Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[Disneyhead'71]

I tell the kids "NO" a lot. Sometimes just for the fun of it. and. Me and the 13 year old hit UOR every Sun. morning to walk like old people do at the Mall.

And re:re: HHNs

I personally think this year is the best year since 2009. More solid line-up of houses. Weaker street experience. Equals same ranking as 2009.

My grade, I give 5 of the houses an A grade. Havoc and Walking Dead Bs. And Afterlife a C-. But with no Ds or Fs and so many As this is a really strong line up of houses. Throw in the best B&Ts and Rocky Horror and this is the best year in a very long time.

And Honorable Mention goes to AWiL for being the most coherent storytelling, detailed, special effects laden house I have ever seen.

 

[GoofGoof]

Like how it works for any other country - your child needs a passport/photo ID if I want to take my godson on a plane to London I have to have photo ID for him otherwise he can't travel. Its only impractical if your kids are older than the desired age to be in a stroller, i.e. older than 4.

I have a lot of friends with young kids. Only a handful have passports for their kids because they have family in other countries. You can't see how it would be completely impractical to require people to get their kids a passport just to rent a stroller? I get where you are going with this. Make it such a hassle to do that people won't bother, but then why not just ban strollers? Simple answer is the owners of those strollers are who you market to and your target demographic. It would be a terrible business decision to alienate a large portion of your target guests so you can have some extra space for planters and benches.

 

[GoofGoof]

Seriously? You find none of this detracting?

No one likes walls of trash or fences blocking their views or access through the parks... and people don't like walls of strollers doing the same thing.

It's WDW so I guess I just expect there to be a whole lot of little kids. It really doesn't bother me. I guess I don't see some strollers parked as the same thing as a pile of trash. Of course I'm biased since I have young kids and have used a stroller. I can understand that since it doesn't benefit you (not just you but anyone who doesn't have you kids) then it's just a distraction or a waste of space.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

When you wish upon a star,
Change in management is afar,
Fix it up and do it quick,
Bring back magic make it stick.

There you go - my attempt at poetry.

Don't quit the day job of monorail expert!

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

Then you must realize how wrong you are.



I think I mostly agree with what you're getting at. In text, it's hard to tell exactly how to interpret the emphasis on YOU and YOUR.

On the whole, I'm a lot more receptive to parenting tips from other parents. We may not have the same parenting style. We may not agree. But odds are they get it. Parenting is hard. Harder than anyone can ever understand unless they have been there. Parents have earned the right to discus the subject of parenting.

People who have never had kids are usually really quick to offer advice like "Just tell them no sometimes" like it's really as easy as all that. Or specific to this conversation, they will make judgements about which kids should or should not be in a stroller. "Just make them walk". STFU. I'll decide for myself whether or not my kids should be in a stroller.

Parenting is a profound and deeply personal experience. It's the single most important thing most people will ever do in their lifetime. So naturally there is resistance when someone offers unsolicited advice on parenting. Especially when the person offering said advice has no parenting experience.

Your initial post suggested we should apply the same reasoning to businesses. That anyone without direct experience operating a theme park or resort should not voice their opinions on this subject. But the two subjects are not equivalent.

I don't have a background in the industry and I think I can safely say I'm not qualified to run Disney, the resort, the parks or even the hotels. By those standards, I do not have an informed opinion. If I were in a conversation with someone with first hand experience, I would not be offering my opinion unless they asked. Then I would be offering my insights as a customer.

What we're having here is a conversation among fans. The quality of insights and opinions varies wildly from poster to poster. @ParentsOf4 never fails to enlighten. Whereas other posters (*cough*jt*cough*) are usually a distraction at best. Mostly, we're just passing the time and sharing common interests. That's a different thing than making proclamations on proper parenting techniques. At least in my book it is.

With the size of my student loans alone, I don't see how I can *ever* afford children. So more power to those of you who are managing it.

I try to have a lot of patience when in a child-friendly, child-centric place like MK. Those little tax deductions need a lot of maintanence and equipment (hence, the strollers- see? non-parents get it too!) and others around also have to be patient.

Theme parks seem very stressful for parents of small children. Again, the non-parents get it. Or at least, the reasonable ones do. So a bit of understanding for the sugar crazed child, parent pushing stroller, lets not forget the HEAT and humidity (and crowds and possible thunderstorms and broken down rides and long lines etcetcetc) really can go a long way.

And you're right. We are all on this forum with ideals in common. It's not something we should BICKER about. People with children bring strollers. Get over it. Larger people (and really, who are you to judge them?) may rent ECVs. Get over it.

I've bitched about it, you've bitched about it, we've ALL bitched about it. So... can we...get over it now?

 

[IHeartArt]

Frankly, I was incredibly surprised by Walking Dead. The house was a LOT better than what they had in Disaster's back area last year. Admittedly there was one part that was really disorienting, to the point where it became distracting... but using one of the unique room layouts from last year's Universal Monsters house (you know what I'm talking about if you've already been there) and throwing scareactors inside the room instead of having one waiting for you to get out was pretty neat. Not that that wasn't good either, Imhotep startled me pretty well last year, but it reminded me a lot of those "zombie run" obstacle courses that have been popping up across the US.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

And one more thing. I'm sure everyone has seen the photo of the 7DMT coaster rolling along the track.

Did anyone else have a Griswold Family Christmas flashback of "Those little lights aren't twinkling" in regards to the non-motion of the carts? Hopefully I'm not the only weirdo here.

And if I am, that's ok, too.

 

[PREMiERdrum]

Did anyone else have a Griswold Family Christmas flashback of "Those little lights aren't twinkling"

"Thanks for noticing, Art."

 

[SirLink]

I have a lot of friends with young kids. Only a handful have passports for their kids because they have family in other countries. You can't see how it would be completely impractical to require people to get their kids a passport just to rent a stroller? I get where you are going with this. Make it such a hassle to do that people won't bother, but then why not just ban strollers? Simple answer is the owners of those strollers are who you market to and your target demographic. It would be a terrible business decision to alienate a large portion of your target guests so you can have some extra space for planters and benches.

So I have to have my godsons passport/photo ID, if I want to take him from where I live in the UK to anywhere else in the UK by Plane. How old your friends kids?

But they have already done that they need to push the average age upwards not drag it downwards...

 

[menamechris]

October 1 is a week away. September is usually a popular time to announce the next year's projects, right? So...with no hint of an announcement coming soon, I am starting to think we are gearing up for another year of nothing....?

 

[GoofGoof]

So I have to have my godsons passport/photo ID, if I want to take him from where I live in the UK to anywhere else in the UK by Plane. How old your friends kids?

But they have already done that they need to push the average age upwards not drag it downwards...

TSA only requires photo ID for adults over 17. Kids 17 and under don't need photo ID but still go through the security checkpoint.

If they want to appeal more to teens and adults they would need to replace meet and greets and kid friendly rides with more thrill rides or rides with higher height restrictions. Banning strollers, eliminating changing stations and getting rid of the characters would help too. Disney has gone out of their way to make the parks appealing and accommodating to families with young children. If they reversed all of that then you would see a significant decrease in attendance from that demographic. I'm not suggesting this should be the plan, just laying out how to accomplish it.

 

[alissafalco]

TSA only requires photo ID for adults over 17. Kids 17 and under don't need photo ID but still go through the security checkpoint.

If they want to appeal more to teens and adults they would need to replace meet and greets and kid friendly rides with more thrill rides or rides with higher height restrictions. Banning strollers, eliminating changing stations and getting rid of the characters would help too. Disney has gone out of their way to make the parks appealing and accommodating to families with young children. If they reversed all of that then you would see a significant decrease in attendance from that demographic. I'm not suggesting this should be the plan, just laying out how to accomplish it.

I had to provide the airlines with a copy of my daughters birth certificate because she was less than 2 years old at the time and flew on my lap.

 

[kagacins]

...(*cough*jt*cough*) ...

Justin Timberlake is on the boards? That's amazing!! I guess it makes sense with his ties to the Mickey Mouse Club that he would have a vested interest in the height limits of a roller coaster.

 

[HMF]

Using food as a crutch is no way for a person to escape his/her problems. Emotional eating is a very dangerous habit to develop. Eating for comfort not only does nothing to eliminate the problem(s) from which you are running from, but it also makes conditions worse, and can easily become an addiction. I understand we all face problems & difficulties, but eating for the sole purpose of relieving stress or escaping a dilemma cannot be sympathized with under any circumstance.

There are many other ways a person can relieve stress or help fend off difficulties. Taking part in a healthy habit, reading a book, exercising, or meditation are all good practices. Some people choose spiritual healing/practices. Me personally, I prefer to roll a fatty, put on some Bruce Springsteen music, or simply binge drink for an hour+ until my problems dissolve. But leaning on food as comfort alone is not only an unsafe habit, it is also meaningless considering how your problems will still persist AFTER the eating takes place.

I definitely agree that it can't be your one and only crutch but I really feel that under the current circumstances I can understand the desire to take as much pleasure as one can get because the society has been regressing over the past decade and it is quite painful to watch.

 

[HMF]

You know what I hate......Those fat Brazilian spiders that ride in ECV's and line cut.....oh and they smoke too. Lets ban them. You know I think they are liberals.....of all things. I seen a whole gaggle of them at WDW during gay days. They were all walking around.....30-40 at a time with matching spider tee shirts. These guest really chap my . I think they were a part of the spider cheerleading groups.

Is this "Sarcasm" I hope.

 

[John]

Is this "Sarcasm" I hope.

 

[Megalodumb]

Is this "Sarcasm" I hope.

Mine was too that you commented on. I'm a little disappointed you didn't catch it.

Please don't let it happen again.

 

[TalkingHead]

Orlando Sentinel article about what Iger told a group of analysts at a Goldman Sachs conference.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-disney-mymagic-avatar-20130924,0,3588532.story

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The chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday the company's billion-dollar-plus MyMagic+ system will roll out to all Walt Disney World guests "fairly soon," though he stopped short of committing to a precise date.

"It's rolling out fully in the months ahead," Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger told analysts during a conference hosted by Goldman Sachs in New York. "It'll be fully rolled out fairly soon."

Disney executives have previously said they hope to have the central elements of MyMagic+ — which is built around rubber wristbands, known as "MagicBands," with radio-frequency identification microchips embedded in them — by the first quarter of their 2014 fiscal year, which begins next month.

Giving visitors the ability to guarantee they will experience their favorite attractions without hour-plus standby lines "is a big deal and a game changer, we believe, in terms of the park experience," Iger said.

He said the plan is to eventually expand MyMagic+ to Disney's other theme-park resorts around the world. "It's a complex project," he said. "We're starting with Florida because of the scale that Florida gives us."

Iger also expressed confidence in the yet-to-be-built Avatar Land planned for Disney's Animal Kingdom. Disney has provided few details about the project since announcing it two years ago, and fan interest has been tepid on some Disney Internet forums.

"We're very excited about Avatar Land," Iger said. "I think that will generate substantial growth down there."

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I'm sure that makes all of you feel better about Avatarland.

 

[CDavid]

"We're very excited about Avatar Land," Iger said. "I think that will generate substantial growth down there."

I rather think Bob is in for a bit of a surprise, and not a pleasant one...

 

[the.dreamfinder]

I rather think Bob is in for a bit of a surprise, and not a pleasant one...

He'll be gone by then, it will be someone else's mess.