Disney is just not the same anymore!!!

[wen8jr]

True and leaving the Epcot space empty is a black eye on Disney, but what happening at DHS feels different. A bunch of closures all at once that if the rumors are true about coming closures, this would leave more than half the park vacant. I can't see them waking up and deciding to wipe out half of DHS with no plan for the future.

Someone else mentioned US. While I hate making the comparison between the two, I am curious if they announce the replacements before deconstructing an older ride. Like when Jaws was nuked did the announce at the time what would replace it?

Comparing the two is very easy for my family. Universal has been an awesome experience for us many times over and this last trip offered up much of what I use to enjoy at Disney that I found lacking at Disney on the same trip a week ago.

When Jaws was taken down, we knew it was going to go but we didn't know right away what was going to replace it even though it was very obvious Universal was doing something bigger and it was most likely Harry Potter... and it didn't take Universal very long to build something that is super impressive including a ride (and ride queue) that is like no other. Universal does not leave us hanging for long. Think about it, Jaws was closed Jan 2012. In 2 1/2 years Universal built an entirely new and very immersive experience. They are making all the right moves in my opinion.

 

[Mhahnster]

FATHER: Well, with all this talking, I've worked up quite a thirst. I think I'll take one of those new fangled trolleys down to the drug store soda fountain and meet the boys for a cold sarsaparilla. Oh... ha ha, I'm sorry, I forgot... we're drinking root beer now! Same kind of thing, different name. Well, that's progress for you. Speaking of progress...


FATHER AND CHORUS SING:
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow,
Shining at the end of every day.
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow,
And tomorrow is just a dream away.
Man has a dream and that's the start.
He follows his dream in mind and heart
And when it becomes a reality,
It's a dream come true for you and me.


Sorry, Couldn't resist.

 

[Doug7856]

Change isn't the problem.

Declining by degrees is.

 

[tony67]

FATHER: Well, with all this talking, I've worked up quite a thirst. I think I'll take one of those new fangled trolleys down to the drug store soda fountain and meet the boys for a cold sarsaparilla. Oh... ha ha, I'm sorry, I forgot... we're drinking root beer now! Same kind of thing, different name. Well, that's progress for you. Speaking of progress...


FATHER AND CHORUS SING:
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow,
Shining at the end of every day.
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow,
And tomorrow is just a dream away.
Man has a dream and that's the start.
He follows his dream in mind and heart
And when it becomes a reality,
It's a dream come true for you and me.


Sorry, Couldn't resist.

Of course some of that change could be getting ride of this ride completely .. it been talked about a lot over the years.....

 

[JoeA]

FATHER: Well, with all this talking, I've worked up quite a thirst. I think I'll take one of those new fangled trolleys down to the drug store soda fountain and meet the boys for a cold sarsaparilla. Oh... ha ha, I'm sorry, I forgot...

...they took out the soda fountain and didn't put anything in its place!

 

[metzgardesign]

.....They are burning through the good will of their best visitors and giving less value in return. From the high gate prices, insane room and food costs, they have lost the Disney imagination in exchange for spreadsheets and that shows in the park experience. .....

Exactly this.

 

[robndani]

I agree with every single point! We've never made a rope drop!

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

I have no issues with change. I actually adapt to change well, which is how I have moved up the corporate ladder. I do not, however, like the changes Disney has made or the direction it appears to be going. You are entitled to your opinion OP, but I will have to respectfully disagree with you. These changes are not positive nor do they enhance the vacation or experience.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

Change isn't the problem.

Declining by degrees is.

 

[Luvchefmic]

I was talking to someone last night. We became friends through the Dis boards last April when I asked a question on the transportation board. I hadn't flown into/or out of the airport on Long Island in over 20 years and wanted to know what to expect. I had always gone to JFK airport in Queens NY.

I needed to know what had changed at that airport so I would be prepared. I'm not against change just need to know what to expect. I had the experience. I wasn't happy with it and will always fly into JFK when I go to NY in the future. See that's the thing I don't hate NY, I love NY. How I get there was an option I could choose and then decide what works for me.

CHOICE

For ME legacy FP was all about choice, use it, don't use it, sleep in, rise early, offsite, onsite all equal whatever worked with the ultimate goal of the experience. IMO it truly was a level playing field because everyone that walked through the turnstiles had the same opportunities. It didn't matter whether you had a one day ticket, an AP, etc all were treated the same.

The choice they made, when to get there and where to go, either increased or decreased the level of success in their goals of must dos.

As a local who rarely stays on property ( I am about 30 miles away ) my choices are dwindling. " Oh go to rope drop " well that doesn't work for me. I chose to have animals that have to be fed and cared for.


I could plan FP+ for 30 days out and odds of getting popular or new experiences again for me hasn't really worked. You see I am not against change I think the FP+ concept could work. I can see it would really work for someone who is planning a trip and can lock into those hard to get new and very popular things. There are too many " glitches" too many things that need a major overhaul. There is also no longer a level playing field when it turns into onsite 60 days offsite 30 days.


Add all the removals experienced over the decades and the lack of replacement or worthy replacement and I choose to put WDW into a different place in my life.

I love WDW but now have to experience it a different way. For me that way will be enjoying Ft Wilderness, going to our favorite Chef Mickey's, and attending a hard ticket party. I don't like a majority of the changes at WDW but will continue to love it in a less expensive way...no APs for us and we have had them forever.

Make some drastic changes to FP+ where I feel it is fair to everyone, make truly worthy changes in the parks, and I will once again choose to be a loyal over and over again customer.

 

[Mhahnster]

Been thinking about the fp+ changes, as those have been the most affecting to our family, and seem to get the most debate. Disney has made a choice to open fp up to everyone, by making it online accessible and able to be scheduled in advance. I will say for us this had positives and negatives.

Disney has purposely decided to shift its targeted audience for fast pass away from the core group of folks that have optimized around the old way. From what I read, the old way didn't create broad value for their customers because it wasn't as easily accessible. With fast pass plus they have aimed to draw in a new group of customers into the Disney experience by making it easier for everyone to use it.

I'm sure Disney project managers have success criteria defined around the new fp program that are not based heavily upon the satisfaction of prior fast pass users. I'm also certain they are expecting to bring benefit to those who detest standby but could never get organized around fast pass to use it effectively. More marginally satisfied customers must be better than a smaller number of completely satisfied customers, right?

Ultimately all of these announced and recent changes are coming across as business decisions to drive more engagement in the customer base. Cms I have spoken to indicate more tweaks in 2015 are coming to help improve satisfaction with fp+. The old ways are going away, and things are being redone.

I know that Disney employs some pretty smart planners who are thinking about interests of the future and how to stay relevant and successful. I personally have hope that they will not overlook their core skill at bringing magic in the new experiences. Perhaps this is going to be magic for the next generation?

 

[Suvadoo]

Been thinking about the fp+ changes, as those have been the most affecting to our family, and seem to get the most debate. Disney has made a choice to open fp up to everyone, by making it online accessible and able to be scheduled in advance. I will say for us this had positives and negatives.

Disney has purposely decided to shift its targeted audience for fast pass away from the core group of folks that have optimized around the old way. From what I read, the old way didn't create broad value for their customers because it wasn't as easily accessible. With fast pass plus they have aimed to draw in a new group of customers into the Disney experience by making it easier for everyone to use it.
I'm sure Disney project managers have success criteria defined around the new fp program that are not based heavily upon the satisfaction of prior fast pass users. I'm also certain they are expecting to bring benefit to those who detest standby but could never get organized around fast pass to use it effectively. More marginally satisfied customers must be better than a smaller number of completely satisfied customers, right?

Ultimately all of these announced and recent changes are coming across as business decisions to drive more engagement in the customer base. Cms I have spoken to indicate more tweaks in 2015 are coming to help improve satisfaction with fp+. The old ways are going away, and things are being redone.

I know that Disney employs some pretty smart planners who are thinking about interests of the future and how to stay relevant and successful. I personally have hope that they will not overlook their core skill at bringing magic in the new experiences. Perhaps this is going to be magic for the next generation?

The major flaw in what you are saying is that FP+ is easier to use. This portion of MDE requires a lot of assistance. My glitchy reservation, for example, required me be to be on the phone with tech support for 30 minutes (Others have had similar experiences) In the parks at the Kiosks, there are multiple CM's available to help guests. When I was there, most of the guests were clueless about how FP+ worked. CM's were spending a lot of time at the kiosks trying to explain how the system worked. So there long lines at the kiosks.

No one likes waiting in line, anywhere. I don't like waiting in line for groceries, at the bank, at the post office, or at theme parks. But, as long as there are people competing for the same thing, lines are inevitable.

Some vacation planners do a lot of research prior to any trip and others do practically none. I also think that will be true for the "next generation", so I don't think people will easily catch on to FP+, regardless of what the Disney suits may hope.

 

[mesaboy2]

I cannot imagine how FP+ as a whole system can be thought of as easier to use than Legacy was.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

I cannot imagine how FP+ as a whole system can be thought of as easier to use than Legacy was.

I'm lazy. Anything that can be accomplished with a click rather than a jog will always be easier

 

[cakebaker]

I'm lazy. Anything that can be accomplished with a click rather than a jog will always be easier

 

[tony67]

I cannot imagine how FP+ as a whole system can be thought of as easier to use than Legacy was.

Exactly....there are a lot of people who can't even figure out how to use the new kiosk, let alone an app or the web site.

It could be a lot easier as I have mentioned in other posts...and it could be a good system...but they really needed a lot more testing and tweaking.

Problem is all of us were demanding as quick as possible..(you do remember people changing hotels just to get MB and people calling to see when it will be available at their hotel etc.. etc..)..now we got it and lot's of us don't like it.

Based on the glitches and issues I've seen I don't have high hopes for the team that developed all this...but it would be nice is they proved me wrong

 

[cakebaker]

Exactly....there are a lot of people who can't even figure out how to use the new kiosk, let alone an app or the web site.

They couldn't figure our legacy either- One may not like it, but it's not technically difficult to learn to use the kiosk. They practically hold your hand thru the whole process.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Don't you think that maybe, just maybe, some concerns are blown just a wee bit out of proportion? Take another read through all the threads. IMO, much of this really is classic resistance to change by hard core fans who have strong attachment to past experiences. To me the test is whether all the positives outweigh all the negatives.

As I, and many have said, I have no issue with change. I love that the hat is coming down. I'm happy they are closing dated attractions in dhs to make way for more pixar and hopefully more star wars. I am not thrilled about avatar, but I am excited to see the changes in AK. I won't like the construction on the hub when we see it next month, but I'm happy Disney is addressing crowd flow issues that had been there a long time.

My issues with fp+ are simply that - issues with the system. I don't dislike it because I don't like change, I dislike it because I dislike that level of preplanning.

 

[mesaboy2]

I'm lazy. Anything that can be accomplished with a click rather than a jog will always be easier

If that is your only measurement to judge these systems' relative simplicity, then I literally cannot debate this with you. We are on different planets.

 

[Suvadoo]

They couldn't figure our legacy either- One may not like it, but it's not technically difficult to learn to use the kiosk. They practically hold your hand thru the whole process.

But if FP+ were easy, they wouldn't be required to hold you hand through the whole process.