Originally Posted By demderedoseguys I have to say the advent of the dining plan was one of the worst things Disney ever did.. One of the great things about a trip to WDW was always the food. Now,the quality of the food stinks and you can't get reservations unless you book them months in advance. Remember the old days when they had the monitors at Epcot and you could make a dinner reservation in the morning for that same night?
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>Here's a different thought. You can blame designated smoking for the fact that it isn't as spotless as it once was. Why? Well, I remember when you could smoke anywhere. When you dropped a cigarette on the ground within seconds and like magic someone would scurry out and sweep it up. They had a whole crew that was set up to just do that. When they weren't sweeping up cigarettes they were picking up trash, emptying trash bins and generally keeping it clean. Without the need they cut back on people that were out there (to almost nothing) and voila...a messier park. I'm not saying that this is anything other than theory, nor am I saying designated smoking areas should be abolished, I'm just thinking that without those people out there cleaning up it is inevitable that the place will be messier.<<< That's very interesting, but honestly, it's an excuse for them. I don't take excuses when it comes to Disney. If quality in that respect needs to be better, it needs to be better, despite the reasons surrounding it.
Originally Posted By magnet For post 21: Just a couple months back, I was dining at Artist Point in Wilderness Lodge. My reservation was for when the restaurant opened for dinner, so it was early in the evening. When I arrived to check-in, a walk-up guest was there asking the host if he and his family could get a table sometime throughout the evening. The host said there was no availability at all the entire night. I was there for dinner for about ninety minutes and there were many empty tables around. I didn't think too much of it until I saw the same scene repeating at other restaurants in WDW. I had a reservation, walk-ups were being turned away, I go in and there are quite a few empty tables. Flying Fish is another one that comes to mind where this was very clear. So, it seems that restaurants in WDW may have cut-back on servers and staff to the point that guests who want to eat there are being turned away - not because the restaurant doesn't have the capacity to handle them, but perhaps because there's no one to wait on those tables. However, these same restaurants always seem hard to get into, so why would they be cutting back on staff only to turn people away?
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper 8. Changing Chief Name(Nahmee)'s name back to Trader Sam: Sure, it's not a big deal to most, but Name was something that the skippers came up with. It was something that was ours. 7. The Disney Dining Plan: The destruction of good food and available seating at the parks. Sure, some places are still enjoyable to eat at, but most are homogonized slop. 6. The death of attraction/land specific merchandise: No, I do not want to buy a Hannah Montana shirt in the Space Mountain gift shop. 5. Killing Alien Encounter: To me, this was the very begining of the slide towards a kiddy-only Magic Kingdom. Alien Encounter was one of the strogest attractions in the park, and was replaced by a truly terrible attraction. Which brings me to... 4. The kidification of the Magic Kingdom: Do I really have to elaborate? 3. The destruction of Journey Into Imagination: Quite possibly the ride that defined my childhood and fostered my love for Disney. i would ride it like 7 times during a trip, and I remember being truly devestated while riding JIYI. 2. The cancellation of Beastly Kingdomme: BK would have been WDW's "killer app", and I don't think there's any doubt about that. It would have been something completely original, and completely breathtaking. It would have singlehandedly brought DAK into the ranks of EPCOT for awesomeness.\ 1. The closing of the Adventurers Club: The quintessential Disney experience for those over the age of 18. The AC was what Disney aspired to be. terrific theme, setting, story, and scope. The AC was the pinnacle of Imagineering and Disney story telling.
Originally Posted By SFH Changing Akershus (restaurant in Norway). I too, miss Horizons and the original World of Motion and Imagination attractions and wish they would have ADDED new attractions instead of replacing, and updated the originals.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>8. Changing Chief Name(Nahmee)'s name back to Trader Sam: Sure, it's not a big deal to most, but Name was something that the skippers came up with. It was something that was ours.<<< You can still ad lib him, though, right? Great list, however.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<You can still ad lib him, though, right?>> We're not supposed to. And I don't really risk it considering managers could hear me from the dock with that one. Although sometimes Name does pop out just from being so used to saying it.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: Well, I miss the fact that someone has run off with my favorite man in a loin cloth!!! And I'll never forgive the person--probably that plain Jane person--for doing it!! Tarzan's been kidnapped and I want him BACK!!!!!!
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>> We're not supposed to. And I don't really risk it considering managers could hear me from the dock with that one. Although sometimes Name does pop out just from being so used to saying it<<< You could seriously get in trouble over that?! Oy.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<You could seriously get in trouble over that?! Oy.>> Yea. It's amazing how controlling managers can be when they get something in their head.
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>The host said there was no availability at all the entire night. I was there for dinner for about ninety minutes and there were many empty tables around. I didn't think too much of it until I saw the same scene repeating at other restaurants in WDW.<< I have seen this same issue it DtD in Anaheim. We were looking for a midafternoon meal and every place (Rainforest, Tortilla Jo's, etc.) was swimming with empty tables, but all had 1 hour waiting lists. Now these were not Disney owned restaurants, but needless to say we headed back to the car and wound up eating off property that day.
Originally Posted By standor I MISS: The original journey into imagination Horizons The air cool ducts over your head when you waited in line on a hot day The magic kingdom and the studios were open later in slow periods Fresh paint look at all times Lights on in all the buildings at night in main street Spotless bathrooms Oh how I long for the good old days.
Originally Posted By leobloom >> Yea. It's amazing how controlling managers can be when they get something in their head << Was the same way at the Land boat ride before they went to the recorded spiel. Kinda kills your spirit when you cannot deviate from the script at all.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>The air cool ducts over your head when you waited in line on a hot day<<< Felt those a few weeks ago. Looks like some have been brought back. HM in particular was FREEZING.
Originally Posted By Hista98 I agree with the custodial stuff depliting. At DL now adays if there is a mess we have to radio for custodial most of the time. They just aren't out in force like they used to be.
Originally Posted By CaptainMichael <<<1. The closing of the Adventurers Club: The quintessential Disney experience for those over the age of 18. The AC was what Disney aspired to be. terrific theme, setting, story, and scope. The AC was the pinnacle of Imagineering and Disney story telling.>>> This. It's ironic that they're so focused on implementing technology in order to get guests involved with attractions, when they had the perfect blueprint for such an attraction under their noses for 20 years. Idiots.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost Fastpass. I will never forgive them for putting that legalized line cutting in place. It had a selfish motivation and it just backfired and has become a gorilla in the living room.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORWEN: Well, I miss all the yummy soft serve ice cream that they USED to sell to well deserving guests!! The slop they try to pass off as ice cream NOW is an insult as well as a cheat!! If I was only allowed to use my magic, I'd turn a whole bunch of bean counters and Management types into toads!!! ORGOCH: Fer once ya might be onta somethin' smart, sister! That way we could have toad ala mode!!!
