Is WDW Still a Premium Experience?

On Apr 7, 10:58 am, BigBob <BigBob...@cfl.> wrote:
> Is WDW still a premium experience, or, are we just being charged like
> it is?

(Snip)

After thinking about it for a bit, I think the problem with WDW
nowadays is that it's extremely complicated. If you don't spend weeks
researching and planning, you'll wind up paying too much, waiting too
long, and eating something overpriced that you didn't really want.

You can still have a very good experience, you just have to know how
to work the system to get it. I have an Excel spreadsheet going for
our August trip. We'll have a good time, but way too much effort is
going into having that good time.

--
Caren
TDC Queen of Adventureland

We are getting off the point just a bit.

The question I posed deals with receiving a "premium experience" and
its relationship to "premium pricing."

Virtually all of us here -- by definition -- find something we enjoy
about WDW.
This is NOT the question.

I'm NOT asking if WDW is "worth every cent" (or an overall good value,
however you define it).

I'm NOT asking if WDW is better or worse than its competition.
Better or worse is not the same thing as to whether or not something
is a "premium experience."

I'm NOT asking "why" something is the way it is, or for an economic
justification as to why things cost what they do and/or why WDW needs
to keep raising prices.

Kevin's article *specifically* addressed issues where he feels WDW has
dropped the ball.

Earlier in this thread, I addressed WDW dining as a specific issue of
concern.
My point was/is that dining at WDW is no longer a "premium
experience" (even though they charge an ever-increasing "premium
price").
Put simply, dining at WDW has become an ordeal.

If it were not for the fact that you are a relatively captive audience
and on vacation at WDW, I don't believe that most of us would tolerate
-- much less patronize -- restaurants that were as time-consuming and
difficult as what the WDW dining experience has become.

I don't think most people would patronize fast-food restaurants,
sandwich shops, pizza parlours, etc. that were operated like WDW's
counter-service restaurants are.
Would you patronize (i.e. continue to keep trying to patronize) a
restaurant that was rarely open? And, when it was, kept irregular
hours and opened and closed at will contrary to its posted hours? (see
Aunt Polly's, El Pirata y el Perico, Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle
Station)
How many times would you go back to a fast-food restaurant that
routinely made you stand in line for 20-minutes to order and receive
your food, and then made you scramble for a place to sit and eat and/
or a table that, although vacant, still hadn't been cleared? (Then
you'll love your neighborhood Pecos Bill)

Frankly, if it were not for the fact that many guests book their
vacations and purchase their non-refundable-use-it-or-lose-it dining
plans in advance, I don't think WDW restaurants would be nearly as
crowded. Guests would *choose* less difficult and less expensive
eating options if they didn't have to find some way to use their
dining credits they've already paid for.

Far from providing a "premium experience," the goal with today's WDW
dining seems to be to maximize profits by seeing how far they can push
the envelope of cutting costs and raising prices before guests revolt.
They know -- they have to know -- that guests are not happy with the
current dining situation. Doing the bare minimum necessary to keep
guests from walking altogether is not a "premium experience."

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:08:39 GMT, Charlie Foxtrot
<Bennett6570@msn.com> wrote:

>Man, you are going to get it for talking in realistic terms AND
>admitting that Universal is on-par competition for WDW.
>
>Welcome to my world.

Hey! Is that a threat? :-)

Sometimes, I think people just lose perspective.
Can't see the forest for the trees, donchaknow.
Not anyone's fault, really, it's an easy trap to fall into
when you're too close to the subject at hand...

Keane
===
When stars are born, They possess a gift or two,
One of them is this, They have the power to make a wish come true...
- Wishes

On Apr 9, 5:53 pm, Charlie Foxtrot <Bennett6...@msn.com> wrote:
>
>
> Other than the mistakes they are making in their food and beverage
> department, I don't really see many negative changes.
>

But mistakes in one department can ruin an experience.

I've talked to a couple of people who stopped at WDW with their
families while they were in Florida for other reasons. Both visited
only the Magic Kingdom. Guess what I heard about? The FOOD!

Many visitors, even those not just stopping by on their way to
somewhere else, are likely visit the Magic Kingdom first or to visit
only the Magic Kingdom. The food service in the Magic Kingdom is by
any measure inadequate. The experience of waiting for 20 minutes to
get hamburgers, using a messy topping bar, and fighting for a table
is not the way to make a good first impression.

--
Caren
TDC Queen of Adventureland

> Far from providing a "premium experience," the goal with today's WDW
> dining seems to be to maximize profits by seeing how far they can push
> the envelope of cutting costs and raising prices before guests revolt.
> They know -- they have to know -- that guests are not happy with the
> current dining situation. Doing the bare minimum necessary to keep
> guests from walking altogether is not a "premium experience."

O.k. Addressing the specific issue of dining, I think sit down
restaurants remain a premium experience, but agree even more whole
heartedly than counter service has taken a plunge.

Short examples. On trip last week, we ate at Epcot France for the
first time. Absolutely loved the Gallic atmosphere. Same with Epcot
Mexico, where we sat next to the boats. If your local Applebees is
standard, it is hard to argue those Disney options are not, by
comparison, premium.

As for Pecos Bill in particular, gosh, what happened to it? We
stopped going to Cosmic Ray's a few years back after several
consecutive experiences of dirty tables and the like. Then Pecos Bill
was infected with "crowd everyone into the one open room" syndrome "so
we can save 5 bucks on electricity in the closed one nearby." I am
not sure where to go any more for counter service at MK and avoid the
feeling that it completely stinks. They really need to keep all the
dining space open all day long, clean the tables regularly, and make
it something to look forward to, not mildly dread.

On Apr 10, 10:21 am, Rudeney <rude...@mickeypics.com> wrote:
> On several of our last trips, we encountered far fewer CM's, and those
> we found were often aggravated, overworked, unable to communicate
> effectively and not very helpful.  In other words, they were like most
> employees at any other company.  

I've heard people say this and I can honestly say I've not experienced
anything but the finest service from CMs. At its worst, it's been fine
and then it goes up to excellent.

Checking into a Disney resort was no
> longer the exciting, magical experience that we were willing to pay
> extra to receive; it was no different than checking into a Marriott or
> Hilton.

Again, I disagree but that may just be personal experience.

>
> The shopping experience was also a disappointment.  They used to sell
> more understated adult clothing and housewares, but now they sell mostly
> T-shirts and plastic toys.  We had a hard time even fining a nice
> Christmas ornament last time.

Really??? We saw many, many fine ornaments of every conceivable size,
shape and material at the Christmas shop at DD. Did you not go there?

 I know the cheap plastic "junk" and
> T-shirts are big revenue generators and that's what the average
> once-in-a-lifetime vacationing family will flock to, but it does not
> satisfy me.  If I'm not satisfied, I won;t spend my money there.

Agreed. We just (mostly) avoid the junk and tees (except for the
plastic ice cubes I bought and still haven't used).

>
> Food is probably our biggest disappointment.  We have rarely ventured
> off property for meals (and usually only because it was in conjunction
> with arrival or departure).  I have never believed that food at WDW was
> "exceptional", but it was at least as good as a top chain restaurant.
> The service was always good and there were many choices.  On our last
> trip, dining was a disaster.  While we never had any really bad food
> (i.e. bad enough to send back or complain about), the quality was along
> the lines of Applebee's on a bad day

Again, I disagree. I'm not sure what restaurants we're talking about
but that has not been our experience. I would agree that there are
places where the menu isn't as good as it was - and some counter
service stuff is deplorable - but, over the past several trips, we've
had much better than average dining at Flying Fish, California Grill,
Yachtman Steakhouse, Captain's Grill to name a few. I'll grant you the
prices are high - but you are at a vacation resort.

> Does this mean I'll never go back to WDW?  Well of course not!  All it
> means is that I don't see myself buying another AP anytime soon, and it
> means that we'll only take a big week-long vacation there once very
> three or four years.  If I'm in the area on business, I would, of
> course, stop by.  And it looks like that could happen in October

Me, too. Finally, a scotch meet...

> (Columbus week, unfortunately).

Whoops, not so fast. We'll miss you by 2 weeks.

On Apr 10, 1:37 pm, Ginny Favers <ginnyfav...@> wrote:
> JackM wrote:
> > Ginny Favers wrote:
> >> Traveler wrote:
>
> >>> As for Pecos Bill in particular, gosh, what happened to it?  
>
> >> You couldn't pay me to eat the swill from Pecos Bill's again.  My
> >> goodness, what terrible food.  How anyone can make a hamburger taste
> >> that bad?
>
> > Obviously, you never ate my mother's cooking, Amanda. It's really very
> > easy. ;-)
>
> > Jack
>
> Jack, was it made out of Meet(tm)?  Were the buns really old, hard on
> side and damp on the other?  Was there spilled ketchup, mustard and
> mayonnaise mixed together in smears on the table?  Piles of cold old
> sauteed onions strewn about the kitchen counter?
>
> Then I think it would approach the culinary treat that is Pecos Bill's.
>
> --

I can only hope that some corporate type at Disney is reading this.

--
Caren
TDC Queen of Adventureland

On Apr 10, 1:37 pm, Ginny Favers <ginnyfav...@> wrote:
>Were the buns really old, hard on
> side and damp on the other?  

Kind of reminds me of dating at the senior center... ;-)

On Apr 10, 3:07 pm, Ginny Favers <ginnyfav...@> wrote:
> Steve Russo wrote:
> > On Apr 10, 1:37 pm, Ginny Favers <ginnyfav...@> wrote:
> >> Were the buns really old, hard on
> >> side and damp on the other?  
>
> > Kind of reminds me of dating at the senior center... ;-)
>
> Thank goodness that actually brings nothing directly to my mind... which
> means it must be entirely out of my experience... hoping it stays that
> way!  LOL
>

Just give it time, Amanda... just some time.

I'm actually not sure why I made that post except it jumped into my
sick, depraved mind when I read the description of the "buns".

"Steve Russo" <srusso@nycap.> wrote in message
news:055b8d1d-48cd-4b3d-aca6-67e3b233d55f@z38g2000hsc..com...
On Apr 10, 1:37 pm, Ginny Favers <ginnyfav...@> wrote:
>Were the buns really old, hard on
> side and damp on the other?

Kind of reminds me of dating at the senior center... ;-)

You are incorrigible and totally funny.

LinLee