Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 >> I've never been in hotel management, so I'm basically talking without real knowledge (something I'm good at!). << <<WE are Texans. That's expected of us!>> Nope ... not gonna do it ... too easy.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey <<I have learned over the the years that those sorts of vague expressions are code for "almost all of you".>> If I meant almost all of you, I would say it. You're pigeonholing me while accusing me of pigeonholing you.
Originally Posted By fkurucz <<I don't agree. Financials offered them the money with crazy terms so the people took it. Nearly everything is disposable in todays society so when they became upside down in their loans they threw them away and walked away. I'm not surprised at this>> By paying, I meant that the trashed economy is the price being paid.
Originally Posted By fkurucz <<Now, how many times have you heard someone (usually not a Disney fan) talk about WDW and saying something to the affect of 'they did everything but have Mickey tip me over on my way out to take any loose change I had left' ... I've heard that ... and most of those folks don't go back.>> LOL! That reminds me of a co-worker's comment after his first (and probably last) trip to WDW: Hang on to your wallet, Mickey wants every dollar in it.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy <<Now, how many times have you heard someone (usually not a Disney fan) talk about WDW and saying something to the affect of 'they did everything but have Mickey tip me over on my way out to take any loose change I had left' ... I've heard that ... and most of those folks don't go back.>> Yeah, I've pretty much heard those comments ever since I started going to WDW in the mid-1970s. Nothing has really changed.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> <<When we all become desensitised to the cost of quality we are doomed to being locked into a cycle of paying more, and receiving less. While all the time making excuses for what we are doing.>> That's the way life is these day ... we have become a WalMarted nation. << I can't believe we will stay that way. I think an awakening is taking place in this Great Country. If I'm wrong about that then we are destined to be a third rate power like France or Germany.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> I honestly wonder if Disney doesn't even care, so long as they get that one quick hit of cash. They certainly don't feel the need to earn business ... or create magic ... they feel all they have to do is tell you that you're having a magical time 24/7 and that'll do the trick. << That's the feeling I left with this trip.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> <<Now, how many times have you heard someone (usually not a Disney fan) talk about WDW and saying something to the affect of 'they did everything but have Mickey tip me over on my way out to take any loose change I had left' ... I've heard that ... and most of those folks don't go back.>> Yeah, I've pretty much heard those comments ever since I started going to WDW in the mid-1970s. Nothing has really changed. << I fell in love with Disney when it first started. I didn't get to DL until 1967. It wasn't cheap, but at the same time I didn't feel like Mickey was trying to hijack me. Each year I have gone lately I have started to feel like Mickey did want to hijack me now. This last trip ruined the Magic for me. I honestly don't know if I will ever recover it or not. I know right now most of you are saying "that will never happen to me". That's exactly what I thought also. I thought nothing would transcend my love of WDW. I was wrong.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> >> I've never been in hotel management, so I'm basically talking without real knowledge (something I'm good at!). << <<WE are Texans. That's expected of us!>> Nope ... not gonna do it ... too easy. << It's not often in life you receive the perfct set-up. Go for the gusto when the timeing permits.
Originally Posted By fkurucz << fell in love with Disney when it first started. I didn't get to DL until 1967. It wasn't cheap, but at the same time I didn't feel like Mickey was trying to hijack me. Each year I have gone lately I have started to feel like Mickey did want to hijack me now. This last trip ruined the Magic for me. I honestly don't know if I will ever recover it or not. I know right now most of you are saying "that will never happen to me". That's exactly what I thought also. I thought nothing would transcend my love of WDW. I was wrong.>> Perhaps this is why I prefer DLR. I don't feel trapped, as off property dining and hotels are just steps away.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I fell in love with Disney when it first started. I didn't get to DL until 1967. It wasn't cheap, but at the same time I didn't feel like Mickey was trying to hijack me.>> He wasn't back then. He wanted to make a profit. And a good one. He also wanted to give you an incredible experience for your money and continually work to improve it and earn your business again. <<Each year I have gone lately I have started to feel like Mickey did want to hijack me now. This last trip ruined the Magic for me. I honestly don't know if I will ever recover it or not. I know right now most of you are saying "that will never happen to me". That's exactly what I thought also. I thought nothing would transcend my love of WDW. I was wrong.>> WDW has fundamentally changed since the mid-90s when the old guard was pushed out, the resort started being used as an ATM for the rest of the company, WDI began tossing crap in the parks on a regular basis, the old rulebook that worked for four decades was thrown out because those MBAs and consultants (our pal Lee's buds) told Disney it had to constantly 'cut fat' (the definition of that term by the way has since expanded to include anything that needs justification by an exec) etc ... at the same time WDW's flaws became more prevalent and more pronounced, some of us began traveling even further afield and realized that real magic can exist in place where you won't find not so hidden Mickeys at every turn. I visit WDW less and less now and unlike say a decade ago where I wouldn't leave property without having at least one or two future trips already booked (almost always on property too), now it's whenever I go, I go. I care about standards and quality. I don't know if WDW's exec 'leadership' team can say the same. So ... ~Pass the Pixie Dust~
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<It's not often in life you receive the perfct set-up. Go for the gusto when the timeing permits.>> OK ... you had your freebie ... next time you loft one right down the middle of the plate, I'm smashing it all the way to Texas! ~Pass the Pixie Dust~
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Perhaps this is why I prefer DLR. I don't feel trapped, as off property dining and hotels are just steps away.>> DLR overall provided a higher quality product across the board, so that plays a factor as well. I don't doubt Burbank would love to stamp the WDW model on all its resorts, but that doesn't work with savvier audiences like you tend to have in Anaheim (near the media capital of the world). ~Pass the Pixie Dust~
Originally Posted By MPierce >> OK ... you had your freebie ... next time you loft one right down the middle of the plate, I'm smashing it all the way to Texas! << When I die I may not go to heaven. Cause I don't know if they let Red Necks in? So when I die, just let me go to Texas! Cause Texas is as close as I've been!
Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt <<~Pass the Pixie Dust~>> I really like your new sign-off Spirit! Allthough I can't help to wonder if you really mean barf bag!
Originally Posted By fkurucz I saw something today that really put things into perspective for me. In Mexico, El Universal is the nation's "paper of record". On their website they profiled 12 families and how they are coping with the global economic crisis. Of the 12, 10 subsist on $1000 US a month or less. Of the other two, one was a psychiatrist and the othe a retired politician who was struggling with getting his Carls Junior in Cancun to break even. <a href="http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/graficos/00coberturas/crisis/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/...dex.html</a> Its all in Spanish (text and video), but worth reading watching. It was very humbling to see familes trying to get by on as little as 4000 pesos (~250 dollars) a month. In the user response section some people complained that Carls franchisee had no business being profiled, as he was clearly "rich", but the owner, who depends heavily on tourism, was very worried about going under an losing his investment. Anyway, it became clear to me that the poorer folks in the article would probably never set foot in a Disney theme park (unless they migrate to the US). For them a Motel 6 would be the lap of luxury.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 <<<<~Pass the Pixie Dust~>> I really like your new sign-off Spirit! Allthough I can't help to wonder if you really mean barf bag!>> That's my girl!!! Beautiful. Have a magical day.
