From the time I was seven, I was brought up near Disneyland. Actually, that’s not 100% true. The theme park was just an orange grove at the time.
Yup. For some time, when we passed the spot, the remark was made, “That’s where they’re building Disneyland.” Perhaps the one thing that was most visible was the Peter Pan pirate ship.
The transformation that followed was simply unimaginable. The area around Disneyland went from orange trees to hotels, motels, restaurants and parking lots.
The whole Disney empire exploded as well. The studio turned out one huge success after success. The theme park grew in size and attendance.
First time I attended, it was about 3 or 4 dollars a person. If you didn’t go on the rides, that was it. Most, however, bought books which included admission, a few each of A through E tickets. The A tickets, well, most used about half of them. The prize tickets were the E tickets. Invariably, most bought extra E tickets.
For a while it actually caused a frequently used expression, “Well, that was an E ticket,” implying it was a really good experience.
Well. Things have changed and they have changed. Just getting into the park is horribly expensive. I don’t know how people afford it.
Just out of curiosity, I looked it up on line. First, I had a difficult time determining what it costs for 1 day. All the quotes I saw were for three days or for multi-park costs. It seemed to me a classic up salesmanship.
It is as if, if I want just a day in the park, then they have no interest in me. Well, I did find the cost, sortof. It changes, depending on the time of the year.
Well, they may not have much interest in me. The feeling is mutual. Ever since Walt Disney died, the whole empire has been taking a dive, big time. Their movies are failing. Their park attendance is slipping and even ABC is having problems.
It’s sort-of what happens when companies go woke. It’s sort of what happens when they produce children’s movies with adult subjects and inappropriate material in them.
Moreover, they seem to lack originality. They keep redoing old movies with a woke touch. It just really doesn’t work. Most parents won’t put up with it.
It’s showing up on Disney’s bottom line and they just don’t get it. It would seem they believe that if they keep trying, that round peg is going to go though that square hole.