Iconic Purple Directional Signs Being Replaced

[eddie104]

Why do people keep equating theming to looking like a 90s childs bedroom?

A lot of people on this thread are reminiscing about the “good ole days” of Disney theming. Not realizing that most companies are moving away from the over the top garish 90s style.

It’s just a looks very tacky and outdated compared to most similar options today. Most modern families are looking for convenience and accommodation to match their standards.

That’s not to say Dis hasn’t made gone too far in their remodels. Sometimes they tone it down a little too much.

 

[RobWDW1971]

A lot of people on this thread are reminiscing about the “good ole days” of Disney theming. Not realizing that most companies are moving away from the over the top garish 90s style.

It’s just a looks very tacky and outdated compared to most similar options today. Most modern families are looking for convenience and accommodation to match their standards.

Actually, we are reminiscing about the "good ole days" when Disney had compelling, entertaining theming throughout the resort area and parks.

Apparently the option is only "garish 90's style" or nothing.

Here's an idea, how about compelling, entertaining theming throughout the resort that resonates in 2022?

Perhaps try to "wow" us in everything you do using today's standards vs. just giving up.

 

[Magicart87]

Perhaps try to "wow" us in everything you do using today's standards vs. just giving up.

It's cheaper to just give up. - Dis Corp.

 

[LittleBuford]

I’m not sure why every unpopular decision Disney makes is branded as cheap. Aren’t people aware of the enormous sums the company has spent on its recent projects? Whether the money has been well spent or not is another question, but cheapness isn’t the issue here.

 

[JoeCamel]

I’m not sure why every unpopular decision Disney makes is branded as cheap. Aren’t people aware of the enormous sums the company has spent on its recent projects? Whether the money has been well spent or not is another question, but cheapness isn’t the issue here.

Capex is well below the last 5 years levels, the increase you saw in the earnings call was offset by the underinvestment the last few years.
As usual the parks are being milked to support the expansion of D+ (or non parks projects in the past) so not surprising. Let me know when they go all in and commit 10B to DPEP expansion.
Yes it is budget driven

 

[LittleBuford]

Capex is well below the last 5 years levels, the increase you saw in the earnings call was offset by the underinvestment the last few years.
As usual the parks are being milked to support the expansion of D+ (or non parks projects in the past) so not surprising. Let me know when they go all in and commit 10B to DPEP expansion.
Yes it is budget driven

I’m not saying that Disney isn’t watching its budget. I’m saying that even some of their most hated recent projects have cost inordinate sums of money. That should caution us against automatically equating what we don’t like with cheapness. There’s no evidence that these new signs cost less than more colourful ones would have.

 

[JoeCamel]

I’m not saying that Disney isn’t watching its budget. I’m saying that even some of their most hated recent projects have cost inordinate sums of money. That should caution us against automatically equating what we don’t like with cheapness. There’s no evidence that these new signs cost less than more colourful ones would have.

So if it costs more it isn't cheap? Not the Disney way sadly

 

[LittleBuford]

So if it costs more it isn't cheap? Not the Disney way sadly

If people are using “cheap” to mean tacky, that’s another debate. I took the meaning to be monetary.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

The traffic signs were not stand alone pieces. They were part of a package of elements that also included things like the Welcome signs, Transportation and Ticket Center colors and signs, and Magic Kingdom toll booths which have also been changed. The traffic signs are a part of a larger project.

This actually makes me feel a little better about the road signs because as a whole I like the new color scheme. I think it works better on some things (welcome arches, MK sign, etc), worse on other things (road signs, etc), and I'm kind of indifferent on others (TTC signage, monorail signage)... I'm glad they're keeping a unified theme across the whole resort rather than random colors everywhere though.

I’m not sure why every unpopular decision Disney makes is branded as cheap. Aren’t people aware of the enormous sums the company has spent on its recent projects? Whether the money has been well spent or not is another question, but cheapness isn’t the issue here.

In this case I totally agree, there could be a slight variation in price but I doubt it factored into the color palette decisions at all. Paint costs more or less the same whether it purple or blue or yellow or red, likely true of reflective sign coatings, etc.

There's hundreds of areas where Disney is penny pinching but I don't think this is one of them. I think they just decided the old colors were dated and picked a new color palette.

 

[larryz]

Why do people keep equating theming to looking like a 90s childs bedroom?

Maybe 'cuz most of the folks on this board were children in the 90's?

 

[peter11435]

Yes it is budget driven

spending money to replace road signs that don’t need replaced yet with a new design does not help the budget.

 

[Disstevefan1]

spending money to replace road signs that don’t need replaced yet with a new design does not help the budget.

It does look like the purple in the old sign is getting bleached out by the sun.

 

[Kamikaze]

I’m not sure why every unpopular decision Disney makes is branded as cheap. Aren’t people aware of the enormous sums the company has spent on its recent projects? Whether the money has been well spent or not is another question, but cheapness isn’t the issue here.

The money spent on the major projects doesn't mean they don't cheap out in other areas.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I’m not sure why every unpopular decision Disney makes is branded as cheap. Aren’t people aware of the enormous sums the company has spent on its recent projects? Whether the money has been well spent or not is another question, but cheapness isn’t the issue here.

I think the branding of cheap comes in for example when they show us what Toy Story land or Galaxy’s Edge is going to look like and have then when they actually get built they “cheap out” and give us less.

I will say they so spend a lot of money on things for example, Harmonious and Moana in EPCOT.

 

[LittleBuford]

The money spent on the major projects doesn't mean they don't cheap out in other areas.

Which is why I wrote, “I’m not sure why every unpopular decision Disney makes is branded as cheap”—emphasis on “every”. Yes, penny-pinching is sometimes (perhaps often) at play, but it shouldn’t be the default accusation in all cases.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Which is why I wrote, “I’m not sure why every unpopular decision Disney makes is branded as cheap”—emphasis on “every”. Yes, penny-pinching is sometimes (perhaps often) at play, but it shouldn’t be the default accusation in all cases.

The road signs are not attributable to cheapness. I think they’re more attributable to the fact that Disney is determined to attract folks with a lot of cash and has fixed on the stereotype that theming, bright colors, and entertainment architecture aren’t “classy.” As with the resort makeovers, it’s an absurdly misguided attempt to make WDW “fashionable.” Like so many other problems, it’s born of the fact that management has no notion of the very specific needs of the Disney brand and is instead versed only in general, one-size-fits-all “business principles.”

 

[UNCgolf]

The road signs are not attributable to cheapness. I think they’re more attributable to the fact that Disney is determined to attract folks with a lot of cash and has fixed on the stereotype that theming, bright colors, and entertainment architecture aren’t “classy.” As with the resort makeovers, it’s an absurdly misguided attempt to make WDW “fashionable.” Like so many other problems, it’s born of the fact that management has no notion of the very specific needs of the Disney brand and is instead versed only in general, one-size-fits-all “business principles.”

I'm not even sure it's that.

That would make sense for certain moves, but then you look at what they did to the rooms at the Contemporary and I don't think that was even an attempt to be "classy", despite being one of their deluxe resorts. Disney's kind of all over the place with what they're doing -- even within the Contemporary itself, some of the updates do lean towards the "classy" side while the rooms do not. It's like the teams working on different projects are completely divorced from each other with no communication whatsoever about any larger goals.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I'm not even sure it's that.

That would make sense for certain moves, but then you look at what they did to the rooms at the Contemporary and I don't think that was even an attempt to be "classy", despite being one of their deluxe resorts. Disney's kind of all over the place with what they're doing.

Yes, I agree.

With some of the new rooms and perhaps the new road signs, I think they are trying to more more tasteful rather than fashionable. That doesn't bother me, as I think Disney at its best was always more tasteful in terms of its theming than other places in the sense that they put thought into the use of colour, shapes, designs, etc. It just so happens that what is considered tasteful changes over time, and a lot of the stuff being replaced now is from 30 or more years ago.

As for them being all over the place, the counterpoint would be exactly something like the Contemporary rooms, which are far from tasteful.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The road signs are not attributable to cheapness. I think they’re more attributable to the fact that Disney is determined to attract folks with a lot of cash and has fixed on the stereotype that theming, bright colors, and entertainment architecture aren’t “classy.” As with the resort makeovers, it’s an absurdly misguided attempt to make WDW “fashionable.” Like so many other problems, it’s born of the fact that management has no notion of the very specific needs of the Disney brand and is instead versed only in general, one-size-fits-all “business principles.”

I saw a thing going around LinkedIn earlier this week about how on paper, Grand Central and Penn Station are pretty much the same thing. Similar passenger numbers, trains served, levels, etc. If you were just looking at a spreadsheet comparing them you wouldn’t see much of a difference. The experience of the two though is completely night and day.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I'm not even sure it's that.

That would make sense for certain moves, but then you look at what they did to the rooms at the Contemporary and I don't think that was even an attempt to be "classy", despite being one of their deluxe resorts. Disney's kind of all over the place with what they're doing -- even within the Contemporary itself, some of the updates do lean towards the "classy" side while the rooms do not. It's like the teams working on different projects are completely divorced from each other with no communication whatsoever about any larger goals.

I completely agree that clashing mandates and poor communication between departments is a big part of what is happening at WDW. I haven’t been in the new Contemporary rooms, but looking at images, they look like they could be the result of a badly botched attempt to marry the “more IP” and “very subtle, if any, theming” initiatives.

And as regards tasteful - there has never been a single moment in their collective history when anyone who mattered thought anything about any of the Disney parks was “tasteful.” Quite the contrary, they have always been held up as glaring examples of a distinctly American “tastelessness.” Trying to make them “tasteful” is a fool’s errand. At least when Eisner tried to make the parks “fashionable” - I don’t think he ever really reached for “tasteful” - he did so by getting interesting architects to design interesting things, not by futilely ripping away theming.