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A Spirited 15 Rounds ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
BernardandBianca
Well-Known Member
You know- I hear this said a ton- and I completely agree. The world has some amazing places- namely the history.
That said- The United States is the 3rd largest country in the world just behind Canada and Russia (who take the titles due to their frozen land masses). There is so much to see in our enormous country that you couldn't possibly see it in one lifetime. Heck- you couldn't really even see all of Adirondack State Park in one lifetime.
To each their own- but after a handful of overseas visits- I've been traveling our great country- and it's more satisfying to me, personally, than international travel. But I'm more of a topography, hiking, nature kind of guy vs a history and culture kind of guy. Culture is why I enjoy international travel- I enjoy being immersed in it- but that's about it.
People miss what's right under their nose. Who here has gone to a city and done a tour? Lots, right? Who here has taken a tour in your own city? I rest my case.
I cannot emphasize enough the idea that travel is something that should be done to the maximum extent possible if finances permit. For most of our lives, travel was minimal because of raising children (which squeezes time available), and the necessity to spend money on living expenses. But.......... we have now done all 50 states, all 7 continents, and over 100 countries. Granted, a lot of this was courtesy of United and Delta miles, and Marriott points, but we still made the effort to go and see the world. We had a parent (father) die right before their first vacation in 30 years, and we didn't want this to happen to us.
EPICOT
Well-Known Member
This is the biggest/only takeaway I've had from this thread so far.
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wannabeBelle
Well-Known Member
I cannot tell you how much I agree with this. Good for you!!! Marie
Next Big Thing
Well-Known Member
Is shutting the parks down at 6PM for Private events any better though? Universal all too often rents out their park (modern capitalism), taking away from the day guests experience. And would you believe it, Universal still charges full price on those days.
Universal doesn't give any advanced warning that the parks will be rented out either, which makes it all the worse.
SoManyWasps
Well-Known Member
And I thought people were getting worked up over pizza.
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because emoji's are fun.
Monorail_Orange
Well-Known Member
Just as it did, here. Ultimately resulting in Spirit being too fatigued to say anymore yesterday on what most of us actually come here to discuss. Quite frustrating. I tried a bit of water to fight the fires that were burning, but my garden hose was no match for the flamethrowers and napalm that was deployed.Political talk and banter always becomes a train wreck. And usually sabotages the thread.
Jahona
Well-Known Member
Growing up my parents put off doing renovations or updates around the house in order to take a yearly vacation. I never knew until earlier this year. It's something, looking back, I really appreciate. We never had the funds to go over seas but traveled all around North America. Hoping to go to Europe soon if I don't keep sinking money into the house.
andysol
Well-Known Member
It costs so little. My first RV was an old used 19' Class C for $5,200 that I put maybe $2k into and a ton of blood, sweat and tears. Now I'm living large with my 24' Class C that cost $12,000. Also known as 2 Disney trips.
The relationship growth with my family, thousands of miles and years of memories are worth well more than that.
bcoachable
Well-Known Member
I would tell of my adventures this summer, but I don't want to give away my secret places!! Lets just say, our family had a great summer... and although Disney was included in a small bit, it is not on my squad's 1st choice to go visit again....
Get out and explore, yall!!
Get out and explore, yall!!
njDizFan
Well-Known Member
Well if you work in the finance industry it is required that you are away from all banking activities for a full week. No emails, no work at home, no involvement with customers. We have that one thing going for us. But of course that's a week of sales taken away since most of us are mostly commission based. It's worth the trade off, I take my 4 full weeks every year but I understand that is not normal in the US.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
It costs so little. My first RV was an old used 19' Class C for $5,200 that I put maybe $2k into and a ton of blood, sweat and tears. Now I'm living large with my 24' Class C that cost $12,000. Also known as 2 Disney trips.
The relationship growth with my family, thousands of miles and years of memories are worth well more than that.
I have a restored 68' travco, Named the Kobiyashi Maru. 1960's on the outside. Dakota Digital dashboard inside. Hemi engine with MSD ignition and solar power for dry camping. Great for weekend getaways
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Considering the Uni parks generally close at 8 or earlier, While I still find it objectionable its not nearly as bad as Disney where depending on the 'normal' closing you could be losing 8 hours of park time.
Of course if the MK decides that closing at 7-8 keeps the shareholders happy then it becomes a 'Meh at MK as well
It's been reiterated here ad nauseam but Disney has a genuine problem with charging for a five star experience while only delivering a three star one, at best. Part of this comes from 15+ years of resting on their laurels, assuming Disney guests will pay regardless of amenities or service. Another part of it comes from the staffing culture they have, where the vast majority of front-line cast members are college program and have no specific training or skills in hospitality, while also not having specialized interviews to ensure they are right for the department they are being assigned. You should be getting a different level of service at the GF or Poly than you do at AOA or All-Star Music. In 2017 you don't. The last problem, in my opinion, is that front desk cast members spend too much time learning about magic bands and ticketing which comes at a cost of learning how to actually run a world-class hotel.
If any of you haven't taken the time to visit or stay at the Four Seasons on property, I'd highly recommend it. It is another world in terms of service. No wonder Disney allowed them to build in the middle of Golden Oak. They knew they were losing out to the Ritz and Waldorf but wanted to keep those guests on property. There's no reason that I should be getting a drastically different experience at a non-Disney branded hotel, for the same cost, than I do at Disney's flagship hotel.
Monorail_Orange
Well-Known Member
Stay out of the Neutral Zone and beware of Klingons. If not, hope Kirk can still win! All jokes aside, sounds like a nice rig.
Remember DI NK... a small boost in one ticket is a large boost over 5 tickets
Hell, I still drive to Florida vs flying because the extra 1g I can save is worth it to me. Spending 8+k before you even do anything is a tough pill. I'll do my national parks and take 'em to the west coast before I drop 10 large just to take the family overseas. They can do as I did... get a job that takes you there for free
Of course, it can get pricey. I had dinner with friends with FOUR kids over the weekend and they all ordered water because it would have added over $20 to the tab if they got Coke, iced tea etc. But flying four kids to WDW and putting them up at Disney-owned hotels and buying all food from the Mouse builds up a hefty tab too.
And you sound like a great father!