Why were so many things broken yesterday?

[lightyearfan]

This post makes me sad. Disney went from the industry's leader, setting the standard others were trying achieve, to just another very nice 40-year-old theme park only with a hefty price tag.

Just look at our own personal attendance record. I think it's emblematic of what's taking place. We went from a twice-a-year visitor to a once-a-year visitor to now a twice-every-four-years visitor. It's becoming so expensive and really tough to justify the cost. And with TDO jacking up AP prices through the roof, we'll probably visit even more infrequently.

I can't remember the last time I bragged about how amazing WDW was to someone.

you know what do you want disney to do? keep there prices to what they were back in the 80's?
everything that we come across in our daily everyday lives has gone up in price, and if disney is so expensive then y is it every single time that me and dw go the parks are jammed packed????? explain this to me, and im talking about september and octocber whem SCHOOL is supposed to be open, yet there is an 1hr wait to do haunted mansion? you kidding me here? again as i stated in a previous post disney isnt holding a gun to anyones head to make them vaca with them

[Dulcee]

I honestly think these threads escalate because of the tone more than the actual issues.

Agreed. A little bit of respect for fellow members, even if their opinions vary from your own, goes a long way in keeping these boards friendly.

[GoBlueLacheta]

I think we will all remember Disney as better because of nostalgia and growing up with it. The things we focus on change just as the parks have themselves. What I noticed when I was 8 is different than when i was 12, 16, 20, 25 etc.

Why would Disney change their operating model if people continue to show up in droves wanting more and more? It's like a baseball team that's terrible but sells out every game...if ownerships' bottom line is money, why put the best product out there? Hopefully competition will at least force their hand to continue to be innovative and develop new ideas that push consumer experience forward.

We continue to go back because our positive experiences definitely outweigh the poor. We compare to other options and as far as amusement parks are concerned even if Disney was operating at 50% of their potential it still destroys most of what else is out there across the U.S. The concrete unimaginative jungles that are just about pressing steel toward the sky don't exactly get me into a tizzy when planning a vacation.

Disney World has a lot of hotel rooms to fill, and they are enticing you to stay on property and never leave. The new FP and MagicBand and all that nonsense is about your dollars staying within those walls. I don't think it's about only allowing the financial "elite" to enjoy Disney, that's a ridiculous long-term business model.

In the end, Disney's shortcutting with their operational and customer service standards can always lead to a major decline in market share in Orlando.

[Melanie]

MODERATOR ALERT!

In my opinion, these conversations would be much more constructive if we all calmly explained our viewpoints without trying to invalidate our fellow ICOT members viewpoints.

When any of us (and I do mean all of us not anyone person in particular) use rhetoric to prove our point, the point often gets lost.

Just something to think about.

Yes, this!

[minnie04]

Any park that runs as much as WDW parks 12 hour days, 7 days a week, 365 days a year are going to have a few problems with maintains. You’re not going to make everyone happy all the time, so I would just suggest go when you feel like going and make the best of your own personal vacation. If you feel strongly about staying away please do, this way the people that enjoy going can have more room on the bus.

This is just my opinion NOT directed at anyone lol. I just don't understand why some people get so upset when things happen. It's just life and things happen in life that we can't control. Trust me I notice things have changed big time over the years, but I’m only there for a short vacation and I’m not going to spend it complaining about what is wrong and what should change. When we go to the parks we go with the attitude that we are going to have a good time, not get upset that a ride is down or our room wasn't ready, food wasn't good enough, buses are to slow, etc.. I’m just saying relax its vacation an expensive one, YES, but we choose to be there. I just love going and I will keep going until I can't make it happen for my family. Then we will move on

[ls1jt]

I was there last week myself. Our last visit was the summer of 2011.

I noticed a big difference from that last trip to last week, in a positive way!

I felt the last trip had lots of little things that didn't work (Splash Mountain AA's, Illuminations Globe). The rides were all up and running, but just little things nagged me.

This last week, 7/2013, I didn't notice nearly as much broken or not working. I heard awhile back that New Fantasyland redirected a lot of people and priorities were changed for that time period. This time it seemed to be much better and cleaner too. Just my opinion though, we had a great vacation compared to the last time. I am a veteran too, this is probably visit #20 for me, so I have seen how stuff is supposed to look and work.