Well, it is just more evidence that people with means are getting special treatment in our society. You might not care or like Disney, but now rich kids are going to get to jump ahead in line in front of the less affluent kids. And of course, if you’re not wealthy, a trip to Florida to go to Disney world might be something you only get to do once in your childhood, while kids of the affluent might get to go every year.
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Hey, Disney is people too.
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I mean, I guess according to Mittens “kill kittens” Romney it might be? But we don’t have to buy into his delusions do we? 
I largely meant (and as the original article indicates), it’s more evidence of the growing economic divide and its consequences. It’s true that it’s not more important than issues such as education, access to health care, or good food, but it’s still illustrative of the larger problem. Even entertainment is losing it’s veneer of democracy in America… only some people get to enjoy the fruits of consumerism any more, and that was something that had a wider cultural reach in years past.
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Sure, but there have always been sky boxes (that’s a sports thing right?) and those special people areas at the symphony (yeah, I don’t know what that’s called) and extra-special balconies at the theater (or that either).
Right?
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I probably should have searched before letting my imagination run wild – though it is tempting to say that it would always be in Disney’s best interests to ensure any publicly-available statistics are carefully massaged to achieve maximum rosiness.
True… but, I’d argue that…
These are generally elitist or rather bourgeois entertainments, yeah? Disney was from the beginning a mass media company, which by definition was meant to be consumed by everyone, not just some people. It’s true that more people today consume theater or symphony, but that was due to the postwar expansion and the growth of the middle class. And often times, you still had some divisions, but everyone in the theater is still experiencing the play or music - and same with the sports example.
But with the Disney, there are only so many people who can ride the ride in a day, yeah? So it’s a more limited experience. People being able to buy a fast pass at disney (or getting it from a high end package of some variety) means that people who can’t afford it have less of a chance of riding the rides they want. Plus, they’re probably only going to disney once or twice in their childhood. It’s kind of taking mass culture, and tiering it, which is not really how mass culture operated in the past.
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My children, when asked if they wanted to go to Disneyworld, looked at us like we were mad and simply said “no.”
And there was much rejoicing. And, many years later, more money available for college educations.
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Mine had no interest either.
I’ve been twice in my life, both for marching band stuff when I was in HS. It was fine, but this was well before fastpass and all that jazz.
And just about any amusement park now is pretty pricey, not just disney, though disney is really expensive - like competing with an overseas trip expensive. Cruises (in the caribean) are cheaper.
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At least in the 90s, Islands of Adventure was so much more exciting.
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where is corey when you need ~trenchant~ disney commentary?!?
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Late stage capitalism
Last time I went to D-land was day after Thanksgiving. In the rain. There were so many people, especially people with strollers, that you could hardly walk. It was not fun. So I haven’t been back.
I think it might be best experienced on acid, but I have not actually done that, and going in peak crowd time might make even that experience a downer.
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This is not really accurate at all.
You get three Fastpasses to start with each day. When they are used up, you get more. They don’t “cut the line”. Just like the old paper fast passes, they are literally reservations for a time to stand in a separate Fastpass line, so that you’re basically virtually waiting in line. They are nothing whatsoever like the Universal VIP “go to the front” passes, which mess everyone’s wait time up. It works extremely well, keeps guests happy, and is by far the best way I’ve seen to handle large crowds.
The new deal, from what folks are saying, allows “club level” guests (folks with rooms that cost upwards of $700-$1000 per day) to buy ONE additional Fastpass to start with every day. Four instead of three.
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In 1990 my friend and I managed to somewhat maintain a marijuna high at D-World for most of the day.
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I prefer Main Street USA’s red light district.
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What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it.
– Andy Warhol.
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I have a friend who goes to Disneyland every New Year¹s Eve and drops acid. And when he reaches the peak, he goes and talks to Mickey Mouse about all of his problems, and Mickey never fails. Mickey always gives him the correct answer to guide him for the next year. He’s the only man I know of whose god is visible, tangible and gives clear unambiguous answers.
– Robert Anton Wilson.
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I counted them up one time back when I was younger and could still remember, and I figured out that I had gone to Disneyland 12 times before I turned 12. We lived in Santa Monica and Disneyland was a huge deal to me but it wasn’t a long drive to get there and as mentioned above it only cost two bucks to get in, we always had an envelope full of non-E tickets left over in a drawer at home, and my dad got discounts on admission and books of tickets through his job at IBM.
We moved east and I manged to make it to Walt Disney World 3 or 4 times as an adult, the last time with our son when he was maybe 10 years old. He’s 25 now and hasn’t expressed any interest in going back, and I’d have to do it in a wheelchair if I went back - and that doesn’t sound any fun at all. Maybe they could stick me on Small World and let me ride it over and over for eight hours since I actually really enjoy it and there always seems to be seats available.
If VR ever gets really good maybe I’d choose to visit the 1950s or 1960s Disneyland, or go to the South of France in Roman times in my head.
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Gotta leave some head room for superfast, ultrafast and hyperdrive passes. /s
I don’t do theme parks, but I’m guessing these passes have separate lines. I would rather the people who ante up be forced to actually cut into the normal line, complete with a Genie to push back the little people while singing Prince Ali. The better to foster roiling resentment.
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The $50 gets you an additional pass that lets you reserve a time to stand in line with everyone else. The original post is extremely misleading.
