It was 10 to 15 years ago when children were young, we could get amazing deals at deluxe hotels through a travel agency special, and there were periods of time where lines were short. Now kids are older and still like Disney, but that amazing deal is no longer, and Disney now reduces staffing and hours during slower times, which makes lines almost as long as during peak times.

Anonymous wrote:Not for me. I went once when I was ten and haven't been back for forty years...

And your favorite movies? Really?

Good thing it hasn't changed at all in the last 40 years...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like there is a deeply polarizing thread connecting:
Disney travel
The Villages
The Four Seasons
Cruise ships
The Cheesecake Factory
Stanley Cups
Veronica Beard blazers
Gender reveals
Golf Communities
The Wharf
The Rockville versions of The Wharf
Family photoshoots

None of these things are bad per se. The connecting thing is like a drug or medication or sugar. Some people think it’s addictive and corrosive and they train themselves to resist it. Some people think it’s terrific and they’re willing to stand in line and overlook being treated like cattle to coo over towels shaped like animals. I don’t think either response is “wrong” or “right” it’s just a thing we all encounter as humans in the age of plenty and capitalism, and as potentially harmful products go it is pretty benign.

They're all basic undertakings. For conformists. We Gen Xers are generally not fans of the unexamined conformist lives. I've done Disney and family photoshoots. Those two are the lesser of the evils on the list, per me.

No, it is Cheesecake Factory.

No not at all. Disney is awful.

Anonymous wrote:I feel like there is a deeply polarizing thread connecting:
Disney travel
The Villages
The Four Seasons
Cruise ships
The Cheesecake Factory
Stanley Cups
Veronica Beard blazers
Gender reveals
Golf Communities
The Wharf
The Rockville versions of The Wharf
Family photoshoots

None of these things are bad per se. The connecting thing is like a drug or medication or sugar. Some people think it’s addictive and corrosive and they train themselves to resist it. Some people think it’s terrific and they’re willing to stand in line and overlook being treated like cattle to coo over towels shaped like animals. I don’t think either response is “wrong” or “right” it’s just a thing we all encounter as humans in the age of plenty and capitalism, and as potentially harmful products go it is pretty benign.

They're all basic undertakings. For conformists. We Gen Xers are generally not fans of the unexamined conformist lives. I've done Disney and family photoshoots. Those two are the lesser of the evils on the list, per me.

Anonymous wrote:Have you seen Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival concert line up?

Sister Hazel
Rick Springfield
Commodores
Berlin
Pointer Sister's
Plain White Ts
Modern English
Flock of Seagulls

It's an 80s nostalgic line up.

Epcot is for adults. There's nothing like it. I love Epcot. I love the food and the festivals.

Rick Springfield was my first concert when I was 14 LOL.

I think Disney can be addictive - it's fun! And the more you go, the lower the stakes are on each visit. We went in November. Our time and budget only allowed for us to do two days in Disney parks and we couldn't do it all. So we didn't do Epcot or Animal Kingdom. If I lived a few hours away I'd pick a random day and go back and do those. As it is, it's unlikely.

I would not do Universal again. But Harry Potter world with my 13 year old was so fun.

Disney is fantastic for these reasons

1. It's contained - you have a lot of choice in what to do; eat; experience; etc but its not like you have an entire country at your feet and have to deal with multiple organizations; personalities etc. At Disney its one app; one thing linked to your CC; the hotel knows you are a vegetarian; the restaurant knows your transport to them is delayed because of x, y, z.

2. Its close - you can leave DC for $60-$200 and be at your vacation and not spend a full day getting there.

3. For kids - there is always a bathroom; restaurant; bench; something to entertain them - you don't get that going to Thailand or France. I don't have to plan multiple activities or things for kids to do when on vacation in DC and my kids get that we take turns for what we love the most - one kid loves small world and one kids loves space mountain both know they are going to get their favorite, etc.

4. For adults - I don't have to plan (yes a disney vacation requires planing) but see point 1 I don't have to over plan doing this morning activity on day 1 so the kids get something and then something for us and then something for dinner; etc. Also we can't get lost;

5. Its sterile - and by this I mean its not dirty; there is no poverty; you are suspended from real life. I work on poverty issues; my kids volunteer with the homeless. Disney is an escape from that. And I know all about systematic oppression and capitalism etc. But I get to leave that behind for 2 -5 days.

6. Disney gets the lines and crowds. Yes both exist but Disney has an app for that. You can pay more to get around things or spend time figuring out how to get around things. I've done both and both are great bonding experiences for me and my kids. Disney also has games you can play in line with your kids. My kids and I have had great conversations waiting in line. Ask X kid what is their favorite sport to play and why? Next can you find the blue star on the wall. Its been great and we actually look forward to some lines. The seeking game in Space Mountain has us getting excited for the line, now because we think we remember where the codes are.

6. For me and hubby we like the people watching too.

7. Disney grows with our kids. So we did more Magic Kingdom when they were little and not the thrill rides; but now we do thrill rides and the kiddie rides for nostalgia (and we don't wait in those lines because we know to go when the littles are napping. There is the starwars; the animal kingdom. Etc. Our kids were scared of Star Wars (big disappointment to DH) and then saw the land; food and did a jr. ride. They came back and watched all the films and they do those rides with DH.

8. Different foods - Epcot your kids can try out different foods without it being a whole meal. This actually is helping us figure out where we want to vacation outside of Disney (which was the point). Yes pricey to get an $8 snack they don't eat but better than a whole meal for 4.

As the kids get older we are going to do other vacations. But for an "easy" vacation to get out of town Disney can't be beat.

I grew up going to Disney (we lived 2 hours away), and now live in NoVa. We've been twice with DCs, but I absolutely hate it. The crowds are insane, the lines are massive, and something is always breaking down (making the lines even longer). I don't see the appeal and would prefer to never go back. I also find the adult super-fans (the ones all decked out in Disney ears or costumes) to be so bizarre.

We went pre-Covid when the kids were 8 and 10 and I finally understood the appeal. We had a well-planned trip thanks to a specialized Disney Travel agent and it was not a crowded weekend and it was a great time.

That said, I think it’s too expensive for our family to make it a regular thing, but I can understand those who do. I’m not sure “addictive” is the right word, but I can see how it’s “appealing”.

Anonymous wrote:All of the parks are spectacular. The resorts are fun and it’s incredible to be swept away from the airport and immersed into that fun, fantasy world. Their different forms of transportation make the whole network seamless. And, the animatronics in the rides are state of the art. No place like it. Of course the songs and movies that we have all seen and heard over the years are woven throughout the park experiences so it captures all ages. We love it. So much to do, so easy, so fun. No other park accomplished the theming so well. It’s masterfully done throughout parking lots, restaurants, landscaping, resorts, etc.

+1 I never went as a child, and then I went twice when my kids were in elementary school. It really is amazing. I want to go back to see all of the new things/rides that they have created over the past 15 years, but the crowds are keeping me far, far away. I don't think there is a way to fix the crowds/lines.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t find Disney addicting, it’s not something we *must* do.
Nonetheless we’ve done WDW with kids several times in different seasons and anlways enjoyed it, and we love their cruise ships.
Perhaps the “must do” and nostalgia are more for people who grew up with an annual trip to Disney?

If you’ve been to a Disney park several times and on cruise ships, you’re deeply deeply into it.

I don’t find Disney addicting, it’s not something we *must* do.
Nonetheless we’ve done WDW with kids several times in different seasons and anlways enjoyed it, and we love their cruise ships.
Perhaps the “must do” and nostalgia are more for people who grew up with an annual trip to Disney?

I feel like there is a deeply polarizing thread connecting:
Disney travel
The Villages
The Four Seasons
Cruise ships
The Cheesecake Factory
Stanley Cups
Veronica Beard blazers
Gender reveals
Golf Communities
The Wharf
The Rockville versions of The Wharf
Family photoshoots

None of these things are bad per se. The connecting thing is like a drug or medication or sugar. Some people think it’s addictive and corrosive and they train themselves to resist it. Some people think it’s terrific and they’re willing to stand in line and overlook being treated like cattle to coo over towels shaped like animals. I don’t think either response is “wrong” or “right” it’s just a thing we all encounter as humans in the age of plenty and capitalism, and as potentially harmful products go it is pretty benign.

Nope! One and done. WAY to crowded to be fun at all. The disney immersion is not even a thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this isn’t about Disney exactly, but I think there are a lot of parallels. It helps me understand the appeal of Disney even though I still want to barf about it.

https://harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/HarpersMagazine-1996-01-0007859.pdf

David Foster Wallace was a famously well adjusted and cheery person.

Sometimes going along with the crowd is ok!

If you read it, I think that’s basically his point.