Which is absolutely fine. I think it's wonderful that children and adults love Disney alike and have so much fun on vacation there that they want to go back every year. Disney knows how to do entertainment right. It's even better when you have children and you can enjoy Disney through the wonder and excitement in their eyes.
Only that's not how it happened for me. Two way too young children that couldn't be contained, big crowds, long lines, all for two minutes in a ride or attraction was not my idea of fun. When it was finally time to get lunch, the lines were awdul, there was no place to sit and I had two children I was supposed to keep under control while the food was ordered and a table was (hopefully) located. That's when I had my Disney meltdown.
From that point onward I have been a Disney skeptic. I agree it can be lots of fun and a wonderful vacation for your family. But it is also the same thing for way too many other families. It's a big question that people study, there are apparently apps or websites on the best times to go to Disney for a less-crowded experience. Which means things are leveled out as families go at different times.
Is there even a way to have a not crazy crowded experience? I doubted it. I was a supreme skeptic. I am happy to report that our day at Universal yesterday was very nice. We had fun—all of us. We rode rides and didn't have to wait a long time. Food was fairly quickly available. We ate junk food and had Butter Beer (non-alcoholic), and rode more rides.
We arrived early and went straight to the Harry Potter area. It was filling with people, but it wasn't shoulder-to-shoulder packed, and there were places that had no people in them. The line for Olivanders was very long for the wand-purchasing experience. But there was a vendor right around the corner with all the wands laid out that had only one other person there. Something that might have taken over an hour was completed in five minutes.
The rides were much the same, but this is where there was a catch. The ride wait times were already up in the 100+ minute wait zone. We had a different type of ticket, though. It's basically paying to have higher priority. I wondered if it would lose its value because everyone would want to have what amounted to first class seats. It didn't seem like a lot of people took this option because we never waited more than ten minutes from the point of entering the line to getting on the attraction.
We did a loose tally of how many more rides/attractions we were able to do as a result of the tickets, or perhaps we looked at it in the other direction. We would have only been able to do a fraction of the rides.
Was it worth the extra cost? We thought it was. Everyone had a very fun day. Everything in the Harry Potter area was masterfully done. I'm glad I had a chance to go.
The Big Boy Update: My son had a lot of fun today. He was fun to be with. We held hands so we wouldn't get separated. He was sweet. It was very nice.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: My daughter had more confidence than I've seen in a good long while. She knew everything. She could take us anywhere on property. She remembered which rides you could keep your belongings but you had to check backpacks or other bags in a locker before going. She knew where the spell locations were to try your wand and spellcasting experience. It was so nice seeing her know more than the rest of us. We almost always know more just because we can see. It made me really happy and I tried to ask her questions—which she was spot on in answering.
No comments:
Post a Comment