The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

FutureCEO

FutureCEO

Well-Known Member
Summer weather forecast released yesterday or this week

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Songbird76

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
figmentfan423 said:
Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I figure my dh and I will get some sleep when we get home:hilarious: I'm not sure if it's a blessing or curse my boys are park commandos:hilarious::hilarious::hilarious:
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My kids are a bit young yet to be park commandos and they don't know much about the parks yet anyway. I think that's a good thing for now. But, I got fastpasses for the frozen ride for both days we are at epcot and I got one for Soarin' on a waterpark day in the evening. I'm wondering how the opening of the new soarin and the frozen ever after is going to affect Test Track waiting times. I'm thinking that anyone who doesn't manage to get a fast pass for Frostrom is probably going to head there first thing to get in the shortest lines, leaving Test track more empty, so I think I should be able to get to test track pretty easily. That's what I'm hoping anyway.
 
LuvtheGoof

LuvtheGoof

DVC Guru
Premium Member
MinnieM123 said:
Not trying to change the way either one of you think about this -- I respect opinions different from mine. Please allow me a few moments, however, to explain why the artificial grass, etc. makes me sad.

One thing that always separated MK from (non-Disney) theme parks, was the attractive and relaxing, old-time "park" atmosphere. It's never been a place where only the rides and shows mattered. Rather, the trees, birds, flowers, natural grass and park benches, gave the park a welcoming feel. That was as important to me back in 1985 during my first visit to MK, as it is now.

So when some of the natural park features started to be removed over the past year or so (along with many park benches), it started to chip away at some of the ambiance for me.
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Gabe1 said:
Yep that is me you'd be referring to. Not thrilled with Plastic being our bright new tomorrow. It would tick me off it the Flower and Garden in Spring went plastic too. Natural grass areas help cool areas as do the trees and they have turned many of them into mulch. The shade is missed by many during parades.

Full disclosure, I'm not a fan of Astroturf around homes or on soccer and football fields either. I view it as blight over beauty. I don't put out bowls of fake fruit in bowls around the house either the imperfect but real stuff just makes me happy. I love the smell of cherry blossoms in the spring and the smell of freshly cut grass. To me it is all part of the ambiance of WDW.

I do concede though that not everyone has an appreciation for horticulture and landscaping or the benefits of plants bring to environments encased with asphalt and concrete. I miss the shade in many of the the Disney Parks that use to be more prevalent. Me, I could ride living with the land many times per vacation. I love all the varieties of plants and trees at AK more than most of the attractions. I have a great appreciation for all the planning that went into the MK originally and bringing in trees from around the country to compliment the various lands within the MK. The grass throughout was pretty and well taken care of. There is one tree at POR and another in Liberty Square that took so much planning to get them there and and then into the ground. I'd be heartbroken if they took a chainsaw to them and plopped plastic ones in their place.
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Hmm, so let me explain why it doesn't make us sad (and I completely respect your opinion on this). Have you actually sat on the grass? It is very natural feeling, and the type used is actually cooler than regular grass. I do understand that people miss the trees in the inner part of the hub. I get it as I've been there when they were there as well, having started going in 1978. However, one has to remember that the nightly shows today weren't nightly 20 or 30 years ago. Most weeks, even during the summer, the fireworks were only twice a week. Over the last several years, there were many complaints about the crowding in the hub for the fireworks, and how the trees were blocking the views, and how there was gridlock in the hub. Disney's answer was the expanded hub. While no answer to the problem was going to be perfect, we believe that the route they took was the best they could do under the circumstances. And please remember that when the trees were first planted, they didn't provide much shade either. It took years for them to grow up and provide the pictures that people post from the 90's. The new trees will do the same in the future.

Oh, and you do realize that while they don't have separate benches, they have built-in benches all along some of the low walls for people to sit? Are they under trees lie they used to be? Well, no, I agree that shade is missing, but since people wanted the nightly fireworks shows, there was little else they could do. They have at least replanted trees around the outside of the new hub, and when they grow in, it will be quite lush.
 
Songbird76

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
StarWarsGirl said:
Not really. I don't think there's been a significant change in the amount of foreign visitors as opposed to American visitors.

Who you see depends on the time of year. In the winter, there tend to be a lot of South Americans, especially Brazilian Tour Groups, and there are fewer Europeans. In the summer, it reverses.

And just as a side note, it's really not cheap at all for visitors from Europe, especially the UK, to come to Disney. For the most part, they're paying a lot more than we are for hotel rooms and such.
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Well, we do get better discounts through the European Disney site, BUT, we pay way more in flights. Speaking just for my family, yes, we got a killer deal with the free dining plan and 14 day ultimate tickets for the price of 7, and free memory maker...it's awesome. But, only if you stay for several days. It's not really worth the money it would cost to fly if you are only going to spend 4 days there, and the longer you stay in the resort, the better the deal is. And it's a minimum of 5 days to get the dining, and it's only the quick service dining that comes from staying in a moderate resort...value resorts don't offer any discount. So while the deals are good, you have to be able to stay longer and you have to spend a LOT of money on flights, and you have to pay to upgrade to the regular dining plan. If it weren't for the deal, we wouldn't be able to go for more than a couple of days and we'd have to stay with my friend who lives there, but not many people have that option. They need foreign visitors, and the way to get them there is to make them a good deal so they can afford to come. And we end up probably paying about the same amount as US residents, but we stay longer on property, which means they end up making more out of us.
 
Songbird76

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
Gabe1 said:
I'm so glad my DD does it. We generally travel now in less busy times and don't have as many issues and all this wasn't a thing when my kids were young. Heck, we didn't have FP when my kids were young. I liked it better. It was simplier. My goal is very different than yours as you travel so far for your WDW vacation and infrequently. I so get that. It is too much stress for me to have a schedule I can't dump on a whim, I need a vacation from schedules. I always took my kids out of school for our WDW trips once a year in the early fall for 2 weeks. It worked well for us as a family. They did the work before we left and came back to school always ahead of the class. It worked for us.
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Yeah, we're not allowed to do that here. It's against the law to take your kids out of school for a vacation. Your children are obligated to be in school when it's in session unless they are sick or have special permission from the school. The school is required to give them one day free for the wedding or funeral of an immediate family member or grandparent, but that's it. We got 2 days approved for our 12.5 year anniversary (that's the big one here), but I know other people have had problems when they want to get 5 days to go visit family who lives abroad. So we just don't have that option. It HAS to be in a school vacation and the only vacations long enough to go to the US are Christmas and Summer. Sometimes we get 2 weeks in May, but not always. I HAVE to be a good planner. It's our only option.
 
ajrwdwgirl

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
MinnieM123 said:
Five to ten pounds of spuds??!!! Yikes. You cook for an army over there! If I make it, it's just maybe 3-4 potatoes at the most, and that gives us leftover for about 2 more meals (side dish, that is).

Wish I could find chives. I like chives in potato salad. Too early for those too, I guess. (When I was a kid, the neighbor next to our house used to grow chives in the backyard. My brothers and I used to sneak over there and eat some, straight from the garden, compliments of the neighbor. Although, the neighbor didn't have a clue who kept eating all the chives . .. :cautious: :p )
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My chives have been up for awhile. I had to cut them down a couple times too. I do love their flavor, they brighten up a lot of dishes.
 

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