Author Topic: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?  (Read 39644 times)

cerebus

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #100 on: July 22, 2015, 12:51:30 AM »
Whoa geez fella.... liking Disney movies is not the same as being unable to see that 'there's more to the world than a cleaned up fantasy representation of it'. It's just escapism, and a lot of Disney movies are really well made.

Jon_Snow

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #101 on: July 22, 2015, 10:24:26 AM »
I find it hard to be anti-Disney as someone who has held quite a bit of it's stock for the past 5 years.

The company has helped me FIRE...for that I will always be a bit of a fan. ;)

IWanttoBelieve

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #102 on: July 24, 2015, 03:08:06 AM »
There is Disney, and there is Disney.

I love the old movies.
I am either neutral or hate the new ones.
I would almost never buy a Disney merchandising.
However, I absolutely love the parks. Not because of the theme (I equally like Universal or others like Tempa bay). But just because if you are still a kid, there is so much fun as long as you avoid the queues. Star tours? The old captain Nemo submarine (pity these days kids think Nemo is a stupid fish... )

I say the best course of action is: ignore the Disney label. If the service provided is god value for money according to your criteria, then just enjoy it and don't focus on the brand.


wombat

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #103 on: July 24, 2015, 02:19:38 PM »
Like all things, the trick is to address how much time, money and energy you devote to it. I think we could all find fault with just about any company we interact with - or that our kids interact with. Disney is just a low hanging fruit ...

charis

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #104 on: July 24, 2015, 02:45:00 PM »
Relatively adverse to Disney, here, at least in comparison with my friends with kids.  We don't watch much or buy any Disney apart from the occasional movie. I recently took my family to the theme park, however, for the first time and didn't spend anything (credit card points/miles).  Let me tell ya, not spending money makes the whole thing a lot easier to swallow, pleasant even.  We went to the parks for a couple of hours in the morning and evenings, the kids were delighted, and we purchased nothing in the way of souvenirs, aside from a photography package that was really money well spent.  As for the movies, I like the messages of Brave and Frozen, which explore relationships between female family members. 

MicroRN

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #105 on: July 24, 2015, 05:10:01 PM »
I wouldn't call myself anti-Disney, but I generally avoid it.  I went to WDW a number of times growing up, averaging about every other year, and don't remember it being that great.  I liked Epcot and Universal Studios much better.  I don't feel any need to take our kids, but it's a BIG DEAL to my husband, so we'll end up going, probably in 2-3 years.  When we lived in VA, we had season tickets to Busch Gardens, and went there regularly.         

On the other hand, our boys really love Thomas the Tank Engine.  We have Thomas toys, they watch Thomas movies on Amazon, and we recently did a day trip so they could meet "Thomas," take a train ride, get pictures and so on.  I guess it's no different.  However, part of the entry fees go to the site, which is a railroad museum that keeps old locomotives and train cars running.  Since we'd normally go to the museum, pay for a ride, and make a donation, it didn't feel as expensive to me.  In this case there was some added excitement for the kids.   

Pigeon

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #106 on: July 29, 2015, 05:38:29 AM »
While we aren't anti-Disney, I can't think of any Disney merchandise we ever bought.  When we bring our kids to WDW (or anywhere else), we make it clear that the vacation is the treat and that we aren't bringing home a lot of junk (souvenirs).  We pretty much never buy souvenirs anywhere as IMO, it just is clutter you don't want a few months later.  There is so much to do and see in the parks that we can't do it all in one week as it is, so there is no need to pay for all the extra stuff.  My kids enjoy briefly looking at the stuff in all the stores spread around the park, but they don't whine about not buying stuff.

ltt

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #107 on: August 18, 2015, 04:47:21 AM »
I didn't really grow up with that much Disney around, only some of the movies.  So now, as an adult over age 50, I've discovered it.  And am glad I have.  We went to DW last year and are planning another trip next year---can't wait!!  I don't necessarily like the expense, but do enjoy various parts of their parks.

cerebus

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #108 on: August 18, 2015, 06:49:59 AM »
I kind of really want to visit the Star Wars park when it opens.

asauer

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #109 on: September 22, 2015, 09:01:20 AM »
I'm not anti-princess/ characters.  I used to be, then one day I took my daughter to the all-women's college where I teach to pick up my paycheck.  She said (at 5 years old) "So this is where Mulan and Ariel went to college and learned how to be in charge."  Yes.  Yes, it is.  If she thinks Disney princesses went to college, I'm good.

However, I hate the parks. Why in the hell would I pay for the plane ticket, hotel, food just to pay another $350 to get into the park and wait 45 minutes per ride...oh yeah, and parking....and useless souvenir crap...and...well, I could go on.  I figured up the cost last year b/c the kids wanted to go and told them we could go to Disney for 4 days or we could go to the beach and mountains SIX times!  They chose the latter.

letsdoit

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #110 on: June 22, 2018, 09:59:23 AM »
Yeah, I hate it, too. For especially the first reason you listed, but also the entire bloated industry, as well.

i will tell my kid that he is never goign to disney on my dime.  and i mean it

partgypsy

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #111 on: June 22, 2018, 11:27:28 AM »
While we aren't anti-Disney, I can't think of any Disney merchandise we ever bought.  When we bring our kids to WDW (or anywhere else), we make it clear that the vacation is the treat and that we aren't bringing home a lot of junk (souvenirs).  We pretty much never buy souvenirs anywhere as IMO, it just is clutter you don't want a few months later.  There is so much to do and see in the parks that we can't do it all in one week as it is, so there is no need to pay for all the extra stuff.  My kids enjoy briefly looking at the stuff in all the stores spread around the park, but they don't whine about not buying stuff.

I don't know if it helps we don't have cable (do have netflix) so kids aren't exposed to too many commercials. It was a fear of mine and I was actually surprised each time I went to WDW, my kids barely noticed the gift shops and stands.  I think because there is so much other stuff to see and do.
 
The first time we went on the last day I let them each pick something out (age 5 and 2 respectively) and they picked out a stuffed "baby Pooh" and Piglet. They each still have them On the second round, I again let them pick out one thing, and on the first day they each bought an autograph/photo book. They still have them with the signatures of the characters, and photos with the characters. We had watched some of the OLD Disney cartoons so I was tickled that kid was excited to see Micky Mouse or get Goofy's or Donald Duck's signature and photo.

that said, we did Disney. We'll go again when my kids have kids : )

daverobev

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #112 on: June 22, 2018, 11:41:36 AM »
Thread from the past! Last post before today was in 2015!

Dicey

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #113 on: June 22, 2018, 11:46:43 PM »
Thread from the past! Last post before today was in 2015!
I'm as anti-Disney today as I was then. You?

kpd905

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #114 on: June 23, 2018, 10:15:49 AM »
After paying $30 for a one week pass into national parks for our entire carload, I never want to pay as much as it costs to get into Disneyland.

TheWifeHalf

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #115 on: June 23, 2018, 11:58:02 AM »
I don't hate, or even dislike Disney, in our lives it was just 'meh.'

Our kids grew up with Sesame Street, Ninja Turtles, and game boys. Our oldest, when he was 1, INSISTED on watching This Old House (with Bob Villa) every Saturday.

Our daughter, when she was 4, insisted on being called Michael Angelo  and did not respond, or got mad, when we didn't.  Maybe that was a mistake. When she was 5 I found her stuffed Ninja Turtles with gags and their hands bond, with masking tape, in her play oven! To her, what else was she going to use the oven for?

I spent my childhood going to Cedar Point every year, and my kids did too, more or less.
Cedar Point had the rides, the kiddie park, and food, plus it was so much closer than either of the Disney parks. The bil and sil, Thh's brother, went to Disney world every year, different strokes for different folks I guess.

When they got older, the boys had the LEJGA (golf league for 10-18 yr olds) and our daughter had art classes and zoo classes. I think we asked them once about going to Disney world and got the MEH reaction. I don't think they missed anything in there lives because we did not go.

daverobev

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #116 on: June 23, 2018, 12:20:15 PM »
Thread from the past! Last post before today was in 2015!
I'm as anti-Disney today as I was then. You?

Less, I think, in a 'don't hate the player, hate the game' way. The blockbuster films they do are good. Their legal team is awful - Mickey Mouse copyright law is a joke. I am mostly concerned by their sheer size and power - squeezing all the little guys out by acquisition. But as I said - that's the game.

StacheyStache

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #117 on: June 23, 2018, 02:46:22 PM »
Different strokes for different folks.  I make no secret that I adore all things Disney World and theme park in general, but I also acknowledge that this makes me a bit of a weirdo.  Most adults without kids also seem to be in the neutral or hate camp for Disney so y'all are in good company.

That said, the claims about long lines, bad food and expensive hotels are both true and false.  You can certainly spend a buttload of money and have a terrible time at Disney World, if you book a Disney hotel sticker price off their website, buy all the expensive add ons you can find (Park hoppers, dining plan, the list goes on), arrive at the Magic Kingdom at 11 am on the 4th of July, march around the park all day walking up to 15 miles in 103 degree heat without a break and only eat the McMickey hamburgers.  And then repeat for the rest of the week.  Holy crap, I wouldn't want to do that either! 

You could do that and have a miserable time.  BUT.  You could also go in the off season when it's still hot but not quite so blistery, rent DVC timeshare points (stay in the same Disney hotels for about a third of the money, if that), arrive at park opening when the crowds are low and the heat isn't too bad, go on the popular rides with little to no wait, leave as the day gets hotter and the crowds start picking up and go back to your resort for a GOOD lunch (that you planned and read reviews for before you left), a swim and a nap, come back to the parks in the evening for more fun when it's cooler, make time to go down the less traveled paths and see the underappreciated sights (another posted rattled off a few) and watch the incredibly impressive fireworks displays and nighttime shows.  And plan rest days in your trips where you don't go to a park at all.  Disney has a lot to do without setting foot inside the theme parks.

To have a good time at Disney requires planning, research and most importantly (in my opinion, others may disagree) a willingness to GET UP EARLY.  For some people, that is not their idea of a relaxing vacation and I agree with you there.  It's not meant to be relaxing.  Don't go to Disney if you don't like to plan or following a schedule on vacation.  If you hate theme parks, obviously Disney is not for you.  If you love theme parks but only the biggest and the baddest coasters, Disney is also not for you.  The rides and shows at Disney are less about thrills and more about an unprecedented attention to story, detail and overall experience.  For some that experience is one and done and that's fine.  For me, I've been going for years and I always experience something new. 

Johnez

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #118 on: June 23, 2018, 07:31:01 PM »
Agreed with above. Wintertime during the weekdays is the best time for going to Disneyland. Unfortunately, if you live out of state it might be hard to plan a vacation on the off season. Also, no need to eat at Disney, they let you bring fiod-seriously. We packed sandwiches last time (2-3 years ago). Eat a big breakfast at Norms or something NOT near the park, maybe get a snack/lunch at the park if you're dying to eat something hot (I recommend the turkey legs), and then get a nice dinner outside the park. There really isn't a reason to spend too much on food while there. There are plenty of hotels to choose from in the area that aren't terribly expensive, usually a bit older, but still liveable. Just be careful to avoid the "residential" motels, though Anaheim has run many of these out of the city. And heck, if Disney's a bit rich, Knott's Berry Farm has more fun rides IMO and is way cheaper.

iris lily

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #119 on: June 25, 2018, 07:44:09 AM »
Agreed with above. Wintertime during the weekdays is the best time for going to Disneyland. Unfortunately, if you live out of state it might be hard to plan a vacation on the off season. Also, no need to eat at Disney, they let you bring fiod-seriously. We packed sandwiches last time (2-3 years ago). Eat a big breakfast at Norms or something NOT near the park, maybe get a snack/lunch at the park if you're dying to eat something hot (I recommend the turkey legs), and then get a nice dinner outside the park. There really isn't a reason to spend too much on food while there. There are plenty of hotels to choose from in the area that aren't terribly expensive, usually a bit older, but still liveable. Just be careful to avoid the "residential" motels, though Anaheim has run many of these out of the city. And heck, if Disney's a bit rich, Knott's Berry Farm has more fun rides IMO and is way cheaper.

I already said this upthread and years ago, but food on
Disney site was awful.

DH and I ditched our large family group to go off and eat a “nice dinner” at the
Cinderella Castle. That meal sucked, too.

charis

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #120 on: June 25, 2018, 09:57:25 AM »
Agreed with above. Wintertime during the weekdays is the best time for going to Disneyland. Unfortunately, if you live out of state it might be hard to plan a vacation on the off season. Also, no need to eat at Disney, they let you bring fiod-seriously. We packed sandwiches last time (2-3 years ago). Eat a big breakfast at Norms or something NOT near the park, maybe get a snack/lunch at the park if you're dying to eat something hot (I recommend the turkey legs), and then get a nice dinner outside the park. There really isn't a reason to spend too much on food while there. There are plenty of hotels to choose from in the area that aren't terribly expensive, usually a bit older, but still liveable. Just be careful to avoid the "residential" motels, though Anaheim has run many of these out of the city. And heck, if Disney's a bit rich, Knott's Berry Farm has more fun rides IMO and is way cheaper.

I already said this upthread and years ago, but food on
Disney site was awful.

DH and I ditched our large family group to go off and eat a “nice dinner” at the
Cinderella Castle. That meal sucked, too.

The food alone is generally not worth the price of a table service meal, but there are a couple of exceptions in my opinion.  I enjoyed the Beast's castle (Be our guest) because of the theming, the pretty good food, and the more reasonable prices.  But I truly thought the food at the Norwegian breakfast buffet in Epcot and the breakfast/lunch buffet at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom was great.  And my children loved the character interaction.  So win-win in my book.

RFAAOATB

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #121 on: June 25, 2018, 10:51:44 AM »
I just bought my three day Disneyland Park Hopper tickets along with San Diego Zoo and Knotts Berry Farm tickets.  3 adults and 3 toddlers in late September.  I've got it in my head to try and minimize the amount of times going to over priced food service and carry bagged lunches for six most of the days and plan oven box dinners at the AirBnB half the nights, but the other two adults with me are less motivated to do that.  I may just have to suck it up and go along to get along.

asauer

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #122 on: June 26, 2018, 08:56:51 AM »
Not hate, but I really don’t get it.  Our two kids really wanted to go so last year (when they were both 10).  So, we hacked it.  My hubs and I both were accepted to speak at a conference so our plane tickets, hotel, transportation and meals were covered.  My parents wanted to come so they took the kids until 2pm when we were done.  So the cost only added up to kids meals and Disney tickets.  Kids and my mom and Dad had a good time but both kids were like “that was fun but we don’t need to go back.”  I think they heard so much hype from their friends that the experience didn’t quite live up.

reeshau

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #123 on: June 27, 2018, 01:16:19 AM »
Agreed with above. Wintertime during the weekdays is the best time for going to Disneyland. Unfortunately, if you live out of state it might be hard to plan a vacation on the off season. Also, no need to eat at Disney, they let you bring fiod-seriously. We packed sandwiches last time (2-3 years ago). Eat a big breakfast at Norms or something NOT near the park, maybe get a snack/lunch at the park if you're dying to eat something hot (I recommend the turkey legs), and then get a nice dinner outside the park. There really isn't a reason to spend too much on food while there. There are plenty of hotels to choose from in the area that aren't terribly expensive, usually a bit older, but still liveable. Just be careful to avoid the "residential" motels, though Anaheim has run many of these out of the city. And heck, if Disney's a bit rich, Knott's Berry Farm has more fun rides IMO and is way cheaper.

I already said this upthread and years ago, but food on
Disney site was awful.

DH and I ditched our large family group to go off and eat a “nice dinner” at the
Cinderella Castle. That meal sucked, too.

The food alone is generally not worth the price of a table service meal, but there are a couple of exceptions in my opinion.  I enjoyed the Beast's castle (Be our guest) because of the theming, the pretty good food, and the more reasonable prices.  But I truly thought the food at the Norwegian breakfast buffet in Epcot and the breakfast/lunch buffet at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom was great.  And my children loved the character interaction.  So win-win in my book.

And, of course, Downtown Disney is entirely different--not theming in the regular Disney sense, although some are themed.  But some great food!  I still remember having the best vanilla ice creme in my life at Wolfgang Puck's.  And it was only the garnish for my bananas foster.  But, it was intense like a vanilla wine!  Sorry to see it gone.  I have even eaten at other Pucks, and even "50 bean" ice cream doesn't come close.  Makes me wish I had taken the backstage cooking demonstration, so that I could get the secret.

Mon€yp€nny

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #124 on: June 27, 2018, 02:18:10 AM »
I remember Disney having an successful PR campaign years and years ago. They were going to monitor the quality of Disney products better cause they didn't want crap tied to their name. I remember people actually believed that. They thought Disney meant a product was safe and good quality.
Disney doesn't give a damn about kids choking, getting cancer or becoming infertile later, all they care about is money. They just released a press statement when things got to bad, to calm things down and to not loose income on product licensing.
We were almost kicked out of Disney Paris cause my husband talked back to a rude staff member.
We promised the kids we will go a second time after the rebuild. Absolutely not looking forward to it.  One day I'll never get back.

But I hate the Dutch theme park The Efteling even more. Incredibly heartless and rude to disabled guests. ridiculously expensive and they have all these shows on TV and so many commercial activities designed to make kids whine to go there. Money-money-money

zolotiyeruki

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #125 on: June 30, 2018, 09:25:24 AM »
Disney just opened up Toy Story Land (a new area within Hollywood Studios, one of the theme parks in FL), and the lines are insane.  It's a 1-hour wait just to get into that area of the park, and then the line to go on the new roller coaster is another 4 hours.  Some people started lining up before 2 am to get into the park (which doesn't open until 9).

These people are paying $100 to get into the park for the day.  They're going to spend literally half your day waiting in line...to go on a 2-minute ride.  Our family enjoys going to the Disney theme parks, but c'mon...

In the meantime, over at Magic Kingdom, there is literally zero line for the two most popular attractions (Peter Pan and Seven Dwarfs' Mine Train), in the middle of peak season.

With Toy Story Land and Pandora, Disney have finally succeeded in fixing one of their biggest problems with their theme parks--Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios had the fewest attractions and were the least appealing parks to visit.

reeshau

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #126 on: June 30, 2018, 10:04:56 AM »
Disney just opened up Toy Story Land (a new area within Hollywood Studios, one of the theme parks in FL), and the lines are insane.  It's a 1-hour wait just to get into that area of the park, and then the line to go on the new roller coaster is another 4 hours.  Some people started lining up before 2 am to get into the park (which doesn't open until 9).

These people are paying $100 to get into the park for the day.  They're going to spend literally half your day waiting in line...to go on a 2-minute ride.  Our family enjoys going to the Disney theme parks, but c'mon...

In the meantime, over at Magic Kingdom, there is literally zero line for the two most popular attractions (Peter Pan and Seven Dwarfs' Mine Train), in the middle of peak season.

With Toy Story Land and Pandora, Disney have finally succeeded in fixing one of their biggest problems with their theme parks--Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios had the fewest attractions and were the least appealing parks to visit.

Just wait until the Star Wars land opens up.  That will solve some lines elsewhere...

nick663

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #127 on: June 30, 2018, 11:35:15 AM »
Grew up going to Disney World at least once every other year.  At this point I haven't been inside a Disney park in around 10 years and didn't really care to visit during that time period as we were visiting Six Flags/Cedar Fair parks a couple times per year.  Over the last year though I seem to be less and less excited to go to the non-disney parks as they're generally just rides with almost 0 theming.  Our next trip is looking like it'll be a return to Disney where (at least if my memory is correct) the attention to detail is higher and it's a more immersive experience.

MandalayVA

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #128 on: June 30, 2018, 12:01:39 PM »
Disney just opened up Toy Story Land (a new area within Hollywood Studios, one of the theme parks in FL), and the lines are insane.  It's a 1-hour wait just to get into that area of the park, and then the line to go on the new roller coaster is another 4 hours.  Some people started lining up before 2 am to get into the park (which doesn't open until 9).

These people are paying $100 to get into the park for the day.  They're going to spend literally half your day waiting in line...to go on a 2-minute ride.  Our family enjoys going to the Disney theme parks, but c'mon...

In the meantime, over at Magic Kingdom, there is literally zero line for the two most popular attractions (Peter Pan and Seven Dwarfs' Mine Train), in the middle of peak season.

With Toy Story Land and Pandora, Disney have finally succeeded in fixing one of their biggest problems with their theme parks--Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios had the fewest attractions and were the least appealing parks to visit.

I drive Uber on the weekends and my main area is Disney.  Except for two every single trip--and there were a lot of them--was going to the Studios.  There were crowds there at FIVE THIRTY A.M.  I was told that cast members (employees) were told to be there at 5:45, and the parking lot trams were running at 6:15, meaning the park probably opened at seven.  And yes, when Star Wars opens next year it'll be insane.

zhelud

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #129 on: July 02, 2018, 11:56:21 AM »
Funny but my boys were never interested in anything Disney.  They enjoyed watching Disney movies but never got into them or wanted Disney stuff.  They liked Elmo more, and the Wiggles (remember them?)

talltexan

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #130 on: July 02, 2018, 01:04:17 PM »
I actually think Disney rode a wave of massive investment into children's entertainment over the last 30 years. In the 1980's, they were teetering near bankruptcy through poor investments in Euro-disney and "The Black Cauldron". But look at how many other children's entertainment properties have returned: My Little Pony, Transformers, and live action reboots of many other hit shows from the 1980's are the thing now. Disney has caused some of that, but they've grown quite a bit through acquiring other properties, too, such as ESPN , Star Wars, and Marvel.

cats

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #131 on: July 03, 2018, 08:46:46 AM »
I am not a huge fan of the Disney movies or the franchise in general.  If my kid was required to dress up as his favorite Disney character for the day at daycare I probably would make a not-joking objection, because sorry, I'm a killjoy.  And then if they didn't cancel it I would dress him up as a super-stereotypical American on vacation at a theme park and tell him to behave really obnoxiously and then say "we thought we'd dress him up as the average Disney fan!".  Or something.  I've been to Disneyland once as an adult and it was okay but I wouldn't want to be there and in charge of a kid, and I feel like the crowds and size would be overwhelming for many kids?  Maybe I'm just projecting as I found it a bit overwhelming.

My kid is two and I have been making something of an effort to keep him from too much "brand exposure", be it Disney or other items.  So far we have managed to avoid regular screen time (don't have TV or any streaming subscriptions...) so he isn't very clued into the existence of kids TV shows.  I'm sure in a couple more years that stuff will start to change and we will get questions or pressure to start allowing it.  But I am hopeful that if it isn't something we are pushing at home, he won't get too sucked in.  When I was in elementary school my best friend watched a TON of Disney Channel and Disney movies and whenever I spent the night at her house there was loads of TV.  But since I didn't watch the shows regularly I didn't really "get" them so they didn't have a lot of appeal, and I rarely requested specifically branded items associated with the movies (I was still into princesses though!).  I think I or one of my brothers brought up wanting the Disney channel at some point and my parents were pretty firm that it was in a too-expensive tier of cable and that they were not going to pony up for it.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #132 on: July 03, 2018, 10:21:12 PM »
I am not a huge fan of the Disney movies or the franchise in general.  If my kid was required to dress up as his favorite Disney character for the day at daycare I probably would make a not-joking objection, because sorry, I'm a killjoy.  And then if they didn't cancel it I would dress him up as a super-stereotypical American on vacation at a theme park and tell him to behave really obnoxiously and then say "we thought we'd dress him up as the average Disney fan!".  Or something.  I've been to Disneyland once as an adult and it was okay but I wouldn't want to be there and in charge of a kid, and I feel like the crowds and size would be overwhelming for many kids?  Maybe I'm just projecting as I found it a bit overwhelming.
We took our 6 kids (ages 3-13) there earlier this year.  As long as you make a plan and prep for the day, it can be a great experience.  We never really had to worry about the kids wandering off, either.  The tips posted earlier in this thread make a dramatic difference in the experience.

I'm a red panda

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #133 on: July 04, 2018, 12:33:28 PM »
Funny but my boys were never interested in anything Disney.  They enjoyed watching Disney movies but never got into them or wanted Disney stuff.  They liked Elmo more, and the Wiggles (remember them?)

Your boys were never into Star Wars or Marvel super heros? That's honestly a bit surprising.

mm1970

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #134 on: July 04, 2018, 01:01:22 PM »

This is very tricky.  I used to be very anti-Disney.  Mostly because: I couldn't believe the cost, and it keeps going up up up!

My thoughts:
- a single day at Disneyland (nearest me) for a family of 4 is a lot of money.  Plus as it's a 2.5 hour drive, we'd probably need to stay the night.
- We did go once, when kid #1 turned 8.  There were 5 of us, but the little one was free.  It was, in fact, magical.  The 18 month old just loved wandering Tom Sawyer Island (no longer there).  Everything was very clean.  The lines were not horrible.  The people were very happy.  I started to appreciate all that goes into it - the people cleaning, the food, the entertainment, the engineering that goes into creating and maintaining the rides.  Suddenly, I got it.  I got it when the 18 month old tossed a goldfish cracker to the ground and it was almost instantly picked up.
- Disney, the company, makes a crap ton of money.  And it's well known that a large % of Disneyland employees make less than $15 an hour, which is not a living wage in the LA area.  Now, this gets tricky because: CA is expensive, it's not Disney's fault.  But also: they made, what $9B in profits last year?  Hmmm.

We like the Disney movies (I have boys, and the newer movies have strong female characters).  But I'd much rather take "other vacations".  The cost for 2 days at Disneyland, including a mid range local hotel, would cost about the same as the 2 weeks we just took flying to the east coast to visit family.  True we didn't have hotel costs on our vacation.

mm1970

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #135 on: July 04, 2018, 01:03:26 PM »
Funny but my boys were never interested in anything Disney.  They enjoyed watching Disney movies but never got into them or wanted Disney stuff.  They liked Elmo more, and the Wiggles (remember them?)

Your boys were never into Star Wars or Marvel super heros? That's honestly a bit surprising.

Well, the Star Wars/ Disney marriage is pretty recent, no?  2012.
And Marvel, 2009.

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #136 on: July 04, 2018, 01:12:55 PM »
Funny but my boys were never interested in anything Disney.  They enjoyed watching Disney movies but never got into them or wanted Disney stuff.  They liked Elmo more, and the Wiggles (remember them?)

Your boys were never into Star Wars or Marvel super heros? That's honestly a bit surprising.

Well, the Star Wars/ Disney marriage is pretty recent, no?  2012.
And Marvel, 2009.
But it's Disney IP now. So when you talk about Disney today, and make generalizations about Disney, it includes those things, being "anti Disney" would include those franchises. Disney is a ton more than princess movies.

mm1970

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #137 on: July 05, 2018, 01:31:20 PM »
Funny but my boys were never interested in anything Disney.  They enjoyed watching Disney movies but never got into them or wanted Disney stuff.  They liked Elmo more, and the Wiggles (remember them?)

Your boys were never into Star Wars or Marvel super heros? That's honestly a bit surprising.

Well, the Star Wars/ Disney marriage is pretty recent, no?  2012.
And Marvel, 2009.
But it's Disney IP now. So when you talk about Disney today, and make generalizations about Disney, it includes those things, being "anti Disney" would include those franchises. Disney is a ton more than princess movies.

My point was "Your boys were never into Star Wars or Marvel super heros? That's honestly a bit surprising." is meaningless if, perhaps, zhelud's boys are older now, as Disney did not include Marvel and Star Wars until relatively recently.

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #138 on: July 08, 2018, 03:27:14 PM »
Didn't read the first two pages but when I saw the Anti-Disney I saw enough.  There are things disney owns that I enjoy such as some of there programming.  As far as their parks and Merchandise I can find alot more experiences and fun for alot less that my kids would remember and appreciate for the rest of their life. So no Disney parks for us.  Because of sports we have been forced to go there a couple of times in Orlando and everytime your turning around your paying for something. For those that like that kinda thing kudos! I'd rather take my kids for a real adventure.

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #139 on: July 08, 2018, 04:51:00 PM »
I was a casual temporary castmember for a couple of years in Anaheim many moons ago. Last year, got into the Anaheim park as a castmember guest, since some Disney fan relatives wanted to go. I wouldn't pay to go in, too much fakeness. I'd rather have taken the kids to explore the nooks and crannies of the cities/towns, redwood forests, Sierras, deserts, beaches, and alot in between, rather than be in much of that Disney fakeness.

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #140 on: July 27, 2018, 06:07:44 AM »
To have a good time at Disney requires planning, research and most importantly (in my opinion, others may disagree) a willingness to GET UP EARLY.  For some people, that is not their idea of a relaxing vacation and I agree with you there.  It's not meant to be relaxing.  Don't go to Disney if you don't like to plan or following a schedule on vacation. 

This the key. I just went to Walt Disney World earlier this month in a group of nine and it was the most fun I have ever had on any trip! It was also the most scheduled trip of my life. But I never waited in a line longer than thirty minutes because of careful planning, and it is peak season.

Disney offers Fastpass +, which is essentially an appointment for a ride with short wait times. We stayed on a Disney property, so we booked our fast passes two months before we went instead of the standard one month. Staying on property also gets to access to Magic Hours. Toy Story Land? We went there during morning magic hours when the park was not open to most people and went on the rides with less than a 10 minute wait. The new rollercoaster's line was longer, but we already had our fast pass booked for later in the day. There is just no reason to wait hours for anything.

We stayed at Fort Wilderness (Disney's excellent campground) so we ate our own food for most meals. Requires meal planning and a trip to the grocery store, but I do that anyway!

For those of you who hate theme parks, I would recommend Fort Wilderness. Some people camp there without going to theme parks at all. There are so many activities - hay rides, pony rides, two pools, free films outdoors every night, free sing along with chip and dale, free magic kingdom fireworks viewing from the "beach" area. I honestly might want to do short vacation that is just one day at Magic Kingdom and the rest at Fort Wilderness.

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #141 on: July 27, 2018, 10:59:32 AM »
ha, its pretty overwhelming, but man, we went in January and had a blast.

That being said, we did a lot to reduce the cost.  In-laws bought the tickets, we stayed at Shades of Green and used the military salute passes.  packed lunches/snacks every day, did the souvenir shopping at Wal-mart afterwards (each kid got to pick out 2 items totaling no more than $25) etc.  I try not to think too seriously about these kind of things and just focused on the experience.  I think my daughter had so much fun, she actually asked my wife six months later if I had been on the trip with them!  yeah, it was definitely not what I consider vacation, but very fun and tiring nonetheless.

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #142 on: July 27, 2018, 11:57:48 AM »
I wouldn't call myself anti-Disney, but I generally avoid it.  I went to WDW a number of times growing up, averaging about every other year, and don't remember it being that great.  I liked Epcot and Universal Studios much better. 

Epcot is part of WDW.

Edit: Woah, Zombie post. Oops.


I will add that my 16 month old went to her first theme park. Our experience was vastly different from the family we went with. We bought nothing except a lunch to share ($9.99, we drank tap water) to go with our home packed snacks and some fudge ($15- but if fudge is available in various flavors, I always buy it).  The other family each bought lunches (and brought snacks from home), including drinks- $3.99 each!, and more than one souvenir per kid, including their toddler. That really shocked me, because the trip was expensive for them.

My parents want to take our daughter to Disney next year. She's never watched any TV at all. She will have no idea who the characters are. I actually love Disney movies, but I'm not seeing the appeal for a 2-year old who knows nothing about princesses. (As a kid- I also remember Epcot being awesome.)
« Last Edit: July 27, 2018, 12:01:29 PM by I'm a red panda »

LiveLean

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #143 on: July 27, 2018, 12:35:35 PM »
Years Living in Central Florida: 21
Number of Children: 2 (15 and 13)
Trips to Disney World: Zero

letsdoit

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #144 on: July 27, 2018, 12:58:21 PM »
i have to say i saw my two relative, 4 and 2, who had neverseen TV or movie before, watching Frozen.

It was like watching their brains get fried, one LOVED it and one shut down and fell asleep

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Re: How Many of you are Anti-Disney?
« Reply #145 on: July 29, 2018, 09:29:09 AM »
I used to enjoy Disney more (we'd go every other summer on a road trip). It was great, loved it. Have been to WDW and also enjoyed it.

Now that we have kids, it's just not something we do. We live in the bay area, so it wouldn't be an outrageously expensive trip from a travel perspective. But, my parents love taking the grandkids to Disneyland, and rotate between our kids & my sister's kids every few years. Done & done. We haven't taken our boys & they are 11 & 12. We currently have no plans, but may be swayed at some point into a WDW trip. The hesitation has really been more that WDW would make Disneyland look "small" in comparison.

The reason I'm not a fan at this point is I don't like crowds. My anxiety around crowds has ratcheted it up over the past five years or so, pretty much ruling out me wanting to spend vacation time in large cities or theme parks. It just sounds terrible & overwhelming. Our kids aren't interested in the princess/movie/character side, although went through a brief period of infatuation with Lightning McQueen.

 

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