Not your usual trip report -- new post 8-20, just a heads-up to the nice scooter folk

[toothboy2k1]

Having read so many trip reports in anticipation of my own journey to the world of Disney, I hope you don’t mind if I diverge from the blow-by-blow first-person accounts that seem to be so popular. Quite frankly I can't see how anyone would be interested in what my 11-year-old son and I did from the moment we touched down at the Orlando International Airport – we walked quickly to the tram hoping to beat the dozens of Disney-bound travelers who shared our flight, a mentality that apparently dominates so many people venturing to the land where time is marked not by watches, but by the magical numbers on the Stand-By Entrance lines – to the second we boarded the eerily quiet motorcoach back to the airport eight days later, a ride unencumbered with the smiles and peppy introduction video who watched on the way in.


Instead I will break this trip report into the essentials, peppering a few facts in with many opinions of what I considered to be the essentials. No doubt I will offend many of the Disneyphiles who populate this site (you’ll see), but I hope it will inform and even entertain all, even those who strongly disagree.
So let us begin at the beginning of our June 21-28 trip, and that would be:


THE MAGICAL EXPRESS: You know what would be more magical? Signs pointing the way, the ones promised in the literature sent to us three weeks prior to departure. We saw the baggage claim signs, and followed those instead. Fortunately we had familiarized ourselves with the map and knew where we generally had to be. And that is when we discovered our very first Disney line. No, we couldn’t board the bus right away, the cast member told us. We had to go over to the Magical Express desk across the way where a long line awaited. Not so sure it was as much to check in (getting our voucher stamped) as it was to indoctrinate us in the Way of the Line. Ah, the magic of it all. Though it was a pleasant trip and our bags arrived as promised.


PLAY NICE: Let’s say Disney was actually unprepared, service-wise, for the arrival of the Magical Express at, for purposes of argument, the Beach Club Resort. Let’s say there were 15 people in line at the check-in desk, and only one clerk checking people in. And let’s say that, even though there wasn’t a sign, it turned out the Stand-By Entrance time was 25 minutes. To check in. To a hotel allegedly expecting you. But when you are second in line, three cast members suddenly arrive at the desk, and thus you are called to the desk by a woman who may or may not have just started her shift. Do you whine and complain? Of course not. You will do enough of that with your spouse and children later. No, you talk about how good you feel to be here, sharing some laughs. Then perhaps you too will be magically upgraded to a water view room that is just steps from the main lobby, a location that would pay dividends throughout the stay. Great view, short walk to Epcot (7 minutes from room to entrance), a huge boon each and every day. And speaking of that:


LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Though we will likely never return to Disney World (very far away from home in Arizona, too many places to see and things to do elsewhere on the planet), if we were to return, we would assuredly book an Epcot area resort. Rooms were nice at the Beach Club, great view of the Boardwalk (which, by the way, was nowhere near as lively as Disney literature suggested, but still was a pleasant little diversion and nice to have near if you keep it in perspective), but best of all was ability to walk to Epcot and Disney Studios (we will dispense with the abbreviations used by so many insiders who assume all are as learned in all things Disney). Epcot was minutes away, the studios about a 15-to-20-minute pleasant walk. Or you could take one of the fleet of Friendships plying the lake and canals, though walking to Epcot was much faster, and only once did the boat beat us to Disney Studios. The fact that two parks were so close spared us much aggravation, for two reasons, those being CROWDS and the Disney version of MASS TRANSIT.


CROWDS: Busy busy busy. We are Disneyland veterans and are accustomed to the masses, but we learned our lessons very quickly. We got to the parks early (at least 45 minutes before opening), ate lunch early (by 11:30 a.m.), had dinner early on nights we did not have reservations (by 5 p.m.), and took a break from parks by 1 or 2 p.m. Later we would return to one of the parks close by so as not to trapped by the Disney version of


MASS TRANSIT: Sure, you could use the monorail to get around, and we did a few times in mid-afternoon. But most people take the bus. And they jam onto them at park opening and closing as if learning the fine art of packing them like sardines from subway riders in Tokyo. Off-hours travel was fine (10 a.m.-4 p.m., roughly). But if you were unfortunate enough to be caught in rush hour, well, let’s just say this was the most unpopular ride at the parks (other than Stitch’s Great Escape, but more on that later). On the morning that Animal Kingdom had early admission, we watched (from the safety of the Magic Kingdom bus lane at the Beach Club) as people crowded onto the bus. At one point the driver was forced to come out and ask people to wait for the next one, which was just five minutes away. Still, a family of five with stroller squeezed on as the driver watched. And upon leaving the studios at 8 o’clock one evening, there were about 200 people waiting to board the bus to the All-Star Resort. Thank goodness we were walking back. And speaking of the All Star Resort:


DON’T CHEAP IT OUT: We understand there are many people who really can’t afford to visit Disney World at the better hotels, and will happily accept the budget hotels thinking they are a bargain. Those who do will pay for it with time and aggravation. You will ride the bus everywhere, you will stay far longer at the parks than your children can tolerate because you really don’t want to spend 45 minutes to an hour on a crowded bus to get back to your unenviable location, you and your family will grow weary very quickly, and when you finally leave the Happiest Place on Earth, you will wonder why all your incredibly high expectations weren’t met (yet convincing yourself it was the “Best vacation ever!” for no other reason than you went to Disney World, because to think anything less would be blasphemous and cause you to question all the money and time you put into the thing). Yes, Disney World is expensive even at the budget hotels. Yes, you can have a great time staying at them if your temperament is such that you have a very high threshold of waits, lines and crowds. But if you save another year or two (as we did), it will most certainly pay off in the best vacation ever. Speaking of money, let’s address:


THE DINING PLAN: Disney does many things right, and this is one of them. We wish the real world would let us buy a plan in which all we need to do is present our card to the server to pay for appetizer, entrée, dessert, tax and gratuity (do not underestimate the value of the inclusion of gratuity, it’s huge). We ate far better than we would have otherwise, ordering steak, ribs and seafood without thought to price. In fact, the more expensive the better because it was already paid for. The more you spend, the more you save. Awesome and highly recommended. Just make sure you plan accordingly. Make those reservations. We saw dozens of people turned away from Sci-Fi Dine Inn at Disney Studios because it was not taking walkups. Yet we waited no more than 15 minutes for our table and had a wonderful time. Food was so-so, but experience was priceless (probably a MasterCard commercial in there somewhere, too bad Disney works with Visa). And about food quality:


THOUGHTS FROM A NON-CRITIC ON FOOD: The fast-food joints were pretty much all the same, offering decent fare at inflated prices (remember the Dining Plan, folks). As far as sit-down restaurants go, high marks to the Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yacht Club Resort) and the Rose and Crown (England in Epcot). The Rose also served beer in half-yards, a nice touch even if the half-yard was plastic (though you get to keep it). We will stay far away from the brewpub on the Boardwalk (Big River Canyon Grille or somesuch). Had reservations at 6 p.m. and yet waited 40 minutes for a table as well as a meal that featured a very tough ribeye (how do you mess up a medium-rare ribeye?) and, even worse, a mediocre pale ale (the red ale was very good). The rest pretty much blends together.


WEATHER: If you are afraid of a little water, by all means buy a poncho. Almost everyone was wearing them shortly after the afternoon thunderstorms started. You will not look silly. However, we are of the mind that friends don’t let friends wear ponchos. Yes, we got wet, at times soaked. But you know what? At some point we dried out and, unlike the Wicked Witch of the West, didn’t melt. Go figure. Do not let the rain stop you from enjoying the parks. Well, except for Test Track at Epcot, which shut down during thunderstorms and was offline for hours at a time (perhaps a reflection a real world where GM shuts down testing in bad weather, which would certainly explain Pontiacs). Let the weak and the families with small children huddle in alcoves. Take advantage of the rain and enjoy the one time you can walk around and not be jostled stroller-pushing moms and dads more concerned with the park maps they are studying than the traffic ahead. Speaking of parks, let’s take them one at a time.


ANIMAL KINGDOM: The most unfortunate thing about Disney World is the way it stashed its best ride in the worst, most difficult to navigate park. OK, so Imagineers wanted to boost attendance at Disney World’s weak sister of a theme park. While investing millions in Expedition Everest (worth every cent, by the way), why didn’t someone at some point say, “Hey, let’s spend a few thousand bucks here and there to widen the walkways.” Everyone who arrives before Animal Kingdom opens is here for one reason, to ride the best attraction in the World (we will rank rides later). After a superfluous opening show with Minnie and Mickey, guests are led by two cast members holding a rope between them. These cast members walk very slowly. The people behind them want to take off as if chased by the bull of Pamplona. And at those rare times the walkway widens to accommodate more than 10 people across, anyone who does not mind sacrificing civility and decent human behavior to save a few minutes (that was almost everyone) sprints up the sides to cut into line a little farther up. Yet no one crosses the rope, which gave us this idea. Have cast members with ropes man the northern and southern US borders. Illegal immigration would come to a stunning halt. “Sorry, we’re not opening for another 10 or 15 years.” “Oh, OK, sorry, we’ll try back then.” “That would be great, have a wonderful Disney day.” Best ride: Yup, Everest. By far. Amazing. You really have to ride it. Get there early, then as you wait 45 minutes for the first ride, get a FastPass because they will be gone by noon. If you ride it twice, it was a successful day. Runner-up: Dinosaur. Darn fun. You can ride it 3-4 times before the Expedition Everest people find it later. Worthless: That train to Rafiki’s conservation station or whatever. You do not want to get stuck on that thing. Overrated ride: Kilamanjaro Safari. You ride a truck through the zoo. You may or may not see tigers and lions. You will see giraffes and antelope. Throw in some ridiculous story line about chasing a poacher (not even the littlest kids buy this ride as an action adventure) and you have an experience hardly worth the 40-minute wait in a queue that is wider than most walkways and, as a result, very slow moving.


DISNEY-MGM STUDIOS: As this is written, there is a report that a young boy died on Rockin Rollercoaster. Very sad. The first three seconds of that ride was far more intense (in our opinion) than anything in Mission: Space. It took our breath away, and in the resulting photo flashed as the coaster went from 0 to 60 in those 3 seconds, our eyes are closed and mouths open in a very embarrassing way. We did not buy the photo and did not go on a second ride. Still, it was an incredible ride. Make up your own mind. The studios are pretty small and can get packed early, but early in the morning and 30 minutes before closing, you can pretty much have your way. Best ride: Tower of Terror. Far better than the one at Disneyland. Wait was just 10 minutes at 9:30 p.m., when it had been up to 50 minutes most of the day. Runner-up: The stunt car show. Noisy, brash, and some very cool stunts. And you get to sit and relax for a while. Worthless: The Backlot Tour. Anyone who has been on the tour at Universal Studios-Hollywood will think Disney’s 20-minute version to be dismal. Overrated ride: That’d be the tour again. Go see Muppetvision 3D instead. Really.


EPCOT: By far our favorite, perhaps because it was 7 minutes away. Visited there almost every day. Lots of space to roam around, particularly in the World Showcase. At 9 p.m. each night, the blasts from the Illumination fireworks show boomed across the entire Epcot area and could easily be heard at Disney Studios. It’s more relaxed than other parks. Nothing beats sitting along the lake at the Rose and Crown Pub sipping a half-yard of Bass or Harp while you laugh at all the parents of kids far too young to appreciate, or even remember, all that Disney World has to offer. Best ride: Test Track. Hitting 65mph on the home stretch is a blast. Hold onto your hat. Runner-up: (Adult version) Riding a stool at the Rose and Crown. (Kid version). Doing the orange (spinning) side of Mission: Space. Worthless: The Journey into Imagination with Figment is the weakest attraction, but still not all that bad. Overrated ride: Not so much the ride itself, but the hype that you will get sick or die on Mission: Space. The green (non-spinning) side is fine for little kids and those prone to motion sickness, but don’t let Disney psyche you out with all the warnings about the orange side. We get seasick easily, but had no trouble with Space, and even rode it 5 times.


MAGIC KINGDOM: Second-best park at Disney World, but we’ve been to Disneyland about 50 times or so. The World versions of these rides are better: Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain. The Disneyland versions of these rides (and attraction) are better: Toontown, Jungle Boat, Astro Blasters, Space Mountain (way way way better), and, due to default, Matterhorn and Indiana Jones. Disneyland overall is better than Magic Kingdom, but there is more to the World than Magic Kingdom. Best ride: Splash Mountain. Nice balance between looks and thrills. Worthless: Stitch's Great Escape. We have no idea how this attraction was when it was about aliens, but the PeopleMover was thrilling and chilling compared to this waste of 15 minutes we'll never get back. We won't give the ride away, but imagine how "scary" it is to have someone tap you on the shoulder and whisper in your ear. That is the gist of this pathetic diversion. And we'll never get how Stitch became so popular in the first place. Overrated: Space Mountain. And that ride is way overrated, the most overrated ride in the whole World. The Disneyland version eats its launch.


TOP 5 RIDES OF DISNEY WORLD: 5. Dinosaur. 4. Mission: Space. 3. Test Track. 2. Tower of Terror. 1. Expedition Everest.


RANDOM THOUGHTS:
If you are cheaping it by staying at a budget hotel, do yourself a huge favor and rent a car. You will get everywhere much faster and save yourself a lot of headaches.
Disney service still rules. We were always greeted with a smile, everyone was so pleasant. Eerie.
Plan, but don’t overplan. Dinner reservations are a must, as well as knowing where you want to go each day. But we took time to do spontaneous things like play miniature golf or ride a rental bike around the Boardwalk. We even rented a small “speed”boat to cruise around the waterways between Boardwalk and Disney Studios. Favorite memory: Playing catch with a mini leather football purchased at the ESPN Club on the vast expanse of ground in front of the Beach Club.
Those extra magic hours may seem like a great deal, but after experiencing one at Disney Studios, and then seeing the wait for a bus to get in early at Animal Kingdom, we avoided them. That worked out very well. Our strategy was to be early, and it paid off well. We did everything we wanted to do and more, to the point we took a day off from the parks.
Give serious thought to the water parks. We spend a half-day at Blizzard Beach and had a great time. We got there at 8, rode all the best slides 2-3 times, and left at noon when the wait for those same rides was now 30 minutes and longer.
Actually heard a woman tell her tearful 3-4-year-old daughter, “You can’t be having a bad time, we didn’t bring you all this way and spend all this money for you to be crying.” Think about that.
Disney’s PhotoPass was well worth it. We flagged down a photographer in every park, then got home and chose the ones we wanted to send to friends. Yes, we even bought one, but price was worth it considering 99 percent of our photos (we took more than 500) were of son or landscape. Dad was hardly ever seen.


AND NOW FOR SOMETHING THAT WILL PROBABLY GET US FLAMED: Strollers and scooters. Why does it have to be strollers and scooters?
There are reasons to take little kids to Disney World, but they are not usually good reasons. Maybe they have older siblings who are a better age to spend so much time at a theme park and, well, you feel it’s just not far to them that little Suzy is just 2. But we saw so many parents who had 2 or 3 kids, the oldest not more than 4 or 5. Most were in the 2-3-year-old area, sacked out by 2 p.m. or so. If a child is so young that they can’t stay awake an entire day, or can’t walk around on their own for more than 20 minutes, what are they doing at Disney World? What can they possibly be getting out of such a fantastic park that could not wait another 2 or 3 years, when they will be able to enjoy and appreciate such a marvel to the child in all of us? I suspect because the parents are the ones who really want to be here, using the kids as an excuse. And so every theme park is choked with strollers, leaving the rest of us with age-appropriate kids to dodge and hurtle and weave among the army of strollers. If you are wasting half the day in line for Dumbo or for character meet-and-greets, your kids are probably spending most of the day in a double-wide stroller tank just so you can switch off with a spouse at Test Track or Tower of Terror. Wait a few years. Disney World will still be there. Save up and do it really nice.
Having attended amusement parks more than 40 years now, can’t remember a time seeing so many people in those motorized scooters, which are like wheelchairs only with handlebars, electric motors and beeping sounds for when they back up. And most of the people riding scooters were morbidly obese. Now, we want to remain sensitive to those with genetic conditions, but when exactly did being way too fat qualify as a disability? The scooter people drove like maniacs, expecting people to get out of their way as they approached (and people did, no one wants to get hit by a fat guy on a scooter). We also saw many scooter people waiting at the front of the line in the area for (legitimately) disabled folks. When their turn came, they rose from their scooters and walked just fine without need of walker or even a cane, easing themselves into the seat. When the ride was over they plopped themselves back into their scooters and were off, while the rest of us waited like able-bodied suckers.
Let the flaming attacks commence, assuming anyone got this far in the trip report.

[MouseEarsJenny]

I am very glad you enjoyed your vacation.

Since you are giving so much advice, though, here's a bit for you. You may not want to assume that you understand what's best for everyone. I also enjoyed my expectation exceeding, value-staying, happily bus riding vacation with my two Dumbo-loving (though not stroller bound) children. Isn't it lovely that there's so much variety in the world?

Still, I thank you for your interesting report. It sounds like you and your son had a pleasant vacation!

[dmthoma76]

I just wanted to say your report was very well written and full of good tips, I am staying at a value hotel in September and do not think it will be THAT bad as going in the HOT HOT POPULAR summer.


Your report gave me some good belly laughs, most memorable was the rope drop at AK, I was laughing out loud!


I do agree about the strollers and scooters in the way but you know there are some folks that REALLY do need them, the ones in the scooters you were talking about I know well. I work in a pharmacy and they scoot on up to the window for all thier diabetic supplies that they would not need if they lost the weight, usually the whole family is in a scooter. Mom and Dad, the kids will need one later trust me!

Epcot sounds like a cool place and we plan to spend quite a bit of time there, our first night we have ADR'S there because it is EMH hours at MGM. Wherever EMH hours are we are going to the OTHER parks!


Thanks for the GREAT trip report!

~Donna :thumbsup2

[suzimar57]

Wow! Yours was the first trip report I actually enjoyed reading!!

None of that "play-by-play" crap in some of these long-winded reports - I only wish all of them were like yours!

It's refreshing to finally read someone's honest, candid opinion, done with humor - and so easy to read!

Thanks for not making it one big run-on paragraph! (don't you love those??!!)

[5DisneyNuts]

Interesting report. I loved your descriptions of the rides and the way you rated them. Glad you enjoyed the Beach Club - it is a great resort.

That being said.... popcorn:: I think I'll give this thread 5 pages...Any other guesses?
;)

[TNC924]

I have to congratulate you on such a well written, and honest report on Disney World. I've been going to Disney since I was 6 years old and it remains my favorite vacation spot 16 years later, but thats not to say I don't agree with the same aggrivations as you endured. Your report was hysterical and brought me back to reality during my planning of a trip only 10 days away. Although a tip for you in case perhaps you do decide to venture all the way back to Disney World (I know its a long trip I live in AZ too) try going in Jan- May months, while kids are in school, its cooler, and cheaper to stay at the better resorts..thats when my family and I usually go and its a far better experience then our upcoming first time summer trip seems to be. Thanks again for the honesty and laughs! :rotfl2:

[2infinity&B-ond]

However, we are of the mind that friends don’t let friends wear ponchos.

This quote had me :rotfl2: !! Thanks for the report!!!

[heaven2dc]

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: Loved your report! I agreed with everything you wrote about and realized thru your honesty you weren't bashing anyone - parents w/small children, strollermaniacs and the scooter craze. I also felt when we went on our only trip in 1997 that the World seems to be enjoyed more by the adults than the little ones (mostly when I see crying children, tired sleepy little ones being dragged thru the parks when clearly it was time for a rest). I left my youngest 2 home then (they were ages 3 and 7) but then when I'd see the smile of a little one upon seeing Mickey for the first time, I'd wonder if I shouldn't have brought them along.

Loved the way you described everything - so easy to read, no play-by-play moments of your family (altho I have to admit I'm a sucker for the reports that give detailed description - I just don't enjoy the ones that go into TOO much detail).

Thanks for sharing!

[pumba]

thanks so much for your well written report......I too am an inbetween the hotel medium.....I loved Dolphin...spending at least five visits there. But dear hubby likes Port Orleans French Quarter. But then again our neighbors introduced us to Value Movies......and yes we loved that too......each has its own best features. Movies actually had the best food court of all the resorts....Dolphin had the best pool, French Quarter had the best bus system......so thank goodness we all love different things....or else we would never get in.....
You are a great reporter and I thank you for taking the time to tell us about your trip......

[swillis]

Well I for one won't flame you at all. I loved your report, and I agreed with a lot of what you said.

I thought the same thing about Animal Kingdom and the narrow walkways. Thought the Safari was a complete waste of time. We loved the Rafiki Conservation Station, but I work in Veterinary Medicine, so we are a bit animal obsessed in my house.

And I did notice many strollers and scooters on our May trip. My only thought was "how much fun can these folks really be having?" I guess everyone has their own idea of fun.

I'm glad you had a great time, and thanks again for your different take on a trip report. I appreciated it :)

[taismommy]

Having attended amusement parks more than 40 years now, can’t remember a time seeing so many people in those motorized scooters, which are like wheelchairs only with handlebars, electric motors and beeping sounds for when they back up. And most of the people riding scooters were morbidly obese. Now, we want to remain sensitive to those with genetic conditions, but when exactly did being way too fat qualify as a disability? The scooter people drove like maniacs, expecting people to get out of their way as they approached (and people did, no one wants to get hit by a fat guy on a scooter). We also saw many scooter people waiting at the front of the line in the area for (legitimately) disabled folks. When their turn came, they rose from their scooters and walked just fine without need of walker or even a cane, easing themselves into the seat. When the ride was over they plopped themselves back into their scooters and were off, while the rest of us waited like able-bodied suckers.
Let the flaming attacks commence, assuming anyone got this far in the trip report.


I will be one of those people in a motorized scooter visiting Disney this summer. I am young and normally able bodied, however due to a recent car accident I can not walk long distances! Since my trip was already paid for I cannot disappoint my son or nephew by canceling. So, I will be scooting :moped: around Disney HAPPILY!

Try not to judge all scooter bound people.

Have a nice evening.

[kpk89]

Thanks for your report --- I enjoyed the format and your take on how to best enjoy the world, including your fave attractions. I especially like the comparison to Disneyland -- I've never been there so my curiousity is piqued.

What can they possibly be getting out of such a fantastic park that could not wait another 2 or 3 years, when they will be able to enjoy and appreciate such a marvel to the child in all of us? I suspect because the parents are the ones who really want to be here, using the kids as an excuse.
It's great that you waited to enjoy the World with your 11 yr old, and I'm psyched for you that you both had a good time. :thumbsup2 My 5, 4 and 2 yr olds all brought home priceless memories. They do remember. Because I am writing a (very) longwinded trip report to keep it fresh for them. :rotfl2: Try not to let the strollers get you down -- at least you're free to nimbly dodge them and not have to take breaks every 5 minutes for diaper changes!

Anyway, IMHO if it's a "once in a lifetime" trip, I'd wait till the kids are a little older. If you think you'll be semi-regular visitors, it's never too early!


Actually heard a woman tell her tearful 3-4-year-old daughter, “You can’t be having a bad time, we didn’t bring you all this way and spend all this money for you to be crying.” Think about that.
This is just wrong. Yet we do hear it on every trip, at least once. It's a shame.


And, one VERY important question. Didn't you ride Soarin'? Didn't it factor AT ALL into your ratings? OMG! It's so fun.

[javamom]

Wow, magical.

[tink38]

Wow! Yours was the first trip report I actually enjoyed reading!!

None of that "play-by-play" crap in some of these long-winded reports - I only wish all of them were like yours!

It's refreshing to finally read someone's honest, candid opinion, done with humor - and so easy to read!

Thanks for not making it one big run-on paragraph! (don't you love those??!!)
Sorry. I have to disagree with you on this. Everyone has their own writing styles and I don't think that anyone has the right to judge.

Might I suggest you do what I do? (If I may be so foolish?)

I read the 1st paragraph and if I don't like it I move on.

(I'm just sayin.)

[uconn01001]

Having read so many trip reports in anticipation of my own journey to the world of Disney, I hope you don’t mind if I diverge from the blow-by-blow first-person accounts that seem to be so popular. Quite frankly I can't see how anyone would be interested in what my 11-year-old son and I did from the moment we touched down at the Orlando International Airport – we walked quickly to the tram hoping to beat the dozens of Disney-bound travelers who shared our flight, a mentality that apparently dominates so many people venturing to the land where time is marked not by watches, but by the magical numbers on the Stand-By Entrance lines – to the second we boarded the eerily quiet motorcoach back to the airport eight days later, a ride unencumbered with the smiles and peppy introduction video who watched on the way in.


Instead I will break this trip report into the essentials, peppering a few facts in with many opinions of what I considered to be the essentials. No doubt I will offend many of the Disneyphiles who populate this site (you’ll see), but I hope it will inform and even entertain all, even those who strongly disagree.
So let us begin at the beginning of our June 21-28 trip, and that would be:


THE MAGICAL EXPRESS: You know what would be more magical? Signs pointing the way, the ones promised in the literature sent to us three weeks prior to departure. We saw the baggage claim signs, and followed those instead. Fortunately we had familiarized ourselves with the map and knew where we generally had to be. And that is when we discovered our very first Disney line. No, we couldn’t board the bus right away, the cast member told us. We had to go over to the Magical Express desk across the way where a long line awaited. Not so sure it was as much to check in (getting our voucher stamped) as it was to indoctrinate us in the Way of the Line. Ah, the magic of it all. Though it was a pleasant trip and our bags arrived as promised.


PLAY NICE: Let’s say Disney was actually unprepared, service-wise, for the arrival of the Magical Express at, for purposes of argument, the Beach Club Resort. Let’s say there were 15 people in line at the check-in desk, and only one clerk checking people in. And let’s say that, even though there wasn’t a sign, it turned out the Stand-By Entrance time was 25 minutes. To check in. To a hotel allegedly expecting you. But when you are second in line, three cast members suddenly arrive at the desk, and thus you are called to the desk by a woman who may or may not have just started her shift. Do you whine and complain? Of course not. You will do enough of that with your spouse and children later. No, you talk about how good you feel to be here, sharing some laughs. Then perhaps you too will be magically upgraded to a water view room that is just steps from the main lobby, a location that would pay dividends throughout the stay. Great view, short walk to Epcot (7 minutes from room to entrance), a huge boon each and every day. And speaking of that:


LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Though we will likely never return to Disney World (very far away from home in Arizona, too many places to see and things to do elsewhere on the planet), if we were to return, we would assuredly book an Epcot area resort. Rooms were nice at the Beach Club, great view of the Boardwalk (which, by the way, was nowhere near as lively as Disney literature suggested, but still was a pleasant little diversion and nice to have near if you keep it in perspective), but best of all was ability to walk to Epcot and Disney Studios (we will dispense with the abbreviations used by so many insiders who assume all are as learned in all things Disney). Epcot was minutes away, the studios about a 15-to-20-minute pleasant walk. Or you could take one of the fleet of Friendships plying the lake and canals, though walking to Epcot was much faster, and only once did the boat beat us to Disney Studios. The fact that two parks were so close spared us much aggravation, for two reasons, those being CROWDS and the Disney version of MASS TRANSIT.


CROWDS: Busy busy busy. We are Disneyland veterans and are accustomed to the masses, but we learned our lessons very quickly. We got to the parks early (at least 45 minutes before opening), ate lunch early (by 11:30 a.m.), had dinner early on nights we did not have reservations (by 5 p.m.), and took a break from parks by 1 or 2 p.m. Later we would return to one of the parks close by so as not to trapped by the Disney version of


MASS TRANSIT: Sure, you could use the monorail to get around, and we did a few times in mid-afternoon. But most people take the bus. And they jam onto them at park opening and closing as if learning the fine art of packing them like sardines from subway riders in Tokyo. Off-hours travel was fine (10 a.m.-4 p.m., roughly). But if you were unfortunate enough to be caught in rush hour, well, let’s just say this was the most unpopular ride at the parks (other than Stitch’s Great Escape, but more on that later). On the morning that Animal Kingdom had early admission, we watched (from the safety of the Magic Kingdom bus lane at the Beach Club) as people crowded onto the bus. At one point the driver was forced to come out and ask people to wait for the next one, which was just five minutes away. Still, a family of five with stroller squeezed on as the driver watched. And upon leaving the studios at 8 o’clock one evening, there were about 200 people waiting to board the bus to the All-Star Resort. Thank goodness we were walking back. And speaking of the All Star Resort:


DON’T CHEAP IT OUT: We understand there are many people who really can’t afford to visit Disney World at the better hotels, and will happily accept the budget hotels thinking they are a bargain. Those who do will pay for it with time and aggravation. You will ride the bus everywhere, you will stay far longer at the parks than your children can tolerate because you really don’t want to spend 45 minutes to an hour on a crowded bus to get back to your unenviable location, you and your family will grow weary very quickly, and when you finally leave the Happiest Place on Earth, you will wonder why all your incredibly high expectations weren’t met (yet convincing yourself it was the “Best vacation ever!” for no other reason than you went to Disney World, because to think anything less would be blasphemous and cause you to question all the money and time you put into the thing). Yes, Disney World is expensive even at the budget hotels. Yes, you can have a great time staying at them if your temperament is such that you have a very high threshold of waits, lines and crowds. But if you save another year or two (as we did), it will most certainly pay off in the best vacation ever. Speaking of money, let’s address:


THE DINING PLAN: Disney does many things right, and this is one of them. We wish the real world would let us buy a plan in which all we need to do is present our card to the server to pay for appetizer, entrée, dessert, tax and gratuity (do not underestimate the value of the inclusion of gratuity, it’s huge). We ate far better than we would have otherwise, ordering steak, ribs and seafood without thought to price. In fact, the more expensive the better because it was already paid for. The more you spend, the more you save. Awesome and highly recommended. Just make sure you plan accordingly. Make those reservations. We saw dozens of people turned away from Sci-Fi Dine Inn at Disney Studios because it was not taking walkups. Yet we waited no more than 15 minutes for our table and had a wonderful time. Food was so-so, but experience was priceless (probably a MasterCard commercial in there somewhere, too bad Disney works with Visa). And about food quality:


THOUGHTS FROM A NON-CRITIC ON FOOD: The fast-food joints were pretty much all the same, offering decent fare at inflated prices (remember the Dining Plan, folks). As far as sit-down restaurants go, high marks to the Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yacht Club Resort) and the Rose and Crown (England in Epcot). The Rose also served beer in half-yards, a nice touch even if the half-yard was plastic (though you get to keep it). We will stay far away from the brewpub on the Boardwalk (Big River Canyon Grille or somesuch). Had reservations at 6 p.m. and yet waited 40 minutes for a table as well as a meal that featured a very tough ribeye (how do you mess up a medium-rare ribeye?) and, even worse, a mediocre pale ale (the red ale was very good). The rest pretty much blends together.


WEATHER: If you are afraid of a little water, by all means buy a poncho. Almost everyone was wearing them shortly after the afternoon thunderstorms started. You will not look silly. However, we are of the mind that friends don’t let friends wear ponchos. Yes, we got wet, at times soaked. But you know what? At some point we dried out and, unlike the Wicked Witch of the West, didn’t melt. Go figure. Do not let the rain stop you from enjoying the parks. Well, except for Test Track at Epcot, which shut down during thunderstorms and was offline for hours at a time. Let the weak and the families with small children huddle in alcoves. Take advantage of the rain and enjoy the one time you can walk around and not be jostled stroller-pushing moms and dads more concerned with the park maps they are studying than the traffic ahead. Speaking of parks, let’s take them one at a time.


ANIMAL KINGDOM: The most unfortunate thing about Disney World is the way it stashed its best ride in the worst, most difficult to navigate park. OK, so Imagineers wanted to boost attendance at Disney World’s weak sister of a theme park. While investing millions in Expedition Everest (worth every cent, by the way), why didn’t someone at some point say, “Hey, let’s spend a few thousand bucks here and there to widen the walkways.” Everyone who arrives before Animal Kingdom opens is here for one reason, to ride the best attraction in the World (we will rank rides later). After a superfluous opening show with Minnie and Mickey, guests are led by two cast members holding a rope between them. These cast members walk very slowly. The people behind them want to take off as if chased by the bull of Pamplona. And at those rare times the walkway widens to accommodate more than 10 people across, anyone who does not mind sacrificing civility and decent human behavior to save a few minutes (that was almost everyone) sprints up the sides to cut into line a little farther up. Yet no one crosses the rope, which gave us this idea. Have cast members with ropes man the northern and southern US borders. Illegal immigration would come to a stunning halt. “Sorry, we’re not opening for another 10 or 15 years.” “Oh, OK, sorry, we’ll try back then.” “That would be great, have a wonderful Disney day.” Best ride: Yup, Everest. By far. Amazing. You really have to ride it. Get there early, then as you wait 45 minutes for the first ride, get a FastPass because they will be gone by noon. If you ride it twice, it was a successful day. Runner-up: Dinosaur. Darn fun. You can ride it 3-4 times before the Expedition Everest people find it later. Worthless: That train to Rafiki’s conservation station or whatever. You do not want to get stuck on that thing. Overrated ride: Kilamanjaro Safari. You ride a truck through the zoo. You may or may not see tigers and lions. You will see giraffes and antelope. Throw in some ridiculous story line about chasing a poacher (not even the littlest kids buy this ride as an action adventure) and you have an experience hardly worth the 40-minute wait in a queue that is wider than most walkways and, as a result, very slow moving.


DISNEY-MGM STUDIOS: As this is written, there is a report that a young boy died on Rockin Rollercoaster. Very sad. The first three seconds of that ride was far more intense (in our opinion) than anything in Mission: Space. It took our breath away, and in the resulting photo flashed as the coaster went from 0 to 60 in those 3 seconds, our eyes are closed and mouths open in a very embarrassing way. We did not buy the photo and did not go on a second ride. Still, it was an incredible ride. Make up your own mind. The studios are pretty small and can get packed early, but early in the morning and 30 minutes before closing, you can pretty much have your way. Best ride: Tower of Terror. Far better than the one at Disneyland. Wait was just 10 minutes at 9:30 p.m., when it had been up to 50 minutes most of the day. Runner-up: The stunt car show. Noisy, brash, and some very cool stunts. And you get to sit and relax for a while. Worthless: The Backlot Tour. Anyone who has been on the tour at Universal Studios-Hollywood will think Disney’s 20-minute version to be dismal. Overrated ride: That’d be the tour again. Go see Muppetvision 3D instead. Really.


EPCOT: By far our favorite, perhaps because it was 7 minutes away. Visited there almost every day. Lots of space to roam around, particularly in the World Showcase. At 9 p.m. each night, the blasts from the Illumination fireworks show boomed across the entire Epcot area and could easily be heard at Disney Studios. It’s more relaxed than other parks. Nothing beats sitting along the lake at the Rose and Crown Pub sipping a half-yard of Bass or Harp while you laugh at all the parents of kids far too young to appreciate, or even remember, all that Disney World has to offer. Best ride: Test Track. Hitting 65mph on the home stretch is a blast. Hold onto your hat. Runner-up: (Adult version) Riding a stool at the Rose and Crown. (Kid version). Doing the orange (spinning) side of Mission: Space. Worthless: The Journey into Imagination with Figment is the weakest attraction, but still not all that bad. Overrated ride: Not so much the ride itself, but the hype that you will get sick or die on Mission: Space. The green (non-spinning) side is fine for little kids and those prone to motion sickness, but don’t let Disney psyche you out with all the warnings about the orange side. We get seasick easily, but had no trouble with Space, and even rode it 5 times.


MAGIC KINGDOM: Second-best park at Disney World, but we’ve been to Disneyland about 50 times or so. The World versions of these rides are better: Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain. The Disneyland versions of these rides (and attraction) are better: Toontown, Jungle Boat, Astro Blasters, Space Mountain (way way way better), and, due to default, Matterhorn and Indiana Jones. Disneyland overall is better than Magic Kingdom, but there is more to the World than Magic Kingdom. Best ride: Splash Mountain. Nice balance between looks and thrills. Worthless: Stitch's Great Escape. We have no idea how this attraction was when it was about aliens, but the PeopleMover was thrilling and chilling compared to this waste of 15 minutes we'll never get back. We won't give the ride away, but imagine how "scary" it is to have someone tap you on the shoulder and whisper in your ear. That is the gist of this pathetic diversion. And we'll never get how Stitch became so popular in the first place. Overrated: Space Mountain. And that ride is way overrated, the most overrated ride in the whole World. The Disneyland version eats its launch.


TOP 5 RIDES OF DISNEY WORLD: 5. Dinosaur. 4. Mission: Space. 3. Test Track. 2. Tower of Terror. 1. Expedition Everest.


RANDOM THOUGHTS:
If you are cheaping it by staying at a budget hotel, do yourself a huge favor and rent a car. You will get everywhere much faster and save yourself a lot of headaches.
Disney service still rules. We were always greeted with a smile, everyone was so pleasant. Eerie.
Plan, but don’t overplan. Dinner reservations are a must, as well as knowing where you want to go each day. But we took time to do spontaneous things like play miniature golf or ride a rental bike around the Boardwalk. We even rented a small “speed”boat to cruise around the waterways between Boardwalk and Disney Studios. Favorite memory: Playing catch with a mini leather football purchased at the ESPN Club on the vast expanse of ground in front of the Beach Club.
Those extra magic hours may seem like a great deal, but after experiencing one at Disney Studios, and then seeing the wait for a bus to get in early at Animal Kingdom, we avoided them. That worked out very well. Our strategy was to be early, and it paid off well. We did everything we wanted to do and more, to the point we took a day off from the parks.
Give serious thought to the water parks. We spend a half-day at Blizzard Beach and had a great time. We got there at 8, rode all the best slides 2-3 times, and left at noon when the wait for those same rides was now 30 minutes and longer.
Actually heard a woman tell her tearful 3-4-year-old daughter, “You can’t be having a bad time, we didn’t bring you all this way and spend all this money for you to be crying.” Think about that.
Disney’s PhotoPass was well worth it. We flagged down a photographer in every park, then got home and chose the ones we wanted to send to friends. Yes, we even bought one, but price was worth it considering 99 percent of our photos (we took more than 500) were of son or landscape. Dad was hardly ever seen.


AND NOW FOR SOMETHING THAT WILL PROBABLY GET US FLAMED: Strollers and scooters. Why does it have to be strollers and scooters?
There are reasons to take little kids to Disney World, but they are not usually good reasons. Maybe they have older siblings who are a better age to spend so much time at a theme park and, well, you feel it’s just not far to them that little Suzy is just 2. But we saw so many parents who had 2 or 3 kids, the oldest not more than 4 or 5. Most were in the 2-3-year-old area, sacked out by 2 p.m. or so. If a child is so young that they can’t stay awake an entire day, or can’t walk around on their own for more than 20 minutes, what are they doing at Disney World? What can they possibly be getting out of such a fantastic park that could not wait another 2 or 3 years, when they will be able to enjoy and appreciate such a marvel to the child in all of us? I suspect because the parents are the ones who really want to be here, using the kids as an excuse. And so every theme park is choked with strollers, leaving the rest of us with age-appropriate kids to dodge and hurtle and weave among the army of strollers. If you are wasting half the day in line for Dumbo or for character meet-and-greets, your kids are probably spending most of the day in a double-wide stroller tank just so you can switch off with a spouse at Test Track or Tower of Terror. Wait a few years. Disney World will still be there. Save up and do it really nice.
Having attended amusement parks more than 40 years now, can’t remember a time seeing so many people in those motorized scooters, which are like wheelchairs only with handlebars, electric motors and beeping sounds for when they back up. And most of the people riding scooters were morbidly obese. Now, we want to remain sensitive to those with genetic conditions, but when exactly did being way too fat qualify as a disability? The scooter people drove like maniacs, expecting people to get out of their way as they approached (and people did, no one wants to get hit by a fat guy on a scooter). We also saw many scooter people waiting at the front of the line in the area for (legitimately) disabled folks. When their turn came, they rose from their scooters and walked just fine without need of walker or even a cane, easing themselves into the seat. When the ride was over they plopped themselves back into their scooters and were off, while the rest of us waited like able-bodied suckers.
Let the flaming attacks commence, assuming anyone got this far in the trip report.

. You have nothing nice to say about the trip itself, (why did you even go) Then you go and bash people who use scooters. If you had an once of brains, you would realize that "normal" people that have heart problems or invisible disabilities have the right to use scooters. Also what gives you the right to judge anyone at all?? I hope you don't one day need to use a scooter/wheelchair and have people judge you.

[lovmy2girls]

You said you don't think you will go back to Walt Disney World because it is to far from home, and other things to do in the world, yet you have been to Disneyland around 50 times or so? Why? :confused3

I think it sounds like you have a good time. :)

popcorn:: I guess it is a good thing not everyone in the world thinks the same. :goodvibes

[deide71]

Well.............nah..not worth the effort :rotfl: .

[Mickey-4-Me]

Hmmm... Okay... Well... Let's see...

I feel compassion for your son. You must have sucked some of the magic right out of his trip with your cynicism and negativity. It sounds like you were annoyed (IMO annoying) from the beginning of your trip.

I could list a very long rebuttal, but quite frankly I don't have the time. I am too busy on the DIS boards finding ways to make our family's upcoming Walt Disney World trip much more enjoyable AND taking care of our three children (ages 11, 5, and 20months).

I do find some things curious though (with your inference to being so widely traveled and claiming to be a Disneyland veteran) have you not encountered many of your same complaints elsewhere? If so, why would you be naive and not expect to find them at WDW? If you have traveled from Arizona to California 50+ times to visit Disneyland, was your 11 year old son not in tow? If so, I would like to assume that you were a responsible parent and provided a stroller.

I noticed that you correlated much of your enjoyment with thrill rides at WDW. It is great that you were able to enjoy (something) umm... those rides. Walt Disney World is much more than an amusement park. If thrill rides are what you seek, I suggest that you visit Alton Towers in England.

BTW, how much fun was your son having while he waited for his parent to guzzle alcohol and gaze at other tourists? Was this trip about you or him?

If you ever visit the south (or WDW) again, try to stay longer than 7 nights and maybe a pinch of our southern charm will rub off onto you. Trust me, you could use it.

Have a magical day!

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your report ~ Thanx for sharing.

[Grammyof2]

I wasn’t going to respond, but felt compelled. I hope that no one in your family ever needs to use any type of mobility device. I don’t believe you would be very compassionate. Someday your view might change. It often does when it is personalized.

[missj1975]

Very interesting report. A little negative and sarcastic but interesting. I don't agree with lots of your opinions but everyone has a right to their opinion.

"LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Though we will likely never return to Disney World"

Probably a good idea since you weren't feeling the Disney Magic.

:) Your happiness is intertwined with your outlook on life :)

[MichelleVW]

I don't agree with most of what you said, but that's what makes America beautiful...you can think the Safari ride is useless and it can be a family favorite for us.

Oh by the way you will never see Tigers on the Safari ride, if you're lucky you'll see the lions, but there aren't Tigers out there. ;)

Uh...Glad you had a good trip....well, I'm not sure if it was a good trip or not since it seems like there was more you didn't like rather than stuff you liked. :confused3

[pumba]

please everyone post nicely...

[toothboy2k1]

First, thank you to all to who took the time to read and reply to my trip report, particularly those who disagreed on many of the points. It's interesting and fun to see the response.

However, I would like to clarify just a few things. I wrote the report largely to offer advice and opinions to those not as familiar with the World as others. I enjoy reading other's opinions as much as I like to offer my own opinions. But I also know that opinions are a dime a dozen (mine are probably cheaper). We must all make our own decisions. If you have young kids who really enjoy the view from a stroller, and would truly enjoy a visit to a very large theme park, then you are going to write off the guy trying to dissuade you from such (but perhaps thinking, "You know, there are a ton of strollers, and those indestructible double-wides that Disney rents can be dangerous"). That's great. I merely offered observations, ones not normally made in most trip reports. I guess I wanted to go off the beaten trip-report path. Some have liked it, other's haven't. Just like life.

I purposely didn't discuss the many things that my son and I found joy in, which many of you mistook as evidence we had a bad time. Far from it. I figured those moments would be rather mundane to those cruising the trip reports looking for information and entertainment. I didn't mention the wonderful conversation we had at the English pub over dinner (where I sipped a half-yard of beer, a mention that convinced some of you that I spent all my time there at the expense of my son, though that was our only stop there). Or how we skipped from the back entrance of Epcot to be first in line in Test Track, something that made my very competitive son extremely happy. Or his joy in manning the video camera as we plied the waters of the Boardwalk lake in our tiny rented speedboat that putted along. Or how he meticulously built a Lego car to race down the ramp at Downtown Disney. Or how we ate pizza for every lunch because my son absolutely loved the mini pizzas served on property. Or that we tossed the football in the rain, not once but several times during our stay (or maybe I did mention that). There was fun to be had every day, in and out of the parks.

The fact is, I wanted to offer a glimpse into many of the things rarely thought about as you plan a trip to Disney World. For example, there's the TV programming devoted largely to Disney and ESPN. More interesting were that 5 or 6 channels ran 24-hour information (ads) on Disney World, a fact I found fascinating because Disney was advertising to people to already bought the product. And yet we watched the "Top 7 attractions at Disney World" several times during those much-appreciated relaxing moments, and I actually developed a crush on the very cute hostess of that program.

Now to briefly address a few comments -- I've been to Disneyland so many times because I grew up in Southern California, and now it's just an hour away by air from Arizona. I love Disneyland and California Adventure. (I now love Disney World). As far as ever getting back to Disney World, perhaps with my grandkids. That has nothing to do with how much I enjoyed the parks as it is money, time and the many other places in this wide world I would like to see before I die. Those of you east of the Mississippi are fortunate that the World is pretty close (as I am lucky Disneyland is so close). Perhaps you can go once a year, so take those small kids in strollers, and freely ride your scooter. Enjoy. You deserve it. And as far as Soarin' (warning, opinion ahead), I've ridden it a half-dozen times in Disneyland. It's worth a ride, but not worth a 40-minute (and longer) wait, or even a FastPass once you've been on it a few times. You may disagree. And that's cool.

And to the reader who called me a "total idiot" -- people who know me well have called me far worse, yet the fact you base your summation of my character on a single trip report says more about you than me. However, I see you are relatively new to the boards and haven't picked up on the tone that I have noticed over the year. We may disagree, but we rarely make it personal.

To everyone, have a magical day.

[eliza61]

Thanks for the interesting report. Still can't figure out if you had a good vacation or not, but lots of interesting points made. Thanks for taking the time to post.

We love pretty much every thing you hated, so this report had us laughing hysterically.
Hope you have better success in future vacations.

[kpk89]

And as far as Soarin' (warning, opinion ahead), I've ridden it a half-dozen times in Disneyland. It's worth a ride, but not worth a 40-minute (and longer) wait, or even a FastPass once you've been on it a few times. You may disagree. And that's cool.

Dude, I SO disagree! (but you probably already guessed that ... :rotfl2: )

Well, not about the waiting. I don't wait for anything. ANYthing. Especially with a queue as boring as Soarin's -- what were they thinking? And especially with my little kids. But Soarin' is now a favorite that almost our whole family can ride together. Next trip, with luck, the baby will be big enough.

But, the beauty of Disney World is that there's something for every person, every family, every ability, every age, every everything. Plenty of magic to go 'round for all.

Just remember that scooters (and strollers, too, for that matter) are there to help everyone enjoy their day. A total, visible disability is not required. If somebody chooses to use one because it makes it possible for them to rest and therefore play longer, or to keep up with the rest of their party, then go for it.

Peace, everybody.

[Sneezie]

If a child is so young that they can’t stay awake an entire day, or can’t walk around on their own for more than 20 minutes, what are they doing at Disney World? What can they possibly be getting out of such a fantastic park that could not wait another 2 or 3 years, when they will be able to enjoy and appreciate such a marvel to the child in all of us? I suspect because the parents are the ones who really want to be here, using the kids as an excuse. And so every theme park is choked with strollers, leaving the rest of us with age-appropriate kids to dodge and hurtle and weave among the army of strollers. If you are wasting half the day in line for Dumbo or for character meet-and-greets, your kids are probably spending most of the day in a double-wide stroller tank just so you can switch off with a spouse at Test Track or Tower of Terror.


Why don't we just drug our children to keep them asleep for the first three years of their life. I mean, they won't remember anything about that time anyway, right? I was shocked to read this and realize that people actually feel this way.

Some people actually enjoy standing in line for Dumbo and character meet-and-greets with their kids. I do it, and my "kid" is 13 years old. It's not a waste.

If you spent 7 days at Disney World, you should know there is no such thing as an "age-appropriate" kid. There is something for everyone and if parents want to take their kids (two-weeks old or not) I'll happily move out there way to let them and their stroller-tank by.


when exactly did being way too fat qualify as a disability?
I did read your entire post and was considering some of your pointers/tips. However, your creditablility is pretty much shot after this statement.

[fynook12]

I thought your trip report was different and amusing. Everyone is entitled to there own opinion and I respect that. I appreciate your honesty in your reviews/ratings. :cool1:

[coruth4]

I thought your format was interesting and definately different from many of the others.
The biggest thing I noticed was your comments about waiting in line for up to 40 minutes for a ride! Too bad you didn't check out Tourguidemike.com before your trip.
I took my three children last year (for our first trip there ever! :woohoo: ) and followed his advise. We NEVER stood in line for more than 10 minutes! This makes a HUGE difference in the enjoyment level (I think).
I totally agree with your observation about the parents that tell their kids that because they paid lots of money, they should be having fun. I mean how reasonable is that? The kids are up at the crack of dawn, in the heat, standing in line and overdosing on adrenaline. One of the best tips from Tourguidemike is the afternoon breaks. And these same people who demand their kids have fun and refuse breaks because they paid "so much money" are also the ones who waste hours standing in line!
I have a co-worker who recently went with his 8 yr old son and refused to take any breaks during the day because he paid soooo much money to be there. In all the pictures, his son looks exhausted! They were there when the ropes dropped in the morning and stayed until the extra magic hour ended. I was exhausted just thinking about it! What kind of vacation is that? He even admited that he is a go-go-go parent while there becuase he spent so much money on the trip. :sad2:
Everyone is going to have opinions - maybe you'll change you mind and visit again if you check out that web-site?

[wilma-bride]

I must admit, I nearly stopped reading your report after the first few lines. However, I'm glad I didn't because, despite initial appearances, it was actually extremely informative and to-the-point. Like some others here, I agree with some of the points you make and disagree with others - but then life would be boring if we were all the same. I think it's a shame that some comments made you feel you needed to justify yourself in terms of your son's enjoyment as I certainly didn't get the impression that you didn't have a great time.

Probably my turn to be flamed now but I sometimes think that, if you don't interject your reports with the words 'magic', 'pixie dust' and 'emotional' then people think you didn't have a great time.

[keekeeb]

I'm not going to say I liked or disliked the trip report because it's a matter of opinion and I don't seek to prove somebody wrong. I did have to laugh about the Pub comment. We're going in August and if I were to say the following in a pre-trip report:

"I'm looking soo forward to sipping on a margarita at Epcot"

Then some would assume that I'm putting my priorities ahead of my DS11 and DD8. BUT, if I would have said it like this:

"I'm looking soo forward to riding the Tower of Terror, eating
dinner at Cinderella's Castle, riding Pirate's of the Carrib. and
trying a margarita at Epcot"

Then it would 'sound' better to some critics. YES, I am looking forward to sipping on a margarita WHILE my son, daughter and husband (who will be sipping an ice cold beer) are in my presence. In fact, my DS11 and DD8 will be sipping on a virgin strawberry daqari. It's the same thing as a smoothie. Are we planning on being there all day getting wasted? No. Will we have more than one throughout the day? Yes. Will our kids be forever traumatized because mom and dad drank some cocktails while they were at Disney and they wanted to ride the roller coaster but had to wait for mom to finish her 3rd cocktail during that 10 hour day? No. Because we've been on that roller coaster probably 3 times already and parents deserve a few moments to relax and regain some energy. Whether it's a coke or a cocktail, who cares. Don't judge people. They have their kids there because they're involved in their kid's life and our enjoying the time together. Some of our best conversations between me, my kids and my husband have been over cocktails and virgin daqaris. Being honest, keeping an open mind, being respectful, setting boundries and limitations and staying involved in your child's life is what makes them and you a better person with a brighter future.

I've complained about someone with a stroller or scooter that was being disrespectful towards the people around them, but it doesn't mean I'm "anti-stroller/scooter". I complain about people walking, sitting, or standing around me when they're being disrespectful.

Maybe it was overly crowded with scooters, strollers and walkers during that time than other times he had been there. Who knows, but I really don't think he is trying to be critical. It's all in the way you perceive things. We teach our kids not to judge unless it's upon yourself.

[KerriSue]

Hey, I loved your report. I felt in a way that I was reading a brochure. I found it very informative. Your matter of fact style without all the extras was what I was in the mood for reading.

Your holiday sounded full of fun with nothing missing. As a mother with two children, I can appreciate the vacation when a diaper bag and stroller are no longer needed. I can say our best holidays have been without.

I do agree that seeing more than Disney every year is a must. To travel with my children to other countries and see them open their eyes to other cultures are memories worth having. Saying that I must add that Disney has a special place in our hearts and we will enjoy it again and again (maybe just not as often as most :goodvibes )

Kerri
Oh yeah, I grew up in SoCal and remember the days my mom would drop me off at Disneyland in the morning and then pick me at closing. Great memories :Pinkbounc

[GeorgiaAristocat]

Toothboy -
Okay, so you had me rolling a couple of times!
it was to indoctrinate us in the Way of the Line. Ah, the magic of it all.
:rotfl: That's funny, I don't care who you are!
and . . .
do not let the rain stop you from enjoying the parks. Well, except for Test Track at Epcot, which shut down during thunderstorms and was offline for hours at a time.

I'll just say, I read your report yesterday, and decided not to respond, as my perception of your trip was fairly negative. Then, today, I read your second post.

THANK YOU for that second post. Because of it, I went back and re-read your report, and came away with a completely different perspective.

I disagree with you on some aspects, agree with you on others. Which points they are don't really matter. I just wanted to say that your second post actually made me realize that I incorrectly read negativism into your first post, and just that tiny insight into where you were coming from made a huge difference.

I'm glad you enjoyed the parts of your trip that you did. I hope that when I take my young children this fall I have the good sense to watch where I'm pushing that stroller and not be so rude as to run into anyone! My daughter, who will turn 4 while we are there, talks daily about going to meet the Princesses. Believe me, she's going to remember!

[mom2my3kids]

I liked your report. We will be there this fall with a 13 year old, 9 year old and a 3 year old. We will be renting a stroller for the 3 year old, will I feel guilty about all the peoples feet I am going to run over NO!!!!!! :happytv: :joker:

[OhMari]

I agree with taking a break in the afternoon. You will see that advice on the Tip Boards, Theme Park Strategies and many posters on this board also say they stop in the afternoon and take a break.

One ride though I will never go on "ever again" is Tower of Terror. Even the Tag Fairy caught me posting about it. See Tag.


Also, you probably had to go in June because of your sons schedule, I've been reading a lot of Trip Reports lately that said June was extremly busy this year. I think a lot of people wait for their kids to get out of school and then go on vacation right away. I know that was our tradition when my kids were in school.

[SpazMonkey]

I just wanted to mention (since I find many people on this thread to be so negative) that I found your report an enjoyable read. I didn't find anything you said to be mean or some sort of derivative of that word. I'm also from Southern California (Orange County in fact) and now in in sunny Tucson, Arizona. I've never been to WDW, although I am proud to say I'm making my first trek out there this Sept (free dining plan). So thank you for writing an honest and truthful report.

As much as I know there are tons of people out there that love Soarin', I myself think it's pretty boring. I've come to the conclusion (read: my conclusion and not everyone has to agree with it) that if you're from California and lived there for a good portion of your life, this is not the best ride in all the lands. Case in point: I was just at DL and DCA last month with a couple of friends that are not from CA. They absolutely loved it. Thought it was wonderful. When I talk to all of my friends that are from CA and have been on Soarin' they just think it was a decent ride.

[zipuzee]

Add me to the few who enjoyed your report. I found is short and concise, with a bit of a sarcastic bite to it. :rolleyes1 The only part that didn't interest me is the comments on the rides. You see, I'm a major ride chicken. :scared: POTC is the most I can handle pirate:

[tiggerbell]

<<<After a superfluous opening show with Minnie and Mickey, guests are led by two cast members holding a rope between them. These cast members walk very slowly. The people behind them want to take off as if chased by the bull of Pamplona. And at those rare times the walkway widens to accommodate more than 10 people across, anyone who does not mind sacrificing civility and decent human behavior to save a few minutes (that was almost everyone) sprints up the sides to cut into line a little farther up. Yet no one crosses the rope, which gave us this idea. Have cast members with ropes man the northern and southern US borders. Illegal immigration would come to a stunning halt. “Sorry, we’re not opening for another 10 or 15 years.” “Oh, OK, sorry, we’ll try back then.” “That would be great, have a wonderful Disney day.”>>>

OK, that was so funny - you made me choke!!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbsup2

[LauraAnn630]

I loved your trip report! I agree with a lot of what you said.

We love to take our small children to Disney. Yes its CRAZY!

This year we will be going with Mom in a scooter!

SO LOOK OUT!! LOL

We will NOT do the budget hotels again! I totally agree on those points!!!

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

Thanks for posting your trip report. I really enjoyed the humor in it.

We are some of those lucky people who live within 12 hour drive of WDW and return with regularity. I have taken a child as young as 22 mo. and we have always had vacations that were great. There is nothing like sharing experiences with young children who believe in the fairy tales and characters. To them they are real. Those trips we took at those young ages are the best I have ever had!

I would never keep a child home because "they won't remember it". So, they don't remember that book I read to them last week or that trip to the zoo or when we saw that movie, but it won't stop me from exposing them to new experiences or sharing new things.

As far as the scooters go, I am sure with the numbers of people who use them there have to be some who do it just to not have to walk. It would be hard to imagine that most people would plunk down the money if there wasn't a real problem that prevented them from being able to experience the parks. Our friend sometimes travels with us. He has to have a ECV due to circulatory problems (legs) related to diabetes and back problems, though if you were to look at him you would never know. So I have a tendency to give people some slack because I don't know their struggles. I'm just lucky to be able to have the ability to use 2 legs to get out of their way.

[Deebo]

Thanks for a well-written report with a different perspective. :thumbsup2 The tongue-in-cheek tone and slight sarcasm made this seem like a REAL account of what happens on a vacation. Nothing is ever perfect. It was a refreshing break from the syruppy sweet, la-la-la, we live the perfect life reports, and I preferred your format to the blow-by-blow reports of how many times little Johnny needed to use the potty. I could tell by your first post that you had a good time, but enjoyed the second post nonetheless. Thanks for the info and the laughs. Rock on! :woohoo:

[FSUMARCHIEF]

I have a couple of things I would like to add here.

First, I liked your report. It is different. And from the people who have posted, we can see proof that not everyone likes the blow by blow descriptions etc. I'm glad you wrote the way you did.

I too like to comment on the behavior of people I experience while at the world. It's pretty dadgum funny at times.

And, as others have said, it would be a pretty boring world if all of us agreed about everything. If you've read my trip reports, you already know that our 4 year old has been to WDW like 14 times. He loves it. We love it. We always said, as you did that we would not take him until he was at least 5 and could walk all day on his own. We should have known that wouldn't last.

I just felt compelled to write. Not sure why - cause I haven't said anything different from the others who have already responded. But I enjoyed the report. Just cause we may not agree on everything doesn't make either of us more right than the other. I had to ride on a scooter for one trip - not because of anything anyone could see, however if I had pulled out my hiddedn ailment, I think everyone would have understood. It did, however, give me a totally different perspective on life being able to walk.

I think its something everyone should have to experience just once - to help us see out of someone elses eyes.

Thansk again for your report!

Blessings!
Mark

[BratTink]

Thanks for a well-written report with a different perspective. :thumbsup2 The tongue-in-cheek tone and slight sarcasm made this seem like a REAL account of what happens on a vacation. Nothing is ever perfect. It was a refreshing break from the syruppy sweet, la-la-la, we live the perfect life reports, and I preferred your format to the blow-by-blow reports of how many times little Johnny needed to use the potty. I could tell by your first post that you had a good time, but enjoyed the second post nonetheless. Thanks for the info and the laughs. Rock on! :woohoo:


This seems a little unnecessarily mean and disrespectful.

[Scully23]

I actually do enjoy reading some of the play-by-play trip reports; however, yours was a witty change of pace. It was kind of exciting to read something so controversial on the boards. If the reader took the report in the spirit in which it was written, offense should not have been taken. Thanks for the laugh.

[toothboy2k1]

Now that I have had a little time to thoughtfully reflect on the weeklong Disney trip (meaning I have unpacked and caught up on email at work, though have yet to figure out exactly why a member of our party -- apparently me -- bought a handheld device whose only purpose is to spin and blink), I thought I'd add just a few more tidbits, mining the same vein offered in the first post. I will be dropping a little more personal info, but only inconsequential stuff you might hear on a first date.

ONE NIGHT, AT DINNER -- At Sci-Fi Dine Inn, these two things are true: large plates, tiny dining space. At least in those cars with counters in front and back seats. Once my son scraped off the stuff he did not want on his chicken sandwich, which was everything but the meat, he had very little room for the copious amounts of ketchup that accompany each of his meals. I struggled to find room to place discarded rib bones (ribs are OK, would recommend only if on dining plan), finally putting them atop the fries. Not a brilliant move given the lack of light that, while honest to the theme of a drive-in movie, is not conducive to the mixing of fries and rib bones. Be careful out there.

SAME NIGHT, SAME DINNER, NEW CONVERSATION (as trailers from 60s sci-fo movies played on the big screen): "Dad, did they really make these movies?"
"Yeah, they really did. And if I remember correctly, Frankenstein did defeat the space monster. And I'm not sure what went wrong with plans 1 through 8 from outer space, forcing them to rely on plan 9."
"How come no one invented color?"
"We were easily pleased back then."

SOUVENIRS: Given the plethora of overstuffed plastic Disney shopping bags we saw, we weren't the only ones buying stuff that, upon arriving home, would cause us to seriously question our savvy as consumers. In the past, I would give my son a set amount (anywhere from $10-$40, depending on duration and location of trip) to spend. It was a very successful tactic once I made it clear he could keep all excess cash. His spending plummeted. I would strongly suggest this method should you want to limit your children's spending, and not do what I did upon checking in -- giving signing privileges to a child whose credit worthiness is dependent upon a $10 weekly allowance. OK, I got a kick out of watching him sign for snacks and various souvenirs. But he is also deep in debt to the National Bank of Dad. We have since worked out a mutually beneficial payment schedule involving those chores Dad dislikes most. Everybody wins, especially when Dad is inside watching World Cup soccer as son mows lawn on 105-degree day.

PRESSURE TO HAVE HAPPIEST TIME ON EARTH: This trip had been 18 months in the planning (year added when, last July, son broke ankle 3 days prior to departure, and thankfully Disney and Southwest Airlines were very forgiving, especially Disney as we rebooked for this year at higher rate). Involved in that planning were travel guides, travel planners, officially licensed Disney vacation DVDs, and obsessive combing of Internet for any and all advice. But the most important reason we had a wonderful time in which conflicts, arguments and assorted meltdowns added up to zero, was willingness to depart from well-made plans. Armed with trip plans from the Unofficial Guide (a very useful tome, by the way), we were determined to follow them to the letter. And we did. For about an hour, when interests diverged and crowds grew larger than anticipated. Simple adjustments were made, like sitting on a bench to eat ice cream. Or ducking into a gift shop (seriously, no matter where you stand in the park, a souvenir shop will be in your line of sight) to buy something else we really didn't need. And on Sunday, we took a day off from the parks -- my son's request, though my initial reaction was "Nooo, we are here to have fun, dang it, the kind of fun available only to the thousands upon thousands lucky enough to be here". Yet that break is precisely what we needed.

WAIT UP: What separates Disney from other amusement parks, other than convincing parents a visit is a childhood rite, is the theming, and that is most apparent in the queues. This is what we found:
Best queues: Expedition Everest (enjoy your hour in a Tibetan village comprised of several rooms containing artifacts, photos and icons relating to climbing and a rather abominable and ill-tempered snowman); Test Track (loud and busy but fun); Rock n Roller coaster (due to background music your "meet" with Aerosmith); Haunted Mansion (still love the ghost host after all these years); and Dinosaur (finally, I am not the only fossil on display). Most deceptive: Astro Blasters. Winds along much further than it looks from the outside (though its deceptiveness pales to that of Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin in Disneyland, where you enter to find one rail separating you from the loading area, yet the queue runs on longer than the mysterious plots in Lost). Worst queue: Kilamanjaro Safari. Line moves slowly and is far too wide, resulting in much jostling from people attempting to protect thier place. Missed opportunity: Soarin'. Very bland.

RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS WITH WHICH WE WERE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED: We measure these rides on their superior standby-time-to-enjoyment ratio, taking into account expectation loads and levels of anticipation: People Mover in Tomorrowland, Maelstrom in World Showcase at Epcot, Journey into the Imagination at Epcot, Tower of Terror at Disney Studios (based on late-night, short-wait visit and comparisons to same ride at Disneyland); the stunt car show at Disney Studios, and the Great Movie Ride at the studios.

MOST DISAPPOINTING RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS: Space Mountain, Star Tours (even Obi Wan knew when it was time to give it up), Indiana Jones stunt show (fun, but way too much time setting up the action, and someone needs to rethink the long-winded audience participation), the Backlot Tour (we came all this way to see seamstresses?), and No. 1 with a bullet, Stitch's Great Escape.

With that I sign off, unless you have questions. If interested in a blog that's not your usual blog, I direct you to www.loseroldguy.com, humorous ramblings and observations from someone who knows enough not to try to make sense of everything.

Thanks, and have a magical life.

[heaven2dc]

And again, I enjoyed this last installment. Your humor is great (remindful of my late brother's - he was such a card). and in response to BratTink's reply, I didn't think you were being cruel - just honest but we all have our opinions and it is great we can express them on here without stepping on toes (hopefully).

[BratTink]

And again, I enjoyed this last installment. Your humor is great (remindful of my late brother's - he was such a card). and in response to BratTink's reply, I didn't think you were being cruel - just honest but we all have our opinions and it is great we can express them on here without stepping on toes (hopefully).


Her use of "la la la" and "johnny's potty breaks" were directly referencing posters on this board and I find it again unnecessarily rude and disrepectful.
I wasn't directing this at the TR writer, I really liked his report, it was directed at the poster I quoted.

[Deebo]

Her use of "la la la" and "johnny's potty breaks" were directly referencing posters on this board and I find it again unnecessarily rude and disrepectful.
I wasn't directing this at the TR writer, I really liked his report, it was directed at the poster I quoted.

My apoligies if my comments were offensive. I was not referring to any posters on this board specifically, as I have learned to skip over the reports that are 'not my cup of tea'. That freedom of choice is what makes it great to live in the good old USA.

[ski37]

Toothboy,

Your reports were great!
I learned more about WDW in them than most others.
Anytime you have an opinion, others who don,t agree put you down.
That,s life, that's what people say!
I enjoyed your writings very much.

ski :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[tictoc]

I believe your opinions are valuable and I thought some of them were funny. I believe you should be cautious about judging scooter people becuase you do not know what put them in a certain situation. In any circumstance they are people and it is never nice to poke fun. I am glad you shared your opinions on the things that you did not like. I just wish you would share some of your opinions on the things you did like. You said you enjoyed your trip and there were many things you and your son enjoyed. I have been to WDW (sorry for the abbreviation) 47 times and will return at least that many more. Thereare things I like and things I do not like. I do however try and concentrate on the things I enjoy!

[tink38]

ONE NIGHT, AT DINNER -- At Sci-Fi Dine Inn, these two things are true: large plates, tiny dining space. At least in those cars with counters in front and back seats. Once my son scraped off the stuff he did not want on his chicken sandwich, which was everything but the meat, he had very little room for the copious amounts of ketchup that accompany each of his meals. I struggled to find room to place discarded rib bones (ribs are OK, would recommend only if on dining plan), finally putting them atop the fries. Not a brilliant move given the lack of light that, while honest to the theme of a drive-in movie, is not conducive to the mixing of fries and rib bones. Be careful out there.


With that I sign off, unless you have questions. If interested in a blog that's not your usual blog, I direct you to www.loseroldguy.com, humorous ramblings and observations from someone who knows enough not to try to make sense of everything.

Thanks, and have a magical life.

ITA! This EXACT same thing hapened to me. While I love the atmosphere of the Sci Fi, I find it very difficult to eat there as well.
I must say that I went to your blog and was very impressed. But I think you just got me in trouble at work. :rotfl:

[newfamilyman]

I guess I count myself among those who enjoyed reading your report until the end. We often go to DL with our young children (2 and 5) and are looking forward to our first WDW trip as a family next year. I suppose if I see someone holding a picket with a picture of a stroller with a circle and a line through it, I'll know it's you; otherwise, I guess you'll be exploring other parts of the planet.

[kmtruffe99]

I loved your TR toothboy......I am a disney world fanatic and go every year with the family.......just got back from port orleans riverside with my wife and two daughters age 7 and 3......I left my 1 year old son home cause he'd never remember it and I didn't want to waste all that $$$ on the little guy :woohoo: .....as for the 3 year old I only brought her so i could feel less embarrassed about asking belle, sleeping beauty, snow white, and jasmine for autographs and pictures........as for the strollers, i was the guy running at full speed, nipping peoples ankles, and sending elderly people flying.......WHY? Cause I gots to gets to Space Mountain before my fastpass expires!! Thats Why!!.......is that not a good enough excuse??? Also, although I'm not proud of it, i may have been the one who told my daughter that she better be having the best time of her life because I paid a fortune for the holiday.....but cut me some slack OK? My head was pounding....you see the night before, "Kid's Night Out" came to my room to look after the brats for a few hours and I got carried away with the wine at the California Grill :banana: ........and lastly, to those who require the scooters, god bless you and for those that take advantage of it, :sad2:

[Yzma and Kronk]

Toothboy......really enjoyed you report.

I liked your writing style and the good information.

:thumbsup2

[toothboy2k1]

Since a few people thought I concentrated a bit too much on the negative stuff, as I tend to do given my cynical nature (the glass is neither half empty nor half full, I am still waiting in line to order), I thought I'd share some of those moments that even now bring a smile to my face.

In-room coffeemakers are the hotel industry's gift to travelers everywhere. Waking up about an hour before my son gave me plenty of time to fill the coffeemaker's smallish reservoir with water and then nestle the little packet of coffee into the basket as if planting a seed of happiness that would soon blossom into a better mood. Once brewing was finished, I would pour a mug and then take my bedhead and USA Today out to the balcony (thanks to that free room upgrade) and enjoy a little quiet time. Well, except for that day when the maids left me two pouches of decaffeinated to zero pouches of the regular. The sun just didn't seem to shine as brightly that day. Well, at least I sure didn't.

On the second day we shopped, and my son saw that it was good because Dad was definitely going to be a pushover. He bought a Pirates of the Caribbean pocket watch, a good thing since he would ask me the time like clockwork (insert pun-caused groan here). Now he could see for himself if the wait for Test Track really was 30 minutes as promised by The Sign (capital letters necessary). Thanks to the watch, his requests for the current time were reduced by 38 percent. But when he asked for the time, it was see if his Pirate watch was keeping accurate time. "Wait, mine says it's 23 and, maybe, like a half minutes after 3. How do I change it to make it 24?" If he ever becomes a spy, he'll be real good about synchronizing watches. (The watch, however, malfunctioned just a week after we returned, but since this is about the good stuff, a call to Disney merchandise revealed it would be happy to send a new one with faxing of the receipt, so yay Disney!)

Watched a young girl, about 6 or so, make a beeline for one of the princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, one of those, I really can't keep them straight) and wrap her arms around the woman's thigh. Of course she had bypassed a line of perhaps 20 other little girls, and attendants were making a move to peel her off the princess when another little girl, this one at the front of the line, glued herself to the woman's other leg. Before order was restored a few minutes later, it was a free-for-all with little girls attaching themselves to any bit of exposed princess. Priceless.


AND NOW FOR SOMETHING UNEXPECTED. After reading the responses to the trip report, particularly to one passage I knew would rankle, I have had second thoughts. And third, and fourth. By the fifth thought, my mind was changed. People in scooters, I apologize. There are ailments and maladies that are sure to go undetected by the masses, particularly those masses whose ankles have just been scraped by a scooter. To judge why people are in those scooters is very unDisney and unjustified. But the fifth and deciding thought was personal (the straw that persuaded the camel's back to give in and quit being insensitive). My neighbor, who suffers from MS, is leaving for Disneyland next week with her husband and two boys. She is 41 and looks incredibly fit, yet I have been trying to persuade her to rent a scooter because she can't be on her legs 10 hours a day. She can't handle standing 40 minutes in line. She can't keep up with a 7 and 9 year old who have never been to Disneyland. I've told her how Disney wants to make sure everyone has a great time, even if they may have bad hearts or bad circulation or bad legs. She has resisted all of my suggestions because of what people would think of her. People like me.

I am humbled.

[rlduvall]

:sad: That was just beautiful . . .

And a class act for being able to change your mind and admit it. :thumbsup2 Great trip report. :cheer2:

[TwinkieMama]

I second the sentiment that you are a class act for being able to change your mind/see a new point of view and publicly admit it. The trip report had me laughing.
Please tell your friend that whenever I see "apparently healthy and fit" individuals in wheelchairs, ECVs, etc then I assume it is something like MS, recent organ transplant, some bizarre chemo I haven't even heard of and it makes me *happy* to see them out and about enjoying something with their family.

(OK I will admit that I was tempted to write out ECVs since you commented on abstaining from acronyms but I realized that I don't even know what it stands for .... electric chair vehicle? energetic & cheerful voltuser? extra chipper volkswagon????)

[Grammyof2]

IAND NOW FOR SOMETHING UNEXPECTED. After reading the responses to the trip report, particularly to one passage I knew would rankle, I have had second thoughts. And third, and fourth. By the fifth thought, my mind was changed. People in scooters, I apologize. There are ailments and maladies that are sure to go undetected by the masses, particularly those masses whose ankles have just been scraped by a scooter. To judge why people are in those scooters is very unDisney and unjustified. But the fifth and deciding thought was personal (the straw that persuaded the camel's back to give in and quit being insensitive). My neighbor, who suffers from MS, is leaving for Disneyland next week with her husband and two boys. She is 41 and looks incredibly fit, yet I have been trying to persuade her to rent a scooter because she can't be on her legs 10 hours a day. She can't handle standing 40 minutes in line. She can't keep up with a 7 and 9 year old who have never been to Disneyland. I've told her how Disney wants to make sure everyone has a great time, even if they may have bad hearts or bad circulation or bad legs. She has resisted all of my suggestions because of what people would think of her. People like me.

I am humbled.

I was one who felt you needed to rethink. Which you have, which is good.

She has resisted all of my suggestions because of what people would think of her, People like me

Thank you for this :banana: :banana: You have no idea what effect this one sentence has.

[MagicMe]

I enjoyed your trip report! I'm glad I waited until the end as my one major problem was with your assumption with people on scooters. I lost my Dad to MS last year and for many years leading up to the end, his only mode of transportation was a wheel chair or scooter. When I see these people in the parks it reminds me just how lucky I am (I'm one of those glass is half full people - and yes it tends to annoy my family!).

One point I totally agree on is that people tend to go, go, go and some of the best times we've found at WDW, DL and other places is the wonder of sitting on a bench and soaking up the atmosphere. It can be priceless!

[ggdvc]

One more comment on the scooters....My mom (who has struggled with her weight all her life) used to share your opinion too. That is, until her hip and knee started giving her troubles. We had a trip already planned and paid for when her hip deteriorated to the point where she couldn't walk more than 50 yards or so without extreme pain. She was too nervous about running someone (probably me or my dad) over in a scooter, so we ended up getting a wheelchair for her. To look at her, it may have been easy to judge her and assume that it was her weight that resulted in the wheelchair....too bad we didn't have the x-rays showing she had absolutely no cartilidge(?) left in her hip - meaning it was very painful bone on bone every step she took. (She had hip replacement in 2003 and knee replacement - also bone on bone - in 2004 and happily had no problems walking on our Feb 2006 trip),

[LoraJ]

:thumbsup2
I loved your trip report!

I wish that WDW would re-do Space Mountain. The one at Disneyland is 100x's better. I haven't been on it since the rehab, but even before then it was better.

[mattnday]

I really liked your trip report. I think you were funny, honest and sarcastic. I for one agree and disagree with your stroller and scooter comments. We have a 4 year old who has been to Disneyland 10 times. He loves it every time we go and experiences different parts of the park each time we go as he gets older. I would never dream of depriving my son of one of the places that brings such great jot to both our son and my wife and I Because he couldn't walk an entire day. Disneyland/Walt Disney World was made for families.We use the stroller because it maximizes our enjoyment of the park. We are very concious of how we ise the stroller and always make sure we are careful with it even in crowds.

With that being said, It is all about common courtesy. We see the stroller maniacs running people over all the time. We agree it is totaly wrong. As with everything in life it is all about respect and it is obvious many tired parents pushing strollers dont have respect for those around them.

Oh those magical scooters. My first impression of scooters were a Mom and daughter a few years back trying ride their scooters in to the very small ice cream shop at Disneyland on Main Street during the 15 minutes leading up to fireworks. These 2 thought they owned the world and hit people, the walls, and were very rude to everyone around. In my opinion their medical condition was lazy. When they finally realized there was no way to maneuver the scooters through this packed store they parked them in the middle of the doorway and walked over to get their ice cream with no problem. Yes, they were morbidaly obese and yes we were appalled by their behavior.

This year my mother in law was recovering from back surgery and needed a scooter to help lessen the strain on her back. She desperately wanted to be with her grandchildren and this was the only way she could do it. There was no cutting in line. There was no running people over. Just a middle aged woman riding a scooter because she had a bad back.

I have no issue with strollers or scooters. My issue is the people that use these devices recklessly or use them to take advantage of disney policies. There have been several trip reports lately that have emphasized how important it is to share the magic. There random acts of kindness never cease to amaze me. This to me is what Disney is all about. We all like different parts of the experience and I appreciate trip reports like this one that give us something a little different.

[snels]

I loved your trip report! Thanks for taking the time to write down your thoughts. :sunny:

[SnackyStacky]

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING THAT WILL PROBABLY GET US FLAMED: Strollers and scooters. Why does it have to be strollers and scooters?
There are reasons to take little kids to Disney World, but they are not usually good reasons. Maybe they have older siblings who are a better age to spend so much time at a theme park and, well, you feel it’s just not far to them that little Suzy is just 2. But we saw so many parents who had 2 or 3 kids, the oldest not more than 4 or 5. Most were in the 2-3-year-old area, sacked out by 2 p.m. or so. If a child is so young that they can’t stay awake an entire day, or can’t walk around on their own for more than 20 minutes, what are they doing at Disney World? What can they possibly be getting out of such a fantastic park that could not wait another 2 or 3 years, when they will be able to enjoy and appreciate such a marvel to the child in all of us? I suspect because the parents are the ones who really want to be here, using the kids as an excuse. And so every theme park is choked with strollers, leaving the rest of us with age-appropriate kids to dodge and hurtle and weave among the army of strollers. If you are wasting half the day in line for Dumbo or for character meet-and-greets, your kids are probably spending most of the day in a double-wide stroller tank just so you can switch off with a spouse at Test Track or Tower of Terror. Wait a few years. Disney World will still be there. Save up and do it really nice.
Having attended amusement parks more than 40 years now, can’t remember a time seeing so many people in those motorized scooters, which are like wheelchairs only with handlebars, electric motors and beeping sounds for when they back up. And most of the people riding scooters were morbidly obese. Now, we want to remain sensitive to those with genetic conditions, but when exactly did being way too fat qualify as a disability? The scooter people drove like maniacs, expecting people to get out of their way as they approached (and people did, no one wants to get hit by a fat guy on a scooter). We also saw many scooter people waiting at the front of the line in the area for (legitimately) disabled folks. When their turn came, they rose from their scooters and walked just fine without need of walker or even a cane, easing themselves into the seat. When the ride was over they plopped themselves back into their scooters and were off, while the rest of us waited like able-bodied suckers.
Let the flaming attacks commence, assuming anyone got this far in the trip report.

No flames, just a lot of disagreement.

My wife and I are expecting and will be taking our 2 year old in 2008. Is it because we want to go? Absolutely we want to go! Would we really be going if we didn't? Will the child remember? Probably not. But then again, my wife has memories from when she was two years old. But that's not why we're going. We're going to spend time together. And yes - she will be in a stroller. And while I'm not saying that Disney World is only for kids - they obviously were in the plan. Did you not expect to find strollers at a place where children are one of the key demographics?

And as for your comments regarding scooters - you're just flat out way off base. First of all - whether or not it's self inflicted, being obese DOES qualify as a disability. I lost 168 pounds, and before I did so? Walking around the parks was debilitating. So because I was overweight, I should have missed out? That's compassionate. Further - you don't know the circumstances behind each and every scooter bound guest. When I last visited in 2005, a friend with us stepped on her ankle the wrong way. She is, in fact, overweight. And after 4 days of walking with a cane to AVOID a scooter, could no longer take the pain. So yes, she rented a scooter. And yes, she appeared able-bodied when she had to switch to the ride vehicles.

No flames. I just really think you need to look beyond YOUR own world and see that other people are different - and that there's nothing wrong with that.

[Tortuga Joy]

Okay, I know I'll get flamed but here goes. :thumbsup2 I realize I'm new here but the more I read, the more it seems no one wants to hear the negative or slightly disappointing side of Disney. I get the impression that honesty is not allowed if it's at all negative. :confused3 I for one want to hear all sides, not just the sugar coated ones. I realize this board is about Disney but does that not mean the good and the bad?

I enjoyed the OP's honesty and unique way of reporting...quite refreshing. :thumbsup2 I also enjoy reading other posts that include day by day, minute by minute reporting, too. I do not think for one minute he had a bad time, perhaps he's just not as enthusiastic as some.

However, is there a rule I'm not familiar with that indicates one's opinions need to be left at the door? It just seems that unless you post constant sugar coated words of praise, then you might as well expect to be flamed. Come on people, if we can't all post our opinions, good or bad, mind you without hurting feelings, than what's the point of this board? :furious:

I for one love reading all posts, good and bad...sometimes it makes for enjoyable reading when you know someone is being honest. Especially when that post starts getting flamed because they were not having a good time at Disney! :rotfl:

And before someone quotes this and accuses me of not being sensitive to strollers or scooters...back off! :lmao: I've done strollers at Disney...always being curteous and polite and making sure I did not roll over or push someone out of my way. And as far as scooters go and those that need them, more power to you :thumbsup2 to go and have an enjoyable day and not let your problem or disability, keep you from having fun. However, you are not the only one on the path so use caution, and be polite...it runs both ways. :goodvibes

Okay, the flaming may now begin! :rotfl2:

[declansdad]

I am glad you enjoyed your trip and I can respect your opinions but I respctfully disagree with some.

Yes there are many people with scooters and strollers who use them as battering rams but there are just as many people without that are just as rude. I can't tell you the number of times people looked down at my ds in the stroller and simply stepped over the end of it, not cut across the front, stepped over the end.

We have taken two trips and have stayed at All Star Movies and Pop Century. We certainly don't feel that we are cheaping out. We are using the room as a place to sleep. If we want to spend time using a resorts facilities, we will go somewhere like Cancun.

As for the age that you should take your children to WDW, I don't think there is a limit. I too once thought like you. We originally thought we would go when ds was around 7. We ended up going just before his 3rd birthday. That was 2 years ago and he can still give you a blow by blow account of what we did.

[mrsscooter]

Thanks for your trip report.........the good.......the bad........and the ugly...........LOL It was nice to get an honest, yet, somtimes offensive opinion, but it was nicer to recieve a "public appolagy" per say. When you know someone or live with someone in any of the situations that have been discussed your whole opinion changes. I just have to say, that we will be going in October for a week, and our party will be be four adults, and five kids ranging in age from five months to six years old and we will among the masses renting double strollers and charging through main street probably bumping into everyone else that will be charging right along with us. My opinion is that I would rather have my kids buckled up safely in a stroller and know where they are at all times than be like some who let the little ones roam like free range chickens. I know that I would rather make room for a stroller coming through than try to balance my camera or other items as I am being dodged by running children followed by running parents. So, to us any amount spent on a disney trip is well worth it when you see the look on their faces when the characters show up. Ok, enough for me ................ thanks again for your post.

[connorsmom911]

Just wanted to reply and say I did enjoy reading your report, some parts even had me laughing out loud! The part about the CMs guarding the border :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

I was a bit miffed like others about your comments on the strollers and scooters, however I do see your point too. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and while I might not agree with you, in fact I was a little perturbed, it is still your right to your opinion. I have been reminding myself of that right we so enjoy living in free, democratic society where others opinions are not forced on us, for the most part.

We took my ds on his first trip to Disney when he was only 20 months old. It wasn't planned that way, but the opportunity to go presented itself when my sister registered for a nursing convention at Coronado and my mom was going with her. At the time these were my only 2 babysitters, so I was caught between a rock and a hard place. Luckily both me and dh work in jobs where getting time off is fairly easily negotiated and the trip ended up being a wonderful family adventure. He got his first haircut on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, met Buzz Lightyear and ate breakfast with Pooh and friends. While the memories from that trip were more mine and my husbands, surprisinly he will sometimes blurt something out that makes me sure he actually does have memories of that trip. Plus we added another trip this year when he was 3, thereby reinforcing his earlier memories. I pride myself on being a good parent, especially a good travelling parent. We took lots of breaks, every afternoon went for a swim and a nap and I rented a stroller on this trip for everyones comfort. He rode when he was tired, walked when he wasn't. I will miss the stroller for the baggage handler that it was!!!

As far as the scooter issue, I do not have a whole lot of familiarity with them, not knowing anyone personally that uses one, but I'm sure I will be soon. My father is fairly young (57) but has always been overweight. He is now type II diabetic and is struggling with it. He is caught in the vicious cycle of insulin injections that cause sugar cravings that create the need for more insulin etc. On this latest trip to Disney, my parents and sisters joined us for one day at Epcot. It was a nice day, but a hot one. We split up to cover what each wanted to do and my father chose to go with my dh, ds and me to do the rides in future world. Criss-crossing to make the best use of fast-passes and time restraints, my father was struggling to keep up with us, but he was a trooper and never complained. All he wanted to do was enjoy the look on his grandsons face. I later found out from my mom that this caused my father a lot of discomfort. He was sore and "chafed" for days afterwards. I'm sure on our next "family" trip in 2010, more than one of us will be suggesting that my father rent a scooter. It isn't always easy to see the disability either. Although my little sister didn't use an ECV on this trip, hers was a trying day at Epcot too. She's only 27, the thinnest in our family, and appears pretty healthy, but because of a car accident last fall that has left her with a herniated disk in her back, she had to wear a Tens machine (little electrodes that you stick on and send electrical pulses from a waist pack) the whole day and carry around a bag full of pretty heavy duty narcotics. Luckily in her case sitting was more of a problem than standing, but had it been the other way around and she had rented a scooter, I'm sure she would have gotten a lot of looks and even snarky remarks!!

I'm sure there are people that milk the system, there always will be. There will always be people who have a sense of "entitlement" when it comes to having access just because they are "disabled". Hey, I get peeved by this too, but more for the rudeness than anything. I was glad to read your later post about being humbled by your own situation with your neighbor. I was quite touched by your remarks. One of those "apostrophe" moments (from Hook, Smee says "Captain, I've just had an apostrophe". Hook "You mean an epiphany". Smee "Lightning has just struck my brain")

Thanks for your insight into Disneyland too. Hoping to visit there someday!!

[UtahMama]

Wow...Negative Nelly! We bring our stroller-bound kiddos JUST to piss you off!!! Just Kidding! Appreciate your honesty and only agree on about 25% of your many tips...BUT we (your fans) need you to like Soarin'.

[noseybuddy]

I am one of those parents who took their 5yr old and 3 yr old to Disney, and yes had two strollers. But I am also one of those parents who are VERY considerate of others while pushing the stroller. I agree with what you said about strollers and scooters. Can't tell you how many times I see rude people pushing their strollers into people and the scooter, well need I say more. And yes I am guilty of taking my kids, probably to young for my own selfish reasons. It was a lot of work and even though we did have fun, we came home very tired and they probably won't remember any of it now that they are 17 and 15.

Value Resorts --- I stayed in the WDW resorts from Deluxe down to Value and I have to agree that the value resorts do have the longest lines. That being said, it didn't ruin my trip but I have to say I prefer to stay deluxe, the location can't be beat.

Your trip report had me laughing, I really enjoyed reading it.

[WantToGoNow]

Very interesting trip report. My first response to your stroller/scooter comments were not pleasant. I do push a stroller -- I am also looking forward to the first trip that we don't need one -- won't be soon as my youngest is 2. So far I haver never ran over anyone outside of the family -- now my older dd and dh have a tendacy to stop with short notice right in front of me. If I bump you, I hope I have the common coutesy to apologize for it.

However, I had an experience 2 weeks ago at a local amusement park. My children - 5 and 2 were coming off of the bumper cars. My 2 y/o started to climb into her jogging stroller when an older man decided it would be quicker to step over this huge stroller instead of walking the 4 feet it would take to go around it. He knocked the stroller and my child to the ground -- jogging strollers aren't know for their stability. I said "excuse me" and he gave me the nastiest look that I have ever been given. At that point, I really wanted to take the stroller and run him over with it but instead I picked up my crying child and put her back into the stroller. I said all this to say this - it's not always the person with the stroller that's the problem.

It is possible that my young, healthy looking 22 y/o daughter may have to use a scooter for some of our trip this November due to a heart condition. The average person would not be able to tell that there's anything wrong with her. I never questioned why someone is in a chair -- I'm just glad I don't have to be.

[SueM in MN]

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING UNEXPECTED. After reading the responses to the trip report, particularly to one passage I knew would rankle, I have had second thoughts. And third, and fourth. By the fifth thought, my mind was changed. People in scooters, I apologize. There are ailments and maladies that are sure to go undetected by the masses, particularly those masses whose ankles have just been scraped by a scooter. To judge why people are in those scooters is very unDisney and unjustified. But the fifth and deciding thought was personal (the straw that persuaded the camel's back to give in and quit being insensitive). My neighbor, who suffers from MS, is leaving for Disneyland next week with her husband and two boys. She is 41 and looks incredibly fit, yet I have been trying to persuade her to rent a scooter because she can't be on her legs 10 hours a day. She can't handle standing 40 minutes in line. She can't keep up with a 7 and 9 year old who have never been to Disneyland. I've told her how Disney wants to make sure everyone has a great time, even if they may have bad hearts or bad circulation or bad legs. She has resisted all of my suggestions because of what people would think of her. People like me.

I am humbled.
I am glad you re-thought.
Many people who really need to use scooters won't use them because they are worried about just that............
what will people think.

My FIL had knees and hips bad enough that his doctor was suggesting replacement 15 years ago. His doctor had suggested a scooter 15 years ago. We had suggested a scooter 15 years ago because we could see the pain he was in after a day in the parks on our annual trips to WDW. He wouldn't do it - mostly because of what people might think. He had seen people being rude to my youngest DD, who uses a wheelchair (she is not able to walk). He also wanted to lose weight so people would not think he was using the scooter because he was overweight.
FIL had gotten to a point where he was walking into the park and only seeing a few attractions that were close to the front because he could not walk farther into the park. He missed a lot of fun times with his family because he was sitting on a bench.

Finally, 3 years ago, on the last day of our trip, FIL decided to rent a scooter at the Epcot. And, he said he had a pain free park day for the first time in almost 15 years. He was a very careful and slow driver, but driving a wheelchair or scooter at WDW is a pretty nerve-wracking thing. People jump out in front of you all the time, expecting you to stop on a dime (and not realizing that scooter, wheelchairs and power wheelchairs do not have any brakes). On our last trip, this March, FIL rented a scooter at Epcot and MGM; he would not rent one at MK - it's too hard to drive there with all the people and congestion. Our trip in March was the last trip we will take with FIL, since he died suddenly of a heart attack in mid June.
I am glad that he got a few good trips with us, where he actually got to spend time in the parks with his family after he decided to make the change to using a scooter. If he had not been worried about what people would think and might say, he would started using one sooner. I'm glad he did finally use one though.

[daisy_77]

Though we will likely never return to Disney World

That is good to hear :thumbsup2

Thank you for sharing your trip report. I enjoyed the laughs :teeth:

[cudcat41]

While you are entitled to your own opinion, although I find it offensive as the mother of 2 small children in strollers, you shouldn't assume that you know what's right for everyone. I have a 2 year old son and a 5 month old son, who will be 8 months when we go to DIsney in October. It will be the 2 year olds 3rd time. First time was when he was 8 months, second when he was 13 months. Those were the 2 best Disney vacations we ever had, and we have been many times without kids. He was extremely well behaved (much more so than the many obnoxious, loud, rude tweens and teens we saw) and had a great time on the rides and seeing the characters. Was he able to go on the few thrill rides that we wanted to do? Nope. So we did the parent swap and kept him occupied during those times. Will he remeber those trips? No, but he looks back at the pictures and we will always have those momories of his first trips there. We're going in October, and I'm not hesitating bringing the baby. I know my children and I know what they can handle. My older son is so excited about the trip that all he wants to talk about are rides and shows. So yes, I could wait a few more years until they're older and won't crowd the parks for people like you, but they deserve a fun, exciting family vacation just as much as your child and all the other older children who are there.

[thop529]

I read your trip report. I didn't think it was funny, informative, and in fact I wish I wouldn't have read it.

You see I am a person in a motorized wheelchair. To look at me you would think there was nothing wrong, other than seeing "I'm Fat". Not to morbidly obese. No, I can't walk. Haven't been able to walk for about 2 years (not because I'm fat), but because I have Muscular Dystrophy. I was diagnosed when I was 18, so I have done pretty well.

This is the comment that got to me:

please everyone post nicely...

Yes, I know it wasn't by you. Actually your whole post sorta upset me.

Now back to the "post nicely" comment. Pumba let me ask you something. Do you think it would have been fair for the OP to comment about an African-American, (would that have been nicely?) How about a person with a mental disability, or a person with Downs Syndrome?

It is no ones business who rides in a scooter or wheelchair, or even when a person chooses to take their childern to WDW or anyplace for that matter.

I thought the comment about the scooters was completely uncalled for!!! TOTALLY!!!!!

Do you know what types of discrimination we come up against on a daily basis? How many business don't follow the guidelines for the ADA and we are unable to even go in a store. How about the people that don't even look at us when speaking to us. Just because I'm in this chair does not mean I don't have a voice or can't make my own decesions.

How dare you post for people to post nicely when you didn't even say one thing to the OP for their comments.

Just like someone said early on. Honey you better be careful because what goes around comes around. I hope one day you or your kid don't have to be in a scooter or wheelchair and face what we face on a daily basis!

I will probably be banned for saying all this. No big deal it won't be like it was the first time.

So, I will tell the OP up front to kiss my ***!!!!!!

[jaycns]

No flames, just a lot of disagreement.

My wife and I are expecting and will be taking our 2 year old in 2008. Is it because we want to go? Absolutely we want to go! Would we really be going if we didn't? Will the child remember? Probably not. But then again, my wife has memories from when she was two years old. But that's not why we're going. We're going to spend time together. And yes - she will be in a stroller. And while I'm not saying that Disney World is only for kids - they obviously were in the plan. Did you not expect to find strollers at a place where children are one of the key demographics?

And as for your comments regarding scooters - you're just flat out way off base. First of all - whether or not it's self inflicted, being obese DOES qualify as a disability. I lost 168 pounds, and before I did so? Walking around the parks was debilitating. So because I was overweight, I should have missed out? That's compassionate. Further - you don't know the circumstances behind each and every scooter bound guest. When I last visited in 2005, a friend with us stepped on her ankle the wrong way. She is, in fact, overweight. And after 4 days of walking with a cane to AVOID a scooter, could no longer take the pain. So yes, she rented a scooter. And yes, she appeared able-bodied when she had to switch to the ride vehicles.

No flames. I just really think you need to look beyond YOUR own world and see that other people are different - and that there's nothing wrong with that.

After reading this post, I find almost no reason to post. It includes a lot of what I was thinking/wanting to say.

However, I would like to add: Who makes anyone gatekeeper of the Magic Kingdom? Who gives anyone the right to say that someone who is overweight has no right to ride on a scooter. Maybe that person is overweight because they have a mobility problem so exercise was hard to come by. Maybe they have an underlying medical condition. Maybe they even just plain over eat and don't ever work out. For whatever reason though, they have trouble getting around the park due to their size (or an underlying cause).

Does that fact that a person overeats and doesn't work out enough make them unworthy of a trip to WDW? For all of you who made remarks about overweight people, take a minute to think. When you look at an overweight person, you see their issues plain as day. But does that mean that their personal problems are any worse then yours? There are many ways to compromise your health. MANY conditions (but not all, I know that many people suffer without any "wrong doing", I am not judging anyone, just pointing something out) are at least in part caused by the actions or lifestyle choices of the afflicted person.

Would you say that someone suffering from AIDS should not use that scooter to make WDW accesible for them because they contracted the disease through unprotected sexual contact? Would you say that someone who suffers from late stage cancer that could have been cured if caught early (and would have been caught at a yearly exam) but skipped their physicals because they had "better things to do" should not use the scooter? How about the person who was a heavy drinker earlier in life and now suffers with liver problems that make it hard to sustain the pace at Disney. Maybe he/she should not be able to get a scooter either. Or what about the person who is now unable to move his legs after crashing into a tree one night because they drove even after they knew they were too tired to do so safely? The smoker who now has lung problems? The list could go on and on.

All of those people most surely regret in one form or another an unwise choice or series of them. It is a crazy to try and judge people. NOBODY is perfect. For those of you judging overweight people and thinking "If they would just get off the scooter and walk they wouldn't have the problem in the first place", I ask you to do this, take a look at your life. Is it perfect? If so, then congratulations. You are the only one in the world. But if not, if you can admit that you too have your faults (only people cannot see them by way of extra pounds hanging off of your body) then maybe you could take the time to rethink your stance and cut overweight people a little slack.

Just my feelings. I am not flaming anyone and most assuredly NOT judging anyone who has any ailment I mentioned. Also, to be clear, I don't mean tht anyone who is sick deserves it in one way or another...I just mean that nobody, able bodied or not is perfect so why is anyone casting stones just because the other person's faults may be easier to see with casual observation.

[MosMom]

Well, with any luck your trip was so poor that you choose not to return.

[Diznenut]

as one of the obese in the way fat people, i just want to say to this guy - thanks for the report. I take it to mean you wont be going back and so I'll get to enjoy my next trip even more.

[BigKidAtHeart]

I have been reading trip reports for months now in preparation for an upcoming trip in Sept. :cool1: I've enjoyed them all including this one. It's concise and too the point on good, bad, etc. and for anyone who's never been there points out some really good and little spoken of issues (long bus rides from value resorts, etc.) :crazy:

As to the bantering back and forth about strollers and scooters. I'm not going to give my opinion of whether they are good or bad, etc. The simple fact is anyone whose been to the World before has at least once been rammed in the ankle by a careless driver; many times with the driver not meaning to. :blush:

It's simple, you throw thousands of people on to a path narrower than a city street, mix a few hundred strollers and dozens of ECV's in.......well do the math :teacher: ....SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET RUN INTO!! It's a fact of life.....

Why not make a passing lane for those without strollers/scooters or why not politely request that the stay to the center of the roads/pathways. It works for the highway systems.

I know that sounds extremely unfair and un-enforcable, but hey it's a thought. :confused3

[dianeschlicht]

I read your trip report. I didn't think it was funny, informative, and in fact I wish I wouldn't have read it.

You see I am a person in a motorized wheelchair. To look at me you would think there was nothing wrong, other than seeing "I'm Fat". Not to morbidly obese. No, I can't walk. Haven't been able to walk for about 2 years (not because I'm fat), but because I have Muscular Dystrophy. I was diagnosed when I was 18, so I have done pretty well.

This is the comment that got to me:



Yes, I know it wasn't by you. Actually your whole post sorta upset me.

Now back to the "post nicely" comment. Pumba let me ask you something. Do you think it would have been fair for the OP to comment about an African-American, (would that have been nicely?) How about a person with a mental disability, or a person with Downs Syndrome?

It is no ones business who rides in a scooter or wheelchair, or even when a person chooses to take their childern to WDW or anyplace for that matter.

I thought the comment about the scooters was completely uncalled for!!! TOTALLY!!!!!

Do you know what types of discrimination we come up against on a daily basis? How many business don't follow the guidelines for the ADA and we are unable to even go in a store. How about the people that don't even look at us when speaking to us. Just because I'm in this chair does not mean I don't have a voice or can't make my own decesions.

How dare you post for people to post nicely when you didn't even say one thing to the OP for their comments.

Just like someone said early on. Honey you better be careful because what goes around comes around. I hope one day you or your kid don't have to be in a scooter or wheelchair and face what we face on a daily basis!

I will probably be banned for saying all this. No big deal it won't be like it was the first time.

So, I will tell the OP up front to kiss my ***!!!!!!
Well, except for that last sentence, I totally agree with this post! A couple of years ago I became very sick and the aftermath was a disabling fatigue syndrome. I looked VERY able bodied, and I could certainly walk, but I couldn't have done the parks without the scooter, and I rented one for 2 trips until I was well enough to do without it. I actually didn't even like going into the handicapped entrance, and would sometimes park the scooter and go in line even though the standing was a difficult issue for me. Don't ASSUME why anyone is using a scooter. First of all, it can be an invisible issue, and secondly, IT'S NOBODIES BUSINESS!

Folks are VERY rude to guests in scooters as well as guests in wheelchairs and strollers. If you have never tried to ride a scooter through the crowds, you would never understand how difficult it is to avoid hitting some folks who just step in front of you without notice. If you don't believe that, just try using one yourself for half a day. Even the most mild mannered of you will want to run a few of the folks down. (No, I never did, but that didn't mean I didn't want to.)

[toothboy2k1]

Just a quick note for those upset with my scooter comments. I would like to point you to post No. 55 by yours truly. With the many reactions, it was very easy to miss. It's worth checking out.

And to all, thanks for reading. Shameless self plug since I have your attention (if your anger as well) -- my blog at www.loseroldguy.com. Mostly humorous observations, very little to offend. And totally free of scooter comments.

[kpk89]

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING UNEXPECTED. After reading the responses to the trip report, particularly to one passage I knew would rankle, I have had second thoughts. And third, and fourth. By the fifth thought, my mind was changed. People in scooters, I apologize. There are ailments and maladies that are sure to go undetected by the masses, particularly those masses whose ankles have just been scraped by a scooter. To judge why people are in those scooters is very unDisney and unjustified. But the fifth and deciding thought was personal (the straw that persuaded the camel's back to give in and quit being insensitive). My neighbor, who suffers from MS, is leaving for Disneyland next week with her husband and two boys. She is 41 and looks incredibly fit, yet I have been trying to persuade her to rent a scooter because she can't be on her legs 10 hours a day. She can't handle standing 40 minutes in line. She can't keep up with a 7 and 9 year old who have never been to Disneyland. I've told her how Disney wants to make sure everyone has a great time, even if they may have bad hearts or bad circulation or bad legs. She has resisted all of my suggestions because of what people would think of her. People like me.

I am humbled.


Just in case anyone doesn't feel like looking for post number 55. It takes a big person to admit when they are wrong. Especially around here, where people can be pretty quick to judge and judge harshly. Glad you came around.

[tictoc]

Just in case anyone doesn't feel like looking for post number 55. It takes a big person to admit when they are wrong. Especially around here, where people can be pretty quick to judge and judge harshly. Glad you came around.


Said very well mean mama