I’m a big fan. The story and level of detail into everything around you can be as deep as you want it to be while still making and enjoyable experience for the casual visitor. Yes. It’s always busy but l don’t think you can measure your excitement only by how many big rides you go on but by how much of the atmosphere you can enjoy and memories you can make with your friends and family.
We went to Disney World over christmas vacation. I don’t like amusement parks on the best day. It was hot, it was crowded, I don’t ride the rides, and the christmas music played on blast every day were we there. We left on January 1st. Pure torture.
My parents wanted pictures in front of everything. By the second day my brothers and I revolted and Mom swore we would never see any pictures from that trip ever. We haven’t and I have no regrets.
Haven’t been in a bit, but always enjoyed it if only on the technical level.
Their skill and dedication to being the happiest place on earth is a little unnerving - raise your camera and suddenly at least 10% of the people in front of you pop into happy smiling poses, and you realize they are everywhere and watching you. Even the conductor on the train way in the distance was waving.
When leaving Anaheim once, my friend wanted her picture taken in front of the Happiest Place sign on the arch at the entrance, and she did this fake crying thing (to show she was sad at leaving) - in less than a minute three employees showed up and started questioning her on what was wrong …
We used to go all the time, as I lived in Florida and my nephew worked in management (free or reduced rates). After the kids grew up, we just stopped going. Everything is just too unreal.
Fun story: One of my dad’s cousins (actually, the husband of his cousin) bought some swamp land in Florida. Everyone laughed at him. Later, that swamp land became part of Disney World and he made a bundle on it. Then he laughed. A lot.
@macromeh Considering Mr. Disney bought almost everything through other businesses to avoid the prices of land going up astronomically I doubt your dad’s cousin made much of a bundle.
@macromeh@yakkoTDI For those who waited and wrangled rather than taking the initial offer, the amount they received was often well above the five-year projected market value. Some did very well indeed. Some of those were approached with higher amounts only after agreeing not to disclose the sale price in advance of the date of final transfer of the property, so they had their cash in hand for as much as several years before they were able to admit how much they’d been paid.
Interestingly, there was a persistent urban/rural legend here in Texas that had Disney buying up properties through a dummy corporation to create a third park in the middle of the country. While the idea had actually been considered at one point (in the '60s) it was never acted upon, but we still hear tales from folks who believed every word of it - yet 60 years later, it’s obviously just as much bullshit as the tale of the '67 Impala and the JATO rocket.
Haven’t been in years. Went to Disney World shortly after they opened as I worked in FL and had the week off (and the Monday after thanksgiving weekend so it was nearly empty with minimal waits for anything). Went to Disneyland years later with my kid plus 6 kids who were in second grade (babysitting for some people while I was visiting my friend and the families whose kids I took paid for everything for my kid and me). Kids had a blast, I needed leashes for the kids, rides were nice, overall kids and I were happy even though lines were a bit long.
In the mid-80’s my office used to take frequent trips to California. On one trip, a coworker and I thought it would be a blast to go to Disneyland. All was fine until we went to the Sleeping Beauty (?) castle for the boat ride. All through the ride you could hear “It’s a Small World” blaring through the speakers. As we listened, the mindless repetitiveness and awkward, stereotyped attempts at “inclusiveness” started to grate on us. * The boat ride was slow, so we had already gotten our repeated fill of that song.
Then. The. Freaking. Ride. Broke.
We were stuck in the bowels of the castle for 45 minutes before the boats started moving again. We seriously considered jumping from our boat and wading our way out to sanity, despite the messages punctuating the song to please remain in our boats for safety reasons.
The whole episode gave me a new found empathy for those unfortunate souls who have been subject to psychological torture by means such as repetitive earworm music. While the episode is now in my “funny” category of memories, I can’t hear even a couple of bars of that tune without a flashback.
So, yeah, no more Disney theme parks for me.
*(This was decades before I had even heard of terms like “inclusiveness”, “political correctness” or “cultural appropriation.” I don’t know if the song has been changed since then, since I can’t listen to it).
@mehcuda67
“I don’t know if the song has been changed since then, since I can’t listen to i”
It’s exactly as annoying as it was back then, and even a lot of us screaming commie libs can’t stand it. In my case, the reaction is driven by the revulsion produced by such happy-clappy superficiality in the face of so many things that need to be fixed.
@mehcuda67@werehatrack I went to IASW once, first time I’d been there, dragging my companions just to see if it was as horrible as everyone said, and I think I came out diabetic. And that song stuck in my head for weeks …
Other times I went I avoided going anywhere near the castle so I wouldn’t hear that damn song.
I just. No. And I have known people who just cannot afford it but “we are going to Disney world” “but why you kids can’t ask remmber if” “maybe we will waste our time and money again later”
How old are your children?
I don’t have children.
I’m a big fan. The story and level of detail into everything around you can be as deep as you want it to be while still making and enjoyable experience for the casual visitor. Yes. It’s always busy but l don’t think you can measure your excitement only by how many big rides you go on but by how much of the atmosphere you can enjoy and memories you can make with your friends and family.
We went to Disney World over christmas vacation. I don’t like amusement parks on the best day. It was hot, it was crowded, I don’t ride the rides, and the christmas music played on blast every day were we there. We left on January 1st. Pure torture.
My parents wanted pictures in front of everything. By the second day my brothers and I revolted and Mom swore we would never see any pictures from that trip ever. We haven’t and I have no regrets.
Great if you’re a pedo. Just sayin.
@tweezak The children are alone
Voices lost over the music a playin’.
My special skills I carefully hone.
@tweezak
The voice of experience has spoken!!
@yakkoTDI You sound surprised to find Joe Biden shops meh. I got hairy legs.
The Disney thrill is gone. way up in price, way down in fun, and to China for approval.
Haven’t been in a bit, but always enjoyed it if only on the technical level.
Their skill and dedication to being the happiest place on earth is a little unnerving - raise your camera and suddenly at least 10% of the people in front of you pop into happy smiling poses, and you realize they are everywhere and watching you. Even the conductor on the train way in the distance was waving.
When leaving Anaheim once, my friend wanted her picture taken in front of the Happiest Place sign on the arch at the entrance, and she did this fake crying thing (to show she was sad at leaving) - in less than a minute three employees showed up and started questioning her on what was wrong …
@stolicat
That sounds a little creepy!
Eh, they’re meh.
Too much like being one of the props.
Unless you’re GAY,
Just stay AWAY!!
/giphy gay
I love the parks. I’ve been to Disneyland once and Disney World twice. I had the most fun when I went by myself.
We used to go all the time, as I lived in Florida and my nephew worked in management (free or reduced rates). After the kids grew up, we just stopped going. Everything is just too unreal.
Fun story: One of my dad’s cousins (actually, the husband of his cousin) bought some swamp land in Florida. Everyone laughed at him. Later, that swamp land became part of Disney World and he made a bundle on it. Then he laughed. A lot.
@macromeh Considering Mr. Disney bought almost everything through other businesses to avoid the prices of land going up astronomically I doubt your dad’s cousin made much of a bundle.
@macromeh @yakkoTDI For those who waited and wrangled rather than taking the initial offer, the amount they received was often well above the five-year projected market value. Some did very well indeed. Some of those were approached with higher amounts only after agreeing not to disclose the sale price in advance of the date of final transfer of the property, so they had their cash in hand for as much as several years before they were able to admit how much they’d been paid.
Interestingly, there was a persistent urban/rural legend here in Texas that had Disney buying up properties through a dummy corporation to create a third park in the middle of the country. While the idea had actually been considered at one point (in the '60s) it was never acted upon, but we still hear tales from folks who believed every word of it - yet 60 years later, it’s obviously just as much bullshit as the tale of the '67 Impala and the JATO rocket.
Haven’t been in years. Went to Disney World shortly after they opened as I worked in FL and had the week off (and the Monday after thanksgiving weekend so it was nearly empty with minimal waits for anything). Went to Disneyland years later with my kid plus 6 kids who were in second grade (babysitting for some people while I was visiting my friend and the families whose kids I took paid for everything for my kid and me). Kids had a blast, I needed leashes for the kids, rides were nice, overall kids and I were happy even though lines were a bit long.
In the mid-80’s my office used to take frequent trips to California. On one trip, a coworker and I thought it would be a blast to go to Disneyland. All was fine until we went to the Sleeping Beauty (?) castle for the boat ride. All through the ride you could hear “It’s a Small World” blaring through the speakers. As we listened, the mindless repetitiveness and awkward, stereotyped attempts at “inclusiveness” started to grate on us. * The boat ride was slow, so we had already gotten our repeated fill of that song.
Then. The. Freaking. Ride. Broke.
We were stuck in the bowels of the castle for 45 minutes before the boats started moving again. We seriously considered jumping from our boat and wading our way out to sanity, despite the messages punctuating the song to please remain in our boats for safety reasons.
The whole episode gave me a new found empathy for those unfortunate souls who have been subject to psychological torture by means such as repetitive earworm music. While the episode is now in my “funny” category of memories, I can’t hear even a couple of bars of that tune without a flashback.
So, yeah, no more Disney theme parks for me.
*(This was decades before I had even heard of terms like “inclusiveness”, “political correctness” or “cultural appropriation.” I don’t know if the song has been changed since then, since I can’t listen to it).
@mehcuda67
“I don’t know if the song has been changed since then, since I can’t listen to i”
It’s exactly as annoying as it was back then, and even a lot of us screaming commie libs can’t stand it. In my case, the reaction is driven by the revulsion produced by such happy-clappy superficiality in the face of so many things that need to be fixed.
@mehcuda67 @werehatrack I went to IASW once, first time I’d been there, dragging my companions just to see if it was as horrible as everyone said, and I think I came out diabetic. And that song stuck in my head for weeks …
Other times I went I avoided going anywhere near the castle so I wouldn’t hear that damn song.
I just. No. And I have known people who just cannot afford it but “we are going to Disney world” “but why you kids can’t ask remmber if” “maybe we will waste our time and money again later”
No just. No
Thirty years since I was last at DW, far longer since DL. I do not anticipate revisiting either of them, for a variety of reasons.
We had annual passes from 1988 to 2015. The last year, we only went on the last week the pass was good and were only there for 45 minutes.
Haven’t gone since.