What a waste (gotta vent)

[gopherit]

Ok, here's the deal:

(1) Colleague got approval to go to conference in Orlando. The last time she wentto this same conference, I went too, and I encouraged she and another colleague of ours to tour EPCOT one day at the end of their stay (I had to leave, sadly, for another business appt. Wahhhh....) But enough of my whining. On with the vent.... So I give them maps, and spend the night before my departure from Orlando discussing their best plan of attack, taking into account neither had ever been to EPCOT (I was dealing with total newbies here, people). WELL.... when they get back home, I ask them how they liked EPCOT. Oh, they say, it was "ok". No big raves or anything, just "ok". As I pressed for some details, I quickly discerned that they had gotten there late (about 10:30), had seen VERY little, had grabbed lunch in Italy, and LEFT BEFORE 6 PM. Neither was ill. Neither was tired. THEY LEFT. Illuminations? What's that? Oh no, we decided to just head back to the hotel and pack for tomorrow... WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? I about had a coronary -- which, incidentally, they DID find amusing. So this same colleague is now returning to Orlando on business, and said to me , hmm, I'm thinking I might go try one or two more "park days" (MK and MGM) at the end of my conference. I "lightly" suggest a few places she could dine -- but as of the day before her trip, she had no plans. Nuthin. Zilch. Nada. Just going to "play it by ear". (And no, neither she nor the other person with her has EVER been to either park. And let's not forget her EPCOT experience...) I expect I'll hear from her on Monday -- but it will be a brief (and for me, depressing) report.

(2) Sister goes to WDW on business too -- conference at CSR. Being the good DVCer and WDWphile she is, she encourages about 5 of her sheltered colleagues to venture out to eat one night. She has them grab the bus to DTD, where they shop around, then says, ok, let's play a game -- we take the first resort bus that comes along, and eat at the resort it takes us to! The bus was AKL - so they ate at Boma (or Jiko -- can't recall). By this time, they are telling her she is a total Disney geek. They actually think she is "making up stuff" -- for example, they absolutely don't believe her with the "hidden mickey" stuff, so she has to show them a book or two on it in the gift shop at AKL. She shows them a GREAT time that night -- but in the end -- she still is labeled a Dis-nerd by all!

(3) I get a post card in the mail from my former college roomie. This is a gal who despises all things animated, muppeted, cartooned -- her kids cannot wear screen printed shirts in public (too tacky she says), nor anything from the usual dept stores (too mainstream commoner, I guess, but what would I know, lowbrow folk as I am). So.... this post card is a Disney World card. Seems she too is in WDW for a conference at CSR (diff from my sis, though -- man that place is HUGE). Her card basically said, "Bet you're jealous -- look where I am. Not planning on visiting any of the parks, though I did sorta go through EPCOT last night. And I didn't bring the kids!" Nor, I'm sure, does she ever have any intention of bringing her kids. Doesn't think it's a good use of money (and no doubt, too "tacky" for her tastes.)

All that Disney time, Disney opportunity, for so many -- AND WASTED. And here I sit, looking at my HHI counter, trying to "will" it to move faster, and wishing that the points we are using for that trip would magically multiply (along with our vacation days from work!) to allow another WDW trip too! I need to find a job that conferences more frequently in Orlando....

Thanks for allowing my little pity party. Feel free to join me, especially if your counter has too many days left, too!

 

[FreeTime]

I know the feeling. Everyone thinks that I am a Disney freak. Then I hear about their trip tp WDW and what a terrible time they had (no planning, stood around staring at each other, never going back). Or worse, those with kids who think that their family would have a terrible time. What?! BTW-my boss doesn't let her kids wear any character wear!

 

[SueM in MN]

I feel your pain.


My BIL and SIL never "got" WDW either. When their kids were little, they said they were waiting for them to be "bigger". They finally did go when nephew was about 4 and niece was 7, but they only spent part of a day at MK and didn't really like it (their dad was at a conference). We finally took niece and nephew last year. They loved it and are still talking to their grandparents about it. But, their parents are still not interested in going.

 

[dyingtodisney]

My friends at work call the DIS Boards "THE CULT". They think it's hilarious that I'm going back to my 3rd trip since June. Nobody I know really "gets it". We are leaving one week from tomorrow and bringing my parents for the first time so my only chance of not being seen as absolutely insane is for them to fall in love with the world as much as we have.

 

[carol1231]

I understand your pain. Been there.

Do you know the best part of this? You won't have to worry about "bumping into them" while you're on vacation!!

 

[Pig Pen]

My sister (I refuse to label her DSis after this), her husband and his daughter just returned from 10 days in Florida. They went to Sea World, Busch Gardens, and Universal. NO WDW!!!! And this was after she spent 10 days with me at WDW last spring just so she could gather "inside" information to plan for this trip. They didn't even stay anywhere on-site...they commuted from my parents' house which is 45 miles away.

I am soooooo disappointed in her!

 

[MermaidsMom]

Ok, here's the deal:

(1) Colleague got approval to go to conference in Orlando. The last time she wentto this same conference, I went too, and I encouraged she and another colleague of ours to tour EPCOT one day at the end of their stay (I had to leave, sadly, for another business appt. Wahhhh....) But enough of my whining. On with the vent.... So I give them maps, and spend the night before my departure from Orlando discussing their best plan of attack, taking into account neither had ever been to EPCOT (I was dealing with total newbies here, people). WELL.... when they get back home, I ask them how they liked EPCOT. Oh, they say, it was "ok". No big raves or anything, just "ok". As I pressed for some details, I quickly discerned that they had gotten there late (about 10:30), had seen VERY little, had grabbed lunch in Italy, and LEFT BEFORE 6 PM. Neither was ill. Neither was tired. THEY LEFT. Illuminations? What's that? Oh no, we decided to just head back to the hotel and pack for tomorrow... WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? I about had a coronary -- which, incidentally, they DID find amusing. So this same colleague is now returning to Orlando on business, and said to me , hmm, I'm thinking I might go try one or two more "park days" (MK and MGM) at the end of my conference. I "lightly" suggest a few places she could dine -- but as of the day before her trip, she had no plans. Nuthin. Zilch. Nada. Just going to "play it by ear". (And no, neither she nor the other person with her has EVER been to either park. And let's not forget her EPCOT experience...) I expect I'll hear from her on Monday -- but it will be a brief (and for me, depressing) report.

(2) Sister goes to WDW on business too -- conference at CSR. Being the good DVCer and WDWphile she is, she encourages about 5 of her sheltered colleagues to venture out to eat one night. She has them grab the bus to DTD, where they shop around, then says, ok, let's play a game -- we take the first resort bus that comes along, and eat at the resort it takes us to! The bus was AKL - so they ate at Boma (or Jiko -- can't recall). By this time, they are telling her she is a total Disney geek. They actually think she is "making up stuff" -- for example, they absolutely don't believe her with the "hidden mickey" stuff, so she has to show them a book or two on it in the gift shop at AKL. She shows them a GREAT time that night -- but in the end -- she still is labeled a Dis-nerd by all!

(3) I get a post card in the mail from my former college roomie. This is a gal who despises all things animated, muppeted, cartooned -- her kids cannot wear screen printed shirts in public (too tacky she says), nor anything from the usual dept stores (too mainstream commoner, I guess, but what would I know, lowbrow folk as I am). So.... this post card is a Disney World card. Seems she too is in WDW for a conference at CSR (diff from my sis, though -- man that place is HUGE). Her card basically said, "Bet you're jealous -- look where I am. Not planning on visiting any of the parks, though I did sorta go through EPCOT last night. And I didn't bring the kids!" Nor, I'm sure, does she ever have any intention of bringing her kids. Doesn't think it's a good use of money (and no doubt, too "tacky" for her tastes.)

All that Disney time, Disney opportunity, for so many -- AND WASTED. And here I sit, looking at my HHI counter, trying to "will" it to move faster, and wishing that the points we are using for that trip would magically multiply (along with our vacation days from work!) to allow another WDW trip too! I need to find a job that conferences more frequently in Orlando....

Thanks for allowing my little pity party. Feel free to join me, especially if your counter has too many days left, too!

After reading numerous post just like yours, I have come to the conclusion that there are people who will NOT like WDW just because YOU DO! PERIOD!! People will post that their mom/dad/brotherinlaw/etc will pooh-pooh almost everything about WDW without any reason other than their family member loves it. It is almost a passive-aggressive response from family, they will not admit any joy because they know it will get on your nerves. My feeling is that I would stop trying to introduce them to WDW at all. Why bother when there are bigger issues there than Disney?

 

[Disneyaholic]

More room in the parks and resorts for those of us who truly appreciate it...

I do not expect people to love Disney as much as I do. For the life of me, I can't understand WHY they don't, but I just don't expect it!

 

[rocketriter]

Yep, I know someone who took her toddler to MK for one afternoon, in the rain, with no PS, not even a map, and came home saying they had a miserable time and there was nothing to do there.

For that matter, I have relatives who drove all the way to Williamsburg, walked up and down the main street and didn't go into any of the buildings, and came home with a similar complaint. Later on the same trip they also drove to Amish country in Pennsylvania on a Sunday (on a Sunday!) and complained because everything was closed. Not clueful (which is the opposite of clueless).

You just can't take responsibility for other people's superficiality.

 

[sjdisneywedding]

we feel your pain, we were there for an April trip with a few who had never been, one who has trouble walking. We told them a million times we could do whatever they wanted but recommended not doing MK on monday as it tends to be busy and if we did do it on mon then we should get there early.

So of course all week goes by, all weekend and we keep asking if they want to go to MK; nope not yet lets do this instead. So of course its looking like monday for mk, fine ok we will make it work, we remind them we need to get an early start. mon morning rolls around and we wait and we wait and we wait. Finally we arrive and its about 1:00 pm (and this is coming from the Poly no less I am about ready to give up). Of course no carts left at this hour so already we are in trouble. Park is packed and we managed to get them on 2 rides and the RR before they called it quits.

Needless to say they hated MK, too many people, too hot, lines too long, too much walking. Its just kills me when people dont plan. I mean if we were going somewhere we had never been and people who were very familiar with that place told us "go here its great" or "dont go here on such and such day or at such and such time" we would use that info like it was gold.

 

[off to neverland]

I agree with Mermaidsmom that the negative feedback to something you obviously love is passive aggressive behavior.

Could jealousy be an issue with the college roomie?

I have a girlfriend who is taking her daughters to WDW for a week in May. Her husband made the reservation, and she has no idea where they are staying, though she knows its on site and has a kitchen, and never takes the initiative to ask him where they are staying.

When I mention Princess breakfasts to her for her girls, she thinks it's a great idea and tells me they'll play it by ear when they get there.

AAARGH!

I'm sure they will come back after having a miserable time fighting the crowds and not knowing where they are going, when.

 

[scrapbookersdis]

This thread made me chuckle. Not only in head-nodding commiseration, but because it reminded me of part of the marketing blurb that will appear on the back of my upcoming book about photographing and scrapbooking a WDW trip:

- "If you're looking for information about Universal or Sea World, you won't like this book. It's all Disney.
- If you've ever said to a friend or relative, 'You're going to Disney World *again*??' -- you won't like this book. But you could buy it for your friend or relative!"

Some people just don't get Disney.

It happens with books, too. I gave a "kindred spirit" friend a set of the Betsy-Tacy books (best girls' series ever written, in print more than 60 years), but she had "trouble getting past the first few chapters"?? Naturally, she doesn't like Disney World, either.

It's lovely to find so many *Disney* kindred spirits on the DIS.

Sharla
Getting a third trip on the 'ol APs this year!

 

[DrTomorrow]

It is my strong belief that the vast majority of people in the world who visit Disney property are like those that gopherit described - and I think that more DVC Owners than we'd like to think are also like that. While we plot, and plan, and have PSs all set, have memorized the EMH days and nights, and set our alarms for 9:00 AM ET for the first day we can book, there are so many people who drive in under the WDW arch and say "what park do you want to do today?". People miss parades, nightly fireworks shows, and simply wander by magnificent attractions, later saying "Eh - I don't get it." And - please, sit down for this - in answer to a question I asked here, I've heard many stories about friends and family who let a significant amount of DVC points expire almost every year - not even banking them .

Just remember, the next time you're asking this forum for the GPS co-ordinates of SAB, that to most people, you're some kind of nut. Of course, so am I .

IMHO - YMMV

 

[IamTink]

Boy, life just isn't fair letting so many people go that don't even care to take in or open their minds to the possibilities.

 

[mark&sue]

We are coming over from England in May with three other families who have never been to the USA (and of course never been to WDW) and one of the families said to me that they will stay in the hotel (Holiday Inn Intenational Drive) every other day to sunbathe!!!!! This is their trip of a lifetime and will not be able to afford to come again (they have been saving for years for this and could not afford to stay on site). I tried to explain if they wanted to sit in the sun they could go to Spain for a fraction of the cost.

They have Disney tickets for the full 14 days but will only use them for a few days as I have bought them Seaworld Tickets for a Christmas present and plan to go to Universal for a couple of days too. I can't belive they want to sit in the hotel for half the vacation. This to me is a real waste.

Sorry to go on but we will be in the parks every day and go and visit our "home" at SSR.


Susan

 

[gtrist4life]

After I first read gopherit's report, I thought what are these people thinking?
But then the comments about passive-aggressive behavior started to make sense, plus I'm sure the green monster creeps in too.

We're nuts for Disney, but for others that don't share the same enthusiasm, this just shows an example of the differences that make life rich. I'm just thankful that there are several in my family (and many on this board!) that "get it" and I'm able to share the magic with....

I know Nascar's a huge sport now, but I can't understand why 100,000 or so people show up to watch race cars go round a circle for a few hours. No way would I pay money to fight that type of crowd for that type of entertainment/event. To each their own.


Peace,
G4L

 

[jarestel]

I'm reminded of our neighbors who, a couple of years ago, decided to take their children to WDW over the Christmas holidays. We made a few suggestions, ( decide where you want to eat and make PS's in ADVANCE, get up early and hit the parks before they get too crowded, etc... ) basically just what we considered common sense ideas to make their trip go a little smoother.

Well, they say "We're not getting up early on our vacation" and "We just want to wing it as far as restaurants go. We'll decide when we get there where we feel like eating".

As you can probably guess, when they got back they told us this had been their first and last WDW vacation. ( too crowded to go on rides, couldn't get into any of the restaurants they wanted, blah blah blah ). They really didn't get to see anything due to their lack of planning.

And they're now more convinced than ever that we're nuts for going back so often.

 

[MermaidsMom]

After I first read gopherit's report, I thought what are these people thinking?
But then the comments about passive-aggressive behavior started to make sense, plus I'm sure the green monster creeps in too.

We're nuts for Disney, but for others that don't share the same enthusiasm, this just shows an example of the differences that make life rich. I'm just thankful that there are several in my family (and many on this board!) that "get it" and I'm able to share the magic with....

I know Nascar's a huge sport now, but I can't understand why 100,000 or so people show up to watch race cars go round a circle for a few hours. No way would I pay money to fight that type of crowd for that type of entertainment/event. To each their own.


Peace,
G4L

I think the difference between "us and them" is that even though we MAY not like NASCAR,(I'm just making a point here ) we (DISer's)would'nt go on and on about how "miserable/crowded/expensive/boring/big/time consuming/huge/spread out" it is, the way they do. Any hobby that brings someone else joy I love to hear about and would never let on that I didn't like it. I would never say "Are you going there AGAIN??" It amazes me the way that some people can't wait to let their friends/family who love Disney know how much they DIDN'T enjoy their Disney trip.

 

[athenna]

I find a lot of people saying to me, ''you're going there again?'' and they're shocked! Some folks think I'm nuts! My family knows how important it is to me, so they think it's great, but people, like work folks really think I've lost it.
Also, a lot of people that haven't been (I've discovered) have no idea what there. They think WDW is the MK and nothing else, they don't get it that there are 3 more theme parks, water parks, all the resorts, etc. I tell everyone that thinks I'm nuts, to make sure they go at least once in their lifetime (plan things out of course) and then come back and tell me I'm nuts!

 

[SueOKW]

That's the thing - these trips cost so much money, why wouldn't people plan? I can certainly see the conventioneers just winging it.. but like the friends from England - sunbathe?? Maybe if we substitute the word "relax" it will work better in our minds. Losing the park days is amazing too. I know when I go to England I plan like crazy to take advantage of every moment - without going commando.

I remember when I planned our first WDW vacation I was so worried DH would not like it.. thank goodness he found it to be the same perfect family vacation spot that I did!!!

We also get the "you're going there again"... since very few people at my job know we own DVC I've made up a mythical relative that owns a timeshare and he lets us stay there during his week... somehow that's ok with people. Now my yearly trip is routine, but since we are apparently freeloaders it's more palatable.