to fucking hate that guilt inducing advert with the excited children going to disney?

[PyrotechnicsAtYourCervix]

I could never afford to take mine so could never give them that amazing, exciting, happy feeling which appears to be the best thing you could ever give your children. I am a failure as a parent.

Thanks Disney you Bastards.

Do you think perhaps a lot of you are just a bit miserable?

What kind of 8 year old isn't excited by a fun fair?

This thread is reminding me of the critical mother in We Need to Talk About Kevin.

You're not missing anything by taking the DC's to Disneyland (Florida or Paris) - i took my little DD this year and trust me it was a nightmare am in the throws of sloshing out a settlement with my solicitor and Disneyland, Paris. Oh and if any of you guys do perhaps go....please do not use the Hotel Santa Fe...it's a hell hole.

Hmmm, Milly

so my unwillingness to take my kids to Disneyworld is indicative of my failure to bond with them, and in consequence they will all take the most popular and successful pupils in their schools out with a weapon of their choice?

Thank goodness I'm not the only miserable git on here

I do think I spoil my children (slightly) and I am addressing that issue, that will be another thread for another day But with Christmas coming up I can assure you there will be no spoiling going on, it will be quality (educational related) not quantity (toy)!

I mentioned the mother's character, not the plot! I do think there are quite a few people who are like her, whether they have children or not. That is what is so compelling about the book. But I am getting a bit off the point of the thread now!

My children aren't aware of the ad because we don't allow commercial TV in this house

I do think you can become very blaze about things that you have easy access to but others don't and actually don't appreciate it when you should. A couple of examples are living by the sea or owning your own plane, a friend of mine has his own plane and flies, his children are very used to flying off for the weekend, getting on a plane is not really exciting for them anymore as they do it most weekends. Those who live by the sea, their children are out playing every weekend on the beach, some children have never seen the sea.

My children get taken to our motor boat on the South Coast every weekend in the summer and every second weekend in the winter, it is like a second home and they have a whole different set of friends there, we don't think twice about popping over to the Channel Islands, France or up the coast for the weekend and they take it as normal, some kids have probably not been to the Channel Islands or France, so it is all a bit of where do you draw the line with ensuring they appreciate things, but still enjoy life?

What I do know is that whether you are on a boat, camping, caravaning or some other family pursuit, it does bring the family closer and helps with understanding each other more and bonding. Some parents just don't have the time, I don't know what the answer is, but I do feel that family time together is vital and more should be done to help people achieve this, it could prevent problems in the future, people seem to work to survive nowadays rather than for the extras such as holidays.

So if any holiday/break including Disneyworld helps a family bond so much the better, but you don't have to spend a fortune, it is the time together understanding each other that counts in my opinion.

said - I am totally opposite, I would rather my children see things and we talk about it than block it, the will be made fun of at school and find out from other ways in my opinion.

I wasn't allowed to watch commercial TV when I was a child. I never felt left out - there were plenty of TV programmes on the BBC to talk about.

Yes I remember those dank caravanning holidays of my youth, we were certainly huddled together round the formica table with a deck of cards and the rain lashing against the window.

Did it bring us together as a family? Well yes in that we were all experiencing the same shite holiday together.

Did we bond? No, it was the seventies and not the done thing.

Now I dont try to bond with my dc either really - we just get on with it and have fun. Lots of different sorts of fun - some of it hideously worthy and some of it is eat your own weight in crap and then go on Pirates of the Caribbean 5 times in row.

I got dragged camping for every fucking holiday when I was a kid. I haven't been in a tent since I was 16.

Anything less than 3 stars is camping IMO and I won't do it.

I really really really hate hate vomit camping.

So I conclude...it's fine to take your DC to Disney as long as they have been on some worthy holidays, such as trekking through the rain forest first.

A bit like having a McD's after eating your organic veg and homemade home made wholemeal bread all week.

Which is shit for the parents who feel guilty because they are struggling to just to pay for the wholemeal bread, and would really actually like their DC to experience some nasty food and a plastic toy, but can't afford it.

I am another bereft, bad, guilt-tripping parent. To my eternal shame, I have never sung, and never will sing, the Haribo song outside a newsagents with my DS... ... and this is obviously something that makes children intensely happy.

YABU :)

If it makes you feel any better, my DH is a HUGE Disney fan. No idea why, I just don't get it myself.

Anyway, when DS was 18 months he decided to take us to Disneyland Paris for few days. We cried with relief the day we came home.

Despite being aimed at children it was the least child friendly place I have ever been to.

Overpriced poor quality children's menus.

A shop that claimed to cater for all your baby's needs while you were there - if what your little one needs is mickey mouse cutlery and a load of tat.

The dressed up characters ignored all children under 5 (we heard several parents of younger children complaining about this) and we suspected it was because younger children weren't able to translate having their photograph taken with MM into pestering for a MM cuddly toy.

We just generally felt we'd have had a better/easier time if we'd left DS at home!

I know that 18 months is quite young, but there was nothing in the literature to suggest it wasn't idea for a child of this age but it was rubbish!

It was the most commercial, cynical, devoid of fun experience of our lives. And whilst my husband still loves Disney and hasn't ruled out ever going again, he certainly hasn't mentioned it again in the last 11 years!

HTH

I am clearly in a minority - I have been twice as an adult without DCs (but only to the Paris one), can't wait to go with DCs when old enough (DC1 is just a bump at present, and probably wouldn't enjoy it) and I don't seem to have seen this advert!

Everyone is different, I see there are others who agree with me about overpriced rip off plastic commercial cr@p, if you haven't been it would be unfair to tell you not to go and experience it, BUT be forwarned it is NOTHING like the advert depicts, go prepared!

IMO the Paris one is awful. I have been to Florida and Paris and absolutely hated the Paris one. Its a cheap version of Florida and I would never want to go back there again.

Hong Kong is great, although a smaller version of Florida as well there was hardly anyone there, no queue for anything, like a personal opening. Well worth a visit if you are over there buying your suits or whatever just for the experience. Beware Micky mouse and the rest do have strange accents . Still the same old rip off routine.

I had a wondeful old-design Mickey Mouse rugby top I'd bought from Eurodisney when we went and I was about 17 at the time. It finally died a death a year or so ago (had lovely holes in the cuffs I could shove my fingers through and everything) - I'd quite like to go back there to buy another one cos it was so lovely and snuggly and nice. No other reason, I thought the place was shit when we went - but I want another top.

I don't give a shit about the advert apart from wanting to thump the mum who has to clarify with the "yes in Florida, America" bit for being a smug cow... guess she didn't have enough fridge magnets to put that bit on the fridge which just shows an utter lack of organisational powers and forward planning.

I would never go to then Paris one personally.

for me, to really experience Disney atmosphere I think you need sunshine and Americans.

You needs American staff and and American visitors who are all buying into it big time and loving it. You then get caught up in the spirit, with all the sunshine and happiness.

I can imagine walking around eurodisney in the rain with your coat, with unenthusiastic French staff and queueing for hours because your only there for the day so feel you have to get on the rides, and then paying extortionate euors for a crappy burger, is a less than magical experience.

At the Florida Disney we found the quality fantastic. The service was almost faultless, our Disney hotel was beautiful and spotless and the theming of the resorts and different parks is just fantastic. The detail, quality and ambience they create is astounding. But, yes no getting away from it, fake.

We had brilliant food in top notch restaurants. I had my best meal ever in a seafood restaurant on disneys Boardwalk.

Of course you can eat all the fast food shite, and we did often for lunch, but you don't have to.

We did stay in one of their top hotels and eat in their best restaurants, and we did pay a small fortune to do so.

I'm not claiming it's good value, but I am claiming that if you like good service, good food, nice hotels, sunshine, lovely pools, spoless water parks, and some quality entertainment for kids then it's possible to have a nice time at Disney.

It's not all tacky plastic.

To compare Disney Florida with Alton towers or a funfair, just shows that you have no concept of Disney.

I would never take my kids to Alton Towers, we (me and them) don't like big rides.

Fave thing at Disney is world showcase in Epcot. We've spent Lovely afternoons strolling around lake in the sunshine, visiting different countries and having a few alcoholic beverages while the kids try to find the Kim impossible clues on the 'mobile phones' they've been given to track them down.

We sat in the Italian piazza having a prosecco, and commented to the kids 'wow this really does look like venice' and they replied 'yes but better cos its Venice with RIDES!' .

It's not the only way to have fun, but it is one way.

My family went to Disneyland California when I was 8. To this day it stands out in my mind as one of the most magical experiences of my life. It was the one and only time I ever recall my parents taking us to any kind of funfair. And they got into the spirit of it for the day, even though it was not their thing.
(Disneyland wasn't their chosen holiday destination, we were in LA on a stopover, and it was something to pass the time.)

It also meant that everytime other kids raved about the funfairs they'd been to, I could still "keep up", because Disneyland topped everything.

I'm lolling at having no concept of Disney