They have managed booze pretty well in EPCOT especially in the cases where it is served in moderation as an accessory to a meal. You guys can comment and weigh in. The heat must have an effect. The old amusement parks had this issue with the sailors that stood up on the rides and die, etc and or puke. Disneyland was the solution to that.
They walk a perilous line with booze in the parks. Like you said, the markup on those drinks is insane. I'm not a teetotaler or anything, but you can see Walt's point in keeping Disneyland dry. On the other hand, it would be kind of absurd to have a Biergarten in EPCOT without the beer. DCA is a tossup - having beer stands there, or randomly placed bars, gives it to me more of that carnival atmosphere that plagues the park. People walking around with beers on Paradise Pier reminds me more of a sporting event or Six Flags than it does something classy like EPCOT. It's all perception, though.
Disney does do a pretty good job, at least in WDW, about keeping people from overdoing it. I used to drive the Friendships from EPCOT to the hotels at the end of the night, so I know that you get some guests staggering back to their rooms, but overall nothing was as bad as the crowds at the media events who would get free drinks and urp on the docks.
It was my favorite toy as a kid. Hands down. My kids did not like the park that much. At 6 yr's old they would look at the line and say "the rides are not worth the wait". I hope the new Lego park is more fun and has better capacity.
I'm sure you're right about the rides - I've never been to a Legoland, but the rides look like pretty conventional carnival rides to me. The main draw for me as a kid was all the dioramas of the landmarks and cities and things done in Lego... I didn't even know, probably, that they had rides! I'm sure they'll have to up their game for Orlando attraction-wise, but they already have a leg up with the existing landscaping and atmosphere of the old Gardens. I think if they're savvy they can market it as a theme park to out-of-towners and a nice place for a picnic lunch for locals.
I just love Legos. I would probably still play with them if I could afford the darn things...
What is the most emotional aspect of WDW to you? What gets to you no matter how many times you see it?
I think for me it's mostly about the sensory experience. The smells ("Disney water"), the sounds, the atmosphere. Walking through Frontierland and hearing the train whistle blow, or the Riverboat horn, or the howl of the wolf from the Haunted Mansion. The smell of popcorn... or churros. And the music *everywhere*. As I've gotten older I can just appreciate sitting on a bench and just being there. Sitting in a rocking chair on Main Street, or just riding the train or WEDway around a few times, are as fun as anything else there is to offer.
In fact, a lot of times I feel that the parks have left me behind and it's the atmosphere combined with nostalgia that keeps me interested. This is most obvious in Future World at EPCOT, where I'm so excited to be there but then realize that there's nothing much that I want to do after I've seen SSE and The Land. It's like I think, "oh boy what's next?" and then realize... there's nothing else that I want to see. Imagination, Horizons, Motion... all gone. Energy stale. Wonders of Life stale and now gone. Seas aquarium seems nearly empty these days. It makes me think... why am I here, again? At least in the MK when I get depressed that there's no real Tiki Room I can enjoy a ride on the railroad...
