Who Likes the "Asides" in Trip Reports?

[DisneyGirl4188]

After reading (and responding to) the "Coufused" thread, I thought it would be a good idea to see if people like the extra little stories and touches some writers add to their TR.

Some have suggested that we have a seperate board for those type of reports and another for strictly "I went her, did this" reports.

So what do you all think? Maybe the mods and webmaster will see what everyone actually wants and can go from there.

 

[MareQ]

I love them. Seriously - this forum would be pretty boring without the personal additions. The humor and personal notes are what make some reprts stand ouf from others. If these posts were nothing more than "Day 1 - MGM, caught the boat, no wait at security, ran to TOT got a FP..." they would be pretty darn boring. Everybody here has been or is going to DW - we know all about how to get there, what rides are there etc - I don;t care what the family rode first, what park they went to on what day - I want to know about THEM - the little things that happens that makes THEIR trip different than my trip, things that allows me into their world - which is how a truly GREAT story is told.

Personally I think there needs to be more understanding and acceptance of how some threads evolve over time. People have the choice to read or not - subscribe or unsubscribe. It's ALL FUN - leave it be!

 

[PoohBearLovinMama]

Had to come out of lurkdom over here to respond to this but...

I hate to say it, but I typically don't read TR's that don't include some tangents. I think they are not as interesting. I like to learn about everyone and why WDW is special to them. Quite frankly I think its a shame that some my favorite TR's have be closed.

 

[Disney owl]

Enjoy them

But there are times when we Brits need sub-titles!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[KathyRN137]

I can usually tell by the end of the first post if I would like to continue reading; everyone has their own "style" and thats OK! Keep it the way it is!

Kathy

 

[darrylpan]

It is the asides and the so called off topic remarks that give us the most insight into what made this trap so magic for the people involved. I think they are necessary and integral to good story telling.

 

[Angelrose]

I LOVE the asides. Like others have said, these are what make the reports magic.

 

[liamandcaili]

As someone who has written a trip report, I think it is important to add asides. That makes the report more personal, and adds perspective. Nobody has the final word on all things Disney. Everyone likes different things. The more you know about the people reporting, the more you can figure out if you should take their experiences into consideration or not.

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

I like the asides. I agree that they make the reports come alive.

 

[bdg100]

I don't bother reading trip reports unless they include something different from my own experience. In my opinion a good trip report usually starts with a funny packing or, better yet, funny security check story. It then proceeds to explain how their family nearly ran out of gas on the way or got on the wrong flight. It usually includes an eccentric member of the family who either brings a whistle to blow at 6:30 am to wake everyone up or acts like a koala bear. It includes a villain which is generally a rude guest or more likely brother or sister in law. The heroine of the story is ALWAYS the wife and the fall guy is ALWAYS the dopey husband. Finally, it vividly demonstrates the love all of the members of the family has for each other. Sprinkle in a few magic moments involving cast members and practical jokes on the dopey dad and you have a recipe for sucess in my book. None of these elements would be permitted under a system that prohibits "asides".

 

[Hanover]

I love reading "asides" in trip reports. I find that they make TR's much more interesting and you feel like you actually get to know the writer and their families.

On the contrary, I find the straight forward " itinerary reports " rather boring and skip most of them.

Imagine what Disney stories would be like with just the straight forward facts and no elaboration.

 

[jonestavern]

As someone who has written a trip report, I think it is important to add asides. That makes the report more personal, and adds perspective. Nobody has the final word on all things Disney. Everyone likes different things. The more you know about the people reporting, the more you can figure out if you should take their experiences into consideration or not.

Well said!
I do enjoy the different personalities, the everyday--& extraordinary--hurdles people go through to experience a little Magic!
I do like the concrete info, also & glean those reports, too.
But nothing beats laughing aloud at what we DISers can get up to before, during & after that eagerly anticipated trip!

Jean

 

[Sneezie]

I absolutely love the asides. If it wasn't for them, every trip report would be just about the same thing. Without Lala's stories about the storms and Mel's (happyhaunts) stories about her flooded house, their trip reports would go something like this "Went to the World, Had a ball, koaled down a hall, ate, came back home."

 

[mdsouth]

Count me in for needing to have the extra asides! The reports would not hold my attention otherwise!

 

[bbangel]

For me, I don't see them as asides. I see them as integral to the information I am trying to get by reading the reports. What is similar or different about how this person and their family interact with the world (and the World)? How might my interests be reflected in liking or not liking the same things? For instance I have a sensitive stomach. Knowing how much pepto a habitual user needed for a meal is vital information to me. It will either encourage or discourage me from eating at that particular place.
Having said that, I understand from the moderators point of view it can be difficult to find that fine line. I think as long as the comments back are general encouragement or comments on the posts in the thread they are fine. It is when they refer to other conversations, situations, or use personal knowledge of the people in the story (that a majority or readers wouldn't know) that I think things can be problematic.
Kudos to those who volunteer their time to try and make this an accessible and safe community for all of us!

 

[Lisa_Belle]

It depends on the writer. Some people have a way of engaging me and some don't. If I am not interested, I just skip over parts. Sometimes I just don't have time to read and I skip over parts. Sometimes I miss great reports because I don't take the time to read. But I like having opportunities to make the choice for myself.

 

[ssjerauld]

bdg100--love how you managed to incorporate most of my favorite trip writers (and the reasons why they are such) into one incredibly well written thread! Kudos!!

 

[schmoopypoo]

I too love the "off topic" writing. That is what gets me into the TR to begin with. Like others have said, otherwise it would just be plain boring (we got to the park, went on such and such ride, ate, went to bed, etc...) I was so disappointed when certain TR's got closed. I just loved reading about their personal experiences and didn't look at it as being "off topic" or anything. ok sorry, I better stop now...I'm just really upset LOL

 

[Wickedmom75]

I love the asides and tidbits about family members. It all helps to make us realize that Hey we are alll human, we aren't the only ones who have children that flood houses on accident, Or spouses who truly don't realize how much the DIS and other sites help us plan, plan, plan to make the vacation go smoother, or how much it means to you to see a smile on one of your kids faces when they see the castle, or how you feel coming back to a wonderful place and how much it means to you and why. If it needs to be on another part of the Board then that is fine.


I'm nosey I like background information

 

[sanctus]

Gotta have the "asides" because they aren't really "aside". Simply put, I don't care what happened on your trip if I don't care about *you*. It's the background information that makes me care what happens next. Other than that, you might was well read a touring plan.