In 1984, after narrowly escaping multiple takeover attempts, Disney was ready for a new CEO. The company brought in former president and CEO of Paramount’s movie division, Michael Eisner. Young and energetic, with a dynamic charisma and keen business sense, Eisner seemed like just the person to right Disney’s course. In 1990, he unveiled a massive 10-year expansion plan, which was dubbed the Disney Decade. Some things worked, some things didn’t, and some never came to pass.
But one thing is undeniable—the Disney Decade fundamentally changed the guest experience for good. Now, 15 years later, we take a look at the legacies the Disney Decade left behind.
1. Radical expansion
Eisner had big plans and big dreams. When he arrived as CEO in 1984, Disney had one theme park in California, two in Florida, and one in Tokyo. By the time he left in 2005, Disney had added two more Florida parks, another in California, two in Paris, and one in Hong Kong, more than doubling the total Disney theme park holdings from 4 to 10.
Eisner also expanded the existing properties dramatically, adding new attractions and resorts. For a time, Walt Disney World guests could even visit the Disney Institute, an impressive hands-on learning center and retreat located where Saratoga Springs is today. Eisner’s ideas were bold, fresh, and dramatic. When they worked, they worked well.
2. Disney Vacation Club
Image: Disney
The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is an important tangible legacy of the Disney Decade. In fact, it could be argued that DVC helped usher in the new era of timeshares based on flexible points rather than locked in weeks. This complex system allows you to purchase blocks of points for a one-time fee. You will then receive that number of points to use every year until your ownership expires (currently between the years 2042 and 2062, depending on which resort is considered your “home”), though you must pay annual dues on your points. Like all timeshares, the idea is that if you invest now, you can guard against future rate increases while enjoying a spacious condo rather than a traditional hotel room.
Whether or not to buy DVC is beyond the scope of this article, but the reality is that it changed Disney permanently. The explosion in DVC properties at Walt Disney World alone has been enough to change some basic sight lines, and building shows no signs of slowing down. DVC owners get certain discounts and perks as well.
3. Disney Cruise Line
Image: Disney
Disney entered the cruise industry in 1995, the exact middle of the Disney Decade. Previous partnerships with other cruise lines had proved profitable, and the Disney Cruise Line allows the company to tightly control the guest experience. With dedicated family and adult spaces, a wide range of activities, and that Disney touch, the cruise line remains wildly popular. The line has expanded to four ships and shows no signs of waning guest interest.
4. Massive closures
Image: Rod Ramsey, Flickr (license)
The downside of the Disney Decade was perhaps its radical overhaul of the Disney experience visitors had long come to expect. Much-loved classic rides were drastically changed or shuttered for good. Some were replaced by supposedly next-generation attractions that failed to find the heart of the originals (Journey Into YOUR Imagination and Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management come to mind). Others just sat as silent reminders of what once was (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which officially closed a whopping 2 years after it actually closed, and was not filled in for another 6 years after that).
5. Homogenization of experiences
Pre-Eisner, the Disney parks were full of interesting little shops, each selling unique merchandise that couldn’t readily be found elsewhere in the parks, let alone outside them. In fact, Disney used to issue 2 hour shopping passes to guests who just wanted to enter a park, pick up some merchandise, and leave again. As long as you left within the allotted 2 hours, you were not charged admission. Thanks to the Disney Decade, these became superfluous, since all the shops sold the same things.
The restaurants also had unique menus, and each chef had a lot of latitude in both the menu and the suppliers. During the Disney Decade, however, standardization and homogenization of menus became the new rule. Things are gradually getting better now, but thanks to the Disney Dining Plan, it is unlikely that we will ever see a full return to the variety we once enjoyed.
6. Roy Disney’s “Save Disney campaign” and Michael Eisner’s ouster
Image: Disney
Overall, the Disney Decade failed to deliver on its hype. By the turn of the 21st century, many of its promises had never been fulfilled. The movie studio and ABC TV channel were struggling to match earlier successes, and the tides of both internal and external opinion had changed.
In 2003, Walt’s nephew, Roy E. Disney, began a very public “Save Disney” campaign. He stepped down from his roles as chairman of Feature Animation and company vice chairman, and began working to have Michael Eisner removed. In March 2004, Eisner received a stunning 43% no confidence vote at a shareholder meeting. The battle was fierce, but a year later, in March 2005, Eisner agreed to resign in September, a full year before his contract expired.
Today, Disney is at a sort of crossroads. Legacies of the Disney Decade, both good and bad, are still found throughout the parks. Current CEO Bob Iger has received steadily mixed reviews, undoing some of Eisner’s less popular decisions, but keeping the company moving in an overall direction that a lot of people don’t like. With ever-intensifying pressure from Universal, especially in Central Florida, it is prime time for Disney to make some bold moves to revitalize the parks and finish healing the scars of the past.
