The Spirited 11th Hour ...

[MKCP 1985]

What would cheapen the experience would be to have a generic "science fiction land." Lock that idea in a reinforced steel and concrete vault and may it never be heard of again. It has taken a few years but I have finally heard one person who doesn't like the dedicated Harry Potter area at Universal proving once again nothing makes everyone happy.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Anyway I did as you asked and all I got was the removal of the Phantom Boats.

Also the Viewliner and Holidayland

 

[flyerjab]

Back to trashing FLE? Can't wait for Avatar land to open. At least it will be something different to trash

Good to hear from you! It's been a while, hasn't it? Or have I just missed some of your posts?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Also the Viewliner and Holidayland

Much of Tomorrowland was also being ripped apart, but it's a stupid point. The River is being sacrificed for the sake of making a big change to what exists. It's vanity over actual care and substance.

 

[bhg469]

I choose my righteous indignation towards the decisions management makes carefully. Changes of cups, napkins, etc., ending mid-level attractions that were meant to be closed at least a decade ago (See "Eo, El Capitain") or any of the other twinkerrage du jour, fauxrage, or other social media witchhunts I can simply do without.

I believe in the big picture and there have been big picture items that irritate the hell out of me. (Losing trees, the new hub, reduced sightlines, astroturf, ridiculously old films at epcot, lack of reinvestment, constant profit margins, dwindelling entertainment, higher prices, etc., simply to name a few) I think there's plenty the company does that is good but at the end of the day as the Disnee-is-a-Bizness crowd is so fond of reminding us, they're simply in business to make a egregious amount of money. I feel that if they want to continue to do that, they should do things a little differently instead of distracting people with cupcakes, dance parties, or nostalgic obscure characters that no one ever heard of before One Man's Dream.

Step one: Separate the President & CEO positions.

Step two: Stop paying the executives in stock.

Well said Dave.

 

[Cesar R M]

I choose my righteous indignation towards the decisions management makes carefully. Changes of cups, napkins, etc., ending mid-level attractions that were meant to be closed at least a decade ago (See "Eo, El Capitain") or any of the other twinkerrage du jour, fauxrage, or other social media witchhunts I can simply do without.

I believe in the big picture and there have been big picture items that irritate the hell out of me. (Losing trees, the new hub, reduced sightlines, astroturf, ridiculously old films at epcot, lack of reinvestment, constant profit margins, dwindelling entertainment, higher prices, etc., simply to name a few) I think there's plenty the company does that is good but at the end of the day as the Disnee-is-a-Bizness crowd is so fond of reminding us, they're simply in business to make a egregious amount of money. I feel that if they want to continue to do that, they should do things a little differently instead of distracting people with cupcakes, dance parties, or nostalgic obscure characters that no one ever heard of before One Man's Dream.

Step one: Separate the President & CEO positions.

Step two: Stop paying the executives in stock.

courtesy of @Mike S

 

[ford91exploder]

Can't like this post enough. It really gets to the heart of why threads like this come into existence, and it's a sentiment that (I believe) should be felt by all Disney fans. I really don't think anyone on these boards hates WDW - no, not even @ford91exploder! But many us do have complaints and worries about how we see the resort, and company as a whole, operate.

It's a mindset that seems to start at middle management and go all the way up to the CEO. It's one that I think can best be described as "grudging appreciation" of the Disney Parks®. They make a lot of money for the company, but they also require a lot of time, energy and investment. And the execs and higher ups hate that "time, energy, and investment" part. They just want return without the constant investment. And that shows in how the parks have been run for the past decade.

Ever increasing prices, dance parties instead of streetmosphere, new attractions where more thought was put into the facade than the ride itself, existing rides where show effects sit dirty and broken, an obsession with expanding DVC, and all the other myriad of things that are done and then justified as, "Well, Disney is a business." And yes, as nitpicky as it is, it goes all the way down to plain napkins, soda "rationing", and a refusal to plant trees and provide benches.

There's no passion or excitement on any decision. Everything is through the lens of expenditures vs. returns. There's a bloated bureaucracy that both inhibits timely change and that also makes anything new much too expensive. That all has to change. As antithetical as it may sound in today's political and economic world, Disney needs to STOP running as a business - because it's slowly killing itself from the inside (no, not in terms of profit and $$$, but in terms of creativity, passion, and expertise).

If I hated WDW I would not have spent 30 years visiting the place starting as a young teen who was simply blown away by the magnificence that was WDW in it's heyday. I DO however HATE how it's been run into the ground for the last 10 years or so, It's obvious that at WDW nobody in management really LOVES the place they do what they have to do to keep the money train rolling. However current management fails to realize that all those 'wasteful' details and obsessive maintenance and cleanliness (bathrooms and trash) CREATED todays money train.

 

[GoofGoof]

Good to hear from you! It's been a while, hasn't it? Or have I just missed some of your posts?

I've been around but not posting as much.

 

[Little Green Men]

Ah, yes. Stay classy Orlando!

Yeah, Anaheim is always the epitome of class. I'll never forget the time I was staying at The Grand Californian hotel in DL and was cutting through the pool area to go to DCA. A nicely dressed woman was also walking through there with her maybe 5 year old son. She was very clearly drunk, and slurring her words. She tripped and started laughing when this CM came over to help her up. She starts touching him provocatively and saying a flirty voice, "I'm VERY appreciative of this" all in front of her little boy. That's when I just left.

 

[DHoy]

/sigh. Except...it's not.

For the reminder of the day the following FPs are not available:

MK: All meet and greets, BTM, 7DMT, Peter Pan
Epcot: Soarin, Test Track
DHS: TSMM
DAK: All available if not closed for refurb

I've done this enough, and at enough time points, that your standard rebuttal of "it's a Tuesday in February" has no merit.

On most days you can literally figure your FPs out on the way to the park and have access to all but a single digit number of experiences across the entire property.

I checked all fastpass over the holidays and at 9am each day All were available it's a complete rumor that the system keeps all guests out. It might not be available for you party of 6 or 8 but for smaller parties the reservations are there.

 

[Mike S]

Yeah, Anaheim is always the epitome of class. I'll never forget the time I was staying at The Grand Californian hotel in DL and was cutting through the pool area to go to DCA. A nicely dressed woman was also walking through there with her maybe 5 year old son. She was very clearly drunk, and slurring her words. She tripped and started laughing when this CM came over to help her up. She starts touching him provocatively and saying a flirty voice, "I'm VERY appreciative of this" all in front of her little boy. That's when I just left.

People are idiots all over.

 

[AEfx]

I can understand that because I didn't say that FL should be just for kids. It should, however, be things that both the parents and the children can do together. I believe a guy named Walter said those exact words at one time or the other. However, if people are disappointed that FL didn't have any heart stoppers included, well, there shouldn't be any, but, that for it's purpose the Mine Train is exactly what WED wanted to have in the parks.

I think you might be forgetting things like the first steel rollercoaster was built at Disneyland, under Walt's direction (Matterhorn). I tend to think folks also don't understand that children and adults can and often do both enjoy more "thrilling" rides - parents and children ride the "thrill" rides together every single day.

What that means is as an adult there are many things in FL that I would not do on my own, however, there is nothing that I wouldn't be able to do. I can, however, if I want, share with them in real time. The whole story behind Walt's decision was that he was sitting on a park bench eating peanuts while his kids rode the carousel. What hasn't anyone asked why he wasn't with them on the carousel? He could have been, but, chose not to, then he proceeded to put a carousel in his own park, must be he felt that people could share that experience if they wanted.

He couldn't ride the carousel with his children because traditionally carousels were only made for children; I think you'll find the one he built that could both house adults and children is quite different than the one in the legendary anecdote.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I think you might be forgetting things like the first steel rollercoaster was built at Disneyland, under Walt's direction (Matterhorn). I tend to think folks also don't understand that children and adults can and often do both enjoy more "thrilling" rides - parents and children ride the "thrill" rides together every single day.
He couldn't ride the carousel with his children because traditionally carousels were only made for children; I think you'll find the one he built that could both house adults and children is quite different than the one in the legendary anecdote.

There are plenty of places for higher adventure. High drama is not necessary in Fantasyland unless one's fantasy is to wet one's pants.

As for the Carousel, wasn't the one in WDW around 100 years old. I was a kid a long time ago. Nothing has changed about them pretty much since they were invented. He wanted more then that and that is what he built, but he did include one in Disneyland. According to you, that is a contradiction related to what everyone's opinion of Walt's philosophy is, perhaps everyone is mis-interpreting it. In my opinion a high speed anything that restricts kids is out of place in Fantasyland. You are free to have your own opinion. One of us will be wrong, it could be me or it could be you. Either way it isn't a hill that I would opt to die on, so I am out of this conversation.

 

[zakattack99]

Step one: Separate the President & CEO positions.

Excuse my ignorance but what is the difference between CEO and President? And how will separating those positions help fix the parks?

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

I choose my righteous indignation towards the decisions management makes carefully. Changes of cups, napkins, etc., ending mid-level attractions that were meant to be closed at least a decade ago (See "Eo, El Capitain") or any of the other twinkerrage du jour, fauxrage, or other social media witchhunts I can simply do without.

I believe in the big picture and there have been big picture items that irritate the hell out of me. (Losing trees, the new hub, reduced sightlines, astroturf, ridiculously old films at epcot, lack of reinvestment, constant profit margins, dwindelling entertainment, higher prices, etc., simply to name a few) I think there's plenty the company does that is good but at the end of the day as the Disnee-is-a-Bizness crowd is so fond of reminding us, they're simply in business to make a egregious amount of money. I feel that if they want to continue to do that, they should do things a little differently instead of distracting people with cupcakes, dance parties, or nostalgic obscure characters that no one ever heard of before One Man's Dream.

Step one: Separate the President & CEO positions.

Step two: Stop paying the executives in stock.

I went to Wikipedia to look at the corporate structure of The Walt Disney Company. I couldn't believe how many layers of management they have on hand. I found it funny that Andy Bird was the chairman for Walt Disney International and that was it. But man, that's a long list. Iger shouldn't be both Chairman and CEO.

 

[Fantasmicguy]

There are plenty of places for higher adventure. High drama is not necessary in Fantasyland unless one's fantasy is to wet one's pants.

As for the Carousel, wasn't the one in WDW around 100 years old. I was a kid a long time ago. Nothing has changed about them pretty much since they were invented. He wanted more then that and that is what he built, but he did include one in Disneyland. According to you, that is a contradiction related to what everyone's opinion of Walt's philosophy is, perhaps everyone is mis-interpreting it. In my opinion a high speed anything that restricts kids is out of place in Fantasyland. You are free to have your own opinion. One of us will be wrong, it could be me or it could be you. Either way it isn't a hill that I would opt to die on, so I am out of this conve

There are plenty of places for higher adventure. High drama is not necessary in Fantasyland unless one's fantasy is to wet one's pants.

As for the Carousel, wasn't the one in WDW around 100 years old. I was a kid a long time ago. Nothing has changed about them pretty much since they were invented. He wanted more then that and that is what he built, but he did include one in Disneyland. According to you, that is a contradiction related to what everyone's opinion of Walt's philosophy is, perhaps everyone is mis-interpreting it. In my opinion a high speed anything that restricts kids is out of place in Fantasyland. You are free to have your own opinion. One of us will be wrong, it could be me or it could be you. Either way it isn't a hill that I would opt to die on, so I am out of this conversation.

High drama is not necessary but it is definitely nothing wrong with having. Most fantasy stories have feelings of thrill or even terror. Explain Maleificent or Evil Queen if there is no drama or fear? A thrill ride can fit in Fantasyland with almost no problem at all.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Excuse my ignorance but what is the difference between CEO and President? And how will separating those positions help fix the parks?

Helps the company as a whole.

And they were two different positions under Eisner/Wells. One was the Chief Executive Officer and the other was the President.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Just having someone with the title of President doesn't have to mean anything; see Ovitz, Michael.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Just having someone with the title of President doesn't have to mean anything; see Ovitz, Michael.

When his name was said by John Travolta during the first episode of "The People vs. OJ Simpson", I just laughed. Eisner did to Ovitz whatever that bear did to Leo.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

"Inside Out", "Wander Over Yonder" and the Mickey Mouse shorts cleaned up at the Annies tonight.
List of winners:
http://www.goldderby.com/news/11656...ide-out-anomalisa-good-dinosaur-13579086.html