You Hate Everything About It, Yet You Still Go

[ExtinctJenn]

All the the time I'm seeing posts on these and other forums from folks who I can only categorize as hating a laundry list of things about Walt Disney World. It ranges from complaints about upkeep of certain attractions (valid in a lot of cases for sure) to extremes that include being against anything/everything TDO is doing, complaining about resorts/pricing/dining, you name it.

It got me thinking... why, for those of you in the position of having more bad than good to say about WDW, do you go? And furthermore... Why do you belong to forums like these?

I promise you this isn't some (poor) attempt at trolling.I am looking for real answers here because it's perplexed me for years. My assumption has always been that it's one individual member of a family that in general adores WDW so they do it "for the kids" (or something along those lines). Maybe that's the most common response I'll get but truly, please do share!

EDIT: My response to the posts and my true thanks for them can be seen here. Figured I'd add it to the main post because it'll get lost in the shuffle. LOL!

 

[Camera1950s]

First of all the kids make a huge difference. Really. Yes there is a lot to poke at if you want to. It is easier to poke if your older and seen much of the parks already. I still go back myself because I like it. I like the atmosphere. Its like an all day party if done well with good attitudes. One bad apple in the group can wreck a visit. Be careful who you go with. Its a lot like the Jungle Cruse. It all depends on the boat captain you get.

 

[draybook]

I can sum up my feelings like this; I LOVE WDW as a place but I HATE the way it's being run.

We continue to go because we keep hoping it's going to get better. It is getting better, but up north at a place called Universal. That makes me hate WDW management even more because I've always loved WDW more and yet here I am being forced to like Universal more because they're delivering the bang for my buck that WDW used to give me.

 

[Hakunamatata]

I love the beach but I hate getting sand in my swim suit. I put up with the irritation because I like the big picture. Pretty simple really.

 

[NearTheEars]

I came here because I love the place. I have only been going since 2010 (never went as a child) and still don't see the parks the way a lot of the folks here do. To me a lot of it is still perfect and very clean.

I hope I always see it that way and I don't go there with the purpose of looking for things that are wrong just to run back here and post.

But, as I've said before, everyone is entitled to an opinion and most often forums like this are used for debate. I've come to see that many love the place so much and have gone for so long that when any detail changes they notice and voice their opinion.

It's still up to the rest of us to form our own.

 

[devoy1701]

All the the time I'm seeing posts on these and other forums from folks who I can only categorize as hating a laundry list of things about Walt Disney World. It ranges from complaints about upkeep of certain attractions (valid in a lot of cases for sure) to extremes that include being against anything/everything TDO is doing, complaining about resorts/pricing/dining, you name it.

It got me thinking... why, for those of you in the position of having more bad than good to say about WDW, do you go? And furthermore... Why do you belong to forums like these?

I promise you this isn't some (poor) attempt at trolling.I am looking for real answers here because it's perplexed me for years. My assumption has always been that it's one individual member of a family that in general adores WDW so they do it "for the kids" (or something along those lines). Maybe that's the most common response I'll get but truly, please do share!

I don't go anymore. I stopped going when I realized that they kept taking things away, stopped giving me new things to enjoy, and were raising my prices. I've been to Epcot once since I've stopped going in 2010, and that was only because my company paid for it.

But I still love Disney World. I love the idea...what came of it, what it was, what it has the potential to be again. I have great memories there and will have great memories in the future too. Just because I'm critical doesn't mean that I can't enjoy myself there, even as the parks are today. That's why I became a member here and why I still continue to be an active member.

Also, not many people that I see on a daily basis enjoy carrying on daily conversations about Disney World anymore.

 

[BuddyThomas]

I don't go anymore. I stopped going when I realized that they kept taking things away, stopped giving me new things to enjoy, and were raising my prices. I've been to Epcot once since I've stopped going in 2010, and that was only because my company paid for it.

But I still love Disney World. I love the idea...what came of it, what it was, what it has the potential to be again. I have great memories there and will have great memories in the future too. Just because I'm critical doesn't mean that I can't enjoy myself there, even as the parks are today. That's why I became a member here and why I still continue to be an active member.

Also, not many people that I see on a daily basis enjoy carrying on daily conversations about Disney World anymore.

I think that with the really insane amount of time it takes to plan a trip these days, not to mention the insane amount of money it costs to go, there are extremely high expectations that are in place for a trip to br perfection. This is compounded by the fact that those of us who have been multiple times have many memories and we expect the new trip to live up to those memories. On top of everything, Disney's own reputation for bending over backward for top class customer service and cleanliness just sends expectations wildly over the top. With all these elements at work, if a trip is anything less than magical perfection, there are going to be people who are disappointed. Since this is an"unofficial" Disney board and not the Disney corporate website , what is the problem in discussing issues or problems we may have encountered?

 

[Nemo14]

I think for a lot of us here it's not that we hate the place, but that we hate what's happened and continues to happen to a place that we really love. I hated what was happening to my beloved Red Sox last year, but I didn't hate the team, nor did I give up on them. And speaking for myself, we still have 5 or 6 days left on non-expiration WDW passes that we've had for a couple of years now, but we have no intention of using them until things improve. As far as why I joined here, it's basically to keep informed about what's happening there and to hang out with some pretty cool people.

 

[draybook]

I came here because I love the place. I have only been going since 2010 (never went as a child) and still don't see the parks the way a lot of the folks here do. To me a lot of it is still perfect and very clean.

I hope I always see it that way and I don't go there with the purpose of looking for things that are wrong just to run back here and post.

But, as I've said before, everyone is entitled to an opinion and most often forums like this are used for debate. I've come to see that many love the place so much and have gone for so long that when any detail changes they notice and voice their opinion.

It's still up to the rest of us to form our own.

I don't go looking for things to gripe about, they manifest themselves after you've been a few times. I can only imagine how people feel that have been going since the place opened in 71.

 

[Megalodumb]

I hated what was happening to my beloved Red Sox last year, but I didn't hate the team, nor did I give up on them.

While this is an excellent analogy, it also clearly illustrates what needs to happen in order for WDW to improve. The Red Sox went downhill fast in 2012, got rid of the person making all those horrific decisions, and the very next season...best record in MLB.
Disney, on the other hand, doesn't see things with such logic. Had Disney been in charge of the Red Sox, they would've given Bobby Valentine a huge bonus after he drug the team into the gutter, not fired him.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Everyone has pretty much summed it up. I still enjoy WDW, just not to the degree I once did. I don't have issues with maintenance because I think considering the massiveness of WDW they do a pretty darn good job. Most of us remember, at least I do, a time when there was only one park (MK) and even then, if we took the time to blow the pixie dust out of our eyes, there were problems as well.

I hate that they close down attractions and then don't replace them with something of, at least equal, quality, if at all. I hate empty buildings whether they be attractions or restaurants. To me it makes it feel like it's dying, even though I know that financially it is doing just fine. I hate that the attitudes of the CM's have changed from years ago. It isn't in what they say or do, it is more of a vibe. That comes from stagnation. However, we must remember that just because all of a sudden Uni is adding a few attractions really shouldn't wipe out the fact that Disney has added two whole parks since Uni became a neighbor. They've got a way to go just to catch up.

I bothers me that people cannot see that. I have been in business long enough to know that you reach a saturation point concerning just how much money you can spend before you have to recoup your expense. Uni will reach that point again, I guarantee it. They talk a big deal but the first time the Comcast has to pull in the horns due to problems, even with other divisions, you will see that stop as well.

Those that just started going there, do not know the greatness that Epcot once was. The basically paved paradise and put up a parking lot. The new attractions are fine, Soarin, Test Track and Mission: Space (despite bad press) are great entertainment, but they never should have torn out what they had, they should have just added to it. There is plenty of room. DHS is nothing compared to what opened up. Perhaps what was there wasn't sustainable, but they sure didn't go out of their way to impress us with what they did do, other then ToT and RcRC. Neither Epcot or DHS currently has a mission or purpose, if you will. They are just plots of land with stuff on them. You new folks are not affected by all this because you don't know what was. That said, you shouldn't, because it is still a magical place and most of that magic comes from attitude.

My advice... Don't ever, ever, ever pay attention to others opinions. If you have been there and you like it then whatever we have to say is totally irrelevant to your experience. If you have never been don't ask, what should I make sure I see or what isn't worth it. No one else can decide that for you. What I may not like you will find to be better then sliced bread and what I like you might think is lame. You go and you make your own decisions as to how you feel and stick with it until you yourself find reason to change your mind, don't let any of us influence that. Remember our opinions are based on our point of view and shouldn't in anyway influence yours. You will either like it, hate it or just find it tolerable, but, sorry that is your decision not ours.

 

[Runmyhorse]

I think draybook and a few others have stated as to why they feel.the way they do now. I stay on this forum hoping tonhear that disney has wised up and gotten better, but it hasn't. I dont nick pick about paint. I complain about rudr cms, crowd control (meaning not helping it flow during things like wishes), and another huge thing like that. I could careless about paint and such. We have been going for 7 yrs and each yr it has gotten worse. There are those that choose to overlook it or those of us who use this forum to educate others and let them beware of what we have encountered.

For the most part im sure th I s thread will be locked down very soon. Trolling or not it will bring troll out

 

[copcarguyp71]

Simply put...we are not going again next year even though it is a 100% write off for me to my business due to a convention in Orlando. To sum things up...I would rather pay $3500-4000 out of pocket for a vacation than have it reimbursed at this point after looking over WDW during our recent trip. We have been with our DD in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013 each for six to seven nights staying at both deluxe and moderate resorts and just are having a tough time seeing the ROI for our vacation dollar over the past two trips. It is not that we hate EVERYTHING about WDW but it is the fact that we are annoyed and disheartened by enough different issues that we see as systemic rather than anomalies that we feel our dollar is better placed elsewhere. Do I love Disney...YES, but it is more my memories of the Disney in the past that I love and I just see too much changing for the worse with issues and the hocking of timeshares taking precedence over guest satisfaction for everyone. If you have any further interest feel free to seek out my most recent trip report. http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/copcarguys-not-so-trip-reporty-trip-report.874341/#post-5734211

You asked, so there it is. Nobody has to jump on my bandwagon or even agree it is just how the chips are falling in this household for better or worse...and I wish I felt differently.

 

[profscottraynor]

All the the time I'm seeing posts on these and other forums from folks who I can only categorize as hating a laundry list of things about Walt Disney World. It ranges from complaints about upkeep of certain attractions (valid in a lot of cases for sure) to extremes that include being against anything/everything TDO is doing, complaining about resorts/pricing/dining, you name it.

It got me thinking... why, for those of you in the position of having more bad than good to say about WDW, do you go? And furthermore... Why do you belong to forums like these?

I promise you this isn't some (poor) attempt at trolling.I am looking for real answers here because it's perplexed me for years. My assumption has always been that it's one individual member of a family that in general adores WDW so they do it "for the kids" (or something along those lines). Maybe that's the most common response I'll get but truly, please do share!

You raise great questions that I have always wondered as well. It may go back to the 'anonymity' of the internet which makes it easy to spout off.

Yet I've gone through my own internal struggle at times about my feelings towards Disney 'the brand' and 'the company'. My fascination with Walt Disney is that he seemed to care more about the creative act and less about the profit motive.

As for parents...I have two small ones and I hear our parent friends lamenting about 'taking the kids to Disney'. It has become the a family's rite of passage to make the Disney pilgrimage.

 

[CP_alum08]

I am not one of the complainers. There may be certain little things here and there that I don't agree with but I still have a very positive view of the parks. I still try and view the parks, and the company as a whole, the way first time guests would. First timers are not going to know the politics at TDO, see paint chipping, or whine about how they lost Horizons. I went as a kid, I have great memories of those trips, but I understand that a company has to change and evolve and you either change and evolve with it...or you don't, pretty simple.

Obviously you cannot make everyone happy and the internet is full of hypocrites and stupid people who say things just for the sake of saying them.

 

[WDW Monorail]

Unfortunately, many people do not understand the operational or business side of running a theme park. They only care about what they either see, hear or read... some of which is sensationalized or not true.

The place is an exceptionally run theme park since it is the most popular resort in the world. No one can argue that, regardless of one's opinions.

 

[PUSH]

I hated what was happening to my beloved Red Sox last year, but I didn't hate the team, nor did I give up on them.

Hmm... nobody jumped on you when you made a Disney to sports connection. Maybe I should be taking notes. Or maybe you're just more liked than me. Nope, it definitely can't be that.

As far as why I joined here, it's basically to hang out with PUSH.

Fixed this portion for you.

 

[copcarguyp71]

You raise great questions that I have always wondered as well. It may go back to the 'anonymity' of the internet which makes it easy to spout off.

Although I would agree to some extent with regard to the trolls and internet bullies but ANYONE can feel free to contact me via PM for personal contact info to discuss any of what is said on this forum by me. I would not post things if they were not substantiated or quantifiable. Just putting that out there.

 

[draybook]

Unfortunately, many people do not understand the operational or business side of running a theme park. They only care about what they either see, hear or read... some of which is sensationalized or not true.

The place is an exceptionally run theme park since it is the most popular resort in the world. No one can argue that, regardless of one's opinions.

Being the most popular doesn't mean you're the best. I'll use my Justin Bieber example......again.....

Just because the kid sells millions of records doesn't mean he's the best. It means that there are throngs of people who are blinded to bigger and better music. Kind of like how some people are in a Disney trance and refuse to look at anything else without trying to compare it to Disney.

I know because I used to think that nothing compared to Disney. Well, that's slowly changing, and it's not all about what's on the outside. It also has to do with the human experience, i.e. the interaction with the workers, and quite honestly Universal is giving Disney a straight up molly-whopping in that department.

And many people don't think about the operational/business part because nobody pays thousands of dollars to go on vacation and take economics class at Disney. Tourists are there to site see and enjoy the amenities and rides. That is all that guests should think about. At my job I ship out dialysis orders to home patients. Does anyone think that those patients give a hoot how I get that package to them? Nope, and the same relays to Disney. I don't care how you get my wonderful experience to me, that's not my problem.

Please forgive me if I sound snide or condescending in this post, I don't mean to. I'm tired and about to hit the sack in preparation for another wonderful 11 hour work day. I bid you all good night!

 

[NearTheEars]

I just see too much changing for the worse with issues and the hocking of timeshares taking precedence over guest satisfaction for everyone.

I see a lot of people talking about DVC and how that's all they care about and are shoving it down our throats. I must say in the 20+ times I've been to WDW over the last few years, I've only seen a billboard and a few booths scattered around about it.

Am I not noticing because I've only stayed on site just a couple of times? Is that where all the "hocking" takes place? Not trying to be smart, just wondering why DVC is upsetting folks.