What's improved at WDW?

[ParentsOf4]

I'm one of those guilty of thinking WDW used to be better, who thinks that WDW's "golden age" was in the 1980s and 1990s. I still enjoy WDW but feel that Disney used to be more committed to quality and park improvements than it is today. However, there are several important things I think are "better" today than they used to be, even during WDW's golden age:

1. Resorts - We never could afford to stay at the few Deluxe Resorts as teenagers/20-something-year-olds, we always had to bring a tent. I'm glad they added Value Resorts. I'm sure we would have been all over one of these rather than 4 of us in a tent.
2. Number of theme parks - 4 theme parks now, only 2 for most of the 1980s. Those of you who went to Disney-MGM when it first opened will remember when it had very few attractions; practically didn't count as a theme park its first couple of years. Now we have 4 theme parks to visit. I recognize some consider DHS and DAK to be only half-day parks but I still prefer 4 theme parks to 1 or 2.
3. Water parks - I'm a big fan of WDW's 2 fully realized existing water parks. River Country was just OK; Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon offer so much more.

For those of you who remember WDW from its first couple of decades, what else can you think of that's "better" today than it used to be?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I remember when "going to Disney" was going to the MK. LOL! Having the other 3 parks is nice. I definitely agree on your point with the resorts. I also remember when my grandparents stayed at the Polynesian waaaay back in the earlier '80s and we all thought of that as confirmation that they were, in fact, rich! ((Which they weren't, of course.)) LOL!

I think the Magical Express was genius! It's a total win/win, really. People don't have to worry about transportation to/from the airport. In fact, when I tell my friends who are planning their first trips about how it works you'd think they were being chauffered in a private limo. They think it's totally...well...Magical! Disney benefits by not having their guests rent cars and possibly go offsite for anything. They're keepin' all those folks right there in their world spending those dollars right there. Pretty dang smart!

I think there's a lot more variety of experiences offered. It's not just about the 4 parks. There's shopping, there's sports, there's tours, there's water sports, and the list goes on. Just the broad spectrum of offering types is mind-blowing. Even a non-park-touring family member can go to WDW and find something that's for them.

 

[onesandzeros]

I agree that the Magical Express was a great addition. I'd add Fast Passes and Extended Hours to the list.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

I think the Magical Express was genius! It's a total win/win, really. People don't have to worry about transportation to/from the airport.

Magical Express is not as good as you make it sound because it really depends on how long a person has to wait for Magical Express. My aunts took Magical Express last December and they had to wait 2 hours for the Magical Express at the airport based on what they told me and were not happy about that at all.

 

[Bob]

I second onesandzeros post. My favorite recent addition (improvement) is the MM&Y show.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Magical Express is not as good as you make it sound because it really depends on how long a person has to wait for Magical Express. My aunts took Magical Express last December and they had to wait 2 hours for the Magical Express at the airport based on what they told me and were not happy about that at all.

True. There's definitely problems. But on the basis of what it's function is, it's a good thing. The buses from the resorts to the parks sometimes have stupid long waits but that's not how it's supposed to be. It's just the bad that comes with the good of the tranpsortation system itself. If there was no transportation system at all it'd be a very bad thing.

 

[koryadams]

I'm one of those guilty of thinking WDW used to be better, who thinks that WDW's "golden age" was in the 1980s and 1990s. I still enjoy WDW but feel that Disney used to be more committed to quality and park improvements than it is today. However, there are several important things I think are "better" today than they used to be, even during WDW's golden age:

1. Resorts - We never could afford to stay at the few Deluxe Resorts as teenagers/20-something-year-olds, we always had to bring a tent. I'm glad they added Value Resorts. I'm sure we would have been all over one of these rather than 4 of us in a tent.
2. Number of theme parks - 4 theme parks now, only 2 for most of the 1980s. Those of you who went to Disney-MGM when it first opened will remember when it had very few attractions; practically didn't count as a theme park its first couple of years. Now we have 4 theme parks to visit. I recognize some consider DHS and DAK to be only half-day parks but I still prefer 4 theme parks to 1 or 2.
3. Water parks - I'm a big fan of WDW's 2 fully realized existing water parks. River Country was just OK; Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon offer so much more.

For those of you who remember WDW from its first couple of decades, what else can you think of that's "better" today than it used to be?

Finally, someone thinking positive!
Downtown Disney offers so much more than it used to (Disney Village) And I think the shows and parades are better! Overall, it has expanded and always offers new things!

 

[wdwfan4ver]

I think the adding of resorts is a big improvement. I remembered being at WDW for the first time in the early 1990's as a teenager and what my Mom told me back when she first went to WDW in 1974. When I first went WDW was middle of building more hotels at the time because it was an issue. When my mom first went, she didn't go to a Disney hotel because of the price and the amount of hotels Disney owned at the time.

Fast Pass is a big improvement. I thought it helps out lines depends on how the person uses it. Extended hours was a good additional also. I think they did not have badges in the early 1990's and that is a an improvement in terms of an experience. My parents got surprises by Disney for celebrating their weeding anniversary such as phone call by mickey wishing them a happy anniversary, balloons, and other stuff.

I think the improvement of Star Tours is a big improvement for me. I love the original Star Tours, but the new version is much better.

The additional of a 4th park is an improvement because some of my favorite attractions are at Animal Kingdom.

 

[bethymouse]

The addition of Test Track, Mission Space, and Soarin'.
Four Parks One World

 

[marni1971]

Like for like: Tiki Room V3, recent HoP, HM additions, Philharmagic, MM&Y, Wishes, SSE ascent, Reflections of China, Star Tours 2.

 

[ParentsOf4]

Wow, those are some great things that are "better". I completely forgot about DME, which I thought was a huge improvement over the plain old Mears bus service when it first started.

onesandzeros is right, the free Extra Magic Hours for onsite guests is a great addition. I remember only about a decade or so ago having to pay to stay late.

Like wdwfan4ver, bethymouse, and marni1971 mention, there are several attractions I'd really miss several if I were to travel back in time to WDW's "golden era", for example, Test Track, Philharmagic, TSMM, Star Tours, and Expedition Everest. Lots were added or improved over the last 20 years.

Fast Pass is a huge improvement of the "old" system of just standing in line. Sadly, I don't remember what the queues looked like before FP but do remember thinking "How are they going to fit that in?" the first time I heard about it.

koryadams is right, Downtown Disney offers so much more than it used to.

Overall, there are many more food options than before. I remember disliking the food in the 1970s and early 1980s but I was a poor teenager then and had to go with whatever was cheapest. There are some desserts that are just awesome now! I'm sure I would found enough money to buy some of the desserts they have today if they offered them 20 or 30 years ago!

As sweetpee_1993 wrote, there's just so many more different things to do then there used to be. WDW really is a place that can keep you entertained for a week without having to repeat anything.

 

[2bornot2be]

You all made some good points; I also will like to add;
Dinning plan - This was a great addition as well. When I was young I believed all the people eating in a sit down restaurant were rich.
On Line reservations - This makes booking easy and fun, I also like the count down on Disney Web page.
Photo Pass - Great addition as well. You could go broke buying all the pictures taken by CM around the park

 

[onesandzeros]

Finally, someone thinking positive!
Downtown Disney offers so much more than it used to (Disney Village) And I think the shows and parades are better! Overall, it has expanded and always offers new things!

I’m not onboard with today’s DTD “Market Place”. The old Disney Village had a variety of merchandise, even non Disney items. With the One-Disney approach the merchandise found at DTD “Market Place” is found at MK, EPCOT, HS, AK, Resort Gift Shop, ESPN ……… Very little difference found from one shopping
area to another.



“West Side” offers some variety.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Better as compared to when?

I suppose the easy answer is that, for me, the biggest improvement was when EPCOT finally opened. So exciting! Even better than Thunder opening two years earlier.
The expansion of the resort is an obvious improvement (but not all of it!)

But that is too easy. Maybe I should understand the question as 'existing things that have improved over time'. Let's see:

- Star Tours
- Space Mountain
- ToT (from one routine to four)
- The foliage around the Mexico show building has grown over time to hide it (now this is one of those small details that usually go the other way - something small that is slowly erased because nobody feels an urgency in taking care of the small stuff)
- The France pavilion - more stuff along the river
- Many animal exhibits in DAK - animals got used to them, foliage could grow in, the caretakers learned how the animals responded to their exhibits and adjusted them over time.

wow...this is really hard. I think that commonly, something gets build by people who think about it for months, who care, who have a dedicated budget. Then over time, this all disappears - the budget, the care, the knowledge, the how and why of the design choices. It is simply easier to let something deteriorate (which happens naturally to begin with) than to improve it over time.

 

[GoofGoof]

Not sure if it counts since it opened in the late 90s, but I would add the Boardwalk to the list. Love Jellyrolls and walking the circle past BC and YC. I would throw Coronado Springs in too if you are giving me late 90s.

I would add DVC expanding beyond 1 resort to my personal list too, but I know that would be on a lot of people's negative list.

 

[ParentsOf4]

Better as compared to when?

Some time ago I posted a thread asking people what was their favorite decade at WDW:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/what-is-your-favor-wdw-decade.837771/

Most voted for the 1980s or 1990s.

Conceptually, there are many prominent posters who feel that WDW is in decline; that WDW's best days are in the past. In some ways, I'm one of them, feeling that WDW has slipped in quality & maintenance. I can recall a time that WDW was almost insanely perfect. The first trip I remember well enough to notice quality was in the early 1980s just after Epcot opened when I went with my brother and friends. (We were in our early 20s, no "through the eyes of a child" glasses on during this trip.) The running joke was the almost frighteningly polite CMs. On more than one occasion we mentioned the "Stepford Wives", even calling the CMs the "Disney Wives". (You'll have to see the original movie to understand the reference.) We saw a small child throw a wrapper on the ground and thought it would be a hoot to watch how long it took a CM to pick it up. We discretely stood to the side to monitor the offending article. We expected to wait a while. Wouldn't you know it, the paper was gone in 37 seconds! (Yes, we timed it.) On another occasion, we were at MK and noticed a bench with chipped paint on one arm. We joked about it for the rest of the day. We even took a photo. Wouldn't you know it, we came back the next day and the chip was fixed to the point that we couldn't see where the chip had been! That really freaked us out.

When my DW and I went for our 1st anniversary in the early 1990s, WDW commitment to quality still seemed the same as it had during those trips with my brother and friends.

Those trips left us with the impression that WDW truly was magical. We had heard Walt Disney wanted his parks to be perfect and we believed it.

All things considered, I’d prefer the WDW of today over the WDW of past decades. Don’t get me wrong, WDW needs to refocus on quality and maintenance as well as pick up the pace of new attraction development. However, WDW has improved in many ways compared with its golden age. WDW is now a place where I can spend a week and not feel as if I’m repeating myself. In the 1980s, I was done with WDW after 2 days, 3 days max. (The problem that Universal has today.)

I started this thread so people could recall the positive changes that have taken place since WDW’s “golden age”, whenever you consider that to be.

 

[koryadams]

I’m not onboard with today’s DTD “Market Place”. The old Disney Village had a variety of merchandise, even non Disney items. With the One-Disney approach the merchandise found at DTD “Market Place” is found at MK, EPCOT, HS, AK, Resort Gift Shop, ESPN ……… Very little difference found from one shop to the other.



“West Side” offers some variety.

What about Basin? There are a few shops that only sell items at Downtown Disney, and like you said West Side too

 

[onesandzeros]

What about Basin? There are a few shops that only sell items at Downtown Disney, and like you said West Side too

You’re right! Basin and maybe RainForest, although there’s one at AK. I do miss the
Deli/Grocery store that was housed were Earl of Sandwich is today. But that’s more nostalgia
than items I shopped for, and the Earl is a great addition!!!! A trip isn’t complete for me without
a sandwich or two during my stay.