Guy who hates kids is back from Disney

[ticklemepink]

I posted 2-3 weeks ago about my first upcoming trip to Disney in 20 years. I went with my Chinese friend and was worried about crowds and kids. Well, my trip is over and here are my initial impressions:

BIGGEST PET PEEVE- People who come to A GRINDING HALT in a 50 mph zone just so they can get a decent camera shot of the "Welcome to Disney" sign. This happened to me on two separate occasions.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT- Soarin. Maybe it was because I was in the bottom row, but the realism just wasn't there for me. From my seat on the end, I could still see the loading platform and half the screen was covered with feet from the row above.

2nd BIGGEST PET PEEVE- How guerilla people get in the run up to the Spectromagic parade. Don't use your kid as a pawn to cut in front of me. Maybe if I am feeling charitable when the parade starts I will let your kid cut in front of me to get a better view, but you ARE NOT! Sorry.

2nd BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT- The Studios. The American Idol experience was interesting and unique. The Tower of Terror was a true piece of art. Other than that, the rest of the attractions were wanting. The "Prince of Caspian" attraction for example was nothing more than a 15 minute commerical piece for an upcoming movie. Even Toy Story Mania I thought was overated. Sure, the game was cute and entertaining, but seeing some people wait over an hour and a half on the standby lane was amazing. To each their own. The backlot tour and the movie ride need updating.

BIGGEST BEEF WITH THE MOUSE- My first day at the Magic Kingdom. At one point, I was told that the Carousel of Progress was down and to check back later. It never opened that day. Splash was of course down and when I went to turn in my Fast Pass for SM, it was down. It seemed like EVERYTHING was down that day.

MOST THANKFUL TO THE MOUSE- Last week was COLD! To make it up to the guests, Disney left up many of the X-mas decorations which was a nice touch.

BEST THING AT DISNEY- The candy art lady in the Japanese pavilion. The Japanese cast members were most friendly and informative.

 

[figmentgirl]

Thanks for posting your list of disappointments. I'm glad you didn't have a panic attack while on one of the rides. I remember you were worried about that so I'm happy to hear it didn't happen.

 

[avic77]

Welcome back... glad to hear you survived. My husband is not a Disney lover either. So i can understand where your coming from.
When we went 2 years ago we staked out a spot for the mid day parade at DHS in the spot the DIS suggested so our DD would be moved right up front for High School Musical. We patiently sat there for an hour, talked to the cast members, and other families that were there early waiting.
As the parade time approached more people crowded in but we held our place (with some difficulty). Then a lady comes and shoves her little girl of about 5 in front of where my DS was sitting (we left his stroller in a parking area so as not too take up extra space). Then the Lady steps OVER him (wearing a skirt) and plants herself in front of him. My husband Told her we were there first and to please move. The ladies response was her daughter wanted to see the parade too. Dh said well where have you been the last hour? Her answer riding rides. And his response "well i have spent the last hour sitting on this (BLANK) sidewalk so my kids can watch a stupid parade maybe you should have been too if you wanted a front row seat!" Luckily the cast member we had been chatting with for the last hour came over and told the lady to move somewhere else as we had been waiting in the spot for over an hour and she could not just step over our child and stand in front of him.

My husband says that ladies giant butt probably caused emotional scarring for our son since as she stepped over him he could see straight up her skirt!

 

[Coach81]

Thanks for your honest opinions!!! I agree with some of those points..

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

We have a wolf made by the candy lady. It is one of my all time favorite souveniers.

 

[BlovesC]

Boy you sure know how to call attention to yourself with a thread title like that. But, glad to hear you enjoyed ToT and didn't harm yourself or others by trying to escape the ride in-motion.

 

[ShannonMB]

Glad you *survived* your trip. So aside from all the complaints and liking the candy lady, did you have fun? Or more importantly, did your Disney-loving Chinese touring parter have fun?

 

[ticklemepink]

I built up the nerve to get on every thrill ride except R&R coaster. For TT, I admit that without the beer that I had at Yak & Yeti, I don't know if I could have done it. Fear of anticipation is everything. Once you do it, you are glad you did.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Can't say I really recall your earlier posts personally, but I thought your heading was cute.

The question in my mind is do you think you'll go back? After all the kids and lines and rides that didn't live up to the hype - plus those that did, what odds do you give for a return trip? Just curious.

 

[ticklemepink]

My Chinese friend seemed to enjoy it.

Specifically, she was enchanted by the Living with the Land attraction and really liked World Showcase.

She thought they could have done more with the Chinese pavillion. The food looked blah, the movie was cheesy, and the Chinese acrobat kids gave her the heebie jeebies because child performers in China are exploited, even though this is probably certainly not the case at Disney.

The new ending on the Spaceship Earth attraction made her hysterical. She laughed for over an hour and wanted to ride again.

She wasn't impressed by the Studios, really liked Animal Kingdom (LOVED Everest), and MK was so/so for her, but she really enjoyed the parades and fireworks.

All in all, she seemed to enjoy it.

 

[fireman1]

I don't know what to say to this. It would be like me saying I dislike sand but i'm going to the beach just the same.
Anyway, I Hope you had some fun.

 

[ticklemepink]

The kids weren't as bad as I thought they were going to be. With one exception. In the American Idol experience this woman had her toddler on a string and let the kid bounce around on the seat and annoy the people around her.

Generally, the kids in many cases were better behaved than many adults. I was physically PUSHED out of the way on many occasions. Maybe it is a cultural thing, but physically pushing or touching someone is NOT okay in the United States. In crowds, it could be dangerous, and in other cases it is totally unnecessary.

 

[lugnut33]

BIGGEST PET PEEVE- People who come to A GRINDING HALT in a 50 mph zone just so they can get a decent camera shot of the "Welcome to Disney" sign. This happened to me on two separate occasions.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT- Soarin. Maybe it was because I was in the bottom row, but the realism just wasn't there for me. From my seat on the end, I could still see the loading platform and half the screen was covered with feet from the row above.

2nd BIGGEST PET PEEVE- How guerilla people get in the run up to the Spectromagic parade. Don't use your kid as a pawn to cut in front of me. Maybe if I am feeling charitable when the parade starts I will let your kid cut in front of me to get a better view, but you ARE NOT! Sorry.

2nd BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT- The Studios. The American Idol experience was interesting and unique. The Tower of Terror was a true piece of art. Other than that, the rest of the attractions were wanting. The "Prince of Caspian" attraction for example was nothing more than a 15 minute commerical piece for an upcoming movie. Even Toy Story Mania I thought was overated. Sure, the game was cute and entertaining, but seeing some people wait over an hour and a half on the standby lane was amazing. To each their own. The backlot tour and the movie ride need updating.

BIGGEST BEEF WITH THE MOUSE- My first day at the Magic Kingdom. At one point, I was told that the Carousel of Progress was down and to check back later. It never opened that day. Splash was of course down and when I went to turn in my Fast Pass for SM, it was down. It seemed like EVERYTHING was down that day.

MOST THANKFUL TO THE MOUSE- Last week was COLD! To make it up to the guests, Disney left up many of the X-mas decorations which was a nice touch.

BEST THING AT DISNEY- The candy art lady in the Japanese pavilion. The Japanese cast members were most friendly and informative.

Umm, I actually agree with your post. Soarin' is not a good ride when you're on the bottom row. And I also don't understand all the hoopla over Toy Story Midway Mania. Best part of that ride is the interactive Mr. Potato Head in line.


Nothing is perfect, even Disney. It's still way better than spending the day at work or at home doing chores.

 

[ticklemepink]

IMO, Soarin' should not even have that third row. The second time I rode it, I got the 2nd row and it was exponentially better.

Another pet peeve of mine was when I was waiting in line for that ride. A bunch of college aged kids who were friends with one of the Cast Members working the line got to cut to the first row position. They might have been Disney employees themselves, and obviously had experienced the ride many times before. It wouldn't be cool if a family from out of town had to be delegated to the dreaded third row during their only attempt at experiencing the ride.

 

[rubato]

I'm so glad to hear you conquered your fear and gave it all a shot. I'm glad that you were able to find some enjoyment while being a good friend.

 

[ticklemepink]

Forgot to mention:

Mission Space the "green" version still made me feel nauseous even though it was non-spinning. Star Tours at the Studios absolutely made me feel nauseous. The build your own roller coaster thing in Innovations at Epcot REALLY made me feel nauseous. None of the other real roller coasters or TT made me nauseous.

They weren't scary at all, just made me want to throw up.

 

[MHSweb79]

Not to derail the thread, but I learned from these boards you can just ask the CM at Soarin' for "front row, center" and they will very happily put you there. You may have to wait through one extra cycle of the film, which is only about 10 minutes or so.
I've never had third row but I've been in second and now, usually, in the front and I don't remember noticing anyone's feet or the structure of building.

 

[g-dad66]

IMO, Soarin' should not even have that third row. The second time I rode it, I got the 2nd row and it was exponentially better.

And the top row is best of all.

Well worth it, in my opinion, to request top row -- even though it means you step aside and let others go ahead, while you wait for the next "glider."

 

[ticklemepink]

I didn't know you could stand aside and ask to be placed in a certain row position. It would certainly be worth it to stand aside and wait to be put in the first row position. Not good for the people that don't know better. That subpar first ride really destroyed the illusion for me.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

You can request the front row on Soarin. We do it all the time. You might have to wait for the next set but all you have to do is ask. Glad you had an ok time though.
I totally relate to your pet peeve about parade crowds. We get it all the time. I'll let anyones kid in as long as you don't push, shove, or ignore me. I did shove a person back once, as I was 7 months pregnant (and yes you could definitely tell I was) and she kept pushing her kid into my belly on purpose. The mom got a nice elbow to the side for that one.