Disney lost its MAGIC???

sgrfunk · Post by **sgrfunk** » Aug Tue 07, 2007 3:36 pm

I personally don't think its lost too much of its magic cause I still had fun when I was there last. I do think that as the park has grown over the years, it has lost a tiny fraction of it at least. Maybe that's just me, who knows?

Blackie Pueblo · Post by **Blackie Pueblo** » Aug Tue 07, 2007 5:04 pm

Ah... now that the ticket prices have rose once again I'm wondering if the $75 ticket price has TAKEN away magic from the magic of Disney?

"Disneyland is a work of love. We didn't go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money."
---Walter Elias Disney

jbvenn · Post by **jbvenn** » Aug Sat 11, 2007 9:48 am

Blackie Pueblo wrote:Ah... now that the ticket prices have rose once again I'm wondering if the $75 ticket price has TAKEN away magic from the magic of Disney?

"Disneyland is a work of love. We didn't go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money."
---Walter Elias Disney

That quote from Walt puts the problem in a nutshell. For Disney managment, it's all about making as much money as possible. In order to do that, they have cut back on the creativity and care which cost money, but which make Disney parks special.

And that $75 is just to get through the front gate. Add the cost of parking, food, drink, souvenirs, multiply it by a family of four, and it makes for a very expensive day of family fun.

Kieffer12 · Post by **Kieffer12** » Aug Sat 11, 2007 10:52 am

I think each Disney Park has the magic. It is different at each park because of the location differences. I love WDW and we attend 2-3 times per year. That said, I find there are several things over the years that have eroded the magic.

1) In an effort to make more money in the slow periods, the have created special events and promotions which have made WDW crowded most of the year. With hardly any down time, there just is not a lot of time to keep up the maintenance. They do what they have to do to keep the rides going and fixing things that are broken, but other than that, all of the parks could use a little TLC.

2) Fastpass (which I use and think is great) has put more people on the walkways and shops and making the standby line wait times longer so the staff has little time to keep queues and walkways clean because they are always full of people. And when I was there in February, the bathrooms were not very clean at all. However, they were jammed with people from park open to park close so there was no way to keep them spotless.

3) Extra magic evening hours - parks are open 3 hours after closing for Disney Resort Guests. Great for guests, horrible for staff and maintenance. When the parks are open till 1, 2, and 3AM at peak times, that does not give hardly any time to clean, repair, and maintain.

These are just a couple of ways I feel the magic is starting to slip. I hope Disney will start addressing these problems beofre WDW falls the way of Disneyland pre-50th when that park was in total disrepair.

Post by **YZFDonor** » Aug Sun 12, 2007 8:37 pm

Well, I voted and was shocked I was in such a minority!!! 25/75 split? wow. I think it's quite obvious it has lost SOME of it's magic but I see it slowly returning!!!

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » Aug Mon 13, 2007 3:40 pm

YZFDonor wrote:Well, I voted and was shocked I was in such a minority!!! 25/75 split? wow. I think it's quite obvious it has lost SOME of it's magic but I see it slowly returning!!!

I think if you asked a long term (15 years plus) they would agree with you. As I have stated in other post, the loss of magic shows with so many little things broke and not working at the same time. You know like lights and fountains. the lack of maintenance really shows.
It seems Disney has wonderful budgets for the building of attractions, but they go with a minimal budget on up keep. It's a shame!!

Post by **YZFDonor** » Aug Mon 13, 2007 3:48 pm

Well, you can buy a Kia/Yugo/Honda or you can buy a BMW/Audi/Lexus but if you don't change the oil, they all become junk!!!

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » Aug Mon 13, 2007 3:54 pm

YZFDonor wrote:Well, you can buy a Kia/Yugo/Honda or you can buy a BMW/Audi/Lexus but if you don't change the oil, they all become junk!!!

Very well put!! Like I tell my two DSs " you can't paint S**T" and if you don't take care of it, that's what it becomes.

Lori60 · Post by **Lori60** » Aug Tue 14, 2007 5:08 pm

For me Disney will always have the Magic. It was at Disneyland as a little girl that many times my mom,dad,brother and I played all day and later at DisneyWorld. They are all gone now and somehow when I am there I feel very connected to them and peaceful. On Easter sunday this year I was in Epcot early in the morning sitting on a bench just past Germany, and I realized for me there was no other spot I would rather be. It just felt so perfect. My other favorite Magic spot is the tomorrowland terrace outdoor seating with a view of the castle. I can spend many an hour there.

Croaker · Post by **Croaker** » Aug Tue 14, 2007 6:06 pm

**Disney Magic Update**

I just got off the phone with Disney Dining. They called to tell me my Reservations for Tepanyaki (or whatever its new name is) will not be ready on Sept. 7th.(still under renovations) So they offered me any other Restaurant in Epcot. So i booked LeCelliar instead...they got me in and for my inconvienience.....Inconvienience? wow...they are giving me Priority Seating for Illuminations on any night that i am down there. (picked the 6th!) I hope the priority seating in front of France is a good location...then again....i get to sit and watch instead of standing for the whole show. i feel pixie dust!....um anyone ever get priority seating? is it nice? do they offer drinks?

Blackie Pueblo · Post by **Blackie Pueblo** » Aug Tue 14, 2007 7:18 pm

That is awesome Croaker! It is nice to see that sometimes that they will go out of their way to help out a guest. I tell ya... it's those little things that really add up.

"You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world... but it requires people to make the dream a reality."
---Walter Elias Disney

WVParkfan · Post by **WVParkfan** » Aug Wed 15, 2007 10:47 am

Tough question, but I voted "no."

For us, the "magic" comes from our children. Now that they are 7 and 13, I would expect them to become a little bored with WDW. That's not the case, though! They still get excited about any planned trip to WDW, and now that they can do some of their own research before we go, they enjoy it even more.

So, as long as it is magical for them, then it will be magical for me.

Post by **rdeacon** » Aug Wed 15, 2007 1:03 pm

i'm 35 and its still very magical for me!

.....of course I act like a 10 year old in the park

Rich

Post by **js3901** » Aug Wed 15, 2007 11:59 pm

this past December, my eyes lit up the second we we started seeing signs for Disney property on I-4 (you can ask Dr. Ravenscroft - I took video once we started seeing the signs and didn;t stop until we got to the resort). while we did see many things that just made us cringe (like bown out lights, trash in really conspicuous locations, the audio in HM, etc), it was still very magical and I can;t wait to go again and see some of the new things that just recently came out.

Erin7886 · Post by **Erin7886** » Aug Thu 16, 2007 1:20 am

I've read some of your posts about castmembers not being as friendly or hospitable as they used to be. Luckily, Disney is being pro-active about this issue, and they are requiring all of their castmembers (at least the ones at WDW) to take a class called "The Basics"

"The Basics" helps castmembers re-learn how to be friendly and helpful, as they are supposed to be.

So hopefully, those that aren't as "nice", can get a little better. I do feel that most of the castmembers still have that trademark "Disney" friendliness.

Subsonic Radio

Disney lost its MAGIC???

Has Disney lost a little bit of its MAGIC?

Castmembers losing magic