Price Hikes Galore! (Genie+ variable pricing, ILL, refillable mugs, SWGE lightsaber and droids)

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Plus just a different culture/attitude towards vacation .... My European colleagues take 3-4 weeks at a time, I rarely take more than a week. I get 5 weeks a year total and don't think I have ever taken all of it - and even when I do I am doing work while on vacation. I know that is partly a "me issue" but I am definitely not alone

Why hard to even do the other side of the country or Hawaii or something, travel just takes too much out of the total time I will take off (not to mention the cost of flights for 5 people). I am planning a trip to Europe for 2024 but that is a multi-year planning effort (money wise and arranging with work to be gone that long)

Well…you’re American…and we’re anti health and leisure. Documented.

But we are “pro stuff” to make up for it

 

[crazy4disney]

And I’m neither a met nor (obviously) a Yankee fan.

I think you can probably guess the next option? (It was a brutally long summer)

Wow. Now you have me wondering… i dk where youre from how old so on and so forth. But im gonna guess SF

 

[crazy4disney]

True.

But less impactful to their own PR. Not everyone partakes in the 300% breakfast costs like you or I do. It’s a fraction of the daily total visitors.

Genie is much more in your face

Valid point and accurate

 

[dreday3]

It's changed a lot. They do have more family oriented rides now. It's not just the park that's good. Put in Bay is a great escape for a few days.

I'll tell you what. We are returning to Dollywood next October. Staying at DreamMore again unless her new resort opens in time.

Arriving on a Wednesday evening. Plan to do one of those big family parks (Anakeesta or Skylift Park?) in Gatlinburg on Thursday, sure we can spend most of day there. Doing touristy stuff in Pigeon Forge on Friday (I want to do the mountain coaster and feed the goats). Then Dollywood on Saturday/Sunday, going home Monday.

If I'm being honest, I'm just as excited about this trip as I am for our WDW trip in April. That's never happened before!

 

[MrPromey]

I think if you go into it wanting to feel like that, you will. Or maybe if the money to go to Disney is a hardship, you would feel like Disney owed you more than you are getting. But, honestly, I dont agree on any of those points. The crowds have always been there and they aren't difficult to navigate. I haven't found myself eating on top of a trashcan in years - and we eat and drink around the world a LOT. There are far more tables in World Showcase now than there used to be. We also travel with my MIL some trips who has trouble walking too long before needing to sit - we can always find a place to sit if we spend 30 seconds or so looking. The views are still wonderful if you don't spend every second staring angrily at the barges. I have had very few (and no serious) issues with rude or aggressive people. The occasional inconsiderate person yes, but it doesn't ruin my day and it isn't Disney's fault. By and large I still find most people are still having an enjoyable time and are respectful (certainly a better percentage inside Disney than I see outside Disney).

If you want to go there and see all the bad things, that's your prerogative. If you want to dwell on the price and/or look for the negative aspects, you'll find them. You'll find them on any vacation. My question would be what are doing focusing on that on your vacation? Seems like a waste of time and energy (and money!) to me.

I choose to enjoy any vacation I take - and I find it incredibly easy to enjoy Disney World.

Well, we had annual passes and were going quite regularly throughout the year. I can say that I noticed things getting quite a bit worse starting around late 2018 into 2019 which.

My one and only trip post-pandemic was much worse.

Definitely would not say I was looking or things to be bad.

Would also love to know where you were finding all this fabulous seating and table top dining while getting food from the pavilions since from my experience there was almost none of it to be found and whatever was, was taken by people who weren't moving.

... Ah, maybe I was giving you guys the evil eye on day.

 

[fgmnt]

…dude, we gotta stop meeting like this…

…I know. It’s what grates me. People habs decided “anyone can do it…” because Iger was a bland personality.

But he wasn’t an idiot. He had long experience in the entertainment biz that proved valuable (not really parks or economics scholar though)

Chapek…can’t handle himself. Near everything he’s said for 2 years has been a display in public stupidity.
His business experience is in selling cheap product and red lining as much as possible and more.

Couldn’t be a worse fit. My theory is Iger never serious wanted him to follow him. But Bob was a coward when it mattered and somehow was outsmarted by chapek and a bad board. That’s a hit on your legacy, Bob…after you spent 15 years caring about not much else. Tsk tsk.

As responsible as Iger is for presiding over the rot of P&R, he did what the company needed him to do when he took it over: secure the future of the film division of the company after a decade of faltering and a soured relationship with Pixar. Despite looking like an internal hire of convenience, I do think he had a unique ability to salvage the Pixar relationship. The company needed Iger in 2006 to secure that acquisition and in the process, retrench WDAS, and those have both been very successful moves (not that I am overlooking Lassiter's transgressions). The acquisition of Marvel has been a pretty clear boon for the company as well. The Lucasfilm and 20th Century moves I was and am not a fan of, but not relevant to the point. He was the guy they needed in 2006 and he got the job done.

Why is Bob Chapek CEO? He is just the guy that happened to still be in the building when Iger decided he didn't want to extend for a third time. He is there in a vague hope to grow the company in some way (digital d2c? signature experiences? special shelves in Target? who really knows anymore). The unique skillset and talent he brings is just being the guy in the building when Iger retired. That's really it. It's a decision that is a product of a company that has no real motivating force other than making money.

Obviously, for-profit, publicly-traded companies are supposed to be making money and growing, but Disney isn't selling toothpaste and shampoo; they are a nominally creative enterprise. They need to create future value out of thin air before they burn through what has already been created, or the whole thing collapses.

 

[MrPromey]

I'll tell you what. We are returning to Dollywood next October. Staying at DreamMore again unless her new resort opens in time.

Arriving on a Wednesday evening. Plan to do one of those big family parks (Anakeesta or Skylift Park?) in Gatlinburg on Thursday, sure we can spend most of day there. Doing touristy stuff in Pigeon Forge on Friday (I want to do the mountain coaster and feed the goats). Then Dollywood on Saturday/Sunday, going home Monday.

If I'm being honest, I'm just as excited about this trip as I am for our WDW trip in April. That's never happened before!

It's been ages since I've been to Dollywood - like, I was a child last time.

I'm sure I wouldn't even recognize the place today but all the talk I've been hearing from people on here makes me really want to plan a trip to go back. I know there is tons to do in the area, too!

 

[crazy4disney]

And I’m neither a met nor (obviously) a Yankee fan.

I think you can probably guess the next option? (It was a brutally long summer)

Is my SFG guess correct? Lol

 

[dreday3]

It's been ages since I've been to Dollywood - like, I was a child last time.

I'm sure I wouldn't even recognize the place today but all the talk I've been hearing from people on here makes me really want to plan a trip to go back. I know there is tons to do in the area, too!

We just went for first time a few years ago. And I'll be honest, it was not on my list until they built the DreamMore. I'm a real pain in the butt when it comes to hotels.

This will be our longest trip there - 5 nights. We do WDW for 9 nights.

We will see if 5 is too long or just enough.

 

[MrPromey]

...
The Smoky Mountains area is a little kitschy, but I think the national park balances it out. You can easily get away from the crowds. Cabins are quite cheap in the area, too, due to high supply...

Where in the Smoky Mountains area did/do you go?

We used to rent a cabin as a sort of base of operations for a couple of weeks and then go places while there, sometimes staying a night or two at a hotel further out.

We loved doing that but where we stayed (just outside Highlands) is no longer available and I've been trying to come up with another spot we could recreate that experience with.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'll tell you what. We are returning to Dollywood next October. Staying at DreamMore again unless her new resort opens in time.

Arriving on a Wednesday evening. Plan to do one of those big family parks (Anakeesta or Skylift Park?) in Gatlinburg on Thursday, sure we can spend most of day there. Doing touristy stuff in Pigeon Forge on Friday (I want to do the mountain coaster and feed the goats). Then Dollywood on Saturday/Sunday, going home Monday.

If I'm being honest, I'm just as excited about this trip as I am for our WDW trip in April. That's never happened before!

We did Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge this summer and spent good chunk of one day at Anakeesta and really, really liked it. Will recommend one of the enclosed cabins or the truck as far as getting up and down vs the open chairlift that we felt like we would fall out of

Also did Goats on the Roof coaster and several others. Miningolf, the Pirate Dinner Show, biking in the national forest, and some other stuff along with Dollywood. Was a fun trip

 

[Patcheslee]

We did Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge this summer and spent good chunk of one day at Anakeesta and really, really liked it. Will recommend one of the enclosed cabins or the truck as far as getting up and down vs the open chairlift that we felt like we would fall out of

Also did Goats on the Roof coaster and several others. Miningolf, the Pirate Dinner Show, biking in the national forest, and some other stuff along with Dollywood. Was a fun trip

We stayed at KOA in a cabin since there was only 3 of us. We did Dollywood, Splash Country (splurged for a cabana so DH spent 2 hours napping while we floated in the river) Pirate Dinner, Stars and Cars Museum, Ripleys Aquarium +3 of their other attractions, Haunted Mansion. Anakeesta is the only one we regret because it's not as walking friendly as we thought it would be. DH just sat and waited while we walked Vista Gardens which is quite a bit of the place. Transport wait was a bit of a turn off as well.

 

[Lilofan]

Well, we also have the worst vacation policy. Many people I know can't get two weeks off at a time and they don't want to travel to Europe (or elsewhere) for 6 days.
Many people in my neighborhood most likely can't afford many overseas trips. And they certainly aren't going to Disney every year.
Heck we can't afford much overseas travel - we take a few years to save for those. And save the vacation time. We are going to Vancouver. We also get to Mexico. So our passports get good use.

I'm sure there's a lot more factors that play into travel than just the dumb American trope.

I traveled in my younger years. Others I worked with had no desire to travel overseas or get a passport/ to them had nothing to do with vacation policy.

 

[dreday3]

I traveled in my younger years. Others I worked with had no desire to travel overseas or get a passport/ to them had nothing to do with vacation policy.

Oh okay. Well then it must be the same for everyone.

 

[Lilofan]

Oh okay. Well then it must be the same for everyone.

Nice assumption , carry on.

 

[Lilofan]

As responsible as Iger is for presiding over the rot of P&R, he did what the company needed him to do when he took it over: secure the future of the film division of the company after a decade of faltering and a soured relationship with Pixar. Despite looking like an internal hire of convenience, I do think he had a unique ability to salvage the Pixar relationship. The company needed Iger in 2006 to secure that acquisition and in the process, retrench WDAS, and those have both been very successful moves (not that I am overlooking Lassiter's transgressions). The acquisition of Marvel has been a pretty clear boon for the company as well. The Lucasfilm and 20th Century moves I was and am not a fan of, but not relevant to the point. He was the guy they needed in 2006 and he got the job done.

Why is Bob Chapek CEO? He is just the guy that happened to still be in the building when Iger decided he didn't want to extend for a third time. He is there in a vague hope to grow the company in some way (digital d2c? signature experiences? special shelves in Target? who really knows anymore). The unique skillset and talent he brings is just being the guy in the building when Iger retired. That's really it. It's a decision that is a product of a company that has no real motivating force other than making money.

Obviously, for-profit, publicly-traded companies are supposed to be making money and growing, but Disney isn't selling toothpaste and shampoo; they are a nominally creative enterprise. They need to create future value out of thin air before they burn through what has already been created, or the whole thing collapses.

A question is what was the pool listing of outside candidates in addition to insider Chapek. ( Hint- ask the Disney Board ). If Chapek was so bad, the Board recently awarded him 3 more years.

 

[fgmnt]

A question is what was the pool listing of outside candidates in addition to insider Chapek. ( Hint- ask the Disney Board ). If Chapek was so bad, the Board recently awarded him 3 more years.

As I have said in other posts ancillary to this, while I will never accuse the current CEO of being a victim of anything, or someone worthy of pity, his hiring is but a product of the company culture. He's absolutely exactly what the board, and by extension, Wall Street wants of any company: just some guy to keep the money coming in, and an easy fall guy if the money stops. I don't think he brings anything to the table the CEO of Proctor and Gamble wouldn't; it's just that this is not Proctor and Gamble, it's The Walt Disney Company.

 

[pixargal]

Where in the Smoky Mountains area did/do you go?

We used to rent a cabin as a sort of base of operations for a couple of weeks and then go places while there, sometimes staying a night or two at a hotel further out.

We loved doing that but where we stayed (just outside Highlands) is no longer available and I've been trying to come up with another spot we could recreate that experience with.

We love to stay around the Waynesville, NC area. There is easy access to the Blue Ridge Parkway, close to Asheville, tubing down Deep Creek in Bryson City, and Waynesville has a nice Main Street with cute shops.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Is my SFG guess correct? Lol

Close…that’s the second most successful team of the century/millennium so far

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

What age are your kids? I’ve done the following non-Disney trips with my kids and enjoyed all:

Boston and then taking the Maine Coast up to Acadia is a great trip with a lot of history.

The Smoky Mountains area is a little kitschy, but I think the national park balances it out. You can easily get away from the crowds. Cabins are quite cheap in the area, too, due to high supply.

We stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge in Scottsdale, followed by Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and Tucson, which has a world class natural history museum / zoo hybrid.

Park City in summer. You have great resorts that are much cheaper in summer plus some traditional urban attractions nearby in Salt Lake City. Great outdoor recreation all around. PC is upscale without being snooty IMO.

Washington DC + Williamsburg is a good trip too, but I’d probably wait until kids are 8+.

San Diego is probably the most kid friendly city I’ve been to. I’ve always done it in conjunction with Disneyland, but you could easily do a week in San Diego and no Disney. Laguna Beach and Newport Beach are great, kid friendly Orange County beach towns - though Laguna is a bit colorful.

…excellent post.

I think if you get crickets as a response…you’ll have the psychological profile laid out for you