From the beginning Disney has portrayed itself as a place for kids and families of all ages to come and get lost in the magic, place where dreams come true, a place that really cares about the kids and bringing families closer, a loving and nurturing place for families. When you portray such an image, people tend to forget that Disney is still a business and it is for that reason that people feel like they are a villain when they do some of the things Disney has done lately. The reality is, Disney is not just a business but they are big business Corp now and as a business they are doing what they feel is right to make the most money possible, and even if as a business they aren't doing anything wrong, they are definitely showing their true colors and it will have an impact on how people view the supposedly most magical place on earth.
We are all discussing the Imagineering episode 1 from Disney + elsewhere on the boards. In that (and every Disney history) you see that, from the very beginning, money is a star player in the Disney story. Walt (and the rest of us) were blessed to have Roy. Without Roy there would be no DL or WDW for people to complain about... in short, it was Walt's duty to have the imagination, to push for his dream, while at the same time finding a way to
get the public to consume what he was producing... which took capital... which took Roy. Thank goodness, IMO, Disney is indeed a big corp because if not, no playground for us, or bigger picture, the rest of the world.
If Disney wasn't delivering on much of its promise, we wouldn't be talking about overcrowding. And that's why the data is so important; they have adjusted to changing demand in the past, I trust they will adjust to changing demand in the future. I'm not happy personally with some of the changes (the introduction of free dining, for example, yes, that shows how long I've gone had reactions to their changes), but I get it from a business perspective and they are obviously making money on that while making people happy or they wouldn't be doing it. Capitalism is usually a win-win for consumer and for company... but that's the statistical consumer, not the individual one.
It feels condescending when people remind that Disney is a business and they’re there to make money. I think we all know that.
It's kind of central to the conversation, and is a fact that's out there, it's not condescension. Sometimes conversations morph into opinion and move out of the realm of common ground. This thread is asking the question "What is going on with Disney Parks?" and to answer that you must include the fact that
the consumer is what is going on. When a business-minded person weighs in, the fact of the company itself and capitalism/consumerism is going to make an appearance. It's not just the fact that Disney is a business that's important, it's the rate of growth, the brand, the staying power, etc... that's important to the convo.
My thing is, I question their decisions when it comes to long term vs. short term profits. Sure they can jack up the costs as much as they want and people are still paying for the time being, and they can pack in the parks in the shortest amount of hours they can manage, but at what cost? What kind of emotional attachment are people going to have to the parks visiting like that over the long term? Are there are going to be way more one and done families? I think in recent years they’ve proven the negative perceptions right. It’s very expensive, it’s very crowded, and it’s a fair amount of work.
This is why the executives that run it are so important; they are the ones with all the information, they are the ones that can see trend lines through the data and then respond. If a company fails to respond, they will take a hit. So far, when Disney gets smacked upside the head with new data (it has actually happened a lot in the past), they have shifted successfully. I hope they continue to do so. I adore going to the parks, but have stopped in the past for various reasons, Disney adjusts, and I happily go back. I think threads like this one are important because Disney does get feedback from places like this, even if the sample size is small and self-selected, they still pay attention, so I hope everyone weighs in with their different perspectives.