*This thread is mostly a rant.. you have been warned*
I remember a time when 'Disney' and 'quality' went hand in hand. A time when Walt Disney World, and the Disney company in general, represented the pinnacle of entertainment. Those times are gone. Currently Disney seems to be in a downward spiral where making money fast trumps everything. The glory days are behind us, all that is left is a fading glimmer from the classics that barely hang on.
Disney cast members (employees) are some of the greatest people you will ever meet, the ones you CAN meet anyway. The people on the ground deal with bad weather, screaming/cursing guests, unruly/undisciplined children, long hours, and average or below average pay and still manage to be the friendliest and most helpful people you will ever meet. They are this way because the remember and still believe in the legend of Disney, the stories you had when you were a child, and want other people to experience it too. However, once you get away from the guest areas things change. The people in charge are THE reason Disney has lost its luster. Many of the managers have little to no experience leading and seem to be chosen for their ability to kiss-up. The people at the top seem to care nothing for the legacy or the people below them, instead lining their pockets as much as possible. The most recent case is the massive bonus' top people got while those same people were cutting hours for everyone else and crying about budget problems due to Shanghai. These are the same people that have destroyed the high Disney standard with attractions like "Frozen Ever After", the newest ride to hit EPCOT. The ride is nothing more than a gutted older attraction with a few nice animatronics and some songs. The decor within the ride is sparse, the sound-system is quiet, and the ride breaks down on a regular basis.
The Disney World parks also suffer from their age. EPCOT in particular shows its age everywhere, but nowhere more than "Ellen's energy adventure" where the same dinosaurs have been doing their thing since it first opened (except for the ones that broke and were completely removed leaving a gap or statue behind). Rides like "Expedition Everest" and even "Splash Mountain" have anamatronics that rarely work.
Between the old stuff wearing out, and the new additions being lack-luster I don't see Walt Disney World holding onto its magic for much longer. Hopefully the leaders will get their acts together and go back to Walt's way before its too late. I don't see how the current trend of "prices up... quality down" will work in the long run.
..I'm not even gonna go into the movies... I will say that it scares me when "Frozen" is sited as people's favorite Disney Movie. Why should they make movies like "Beauty and the Beast" or "Lion King" when junk like "Frozen" is what people seem to want... its really, very sad...
I remember a time when 'Disney' and 'quality' went hand in hand. A time when Walt Disney World, and the Disney company in general, represented the pinnacle of entertainment. Those times are gone. Currently Disney seems to be in a downward spiral where making money fast trumps everything. The glory days are behind us, all that is left is a fading glimmer from the classics that barely hang on.
Disney cast members (employees) are some of the greatest people you will ever meet, the ones you CAN meet anyway. The people on the ground deal with bad weather, screaming/cursing guests, unruly/undisciplined children, long hours, and average or below average pay and still manage to be the friendliest and most helpful people you will ever meet. They are this way because the remember and still believe in the legend of Disney, the stories you had when you were a child, and want other people to experience it too. However, once you get away from the guest areas things change. The people in charge are THE reason Disney has lost its luster. Many of the managers have little to no experience leading and seem to be chosen for their ability to kiss-up. The people at the top seem to care nothing for the legacy or the people below them, instead lining their pockets as much as possible. The most recent case is the massive bonus' top people got while those same people were cutting hours for everyone else and crying about budget problems due to Shanghai. These are the same people that have destroyed the high Disney standard with attractions like "Frozen Ever After", the newest ride to hit EPCOT. The ride is nothing more than a gutted older attraction with a few nice animatronics and some songs. The decor within the ride is sparse, the sound-system is quiet, and the ride breaks down on a regular basis.
The Disney World parks also suffer from their age. EPCOT in particular shows its age everywhere, but nowhere more than "Ellen's energy adventure" where the same dinosaurs have been doing their thing since it first opened (except for the ones that broke and were completely removed leaving a gap or statue behind). Rides like "Expedition Everest" and even "Splash Mountain" have anamatronics that rarely work.
Between the old stuff wearing out, and the new additions being lack-luster I don't see Walt Disney World holding onto its magic for much longer. Hopefully the leaders will get their acts together and go back to Walt's way before its too late. I don't see how the current trend of "prices up... quality down" will work in the long run.
..I'm not even gonna go into the movies... I will say that it scares me when "Frozen" is sited as people's favorite Disney Movie. Why should they make movies like "Beauty and the Beast" or "Lion King" when junk like "Frozen" is what people seem to want... its really, very sad...
