Opinion: Toy Story Land's grand opening will be a disaster

Angel Ariel

Angel Ariel

Well-Known Member
Goofyernmost said:
They actually still do... Mission Space, teaches you a little about space travel and what it would feel like to be an astronaut. Test Track teaches you about cars, aerodynamics and computer operated vehicles. Seas teaches about real sea life as well as Nemo (they sneak that right in without anyone noticing) That land still teaches about the land and healthy eating and even Soarin teaches by observation about other lands and cultures that are all part of the land. Imagination has a limited curriculum now but still does delve into how the imagination works and what it can achieve. And of course, Spaceship Earth as never stopped teaching about communication and now even modern interactive communication. Not sure what Guardians are going to hit us with, but, we will find out. The World showcase still teaches about the cultures and people of other places in the world. We also tend to forget that American Adventure teaches people from other countries about what used to be American ideals. A little shaky at the moment, but, everything cycles around eventually.
Click to expand...

I completely agree :) I hope Guardians continues in that vein and does it well!
 
DisneyDaver

DisneyDaver

Well-Known Member
Hayley In Wonderland said:
I agree with this, but more in the sense that I do not understand why someone would spend SO MUCH MONEY on a trip to WDW before a child turns say, 6. Chances are the kid probably won't remember this (we lose most of our memories at 7, and cannot actually form memories until we are about 3 years old) so why not just wait until your child is old enough to remember & old enough to not need babying?
Click to expand...

I can answer your "why" question from my perspective. I am taking my daughter on her first WDW visit this fall when she will be 3.5.

First, my own memories start from when I was a little over 3 years old. My 13 year old niece first went to WDW when she was 4 and has memories of meeting Cinderella. Second, she will enjoy the experience, and my wife and I will enjoy watching her enjoy it at age 3. Her reactions at age 6 will be different and we want to see her enjoy WDW from the perspective of a 3-4 year old. Third, she has seen and asked about WDW in pictures of my wife and I from before she was born. And she has seen commercials with WDW and asked what it is. She knows it exists and wants to go. Fourth, I think (though I have no proof) that even if a young child does not remember something, different types of experiences enhance her mental growth, learning and development.

Last week, I took her to the Disney Junior Dance Party on Tour and we went to the after-party where my daughter met Doc McStuffins, Mickey, Minnie and Goofy. She loved every minute of it. And she has been telling everyone about it with a smile from ear to ear since we got home. Did it cost more than I ever thought I'd spend on a kids show (or any show for that matter)? ... yup. Was she a little cranky the next morning since she stayed up later than usual? ... yup. Was the cost and added aggravation the next day worth it to me ... absolutely.

Now, I fully really that I may come home from our WDW visit after a miserable 5 days and regret the decision to go, but I want to give it a chance.
 
DisneyDaver

DisneyDaver

Well-Known Member
DisneyMedStudent said:
No broad assumptions about children and what excites them, either. When given the choice between going to an amusement park or a museum, the majority of children will choose the amusement park. Education and curiosity aren't as valued today as they once were. Do you see kids in the Norway pavilion reading about the rich Scandinavian culture, or screaming over Elsa and Anna?
Click to expand...

I think kids of all generations have preferred the amusement park if give the choice of an amusement park or a museum. When I went to EPCOT in the early 80s as a kid, I thought World Showcase was incredibly boring. I do think that attention spans of today's kids are much shorter than prior generations and that may effect which rides they prefer, but I feel confident that the average kid of any generation would pick a ride over reading about Scandinavian culture.
 
Gabe1

Gabe1

Ivory Tower Squabble EST 2011. WINDMILL SURVIVOR
Hayley In Wonderland said:
I agree with this, but more in the sense that I do not understand why someone would spend SO MUCH MONEY on a trip to WDW before a child turns say, 6. Chances are the kid probably won't remember this (we lose most of our memories at 7, and cannot actually form memories until we are about 3 years old) so why not just wait until your child is old enough to remember & old enough to not need babying?
Click to expand...

My oldest child trip was at 14 months. The baby was at 2 months. We had awesome trips each year for 2 weeks. Disney has since changed their concept of family. We rode rides like Motion and Horizons. We rode the back stage tours. We rode Figment, Space Ship Earth, The Land, Rocks. There was such a draw to suck families of all ages in 30 years ago. Now having to compete with Uni that bar has been lowered.

I had children in the late 80's and early 90's. A time when Disney embraced families of all ages. The days when WDW was continuing to add new attractions all the time. No 3-4-5 year wait, they built to attract back then. It was always an awesome vacation and great bonding time for our family, 2 weeks of just us enjoying the parks. Now the Land is dumb'd down, the family attractions are long gone, no way would I have put a tot on Mission Space. I am blessed I lived WDW with my young family back then that embraced the days when a parent could enjoy the parks with their kids vs baby swap option of today. I enjoyed WDW with my family and my small children so much. Great family time, they were born at the time when Disney embraced family.
 
Hayley In Wonderland

Hayley In Wonderland

Well-Known Member
Angel Ariel said:
DD has been to WDW 2x and DLR 3x since she was born. I will freely admit that her 2 trips to WDW (8 and 15 months respectively) were for DH and I, not so much her. One was an extended family trip with my nephews (3 and 6 at the time), and the other was a Halloween trip that DH and I had been wanting to do for years so we could do MNSSHP. The pictures of her grabbing Mickey's nose are pretty priceless, though (her nursery was Mickey themed).

Her trips to DLR have been for all of us..age 3, 4 and 5. They've each been unique trips, in terms of our focus - but they've each been fantastic. Taking her at these ages has "forced" DH and I to take it slower, change our own pace and expectations of the trip - and it's resulted in us having more appreciation for the simpler rides. Seeing the joy on her face as she rides the teacups is precious! It's a ride DH and I would both avoid like the plague on our own, but now gladly ride multiple times on a trip to see her joy and hear her laughter. The same goes for pretty much all of the Fantasyland rides. Rider Swap works wonders for us to be able to go on rides that she can't.

We've been lucky to have some photo shoot opportunities at Disneyland, and I will forever treasure the pictures taken of us walking down Main Street hand in hand. DD has delays, and didn't learn to walk independently until she was 3.5. This picture was taken about 1.5 months before that milestoneView attachment 283669
photo by Danielle Ernest

Followed by this one the next year, when she was walking on her own:
View attachment 283671
photo by Danielle Ernest

In particular, her interactions with characters at Disneyland the past 2 years has been amazing. As part of her delays, she has a neurological speech disorder and can't yet converse verbally. She uses augmentative communication - sometimes low-tech, sometimes an iPad w/a speech application. The characters adapted seamlessly and wove such detailed stories with her - she still remembers them at home! (And so do we, even 2 years later). We've collected the autographs in 3 different storybooks for her (one for each trip), so when we read them at home, we always see the autographs and talk about/remember the trips.

Whether DD remembers these trips when she's older or not, they have been magical. I will always remember them, and I am writing the memories down in digital scrapbooks for her so even if she doesn't remember herself, she'll still have the stories. I was 19 months old when I first went to Disneyland (my brother was 5..they were really taking him :) ). I went probably 3 or 4 times before I was 10. I don't remember all of those trips, but I felt the magic early in life, and have carried with me. I hope my daughter will do the same.
Click to expand...
That's wonderful.

I guess for me its more that I live in the UK so trips to WDW were few and rare for me. I only went twice when I was a child, and I have virtually no memories of either trips. As I got older, I realised that I would have preferred for my parents to wait until I was at a good age to remember the trips and have them a part of my childhood, especially now as my mum and dad are no longer together, I would have treasured those memories.

It's different for everyone. My brother was old enough to remember, but I wasn't.
 
jakeman

jakeman

Well-Known Member
DarthVader said:
Please define what you mean by disaster? Low attendance? Poor rides? Poor experience?
Click to expand...
I believe the forum has settled on the weird juxtaposition that if SWL is busy then it will be a disaster.

Essentially if this happens:

os-wizarding-world-harry-potter-5-years-20150618


Which was considered a success at Universal, it will be considered a failure at WDW, because reasons.

Pictured above: IoA "handling the crowds".
 
Last edited:
eliza61nyc

eliza61nyc

Well-Known Member
Disneyhead'71 said:
Neither SW:GE (2 rides) nor the park as a whole (9 rides) will be able to handle the crowds that will show up. It will be...unpleasant.

SW:GE in Disneyland is opening in a park with 80 other attractions...but no parking. Haha.
Click to expand...
LMAO. Been there, done that with Pandora.
I thought you meant the attractions would be bad.
I plan on waiting awhile before visiting but You are absolutely right the crowds are going to be massive.
 
tnmowgli

tnmowgli

Member
NelsonRD said:
It is because it is not always about your children remembering. It is about the memories we get as parents. Children under 6 show the most innocent reactions to seeing the characters and the land. As kids get older, they start to question the reality of what they see. It is the same reason why we as parents do not wait until kids will remember other things, such as Santa Claus, or the Tooth Fairy.
Click to expand...
Thank you! so very true!
 
eliza61nyc

eliza61nyc

Well-Known Member
jakeman said:
I believe the forum has settled on the weird juxtaposition that if SWL is busy then it will be a disaster.

Essentially if this happens:

os-wizarding-world-harry-potter-5-years-20150618


Which was considered a success at Universal, it will be considered a failure at WDW, because reasons.

Pictured above: IoA "handling the crowds".
Click to expand...
Let me ask, do you worry about "self fulfilling " prophesy?? You know we've (general use) already determined that it will be a bust so that's the mindset before we've even set foot in it.
So basically no matter what happens is going to be an epic fail here.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom