This is the symbol you see on nearly every ride at WDW...it clearly says to me "SIT and have fun. Stand up and you fall off screaming in opposite directions."
Hey there campers, we have returned from our vacation to the deep South, and specifically to WDW. I know most of you know the angst I have had over going in recent months. In my opinion prior to the trip there were too many insider "rules" that you had to know to prevent any fun from actually happening. It has been something I have been both surprised by, and loathe to listen to, in waiting rooms and coffee groups in this area that if someone brings up the subject of their next spring or fall break, it instantly becomes Disney-mania and that is the discussion for hours on end afterwards. It is something of a cult around here to spend not just one, but EVERY family vacation visiting Orlando, and the tricks, tips, rules, and insider knowledge traded in these conversations is unbelievable.
With that said, here were the two best pieces of advice we got prior to going, and they both came from our friend Jackie, who has been to WDW a few times, and has a sensible approach to visiting there. The first was to actually drive our car to the WDW parking lot and pay for parking, rather than wait for the "free" shuttle buses most the hotels in the area offer. We had no trouble getting there on any of the three days we were there, and as the whole trip from our hotel to the lot was about 10 minutes, it was well worth not hassling with even more tourists on the buses.
Tip no. 2, was to hydrate ourselves and T1 and T2. To that end The Reenactor took his backpack with the self contained water bladder thingie in it, and we drank cold water all day from it. Just remembering to keep drinking as we were waiting in lines made for us all being happier.
Here are my observations from the trip, now that you know some of my background about going.
Pros:
--The place really is beautiful. Having worked in a theme park myself, and knowing how much effort is put into "theming" a place like that, I think they truly do an exceptional job of creating a "set" for the entertainment going on around you.
--The signs in front of the rides are really informative about what age level will enjoy the ride. There was only one ride we took T1 and T2 on that they didn't want to repeat, and it was truly a bit scary for them....the signs had given us plenty of warning.
--In-park food and beverage prices were way more reasonable than I anticipated, and I was REALLY surprised at how much fresh fruit and vegetarian fare was offered.
--In spite of my original grumpiness about ticket prices I do feel that we got our money's worth each day. Just the shows and 3D movies alone are worth the admission price. The "electric" parade and fireworks show in the evening are an extra bonus that you don't get in a lot of similar venues.
--The kids had a good time...and ultimately that was what it was all about. For the record, they probably would have had an equally good time at any major theme park we took them to, as the rides and shows all in one place was a new experience for them.
The cons:
--the other tourists....the ones with the glassy-eyed gleam in their eyes who you knew were the "frequent flyers" to this place. They take it wayyyyyy too seriously.
--the darn autograph books. Apparently you purchase an autograph book (conveniently sold there on site) and haul your four-year-old child all over the place trying to get the characters to sign them ....this means the princesses, Goofy, Tigger, etc. all need to sign your kids' book with their big stuffed paws while you take pictures of "precious" looking on lovingly. This pretty much effectively holds up the line for the rest of us just wanting to snap a photo of our kid mugging with Mickey.
--TOO MANY STROLLERS. Seriously, these things really screw up crowd control. I have no problem with someone bringing in a simple single-wide umbrella stroller for their two-or-three year old, but the park offers stroller rental, and they offer these big, wide double strollers, that all too often are lugging around kids as old, or older than T1 and T2. Hey, if your normally healthy kid can't walk around this park at age 7 or 8, maybe they shouldn't be here. There were many times were we got hung in a slow moving line of traffic behind a dozen of these things being pushed around by equally weary parents, and it was a nightmare to try to get ahead of them.
So..with all that said I'll eagerly wait your comments.
Ta.
