EvilQueen-T
Well-Known Member
i get irritated when we go through dinoland in ak. i feel like i'm being squeezed for extra money when we go through there and it irritates me to no end. personally i feel like it cheapens the whole experience.
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Walt - "Disney World will not be a place that is used to sink your money"
- Thread starter Walt Disney1955
- Start date
TRONorail10
Active Member
I too get irritated at was done for Dinoland, and what COULD have been done. But if you feel it cheapens the whole experience, then I don't know how you could stand being at Disney World in general. Almost every ride exit leads to a gift shop, which is meant to squeeze more money out of every guest possible.
loveofamouse
Well-Known Member
True. They do do alot to get you to spend money. I've seen tv programs about the mind tricks that have been used by all theme parks and stores to get you to buy
I found it interestingT-1MILLION
New Member
Literal meaning or not, and this coming from someone who does not have an issue with them..they are still designed to sink your money.
No they don't bark at you are make rude comments like carnival barkers but the games are in no way fair, common skill oriented or even profit fair. There is a huge profit on those even if you win so really...still the kind that sink your money. If they weren't than when the rare occasion you did win you would recieve a prize that was worth more than the amount you paid to play...and if they were just there for nostalgia factor than you would get a prize close to the margin of what you paid for whether you did well or not. The reality is Disney did with AK's dinoland theme what Universal managed to do years ago with the Amity Island atmosphere. Find a place that the carnival games of chance would work.
No they don't bark at you are make rude comments like carnival barkers but the games are in no way fair, common skill oriented or even profit fair. There is a huge profit on those even if you win so really...still the kind that sink your money. If they weren't than when the rare occasion you did win you would recieve a prize that was worth more than the amount you paid to play...and if they were just there for nostalgia factor than you would get a prize close to the margin of what you paid for whether you did well or not. The reality is Disney did with AK's dinoland theme what Universal managed to do years ago with the Amity Island atmosphere. Find a place that the carnival games of chance would work.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Where did you get that information from? Of all the quotes and information revealed by Walt about Disney World during the 1965-66 time frame, including his famous film about the Florida Project he completed in October, 1966 less than two months before his death, I've never heard him be that specific about Disney World.
Where did you get that information that Walt ever said any such thing about Disney World? I've never seen any information from Walt that was that specific about the property. Can you provide us a link or source for this alleged Walt quote regarding Disney World? :veryconfu
EvilQueen-T
Well-Known Member
so true but that doesn't bother me quite as much as my kids and now my granddaughter know how to look around without expecting to buy something in a store weather it's in disney or not but when you tell a little one they can't play a game it's a lot harder to differentiate between doing all the rides etc... then saying no to something like the carnival stuff in dinoland.
But his opinions and his legacy carry on do they not?
Okay the quote is about Disneyland of course because he was alive then. He was talking about the park before it was being built. It's just that if he had that opinion you'd assume it would spill out to Disney World too.
It isn't a big deal of course, but to the people that say in "Walt's day" seedy people ran carnivals I have to ask what the difference is today? Seedy people run them today too. It isn't the case at AK I realize that but can someone tell me the story behind why it's there? I don't know it.
Wilt Dasney
Well-Known Member
I think the deal is those midway games are associated with classic boardwalks from places like Coney Island and the like. Even though midway games are still around, the seaside amusement park is pretty much lost to history. That's why I think PP is a great evocation of the past, and Dinorama maybe less so.
And to the person above who said the games take your money as ruthlessly as any other midway game...seems I've read on these boards that the Disney games are weighted more heavily toward the guest winning than is usually the case. I could be wrong on that, though.
raven
Well-Known Member
The people don't like the Dinoland theme are often the ones rushing through the area that don't pause to take in the theaming. Often once they know the back story of the land they have a greater appreciation for it and are quite amazed at the detail the Imagineers put into the area. I'm still finding new things I've never seen before.
DisneyNut2007
Active Member
And that is where you're completely wrong!
Actually, those prizes aren't cheap. If you only play once and you win, the park loses money. When I worked at Six Flags, the one rule about visiting the park which if violated was immediate termination was that we could not play the "skill" games. If we wanted one the prizes, we could buy the prizes at cost from the warehouse...and those things were expensive!
sshindel
The Epcot Manifesto
Count me among those that really get a kick out of Dinorama. I was very suprised that people needed to be "told" the backstory. I mean, I can't think I figured out everything in that detailed backstory, but I've never been sure why people don't immediatly get
"look, it's like those great Route 66 style tourist traps that would set up around a place where dino fossils were found". I didnt need the whole story about Chester and Hester to get that and enjoy it. I've always thought it was one of the more thoughtfully themed areas in all the parks. Oh well, Dinorama is just one of those few things where I'll disagree with a vast majority on here.
As for the games, it's not like they are rigged so you cannot win like some carnivals. They dont scream at you to embarass you to play, and I've never seen anyone tied down and forced to spend their money on one of the games. They fit in exactly with the theme of the area, and are not too obtrusive or obnoxious.
NedFlanders
New Member
Considering Disney sells corn dogs for $5.99 (excluding tax of course) I can imagine they might do that but in order to maintain Disney size profits on the dart game they would likely charge $100.00 for the opportunity, or shrink the size of the stuffed animal to that of a pin head...
I had to laugh when I read the "sink your money" title. Disney is ALL about seperating you from your money... from the over priced refreshments, to the kiosks hawking products related to the ride you just got off of... Frankly I find the Kiosks that you have to pass through when you exit a ride to more annoying than the carnival barker saying step right up.... I can ignor the carnival barkers but I can't avoid dragging the kids through the kiosk when they ride the ride.
NedFlanders
New Member
So does that mean that you as a worker were given the secret knowledge of how to win the game of chance (I mean skill)?
Hahaha no. I worked in operations as a rides lead, so I wasn't privy. Like most facets of life, theme parks are very cliquish...rides personnel would hang out with only people in rides (and maybe on occasion entertainment). I only knew one person who worked in games...and while she never told me any secrets, but none of the games were rigged (at least not then...who knows today)!!
googilycub
Active Member
It some ways, yes. One has to remember that Walt has been gone for over 40 years now, times change. I would be willing to bet that a company run EXACTLY as Walt would have run it in the 60's would not survive today. The world has just changed too much. I think that some of the Disney purists have a hard time with that fact.
Vernonpush
Well-Known Member
Back in the 60's people had manners, did as they were instructed, and had common sense. There was no need for "air gates" on rides at the loading platforms.... you just knew better than walking off the edge. No need for a queue to meet the characters... you waited for your turn.
Women and girls wore dresses (and sometimes gloves). Men and boys wore slacks and dress shirts (sometimes ties).
Parents taught their children how to behave and respect others.
Times have changed.
SeaBase86
Member
I don't understand all this hate. It's there and it's going to stay for a while. If you don't like it, no one is forcing you to go to Dinorama. Just enjoy your day somewhere else.
This topic always comes up, does it look cheap? Yes. It's suppose to look that way though. That's the theme.
And I agree with the comment above, these times are different. It's not the 60's anymore. Walt's ideas are still living on today but there always changing. Like Walt said we must keep moving forward. He knew Disneyland or Disney World wouldn't be the same as the times change. This is why we (well me) love going to the parks because they are always changing.
This topic always comes up, does it look cheap? Yes. It's suppose to look that way though. That's the theme.
And I agree with the comment above, these times are different. It's not the 60's anymore. Walt's ideas are still living on today but there always changing. Like Walt said we must keep moving forward. He knew Disneyland or Disney World wouldn't be the same as the times change. This is why we (well me) love going to the parks because they are always changing.
In all honesty why not? Yeah he's been dead for 44 years but so what? What exactly is done differently in business as opposed to today? People still want to be entertained and such, people still need money to do that.
There were unions in Walt's day as well. In fact a bunch of animators walked out on him in the 1940s when they were making Dumbo. I have no doubt Walt would adjust well to things like upgrades in technology and such, after all he was well ahead of his time.
But honestly, the park has the same ideals as in 1971. The same type of thing is there to entertain people (there have been things added for the ADD generation).