Is Disney still a family destination?

[bwframe]

 

[cosermann]

I dumped my Disney+ subscription, oh, a year or two ago due to their wokeness. No plans to take the kids to DW in Orlando. No plans to see the new Lightyear movie.

 

[jake blue]

From what I understand, there was a Disney employee protest over Florida's Don't Say Gay bill in California! About 60 LGBT employees and advocates turned out somewhere not on or in front of Disneyland to make their voices heard. Meanwhile back in Florida, one single Disney employee stood in solidarity on the side of the road outside the entrance of the Walt Disney World compound which for anyone familiar with WDW is basically an interstate highway leading into the resort complex. He might as well have been standing on the moon because no one driving by is likely to notice him or his message. But kudos for his commitment.

Now if The Walt Disney Company is Florida's single largest private employer and only one out of the millions of employees only one Florida resident employee was willing to stand in protest of the Don't Say Gay bill, yet sixty California employees in California find it necessary to protest a bill that doesn't even effect them, then I'd say this whole affair says a lot more about California's attitude regarding how they think they can dictate the morals of the rest of the country than anything else.

For how TWDC has responded to Don't Say Gay, I think they did cowtow a little to the media pressure and that's why this has become a media tempest in a teapot. For 60+1 employees of a company this size to bring the CEO to his knees begging for forgiveness says they should have never let Bob Igor retire but that's on the Disney board, not it's employees or guests.

As for whether it's still a family destination, I don't ever notice the politics seeping into the park experience. Yes, it's incredibly overpriced. Yes, they've cut so many perks and conveniences in an attempt to recoup COVID losses. Yes, they've commodized the heck out of every single little thing in an effort to pry every last cent out of you. That's not unique to Disney and it's not inherently evil, it's just capitalist response to exploring every possible avenue of profitability. Now if you want to curb THAT trend not just at Disney but every business and enterprise that's charging for things that once were complimentary, then by all means don't patronize these businesses. If enough customers/guests stop spending then eventually they'll be forced to reevaluate the endless monetization of perks as profit opportunities and things can start shifting back to an all-inclusive experience at least to some degree.

But be careful heading down that road because the whole reason companies do this is to avoid raising the price of their core products and services. It's like when airlines began unbundling their perks and offering them as add-on fees. They said it was all about giving passengers choices but it was mostly just to avoid jacking up base fares 15-25%. If they charge for the carry-ons, the headsets, the snacks, the oxygen mask to fall in an emergency, priority boarding, priority evacuation in an emergency, etc, then they can actually make more in the long run because these ancillaries were soft costs hidden inside the base fee but now removed and offered separately but at much inflated prices. Does anyone really believe that my carry-on costs the airline an additional $20 in fuel? Absolutely not but if even half the 150 passengers pay that fee the airline makes far more than they would have by increasing the base fare. The hospitality industry is doing much the same thing right now in response to the billions they need to recoup from the pandemic's financial wake.

I'm sitting in a hotel right now as I'm at my company HQ for training all week. We spend millions here annually yet we still have to keep them honest that our contract specifies the breakfast is included, otherwise they conveniently'forget' to include those vouchers when we check-in. Yet if we stayed next door at the business traveler hotel we'd have a complimentary breakfast buffet! And that hotel's rooms are cheaper! That's the hospitality industry for you!

So in summary don't interpret a few loudmouth Disney employee protesters as indicative of the company's voice. Yes, TWDC did finally speak out against Don't Say Gay but it's not taking any substantive action to combat it like some more woke companies might or certain activist states. And I don't think it is evident in it's guests park experience. But if you have moral reservations about the company's values or practices, don't attend. If yours are truly the morals of the majority, eventually they'll feel the financial impact the possibly change course. It's unfortunate that the values of an ACTUAL minority have been dictating corporate values for far too long and that needs to change. Just don't be surprised if by adopting the moral high road principle in all your dealings you find your options severely limited because dig deep enough and almost all companies support some cause we may not agree with.

 

[Ziggidy]

Like anything else, people will forget, get tired of boycotting or get tired of their kids whining about going to disney. I people really cared, we would have seen it in our society, in our votes and basically all companies.

I don't care what's right or wrong as long as I feel good.

 

[KittySlayer]

As Jake noted above Disney is first and foremost about making money. Walk through those gates (or just drive onto the property) and everything you see is carefully choreographed so kids (and adults) have a Magical Day.

Disney may make corporate statements and play in politics to further their corporate goals but inside the Magic Kingdom a kid is not going to see any underlying political undertones unless their parents make a point of it. Sure there will be some climate change BS but heck, that was there when EPCOT opened. There is plenty of sensory overload to keep your kids focused on Fun.

I would not hesitate to take my grandkids just like in took my young son decades ago. My son worked at Disney World for about three years, there are lots and lots of Rules.

 

[jake blue]

The guest experience is exactly what Disney is selling so they're very careful not to mess with that formula. There's no end of trees felled and ink spilt describing 'The Disney Way', the distillation of the formula Walt himself established and is essentially gospel inside those magical gates. So while they may dabble in politics for public relations, they aren't going to poison the age-old formula in any meaningful way with the politics of the day.

 

[bwframe]

 

[Cameramonkey]

A rich family destination. Maybe its because my kids are now both over the prime target age, but its just not worth hundreds of dollars per day to go IMHO. Could we afford it? Yes if we saved and redirected some disposable income typically used for other entertainment/fun. But its not worth the cost anymore for us.

As others have said. The parks are indeed still family friendly due to the strict corporate messaging that is backed by the traditional Walt Disney vision.

However, the back end is turning into a cesspool of wokeism. I'm not willing to give my hard earned money to someone who literally hates me. (at least people like me)

If I had the money and didnt care about the back end politics and their desire to see folks like us dead (yes, I said it), I'd have no trouble taking a kid there. Its a safe, kid friendly destination. FOR NOW.

 

[Ingomike]

I am pleased to know a half dozen young families that will not allow their kids to watch the new Disney cartoons and they have set themselves up so their kids can see the old school cartoons many of us watched.

 

[Leadeye]

A rich family destination. Maybe its because my kids are now both over the prime target age, but its just not worth hundreds of dollars per day to go IMHO. Could we afford it? Yes if we saved and redirected some disposable income typically used for other entertainment/fun. But its not worth the cost anymore for us.

As others have said. The parks are indeed still family friendly due to the strict corporate messaging that is backed by the traditional Walt Disney vision.

However, the back end is turning into a cesspool of wokeism. I'm not willing to give my hard earned money to someone who literally hates me. (at least people like me)

If I had the money and didnt care about the back end politics and their desire to see folks like us dead (yes, I said it), I'd have no trouble taking a kid there. Its a safe, kid friendly destination. FOR NOW.

This^

Disney is in business to make a profit, with costs going up and standards of living going down, Disney isn't going to be for people of ordinary means. I would imagine on the west coast Mickey Mouse will need to learn Chinese.

Maybe they will offer subsidies to those less than well heeled hipsters who want their kids to attend, or offer a time payment schedule.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

I'd say yes. We went last year and it happened to be during gay pride week. Over 2 days with the huge crowds I saw less people dressed "flamboyantly" than I'd see in most small or large cities here in IN over the same time frame and in truth probably a lot less time out in public in those cities. Heck in two quick trips to Lafayette I saw probably almost as many with a lot less time and seeing a lot less people, seriously. I'm guessing the only difference I experienced going that week compared to any other was probably more rainbow accented overpriced crap in the gift stores and even then it was a very small percentage of the crap. And perhaps a very slight increase per capita of same sex couples. I didn't see many and to be honest they could have been two adults from different families that went together, but then again I wasn't looking.

I'd almost be willing to bet that a lot of their wokeness is based on calculations that they will gain more customers (and money) than lose rather than actual beliefs.

 

[tmcindy]

Disney is a Woke disgrace.

 

[wtfd661]

I used to take my family there just about on average every other year and we would spend anywhere from 10 days to two weeks, we have went at least 10 times over the years but they can kiss my ass before I will spend another dime there

 

[Twangbanger]

So - the question is:

"Will Disney still allow me to immerse my child in a staged version of reality with all the unpleasant bits filtered out?"








Duuude...your children are more likely to have their first sexual experience in their church youth group, at the groping hands of someone ten years older than them, than to experience anything unpleasant in Disney.

 

[Twangbanger]

I used to take my family there just about on average every other year and we would spend anywhere from 10 days to two weeks, we have went at least 10 times over the years but they can kiss my ass before I will spend another dime there.

You showed them

 

[BigRed]

Took our youngest there once. I don't see us ever going back in my lifetime.

She still likes Holiday World better.

 

[Ziggidy]

Multiple Disney World Workers Among 17 Nabbed in Florida Child Predator Bust: Sheriff

Detectives posed as juveniles on social media, apps and online dating sites as part of “Operation Child Protector.”

www.nbcmiami.com

There used to be rumors about Walt but I do not remember the details. Regardless, there is allot going on on that park.

 

[littletommy]

We go to Disney once a year, and will most likely continue to unless the wokeness works it’s way out from under the rocks and into view in the parks and resorts.

We get ridiculous deals on Disney resorts (my wife is a Disney specialist in the travel industry), and we love the vibe of the entire property. I would refuse to go again if the woke BS was an issue in the parks or resorts, but there are a lot of good people working there, who don’t have a say in what some woke idiots in the board room say or do.

 

[Ziggidy]

I’m not saying there is any truth to this, but one wonders. Personally I will not support this company because there is too much anti family stuff going on. They have an agenda that I do not support.

New Book Alleges Walt Disney Was A Gay Pedophile – OC Weekly

www.ocweekly.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I’m not saying there is any truth to this, but one wonders. Personally I will not support this company because there is too much anti family stuff going on. They have an agenda that I do not support.

New Book Alleges Walt Disney Was A Gay Pedophile – OC Weekly

www.ocweekly.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I did a search on Disney and that site came up. There were also sites that said he was a communist, despite him firing members of his own staff during the McCarthyism years because he alleged they were communists. There's a lot of BS out there. And that article is 12 years old, so there's that.