Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>^gloomy. I just keep looking to my favorite park EPCOT. you know idc what people say, nemo is the only thing at epcot that bothers me. other than that, i still feel the 1980's ambiance. while not as much as it used to be, its still there<<< I agree. There's Nemo, TT, and the aesthetic problems of FW, and otherwise, the park is fine. It still works. There's just so much in it that was once better and much more cohesive.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>> This is why people should stop blindly throwing money at the mouse and try something new. Go on a cruise, go to Europe, go to the beach(if the oil leaves any of them), hell if you really want to go to a theme park in Orlando take a joint Uni/Sea World/Busch trip. Just STOP throwing money to the mouse.<<< Exactly my reason for staying offsite this trip. We got our tickets for free...why give Disney the hotel money, too? All they are getting from us, is food, and that one MSEP pin I have my eye on.
Originally Posted By TTA Slightly off topic, but does anyone know how big, if any, stake Disney has in the Swan/Dolphin? I in the first few years Disney held a 10% stake in each hotel, but now that Sheraton/Starwood is the majority owner, does Disney still have a piece of the pie?
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer They must, as they still get EMH, no? TTA- get my last email? Router is acting up.
Originally Posted By TTA Can't access my personal email from work. So I'm not positive. Try sending it to my work email. I'm working on getting you into Base21 now...
Originally Posted By TTA But yeah, they do still have EMH. I've stayed there my last 2 trips, and again this upcoming trip. Mattresses are 10x better than any Disney Deluxe, the location can't be beat, especially at $109/night for a balcony, quasi-DHS view. I'll take that over paying $269+ to stay next door at YC/BC anyday.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<But yeah, they do still have EMH. I've stayed there my last 2 trips, and again this upcoming trip. Mattresses are 10x better than any Disney Deluxe, the location can't be beat, especially at $109/night for a balcony, quasi-DHS view. I'll take that over paying $269+ to stay next door at YC/BC anyday.>> Yup I love Swan/Dolphin. Besides, you can always just sneek into the YC/BC pool...
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>Can't access my personal email from work. So I'm not positive. Try sending it to my work email. I'm working on getting you into Base21 now...<<< Ahhhah. Gotcha. Thank you, good sir. ;-)
Originally Posted By TTA <<Yup I love Swan/Dolphin. Besides, you can always just sneek into the YC/BC pool...>> That is the one knock on the Dolphin. While they do have a large pool, it is extremely noisy (DJ and whatnot). Not my idea of a relaxing time, especially if coming back from parks to unwind. The Swan however does have a decent quiet pool, with a small bar, some food and servers. QS at the Dolphin is top notch compared to any Disney hotel IMO (the name of the WS escapes me).
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<That is the one knock on the Dolphin. While they do have a large pool, it is extremely noisy (DJ and whatnot). Not my idea of a relaxing time, especially if coming back from parks to unwind. The Swan however does have a decent quiet pool, with a small bar, some food and servers. QS at the Dolphin is top notch compared to any Disney hotel IMO (the name of the WS escapes me).>> Ah, I did not know that. I've only ever stayed at the Dolphin. On a side note...why the hell does the Dolphin have fish on the top? I've never been able to figure that one out...
Originally Posted By TTA <<On a side note...why the hell does the Dolphin have fish on the top? I've never been able to figure that one out...>> Per Yesterland:: <<JK: The dolphin image was inspired by the work of Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. An example of Bernini’s dolphins can be seen in the King Neptune fountain at the Italian pavilion at Epcot. However, there is a major difference that Graves pointed out to us. Bernini’s dolphins had mouths that curved downward, and Eisner insisted that wasn’t going to happen on Walt Disney World property—so Graves’ dolphins have their mouths curved upwards as if smiling.>> <a href="http://www.yesterland.com/swandolphin.html" target="_blank">http://www.yesterland.com/swan...hin.html</a>
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<JK: The dolphin image was inspired by the work of Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. An example of Bernini’s dolphins can be seen in the King Neptune fountain at the Italian pavilion at Epcot. However, there is a major difference that Graves pointed out to us. Bernini’s dolphins had mouths that curved downward, and Eisner insisted that wasn’t going to happen on Walt Disney World property—so Graves’ dolphins have their mouths curved upwards as if smiling>> Thanks.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones "Just STOP throwing money to the mouse." It probably won't change anything, though. The Disney theme park brand is so strong because of what Walt Disney and WED did that people will continue to go no matter what Disney does. Going to Disney World is just something people do. It's so ingrained in the American psyche. It's not a matter of Disney building and maintaining a quality product, but putting Disney on the label.
Originally Posted By TTA <<It probably won't change anything, though. The Disney theme park brand is so strong because of what Walt Disney and WED did that people will continue to go no matter what Disney does. Going to Disney World is just something people do. It's so ingrained in the American psyche. It's not a matter of Disney building and maintaining a quality product, but putting Disney on the label.>> Tell that to General Motors. Eventually, if your quality drops enough, your prices go up enough, and there is a cheaper, comparative alternative......watch out.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones I can see how it could be difficult for someone who is concerned about quality at the parks to speak their mind. Someone like you or myself will say whatever they want, but perhaps someone who isn't well-versed in Disney fandom may be shouted down if they make a concern known by people who believe that any criticism directed at Disney is some kind of hate speech. I'm kind of surprised that some of the most innocent criticisms of Disney theme parks gets some people so riled up that they reply with essay-length manifestos about "negative people." It's insane sometimes.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Eventually, if your quality drops enough, your prices go up enough, and there is a cheaper, comparative alternative......watch out.>> Exactly. And people ARE starting to notice. I've heard guests talking about it in the parks.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones "Tell that to General Motors." Cars are probably different from Disney though. Disney theme parks aren't something you need. Most of America is designed so that you need a car just to get by. Even if the theme parks fail Disney still has television and films, and people watch those with even less attention to quality.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones To add, General Motors is different in the sense that you need a car, and if you purchased those cars, your cost of living increases due to poorer gas mileage and higher repair costs. It's a much more important decision than whether or not to visit a Disney theme park.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Even if the theme parks fail Disney still has television and films, and people watch those with even less attention to quality.>> Again, TV and films are a different animal. people don't pay 75 dollars a day to watch the Disney channel or to see a Disney movie(although the movie side is getting close!). People are eventually going to realize they aren't getting what they pay for at a Disney park.
