IWant2GoNow
Well-Known Member
I try to steer clear from generalizing "everyone does this" or "everyone thinks this way". So the following is just my opinion. Agree or disagree I'm not aiming it at "pixie-dusters" or "doom & gloomers".
Management structures & personnel aside over the past 4 decades or so, WDW should never have gotten to the state that it is in now. Of course it's an enjoyable place, it's an amusement park that is supposed to be enjoyed by millions of people based on a recognizeable, & well-loved brand. Most people enjoy it as a group where personal conversations in line, keeping track of young ones, & discussing where to eat after the ride allow most to overlook the declines that have been going on around them. Some will still notice & the ones that do have a right to gripe because in their opinion they are paying top dollar (with yearly increases) for a trip that some aren't able to make even once a year. First-comers will be too overwhelmed & oblivious for the most part to notice which is not a knock on them, but it's true. If you find nothing wrong with WDW today, then by all means enjoy it. However, for others, they see the neglect in the resort & wish to spend their money elsewhere. It shouldn't bother either side what the other does with their time & money. We're just all here to voice our thoughts on a place we love to visit.
Personally, I can't get enough of WDW. However, my last few trips (June '10, & June '12) have been increased prices & not much else. I'm really intrigued by UNI's efforts lately & am excited to see all of the new additions coming in the next few years. I'm also well-overdo for my first DLR trip & can't WAIT to see it & experience the park that started it all. I find it hard to believe that I would ever NOT enjoy myself at WDW, however when I see better offers elsewhere at places that are making a concentrated effort with maintenance & quality experiences for a cheaper price, my wallet will wander. At the end of my trip this year, my mother & friend's family members discussed coming back in '13 because we had a good relaxing trip. With a half open expansion & numerous rides in disrepair, I don't feel like spending the money. I instead of purchased a Cedar Fair season pass & may be traveling around to visit a few amusement parks that I've never been to. Do they have any of the same level of theming as WDW? Absolutely not, but for the money, I feel I'm getting a much better deal. Would I rather visit WDW again? Absolutely, but not at its current state & price.
A lot of posters are arguing over what has & has not been added in the past. It's true WDW hasn't added much of substance or creativity lately. FLE appears beautiful in pictures but outside of a new view there's not much advancement in terms of tech. From what I hear, the mirror effect in ETwB is very good as well as the Lumiere AA. Everything else though, in terms of the attractions not theming, looks & sounds lack-luster. My annoyance lies not only the reduced attention to detail & maintenance, but in the amount of things that Disney has taken away or altered for the worse.
A big problem I keep reading about is capacity issues. I was too young to witness the Swan Boats but those are gone, as well as 20k being taken out. Epcot has lost an entire pavilion in Wonders of Life, a chopped down version of JIYI that doesn't utilize the full track layout, closed ImageWorks & Odyssey, almost all futuristic tech in Innovations have changed to educational sideshows, & had to promote character tie-ins to save other attractions (Living Seas, Rio del Tiempo). DHS has lost most of its Backlot & AnimationTour, Sounds Dangerous!, & soon AIE. Also Fantasmic! has been cutback dramatically & they've lost a unique merch shop as well (which name escapes me at the moment). DAK I don't believe has lost much but only for the shear fact that if they DO lose something it will be a capacity nightmare which is why its attractions remain un-refurbed.
Has WDW offered new things to replace these losses? In some areas yes, & some no, but I feel the "no"s greatly outweight the "yes"s, IMO. I feel WDW has tried to redo low-ride count rides to draw more capacity to them to make up for what they are taking away. ST2, Captain EO, SM "refurb", HoP, expensive queue additons to TMAoWtP, & HM... They are slowly running out of rides to "redo" before they have to invest in expansion, new attractions, & new tech.
This management change can not come soon enough. I can only hope that they first & foremost get the parks in better condition before adding new rides/lands/restaurants/DVC. I personally wouldn't mind if they took 5 years to focus on that alone. According to some on here, people will still go anyway so they shouldn't have to worry about luring people to an amusement park with silly things like great rides, intriguing shows, & amazing technology.
Management structures & personnel aside over the past 4 decades or so, WDW should never have gotten to the state that it is in now. Of course it's an enjoyable place, it's an amusement park that is supposed to be enjoyed by millions of people based on a recognizeable, & well-loved brand. Most people enjoy it as a group where personal conversations in line, keeping track of young ones, & discussing where to eat after the ride allow most to overlook the declines that have been going on around them. Some will still notice & the ones that do have a right to gripe because in their opinion they are paying top dollar (with yearly increases) for a trip that some aren't able to make even once a year. First-comers will be too overwhelmed & oblivious for the most part to notice which is not a knock on them, but it's true. If you find nothing wrong with WDW today, then by all means enjoy it. However, for others, they see the neglect in the resort & wish to spend their money elsewhere. It shouldn't bother either side what the other does with their time & money. We're just all here to voice our thoughts on a place we love to visit.
Personally, I can't get enough of WDW. However, my last few trips (June '10, & June '12) have been increased prices & not much else. I'm really intrigued by UNI's efforts lately & am excited to see all of the new additions coming in the next few years. I'm also well-overdo for my first DLR trip & can't WAIT to see it & experience the park that started it all. I find it hard to believe that I would ever NOT enjoy myself at WDW, however when I see better offers elsewhere at places that are making a concentrated effort with maintenance & quality experiences for a cheaper price, my wallet will wander. At the end of my trip this year, my mother & friend's family members discussed coming back in '13 because we had a good relaxing trip. With a half open expansion & numerous rides in disrepair, I don't feel like spending the money. I instead of purchased a Cedar Fair season pass & may be traveling around to visit a few amusement parks that I've never been to. Do they have any of the same level of theming as WDW? Absolutely not, but for the money, I feel I'm getting a much better deal. Would I rather visit WDW again? Absolutely, but not at its current state & price.
A lot of posters are arguing over what has & has not been added in the past. It's true WDW hasn't added much of substance or creativity lately. FLE appears beautiful in pictures but outside of a new view there's not much advancement in terms of tech. From what I hear, the mirror effect in ETwB is very good as well as the Lumiere AA. Everything else though, in terms of the attractions not theming, looks & sounds lack-luster. My annoyance lies not only the reduced attention to detail & maintenance, but in the amount of things that Disney has taken away or altered for the worse.
A big problem I keep reading about is capacity issues. I was too young to witness the Swan Boats but those are gone, as well as 20k being taken out. Epcot has lost an entire pavilion in Wonders of Life, a chopped down version of JIYI that doesn't utilize the full track layout, closed ImageWorks & Odyssey, almost all futuristic tech in Innovations have changed to educational sideshows, & had to promote character tie-ins to save other attractions (Living Seas, Rio del Tiempo). DHS has lost most of its Backlot & AnimationTour, Sounds Dangerous!, & soon AIE. Also Fantasmic! has been cutback dramatically & they've lost a unique merch shop as well (which name escapes me at the moment). DAK I don't believe has lost much but only for the shear fact that if they DO lose something it will be a capacity nightmare which is why its attractions remain un-refurbed.
Has WDW offered new things to replace these losses? In some areas yes, & some no, but I feel the "no"s greatly outweight the "yes"s, IMO. I feel WDW has tried to redo low-ride count rides to draw more capacity to them to make up for what they are taking away. ST2, Captain EO, SM "refurb", HoP, expensive queue additons to TMAoWtP, & HM... They are slowly running out of rides to "redo" before they have to invest in expansion, new attractions, & new tech.
This management change can not come soon enough. I can only hope that they first & foremost get the parks in better condition before adding new rides/lands/restaurants/DVC. I personally wouldn't mind if they took 5 years to focus on that alone. According to some on here, people will still go anyway so they shouldn't have to worry about luring people to an amusement park with silly things like great rides, intriguing shows, & amazing technology.
