The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

Parteecia

Well-Known Member
Best advice is get to the parks before the Chinese tour groups show up mid morning. Otherwise you will have to deal with a sea of people all pushing you out of way saying "Sorry. Sorry." Same goes for Universal Studios.
When I worked there we hated the Japanese tourists because they were so rude and pushy. Then we found out they were on group tours that did all of California in one day and they got one hour in the park. That changed our perspective.
 

PiratesMansion

Well-Known Member
Well, on the whole, absolutely. But some areas of Florida are great.
View attachment 714218View attachment 714219View attachment 714217
And… this is LEGOLAND. 😃
Eh, that's because of that site's former use as Cypress Gardens more than anything else.

While the remaining gardens are beautiful, I do think CA's Legoland works far more organically as an actual Legoland. FL's was grafted onto a pre-existing park and often feels it. The whole layout is weirdly long and narrow, and I can't say I cared for it much.

I'm a bit conflicted on the scenery question because honestly I'm not sure either would be a perfect fit for me if I were to live in either of those places, though overall I prefer Californian scenery. The whole of Florida (that I've visited) just feels like it's all the same generic, humidified shade of green and it feels very same-y throughout the state. California is far more interesting, though I will admit it took me a few trips to really appreciate the overall look of LA Metro SoCal.
 

Rich T

Well-Known Member
Eh, that's because of that site's former use as Cypress Gardens more than anything else.

While the remaining gardens are beautiful, I do think CA's Legoland works far more organically as an actual Legoland. FL's was grafted onto a pre-existing park and often feels it. The whole layout is weirdly long and narrow, and I can't say I cared for it much.

I'm a bit conflicted on the scenery question because honestly I'm not sure either would be a perfect fit for me if I were to live in either of those places, though overall I prefer Californian scenery. The whole of Florida (that I've visited) just feels like it's all the same generic, humidified shade of green and it feels very same-y throughout the state. California is far more interesting, though I will admit it took me a few trips to really appreciate the overall look of LA Metro SoCal.
California has so many spectacular areas that are each completely different environments and ecosystems, it’s almost like an entire planet of wonders all by itself. In Central California alone, you have incredible redwood forests next to some of the most spectacular rocky coastlines, next to sprawling farmlands at the foot of snow capped mountains. It’s amazing.

Re: Legoland, Florida. It certainly is a strange park, but I thoroughly loved my first visit a couple of weeks ago. I agree about the layout, but… that was also part of the fun. One moment I’m walking though a delightful Lego theme park, hitting the three *good* family coasters and the charming Tomb shooter, and the next I’m off in the far end with the Gators n’ Snakes warnings, a very city-park level of safety fencing, and… stunning, spectacular beauty.

I was not expecting the banyan tree. My jaw dropped. I spent a half hour just walking around and through it, soaking it all in. Awestruck. Saw maybe three other guests who’d ventured back that far. Then I got lost because the way out involved heading toward a construction fence and following a narrow path back to the Gazebo area (which somehow didn’t seem as obvious a path as when going the other direction). When I finally arrived back in “normal” Legoland I felt like I’d returned to civilization… or woken up from a dream.

The four or five adult-friendly rides were fun. The theming was charming, if unevenly spread about. The big Lego builds did not disappoint. Mini land was wonderful, and I love the giant canopy they installed over it; what a a huge investment! The two main shops were well-stocked and had some exclusive and hard-to-find sets. The CMs were mostly great. The pizza was edible. The ice coffee and cinnamon roll were top tier.

The Banyan Tree, the ever present Lego humor and Mini Land were the highlights. I’ll go again when there’s a special event; wish it weren’t so relatively far away from the other Central Florida parks. I believe this was my first trip to a Merlin Entertainment-owned site.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
California is huge. Larger than many European countries. The size of several East Coast states combined.

Today, it will be snowing 6 to 8 inches in some parts of California or cloudlessly hot and 94 degrees in other parts of the state.

California on Wednesday, May 3rd will go from this...

DSC07212-2-1024x683.jpg


To this...
visit-mojave-desert.jpg


To this...

12439516_111022-kgo-skiing-img.jpg


And all in just one day of driving, with everything else in between.

Some of California's counties are much larger than some East Coast states. I remember talking on this website years ago to some nutty WDW fan who was from Rhode Island and she was trying to tell me that Disneyland was tiny and California was no big deal, and I had to remind her that her entire state was much smaller than San Diego County and it only had the economic parity of Santa Ana and Costa Mesa combined. Also her state was often quite ugly and irrelevant and stuck in 1973, with an unattractive regional accent to boot. :cool:

Many of those East Coasters just don't get it. God bless 'em, but they're clueless.
 
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Phroobar

Well-Known Member
Why are lightsabers at Disney World $267 each? Is that true? I thought they were $150 at most. For that you could get a really nice custom lightsaber with multiple sound effects, colors and aircraft aluminum from Saber Forge that will look far better than anything Disney has to offer.

 

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Regardless of your thoughts on Matt Walsh, the video he's reacting to is definitely worthy of discussion. A family spending over $3,000 for one day at Disney's Hollywood Studios is insane.
It’s insane to you, but value is subjective, depending on one’s interests and budgets. Someone out there believes spending almost $100 on a national parks pass is a poor use of money.
 

Consumer

Well-Known Member
It’s insane to you, but value is subjective, depending on one’s interests and budgets. Someone out there believes spending almost $100 on a national parks pass is a poor use of money.
Considering the person is likewise saying the cost is insane, and I think I'm perfectly justified in my comments.

And who would honestly say $85 for a NP AP is a bad use of money? A Disney adult? $85 won't even buy a single day ticket to Disneyland. Then we have to take into account inherent value. Concrete rocks and paper mache trees don't compare to the real thing.

My entire three week road trip that'll take me through NYC, New England, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Kansas City, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Yosemite, and Los Angeles, will cost me less than that person spent on one day at DHS. In the process I'm gaining knowledge of different cultures and enjoying the beauty of natural wonders and historical landmarks, all while this individual got was some plastic lightsabers that'll break in a year and some food that isn't even as good as the local Texas Roadhouse back in their hometown.
 

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Considering the person is likewise saying the cost is insane, and I think I'm perfectly justified in my comments.

And who would honestly say $85 for a NP AP is a bad use of money? A Disney adult? $85 won't even buy a single day ticket to Disneyland. Then we have to take into account inherent value. Concrete rocks and paper mache trees don't compare to the real thing.

My entire three week road trip that'll take me through NYC, New England, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Kansas City, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Yosemite, and Los Angeles, will cost me less than that person spent on one day at DHS. In the process I'm gaining knowledge of different cultures and enjoying the beauty of natural wonders and historical landmarks, all while this individual got was some plastic lightsabers that'll break in a year and some food that isn't even as good as the local Texas Roadhouse back in their hometown.
I didn’t say you weren’t justified. And the video starts with him admitting that he’s never been to Disney World. Of course.

Plenty of people would say that spending $85 for a national park is a bad use of money. I personally know some of these people.

You are entitled to believe in what you find valuable. Not everyone is interested in what you’re interested in, though. Some people would rather buy one of those cheap, plastic lightsabers.
 

Consumer

Well-Known Member
I didn’t say you weren’t justified. And the video starts with him admitting that he’s never been to Disney World. Of course.
Yeah, I don't really care about Matt Walsh's take on the subject of Disney World, I'm more focused on the video he's reacting to. The person who did visit WDW is saying how insane the cost is.
Plenty of people would say that spending $85 for a national park is a bad use of money. I personally know some of these people.

You are entitled to believe in what you find valuable. Not everyone is interested in what you’re interested in, though. Some people would rather buy one of those cheap, plastic lightsabers.
Honestly, I couldn't care less what people spend money on, so long as they can actually afford what they're buying. If somebody buys a Disneyland pass, but can't afford rent or food for their children, then yeah I'll judge them, but I can understand the desire of being in Disneyland. It's a nice place and if you can afford it, by all means get a pass. I definitely think the value of the pass has gone down with the reservation system, but that's a different discussion.

Ultimately, for me, I get just as much enjoyment from being at Disneyland as I do being in Manhattan. Both are walkable cities, both are overpriced, there's trains, boats, and horses, there's attractions, shows, and art, there's parks and gardens. A stroll in Central Park can be just as lovely as sitting along the Rivers of America, if not more so.

But when it comes to direct representation of real world locations, such as New Orleans Square, the Grand Canyon, and so forth, nothing is ever going to beat the original. As much as I love the Matterhorn Bobsleds, I look forward to the day where I can see the real Matterhorn.
 

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I don't really care about Matt Walsh's take on the subject of Disney World, I'm more focused on the video he's reacting to. The person who did visit WDW is saying how insane the cost is.

Honestly, I couldn't care less what people spend money on, so long as they can actually afford what they're buying. If somebody buys a Disneyland pass, but can't afford rent or food for their children, then yeah I'll judge them, but I can understand the desire of being in Disneyland. It's a nice place and if you can afford it, by all means get a pass. I definitely think the value of the pass has gone down with the reservation system, but that's a different discussion.

Ultimately, for me, I get just as much enjoyment from being at Disneyland as I do being in Manhattan. Both are walkable cities, both are overpriced, there's trains, boats, and horses, there's attractions, shows, and art, there's parks and gardens. A stroll in Central Park can be just as lovely as sitting along the Rivers of America, if not more so.

But when it comes to direct representation of real world locations, such as New Orleans Square, the Grand Canyon, and so forth, nothing is ever going to beat the original. As much as I love the Matterhorn Bobsleds, I look forward to the day where I can see the real Matterhorn.
I agree that nothing beats the real world. I too would rather see real places outside of Disneyland, though the park is a historical place. I leave for Atlanta this Saturday and leave for Italy exactly 2 weeks from today. I’m going to the Dominican Republic and back to New York later this year. Since I let my pass go in 2019, I’ve gone back to Disneyland only twice since then. Meanwhile, I’ve visited other places, both here and internationally since then. That’s what I value, but the beauty of the world and people is that everyone has their own tastes and likes. Everyone is different. Not everyone wants to travel the world and see historic monuments, or take a stroll through through Central Park. I personally would rather sit along the Rivers of America than do that.

Everyone is different.
 

truecoat

Well-Known Member
I agree that nothing beats the real world. I too would rather see real places outside of Disneyland, though the park is a historical place. I leave for Atlanta this Saturday and leave for Italy exactly 2 weeks from today. I’m going to the Dominican Republic and back to New York later this year. Since I let my pass go in 2019, I’ve gone back to Disneyland only twice since then. Meanwhile, I’ve visited other places, both here and internationally since then. That’s what I value, but the beauty of the world and people is that everyone has their own tastes and likes. Everyone is different. Not everyone wants to travel the world and see historic monuments, or take a stroll through through Central Park. I personally would rather sit along the Rivers of America than do that.

Everyone is different.

No, you must like and agree with what I like.
 

PiratesMansion

Well-Known Member
I leave for Atlanta this Saturday and leave for Italy exactly 2 weeks from today.
Atlanta's traffic is everything people who haven't been to LA think LA's traffic is and more. My least favorite city to drive in by quite a lot.

If you're going for the more touristy sites (I could picture you skipping these, but just in case), skip World of Coke, but DO go to the Georgia Aquarium and enjoy the only Aquarium in the US with whale sharks!
 

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