Seriously? Because I don't agree with all the negativity? I haven't personally attacked or cussed out anyone like wdw1974 has....but as one poster put it, his kool aid (which is probably just butterbeer) taste so good to some
All I know is competition is a good thing...all theme parks in Orlando benefit one another in some way....and why can't we all just ENJOY what each has to offer different than the next without completely trashing Disney on a Disney forum? Life is too short guys lets just go have a good time wherever.
There isn't a winner or loser in the made up theme park wars other than the fans getting a lot of fun experiences to take in regardless where you go
The issue is not competition. The issue is what WDW has become: a soulless shell of its former self.
Consider how The Walt Disney Company's (TWDC) heads approached their jobs throughout the history of the company:
Walt Disney: “I have an idea.”
Roy Disney: “It was Walt’s idea.”
Card Walker: “Would Walt have thought it was a good idea?”
Michael Eisner: “What’s your idea?”
Bob Iger: “What are the financials backing your idea?”
This is what I call the de-evolution of TWDC CEO.
Business history is replete with examples of successful ideas that made no sense financially when first imagined. Exceptional business leaders author innovative ideas. Strong business leaders recognize innovative ideas and nurture them.
Iger knows how to interpret a financial report.
Iger lacks the creative drive and instinct of Walt Disney and his successors. Iger's a highly effective administrator but his idea of creativity is to buy someone else's IP and replicate. It's why we're getting another Disneyland in the Far East, 2 more cruise ships, yet another batch of Marvel superhero movies, more Star Wars, and more Pixar. Under Iger's leadership, TWDC often misfires when it tries to get creative. The company's two most effective leaders, Walt and Eisner, had the creative instincts that Iger sorely lacks.
In the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and even into the 2000s, there was no better place for a theme park junkie to be than WDW. It was more than just a bunch of rides; it was an experience. Now, after thinking WDW was pretty much the best place in the world for the better part of 40 years (I missed a few of the early years), it hurts me to see what once was the world champion grow fat and lazy. It's a bit like watching a great sports athlete in their declining years. (How's Tiger Woods doing lately?) The difference is WDW doesn't have to age, doesn't have to decline,
if TWDC had leadership with the right creative instincts.
The problem is Iger lacks the creative instinct to make the right decisions when it comes to the theme park business. The DLR redo was a success largely because Lassiter pushed it through, not because Iger particularly wanted it.
At WDW, there is no Lassiter championing change. They have no clue how to grow the business and so they look to nickel-and-dime their "guests" to figure out ways to squeeze another 7% each year, mostly through higher prices and quality cuts. Everything at WDW gets viewed primarily through the money lens. Money is important. Money makes a business successful. Money has to be managed. But money becomes worthless if it's invested badly. Right now, TWDC lacks the creative leadership to make the right investment at WDW.
TWDC spent half-a-billion to "fix" its most popular land at its most popular theme park while WDW suffers from 2 theme parks that are treated as half-day parks by most paying customers. Sorry but no company spends that kind of money just to solve capacity issues. Rest assured that they were expecting a big financial bump from that investment, a bump that never materialized.
That same leadership let the Harry Potter IP go to a theme park that was in an awful way. Uni promptly spent half of New Fantasyland's budget and completely turned around its fate. That was a wise investment, an investment that TWDC had the inside track on but let slip through their fingers because they lacked the leadership that was capable of making the right creative decision.
Now WDW is investing billions on a technology they can't get working, that even now they are realizing is not going to be the financial winner they once fooled themselves into thinking it would be. Meanwhile, Universal is sprucing up its parks, improving services, and building exciting new attractions that will keep guests coming for years to come.
At WDW, they're arguing over how much they can cut from the DHS redo budget.
