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I'm afraid I also find it unlikely that this gambit from Roy and Stanley is going to accomplish anything. However, from the bitter East-Coast perspective, I don't have the same good show to be swayed by. (I'm very jealous of you West-Coasters and wish I could be there.) WDW may not have fallen as far, but it hasn't rebounded any yet, either.
The most dispiriting factor here in Florida has nothing to do with fresh paint or new stuff. The real problem is a culture issue. I know that when I started in 1989, the vibe here was amazingly different. Cast members felt like they were part of a large but still personable family. When the higher-ups would tell us that we were an essential part of the magic, we half believed that they meant it. (They don't even give that idea lip service anymore!) These days, we mostly feel like warm bodies toward whom the big machine is completely indifferent. There are certainly plenty of good people around trying to keep the classic Disney groove going, but they are mostly self-motivated individuals, doing so out of personal comittment, unsupported by management.
We don't have a Matt Ouimet out here. (We didn't have a Cynthia Harris either. We did have Pressler.) We need visionary leadership, not just at WDW but throughout the company. (Like, y'know, animation.) Matt is kicking butt today, but he could be promoted tomorrow and replaced with a pinhead.
Last week, our local ABC nightly news ran a fairly harsh segment about WDW. They had cast members and guests on camera (in the park, no less) talking about the slide in quality, ever-rising prices and diminishing attractions, and the impossibility of workers making a livable wage. Bob Iger was seen responding to these issues. He said, and I am quoting from memory but this is very close, "That's just part of running a business. But I plan to restore some of the good will."
Some? Sheesh.
Anyway, I am truly thrilled to hear the good news from y'all's corner of the world and I hope it really is the start of something bigger and better for everyone. (And I sure hope all those Tomorrowland rumours turn out to be true!) Forgive me if my optimism is tempered with dread.
Save a corn dog for me.
Flippyshark
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