Agreed with you! Those Friday night can get wild haha, but yeah an age limit would be fantastic! And I don’t wanna be out the loop those conversation because that’s what I like with lines, the randomness of it and having access to so much great info!
I’m “in” the Lounge, for better or worse. In the 100 or so posts that have shown up there, it is largely off-topic joking around that typically cluttered so many posts in Lines. It’s a place where some of us who have been active in Chat for years and have close friends who are Liners can have off-topic conversations without cluttering up the more “informational” topics. Might be kind of fun. Most forums have built-in “recognition” systems that open certain areas to the members who have provided the most input. Some forums don’t even let you start a new thread/topic until you have replied to “x” number of other posts. Some post an annotation to your avatar indicating if you are “new”, “regular”, “expert”, etc. As for “exclusivity”, how many “private, by invitation only” FB pages are out there…
A potentially valid complaint comes from those who have been subscribers for a number of years but just don’t post all that often. Perhaps there could be a # of chats or # of years “gate”. But in all honesty, forums are about participation, and if someone has only “participated” a few hundred times in several years, why would they suddenly want to participate in a “private” forum. I suspect that this will not be a popular comment.
But on the cautionary side, there was a period of time (that was ending just as I was joining) that there was a by-invitation-only sub-clique that called itself “The Alliance”. I do not know all of the details, but my understanding is that this group of self-proclaimed super-Liners flaunted their status as members of this group and it drove a stake into the heart of Lines - causing many hurt feelings and a number of long-time Liners to leave. There are other Liners who could provide more details - if they wanted to recall that dark period of Liner history.
There IS also a “Subscribers Only” forum, and I believe that this is a MUST HAVE, especially if this forum is going to be open to anyone who happens to stumble across it. Personally I’d prefer the entire forum to be limited to subscribers only - but that goes against the TP business model. At the very least I believe that if reading is open to anyone, POSTING should be limited to paid members (much like the current Lines is).
All of the above being said, would I be upset if the “Lounge” went away? Not especially. But I do think it’s kind of a cool way to let old friends have off-topic chats without getting in the way of others who are looking for specific answers… 
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The lounge bothers me because we all paid our subscription to have access to the same content, but now we are getting access to less content for the same price just because we don’t/can’t post as much? That’s not right. There should be a subscriber section and a non subscriber section and let that be that.
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Very well said @bswan26. Thank you! The Lines app has badges to earn while in the park. Forum has badges to earn for participation. It makes sense to me. I like the subscriber only areas since, it is my understanding, that those areas would not be searchable via Google or another search engine.
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f you’ve made personal friends and you want to have private chats then email, Skype, texting, and many other options are available. TP having something special just for the less than 1% of their subscriber base is unwelcoming and alienating and reeks of forum drama.
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Most Liners are adults. In fact, if you read the rules section, it states that you must be over 18 to participate. However, like everything Disney, there is a perception that everything must be suitable for a 10 year old. Whether “private” or open to all subscribers, I believe that there should be an “adult” room where the tight restrictions on topics, inuendos, and language could be relaxed. I fully appreciate that there are adults who do not enjoy these things either, and I believe that there should be limits in the “main stream” posts, but just like some bars are “adults only”, I believe that there should be an outlet for those of use who just want to hang out and not have to worry about every single that we say.
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@bswan26, I agree completely with what you said. It is standard practice in every forum I have been a member of to scale access based on participation.
For those that are so vehemently against the lounge - do you really want to participate in the off-topic shenanigans? Would removing the chat count requirement and putting the disclaimer I suggested above satisfy the objections?
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My post count us over 3,000 so I am in the lounge but I don’t think post count should matter. I’m not sure why post count would be used to let people in. Quantity does not always equal quality. There are people who post very helpful things but don’t post too often. I would think that since everyone is a paying customer here they should be treated equally. I’ve never been part of a forum that had restrictions on who could go where based on something as arbitrary as post counts.
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In a situation where people PAY for what THEY believe is exclusiveness, it’s just human nature to wonder why there is another inclusive group involved. I am a four yr PAID member. We have been to Disney World once. So not being an expert, I don’t chime in much. But I LOVE lurking, and learning about other people who love Disney and adventure. And enjoying eveything WDW and “liners”. If there is fun, goofy stuff going on, even not WDW related, as a PAID member, I feel I’m missing out. Just human nature. If I wanted to level up, and be rewarded for achievements, I’d get on our xbox. If I’m paying for something, I want the full version. Even if I’m just observing. I never saw in the fine print “If you participate “x” many times, there’s a super secret club you can join”. Seems childish. But… Just my one cents worth. Back to lurking!
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I agree with this. Even though I am nowhere near close to gaining access to this exclusive lounge, I understand it. I actually suggested something like it yesterday morning without realizing that there would be requirements other than a subscription. I’ve watched the threads on chat for over a year so I feel like I know several of the members without having been involved in the conversation. This was one of the reasons that I started to “chat.” Whatever is decided won’t cause me to give up my membership though. Just happy to be here!
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I said this in the other thread but it should probably go here instead. Sorry for posting in the wrong thread. Please penalize me 2 MeowMeowBeenz.
This is just what we needed! It’s about time everyone knew their rank and place in the community. Is there also a rule where Level 1s cannot address Level 3s directly? I would push for that as well. Maybe we can even start being able rate other users on a scale of 1-5 MeowMeowBeenz. Your MeowMeowBeenz average will allow you to talk only to users with similar MeowMeowBeenz ratings. #Community
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I have been a member of TP for 4 years however I do not post a lot. I do however read lines every day. I do not agree with the post count because I have been around longer than some people who have that many posts.
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I don’t see a problem for a subscriber lounge where topics are open and filters relaxed at all! There’s just no reason to make it for the levels.
Anybody hearing Kramer right now? It’s all about the levels…
NTKS I’m not sure if I can address you or not, so I will just not make direct eye contact… And say I’m right there with you.
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I think most of us agree subscriber area yes …levels NO …
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@NotThatKevinSmith I tried to pose like your profile picture but I looked dumb! So I will just agree with you!
These PRETZELS are making me thirsty !!!
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My objection to needing the high count to enter is that while I never felt comfortable enough to add my two cents in these conversations, I usually enjoyed reading them. I started reading UG in th 90’s and have recommended the book countless times and have bought copies for at least 3 people as gifts. I only discovered chat back in dec. Is that not loyalty?
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Segregation is never a good idea. Insulting and discriminatory, but I’m figuring if certain people think they need a place away from the rest of us, let them - luckily anyone can go to WDW which I thought this was all supposed to be about!
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I get the idea of people making connections and I get the changing business model, but having a VIP area where lurkers/commoners aren’t allowed to lurk is disappointing. There are a lot of people (including myself) who find the off topic threads hilarious and fun to read even though I’m not in the “in crowd.” Being held behind the virtual rope sends a message. If subscribers don’t want to read the off topic or off color threads, the new “forum” set up makes them easy to avoid. I don’t get it.
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