Are we the only family that loves Pooh's Thoughtful Spot?

[Septbride2002]

I didn't go to Disney when 2000 leagues under the sea or whatever was part of Fantasyland, so I have no prior love for anything that ever existed there before. But we truly do love Pooh's Thoughtful spot. It is a great place to let your toddler down to run around and get out some energy. She loves going in and out of pooh's house, going down the slide, and climbing on the honeypots. We like it because you can find some shade and grab a quick bite to eat. We make multiple stops there every trip - are we alone in this? ;)

~Amanda

[marylynne95]

I agree it is a really cute area!! I don't have kids, but I have gone several times with friends and there daughter loves it as well!! :thumbsup:

[disneykid@hrt]

I have never visited Pooh's Thoughtful Spot. This year will be our first. I was too old for it when they put it in, and have been traveling with only adults since... But my DD1 is a HUGE playground fan- When we drive by McDonald's PlayPlaces she even says "WHHEEEEEEEE!!" Awww...- so I'm sure we will be spending lots of time in the little Play areas.

How long do you let them play? If DD had her way it could be all day??!!

[disneykid@hrt]

Oh, and I LOVED 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea! Miss it.

[Septbride2002]

I have never visited Pooh's Thoughtful Spot. This year will be our first. I was too old for it when they put it in, and have been traveling with only adults since... But my DD1 is a HUGE playground fan- When we drive by McDonald's PlayPlaces she even says "WHHEEEEEEEE!!" Awww...- so I'm sure we will be spending lots of time in the little Play areas.

How long do you let them play? If DD had her way it could be all day??!!

It depends - if you never traveled with a little one before the first thing you'll notice about going to disney is that it seems more crowded. And if you daughter is an independent child like mine she'll want to get down and walk around sometimes. Usually what we would do is get there early and ride the must do rides in fantasyland. Usually takes about an hour depending on the time of year. After that she'd be antsy - so we would take her to the playful spot and let her run around while the one of us got some refreshments and a snack. Figure 20 mintues to get the food and drinks, 20 minutes to eat - about 40 minutes. Then we would say "lets go see Buzz!" or "Lets go ride Dumbo!" and she'd be ready to go. We'd do more rides and stuff - and then maybe make another visit.

~Amanda

[TheRustyScupper]

Are we the only family that loves Pooh's Thoughtful Spot?


1) So, you are the ONE?
2) Only kidding.
3) There are at leat 20-30 more that like it.
4) Well, at least 10 more.

[Ian]

Yeah, I have little ones but have no interest in it at all. It's a playground ... there are a dozen exactly like it (or better) around our house that I can get to for free. Not to mention ones at our resort in Disney.

I see no possible reason to spend time in a plain old playground when I'm paying for admission to the home of some of the greatest themed attractions anywhere on the planet.

[Mousemates]

Are we the only family that loves Pooh's Thoughtful Spot?

No your probably not, but we are not in the "thoughtful spot" camp with you. Seems to be a space filler to us that could be better utilized with just about anything else. But if you guys enjoy it...in the words of Briscoe Darling..."More power to ya.":thumbsup:

[Septbride2002]

Yeah, I have little ones but have no interest in it at all. It's a playground ... there are a dozen exactly like it (or better) around our house that I can get to for free. Not to mention ones at our resort in Disney.

I see no possible reason to spend time in a plain old playground when I'm paying for admission to the home of some of the greatest themed attractions anywhere on the planet.


Not that I don't agree with you - I wouldn't pay admission to ONLY do the playground. But it does have it's merits as part of the bigger picture.

~Amanda

[Septbride2002]

1) So, you are the ONE?
2) Only kidding.
3) There are at leat 20-30 more that like it.
4) Well, at least 10 more.

:fresh:

[Ian]

Not that I don't agree with you - I wouldn't pay admission to ONLY do the playground. But it does have it's merits as part of the bigger picture.

~AmandaWell every time I walk by there the place is mobbed, so clearly you're not in the minority on that, Amanda!

Part of me sometimes wonders if it doesn't make me a bad Dad that I won't let my kids stop and play there even when they want to. ;)

[Rain0975]

Our girls (2 and almost 5) sure like the Pooh area, though personally I agree that it has the feel of a placeholder more than anything. That said, I for one am very excited to see the recently-leaked blueprints for a significant expansion of Fantasyland! Looks like they finally intend to make use of the land that used to be 20,000 Leagues, along with some other great changes to the whole Fantasyland/Toontown area.

[Septbride2002]

Well every time I walk by there the place is mobbed, so clearly you're not in the minority on that, Amanda!

Part of me sometimes wonders if it doesn't make me a bad Dad that I won't let my kids stop and play there even when they want to. ;)

Nah - not a bad Dad at all ;)

I have one of those little girls that needs to run a bit. I swear she is going to be a cross country runner when she gets older.

Meanwhile...we've hardly spent any time in the fantastic resort pools..................:blush:

[tcswife]

Hate It!!!:down:

[joonyer]

There's nothing wrong with Pooh's Thoughtful Spot, for what it is, a playground. It's just that After closing an attraction with a lot of "imagineering" that was a great crowd favorite, and then letting it sit dormant for many years, Disney replaced it with . . . a playground.

That took no imagination or engineering, and it was a pretty big letdown for those of us had hoped that if 20K Leagues Under the Sea was not going to be re-opened, that it would at least be replaced with something worth waiting for. But we got a playground instead. Better than nothing, but not better than an "E ticket" attraction like the one that used to be there.

[CaptSmee]

1) So, you are the ONE?
2) Only kidding.
3) There are at leat 20-30 more that like it.
4) Well, at least 10 more.

lol! maybe 10...if they are lucky!

[Gator]

lol! maybe 10...if they are lucky!

Wrong. I think it's great that they did something where little ones can run without parents yelling to "Get back here!" Kids aren't meant to walk single file all day, stand in line, and sit in a ride. They need space to scream and run with other kids.

20,000 was always breaking down anyway, so now there's something that doesn't break down. Everyone I know with kids under 5 love that place. If you don't, you probably move along to another ride. I bet you don't ride Goofy's Barnstormer, Aladin's Magic Carpets, or other Kiddie rides. That doesn't mean we should take them out because you think there should be a ride only adults enjoy in that spot.

Why don't we take out Swiss Family Treehouse and replace it with a 3D ride. Why not take out Honey I Shrunk the Movie Set and replace it with ANOTHER Pixar first-person-shotter ride. And don't forget Journey into Imagination - it should definitely be replaced with another spot to Simulator Coaster. Are you catching my drift. WDW isn't just about me, the adult. It's about everyone - kids included. So let the kids play, and walk to the next ride.:cool:

[Septbride2002]

I think the playgound could be improved a tad bit - I'd like to see another slide for one thing - but it is quaint for those of us who enjoy it.

[Ian]

WDW isn't just about me, the adult. It's about everyone - kids included. So let the kids play, and walk to the next ride.:cool:Right, but IMO (and it is only my opinion) I don't spend thousands of dollars to take my kid to a playground I can take them to at home for free.

I think my kids understand that playground time is playground time (i.e. at home or maybe at the resort) and theme park time is theme park time.

[Gator]

You have a park near you that looks like the 100 Acre Woods? I don't. The only fixture at our closest park is the Nortenos Gang and some high schoolers making out. If I had the cash, I'd turn my backyard into a Disney-movie park. My kids would love it. Instead, we hit the parks inside The Parks. If they took it out and replaced it with The Storybook Ride or Casey Jr Train from DL, I'd be disappointed. My kids get to pretend they'e in a cartoon world....pretty cool. That's the whole point of Disney - getting lost in another world.

[Stu29573]

Sorry, I agree with the "hate it" crowd. After 20,000 we mourned the loss and then began to wonder what wonderful attraction would replace it. We got a playground. And it's not really about wanting something "adult" to do. Kids loved the subs. I know, I was one of them! Actually, when I rode it as an adult, the effects were pretty cheesy. However, they were light years better than what's there now.
So, sorry, to me Pooh's an insult, not an attraction.

[crltkcagle]

On our last trip in May we decided to let the kids play there while we sat and took a break. My oldest son managed to climb on top of the walls and get covered in mud! I mean covered from head to toe in mud. Everyone in the park was looking at us like we were crazy because our son was filthy! We had to leave the park and go back to the room to change him. Leave it to my kids to find the only mud in MK and get covered in it! LOL

[bertasso59]

I was only there once,last year.It was great because it was very late-during extended hours and there were only a few kids there>my 13 year old DD(a Pooh fan since birth) had the run of the place and loved it.

[kathiep]

I don't "hate" it. But I do think better use could be made of that area.

There are other places to let kids "run free" and get some exercise. There's the little park area in Toontown, my kids always loved exploring Tom Sawyer Island when they were little, the resorts all have playground areas.

Don't get me wrong. I do see a use for places like these but it doesn't need to occupy such prime space.

I'd like to see this area changed.

[Mushu11756]

I miss 20000! But I now have a toddler so on my next visit I will probably give the POOH Spot a shot!

[tiggerbuddy]

Here's my 2 cents...

Its not that the playground itself is bad...

It just seems wrong (or bad decision) to close a major "E" ticket attraction, leave it dormant for months and then re-open it as a playground ?? It should have been replaced with another "BIG" attraction. C'mon Disney...
People pay Big $$$ to get a "Fantasy" vacation...Not the park "around the block"
:sick:

[Tigerinvestigator]

It's ok, and my girls loved it when they were very little, but they could have done so much more with that area. It seems like we always ran into rude kids at that area as well. My girls actually preferred the small playground at Splash Mtn.:thumbsup:

[Imagineer1981]

I was a hater for a long time, but since getting back from taking my 18month old, it was FANTASTIC. He needed that area to run around and get some energy out. Little ones get so frustrated being put in and out of the stroller and not being able to run around. Its great for them to stretch and run and have some fun of there own.

[Gator]

I was a hater for a long time, but since getting back from taking my 18month old, it was FANTASTIC. He needed that area to run around and get some energy out. Little ones get so frustrated being put in and out of the stroller and not being able to run around. Its great for them to stretch and run and have some fun of there own.

My point exactly. If you have kids 4 and under, it's a GREAT spot. If you don't, then it's just another Magic Carpet Ride.