Trip report December 5-8

xiphoid76

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 6, 2011
This is our fourth time here and first time staying at Disneyland hotel.

Pros: Merry Stitchmas
Pirates of the Caribbean
Christmas parade
Tree lighting
Snow on Main Street
Big thunder mountain
It’s a small world
Ratatouille ride

Cons:
Disneyland hotel - needs total refurbishment. No water during many parts of our stay. Run down and dirty. Very sad considering how much we spent here.
Mickey and magician - maybe we had a bad show but this fell really flat and we did not understand why other people thought this was good.
Smoking - oh man, so many people smoking everywhere - no regards to the rules of where they could smoke.
Children on shoulders - why do they all do this and block everyone standing behind them for shows?
General upkeep - lots of trash and not enough cast members to clean up and direct people. There needs to be about 2-3 Times the number of cast members.

Sounds more negative. It really was kind of a bad trip. We had such high expectations for their 25th anniversary but there Park was dirty and the hotel was really really bad.

There were certain things we loved on the Pro list - and the castle is absolutely beautiful!! But it will be a long time before we return - we are so enamored with the Asian parks - this one pales so much in comparison.
 
Children on shoulders is more to do with grown adults selfishly standing at the front blocking young children's views I feel. We were there Dec 1-4, and it amuses me how stupid adults look battling their way to the front for the parades and shows lol
 
:sad2: Disney is not just for children. Whilst I would never push in front of a child and would try to let a child have a good view I too have paid my money and want to see the parades and shows :thumbsup2
 
Children on shoulders is more to do with grown adults selfishly standing at the front blocking young children's views I feel. We were there Dec 1-4, and it amuses me how stupid adults look battling their way to the front for the parades and shows lol

I really dont see why I as an adult who has been organised and waited out for maybe an hour or more to get the front spot should have to give that up cos some parent wasnt as organised as me and has turned up late and now their kid cant see! I refuse to let parents push their kids in front of me, if you want the front spot for your kid, get their before me!
 


I usually let kids go in front of me, as I'm a tall adult and them being there doesn't hamper anything. Parents are usually polite and appreciative of this. However, it is a bit unkind to laugh at "how stupid adults look" being at Disneyland without kids, many of us on this forum enjoy the parks without children.
 
I'm a short adult and no, I don't let kids in front of me anymore. I gave up my park time to get the spot I wanted for something. Why should I give up that spot for a family who enjoyed other attractions in that hour I've been sitting there? Last time I tolerated it the kid started jumping up and down, hit his head on the camera lens and somehow that was our fault.

Some years ago in Anaheim a mother with children in tow bypassed a significant line for Donald. No CMs at that time. People pointed out to her that there was a line. She huffed. "I paid a lot of money so that my son can see Donald." So did I, but my mom didn't help. I paid for my AP, I got every right to enjoy the show, the meet or the parade as much as a family with children.

Plus, way too many parents just take "my kids can go in front" for granted. Two years ago I had someone trying to pull that card on me at a parade. That "baby" was at least 12 and taller than me. There was no way on earth that I would let them block my view after I waited an hour. The "baby" was so embarrassed by what her father was trying, she told him several times to just leave and they'd arrive earlier tomorrow.

It gets worse and worse with parents encouraging their children to do stupid things because they are precious and of course they get to go first. At Goofy's Halloween Meet last year it was our turn to see Goofy. Suddenly two kids come running, duck under the ropes, run up to Goofy and hug him - while my friend was talking to him. The CMs were as stunned as I was, asked me "are they with you?" and when I replied "NO!" (clearly shocked) they had a devil of a time prying the kids off from Goofy. All the parents did was stand at the rope, laugh and take pictures.

At the Starlit Princess Waltz in summer a mother with several children arrived late, just walked in the empty space and told the children to sit down - in front of other kids. I don't know what she thought, maybe that the open walkway was reserved for her. For once CMs stepped in and told her to go back. Then the mom encouraged the kids to try and squeeze through whereever they could, and when someone wouldn't move she even encouraged them to kick people! In the end security was called.

After the last four or five trips I was fighting the significant urge to go to my parents and apologize should I have pulled anything close to what I saw happening that trip when they took me to day trips when I was younger.

But in the end it's not the kids' fault, it's the parents'. There is no way my parents would have encouraged anything like that, and had I tried it we would have been back at the hotel in no time.
 
Well, maybe it's just me that would let a small child stand in front of me at a parade, seeing as I am a grown man and they would not interfere with my view or enjoyment at all. Each to their own.
 


If you had an experience like me with the camera I am sure this may have an impact on your opinion. The family was screeching at us so badly that in the end the characters (it happened back at the old Stars N Cars when the non performing characters were still signing) got a CM to help us in the end.

Even if it's not something like this, kids will still be bouncing and screaming and such. Yes, their form to enjoy the parks. But mine is taking parade photos for example. If a stranger's kid is in front of me and screeches "Elsa!" for the better part of 10 minutes that sure does interfere with my enjoyment and due to the kid bouncing definitely my view is affected too.

Also there's always lots of families staking out their spots early. Why should the last minute people get preference over them, like in the story I posted about the Starlit Princess Waltz?
 

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