Disney...there will always be Disney!

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It's a powerful draw, those Disney vacations...seems like there's a developmental gene, possessed by every child in the land,  that responds to anything with a mouse with large ears.  Because of this genetic connection, my experience is the Disney trips are actually fun when you go with kids...the excitement is palpable and even contagious.   

Sadly, though, I've ended up at DisneyWorld twice with adult groups and OMG (one trip was with younger friends who like the place, and the other was a private tour with a professional group).

As I said, OMG!  The veneer is SOOO thin, and without the childish energy, you see through it everywhere.  The adult-only view, in my experience, is dominated by: 
  • atrocious parenting--starting with corporal punishment and going downhill from there
  • sugar-only calories (who knew that the Israelis and the Turks share a taste for white flour waffles with synthetic whipped cream!  The U.N. should capitalize on this cultural bond)
  • the fact that fiberglass actually ISN'T a good construction material, structural or otherwise
  • overcrowding and lines minimally disguised as activities
  • cast members who care barely keep their acting skills intact for the last second before they disappear behind hidden doors--they're all straight out of a George Saunders short story
  • obscene price-gouging, and 
  • a stultifying lack of any intellectual content whatsoever.
With kids, though--it's a small and beautiful world after all!  Parents:   I beseech you--the fact that your kids can't resist is not enough to justify the brain-drain that Disney endorses.  

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