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We had to write an arguement essay in English, so I jumped on the opportunity to write about Disney! Instead of a positive, and rather lengthy, essay on how great Disney World is, I decided to do a more negative side... which took much more work. So here it is! Take a chance to read it and post what your arguement on this topic is. smile
Disney World! The Happiest Place on Earth? It’s got overpriced snacks, long lines, sole-searing pavement, and overstimulated, screaming children. The only thing it’s missing is sanity. Visitors might be confused trying to see where happiness actually comes into play. As Walt Disney said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
Disney World has had many problems; from rides to communication. In fact, these parks have had as many downs as they’ve had ups. One main reason for Disney’s negligence, they don’t want to spend as much money as they need to. Take Tomorrowland’s Peoplemover (Transit Authority) for an example- it took seventy-five serious accidents within a five-year period before they made this ride safer. With each family, Disney settled to give them about fifteen thousand dollars in court. (“Disneyland Lawsuits.”) Another dangerous ride at Disney World is Big Thunder Mountain, where ten riders were injured and a twenty-two year-old man, Marcelo Torres, was killed on September 5, 2003. Due to improper maintenance of the ride, the locomotive front of the car derailed and fell backwards, crushing the first passenger car where Marcelo was sitting. (“Disney Dating, Disfigurement, and Death.”) Among the many stories of Disney’s negligence due to their stinginess, Disney has very poor wheelchair accessibility. Only a handful of their rides, including It’s a Small World and Jungle Cruise (both located at Magic Kingdom), have specially-made wheelchair-accessible vehicles. A person on the website Disabled and Productive made this comment about Disney World’s wheelchair-accessible rides, “Some of the wheelchair spaces are pretty tight and in one occasion on the Journey into Imagination ride in Epcot it took a couple of minutes before I was able to properly position myself, halting the entire ride during that time.” (“Accessibility for People with a Mobility Disability in and around Disney World.”) Quite a number of Disney’s rides have no special accommodations whatsoever, such as Pirates of the Caribbean (Magic Kingdom) and Soarin’ (Epcot), guests with disabilities must either get out of their wheelchair and be helped onto the ride or not experience the ride at all. Disney even made the decision to officially shut down Skyway, their version of a skyride running between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, because it would have cost too much money to make it wheelchair accessible. (“Incidents at Disneyland Resort.”)
Although Disney does not like to spend money, they love to make it. Disney World is very expensive and they have developed many techniques to get people to deceptively spend more while on their trip. One of Disney’s highly-esteemed benefits is their Vacation Club. What this club does is offer stays at other hotels owned by Disney that is paid for using the points earned by its members. But how does one earn points in the first place? Money. That’s right- annual dues around nine hundred dollars are collected from each of its members. (“Disney Vacation Club Pricing.”) For the lucky few who get to stay at a Disney World Resort or Hotel, they can take advantage of Disney’s “free” Extra Magic Hours. During these designated hours, certain parks can open early or stay open late to allow only guests of the Disneyland resorts to enjoy more of the park. (“Extended Theme Park Hours – Extra Magic Hours.”) Park tickets range in prices depending on how many days one is planning to be at the parks, but one thing is true for all tickets: more “perks” cost more money. To add a Park Hopper option, admission to a water park, or just to have no expiration date on one’s ticket, it will cost more money. (“Theme Park Tickets.”) It is true that they recently added a special option for Florida residents; that is, Florida residents are allowed to pay off their tickets in monthly installments instead of all at once!
“There is nothing relaxing about spending a week at Disney. You are on the go from the minute you wake up… to the minute you crash…” (“Thoughts on Walt Disney World Part 3.”) A licensed psychologist, Dr. Megan Sutsko, told me, “Disney is incredibly intense and exhausting both physically and mentally.” This is true: Disney World can be physically, as well as emotionally, exhausting. It runs like a well oiled machine, due to its years of practice to produce one big show to entertain its guests twenty-four-seven. If the guests are not aware of the enormity of the task of visiting the parks in the little vacation time they have, they can be in for a rude awakening. “It is not realistic… to be at Disney from early morning until late night fireworks.” (Dr. Megan Sutsko.) Temperatures in Orlando can reach an average high of ninety degrees in the summer, with an average rainfall of seven inches. (“Monthly Weather Averages and Records for Orlando, FL.”) Seeing as though most families decide to vacation in this season, this can be a major problem. Another problem, believe it or not, is that a guest visiting a Disney park, especially with the magnitude of Magic Kingdom, spends most of their time waiting. One must wait to be admitted into the park. Wait for the monorail or ferry boat. Wait to ride a ride. Wait to meet a character. Wait to see the parade. Wait to see a show. Wait to order food. Wait to see the fireworks. And wait for the monorail or ferry boat once again. And, unfortunately, most families vacationing at Disney have small children. These children do not understand that they must wait in a line to be on a ride or see their favorite character. Dr. Megan Sutsko had this to say on the subject, “The short attention span and inability to wait in long lines can increase stress for everyone traveling with the toddler.” And due to the vastness of the parks (Magic Kingdom is currently 107 acres and will be 133 acres when New Fantasyland opens), small children can get very cranky when they are tired or hot.
Speaking of cranky guests, vacationers at Disney can get very grumpy if they are disappointed. One does not simply think of Disney World and automatically relate it to disappointment, but there are a number of reasons why someone can get disappointed during their trip at Disney World. Rides can be closed for maintenance. Guests can get kicked out of lines to meet characters because they have to go “eat some nuts,” “help Flounder,” or “take a pie out of the oven.” Rides often temporarily stop operating because of a technical difficulty. One can think of no easier way for guests to get annoyed except if their boat stops moving on It’s a Small World. Disney-goers can also feel down if the crowds are so bad that they can barely move throughout the park or if their cute poses next to picturesque objects turn out to be blurry pictures.
Although Disney is not the most wonderful vacationing experience, one has to admit that it has some qualities that are highly regarded as far as theme parks are concerned. As the Thoughts on Walt Disney World blog was saying, Disney is a leading example of a successful theme park around the world. They excel at making an entertaining ambiance and their customers feel individualized due to their outstanding customer service. When being constructed, imagineers made a system of tunnels underneath the Disney World parks so that when cast members needed to travel to different parts of the park, they wouldn’t ruin the ambiance of the certain themed area. Walt Disney suggested that these ‘utilidors,’ short for utility corridors, should be built in Orlando because he felt that the sight of a cowboy walking to his post in Frontierland through Tomorrowland detracted from the experience of his guests. (“Magic Under the Park – Walt Disney World’s Utilidors.”) Disney also strives to provide excellent customer service. At any guest relations station at any park, one can receive a button to wear to mark any occasion and get any additional information they require. Tracy Green, having worked in the customer service field for twenty years, shared her own experience at Disney World. “When our stroller was stolen outside It’s a Small World,” mother of four recalls, “We were very upset.” She explained how everything else that was on the stroller was also missing: their baby’s diaper bag and jackets. “We knew it was going to get chilly that night and my daughters were all confused.” That night, they made their way over to the Crystal Palace, where they had reservations for dinner. “Piglet was signing a napkin when we explained we didn’t have our autograph books because our stroller was stolen.” Soon after Piglet left their table, a manager came over saying that Piglet told him of their very unfortunate experience. He offered to take them over to the nearest gift shop after dinner and buy them all sweatshirts and autograph books. “And to make it even better, he gave us a special pass that took us straight to the front of every line! Even the youngest daughter wasn’t upset now, even though we still were stroller-less.” A few weeks later, a big package came in the mail; it was the very same stroller that was stolen that night. “The manager must have found it when everyone left the park that night. We just figure that someone stole it because they didn’t want to pay to rent one from the park.” This is just one example of many great run-ins guests at Disney World have experienced. “Do you make your customers feel special? … If you do, great. If you don’t, perhaps you should… learn a few lessons from Walt and Mickey.” (Thoughts on Walt Disney World Part 1.)
A vacation means to take a break from work and studies to go and do something relaxing or fun, but why do people take a vacation at Disney World if it is neither one of these two things? Disney can be dangerous if one is in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is expensive and physically and emotionally exhausting. Disney World can disappoint, especially small children and people with disabilities. Is this the place where Dreams Come True, or is it the place where vacations become nightmares?
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