tell me something good

[Soarin08]

If you go to WDW any time from January 4-March 29 and buy a 4-night package, you get 3 nights free AND a $200 Disney gift card. If you go from March 28-sometime in June, you get the 3 free nights with the purchast of 4 nights without the gift card. I would say that's pretty good news, especially if you're going during your birthday!

My parents are going to do that last offer and come see me during the WDW college program.

[yodiwan1]

saorin u may want to re-thin that...u get a pretty good cast mmber discount on hotels and tickets.

[Soarin08]

saorin u may want to re-thin that...u get a pretty good cast mmber discount on hotels and tickets.

I know that. We're thinking my family will prolly take a couple trips down.

[boilerbabe]

I kinda understand what you're saying Schnemo, they have gotten rid of some classic attractions, which makes me sad. But, I can't say that Disney is all bad either. I'm not thrilled about all the Pixar attractions as replacements of the old classics, but it's still fun. I still find it magical, not the same as when I was a child, and going there in the 80's but still a happiness! Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I hope you can find the magic again someday!!!

[Donalds1Fan]

The first time I went to WDW was in 1993. Just in those 15 years, I definitely have noticed a downturn in terms of service, continuity, innovation, etc. There have been things I've loved added, such as Everest, Tower of Terror and Fantasmic!, but a lot of it I see as senseless, taking the easy way out nonsense (i.e. the Nemo-ification of WDW, the "new and improved" Tiki Room, etc.). It's not what it used to be, for sure.

Schnemo, I thought of something good to share with you from my May trip. It's not park-related, but it does speak to continuity of theme and "the show." When I stayed at Wilderness Lodge this time, unlike my first stay there years prior, everyone we met was in on the "theme," that we really were in a Lodge from the Grand Canyon area. The "Rangers" introduced themselves as such, and were really into character. That was exciting to me. Now, does that represent a change in style or just some great CMs, who knows. But it sure made me smile on vacation. At the least, it was a good example of the fact that there are still CMs who really try to put on a show for folks.

[Captain Schnemo]

I've been to Disneyland and found the experience extremely bizarre, but very pleasant. It lacked the scope, obviously, of WDW, and that's one of the major things that's always turned me on about it. It was so ludicrously over-the-top, so completely impossible...it just impressed the hell out of me that anyone had the cajones to create such a place. It's exactly the kind of thing small-minded, visionless people are always telling an inspired lunatic he can't do.

DL of course gets all the cred for being the original and "The Place that Walt Built", but WDW was what Walt was working on when he died, and I can imagine him throwing himself into WDW and losing interest in DL, as it had already fulfilled most of its potential.

I'm not trying to badmouth DL, and I do think it succeeds on some levels where the MK fails, but WDW is my homeland.

I'm not really wound up about spending the dough to fly across the country to give my money to Disney, but I will definitely try to check it out if I find myself in Southern California again.

On the off chance that happens in a February, I will look you guys up.

The more I see of Lasseter, the less I like him (in a variety of milieus).

That DVD extra on Spirited Away was pretty gross, huh?

I think any creative genius would want to do the same. This is the key reason I'm losing hope that someone who will 'share Walt's vision' is ever going to come along.

That's an excellent point. In the post hip-hop culture, though, lots of "geniuses" seem content to build their art on the backs of other people's work...so it's not entirely implausible. Unlikely, though, yes. Particularly when the company isn't even trying to be itself. No one there is aspiring to that particular brand of greatness any more.

I'm not going to give them a pass for creative innovation, but the application of tech...

I have no question the Imagineers are good at deploying tech (the Crush thing is very cool), only that they waste all this effort on a foundation of poop.

Did you touch a shrimp?

I did indeed.

I did not touch the peacock mantis shrimp (which can kill a man with a look...search YouTube for endless footage of them putting the hurt on various other creatures), but I did know about as much about them as the volunteer who was showing one off (in a transparent aluminum tube, under the roof, thus shielding the creature from the yellow radiation of the sun that gives them their power, which is the only way to restrain them with Earth technology).

She actually asked me to explain the shrimp to some kids when she got a little tongue-tied delivering her spiel. You'll be happy to know I did not pollute the minds of the children with the fiction above, although it was tempting.

Schnemo, did I understand you correctly when you said you haven't been to the parks in 10 years?

You are correct, sir.

Well, mostly. I have technically been inside Epcot a couple of times, but not as a proper guest, and I didn't go on any attractions.

Donalds1Fan, thanks for the ranger story. That kind of thing does continue to feed the tiny spark of hope inside me. Perhaps one day, the top 1,000 Disney execs will be killed by multiple freak meteor showers across the country and one of these guys will find themselves promoted to CEO via succession.

Hell, I talked to at least three security personnel on my last walking trip that understood Disney better than the current management. Putting one of them in charge could hardly be worse than what we've got now.

#3 Fry Cook for President!

[sherabby]

My son has severe food allergies. Disney dining takes such great care of him. He had dessert in a restaurant for the first time in his life! He even had his first milkshake! They bend over backward to allow him to eat like a normal person and we don't really even have the worries! That is the main reason that we have gone now for 2 years in a row and plan to go back again! He had ice cream in the parlor! Something he could never do at home...allergies include milk, peanuts and super severe fish allergy. I'd never take him to Coral Reef for fear of issues.

[99Soulz]

They bend over backward to allow him to eat like a normal person and we don't really even have the worries! That is the main reason that we have gone now for 2 years in a row and plan to go back again!.

Awesome Story!

That's what separates Disney from just about everyone else - they get customer service....they always have, and they still do! I've stated on many other threads that they are a company trying to make money, not a non-profit organization so unfortunately there will be some cutbacks/changes that I don't agree with, but at least they still get IT, that the customer is #1. They might have slipped somewhat over the past 50 years but definitely not as much as just about every other corporation. We still get to talk to someone live when calling and they aren't 10,000 miles away.....and they are actually quite pleasant to talk with. Imagine that these days.

I tend to look at how they managed to stay close to the original ideals instead of seeing where they may have deviated - half full instead of half empty approach. Besides, what fun would it be bringing my children to a place and tell them how good it used to be.

Schnemo, couldn't agree more on WDW. It's amazing when you think of the scale of what Walt imagined and making it real, especially back in the day.

[yodiwan1]

Schemo, if you haven't been to the parks in over 10 years, you are missing out, and so much has changed since then that I now feel very confused as to what exactly you dislike so much. If you have not been on the attractions, and seen any of these changes with your own eyes than how can you give a valid opinion? Just by hearing about them and reading about them cannot make up for being there in person. When I first "heard" about Soarin' I thought it was a stupid idea and did not wan to try it, bu then I did. Now we go on twice as soon as we get to Epcot. LIke I have said before. Times change, and America as a whole has changed immensly in 10 years. And honestly guest services really does vary by time. In May I had the best guest services ever everywhere we went at WDW, but 3 weeks ago, it was terrible again at the hotel. WHen you hve 55,000+ employees in one city,and college.international cat members that rotate every 6 months or so it is hard to have continuity. If I have a problem with my cell phone and call it's guest service number, I get some guy in a hut in India it seems. At least at WDW I get someone who understands what I am saying, and I can understand him/her. I may not like what the answer is, but I can understand them 100%. Please, go visit just for a day, get a hopper and try to hit all 4 parks just to take in the atmosphere again. It's hard to do, and you obviously won't see everything, but you can get a lot done still. Re-visit the land of happiness and please report back. If I could afford it I would send you myself. Good luck in re-connecting Schnemo.

[Soarin08]

My son has severe food allergies. Disney dining takes such great care of him. He had dessert in a restaurant for the first time in his life! He even had his first milkshake! They bend over backward to allow him to eat like a normal person and we don't really even have the worries! That is the main reason that we have gone now for 2 years in a row and plan to go back again! He had ice cream in the parlor! Something he could never do at home...allergies include milk, peanuts and super severe fish allergy. I'd never take him to Coral Reef for fear of issues.

That's great!

Between 1998 and 2005, my family did not visit WDW at all (quite a stretch, but oddly it didn't bother me). We moved to Tampa in October 2005 and bought annual passes and began spending a Saturday there about once a month and after riding Soarin' that November (exactly six months after it first opened), I sort of became hopelessly attached to the World. We didn't visit at all in 2007, and my mom told me later that year that for graduation, I could have anything I wanted- anything (I already had a car, so that wasn't an option). I told her all I really wanted was a trip to WDW, so that's what I got- 8 days in the World in June.

I was so surprised at some of the changes. It had been two-and-a-half years since my last visit, so yeah.... I was pleased with the new Haunted Mansion after refurbs, but was saddened to see WoL closed- I had marked Body Wars on the top of my to-do list and was crushed to hear it was closed for good!!!

So some changes at WDW are really great (closing Food Rocks for Soarin' was the best move Disney ever made), but others.... not so great.

[Cazza and Livvie's Mum]

Captain Schnemo, I wish I could sprinkle some pixie dust on you!

Something good...


Mickey Mouse is 80 today!

[Captain Schnemo]

...I now feel very confused as to what exactly you dislike so much.

With all the blathering I do, I find that hard to imagine.

If you have not been on the attractions, and seen any of these changes with your own eyes than how can you give a valid opinion?

Things were bad enough to make me give up on the parks 10 years ago, and the vast majority of changes I've seen have made the place even worse. It doesn't make any sense for me to spend my money and vacation time going to look at something I know I'm not going to like.

Regardless of how well-implemented something like MILF, or Test Track, or the Nemo reformat of The Living Seas is, I object them on such a fundamental level that I don't need to see them to confirm their horribleness.

Future World was always one of my favorite places, specifically for the theming, and they've tossed all that out the window. Not to mention the outright destruction of my favorite attractions.

I didn't just enjoy WDW as a series of unrelated experiences (as the Disney execs now view the parks), the theming was the thing that made the trip worth it. You don't need to put boots on the ground to know when theming sucks.

Soarin' is a perfect example. It seems like a perfectly fine attraction to me. I think I would enjoy it and I have no complaints about the use of the tech (except that it's not especially innovative, although not everything has to be). But it's poorly-located and poorly-themed. Whether or not I might enjoy the experience of the ride itself isn't nearly as important to me as the whole package.

Anyone can slap together a random assortment of diversions, but I'm not willing to pay for that in terms of money or precious vacation time. There's just too much else to see in the world. I love rollercoasters, but I went to a Six Flags once and we left early, simply because the experience was so depressing (despite having a buttload of fun at the end of every line).

Times change, and America as a whole has changed immensly in 10 years.

I watched WDW improve for roughly 20 years...I choose to remember and cherish the glory years.

I'd be a fool to go back to something I didn't enjoy in the past when I know it hasn't gotten any better. I saw the 4th Star Wars movie and hated it so much, I'd need to have my head examined if I'd wasted my time on the rest of them.

I'm not a masochist.

Anyway, the Mansion changes do look pretty good. That would certainly be worth seeing, but would hardly make up for the sadness I'd experience witnessing the devastation in the rest of the parks.

I'm not a huge Mickey fan, but Walt seemed to like him well enough, and I suppose I'll smile once for his birthday for that reason...

[yodiwan1]

For somone who hates it so much now why do you continue to hang around the boards then? I really am baffled by all of this. Why don't you just move on? I know older generations can be set in their ways, but I hav never heard of anything like this regarding WDW. My grandparents lvoed it when it opened, and they love it now. By not experiencing new things and judging yourself,does not let you judge new attractions. I am sorry. If someone tells me they went and didn't liek something, I can ask them why, and they can tell me their reasons. But you just don't like the idea of things there, and the thoughts of them. At least this is how I am viewing it. "There;s a great big beautiful tomorrow!" Please, go next year on your bday when you can have a free ticket. You live in FL it seems. It really won't cost all that much. GO for one day. Then tell us how much everything sucks. But until you experience it, please stop preaching how horrible everything is. That is like me saying escargot is horrible, but I have neer tasted it. I just choose not to taste it cause it looks bad.

[spodie]

Yodiwan has a point. I HATE change, but to me, it seems like Disney is getting better every day. Yeah, there are things there that, like most people, I'm not a big fan of (like Stitch's Great Escape), but to tell you the truth, I never liked what was there before it, so no big loss. WDW is so big and full of so much things to do that some things won't look appealing to some people. But since there's so much to do, it shouldn't affect you. That's just my two cents.

[js3901]

Schnemo's point of view is a welcome change to the "Everything's Cool" mentality that most Disney boards offer. I admit that I have the mentality that everything is just peachy at first or second glance, but Schnemo helps to remind me that everything is not as good as it seems on the outside. Much like an ickymouse of old.

people should not take things personally here, unless there is something SPECIFICALLY directed at you, just let it go. Everyone is entitled to thier own opinions.