The Spirited 8th Wonder (WDW's Future & You!)

[WDW1974]

And here's my local mall.

View attachment 59401

Oh.

And your local mall is considerably nicer than mine (look up Sawgrass Mills and don't tell the UNI fanbois this, but that outlet mall was widely advertised as being the No. 2 tourist destination in FL behind WDW!) which even has a Rainforest Cafe and once had both a Wolfgang Puck Cafe and Express and a Hard Rock Cafe as well and a WDW outlet store (still does just a smaller cheaper one!)

 

[SpaceMountain77]

And 'loyalists' is a very nice way of saying ''addicts' or even 'mentally ill'.

Angie and I walked around the BCV 14 months ago and were appalled at the fact they ripped out first floor carpet (one can only guess how bad it had to be) and stuck in a basic gray carpet that was clearly temporary (which for Disney could mean months or even years). If I owned there and was taking my once a year or once in two years vacation, I can't imagine how that wouldn't incense someone who had 'invested' thousands of dollars to start and then paid Disney annually to keep the property up.

I have never understood the BCV allegiance; the villas are extremely worn and in need of a thorough soft and hard goods refurbishment. Even during low seasons, it is hard to justify the 15 points per night (Sunday through Thursday) for a studio. The walk to Epcot is great. However, it is the walk back at the end of the day that is rough because you see what coming home means.

It's funny that you mentioned the temporary gray carpet because I thought the same thing when I saw it. If I owned BCV, the upkeep would infuriate me.

 

[WDW1974]

Well, if I thought that the powers that be had any interest in my thoughts or opinions then I would shout them from the rooftop, as would many others from this forum. But right now I get the sense that all WDW wants to know from me is how many souvenirs I purchase while running to my Fastpass reservation that I scheduled 60 days ago. In the end, I don't think the loss of my annual contribution to the Disney bottom line is going to bother anyone. It should. But it won't. And just to be clear, I'm not giving up completely on Disney yet. We made our first trip to DL this year and fell in love. Their Downtown Disney area alone hooked me. And, while we discussed canceling our upcoming WDW trip due to some of our misgivings, we decided to keep it so that I could fulfill my bucket list item of hitting both coasts in the same year. But this is our last trip to WDW for some time. We are moving to an every other year visit to DL for the next few years with maybe a cruise thrown in the mix. But it's still hard to say goodbye to such a longtime friend.

They care about someone like you much more than me because with certain execs at Disney, their distaste for the Spirit is very personal and they can't see past their own feelings of insecurity.

You are simply a bread and butter guest and one who admits to not being predisposed to agreeing with my views originally.

I'd be letting folks at Disney know your feelings and not simply accept a phone call from Joan Martin (she is specially trained to deal with folks who email execs, especially when sent from this forum).

 

[WDW1974]

Unfortunately, much of the DVC merchandise is quite generic and not resort specific. Several limited edition DVC resort-specific t-shirts and mugs were offered on the Disney Store website a few months ago, but now the offerings are general DVC. Surprisingly some resorts, like Animal Kingdom Villas and Beach Club Villas, were not included in the limited time offering. DVC aside, I do not understand why there is not more resort specific merchandise. I, for one, would love to have resort-specific polos and t's.

Regarding my noting Fittings & Fairings, the shop features business casual offerings for its conventioneers. Ralph Lauren, for example, is just one of the brand offerings.

To some extent, gift shops can give an indication of a hotel's/resort's target demographic. A stroll through Fittings & Fairings suggests a business clientele and, specifically, a demographic distinct from the other deluxe resorts.

Resort specific merchandise, DVC resort or other, is a here and there deal now with WDW because they are too cheap to make lines for all their resorts. Some like Poly, BW and DAK Lodge always have it and never lost it. Others have lost it gotten it back. Others just don't have it ...

As to YC shop, ALL WDW deluxe resorts used to have upscale shops with upscale merchandise ... but the Walmart crowd isn't interested in anything but the same crap you can buy at WoD, so that's what you get.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

And those mugs have destroyed carpeting all over WDW for the last 20 years. But if someone stains carpeting like that and the stain can't be removed, then the carpet flat out should be. Not left there for five plus years.

Agreed!

I have lived in apartment complexes that were able to lay new carpet in a morning or afternoon. Take the carpets out and use maintenance fees for the upkeep. If maintenance fees skyrocket, then tell members that they need to be more respectful of their vacation villas.

Alternatively, if resort refillable mug stains are truly a problem, install laminate wood flooring or tile.

 

[WDW1974]

Long-time lurker..had to log in to post something on this.

I think it's great that Disney is throwing in the towel on running deluxe resorts and will now be focusing on running timeshares and motels. Because they haven't run a proper deluxe resort in a long time. A big part of running a true luxury hotel is service, which shows in so many ways. It's hard to quantify, but you know it when you see it. Better for Disney to cede that business to the real players like the Four Seasons. No coincidence that the FS moved in right when this plan was being hatched. One example, you can't call the front desk...my mind boggles when I think about this.

It's kind of similar to the way they gave up on running real restaurants.

Welcome.

And so true.

A $600 a night (or even $200 a night) room gets your front desk call transferred to a call center miles away where the CM answering is usually clueless about the specific needs?!?!

Yep, only Disney ... only Disney.

 

[WDW1974]

Yes, I am willing to talk specifics privately. Embarrassing me in public with half-known truths was not necessary.

Wasn't looking to embarrass, was looking for either solid info or to shut you up. No offense was intended, believe me I can be quite offensive when I wish. If you know something more ... then feel free to send it my way or Lee's or Martin's if you like one of them better (I like them both more than me!!!)

But speaking in broad generalities does nothing for your MAGICal cred!

 

[SpaceMountain77]

While I don't dislike the new look, I don't like it nearly as much as the darker, more rustic look it used to have.

It's obvious to me after seeing the nice redo of OKW, which also muted the theming and made it seem as appropriate for BCV as where it was, that Disney is making many of its DVC units less themed, less special.

Again, I agree. The rustic look has been lost and replaced with a muted theme. The dark green cabinets were painted, upper cabinets are now white and lower are a light green. The vanity wall went from red to white. Why remove the pops of color?

The units are becoming less themed, which it truly disappointing to me. Many DVC member boards have referred to the OKW refurbishment as a BCV overlay.

If I wanted a non-themed room on property, I would stay at the Swan or Dolphin.

 

[wdwmagic]

Please take note.

Any off topic derailing of threads, troll-like behaviour, inappropriate language (including starting out portions) will result in a 7 day ban. Continuing the behaviour after that period will result in a permanent ban.

Some have already been removed.

Please take this seriously as I intend to follow it through.

 

[DisneyGentleman]

And what happens when you get 'stuck' with a DVC unit that is beat up and you are an 'owner'?

I have a simpler solution - I'm bailing on my DVC shares.

I bought-in early, back when DVC was the highest quality and park passes were free (yes FREE). I promised myself that when quality dropped I would sell, and now I'm at that tipping point. It's no longer a positive value proposition for me.

I don't expect Disney to care that I'm leaving - somebody else will come along to take my place. I miss the way it used to be, but I'm convinced those golden days are gone forever.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I will offer those over in Seventh Heaven as time allows. But, generally, I am sickened and think they destroyed the place to bring in more Lifestyling dollars. From what I have been told, they even invited a social media blogging brigade into the Club this week for a preview. All I could think is: this is a PRIVATE club, the general public shouldn't even really know it exists ... but the whores did just what Disney wanted because they are ignorant and easily bought.

And ... that just is a taste of my opinions.

I won't derail you anymore. Could I possibly ask you to tag me in on your 7th Heaven post on this topic so I can actually find it? Thanks, sweetie. I think I'm definitely going to be feeling less out-of-line for my feelings on this.

 

[PeterAlt]

Wasn't looking to embarrass, was looking for either solid info or to shut you up. No offense was intended, believe me I can be quite offensive when I wish. If you know something more ... then feel free to send it my way or Lee's or Martin's if you like one of them better (I like them both more than me!!!)

But speaking in broad generalities does nothing for your MAGICal cred!

Thank you. The purpose of that post was to let everyone know that the situation, while gloomy, is not all that gloomy. There are big shareholders who care and they won't let it get that way.

 

[Mike S]

Depends on the execs. I do have some that like me. The info I am able to spew forth sometimes comes from them.

And John Lasseter is a creative genius and the closest thing to a Walt that the WDC has today. I've been lucky enough to meet him and speak with him and, while I don't agree with all of his decisions, the guy gets 'it' ... that 'it' that makes a good film or theme park attraction etc.

I highly advise people here who are not happy with a particular element of Disney to go to the exec or execs in charge directly. Once you are in the email system, they have to respond or have an assistant respond ... and if they divert you to Guest Relations, you go right back and even phone the exec directly. People largely won't do this. But if you don't like DVC or what it is becoming, then email the folks in charge. Fill up their in-boxes and generally be a polite but firm PITA.

Too bad John apparently doesn't want to be CEO of Disney. I really can't think of a more perfect man for the job.

 

[John]

Too bad John apparently doesn't want to be CEO of Disney. I really can't think of a more perfect man for the job.

I humbly accept your offer.....oh....that John

 

[5thGenTexan]

I never understand why people expect WDW to be changing things up super often. After all, the average family goes there probably every few years at most. If. I haven't been there in a w years, it doesn't matter if very few things are different because the old stuff isn't stale to me.

A big chunk of their guests haven't ever been there before. Everything is new to them.

As the resident infrequent WDW visitor here. (1985,88,92 and part one day in 2014). I do not worry about things getting stale. I worry about things going away and not getting replaced.

In 1992 for my last trip to 3 parks Horizons still existed. World of Motion still existed. Wonders of Life still existed. Journey into Imagination still existed. Communicore still existed. Living Seas still existed. The Backlot Tour still existed. The Animation tour at MGM still existed.... you get the idea. So much has, in Epcot for instance has been removed and not replaced or replaced with a thrill ride its not even the same place in my mind.

I worry about a level of upkeep and cleanliness not being held to a high standard.

I worry about a higher importance placed on DVC construction over maintenance, attractions, innovation.

I believe I would be more excited about dropping 5K on a trip if I knew WDW put the effort and attention into existing attractions that they used to. Epcot for example, I would be happy if it was just as it was my last visit IF everything was clean and in full working order as it was designed with no pavilions being abandoned.

 

[Mike S]

I was just disappointed after all the hype and delay of Spirit dropping some major Disney news, we ended up with a thread on time shares and hotel occupancy rates.

He did tell us that it would be something like this though. Something where some people would react by saying "that's it"? I think the info is very useful because it does paint a clear picture of where WDW is heading.

 

[AEfx]

If I wanted a non-themed room on property, I would stay at the Swan or Dolphin.

You know what's funny, though, I keep waiting for them to put themed rooms ON property! LOL.

I was eagerly awaiting the Haunted Mansion rooms that seem to have dematerialized. Something like that just might get me to stay on property again. Though, seeing how "meh" the Pirates ones turned out, probably was better left undone.

It always amazes me how bland Disney resorts are. The "nicer" they get the blander they are. I know that big old crass statues aren't really the best theming, but it's the best the entire resort really has, and it's in the "values" no less, in terms of Disney/magical unless you are Tom Cruise and can reserve the castle suite.

While I don't mean to suggest that characters invade all the resorts (gosh knows, folks need a break from all that, too) but when I think of some of the neat stuff that could be done - the Haunted Mansion rooms were a good start - it's just like they aren't even trying, any more than they are in the parks.

 

[Nemo14]

I was just disappointed after all the hype and delay of Spirit dropping some major Disney news, we ended up with a thread on time shares and hotel occupancy rates.

which is really an important piece of the company. If you don't want to read it, then don't.

 

[sshindel]

Man, I've seen Spirit allude to DVC people reading his threads. I really hope that is true, because it would be an eye opening experience. I think the most positive comments I've read about DVC (and I'll admit I've not read every post in the thread) was basically:
We like it because it's convenient.

Not the rooms, the amenities, the experience, any of that. Just "it's close to the parks and not typically hideous".

 

[Nubs70]

Doubt it.

I KNOW it has been considered. I KNOW Disney had investment groups from other nations in WDW 3-4 years ago. I KNOW Wall Street analysts say the idea was floated as far back as 2007.

But it seems to have died. I don't know what it would take to be on the table again ... my guess is one ridiculous offer.

I think outside parties may consider WDW to be like Bruce Jenner. Although he has some buzz today, would you bet on him in the 2016 Olympics based upon his name recognition and achievements of 1976?