Fuck Disneyland

It's never stopped people from coming.

Got to pay for Star Wars Land somehow.

Gay days canceled.

Most people are dumb. ESPECIALLY parents.

It's not your right to go to Disneyland. Tough titties.

Please....just look at prices for any sporting event....for only 3-4 hours.....

Or a concert or Broadway play. Everything is expensive.

The poors can go to the liberry.

Disneyland isn't worth it.

It's not worth even half of that.

R9, evidently to most it is. Prices increase every year and it's crowded AF.

Ive only been to Disney World, but it was worth it.

Discount for SoCal residents!

I went to Disneyland and California Adventure for the first time a few weeks ago. It was fun plus I had free tickets from my friend. But I would not pay that again any time soon. It's a great experience and, for me, so different from DisneyWorld since it's in downtown Anaheim.

But I really feel for parents nowadays - museums, concerts, fucking everything is so expensive to take your kids to. It's insane. Prices for DisneyWorld in 1971 would equal $21 today. 1984 is was equal to $43. So $125-$150 tickets are 3-5x more expensive than when I was young.

It's way too crowded to be any fun. If they built a third park, I'd give it a shot. It's miserable now.

How much is that in todays money?

$35.00

If the economy crashes, this will be the first thing people cut back on.

I think racist anti gay Uncle Walt would be appalled.

Isn't it all white trash and Asian tourists now?

I went to junior high and high school in Anaheim in the 70s, and all the kids had surplus A, B, C, D and E tickets in their dresser drawers. Mostly they were As and Bs which were the lower rung tickets. But the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse was a B ticket, and LOVED it.

No, white trash are pretty much priced out and I don't see many Asians. This is Disneyland, BTW.

R21, I'm surprised Disney hasn't remade Swiss Family Robinson. Fun movie.

So for a family of 4, you're looking at $500-$600 for ONE DAY with parking. Plus food (extra $125-$150). Then you get to wait in line for an hour or two per ride.

Unreal.

Makes a $300/hour escort seem like a bargain in comparison!

Hey, the high prices are fine with me. It does keep out the trash.

Well, somebody’s gotta pay for all this fabulousness.

It's been over $100 for one day for a few years, hasn't it?

It's necessary to keep the riffraff out. If tickets were cheap, they would be overrun with ghetto trash.

They got a lock. What parent isn't going to take their kids there at least once?

R28, pretty close to it unless you have a pass.

Yes R23 agreed. The movie revealed certain details about the treehouse that weren't explained otherwise. For example, there was a skylight device in the 'master' bedroom where part of the thatched ceiling lifted up (via a pulley system) so one could see the stars at night. Back then, the treehouse didn't have plaques every 35 steps that explained things like that. You had to know.

And for a ten-year-old to move from sleepy Phoenix, AZ to Anaheim in 1971? I felt like the luckiest kid in the world.

Oh POOR PEOPLE, they're so so...cute.

r19

He ruined my career

Mom) $20,000. Why are you even looking at a car that costs $20,000?

Cathy) Because that's what cars cost now! Face it Mom, cars are $20,000, Pantyhose are $10 and a cup of coffee is a buck fifty.

This00aq+ is how horrible they are. Paid a huge amount , stayed all day and it was so crowded only got 4 rides in. That is disgusting.

Does Disneyland offer discount coupons all over the place like Six Flags parks do.

Do they have a season pass? And if they do how much is it? I know at Six Flags most people opt for the season pass as it results in a major savings if you go there a lot.

Take a gander at the season pass prices. Oh yeah, they're trying to keep out the brown and black folks, definitely.

It still tickles me that their castle is like three stories tall.

My hubby loves Disney so we go to Disney World yearly. I’m always surprised at how much fun I have.

Yes, it’s crazy expensive—above the entry price, you have to add parking, food, hotel, etc. it’s a chunk of change

r38

Bullshit, anyone can afford those prices if they apply themselves. Minimum wage in CA is $12/hr ($11/hr for 26 or less employees). Even $200 is ($200/12 = 16.6 hours). That is only two days work and most cities like SF have higher minimum wages.

I work with one guy who is a cleaner in hotel making $12/hr and he saved $11,000 last year, and he lives in Chicago with a roommate.

You can save if you want, you just have to WANT something and save for it.

I have friends who are Disney Gays. They are at Disneyland now and are furious that it is "Value weeks". This means that all of the entertainment is off: no parades, no stage shows, no nothing. They are members of the Frequent Disney Guest program and are furious that this is not posted until a few weeks before. Apparently, Disneyland and Disney World are run very differently. (Not sure, but I think California Adventure is also either closed or limited.)

For the Anaheim guys posting, I'm from Fullerton.

Don't have kids, if you do well tell them at an early age Santa is fake, Mom is the tooth-fairy, Barney is a retired child molester and all those Disney freaks you see on TV are serial killers and Disney World/Land is nothing but a savage desolate killing field. Fuck you little Timmy and Britney; were going to Fun-Spot so daddy can drink and ride go-karts all day for 40 bucks and free parking!

I briefly worked for the mouse and I can say if you ever watched the Roseanne episode when David works for a theme park (riff on Disney) they were spot on; it is like joining a fucking cult, everyone drank the juice and are fucking nuts!

[quote]I briefly worked for the mouse and I can say if you ever watched the Roseanne episode when David works for a theme park (riff on Disney) they were spot on; it is like joining a fucking cult, everyone drank the juice and are fucking nuts!

I don't know when you worked there, but the old Disneyland was a great place to work. Maybe it wasn't for you, but it was a great job. There was a reason why, under Uncle Walt, there were employees who had worked there for 20 years or so. Yes, there was a tonne of rules, but the rules were there for a reason. Disney had programs to pay for college and to allow employees to buy their own houses. I new many people who had "real jobs" but continued to work at Disneyland because the perks were so good.

Now, I hear the 50% of the full time employees qualify for food stamps. That was not the was it was.

Every theme park "was a great place to work" "back in the day." Full time and benefits were a thing, now it's "seasonal/part time" which means 75% of the year you get 1-3 shit shifts a week, when season kicks in (Xmas/spring break/summer) you are working almost 40 hours a week, no overtime though. GOD FORBID you go over 40 hours your shift will get cut/you sent home early. I've worked for Universal on and off since 2004 at different venues, its has gone downhill so fucking much; it's a truly horrible company to work for, unless you've been there for >20 years, have full time status + insurance/benefits; not many of you left.

I have some new dimwit manager every other week who doesn't know what the hell they are doing, never worked in a restaurant before and was bounced on over from other venue that I'm sure they fucking failed miserably at; Disney may have the college program, we have the graduates of University of Phoenix assholes. Seriously fuck Universal Studios Orlando Florida.

I would never work for Mousewitz, Goofenwald, or Duckau.

If Disneyland tickets were cheap, every ghetto piece of shit in a 50-mile radius would converge on that park and turn it into a sewer. White people wouldn't go near it, and it would close in a year.

Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.

Back in the late 50s to maybe the 80s, it was affordable and black people wouldn't go there.

I predict that someday WDW will be open 24/7...to accommodate demand.

Like it or not, WDW is a global destination. Every affluent family in the world is basically obligated to go at least once ...to keep up with the Jones”s.

I wonder how the other Disneylands compare to the one in the US.......?

R43, you are talking out of your ass. There are no "value weeks", a value day is a less expensive ticket price based on days that are expected to be less busy. Peak is the most expensive ticket price. It has nothing to do with what entertainment is scheduled.

DCA is not closed or limited. They always keep shorter hours so everyone isn't leaving both parks at the same time. Today Disneyland closes at 11, DCA at 9. It's been like this forever.

If you don't know what you are talking about, please post on a Shawn Mendes thread.

R53, If you read my post, this information came from friends who are Disney fanatics. It is far too early to contact them in CA, but I will later.

I bet they have another increase right before Star Wars opens.

R54, all of the information about Disneyland is available on their website- hours, events and ticket prices. Anyone can access their monthly calendar that lists everything.

Don't break your pencil making that call.

R48 true true. This is why Dave and Busters exists. I briefly worked for them and NOPED the fuck out after a few weeks, the constant garbage that we had to deal with bringing/leaving their own hennesy/popov vodka bottles in the parking lot, boothes on the floor... Car break-ins/thefts, the fights, yelling sending food back and complaining for free shit was some next level NOPE, never EVER again. Forget the tips (lack of.) Forget the tips (lack thereof) but getting out at 2 am was the cherry on top of the shit sundae working for DnB I-Drive; Tangelo Park's ghetto-go-to "Cuz, we aint about to pay 25 dolla to park our hoopties."

[quote] They are at Disneyland now and are furious that it is "Value weeks". This means that all of the entertainment is off: no parades, no stage shows, no nothing.

WTF is Values week????

The bizarre tens of thousands of Disney-obsessed gay men in the USA will have to cough up!

(What is the deal with them, btw? I run when I meet such guys).

[quote] If Disneyland tickets were cheap, every ghetto piece of shit in a 50-mile radius would converge on that park and turn it into a sewer. White people wouldn't go near it, and it would close in a year.

[quote]—The Racist Fairy

FIXED

[quote]Hey, the high prices are fine with me. It does keep out the trash.

Unfortunately, there is more than enough "trash" with money out there. See: Current occupants of the White House.

R57 You need to start a thread on how ratchet Dave and Buster's is. I've been to several in different cities and it always attracts a ghetto crowd. I have nieces and nephews who visit and are under 21 so I used to take them there, but we usually go to Lucky Strike now.

Wow, how much are ordinary amusement park tickets these days? Still less than $50 I hope. Disney parks aren't so special I'd be willing to pay over $100. Kids think they're special, so their parents can pay that.

R62 you must be going to one in an unfashionable part of your city. The one near me when I lived in Austin was usually tech guys.

Sorry r60 but the truth hurts. The prices are high to keep the hood from coming in. Everybody knows that.

The prices are also keeping out a lot of decent people who are responsible with their money and see through the Disney bullshit. As a kid I didn’t care for Disney and I thought it was stupid that people made a big deal about the “characters”. Couldn’t they tell it was just people in costumes? I liked some of the less famous Disney movies but I thought Mickey Mouse was overrated. He took a lot of credit but never did anything noteworthy, unlike Bugs Bunny. Bugs was an entertainer- he’d sing, dance, go in drag, dramatize-he was a hustler. Mickey was boring in comparison. So I never bought into the whole pilgrimage to Disney idea. I don’t begrudge anyone their opinion, but it’s all so fake anyway. Disney magic only works in the presence of cash, and the place is full of spoiled brats and disabled people. I’d rather go camping.

Another reason I'm glad to be a 65+ year old eldergay now. I never have to even think about going to another theme park for whatever time I have left on earth. I get invited at least twice a year by people and I have the perfect excuse. "Thanks dear, but I'm just way to old for all that commotion".

Do you say that waving your hands furiously, in a fabulous caftan?

R57 I opened the DnB Orlando International Drive location. Ah, "I-Drive" the plethora of every fucking restaurant, hotel, motel, retail outlets, smaller attractions that are NOT a part of the big 3 (Disney, Universal & Seaworld) don't forget the fucking mega-convention center, sounds like a lovely, busy fun place to work.... NOPE.

I-Drive is a very very long street that has a shitload of restaurants; mostly chains. Worlds largest McDonalds, Worlds busiest Chilis, cough cough etc... Same shit you can find in your fly over state is littered all over I-Drive, a few 4 star restaurants and odd places like Ripleys, DnB, that helicopter ride over I-4 attraction... blah blah blah It's our version of Times Square minus the all the bright lights and cold weather.

It's seasonal; mostly Brits followed by whatever particular convention is in town at that particular time. Lunches are horrible (unless a big convention, eg; home builders, CES, hairdressers etc.) Nights are hit or miss unless spring break, summer or xmas vacation are the best times to work and make money on the entire strip...

Except...

If you work at DnB or Chillis or Applebees... .. .

There is an entire neighborhood called "Tangelo Park" just off the strip (I-Drive) that likes to frequent these places on certain days (food stamp Fridays and welfare Wednesdays) go out, run up a tab, not tip/send shit back, walk out on their tabs and demand free shit. I'm not shitting on Chilis as I worked the one at the Disney entrance when I was 18 and banked all the time, FF 10 years later I was scrambling for a second job and went back; to the one on I-Drive (near Tangelo) got fucked every shift.

DnB however sounded like such a fun, exciting NEW place to work... and it kind of was for the first 2 weeks; all the local media were frequenting us, locals coming to check us out... that quickly faded and we were left with Shaniqua, LaQueefa, Dewayne and their 6 little shitbags throwing cheerios all over the floor as they were pouring their hennesy in their cokes and bitching about their long islands not being strong enough. Fuck them!

I'm more embarrassed for you R69, than any Shaniqua.

i am upper middle class. If I had gaybies I would vacation in working/middle class resorts with them because they are the most relaxing and the most fun for kids. Belmar NJ. Alassio Italy. Juan les Pins. If they wanted Disney I would offer them the cash for their savings or half the cash for special purchases. That would be a LOT of cash. If they still wanted Disney I guess I would take them. I would only offer the cash deal once. Also, there are so many excursions one can do for that kind of money that would probably thrill a kid a lot more than a Disney resort. A safari. Camping. River trip. Medieval Castles. I don't get the lack of imagination by parents. And you KNOW its not easy for some parents to afford their Disney dream vacations.

Obviously you don't have kids. You might remember how well the Christian boycott of Disney lasted.

I got to do Disneyland on acid years ago.

The prince character actors have A LOT of fun with each other, DILFs, etc.

It's worth going there to meet one and hookup.

R71, honey when you are upper middle class you can afford it all. You don't need to choose between a safari and Disneyland.

But one does't want to give Disney ALL that dough. Gross. NPH is filthy rich by the way.

Why not? Fine with me.

Sorry this is utter bullshit. My partner and I have two kids- dis Disney once, never again. Besides breaking the bank the kids were miserable waiting in line, and cranky and exhausted traipsing around mouse territory. Besides, in today's economy let's be real -our health insurance premiums for the kids have more $$$ value for the kids than nearly damn near $1,000 Fucking dollars a day in entertainment and lodging. Our next vacation is at the beach. Cheaper, and a hell of a lot more relaxing.

This is why we should call it Igerland

I saw that they raised one price from $25 to $100. They said it was for crowd control because too many people have been visiting these places.

I love Disneyland. When I was a teenager I worked for Disneyland for a Summer and slept (I kid you not) with prince charming.

There are so many gay workers in Disneyland.

It's nothing but product placement and Universal is worse. Take your kids to an actual amuesement park.

R78, frau or bitter lesbian with no money.

Hire a "plaid" for a VIP tour. $3000/person. Just do it once for each park, every ten years or so. Easy.

R84, can you read? That's for up to 10 people, not per person and well worth it. No wonder we have a president like Trump.

Whoa that's an excellent deal. Two people is effectively just $1500 per person.

R 83 Disney KA- WEEN!

Didn't Disneyworld have to stop letting people in last week because the park was full? I think it's time Disney think about building another park somewhere.

They should build something in fucking Texas, draw some tourists away from Anaheim and Orlando.

Disney's America outside Houston maybe.

One in Houston, one in Pittsburgh.

Texas makes sense. It's the other big state (CA, FL, TX) that's also warm. Disney's America would be a good first park for a new Texas resort with two or three parks. No more kingdom parks in the US, please. New concepts are great.

I'd visit Texas to go to a Disney park there, but that's about the only reason I'd ever go to Texas.

All my exes live in Texas, so no for me.

Sexy Anakin.

Sexy Eric.

The character actors work fucking hard. They're not paid enough.

Exhausting work.

Worth the hundred.

It may not pay enough, but these character actors look like the LOVE what they do for these kids!

Actually, I met a girl who plays Belle in the parades and she made decent money for a young kid. Travels to parks in France and China, with lots of down time for vacation.

Gay Stormfrunt certainly mobbed this thread in a hurry.

That Anakin is super hot.

Can't build a park in Houston -- that shit will be underwater in 10 years or less.

[quote]If the economy crashes, this will be the first thing people cut back on.

You'd think so but people will waste money on crap like this and cable tv instead of health care, investment savings, etc. It's the American way.

They should build another park in Canada. Think of it. Mickey in hockey skates, poutine, everything in metric, etc.

Not a bad idea R104

Gay men who are character actors first choices are always Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck so they can fondle all the men since they are the most popular characters that men take photos with that have a costume head.

R88

Yes - but that happens every year during the last week of December.

R43

Your friends may visit DL regularly but they are confused/ill informed. "Value days" have nothing to do with shows, parades, etc.. Ticket prices are based on anticipated crowds and some days (say a Tuesday in mid November) will be cheaper to get in "best value ticket" while others (Saturday in March) have a higher price b/c its a very busy time. Fireworks are weekends only in January/Feb - and have been for many years now, as has closing at 9 or 10:00 pm during the week. Part of this is weather-related but the main reason: taking down all of the holiday decor, park maintenance & repairs, etc... As for parades: again SOP - the Holiday parade/shows have ended and there is a couple of weeks down time until the new parade/shows start.

I love the disboards for crazy thread reading. People post photos and every detail of their "restaurant tours" of Disney.

The food, even at the "high end" Disney places, looks no better than a chain places, perhaps with a trendy ingredient or technique from a few years ago.

What's with all the virulent racism in this thread?

r110 you must not have any real-world experience with a certain demographic. Believe me, this thread is telling the truth!

I've read about the Texas thing before. If they're going to do it, they'll do it inland, somewhere people from Houston can drive to pretty easily. San Antonio maybe. 3 hours driving.

I can't speak to Disney World, but Disneyland has great food especially at the hotels. Food in the parks is better than before, although $30 for a Monte Cristo sandwich at the Blue Bayou is pushing it.

BS, r106. Those gigs go to midets and /or petite females.

Fuck Disneyland, its cheaper and more fun to go to Europe.

At Disney World I fucked Aladdin raw...as well as the tenor in an accapella singing ensemble. Good times.

A friend of mine worked at Disney World, and he told me that a lot of shenanigans go on in the costume storage rooms.

R64, That's actually the Dave and Buster's I used to go to, right off 183/Research. I think it's the only one in Austin. I rarely saw tech guys there but definitely saw many ghetto folks, especially on weekends. I almost had to stop a fight between two teenage girls punching the hell out of each other. There was a small crowd trying to record them for World Star hip hop. This occurred at the Austin location.

You couldn't pay ME $100 to spend a day surrounded by other people's crotchlings.

I don't know how families outside the US afford it (and some in the US). A few years back I took my kids to the one in Paris, not because we like Disney but because my mother died and I had some sort of 'I must create happy memories before it's too late' mental breakdown.

We got a cheap ferry crossing, stayed in a cheap caravan park on the outskirts of Paris and bought day tickets in advance. It still cost a fucking fortune, we managed about 4 rides, didn't get around even one of the parks fully and the picnic bag I prepared was confiscated at the gate on the way in so I paid a fortune for shitty fast food.

Only the youngest kid was vaguely impressed, the other two just moaned about the heat and the crowds. We ended up having more fun and much cheaper days visiting some old castles.

I don't know what I was thinking. I guess if you want the 'magic' experience you really have to shell out and spend 2-3 weeks in Florida fully catered with all the extras. I gather that from the UK it costs in the region of 10-15 k for a family of 4 or 5. We have a decent household income but I don't think I could lay that out on a holiday.

I know a way in which you can save $100 on entry fees if anyone's interested.

God bless you, Mrs. Ramsey!

R120, your pussy is stinking up this thread. 2-3 weeks? Dumb cunt.

I've been to Disney a few times since moving to SoCal. It was fun, but I don't understand the grown adults (especially without kids) who go monthly or more.

I live much closer to Universal and $150 for a year pass...fuck yeah

R106, I once petted a "dog" (Goofy?) on his stomach. He yelped, as I'd accidentally petted something that definitely wasn't his stomach.

Lucky you R124

R48 That’s exactly what’s happened to Sea World Orlando (with or without Blackfish).

Ever heard of a pocket gay R114?

Going on Grindr at a theme park will make your phone explode

But where do you hook up? You're with friends or family and most are day trips.

"But where do you hook up?"

At Cinderella's Castle, where else?

They have one of those bondage playrooms there, so you're covered.

You never see peeling paint, out light bulbs, dirty streets, etc upkeep is enormous.

If life is to the point, whereas you cannot afford $100/person, just give up.

When you figure in the value per hour, it's actually reasonable. A concert, show or sporting event can be the same $100 (or more). If you spend 10 hours at Disneyland and DCA it's a value.

I have a pass so I usually have a few drinks, lunch or dinner at one of the hotels or Downtown Disney and then check out the parks. If it's too crowded or long lines for the rides, I leave.

You hookup at the restrooms at the Grand Californian. You meet on Grindr, in person, and then head to the restrooms.

Disney has a long tradition of hiring gay men. I think it was all the way back in 1995 that they offered medical to same sex partners.

There are plenty of worse corporations out there to shit on.

Disney keeps a ton of Chinese sweatshops in business.

R134 sounds like someone who just adores "The Happiest Place on Earth".

R138, so does Walmart

R138, you mean Disney's licensees ... Disney's not stipulating in licensing agreements that licensees use sweatshops. The toy, etc. companies sign the licensing agreement, then link up with China-based manufacturers to make the stuff.

In college I knew a girl in my Japanese class from Hong Kong who grew up living in a house on Hong Kong's "Peak." Her father made his fortune on toy manufacturing. He father owned and operated sweatshops, and never once talked to the owners of the intellectual property on which he based the toys he was contracted with by toy companies to manufacture.

God forbid a company competing in the modern economy links up with modern supply chains.

Restructure the economy if you don't like sweatshops. They've been around at least since 19th century Britain, but that's not millennia. You can work to change it. Maybe you're already doing your part, and don't have a single thing in your home made in a sweatshop.

Oh gurrrrrl, I hit a nerve with the sweatshop comment!

Actually, I do try and buy things made here if at all possible. It's tough sometimes.

R142, it's an infantile comment I see every day on DL. Yes, it triggered me this once — the imprecision and glibness was annoying.

R143, "things made here" = no sweatshop labor? Really? Sheltered as fuck...

R144, actually yes. I buy clothes and other items directly from the person making them.

It is amazing these parks do as well as they do considering (as we read in the other thread) that so many Americans can't even come up with 400 measly dollars unless they sell something. Unless things have changed with the type of attendees at these parks the last time I was in one a large percentage of the people there looked like they would certainly fall in the poor or poorish category Where are these people coming up with money to get into these parks?

R146, credit cards.

If you buy a pass, there is a monthly payment plan with no interest for those living in CA. Many families use it as their main source of entertainment.

Anything that keeps kids from staring at their phones 24/7 is fine by me

[quote]It is amazing these parks do as well as they do considering (as we read in the other thread) that so many Americans can't even come up with 400 measly dollars unless they sell something.

Yea, they're all poor because they blow their money on stupid shit like $100 tickets to Disneyland!

Every kid in my village dreams with meeting Mickey and holding him in their hands...but only because he's seen as a good source of protein

R129, yes. Pocket sized neq midget.

Trust..,only a midget can be Donald Duck.

A lot of these smaller characters including Mickey are played by small women so straight men have nothing to fear.

I certainly hope their aren't that many men, gay or straight interested in fondling Mickey or any other characters.

[quote]Fuck Disneyland, its cheaper and more fun to go to Europe.

This x 1000. I took the kids to Disney World twice when they were small, but I haven't been back. A friend of mine is a Disney Freak and she's dumbfounded by this. She really doesn't understand why anyone would want to go anywhere else. She's one of those super fans who makes the trip every year, has memorabilia strewn around her house--all those buttons they collect, etc. She asked me once if I would ever plan a trip to DW without kids. I said, "no .....BECAUSE I'M AN ADULT."

That is just the tip of the iceberg. Of the three Disney hotels, Grand Californian is the one you want to stay in, since it is attached to DTD and California Adventure. That runs 400-500 a night for a basic room. Cheap food in Disney is 3x what you would spend at McDonalds. If you want to eat at the sit-down restaurants a family of four is not getting out without 200-300 dollars. Those are the people Disney is reaching - the ones who spend 20-30K on a weeks vacation at Disney. Ticket prices?? hell they are a bargain compared to the rest of the costs at Disney.

R156, actually the hotel to stay at is the Disneyland Hotel- restored to its MCM glory and a 3 minute walk to DTD.

Sit-down restaurants are various prices, but there are plenty of nice places that aren't $200-$300 for 4. Tortilla Jo is just one, owned by the Patina Group- which also owns the Italian restaurant and Uva Bar/Catal.

As for cheap food being 3x McDonald's, wrong again anus breath. Plenty of places in and out of the parks that are slightly higher than McD- but not by much.

I hate people talking out their prolapsed asses. If you don't like it fine, but no need to make shit up.

May you die in a grease fire, hunty.

R157, Does the monorail not connect the hotel to the park any longer?

My idea of hell is to go on vacation somewhere that has hundreds of screeching little shitbag brats running around all over the place. No thank you very much.

The monorail doesn't connect to any of the hotels, but are a short walk away- other than Paradise Pier.

BTW, you would have to rent a suite and spend like a drunken Lotto winner to blow through $30k for a week. That's just bullshit.

R146, Info is 2nd hand but accurate. Story is of a very hard working Hispanic landscaper who only spoke a little English. Wife also worked as a maid, relatives helped to care of their 4 kids. Luxury meant a cheap take-out pizza on Sat night. Church on Sundays was their only social life.

Father was proud to be able to take his family on an annual vacation trip to Disneyland, for which he'd saved all year long. Of course then it wasn't $100+ a ticket.

Alligator settlements aren't cheap.

R120 Regarding the UK, I used to work for Virgin Holidays in Manchester and our main business was Disneyworld Florida packages. Our customers fell into 2 camps really. Men who made their money in construction or tech and would come in with a Rolex and loudly demand upper class seats, deluxe resorts, deluxe dining plans.....it was a status symbol and they thought they were impressing everyone. It cost them about 15K for a family of 4. The other camp (and the majority) lived in council houses and worked in working class jobs. Lots of school secretaries, supermarket workers. They saved for a year or two and they had no concept of investing or having a retirement fund or anything, most working class people don’t so every penny they saved for 12-24 months went to Disney. They stayed on International Dr or a value resort. All in about 5K for a family of 4 which isn’t that bad considering they would pay 2K or more for a Spanish holiday anyway.

Middle class people rarely used us to book a package. They tend to stay in villas and the husbands hire gas guzzling cars we don’t have here. Most of them stay for 3 weeks but a villa is much cheaper than a hotel so I’d estimate it’s about 8K for there 3 weeks before spending money.

The second biggest Brit market in the US is Vegas and some people actually go for a weekend which makes me fall down with jet lag at the thought. The test go for 2 week packages which most Americans would think is daft.

I left 2 years ago and our numbers were dwindling then. When I started it was 1.80 to the dollar. When I left it was down to 1.30. Had a massive impact. Brexit may thin out the numbers even more.

r157 uhuh...Compare the GC to the DLH - GC is THE hotel to stay at Disneyland. I been in both, DlH is nostalgic but not as good. Grand Californian is connected right to California Adventure and DTD. You can literally walk into the park from the hotel. I'm not a DLR hater, I go all the time. I am just a realist. The average Quick Service meal IN THE PARK is 14.99 per person - or 60 dollars for a family of four, that does not include the 3-4 dollars per soda. So yes, it is three times the cost of taking your kids to McDonalds. The average sit down restaurant IN THE PARK will run you 200 -300 dollars for a family of 4. I am not talking about the restaurants in DTD - they are not Disney owned. Disney wants you to spend money in the park. Why do you think a diet coke is 4 bucks?

R160, it used to

The rooms at the Grand Californian are much smaller R165 than the Disneyland Hotel and your sit-down restaurant prices are incorrect.

Liar!

Eliot!!!! R157

R165, anyone can see the menu prices in the park- they are listed on their website. I'm still wondering how you came up with $30,000 a week for 4 people. Unless the family is eating at Napa Rose every night and ordering $1000 bottles of wine (and even then), it's an exaggeration at best.

Most of these foods weren't in the park during the 60s.

In 1976, an unidentified woman sued Disney Parks Corporation because she claimed that one of the Three Little Pigs at the "It's a Small World" attraction grabbed and fondled her. She claimed to have gained 50 pounds (23 kg) as a result of the incident and sued Disney for $150,000 in damages for assault and battery, false imprisonment and humiliation. The plaintiff dropped charges after Disney's lawyers presented her with a photo of the costume, which had only inoperable stub arms, a common feature among the shorter characters that was eliminated in later years.

An employee who was playing Winnie the Pooh in 1978 was alleged that he slapped a child and caused bruising, recurring headaches and possible brain damage. The worker testified that the girl was tugging at his costume from behind. When he turned around, he accidentally struck the girl in her ear. At one point, the employee entered the courtroom after recess in the Pooh costume and responded to questions while on the witness stand as Pooh would, including dancing a jig. Appearing as Pooh showed the jury that the costume's arms were too low to the ground to slap a girl of the victim's height. The jury acquitted the worker after deliberating for 21 minutes.

In August 2012, a family claimed an employee playing as White Rabbit was being racist towards their 6-year-old son by refusing to hug him. Other reported activities involved refusal to hold hands, and refusal to allow the child to sit on the character's lap. The family claimed that the character interacted with white and Asian children. While Disney did offer an apology letter and park passes to the family, the family refused the offer and filed a lawsuit as Disney would not confirm if the employee was still employed. The lawsuit was settled on December 30, 2013

Wow, lawsuits from the 70s.

Do gay Disney "superfans" don fanny packs and baseball caps when they frequent the park? Because that's what I'm imagining in my head.

And matching outfits, R173. Don't forget the matching outfits.

Anytime i see the word [italic]fanny pack[/italic] i immediately think of this ⬇️

I did not say it cost 20-30K for a week at Disneyland. I said the people who SPEND that are the ones Disney is trying to reach. You can do Disney cheap - off-property hotels, eat off property, or picnic bring your own food. What I am saying is, ticket prices do not reflect those people. Disney wants the ones who do the whole Disney experience. I have annual passes to WDW so we know how to do that park but DLR is a special trip for us. So when we go, we stay at the GC, we eat at Carthy Circle, Blue Bayou etc - we pay for the special shows and experiences (the Frozen dinner package etc, the world of color dessert package) because we know we won't go back for a few years. Let me tell you, it ain't cheap for two, so multiply that by two kids, who want souvenirs and Mickey waffles and character breakfasts and all that - yeah. It can be expensive.

The entire concept is revolting. Why not visit fun places that charge for a normal profit. If you go to a beach, you can eat at any of dozens and dozens of independent restaurant. Go hiking in the mountains - Stay at some independent cabins. Go eat where you want. Go to other activities - all independent.

^Genuine experiences in real places across the globe are not what Disney freaks are after. Real people, fabulous local cuisine, world class art, awe inspiring historic landmarks, once in a life time adventures in breathtaking natural surroundings......all of these things are foreign to Disney freaks. Their biggest thrill is visiting a tacky, fake world built in the middle of a swamp.

R178

I travel globally (but mainly Europe and Mid East) due to my Fine Arts profession. My jobs allows me the opportunity to enjoy all the things you list and more. I likewise enjoy travel for vacation. In addition, I'm a Disney annual passholder. They are entirely different experiences. I don't consider either a substitute for the other.

R179 that can't be true, according to r178 you spend your summers snuffling about your backyard for truffles and pirate gold!

Do DisneyWorld and Disneyland still not allow shirtless guys to roam the park? Do any parks allow that? I remember going to Gay Days in Orlando one year. It was so disappointing, being around all these hot gay men and no one can take off their shirts on the hot day.

That's one of the great things about being childless. Many of us can afford to do whatever we want. I can go to HI and Disneyland. Also, at least in southern California it's a nostalgia if you grew up going to Disneyland.

All sporting events and entertainment concerts are outrageous in what they charge for just 2-3 hours of entertainment! However it doesn't bother the Millennial's as (according to some surveys) mom and dad give them their CC and say 'enjoy!' (52% of them are living at home!) Also, the fans are paying for those expensive contracts they give the players--and why not? you automatically get bragging rights that you attended one of the games to the envy of your peer group! lol.

My brother and his wife just got back from a week at Disneyland. They must be feeling pretty cash-rich these days, given these price increases. They're the sort who will stay in the expensive on-site hotels, too.

They don't have children. My brother's wife just has seem weird obsession with Disney.

I’ve been to Disney and travel abroad every summer. I go to the threate, ballet and opera in New York. The main audience is NOT millenials at any of those places. In fact they are very absent unfortunately. The average age at the theatre/ballet/opera is 40-50. An exception is something like Mean Girls where the audience is not millenials but tweens. Disney is mainly young families and well heeled white couples. I can’t recall ever seeing a bunch of millenials hanging out there on their parents credit cards. And on my flights to Europe, in coach, the tourists? Retirees. Not a millenial in sight.

I haven’t been since 1984. Has it changed much?

Yes r186

How can a person spend an entire week at Disneyland anyway? It's literally just an amusement park. I get how someone could spend a week at Disney World but not Disneyland.

[quote]one of the Three Little Pigs at the "It's a Small World" attraction

never happened.

r188 i could probably spend a week at the hotel pool, provided with unlimited fruity drink refills from the poolside bar.

r188 typically we will plan a trip to Vegas and drive out to Anaheim for a day or two. You can literally do DLR and CA in one day if the park is not crowded. We like to go for the Haunted Mansion Holiday redo so it is much more crowded. I will say compared to WDW, DLR does Halloween right.

Exactly R190, the max anyone needs to spend at Disneyland is a weekend. It only makes sense to do a week long trip if it's part of a larger vacation to Southern California.

@tigersgoroooar

no one has ever given less of a fuck than this guy.

I've been to the California and the Florida parks as a child.

But imagine if you started dating a guy who said that his dream vacation was to go to Disney?

I'm sorry, but adults without kids who still think Disney is a "dream vacation"...???

Sometimes I wish I had children, so I could take them to Disneyland, Disney World, DisneySea in Tokyo, etc., and thereby visit myself. I'm too self-conscious to go there as an adult without children.

Love this from the other thread. It's actually a turn-on for some reason LOL.

R193, that's my brother's wife. No children yet but they go every year. Until he met her my brother had no interest in Disney beyond the typical childhood cartoons, so it's all her. I find it so bizarre.

I don't know that I'd go to the parks, given that they're too crowded and I'm not emotionally affected when I visit them, but I'd consider their Vero Beach resort, which looks beautiful, and their Hawaiian resort.

There are worse things adults can do besides Disneyland.

Looks fun, but I can't stand the crowds.

I wonder if adding a park will shrink the crowds in the existing parks, or if it'll be like adding lanes to highways, which just adds more traffic rather than decreasing it and improving flow.

There is no place to add a park in Anaheim. All of the surrounding areas are already developed, and most are being upgraded to higher end hotels and mixed-use condos and apartments.

r194 It's no big deal to go to those places by yourself without a child. The one I never thought I'd be able to go to was Legoland (California) -- I figured people would think I was a pedophile if I went there alone. But I ended up going with a friend and his nephew and it was great.

[quote]Hire a "plaid" for a VIP tour. $3000/person. Just do it once for each park, every ten years or so. Easy.

For that price, the hot tour guide had better come back to my room and spend the night.

[quote]There are so many gay workers in Disneyland.

We don't have "workers." We have CAST MEMBERS.

shitty plastic crap and insane nonsense

Yeah R194 just go. I recently went to Universal Studios by myself (to see the Harry Potter park) and I was most definitely not the only childless adult. Lots of adult couples, and a fair amount of singles. Don't worry about it. You'd feel OK going to Six-Flags by yourself wouldn't you? Not really much different.

R194 There’s a LOT of adults who visit without kids. Certain times of year they are the majority. For the marathon, for food and wine festival, the flower show. I’ve only gone as an adult with my parents and 19 year old nephew and I was pleasantly surprised that we didn’t stand out at all. There were a lot of couples there too. We stayed at Coronado Springs which has a conference space and there were very few children on the property which made it very relaxing and not what you expect from Disney. We are at a deluxe resort, the Polynesian, for breakfast and 90% of the restaurant was couples and solo adults.

I married a Disney man. Sometimes you just have to take the good with the bad. He likes to go to WDW twice a year and I take him. It keeps him happy. Yes he throws a mean fuck...and I do kind of love him.

Twice a year isn't bad R207. I know childless adults who go at least every month.

I'll go with you, R194! And I don't eat much.

I'm let's say a mature man. I went with a friend in mid December to WDW. He will absolutely not do any kind of roller coaster. They absolutely freak him out. As in he refuses to do the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train as it's too intense. Really.

We get out of the Rivers of Light Spectacle at Animal Kingdom and immediately find ourselves at the entrance of Expedition Everest and the standby line is 15 minutes! I didn't get us fast passes for it as I knew he wouldn't go on it. Of course I said to him that I was going to do it and he said fine.

I thought I would have the seat next to me empty and suddenly they put this very little boy next to me. I thought dear god. He suddenly asks me if I've ever done it and I told him no. The ride then starts and he narrates the whole thing to me telling when a curve was coming up or when we were going to descend. He even yells at one point 'Keep your eyes open to see the Yeti!' He had the whole thing memorized. I asked him how old he was. He was friggin 8! Hilarious. It was so much fun.

Yep, I also went to Universal to see the Harry Potter exhibit and felt totally normal as a childless adult. I also went solo to Sea World one time while my partner was at a business conference, and it was great!

Never understood the hatred towards Disney, especially Disneyland, which is at most 2 days of your life. It's a healthier escape from life than say heroine or a bareback party. Several people I know who hate Disney all had unhappy childhoods. They hate Christmas and Halloween too.

R212, usually the poors whose parents couldn't or wouldn't take them- so no childhood memories to relive.

R212, I think an occasional Disney type indulgence is great for adults. It's the obsessive childless people who make it their big vacation every year who I side eye.

Why would anyone want to go to Disneyland? Everyone knows that shit was, and is, an experiment in nazification of family/friends entertainment and socializing. That and Facebook are Hell on Earth.

That there are masses willing to be enslaved only shows how gullible and unimaginative people are (and willing to surrender critical thinking and imagination even more).

The only Disneyworld I'm interested in.

A visit to a tacky overpriced theme park does not define one’s childhood.

Searching YT there’s a lot of well to do, very normal looking people from Britain who take adults only trips to WDW. And make a vlog. First class plane seats, deluxe resorts, renting sports car...not a cheap trip. Interesting. As a fellow Brit I think infectious positivity is something we don’t do. So it’s either going to pull people in and make them go back again and again or send them running for the hills. I remember an American trainer started at my gym and during the classs started lots of “Woo!” And “You can push through and be anything you want to be” and a dozen Brits on exercise bikes burst out laughing. We weren’t having that. I can see the attraction of slipping into the Disney bubble for a fortnight if you’re a certain kind of person.

[quote] It's a healthier escape from life than say heroine or a bareback party.

Disney has LOTS of heroines.

Why don't the Brits do the Disneyland in France instead of going all the way to Florida?

Weather?

R215, lots of creative people got their start working at Disneyland- Steve Martin, John Lasseter, Russell Hicks (ex Pres of Nick) or love the parks and are collectors of all things Disney like John Stamos and Chris Hardwick and Lydia Hearst.

R220 Weather for sure and general “holiday feel”. I know to Americans Paris is foreign but for Brits it’s not and the Paris park is small. It’s a weekend trip. Brits like to take a long 2-3 week summer holiday. Orlando also offer pools, warm beaches, cheap chain restaurants, outlet shopping, water parks, other theme parks like Seaworks and Universal, Brits also do NYC and Vegas as city breaks spending a long weekend. And far more Brits have been to New York and Vegas than Oslo and Berlin.

[italic]Seaworks?[/italic]

I'm convinced a fanatical love of all things Disney is deeply rooted in positive childhood experiences and memories. Places you loved as a kid can get overly romanticized beyond all logic and reason. I'm the same way about my favorite vacation spot. When I rhapsodize about it, people who have never been there, or who have only experienced it as adults, look at me like I have a screw loose. LOL.

R220, the Paris park is more like going to Disneyland. If you want all the different parks you need to head to Florida. Plus, I've met a lot of Brits who are weirdly obsessed with Florida and love the extremely hot summer weather. It's probably because the UK never gets very warm.

For some adults it can also be compensating for poverty in childhood. Not a bad or abusive childhood but one where they barely had enough to eat and now as adults they can live the childhood they always wanted by visiting Disney. The parents I know who dragged their kids to Orlando every year or every 2 years and now take the grandkids or go as a couple we’re all raised in poverty in the 60s. We’re talking 4 kids to a bed in a 2 up, 2 down house and an outhouse out the back. It’s kind of sweet in a way.

I see what you mean R227. Indeed that's a demographic that absolutely loves Disney.

^^Interesting. That makes me see them in a different light.....with more understanding and compassion.

Thanks R227, I wrote earlier about my brother's wife being weirdly obsessed with Disney, and your post helps explain why. She comes from a struggling, small town, working class family and is the first to graduate college. She's the only one in her family to have broken away, her siblings all live the same lifestyle as her parents.

But Disney gouges those people.

I went in December at it was nothing but a sea of strollers. I swear there were several people carrying their toddlers in line for Pirates of the Caribbean.

The stroller thing is pathetic. If you look at old Disneyland pictures, there's hardly any to be seen. Now they are everyplace, and the size of small cars.

Forget the strollers, what about the adults on scooters. They’re everywhere and they can’t drive them. I nearly got mowed down by a 400 pound woman who couldn’t stop hers and my boyfriend had his foot run over by someone trying to reverse out of the line in a counter service place.

[quote]Back in the late 50s to maybe the 80s, it was affordable and black people wouldn't go there.

R50 I read a big debate on an IMDB thread in the early 00s. One woman claimed that Disneyland was designed to keep the black folk out. Sometching to do with the location and buses

wow, when I went donkey years ago when my friends in grade school, it was only 36 bucks! what a bargain!

r235 -- location behind the Orange Curtain ensured that even those with cars would be stopped for Driving While Black, and the bus lines to South LA were almost non-existent. One had to first travel to downtown, and then ride a city bus that took nearly two hours to get to Anaheim.

Black people were very happy when Magic Mountain opened and welcomed them, although black people at Disneyland is now unremarkable.

My mother fits the profile of someone raised in poverty who missed out on childhood. 11 kids, alcohol and sexually abusive father, 2 kids died of cystic fibrosis in their teens, when their mother went to give birth yet again the younger ones would be thrown in an orphanage so dad wouldn’t rape them, 2 bedroom house with no indoor bathroom. The whole 9 yards.

Anyway, my when my mother came to the US to visit me I took her to Disneyworld to escape the cold in New York for a few days. When she walked into the Magic Kingdom it was like she was transformed into another person. I’ll never forget it. The lines on her face seemed to disappear, she walked with a pep in her step and she fell totally under the Disney spell. Watching her having her picture taken with Minnie Mouse was actually the saddest thing I’ve ever seen because I got a glimpse of the little child who was molested and beaten and never allowed to be young. For that reason, it was worth the money and I’m taking her back this year for her 60th but the prices are insane. I have no idea how families of 5+ do it. It’s $100 per person per day. The Deluxe resorts are the same price as the Ritz and the Peninsula. It didn’t surprise me actually to see so many middle aged couples because who else can afford those prices.

Geez -- my Dad fits the brutal and impoverished childhood profile as well -- maybe Disneyland wasn't made for the kids. maybe it was made for the adults...

One of my friends on FB are Disney addicts, yes, they are gay. They have a pass and go every week! on the weekdays of course!

I do think Disney has its charmed (LA guy here) but I can't imagine what you get out of going more than 3 or 4 times a year, max!

Interesting about the Disneyland area being so white in the past ... as now many of the surrounding cities are majority Latino or Asian.

The hell does one do there EVERY WEEK? Is there varied entertainment? Are there glory holes? What?

[quote] Interesting about the Disneyland area being so white in the past ...

Not only white, but a bastion of Goldwater/Nixon/Reagan Republican social paranoia

Remember Disney had close ties with the Nazi party

He had problems with Labor Unions, and that got elevated to Nazism, given the makeup of many labor unions in the 40s and 50s.

And Walter Knott (of the eponymous Berry Farm) was much worse than Disney.

[quote] Paid a huge amount , stayed all day and it was so crowded only got 4 rides in. That is disgusting.

Sorry but as someone who has been to Disney World many times you have no idea how to navigate it. I can remember one time we went as adults with some kids but we found a great ride we loved and went there during the stupid electric parade. We kept going through the ride cause it had no lines. As soon as it was over we'd go back in. Must have gone through it ten times - upping our scores each time. It was one where you ride though the universe and kill aliens. Great fun.

You have to see what are the best times to go - season, weather, time of day. We got more done during meal times and rain cause most people were elsewhere. Even the first time I went I figured out the best times for the rides and we against the tide.

I remember a long time ago I got dragged to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg - hated it. It was almost as expensive as Disney World at the time and I kept thinking for a few dollars more I could be at Disney World. If people don't get why it's expensive then they aren't paying attention - incredibly staffed to the gills both visibly and behind the scenes, working rides all over the place, huge variety of things to do and eat. Seriously it IS an amusement park - just one without the carny atmosphere.

When I first went in January 1973 the tickets were categorized in packages - X number of E ticket rides/exhibits and so on down the line, depending on the price. So sad and insulting when they downgraded Swiss Family Robinson. When they did away with tickets it made sense.

$100 for a whole day at such a venue is not that much.

Disneyland used to be closed Monday and Tuesday, and there was a cheaper admission with no rides for people just bringing kids or grandkids.

My father took me to Disneyland 14 times when I was a kid. Now, in hindsight, it’s obvious that he REALLY felt that it was the happiest place on earth. He grew up in a different country, and I can now appreciate how much he must have enjoyed going there as a young man.

I’ve been about 10 more times, since. I love it there.

My former employer rented out the entire park in Anaheim one day. It’s one of the largest companies in the world, so anyone who was an employee in other states or countries could attend, along with their families, as long as they flew themselves in to the area. It was a very different experience, because even though many of us attended, it wasn’t packed to the gills, and the lines were almost nonexistent. We had the opportunity to eat anything, and not have to pay for our meals, nor did we have to present specific passes in order to get on rides.

All that being said, I bought a Mickey sweatshirt, and paid around $70.00 for it, IIRC. Almost the price of a ticket.

Once you go donkey, you never go monkey, R236.

My sister and I grew up not exactly destitute but not rich, either. She would send away for the Disney World vacation planning VHS, and we'd wear it out. One of our only vacations (ever) was to Branson, and that was a stretch for my parents to afford. We stayed at a really shitty motel that my mom tried to convince us was part of the adventure. We made memories that we still laugh about (like the coin-operated vibrating bed), but they sure weren't Disney memories! Fast-forward to adulthood and my sister has the means, so she has been to Disney World and Disneyland many times. She's made me go along a few times, and we even took our mother there for Christmas one year. It's not exactly my favorite place to go, but I will indulge my family.

R252, did your mom like it ?

She had a blast! She hates roller coasters and didn't realize that Space Mountain was one until we were about to get on it. I thought she was going to die. It was hilarious and she still laughs about it. She started screaming before we even took off.

The off putting thing about DisneyWorld is the amount of advance planning required. You have to do Fast Passes months ahead, reserve restaurants months ahead, you can even order food on the app ahead of time. I said this to a friend who goes all the time and he said he and his husband do out spreadsheets and pre plan every moment. He said you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to but really you do have to do a lot of planning and plotting. We tried to book a trip 40 days in advance and the value and moderate resorts were all booked out, we couldn’t get dinner reservations , there were no fast passes left.... The whole magic band thing annoys me too.

You can not do that planning but it means you'll be like the people up-thread who only get on 4 rides. It's popular and it's crowded. You can wing it, but you won't have a very good time. The same would be true of any vacation, really. You can go to Rome but if you don't do some planning in advance, you're not necessarily going to see everything you want to see.

On the flip-side are those who try to do too much. It's best to pace yourself and plan some down time. It's also more ideal if your first trip is in your 20s or early 30s when you can stand to be out from early morning to late at night without being worn out (like I would be now).

I met a blind date who was crazy for Disney. A grown man over 30 who was obsssed with Disney and Barbie,. His bedroom was Pepto Bismol pink. We slept together and besides being a lousy lay, I realized he still lived at home when his parents were in the kitchen having breakfast, I heard he’s still an unemployed loser.

Those of you who do Disneyworld, are all the parks worthwhile on an adult only trip? Epcot seems more adult oriented. How about the Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios? We will have 3 full days. Also do you think any of the sit down restaurants are worth it or better to just stick with counter service places.

As Disney fans are already aware:

@ABC7

"OH BROTHER!" Happy #WinnieThePoohDay! Here are some fun facts about the affable bear:

[quote]Those of you who do Disneyworld, are all the parks worthwhile on an adult only trip? Epcot seems more adult oriented. How about the Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios? We will have 3 full days. Also do you think any of the sit down restaurants are worth it or better to just stick with counter service places.

Don't be afraid to start your day in one park and end in another. You could get a taste of all four parks in 3 days if you add the Park Hopper option. There are tons of websites that give all sorts of advice to help you customize a plan. I'd probably start with touringplans for a first time visit. There are also planning books published that you can buy or your library may have some (just make sure it is from a recent year).

If you've never been before, then you need to visit Magic Kingdom because that really is classic Disney. You could go at night and watch the fireworks, if nothing else, but it also has the rides that Disney actually worked on or had a hand in designing. They also offer a Keys to the Kingdom Tour for an additional cost that gives you an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at several things. Our tour started before the park opened, so we got to see the show they do at the front gate from inside the park as well as mingle with the cast before they started. Lots of other fun stuff which can change depending on what's going on at the time. I did that several years ago and it was one of my favorite experiences ever, even though I'm not really a Disneyphile.

Epcot is more adult oriented but I think is the dullest of the four. They're supposed to be adding some new stuff over the next few years. It does have Soarin' as a ride, which is good. Some people like to eat or drink "around the world" (the pavilions from different countries) but I wouldn't do that as a first trip there. I find it all a bit underwhelming, especially if you've been to the real countries. This is the park I'd probably skip, currently, but it does have its fans. I didn't like their end-of-the-night show the first time I saw it but it's kind of grown on me.

Hollywood Studios has been under major construction the last few years so many people have been skipping it. They just opened Toy Story Land and will be opening Star Wars Land in late 2019. If you're going this year, you could probably still skip it, unless you want to ride the Tower of Terror, which is one of the best rides in any park. Their end-of-the-night show Fantasmic! is great; probably the second-best after the fireworks at Magic Kingdom. Combining a visit to Epcot with Hollywood Studios in a single day might be worth it.

Animal Kingdom used to be a park that most people didn't spend a full day in. I haven't been since they opened the Pandora-themed section and added a night show. It's worth checking out, overall.

All of the restaurants are pretty similar by type: the counter service are fine but expensive and the sit-down restaurants are better but more expensive. It's really up to what you want to do and how you want to spend your time. A sit-down restaurant can be a nice break but it also takes more time away from the parks.

All this bitching about prices but at least the rides are FREE!

[quote]But imagine if you started dating a guy who said that his dream vacation was to go to Disney?

John Stamos is a Disney superfan. When they replaced the original Disneyland sign John bought it and installed the D in his yard . This is a bad picture but there are better online that aren't linkble.

Stamos also got married and honeymooned there. Now what was that about imagining if you started dating a guy who said that his dream vacation was to go to Disney?

In the 1970s, various organizations at my high school would have field trips to WDW, since it was nearby and affordable. Probably couldn’t have that now with the prices. My family would also have trips there. After awhile, going so often made it seem less special. I’m glad I went to Grad Night at the Magic Kingdom. That was a lot of fun, although wearing a coat and tie was stupid.

Thanks R261 I hadn't thought to do 2 parks in a day. I’ll call and see if I can add the hopper option.

@ABC7

STAR WARS LAND: @Disneyland is making some changes to park infrastructure to prepare for the upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction this summer

I hate Star Wars so couldn't be happier this land is opening. I can ride Splash Mountain ten times an hour.

Sorry I don't know if this was posted here. If not it's a must read. Made me so fuking sad

I can deal with the admission price & inflated food costs, but getting charged to park at WDW *really* pisses me off & just seems totally petty and mean.

I can almost rationalize paying at Universal since it has the biggest garage I've seen in my life, but WDW literally has land to burn. If they really need the cash, they should charge $25 for "premium" parking near the entrance, $10 for "deluxe" parking near the tram stops, and let people willing to walk a half mile park in the outer frontier for free. Charging outrageous amounts of money to park at a sprawling surface lot just gets the day off to a bad start & makes EVERYTHING from that point forward feel like a rip-off.

Based on the CPI, parking at Disneyland should be $2.35, not $25.00

And it starts at $25, next year it will be $27, then $30 and so on. The only way is up. I have never seen Star Wars (except clips when Carrie Fisher was on a chat show!) and I refuse to pay those parking costs so I’ll be taking my last trip next month. I’ll use the Magical Express and skip car rental.

I’ve also been told you can now opt out of housekeeping on site and get a $10 gift card per day. Apparently they’re having trouble attracting housekeeping staff but won’t raise the salary to get more hires. I’m imaging all the rooms not being cleaned for several days and I can see that speeding up general wear and tear. There’s two new big tower hotels about to open and they’re blocky, ugly buildings that look like a Hilton. Such a shame because the theming was one of the few ways to justify the on site costs.

R272, you are a cheap fucker.

The high parking charges encourage more people to stay in one of their properties.

They’re charging for parking at the resorts though too.

The best ride ever

Not for the mules, r276

The mule ride closed in 1973, before the obesity epidemic

I remember the pack mule ride back in the '60s. And there was a store in New Orleans Square that created customized perfumes that you could name after yourself, e.g., "Essence of Mary." After taking that ride, someone said that no perfume could cover up their "Essence of Pack Mule."

[quote]They’re charging for parking at the resorts though too.

I've never stayed at one of the Disneyland properties, but I'm pretty sure parking was free at the ones I stayed at in Florida.

The parking fees are a new introduction, parking used to be free in the resorts.

Jesus, WDW now charges $25 to park at WDW, and $40 for "preferred" parking.

That's fucking BULLSHIT, and itself would put me off from going there as a matter of moral outrage. I'd bitch about spending that much to park anywhere, ESPECIALLY a fucking sprawled-out surface lot where there's ZERO land-scarcity to drive up costs & it's purely just a shameless, greedy cash-grab & example of Disney unambiguously telling everyone, "Fuck you, just because we can."

Disneyland has free parking for the resorts-3 hours for the hotel, 5 hours at DTD (with $20 purchase).

That doesn’t help people staying there, only people who want to go to a resort to eat. Charging overnight guests to park when the value and moderate resorts are motel style with lots of parking outside the rooms is daylight robbery.

We went to Disneyland for the first time in 1988. Ticket price for an adult was about $21, which at the time was considered a lot of money. (I can remember concert tickets in the 1980s being about $15 per seat.)

When I went to WDW for the first time in 1990, I was surprised to see that their tickets were about $30. I can remember thinking, "Who can afford to pay that?" Whether or not I could afford it, I paid it.

Almost all of the hotels and motels around Disneyland charge for parking. Nothing is free anymore.

You people who are complaining about the price of entry being over $100 are a joke. I wanted to see the off Broadway Yiddish Fiddler and it was well over $100 for a 3 hour musical. That to me is obscene.

When you consider what people will spend on Broadway, concerts and sports events a park admission to Disney is cut rate. You can stay at a value resort and get an entry to a park for what people will pay for a good seat to a pro football game.

Now yes the scooters and strollers which did not exist years ago are miserable but that is simply life today which Disney did not create. Also you must get fast passes months in advance BUT years ago when there was no such thing you were stuck waiting an hour and a half for space mountain and there was no alternative. And all the rides were like this. Complete torture.

The thing though is you do have to plan today many months in advance to have a good time or if you live in the area check your Disney app for cancellations. Winging it is a very bad idea. But if Disney is not your thing you don't have to go. You would have to pay me thousands of dollars to go to a football or basketball game or even a new piece of Broadway shit.

One thing very wonderful today is the fireworks. I was with my friend at Christmas time at Epcot. The evening Illuminations show had a Christmas finale. My friend said it was like witnessing the end of the world and the world ending in such a way was worth it. I have to say that I was in total awe and will never forget it as long as I live.

R285: Based on inflation alone, that $21 ticket from 1988 should be worth about $45 now. The cost of going to the parks has increased at double the rate of inflation.

In 1971 I paid full price for an orchestra seat to Follies probably the most lavish musical since that time and for many years before for a Wed mat for $7.50.

Now remember this had a very large speaking cast, large dancing chorus, many lavish costumes that couldn't even be reproduced today because the materials are no longer made and not only a full orchestra larger than any today but also an onstage band.

How much is that $7.50 today?

How much would a full price orchestra Wed mat today be for that production. And remember there was no premium pricing then. So if you got your ticket far enough in advance you paid $7.50 for 5th row center. How much would a premium priced ticket be?

A full price Wed mat orchestra seat for Follies as originally produced(none of this National Theater Loveland shit) today at the Winter Garden would cost you $47.34.

[quote]Charging overnight guests to park when the value and moderate resorts are motel style with lots of parking outside the rooms is daylight robbery.

Disneyland doesn't have value and moderate resorts.

That poster is commenting on the hotels and motels around Disneyland, not on property. And I haven't found one that doesn't charge. Even at places like a Best Western it's at least $10-15 a day.

"Disneyland workers live below poverty line; Disney reported $4.423 billion in Net Income"

I know several full grown gay men who worship all things Disney and regard a quarterly trip to one of the parks or resorts something of a pilgrimage.

R277, I'm with you. No more animals used for entertainment.

I have a weird fetish for Disney princes. Can't stop fapping to them.

That was one of the floats on the Fantasy on Parade.

Only quarterly R294? I know some who go at LEAST once a month. It's a fun place, but I can't imagine going more than 2-3 times a year. How would you not get bored?

Disneyland’s Space Mountain remains closed after visitor climbs off ride in motion

Big Bling beyond Club 33

The wrong people from Disney are dying. Ron Miller, Walt's son-in-law, and Dave Smith, the founder of the Walt Disney Archives, have died this month. But that asshole Iger lives on while cast members are living in poverty.

Price hikes at US Disney parks almost always means there's trouble elsewhere in the Disney universe that requires cash. Last time it was propping up Disneyland China for cost overruns. Wonder what it is this time.

Iger is a wretched man. How did they end up with someone worse than Eisner who was pretty bad? And it's probably still propping up Shanghai Disneyland Iger's vanity project just to keep it going.

I was watching his speech on youtube when they dedicated a Disney studio to Annette Funicello and he was embarrassing.

Good call r303:

It’s the new Euro Disney.

Eater does 21 Royal

Iger is not worse than Eisner. Eisner almost ruined Disneyland, and was cheap. His California Adventure was a joke and couldn't draw flies- they we're trying to get OUT.

Have any of you gone to gay days? My former roommates were obsessed with them and went every year.

Yes, but Gay Days used to mean no kids. Now the men are just as bad as frauen with fucking Humvee sized strollers.

No, R308, but the things he has gotten wrong he has gotten spectacularly wrong.

Iger is horribly overbuilding WDW! You don't see this? Building hotels that are ugly as shit as opposed to beautifully themed ones. Large high rise motels and ruining the horizon everywhere.

And his assholery is summed up by his nasty comment about Expedition Everest.

Eisner never should have been allowed to touch the parks, but he wouldn’t have taken the job otherwise.

OK I'll amend that and say they are equally horrible.

[quote]And his assholery is summed up by his nasty comment about Expedition Everest.

What did he say?

[quote] Have any of you gone to gay days? My former roommates were obsessed with them and went every year.

I thought every day was a gay day at Disneyland!

How much do people want to put on a costume, walk around a park and pretend they're Goofy? Seriously this is not supposed to be a job for adults and it shouldn't be a career. Get an education or some job training if you want to make more money.

[quote] How much do people want to put on a costume, walk around a park and pretend they're Goofy?

You'd be surprised.

R317, do you know how many actors and other industry people started at Disneyland? Obviously not.

'How much do people want to put on a costume, walk around a park and pretend they're Goofy?'

The question is how many adults want to take a picture with Goofy? That's what's scary.

Disney World Paris will be holding a Magical Pride event on June 1st.

Growing up, my mother was obsessed with Disney-- we visited Walt Disney World twice a year, for Christmas and for her birthday, and she decorated the entire house with Disney paraphernalia. This was fine when I was a little kid, but by junior high it was just humiliating. Imagine inviting a friend to come over after school and having your mother open the door dressed like Minnie Mouse or Tinkerbell. My father always indulged her but you could tell he was not as enthusiastic about Disney and sometimes seemed downright annoyed at all the fuss and bother over it. I remember one of the biggest fights he and my mother had growing up was when she challenged him to name all of the seven dwarves and the only one he could think of was Sleepy. Looking back I realize he was probably just trying to upset her. Well, it worked!

Needless to say, as an adult, I am DONE with Disney. Instead, my husband and I love visiting Astrid Lindgren's World, which is a theme park in northern Småland, Sweden, and which is based on the classic books written by Astrid Lindgren. Most Americans are only familiar with Pippi Longstocking because of the hilarious movies about her that we all watched growing up, but Astrid Lindgren has other charming characters as well, such as Ronja the Robber's Daughter and "That Emil!" and all of them are there at Astrid Lindgren's World for you to visit with and learn from. It's a blast! While Disney parks focus on rides and thrills and other nonsense that frankly does not have much cultural value, at Astrid Lindgren's World the main draw is "stepping right into the stories" with the little shows that they put on starring the various characters. It's a wonderful way to learn a little bit about great literature, have a laugh, and enjoy some fun in the sun.

It's been five or six years since we went to ANY of the Disney parks and I don't think we'll ever go back-- frankly it feels a bit coarse and trashy now that we have experienced the difference at Astrid Lindgren's World. Obviously my mother is horrified but, well, that's part of the fun! We are planning another trip to ALW in September and I can't wait-- I'm already wondering what new hijinx Pippi has in store for us. If you're fed up with Disney, I highly recommend giving it a try!

@SoCalRyan289

Did you use to work for #Disney or at #Disneyland or #Disneyworld send me a DM with your experience and why your no longer there. Doing research for an upcoming project. #StarWars #galaxyedge #Mickey

@abc7robmcmillan

#EXCLUSIVE drone video of #StarWars Galaxy's Edge at #Disneyland. Opening to the public on May 31st.

Smart idea for Disneyland to set up a reservation system for Star Wars Land. The park is crowded enough now.

Got my Galaxy’s Edge tix! Anyone else?

How is Disney gonna deal with Michael Jackson having been part of the Disneyland legacy through a 3-D movie attraction (ironically replacing a Sherman Brothers-scored one with the initials MJ) and TV specials in the decade prior to that? Will he get swept under the same rug as [italic]Song of the South[/italic]?

r328, what's that video from?

[italic]Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs[/italic].

R323, I condole you. That really is bizarre unless you're exaggerating.

[quote] having your mother open the door dressed like Minnie Mouse or Tinkerbell. My father always indulged her but you could tell he was not as enthusiastic about Disney and sometimes seemed downright annoyed at all the fuss and bother over it

Just more evidence that straight men will put up with anything for pussy.

[quote]Just more evidence that straight men will put up with anything for pussy.

Hey, you know what they say: "everybody wants to be a cat."