I am a Disney Snob!!!!!

[pixiegymballmom]

I just spent a very nice day in a "non disney" theme park in Northern California (there are MANY FLAGS and some aquatic sea life), which shall remain nameless. But I will say that it has become obvious that I am a complete Disney Snob. My entire experience was "what's the matter with this company, have they never visited a Disney park? Don't they know who the competition is??"
I was miffed when I asked a staff member for directions to the Petting Zoo area of the park and was told, "I don't know." as she just walked away. I asked a second staffer, who said "the supervisor down the hill there will be able to tell you" the supervisor disappeared before I made it down the hill. The 3rd staffer told me there was no petting zoo area (true, but shouldn't the first two have known that?). Later in the day my dh had to practically BEG the attendant at the restaraunt where we ate lunch for cups of water (he was told by the rest. manager that "we are supposed to sell bottled water"). We had just bought lunch for 8! Giving us water to go with the meal wasn't biting into the profit margin too badly!
I noticed that the staff were wearing shirt that had the following proclomation on the back, "Please keep the park clean, my family comes here, too." I was taken aback by asking the guests to clean up after themselves in this fashion, but generally didn't mind UNTIL I saw a staffer wearing these shirts step on a wrapper a child had just dropped and continue walking with the litter stuck to her shoe! At Disneyland I have seen Executives and other high level cast members frequently bend over to take care of trash. It fosters a sense of responsibility so that guests feel the need/desire to take care of it too.
IN any case, I have no great desire to return to this park. At Disney parks, I always leave with a desire to plan another trip soon!
The other guys don't get it. A first name on a name tag is NOT enough!

[Deesdisney]

I know what you are talking about. I have been to diff. parks and I have not been back since. I went to one where the rest. had big spider webs, ants and was just dirty. I do not think they get it either. At one park someone dropped a ice cream on the ground while I was waiting for my family. I sat there for 30 min. and in that time I counted 5 park empl. walk by and do nothing. When I left it was still there. I like to only go to Disney parks for this reason.

[dephenn]

While I will agree with you no one does it as good as Disney, I have been to other amusement parks that do a really nice job keeping their parks clean and not just because it's Memorial Day would mention that Sea World does an outstanding job recognizing and and honoring our nations (United States) veterans and the playing of the Nation Anthem (Star Spangle Banner) when they open, I hope they never change that and the park was clean and staff where very friendly. I don't think that you're a snob at all, just someone that knows what they like. Hope you have a great Memorial Day.

[dephenn]

While I will agree with you no one does it as good as Disney, I have been to other amusement parks that do a really nice job keeping their parks clean and not just because it's Memorial Day would mention that Sea World does an outstanding job recognizing and and honoring our nations (United States) veterans and the playing of the Nation Anthem (Star Spangle Banner) when they open, I hope they never change that and the park was clean and staff where very friendly. I don't think that you're a snob at all, just someone that knows what they like. Hope you have a great Memorial Day.

[BluewaterBrad]

Only Disney for us!!

[Goofeygal]

Disney is also the best that if you have a complaint they go out of their way to correct it.

[azdisneymom]

You mean there are 'other' parks besides Disney?

[GrumpyFan]

While I like rollecoasters and thrill rides, I've stopped going to that amusement park that has multiple flags due to the fact they closed the one nearest to me and the one I used to visit frequently when I lived in Georgia went downhill and got overrun with gangs and thugs! We'll occasionally visit a Busch park, but tend to save up our money so we can go to a real amusement park that actually cares about it's guests. It's a shame really, because that other park chain has (had) some nice properties, and they used to be a good place for families to go, but they've severely declined over the years.

[xipetotec]

Heck, I'm 20 minutes from our local six flags, and when I last went I hadn't been in years, and upon having gone, no longer have any desire to go for many years to come.

but I dream of going back to Disney *every single day*

[pixiegymballmom]

My darling husband, the kids and I are looking forward to our first Disney Cruise!!!! We are taking the Special 5 night Bahamian cruise on the Magic with a double dip to Castaway Cay!!!!
I imagine I am ruining us for any other cruise line, too. But if the differences are as stark as in the parks, then I don't really care.
Our last trip was to WDW last Spring and we really enjoyed Blizzard Beach (Christmas Music in April while we swam!! Only at Disney.) My boy spent 4 hours at DisneyQuest and still didn't want to leave.

[Young@Heart]

I can relate. We live about 20 min. from a major theme park and I pretty much refuse to step foot inside. DC don't share my dislike for this park, but their friends all have season passes, so of course they want to go. However, DH and I stay away as much as possible. For us, it's WDW all the way!

[pixiegymballmom]

My son, age 12, actually enjoyed his day at 6 Flags enough. He is a thrill seeker and the roller coasters kept his spirits up. But at the end of the day he said he also noticed that the park was dirty and the "cast members" were rude or just negligent.
The funny part is, we planned this trip as a homeschooling "field trip" we just didn't plan on a lesson in creating a corporate culture or in good marketing practices. Ah well, sometimes the lessons present themselves.

[Queen Stephanie]

We are all a secret society...Disney Snobs! lol I completely agree with each of you. You see, Disney is truly a magical place. It is alway shining like a new penny, clean enough to pass the white-glove test and superb customer service by ALL cast members. There is no other place on earth like Disney's magic! We must all accept it and be grateful for it. Each time I visit a non-Disney park, I look up to the sky and say "thank you for Disney"!

[Marceline]

My whole family are Disney Snobs.....whenever we begrudgingly go to our local theme park we just walk around in a depressed slump and shake our heads and mutter to one another...."it's just not DisneyWorld."

SPOILED!!!!

[Thumper03]

You mean there are 'other' parks besides Disney?

Only Disney does "theme parks", those other place are "thrill parks". Strangely, I've never been "thrilled" to go there either.

[cincymommy]

Reading all of these make me so excited to go to Disney world in a couple weeks. I am 28 years old and it will be my first trip. I live in Ohio - near a couple large amusement parks or whatever you want to call them. Although all of them have their positive attributes, I am never very excited to go there. I am taking a group of my students this coming week to one of these places. I will have to pay close attention to the helpfulness of employees ,etc. and then make my comparisons on my first trip to DISNEY. I already know they probably won't even compare!

[pixiegymballmom]

Your first trip at 28!!!!! Oh you poor thing!!! I practically think of a disneyless childhood as abusive!!!! Ok, not really. But it's practically been my kids nursery.

[cincymommy]

Yeah, I know! My parents always told me that they would take me when my sister was older (I started asking when she was a toddler.). Well, she is 25 now...lol

Better late than never I guess. I guess I am just going to make sure my little boy is WELL acquainted with Disney!

[pixiegymballmom]

How old is little boy???
I have 2 boys (12 and 10 years old) and they have grown up disney!!!
My older son loved Buzz Lightyear when he was a little guy (3 to 6 or 7). He also liked Tarzan and now LOVES pirates and any of the Star Wars/Star Tours stuff. Space Mountain is a favorite attraction of his.
My 10 year old was rather ill when he was little, and thus NOT a thrill seeker. He liked the Jungle Cruise (cause of the animals) and all the fantasyland rides. Peter Pan has always been a favorite, and he ADORES Pluto. Pluto actually played "fetch" with him for several minutes during one of our Disneyland trips! Nicholas would throw a rolled up disneyland map several feet and Pluto ran to bring it back (they did this for quite a while on a drizzly not very crowded day). My son has never forgotten that game of fetch.