Disney World: Funtastic or Satanic?

Greetings from the belly of the beast! The MG family is in Disney World, the last place we'd ever thought we'd drop many hundreds of dolla we don't have, in order to ensure the in-laws (DH's mom and sister), who live in Orlando, actually get to know our kid. DH conference at Disney World, MG Jr. and I piggyback onto the tail end of the thing, and long story short, we're in the theme park that ate the world. Cheesetastic hotel is giving us pause (not our choice--the location of the conference) and we haven't even hit the attractions yet (just got here--the insanity starts tomorrow).

So, DUers--which is it? Is Disney World the happiest place on earth, or hell on earth? What say you? :hi:

I haven't been to Disney World, but I've been to Disneyland when I was a kid and it was a good experience back then. I think it's just that, an experience. I honestly don't understand the people that go there and spend way too much on food, merchandise, tours, parking, etc. :shrug:

Seriously. And there are only three of us. I practically fainted. Granted, it's a good kind of cafeteria, with lots of "food stations" and generous portions, but..:wtf: OMG it's only our first day here...

We have annual passes (our daughter is 6 - perfect age for Disney). The nice thing for us, is we can go in the evening, or on days off from school and leave when things get too nutso.

I've been there as well, and I like how it's...contained. Limited, but in a good way. Disney World alarms me sometimes. It seems out to take over the world, 100,000 acres at a time.

Take, for instance, the Magic Kingdom at WDW. It roughly has the same number of attractions as Disneyland, maybe 15 or so more than Disneyland, but not everyone does every attraction. But the Magic Kingdom is like 2 1/2 times the acreage of Disneyland, so naturally, one cannot do it in one day. Especially if it is crowded.

I can easily, on a moderately crowded day at Disneyland, take in most, if not all the attractions I want to in one day. I could not do that at WDW Magic Kingdom.

me and the misses even got married there.

Sure, some of it is overpriced, but the service is 110% and EVERYTHING is part of the experience. All the little details are thought out and executed.

Escapism at it's best. I think to truly appreciate it, you need to stay on property rather than just going to the park.

I've been here twice before--when I was 11, and again when I was in college for part of spring break, and I just can't get over how huge this place is getting. How many millions of acres of swampland did Walt buy, anyway? I'm boggled!

On edit: missing word...

is that when you're there, everyone is concerned about making sure you have a good experience. Even the guys with the leaf blowers stop when guests are walking by. There are alot of little things to appreciate. You can go on vacation anywhere and a luxury hotel will take good care of you. But once you step outside the hotel, you're on your own. Not at Disneyworld.
Wow..I sound like a commercial! Can you tell I like good service? :)

We rode the "Magical Express" from the airport to the hotel, and they get your luggage for you. Not having to go through baggage claim with a toddler in tow was worth the price of admission right there. And when my suitcase didn't arrive at our hotel room and I called the front desk, the woman practically fainted (it had been nearly four hours). The bag was in our room within 10 minutes.

Be sure to enjoy the little things. Disney's details make a big difference. I hope you have a great time!

Everyone who works there, literall EVERYONE, goes out of their way to make sure you are having a good time.

Too bad they're so evil

:loveya:

BabyMidlo doesn't remember it at all, so I think I'm going to take them over the long weekend in January.

I really, really want to stay at the Animal Lodge because I think it would be such a cool experience to wake up seeing the animals.

I figure this is probably our last trip because TeenMidlo goes off to college next year, so maybe we'll splurge a little.

It is amazing to see the animals out your window. Also...don't miss Boma - the restaurant in the lodge. It's my favorite place to eat in the entire park. It's a buffet with lots of African inspired recipes. Yum!

I have a love hate thing with Disney.

I have an issue with their "total immersion" thing, but I've gotta admit, like I said upthread, you can't beat the service. And I'm sure MG Jr. will enjoy himself even though he's not a fan of Mickey.

I also have a problem with the Disney imitations of other cultures. Like...our hotel is "imitation Central America". "All the exotic cultures in the safety of Murka--sanitized for your protection! But I prefer the raw, messy version of a culture/place, not the clean imitation of it.

One funny thing--the place looks like the cover of the Eagles' Hotel California, so I find myself muttering "You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave..."

:rofl:

I have stayed at what used to be the Disney Inn (is now Shades of Green - for the military folks), and the Caribbean Beach Resort. Nice thing about the Caribbean Beach resort is that it is one of the older "moderates" so other than architecture, there is not a whole lot of "immersion into a fake culture".

I think it's fairly new. Frackin' huge, I can tell you that. All salmon colored with fake Mayan ruins and all. :eyes:

and somehow, we got switched to the Caribbean Beach. (I am sure because of your DH's conference, you had to be at Coronado - that is the only moderate with the conference facilities). At the time we were disappointed (because Coronado had been open only a few months at the time).

We grew to love the Caribbean Beach Resort. It was not as schlocky as some of the newer resorts on the Disney property.

The service, though, is absolutely amazing. We were very impressed. Have you set up your wake up call yet? Mickey and friends call in the morning to wake you up. Have the little guy answer the phone for that (Hint, do a wake up call at an off time, like say, 7:03 rather than 7:00. There is less demand for the off time, and less likelihood that the call will be missed by the system).

When I came here as a wee girl many moons ago, there were, like, three or something. The Polynesian, the Dutch Inn, the Contemporary, and maybe something else. I forget. Now there are so many I couldn't count them all. I'm just floored at this place's growth.

Schlocky is a good word for this place. Don't get me wrong--it's impressive, clean, neat, big, colorful, and busy. But...fake Mayan ruins? Oy vey!
:rofl:

Thanks for the wakeup call tip! I'll try it! We're going to the Magic Kingdom tomorrow after DH is done with his last seminar, and that might help MG Jr. like Mickey and friends a bit more (right now he doesn't give a fig about them). So if we do it after the MK visit, he might identify with them more.

And speaking of that, I should get off this board and get some Z's. I have a feeling Jr. is going to be rarin' to go tomorrow! :hi:

Hotels were for rich folks! We traveled the country win tents and a station wagon. All that penny pinching has paid off for my now snowbird parents (summers on cape cod-- winters in Bonita Springs)I remember having a blast though. I wish I could remember the name of the campground, I think it was part of Disney. Last time I went was the year the big water park opened.(early 80's?)

I keep hoping to be able to afford to take my kids but they are in HS now so maybe I can take my future grandkids.

:rofl:

OMG I missed that thread--had to look it up. GENIUS!
:rofl:

That should answer your question. :hi:

:rofl:

As it is, it's expensive, crowded, and kind of bland.

My family and I go once a year at least. No place else We'd rather be.

The place transformed the City of Orlando from charming Central Florida town into the seventh circle of urban sprawl hell. They actually bought up land in secret, then got the Florida government to give them special powers and exemptions from laws other had to abide by in building the mess.

And for what? Long lines, overpriced food, and people of questionable nature dressed up as your favorite movie characters. I've got no love lost for Disney World.

http://www.amazon.com/Team-Rodent-Disney-Devours-World/dp/0345422805

http://www.carlhiaasen.com/books/team.html


"Revulsion is good. Revulsion is healthy. Each of us has limits, unarticulated boundaries of taste and tolerance, and sometimes we forget where they are. Peep Land is here to remind us; a fixed compass point by which we can govern our private behavior. Because being grossed out is essential to the human experience; without a perceived depravity, we'd have nothing against which to gauge the advance or decline of culture; our art, our music, our cinema, our books. Without sleaze, the yardstick shrinks at both ends. Team Rodent doesn't believe in sleaze, however, nor in old-fashioned revulsion. Square in the middle is where it wants us all to be, dependable consumers with predictable attitudes. The message, never stated but avuncularly implied, is that America's values ought to reflect those of the Walt Disney Company, and not the other way around."

The last time I was there it was just for a quick trip with my then 4 year old daughter. We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge, my personal favorite on-site hotel, and had a blast. Yes, it's expensive, yes, it's overdone, but darn it, it's fun. Have a good time, watch MG jr. have a good time, and I hope that your gall bladder does not decide to bother you while you're on vacation.:)

Hiya, LL! :hi: If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the gall bladder attack was brought on by stressing about the trip, money for the trip (or lack thereof), and trying to get a freelance job done before I went even though I was single-handedly toddler-wrangling at the same time.

Did the Magic Kingdom thing today. MG Jr. had a lot of fun, yes! The only thing he didn't like was the mini rollercoaster (the "Barnstormer" one). He talked about not liking that all the rest of the day and night. Other than that, he had a blast, and was really upset when we dragged him out of there after hours and hours; the only thing that appeased him was riding the monorail in a loop around the lake before we finally got on the bus to go back to the hotel. He's a vehicle freak, so we had to do the monorail, the steam train, the elevated train around Tomorrowland, the race cars, etc.

Anyway, you're right, LL--as long as the little one has a good time, that's all that matters. Doing Universal tomorrow. Wish us luck!

MG - I'm truly glad to hear it. Nothing can ruin a vacation quite as fast as a good case of gall bladder colic. Have a wonderful time at Universal - bet that MG Jr loves Dr. Seuss land at Islands of Adventure. We were supposed to go down at Christmas and stay at Coronado Springs but I had to cancel because of lack of money. But we'll get back one of these days. Just keep having a good time, especially watching MG Jr. having a blast - sometimes that's the best part!