You may have seen one of the avalanche of articles proclaiming just how wonderful it is that a new Disney cruise ship will have a Haunted Mansion themed bar called the Haunted Mansion Parlor. I can’t imagine very many people will actually take a cruise to go to a themed bar, but if that’s you, I don’t judge you. I hope you have a great time.
My beef is with the little tidbit that was dropped in the press release alongside pics of the bar. It seems this will be a place where you can line up to buy some exclusive HM stuff. That’s right. Pay for a cruise just so you can buy more Disney merch!
Disney has been way ahead of the curve with park exclusives and Disney Store exclusives for decades. Now, they’re attempting to extend that reach into every pocket in sight. Have you been on Disney Plus lately? I have, and despite the fact that I couldn’t find much there worth watching, I noticed that they’ve added merch access buttons to individual shows to try and get you to buy buy buy while you watch!
I used to respect Disney for the artistry and presentation of it’s animated features and parks. I even worked on the backlot in Burbank (technically, I was employed by Touchstone, which used to be the adult subsidiary of Disney). But now, it’s nothing but money grabbing as far as the eye can see. That ship has only one rudder, and it’s made of solid gold.
Folks, there’s only one response to this - stop buying the merch. You know I adore the original Haunted Mansion attraction as much as anyone, but I’ve bought my last licensed HM product. As long as we keep buying, Disney will continue to focus on selling goods instead of developing quality entertainment.