The Spirited Sixth Sense ...

[ParentsOf4]

I think anyone who experienced the old WDW misses it. It is an age old lament that can be applied to many experiences. At least you have your memories. Most have no idea what was there. And there is no way they could have preserved that. All in all, I am not sure they could have built out much better. And there are many good projects underway.

It's not an age-old lament. It's a matter of some places getting better, some getting worse. WDW went nearly 30 years of just getting better. Now it's getting worse.

DLR has ticked upwards after bottoming out.

Not to turn this into another Uni vs. WDW debate but today's Uni is better than the Uni of old.

Being a regular visitor to certain Caribbean islands, resorts there have gotten nicer than they were in decades past.

Even the hellhole that was Manhattan in the early 1970s (some thought NYC was a lost cause) was turned into a place where families took the train in on weekends to visit.

Most vacation destinations have improved as they try to compete for vacation dollars.

Then there's WDW, operating with a lean manufacturing and cost accounting mindset.

 

[Computer Magic]

I think anyone who experienced the old WDW misses it. It is an age old lament that can be applied to many experiences. At least you have your memories. Most have no idea what was there. And there is no way they could have preserved that. All in all, I am not sure they could have built out much better. And there are many good projects underway.

No question that there is some hope, as long as WDW comes through. Their track record of late has been a lot of good ideas with no execution. Let's see how Star Wars land and Avatar plays out.

I have stated on this site since rumors of UNI and HP were running rampant, competition is the only way to get WDW back to what it was. It was the announcement of UNI being built that got us MGM and AK. Even though the parks were never finished as planned.

The parks is too stale for me to spend my hard earned money at WDW. The sad part is my wife came to the conclusion long before I did. I probably would still have my head stuck in the sand,

 

[Computer Magic]

It's not an age-old lament. It's a matter of some places getting better, some getting worse. WDW went nearly 30 years of just getting better. Now it's getting worse.

DLR has ticked upwards after bottoming out.

Not to turn this into another Uni vs. WDW debate but today's Uni is better than the Uni of old.

Being a regular visitor of certain Caribbean islands, resorts there have gotten nicer than they were in decades past.

Even the hellhole that was Manhattan in the early 1970s (some thought NYC was a lost cause) was turned into a place where families took the train in on weekends to visit.

Most vacation destinations have improved as they try to compete for vacation dollars.

Then there's WDW, operating with a lean manufacturing and cost accounting mindset.

Good point, maybe more places are stepping up their game for our vacation $ where WDW has rested on their laurels and feels they can cut back without people noticing.

 

[Computer Magic]

Good point, maybe more places are stepping up their game for our vacation $ where WDW has rested on their laurels and feels they can cut back without people noticing.

or worst, WDW taking their loyal guest that bought into DVC for granted. Little did WDW know that many are staying at a DVC but not spending their money in the parks.

 

[raymusiccity]

or worst, WDW taking their loyal guest that bought into DVC for granted. Little did WDW know that many are staying at a DVC but not spending their money in the parks.

I think they'll realize rather quickly where the DVC $$ are being spent with the advent of the 'Magic Bands'. Staying at a DVC resort with a 'room only' reservation should sound some alarm bells off somewhere!

 

[MKCP 1985]

Not buying into DVC was the best move I ever made. I was *thisclose* to signing up, too. If I was locked into DVC, I'd be one of those people @Computer Magic is talking about - checking into my DVC hotel room and spending a couple of days in Disney Parks as well as a couple of days at Universal and Sea World. Good thing for me that I live close enough that I can drive down so that I am not limited by the free transportation from the airport that only deposits you into a Disney Resort.

 

[GoofGoof]

or worst, WDW taking their loyal guest that bought into DVC for granted. Little did WDW know that many are staying at a DVC but not spending their money in the parks.

I think that's likely part of the reason they expanded the RCI trade ins from 500 resorts to thousands. They want the owners who aren't going to the parks to trade in and go somewhere else. That frees up DVC rooms for people who actually want to go to the parks.

 

[MKCP 1985]

I think they'll realize rather quickly where the DVC $$ are being spent with the advent of the 'Magic Bands'. Staying at a DVC resort with a 'room only' reservation should sound some alarm bells off somewhere!

but it is too late now - the wizard is out of the broom closet. There is nothing Disney can do to undo the progress Universal has made over the past decade. The attractions in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure were a game changer, and unless the Diagon Alley attractions are a colossal failure (and nobody thinks they will flop), Universal is only going to continue to get its share of the market.

 

[harveyt0206]

Good point, maybe more places are stepping up their game for our vacation $ where WDW has rested on their laurels and feels they can cut back without people noticing.

I honestly never thought I would really notice, but you know what...I do notice. I notice that my trip this year costs close to $1,500 more than it did 8-10 years ago. I notice that a lot of things are gone and don't seem to be getting replacements. I also notice that my heart still really really loves this beautiful vacation bubble that I have been visiting most of my life. Then there is my brain, who laughs and calls my heart an idiot.

 

[MKCP 1985]

Being through FL I come to the conclusion WDW has become KiddieWorld. Even when KW (KiddieWorld) does spend money it doesn't target my demographic. I see why I don't target a return trip until 2018.

2018? You will wait too long and the effects will be broken and you will never get to see them. Ursula will break down and cease to move at the Little Mermaid and the trains at the Seven Dwarfs Mine train will no longer sway and people will say they enjoy the attractions just fine as they are and that they never even noticed the moving octopus or the swaying cars and Disney will decide it would cost too much money to repair them.

You'd better go this June!

 

[Computer Magic]

I honestly never thought I would really notice, but you know what...I do notice. I notice that my trip this year costs close to $1,500 more than it did 8-10 years ago. I notice that a lot of things are gone and don't seem to be getting replacements. I also notice that my heart still really really loves this beautiful vacation bubble that I have been visiting most of my life. Then there is my brain, who laughs and calls my heart an idiot.

When will WDW notice that we know that WDW doesn't think we know....you know? lol

I totally agree, every spring brings me back to my best times at WDW in March 95, March 2000 and I'll also stretch and add Sept 2002 (probably because of AKL being new, what a sight) before the bubble burst when I went in 2005. Although I never noticed until I look back years later and realize I've been fooling myself.

I've been spending more money by staying at Deluxe resorts something concierge trying to relive the magic.

 

[Computer Magic]

2018? You will wait too long and the effects will be broken and you will never get to see them. Ursula will break down and cease to move at the Little Mermaid and the trains at the Seven Dwarfs Mine train will no longer sway and people will say they enjoy the attractions just fine as they are and that they never even noticed the moving octopus or the swaying cars and Disney will decide it would cost too much money to repair them.

You'd better go this June!

I did see TLM at MK with Ursula Feb 2013 and honestly, I still enjoy MGM um DHS version of TLM better. I fear TLM @ DHS has a limited life span. However you are correct, the 7 Dwarfs will be down to 5 Dwarfs by the time a ride it. lol

 

[Goofyernmost]

I honestly never thought I would really notice, but you know what...I do notice. I notice that my trip this year costs close to $1,500 more than it did 8-10 years ago. I notice that a lot of things are gone and don't seem to be getting replacements. I also notice that my heart still really really loves this beautiful vacation bubble that I have been visiting most of my life. Then there is my brain, who laughs and calls my heart an idiot.

I guess one would have to ask, what doesn't cost a lot more now then it did 8 - 10 years ago? A non-essential theme park that is considered a "luxury" for most people, does not base their pricing on the "national average", they base it on what the customer will pay. Just like you would do if you owned a theme park. High priced? Yes! Exceptionally high priced? No, there are still many things that are much more costly.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

A quick update...

Was disney truly THAT blindsided by the success of Frozen that they didn't order enough/have enough available merchandise to meet demands?

I popped into the Disney Store @ south hills village mall in search of, hopefully, an Elsa dress (I know, fat chance. Haven't seen one since November) or an Anna dress for my little cousins upcoming 4th birthday. The entire store did not have a single item of Frozen merchandise. Instead, they overstocked the shelves with animators dolls and tons of Rapunzel dresses and dolls. I asked the only available employee (three others had a Mickey dance party thing going on in the back of the store) and she said "ma'am, all I hear all day long is 'why y'all got no frozen stuff' and I keep giving everyone the same answer, we are completely out and they haven't sent us anything for weeks!"

So I checked Target, once again, and the Disney shelves, once again, were wiped out, minus a few baby dolls that apparently no kid likes.



This is almost identical to how this exact aisle looked months ago when I took a pic of it and posted it here.

Did Frozen really knock Disney for a loop or were they simply being cheap with the designs and merch and now it's biting them on the ?

And please pardon spelling or wrong word errors, my iPad has a mind of its own today :/

 

[Magenta Panther]

A quick update...

Was disney truly THAT blindsided by the success of Frozen that they didn't order enough/have enough available merchandise to meet demands?

I popped into the Disney Store @ south hills village mall in search of, hopefully, an Elsa dress (I know, fat chance. Haven't seen one since November) or an Anna dress for my little cousins upcoming 4th birthday. The entire store did not have a single item of Frozen merchandise. Instead, they overstocked the shelves with animators dolls and tons of Rapunzel dresses and dolls. I asked the only available employee (three others had a Mickey dance party thing going on in the back of the store) and she said "ma'am, all I hear all day long is 'why y'all got no frozen stuff' and I keep giving everyone the same answer, we are completely out and they haven't sent us anything for weeks!"

So I checked Target, once again, and the Disney shelves, once again, were wiped out, minus a few baby dolls that apparently no kid likes.



This is almost identical to how this exact aisle looked months ago when I took a pic of it and posted it here.

Did Frozen really knock Disney for a loop or were they simply being cheap with the designs and merch and now it's biting them on the ?

And please pardon spelling or wrong word errors, my iPad has a mind of its own today :/

I'd guess yes. I've read that a lot of people inside Disney really didn't think much of "Frozen" - thought the story was a mess, the music was blah, etc. The movie's roaring success has caught them flat-footed. Which is kinda fun to think about, since so many inside Disney are a bunch of calculating brand-obsessed legacy-killing know-it-alls...

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

And for comparison here's the photo I took and posted a month or two ago.



Same Target, btw.

 

[Magenta Panther]

And for comparison here's the photo I took and posted a month or two ago.



Same Target, btw.

Oh, that is just too funny...and delightful.

 

[Cesar R M]

2018? You will wait too long and the effects will be broken and you will never get to see them. Ursula will break down and cease to move at the Little Mermaid and the trains at the Seven Dwarfs Mine train will no longer sway and people will say they enjoy the attractions just fine as they are and that they never even noticed the moving octopus or the swaying cars and Disney will decide it would cost too much money to repair them.

You'd better go this June!

they can always.. GAAAAAAAAASP.. throw strobe lights everywhere!

 

[tirian]

I'd guess yes. I've read that a lot of people inside Disney really didn't think much of "Frozen" - thought the story was a mess, the music was blah, etc. The movie's roaring success has caught them flat-footed. Which is kinda fun to think about, since so many inside Disney are a bunch of calculating brand-obsessed legacy-killing know-it-alls...

Funny thing is, I agree with them. I wasn't impressed with anything except the visuals. To me, the story was blah and the music was forgettable. I'm the only person I know who hasn't pre-ordered the Blu-Ray.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Hey, don't badmouth Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (SDMT).

SDMT will be very nice for its target demographic.

Just ask yourself what has Disney done with the rest of the Fantasyland expansion and you'll know its target demographic.

Considering what they've done to it, I'm not sure the "New" Fantasyland has enough space for stroller parking.

It might be time for the Magic Kingdom to open a new land: "Stroller Parking Land".

I don't think he's bad mouthing it, I think he's more commenting on the Walt Disney company's inability to build anything in a timely fashion…