Today is the ten year anniversary of my membership at WDW Magic! First, my thanks to the WDW Magic staff, and all of you other Members, for 10 years of fun and enjoyment courtesy of this site. This really is a great resource for those of us who love Disney, and a great way for us to share our accumulated knowledge of the Walt Disney World Resort.
As you can see, I am not a prolific poster. I visit often, and read many of the threads, but I only comment when I feel that I really have something to add, or a good question to ask. I most often end up commenting on food and resort topics, as I think those are my ‘strongest’ areas - I have a lot of experience with both. As a single guy, I often travel to the World on my own, and never with kids, so I sometimes have a different perspective than those of you who routinely visit with children.
I have seen a lot of changes over the years - both with Walt Disney World, and this site. While I don’t think I have even been categorized as a “fanboy” or a “doom and gloomer”, I’m afraid that over these 10 years, I have moved more towards the ‘doom and gloom’ as my own observations have seen some real problems develop over that time - most notably, my perception of the ‘dumbing down’ of the parks. Actually, it’s a problem that I feel goes way beyond the parks or Walt Disney World, but that’s a whole other topic .... I also feel that the Dining Plan has had a very negative impact on the table service and signature dining offerings, but I'm hoping that can be / is being fixed. However, I still love WDW, and still visit at least once a year, and I have kept renewing my Annual Pass and Tables in Wonderland membership (though I’m not sure if I will again this year ...). I have gone from 4 to 6 visits a year, to one or two. Couple the ‘dumbing down’, particularly at the ‘educational’ park and my long-time favorite, EPCOT, and the shameful maintenance practices that seemed to become more the norm at both parks and resorts (at least for a while ...) and some of the Magic was really fading for me. Fortunately, some of the Food & Wine Festival events are still excellent, Tables in Wonderland is great too, and there’s still that special place in my heart for Disney. I am also hopeful that the turnaround that some of you here have predicted / reported on may actually be in the works - but I need to actually see it ....
The World is not the only thing that has changed in these ten years, this site has too ..... Ten years ago, it was obviously a smaller community - which just like ‘in real life’, is both good and bad. I think the members on average were a little bit ‘nicer’ to each other back then, not so quick to criticize an opinion, or jump on a newcomer for not doing an adequate search before asking a question, etc.. However, there’s now more ‘genuine’ “news” and much more significant ‘rumors’ with the addition of bona fide insiders, who feed us little tidbits (and occasionally a full ‘meal’) about things to come - both good and bad.
As I look forward now, after looking back at the past ten years, I am hopeful that some of the Magic will be reclaimed in the World that I so love - more guidance (management) by people who love Walt Disney World for what it means to those of us who have been going for decades, and a realization that if the World is run as just a business, it will risk losing the “Magic” that makes Walt Disney World a place worth going back to for a lifetime ...
As you can see, I am not a prolific poster. I visit often, and read many of the threads, but I only comment when I feel that I really have something to add, or a good question to ask. I most often end up commenting on food and resort topics, as I think those are my ‘strongest’ areas - I have a lot of experience with both. As a single guy, I often travel to the World on my own, and never with kids, so I sometimes have a different perspective than those of you who routinely visit with children.
I have seen a lot of changes over the years - both with Walt Disney World, and this site. While I don’t think I have even been categorized as a “fanboy” or a “doom and gloomer”, I’m afraid that over these 10 years, I have moved more towards the ‘doom and gloom’ as my own observations have seen some real problems develop over that time - most notably, my perception of the ‘dumbing down’ of the parks. Actually, it’s a problem that I feel goes way beyond the parks or Walt Disney World, but that’s a whole other topic .... I also feel that the Dining Plan has had a very negative impact on the table service and signature dining offerings, but I'm hoping that can be / is being fixed. However, I still love WDW, and still visit at least once a year, and I have kept renewing my Annual Pass and Tables in Wonderland membership (though I’m not sure if I will again this year ...). I have gone from 4 to 6 visits a year, to one or two. Couple the ‘dumbing down’, particularly at the ‘educational’ park and my long-time favorite, EPCOT, and the shameful maintenance practices that seemed to become more the norm at both parks and resorts (at least for a while ...) and some of the Magic was really fading for me. Fortunately, some of the Food & Wine Festival events are still excellent, Tables in Wonderland is great too, and there’s still that special place in my heart for Disney. I am also hopeful that the turnaround that some of you here have predicted / reported on may actually be in the works - but I need to actually see it ....
The World is not the only thing that has changed in these ten years, this site has too ..... Ten years ago, it was obviously a smaller community - which just like ‘in real life’, is both good and bad. I think the members on average were a little bit ‘nicer’ to each other back then, not so quick to criticize an opinion, or jump on a newcomer for not doing an adequate search before asking a question, etc.. However, there’s now more ‘genuine’ “news” and much more significant ‘rumors’ with the addition of bona fide insiders, who feed us little tidbits (and occasionally a full ‘meal’) about things to come - both good and bad.
As I look forward now, after looking back at the past ten years, I am hopeful that some of the Magic will be reclaimed in the World that I so love - more guidance (management) by people who love Walt Disney World for what it means to those of us who have been going for decades, and a realization that if the World is run as just a business, it will risk losing the “Magic” that makes Walt Disney World a place worth going back to for a lifetime ...
