According to posts and comments on numerous websites, starting January 1, 2013, night time extra magic hours are going to be reduced from 3 to 2. This seems very unfortunate to me as I often use extra magic hours as a way to make certain shots that I am unable to do during times the park is more crowded. Hopefully this is not an omen of things to come as it seems that for the last several years the Guest experience is constantly being eroded while at the same time continue to climb.
There is a term for what is going on. ; Yeah it kind of sucks but this is nothing new. ; When the dining plans took off, first they changed the menus to be the same food at counter restaurants across the whole park, and then the table service saw their portions shrink so the real value of each meal was about the same. Although it's not like it's going back to this era: From this page: http://matterhorn1959.blogspot.com/2009/08/disneyland-is-closed-mondays-and.html
The term is "not cool". ; Prices go up. ; County Bear Christmas is gone. Lights of winter is gone. Tip and appetizer from dining plan is gone. 2nd snack from qsr dining plan is gone. Fantasmic is less frequent. ; Shall I continue?
hahah you can. Kevin Yee calls it "Declining by Degrees" and it makes sense. ; DL went through it beginning in the late 90s but they had a rabid group of APs that visited enough to complain, but it started with things like less maintenance, cutting attractions, and then even opening attractions late and closing them early. ; Cheap ways to update something, etc. The last line is why I don't think Radiator Springs is coming to DHS even though Burbank is apparently putting the DCA Rehab team in charge of a plan for that park. ; Of course, they SHOULD have green-lit the Monsters Inc coaster they even told the CMs about a long time ago....getting a coaster done in time for a new movie would have made sense...a little too much sense I guess. Heck DAK is on track to open Pandoraland in time for Avatar 2, 3 and 4 (Mainly because Avatar 2 is well behind planned schedule). ; Another ? is when will Harry Potter Phase 2 be open? ; Or when will HP Los Angeles open? ; Dragging your feet in the face of competition is really....not smart.
That sucks. ; I greatly enjoyed that 3rd hour when the park was almost empty. The biggest problem I see is that eventually the cuts will reduce the legendary Disney quality to the point where it's equal to everyone else and once they get to that point it will be extremely difficult to correct the problem. ; When Universal opened Harry Potter they really stepped up their game. ; Disney should have recognized the challenge and responded in kind, not by continued cuts.
This is how Dina and I feel. When we went on our honeymoon in 1994, WDW was beautiful, green grass, topiarires, no mold, unique dining.......... Now, its all different. Dina and I keep going because of memories from those first trips we took in the 90's. If our first trip was happening now, I don't think the magical imprint would be as strong.
A friend of mine who is married to a CM said yesterday something to the effect of "since Eisner and Iger took over, WDW became an absolute heaven for bean counters and their spreadsheets." Sadly, sometimes it's hard to disagree. ; I think one of the biggest sources of frustration is we all do love the place so much and have all had so many happy memories that it hurts to see things change for the worse. ; We come here to escape from the real world, not to be constantly reminded of it thru corporate maneuvering. ;
Well said, Craig and Tim. ; Disneyland seems to have turned things around in recent years. ; We can only hope that the same happens in WDW.
Walt had Roy. Eisner had Wells. ; After Frank died, Michael didn't have someone to stand up to him, and he started running things "his way"; I actually trace things to promoting Pressler to DL President from the Disney Store - putting a merchandiser in charge of the Park, who was later promoted to all Disney Parks & Resorts before being let go (I'm sorry, resigning to take over The Gap)
Wouldn't it be nice if they made a rule that all park presidents had to come from a background in Ride ops, Guest Service or Imagineering?
Unfortunately no surprises here - I agree with the general consensus. ; It's still a place I love to go, but I'm constantly irked by the little changes that all add up to take away many of the things I love, or just reduce them. ; Big things from 'special' park events that are separate ticket events that take away my normal visit time, or the dining plan which takes away spontaneous walkup or same-day reservations...to small things like taking away every little quiet out-of-the-way spot in the park by inserting a meet-and-greet or kid-adventure kiosk there, removing benches throughout the parks so there are less places to sit, or reducing EMH hours. ; Not to mention all the afformentioned retail force-feeding and non-stop shows/announcements/miniparades that leave nary a quiet time in the parks. Despite it all, I still enjoy going there - I just rework how I hit the parks, where I go, what I eat, and where I find to get away. ; They're constantly making me adjust and change to enjoy it, and I have to rely more on the memories...I just wonder if these little cuts are ever going to stop. Like Craig said, if I were visiting Disney for the first time now, I definitely don't think it would leave anywhere near the imprint it did on me, and I can see why some of my younger family members don't see it as any more or less special than other theme parks in the area. ; The magic of the place definitely was implanted in me in 1971, and has stuck with me since then, even if the current place is becoming a shadow of its original purpose and mission.
