Wow, three parks in two days (four if we include the sock hop/Easter festivities at the grans): Sea World Thursday, then park hopping from Epcot to MGM then back to Epcot. What a weekend!
There are many ways to react to the Orlando theme parks, probably as many as there are people who flock to them. And everyone comes away with different impressions-- good and bad--even if they have similar experiences. For me this time, though there are so many things they do so well and make complexity and sophistication of design and engineering look effortless and natural, there were a couple of things that kind of put me off: food service (an oxymoron) and the ubiquitous Mickeyprint on everything but spit. I elaborate:
When I tried to get some coffee at a refreshment stand in MGM, though there were five employees--oops, cast--serving only two customers, I waited behind one, at the only counter in the shade. After that customer left, I stepped forward, but the server told me to move around to the front counter instead. So I did, and stood behind the only other customer being served. Again I waited till it was my turn, but then was told to step back and let two or three other customers who were leaning across the front counter form a line ahead of me. The five "cast", only one of which was serving, insisted we all cue up in one straight line in the sun and wait. I left and went to a restaurant.
As to Mickey, I should mention that as a compulsive writer and sometime sketch artist, I often like to take notes and sketch, and usually carry some index cards in my pocket for that purpose. Yesterday, however, I forgot the cards and tried to buy some when I got to MGM. I couldn't find any blank cards at the souvenir stands, so I went to the info booth at the front of the park and asked if there was anywhere I could get them.
They sent me to a five and ten cent store nearby, which had only Mickey imprinted pads for $6.00 or so, but those people sent me to the back of the park to another stand, which also had only Mickey imprints, and they in turn sent me back to the entrance stores, this time to Mickey of Hollywood. You guessed it: Mickey again. But the manager was very helpful, and eager to assist me. She suggested the gift shop at the Tower of Terror, other end again, for some plain sheets. You guessed it, not so. Mickey in pink, Mickey in blue, Mickey in everything they had. There was nowhere I could go to get a plain memo pad or index cards in the whole park, just as there is no grocery, no drug store, no sundries facility in all of MGM Disney. There is only Mickey, Mickey, Mickey! Mickey makes me Sickey!
We went back to Epcot for the fireworks. I raced around the World trying to spot memo pads and finally found several varieties at the Japan stores. By then it was too dark and late to use them, but I bought four pocket pads of plain paper for $2.55 each just on principle.
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3 comments:
unfortunately you can't expect people to treat you like a "person" when you go to a place like disney world. its too big and they are forced to hire people to get the job done. and not just that, but on a budget. so this means that the type of person they get to work there, to run day-to-day operations, is not there to care. that person is there to make a paycheck only. "stand in the sun if it makes things easier for me"
The only way to enjoy the big theme parks is to go there when nobody else does. When my son was in elementary school, it was a year-round school that had short breaks throughout the year, so we went to Disneyland in February, and we actually spent more time on rides -- er, pardon, attractions -- than in line. We went to Sea World in San Diego one Super Bowl Sunday when the Chargers were in the big game, and the only place there was a crowd was a gift shop that had a television on.
It's sad that you had such a bad experience with uncaring help, since Disney at least used to be ocnsidered very well managed and organized. I wonder whether any of the Mouse's managers would respond meaningfully if you told them what happened.
While we've enjoyed some of the big attractions, the most for me has been smaller-scale, quirky museums and places. For example, visiting with the volunteer crew members on the Victory ship Lane Victory in San Pedro, California; I could have spent hours learning about stuff from those old guys since they had such great stories to tell. Nearby is the LA maritime museum, which isn't at all too slick but instead has lots of models and rope work and stuff that obviously represents many labors of love; plus they have ham radio operators who love to chat with visitors such as our son.
Or back in New Mexico, going to a Vietnam memorial, and seeing lots of boxes of facial tissues deployed ... and a bunch of tough biker guys using them. Or going to the small-town museum in Truth or Consequences (near one of our lakes), NM, and seeing a place that's sort of the town's attic and memory - all stuffed with interesting things and not at all slick and sterile.
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