WDW1974,
you have an advantage over a lot of us, probably most of the people on the forum. it sounds as if you frequent the parks a lot, so you see the parks in a different light.
I don't know if my bank account would agree with you, but as a Floridian who travels a lot (and had a second residence near DL until recently) that's true.
I spend a tremendous amount of time in the parks. ... I'd like to think that experience, as well as my knowledge and familarity with Disney's other resorts and their media empire as whole gives me a solid foundation upon which to discuss WDW (good, bad and ugly!)
i agree with you on some level. last Saturday, the Magic Kingdom bathrooms were more terrifying than the Haunted Mansion. and yes, i saw a lot of "paint chipping" during our trip.
I see those things often (certainly not all the time). They don't 'ruin' my trips. They don't make me cry or even (unless something is REALLY bad) make me complain. I do just take mental notes.
it all depends on what kind of eyes you are looking through. for my wife and i, WDW is a special unique place. we can arrive at the airport, be whisked away to a place where we don't have to worry about transportation, where time truly "stands still".
we don't have the money to vacation often. at WDW, you don't have to spend a lot of money. you don't NEED $5,000 to stay in the park for a wonderful vacation.
Absolutely.
And I am looking thru WDW from the eyes of someone who has been a regular visitor (pretty much every three months) since the 1970s, who also has APs in Anaheim and Paris ... who also has gone on DCL and visited the off-site DVC resorts ... who recently visited HKDL for the first time ... who also travels to non-Disney locales extensively ... who is a Disney shareholder (and not of the one share variety) ...who knows and has dealt in a professional capacity with Disney execs and some who used to be ... who has friends that work (or did) for the company in many capacities from front line CMs to Imagineers to animators to marketing (yeah, really!) ... who also has a family that has rich roots in the media business ... so those are the eyes I view WDW from.
And (knowing full well some people are going to take offense at this when none is intended) that isn't the eyes of the typical fanboy/gal. It just isn't.
That in no way makes me better than anyone. But it does make me more knowledgable than most (and I don't know how to state this in a way that makes it not sound like I'm blowing my own horn ... although every male would if he could but oops ... wrong discussion. sorry!)
WDW gives you so many options that you cannot find anywhere else.
True .... but only partially. Have you ever tried another Disney resort?
i found it amazing that we could start the day at Hollywood Studios, drop by Epcot for a ham and cheese croissant and a French pastry, zip back to the hotel for a 90 minute nap, and than head off to Magic Kingdom for a night of fireworks and repeated splashes at the Mountain.
Yep. You can have an amazing time at WDW, even now. No doubt about it.
it seems that you are looking at the 5% of WDW that irritates you, while i am looking at the 95% that continues to awe and amaze me.
I wish it were five percent. You'd never hear a peep from me if the number were that small.
About 25% irritates me these days (and that's before all these cuts that everyone thinks I'm making up because I have nothing better to do).
But that doesn't mean I can't go to WDW and have a great time ... I usually do ... and when I don't it's usually due to people (sometimes even those with me! and other guests! and sometimes CMs too!)
I think many people here can't reconcile how one could complain about a place and love it so much STILL!
It's actually quite easy.
But thanks for the nice response!:xmas:
