Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Kind of like how they feel about deodorant!!<< More implied racism from Road Trip. Just the same type of reception anyone with a slightly tanned color skin would recieve in Minnesota. You people up there are so screwed up. But whatever..
Originally Posted By RoadTrip That's OK. Anyone reading this thread would see that only a butthead would see "implied racism" in my original post. Must be a slow day down there in tacky land, huh?
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Then there are 8 buttheads among us LPers since that is the number of emails I have recieved so far in regards to your comments being out of line. But whatever... And yes, it's always slow in tackyland, since we have the worst Disney resort down here.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Sadly though, Trippy was on the money about the deoderant. Signed, A butthead
Originally Posted By barboy dave, you asked about the dining. Well, there really isn't too much to tell. We dined in street cafes and counter service quickies and even fresh produce stands-- which I liked the best. The only full service dining "on property" we did was the Rainforest Cafe. The staff was very courteous and patient but that restaurant was another "plastic link" in the Rainforest chain. The menue inexplicably was far less comprehensive than the other 5 I have been to. Where was my "Bamba's beef wrap"?? And Wife failed to locate her "Pasta Jambalaya". The pages on the menue were definitely fewer and the ambiance was way too "plain Jane" both inside and especially outside.
Originally Posted By barboy "even though I was born and raised in the bay area, after 21 years" I had no idea(obviously); maybe you might have to show me around the Bay instead I have lived in Santa Rosa, Livermore, Novato, and Mill Valley--- how about you?
Originally Posted By barboy Thalys time We had our first and only real time scare of the entire trip on the morning of check out from Sequoia. Getting up late coupled with a silly marital argument left us in a position of temporary regret. We were scheduled to depart Marne-la-Valle/Chessy via Thalys say 9:20 am and to compound our time mismangement was the fact that we sat waiting for the resort bus to take us to the station and we missed it. We missed the bus even though we were waiting for it 10 minutes. How can this happen?!?! This was straight up stupidity on my part since I had us wait in the wrong spot; the bus pulled up and left very fast since no guests were at the real stop. Dealing with multiple bags we could not adjust/react in time to wave down that yellow bus. We were "sweating it" big time for the next 20+ minutes but we caught the next bus and just barely made the Thalys to Bruxelles and ultimately to Amsterdam. Now, being this is a Disney site I am going to have to edit my trip report severely.... so I will keep this PG, ok.. how about PG 13 then? Amsterdam is beautiful. Amsterdam is liberal. Amsterdam is my kind of place. For those who might not remember some of my stances over in the World Events section I am avowedly libertarian (arguably the most of any member on LP) who wants gov't out and personal choice in--so naturally I found the promised land. If places like Iran, Singapore and Saudia Arabia are my hell then I found political/social heaven in Amsterdam, Netherlands where (1)Prostitution, (2)light drugs, (3) euthanasia, and (4)homosexuality are not only very allowable but even encouraged. Wife and I did partake in 1 of these 4 Amsterdam features(and it should be obvious as to which one using basic deductive reasoning). "window shopping" was very, very interesting and kept us bug eyed--- not at the blatant sexuality per se or the sheer gawking that would naturally follow but mostly due to the fact that this was so very foreign to us being from..... well......anywhere but Amsterdam. We did partake in one of the say 250 lawfully licenced "coffee shops" in the "red light district" near Weomstraat (sp.?). This might well be one of my top 10 most memorable times since being on planet Earth. The waterways are filthy, busy, ubiquitous but most of all amazing to look at. And Amsterdam's architecture, although not as intimidating/breathtaking/ornate as Parisian, is quite a sight to see. The local population readily speaks English and(in our experience) loves to converse. I had 3 very high quality conversations with locals. My favorite was with a small souvenir shop owner--- we talked about why football(soccer) is so very unpopular in the US relative to the rest of the world. Thalys back to downtown Paris I enjoyed DL Paris so much that I decided to go back for a 3rd day(Sunday) and it was quite busy; standby lines reachedthe 1 hr+ mark for BTMRR and Space Mnt--no biggie to us since we tapped those 4 times already on the slower Mon. and Tues. outings. The next day was Wife's day in the sun and my day of heart attack! Like I said earlier she came from far, far away primarily for the Luis Vuitton purses and handbags while I came for Mickey and Co.. We showed up at some fairly swank retailer... Layfayettes? or Printemps? and waited for "rope drop" which was 9:30 sharp on a Mon. morning. What a madhouse!!!--- there was a rush to the LV counter and wife got busy while I stood far back and watched the spectacle unfold before my eyes. Come 10 O'clock and 3,200 Euros later she was done and that's when I had my heart attack. Before we left the US She told me that she was looking for a handbag.... the keyword being "a" as in singular but when the smoke cleard she was holding no less than 6 articles. I am recovered now and I home safely.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo amsterdam is a very interesting city - I do like it - like no where else, especially the window displays. about the bay area, north beach columbus avenue, antioch, concorde, vallejo, benicia and walnut creek/brentwood should cover it
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< For those who might not remember some of my stances over in the World Events section I am avowedly libertarian (arguably the most of any member on LP) who wants gov't out and personal choice in--so naturally I found the promised land. If places like Iran, Singapore and Saudia Arabia are my hell then I found political/social heaven in Amsterdam, Netherlands where (1)Prostitution, (2)light drugs, (3) euthanasia, and (4)homosexuality are not only very allowable but even encouraged. Wife and I did partake in 1 of these 4 Amsterdam features(and it should be obvious as to which one using basic deductive reasoning). >>> How long do you think it will be before any or all of these activities will be made unlawful under US law for US citizens to partake in when outside the US?
Originally Posted By barboy Interesting question...let's see here.. Prostitution is already a lawful activity in SOME Nevada counties but I don't see it expanding anytime soon if ever. The US probably will not care if US citizens indulge as long as the sex is between consenting adults. Now, the Child Sex Abuse Act back in '94 targeted US nationals who were purposely looking to engage in underage(younger than 18) sex tourism-- which is a whole different ballgame. As for soft drugs: well, alcohol and cigarettes are already readily available and lawful as we all know and some states have even passed the medical marijuana initiative. I'll bet that in the coming years more states will join the movement. As more states pass these initiatives I doubt the US will care about the a tourist's casual personal use of marijuana overseas. The US raids on "pot" clubs allowed under some state laws is all about "federalism" and national supremecy--- the US wants to show that it and not a state has the final say. As our elderly population swells in the next 10-15 years euthanasia will have a much wider support. Would the US really care if one took his cancer stricken mom who wants to die due to severe pain to a place like Amsterdam? -- I hope not. As for homosexuality that is a slam dunk. We are on the brink(say less than 7 years) of total LEGAL equality(good!). Several months back I argued that because of the the makeup/profile of the Supremes same gender marriage could be doomed if and when challenged. But now the gay marriage/rights train has too much momentum to stop. So, irrespective of another nation's stance the US will not add homosexual activity to the list of illegal practices covered under extraterritorial laws Extraterritorial laws shrink the world.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 Thank you for a wonderful report, barboy! FWIW, I don't think that candor or negativity are especially rare on LP Trip Reports. But reports that reflect as much insight, honesty, and balance as yours does are not so common. I'm sorry that you didn't feel the Disney "spirit" in your visit. I've long understood, of course, that staff members who just "go through the motions" make a visit less magical. But I'd never really thought about how the enthusiasm (or lack thereof) of other guests affects one's enjoyment of the visit. Thanks for reporting that "intangible" aspect of your visit. Thanks, too, for writing about the intrusive panhandlers and buskers and the other negative elements that you had to endure in your travels around the resort. Those things can really color one's vacation experience, can't they? Too bad Disney doesn't have more control over them (and/or do a better job in the areas in which it does have some control). I love it when people include stuff like that in their reports; I find it invaluable. Sure, it's great when people fill their Reports with facts such as, "I noticed that their version of [Pirates, Splash, Mansion, whatever] didn't have the [whatever] that ours does," and "My room came with [list of amenities]." But there are so many environmental and "unofficial" factors that enter into determining how a visit to a Park "feels." Thanks again for your insight and for reporting on some of those. Congratulations on joining the elite "All Worlds" club, barboy!
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<Wife and I did partake in 1 of these 4 Amsterdam features(and it should be obvious as to which one using basic deductive reasoning).>> Yes, I figured it out. And I have to add that I think it was very clever of you to gain some funds for the handbags purchase this way. Thanks for including your adventures in the US, Holland, and Paris in the Report!
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< SOME Nevada counties >>> It's funny that you mentioned Nevada. If you got stopped on suspicion of DUI and had your blood drawn and any traces of THC were found in your blood, that would be evidence enough to convict you of driving under the influence of an illegal drug. No matter that your consumption may have been weeks ago, or that it in fact was done legally in a different jurisdiction.
Originally Posted By Mr X Great trip report...very interesting read (and it makes me want to visit Amsterdam even more!!). It's interesting to hear that you and your wife were open-minded enough to experiment with homosexuality in Holland. Hope you had fun!
Originally Posted By barboy Thanks, I 57 for your compliment on my reportings over the Atlantic-- it does mean a lot to me. About the DLP cast members.....I really have no complaints nor recommendations as a whole. They seemed to do their jobs with the same enthusiasm as the cast members in the US parks. (But here it comes for the 100th time: for you folks out there who have never toured Tokyo Dis. Resort then you are missing out on the most helpful, courteous and enthusiastic cast members.) But there was one extremely ugly incident that I witnessed at Sp. Mnt.. I wanted to forget it but it is still so vivid: at the loading platform an adult male single rider directly in front of us used hand signals and arm gestures to the cast member responsible for assigning rows to show that he wanted the front row. The single rider never said a word, not one syllable, so I have no idea if he was either dumb(mute), a rude or shy American, a Eropean who can't speak French-- I just don't know. But what I do know is that the cast member was HIGHLY offended and he layed into that guest but good. I have never seen a cast member so angry, NEVER, and this comes from one who goes to parks often. The cast member was so offended that he said in a most nasty tone back.... "IF YOU WANT THE FRONT, THEN JUST TELL ME.... YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO ALL THIS!" Here is where the sheer ugliness happened: right after the cast member's words "DO ALL THIS" he reenacted what the single rider did only in a far, far more violent and abrupt manner making himself look as if he was having an epileptic seizure right there on the platform in front of the queuing quests and co workers. I wish that I had video footage so everyone could fully understand just how disturbing and ugly that reenactment was to watch. The cast member was so animated, as if he was doing the Steve Martin "wild and crazy guy" dance. Conversely, like I said earlier I thoroughly enjoyed the coversation with the Main Street cashier slated to be the next Sleeping Beauty over in Tokyo in '08. She was very polite. I asked her about general guest demographics like...."Which nationals(aside from French) visit DLP the most?" To my surprise she said the Spanish and Italians. She came across as very credible so I'll just have to believe her.(I would have bet a lot of $ on Britain and Germany).
Originally Posted By barboy "It's interesting to hear that you and your wife were open-minded enough to experiment with homosexuality in Holland. Hope you had fun! " Nice one, X Well timed! X, someday you got to get over there to Amsterdam as I know you will dig it.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <-- scratching head and STILL trying to understand the "racism" comments First of all, doesn't "racism" imply generalizations about a whole RACE and not a national culture? Secondly, would one be guilty of "culturalism" simply by sharing observations that are true? Is it BAD to observe that the French have a different take on personal hygiene than we overly-spritzed Americans? Is it BAD to observe that the French behave differently in their Park than do the Japanese? But okay, okay. I'm going to try to be Politically Correct and go along with the "racist" thing... I think I've got it! Okay, check my work here. If I understand TDLFAN's definition of racism, these statements would also be racist: "The British dress terribly in WDW." "WDW's DTD is marred by the presence of redneck locals." "You're lucky to find a CM in Florida who speaks English."
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<-- scratching head and STILL trying to understand the "racism" comments>> It's quite simple really. TDLFAN thinks all Minnesotan's are racist I'm from Minnesota Therefore I'm racist I have no idea what type of nasty experience TDLFAN had with Minnesotans, but he apparently uses that experience to stereotype ALL Minnesotans.
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Originally Posted By Mr X >>X, someday you got to get over there to Amsterdam as I know you will dig it.<< I would love to, no doubt. Plus, I need to hit Paris to join up with that exclusive "all parks club". Unfortunately, flights to Europe are EXTREMELY cost prohibitive from Japan. Anywhere in Asia or North America is much, much cheaper (reason why I've been to Hawaii, Guam, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Anaheim, Boston, New York, Florida and Mexico in the past few years but no Europe...). Hopefully though. If I ever have enough freeloader miles or something...
