Two coasts: One very different world

[JustChillinBro]

Okay last post (other than a few more responding to what I'm sure are cleverly written rebuttals!). Sorry (a little bit) for trolling you so hard. WDC doesn't care about what you want. And no matter how many times you tell them that what you care about is worth caring about, they still don't care what you want. They will never care about what you want. No matter how many times you try to get a talking point on a blog on CNN.com (LOL!), no matter how many websites you create noting whether or not the bumblebees are spinning on Splash Mountain, no matter how much time you spend posting on forums.WDWMAGIC.com, WDC isn't going to change how they operate. Nobody cares. Not Disney. Not the guests visiting Disney. Seriously, no one outside a very small population of peasants on a very small Disney web forum care.

Realize this.

 

[devoy1701]

We've been DVC since 2008. We're using points to go with friends in November and are staying at BLT (I'm anxious to see the rooms since our first visit was right after it opened, and we got to experience the less than stellar rooms). However, for the first time every, we're going to use our 2013 points and head to DLR sometime Spring or early Summer 2013.

We've bled WDW, and never really had an interest to venture west...but after all the hype about the classic attractions being superior to MK's, and hearing how the parks are taken care of, and now the addition of Cars Land and BVS, it's time spend our money out there.

We're just one party, but maybe this will become a trend and someone will notice.

I'm actually surprised to read this from you Tom. Half excited too! You'll love DL, and when you return I imagine that you will feel that same tug on your heartstring that I did that really made me open my eyes to the execution and delivery of everything at WDW, and what ultimately made me question the value of my vacations there.

 

[devoy1701]

Okay last post (other than a few more responding to what I'm sure are cleverly written rebuttals!). Sorry (a little bit) for trolling you so hard. WDC doesn't care about what you want. And no matter how many times you tell them that what you care about is worth caring about, they still don't care what you want. They will never care about what you want. No matter how many times you try to get a talking point on a blog on CNN.com (LOL!), no matter how many websites you create noting whether or not the bumblebees are spinning on Splash Mountain, no matter how much time you spend posting on forums.WDWMAGIC.com, WDC isn't going to change how they operate. Nobody cares. Not Disney. Not the guests visiting Disney. Seriously, no one outside a very small population of peasants on a very small Disney web forum care.

Realize this.

funny...it worked on the other coast.

 

[misterID]

That's way of an oversimplification. How many times must we re-iterate this. We want what is best for WDW. As of right now Disneyland is in magnificent shape and we want the standard practiced at DL to be adopted at WDW which is why we give Disneyland praise while WDW is currently offering a lesser product. We WANT WDW to do well, We are not "haters". The problem is that WDW as of right now is leagues below Disneyland Show quality-wise thanks to poor management and I find it upsetting because WDW should be as good as or better than Disneyland. I feel that if you truly love something, you should want what is best for it. I feel like I have been explaining this forever.

Because some people are intentionally ignoring your points.

 

[cheezbat]

Disney Orlando is constantly "upgrading" things that don't need to be upgraded. From the conversion of Enchanted Grove to Cheshire Cafe to the "reimagining" of the Winnie the Pooh Meet and Greet at the Toy Solider store to the refurbishment of the Hotel Frontenac, Main Street facades, Oasis, etc. None of those things were/are necessary. Not to mention a major refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and now Test Track. I would guess a major refurbishment of Splash Mountain is next and you will receive your spinning bumblebees!

Obviously you can whine until the cow comes home (or whatever an old saying would be) about where/how money is being spent, but it is being spent. I think once you accept the fact that WDC goals are different than your own, the happier you will end up being.

Your demographic isn't a priority and probably will never be.

Oh they spend money...on things that don't really need it, while other things that need it bad sit to rot. Lighting out All over Main street, the Grand Floridian, multiple issues on Splash Mountain, the Indy Speedway that just screams 1971, ceiling tiles and animatronics in Small World, curtain issues in Philharmagic, paint in certain places and rails...and most of what I just mentioned is in the Magic Kingdom, not even mentioning the other parks!

It's not that we hate WDW or think it sucks, it's that we actually care and see all these glaring issues. Yes, WDW does get compared a lot to Disneyland, but as being someone who visits both resorts yearly, I see the major differences in show and upkeep and it saddens me to see WDWs poor state. Yes, they're refurbing things that need it and touching up or changing things that don't, but WDW has a long way to go.

 

[JustChillinBro]

Congrats on having one "like" on your Facebook.com page. That must have been a major milestone in your campaign to "fix" the bumblebees and apparently now the planets on Astro Orbiter. Better add that to the list!

Are we taking the word of the social media whores that Cars Land is amazing or whatever it is your opinion is based on the opinions of others?

Cars Land will break, if it hasn't already. New today, yes. Old tomorrow. People are already complaining about the headlights or something.

 

[HMF]

Because some people are intentionally ignoring your points.

I am aware of that.

 

[Skip]

Disney Orlando is constantly "upgrading" things that don't need to be upgraded. From the conversion of Enchanted Grove to Cheshire Cafe to the "reimagining" of the Winnie the Pooh Meet and Greet at the Toy Solider store to the refurbishment of the Hotel Frontenac, Main Street facades, Oasis, etc. None of those things were/are necessary. Not to mention a major refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and now Test Track. I would guess a major refurbishment of Splash Mountain is next and you will receive your spinning bumblebees!

Obviously you can whine until the cow comes home (or whatever an old saying would be) about where/how money is being spent, but it is being spent. I think once you accept the fact that WDC goals are different than your own, the happier you will end up being.

Your demographic isn't a priority and probably will never be.

I forgot basic refurbishments to near 40 year old buildings was "unnecessary." Ditto with changing the name of a fruit & drink stand.

Tell me, how much are you being paid?

 

[JustChillinBro]

Huge social media bucks. Huge bucks. I am extremely well paid to talk to the seven of you on forums.WDWMAGIC.com because Disney really cares what you think. And swaying your opinion is very important to them!

I'm laughing out loud.

 

[misterID]

I'm sure Jimmy is laughing out loud, too.

 

[Skip]

I'm sure Jimmy is laughing out loud, too.

Oooh, good call. It's pretty well-written for Jimmy, though.

OH! Maybe, Crockett? He said he'd be back...

But no, please don't mind the huge fallacies in your argument, "JustChillingBro." That includes the one where you indicate it'd be silly for Disney to pay people to sway social media/online discussion. It's been stated that it has and will continue to happen (no matter how fruitless).

 

[Kiff]

Huge social media bucks. Huge bucks. I am extremely well paid to talk to the seven of you on forums.WDWMAGIC.com because Disney really cares what you think. And swaying your opinion is very important to them!

I'm laughing out loud.

You would be surprised what steps large organizations/corporations will go to in an effort to control the social media message. Large portions of a companies marketing department will now be devoted to such tasks. In some cases a course on social media will be mandatory for all employees in an organization. You have to be sure that all employees know that if they see a "friend" on Facebook having issues with the company you direct them to the official company twitter feed so it can be addressed properly.

Targeting individuals and small groups may seem like a waste of time but protecting the brand and image of a company is paramount. Whether it is warranted or not, most corporations see social media as a strong tool but also a grave threat. They fear the cascade effect of social media, and it only takes a small group of like minded individuals to generate a large problem. A few well placed "opinions" that look favorable to the company thrown into the mix can help keep a person who may have been swayed fall back into line.

 

[xdan0920]

Okay last post (other than a few more responding to what I'm sure are cleverly written rebuttals!). Sorry (a little bit) for trolling you so hard. WDC doesn't care about what you want. And no matter how many times you tell them that what you care about is worth caring about, they still don't care what you want. They will never care about what you want. No matter how many times you try to get a talking point on a blog on CNN.com (LOL!), no matter how many websites you create noting whether or not the bumblebees are spinning on Splash Mountain, no matter how much time you spend posting on forums.WDWMAGIC.com, WDC isn't going to change how they operate. Nobody cares. Not Disney. Not the guests visiting Disney. Seriously, no one outside a very small population of peasants on a very small Disney web forum care.

Realize this.

What is the point you are trying to make? That it's wrong to want the best, to want more then WDW is currently providing? I don't really get what you are driving at.

Are you the type who just settles for whatever life hands you? Burger undercooked? So what, I'll just eat it. Hotel has bed bugs. So what, I'll just get bitten. Boss hasn't given me a raise in a decade. So what, I'll just stick around. WDW is falling by the wayside, so what, let's just keep going and take what they are giving us. Who cares if there hasn't been any major additions in a decade, and the "major" one we are getting now is being revealed at the pace of chinese water torture.

 

[flynnibus]

I know that you have said in the past that TDR quality coming to WDW is unlikely, whether from Disney or a new owner/operator. Is it a matter of cost, logistical problems, etc? Could you elaborate on that a bit?

It's a business culture - that's why simply throwing money at something never sticks. It's a business culture that prioritizes things differently than the current P&R organization. If your priorities are out of wack, no change will ever persist. You can 'fake it' by maybe hiring a person or two.. but unless you believe it, when the @%$% hits the fan, you will always revert to your true priorities.

Tip #1 - if you start something with your expectations low, you will never exceed them

The real question is.. in the current economic realities the company lives in... can it even afford to operate to the old standards it once had? I would hope so, if they made themselves lean enough without bloat in the administrative side.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Back to the original point of the thread, Orlando Attractions magazine sent as many tweets out yesterday about Agent P and the Cars wing as they did on their DL junket

You mean Orlando Attractions magazine was covering stuff going on in Orlando at a comparable rate as something outside of Orlando? How dare they!

 

[ScarForKing]

Is there some meaning behind that wink and a smile?

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Is there some meaning behind that wink and a smile?

Yep.

 

[HMF]

I really wish Al Lutz would do an entire article on the DOM mentality and how it's killing WDW.

 

[WDW1974]

But...there are people out there who really, truly, do prefer McDonald's over haute cuisine. Go stand at a Wendy's and offer the hungry folk a platter of wine-poached salmon in creamy truffle sauce instead.

Many guests really, truly do love TSMM and Soarin'. They do. With or without the dusty projection, regardless of TSMM being a glorified Wii game on office chairs.

For all my nagging about the MK being turned into an infantile, cartoonified toddler playground, I must not overlook one thing: a great many guests want it to be turned into exactly that. They love it. They want spinners and beer and celebrities.
If one loses sight of that, one might think Disney is stupid, mean, evil or stingy. (Well...it is.) But it is also often times simply responding to genuine guest demand, whether one abhors the simplicity of their taste or not. The dumbing down of WDW is greatly owing to the dumbed down demands of the guests entering the gates. WDW is being reshaped to their liking.

My hope is with a further increase of prices.

I just had to respond to this ... because I just got back from a late lunch at Wendy's (no one offered me salmon in creamy truffle sauce while I was there, either).

You fundamentally miss the point if you believe I believe that many of these offerings (such as TSMM) are not popular. I don't care. You know who else didn't care? Old Dead Guy Walt. You know who else didn't care? The folks who ran Disney in the 70s, 80s and well into the 90s.

They succeeded precisely because they didn't ask people what they wanted; they gave them what they didn't even know they wanted or was possible.

I well understand that many of WDW's guest fit into the Walmart demo. And the type who would prefer to eat at Wendy's (although they probably would have taken the lettuce and tomato off the chicken sandwich and never would have added pickles and onions to it!) than a fine dining establishment. But I don't care. And I sure as (blank) don't care that many guests prefer low quality offerings because they are simpler. Because I know that if Disney exceeds my expectations (or even meets them) that the vast majority of guests are also going to enjoy the products, even if they had no clue such things were possible.

 

[Tom]

You know who else didn't care? The folks who ran Disney in the 70s, 80s and well into the 90s.

They succeeded precisely because they didn't ask people what they wanted; they gave them what they didn't even know they wanted or was possible.

I well understand that many of WDW's guest fit into the Walmart demo. And the type who would prefer to eat at Wendy's than a fine dining establishment. But I don't care. And I sure as (blank) don't care that many guests prefer low quality offerings because they are simpler. Because I know that if Disney exceeds my expectations (or even meets them) that the vast majority of guests are also going to enjoy the products, even if they had no clue such things were possible.

So true. Disney excelled because they were one (or more) step ahead of their guests. Walt started that mentality, and it carried through. Always strive to be the FIRST to do something, and when you do it, make it the BEST. And then, be dissatisfied and do it BETTER.

When "The People of WalMart" visit WDW and accept what they offer in its entirety, WDW has absolutely no reason to improve or add to the offerings. So, those of us who remember when things were truly magical, and that when you visited every year or two something would be new or improved, are left with a feeling of apathy after visiting the parks a few times a year (like we've done this year).

Fanbois are not the target audience - mediocrity is.