Originally Posted By EmmaJayne I would too.. But we are also both used to paying a lot more for most things than our American friends.. I really want to do the Fantasmic reserved seating but everytime there's been something to prevent it happening.. To me the good seats and a nice dessert would be worth that bit extra.. Then again, I can't think of a so gle du I've ever spent at the park where I've spent less than $100 on snacks/meals/merchandise.. So maybe I just go into the whole DL experience knowing it's going to be costly but also aware I am beyond blessed to have been able to go there at all, let alone multiple times!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Agreed, and with the cost of admission, if it means and hour or two where you can do something else rather than stake out a spot like the locals treating the place as a mall, then it also becomes a part of the business case. Dessert, drinks and waiting time reduction - not bad if you are travelling 1000's of miles and dropping top coin.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>not bad if you are travelling 1000's of miles and dropping top coin.<< Dave, I always love your perspective on this stuff. Mostly cause it's right in line with mine I was mocked on a thread a couple of years ago for saying I'm happy to pay for the Grand Californian, in part just to avoid the traffic on Harbor Blvd. I get that for locals or even others traveling from a distance, this is no big deal and I'm a weirdo. But this is MY vacation. My family saves and spends a lot of money for it. Some people go to the beach to get away. Some go to Yellowstone. This is what I do (and of course we've done other things as well). So the cost for me is well worth the time saved, the experience of being more secluded, etc.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo agreed. Just like at DLP. There is a $75 difference between the Fantasia and Dream annual passes. The minor difference is that the Fantasia has about 33 blackout days, the Dream has none. But the main difference is the Dream pass gives access to EMH, which is worth it. You can do almost as much in those 2 hours as you can on a full day in the park during normal opening hours. That is how I justify the difference. I have heard the metric banded about that Disney allow for guests on average to do 10 attractions a day. With an $80 ticket, that makes each attraction roughly worth $8. So the Fantasmic desserts, if you are able to do 2 or 3 attractions rather than waiting, that is potentially a $16-$24 value. Add in that most drinks and one dessert can set you back between 45 and $10, all of a sudden, it seems like a good deal. And agreed, if staying at the Grand, it is wonderful as you rarely see the outside world at all. I mean no disrespect to the locals, but too many times I heard regulars annoyed they didn't get picked in the Star Wars show, or their "regular" spot for the fireworks, or yapping on their cell phones in line, it really did take a lot from the vacation feeling. I still think DL is the greatest park on earth, but it was never designed as a gym or country club.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara Familiarity breeds contempt. Disneyland is like the living room for many ill-behaved locals. But I have to tell you that they are angels compared to the Chinese in Hong Kong Disneyland.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Oh, to be fair, the bahaviour at DL is still better than the experiences at DLP or indeed WDW during Pop Warner.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara What's Pop Warner? I didn't see a lot of bad behavior at Disneyland Paris, but haven't been there for a decade.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Pop Warner is the national schools football and cheerleading championships. To be honest, the kids were not too bad, it was mainly the parents and coaches that were not so cool (seeing mother's pushing around little Britany in a wheelchair to save her legs for competition was one of the real eye brow raisers). DLP, like all the parks depends on when you go.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara I hear there's a lot of drunkeness at Epcot during the evenings when the Food and Wine Festival is taking place. Is that true? I've got kid, so we're usually back in the room by 9 pm.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I've not been there at that time of year. We have seen drunks in Epcot though, more than in DLP where we often imbibe a bottle of wine with lunch.
Originally Posted By crapshoot <<With an $80 ticket, that makes each attraction roughly worth $8.>> Boy, if Attractions could come anywhere near that figure for each rider. Mmmmmmm, NO.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara With the creeping legalization of pot, you have to wonder whether there will eventually be a "doobie" bar next to the new Bayside Brews in DCA.
Originally Posted By Kidz-n-k9s <<It seems logical to me that there should be a California residents program that excluded people that live in the immediate LA/OC/SD area>> And since Phoenix is known as LA-east, I'd like a program too please.
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>With the creeping legalization of pot, you have to wonder whether there will eventually be a "doobie" bar next to the new Bayside Brews in DCA.<< Probably not for a VERY long time. A lot of families would object to that and take their business elsewhere.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "And since Phoenix is known as LA-east, I'd like a program too please. " Of course. My sister and her family live in Phoenix (she hates Disneyland though), so I think that would be acceptable.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "But I have to tell you that they are angels compared to the Chinese in Hong Kong Disneyland." I can only imagine. I heard reports of people peeing in the bushes when it first opened. One of the things that really stood out for me at DLP is how the French generally disregard their position in queues, which is something that American's don't tolerate. Quite often at DLPR the people who were behind and in front of you when you enter a line are totally different by the time you reach the boarding area.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Quite often at DLPR the people who were behind and in front of you when you enter a line are totally different by the time you reach the boarding area.<< LOL, this would drive me nuts. It really would.
Originally Posted By crapshoot <<I heard reports of people peeing in the bushes when it first opened.>> Which happens every day at Disneyland by all nationalities.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Does it? I'm sure in the 50+ yeas that DL has been open it's happened, but I've never seen it and I've never heard of it.
