After moving here in 2000, I have been to Disneyland 5 times, four of them with my daughter and while there still is nothing compared to Disney in terms of authenticity and attention to detail, a lot has slipped during the years.
First off, I prefer Disneyworld in Florida as opposed to Disneyland. "Land" is much older and smaller, but that doesn't excuse the state of things.
Three times I have been there and there were at least five major attractions closed. The last time I went the Cinderella's castle itself was under wraps. Not good. Now, if you are gonna close five of your major attraction then take some money of of the considerable admission price.
Rides- Some of the rides need considerable re-tooling. Pirates of the Caribbean for example. The movie made like almost $700 million worldwide not including DVD sales, you would think Disney could have spent some of that money on updating the ride to reflect the movie. Rickety robot pirates firing light-bulb guns doesn't cut it anymore. This pretty much goes for much of the park. Rides are running more on nostalgia than thrill. That being said, there is one spot that I was very impressed with. The Haunted Mansion - Nightmare Before Christmas, every Halloween and for a couple months they re-imagine the Haunted Mansion into Nightmare Before Christmas, and being of that underrated Tim Burton animation masterpiece (underrated by Disney for many years) I was very impressed with what they did. They went the extra mile to turn it heart and soul into Nightmare Before Christmas. For Tim Burton fans this is the clear highlight of the park.
I understand that having a high price tag sometimes keeps casual riffraff out the park, like bored teenagers looking for trouble, but Disneyland is also for families and for a family that is a hefty price tag, especially when everything in the park is similarly priced.
of course we all know anything Disney has a higher price tag, but that is just one of the continuing factors that make Disney just a money grubbing corporation in my mind and not the imagination factory it used to be.
The food in the park is absolutely pathetic. Every single food stand or restaurant is sponsored by some other corporate conglomerate, because it's easier for Disney to have them provide food then be responsible for it themselves, and the park suffers for it. IT is also so disheartening to be assaulted by the outside corporate branding - Coca Cola, Minute Maid, etc. Advertising that you have to suffer through on the outside world now inside Disney goes against the very ideal of the park being an "escape". When I went as a kid Disney had food and things that you really didn't get anywhere else. Now, it's same stuff as you get at any highway pull off, only you're paying double. You can sense the money-grubbing all around you. You get the feeling that these cut rate companies providing the food were the only ones who are willing to deal with Disney's probably bad terms in order to get the business of there parks. Evidence of this - Coffee. Now if there were ever a match made in heaven, it would be Starbucks and the Disney parks. A shop on main-street would be perfect since I would bet I'm not alone in the sudden urge for a venti coffee after arriving to a mass of screaming kids and parents. Disneyland is the smallest of the Disney parks yet it's still a haul, so a good coffee is just what I was craving half way through our day, and what do we have? Terrible, overpriced bilge masquerading as coffee sold on main-street. What a joke.
The souvenirs are of course way overpriced as well. Are you getting a sense of theme here. OVERPRICED. I swear the moment you enter the park you feel that three finger white glove in your pocket robbing you blind.
But of course we go, and we will go again, because it has been branded in to our heads and we branded it into our children's heads. Why? Because nobody does it better. Let's hope with new Management all things Disney will return to the quality it built it's reputation on.
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