A few years ago my sister, who worships All Things Disney, took her family to WDW. THere they found out that if you own any Disney stock, even one share, you can qualify for all sorts of discounts. So that Christmas my Dad gave me and my sister each three shares of stock in Disney.
I say this because I more or less despise Disney. Neither me nor my wife have any desire whatsoever to set foot back in WDW (I’ve been twice in the past, she once). And to make things worse, now we get these stupid 37-cent dividend checks every six months that we never know what to do with.
I admit that I am a Disney nut but I really don’t care for EPOCT. The different countries section is OK but the edutainment section is neither.
lovelee did you (do you) like the Disney films as a kid?
One adult freind of mine had the best time at Disneyland at the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse (which I think is lame). But she was a total nut about the film and the book as a kid and when she stepped into the treehouse she became that little girl again filled with exctiement and wonder. That is the sort of expierence I think a lot of people think of when they say Disney Magic.
So if you weren’t into the Disney stuff as a kid you might not get the full rush.
lovelee, I’m with you. I think Disney World/Epcot is the biggest ripoff in America. More than $50 to get in, endless lines, then once you get to the top of the “outside” line there’s another line inside, then you get into the ride area and there’s another line to actually get on the ride (or it’s a movie where there are no seats at all), endless mobs of bratty children screaming I WANT THIS, I WANT THAT, constant “souvenir opportunities” being shoved down your throat (you can’t get in or out of any ride without going past a shopping area), the only beer sold at the “Germany” section in Epcot is Beck’s - oh yeah, that makes me feel like I’m at a real beer garden - and on and on and on. I went to Epcot a few months ago and decided I’d never ever go back. The technology/science exhibits were so dull (e.g., “Stare at this picture of a bunch of dots and watch it turn into a picture!” – I can see that in my Sunday paper every week – and “Looky kids, this is a gyroscope, wowwee!”). I went into the “Future of Tomorrow” area where supposedly they show various futuristic technology and came across an exhibit with five IBM Thinkpad 560 laptops on it. I go up to one thinking that it must be some beta version that does some cool thing – that the exhibit description would say something about how this was IBM’s vision of the future of computers or something. No, they were just five regular Thinkpads like I can buy at a computer store. In fact, the sign at the exhibit told me I could get this amazing technological advance just by going to www.ibm.com. I was irreparably disgusted by the whole WDW experience after that.
“Entirely too kid-filled”? Um, isn’t that the point? Disney World is for children. No reason why adults shouldn’t go if they enjoy that sort of thing, but why would you expect anything other than a strictly kid-oriented experience?
Personally, I love Disney. But it’s not a thrill ride park, however cool Tower of Terror is. (And it is cool.) Its a story park and a sight seeing park and if that isn’t going to get you delighted, its probably not for you. (And if you have problems with being around small childern its really not for you.)
“Disney Magic” happens. The last time I went I hopped on the back of a full trolly in the MK (with permission of the driver) halfway up main street the barbershop quartet (with their manager) hopped on with me and asked if I would mind them warming up. I’m a singer and was delighted by the idea, and even more delighted when their warm up consisted of them noodling around in four part harmony tapping each other in and out of the parts, with their manager. Fanatastic! I couldn’t have dreamed of something more fun happening. But, that’s just me.
Hurray! Someone else has been convinced that Disney is pure, unadulterated, overrated drivel!
Personally, I think Disney is evil right to the top of their brainwashed Mickey Mouse ears.
Seriously, who wants to spend way too much money to spend way too much time in line for a ride that’s over in seconds? That’s just stupid. If you want a real ride, go find a big hill and zip down it on your bicycle.
Forgot to add: the big feature pointed out at that IBM Thinkpad exhibit from my previous post was the “cool mouse button - hot diggity, it’s right in the middle of the keyboard!!!” Yeah, that’s really thrilling and an amazing display of advanced technology.
What a yawnfest and waste of 12 hours that day was. I’ve had more fun cleaning my bathroom.
I remember Epcot as well in the same light as MissBunny. There was some House of Tomorrow thing that looked like someone had decorated their house with stuff from a Sharper Image catalog, a bunch of computers and cell phones that were hardly bleeding edge technology and a whole lotta corporate propaganda.
Like I said, my son liked it… mainly for the characters. Actually, wait. Allow me to rant a second. You know those commercials where some kid is talking to his brother/sister or whatnot about Disney World? Then they go and the kid sees Mickey and gets all excited and runs up to him and they hug? Bullshit. More like your kid sees a Disney character, gets excited, start to go over and some college student yells at your kid to get away from the character and wait in line. Ok, I can accept that if every rugrat in Florida runs up to the Big M at one time, it’s really hard for the parents to get a photo-op. But yelling at a two year old? After putting all that Disney Magic crap in the commercials? That alone is reason for me to never go back.
Anyway, besides the joy of seeing the characters, most of the rest of the MK is the rides (besides shops and I can shop in Illinois). We went soon after 9/11 and the park was practically deserted. Without the line waits, it took up maybe 2 hours to pretty much do everything in the MK. You could stay amused longer at your typical church parking lot carnival.
I’ve been to DL (CA) but never WDW (FL), but my wife has. I think the park thrives on positive associations–you’ve seen the movie/video, so you’ll be enraptured by said movie/video turned into a ride, parade, character host, or overpriced entree. Since she wasn’t raised on Disney stuff at all, she didn’t get most of the cultural references and was bored out of her mind.
For me, there’s a creepy fascination with the place–I like walking around and investigating the attention to detail in the overall design, whether it be landscaping, architecture, color schemes, etc. Nothing profound, mind you, but still amazing in the thought and care put into every little thing. However, I doubt there are more than 6 rides I’d even consider going on anymore (if they’re still around), and I’m not a fast-ride person at all. I suspect I’ll probably go to the one in FL some day, but not for a while (especially given how much it costs). I haven’t been to California Adventures either, but am in no rush for that.
I went in 10th grade with a couple hundred school friends (chorus trip). Ohmigod, was it fun. Probably mostly a result of being there with my best friends, though. The rides were neat–I especially remember the haunted house, though. What’s funny though is that the park is supposedly for kids, but it’s way too busy a place for anyone really young. I mean, there’s way too much going on there for little children to not feel overwhelmed. When we went, I remember a lot of small crying children. Apparently, taking your 3-year-old is a bad idea.
Anyway, I have a love/hate relationship with Disney (good movies, but scary attitude and marketing strategies), and don’t think there’s anything wrong with you. I actually had a friend who went along who was crabby some of the day. You just really have to be in the right mood for it, I think.
