In the second edition of Theme Park Tourist Roundtable, we ask the hard question. Our staff debates the best ways to strengthen the dominant force in the theme park industry, The Walt Disney Company. Read on to see whether you agree with us. Also, feel free to add a comment if you have your own thoughts about where Disney has room to improve.
What do you think that Disney needs to do better?
Image: DisneyAmanda Kondolojy:
Hoo boy, here we go. So, I’m gonna probably echo a lot of Disney fans here and say that I really dislike Disney’s sharp focus on IP. I think it’s cool that we’re getting a TRON roller coaster, and I certainly understand the allure of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but when you couple this with the Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster, Ratatouille attraction, the new Disney Music show at Epcot, plus the recently opened Pandora: The World of Avatar, Frozen Ever After, etc. and it’s just starting to feel a little repetitive. There’s a need for IP in today’s theme park landscape, of course, but it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing situation. I would really love to see a return to a mix of original stories and IP, rather than JUST IP-based attractions.
Brian Krosnick:
Image: DisneyI totally agree with Amanda here, so rather than repeating, I’m going to offer something else: Disney needs to learn when to let it go… (Ironic, huh?) They need to practice putting the pencil down, and “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
A great example is Disney California Adventure. During the billion-dollar rebuild whose central purpose was to pivot the park AWAY from hip, irreverent, “MTV attitude” and toward classic, timeless, historic, and idealized Californian places and stories, the park ended up with really beautifully themed lands like Grizzly Peak, the Victorian-influenced Paradise Pier, and the gorgeous Buena Vista Street… And somehow, the little park that could made it over the hill, and felt like a creative complement to Disneyland. It was fixed! It was done! It was right!
Image: DisneyBut Disney didn’t stop. Now, the park’s three distinctly Californian E-Tickets (Soarin’ Over California, Tower of Terror, and California Screamin’) are Soarin’ Around the World, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Incredicoaster, respectively. Pixar Pier basically powerwashed away the storytelling of visiting a 1910s seaside boardwalk. In a double slap to the face, Hollywood Land has no reason to exist without Tower of Terror AND is now reigned over by a space junkyard prison. Is the upcoming Marvel themed land supposed to make us feel better when it, too, goes against the park’s rebuild and will reportedly feature only a Spider-Man themed Toy Story Mania-style ride… which the park already has a hundred yards away?
After being so far down the right path, California Adventure is now a park of beautifully-themed Californian lands populated exclusively by attractions themed to Marvel, Pixar, Little Mermaid, Frozen, and Cars. That’s frustrating. I think we’ve seen (and will continue to see) Disney re-engineering its parks in ways that frustrate and frazzle fans. It would be spectacular if they could leave well enough alone. Otherwise, we end up with over-engineered “solutions” to non-problems.
Natalie Sim:
Image: DisneyWhen we go back to Florida hopefully in the next couple of years I am going to be really sad not to have the old Fastpass system. I loved the challenge and fun of this and being able to be spontaneous with it.
I suppose it is stupid to say but to try to keep prices to anywhere near an affordable amount would be great. I totally get they want to make as much money as possible and spend millions on new attractions but to me, like to so many others, it just seems such a real shame if it just becomes somewhere only a small percentage of the population has the chance to enjoy.
Jett Farrell-Vega:
Image: DisneyI agree that they need to stop over-focusing on IP’s. Disney Imagineers are so spectacularly creative – some of the original stories they’ve told over the years are outstanding, and I fear that over-reliance on IP’s will make the parks feel dated in about a decade if they aren’t careful.
Another area I would love to see them improve on is the food. Disney still has some great food, but there are so many excellent restaurants that have gone downhill since the dining plan came around. Restaurants that used to have fresh, world-class food now have the equivalent of cafeteria fare. The worst part of this is that the prices have not changed to adapt to this drop in quality.
I think they also need to be careful with price increases. The prices are getting to the point where they are even pricing out locals who have passholder discounts. A Walt Disney World vacation is treated as the ultimate family American family experience, but most American families can no longer afford a trip even with years of saving. I understand Disney needs to make money to make new attractions, but they are backing themselves into a corner where too many people are priced out. It is also concerning that news continues to abound that the company does not adequately take care of their employees. I’m glad improvements have been made in this area, but they’re far from where they need to be.
Ashley Varela:
Image: DisneyThe one thing that comes to mind here is something I can’t speak to personally, but it would be great to see Disney publicly and practically commit to raising the wages for their cast members. Quality guest service is part of what makes my trips to the Disney Parks easy and enjoyable every single time, and it’s both alarming and off-putting to see the company defend their right to pay employees anything below a livable wage.
David Mumpower:
Image: DisneyI have (too) strong opinions on a lot of subjects, but I also try to see the other side of arguments. So, while I feel that the intellectual property aspect has tilted too far, I also accept that the numbers strongly support Disney taking these tactics.
I can’t fault them for wanting to sell the products that their customers are insatiable about buying. When I see less popular Disney parks soar in popularity thanks to Marvel, Star Wars, and Toy Story licenses, it’s tough to argue the product. I just…don’t like it as much.
I would prefer more Figment/Dreamfinder rides where Imagineers come up with their own characters and backstories. Those are better for me. When I walk through Expedition Everest, I’m looking at the best of Disney creativity. And that’s what I prefer. I accept that I’m in the minority, though.
Image: DisneyHaving said that, my biggest complaint about Disney is that they’re too incremental with major tech. Depending on what we call the start date, Magic Bands are either five or six years old. Mobile Ordering is now two years old. How many of the potential applications of these devices did we discuss at the time? How many are currently in use?
At this point, few Epcot restaurants have enabled Mobile Ordering, only one of which is at the World Showcase (and it’s being repurposed as we speak). Few resort restaurants participate in the service, and literally zero Table Service establishments have it available. It’s a flawless system that vastly improves efficiency for park guests.
Image: DisneyAll the way back in 2014, Be Our Guest ran tests so that people could have their orders ready when they walked in the door. Five years later, Be Our Guest doesn’t have Mobile Ordering. Can anyone explain that to me?
As for Magic Bands, why can my bracelet pay for my food and merchandise but not know that I get discounts as a passholder and DVC member? Those are intentional exclusions. I’m getting nickeled-and-dimed by a company that I’m giving a huge portion of my disposable income. None of these additions should be difficult since the technology’s already in play. The fact that park officials haven’t added them yet is mind-boggling to me.
And don’t even get me started on the buses. There should be a text system in place to notify guests at various resorts when the next bus will arrive. And I mean at the parks, too. Nothing drives me crazier at Disney than waiting 45 minutes for a bus.
Image: DisneyAs recently as two years ago, my wife and I counted 11 buses that stopped at Hollywood Studios that were going to Port Orleans Riverside. During that same timeframe, the Contemporary (and other monorail resorts) got *zero*. Someone waiting in line vented about it on Twitter, and Disney wound up sending us a van for the group standing in line. To this moment, I have no idea how any of that happened.
Logically, this mishap was a systemic transportation failure across the board. Why don’t they simply redirect other buses? How does their system not recognize a skewed split in bus arrival and departure? It’s 2019, and Disney’s bus system is still a joke. Thank God that the Disney Skyliner is almost here. Hopefully, it will solve some of the problems.
