It’s funny what grabs your attention when you go on vacation. In December of 2008 my wife and I were amazed by the number of ECVs that could be found in the parks at Disney World. In February 2010 something else grabbed our attention. It seemed like every time we turned around there was a kid melting down.
I really think they Give a Day, Get a Day should be replaced with “The Year of a Million Screams.” The meltdown is something that has always amazed me. In many cases meltdowns can be avoided but if parents did that I would have less to write about.
There are two very different types of melt downs. The first is the classic scream as loud as you can / disagree with everything meltdown. These tend to be cause by utter exhaustion. These often happen after 3pm depending on the age of the child. The scene is classic, a screaming kid and a parent who looks half dead carrying / dragging them. These can be avoided by a noontime break / nap. These can also be avoided by not keeping your kid awake for the 9:30pm Hoop Dee Doo or the 9pm La Nouba or ANYTHING that late.
I know this is off subject but – WHY WOULD YOU DRAG A KID TO La Nouba IN THE FIRST PLACE! That is not a kids show. The 9pm show just blows my mind entirely.
The second kind of melt down is the acting out followed by the stern lecture by a parent. This is like a double melt down because both the parent and the kid are melting down. These are some of the funniest melt downs. The canned lecture is awesome. They always include a reference to how the kid is ruining the vacation for someone else and a reference to how much money is being spent. You think I’m kidding? I quote:
“The way you are acting is ruining this vacation for your mother. I spent a lot of money for this vacation and I’m not going to let you ruin it.”
I overheard that by the cash register in the Emporium on Main Street USA in the
Another classic is when the parent threatens the child with something ridiculous. I overheard a parent threaten to leave the park and drive home. This was about an hour after the park opened. Kids are not dumb. You need a real threat.
What cause this kind of melt down? There are two things. One is a total lack of ever discipline your child. The other factor having an overly structured vacation that results more attention being given to doing everything than enjoying time with your child. To prevent this take it easy, be flexible, and remember that enjoying what you are doing is better than trying to do everything. If you kid wants to do a ride again, do it again. It’s their vacation too.
A lot of things have changed over the years in the
A lot of people don’t realize that The Magic Kingdom had an arcade on Main Street USA. Back in the 80’s the
In the back of the arcade you had your usual arcade games that you can find in any normal arcade. They kind of stuck out like a sore thumb. In fact the arcade at exit of
The only drawback of closing the arcades was the loss of those penny cartoons. They were an awesome piece of Disney history. Try and explain to kids that original arcades only had cartoons and oddball, non electronic games and see what happens. Honestly I never knew anything like that existed.
It makes me wonder where the old cartoon machine and antique games are now. There is no way Disney threw them out. If they did that would be a crime. Maybe we’ll see them pop up sometime in the future so everyone can gawk over them. They really were something else.
Everyone has “wow” moments. “Wow” moments are the times when something stops you in your tracks or you get a sudden rush of emotion. Most of the time these “wow” moments are infused with nostalgia.
Here are a couple of my wow moments:
#1 – The monorail looping around Epcot: I don’t know why but this always amazed me. I guess I knew I was in for a good day when I saw Spaceship Earth go by. It’ll be strange on my next trip. I’m staying at the Boardwalk so I won’t be experiencing this.
#2 – Cinderella’s Castle from Main Street USA: I think this is on everyone’s list. When you walk down
#3 – The Hyatt MCO: Ok this might sound like an odd one but when I see this hotel inside
#4 – The purple and red signs: I bet a lot of people get the wow moment when they see these signs. Nothing says you’re in Disney as when you see the green highway signs turn into the purple and red Disney World signs.
#5 – The atrium in the Contemporary: The atrium in the Contemporary is just impressive. Even if I’m not staying there I always have to find a reason to go there.
#6 – Pioneer Hall: I stayed at
Of course there are others but those are the ones that really stand out for me. Feel free to leave your favorite moments in the comments.
