Negative trip report threads

Okay, I've gotten all my fire gear on and ready to be flamed if need be, so here it goes. I have really taken notice lately to a lot of the most recent trip reports and how negative they all are. Is it me or does it seem like everyone who is taking trips to WDW is doing so just to report back how terrible their trip was due to something that was well beyond their control so many little things that it is too many to list.
We have be visiting WDW since 2003 and yes, we have had some not too happy experiences between other guest and CM's but when it has occurred we just move on unless it affected our trip to the point we would need to contact WDW about it which we never had to do and when we did contact WDW it was about a lost item of our sons which was a very personal item and it was located and returned to us.
My point is we are making another trip to WDW in 2014 and we are going to enjoy WDW I am not going with the intent of seeing what I can find wrong will there be trash on the ground, yes there will and with thousands of people in the parks CM's can only do so much. Will there be long lines, yes there will, but I will be enjoying the smiles on my children's faces when we board the ride.
We go to WDW to enjoy the atmosphere that WDW offers us, we go to see how happy our children are when we are there. We go to WDW to escape our real world problems just for a few days. I go enjoying the moments away from what I see on my job and to relax I go to WDW to have the moments I miss with my wife, the walk down Main St. holding hands, buying her something special just because.
So, if you go to WDW and find you have a not so happy experience think about what has happened if it didn't affect you personally move on if it has, don't whine about it here go right to the source and let WDW know abiut it.
Finally, our family goes to WDW to make memories to last forever and ever. Isn't that what Walt wanted to do??

 

[Gomer]

Excellent points... though I think to that often if folks have things to vent about they are more likely to come to forums like these (whether they think TDO is watching or not) to do that. Ultimately it's what forums are for right? I mean, I know on the couple non-Disney forums I belong to they sure aren't immune to the complaining and negativity either. A big example is a forum dedicated to the vehicle I own. Half the folks are there to talk about how much they love it and the other half are there to complain about issues they are having or things they dislike about the vehicle. As I said earlier though, I'm all for an exchange of opinion but when it becomes more than just venting, and instead is bashing someone's opinion or flat out bashing the individual for said opinion, that's when it's gone too far.

Most definitely. And although it goes without saying...even as big as this forum is, we are but a small fraction of WDW guests. We are passionate and more likely to complain when things don't meet our expectations. As lifelong fans, and not once in a lifetime visitors, we also see change for better and worse over time. (People look at me like I'm crazy when I wax poetic about the exterior refurbs on main street or go on rants about the degradation of trash can theming in the last 20 years) But that's why we're here. Because our enthusiasm makes our likes and dislikes more intense than those of the average guest. That also leads to a high conentration of strong opinions on either side.

That doesn't make the complainers or defenders wrong. Are complainers nitpickers who notice things that most others don't or are they the canaries in the coal mine spotting problems before they become noticeable to the average guest? I would say both. This forum allows people who pay closer attention than the average guest to voice both their love and disdain for the minutiae of WDW. Maybe Disney hears of the problems and attempts to fix the issue (Splash Mountain refurb, MK Exterior building refurbs, etc...) and maybe they choose to ignore them (Epcot). As long as people are willing to allow both sides of the argument, I don't see any negative to allowing both "doom and glooming" and "dust-snorting" to continue. It used to be easy. A couple years ago "doom and glooming" was mostly on the News and Rumors board and "dust-snorting" could mostly be found in General Discussion and the other less intense sub forums. That segregation kept the peace for the most part. Now, due to site design or more adventurous posters, it seems much more integrated (which I think is a good thing) but I think that has caused some of the friction.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

Most definitely. And although it goes without saying...even as big as this forum is, we are but a small fraction of WDW guests. We are passionate and more likely to complain when things don't meet our expectations. As lifelong fans, and not once in a lifetime visitors, we also see change for better and worse over time. (People look at me like I'm crazy when I wax poetic about the exterior refurbs on main street or go on rants about the degradation of trash can theming in the last 20 years) But that's why we're here. Because our enthusiasm makes our likes and dislikes more intense than those of the average guest. That also leads to a high conentration of strong opinions on either side.

That doesn't make the complainers or defenders wrong. Are complainers nitpickers who notice things that most others don't or are they the canaries in the coal mine spotting problems before they become noticeable to the average guest. I would say both. This forum allows people who pay closer attention than the average guest to voice both their love and disdain for the minutiae of WDW. Maybe Disney hears of the problems and attempts to fix the issue (Splash Mountain refurb, MK Exterior building refurbs, etc...) and maybe they choose to ignore them (Epcot). As long as people are willing to allow both sides of the argument, I don't see any negative to allowing both "doom and glooming" and "dust-snorting" to continue. It used to be easy. A couple years ago "doom and glooming" was mostly on the News and Rumors board and "dust-snorting" could mostly be found in General Discussion and the other less intense sub forums. That segregation kept the peace for the most part. Now, due to site design or more adventurous posters, it seems much more integrated (which I think is a good thing) but I think that has caused some of the friction.

Seriously can I just quote this and post it in every thread that ever turns negative? I've read a lot of responses on topics like this lately (I'm the OP on one in fact) and none quite sum it up the way yours does. And that... is coming from a "pixie dust snorter."

 

[Gomer]

Seriously can I just quote this and post it in every thread that ever turns negative? I've read a lot of responses on topics like this lately (I'm the OP on one in fact) and none quite sum it up the way yours does. And that... is coming from a "pixie dust snorter."

Eh, I'm very long winded. Most people see posts as long as mine they just skip right over them. But feel free to use it as you see fit.

 

[ford91exploder]

My point was the complain here all day long and when you tell them "Write to Disney" they say "Oh I don't feel like it and who is going to care?" Copy and paste what you type here and send it there.

Many of us do exactly that. And it's strange EVERY time we go to the Resorts or Parks we have a 'Disney Research' person wanting us to do something, Last trip it was a journal that we recorded all facets of our trip in and sent back to Celebration for analysis.

 

[ford91exploder]

Many of us do exactly that. And it's strange EVERY time we go to the Resorts or Parks we have a 'Disney Research' person wanting us to do something, Last trip it was a journal that we recorded all facets of our trip in and sent back to Celebration for analysis.

---Meant to EDIT NOT REPLY to my own post

For the 'Disney Research' people I always try to give accurate feedback on what's going right and what in my opinion is going wrong. We need to PRAISE Disney when they do things like the MK Refurbs - Sure I've missed a few of our favorites but since quality of maintenance at least at MK seems to be going up. We need to give them an attaboy for that and I don't mind an attraction closing for a proper refurb. I do mind when an attraction is taken away and replaced with nothingness.

 

[DVC4bestvacations]

I'm a DVC member since 2000. We stayed at SSR in January. I can honestly say the room was perfect! Although I'm glad I didn't have to sleep on the convertible sofa. It's wasn't comfortable as a sleeper or a sofa! We are generally happy with our membership. However at todays price per point and cost of park passes I'm not sure the value is there anymore.

I can overlook dust and chipped paint in the parks and on attractions. I don't get upset when the Yeti doesn't shake is fist at me on EE. What bothers my family is the lack of new attractions. Like a previous poster stated the new FL is geared toward younger families. I can't tell you the last time I was wowed buy a new ride in WDW. We find ourselves spending more time at the resorts than we had in the passed.

We took advantage of the DVC deal on APs. We will be back Christmas week before the APs expire. Something we always wanted to do. Cross one more thing off our bucket list. As for a return trip in the near future, unlikely. Maybe when Avitar land, Star Wars & Cars land are a couple years old (if any of these come to fruition). I want to be wowed next time.

We look forward to exploring other vacations available as DVC members.

I joined this site to help me plan my WDW vacations. The dinning forum has been valuable helping us choose our ADR's. Up until recently the site has been useful and informative. I'm sure Disney management does monitor this forum at some level. I can't believe they would take the handful of constant complainers on this forum seriously. Some of you go out of you way to state the negative either true or fabricated. In the process chasing other members like me who are just looking to enhance the magic of our WDW vacations off this site.

I don't care if all of you "old and respected" members of this group feel insulted by my last comments. As the prince said to Cinderella: If the shoe fits wear it.

 

[GenerationX]

If a trip report is positive, negative, or indifferent has nothing to do with whether or not I will read it. I have a short attention span. It has to be entertaining, interesting, or particularly well-written. I apply the same rule when evaluating WDW attractions.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

If a trip report is positive, negative, or indifferent has nothing to do with whether or not I will read it. I have a short attention span. It has to be entertaining, interesting, or particularly well-written. I apply the same rule when evaluating WDW attractions.

Recently one of the most awesome travel companions in the world mentioned her reading or lack thereof of TRs. She said, "Too many words. I don't have time for that." I laughed and laughed. True. I haven't got the time to do as much reading as I like. Sometimes it's all about the pictures and getting a pictoral story.

 

[jw24]

I must admit that with everything that has happened over the past couple of days, I'm still shaken and hurt and it was hard fighting a war against myself of whether or not I should continue to post. But I do feel that coming back to the forums after a short break was the best way for me to move forward. (Only saying this because I never got a chance to respond to my post of concern regarding the forums that you can find on Chit Chat. I usually try to avoid thread where opinion is very split but considering everything's that happened, well, I'll offer something different aside to what's already been said.)

Anyway, I must admit that I don't read too many TRs because the bottom line is, there are just so many out there and honestly, the ones I will pay more attention to are the ones that are by members that I "follow" here so to speak. I will admit that there are some TRs written by people that I do "follow" that I haven't gotten a chance to read but I'll get to those when I have time!

Personally, I see a TR no different than a movie review from a film critic or a restaurant review by a food critic because it is solely their interpretation and their viewpoint. You may agree with them. You may not agree with them. But just because you don't agree with them does not give you the right to bash them unfairly. The way they see something may differ than how you see it. I would think that most of you would rather read a TR that's more enjoyable to your liking. Having said that, you're better off finding a TR who shares your viewpoints. Here's a quote from an article I read a few days ago about fans vs. movie critics and what the proper action should be if you don't agree with their opinions: "The true purpose of a review is to give the reader a look at how they may or may not enjoy a film based on someone else’s experience who shares their viewpoints. Bottom line: If a critic doesn’t share your opinion on a film, don’t take that opportunity to rip into them; just find yourself a critic you do agree with and in the end you’ll enjoy your movie experience a whole lot more." The idea still resonates to the online community no matter what site or forums you're a part of.

Main thing is: We can have differing or alternate viewpoints but...let's agree to disagree and apply that rule to every thread and post in this forums. We're all grown adults, well, most of us are, so let's act that way and don't pick on other users like children.