Is Disney out of danger?

Disney's annual shareholder meeting this year was a lot less contentious than last year, largely because their results are better.

Still, there is a great deal of rancor among Disney fans, (Roy Disney being chief among them, it seems), who feel that Michael Eisner has spent the last few years taking the soul out of the organization.

When I talk to most people about it, one of the key issues they point out is the high cost of visiting Disney's theme parks. I think the high cost is just fine - but the average consumer may be reacting to the recent decline in customer value being delivered by the parks.

I wouldn't disagree with anyone saying Disney parks are expensive. In the past, that's been OK - since you generally DO get what you pay for. Start screaming about the cost, and Disney will listen to you (to a point) - but the end result may be a crap experience.Sadly, there has been far too much cost-cutting at the parks in recent years. Disney used to really ice the cake for their guests in many ways. The worst effect - in my opinion - is in the employees. They are clearly getting less training than they used to. It wouldn't surprise me if Disney is cutting a lot of other corners in the cost department.There is no good excuse for cutting costs that add to customer value while raising prices. Disney needs to make a clear choice - are the parks expensive and WORTH it? Or are they cheap, with lots of cost cutting? A good deal of the dissatisfaction people have with Disney today is that - compared to a few years ago - it's expensive, with cost cutting. It's like paying Nieman-Marcus prices for a Wal-Mart experience. It will take longer to kill the parks with this than it did to kill (or nearly kill) the Disney Store - but there will be a long-term effect.