Park changes

[Chaswdw]

I first visited WDW in 1974. I have been back many times since. My wife and I were there for the opening of Spaceship Earth ( it kept breaking and we eventually walked down the emergency steps to get out ) but , hey.., it was a new ride! We were also there the first week Animal Kingdom opened.
Spaceship earth has changed so that the animated dioramas and scenes have been eliminated for the decending portion of the ride. The interactive replacement is a yawn.
There has been a ten year gap between this visit and our last one since we were trying to get son through high school and college.
One of the major changes I noticed is the tremendous increase in children in strollers. The number of Kodak Picture Spots seems to have dropped to be replaced by stroller parks. There seems to be a related increase in the number of parents being punished by their tired, sunburned, and over extended little ones.
Opening the park to the power chair contingent while good for Disney financially raises safety issues in my mind. I'm sure these people get frustrated when people don't give them the right of way. When walking out of our building in the POLY, one of them came down the hall toward us at top speed. If a child had popped out of one of the rooms, the kid would have been toast.
A tolerant and laid back attitude helps a lot in the crowds.
The Rocking Roller Coaster and Expedition Everest are great, followed by Test Track. We used lots of fast pass repeat rides on those.
We bought some commemorative trading pins for those rides.
There are many more things that are new and my wife and I enjoyed them all.

[Speedy1998]

Completely agree about the increase in strollers. What amazes me is how old some of the kids in strollers are.

[pink]

Things are always changing in WDW! I love watching the old promo videos on Youtube and it's amazing to see how much as changed over the years.

[tinklover]

First of all let me start by saying:

To intercot.

I agree that people need to be more aware of their surroundings whenon the EVCs and with strollers. I rented a double stroller last year and I was ran into I don't know how many times. Parents letting kids push their younger siblings and they themselves could not even see over the bar and one woman ran over my foot with her EVC and said oops sorry I don't know how to operate this thing. My first initial reaction was to say then you should not be on it. But I was at Disney and with my kids so I grinned and said thru clenched teeth , It is ok just be more aware of your surroundings please.

[Griz]

Regarding people in motorized wheelchairs, I had the misfortune to spend two days at Disneyland with my family confined to one of those things because of achilles tendon snappage and subsequent repair. After dodging oblivious people constantly left and right all day long I got to the point where I was ready to just ram anyone that got in my way. I had to go in City Hall for a handicapped pass, just barely could negotiate that. Tried to get on the Monorail, after trying for about twenty minutes to get OFF the elevator I gave up and went back down. The process of getting in the elevator in the first place involved figuring out the exact right angle to enter at and took about five minutes in itself. I lost count of the number of times that the CM's wanted me to park the wheelchair and walk over to board a ride. They just didn't seem to understand that I was not able to walk at all (to their credit, I did look perfectly healthy, there was really not much except a brace on my leg to tip you off to the fact that I was injured).

It was my choice to go, however (not really, the family would not let me take a pass) and I felt responsible to make sure that I didn't cause anyone harm or inconvenience. If I was confined to one of those things for life, I can see how that consideration would quickly fade, especially since there was no way anyone was going to do any damage to ME if we collided.

The biggest problem is the difference in height. You're sitting down around everyone's butt and you can't see what's going on and people are not looking down to see you. That and the normal tendancy for about 95% of the population to blunder about blindly with no regard to their fellow humans. I find that frustrating enough when I'm ambulatory, I can't imagine how it would be to be sentenced to a wheelchair for life.

[Imagineer1981]

Completely agree about the increase in strollers. What amazes me is how old some of the kids in strollers are.

I am always upset at people who try to use wheelchairs as strollers just to try and get in lines faster

[TheRustyScupper]

Completely agree about the increase in strollers. What amazes me is how old some of the kids in strollers are.

1) So many adults mollycoddle the kids.
2) It used to be that the kids walked until tired.
3) Then they went for a nap, or a meal.
4) Now, the parents just keep pushing them in strollers.
5) Childhood obesity at a all time high, and parents contribute.

Sorry about the post. But, a major pet peeve of mine is parents who don't do good parenting. (Yes, I know this is inviting flames)

[Jasper]

I have gone on my own rants from time to time about all of the issues mentioned in this thread. The bottom line is that it seems as though people are simply not being taught manners like they use to be. When I was a child (until I turned 18) I was REQUIRED by my parents to call all adults who were not close family members either Mr., Mrs., or Miss. I was also REQUIRED to say please, thank you, may I, etc. before I would receive anything or after I received something regardless of how large or small the item. I was always REQUIRED to open doors for others regardless of who they may be. You get the picture.

Now before you think I am just going to bash today's youth think again. The kinds of manners that my parents demanded (Not asked but demanded) out of me were already becoming unusual in people my age (I am now 46, almost 47.) I don't pretend to have the answer as to why there has been such a change in the basic civility in our world but it explains why we all struggle to understand and accept differences in others.

It is also partly what is contributing to such a polarizing of attitudes of various groups around the world. I know it is a stretch, but when we have a hard time being civil to people in motorized wheelchairs and when those in motorized wheelchairs have a hard time being civil to those not in motorized wheelchairs how can we expect people with real, serious differences such as religious differences to get along?

Being taught to show respect to others through simple civilities of good manners is the only way we are going to be able to have a chance of accepting real differences among people!

OK, I will get off my now! Thank you for letting me express my opinion and please understand that this is not aimed at any particular person or group of people. All I am doing is pleading for a return to acceptance and understanding of those who are not exactly like ourselves.

[alilprincessmom99]

I agree with everything Jasper had to say. Even though I am younger (33) I was raised by my grandparents and I was raised the same way. I am now raising my daughter the same way i was raised. Just a little tolerance and acceptance is all it takes to have an enjoyable day at Disney, or at any public place for that matter.