Trip Report need an intervention

Went to WDW last wk, we spent 3 days there. Epcot, magic kingdom, & studios. We were thoroughly disappointed. About 5 yrs ago we stayed at animal kingdom resort & spent 5 days at the parks, we were a bit disillusioned then & had decided we probably wouldn't go back. But we went to the Eukanuba dog show & decided to go Sea world for a day, & Disney for a few while we there.
We stayed at double tree Hilton at Sea world, this is close to the convention center & close to everything else as well. This a nice hotel & allows pets, & with the dog show discount fairly reasonable.
First let me say we have always loved Disney & have been probably 8 or 9 times over the past 30 yrs. But the WDW I loved in the '80s & '90s no longer exists. I understand things change over time, I expect this. But in my opinion things have not changed for the better. Perhaps this is a side effect of growing older.
Some areas of the parks needed attention, such as repair or cleaning. The food is bad, I'm sorry but it's expensive & poor quality. I could understand if we were talking about basic burger & fries that were relatively cheap. But even in the sit down nicer restaurants the good was bad & even more expensive.
What I don't understand is after 40 yrs & millions of guests, they can't figure out how to provide decent food? $7.00 for a beer. Seriously? It was crowded when this was supposed to be one of the slower times of the yr. The cast members weren't particularly friendly. Couldn't get a reservation at my favorite restaurant. WDW now seems to have a unseemly greedy feel. I really think Walt would be disappointed in the blatant over commercialization of his dream.
We definitely won't be going to WDW again, unless things change drastically. Our next vacation will involve my Rubicon, our dog & some unpopulated scenic views, no lines, screaming kids or $7.00 beers.

 

[disney4life2008]

Welcome to the club. Your not alone in your thought but many people on here will not own up to their discontent. Im one if them yet i keep going back.

 

[Sammy5150]

Welcome to the club. Your not alone in your thought but many people on here will not own up to their discontent. Im one if them yet i keep going back.

Accurate, and we too keep going back.

 

[Sammy5150]

Went to WDW last wk, we spent 3 days there. Epcot, magic kingdom, & studios. We were thoroughly disappointed. About 5 yrs ago we stayed at animal kingdom resort & spent 5 days at the parks, we were a bit disillusioned then & had decided we probably wouldn't go back. But we went to the Eukanuba dog show & decided to go Sea world for a day, & Disney for a few while we there.
We stayed at double tree Hilton at Sea world, this is close to the convention center & close to everything else as well. This a nice hotel & allows pets, & with the dog show discount fairly reasonable.
First let me say we have always loved Disney & have been probably 8 or 9 times over the past 30 yrs. But the WDW I loved in the '80s & '90s no longer exists. I understand things change over time, I expect this. But in my opinion things have not changed for the better. Perhaps this is a side effect of growing older.
Some areas of the parks needed attention, such as repair or cleaning. The food is bad, I'm sorry but it's expensive & poor quality. I could understand if we were talking about basic burger & fries that were relatively cheap. But even in the sit down nicer restaurants the good was bad & even more expensive.
What I don't understand is after 40 yrs & millions of guests, they can't figure out how to provide decent food? $7.00 for a beer. Seriously? It was crowded when this was supposed to be one of the slower times of the yr. The cast members weren't particularly friendly. Couldn't get a reservation at my favorite restaurant. WDW now seems to have a unseemly greedy feel. I really think Walt would be disappointed in the blatant over commercialization of his dream.
We definitely won't be going to WDW again, unless things change drastically. Our next vacation will involve my Rubicon, our dog & some unpopulated scenic views, no lines, screaming kids or $7.00 beers.

I went a couple of times in the 70's and it was great as far Is I remember as a 3 and 7 year old. We started going as a family in 1997 and it was GREAT! Same in 98, 99 and 2000. We went shortly after 9/11/01 and with the fear Disney had with the slight drop off of travel to Disney World they began cutting everything. Food quality and basic maintenance were the first noticeable things. When travel picked back up, service and quality at WDW did not. Very disappointing but I agree with you, they are only looking at the bottom line now. It is a cliché, but you are right, not what Walt Disney had in mind at this point. We will still keep going back but more time will be spent at other places/parks in addition to WDW.

 

[WWWD]

Our next vacation will involve my Rubicon, our dog & some unpopulated scenic views, no lines, screaming kids or $7.00 beers.

If you went to WDW remotely expecting the above quote for your vacation, then you definitely were disappointed. Also, the $7.00 beers ....... have you been to a pro sports game recently?

 

[graphite1326]

Oh give me a break! I just got back and the food was very good. Better than usual. I paid $6.50 for a beer and have paid that and more at other vacation places. I didn't see any maintenance issues. I'm older than you and still have a great time. I think yu are just one of those people who wpuld complain if someone gave you a $100 bill.

If you don't like it don't go. And we are here becasue we like going. Why are you here?

 

[Rubicon77]

Whoa!!! Settle down Sparky, what's with all the venom & personal attacks? First, it's not my intention to upset or anger anyone. I grew up loving Disney & especially WDW. I'm here because I thought I might find like minded people (note title of thread). So please don't be so defensive, if you are still enamored with WDW & find it magical I envy you. I truly envy you. I'm saddened by this & quite frankly I figure most people might find that silly. So I'd appreciate a little human kindness & compassion especially at Christmas.
This just my opinion, the rest of our stay was quite enjoyable. We did enjoy some parts of WDW, it's just that, for me, the negatives now outway the positives. If you enjoy going then by all means go, my absence will leave more room for you. We didn't go to one of the largest dog shows in the country & expect solitude. No I haven't been to a pro sporting event in a few yrs, but there is a big difference between being somewhere for 3 hrs versus 3 days. As far as the conditions at WDW, do me favor the next time you go to epcot go to the Mexican pavilion look up under the cabana by the lake.
I've already stated that part of the problem is me. I'm older, more beat up by life, & certainly more cynical & jaded. But that does not change the fact that WDW is different, at least for me, in the ways I've mentioned before. Apparently by some of the responses there are others that agree.

 

[graphite1326]

If the problem is you, then why post it? And don't call me Sparky!

Also, you are probably younger than me.

 

[stevehousse]

$7 dollars for a beer is pretty decent for disney, as it is not uncommon to pay that price at many of the local restaurants in the area that you live in...

 

[disneyflush]

Oh give me a break! I just got back and the food was very good. Better than usual. I paid $6.50 for a beer and have paid that and more at other vacation places. I didn't see any maintenance issues. I'm older than you and still have a great time. I think yu are just one of those people who wpuld complain if someone gave you a $100 bill.

If you don't like it don't go. And we are here becasue we like going. Why are you here?

The new forum member went on a trip to Disney. They then joined our forum to express their opinion. They came to the Trip Report forum to post about their trip. They created a post about their trip and how it went and felt to them. They posted it. You take time out of your morning to be personally outraged at their opinion. You then create a post declaring this outrage and telling them not to go if they don't like it. Finally, you ask them to validate their reasons for posting their opinion and why they even joined this Disney discussion forum to discuss their Disney trip. Are you honestly this insecure about your Disney love that you are mentally forced to berate someone who has a differing opinion? This is the saddest post I've seen on here in a long time.

 

[disneyflush]

If the problem is you, then why post it? And don't call me Sparky!

There are no words.

Whoa!!! Settle down Sparky, what's with all the venom & personal attacks? First, it's not my intention to upset or anger anyone. I grew up loving Disney & especially WDW. I'm here because I thought I might find like minded people (note title of thread). So please don't be so defensive, if you are still enamored with WDW & find it magical I envy you. I truly envy you. I'm saddened by this & quite frankly I figure most people might find that silly. So I'd appreciate a little human kindness & compassion especially at Christmas.
This just my opinion, the rest of our stay was quite enjoyable. We did enjoy some parts of WDW, it's just that, for me, the negatives now outway the positives. If you enjoy going then by all means go, my absence will leave more room for you. We didn't go to one of the largest dog shows in the country & expect solitude. No I haven't been to a pro sporting event in a few yrs, but there is a big difference between being somewhere for 3 hrs versus 3 days. As far as the conditions at WDW, do me favor the next time you go to epcot go to the Mexican pavilion look up under the cabana by the lake.
I've already stated that part of the problem is me. I'm older, more beat up by life, & certainly more cynical & jaded. But that does not change the fact that WDW is different, at least for me, in the ways I've mentioned before. Apparently by some of the responses there are others that agree.

I appreciate you posting about your trip. Its always interesting to hear other's experiences and viewpoints. I hope you contribute more to the discussions around here in the future and don't let a negative first post experience force you away for good.

 

[graphite1326]

And I gave my opinion!

 

[Rubicon77]

Yes you did, in a very rude manner. If you are indeed older than me then you are old enough to know something about civility. Although I don't know how you have ascertained my age. Age really has less to do with this than life experiences. I don't know why you are so defensive about MY experience at WDW? But it does occur tome that as long as people like you continue to spend your money at WDW & accept what they offer, then they really have no need to improve do they?

 

[graphite1326]

You are a new member and one of your first post says that you aren't going to WDW again. I come here because I like the info and to see how others like going as much as I do. My point is if you are never going again they why come here.

 

[Rubicon77]

Where else could I go & discuss my experience & have anyone remotely understand me being disheartened? Most people would not grasp how a full grown man could be sad about this. Clearly everyone here has an affinity for WDW, as I used to have. I am not the casual visitor, I still have every park brochure, pass, reciept & souvenir all the way back to 1981. I have Disneya from the '30s-'70s, some very rare. I was hoping someone here (like the first few responses) would understand. I used to plan for wks, no months, in advance in anticipation. I would even carry a WDW travel brochure around with me. When I said I envied you, I really do because I miss that feeling. But you are right since I don't plan on returning, there really is no reason to come this forum, so this will be my last post. I hope all of you continue to get as much joy from WDW as I used to.

 

[38053WDW]

Pssst.... Some women and men pay over $100 for shoes ... shhhhhh.... But a good pair of walking shoes at Disney can go a long way

 

[Sammy5150]

Where else could I go & discuss my experience & have anyone remotely understand me being disheartened? Most people would not grasp how a full grown man could be sad about this. Clearly everyone here has an affinity for WDW, as I used to have. I am not the casual visitor, I still have every park brochure, pass, reciept & souvenir all the way back to 1981. I have Disneya from the '30s-'70s, some very rare. I was hoping someone here (like the first few responses) would understand. I used to plan for wks, no months, in advance in anticipation. I would even carry a WDW travel brochure around with me. When I said I envied you, I really do because I miss that feeling. But you are right since I don't plan on returning, there really is no reason to come this forum, so this will be my last post. I hope all of you continue to get as much joy from WDW as I used to.

Don't go away because of "he in need of anger management". You like Disney like we all do, I'm sure. Stay and play a while. And I love the Sparky line.

 

[Sammy5150]

Oh give me a break! I just got back and the food was very good. Better than usual. I paid $6.50 for a beer and have paid that and more at other vacation places. I didn't see any maintenance issues. I'm older than you and still have a great time. I think yu are just one of those people who wpuld complain if someone gave you a $100 bill.

If you don't like it don't go. And we are here becasue we like going. Why are you here?

Why the hostility?

 

[englanddg]

I wish I could counter and say that I too, haven't seen a decline...but I have.

At first I wrote it off to going as an adult (though, my tastes haven't changed that much from since I was a teenager...I know dirty places and bad food when I run across them, even if I was 14 or 15...). Later, I wrote it off as being the one who was paying.

But, I can say...since 2010 alone, discounting all the wonderful "buzz" that used to be in the parks in the 80s and 90s...just since 2010...to compare apples to apples (me as an adult going with a child and paying for the trip)...

I have noticed a significant decrease in food quality and maintenance. From the stains on the slides at Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon to worn down hotel rooms to shotty and inconsistant ride maintenance...it's there. And, one doesn't have to look very hard to see it.

I did 4 days at Universal in 2012, and that was fantastic. Staying at their resorts (which are now priced nearly equivalent to moderates at Disney), I was blown away by their theme and service. The CMs there really shone (something that is still at Disney, but not as much) and I actually enjoyed that part of the trip more than the 10 days we stayed at Disney afterwards.

But, it wasn't until this year where I had the pleasure of doing 7 nights on the Fantasy as well as a week stay at the Disneyland Hotel in California that the state of WDW really sunk in. Since I had these (still Disney) experiences so close to my WDW trips this year, I was able to make direct comparisons. And, it's sad.

Is WDW still glorious? Well, yes. Yes, it is. But, it is a shadow of it's former self in terms of quality. Combine this with the rising prices over the same period of time, and I'm starting to have real issues justifying the trip.

Would I recommend it to others? Certainly. Do I applaud and hope to see positive changes coming to WDW (like what happened at DCA), absolutely.

Will I be spending 2+ weeks a year and enough money to purchase a small car there every year moving forward? Probably not.

 

[alissafalco]

Where else could I go & discuss my experience & have anyone remotely understand me being disheartened? Most people would not grasp how a full grown man could be sad about this. Clearly everyone here has an affinity for WDW, as I used to have. I am not the casual visitor, I still have every park brochure, pass, reciept & souvenir all the way back to 1981. I have Disneya from the '30s-'70s, some very rare. I was hoping someone here (like the first few responses) would understand. I used to plan for wks, no months, in advance in anticipation. I would even carry a WDW travel brochure around with me. When I said I envied you, I really do because I miss that feeling. But you are right since I don't plan on returning, there really is no reason to come this forum, so this will be my last post. I hope all of you continue to get as much joy from WDW as I used to.

Don't let that rude other poster drive you away from here. Please post as much or little as you like.