cultural (or perceived cultural items)....now its more of laced with Mickey, etc....I.E. instead of a clock...its a clock with Mickey head

 

[yaksplat]

My first trip was in 1980 and then successive trips in 83, 89, and 93. Then I didn't return until 2008. I made a beeline for the penny arcade which was nowhere to be found. It's the one thing that I miss the most at WDW.

 

[WisDisneyFan]

I've personally been going to the parks since 1997 and it is still as magical as ever IMHO. Price is relative. Back in the 70's a dollar was worth a lot more then it is now, so the comparison of the 20th Anniversary price to now, is that back 20-30+ years ago, it was considered "expensive". Disney may be changing, but so is our society. We live in a less tolerant society with an a healthy serving of immediate gratification. We all feel the need to be heard and really we are perpetuating the bad feelings about Disney. Relax and enjoy time with your family and the countless number of friends you haven't met yet. I look forward to my next trip in 2018! I can't wait to go "home".

 

[The90skid]

Aside from all of the above observations, one thing that I believe is overlooked is nostalgia culture today. Love it or hate it, nostalgia culture is so huge today, I mean, look at all the remakes these days! And unfortunately that carries over to the parks. We all want it to have that exact same thrill that we had as a kid, but sadly we all have grown up. If nothing in the park had changed since we were all kids and it was perfectly maintained, we still would not have that same thrill because we aren't kids anymore! So when you combine that disappointment with the details (bad refurbishments, abandoned attractions, etc.) it exacerbates the experience, and we come online to our forums to complain and wish it was better.

 

[Killnme]

I have been going to WDW since the 70s. Going every other year. I can remember in the early 90s paying 20 bucks to get in and having great times with friends. I asked my wife to marry me in Cinderella's castle (with the help of Cinderella herself) for free (now you have to pay for that).

About 10 years ago we got annual passes and this is where my major problem comes in. When we first got the passes we got sneak peaks it seemed like every other week. New ride coming out BAM sneak peak ride it for us, new restaurant opening BAM try it out first. Need a discount to a Disney hotel BAM your annual passes would help you out. Now a days if we want to keep our same annual pass privileges we have to up grade to the next level with NO new perks for more money. HECK WE DIDN'T EVEN GET A SNEAK PEAK RIDE ON 7 DWARFS MINE TRAIN (even though when I rode it, it just felt like another Goofy Barnstormer). But WDW could have hooked passholders up like the past. So we have decided to not renew this year when our passes run out next month; then wait and see when all the new stuff comes out.

 

[PanfanAL]

Disney to me is still a magical place, but it is different than it was as few years. I admit that too. Yes the price is higher than we like, so we can't go as often. I don't think this would bother me as much, if I couldn't book a Universal trip for quite a bit less. I know its 2 parks not 1, but they almost always offer the buy 2 days get one free offer. With a family of 5, that's a big savings. But price isn't whats bothered me lately. It's how long they take to do things there. Universal can build Harry Potter World in 2.5 years, and it has some amazing themeing and visuals. Meanwhile, Disney announces Avatarland, and it takes longer than that just to break ground, then another 3 years to build it? The Transformer ride, not that its Disney quality, but its a pretty good ride. It was half way completed secretly before they ever announced it . It opened a few months later. Disney used to be in innovator, the imagineers were the best in the world at what they did. I just feel like now, the effort to make Disney the best, isn't what it used to be. It's still the best, but they aren't trying as hard to keep it that way.

 

[J_Carioca]

I think the 'uber' planning that you now have to do is insane. Isn't it supposed to be a vacation? I miss the days when my husband and I would decide at the bus stop where we were going that day. Now we have to decide 6 mos ahead of time. We did not go to the world last year and we are not going this year either, and I am not so sure about next year. It is very sad to see so many people walking around looking at their mobile devices and not at what is happening around them. The real world has infiltrated my oasis.

I couldn't have said this better myself. 100% agree.

 

[winterwhite]

We go, and we don't really book anything ahead of time. I typically decide we're going 6-8 weeks out. Especially since an ADR isn't actually a reservation with a table waiting for you when you arrive, it's basically call ahead seating with a place in line, so we don't bother. We eat offsite quite a bit except for our favorite places on the property. We don't really care about the "big" rides so we only do fastpasses for minor things that are easy to get day-of. I think it's fine, and I still like it. If it had socal weather, it would be perfect, as roasting in 95 degree heat is not that pleasant. We are trying universal this time to see the difference.

 

[britdaw]

I think that Disney as a whole has lost sight of the original dream and has begun to focus pretty much just on what's the most marketable and profitable. It's sad, because they're letting the greed take over the parks instead of keeping the Disney magic.

 

[Miss Heinous]

The treatment Epcot had been given starting in the mid 2000's. Especially Future World

Girl that started in 1994.

 

[POLY LOVER]

The wow factor!
Epcot should be showing cutting edge technology around the park.
Unique and different resturants and shops.
Let the imagineers have a free hand to create.
Fix things when they are broken.
Maintenance immediately not wait for months and shut things down for long periods of time.
Fix the lobby of the poly.
Main Street bakery, a Disney place not a franchise coffee store.
The Walt factor