Holiday showdown

[natalielongstaff]

as someone used to going in october/november i was very shocked at the crowds !!

 

[Shazzie B]

I agree, even my kids were horrified (ages 12 & 14-watched it before school this am). Mind you it could have been worse-let the 'uneducated non Dis'ers continue to arrive at noon - less qs for us organised/sensible true Disney fans

 

[JohnnySharp2]

as someone used to going in october/november i was very shocked at the crowds !!

Same here, hope it's not like that next Easter!

Guess Christmas time is not the ideal time of year for a first visit - oops Trip Planning 'head' on there for a moment, it's only a TV show!

 

[wayneg]

PoppyAnna, Natalie

Yes the crowds are crazy, lines for food are mad, lines for rides are stupid but get in early, eat at different times to the crowds, and get fast passes. If you have been before and plan well then Disney at Xmas is Magical, we have been 3 times now at Xmas and its worth every bit of the overcrowding.
I would not recommend Xmas for a 1st visit or for anyone that like to stay in bed after 8am.
It is a totally different experience to a regular summer Disney holiday, everyone should try it once.

 

[PoppyAnna]

PoppyAnna, Natalie

Yes the crowds are crazy, lines for food are mad, lines for rides are stupid but get in early, eat at different times to the crowds, and get fast passes. If you have been before and plan well then Disney at Xmas is Magical, we have been 3 times now at Xmas and its worth every bit of the overcrowding.
I would not recommend Xmas for a 1st visit or for anyone that like to stay in bed after 8am.
It is a totally different experience to a regular summer Disney holiday, everyone should try it once.

Okay Wayneg, I probably never should had said never. I would like to go at christmas but probably when my children are older and a bit more independent. I can't imagine taking my two pre-schoolers at such a busy time.

 

[lorapinky]

What a let down!

I was really excited about this show and I was frustrated that they only showed about 15 minutes of the last holiday and 30 mins on the first, not fair.

The portrayal of WDW was biased I thought, ITV were clearly trying to show the extremes of both holidays and wanted to present the latter holiday as tacky, cheap and the dreaded word I hate as many people say it to me ‘commercial’.

I didn’t care for either family to be honest.

When I go to WDW we wake up around 7:00am each day and race to a park and enjoy every second.

We do not stay in our room with the heat on until 11:00am!

I thought that was very immature, and just pointless.

I also thought ITV showd little taste by showing the teenage boy dump the teenage girl at the end, where as she was saying she’d like to meet up, I think that was unneeded and cruel.

I am just glad no one from my family watched this programme or even my work colleagues as I have to constantly defend my holiday as they see it as plastic commercial forced fun and this programme would have supported their argument.

So after my rant I conclude that the show purposefully went out to portray WDW in a bad light and they picked the perfect families to do this.

If they want to see a real WDW holiday then pack your bags and come with me…on second thoughts don’t bother as my holiday would be more fun without the likes of those idiots!!!

 

[crabbie1]

I think we all agree the tv programme was pathetic the only sensible actors were the kids .We all know Disney is nothing like this and was looking forward to snippets of disney but all they showed were the crowds and the bloomin hotdogs which ok we eat as a snack occasionally but not a typical meal.Rubbish programme and a toal shambles in my opinion.

 

[THE COLONEL]

The programme was sadly predictable. On the one hand Chavs R Us and on the other a family driven on by the real life Spartacus from Lazy Town

Recipe for disaster as well the makers knew and with selective editing easy to achieve.

The sad thing was that Disney came out poorly as a result of the exercise and allowed a renowned disneyphobic colleague to crow on all morning about how ghastly Disneyworld is.

I have pointed out the error of her ways and am minded to find something pretty tedious for her to do all afternoon.

The worst bit for me was when my daughter told me that I was a bit like Mr Kerr in propelling my family through Disney. My wifes response being "harsh, but fair"

 

[Shazzie B]

I have the same reputation - but at least without the moustache!

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

Hey well, let's hope it puts loads of people off - more Disneyworld for the rest of us to enjoy!

 

[Girlsontour]

I thought the "army guy alias YMCA member" would have loved being with us in Disney...armed with our plans, itineraries and even down to the timing of our toilet breaks

 

[slinky101]

the real life Spartacus from Lazy Town

QUOTE]

Fab! I knew he reminded me of someone

I agree with everyone so far, 11am? as if, wouldn't even do that in May let alone christmas!

 

[DCDMarkyG]

Do the families actually pay for the holidays themselves on the programme?

There is no way on earth that anyone in our party would still be in bed at 11am after we've spend out on a holiday..

Inbetween normal people and the tv screen is the wonderful edit room which turns hero's into villains and vica versa and paradise into hell.

Disney can be commercial, brash and tacky but it can also be magical. When you see kids crying with joy at the Wishes fireworks and grown adults eyes twinkle when they see the castle for the first time, all the plastic doesn't seem to matter.
Of course these parts would be on the editing room floor.

It just goes to prove that the tv producers are still convinced we all still love a freak show, and to an extent we do !

 

[misskrystal]

I can't believe a grown woman could claim her whole holiday was ruined because someone else fell asleep when they wanted to, rather than when she wanted them to!

Although I think the show presented Disney in a pretty unfavourable light, the family themselves did the most damage. Punishing their guests by making the Mum do chores and forcing them to sit for hours in such unbearable heat

 

[Tink2312]

I HATE how they showed Disney in that programme!!
They showed it at the busiest time of year, all they ate was fast food and the family was the stereotypical portrayal of a family visiting the Disney "theme parks" (I HATE when those two words appear in the same sentence as Disney!!)
Also, did anyone else notice the editing? The families seemed to be at Epcot, then AK and then back to Epcot for Illuminations all in one day - I was there at Christmas last year and I'm sure as many of you know that would be almost impossible to do around Christmas (or any other time for that matter) - especially when they didn't get up until 11am!
Only good thing is that it might put people off going
That's my rant for the day

 

[Goofyish]

The more I think about the programme the more I think it was all staged!

 

[wayneg]

The more I think about the programme the more I think it was all staged!

I am sure it was, The show is called Holiday Showdown, not Holiday exchange or Holiday swap, It's exactly what they set out to show from the start, at times it looked like acting, the complaints and tactics were pathetic.
The lad at the end calling off the relationship sounded so false.
Like others have said only good thing is it might put some people off going.

 

[Hilary]

...and the editing allows the programme to actually air maybe 50 minutes (allowing for commercial breaks) out of two weeks spent on the holidays (I'm guessing it's two weeks), so it's unlikely to portray a fair or balanced overall view when the producers are out to emphasise the differences.

I'm just cross it painted such a poor picture of a Disney holiday and I wasted an hour of my life watching it, LOL!

 

[wayneg]

I wasted an hour of my life watching it, LOL!

Think of it as saving you 5 hours to do something else, You won't watch the other 5 in the series (I think There is 5 more).

 

[disneyholic family]

after reading through this thread, i'm very glad i didn't see the show......

regarding WDW at Christmas, yes it is the absolute worst time of year to visit, however as with other times that are bad, it's certainly possible to have a nice time....
The most important thing is to enjoy being together and then even a wait in line won't be all that terrible..
in any case, it's usually possible to manage your schedule to keep lines to a minimum....even during Christmas.....(and of course, getting to rope drop is key in that schedule)...

as for reality shows, they're all staged...and they pick the participants who they know will provide good TV....which in the eyes of the producers means controversial obnoxious TV...