A Disney disaster
Looking out the window of the American Airlines Jumbo Jet as we landed in Orlando, Florida, I felt anticipation, excitement and exhaustion. We had taken a red-eye flight. The plane departed from San Francisco Airport at 10 p.m. and I couldn't remember closing my eyes all night. My husband, on the other hand, slept soundly. He was relaxed and calm as he stepped off the plane at 6:30 a.m. to meet my mother and sisters for the first time. I was anxious about the meeting. Bill and I had been married for only two days. We decided to have a family honeymoon to include my six year-old twin daughters and my mother and sisters. What a great place to vacation, a place for children of all ages, Disney World. Soon we'd all be experiencing the thrill of the Magic Kingdom. My daughters could barely contain their enthusiasm as we drove in our rented Ford minivan to the hotel. Of course I'd taken Megan and Hannah to Disneyland several times, but this was Disney World! The TV commercials and travel brochures had vividly portrayed the splendor and magic of this special place on earth. What I couldn't possibly have imagined at that moment was how very disappointed I would be feeling by the end of the day.
After freshening up at the hotel, all seven of us climbed into the minivan and headed to Walt Disney World. After maneuvering through a maze of on ramps and off ramps, we found ourselves in the parking lot of EPCOT Center. EPCOT is one of the numerous theme parks that make up Disney World. However, EPCOT is not the Magic Kingdom. My mother, sitting in the back of the van, decided now was the time to use her well-intentioned back seat driving skills. My sister, Holly, tried to keep harmony and, knowing Orlando better than anyone else, also gave directions. My husband Bill was getting irritated and the kids just wanted to "get there already". So far we were not experiencing the "magic".
Finally, the Magic Kingdom appeared to be in sight. Wrong! What actually was within our reach was the parking lot, which sits across the water from the Magic Kingdom. As it turns out, unlike Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom is not just a simple walk through the main entrance. To get to Main Street USA, you must wait in a 45-minute line to take a tram or a boat to the Magic Kingdom. We started at 8 a.m. from our hotel, a short five-minute drive from Disney World; at 9:45 we were still waiting in line to take the tram across the water. I found myself wishing we'd flown my relatives to California and gone to Disneyland instead. Entering Disneyland is much easier and quicker.
Disneyland is also quite a bit cheaper than the Magic Kingdom. But I assumed we'd find value in the additional $8 per person it cost to enter. After all, this was Disney World! What we actually found is that Disneyland has a lot more rides than the Magic Kingdom. The result is that although the price is higher, you get less for your money. Being newly married, my husband and I hadn't yet dealt with our financial differences and the additional $56 it cost in entrance fees clearly upset him. He wanted me to forego shopping, my personal favorite part of any Disney experience.
By the time we were actually inside the theme park, it was 11:15 a.m. and you guessed it, the kids were hungry. If the truth were known, so was I, but I remained silent. My mother did not. Being diabetic, she needs to eat at certain times. My mother was also tired of standing; eating was a sit down activity. Bill wanted to go on at least ONE ride before noon. We all sensed it best to attempt one ride first. But we didn't make the noon deadline because the line for Splash Mountain was 1-½ hours. The next hurdle was getting food. Disneyland has a wonderful restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean; the Magic Kingdom does not. We were told there were some very nice restaurants outside the Magic Kingdom, a tram or boat ride away. Fast food within the theme park seemed to us the only viable option.
The greatest disappointment of the day was the missing rides. Hannah's favorite ride is Alice in Wonderland; she can and has ridden it ten times in a row at Disneyland. It doesn't exist at the Magic Kingdom. Megan's favorite Disneyland ride was also absent, Roger Rabbit's Cartoon spin. After all the anticipation, to have the two rides which mattered most to the twins missing, was quite a let down. We couldn't find Indiana Jones or Star Tours, either, so Bill asked an employee about the missing rides. It turns out, you can experience those "movie type" rides at Disney's MGM studios, for a separate admission price. We were stunned.
Bill and I found our mounting discontent compounded by the physical discomfort we felt standing in lines in 90-degree temperatures with 90% humidity. Disneyland with its California location has dry, comfortable weather most of the year. Disneyland is also blessed with a wonderful sea breeze during the hot summers. The Magic Kingdom is located inland with muggy, hot conditions year round.
We felt the Magic Kingdom was a waste of time and money. Disneyland is far superior to the Magic Kingdom. I think it was insulting to the customers to charge more in admission than Disneyland and offer significantly less in the form of entertainment. I felt Disney management was greedy. The kids did enjoy themselves, but we adults left the theme park feeling "ripped off". As a general rule we never take the kids to Disneyland more than once a year. But so much was missing from the Magic Kingdom Experience; we took them three months later to Disneyland and had a great time.
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Questions? Brian McKinney (bmckinne@home.com)