Isn't the site that disney wanted to build on in northern Virginia now commercially developed? I have heard it's now a Walmart. Can any Virginians confirm?

Honestly, this is so over the top, don't you think it sounds a bit trollish? It does to me, and I'm not even a Disney lover. Stereotypical troll comments: "corporate greed, commercialism, inflated prices (At a theme park? No, say it ain't so) fat people, price gouging hotels, boring, god forsaken Orlando, phony anything (again, in an amusement park?) Sounds as if this was written for one purpose and one purpose only: to get a rise out of as many people as possible in one short paragraph.

What I really hate is someone who advertises 10 Reasons and comes up with maybe 8. Some of them were cleary a continuation of the same gripe, merely packaged differently.

So, what I hate is someone promises 10 reason and fails to deliver on that promise.

I've never been to Disneyworld, but we go to Disneyland a lot and like it. Sophisticated, it is not. But it is a lot of fun if you have the right mindset. A quick point: We were recently in NYC for vacation. We paid $25 per hour for babysitting plus a "travel charge" to the sitter that varied depending on the lateness of the hour. And Disney has nothing over NYC in terms of commercializing itself. If I saw one store hawking NYC firefighters shirts, Osama toilet paper, Yankees shirts, pens with King Kong, etc. etc. etc., then I saw a dozen more. Every museum had a gift shop; at the Natural History museum and the Met, there seemed to be a shop at every turn. You've got to applaud that good old American commercialism. The powers that be wouldn't do it if we didn't buy stuff.

We took our kids twice to WDW and they loved it. And I was impressed with how smoothly everything runs there, how helpful everyone was, and the excellent service attitude. Any question or problem we had was promptly handled and solved in our favor everytime, whether we were at the Disney park, Disney hotel or Disney restaurant. The worker would personally walk with us if we needed directions, the entree was comped if we had any problems at all at a restaurant.

Being in advertising, I was amazed at the "machine" that keeps that place humming by hiring and training good people, keeping everything spotless, and operating without a hitch. In general, I get creeped out at "amusement" parks with questionable-looking rides, and want to see everything maintained to a T, as Disney does.

Bottom line-- it's for the kids. You have to suspend disbelief and enjoy it, using common sense about avoiding $48 toddler t-shirts and buying full meals within the park.

I daresay many would have similar complaints about New York City-- to each his own. Don't go somewhere you know you'll dislike.

I was actually more amused/annoyed by the man-made lagoon (was it stocked with plastic fish?) and fake beach at the Hilton Waikoloa on the Big Island, when there was a perfectly gorgeous real beach a few minutes away, than by anything at Disney World. Disney World is supposed to be fake. It's about cartoons, isn't it? Should we get upset because Mickey isn't a real mouse?
We've been there several times and are often impressed by the ingenuity (certainly fakery if you want to look at it that way) of Epcot. You have to leave your brains in the parking lot when you get there, but it's a lot of fun nevertheless.

None of what you describe is a big secret. What did you expect? I agree with some others that your reactions seems a bit over-the-top.

As for the babysitter, I think you are extremely naive if you think this is unusual. Heck at my gym or pilates studio I pay $50+/hour and the trainer or teacher gets >$20.

As for Americans being fat, take a look at the stats they are shocking, and it ain't just at Disneyworld.

Obviously not everyone hates "that god forsaken place" or it would not be as popular and profitable as it is.

Dick, yes museums have a gift shop. But they don't have a gift shop after every room in the museum catering to what you just saw in that room. That is what Disney does. NYTraveler, it wasn't the cost of the babysitter that bothered me as much as the fact that they pocketed two thirds of the charge. If they paid the babysitter a fair amount of their high charge I wouldn't have thought twice about it. And I forgot to mention the four hour minimum and the $8 travel expenses they tack onto the babysitter bill. The 200% mark up on labor plus those extras make the policy disgustingly greedy in my book. Kath, you found plenty of healthy food choices in the park? Is a hot dog a balanced meal to you? I saw dozens of pretzel stands, many chocolate confectionaries, but not one salad bar. Maybe I missed something. Ahnold, getting a babysitter instead of dragging the kids out past their bedtime seemed like the way to go to me. That way I wasn't one of those parents dragging their screaming exhausted kids through the park at night. And I forgot to mention the parents beating those complaining kids. I guess that must also be part of the disney experience. Ryan, I hope I've been able to fill in the blanks on the two reasons I left out of the original post.

We take our 3 kids (ages 7 and under) to Disney World every other year. We stay for 10 days, but we've always stayed in a suite or villa with a full kitchen (either on or off property). Yes it's expensive but so is everything. We were in New York last month and went into the city for one day. Parking was well over $100, a not very good meal at Planet Hollywood was $150 (that's 2 adults, 3 kids meals). Granted, the ferry to the Statue of Liberty was only $30 for all of us, but my littlest two were too young to appreciate it and unless you take the tour (we didn't) you what, look at the statue for a few minutes, take a picture or two, hit the gift shop for another $30, then leave. Plus, we had to stand in line for almost 2 hours to get on the ferry.

I think the price you pay for admission at Disney is well worth the potential 14 hours or so per day of entertainment you can get from it. No one's forcing you to buy souveniers. Sure the food is far from the best, but the only theme park or the like that I've ever been to with decent food is Sea World. We went to Six Flags (Massachusetts) a couple of years ago and not only was the food horrendous, but it cost twice as much as the equivalent in Disney.

If you can't stomach paying such a markup for a sitter, don't use one. It is a family vacation after all, isn't it? I understand wanting to get out one night without them (my mom always goes with us, so it's not a problem for us), but you can always do that at home, can't you?

Disney is all about the kids. If your kids love it, put the cynicism aside and enjoy it through their eyes. I admittedly love Disney, but half the reason is probably because I love watching my kids enjoy it. I'm even having a blast lately as my 5 year old, in anticipation of our next trip in December, is trying to convince his big brother to get over his fear of the dark so he'll go on the 5 year olds favorite ride with us--Tower of Terror!

By the way, it was a stretch for me to even remember hearing the repeating messages on the monorail. I guess if you're looking for something to be irritated by, you'll find it!

You're leaving your kids with a total stranger for $20/hr. If they are still there when you get back, that is money well spent. No law says you HAVE to go out without them. Put em to bed and get takeout.

When I was there I had a fruit salad and grilled chkn. My son had a ham sandwich and baked chips. So yeah, I found healthy stuff. True, there was not a lot of selection. Actually, for as much walking and running around that we did that, I guess we could have lived it up and ordered cheeseburgers!

After reading all the posts, especially your replies newyorker I am really at a lost as to why you even went to Disneyworld. It is what it is, and do be surprised at the cost of things you really must not of done any research before going.
We have only been to WDW once (Disneyland twice) and the greatest part is experincing it through the eyes of my children, just priceless.

Apparently you failed to do your homework before you left for your trip. Disney IS a huge corportion. Disney has managed to create it's "own little world". If you would have relaxed & just given it a chance you may have actually enjoyed it. Are you aware that Disney hotels have child care centers open every evening that will serve your child dinner. We left our boys there one evening & they begged to go back. Did you take the time to see Disney through your child's eyes? The fun that my kids have at Disney what makes the trip worth it for us. BTW - Disney doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, our family of four can travel to WDW for a week - driving, food, lodging & park admissions included - for less than we would spend at Ocean City MD in a week. We stay at Disney's value resorts & purchase multi-day tickets. We eat two main meals per day & a snack. We could never eat three meals a day in the parks. Most of our meals are at the food court at our value resort. Let's see, Ocean City, MD or WDW? Don't have to think long on that one.
This year we are taking the kids out West to Yellowstone, SD, CO, MT... to see some of the vast natural wonders in this world.
So New Yorker, tell us what you consider the ideal vacation.

Interesting that a person didn't find FantasyLand interesting considering they seemlingly live in one when it comes to the reality of our nation circa 2005.

Whoever said that you either love Disneyworld or hate it is right. Many who love it, love it with an almost cult-like fervor, I've noticed.

I don't hate it but am truly happy that our 2nd trip to Orlando was hopefully our last. We went to Disneyworld one day on our way through Orlando 7 years ago, when our kids were 5 and 8. It was...okay...no one was too sorry to leave. The 5 year old had the best time, especially when her dad took her on Space Mountain (eek).

Last summer, when the kids were 15 and 12, we went to Universal one day before leaving on a cruise from Port Canaveral. Again, it was...okay. Fun but not worth it for the prices. We stayed offsite both times--absolutely loved the Orlando World Marriott and would stay there again just for the pool.

Guess it boils down to the fact that we're just not theme park people. I didn't find the commercialism shocking but can say that Univeral Studios was the better atmosphere and overall experience. It seemed more 'real' if that makes any sense. Give me a Caribbean beach or a trip to our nation's capitol any day over Disney.

I give this thread another 30 minutes until the thought police arrive...but until then...

Disneyland is a casino without slots. It is meticulously designed to extract from its patrons the maximum amount of cash in the shortest amount of time.

I, especially, appreciate the lack of sidewalks on the roadways between venues....why wait for walkers when you can whisk them to the next buying opportunity in an air conditioned bus?

Having said that, we cherish the two trips with our kids to Disney, as we do the trips to Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Bermuda, etc.

Not to harp on the NY museum thing, but yes, the Met is set up so you look at the mummies, and wham, there is a mummy gift shop. You look at the Moderns, wham, there is a modern gift shop. Natural history museum, same thing: you look at the dinosaurs, and there is a dino gift shop. Disney is definitely worse, but Disney isn't taking something artistic or educational and then marketing it to death.

Why is it that every poster who ends up hating a destination is invariably told "well, you should have known it would suck in all those ways"?? I thought newyorker's criticisms of WDW were pretty obvious, too, but in the end, they tried it, hated it, and won't go back. Personally, I think WDW is downright creepy in its plastic perfection, and the less said about Orlando the better. I welcome newyorker's point of view not only because it happens to match mine pretty closely, but because its a small rebellion against the massive WDW marketing juggernaut that would have us believe WDW is the destination of a lifetime.

Here's 10 reason's why I like WDW...

1. The rides are fun. Some are silly, some are thrilling but they are all fun.
2. The parades are fun. I like the floats, the bands and the dancers.
3. I like the hotels. They are interesting to look at, clean and convenient.
4. I like the pools - Stormalong Bay is like a mini water park. The pool at Coronado Springs is very interesting to look at and has a fun slide.
5. The food is fine with me - I'm not looking for gourmet and I can easily find healthy choices.
6. The price is fairly reasonable if you take advantage of available discounts. I've paid $129 a night for the Beach Club - generally considered to be a superior hotel. I don't feel compelled to buy Goofy hats, or all the other junk, nor am I put off by the amount of merchandising. Generally this family of 4 spends 5 nights, stays on-site, and spends about $3500 including airfare, food, tickets etc. Spent more to go to DC for 5 nights.
7. Its easy. Everything is right there - when traveling with kids this does make for a less stressful trip.
8. The staff is very accommodating at both the parks and the hotels. The staff have helped make some pretty special memories for my kids - like when my daughters were selected to be escorted by Mickey on a tour of his house. When you're 4 and 7 this is pretty special.
9. I like fireworks.
10. My kids like it so therefore I like it. We've been 3x together and we'll probably go one more time.

Hey, its not Paris or New York or the Grand Canyon or any place else. It is what it is.

OK, I have to pipe in as I just returned from WDW a mere 12 hours ago after thoroughly enjoying myself. As for the babysitting cost-the cost difference is soley due to liability issues and insurance costs they assuming by offering people the opportunity to drop their children off with strangers to watch them. If your child falls and breaks a leg, you're not suing the babysitter, you're suing Disney. As for the food, don't know what other theme parks you've been too but at least this one has some healthy fare-every restaurant/counter service place we stopped at had healthy options. As for the announcements on the monorails, chock that one up to liability issues again. Maybe if we didn't sue everytime we stubbed our toe(I'm speaking in broad generalities here I realize), they wouldn't have all those announcements. You went to a theme park resort! What did you expect?!