Originally Posted By KatieKate123 You are right you have the right to write what you want on the discussion boards, and I have the right to voice my opinion and my concern on here 2 b/c you are right this is the discussion board.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub One more ? about the negative comments...maybe a disclaimer should be added because lately I have noticed many negative comments by specific posters who then reveal in another section about a different subject that they haven't been to WDW or DL ... in 2or 3 years. How authentic are those negative or positive comments? I also know there are people who enjoy creating or controlling discussions online just to get somebody's dander up! It is hard to believe somebody invisible to real life could be so destructive to cause people to leave LP but it happens all the time. So please do not act like this is not important to express all feelings. Ultimately my loyalty is very strong to LP and keeping it productive for many years.
Originally Posted By CuriouserConstance Some people get so wide eyed over Disney they forget that Disney is a conglomerate corporation out to make money in any way possible. A little negativity and "calling out" is necessary and healthy. Negativity to the point some people on these boards reach is bizarre, but you learn who those people are and how to avoid them. I don't think it should be all roses all of the time. For example, when you fill out a Disney survey, be honest, tell them what sucks along with what's so great about Disney. Try not to be so blinded by Disney's "magic" and everyone involved will be a bit better off.
Originally Posted By leobloom Several pages back, someone wrote: >> I'm not sure why the 80s and 90s is a litmus test for "good times" at WDW. There was no Animal Kingdom in the 80s and 90s and Disney Studios was half the park it is now. << And I wrote: >> Obviously new attractions have opened in the past 10 years, but I doubt many people vacation at WDW specifically to experience 'American Idol' or even the quaint Nemo dark ride at Epcot. The new offerings have been either puny (see above) or ill-advised (Tiki Room, Stitch, the Monsters Inc Sequel to Turtle Talk) or ambitious but poorly-designed (Everest) or poorly-executed (Mission: Space, Soarin') or dusty and tired (Captain EO, MSEP). << Driving through Orlando tonight, I heard a commercial on the radio for WDW APs. To summarize, the commercial consists of several audio soundbites from different attractions, things like "Dead men tell no tales" and "This here's the wildest ride in the wilderness." I find it quite telling that the attractions promoted in the commercial were Pirates, Mansion, Big Thunder, and MSEP. None of the attractions are mentioned by name, for what it's worth, implying that they are all recognizable simply by their audio snippets. Is it a coincidence that the attractions Disney uses in a commercial for its AP are a bunch of old-school E-tickets, that kind that aren't built anymore? You don't see them pushing SGE or Monsters Inc or American Idol (or Epcot, MGM, or DAK, for that matter). I think they know they haven't opened any ride in the past ten years that will have the longevity of a Pirates or a Mansion. Even Soarin', the most unanimous success of that time, is a ride that will eventually be scrapped with a new movie. I truly think that Disney realizes they haven't opened anything durable in the past decade, and that AP commercial seems like evidence that they're content to sell nostalgia, not cutting-edge attractions.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer I'm so negative about Disney that I'm going tomorrow, and I'm going to have a wonderful time critiquing myself into a pixie dusted state of glee as I clutch plush, watch the MVMCP parade, and see how may scuffs are on the passing floats. After, I will find my favorite MSUSA Toilet and contemplate how it could be better, and how even though quality has slipped, it's still better than universal's excuse for a walmarted commode. There. I think I amused/offended/confused everyone. ;-) See you all Tuesday... Don't have too much fun without me. -EE
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 What an incredibly negative thread. My only regret (well, I have others, but we'll leave them out) is that it's taken me this long to notice/post. A thread like this seems to pop up every 6-9 months and, please pardon me if you are easily offended (especially by strangers posting comments not aimed at any individual ABOUT THEME PARKS!), but they are really just plain stupid and a waste of time. People can be negative, positive or neutral about anything Disney related and they can post those feelings here. Some people believe the WDW of 2010 is the best the place has ever been and they are entitled to that opinion. I may attack a post that says that, but I'll do it with facts and a historical perspective and a media/business one. Not by calling people poopieheads (maybe pixie dust snorters). And I won't tell them they should stop posting or change the way they do. And as many times as I hear Danny puke forth his tale about DL a decade ago (which I do believe), it doesn't change my feelings one iota. If people truly change plans for a vacation based on what some stranger posts on an Internet discussion board, then they have some rather serious and substantial mental health issues or have just plain never grown up. Mature, intelligent, rational, reasonable adults don't act that way. This isn't say a TripAdvisor review thread for hotel where 80% of the people are ripping it for issues. This is a giant resort complex. And despite what some folks say, I've never heard anyone say people should cancel trips. I just haven't. That said, I think some folks around these parts are going to be apoplectic about my upcoming 'A Spirited Worldly Comparison' thread because I am going to be comparing WDW with TDR (and other parks worldwide) and The Timeshare Kingdom of the World comes up short in many, many crucial areas. Pardon the interruption, let's all go back to WDW ... I mean, WDW critical-thinking visitor/fan bashing! ~The Spirit's Disney-Hating Round The World 2010 Tour: April: Disney Magic 15-day transatlantic eastbound; May: WDW; August: DLR; September: WDW; October: WDW, HKDL; November: HKDL, TDR; December: TDR, HKDL and ??? ~
Originally Posted By Christi22222 >>See you all Tuesday... Don't have too much fun without me. << Have a good time! Look forward to the report. Just don't tell us if you clutch a Duffy. And we promise to have absolutely no fun at all until you return on Tuesday.....however, I am going to steal every single 101st post I can get my hands on! lol! Enjoy.
Originally Posted By Christi22222 >>That said, I think some folks around these parts are going to be apoplectic about my upcoming 'A Spirited Worldly Comparison' thread << With all due respect, I would certainly hope the folks that are offended by negative posts would realize they mightn't want to venture into your thread. That's sort of the crux of the issue. Don't like it, don't read it. Of course, you are often quite subtle in your negativity, so maybe some folks are missing the tone and will accidentally trip in unaware! As a card carrying D & G'er, I'll look forward to it myself.....I can still cancel my next trip. lol!
Originally Posted By KatieKate123 Hey everyone its fine you guys all do have the right to be negative in any issue of your life including wdw. I guess I am just not a negative person. Do things go wrong? yes!!!! But instead of concentrating on the bad I concentrate on the good and if that makes me a pixi duster, then hey thats what I am. Have the parks changed prob for the worst? probably, but does that mean that we should concentrate on that, or should we go and have fun. Yes that is my point. If you are only seeing the negative which it seems like you guys are defending your negative attitudes then maybe you should go somewhere else.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo KatieKate123, you are where I was at 10 years ago. Sadly the decline has continued so much I can't look past it anymore. Unless of course they start to restore the place in the way Disneyland was improved again. Also, I will admit, I do try to pursuade repeat WDWers to try DL or DLP instead, so they can widen their points of referrence and also start to try to hold the mouse to account so it can improve. I do not want to be the lone voice, I want us to be able to show WDW that if numbers are slipping, it's not just the economy, it's their modus operandi. But sadly, I am the crank in the corner pixie dusters like to moan about. Humbug says I. ;-)
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo My time and money is too precious to get screwed over because so many do not realise what is happening. But I am angry, because contrary to some beliefs, I do love WDW (or at least I used to).
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I do try to be careful about what threads I post on and what I say these days. I am also convinced people who go for 4 or 5 days do not see the issues because the place is so big. But I don't want to bring people down. I want to bring Disney up, up to the standards that Toony already articulated that we had come to expect.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost The main problem is that this is no longer Walt Disney's DISNEY. It is a huge business answering to stock holders and the like. Walt had stock holders as well, but his name was gold and he could pretty much do whatever he pleased. Not the case anymore. I don't want to see the parks decline either, and in all honesty, I don't believe that they have that much. It still is an exciting place to go. Is it the same as it was in the past? Probably not, but name one thing that is. Besides that the WDW of the 90's stunk...literally. The food was awful and it had problems everywhere. Are the parks as good now as they were in the early 70's no, are they better now then they were in the 90's, absolutely. Life is a balance of up and down. New things are tried and not all of them are successes. Without the different things the park would be static and no one would like that either. What it amounts to is that they are still well above anything else. First time visitors without past history, will be as awe struck as I was my first visit. Disney parks are like nothing else anyone experiences in life. To much exposure makes it all pretty boring after a while. That's just the way life is. I would hope that people wouldn't cancel a trip based on what we say here, but I can see that they might be influenced by things they hear from self proclaimed experts that might taint their first impression. I understand why people get tired of the negativity, I know I do, but it will never influence my opinion. I believe nothing I hear/read and only half of what I see.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo well I look forward to Spirit's report. I also know from my own experiences, that we have a higher quality time at Disneyland and Disneyland Paris (and I am desperate to get to Tokyo). I know that the Marriott Vacation Club has offered my family better quality vacations than even the deluxes at WDW too But my trip in 2000, if I could renew the experinece we had in that trip, I would be a very happy camper indeed.
Originally Posted By danyoung I think Constance said it best a few posts ago - >A little negativity and "calling out" is necessary and healthy. Negativity to the point some people on these boards reach is bizarre, but you learn who those people are and how to avoid them.< And I'm sure glad the Spirit and I are friends. Otherwise I'd be really pissed off at his last post, with quotes like these - >A thread like this seems to pop up every 6-9 months and, please pardon me if you are easily offended (especially by strangers posting comments not aimed at any individual ABOUT THEME PARKS!), but they are really just plain stupid and a waste of time.< And - >And as many times as I hear Danny puke forth his tale about DL a decade ago (which I do believe), it doesn't change my feelings one iota.< Where to begin? First off, I only puke things out when I've eaten a bad pizza. I tell the same story because it's totally appropriate to the discussion. It's no surprise that the Spirit's mind isn't changed by intelligent discourse, nor am I attempting to do so. Second, how can a thread that has gone on for 194 posts be "just plain stupid and a waste of time"? It's obvious that people feel strongly about this issue on both sides of the fence, and I think it's been a very valuable discussion. Not trying to squash intelligent discourse, are you Spirit? Look, I'm just like 2oony - I'm savvy enough to be able to tell who the negative Nellies are (Spirit, I'm looking at YOU!) and who is just here to have fun, help folks out with park info, and generally have a fine time. What I've been trying to say is that there's a difference between pointing out the negative (which can be a great thing) and being so negative that you'll throw in slurs about the Timeshare Kingdom of the World and think you're being cute and funny when you're actually being harmful. Go ahead and don't care (as I'm sure my friend the Spirit doesn't care). But KatieKate is absolutely right - the overall tone of Laughinplace threads has become extremely negative, to the point of it just not being much fun to be involved with. I know, I have the right to stay or leave just like anyone else, and I won't let the door hit me on the way out. I choose to stay, but even I am affected by the downer tone at times, to the point that as I get close to a WDW trip I won't read much on LP. I'm moving into a pixiedust zone, and I really want to stay there a couple weeks before a Florida trip. It's all about degrees, folks. There's a difference between saying "I had a great trip last week, but there were a few things that bummed me out", and "I don't go to WDW anymore cuz it's too crappy and too commercial and too timeshare-y and I hate FP and I hate the food and there hasn't been a new attraction since the stone age". Degrees, my friends. Shades of balance. And I think we've been a little off.
Originally Posted By KatieKate123 Exactly danyoung that is my point exactly. THere are degrees. To say that well I had a great time at Disney world, and we really liked going on splash mountain, but it seems like space mountain is falling a little behind well thats a good sentence. Saying well space mountain is stupid, and this is dumb and the food is way to high in price (remember you are at a amusement park) and that the light bulb is out here, and it's all becoming a timeshare capital of the world, well thats just complaining. There is nothing good in that post its just blah blah blah blah and I am a negative person who can't think of one positive thing to post in my whole paragraph. BALACE IS all I am asking for.
Originally Posted By Sara Tonin Since I am in an amusement park, may I say "I am not amused by the prices of food in this amusement park".
Originally Posted By wahooskipper I've been to a bunch of parks and I always feel that Disney is pretty reasonable compared to most. I certainly get better value at WDW (and even Universal) than I do at a stadium or arena.
Originally Posted By KatieKate123 totally agree. I believe that they have a fair pricing 2. I worked at another amusment park and it was more expensive to eat there as a cast member than it was for us to go to WDW and eat as guest.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<Degrees, my friends. Shades of balance. And I think we've been a little off.>> <<BALACE IS all I am asking for.>> See, this really must be a matter of perspective, cause to me, these boards are some of the MOST balanced ones out there. Other Disney boards are either all sickeningly sweet, or super negative - this one has always seemed more moderate, and accepting of all sides. If it happens to be leaning a little more negative right now, I'm sure it will eventually swing the other way as soon as WDW does something interesting that actually gets everyone excited.
