Spirited News and Observations and Opinions ...

[IlikeDW]

I must say that's cool that your kids know how to act in different surroundings and situations. It's sad that the majority of children are no longer taught this. Basically give them something to keep them busy, not teach them to act appropriately

My daughter does as well and has since she was 4, I think there are still many who do. The problem is that the ones who don't have parents that set zero boundaries and so the behavior is so bad and stands out so much you cant help but notice while you never notice the well behaved ones because there is nothing to notice.

 

[Longhairbear]

I stalk other sites besides this one, and over on Brand X, and other sites, the Disney handcuffs, and Fastpass + aren't extremely popular so far.

 

[The Mom]

My daughter does as well and has since she was 4, I think there are still many who do. The problem is that the ones who don't have parents that set zero boundaries and so the behavior is so bad and stands out so much you cant help but notice while you never notice the well behaved ones because there is nothing to notice.

I could take my daughter anywhere. She would sit in a 5 star restaurant and quietly color while the grownups chatted -dressed appropriately in her "Sea Island" dress, while Mom & Dad are wearing black tie formal. She went to Broadway shows, ballets, funerals and weddings with no one ever hearing her. My son was a different story - so we left him with a sitter until he reached an age of reason - around 12 or so.

When we would go out to a signature restaurant, I wanted it to be an enjoyable evening for everyone, and a night off for "mom." I also knew that the day would come (it has) when my husband and I could go anywhere at any time without having to consider the children. And they do the same. Except we still pay for the youngest.

 

[Nemo14]

I could take my daughter anywhere. She would sit in a 5 star restaurant and quietly color while the grownups chatted -dressed appropriately in her "Sea Island" dress, while Mom & Dad are wearing black tie formal. She went to Broadway shows, ballets, funerals and weddings with no one ever hearing her. My son was a different story - so we left him with a sitter until he reached an age of reason - around 12 or so.

When we would go out to a signature restaurant, I wanted it to be an enjoyable evening for everyone, and a night off for "mom." I also knew that the day would come (it has) when my husband and I could go anywhere at any time without having to consider the children. And they do the same. Except we still pay for the youngest.

I swear we're twins Marcia - DD was always well-behaved in public - never an issue, and never needed to be the center of attention. I plead guilty to having judged other parents back then whose kids couldn't even sit still for storytime at the library. Then along came DS, and I saw the light.

However, knowing his temperment, we never brought him to places where his behavior would be an issue, and eventually he did outgrow it.

 

[The Mom]

I swear we're twins Marcia - DD was always well-behaved in public - never an issue, and never needed to be the center of attention. I plead guilty to having judged other parents back then whose kids couldn't even sit still for storytime at the library. Then along came DS, and I saw the light.

However, knowing his temperment, we never brought him to places where his behavior would be an issue, and eventually he did outgrow it.

Not twins so much as of the same generation, and same culture (we're both born and bred Roedylanders). We grew up in families where kids were kids, and adults were adults, and the two worlds rarely met, except in school, at church, and a very few structured activities. And of course at the dinner table every day, unless our parents were going out to dinner - without us. Otherwise, neither group felt the need to interact with the other, and we knew our parents were calling the shots. "Go out and play" was the way my mother organized my activities.

 

[Nemo14]

. "Go out and play" was the way my mother organized my activities.

Exactly!!!

 

[PhotoDave219]

I don't have a problem with children at a high end restaurant. As long as the children behave and are respectful. I think enforcing the dress code plays a big part in how children behave. Kids are very perceptive, and most know that if they have to dress the part, they have to act the part. I can dress my kids up and take them to any restaurant that I want without fear that they would in anyway be less than perfect ladies. But they know that it is not only what is expected of them from me, but from every other person there.

By the way, you may encounter my kids at Morton's on Sand Lake as we go there fairly regularly (great Happy Hour). My oldest has Ballet class in that mall. If you haven't tried Christini's Ristorante Italiano in the same mall as Morton's it is to die for. One of the absolute best Italian restaurants I have ever been to.

http://www.christinis.com/home

Ya see, thats how you do it. Thats what i hope/expect out of kids at a fancy place!

i'll have to try the italian place....

 

[COProgressFan]

Because I like Disney Signature Dining! Or Signature dining from 7 years ago....

Your entire post was spot-on with many problems of "Signature" dining in the era of DDP. And you barely even touched on the 30% price increases every year and the shrinking of portions and quality!

I remember having a few trips in the early and mid 2000's, where we ended up doing a lot of nicer restaurants (they didn't call them "signature" back then because no one gave a crap about the DDP) in large, extended family groups and having wonderful experiences.

Flash forward just a few years later to 2009 and I remember my father (and others) saying "Wow, I can't believe they have the b*lls to charge what they're charging" and "Every place has the same 5 entrees" (Narcoosees, Jiko, Yachtsman...).

Great plan Disney...so now instead of visiting 3 or more "signature" locations, we'll just go to one...they're all pretty much the same anyway. Had some great meals off property though!

It actually didn't take too long for these locations go downhill and it wouldn't take very much to bring them back up to par. Enforce a dress and behavior code and expanding menus to offer more varied options would make a huge difference.

 

[DocMcHulk]

Yep.

That's an LA gal ... (or boy for that matter!)

It just dropped below 70 again outside the Spirit Cave. My toes are cold.

It's 5 degrees here right now.

 

[Goofyernmost]

"Go out and play" was the way my mother organized my activities.

Wow, exactly the same answer that I would get when I asked where babies came from! Small world!

 

[pixargal]

While I want to see the film, I don't want to go back and forth about what Disney may or may not do or whether it's awful to oggle underage girls (no, I don't think it is ... so I'm a perv!)

Um.....eeeeeew! I have been looking forward to your perspective on the film since Saturday, and this is what we get! Very disappointing We should be watching our for young people, not watching (insert creepy lurker emoticon here) them.

 

[flynnibus]

Um.....eeeeeew! I have been looking forward to your perspective on the film since Saturday, and this is what we get! Very disappointing We should be watching our for young people, not watching (insert creepy lurker emoticon here) them.

This this one..
http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/movie...tomorrow_zElIak22L6DgBP7r89tRTO#axzz2IuVmdXYS

One of those “experimental” films that is more fun to discuss than to sit through, the absurdist and student-y “Escape from Tomorrow” has a couple of amusingly surreal moments but doesn’t make enough out of an intriguing-sounding gimmick.
[...]
Any hopes that the movie would be a freaky satirical takedown of the House of Mouse aren’t realized, however. There’s not really any Disney-specific comment, just random, unconnected weird stuff (Asian businessmen brazenly molesting park employees, a nurse at the infirmary suddenly babbling about “cat flu” and bursting into tears). The movie could just as easily be taking place at Six Flags or even a baseball park, though then it would lack the (meager) publicity hook it has. Even Disney-hating hipsters are going to be disappointed; the film is a pure festival play that is more or less unreleasable unless theater owners start selling weed along with popcorn. My guess it that Disney lawyers will take the trademark infringement in the chops and, rather than stoking press-generating “controversy” with a lawsuit, simply ignore it and hope it goes away, which it will.

 

[alphac2005]

I hear you. Just going to my local bar and grill is a pain in the butt because parents insist on bringing the brats along (to a BAR AND GRILL, mind you, not McDonald's or Denny's) where the things squall and screech and cry and fuss. I too would be royally ed if I paid for Signature Dining at WDW and had to endure slobs and out-of-control urchins. BTW, did you email Disney and complain? I would have.

It's simple, most of the parents are selfish and self-absorbed. We'd never bring our children to an upscale, high-end dining establishment and they're well behaved. I want to go to those places to get away from them! Everything has been blurred in this country in so many ways, so many directions. One thing that many of us can agree on is that class and decorum have seen finer days.

 

[pixargal]

This this one..
http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/movie...tomorrow_zElIak22L6DgBP7r89tRTO#axzz2IuVmdXYS

Interesting review, thanks for sharing. Nice to read one that isn't in favor of the movie. The clip I saw on Saturday has not set well with me. I couldn't imagine having to sit through the whole thing.

 

[MattM]

That's how I see it. ... But this is Disney. A company that still won't give a straight answer as to whether Lou Mongello is a CM, a third party contractor, a paid BRAND advocate, or simply an online . Not really a tough question, but you'd be amazed at the lengths they'll go to not answer the question.

Have you called/emailed Investor Relations to see if Mongello is on the payrolls? If you're a shareholder, they certainly have no obligation to tell you, but you never know...

...or are you Lou Mongello?

 

[Skibum1970]

It's simple, most of the parents are selfish and self-absorbed. We'd never bring our children to an upscale, high-end dining establishment and they're well behaved. I want to go to those places to get away from them! Everything has been blurred in this country in so many ways, so many directions. One thing that many of us can agree on is that class and decorum have seen finer days.

Completely agree. One thing that drives me nuts is when the parents just ignore what their little heathens are doing. The kid can scream unending, run around, and basically jump on the table and the parents pretend they don't see it.

Anywho, let's hope that things start improving at WDW regarding maintenance and ride development. I fear that it will be hard to overcome the inertia gripping the property.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Yep. That's why Planes went from DVD to big screen. ... I think it will be big (not huge, but it doesn't have to be). ... Oz really worries me.

The trailer for Planes at the 2011 D23 Expo was a huge hit. It's a great trailer and definitely made my interested in the movie.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Yep. There's plenty of tech that's been installed that, rest assured, we aren't aware of and Disney doesn't want us aware of it.

Blondie was shilling the new Adventureland game today on the Blog. Looks noisy, intrusive and utterly unncessary. It's like Disney is saying 'we know our parks are stale and boring, but since we don't want to add anything truly new of substance, let's play with techonology' ... My reaction would be BLECH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I especially enjoyed hearing the Agent P phones while the Fife and Drum core was playing out in front of the American Adventure. Thankfully, the mother of the group realized that it was annoying and quickly pulled her child away.

 

[Tiggerish]

I don't have a problem with children at a high end restaurant. As long as the children behave and are respectful. I think enforcing the dress code plays a big part in how children behave. Kids are very perceptive, and most know that if they have to dress the part, they have to act the part. I can dress my kids up and take them to any restaurant that I want without fear that they would in anyway be less than perfect ladies. But they know that it is not only what is expected of them from me, but from every other person there.

By the way, you may encounter my kids at Morton's on Sand Lake as we go there fairly regularly (great Happy Hour). My oldest has Ballet class in that mall. If you haven't tried Christini's Ristorante Italiano in the same mall as Morton's it is to die for. One of the absolute best Italian restaurants I have ever been to.

http://www.christinis.com/home

Thanks for that link, I'm looking for alternatives to Disney's (no-longer-signature) dining for my upcoming trip, where for the first time in over ten years not only we will not have APs, we will not have WDW park tickets at all. And without a TiW card, I'm not paying menu prices at WDW resorts.

 

[dhall]

Absolutely. I can't recall when the CP began. But I do know that it wasn't something I really took note of until well into the 1990s when you'd see fresh-faced college kids with nametags listing a school. I have very mixed feelings on it ... Disney doesn't have the same cache on a resume it once did, especially if you're cleaning toilets at DAK while majoring in engineering or pre-med.

I think the CP goes back a fair ways -- I auditioned for a spot in christmas parade back in '81 in an 'all college musicians' group (couple of my friends got in, I didn't) and there was talk about spring & summer internships even back then.