Should some attractions have a MAXIMUM age

[senecabeach]

Absolutely NOT



Its basic Disney 101.........


Walt's Quote:
"Whenever I go on a ride, I'm always thinking of what's wrong with the thing and how it can be improved."


So go tell him .............but......
I DO promise that in 40 yrs., when I'm 98 Yrs. old, and, my dvc runs out, .... I won't ride Space Mountain !! Haa!!!



Is it really the child who has the wait problem...Hmmmm!!!

 

[dejr_8]

I'm not complaining and neither are my kids. We go often enough that if we miss a ride this time we catch it next time.

My original post question was aimed at the family that gets to go to Disney once in a blue moon... it is a real stretch financially to go to Disney and the kids will never get back again while they are kids. They can only afford to go for 3-4 days and can't afford to wait in line forever or they will miss alot of WDW. They can't afford to stay on property so that can't get Early Entry. They don't know all the ins and outs about navigating Disney. They don't know all the tricks.

You say impossible. Just last May I had a discussion with a family inline at Space Mountain explaining how FastPass works. They thought it was a special ticket that cost more money than a regular ticket.

For the family I described above, wouldn't it be nice if the kids could go on all the kids rides without wasting half-a-day in Fantasy land? Yes I know everyone is entitled to ride every ride at Disney but who will have better memories of certain rides? A five or six year old or an adult? Who will it mean more to? Who will get (more of) a twinkle in their eyes?

To all of you that say Disney is about everyone being a kid at Disney -- can't you remember some major disappointment from when you were a kid? Don't you wish you could go back in time and do something or buy something that you missed out on as a kid?

Maybe riding Dumbo as adult does allow you to go back in time to when you were a child and didn't get to visit Disney. I understand that.

So what does my mythical father/mother tell their kids - We're sorry honey you are never going to get to ride Dumbo because the wait is an hour and there is so much more to see. We're sorry!

Wouldn't it be nice if Disney could make it easier for kids to enjoy certain rides. That's all I was suggesting.

 

[safetymom]

Maybe those families going for the first time and maybe only time should do their homework before going to WDW?

Why should everyone else stay off rides so the uneducated WDW visitor gets to ride everything?

The first time I went with my kids was about 6 months after my husband died. To see the look on my kids faces was priceless. If they couldn't ride because they were older kids(9,12, 15) I would have never seen the look on their faces when the weight of the world was lifted from their shoulders. It allowed us time to forgot our troubles. Should we have been denied? I had never been to WDW and I was 42. Should I have just watched while others rode the rides?

I don't think your argument works. If they changed the policy there would be a huge uproar and lots of folks would start going to other parks where the family is welcomed.

Walt Disney designed the parks so the family would have a place to enjoy it together. Your argument destroys that idea.

 

[Chuck S]

Originally posted by dejr_8

You say impossible. Just last May I had a discussion with a family inline at Space Mountain explaining how FastPass works. They thought it was a special ticket that cost more money than a regular ticket.

It is a little hard for me to feel extremely sorry for someone like this when the Fastpass system is explained in every Disney park guide map. Believing that a special ticket is required is a common misconception...but one that could be easily rectified if Mommy & Daddy would take 5 minutes to read about it in the guide maps.

And if anyone would tell their kids "no, it takes too much time to stand in line" they really have no concept of an amusement park at all, and surely there must be some in the areas they live in so they are familiar with waiting in queues. I certainly waited in my share of hour queues at Disneyland growing up. If the parks have one hour lines for most rides, they sure would be open late in the evenings.

 

[tjmw2727]

I do not think an age restriction is appropriate for WDW, and I don't like the idea of riding only with a child. I tolerate the parks with the kiddie rides where kids ride and parents wait but I love that we all ride together at Disney. One of the rides in Universal has the restriction that adults can only ride with a rider under a certain height or age and I don't like it. Even though we have 2 young girls it was unfortunate that our entire party could not ride. If you want to ride the ride then wait the wait or get a FP, fwiw I also think that if a kid wants to ride they need to wait the line as well unless they have a fp.

To the family who dosen't get to ride "everything" on the first and maybe only visit - that's ok - if you don't know what your missing you you can't mis it!! Just relax and enjoy what you do get to do.

On our first trip it was ASM 2 parks lots of lines and a pool break every afternoon, it was wonderful. We did spend 1/2 day in fantasyland and it was fun. We happend upon a character meal at CP and had a blast. The next trip I did more research and we did more but the first trip was still magical in the discovery.

No matter where you go on vacation, theme park or national park I don't think its fair to expect to do and see everything. You do some research, make your priorities and then you enjoy what you do get to do. I am researching now for a DC trip and even though it may be a once in a lifetime trip I don't expect to see or do anywhere near everything. This dosen't mean I would deny repeat visitors enjoyment just because I may not be returning.

As for the FP misunderstandings I have also spoken with families who don't understand it. Part of me feels bad and explains it and part of me wishes they would just read the park map they are holding! Especially when they argue with me and insist that it costs extra - evidently they have visited IOA or US.

TJ

 

[phillybeth]

Originally posted by EsmeraldaX

I'm sorry that children have to wait,

I'm not. Waiting is part of life. Better to learn those coping skills early, rather than have everything handed to you, go to the front of the line for everything, and then all of a sudden turn 18 and WOOSH- you're an adult and have no idea how to handle such situations.

Back to the original topic- so I guess that people without children shouldn't eat at character meals either? I mean, with every forkful I lift to my mouth I am depriving some precious wide-eyed toddler the opportunity to puke on Mickey? Yes, I saw it happen at Chef Mickeys. Poor little girl was so excited she horked her chocolate milk and mickey waffles all over the Mouse.

 

[safetymom]

tjmw2727, I know the ride you mean in Universal. We really wanted to ride that ride but couldn't because we didn't have any kids with us. Didn't think that was very fair.

 

[kirstyfly]

Originally posted by dejr_8


My original post question was aimed at the family that gets to go to Disney once in a blue moon... it is a real stretch financially to go to Disney and the kids will never get back again while they are kids. They can only afford to go for 3-4 days and can't afford to wait in line forever or they will miss alot of WDW. They can't afford to stay on property so that can't get Early Entry. at Disney -- can't you remember some major disappointment from when you were a kid? Don't you wish you could go back in time and do something or buy something that you missed out on as a kid?

What about the adults that this is true for as well? who knows when some of them will get back.

 

[JEANMR1]

Originally posted by kirstyfly
What about the adults that this is true for as well? who knows when some of them will get back.

They apparantly do not matter. They are only adults after all. What matters is the 6 year old who may or may not appreciate the amazing details in the ride (for example the picture hanging on the wall in the winnie the pooh ride of Mr. Toad handing the deed over) be able to enjoy the ride with no waiting. This same 6,5,4,3...year old will be able to treasure the memory always - since when they get older they will not be able to ride it again unless they have children as well.
Oh good, we may also have taught that child that adults with no children will be punished for not having children.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

The ride at Islands of Adventure is Pteranadon Flyers. The reason that they have the height restriction (can't go on it without a child of a certain height) is because it is THE slowest loading ride anywhere. The line gets very long, even with the restriction.

However, they will usually let everyone ride first thing in the morning, before it gets busy. We went to Universal in April 2003 with our 4 kids (2 were the correct height) and my sister and BIL. My sister was happy because we went to PF as soon as it opened and were all allowed to ride. When she's gone in the past with her DD, son-in-law and grandchildren she was the "odd adult out" and wasn't allowed to ride. She didn't know the "go when it first opens" trick.

But limit the rides at WDW? No way!!!

T&B

 

[gouldmanj]

Kid at Heart.

My first visit to Disney was for my 30th birthday. I ended up going alone because my girlfriend who planned to go with me and was also turning 30 4 days before me (and who was living in another state) had to cancel a few days before the trip because of awful morning sickness (she was going to surprise me when we saw each other and tell me the news that she was pregnant).
I battled if I should go alone and celebrate and I am so happy that I did. I TOTALLY FELT GIDDY WALKING THROUGH MK AND VISITING DISNEY at 30 years old.
Yes I had lunch with Cinderella, yes I visted with every character I could find to get my picture taken with them and yes I rode every ride I wanted to.
My memories would not have been complete if I could not have done everything that I missed when I was cronilogically young.

I also visited 2 years ago when my son was 2yo, yes the lines were a pain with a little one - instead of restricting the rides, I would love to see more fast passes used throughout the park (Dumbo especially). It is so much easier keeping a little one entertained while NOT standing in line.

 

[bytheblood]

Nope. We are all children in WDW. I like it because I can be a kid. I can see Mickey and cry, ride an elephant, zoom by ghosts in a haunted mansion, ride a magic carpet and eat ice cream shaped like a mouse head and lick the drippings from my hand. Why would anybody want to limit that?

 

[Cendrillon]

Originally posted by dejr_8

Yes I know everyone is entitled to ride every ride at Disney but who will have better memories of certain rides? A five or six year old or an adult? Who will it mean more to? Who will get (more of) a twinkle in their eyes?

I would strongly argue that the ride means a lot more to the adults. First of all, the five or six year old will barely remember the ride if they remember it at all, so they certainly won't have better memories than the adults. The ride may be a big deal for five minutes to a kid but something else will soon distract them and they will forget about it. Meanwhile, the adult will have more memories connected to the ride (seeing the movie it was based on, previous trips, etc.) and will walk away thinking about the details, so I think the ride will mean more to the adult. And the twinkle in their eyes lasts a lot longer for adults I've seen than children (and isn't it just a lot more magical to see that twinkle in the eyes of adults than children?).

Now as to the whole age restriction, do you really think you would have more fun watching your child on the rides, while carrying all of their stuff and standing around in the hot sun, than riding with them? I can tell you some of my favorite memories of going to WDW as a kid are riding with my mom and dad on certain rides (always with Dad on Haunted Mansion, always with Mom on Peter Pan's Flight). And it was being with them that makes the memory of those rides so special, much more so than if I had gone alone.

 

[RRBB]

Originally posted by dejr_8
who will have better memories of certain rides? A five or six year old or an adult? Who will it mean more to? Who will get (more of) a twinkle in their eyes?

Who are you to decide? It may be the 5 year old. Or it could be the 45 year old. It doesn't really matter because both kids and kids at heart have the opportunity to experience the magic equally, even if they have to wait in line for an hour to do so.

Originally posted by dejr_8
To all of you that say Disney is about everyone being a kid at Disney -- can't you remember some major disappointment from when you were a kid? Don't you wish you could go back in time and do something or buy something that you missed out on as a kid?

Most everyone experiences "major" disappointment during childhood. It's part of growing up. And if today's kids have to miss out on a few rides at WDW because of time/money constraints, well then I guess they'll have something to dream about going back for in the future - even as adults.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by dejr_8
I'm not complaining and neither are my kids. We go often enough that if we miss a ride this time we catch it next time.

My original post question was aimed at the family that gets to go to Disney once in a blue moon... it is a real stretch financially to go to Disney and the kids will never get back again while they are kids.

It's a real stretch financially for many adults as well. So, what is your point? That adults who can only afford to go once in their lifetime should miss out? Please. Besides, you say Disney is a stretch financially? I'm FAR from wealthy and I'm going twice this year. It's all about priorities and planning. A family of 4 can go to WDW on the cheap if they plan it right.

They can only afford to go for 3-4 days and can't afford to wait in line forever or they will miss alot of WDW. They can't afford to stay on property so that can't get Early Entry. They don't know all the ins and outs about navigating Disney. They don't know all the tricks.

Wow. Cool. I can only afford to go for 6 days when I go in Dec. 2004. Of those 6 days, I'll only have 4 days in the parks. So what you are saying is that I have the right to tell other paying customers that I deserve to go on the rides more? Oh wait, I'm an adult. Nevermind.

Last time I checked, everyone had the ability and right to learn the tips and tricks. My onsite hotel costs less than many of the offsite ones I found because I RESEARCH. If someone else can't be bothered to research and therefore wastes half their trip standing around confused, well, what can I say...that is not MY problem.

You say impossible. Just last May I had a discussion with a family inline at Space Mountain explaining how FastPass works. They thought it was a special ticket that cost more money than a regular ticket.

So I'm supposed to feel bad for them and give them special priveledges for being idiots? I'm sorry but there are signs up everywhere and all over the parks, the maps, the CMs , near the Fast pass stand etc. etc. etc.

Oh. They could always ask too.

Lack of common sense should not be grounds for getting special treatment.

For the family I described above, wouldn't it be nice if the kids could go on all the kids rides without wasting half-a-day in Fantasy land?

Wouldn't it be nice if we all could??

Yes I know everyone is entitled to ride every ride at Disney but who will have better memories of certain rides? A five or six year old or an adult? Who will it mean more to? Who will get (more of) a twinkle in their eyes?

I enjoy WDW more than my 12 year old neice does. Always have. You have no idea who it will mean more too, but most likely it will mean more to an adult who has waited their whole life and worked hard to be able to go, either for themself, or to go on things with their kids.

To all of you that say Disney is about everyone being a kid at Disney -- can't you remember some major disappointment from when you were a kid? Don't you wish you could go back in time and do something or buy something that you missed out on as a kid?

Being dissapointed is part of life. Your entire post makes me scared because this country is becomming one where kids just get everything handed to them. Unfortunately, I think a lot of parents think like you and never let their kids experience dissapointment. They go into massive debt buying their kids every single last "hot" toy for Christmas, and all the nicest trendy clothing. Then what happens when those kids have to support themselves? That's a scary thought.

I think all of us had to experience dissapointment growing up. I know I did. Gee, when I was 7, I wanted a pony for Christmas. I never got once. I also wanted once of those $10K motorized childrens cars. Never got one of those either. I could go on and on about the things I wanted as a child (and an adult) and did not get.

But you suck it up and deal with it.

Maybe riding Dumbo as adult does allow you to go back in time to when you were a child and didn't get to visit Disney. I understand that.

So what does my mythical father/mother tell their kids - We're sorry honey you are never going to get to ride Dumbo because the wait is an hour and there is so much more to see. We're sorry!

Well, first off, unless this mythical family is there on Christmas day in the middle of the morning, or another peak time, the chances are that saying the wait is an hour is a major exaggeration. I go in the moderate to low attendance periods and have never had an hour wait for Dumbo.

If I did, I'd probably go get a fast pass for something else, and wait in line to ride Dumbo while I waited for my FP time.

Secondly, the mythical parents should tell their mythical children that they can chose...do they want to go on Dumbo now, or go get a fast pass for something else, or skip Dumbo now and come back later etc.

Nope. No pity from me for the Mythicals.

Wouldn't it be nice if Disney could make it easier for kids to enjoy certain rides. That's all I was suggesting.

I think it works just fine right now and I will restate my original theory which is that you don't like having to wait in lines, and maybe you just enjoy complaining. I feel kind of sorry for you.

Have a Magical day.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by safetymom
Walt Disney designed the parks so the family would have a place to enjoy it together. Your argument destroys that idea.

Yup. And Walt recognized that not every family has little kids in it.

I personally can't wait to see the look on my mothers face when she and I go in 2005 and she gets to see Mickey's Philharmagic and Wishes.

Imagine if I was denied that because we won't be traveling with kids.

 

[Hippychickali]

Originally posted by dejr_8
And to all those that say they should be able to ride every ride in the park I ask you what about the rides that kids can't do because they aren't tall enough?

1. The height requirement is purely a safety issue.

2. Children's tickets cost less for exactly this reason.
____________________________________________________

It seems to me that the OP is simply impatient and is looking for a way to make her individual experience better while making others' worse. This is very selfish. If you really detest lines so much, go during the off-season.

You are suggesting that adults who choose to have kids get special benefits. Why should one kind of family be treated better than another kind? This is both discrimnatory and a double standard and quite frankly un-Disney like.

And if you look at this from WDW's point of view, this would be a really stupid business decision. Think of all the money that would be lost just to cater to a small (cranky) group of people who don't practice the art of waiting.

Hey, I have an idea! If we simply put up a sign at the front gates saying "No Children Allowed", us adults would have the whole place to ourselves and it would greatly decrease line wait time. Do you see the flawed logic here? Sounds familiar.


Ali

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by Hippychickali

It seems to me that the OP is simply impatient and is looking for a way to make her individual experience better while making others' worse. This is very selfish. If you really detest lines so much, go during the off-season.

Yup. ITA.

You are suggesting that adults who choose to have kids get special benefits. Ali

I think the OP is actually suggesting that these people just let their toddlers ride Dumbo alone, or ride Peter Pan with only one parent so that the other parent isn't taking up her precious space in line.

 

[dixiegirl]

I am horrified by this topic!!! I did not (nor did Dh) get to experience WDW until I was 26 and he was 34 on our honeymoon. I cried when I saw the castle for the first time - I cried when I saw Mickey Mouse, and I had so much fun on Peter Pan, Dumbo, etc. This is what Disney magic is all about - no matter the age.

Coming from a non-Disney perspective - all I have to say is this - we all pay for admission, we all get the same treatment - PERIOD!!! If you don't like the rules, then I would suggest you find somewhere else to go.

 

[Tinkerbelle'sMOM]

No age limits....we went on our honeymoon there and we rode all those kids rides! It is part of the magic.

When you go anywhere like Disney, any amusement park, there is going to be lines, and that is just part of it, you wait in said lines. Not a whole lot you can do about it.

I can see how the person thought that you had to pay extra for the Fastpasses....Universal has an Express pack you buy and Six Flags has the same thing. Easy to have that misunderstanding.