Walt Disney World Impressions
Just returned from a five-day stay at Orlando's Walt Disney World. While I know many folks love to experience the Disney "Magic," I found myself impressed more by the vast control the Walt Disney Company so subconsciously wields. Within the park (including the Disney-owned hotel at which we stayed), the company is incredibly careful to market only its characters, properties and licenses.
For example, take the cable television in the hotel room. ABC's there, you bet (Disney owns ABC). So is ESPN (again, owned by Disney). Multiple Disney channels fill the dial, as makes sense. But where was Nickelodeon? Not there. Where was TBS? Again, not there (much to the ire of some poolside-bar baseball fans seeking to watch baseball playoffs carried by Turner's network).
I'm pretty confident the music that was piped into the landscape rocks was all Disney-owned. Certainly, Disney's bus queues only take you to Disney properties (don't try going to SeaWorld or Universal; you'll need a cab).
My family loves all the Pixar movies (distributed by Disney). And, with the ties to Apple computer technology and Steve Jobs, I was looking forward to picking up a Pixar hat. Silly me. Despite searching each ubiquitous gift shop, there wasn't a single Pixar hat to be found. Of course not, I should have realized (Pixar's not a Disney property).
Commercialism aside, Disney owns and operates special and historic sites. Mickey Mouse (and friends) characters and comics are classic, as are the Pooh and Pixar franchises to which it's licensed rights. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are wonderful places, and Epcot is equally impressive.
We didn't have time for MGM. As the kids get older we'll likely add that to the itinerary.
Meanwhile, I have a few recommendations for Disney:
1. Get a better Fast Pass algorithm; we found ourselves waiting in a few fairly lengthy lines even when we leveraged the parks' system's Fast Pass technology.
2. Better embrace Pixar and the characters its created.
3. Install hyperbaric chambers in the hotel rooms for adults (Disney proved a more strenuous vacation for me than a mountain biking trip to Moab, Utah).
All joking aside, Disney's a special place. While full of historic characters, famous rides and legendary landmarks, a visit every couple years is more than enough for me.
Check out the family's Disney photos online.
For example, take the cable television in the hotel room. ABC's there, you bet (Disney owns ABC). So is ESPN (again, owned by Disney). Multiple Disney channels fill the dial, as makes sense. But where was Nickelodeon? Not there. Where was TBS? Again, not there (much to the ire of some poolside-bar baseball fans seeking to watch baseball playoffs carried by Turner's network).
I'm pretty confident the music that was piped into the landscape rocks was all Disney-owned. Certainly, Disney's bus queues only take you to Disney properties (don't try going to SeaWorld or Universal; you'll need a cab).
My family loves all the Pixar movies (distributed by Disney). And, with the ties to Apple computer technology and Steve Jobs, I was looking forward to picking up a Pixar hat. Silly me. Despite searching each ubiquitous gift shop, there wasn't a single Pixar hat to be found. Of course not, I should have realized (Pixar's not a Disney property).
Commercialism aside, Disney owns and operates special and historic sites. Mickey Mouse (and friends) characters and comics are classic, as are the Pooh and Pixar franchises to which it's licensed rights. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are wonderful places, and Epcot is equally impressive.
We didn't have time for MGM. As the kids get older we'll likely add that to the itinerary.
Meanwhile, I have a few recommendations for Disney:
1. Get a better Fast Pass algorithm; we found ourselves waiting in a few fairly lengthy lines even when we leveraged the parks' system's Fast Pass technology.
2. Better embrace Pixar and the characters its created.
3. Install hyperbaric chambers in the hotel rooms for adults (Disney proved a more strenuous vacation for me than a mountain biking trip to Moab, Utah).
All joking aside, Disney's a special place. While full of historic characters, famous rides and legendary landmarks, a visit every couple years is more than enough for me.
Check out the family's Disney photos online.
posted by Erik Eckel at 6:44 PM
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