One of the nice things about having been to Walt Disney World as often as we have is that we get a chance to sit and people watch. Here are some of the people we saw on our last trip. What captions would you place on these pictures? Tell me in the comments section and I will use some of the best in a future post. I am sure we can all identify with the feelings shown in these photos.
This is a reprint of a post from my other blogsite, Thoughts From the Dark Side. After reading a post at Growing Up Disney today, I thought I might post it here as well. Hope you enjoy it.
When Disneyland was less than a decade old, my grandfather and my aunts became the first in our family to visit. I remember one of my aunts saying upon their return that Disneyland wasn't for kids. What she meant was that this is not a park with just amusement park rides for the kids and nothing else. After all, wasn't that Walt's purpose for building Disneyland in the first place?
But at what age should you bring a young child to one of the (now multiple) Disney Parks? Is there such as thing as too young to bring a child?
I have heard both sides of this argument, and there are points on both sides, but I think it really depends more on the individual child than any set and fast rule.
Many people would argue against it saying that if the child is too young they will not remember it. That is certainly true, but is it important to be remembered? Again, it depends. If going to a Disney Park will be a once in a lifetime event, then most certainly you should wait until the child is old enough to not only enjoy him/herself in the moment, but be able to remember it for years to come.
However, if you know that this will be just the first of many trips, why not let a young child enjoy the experience. But then you have to ask, how old are we talking about? Again you have to know your child, as well as your own tolerance for the extra care they will require. Is your child used to traveling and being in public situations, or will the theme park atmosphere overwhelm your child? Will your child be able to enjoy the characters and the atmosphere, or will it scare him/her? These are things you need to ask yourself before you consider when to bring (or not bring) them to a Disney Park. Remember also that if your child is having a melt-down, not only may it disrupt your day in the park, but the day of other guests as well.
But if your child is comfortable and happy in new situations and can handle the hubbub of a theme park with thousands of people, loud sounds and music, then why not bring them and allow them to enjoy themselves? They may be of an age where they will not remember their first visit, but they can certainly enjoy the experience as it happens.
Had it not been raining on the day my wife and I visited in 1979, my daughter would have made her first visit at 7 months old. As it turned out, she made her first visit at 4 years of age, while my son was 2 years during that same visit ... his first as well. Neither of them remember that trip, but we have been back many times since then. (Boy is that an understatement!)
In August 2010, my son - now the father of twins - and my daughter-in-law took those twins to Walt Disney World for their first trip. They were 10 months old at the time. They experienced attractions, parades, and food that they hadn't before. Did they enjoy themselves? You tell me ...
And no, this wasn't their only trip ... they have been back and will be many more times.
It's that time of week when we reveal the answer to last week's Challenge and issue a new one for this week.
Last week we asked Where in WDW? this was ...
A number of people got it correct - this is from the large mural which sits atop Conservation Station at Rafiki's Planet Watch in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
So now it's time to ask Where in WDW? is this ...
As always, make your guess in the comments section below, and come back next week to see the answer. Good luck!
This week my Wordless Wednesday's
theme is Mickey Mouse. Thanks to Deb at Focused on the Magic for hosting this blog hop. Stop by and join in.
In 2003 Mickey Mouse celebrated his 75th birthday, and in his honor, 75 large Mickey Mouse sculptures were produced to be decorated by 75 selected celebrities or organizations. Here is a look at some of them.
It's time again to enter the Wayback machine and have a look at Disney past. Thanks Deb of Focused on the Magic for hosting the Photo Flashback blog hop.
In a past post I highlighted my daughter who has been a Cast Member for almost 12 years, but before she even first arrived to work in WDW, my son spent some time as a butler in Master Gracey's employ. Today I share a ride-through of Disney World's Haunted Mansion (my favorite attraction) from 1999 - during his tenure there. After all, it's only fair. (At the stroke of midnight of 1999/2000 The Haunted Mansion, as were all attractions throughout Disney World, was closed so guests could celebrate the new millennium. However, the ride was not shut down so it could reopen after the fireworks. Someone had to stay in and babysit the Doom Buggies. That would have been my son, who spent the stroke of midnight alone in The Haunted Mansion watching Doom Buggies circle the track. How many can say that?) See some of the Master's servants here.
This week's Wordless Wednesday's
theme is Disney's Hollywood Studios. Thanks to Deb at Focused on the Magic for hosting this blog hop. Stop by and join in.
When I first saw this theme I started thinking about which attraction I would highlight. After going through some photos, I decided that rather than featuring an attraction, I would show some of the less documented sights in the park itself.
