I think I might be done with WDW.

[FettFan]

Last weekend, the Philadelphia Eagles won the Superbowl....and quarterback Nick Foles was asked the customary question, "What are you going to do now?" to which he responded "I'm going to Disney World!"

I was at a family party watching, and my mother pipes in "I think it's about time for us to have another Disney trip!"
I responded with "Not this year. Half of the Studios is closed down for construction and Epcot's barely any better."
Mom: "Oh..."

Just a few years ago, I would have jumped on board with this....start looking at hotel deals, including wanting to see how much I could save at the Swan or Dolphin using the discount they offer to teachers. But not anymore.

Maybe it's me "growing up", maybe it's that so much at WDW is changing in a way (that I feel) is in such a huge departure from the core values created by Walt Disney and maintained by the previous generations of Imagineers, such as the destruction of the Studios into what is essentially "Star Wars World" (even as a Star Wars fan, I'm totally burned out by the oversaturation) and the decimation of Epcot Center from a showcase of science, technology, and community into "Magic Kingdom 2" by replacing Norway with Frozen, replacing Test Track with Diet Tron, and replacing Universe of Energy with Guardians of the Galaxy.

I just don't LOVE Walt Disney World anymore. I get more of a thrill watching YouTube videos of Backyard Imagineering projects than I do thinking about the parks themselves.

Because, for me....the men and women who put their effort into those projects do so with a passion that has been sorely absent from Walt Disney World for at least the past decade.

PS. Here's a video of a guy who built a miniature version of DCA's "World of Color" in his backyard.

He's far truer to the spirit of Disney than anything TDO's been doing recently.

 

[21stamps]

It’s ok to grow out of something.

 

[Starlight67]

Big fan of old school Disney World here. I agree with a lot of what you are saying. (Especially about Hollywood Studios, aka: 'Celebration of Star Wars Park.' ). My first trip was in 1989, most recent trip a few weeks ago. I have been slow to embrace all the changes. There was something so much simpler about the old days. Go to the park, walk around wait in line for attractions with everyone else (no fast passes back then.) Stop and eat wherever and whenever. If you decided the wait was too long you would simply move along to your next choice. No rushing here and there to make your fast pass window, or dinner reservations. No real pre-planning necessary. Honestly I miss it. At the same time I realize Disney can't stay in the dark ages as technology moves forward. I know the technology may seem to make things easier, but to me just makes things less fun and spontaneous.

That said on this most recent trip I went with my parents and this was there first EVER visit to DW. And they are almost eighty. For them--the first timers, it was a magical experience. They were so impressed by the size, the details, the night time shows, they're still talking about it! . I set up a couple of fast passes per day, and went with quick service dining so we wouldn't be beholden to reservation times. I think this helped to keep the trip fun and relaxed for them. Anyway, based on their reaction I think there IS still magic to be found there, especially by the never-been-there-before squad.

For us old timers who remember the 'way it was' I think it's harder to find the same level of magic. Especially if we see what seems to be the eroding of the original vision. Or maybe I am just remembering with rose colored glasses...

 

[tangledtxteacher]

I guess I am just naive! I love what they are doing with all of Disney. It changes with the generations. I LOVE the old parks too, but for me, the magic never changes!

 

[FettFan]

For us old timers who remember the 'way it was' I think it's harder to find the same level of magic. Especially if we see what seems to be the eroding of the original vision. Or maybe I am just remembering with rose colored glasses...

It's not so much "the way it was" based on the parks themselves....that's just nostalgia.

What I'm talking about is the shift in TWDC's thinking.....instead of focusing on quality and thematic congruity in the attractions and shows, they're focusing solely on the corporate end of the equation; "How can we make the biggest return on investment?"
That in itself wouldn't be such a bad thing, but without an eye towards quality and congruity, we wind up with...

- The Norway Pavilion becoming more about "Frozen" than Norway. Whereas I gave Gran Fiesta Tour a pass because the Three Caballeros were actually exploring the country of Mexico, and I'm likely to give the Ratatouille ride a pass because it actually takes place in a Paris restaurant (as well as the Mary Poppins attraction rumored to be in the works for the UK Pavilion, because the movies actually take place in London), Frozen Ever After has absolutely no connection to Norway. It's a basic retelling of the movie, just like Peter Pan's Flight, Snow White's Scary Adventures, and Pinocchio's Daring Journey. It needs to be in the Magic Kingdom.

- The closure of Magic of Disney Animation in favor of Star Wars Launch Bay. I just learned through Facebook that former Disney animator Peter Reymundo is now doing drawing classes for kids at Orlando's Crayola Experience.
http://attractionsmagazine.com/crayola-experience-disney-drawing/
There exists a demand for it, Disney used to do it, but then got rid of it because hand drawn animation isn't where the money is anymore.

- The closure of the Great Movie Ride in favor of Mickey's Runaway Railway. That one is a real head-scratcher for me, as the new Mickey shorts aren't in keeping with the Chinese Theater exterior of the building. Ideally, they should have kicked out Launch Bay and built the ride in the animation area. Because.....animation. In that way, at least they would be paying tribute to what was there before. In fact, parts of the "Magic of Disney Animation" could have been kept as the pre- and post-show areas.

- Guardians of the Galaxy in Epcot. Not only are we getting a GotG roller coaster in the former Universe of Energy, which is a slap in the face to Epcot's mission statement.....but they've announced a GotG dance party at the American Adventure's American Gardens Theater.
https://blogmickey.com/2018/02/guardians-galaxy-dance-party-coming-epcot-may/

- The loss of Off Kilter at Epcot....in favor of a lackluster "Canadian Lumberjacks" show that was so terrible it only lasted a year before being shuttered ("axed" if you will).
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...canadian-lumberjacks-epcot-20151124-post.html

 

[Walt Disney1955]

It has been 52 years since Walt passed away. Lillian is gone, Sharon and Diane are gone. Roy Jr. is gone. Who is left? Ron Miller I guess of people in the Disney family who still would remember Walt and even then he's in his 80s. There are guys like Floyd Norman still kicking around and Robert Sherman (or is it his brother?) that can still tell stories about Walt. I guess this is natural, no one is around to talk about Abraham Lincoln anymore. Colonel Sanders has been played by so many actors in commercials that he is treated more like a cartoon than an actual real person. I guess the bottom line is what you are left with is the hope that the vision of these people remains. Walt Disney, on the opening day of Disneyland had a minister (his nephew) come in and pray over the park. No kidding. It is all on video. There would be a million people offended if that happened today but it goes to show you that there was a little more innocence and love towards the park and what it was about back then.

This doesn't mean WDW isn't a great park and that there aren't dedicated people to making it the most magical experience. No one gives you service like Disney and they are still the standard which all others are measured by. Maybe in 30 years the park will feel too different for me as well and it won't have the same nostalgia to it. I hope that never happens, even as I overlook the odd thing I don't like.

 

[FettFan]

It has been 52 years since Walt passed away. Lillian is gone, Sharon and Diane are gone. Roy Jr. is gone. Who is left? Ron Miller I guess of people in the Disney family who still would remember Walt and even then he's in his 80s. There are guys like Floyd Norman still kicking around and Robert Sherman (or is it his brother?) that can still tell stories about Walt. I guess this is natural, no one is around to talk about Abraham Lincoln anymore. Colonel Sanders has been played by so many actors in commercials that he is treated more like a cartoon than an actual real person. I guess the bottom line is what you are left with is the hope that the vision of these people remains. Walt Disney, on the opening day of Disneyland had a minister (his nephew) come in and pray over the park. No kidding. It is all on video. There would be a million people offended if that happened today but it goes to show you that there was a little more innocence and love towards the park and what it was about back then.

This doesn't mean WDW isn't a great park and that there aren't dedicated people to making it the most magical experience. No one gives you service like Disney and they are still the standard which all others are measured by. Maybe in 30 years the park will feel too different for me as well and it won't have the same nostalgia to it. I hope that never happens, even as I overlook the odd thing I don't like.

You're totally missing my point here. It's about the need for TWDC to put stock prices above park quality and mission statements.
Epcot is no longer about science, technology, and building community....it's practically Magic Kingdom Backwash.

PS - as for the "million people offended"....that song on Kilimanjaro Safaris? That's the Lord's Prayer in Swahili.
But nobody is offended because most Americans are idiots who prefer not to dig deeper into what they see and hear.

 

[Starlight67]

It's not so much "the way it was" based on the parks themselves....that's just nostalgia.

What I'm talking about is the shift in TWDC's thinking.....instead of focusing on quality and thematic congruity in the attractions and shows, they're focusing solely on the corporate end of the equation; "How can we make the biggest return on investment?"
That in itself wouldn't be such a bad thing, but without an eye towards quality and congruity, we wind up with...

Well said...totally agree.

And Frozen in Norway is the most ridiculous of all. Just why? Who were all these people around the boardroom table when that winning decision was made??? I can't believe there wasn't at least one person with enough clout in that staff meeting to stop the insanity and say, 'H%$#, NO we are not just randomly plopping FROZEN down in Norway!'

 

[Rumrunner]

Last weekend, the Philadelphia Eagles won the Superbowl....and quarterback Nick Foles was asked the customary question, "What are you going to do now?" to which he responded "I'm going to Disney World!"

I was at a family party watching, and my mother pipes in "I think it's about time for us to have another Disney trip!"
I responded with "Not this year. Half of the Studios is closed down for construction and Epcot's barely any better."
Mom: "Oh..."

Just a few years ago, I would have jumped on board with this....start looking at hotel deals, including wanting to see how much I could save at the Swan or Dolphin using the discount they offer to teachers. But not anymore.

Maybe it's me "growing up", maybe it's that so much at WDW is changing in a way (that I feel) is in such a huge departure from the core values created by Walt Disney and maintained by the previous generations of Imagineers, such as the destruction of the Studios into what is essentially "Star Wars World" (even as a Star Wars fan, I'm totally burned out by the oversaturation) and the decimation of Epcot Center from a showcase of science, technology, and community into "Magic Kingdom 2" by replacing Norway with Frozen, replacing Test Track with Diet Tron, and replacing Universe of Energy with Guardians of the Galaxy.

I just don't LOVE Walt Disney World anymore. I get more of a thrill watching YouTube videos of Backyard Imagineering projects than I do thinking about the parks themselves.

Because, for me....the men and women who put their effort into those projects do so with a passion that has been sorely absent from Walt Disney World for at least the past decade.

PS. Here's a video of a guy who built a miniature version of DCA's "World of Color" in his backyard.

He's far truer to the spirit of Disney than anything TDO's been doing recently.

I am with you as I see the changes and different direction of Disney-it is clearly a big change. We are going again in June but if they are going to shut down the MK at some ridiculous early hour, the lines are as long as the recent reports, and we are bombarded with the new Disney trend of political correctness it will probably be our last trip. We are fired up about the trip and will follow our Disney rule-no negatives while there. We are however going to seriously evaluate after the trip.

 

[zurgandfriend]

I miss the “Old Disney World” also (1990’s and the early 2000’s). It seemed that there was much more emphasis on presentation and service than on making a dollar. Of course, I miss cassettes, Howard Johnson's and the Plymouth. Boy am I getting old.

 

[Rumrunner]

Examples?

If you don't know what they are no examples will help you understand.

 

[Rumrunner]

But you could help me understand. Just elaborate on which examples of political correctness demonstrated at the parks would cause you to question future vacations or feel uncomfortable being at Disney.

It is clear you would not grasp any of the examples and their meaning. You have gotten all you will get from me on the topic. I am fully informed of what they are as are more and more people everyday.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I used to be annoyed by Disney's creative decisions regarding park changes, but now I'm more upset by the behaviour of the people who visit. MK was packed on Thursday and if you didn't have lunch reservations or FP+ for the rides you were basically SOL trying to do anything. Plus everyone was constantly talking or on their phones which made it difficult to enjoy parts of certain attractions. One guy took pictures during PhilharMagic with his ipad. The highlights of my day were breakfast at CRT and seeing the updated HoP, neither of which had any tour groups, cheerleaders, dance moms or clueless first-time visitors.

Ironically, on my second ride of Pirates nobody took any flash photos and I didn't get wet! I should have bought a lottery ticket after that.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

Yeah to think about it the price hikes started during all the major construction, if anything prices should be down at a time like this.

 

[worldfanatic]

Most people prefer to remember the past as "better".
Even when it clearly wasn't.

 

[erasure fan1]

Most people prefer to remember the past as "better".
Even when it clearly wasn't.

For some things I agree but not on this one. Things were better before hands down. Just thematic integrity alone makes the past better. Thats not including things like ride and park maintenance. @FettFan is right on. TWDC has become ROI first. The problem is, you became what you are by blazing a trail of quality first and the people will come because quality sells. Now it's "hey frozens popular what should we do?" "I got it, lets just throw it in Norway, no one really cares about Maelstrom anyway!" When what should have happened was they planned expantion in the lazy new fantasy land so when the opportunity came up they had a place to put frozen that would make sense. The funny thing is I have come to the conclusion that I must be the crazy one. The prices have gone through the roof, 3/4 of a park is shuttered, ride maintenance is terrible, rides closed years ago still sit empty yet the people still show up in hordes. All I can do is not show up. And thats exactly what we've done.

 

[FettFan]

Most people prefer to remember the past as "better".
Even when it clearly wasn't.

From a purely objective standpoint, Walt Disney World sans dance parties and "Fireworks Dessert Receptions" (aka spend an extra $30 per person so you can get a better view of the fireworks and a cupcake) clearly WAS better.

And I did clarify what I meant when I said modern WDW isn't as good.... once Disney bought Lucasfilm and Marvel, there was a push for the instant ROI. Hence why we're getting half of DHS turned into Star Wars Land, while a Guardians of the Galaxy Dance Party is getting shoehorned not only in the Universe of Energy, but in front of the American Adventure.

Because lord knows, the perfect compliment to Ben Franklin and Mark Twain's tour of American history is CLEARLY Drax the Destroyer shaking his booty out front.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

It is clear you would not grasp any of the examples and their meaning. You have gotten all you will get from me on the topic. I am fully informed of what they are as are more and more people everyday.

There’s a good cop out.

From a purely objective standpoint, Walt Disney World sans dance parties and "Fireworks Dessert Receptions" (aka spend an extra $30 per person so you can get a better view of the fireworks and a cupcake) clearly WAS better.

But that’s not objective; that’s your opinion. I’m sure other people enjoy the dance parties and dessert parties.

I’m all for more hyperfans quitting Disney. They’ll be replaced by newer fans who spend more, thus ensuring the departing fans won’t be missed. And newer fans are easier to outplan.

 

[TheDuke]

I think a lot of the old designs for theming that you see in MK/Disneyland and the WS in Epcot are superior to what you get today and I think some of the best rides are older ones like Space and Splash Mountain, The Great Movie Ride, and Peter Pan's flight. But there's been plenty of good new stuff. Even though the increased used of IP's is a bit annoying, it doesn't stop you from making a good ride. I wasn't excited about Avatarland at all, but FoP at Animal Kingdom is still probably the best ride at all the parks.

Also, I think today the parks and Disney Imagineering are in much better shape than in the Pressler era, where we got crap like Dinoland USA and the sorry state of California Adventure when it opened.

 

[TheDuke]

As for the FP/planning issue, I have mixed feelings about FP generally. It gets you on a few rides quicker but then makes all the other waits longer, so I'm not sure how much time it saves you. Especially if you spend a lot of time in the park and wait lots of regular lines. I went to MK one night with my brother when they were open late and we had three FPs lined up and it really helped us since we were only there a few hours. But if you're there all day you'll spend more time waiting in the lines inflated by FPs than using FPs.

But I think the way they do it now is clearly better than the old system. Before you'd have to wait in line just to get them, and if you didn't go early enough they might all be sold out or you'd be stuck with a time that didn't work for you. Now you can get what you want from your computer at home if you do it early enough. I understand how this may be annoying for locals since you can't go out on a whim like we used to be able to do, but really I think it makes the actual experience better, especially for people travelling. I'm also more inclined to be a planner so I like picking my FPs in advance.