Vent re: Dumbo and adult only riders

[megveg]

Okay, I know I am going to get a lot of flak about this, but I am posting anyway.

Dumbo is a ride that small children LOVE. AND it has one of the longest lines of all rides in the MK (usually). Small children (toddlers, preschoolers) have very few rides just for them that we KNOW will not scare them like dark rides, etc. I really hate seeing adults taking up a Dumbo seat without a kid. I mean, come on. Give this one to the little kids, okay? They have a hard time waiting in line as it is.

Thank you

Okay, I've read this whole thread and I understand you want adults to stop riding Dumbo alone because you want the kids to "have a chance". Last time I checked, regardless of who is on the ride at whatever time, everyone gets a chance. It's not like character meet & greets where at a certain point they cut the line off and say "Sorry Mickey is going to take a break". If the whole ride was full of adults and you and your child were next in line, they're not going to stop you from going on and say "sorry Dumbo's going to take a break"

I'm going to ride Dumbo, regardless of who is in line. They'll have their chance just like I had mine. We all have to wait in lines, we all have to deal with the wait. Sure little kids have a harder time being patient, but if you give everything to them right when they want it, they'll never learn how to be patient.

So, I'm sorry you think a ride can be Children Only, but that's not the case...

We were there at rope drop, believe me. It still took 4 cycles to get on the ride and I saw plenty of single riders. Big ones.

4 Cycles? Thats alot better than 10 or 12. Disney is for everyone equally, if there are 6 seats and 4 are adults and 2 are kids, its still going to be as full as if all 6 seats were full with all kids or all adults. You'll be able to ride if you wait, like everyone else. If you want it to be left to the kids, then please stop riding it yourself.

In less than 2 weeks my DBF and I will wait in line for Dumbo and ride, with no kids, and the kids behind us in line will wait, just like we did,and at the end of the day, everyone will get to ride Dumbo.

[This is not ment to be a personal attack, but me stating my opinion. Please take with a grain of salt.]

 

[CheshireSmile]

ok, i am 23, and i LOVE kids rides. i have a genetic defect and some kind of neuro-degenerative disorder. i used to be able to walk 15 hours at disney, and now i need a wheelchair just to get from the monorail to the front gate. my life can STINK at times, but i live each day at a time, and i think i do pretty good for myself (i am getting my masters right now - 2 semesters to go!). disney is my haven. disney is where i forget that i am sick, and we don't know why. disney is where i forget that someday i may not be able to leave my wheelchair at all (by the way, dumbo does NOT have a wheelchair car).

I go on rides and i get my picture taken with characters, and i have a blast! i never feel like i do in disney. i watch disney travel DVDs just to be able to pretend i am there.

i AM a kid. i refuse to ever stop being a kid. every day may be the LAST time i am able to do something, so i am going to do everything i can, EVERY day. i refuse to ever stop being a kid. so if disney is just for kids, i am there!!

Wow is all I can say to your post. It made me so happy and so sad at the same time. I hope Disney will always be your haven, and you're in my prayers that you remain well.

 

[moray26]

I am an 18-year old solo traveler to Disney- why should I give up a chance to ride a certain ride because there are littler kids that want to ride it? I'm not stopping them. And yes, I love the big thrills ride, but that doesn't mean I should only ride those rides.

HOWEVER... I do believe that adults and/or solo travelers should use common courtesy towards others in line. Let the kids behind you cut in front? No, don't take it that far. Using Aladdin's Carpets as an example, if there's a family of three or fewer behind me, I will offer to let them join me on my carpet and let the kids take the front seat. No harm in that- makes the line move faster for everyone, ADULTS and KIDS alike.

 

[DiznEeyore]

Don't be so sure my opinion doesn't count. Disney reads these boards and even though more people who disagree with me are vocal on this board, don't think I'm the only one who has this opinion.

Also, keep in mind that at Universal there is a really fun looking ride based on Jurassic Park in which you had to have one child and one adult, and they wouldn't let any adults on without children and vice versa. Anything can change.

LOL -- I certainly don't think Disney is going to see your post and think, "Wow!! Banning everyone over 4' tall from Dumbo is a SUPER idea!! Why on EARTH didn't we think of that before?! GENIUS!"

FWIW, maybe this is one of the reasons Disney is Disney and Universal is (in the words of my best friend and her dh) "Bizarro-Disney". We prefer the real thing.

 

[bavaria]

So you are suggesting that adults can't ride Dumbo because you don't want your child to wait his turn? Your kid is not more important than any of the other thousands of people at Disney on any given day. Patience is something that all children need to learn. They should be able to learn how to wait and not expect everything handed to them whenever they want it.

I personally would like to see the character meals abolished. Disney has turned so many of the unique restaurants into character meals. CRT, Akershus, Crystal Palace, Garden Grill, Hollywood and Vine, etc. I hate that these restaurants are now all character meals, all the time. They could at least compromise like they used to and have one non-character meal a day like LTT, Cape May, and Tusker House do.

Well said.

Any child who would wish can take my place on some of the adult rides such as Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster. I wasn't aware that Disney still used a ticket system for rides . The older I get, the less I enjoy the intense rides.

Last year I was at DL on a quiet weekday winter night. I rode my dear old friend Casey Jr, and the CM offered me a dream - to stay on board until closing (about another 30 minutes). Much as I was tempted, I had places to go and friends to meet. I had to ride Alice, and close the night with a moonlit ride on Dumbo. A perfectly pleasant evening.

A few days ago one of my German coposters here PM'd me to ask about the two new rides at EuropaPark - Crazy Taxi and London Bus. He wanted to know for his upcoming trip, he is not quite so old as I. I did tell him that neither were to my taste, but that I had to laugh watching London Bus - it was filled with adults, all giggling and shouting 'WHOA!'. If usually stoic middle aged Germans, Swiss, and French can enjoy such a ride, I see nothing at all wrong with middle aged Americans enjoying a ride on Dumbo!

 

[KPeveler]

Wow is all I can say to your post. It made me so happy and so sad at the same time. I hope Disney will always be your haven, and you're in my prayers that you remain well.

thanks... i didnt mean to be depressing, but i think EVERYONE should live like today is the last... it means i make sure i have a great day, everyday. i am not dying or anything, but i used to be a distance runner, and now standing hurts.

i mean things like, when i got a wheelchair, i made it sparkly, got LEDs for the wheels, and i am making back rest covers with mickey on them!

kids live in the moment, and they are happier for it. i say we ALL live like kids as much as we can (without neglecting responsibilities!) and have a great day, every day!

 

[inaminute]

If Walt Disney wanted the rides to be for children only, the rides would be child sized to keep adults away.

I have no small children, except for my grandson. I go every year. sometimes with my grandson, sometimes with my entire family, sometimes by myself. Usually, though, its just my DH and me.

The first time I went to Disney I was 35. Should I have given up riding the rides I'd been looking forward to since the parks opened?

 

[aubriee]

I mean adults without a child. Of course an adult with a child would be okay -- the adult is not taking up a Dumbo all to themselves.

As I read this, I'm looking at my all time favorite picture sitting on the bookshelf beside my computer. It is a picture of my then 72 y/o mom riding Dumbo. I was sitting in the Dumbo in front of her, when I turned and snapped the picture. Her smile is a mile wide. It was taken the year my dad had cancer twice and we had to put him in the nursing home just a few weeks before that trip, (after he tried to burn their house down). He has Alzheimers and doesn't even know his own family. Yeah, it had been a very rough year, for all of us. As a child my parents could never afford to take us to WDW and my dad wouldn't have anyway, as it wasn't his type of thing. Consequently, my mom had never gone either. I didn't make my first trip to WDW until I took my adult son and GD, when I was in my 40's. A year later, is when I took my mom for her first ever trip (after that horrendous year my dad had). She didn't want to leave my dad, but I finally convinced her how much we needed that time away. I booked a character meal for her, for almost every day of our trip and I guarantee you she enjoyed them as much as any of those kids. Should my 72 y/o mom not have been allowed to attend the character meals or ride Dumbo for the first time? Sorry, OP I don't agree! She (and I) have every right to participate in all WDW has to offer. Oh, yes, we also went to CRT and we have no guilt over that either. Seeing my 72 y/o mother's giant smile after all the tears she had shed that year was wonderful.

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

DH and I rode Dumbo before we had kids. And, guess what, I don't have a problem with adults riding Dumbo without kids.

Parents should plan better and get to Dumbo sooner so their kids don't have to wait so long.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

The topic of this thread is what our society has come to these days. It's all about "I've got kids so get out of my way." So many kids have this "me first" attitude. And guess where they're learning it? Waiting a few extra minutes in a line while anyone and everyone is allowed to ride is a good lesson for them.

I love Dumbo. I love the movie. I love the ride. My kids are on the older side (12 and 9) and they still love to ride Dumbo. We will get in line and wait our turn. We'll probably do it more than once on our trip, too. Everyone else is welcome to do the same.

 

[glitterkittyy]

As I read this, I'm looking at my all time favorite picture sitting on the bookshelf beside my computer. It is a picture of my then 72 y/o mom riding Dumbo. I was sitting in the Dumbo in front of her, when I turned and snapped the picture. Her smile is a mile wide. It was taken the year my dad had cancer twice and we had to put him in the nursing home just a few weeks before that trip, (after he tried to burn their house down). He has Alzheimers and doesn't even know his own family. Yeah, it had been a very rough year, for all of us. As a child my parents could never afford to take us to WDW and my dad wouldn't have anyway, as it wasn't his type of thing. Consequently, my mom had never gone either. I didn't make my first trip to WDW until I took my adult son and GD, when I was in my 40's. A year later, is when I took my mom for her first ever trip (after that horrendous year my dad had). She didn't want to leave my dad, but I finally convinced her how much we needed that time away. I booked a character meal for her, for almost every day of our trip and I guarantee you she enjoyed them as much as any of those kids. Should my 72 y/o mom not have been allowed to attend the character meals or ride Dumbo for the first time? Sorry, OP I don't agree! She (and I) have every right to participate in all WDW has to offer. Oh, yes, we also went to CRT and we have no guilt over that either. Seeing my 72 y/o mother's giant smile after all the tears she had shed that year was wonderful.

What a touching post. Cherish the memory of that and the picture. They're priceless!

 

[mefordis]

Wasn't breakfast the only character meal at CRT back in 2002? I remember having a very nice non-character lunch in the castle. In fact I was heartbroken when they changed over to all character meals because I really enjoyed dining in the castle!

Oh, maybe that's why there was an opening -- because there were no characters. We were just, like, "Why do we want to eat at a fake castle?"

 

[MNWDWMANIAC]

As I read this, I'm looking at my all time favorite picture sitting on the bookshelf beside my computer. It is a picture of my then 72 y/o mom riding Dumbo. I was sitting in the Dumbo in front of her, when I turned and snapped the picture. Her smile is a mile wide. It was taken the year my dad had cancer twice and we had to put him in the nursing home just a few weeks before that trip, (after he tried to burn their house down). He has Alzheimers and doesn't even know his own family. Yeah, it had been a very rough year, for all of us. As a child my parents could never afford to take us to WDW and my dad wouldn't have anyway, as it wasn't his type of thing. Consequently, my mom had never gone either. I didn't make my first trip to WDW until I took my adult son and GD, when I was in my 40's. A year later, is when I took my mom for her first ever trip (after that horrendous year my dad had). She didn't want to leave my dad, but I finally convinced her how much we needed that time away. I booked a character meal for her, for almost every day of our trip and I guarantee you she enjoyed them as much as any of those kids. Should my 72 y/o mom not have been allowed to attend the character meals or ride Dumbo for the first time? Sorry, OP I don't agree! She (and I) have every right to participate in all WDW has to offer. Oh, yes, we also went to CRT and we have no guilt over that either. Seeing my 72 y/o mother's giant smile after all the tears she had shed that year was wonderful.

Thank you for sharing. This is what living life is all about. It's not the moments you spend waiting but those moments you waited for!

 

[KPeveler]

Oh, maybe that's why there was an opening -- because there were no characters. We were just, like, "Why do we want to eat at a fake castle?"

wow, you just don't get disney. i suppose you don't want your pic taken with a "fake mouse" or watch "fake characters" in a parade. newsflash, disney is NOT an amusement park. it is a theme park. if all you want is kiddie rides and a couple coasters, i can direct you to the nearst Six Flags, and it costs less!

that castle is more real than anything ever lived in by a king to me!!!

 

[Cadillac_Dreamgirl]

I have a great time taking my child, and now that I have another one on the way, I'll be taking her as well. In one sense you are right - I only go to take my children and I have a great time doing it. If my husband and I got a weekend away, we would not be going to WDW without them. We'd be more likely to go to Universal if we wanted to hit a theme park for the weekend alone. My joy comes with seeing my daughter react to the characters and rides.

Many ppl react to children reactions... its ok.. its normal..

Um that wasn't an attack, that was MY OPINION, that thing that you seem to think that everyone should be allowed to have. Why can't I post mine if you are allowed yours?

I really, truely wish people who didn't like the parks and only went there because of their children would stay away.

And just for the record this wasn't an attack either...

That is an aburd thought... half of the country goes to places because of children alone.. Not to mention the idea of parents doing that is very selfish!

LOL -- I certainly don't think Disney is going to see your post and think, "Wow!! Banning everyone over 4' tall from Dumbo is a SUPER idea!! Why on EARTH didn't we think of that before?! GENIUS!"

FWIW, maybe this is one of the reasons Disney is Disney and Universal is (in the words of my best friend and her dh) "Bizarro-Disney". We prefer the real thing.

Universal parks is different from Disney parks ... there is no comparison. I happen to love Universal and there is nothing bizarre about it...I love all theme parks and try to add that remark on the universal boards?..
Disneyland is my favorite park

by the way happy belated mothers day all

 

[Tink888]

Wow, did this thread light up or what? Just read through the entire thread and while everyone is entitled to their opinions, I will stand by mine in that Disney is for EVERYONE. Everyone has paid a lot of money for their vacation and should enjoy it as they see fit (without breaking rules). If you have to stand in line a little longer for an attraction you or your child really wants to ride then that's life and the choice you make. The sense of entitlement that is sometimes seen on the boards as it applies to one individual's circumstances surprises me sometimes.

Disney does have an area specifically for the little ones. Mickey's Toontown Fair. It has carnival type rides AND characters.

To all the parents out there who feel the adults should skip attractions to make the lines shorter for your kids, remember, that child holding your hand in the Dumbo line now WILL grow-up. As an adult they may very well want to re-live the memory of their first Dumbo ride with you by riding as an adult. How sad it would be for them to be turned away or called inconsiderate because they are now considered "too old".

As my son said when I asked him what he thought about all this - "I could care less what everyone is riding" - maybe if we worried a little less about what other people were doing or "should" be doing, we'd have nicer vacations. JMHO

 

[glitterkittyy]

that castle is more real than anything ever lived in by a king to me!!!

Yep. You either "get" Disney or you don't. The magic of Disney is real, and Walt lives on through it. Those who "get" it are lucky. I guess some just aren't born with the Disney gene.

 

[aubriee]

Oh, something else before I forget. I'm taking my mom back down to WDW Sept 6th-14th for her third trip. She will turn 75 y/o on Sept 9th, (while we are down there). I already have breakfast at Crystal Palace and 1900 Park Fare for dinner booked for that day. She will also be dining at: Garden Grill (L), Chef Mickey's (B), Tusker House (B) & (L), 1900 Park Fare for breakfast (as well as dinner), and Akershus (B), that week (as well as several other nicer places). I can't wait to see that 75 y/o face! and I feel no guilt that I made those ADRs at 180 days out (just like any parent with a kid could have). I know she will love those character meals, just as much as she's going to enjoy Narcoosee and Le Cellier. If she wants to ride Dumbo again, we'll do that too!

 

[Ctsplaysinrain]

I disagree as well. Also, this upsets me for another reason. I have a 12 yr old son with Autism. He has recently GROWN and is now bigger than me and many adults. He is around 5"5" and 135 lbs... He looks like he could be 14 or 15. Dumbo is one of the few rides he will ride. All of the rest of the rides he will ride could be consdiered "kiddie" rides as well. I would hate for someone to tell him that he shouldn't ride Dumbo or Peter Pan or a like ride because he is "too old." Currently, Disney has become one of the few amusement places that we can find anything to do since most of the other places tend to focus on the "bigger" rides and kiddie rides are "restricted" to little kids.

 

[keishashadow]

The topic of this thread is what our society has come to these days. It's all about "I've got kids so get out of my way." So many kids have this "me first" attitude. And guess where they're learning it? Waiting a few extra minutes in a line while anyone and everyone is allowed to ride is a good lesson for them.

I love Dumbo. I love the movie. I love the ride. My kids are on the older side (12 and 9) and they still love to ride Dumbo. We will get in line and wait our turn. We'll probably do it more than once on our trip, too. Everyone else is welcome to do the same.

u hit the nail on the head

only because i hate waiting in line, have i ridden it just a few times

imo, if u are savy enough to find a disney message board or read any of the guidebooks...u know that Dumbo is do-able either 1st thing (am EMH or just when the gates open) or last thing (late EMH)...another good lesson to be learned, pick & choose wisely.

btw, didn't read the whole thread; is the darkside/universal getting blamed for the Dumbo lines ? ps if ur kiddos aren't hung up on a specific charactar, just the ride genre, stay onsite @ universal for FOTL perc @ One-Fish-Two-Fish .