Long Lost Disney Friends Returning

[Mousekedude]

How about "long lost Subsonic friends?"
Hi, guys. I just popped in for a few minutes to look around. It's been months since I've actually looked in on any of the mayhem around here. Hmmmm..... lots of new and interesting faces.
I'm having really bittersweet feelings about even posting this... on the one hand it feels great to feel like I'm once again part of it all, although fleetingly... but on the other hand I'm in anguish just knowing that I may not even get a chance to check back again for a while. *sigh*
Miss y'all!

[Amy]

How about "long lost Subsonic friends?"
Hi, guys. I just popped in for a few minutes to look around. It's been months since I've actually looked in on any of the mayhem around here. Hmmmm..... lots of new and interesting faces.
I'm having really bittersweet feelings about even posting this... on the one hand it feels great to feel like I'm once again part of it all, although fleetingly... but on the other hand I'm in anguish just knowing that I may not even get a chance to check back again for a while. *sigh*
Miss y'all!

I'm glad you could pop in, even if it is only for a moment. Rest assured we are continuing the mayhem in your absence!

[boilerbabe]

Mdude!!! So nice to see you post, even if it's only a brief visit here, better than no visit!!!

[yodiwan1]

I was wondering where ya'll been! hope everything is going well for you two!

[Mousekedude]

Thanks, y'all. I'll try harder to pop in more often and take more of an interest in what's going on these days.

[Mousekedude]

Thanks, y'all. I'll try harder to pop in more often and take more of an interest in what's going on these days.

(...the door slowly creaks open... Mousekedude carefully pokes his head in the forum... notices how long it's been since he was last here...)

Hello? Mayhem Marauders? Anybody here...? Anybody miss me...? Anybody even remember me...?

[cy1229]

Thanks, y'all. I'll try harder to pop in more often and take more of an interest in what's going on these days.

(...the door slowly creaks open... Mousekedude carefully pokes his head in the forum... notices how long it's been since he was last here...)

Hello? Mayhem Marauders? Anybody here...? Anybody miss me...? Anybody even remember me...?

MOUSEKEDUDE!!!!!

Where ya been? Have DEFINITELY missed you! Lots of people have been gone for a long time. Kind of a bummer, too. Glad to see you back.

[Amy]

Thanks, y'all. I'll try harder to pop in more often and take more of an interest in what's going on these days.

(...the door slowly creaks open... Mousekedude carefully pokes his head in the forum... notices how long it's been since he was last here...)

Hello? Mayhem Marauders? Anybody here...? Anybody miss me...? Anybody even remember me...?

MOUSEKEDUDE!!!!!

Where ya been? Have DEFINITELY missed you! Lots of people have been gone for a long time. Kind of a bummer, too. Glad to see you back.

Mousekedittos!! How are you and the lovely Mouseoholic? (It's been so long I had to go look up what her user name was )

[Mousekedude]

Hi, guys... and thanks for the welcome back! Life has been really crazy for us over the last 3 years, but things have settled down a little bit so that I can pop in now and then to monitor (and create... ) the mayhem.
More updates to come...

[Amy]

Hi, guys... and thanks for the welcome back! Life has been really crazy for us over the last 3 years, but things have settled down a little bit so that I can pop in now and then to monitor (and create... ) the mayhem.
More updates to come...

Yay!!

[Mousekedude]

Ok, so.... here's a brief synopsis: In the 3 years or so since I've been M.I.A. here, Mouseoholic and I have struggled with health issues, work issues, family concerns, and extremely busy lives... as most people do, of course.
Along the way, though, we've managed to take six cruises (all on Disney ships, of course) and hob-nob with Mouse and Friends at WDW for a couple of days before and after each cruise. We've become cruise junkies (as befits a proper Marauder, methinks...). We've sailed on the Dream 3 times, the Fantasy twice, and the Magic once. We would like to sail on the Wonder just so we can say we've been on all 4 ships in the fleet, but there haven't been any sailings available that coincide with where/when we want to go. Wait... I take that back... there was one we were going to take (actually did book it), but we had to cancel due to unexpected circumstances (long story).
All that having been said, we've actually been getting a little disillusioned with Disney lately. The cruises (and everything else) have been getting more and more expensive, yet the quality of service, food, etc. has been getting worse and worse. We're seeing this across the board with Disney. So we're not sure where we're at with them at the moment. You could say the "relationship" has become a little "strained."
Your thoughts...?

By the way, remember the Mickey Shadow Box? It's almost full now. Only one ear left to fill. But it's getting harder and harder to find pins that we don't already have, and we're not sure how many more times we're going to go back in the future (see "relationship" comment above... ). I'll try to post a good picture at some point. I can't right now, though, because we're remodeling and the shadowbox is covered up and inaccessible.
The remodeling project is another long story, filled with mayhem. Maybe I'll talk more about that later.

[Amy]

I don't think you are alone in your strained relationship with Disney. We have noticed the increase in prices, and decline in services as well. We still have a ton of fun when we go, so we aren't ready to give up yet, but I really hope they start turning some things around.
Looking forward to seeing the Mickey Shadow Box!

[cy1229]

Agree with Amy... my personal relationship with Disney isn't the greatest, either. It's like, we had a really good give-and-take going and now Disney just takes and takes without giving back as much as before, let alone more given the greater-than-inflation increased prices.

I mean, I have gone to DLR 2x in the last year (see trip reports viewtopic.php?f=11&t=10027 and viewtopic.php?f=11&t=10160) but even so, aside from taking the girls to Disneyland so they can experience it, I'm disillusioned. And, the girls would rather go to other National Parks and places they haven't seen than go back to WDW or even to DLR for their first visit. When a 17-year-old and a 21-year-old say that, something's amiss.

[Wizzard419]

A big part of why you may be becoming disenfranchised is that most of these vacations are supposed to be once in a decade, or possibly in a lifetime, experience. Throw in that they are not able to make sweeping updates too frequently, and having multiple vacations there/at their properties is going to get dull. Prices, well, everything is going to continue to rise in cost, so that will sadly not change (short of finding a way to not have to pay for labor) and consumer products/services have an expected level of performance. Breaking even or having a small profit may not be good enough if there were smarter, more profitable uses for the resources.

Unfortunately, it won't be getting better (at least in terms of cost, at least).

[Amy]

A big part of why you may be becoming disenfranchised is that most of these vacations are supposed to be once in a decade, or possibly in a lifetime, experience. Throw in that they are not able to make sweeping updates too frequently, and having multiple vacations there/at their properties is going to get dull. Prices, well, everything is going to continue to rise in cost, so that will sadly not change (short of finding a way to not have to pay for labor) and consumer products/services have an expected level of performance. Breaking even or having a small profit may not be good enough if there were smarter, more profitable uses for the resources.

Unfortunately, it won't be getting better (at least in terms of cost, at least).

It's not just frequency for us. Yes, we were fortunate enough to vacation at DL and WDW within the past few years, but our previous trip to WDW was over a decade before that. Every last time we visited there was something wrong with the reservation and we've never been able to sort it out in less than 3-4 hours. And the little things that used to always be quintesentially Disney ~ for example no light bulbs out, anywhere, no visible construction/painting in the parks during working hours, extraordinary cleanliness, extra perks for being a DVC/AP member, getting extra bonus coupons for mini golf, arcade when booking a package, just aren't there anymore. They might be trying, but not as hard as they used to. I really think they realize guests will come, no matter what. And even if they lose repeat guests, there will be others willing to pay just as much, or more, for a slightly less experience