When is enough enough?

[copcarguyp71]

They bought prepaid vacations... if they think they 'bought a piece of disney' they need to take the hook out of their mouth.

Yes, yes, yes...which implies that it was that very thing that was sold to them "A piece of Disney". Disney hooks you with "welcome home" at check in and sells you on "generations of family enrichment" so in my mind if they bought what Disney was selling when they bought into DVC then they totally "bought a piece of Disney".

Again, just my take on things and I am not one of those "subscribe to my opinion or die" posters. All I am doing is counterpoint and expression of thought.

 

[raven]

While I am still a huge Disney fan, I have to agree with the OP. WDW has always been pricey but in just the past 2 years they have really went out of control with their charges for just about everything.

 

[flynnibus]

Yes, yes, yes...which implies that it was that very thing that was sold to them "A piece of Disney".

They were also sold on 'the best kept secret' - just because it's a sales pitch doesn't make it real. If that's what people hold onto... I got nothing for them.

 

[Figments Friend]

I seriously encourage anyone who is losing interest in WDW , or is feeling unhappy about how the Parks are being run in Florida to make a real effort to visit Disneyland on the *other coast* out West.
As a serious long time visitor and enthusiast of WDW over the years, i never dreamed i would ever turn my back to the property.
A *loyalist* i was indeed...dedicated supporter and fan of the FL Parks, but slowly over the last few years becoming unhappy and disillusioned with the direction things were being steered there.


My loyalty changed last year when i was able to fully experience the DLR on my own.
I was surprised and delighted at what i saw and experienced. Similar, but so different in vibe,tone,and quality of offerings.
Instead of feeling like a cog in the churning gears of a vacation business at WDW, i was instead embraced at DL as a welcomed visitor.
Instead of deciding and reserving ride times and dining choices months in advance before even setting foot in WDW, at DL i arrived day-of and rode everything i desired and dined wherever i wished with no reservations of any kind.
The regimented, Commando-squad touring required now to visit WDW to *make the most of it* became spontaneous experiences and relaxed touring at DL.

Disneyland totally won me over.
I never expected to become so enchanted with what many in my past kept labeling *the smaller Park*.
The *size* is perfect for what it is...and my the things to do within those so called *small* boarders!
So much offered.

DL has won my over...so much so i bought a AP.
Never in the 35+ years i have been enmeshed in visiting WDW have i ever considered buying a AP...even when i lived in Florida back in the early 1980s.
But things are different now...and as unbelievable as it still is for me to think about, i have no real interest in
returning to WDW any time soon.

To turn my back to the property has been refreshing and DLR gives you a entirely different perspective.
I can only just imagine at the huge perspective shift one must get from visiting the Tokyo DL or DLP.

So from one one-time WDW purist-loyalist to others out there that are teetering on the fence, i say this :

Make your next Disney Vacation at DISNEYLAND.
You will be glad you did, and perhaps like what happened to me, you just might enjoy the change so much that you decide to spend your time ( and money ) on the West Coast instead.
2015 is a GREAT time to make plans to visit DLR with the 60th Anniversary coming up, and all the new entertainment being planned.

DO IT !
Forget about WDW and treat yourself to a more relaxed vacation experience.

 

[Sudcaro- Sudcaro]

I guess it's just really hard to balance first timers and people coming back for the 10th or 20th time.
I also think that even things we love end up getting old, because we've done it over and over again, and because we change. I'm 43, never been to any Disney park, and I'm more excited than a child would be about going there later this year. But I wouldn't go to a stadium and watch a pro soccer game again, something that seemed impossible just 10 years ago!

 

[Tinkwings]

Enough? I will never ever get enough.....life is change, Disney was built to change, don't care for many of the changes either but to me the memories of the past and memories yet to be made are priceless. Yep I will continue to vent about this or that....and did not go this year for first time in a long while...but only due to budget constraints..... Have to settle for D23 exhibit in Chicago later this Fall. Learning to be content is one thing, I would not pay to just be content, but Disney ALWAYS has exceeded my expectations in some way or other...thus the value remains to me.

 

[BrerJon]

I seriously encourage anyone who is losing interest in WDW , or is feeling unhappy about how the Parks are being run in Florida to make a real effort to visit Disneyland on the *other coast* out West.

DO IT !
Forget about WDW and treat yourself to a more relaxed vacation experience.

I agree, but would also say consider Tokyo Disneyland too.

I know most people think it would be impossibly expensive, but just spend a few hours pricing it up, you never know. Anyone who has enough cash to visit WDW once a year should consider skipping it one year and going to Tokyo instead the next, they'll be amazed at the difference in quality.

 

[danpam1024]

I agree, but would also say consider Tokyo Disneyland too.

I know most people think it would be impossibly expensive, but just spend a few hours pricing it up, you never know. Anyone who has enough cash to visit WDW once a year should consider skipping it one year and going to Tokyo instead the next, they'll be amazed at the difference in quality.

I would imagine people in general wouldn't be quite as rude and entitled????

 

[Cubfan300]

The one thing wrong about that is that just because some of us are still holding them to certain standards, doesn't mean that they are still obligated to maintain those standards. That is what I have always meant when I have said "times change". They have lowered their standards in whatever effort they are trying to achieve, be it more profit or just plain stupidity, they set their own standards at this point and unless they start to show a real decline in customer attendance, it will fall on deaf ears. The only control we have is with our wallets. That's not to say that they cannot raise those standards again, but, it has to be to counter act something negative that is happening because they lowered them.

Like someone @BrerJon, I believe, said. When you say to an airline I don't like what you offered and follow it by no longer financially supporting it, you are directly influencing how and why they do business. Just complaining or pontificating on a fan board will do nothing. Continuing to support what is perceived as a lesser value actually says to them, "Gee, we must be doing good, look at all the people". It's not that it's not noble to call for better quality, it's just futile without the accompanied lack of financial support. And that quality evaluation must be a majority consensus. It's like peeing into the ocean and looking for the increase in the level. A few of us that now are still fans of the "early" Disney are getting fewer and fewer. To the non-experienced the place is still awe inspiring.

I disagree with you Goofyer. A public forum like this is where you get people thinking. They will reflect upon their experiences and may join up with the cause, or, may remember those experiences fondly and dismiss you. It's all about choice and how you value your time and money. This forum isn't much different than the guy on the street, bellowing his grievances in the 1700's. You can choose to stop and listen, or you can keep on walking, your choice. Sometimes I like to stop and listen to the grievance guy.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I disagree with you Goofyer. A public forum like this is where you get people thinking. They will reflect upon their experiences and may join up with the cause, or, may remember those experiences fondly and dismiss you. It's all about choice and how you value your time and money. This forum isn't much different than the guy on the street, bellowing his grievances in the 1700's. You can choose to stop and listen, or you can keep on walking, your choice. Sometimes I like to stop and listen to the grievance guy.

You are correct in that a forum is just an electronic soap box. It is a good place to vent, but, it isn't a good place to affect change unless ones message is heard and accepted as correct by the masses. If a person that is so angry about a situation that they use the soap box forum to express it and then turn around and give their money to Disney, then they are actually, by definition, being hypocritical and certainly are not showing the degree of their discontent in any way that is meaningful in making change happen. If I'm against a labor union, for example, yet join up because even though I don't like them, I do see that there are benefits to belonging to one, then I really am not against it in any manner that would mean sacrificing something in support of my belief, I would be talking merely to hear myself talk.

That's what I see in forum discussion like that. OK, we're angry because things aren't like they used to be, or we are upset because nothing new, that we like, is showing up or, and especially, the place is too expensive for me to afford comfortably. Finding a way to get there simply sends the message that I am extremely unhappy with things, but, look take my money and give it to the executives as a bonus because this is someplace that I really cannot do without.

 

[BrerJon]

I would imagine people in general wouldn't be quite as rude and entitled????

Not in the slightest. Despite much longer lines, you will never enjoy a politer or more respectful crowd of guests than you get at the Tokyo parks.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Not in the slightest. Despite much longer lines, you will never enjoy a politer or more respectful crowd of guests than you get at the Tokyo parks.

Sure, but, try being in line (if there is such a thing) to buy train tickets and watch the more aggressive side come out. I almost got knocked down a couple of times by tiny little old men pushing in front of me to get tickets. I haven't been in Japan for quite a few years, but, if it's like what it was back then, the only place that they have seen queue lines are at Disney.