Wikkler
Well-Known Member
It's sad because it's my truth.
But at least I will go to Universal and probably enjoy it, and I will go to Disney again and probably enjoy it...
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Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts Tres
- Thread starter WDW1974
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It's sad because it's my truth.
But at least I will go to Universal and probably enjoy it, and I will go to Disney again and probably enjoy it...
My take is that the internet has exposed us to people who used to be invisible unless we had a family member/friend who had an obsession - not just with Disney, but thousands of other things/behaviors. Going to a website and being surrounded by others who share your quirky obsession (and even more distressing, illegal/immoral behaviors/fixations!) starts to make them appear normal to you.
The posters here range from those who are going to a Disney park for the first time, and just have some questions about planning a trip, to those who seem to live and breathe Disney.
Most of us fall into the "I like to vacation there" but we also have a "real" life that has nothing to do with Disney. I have some movies, and maybe a couple of magnets, but nothing else that would scream "Disney" to anyone walking into my house.
The posters here range from those who are going to a Disney park for the first time, and just have some questions about planning a trip, to those who seem to live and breathe Disney.
Most of us fall into the "I like to vacation there" but we also have a "real" life that has nothing to do with Disney. I have some movies, and maybe a couple of magnets, but nothing else that would scream "Disney" to anyone walking into my house.
raymusiccity
Well-Known Member
It's sad because it's my truth.
But at least I will go to Universal and probably enjoy it, and I will go to Disney again and probably enjoy it...
I really believe that you've nailed the emotional concept. People go to both Uni and Disney because they can walk away at the end of the day with a sense of enjoyment/ contentment/ lasting memories, etc. Our family gets a feeling of an enjoyable amusement park from Uni and a sense of magic and wonder from Disney. We don't walk around either park counting the burnt out light bulbs or looking for peeling paint.......
71jason
Well-Known Member
Having lived in central Florida over a decade---much of that close enough to WDW to hear fireworks some nights--I will echo PhotoDave that there are not a lot of "defensive foamers" among the locals. That said, there is a significant number of people who moved here just to be near Disney. Many have other excuses, but they are just that--excuses. The reason they ended up in Orlando--not Phoenix, not Dallas--is the Mouse.
I'm no shrink, but I do think the belief that moving to a town so you can visit a theme park whenever you want, thinking that will somehow better your life in every aspect (job advancement, find a mate, be happier) probably qualifies as a form of mental illness. I don't know if Lee ever dragged you there--or how much he interacted with the locals--but the Adventurers Club was ground zero for this. The hew and cry you see for its return isn't just because it was the pinnacle of imagineering (tho, yeah, it was), but because the closing took away the one place transplanted Disney fans felt at home. Hell, I'll say it, the one place they felt normal.
Of course, for every person who makes the move to O-Town, I'm sure there's a dozen more back home with a living room of memorabilia, a closet full of T-shirts and two or three trips a year who can't quite make that jump. Those with the weakest faith are always the loudest preachers. I suspect these fans are the ones who really can't see the negative in anything TWDC does--out of fear the slightest pin prick could destroy the bubble of happiness around their escape place.
Do companies beside the TWDC encourage fandom like this? Of course. No one's ever shown me just how an iPhone is superior to a Droid for the average user [NOT asking anyone to do so now], but Apple has created the meme that if you use their products, you're cool and smart, and maybe just a little bit better than everybody else. But Disney fans do seem to take it to another level, to something, quite honestly, bordering on religion.
An aside to illustrate my point. Once a week, at least, the dining board will see a request for "local, non-chain restaurants." If you're the kind of person who wants a unique, non-chain restaurant with local flavor--then why are you vacationing at WDW? Skip the Mouse this year, try New Orleans or Savannah. But to Disney fans, a trip to WDW is a given. Everything else is secondary to that.
Sorry to ramble, but let me close by saying, yes, please write the book. Even do one of those kickstarter things, I'll pledge some bucks. I think it would be a fascinating read.
lspicknall
Active Member
From my experience perspective has a lot to do with it. I grew up watching uncle Walt on TV (the first program we watched on a color TV was the Wonderful World of Color, though it was claimed we got the color TV so my grandfather could watch Gunsmoke in color). I watched the MMC (the second run in syndication) every day, had the read-along books and records for Mary Poppins, etc. My first trip to Disney was after I married, my son’s first trip was before EPCOT opened (though he was too young to remember) and we made pretty much annual trips until just before the Studios opened.
Fast forward a few years and we make our first return trip in 2005 with my youngest (who was 10 at the time). The first film she saw in the theater was Mulan, she had seen all the classics on video and she also fell in love with WDW. I was discouraged by some things (the seeming explosion of gift shops, the cluttering formerly open areas, things being closed and just sitting empty) but still enjoyed and appreciated everything.
We have averaged a trip every eighteen months or so since then and have watched an increasingly rapid decline of quality coupled with an equally rapid increase in price. When we discuss this our youngest becomes upset because here we are bashing the place she loves so much. It has not changed that much in her view, but we clearly remember the way it was (and could be again someday).
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
Looking forward to the weekend/early next week. Regarding the meaningful day, is the following any part of it?
http://disneyatwork.com/2013/07/form-follows-parking-rumors-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/
Bforeverknight
New Member
The concept of the theme parks was originally intended to immerse the guest into a fantasy world that allowed the guest to be something that they were not in everyday life. This is no different than other substances and situations people have used in the past and today to achieve the same effect, such as your various chemical abuses. That being said as with any thing that makes people feel better about themselves, some individuals have difficulty separating what is reality from fantasy and becoming trapped in a feedback loop that promotes the feelings that they are happy and accepted, instead of the reality that they are paying a business to provide these feelings for a fee.
Well that is my take on the situation; now please past the pixie dust so I can go back to believing that all is peachy with the world.
Well that is my take on the situation; now please past the pixie dust so I can go back to believing that all is peachy with the world.
Lee
Adventurer
Yeah, I know the name. Same guy who twitted out a nasty insult to '74 a couple months ago. (I'll not put that one on here.)
I don't understand that mindset. It's like they want to stand at a safe distance and toss out insults rather than engaging in meaningful or intelligent discussion. (That's why I dislike that use of Twitter.)
Like others have said, some people are very possessive and protective of Disney. They take criticism of the company almost personally and think its okay to escalate into personal insults.
I don't get it...
GiveMeTheMusic
Well-Known Member
Steve Davison posted on FB that the Parks Blog will be announcing one of his projects today. Any guesses? Mine is WOC Holiday, but I wouldn't be mad if it was that new light parade.
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
It’s simply an irrational love for WDW.
I call it irrational because, to me, “rational love” runs both ways. If you will, true love is a two-way street; it’s symbiotic. True love nurtures both parties.
Back in the old days, the “love” that fans felt for WDW was reciprocated. Corporately in the 1970s through the 1990s, WDW often was cited as a shining example of service excellence. Corporate WDW “loved” its customers. Not anymore.
Sorry but today’s WDW is not demonstrating any love when it (for example) raises prices by double-digits, cuts show quality, and distributes billions of WDW’s profits elsewhere instead of reinvesting it back into the parks.
In some sense, WDW has become the abusing spouse while WDW fans are the abused spouse. Lately, WDW has been abusing its fans again and again and yet many refuse to walk away from what has become a bad relationship.
Sorry for using a truly serious subject like spousal abuse as an analogy but it’s the best I could think of at the moment.
Have you seen this one?
https://twitter.com/WDWMagic_TXT
We must have made the big time now - people are making up twitter accounts about WDWMAGIC
LOL
Taylor
Well-Known Member
I opened that link. That right there is a product of centuries of inbreeding.Have you seen this one?
https://twitter.com/WDWMagic_TXT
We must have made the big time now - people are making up twitter accounts about WDWMAGIC
Edit: I just realized that that account is not making fun of us but saying the best quotes.he must not have looked hard enough though because none of mine are on there.
Edit 2: nevermind they are making fun of us. Pretentious pricks.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
He's a CM. He seemed like a decent enough guy until he started bashing everyone here. I have mutual friends with the guy. Guy went flying off the handle like a drama queen....
Anyways. More on point here.... Thats exactly what twitter is for most theme-park fans.... and a large amount of society anymore. Its a way to stand back and toss snark, free of repercussions for the most part. It really is about attention for most part and people seeking the spotlight. They make things about themselves rather than anything else.
I dont see Disney having that level of loyalty towards its guests letalone its cast. So why defend it?
rael ramone
Well-Known Member
For some, it's *comfort food*, in vacation/theme park form.
People will defend the food that they were fed when growing up, even if such food included vegetables derived exclusively from cans and cooked exclusively via boiling until the any color/texture/flavor that survived the canning process is destroyed, then sprinkled with some sawdust that McCormicks has the nerve to call 'spices'.
It's 'comfort food' for them.
Some don't like to 'explore' on vacation. Some just like to repeat the same old thing. For some, it's the beach. Others it's the mountains. And some get 'vacation homes' to cement the location of their trips. It's their *comfort food*.
For the WDW lifer, you know the parks, property, etc. like the back of your hand. You have figured out what's worth waking up early to do, what's not worth doing at all, etc. And perhaps, you've even discovered other aspects of the 'vacation kingdom' (or what's left of it). And you get at least a relative feeling of safety. You walk the property not like a tourist, but like one that 'lives there'. (In other words, if you walk through a city downtown like you walk through WDW, a person would assume you were a resident and not a tourist - providing you aren't wearing touristy clothes). And there are advantages to knowing your way around the parks, just like there are advantages to knowing where the water pipes are hidden in the snow if you like to go 'out of bounds' glade skiing.
ps.... 2nd the endorsement of the Wendy's Pretzel Cheeseburger. If you are concerned about the calories, skip the terrible fries and watered down fountain drinks... If something is 'bad for you', it had better taste good...
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
Either the holiday overlay for WoC or a new parade for DCA. I'm leaning more towards holiday overlay for WoC.
Taylor
Well-Known Member
When did this happen? I guess I was gone that day, man I always miss the good stuff.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
Thats the one. So he's an ex-CM now? I wonder if thats connected to what he's said online....
HMF
Well-Known Member
That's a really good analogy and it's also why I don't understand the "must defend every decision made" mindset.
The fact of the matter is that criticizing the way WDW is being run is not the same as hating the place.
If we truly hated the place why would we bother to continue to care enough to frequently come post here.
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