Meg and Co. Head West ...

[wdwmagic]

Well, when IOA opens WWoHP and WDW has RFID chips in soda mugs and new timeshares and new character meet-greet-and-gropes, it kinda is disheartening when the webmasters/podcasters/bloggers have largely been paid for and want to talk about how amazing new villas are that they would NEVER actually stay at if they had to pay at even half off ... or about how great a new QUEUE is.

That's not what people pay $7,000 for vacations for. And it never will be. But I see another thread for that discussion!

~GFC~

But in reality, IOA opens WWoHP, WDW opens new Fantasyland with 2 brand new attractions (not 1 and a rehash of two others), starts on an entire new land for DAK, and puts out an RFID system that the other place won't be able to clone like they did FP.

And going into the Holidays, WDW actually does something, unlike Universal.

 

[jt04]

No evidence? The list is too long to talk about how many times I have overheard singles, couples, families get so many things wrong. Granted "Fast Track" vs Test Track is nothing compared to them not knowing where they are in the park, thinking rides from other parks are at the park they are at, yelling and moaning about how they can't find a place to eat, etc. This has been going on for years.

Luckily there are people, who do plan their trips ahead of time, or have a general sense of what they want to do. I've observed and listened in line too many loud conversations about people's "miserable" trips.

I enjoy most of my time at WDW, but I've observed a general decline since, say 10-15 years ago. Especially compared to Disneyland and Disneyland Paris

Wishes has performed nearly identical to when it premiered in 2003, the few exceptions for weather, or a special occasion such as the 40th perimeter fireworks.

On many occasions I've seen Wishes with missing pyro, even on evenings when the weather and wind was fine.

I swear to the offerings from years past based on the facts that you can pull up information from that era and see the amount of facilities that are either closed or seasonal or seasonal or axed entertainment, same for going through my own paperwork and souvenirs from year's past.

Have you ever been to any other Disney resort jt? :shrug:

Yes, I went to DL once and never had the "feeling" I wanted to go back. Not that it was bad but it just does not compare to WDW. Just my opinion.

Please read the text below and adopt a bit of optimism. Trust me, WDW is being addressed but first they had to fix the Disneyland Resort. There is no "magic pixie dust" in the real world. These things take time and money which the mouse does not have an unlimited supply of. That is just the reality of the situation. Sad part is WDW74 knows this perfectly but he chooses to exploit ths situation and play on people's emotions for some reason. It is disgusting.

It still amazes me that people single out issues that have their roots under the previous CEO. It is a very narrow way to analyze the situation. I realize Iger was a part of Disney but he had a limited ammount of power at that time.

And as I said before. I am not an Eisner basher. It just seems that he lost control amidst a run of very bad luck. He also did amazing things but that does not mean he did not leave the company with severe issues it had to solve.

It is obvious that Iger first had to stop the bleeding and then turn things around. Then add to that the terrible recession. Still though there is now light at the end of the tunnel. And his decisions will be be viewed positively in the future. It is one of the greatest recoveries in history when you consider the economy.

 

[Expo_Seeker40]

....and yet the other fantasylands at DL, DLP, and Tokyo offer more to ride, eat, and see than what MK's new FL will offer when it opens. :snore:

 

[Expo_Seeker40]

Yes, I see what you wrote and read it, but I haven't blamed Eisner, Iger in my posts.

 

[wdwmagic]

....and yet the other fantasylands at DL, DLP, and Tokyo offer more to ride, eat, and see than what MK's new FL will offer when it opens. :snore:

The others may have more in quantity, I have not done an actual count, so don't know if that is actually the case or not, it must be close. BUT, WDW will have by far the best Fantasyland in terms of quality.

 

[Expo_Seeker40]

The sense of space at WDW surpasses the other resorts. Even some of the hotels I prefer at WDW than I do at DL or DLP, but I do like the Sequoia at DLP especially. I also prefer downtown disney at WDW.

Trust me, I can be a very pleasant fanboy eating dole whip at the poly watching the Electrical Water Pageant, but as far as in park offerings, there are some clear setbacks over the years. I hope it improves, and want it to improve, but for now it's "meh" compared to current offerings at other disney resorts.

 

[Expo_Seeker40]

The beauty and the baest restaurant and little mermaid with an excellent facade will definitely be a welcome addition and surpass the other fantasylands.

The MK has the nice flooded floor system in their IASW, but sadly it is crammed into a show building due to the weather.

I hope they nail the landscaping, I remain cautiously optimistic. The landscaping at the other fantasylands, especially DLP and HK are leapyears ahead of what is at DL and the MK.

As far as ride counts, DL and DLP do offer more and DLP has a nice collection of dark rides. I was very pleased with their detailed versions compared to the ones in california.

 

[jt04]

Yes, I see what you wrote and read it, but I haven't blamed Eisner, Iger in my posts.

I am not saying you did in any way. What I am trying to get you to see is that there is a reason things are the way they are. Which, by the way, are nowhere near as bad as some let on.

Infrastructure was neglected, investments that needed to be made were not made. Poor decisions and investments multiplied. All these things had to be fixed and most of them have been.

That is just the reality of the situation and it was/is a huge challange. From DCA 1.0, to Paris bleeding money, to WDW's infrastructure being neglected, to the need to reestablish the animation division, absorb Pixar etc etc etc. Then add the most severe recession since Disney was established.

Yeah, to find fault with the condition of WDW under these circumstances is outrageous. And the crowds agree with me because if it were as bad as some claim there would be no crowds.

 

[HMF]

The others may have more in quantity, I have not done an actual count, so don't know if that is actually the case or not, it must be close. BUT, WDW will have by far the best Fantasyland in terms of quality.

It is still too premature to make that judgement.

 

[dreamfinder]

And going into the Holidays, WDW actually does something, unlike Universal.

Universal does do something. Off the top of my head they have the Macy's Holiday Parade (or whatever it is called) at UNI and the Grinchmas show at IoA. Seuss Landing was fairly well decorated, and I recall decent decorations in the Port Of Entry as well. Can't remember if the other lands had anything. But adding a holiday parade is more than AK does, who just converts a parade. And the Grinchmas show was pretty well done despite being hidden out of the way. I can't speak to the quality of the Uni parade, or the decorations in Uni as we just did IoA, but they need to be given credit for having something.

 

[wdwmagic]

Universal does do something. Off the top of my head they have the Macy's Holiday Parade (or whatever it is called) at UNI and the Grinchmas show at IoA. Seuss Landing was fairly well decorated, and I recall decent decorations in the Port Of Entry as well. Can't remember if the other lands had anything. But adding a holiday parade is more than AK does, who just converts a parade. And the Grinchmas show was pretty well done despite being hidden out of the way. I can't speak to the quality of the Uni parade, or the decorations in Uni as we just did IoA, but they need to be given credit for having something.

Well they do something, but it isn't very good. The parade is poor, the decorations are very sparse, and there are no fireworks, light shows or anything of the Disney entertainment quality. It is a bare minimum. People like to complain about WDW's entertainment, but it is leaps and bounds over the competition.

 

[ScoutN]

It saddens me,when DLP and I believe DL offer far more seasonal decorations than the sparse offerings at the MK.

So as far as Paris and decorations go; you feel that none of that whatsoever has anything to do with the large Roman Catholic population in that area?

Doesn't WDW pull more guests globally than DLR? If so then would that not be a factor in how many decorations are installed? I mean everything else is PC so why wouldn't The Mouse be when it comes to the dollar?

Happy Holidays, anyone?

 

[GLaDOS]

So as far as Paris and decorations go; you feel that none of that whatsoever has anything to do with the large Roman Catholic population in that area?

Doesn't WDW pull more guests globally than DLR? If so then would that not be a factor in how many decorations are installed? I mean everything else is PC so why wouldn't The Mouse be when it comes to the dollar?

Happy Holidays, anyone?

Come on. The majority of people coming to Disney during Christmas are coming for Disney during Christmas. I don't think the lack of decorations has anything to do with trying to be PC.

 

[Tigger1988]

Doesn't WDW pull more guests globally than DLR? If so then would that not be a factor in how many decorations are installed? I mean everything else is PC so why wouldn't The Mouse be when it comes to the dollar?

Happy Holidays, anyone?

If they wanted to be PC there wouldn't be a Candlelight Processional, or a Nativity set up at the Osborne Lights, or a "Christmas" party to begin with.

 

[grumpytodd]

So as far as Paris and decorations go; you feel that none of that whatsoever has anything to do with the large Roman Catholic population in that area?

Doesn't WDW pull more guests globally than DLR? If so then would that not be a factor in how many decorations are installed? I mean everything else is PC so why wouldn't The Mouse be when it comes to the dollar?

Happy Holidays, anyone?

If you happened to experience the Parks decorated for Christmas, say in the late 90's and seeing them now..... One word... SPARSE! Seriously it's so disappointing I've stopped going in December.

 

[ryanduggers]

Well they do something, but it isn't very good. The parade is poor, the decorations are very sparse, and there are no fireworks, light shows or anything of the Disney entertainment quality. It is a bare minimum. People like to complain about WDW's entertainment, but it is leaps and bounds over the competition.

It's because the Grinch lives there...

 

[dreamfinder]

Well they do something, but it isn't very good. The parade is poor, the decorations are very sparse, and there are no fireworks, light shows or anything of the Disney entertainment quality. It is a bare minimum. People like to complain about WDW's entertainment, but it is leaps and bounds over the competition.

Thats fair enough. However, I do give them serious props for the Who's they had out and about in Seuss Landing last year. Not sure if they are around year round or just for the holidays, but they seemed to be more than capable of providing a good streetmosphere type situation.

 

[RSoxNo1]

....and yet the other fantasylands at DL, DLP, and Tokyo offer more to ride, eat, and see than what MK's new FL will offer when it opens. :snore:

The others may have more in quantity, I have not done an actual count, so don't know if that is actually the case or not, it must be close. BUT, WDW will have by far the best Fantasyland in terms of quality.

It is still too premature to make that judgement.

I'm with Steve on this. The nostalgia for the classic Fantasyland dark rides is starting to get ridiculous. Snow White's Scary Adventures and Peter Pan's Flight look like they're from 1971. It doesn't mean that they can't be updated, but they look dated. Comparitively, out in Disneyland the classic dark rides are a function of quantity over quality, with maybe Alice in Wonderland being an exception.

I think this nostalgia factor has cloude people's judgement elsewhere as well. So many people that profess that Epcot is their favorite park do so because they're recalling EPCOT Center. The Future World of EPCOT Center doesn't exist anymore. Growing up, Epcot was my favorite park as well, but now I could go there, hit up a few attractions (Soarin', Test Track, Turtle Talk) maybe grab some food and watch Illuminations. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy some of the other offerings, but 15-20 years ago I truly enjoyed "exploring" that park. Now for me, the park to Explore is the Animal Kingdom.

 

[ScoutN]

Come on. The majority of people coming to Disney during Christmas are coming for Disney during Christmas. I don't think the lack of decorations has anything to do with trying to be PC.

Nothing to do with cooler air, people being out of school, and usually a bit more slack work schedules? Because of the holidays that time of year is naturally more convenient for a lot of things. If you read my post then you would have seen I never dismissed that people were there for but questioned whether others there are not.

Don't get so defensive over a simple possibility. Longshot but still possible.

If they wanted to be PC there wouldn't be a Candlelight Processional, or a Nativity set up at the Osborne Lights, or a "Christmas" party to begin with.

Candlelight is tucked in a corner, the nativity is tucked in a corner, and the MVMCP is an additional ticketed event. Never did I say it was the reason yet posed it as more a possibility.

If you happened to experience the Parks decorated for Christmas, say in the late 90's and seeing them now..... One word... SPARSE! Seriously it's so disappointing I've stopped going in December.

I see no point in this post that has any relevance whatsoever to my submission you quoted.

I'm with Steve on this. The nostalgia for the classic Fantasyland dark rides is starting to get ridiculous. Snow White's Scary Adventures and Peter Pan's Flight look like they're from 1971. It doesn't mean that they can't be updated, but they look dated. Comparitively, out in Disneyland the classic dark rides are a function of quantity over quality, with maybe Alice in Wonderland being an exception.

Exactly, dark rides do not need to go away but they do need upgrades badly. The main cause of their datedness is Disney causing datedness to occur. As Disney builds newer dark rides with higher technology it causes the originals to look more and more dated. I am all for dark rides but not a dark ride along the lines of Spiderman. That is the most atrocious presentation, nauseating, catastrophe of a ride ever. Before I am attacked on that I will say we have a newer version of its ride system here in Virginia at BGW and I still think it is a waste of space.

 

[janoimagine]

It's because the Grinch lives there...

Close ... but she goes by Meg.