Further confirmation that the “Disney” is disappearing from their resorts….

ldubberly

Mouseketeer
Joined
Apr 13, 2005
I am known by my friends and family to be a die-hard Disney fan, committed to staying on Disney property at almost all costs. However, a recent stay at the Gaylord Palms was reminiscent of the magic that staying on-property at a Disney Resort ( ANY Disney resort for that matter) used to provide. Disney is becoming almost sterile. To tell the truth, the magic has been disappearing slowly, so I didn’t even notice it fading until now.

At the Gaylord Palms, from the moment you drive up to the lobby, you are instantly transported into an environment that seems to shed away all of the worries and concerns of the real world. The smells of the lobby, the grand décor, lush greenery, and sounds of the waterfalls nearby, and the many live animal exhibits are only part of the equation. It is in the extras that are provided. Every turn throughout sprawling walkways in the resort leads you to another (FREE) conversation invoking sight. You can take a leisurely stroll around the grounds to view the many individually decorated Christmas trees, partake in the Build-A-Bear scavenger hunt, or even sit to watch the complimentary (yes, this is FREE too!) Cirque Dreams presentation with the dazzling Christmas light pre-show.

I suppose the litmus test of a resort’s offerings could be summed up like this: If you had a bored young child and took a walk with them, would their eyes light up? Would they feel the awe of their surroundings? Or would you be searching for the nearest generic playground to hopefully expend some of their energy?

I have stayed at many Disney hotels and each has their own décor and identity. My favorite has always been Fort Wilderness. I’ve stayed there in air-conditioned tents, pop-up campers, RVs, and I now we usually stay in the cabins. The resort has always held a special position in my heart, and I often describe it as my “happy place.” I am starting to ask myself, how much of that happy feeling is from the history and memories from my past stays? Is it simply a shell of the experience it once held?

I remember the days when we would watch the fireworks and water parade at the beach of Fort Wilderness and then head over to the Trail’s End to “make our own pizza” and listen to the banjo player- and this was after 10:00PM. While you can still watch the fireworks and the water parade, the pizza and music afterwards were part of the “plus factor” that Disney used to pride itself. It was a late night treat.

I remember the wandering peacocks, free-range chickens, and the variety of animals in the petting zoo. Now, the peacocks are gone, no sight of the chickens, and the petting zoo is limited to ponies. While the ponies are nice, they don’t really measure up to the caliber of a petting farm.

I miss the open-air trams roaming through the campground. Many times my brother and I would ride around while our father set up camp so we would stay out of his hair. We were just as happy with this ride as we were with theme parks.

And don’t get me started about lawnmower tree. It is gone too. So I ask, Disney, with their extensive horticultural department could not foresee the possibility that the living tree with a lawnmower inside it could possibly die one day? Could they not have had one or two in the nursery growing as replacements? Would it have taken up that much room or would it have required too many man-hours to maintain? (Hint, if it hasn’t rained in a long time, give it a little water- it is a tree , after all)

River Country? It was a draw for many other resort guests and locals, not just those staying at the campground. I know, I know, amoebas in the water, blah, blah, blah…. Seems those amoebas are only an issue when it is convenient. Guess what, the Walt Disney World land used to be one big swamp. When Disney wants something, they can, and will, create a solution.

I won’t stop going to the campground mainly of the special place it holds in my heart, and I want my children, and grandchildren to love it as well, but, it is really all I remember? Are we limited to sitting on the porch of Crockett’s Tavern and closing our eyes to mentally have the same experiences from the days of old?
 
I think only the rooms are being turned generic, the resorts still have plenty to see and do and all still hold their own charm. Personally, I don't want or need to be bombarded by Disney in my room, there is enough of that in the parks and the value resorts still have the over the top theming on the grounds, which is frankly one of the reasons (among many) that I don't stay in them.
 
Was that your first time staying at the Gaylord Palms? I wonder if the Magic feeling you felt there was because it was a new to you place. I’m sorry you feel like you haven’t seen any magic:( maybe you could try to branch out of what you usually do when you stay at a Disney Resort and try to check out a different resort and activities you’ve never done. Then you won’t be sad about the old activities that used to be available.
 


Eh, I don't really think amoebas are only an issue when convenient. While Disney allow use of the waterways for certain watersports, it's not for swimming, and not to dunk your 3-year-old into and have them take lots of water up their noses. Environmental factors and runoff are increased problems in the last 30 years, and you can't just chemically treat the lagoon until it's clear.
 


I suppose the litmus test of a resort’s offerings could be summed up like this: If you had a bored young child and took a walk with them, would their eyes light up? Would they feel the awe of their surroundings? Or would you be searching for the nearest generic playground to hopefully expend some of their energy?
Interesting thought. While I can't answer for everyone, I can say that my daughter, who is currently 7, has been coming to WDW multiple times a year since she was 2 and she has loved every single one of our resorts. Wilderness Lodge is her favorite but she has enjoyed walking the grounds of all of them including Port Orleans Riverside, Boardwalk, Art of Animation, All Star Movies, Contemporary, Saratoga Springs, and Caribbean Beach. Caribbean Beach was another that she absolutely loved walking around and I guess either Saratoga Springs or Contemporary would have been the least entertaining, but she still really enjoyed them both.

Now, I don't camp. Closest I will ever come to camping is staying at Wilderness Lodge and taking the boat to Fort Wilderness so maybe that's the difference here. Personally, I'd pick just about any resort as being more magical over camping at Fort Wilderness and I'm including Pop Century in that category which is a resort I have no intention of ever staying at again.
 
Just remember, Disney is Disney, and everybody, all the Hotels,all of them, are there for a reason, and that reason is DISNEY, even Gaylor Palms. So Disney is the Magic bringing everything together, so its not fair the comparison....
 
For us, the whole point of staying at Disney is the convenience: EMH, transportation around the World, staying in the bubble, dining plan. The Disney theming doesn't bother us too much whether it is there or not, but I do like when mousekeeping makes our towels into animals :goodvibes
 
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Thanks to the OP for sharing about the early history of Ft. Wilderness. I'm glad to have opportunities to learn more Disney history from people recounting their experiences.

I prefer lots of theming in the rooms. The room de-theming refurbs that leave Disney rooms looking like Holiday Inn rooms, make me want to stay offsite more often. Same room at a much lower price.
 
For us, the whole point of staying at Disney is the convenience: EMH, transportation around the World, staying in the bubble, dining plan. The Disney theming doesn't bother us too much whether it is there or not, but I do like when mousekeeping makes our towels into animals :angel:
Agreed for us it is not having to drive by every restaurant, drugstore chain we see at home not to mention Wawas. Location is part of the why we choose a WDW hotel plus we aren't all day park people. So having a nice resort with a good pool area and grounds are very important.
 
Agreed for us it is not having to drive by every restaurant, drugstore chain we see at home not to mention Wawas. Location is part of the why we choose a WDW hotel plus we aren't all day park people. So having a nice resort with a good pool area and grounds are very important.
We definitely leave at least one day in our trip to relax and swim. I love having time to explore and find new things at Disney.
 
I'm not sure what in this thread is worthy of the title "Further confirmation that Disney is disappearing from their resorts". So far this is all about someone wanting to put their opinion out there in a way many people would see it. Nothing is confirmed. More like a trip down memory lane for one person .....
 
I’m staying at the Gaylord Texan right now. We saw ICE and all the decorations and did the scavenger hunt. It’s beautiful and we’re having a great time...and it’s not Disney. We do this every year and we love it, but, as much as they enjoy this tradition, the kids always talk about missing Disney resorts at some point when we’re here. The environment reminds them of being at Disney because of how much there is to do, but they miss the “Disney” aspects of Disney resorts and definitely feel the difference when we’re staying elsewhere.
 
I miss many things from the past. I understand your feelings. It just is a normal outcome of time. Things are always changing and it takes a special mind set to love all new changes. I try my best to think things are changing for the best.
 
I miss many things from the past. I understand your feelings. It just is a normal outcome of time. Things are always changing and it takes a special mind set to love all new changes. I try my best to think things are changing for the best.
I stayed at Disney last year for the first time so I guess I don’t know the difference.
 

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