At a young age, we enjoyed all the Disney shows. The Wonderful of Color, the Disney Nature Shows, Mickey Mouse Club, Disney Movies, and any of the Disney Specials. It was perhaps the foremost positive influence in my young life outside of family, friends, and church. Every Sunday… sitting in front of this new medium called television… watching Uncle Walt introduce that evenings show. The wonderful wholesome meaning behind all the shows... values that set the tone for our lives... lessons in what good people strive to be. I visited and enjoyed Disney World several times through out my adult life, and extensively after retirement... up to and including working at Disney from 2005-2011. Since 2004 we have been at Disney anywhere from 3-4 months a year to as much as 7-9 months a year. Seen a lot of changes just over the past 10 years. Many for the better, and some that leave you wondering. My perception of Disney from the beginning was that Walt's influence, while he was still alive, and for many years beyond, was always wholesome, and even though it was a business, it was always family entertainment first and foremost. Now, years later, and with no one that worked with Walt personally still involved at Disney, those wholesome values that made Disney what it once was, has somewhat switched priorities to be a business first and foremost and to make money. Don't get me wrong, they still provide innovation and imagination to all their projects, but it seems that that motivation, being a stockholder business, is to make more money and higher profits. Now, the main motivation to produce a great family product is to “make more money”, though they still do a great job, but Walt's original motivation of wholesome family entertainment first seems to have been lost. Perhaps it's the economic times we live in combined with the influence of being a stock owned company, driven to make more and more profits. Perhaps it’s my imagination or perception. Economic times seemingly being the worst since the depression of the 30's. I can't help but wonder what Walt would think about all the has has transpired. Certainly there has been lots and lots of good, especially the technological advancements and how the attractions have incorporated then into the concept of Disney Entertainment. But I wonder what Walt would think of the questionable changes... less value for more money... or even the perspective for the motivation to improve and innovate changes and new attractions. Perhaps it wouldn't even matter... wholesome intentions aside, economic influences many have even come to dictate to even Walt the intense need to make money. But I wonder just what he'd think about it all. When talking to others, some say he’d "roll over in his grave" if he could see some of what has transpired. Over the years like everything else prices continue to increase, and just like everything else value for the hard earned dollar is decreasing rapidly. Business does what is necessary to survive. We have seen lots of changes that are less in scope, shorter in duration, or eliminated completely over the years... but there has been new things added too. One of the changes (negative as I perceive it) to mention by name is the addition of the availability of beer in the parks. Magic Kingdom is still "holy ground" and beer is not sold there, but the other three parks, especially Epcot, and especially during the "Beer and Wine Festival"... oops... the "Food and Wine Festival" ... beer sales are strongly promoted ( like "I drank my way around the world t-shirts) and the people do drink, and drink a lot, making beer a big money maker. Some drink to an excess and the wholesome family atmosphere is tarnished by their somewhat drunken behavior and actions. We have seen some that have gotten a bit out of control and vocal as they drink, or should I say drunk their way around the world at Epcot. So what would Walt think? I might would normally say "Idoeno". But I can't help but feel I know the answer. But all of this is merely wishful thinking for things to be as they once were... and nothing really is ever the same as it once was. Today's economic society is “less value for more money”, and I guess even Disney, with any remaining lofty values that Walt held true, still has to bow down to economic pressure to remain in business. Everything changes, usually perceived as being not for the better... it's just the way things are. Sad but true.
Economically, everything will get worse, buying power will forever decrease, and businesses will ever be driven to give less, for more money. Anyway... Perhaps we'll see you in the parks... I'll be the one carrying in my own food and drink. Boy, those smoked turkey legs sure look good ($10.25 each)... that would go good with a bottle of soda ($3). Well, at least we can still carry food, snacks, and drink into the parks... (shhhh!) Lets NOT give the profits gods anything to think about. Disney is currently changing the Fast Pass system and has extra benefits if they are staying at a Disney Resort Hotel. It's all suppose to equalize sometime in the future, but for now, hotel guests have a big advantage over the general public. They can get their fast passes in advance, before entering the park. So if they are gone before the you get there... oh, well! They also currently enjoy premium fast pass prime viewing spots for shows, parades, and fireworks with the new FastPass+ system that is currently only available to hotel guests.
[ additional info link http://www.rvkamping.blogspot.com/2013/09/disney-fastpasses.html ]
Disney has changed a lot over the past ten years, it was easy to see some of the changes. Each year less and less holiday decorations are put up. We even talked to the some people that put up the decorations and got the reply that only about 30% of what used to be put up is not being used. We have noticed cutbacks and lots of changes that are less in scope, shorter in duration, or eliminated completely. But then again, you see it everywhere. Less value for more money. Like those canned vegetables that use to be 20 ounces, then 18, then 16, now 14½ ounces for five times the price. Everything is made with less quality and/or less quantity to help control the impact of price increases… both are economically failing. How about those 5lb bags of sugar… oops… I mean 4lb bags of sugar for the price of 5lbs. Is Disney between a rock and a hard place economically? Probably. For us, it’s all to a point of wishful thinking… we’d all like to at least keep the buying power we have enjoyed, and companies would to maintain value for the customers dollar… both are just a dream, that even Disney can not control. Companies do things they don’t want to do, consumers have to deal with “less for more”. It is what it is. But we still question some of the changes… like beer fest. Like the song said… “The times, they are a changing”… and while some change is good… some things seem to be not so good. I guess its all about your perception as well as the “values” and “principals” that you cherish in life. Perhaps some things should never be given up for any reason. Because once started down that path, you are most likely go a bit further, bit by bit, until you are so far down that path that you loose sight of the principals and values that you once began with.
So what would Walt make of all of this?
What do you make of this?
