starlionblue
Recovering Disney addict but still failing
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2006
- Messages
- 396
I've been to DW three times so far and each visit was a different experience. My first time was around 1985 or so. I was just a kid so, naturally, DW was a place that blew me away. I especially enjoyed Mr. Toad's wild ride, the cable cars, Eastern Airlines' If you had wings and 20,000 Leagues under the sea. Those attractions were gone the second time I went. I was 17.
The second trip was easily the worst of all. I was so hyped up and excited partly because I was older and would likely have stronger memories of that visit. I so wished I was wrong! I was shocked by the conditions of several of the attractions. A lot of them were dirty and two needed a serious overhaul. The crowds were unbearable so I spent a lot of time fighting through them. This was in the era before FastPass. Worst, all the attractions I loved as a child were torn down so, honestly, I woke up before each visit to the parks with a attitude along the lines of "I bet I won't really enjoy it much." And I didn't.
The third time, I would be going alone for the first time. No bratty cousins to keep an eye on. No parents screaming at me to "meet me at Cinderella's Castle at 6 or you're grounded!" I was legally an adult so what I wanted to see was COMPLETELY up to me. It was NOT at all what I expected. I thought I would feel lonely and unable to enjoy it. As a result, when I was at the kiosk in the hotel buying my hopper pass, I slumped through the process with an attitude along the lines of "I wonder if I'll actually fall asleep in line." No kidding. I seriously wasn't sure if I would enjoy a third trip. I learned from others on the message boards that you will never be able to relive the wonders of your first visit. That's quite true. However, the repeat visits plus a trip to DL six years before did leave an impression on me. I was older so I remembered the good and bad things. As if by fate, I was cleaning out my backpack for the plane trip and found my old ticket stub from my last visit. (Sheesh, Disney increased the prices nearly 20% since the last trip! That's robbery!) I found myself lacking the energy I used to have. Man did I sweat! I think I drank two bottles of water.
I had to stop and think about the attractions: do I want to see this or that? Am I really going to enjoy it after waiting in line an hour? By then, DW had FP and it made my visit more enjoyable but I can't imagine how much more. I'm now in the 21st century. Many of the things in EPCOT that I thought would be impossible were now a reality. I rode a Segway, the closest thing to the Jetson's scooter but it was interesting and fun to say the least. If you had talked about Segways on my last trip, I would have thought this was pure fiction. The parks were in better shape because they obviously had to restore some buildings/attractions. But I found myself wishing I could be a kid again. I wandered by some of the "kiddie" attractions like Dumbo and It's a small world and knew I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had been a kid. On the other hand, I was now grown up and it seemed easier to remember my experiences. As a result, I spent most of my first trip remembering the past. I rode the Star Jets and was surprised that they were barely eight feet off the ground! I guess I did get over my terror of heights as a kid! I saw the haunted mansion and wasn't scared but loved the special effects and the props they used. At Carousel of Progress, I instantly remembered that cheesy song "It's a great big beautiful tomorrow" and it terrified me! That song is second behind "It's a small world" on my list of Songs You Absolutely Never Will Get Out of Your Head.
I used FP to get on Space Mountain twice and enjoyed it more the second time. (Must be getting old! It didn't scare me that badly!). By the time it was time to leave, I swore that I had lost a few pounds sweating and running here and there. The ONLY thing that didn't change was the crowds! They seemed to be getting bigger every time! And although I now was aware of that terrifying thing known to adults as stress, it didn't have any significant impact on my enjoyment. I remembered to keep my excitement in check or it would ruin something for me. Overall, I absolutely loved my most recent visit to DW and would definitely plan on going again in the future BUT I couldn't help wondering if I loved it because I didn't get all hyped up about it. On all the previous vacations at DW, I spent a few sleepless nights just thinking about DW and nothing else. I wonder, did any of you remember your last experiences each time you visited and approach your third (or fourth) trip with lower expectations because you feared you wouldn't enjoy it? Did you feel that getting all hyped up and excited would diminish your enjoyment slightly or was it the usual "I must be getting old" feeling that went through your mind? Did anyone else wonder if past trips would have an effect on whether they would enjoy their latest visit? I would love to hear you share your experiences. Sorry for the length of this but I have to hash out a history of my past visits or you wouldn't understand my attitudes during my most recent visit.
The second trip was easily the worst of all. I was so hyped up and excited partly because I was older and would likely have stronger memories of that visit. I so wished I was wrong! I was shocked by the conditions of several of the attractions. A lot of them were dirty and two needed a serious overhaul. The crowds were unbearable so I spent a lot of time fighting through them. This was in the era before FastPass. Worst, all the attractions I loved as a child were torn down so, honestly, I woke up before each visit to the parks with a attitude along the lines of "I bet I won't really enjoy it much." And I didn't.
The third time, I would be going alone for the first time. No bratty cousins to keep an eye on. No parents screaming at me to "meet me at Cinderella's Castle at 6 or you're grounded!" I was legally an adult so what I wanted to see was COMPLETELY up to me. It was NOT at all what I expected. I thought I would feel lonely and unable to enjoy it. As a result, when I was at the kiosk in the hotel buying my hopper pass, I slumped through the process with an attitude along the lines of "I wonder if I'll actually fall asleep in line." No kidding. I seriously wasn't sure if I would enjoy a third trip. I learned from others on the message boards that you will never be able to relive the wonders of your first visit. That's quite true. However, the repeat visits plus a trip to DL six years before did leave an impression on me. I was older so I remembered the good and bad things. As if by fate, I was cleaning out my backpack for the plane trip and found my old ticket stub from my last visit. (Sheesh, Disney increased the prices nearly 20% since the last trip! That's robbery!) I found myself lacking the energy I used to have. Man did I sweat! I think I drank two bottles of water.
I had to stop and think about the attractions: do I want to see this or that? Am I really going to enjoy it after waiting in line an hour? By then, DW had FP and it made my visit more enjoyable but I can't imagine how much more. I'm now in the 21st century. Many of the things in EPCOT that I thought would be impossible were now a reality. I rode a Segway, the closest thing to the Jetson's scooter but it was interesting and fun to say the least. If you had talked about Segways on my last trip, I would have thought this was pure fiction. The parks were in better shape because they obviously had to restore some buildings/attractions. But I found myself wishing I could be a kid again. I wandered by some of the "kiddie" attractions like Dumbo and It's a small world and knew I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had been a kid. On the other hand, I was now grown up and it seemed easier to remember my experiences. As a result, I spent most of my first trip remembering the past. I rode the Star Jets and was surprised that they were barely eight feet off the ground! I guess I did get over my terror of heights as a kid! I saw the haunted mansion and wasn't scared but loved the special effects and the props they used. At Carousel of Progress, I instantly remembered that cheesy song "It's a great big beautiful tomorrow" and it terrified me! That song is second behind "It's a small world" on my list of Songs You Absolutely Never Will Get Out of Your Head.
I used FP to get on Space Mountain twice and enjoyed it more the second time. (Must be getting old! It didn't scare me that badly!). By the time it was time to leave, I swore that I had lost a few pounds sweating and running here and there. The ONLY thing that didn't change was the crowds! They seemed to be getting bigger every time! And although I now was aware of that terrifying thing known to adults as stress, it didn't have any significant impact on my enjoyment. I remembered to keep my excitement in check or it would ruin something for me. Overall, I absolutely loved my most recent visit to DW and would definitely plan on going again in the future BUT I couldn't help wondering if I loved it because I didn't get all hyped up about it. On all the previous vacations at DW, I spent a few sleepless nights just thinking about DW and nothing else. I wonder, did any of you remember your last experiences each time you visited and approach your third (or fourth) trip with lower expectations because you feared you wouldn't enjoy it? Did you feel that getting all hyped up and excited would diminish your enjoyment slightly or was it the usual "I must be getting old" feeling that went through your mind? Did anyone else wonder if past trips would have an effect on whether they would enjoy their latest visit? I would love to hear you share your experiences. Sorry for the length of this but I have to hash out a history of my past visits or you wouldn't understand my attitudes during my most recent visit.
