car #1 or #2 people???

[Miss Park Avenue]

Originally posted by BRERALEX

yes that was not a typo 6pm august 27th 28th 29th and then a big whopping 8 on friday (big whoop)

The Magic Kingdom closes at 6:00pm in AUGUST??? I had to check the website to see if that was true!

It breaks my heart....it really does. I wish I could correctly convey my feelings to all the people that think I'm some kind of Disney Basher. It is simply not true. If I hated it that much I wouldn't be on discussion boards like this trying to learn more about it. I don't gripe about any of the changes happening at Sea World. I could care less about that place. I do care about Disney World.

Maybe I could compare my feelings about WDW's evolution to someone who has a novel that they love and read over and over. And when the movie comes out you go to see it and the director has taken liberties with what the book's author had written. It may be painful for you to watch it. Maybe huge parts of the story had been cut out and replaced with some seedy love scene just to bring people to the theaters. If you join a discussion group about the book and you all share your thoughts about the movie, you find some liked the movie, some hated it. Some like this part, but not that part and all have their reasons, BUT, all in the book discussion group there still LOVE the book!

My family has loved and visited Disney World for so long. I visited 8 times between '75 and '86 and took a long break and didnt return till '99. I've seen so many changes. Some I liked, some I didn't. (uh, I'm not going to make any lists) But, when I complain, it's only because I have very fond wonderful memories that I want my children to enjoy too. I don't want to see my favorite place on earth watered down, or cut short. It's painful for me to hear that is it being mismanged, hurt by the failings of a network I could less about. So much so that I have been cutting back on the time spent in the rumors and news board lately. It's too hard to hear.

 

[SnackyStacky]

I feel the need to weigh in here.

Hi Baron! Remember me? I'm still shotgunnin' in number 3.

Someone earlier reported that in speaking with someone from executive offices, surprise mornings were eliminated because the costs of opening an hour earlier were astronomical. The key word in that statement is cost.

Then, looking at the Magic Kingdom hours. There is only ONE reason that they would ever consider cutting Spectromagic during the week, and closing at 6:00. It certainly isn't because they were receiving complaints about that obnoxious parade and those ridiculous hours! I once again bring up the word cost.

Now, I move on to E-Ride Nights. E-Ride Nights, as I have heard (could be incorrect) were originally created to allow on-site, off-season guests to see the Magic Kingdom after dark. These are not being offered in the off-season. AND, best of all, I'm prepared! The people in May who had planned on them were NOT when ALL of them for the month were cut! They have taken out a HUGE portion of the magic. And why? Because of cost factors.

A few threads ago was the air conditioning debate. Someone commented about how the "magical air was being taken away". It has absolutely nothing to do with magic, as I said earlier. What it has to do with is comfort. They turned the AC to a warmer temperature in order to (once again) cut costs. Not only does this detract from the guest experience, it's just a dumb thing to do. If I can find a place to cool down, I'm a LOT more likely to stay in the park than if I'm sweating from here to high heaven. More guests in the parks mean more money spent in the parks!

These are all cost-cutting measures that detract from guest experience.

Do I b**** and bemoan every negative thing I see while I'm at Disney World? Far from it. I love it there. In fact, rarely a negative thing is heard from me while I'm in the parks, whether it relates to the park or not.

But while I sit here and read all kinds of posts about people who got to see SpectroMagic, and watch the kiss goodnight, it makes me very upset. Sure they're not raising the prices on admission this year, but I will have paid as much as the people there right now, and I don't get the opportunity to see those things. And yes, I know that I can do all the rides I want because the lines are short, but that doesn't correct the fact that I don't get to see the Magic Kingdom at night.

I could go on, but my point is that the current trend works toward money, and does not see any compromise between good business decisions and guest satisfaction.

My $.02 and nothing more!

 

[PKS44]

Originally posted by DVC-Landbaron
What type of ‘experience’ are these people who need a map going to get with a closing time such as that?!?!

Not to mention the people who wonder as you go by in Fastpass lines "Hey, how come they get to go on so fast?" (probably the same ones -though maybe not since they don't apparently read the huge ad for Fastpass on the maps).

Paul

 

[manning]

"(more people=more complaints...1% of 100 = 1, while 1% of 1000 = 10, the increase of 9 doesn't necessarily mean an increase in complaints, they are still at 1%)"
________________________________________


or more people and less staffing = more complaints.

I kind of go with less staffing leads to low moral = more complaints.

I have been thru several down sizings and they are not fun. You feel betrayed, have a lot more work to do, are angry. I think this is what is happening now. And it will get worse if they drag it out. The staff is down to show up for work, put in your time, go home and dread tomorrow.

Where did the 1% figure come from. If it's from Disney, yeah, the sun will rise in the west.

 

[PKS44]

To JeffH and Landbaron-please...if you edit a post just say "(I have edited this post in response for a clarification)" and then clarify---I am sure Jeff meant nothing underhanded, he just was trying to clarify and did not think how it might look, and I can see how Landbaron got the wrong impression...but just go back and delete that part of your post, if you want...we are all following along for the most part and don't need any flaming distractions...

I am in Car #3 and I think the best example of Disney thinking has been seen in the Disney stores, Millionaire, Character Caravan school of thought that if some is good, more is better- in the case of the stores and Millionaire it has weakened the product...the ever expanding use of Character Meet/Greets instead of new ideas also has weakened the product offered...c'mon, 20K? or line up to see a girl in a mermaid outfit?(okay, I like girls in Mermaid outfits, but if that is what I'm after I don't go to Disney and for the price of admission I am sure I could see a girl out of a mermaid outfit, if you know what I mean)Camp MinnieMickey? or BK?...EE or CC?

The problem is a willingness to do things which are counter to the Disney mission of the past-wherein we were to be their guest and put their magic to the test, wherein we would bring a heart that's full of wonder and let Disney do the rest...they are not doing the rest...they cut corners to save $$ rather than innovate-spinners and Millionaire 4 nights a week and sequels...-at the resorts moves have been made that lessen the guest's experience from the change from fresh to instant coffee to losing real butter and maybe even Air conditioning (I believe it, some don't)...

Some say these cost cuts are good business---On Sept 10th at 12pm EDT on TCM a film called Executive Suite dramatically plays out this question at a fictional furniture manufacturing company..it is cost cutter Fred March vs R &D guy Bill Holden and the last scene sums up the arguments and the problems with cutting costs to supposedly "help" the company and the stockholders...it was made 40+ years ago but it still applies in business and it very much applies to Disney...Watch it, and then let's all meet here to discuss...

Paul

 

[Planogirl]

I'm in Car No. 3 too and I hope that some people don't assume that I dislike Disney because of that. I have just seen many problems develop over the last few years and I care about these things because of my LOVE for Disney. The last thing I want to do is go to the parks and find problems. I want more than anything for Disneyworld to be the super place that I've always loved.

I hope that everyone can just agree to disagree and remember that we're all here because we love Disney. These are all only opinions after all even if some are wrong.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Okay, I apologize for only having time to skim the thread, so I may be a tad redundant. I promise I will read the thread thoroughly later.

First, I looked at the park hours for August, and I don't see where the MK is not open after dark.

August '02 schedule

Some of the cost cutting measures that may be in place, may be necessary. If the stock was down, and Eisner was making no effort to do anything on the cost side, I can hear it now...."What an idiot....there is nobody in the parks, and they keep them open until midnight". Or,..."Do they have to keep it 40 degrees in the line for TOT? Think of all the wasted money".

Cost cutting is just one arm of getting the company back on track. Disney is under no obligation (in fact it would be stupid) to reveal ALL their strategy for the long term. After all...we don't want to give all the info to the competition.

That being said, I agree with certain things that have been said, for example the Aladdin spinner in Adventureland. That looked rediculous from day one, but I still don't know if it was a cheapy attempt at a themed attraction, or a misplaced kiddie ride that might work in Fantasyland.

 

[Miss Park Avenue]

Maistre Gracey, click on your link and look specificly at the 25th, the 27th, 28th, and 29th.

That may not seem to be a lot of days in an entire month but think of the people who traveled from some other part of the country to be there that week. When I was a teen, that was ususally the time of year we went. Sort of a grand finale to summer. I feel bad for the people traveling there that week.

 

[d-r]

Actually, I think that the internet contributes to people's perceptions of negativity as much as the press does.

Here is an example. On the resorts boards, there are people posting wondering when the "rates" will come out for January, so that they can start planning their vacations. Of course the "rates" are out for January, they are talking about discounted codes - we've gotten so used to finding discounted codes through internet sites like these that people now think of them as the "rate." Those discounts - like AP rates, but also "code" rates - have traditionally been put out at the "last minute" usually quarterly, to help fill up bookings after rooms have been booked at rack rates. It has been documented that people are now planning their vacations at the last minute, with only a few months notice, and I wonder how much of that is due to people waiting for the "rates" to come out so that they can book at fire sale prices, rather than to the after effects of 9/11.

US Air has become the next airline to declare bankruptcy. The press reports that the hotels on I-92 are booking at a few dollars a night trying to avoid bankruptcy. It is well documented that attendance is down. Yet posters balk any time that the Disney corporation tries to save money. I honestly believe that they keep the park hours open based upon the attedance levels, and I have witnessed hours being extended based upon need. And yes, I visited for a week last May when the MK closed at 6 ever night, and yes, that impacted me because I was staying at wlv where the MK is the closest park. But you know what? I understood that there wasn't the attendance level to financially allow them to keep the parks open all night. Some posters on here use a logic that I do not completely understand. They want the parks to be open later - because the parks will be less crowded. The major reason that they seem to want the longer hours is so the crowds will be thinned out - but if the crowd is thinned out, how is economically viable to keep the park open those extra hours? I' m sure that all of us would love for them to keep the magic kingdom open a few extra hours for just us and our families to enjoy privately (for no extra money, too).

Heck, they kept them open a few years ago, why can't they do it now? Sure we know that attendance is down, but they should do it anyway, right? And don't even consider that they may have learned that it wasn't a good economic model when they did keep it open in the past. I think they model attendance levels and keep the parks open to the point of economic viability. Many of the same people who seem to cheer any sign of bad economic news for the Disney company - because it might oust Eisner - seem to be unable to understand that cut backs are necessary.

And another thing. We had reservations at Carribean Beach this sept. We were really disapointed to hear it closed, because we choose it because it was one of the places we hadn't stayed at together, and we weren't really interested in staying in a moderate. But you know what? Guest services really came through. Then I read on here about how negative it is presumably from people it didn't impact. Again, I don't like posting things on the internet about rates, because I think people read it and get set up for disapointment, so I didn't report the rate that we got - now there are pages and pages of this sort of information on the resort board so I don't feel so bad about it - we were offered savannah view at AKL for $99 per night. I've read on the resort board that some people got the polly for less money than they were paying rack rate at CBR. Yet, there are negative posts on here that no upgrades will be offered. I was really happy with guest services, felt a little like pixie dust for me, and I respect the company for choosing to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear by closing the resort at a time of low bookings and making improvements on the property. Good move, Disney.

Guess what, folks, the Disney company is in bad economic shape right now - so are a lot of other companies. That is the reality of it. I think they have made some really good moves to weather the storm. There are some things that I am not happy about, some things that I wish they would do differently (they seem to have decided that e-nights are only for peak season, when it seems to me that they would be a really good idea for off-season, but then, I don't have the data about sales figures to know that, do I?) I also read about Walt, and I can understand some of the comments that are basically "what would Walt do?" but right now is a time that you also have to ask "what would Roy do?"

I honestly believe that there are some people on here that search out any negative thing on the internet that they can find and post it here. "LOOK - somebody had a bad vacation - where has the magic gone?" I find myself often getting turned off by this board lately. There is less about rumors and news than there is about moaning and whining (and yeah, I remember how bad I got flamed a year or two ago for calling something whining).

DR

 

[Maistre Gracey]

d-r, excellent post. I agree with virtually everything you stated.

PS- Congrats on your AKL rate!

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Originally posted by Miss Park Avenue
Maistre Gracey, click on your link and look specificly at the 25th, the 27th, 28th, and 29th.

That may not seem to be a lot of days in an entire month but think of the people who traveled from some other part of the country to be there that week. When I was a teen, that was ususally the time of year we went. Sort of a grand finale to summer. I feel bad for the people traveling there that week.

Miss PA, true. There are four days in August that the MK closes at 6:00pm. I guess my point was to show that indeed the MK does have lots of evening time in August. I too, feel bad for the folks going at that time. My next trip is September, and the parks will close even earlier, but I knew that when I chose to visit at that time of year. I understand the parks can not stay open until midnight in non-prime season.

 

[mrtoadslastride]

d-r,

The main problem I have with you post is that although it may be accurate that Disney is in bad financial shape, I believe they are in this position because of their past dumb decisions. For example, paying $5 bill for Fox Family (I wonder if they would still be closing MK if they had that money???), the go.com fiasco, movies like Reign of Fire which lost a tremendous amount of money, and the list could go on and on. The current management team has run Disney into the ground during the last 8 years, and they are doing whatever they can to boost the bottom line. Regardless of the longterm consequences to the business.

Finally, I was a kid during the 1970's, but as I seem to remember the oil embargo (everyone drove to WDW at the time) and stagflation really hurt the economy. Did Disney ever close MK at 6 in August then? The economy had to have been worse then, but you didn't see Disney make the type of cuts they are now making.

The problems with Disney now has nothing to do with the economy, they are in a mess of their own making!!!

 

[Miss Park Avenue]

d-r, excellant post. That was the most well written post intended to put whiners like myself in my place. I read it a couple times.

I don't agree with EVERYONE's complaints on here. There are some things people write about and I think to myself, "So what? Get a life!" But everyone who's read any of my posts knows I have a problem with the MK closing before dark, NOT closing at 10 instead of midnight or enights verses later closings. Just closing down and running us all out before dark. There were a lot of us there at six that evening, a LOT.
But if the people running WDW are making cutbacks to adjust to what they can afford, sales figures, crowds, etc. I can live with that. I'd rather see WDW make cutbacks than to file bankruptcy and close. But if cuts are the result of the failures of ABC that is another story altogether.

 

[d-r]

When we first heard about the CBR closing in September we thought about going to universal, and called to see what the rates would be. Guess what, in sept. Universal and IOA close every night (including week end nights) at 6 or 7. At least at wdw epcot and the studios are open longer each night, and the MK is open later on weekends. I don't remember the specifics, but we were looking at the hours for cedar point while planning a trip over there and the weekend hours during the summer were basically the same or less than the MK's. (I'm sure that somebody is going to say that you can't compare WDW to IOA or cedar point, but people sure do when they add something new).

I've said on here before that I wish that they would alternate between the studios and the magic kingdom being open later on week nights, and I wish that they would have e-nights during the off-season. Of course I wish there were longer hours. I also wish that they would release the WWII disk with the treasures series this year as planned. Although the direct to dvd sequals don't really bother me because I just don't buy them, I wish that they would have used the energy to make something more creative. Iwish they would put in some big super e-tickets. I wish they had made a disney classics vol. 6 cd instead of staring over with a new #1. I wish there was more stuff in the disney stores. I wish the Disney channel would play a classic movie late at night again. I wish that all Auburn football games would be on ESPN. I wish they had a better beer selection at Big River. Etc. etc.

Yes, Disney is a complicated company, and the truth is if I was running it I would want to do it without ABC and the cable channels (besides the three disney channels), but I'm still not sure that buying the family channel was a bad decision. I'm wanting to see how that plays out. I understand a little bit about the game that is being played out with the cable companies about carrying channels, and so I understand that the reason for buying it was to have a little more leverage in negotiating with the cable companies. I'm really not sure if that was a bad idea or not, it may turn out that it was. I also understand what they were trying to do with go.com, but I think that it was a bad idea.

I also find AV's posts interesting when he makes the point that the parks are loosing money to pay for losses in other parts of the company (ABC, movies). I'm not sure that the best long term idea would be to cut those segments out that are loosing money right now. I think that ABC can be turned around - we'll see. I think that buying Monk was a good idea, and I look forward to seeing what they come up with with HBO. Alias is back. Heck, ABC sports is hands down the best, and Monday night football is coming soon (be sure to check out the opening game on Labor Day!!!

Again, though, the fact remains that attendance at the parks are down. If there aren't enough people to justify keeping four theme parks open late, then there aren't enough people -

DR

 

[mrtoadslastride]

Originally posted by d-r
Again, though, the fact remains that attendance at the parks are down. If there aren't enough people to justify keeping four theme parks open late, then there aren't enough people -

DR

Why??? According to posts in another thread (based on info from Newsweek), Universal is up 11% this year while Disney is down 6%. I know the reasons for this difference can be explained by several factors, but the simple fact remains - Disney's closest rival is increasing attendance while Disney's is shrinking.

Maybe some of the cuts which you believe are aimed at keeping Disney afloat are driving visitors away. Disney seems to be playing a game with WDW guests, "How much can we cut before you stop coming back?"

 

[SnackyStacky]

In the entirety of this post, I speak only for myself. Just a disclaimer!

Actually, I think that the internet contributes to people's perceptions of negativity as much as the press does.

The things that I complain about are things that I notice. Nobody brought them to my attention, but me. The only thing that I've spoken about that I'm not familiar with first-hand is the air conditioning issue. If it ever came across that I was saying they had in fact raised the temperature, I didn't mean it that way. I meant that if that's what was being done, that was a poor decision.

It has been documented that people are now planning their vacations at the last minute, with only a few months notice, and I wonder how much of that is due to people waiting for the "rates" to come out so that they can book at fire sale prices, rather than to the after effects of 9/11.

Perhaps. I booked my September trip during the last week of May. I don't know if that's last minute. My best friend was killing time at work, and just decided to price a quick 4 night stay at Disney World, and there was a rate that was too great to pass up. (And yes, it was a rate. There was no code. It was a hotel/transfer deal from OnlineVacationMall for 4 nights at POR with roundtrip airport transfers for $392). We then decided 4 nights wasn't enough, so we extended our trip by one night. Well, we thought, why not splurge on a deluxe. An expedia booking got us a Boardwalk Inn room for $193. When that Marriott rate came out, we cancelled all of our Disney reservation. Even after cancellation fees, I saved $250! AND, for $25 a night, I'm getting a LOT more amenities then I would have at Disney's moderate resort. And all of that was impromptu. I wasn't waiting for a great rate, or a discount code from the Marriott. But there it was! But for the sake of argument, let's suppose that I WAS waiting for a discount code. What's wrong with that? POR ranges from $133 - $205 depending on season. That is TOO much money to spend. When a family of more than 4 goes on vacation, chances are they're going to need more than 1 room, or a deluxe. If a family wants that Disney magic, I simply do not blame them for waiting. I personally say to heck with the Magic! And is that really what Walt wanted? Or as even you say, what Roy would want? Walt would have wanted families to have the magic. Roy would want more bookings. And, the perks that they offer their on-site guests suck. For lack of a better word. Perhaps a large component of their guests are families. And maybe for them character caravan is great! BUT, Disney World is one of the LARGEST honeymoon destinations. What about all of those people who don't really care about the characters? What is their incentive to spend ridiculously large amounts of money for an on-site room?

Yet posters balk any time that the Disney corporation tries to save money.

I don't fault them for trying to save money. I fault the ways that they try to save. Why didn't they hold off on Animal Kingdom? Why didn't they take half of the money from that project and beef up the Disney-MGM studios? Quite frankly, I'd rather have a LOT more than "Get Happy with ABC", and "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" than to have what little Animal Kingdom has to offer. But, that's not a valid argument because they DID build the Animal Kingdom. Now it seems that there are still better ways to cut cost while not compromising guest satisfaction.

Some posters on here use a logic that I do not completely understand. They want the parks to be open later - because the parks will be less crowded. The major reason that they seem to want the longer hours is so the crowds will be thinned out - but if the crowd is thinned out, how is economically viable to keep the park open those extra hours?

Case in point!! Again, speaking only for myself, longer hours has NOTHING to do with crowd control for me. I usually can go only in the off-season. Are longer hours not-financially viable? Most definitely! I completely agree!!! And I couldn't have said it better than you did:

they seem to have decided that e-nights are only for peak season, when it seems to me that they would be a really good idea for off-season,

Which is exactly what they were created for. They were designed to give off-season guests a chance to see the Magic Kingdom at night. I didn't forget the rest of your statement:

but then, I don't have the data about sales figures to know that, do I?)

If they were originally intended for one group, why not keep them to that one group if they want to save money?!? They gave it to the peak-season guests because they will make more money from it. Why can't they cut one or two of the peak-season E-Nights, and put them back where they started? Voila! Compromise. The peak season guests still get their E-Nights, and the off-season guests get an E-Night or two also.

I respect the company for choosing to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear by closing the resort at a time of low bookings and making improvements on the property.

I do too. I don't respect them not letting people know that there would come a point the resort would have to close. Instead of being upfront with people, and saying "We may have to close the resort for renovations, but if that happens, you can stay at any of the other moderate resorts, or at a deluxe resort for a reduced rate.", they still took the reservations. As you said though, I agree that Disney has made up for that.

I honestly believe that there are some people on here that search out any negative thing on the internet that they can find and post it here.

I don't. I already had complaints, and found others who had the same complaints. If you'd really like to find EVERY negative thing that has been posted about Disney World, check out www.wdwblues.com. They take the cake for whining, as you called it. I see this less as whining, and more as a discussion. And, unless I'm mistaken, these are the DIS Discussion forums.

 

[All Aboard]

d-r, I understand your thoughts. It was a well written post. Let me try to defend my whining for a moment, if I can.

If you read the "Our Disney History" thread, you'll see that I've been doing the Disney "thing" for a long time. BUT, there is a very distinct gap in my Disney travels. One that is very crucial to the evolution of my feelings about the Disney Company and my "car" membership. That gap occured from the Fall of 1994 to January of 1999. During that 5 year span I did not travel to WDW even one time. So, the WDW I last experienced in 1994 was at it's peak in my opinion. Splash Mountain and Tower of Terror were additions made in the past couple of years and were perfect examples of the direction Disney needed to be moving.

Career pressures, a move, a couple of job changes, a marriage, a baby on the way... well five years past with no WDW. Hard to believe in retrospect, but it happened. I returned to WDW with a little one in tow. Experiencing WDW through her eyes and introducing her to all the things I loved was an enormous pleasure. Unmatched in many ways. The honeymoon was fresh again. Who cares about operating hours. I was still consuming new things, getting re-aquainted with things I had missed out on for half a decade.

I came on to this board almost 3 years ago. Ran into a few characters that had negative things to say about WDW. What!? You must be joking. The greatest place in the world? I had epic battles with Landbaron, Jewell and some folks that are no longer here. But, the difference between them and me was that they had experienced the changes and slow reductions that happened while I was away. They'd beef about operating hours and it just seemed silly to me. But, now that I've been through 3 years of it, I understand.

Since we are using the last week of August as a reference, let's go back just 2 years. MK closed each weekday during the last week of August 2000 at 9pm. And, EE was in full swing then. The reductions are becoming more and more painful as we move forward.

Much of the argument on behalf of Disney has been pointed at business being in decline. While true, what portion of that is attributable to bad business decisions and a micro-managing CEO?

Even though one can argue that cutbacks are a result of reduced tourism, at some point they will become defeating. Have they reached that point yet? Not sure. But, if MK closes at 4pm during the last week of August 2003, how many more folks will be in car #3?

If folks are returning from vacations and discussing their trips around the office, church, or neighborhood; Disney isn't going to benefit from statements like "the Magic Kingdom closed so early", "gosh, what they added to Animal Kingdom is so awful," "they are building this monstrocity next door to my favorite resort." There is, without a doubt, an impact. How small or large I don't know. When the "WDW experts" are explaining the merits of staying on-site, EE was a pretty good selling point. It all adds up. Piece by piece. I cannot imagine that the best strategy for Disney is to continue chipping away. At what point does it cause the unbendables like JeffH, d-r and thedscoop to say, "you know what, there's a problem here."

 

[Walt's Frozen Head]

I wonder how much of that is due to people waiting for the "rates" to come out so that they can book at fire sale prices

I wonder how much of that is due to Eisner overbuilding hotel rooms for the last decade?

If it was really anything "special" to stay in a Disney resort, there'd be no booking problem. By choosing to play in the bargain area of the resort pool, Disney re-made its own brand image, and finds itself with $99 nights at the Poly to hand out while closing an entire moderate resort.

Shopping for codes is a phenomenon that pre-dates 9/11, and comes from treating resort nights as commodities to be brokered rather than fleeting opportunities to pixie dust some guests.

-WFH

 

[d-r]

gcurling-

Thanks for pointing out your disney history, that gives me a new way of looking at things. Like you, I had a break to, but a longer one, with college and grad school I didn't go from 1987-1998. Moreover, I went from being a day-tripping Florida resident teen to an out of state, resort staying guest with a little shake in my pocket, plus I was with Melissa now. So imagine how much was new for me!

Don't misunderstand me - I do not LIKE cutbacks on hours, I've felt the cutbacks on hours, and noticed cut backs on staff, too. My point is that there are economic necessities to it, and that this is a difficult time for many companies, especially those based on tourism.

WFH, I like you and value your perspective, but I'm sorry, my perspective about the resorts is so different from yours that I can't even really reply to you. We just have really different views there - you might think that there is nothing "special" about staying at a wdw resort, I can't imagine not doing so. I'd rather not go in the first place. We just have really different views here. I know that the code shopping predates 9/11, and don't get me wrong, I don't blame anyone doing it for a heart beat - you'd be silly not to - I was trying to give an example of how the internet impacts people's perceptions and expectations. I've seen posts on the boards saying about "fools" paying rack rates, and that is the perception. Honestly, I hope that the computer personalized guest services thing gets to the point where we are offered our own "rates" and they do not publish "codes." I honestly believe that the internet posts about codes and rates lead people to be disapointed.

DR

DR

 

[PKS44]

Originally posted by Walt's Frozen Head
By choosing to play in the bargain area of the resort pool, Disney re-made its own brand image, and finds itself with $99 nights at the Poly to hand out while closing an entire moderate resort.

-WFH

\

Quoting my earlier post:"Some say these cost cuts are good business---On Sept 10th at 12pm EDT on TCM a film called Executive
Suite dramatically plays out this question at a fictional furniture manufacturing company.."

All this garbage about the bottom line is just that, garbage. The bottom line takes care of itself if a company is committed to delivering its product, well and efficiently. When the main focus is the bottom line, all the stuff that MAKES the bottom line disappears. People do NOT get rich trying to get rich, it is the happy byproduct of a job well-done. Companies are no different.

The theme parks are NOT losing money. They make money, they just are not making as much as they used to-why? I agree that nobody would be looking to save the pennies on coffee and butter at WDW if they had not blown it on Fox Family and Go.com and overextending themselves...

Disney brought these problems on itself-it diluted the meaning of the magic by overbuilding hotels on site...it has diluted the meaning of opening a new park by building 3 underdeveloped parks...they have diluted the meaning of a new animated film by releasing cheap sequels;new rides by building off the shelf spinners; the Disney store specialness by oversaturating the market, they did the same with Millionaire on 4 nights a week, etc. etc. etc.--and they have diluted the magic of working for the company by making it more about the money than the magic...Employees making minimum wage could feel a lot happier and magical if they knew their mission was to make kids smile, not sell a set number of T-shirts per shift.