I think what people tend to forget is these amusement parks are just like any other business. They change prices, policies and benefits on a regular basis. Nobody forces you to be a patron when there is something you dislike. We all have choices. For the majority, when they become uninterested or dislike a business (for whatever reason), they just decide to never return and leave it alone. It's not for them. Then, there are those who seem to hold a grudge. Sort of like when you are in 2nd grade and "Jenny" invited all the girls to her birthday party but you and instead of just saying "There are other things I can do on that day", you sulk and spend the rest of your life bad mouthing Jenny.
Life has choices. If you don't like the prices, policy changes or perks of an amusement park, you either don't go or deal with the changes and don't allow it to ruin your vacation. As with the Express pass, I get a bit tired of hearing people fuming mad over the company's decision to start charging. Nobody forces you to go to Universal. If you don't go, then just be happy where you do go. If you decide to pull out the wallet to pay for the Express pass or pay the price of the hotel to get the Express, don't spend the entire vacation complaining about how you were ripped off. If you are angry about the cost and decide not to purchase it or decide not to spend the money for onsite hotel and choose to stand in the standby line, don't spend your entire vacation fuming mad and complaining when you spend an hour in line and see the same people pass you multiple times through the Express line. I think everyone's goal is to maximize the enjoyment of their own vacation. Everyone knows what it will take to accomplish this. The worst thing you can do is create a situation for yourself that you know will ruin the vacation. The #1 mistake is to compare one amusement park with another. It's like going to McDonald's and expecting it to be like Chic-Fil-A. It's the same kind of restaurant, but while they both serve similar sandwiches (chicken), they both have other different options and they don't give you the same flavor or amounts. If you don't like McDonald's, don't go there, but at the same time, don't try to cut the company down by saying the place is filthy, I got shortchanged, they are too expensive, the people in the drive thru got served faster than those inside in line, etc. JUst don't go and enjoy where you do go.
The other thing I don't understand is when a family, who has never been to an amusement park, goes for the first time and decides to treat it like a full blown vacation like the places they are used to. Have they never heard of "sampling"? Even when you go to an ice cream place, you get a sample of an ice cream you have never eaten before you spend $3 on a whole scoop. WHy would you make reservations and plan on spending 4-5 days at a place when you never know what you are gonna get? Seems like a complete waste of money to me. Our first time to Universal, we spent 1 day. We found that we liked it, but if we had not, it was only 1 day and we would know better next time. The following trip, we spent 2 days and went to IOA also. The vacation after that was 3 days and now we are about to spend 5 days on the upcoming one. There is no way I would sink thousands of dollars into an experience that might not be our cup of tea and I certainly don't plan to sit in a hotel room for days and days. The infamous words of the father from Everybody Hates Chris.... "I could sit at home for free".
I happen to like all amusement parks as long as they are safe. I do have my favorites, but they all fulfill my enjoyment needs in different ways (rides, food, prices, location, etc). I've never found the need to become fuming angry because one did not have what another did. SOme people need to lighten up.
from us, we visit from England every year.
In fact I had a job getting my husband to Disney last time!
