Disney beats street, but

[larworth]

When we were there in December there wasn’t anything that negatively impacted on our trip, except the shorter park hours. This was partially offset by the lighter crowds and the ability to do more things in the hours we had. It was still GREAT.

However, I’m not sure we are the best judges here. The kids no longer get scared, miss that key autograph, lose something invaluable, get lost, not know what to do…you know, those things where CM’s typically perform their magic. Outside of the embarrassing practice of Dad actually talking to them (I have teenagers, so I didn’t say there weren’t issues, just ones CM’s can’t easily fix) a pretty low maintenance bunch.

Just after DCA opened, Eisner talked about how the scores guests were giving the new park were some of their highest ever. Could have been true, but the statement now seems a little suspect. My personal experience doesn’t contradict his assertion that there has been no impact on guest service quality, but than I wouldn’t expect him to tell the analysts if it had.

I would have thought that guest scores would be a common metric park management would use when talking with the troops (Safari Steve, others??). Is there anything more concrete than our antidotal experiences here? None of that sworn to secrecy stuff, we won’t tell anybody.

***

I with you Snowgod. Maybe, instead of searching backpacks they should have the happy police outside the gates not letting anyone in who really isn’t interested in having a good time.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

my only concern is whether your return causes a similar return of the Baron/Jewell evil empire mojo

Hmmm. "Evil Empire Mojo"??? Well… I'm back nonetheless!!

Peter:

IT isn't just rides, attractions or what TDS has that we don't, it's the entire package

And that is precisely what I lament!! "The entire package"!! To me it has slipped considerably. Not that there still isn't gobs and gobs of pixie dust left, but at times and in particular places, it is spread a bit thin lately.

… and we haven't been let down yet - although Landbaron is mystified.

Quite right! Not only am I mystified that these cuts and changes don't bother you, but that you don't see them in the first place!!! Or even more mystifying is seeing them, acknowledging them, and then excusing and/or justifying them!!

I agree that the "lets part the guest with his money" philosophy is a little bothersome

PETER!! That's a major part of "The Entire Package"! Can't you see that? If this philosophical change hadn't occurred, there's a real good chance I'd be riding shotgun with you in car #1. It is precisely this radical departure from Walt's philosophy that is the driving force behind all the rest of the "cost cutting, profit driven" initiatives that I find so deplorable!

Snowgod

I am not saying that there haven't been changes that I miss as a result of the cutbacks, but I refuse to let it ruin my day.

I agree!! While I'm there, I have blinders and rose-colored-glasses firmly in place! I REFUSE to let these things annoy me. BUT… But, when I get home, and quietly reflect on these little things I get a little troubled. As is apparent from my posts. I am walking proof that someone can LOVE Disney, yet HATE the direction the corporate philosophy is taking them. From your post, I guess you are the same. It's just a matter of degree.

 

[raidermatt]

Maybe its me, but I just don't see a problem with putting a store at the exit of a ride. If one doesn't want to buy something, one should keep walking. If one does buy something, then one was looking to do this anyway, so aren't they getting what they want?

Walt was great in many different ways. One of his gifts was being able to part you from your money without you realizing that he was doing it. He rarely spoke or even hinted at it, but nonetheless, he knowingly did it. Sure, his instincts allowed him to just do what he wanted a lot of the time, because it would sell, but still, bottom line, he was trying to part you from your money. There are some who realized this while it was happening, and spoke up about it. But Walt was a great spokesman, and he knew that regardless of how much money he was going to make, he rarely mentioned it.

So what has changed? Well, two major things:

1- Wall Street demands much more information, much faster, than it did 50 years ago. Just talking about Pixie Dust won't cut it. There is much more of a short-term, quarter to quarter focus. This is not to say Walt could not have survived in this environment, on the contrary, he was shrewd enough, and creative enough that he would thrive in just about any environment. But, he would have had a tougher time raising capital and keeping shareholders happy without spelling out how his wonderful ideas were going to part guests from their money. I'm sure he would have done it better than just about anybody else could, but he still would have had to spell out more of these details to the general public. Well, that's what current management must do, and they are not Walt. But then again, who is? Bottom line is that the way the theme parks are run is not much different than they would have been had Walt sipped from the Fountain of Youth and remained with us for 40 more years. His creativity and leadership would have had an impact, but he would still be facing the same financial issues as current management.

2- Consumers are much more accustomed to attempts to part them with their money. A shop at the exit of a ride may have seemed tacky to many in 1955, but today, most people think nothing of it. Walt seemed to always know what the people wanted, what they would tolerate, and what they would not tolerate. As those things have changed, it follows that Walt would have realized that they have changed, and he would have changed policies to match.

So does all of that mean I agree with every decision made about the parks? Of course not. But this notion that the parks as a whole are in disarray and doomed to mediocrity is simply absurd. Sure, they would be better off with Walt in control, but that will be the case no matter who is in charge. But the bottom line is that the shift is not really much of a shift in philosophy, but rather a shift in how that philosophy is presented.

 

[Bob O]

I would agree with landbaron that the whole package of disney is slipping and im not confident in eisners leadership to stop the slippage and return some of the lost magic. Im looking forward to my Dec trip to disneyland and im sure we will have a great time but also apprehensive from some reports ive read here and othrer websites on how the park has benn allowed to run down. I think people in the different cars have differing thoughts on what needs to be done to restore the glory wdw once had!
I for one did stay on site soley for EE. I enjoyed the disney 24/7 but the extra hours in the park were the main thing for me.