Disney

[usmccharles]

Not sure if I mentioned it but my mother worked for Disney for 21 years, I haven't been to the parks in about 4 years......and I can get in FREE!!!!!!!!!! I have family that literally lives outside the gates of Disney. My sister is so close you can see the fireworks from her back yard on a clear night.

Disney has gone woke long before this happened to Splash mountain. It is my opinion that this "woke" stance along with price gouging and cuts is what has brought the Disney company to where it is today.

I have studied the Disney company as you can imagine for decades. They brought back Iger but Iger was/is part of the problem. The CEO that just was removed ( Bob Chapek) was the head of Parks and Resorts while Iger was the CEO previously. Chapek rose the ranks of the Disney company as the perfect hatchet man. Many of the cuts and price gouging was the work of Chapek. He made Iger and the board truck loads of money. He was rewarded for his work with the job of CEO.

Covid hits.........the compnaies "go woke.....go broke" company stance starts to catch up with them., as we know that will work out there on the West coast but in Florida? Not so much. Covid, cuts, price gouging, new policies like Park Reservations and the new Fast pass program starts to erode at the bottom line. Iger sees the writing on the wall, takes his Golden parachute and bails.

Chapek is rewarded for all his work and is the new CEO. Yes, the company is still showing huge profits......but not at the parks. Chapek has to keep up profit margins by doubling down on cuts and price raising. Still treading water he continues to triple down. Stocks start to reflect a trend.........

When stocks start to tumble only then will the board take notice. They couldn't give a rats ass about customer satisfaction. Out goes Chapek and Iger comes riding in on his white horse as if he is there to save the day......the policies that got them to this place were started under Iger.......but whose counting......right?

Splash mountain redue is apart of the new woke culture that has permeated the Disney company. It's been actually planned for years. It's funding was held up because of the issues I mentioned. Splash Mountain was themed around the movie Song of the South. The main character was an endearing black man named Uncle Remus. Most people have never seen the movie and couldn't tell you why it's not politically correct. It's on the level of Aunt Jemima syrup or Uncle Ben's rice.

I could go in to a long winded........as if this isn't long winded enough back story in how Disney has fundamentally changed how the parks and resorts are ran, maintained and how Iger and Chapek single-handedly destroyed what was once known as the "Disney difference".....ie. The magic.But I won't....... I will just say that for my Disney loving family it's been like a death in the family. I seen my mother cry real tears because of what has happened.

This is the kind of content I'm here for. Not 48 Lamar Jackson and WR threads

Sent from my SM-A526U using Tapatalk

[ThankyouArt!]

This is the kind of content I'm here for. Not 48 Lamar Jackson and WR threads

Sent from my SM-A526U using Tapatalk

Thanks!!!!!

This is going to be long......if you want to know more about Disney World continue reading......

If there is a subject I may be an authority on it's the Disney company and specifically Parks and Resorts. Because my mother was an employee ( if you didn't know the Disney calls all of their employees...."Cast members") I started a home based travel business.....called Magic Destinations. It was my business to know the Parks and Resorts inside and out. Did very well for a few years, Disney changed many of their procedures like the fast pass system and changed items we would get paid for....such as not getting paid for selling the photo package it became untenable and I stopped.

My mother being a long vested cast member was basically squeezed out. At the end of her career she was working on a seasonal schedule, working during the busy time of year. Disney decided they didn't want her to do that anymore, they told her to either go back to full time, retire or get fired. If she choose the later she would lose all of her retiree benefits. She choose to retire. My mother did many jobs working at the parks in Florida, at the Disney company you could change your job every six months if you wanted to. My mother enjoyed doing just that.......getting the chance to experience all she could. She did everything from being a concierge to once training to drive a bus........she couldn't parallel park the bus and she failed the driving test......lol She rented strollers.....took pictures and worked in food and beverage. She once was given an award by the compnay as an exemplary cast member..... When she was renting strollers they would put tie a card on the stroller with the families name with a card on a string. When they returned the stroller the Cast member would remove the card. My mother started a string ball with the old string. Cast members all over the Disney World resort heard about it and started saving the string for her string ball. The ball became as big as a huge beach ball.......They recognized her for promoting comradre among the cast members. They took the ball and displayed it at Casting ( employment training center).

The has changed so much during the time my family was involved with the company......BTW I still have a few family members who still work there......a SIL and a niece. People may not know but companies from all over the world would send their employees to Disney World to study how Disney conducted business. How they operated and how they treated their employees.........the "Disney difference".

Disney had their own departments such as electrical, carpentry, painting and their own janitorial departments. Disney was known for it's magic.......for instance at once upon a time when Christmas season came the entire resort was transformed over night. A literal army would decorate the entire resort over night! The guest would wake up to this Christmas transformation in one night. Things like the Ginger Bread house at the Grand Floridian took time ( if you have never seen it you really should) took time but all the Christmas decorations in the parks were done in one night. Now they do it over about two weeks.

If you noticed a scratch on the paint on a hand rail......it would be gone the next day. A light bulb out? it was replaced the next day. It was often said you could eat off the streets at Disney World......I believe you could. It was comapny policy that no matter what your position was, you could not walk past a piece of trash without picking it up. It would be immediate grounds for dismissal. Trash cans were specifically placed so that you as a guest would have to make more then a set number of steps to deposit your trash in a can. This was the Disney Difference.

Once a guest came through the gates they were all treated the same, no matter who you were you were treated as royalty. Guest satisfaction was paramount. The food quality was gourmet every where you went. Even at what you would call their "budget" resorts, there was a chef on staff at every resort. Things were always cooked to order. The deserts were a thing of beauty.....the Disney Difference. When you entered the parks there was no up-sale everything was included. No special events.......if you paid to get in the gates, everyone enjoyed all there was to be offered.

Everything had a specific meaning to add to your experience. When you stayed at a resort there were mementos and souvenirs that were specific to your resort. The napkins, the plastic bags they would give you for items you purchased all were specific to the resort or park you bought them at. It was small things you may have not noticed that made it the Disney difference. There were items you bought at the parks you couldn't get anywhere else in the world but at that park or resort. Even the paper/plastic cups were specific to each park or resort. Many items unless on the secondary market you couldn't even buy on the internet. It was the Disney Difference.

The resorts ( hotels) were amazing, although my family lived minutes from the front gate I ALWAYS stayed on property. The experience and just staying in the "Disney bubble" was worth it......getting a huge cast member discount sure helped! But the level of service couldn't be beat.......no paper towels in the rest rooms.....oh no, there were linen towels in your moderate to top resorts. The transportation systems were second to none. There was once a shopping district called the Disney Village once upon a time.....that's going way back. Then it became Down Town Disney, which was absolutely wonderful as well. They had an adult area that was called Pleasure Island. Every night they would celebrate New Years at 12:00......it was fantastic. You would have had to experience it. There are no words that would do it justice. There was a place called the Adventures club.....a night club that had actors that did impromptu comedy that was just amazing. Kungloosh! There were themed night clubs, a dance club themed in a 80's decore....a beach club.......even a regular comedy club that was fantastic. Again, the Disney difference.

I mention all of this to explain where we are today, Now the Disney difference has become homogenized. No longer do they have specific items such as napkins and cups. Chapek came up with a program called "One Disney" where everything is the same. No matter if you are in California, Hong Kong or Paris parks you get the same brown napkin or cup. All those little things made the magic......the Disney difference!

Maintenance, things like electrical, painting and even cleaning the parks are now contracted out to sub contractors. Department heads keep track of repairs and when the number gets to a certain point the contractors come in and fix things according to the list. Light bulbs remain unchanged till enough are out and a electrician comes in and changes them. All crews are kept to skeleton size to just address extreme emergencies. Cleanliness has suffered severly, it's not unusual to now see over flowing garbage cans. Long time employees that were responsible for making the magic and understood what the Disney Difference was are now gong. Replaced by college kids who want to get the Disney name on their resume's and use the Disney company as a stepping stone. Where it was once a very difficult place to get hired. Their standards were extremely tight.....

Now everything is an up-charge. The Disney difference is still available but now you have to pay extra for it. They have monetized every aspect they can. Often times raising the price of admission multiple times a year. They also have what they call "dynamic" pricing. We have seen other businesses do this such as MLB....charging more for different games. Disney has done this according to what time of year it is. The price of admission has reached almost $200 for one day around Christmas.......why? Because they can.

There were always what you would call "streetmosphere" in the parks. Weather it was a band.....actors being characters or musicians from other countries......many have been cut. Many people don't know that there was once an antique store in Magic Kingdom. It didn't make any money but that wasn't why it was there. it was for ambiance.......the guest experience. All those things are now gone . I have had a front seat to see these changes and it hasn't been easy.

If you made it this far thanks for following along.....LOL I don't often get to spill my guts in a cathartic way. It just pains me to see where the parks and resorts are. My mother ended her career on a group that went around and trained other cast members when they would open a new resort. She was responsible for teaching.......the Disney difference. SO if you ever went to Disney World chances are you met my mother one way or another.

edit: if you are thinking about going to Disney World I suggest you go to Universal and take a couple of days and shoot over to Disney. Universal right now is doing "Disney" better then Disney.

[ThankyouArt!]

As you see I like talking about Disney as much as I do the Ravens, there still a Disney sub-culture, there are people who make a living on going to the parks every single day....they "blog" about it on various media platforms such as you tube and face book. But Disney now operates on it's past reputation. It's living off of what came before. I has some "after thoughts"........sorry
'
Now everything is homogenized, all the food menus are basically the same. It used to be made to order, now it's made at a central location then trucked in.......such as deserts. Unless you pay extra for an up scale restaurant the food is basically the same everywhere.

There was a time if you wanted a specific souvenir.......piece of Disney jewelry, you would have to visit. Now you can buy anything Disney on the internet. Very very little is exclusive to the parks or resorts.

There was a time when a Disney vacation was unlike anything else you could get anywhere in the world. People traveled from every corner of the planet to experience......it was truly magical. The entertainment, the food, the resorts were all nothing short of amazing. There were activities offered at the resorts like horseback riding, fishing excursions, archery, a plethora of children activities. The resorts were a "destination" on their own. We used to take a day or two out of our vacations and go "resort hopping" just to visit them and experience the offerings. You could go to Disney World and never step one foot in the parks and have an amazing vacation. They had jet skies, and boats you could rent, shows out on the lake, a luau at the Polynesian that was amazing in it's day ( RIP to the Luau!). The dinner at Ohana's......amazing. Now the food is horrible and the show dumbed down. It just goes on and on........

Sure there are people who will tell you that it's still an amazing place to go. But they have no reference to how amazing it truly was. They are willing to pay a kings ransom for an inferior product.....it's there money! But if you know anything about a Disney vacation it's not cheap. I would say a vacation for four staying on property with no bells and whistles.......with park tickets would set you back about $6,000 for a week. That's for a cheap hotel and park tickets. Eating on a strict budget. I did plenty of trips for families that were going for a week, staying at a luxury resort and the meal plan ( not offered anymore) and the cost was $20,000+ ( air fair included).

If anyone is going to Disney World/Orlando and wants some advice......just PM me. I would be happy to help. My #1 piece of advice is.......start planning no less then one year ahead and unless you have gone before, get help from someone who has gone multiple times. Use a travel agent who specializes in Disney World. There are some really good ones out there. They don't cost one penny.

[blah3]

Going to Disney in summer. Hope the park experience hasn’t dropped too much. Already annoyed they got rid of the meal plan. And the whole registering your tickets and making ‘park reservations’ through the terrible my disney app was really annoying

[TheOrioleWay]

This is the kind of content I'm here for. Not 48 Lamar Jackson and WR threads

Sent from my SM-A526U using Tapatalk

Heard Disney is opening up a new ride with an NFL theme called "A Closer Look at Miles Boykin"

[ThankyouArt!]

Going to Disney in summer. Hope the park experience hasn’t dropped too much. Already annoyed they got rid of the meal plan. And the whole registering your tickets and making ‘park reservations’ through the terrible my disney app was really annoying

I do to......Happy traveling! Don't let my jaded opinion put a damper on your enjoyment. I have a somewhat unique perspective. I am sure you just want to have a good time.....and you will.

[ThankyouArt!]

Heard Disney is opening up a new ride with an NFL theme called "A Closer Look at Miles Boykin"

[BustOfPallas]

Heard Disney is opening up a new ride with an NFL theme called "A Closer Look at Miles Boykin"

[BustOfPallas]

Not sure if I mentioned it but my mother worked for Disney for 21 years, I haven't been to the parks in about 4 years......and I can get in FREE!!!!!!!!!! I have family that literally lives outside the gates of Disney. My sister is so close you can see the fireworks from her back yard on a clear night.

Disney has gone woke long before this happened to Splash mountain. It is my opinion that this "woke" stance along with price gouging and cuts is what has brought the Disney company to where it is today.

I have studied the Disney company as you can imagine for decades. They brought back Iger but Iger was/is part of the problem. The CEO that just was removed ( Bob Chapek) was the head of Parks and Resorts while Iger was the CEO previously. Chapek rose the ranks of the Disney company as the perfect hatchet man. Many of the cuts and price gouging was the work of Chapek. He made Iger and the board truck loads of money. He was rewarded for his work with the job of CEO.

Covid hits.........the compnaies "go woke.....go broke" company stance starts to catch up with them., as we know that will work out there on the West coast but in Florida? Not so much. Covid, cuts, price gouging, new policies like Park Reservations and the new Fast pass program starts to erode at the bottom line. Iger sees the writing on the wall, takes his Golden parachute and bails.

Chapek is rewarded for all his work and is the new CEO. Yes, the company is still showing huge profits......but not at the parks. Chapek has to keep up profit margins by doubling down on cuts and price raising. Still treading water he continues to triple down. Stocks start to reflect a trend.........

When stocks start to tumble only then will the board take notice. They couldn't give a rats ass about customer satisfaction. Out goes Chapek and Iger comes riding in on his white horse as if he is there to save the day......the policies that got them to this place were started under Iger.......but whose counting......right?

Splash mountain redue is apart of the new woke culture that has permeated the Disney company. It's been actually planned for years. It's funding was held up because of the issues I mentioned. Splash Mountain was themed around the movie Song of the South. The main character was an endearing black man named Uncle Remus. Most people have never seen the movie and couldn't tell you why it's not politically correct. It's on the level of Aunt Jemima syrup or Uncle Ben's rice.

I could go in to a long winded........as if this isn't long winded enough back story in how Disney has fundamentally changed how the parks and resorts are ran, maintained and how Iger and Chapek single-handedly destroyed what was once known as the "Disney difference".....ie. The magic.But I won't....... I will just say that for my Disney loving family it's been like a death in the family. I seen my mother cry real tears because of what has happened.

You are right. I never saw Song of the South. Everyone knows zippity doo dah though. The rest is just a bunch of so-so animatronic cartoon figures. I still liked the ride. I like Zeideco and Jazz and have never seen and will probably never see this Priness and Frog movie either (along with most other people I suppose). So this ride will be another one about a very so so marginal Disney movie where people are just glad to be out of the sun and getting wet on a long, long flume ride which is part of why I love it. It's long. It's just a big why? Zippity doo dah is what keeps grandma and granpa coming back and they are the ones paying the way for their broke kids and their grandkids creating new customers and shared memories. Just dumb dumb dumb.

Disney is behaving like a cultural monopoly and the bet is people won't or can't walk away.

I think they are banking on the young folks who still watch every disney plus offering that comes out. I have never finished a single disney plus offering except Mandalorian. The question is can they create the same die hard multi-generational loyalty on their new content? I'm not sure of this. It's amazing to me they were able to fumble so much of the new Star Wars so badly. People are griping they will do the same with Indiana Jones. I like Phoebe Waller Bridge and think she'll be funny in the new Indiana Jones it but is she supposed to be the "new" Indiana Jones? Lol, good luck on that one.

[usmccharles]

Heard Disney is opening up a new ride with an NFL theme called "A Closer Look at Miles Boykin"

Can we just send that dude to the moon so he's forgotten about

Sent from my SM-A526U using Tapatalk

[TheOrioleWay]

Can we just send that dude to the moon so he's forgotten about

Sent from my SM-A526U using Tapatalk

Shit, don't bring up the moon on this thread or you'll get the flat earth guy started again

[usmccharles]

Shit, don't bring up the moon on this thread or you'll get the flat earth guy started again

Weed em out

Sent from my SM-A526U using Tapatalk