Disneyworld 09: pt. 1
Part one can be found here. When you’re done reading, comments gladly accepted at this location. And remember:
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Peter I: What a creepy thing to say.
My experiences with Disney:
1. My parents took me to see Bambi when I was a kid; I found the movie frightening and disgusting. (I was a pretty literal kid and – growing up in the woods – I already knew how deer lived and died. Even as a 10 year old I could recognize the cheap manipulation of my emotions.)
2. One of the great treasures of my life is the memory of my father reading the A. A. Milne Christopher Robin stories to me and my sister when we were little. He would crack us up with accents and asides. When Disney produced Christopher Robin cartoons, they eviscerated the spirit of them by introducing a Disney-fied character and destroying the spirit of the stories. Not that I’m resentful.
3. I have never seen a Mickey Mouse cartoon that made me smile, let alone laugh. If there are any that are even slightly funny, I haven’t seen them.
4. A friend of mine achieved his lifetime goals when he was hired by Disney. Two years later he resigned in disgust and went to work for Steve Wynn in Vegas. He got the job of his dreams only to discover that it was an awful place to work.
5. Disney is one of the prime movers in making copyrights perpetually profitable instead of the limited time the Founding Fathers envisioned for protection of intellectual content.
They are some of the nastiest I.P. Jerks around.
Other than that, I’m sure they’re a fine organization.
I recall that exact quotation from the Unofficial Guide! It’s got me giggling yet again. I find it hard to imagine an 11-year-old that can’t handle that attraction, but there are all sorts, there are . . . .
And to Len Testa, if he’s still reading this thread: using the Unofficial Guide/Touring Plans was transformational. It improved my Disney fun by at least 100%. My family and I have just come back from a trip to NZ (we like both kinds of trips, too) and I found myself wishing I could locate a planning resource that was 1/10th as useful as your book. Kudos.
At least Disney has pulled back from some of the preachiness of Animal Kingdom. They used to lay it on so thick – Man is evil and must be removed from the planet. Now it’s just that man must be pentinent for the rest of its existence for the damage they’ve done.
D Palmer — We’re a childless couple and don’t consider kids a prerequisite for DisneyWorld. As the Doctor said, “What’s the point of being grown up if you can’t be childish once in a while?” Being an adult is sadly overrated.
> One should also keep in mind that a Disney vacation is anything but relaxing.
To which I say: good! I can relax at home, where it’s much less expensive. When I go on vacation I want to do something! I don’t understand folks who go on vacation to loll around a pool and lie on a table and have some guy smear gunk on them and pound their muscles.
My darling husband hates crowds, dislikes amusement parks and doesn’t care for big cities one bit.
So I planned our Disney trip with the kids like the Normandy invasion. The Unofficial Guide was crucial. I talked to family and friends. I had a notebook (The Notebook) and I had every moment planned.
We had a great time. Once everyone got used to it, we’d leave a ride and before turning left or right, the family would turn to me. “What does the Notebook say?”
Great trip report. I’d have to be paid to go to WDW during spring break, but I’m glad you went so I can read about it. As a Disney parks fan who has cluttered her brain with entirely too much trivia, I feel compelled to point out that Pleasure Island’s name does not come from Pinocchio. The name comes from Merriweather Pleasure, patriarch of the Pleasure family who lived on the island according to the backstory created by the Imagineers. Why they created a backstory that resulted in a name that was bound to be confused with something else in the Disney pantheon is something that I’ve never seen explained.
Chris M. beat me to it. Curses! Serves me right for taking Monday off. But I must agree. I almost protested the description of some of the Jersey shore patrons, but then realized: he’s right. There are a lot of hairy things lumbering around with a look of brute suspicion. But they’re not actually from New Jersey. We don’t raise them that way, we just attract them to our beaches.
I’ve been to Europe twice and (illegitimately, apparently) lived in London for 4 months, yet I go to Disney World every chance I get. By comparison, the UK pavillion in Epcot isn’t authentic, but I suppose that could be considered a good thing in some ways. I went to Disneyland as a child (in an orange VW van) and returning to Disney with my parents AND my kids was truly a wonderful experience. That’s why I go back. I guess I’m addicted to sentimental heroin.
We’ll take the kids to Europe when we can afford it, which isn’t now.
Mr. Lileks, thank you for your writings on Disney and other things.
I meant to include this in my previous comment…I wish you could create a site just for your Disney material.
I just love the idea of having your actual post hidden away in some secret location, but the comments section back here. That way, no one can find it and steal it from you!
Mr. l
Lileks: I have never taken my family to any disney park. And i don’t want to.
Am i making a big mistake?
You see,i am from suburban nyc and i feel that i will be scorned by progressive
neighbours.
can you direct to the proper blogger to help me deal with my guilt.
thanks
James,
I wanted to write a comment here and thank you for your tireless work over the last many years, I’ve enjoyed every bit of your writing from the stories of your child and dog, the battles with your backyard, the enjoyment you take from your trips. I enjoy your take on comics, matchbooks, hotels, food, clothing et al. I have read damn near every work you’ve written and published on this site. I have to thank you for always being a refuge for me when I get wound up and frustrated with the stories I read daily from newspaper and websites. I know that I can come here, slip on the smoking jacket and laugh a lot, live a little vicariously through your adventures, and get teary eyed ever so often. You sir are a great writer, an amazing humorist, a sort of Will Rodgers for our modern age. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
“constant din of a monkey having a tree branch jammed up his fundament”
I’m still laughing.
Watch the movie “The Fifth Element” both before and after visiting DW. It will make little riffs and reverbs in your brain.
Well, it does in mine, anyway.
It’s drugs for those who don’t do drugs.
Oh, geez! Just got back from WDW, and now to learn that Lileks was there the same week! Of course, so were a couple hundred thousand other people, but, hey…
Please, James, tell me you’ve had a Dole Whip.
LindaY, I’m with you. I don’t want a “relaxing” vacation, in the “lounge around the pool or the beach” sort of way. Just being away from work and away from home with no responsibilities is relaxation enough – I want to make as much of that time as I possibly can by seeing and doing as much as I can do and still enjoy it.
Sometimes that means 3 days in Orlando, sometimes it’s a week in NYC, and sometimes it’s 3 weeks in Australia. All are different experiences, and all are good in their own way. There’s no “either-or” like some people want to make it out to be.
My girlfriend and I are in our 30s. Don’t have kids, don’t want kids, don’t really like kids, but we had a blast at Disney. Life’s too short to be a grown-up all the time.
James,
I was happily surprised when I found your bleat posts on WDW. The wife and I have ZERO kids, but we are annual passholders. We live just south of Nashville and we drive down three or four times per year. I’ve been to many countries around the world–and will visit many more (hopefully), but we love WDW. We are both teachers and every year we choose two deserving students to take with us. The experience is amazing. Also, there are plenty of adults that go on a regular basis. We’re both “evil smokers” and we meet the most interesting people at the smoking spots throughout WDW. Our next planned trip is May 31–during Gay Days! WOOHOO! (always interesting)
I loved your posts, James. Good stuff!
Thanks Mr. Tall and Lileks. Look for Vegas touring plans next.