(Admit it: You knew this was one my threads before you even clicked on the title, didn’t you.)
I’m watching Molly’s latest video and it got me thinking about the WDW portion of my December trip. I’m bringing three of my friends and we will just have spent two days at UOR, which I think they will love and which may even blow their minds. It blew mine the first time I went.
We then transfer to WDW. And here’s the problem: they have the kind of basement-low expectations that people who have never been and know nothing about it have. They think it’s a kids park full of lame rides featuring Mickey Mouse. Paul (my ex) and I went to DLP and he hated it. He’s constantly telling me how much he hates Disney. Except maybe the villains.
So I’ve been wondering: Where do we start that will completely disabuse them of this notion and blow their minds?
Back to Molly. The video is about AK and it’s making me realise that this might be the place to start. It’s visually unlike anywhere else you’ve ever been. I can hit them with EE, which is no kiddie coaster, and FOP, which is unlike anything they’ve experienced before. I had TH pencilled in as the one character meal we would do (I want to do breakfast / brunch there). That’s a very Disney experience yet very far from, say, H&V.
Of course this basically means @OBNurseNH is right. Who knew?
I was more certain than I am about the spelling of my own name.
Absolutely this will hit them hard. Only drawback is that they may be comparatively disappointed with everything else by doing the best stuff first. Counterpoint is that they would still have RotR in HS, GotG in Epcot, and (maybe Tron?) all the magic of MK ahead.
I think WDW is epic enough that it will blow any normal person’s mind, unless they are the type who would give the Grand Canyon a one-star Yelp review. That doesn’t mean they’ll like it overall, but they’ll have to be impressed.
I feel like MK is going to be a tough sell. I’m hoping they may get swept away by the Christmassyness of it. And maybe a strong start with Space Mountain (and Tron?) will set the tone.
Of course we’re going to go. Twice. But they’re not going to like it like you like it. Which is why we can’t start with it. It will just confirm that Disney is every bit as boring as they were expecting.
If they are going to think it is boring, why do they want to go in the first place? They must want some of the MK feels or they wouldn’t go at all, right?
I get what you’re saying. MK is kind of the most predictable one of the parks. That said, if you go on a nice morning when the sun is rising and see main street and the castle, it’s not too difficult to be impressed by it and get in the right mood.
I do agree that if you want to absolutely blow their minds, FOP is a technology to do that with.
But if they are just going to dismiss MK, why go? I wouldn’t want people being mean about a place that I cared about. It would just bug me that I went to all the trouble to take them and they were acting all superior.
I do hope after a few days at other parks, that their hearts will soften a bit and let you have your fun without saying mean things.
MK is my least favorite park - mostly because there it doesn’t get updated much But if they are going in to it expecting lame, it might be hard to convince them otherwise.
Handled correctly, I don’t think that they will. And we can’t not go.
Also, they have requested a Christmas dinner somewhere and LTT is the obvious place. Plus Space Mountain and Tron will get them going. BTM and 7DMT slowly eases them in to the less exciting stuff. Paul will like HM.
I think it is a mistake to try to second guess what someone else may or may not like at WDW. WDW is the sum of the parts. AK is my least favorite, yet I still love it. There are parts of each park that are uninspiring. There are parts in each I never miss. And the parts I love another doesn’t.
Just let them experience WDE with any pressure nor expectation. They will probably find things you love boring, and vice versa. I, for example, find Soarin’ a far better experience than FoP…but I have no issue that many feel the opposite.
I think what a lot of you are forgetting is that you’re a bunch of weirdos. Normal people are not like you. Normal people don’t lionise Walt. They couldn’t pick him out of a line-up. They certainly have zero idea who Joe Rohde is. And they care even less.
I’ve tricked these people into spending thousands of dollars to come to Orlando. Anthony’s main priority for the entire trip is going to Walmart. Paul constantly reminds me how boring DLP was. (And DLP is MK’s much prettier cousin.)
I’ve got to show these people a good time.
And, yeah, yeah. I’m more chilled out than people think. And I know that plans change and pivots are made. But I’m enjoying the planning. And the changing of the plans. It’s 90% of the trip for me. The actually going part is dull.
They’re being consulted. I’m showing them menus. And they are expressing views. For example, “We don’t want to eat burgers all the time”, “We want to do a posh dinner”, “We want to do a Christmas dinner”.
But I don’t want to spoil the surprises. And I know them all well enough to know the kind of things they like.