Why do you believe WDW has gone downhill?

Soarin2u

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So, I'm actually writing an essay and I need the voices of those who believe Disney World has lost its special touch.

What are changes Disney has made you believe have been for the worst? And does it represent something greater? Are there things you see now that you don't like? Essentially, I need people to complain about Disney World so I have arguments to address.

For example:
Not fixing the Yeti as a sign that Disney fails to maintain their rides to the extent they should.
Or,
Food quality, in general, has gone down but the prices remain high indicating Disney is being cheap.

The only thing else I ask for is to say something more creative than "crowds" and "ticket Price Increase." Least, if you say these give a unique argument as to why they're bad

Thanks!

Oh! And if you don't think Disney has gone downhill, I'd take those responses too!

Edit: Maybe downhill was too broad of a term. I'm really just seeking what changes or things have there been that have reduced the quality of your Walt Disney World Experience.
I do not agree that WDW has gone downhill and therefore need counter-arguments. Rather than assuming what the counter-arguments are, I thought it'd be nice to quote some. Therefore, I really would like specific points of an argument.
 
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TwilightZone

Well-Known Member
I think it has gone more uphill lately than what it was during the eisner era.
But to give now answers and not eisner era answers, too much IP in all the wrong places. And too much screens over physical. It's fine in some rides, but in rides such as Navi River Journey, there needs to be a good amount of physical props and animatronics.
 

SourcererMark79

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Perhaps some of the perception of "downhill" can be contributed to the decline of guest behaviors.
If I'm getting super annoyed at people while at WDW, I'm likely to focus more on the negative than the magic. Granted, it's not an excuse for everything, but take restrooms for example. How hard is it to FLUSH and Throw trash in the trash can? I cringe just thinking what these people would do when visiting a National Park (if most people even do this anymore!)
 

Hayley In Wonderland

Well-Known Member
Bad guest behaviour is a big deal breaker for me. And rude staff who think it's okay to talk down to someone because they're younger or they don't deem them as "equal". Other than that, there isn't really anything that says Disney World has gone "downhill". The parks are quieter at the moment due to people waiting for SW to open.
 

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member
Oh! And if you don't think Disney has gone downhill, I'd take those responses too!

I don’t.

I just think things have changed (like adding Fastpass+) and some people adapt and roll with the changes, while others don’t give it a fair shot. We see evidence here of people complaining about attractions and movies before they even open (Pandora) and then everybody wants a FP+ for Flight of Passage.
 

eliza61nyc

Well-Known Member
So I guess it depends on what we describe as downhill. It also depends on your perspective. I find a lot of complaints seem to stem from comparing the current parks to the "golden" age of wdw. I'd like to hear about anything that has stayed the same since 1990? lol I was just in the supermarket complaining about how Bryers ice cream isn't really ice cream anymore. It's that lousy frozen dairy dessert and it's no longer 1 gallon.
I digress, It is more crowded and that is definitely a bummer.
I like that they got rid of the more boring rides, I don't have a problem with IP and I don't stress over whether an attraction "belongs" in a certain park.
LOL I'm probably more interested on an essay explaining why folks who think it's gone hill keep going?
 

Nottamus

Well-Known Member
I don't think its going downhill at all.

Its perception....

I truly believe if someones first trip was this weekend, it would be JUST as awesome as someone else's first trip in 1998, or 1989, or 2000.

Sure, there may be rides, or experiences not there anymore, but only YOU know that, not the first tripper.

I feel if you don't expect anything, you can't be disappointed.
 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
I don't think quality wise that they have gone downhill. They went down hill in the area of being concerned about putting greed above the loyalty of people like me that have been going there for over 35 years. They have priced me out. The problems of planning haven't really been a factor because I just go to the parks, pick whatever FP's I can get one or two days out and don't give half a hoot about ADR's. I stay offsite because they have previously blocked me out by the way beyond value the resort prices have gotten too.

Now they have made it impossible for me to easily do an impulse trip. It's less then a 10 hour drive from my door to WDW entrance. I used to be able to buy tickets in advance. Use a 10 day PH ticket over two or three years which made it affordable and no pressure to pinpoint when I might be either time able or in the mood or good health to actually go there. Now with needing to know what week I will go, I cannot buy tickets in advance, so it has just made it so I really don't feel very wanted there or inclined to give a damn whether the place eventually turns back into a swamp or not. With rising ocean levels it may be nothing more then a huge water park anyway.
 

Goofyque'

Well-Known Member
Oh! And if you don't think Disney has gone downhill, I'd take those responses too!

As a Disney fan from the opening of the first park, I would pose that like anything else over the span of 40-60 years, things are going to change. Not everyone likes all the changes, and certainly not everyone hates the changes. Going downhill is a matter of opinion. When DL was opened, there was no internet to complain when there were lines to get in the park. People just waited. We are into our 4th generation of family Disney fans, and that is still the destination of choice for our whole family. We love the new rides, food options, Magic bands and many other of the changes. Like anyone else, we don't care for price increases, shorter hours, and other cuts of favorite rides or entertainment. It is still the best value vacation for our family, and no where do we have as much fun!
 

ppete1975

Well-Known Member
The internet, @marni1971 and time.

Oh I guess I should explain. Have they made mistakes.. of course. And the prices and some of their practices have been more than a bit greedy. But the park is almost 50 years old (well the magic kingdom) epcot is 35. So the park is showing wear and tear and its a lot to fix since they failed to keep up some of the maintenance.
But the internet and social media also add to feelings of a decline. Before we were all in our bubble, and unless you saw it yourself, your friend told you, or you read it in the paper you didn't know. Heck unless you really paid attention you wouldn't even know about price hikes if you only went every few years (example you live in Michigan and go to Disney every 5 years). The monorail.. youd never know about the door or the piece that fell off. Without that evil @marni1971 you might not remember how amazing some of the rides used to be or even what was there before.
Now if a trashcan overflows, someone wants to overlay the tower, or the monorail starts showing its age... we know in milliseconds then discuss it here.
 

StarshipDisney

Well-Known Member
I do not believe that Disney is going downhill...just that management has become extremely petty, overly greedy, and are doing their best to "kill the magic" in the name of the almighty dollar. That is just the "way it is now" so everybody may as well get acclimated. This is not going to change.
 

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
I think the guest experience at WDW is the victim of WDW's success!

WDW Parks and resorts are so successful, and as a result of that success, the parks are always over crowded, as a result of that success, Disney can raise prices on anything they like whenever they want.

As a result of that, its ironically the guest experience that goes down hill in my opinion
 
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Soarin2u

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
As a Disney fan from the opening of the first park, I would pose that like anything else over the span of 40-60 years, things are going to change. Not everyone likes all the changes, and certainly not everyone hates the changes. Going downhill is a matter of opinion. When DL was opened, there was no internet to complain when there were lines to get in the park. People just waited. We are into our 4th generation of family Disney fans, and that is still the destination of choice for our whole family. We love the new rides, food options, Magic bands and many other of the changes. Like anyone else, we don't care for price increases, shorter hours, and other cuts of favorite rides or entertainment. It is still the best value vacation for our family, and no where do we have as much fun!

Absolutely agreed. I'm actually arguing the fact that Disney has not gone downhill, and how my perspective and understanding of how the parks functions changed my perspective that Disney World is doing well despite certain nay-sayers. In my belief, Disney has not gone Downhill in the simple fact that they're always is cutting corners and no longer care about the individual customer experience. Rather its other outside afflictions that are causing the supposedly undesirable changes and/or is the concept that people don't like changes.

For some the IP's seem unimaginative and indicate Disney is taking any cash grab of an IP and turning it into some sort of attraction, ride, meet and greet etc. While to many newer fans they see the IP's as something positive and are a change to the parks that are welcomed. It because they don't see it as Disney pulling at all the strings to make money but see it as Disney giving them the opportunity to finally be able to visit a galaxy far, far away.

Our culture is undeniably different than it was 40-30 years ago. Disney is acclimating to these new trends, especially with social media. The complaint about Disney is similar to the classic "[Movies, Tv, Music, art, etc.] aren't as good these days."
 
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Soarin2u

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I think there are more than a few threads discussing the decline, or lack thereof. They could be useful for your essay - but I really don't think another thread about it is going to reveal any new insights.
Was to condense such information into one rather than sifting through thousands.
 

Soarin2u

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'll sum it up:

A) It hasn't declined (the "it's not me, it's you" argument)
B) It has declined (the "nickel and diming" argument)
C) Be thankful. (the "I'm just glad it's still here to enjoy" argument)

I was simply seeking quotes to use. Sure there are thousands of others threads I could quote but, I thought it'd be more appropriate to propose such quotes to my professor in that I explicitly asked people their opinions as to what has potentially reduced the quality of their experience rather than grasping at bits here and there from random threads. Granted, my wording wasn't done well and made the question too broad, fearing that being specific would deter comments.
 

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
I don't think the quality of the Disney experience has gone downhill appreciably - some things are better than they used to be and some aren't, but it's kind of a wash for me.

I just think the cost increases (both in terms of things costing more, and in terms of Disney charging for things it used to offer for free) are not justified, because there's been no comparable increase in the quality of what is offered (or even in the cost of living). It's all about the ratio of cost-to-product.

So what has gone downhill for me is not so much the experience, but the value - significantly and unmistakably.
 
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