I have been, for years, an unabashed "Disney fan". I have been one of their most vocal supporters. I have defended their sometimes questionable decisions. I have helped people to plan trips and convinced people who weren't "amusement park people" to give Disney a chance. I kept visiting after they took away the Early Entry benefit for Disney Resort guests. I kept visiting as they dumbed down menus to accomodate the Dining Plan. I kept staying on Disney property, and encouraging others to do so, even when it cost far more than other lodging choices. I have repeated to anyone and everyone who would listen that Walt Disney World was more than just the parks, it was a resort destination with so much to do that no trip could be long enough to do it all. I kept visiting both with and without my child, because I chose to spend my vacation dollars supporting my favorite place in the World - the Adventurers Club. But no more.
I'm sad to say that Disney seems to have lost their creative vision, at least outside of the parks. They are closing a uniquely "Disney" entertainment spot to make way for "more shopping and dining". I only eat one meal each evening, and normally I stay awake for quite a while afterwards. According to the bean-counters who appear to be making the decisions at Disney these days I am apparently supposed to shop for the rest of the evening. And that might be okay for a day or two, but not every evening of a 10 day trip. The bean-counters that control Disney World these days seem to have hit on a new money making strategy - "Give the guests no choice but to shop and they'll HAVE to spend more money with us!" And while I do like shopping, I go to Disney World for the entertainment - something they are choosing not to offer anymore.
It's becoming increasingly obvious that Disney doesn't want my business if I want to do anything but shop and eat in the evenings. Those of us who prefer to spend our vacation dollars on experiences, not items, will be left with no choice but to spend our money elsewhere.
So, Disney bean-counters, here's what you'll be losing from my family if you continue along this path:
*Our purchase of three adult premium annual passes every year.
*Seven to ten days of lodging for at least one of our two family Disney trips each year.
*Four to seven days of lodging for each of our two adults-only trips each year.
*Our purchase of tickets to the Party for the Senses each year.
*Our purchase of all meals, snacks and beverages on each of our trips. (Normally including at least one full-service meal each day.)
*Our purchase of all of the beverages we buy at the Adventurers Club each night of our trips.
*The price of any souveniers we buy on premises, particularly at Downtown Disney. Of course, you've made that one easy for us. Thanks to the way you've homogenized the merchandise sold in Disney shops, if you've browsed one Disney owned shop you've browsed them all. And of course all our favorite non-Disney owned shops at Downtown Disney have locations elsewhere that we can and will choose to support.
That's at least $8000 to $10,000 a year. And that's not including the extended family that often travels with us, or the trips when we decide to really splurge.
Of course, for a company the size of yours I realize that we are small potatoes. But what you fail to consider is that there are thousands of other visitors like us (as well as many locals), who have spent their evenings -and dollars- in the clubs on Pleasure Island. And we are a very vocal minority. We have provided positive word of mouth for your company for years, and have been more effective than any advertising that money can buy. You might not mind losing our business, but I'm sure your Orlando area competitors such as Seaworld and Universal will appreciate gaining it. And you may suffer from our loss much more than you realize.
I urge you to reconsider closing all of the clubs on Pleasure Island. In a resort the size of Walt Disney World, surely there is a place for shopping and dining as well as after hours entertainment. The Adventurers Club, in particular, is unique not only on Disney property and in Orlando but everywhere else as well. It has a loyal following despite your lack of advertising and support. Imagine what it could be if you gave it the chance it so richly deserves. Many of us will be voting with our dollars based on your decision in this matter. I certainly hope you strongly consider the mistake you are about to make.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Update
Last week didn't turn out quite like I thought it would, since I was sick for most of the time that The Kidd spent with my parents. Still, Caradorn and I did manage to do a few of the things that we had planned to do. And this weekend was very hectic.
*Caradorn did end up getting the ps3 Metal Gear bundle, though we still haven't hooked it up yet! If we manage to control the jungle that was our yard and still have the energy, we might do that tonight.
*"The Incredible Hulk" was good. I didn't love it as much as "Iron Man", but I did really like it. And there were lots of cute little easter eggs for Hulk fans, from a shot of Bill Bixby and an appearance by Lou Ferrigno to the one crucial line that was missing from the first Hulk movie. My favorite part was the last scene before the credits. We stayed through the credits, of course, and surprisingly there wasn't a scene after them. (Though the scene right before them did seem like more of an after-the-credits kind of thing, so maybe it was originally intended to be afterward.) None of the people I know worked on the movie but I always enjoy reading the credits anyway.
*We finally got our tickets to see Gaelic Storm in Atlanta. I'm really looking forward to it. We haven't seen them since Ellery left last year, and I'm anxious to see the new fiddler. I'm still trying to convince Caradorn that we need to go see them in Birmingham the next night as well!
*Of course, right after we got our Gaelic Storm tickets we found out that Weird Al will be in Knoxville the same day. Grrrrr. Also, the symphony will be performing Video Games Live in Louisville, KY, the day before. It would mean quite a bit of driving, but we might have to go to that anyway. Otherwise we'd have to wait until October to see it in Birmingham. And that would interfere with our family Disney trip!
*Saturday we went to Nashville and Cookeville, and Sunday we went to Knoxville. We got home yesterday evening and you would have thought we'd been gone for a month. The cats acted like they were completely starved for attention.
*It is looking like the XM/Sirius merger might be approved soon. Still no word on what that will mean for subscribers. I just hope that XM channel 4 (1940s) survives - I listen to that almost constantly when I'm home. Well, and Cinemagic, of course. I always look forward to the "Dragonheart" and "Rocketeer" soundtracks!
*I really have my work cut out for me. My parents will be visiting for the Air Show later this month, and Becky and Frank will be here for July 4. I want to finish all of our works-in-progress before their visits. I'm not sure that's even possible, but I do intend to try. Wish me luck! [(See, Becky?! - You're a good influence :)]
*Caradorn did end up getting the ps3 Metal Gear bundle, though we still haven't hooked it up yet! If we manage to control the jungle that was our yard and still have the energy, we might do that tonight.
*"The Incredible Hulk" was good. I didn't love it as much as "Iron Man", but I did really like it. And there were lots of cute little easter eggs for Hulk fans, from a shot of Bill Bixby and an appearance by Lou Ferrigno to the one crucial line that was missing from the first Hulk movie. My favorite part was the last scene before the credits. We stayed through the credits, of course, and surprisingly there wasn't a scene after them. (Though the scene right before them did seem like more of an after-the-credits kind of thing, so maybe it was originally intended to be afterward.) None of the people I know worked on the movie but I always enjoy reading the credits anyway.
*We finally got our tickets to see Gaelic Storm in Atlanta. I'm really looking forward to it. We haven't seen them since Ellery left last year, and I'm anxious to see the new fiddler. I'm still trying to convince Caradorn that we need to go see them in Birmingham the next night as well!
*Of course, right after we got our Gaelic Storm tickets we found out that Weird Al will be in Knoxville the same day. Grrrrr. Also, the symphony will be performing Video Games Live in Louisville, KY, the day before. It would mean quite a bit of driving, but we might have to go to that anyway. Otherwise we'd have to wait until October to see it in Birmingham. And that would interfere with our family Disney trip!
*Saturday we went to Nashville and Cookeville, and Sunday we went to Knoxville. We got home yesterday evening and you would have thought we'd been gone for a month. The cats acted like they were completely starved for attention.
*It is looking like the XM/Sirius merger might be approved soon. Still no word on what that will mean for subscribers. I just hope that XM channel 4 (1940s) survives - I listen to that almost constantly when I'm home. Well, and Cinemagic, of course. I always look forward to the "Dragonheart" and "Rocketeer" soundtracks!
*I really have my work cut out for me. My parents will be visiting for the Air Show later this month, and Becky and Frank will be here for July 4. I want to finish all of our works-in-progress before their visits. I'm not sure that's even possible, but I do intend to try. Wish me luck! [(See, Becky?! - You're a good influence :)]
Monday, June 02, 2008
At least he doesn't have a chainsaw
At least he doesn’t have a chainsaw
Every morning while I drink my tea I sit in a chair by some windows and watch the birds and critters in my backyard. Sadly, there have been very few hummingbirds so far this year, but the squirrels and chipmunks have been very active, especially this morning. Because of the way my house is oriented, I don't really have to worry about anyone seeing me through the window. Even though three yards do have views of my yard, the trees make it difficult to see my windows.
This morning, though, I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see a guy looking at me from just outside our fence! He wandered away once I looked at him, but came back a minute later waving a large pipe of some kind. A few minutes later a couple of other guys joined him. They appear to be doing something involving the pump for my neighbors' pool. I suppose it's kind of sad, but after the initial shock at making eye contact with the guy faded, my main thought was just relief that he didn't have a chainsaw.
One day over the winter I was home alone and about to let the dogs out into the backyard when I glanced out the window and stopped in shock. There was a man standing under a tree in the backyard, not far from the door, holding a chainsaw. As I stood there gaping at him, he glanced up and saw me . . . and then started revving the thing like someone in a horror movie. I just stood there, trying to figure out what to do. He then starting cutting up a large part of a tree that was lying in the yard. Apparently the neighbor was have a giant pine tree removed, and because it was right against our fence they were lowering the sections into my yard instead of their own.
I was furious. We have locks on the gates into our yard and I would have thought that would convey the message that people aren't welcome there without permission, but they just hopped the fence without even asking or letting us know. Imagine if I had let the dogs out without realizing?! Kelly would have been frantic to get back in the house, but Stitch would have gone after the guy - and dog versus chainsaw just isn't going to end well for anyone.
I couldn't decide what to do, but I was really afraid they were going to damage our trees and I wanted to be sure to document everything, so I stood at the window snapping pictures while I called Caradorn. He went out and talked to them after he got home, and I thought that we had everything settled after that. We gave them permission to use our yard as long as they didn't damage the trees or our fence. They said they'd finish up as soon as possible and be out of our way.
We went out for most of the afternoon and evening, and it was dark when we got home. I grabbed a flashlight to go out and be sure everything was okay, and I was shocked at what I found. Large braches of one of our trees were pinned to the ground under huge pieces of the pine tree. More chunks of the pine were balanced drunkenly against our fence, pushing it slightly outward. We moved what we could but most of the chunks were much too large for us to budge.
By the next morning I was glued to the window waiting for the tree people to get back. I am a very nonconfrontational person most of the time, but at this point I was livid. Just before they showed up I went out to take pictures of the way they had left everything, and I was still doing that as they pulled up. They didn't seem to like that at all, and immediately ran over and stood in front of me. They especially seemed unhappy when I was taking pictures of their company trucks. They wanted to know the problem, so I told them. In great detail. Loudly. One of the guys made the mistake of telling me that they might have no choice but to damage our tree and fence, and that "These things happen". Not smart. By the end they were apologizing profusely, as was the neighbor. They also agreed to pay to replace anything that they damaged.
In the end things worked out okay, but I think I scared my neighbor. And of course I will never use or recommend that tree service - they have shown that they have no respect for personal property.
I don't think these new people will have any reason to come into our yard today, but I notice they keep glancing this way. Hopefully the neighbor has told them to steer clear of me. I'll be keeping an eye on them, though, just in case!
Every morning while I drink my tea I sit in a chair by some windows and watch the birds and critters in my backyard. Sadly, there have been very few hummingbirds so far this year, but the squirrels and chipmunks have been very active, especially this morning. Because of the way my house is oriented, I don't really have to worry about anyone seeing me through the window. Even though three yards do have views of my yard, the trees make it difficult to see my windows.
This morning, though, I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see a guy looking at me from just outside our fence! He wandered away once I looked at him, but came back a minute later waving a large pipe of some kind. A few minutes later a couple of other guys joined him. They appear to be doing something involving the pump for my neighbors' pool. I suppose it's kind of sad, but after the initial shock at making eye contact with the guy faded, my main thought was just relief that he didn't have a chainsaw.
One day over the winter I was home alone and about to let the dogs out into the backyard when I glanced out the window and stopped in shock. There was a man standing under a tree in the backyard, not far from the door, holding a chainsaw. As I stood there gaping at him, he glanced up and saw me . . . and then started revving the thing like someone in a horror movie. I just stood there, trying to figure out what to do. He then starting cutting up a large part of a tree that was lying in the yard. Apparently the neighbor was have a giant pine tree removed, and because it was right against our fence they were lowering the sections into my yard instead of their own.
I was furious. We have locks on the gates into our yard and I would have thought that would convey the message that people aren't welcome there without permission, but they just hopped the fence without even asking or letting us know. Imagine if I had let the dogs out without realizing?! Kelly would have been frantic to get back in the house, but Stitch would have gone after the guy - and dog versus chainsaw just isn't going to end well for anyone.
I couldn't decide what to do, but I was really afraid they were going to damage our trees and I wanted to be sure to document everything, so I stood at the window snapping pictures while I called Caradorn. He went out and talked to them after he got home, and I thought that we had everything settled after that. We gave them permission to use our yard as long as they didn't damage the trees or our fence. They said they'd finish up as soon as possible and be out of our way.
We went out for most of the afternoon and evening, and it was dark when we got home. I grabbed a flashlight to go out and be sure everything was okay, and I was shocked at what I found. Large braches of one of our trees were pinned to the ground under huge pieces of the pine tree. More chunks of the pine were balanced drunkenly against our fence, pushing it slightly outward. We moved what we could but most of the chunks were much too large for us to budge.
By the next morning I was glued to the window waiting for the tree people to get back. I am a very nonconfrontational person most of the time, but at this point I was livid. Just before they showed up I went out to take pictures of the way they had left everything, and I was still doing that as they pulled up. They didn't seem to like that at all, and immediately ran over and stood in front of me. They especially seemed unhappy when I was taking pictures of their company trucks. They wanted to know the problem, so I told them. In great detail. Loudly. One of the guys made the mistake of telling me that they might have no choice but to damage our tree and fence, and that "These things happen". Not smart. By the end they were apologizing profusely, as was the neighbor. They also agreed to pay to replace anything that they damaged.
In the end things worked out okay, but I think I scared my neighbor. And of course I will never use or recommend that tree service - they have shown that they have no respect for personal property.
I don't think these new people will have any reason to come into our yard today, but I notice they keep glancing this way. Hopefully the neighbor has told them to steer clear of me. I'll be keeping an eye on them, though, just in case!
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