My family and I go every year. Every year there is someone who has something negative if not downright hateful about WDW or a WDW ride. I personally have never been anywhere that was as much fun, had so many employees that went above and beyond the call of duty to make my family and I happy and was so clean and pretty. If Disney has to cut back they have to cut back but I can't see the most trusted name in amusement parks cutting back on safety, security or satisfaction. You all can listen and take heed to his negativity but I personally don't have time for it.....140 days and I am back for another 10 day stay.
I truly have to restrain myself when I read posts like this one. It's attitudes such as this that are so dangerous in any culture and, more specifically for the purposes of this post, for the future of the Disney parks. It's partially this seemingly benign belief system that is systemic of the continued downward trend of quality in the Disney product.
First, I need to state the normal disclaimers. You have every right to your opinion and I'm sincerely happy that you and your family have a great time when visiting WDW. I certainly don't expect everyone to be a student of WDW history or an expert in the theme park business to understand the problems associated with this post. This is in no way a personal attack on you but more of an attack on a pervasive frame of mind in recent American culture.
You can see it by comparing automobile aesthetics and durability from 50 or 60 years ago to today's plastic cars for example. You can see other examples by visiting your local Wal Mart and comparing it to the 50's when customer service, quality and local pride were evident in the products offered in restaurants, drug stores and other public venues. How does medical care compare to the days when just about everyone could afford to go to the doctor, or better yet, have the doctor come to them? Today our mega corporations, government and educational system have molded our expectations to suit their profit and growth goals. They have prepared us for the "cookie cutter" franchise landscape that has all but wiped out the "small guy" and their ability to innovate and introduce those innovations to the marketplace. There are isolated cases but they are becoming few and far between. The number of quashed ideas that would make our lives so much richer will never be known.
How does that relate to our current discussion? The number of theme park related innovations and the level of quality has been suppressed and reduced significantly over the past 13 years in much the same way. And this has occured all while the Disney consumer at large has been silent, with a few exceptions, about it.
Those that know what WDW used to be seem to be the ones that are concerned over the company's steady decline in quality standards. Those that have not been visiting since 1971 seem to be complacent and satisfied with the parks today. If you can accept this postulate you should ask yourself why this is. Why is there a common understanding amongst long time WDW visitors in this regard? I don't think there is anyone that has been visiting regularly since 1971that would believe WDW quality has been maintained and has not rather been slipping steadily.
I remember talking with a maintenence supervisor about the now defunct light bulb replacement list. WDI used to provide a matrix with every bulb listed and a replacement date for that fixture. The idea was to replace each bulb before it burned out so every light would work for every visitor. This was very effective for many years. Disney maintenence was legendary and one of the common quotes to support their status would include a reference to the fact that not one burnt out light bulb could ever be found on property. Today they laugh when this matrix is brought up.
I was walking around DHS yesterday and I saw the Prime Time Cafe main sign was out except for the word "cafe." I also noticed the Great Movie Ride read something like, "the eat ride." This has now become the norm rather than the exception unfortunately. I remember as a kid walking down Main Street trying to find a burnt out bulb. Never could. The first time I found one was many years later during the beginning of the decline.
Back in my younger days when I worked as an attractions host I remember when an attraction would go 101if one animatronic had only one function broken. Today they'll operate an attraction if an entire scene is down. They'll let important show elements sit unattended for days. They did not tolerate anything less than perfection back in the day because this could affect the "Disney magic" experience for the guests. One only need visit Tokyo Disney to see that these same standards could work in today's world.
One of the reasons Tokyo works so well is attitude; both of its visitors and its cast members. Its visitors expect nothing less than perfection. Its cast members take personal pride in their jobs, from the street sweepers to the upper management. A great example comes to mind when I was working on an install for a DisneySea attraction. During an inspection I found a show control cable had been wired incorrectly. This was after hours so I called the AV guy who had already gone home to see if he knew where I could find the proper connector to redo it. He apologized profusely for the mistake and insisted that he travel the hour distance back to the park and correct the mistake himself. I told him that it was no big deal but he insisted, hung up and showed up an hour later. I've also worked in a similar capacity at WDW and found a completely different attitude. Not only did I find a significant increase in mistakes throughout the project by comparison but also a much different attitude with respect to job pride and commitment. There is also a marked difference in the way OLC management treats its cast members compared to WDWs. Everything from the budgets to the attitudes from management are reflected in the final product.
I can't tell you how many times I heard the phrase, "but it's only for Florida not Tokyo" at WDI. If this is the kind of product you are satisfied with than perhaps you truly don't understand what you and your family could be experiencing for the thousands of hard earned dollars you are dropping in Florida.
There has been enough posted with specifics on what should and could have been with respect to attractions such as Soarin', Nemo, Mission Space, Everest, Laugh Floor etc. You are getting about 40% of the experience you are paying for. Yes I understand that despite the lower quality and quantity you are still having a great time. I understand that in this case maybe ignorance is bliss. But I submit to you that if you could catch a glimpse of what WDW could be you probably would stop being so complacent and you might even speak up as others that share the same views as myself do.
