BeemerBoy

1. Magic Kingdom 2. IOA 3. EPCOT 4. BGA 5. Sea World Orlando 6. SFGAD 7. Cedar Point 8. SFOG 9. Holiday World 10. SFNE And I've got an odd feeling that next month's visit to Dollywood may bump one of those off the list.

Nice pics. That second pic of Alpy is a great shot! It's one of the best I've ever seen of that coaster.

I love you too, sweetheart.

Believe what you will.

Joey, trust me, I took business 101 too. And to everyone else ready to pounce on me, remember it's really easy to take the "it's just business" side of the argument. I guess gas prices are totally understandale and reasonable too, right? It's just business afterall. $5.00/gallon? Sure, no problem....I'll gladly pay that. $100 for a day at the Magic Kingdom? Sure, that sounds reasonable. If I'm the only one willing to stand up and call BS on Disney's business structure, then fine by me. Sometimes it's simply about a moral and ethical way of doing business rather than the rich getting richer. I guess Disney needs to have something to support the recent huge failures of "Cars" and "POTC" right? Maybe if they didn't have their hand in everything under the sun, then prices wouldn't need to be at "Ludacrous Speed." I fully understand CF's position in the industry. I also understand that in the same year that they made a monstrous acquisition, they also lowered prices. That's not necessarily the traditional blueprint to winning business strategies now is it? Of course, they may be buttering up the public for sweeping price changes next season. But as of now, their move, regardless of whether they compete directly with Disney or not, was a big middle finger to the industry as a whole, IMHO. Scott "proudly not part of the herd" B.

4/10 YES! I still have a life.

Same here. Oh, can you burn me a copy, Ted?

^^ Yes, but I wasn't twisting your arm to tell us the amount. That's why I created the poll. That made it anonymous. I do appreciate the fact that you give, though. Also, as someone else mentioned, time is always just as valuable as money in many cases. That is also very admirable.

I heard something today, and I just had to get that out.

Sure, I'm wrong. At least Cedar Fair understands what I'm saying...concrete parks, or not. I don't completely agree with this statement. I'll give you one prime example. Let's use the busiest operating day at the Magic Kingdom for argument's sake. Tell me how that particular park has changed so dramatically over the last 20 years to justify a price hike? I get basically the same entertainment I do today as I did in 1986. Sure, there's been changes, but have they really added to the park? It's more of addition by subtraction. Take out Mission To Mars, and add Alien Encounter, which in turn becomes a watered down Stitch attraction. Take out Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and add some Winnie the Pooh dark ride. Take out the Penny Arcade, and add a retail shop. Take out the skybuckets, and add, er....nothing. Take out 20,000 Leagues, and add, er.....nothing. See where I'm going? Splash Mountain is the only E-ticket attraction that particular park has added in ages. Sure, Mickey's Birthdayland was new....but, that won't hold any weight in this argument. I'm not saying I'm dissapointed that the park hasn't expanded (it doesn't need to, and shouldn't) but if I'm gonna spend my time there on the busiest operating day of the year, where I may, or may not see everything in the park, is it still justified that I should be paying over 50% more than what I paid 20 years ago for basically the same product? Naturally there's gonna be inflation over time, but $65? Seriously. Not exactly bang for my buck if you ask me. Compare the price hike to parks which have literally expanded and/or added large new attractions over the same period of time. Now that justifies a increase in admission. The current price at many park chains is becoming borderline rediculous IMHO, but in comparison to my previous example, is slightly more understandable if you truly add more "bang for the buck." And concerning the pro sports comparison, I'm not sold. At least when you pay to see a pro sporting event, barring weather-realted issues, you will see everything you paid for as long as you stay seated. That's not necessarily the case when you pay to visit a park. On a busy day, you're never guaranteed to see every single attraction. Scott "I'm probably still wrong" B.

Who says a trip to the Orlando area means you have to spend 5-7 days exclusively at Disney parks? What if a family from neighboring Georgia, for instance, wanted to travel down for a 4-day holiday weekend? Is there something wrong with wanting to visit the Magic Kingdom, Sea World, and IOA for one day a piece? That's just one example. There are countless others. All I'm trying to say is that the one-day admission price is rediculous. A parkhopper is not always an option just because you're vacationing at WDW.

Good Luck to ya! But you still haven't told us what we really wanna know....can you sing? I can sing all those songs on your list too, but not too many in here would really want to subject themselves to hearing that. How long have you been singing? Do you sing in a church choir? A band? The shower? We need info........oh, and a trip report. Seriously, I wish you the best. It would be kinda fun to see someone in here succeed at it.

I only speak of what I know. I guess we're just not all lucky enough to plan multiple yearly vacations with no stress to the wallet. I'll just leave it at that. Nothing personal. And I'm not excluding any other chain either. Many of them are equally guilty in my mind, but that's not what this thread focused on. My question still stands. If a $65 one day ticket is still considered "reasonable" to many, then where is the ceiling? Does putting in a new 100 million dollar ride every few years truly justify a price hike? Or is it just to pay for disgruntled former Disney employees' pensions? Elissa, prices? I'll admit I haven't been in awhile, so this does come as news to me. Scott "not afraid to be the voice of the lower class common man" B.

Oh yeah, Disney is genius alright. Genius at bending you over once you enter the gates. And that, my friends, is what chaps the average American's arse more than anything. You can almost stomach the entry fee until: A. You want to eat....or worse, your family of 4 wants to eat. B. You want a refreshing beverage. C. Little Jimmy wants a souvenir. D. Little Amanda is jealous of little Jimmy's souvenir and wants a bigger one. E. It's time to eat again. F. We're thirsty daddy... G. Should I go on? I, myself, don't have kids. However, I know many families who Disney has simply outpriced from maybe ever allowing their kids to enjoy a vacation with the mouse. When you're shelling out thousands of dollars just to be able to add exotic Disney park credits, it's easy to forget what Disney's bread and butter is.....the average American. Fact is, Disney will still continue to do as well as it ever has, but it's sad to see the way they continue to rape the average working class dads out there. Also, I ask you this. If the current price structure still sounds reasonable to some of you, then where's the ceiling? In my opinion, as much as I adore WDW, if I didn't have a connection which allowed my wife and I to see the parks for free, I would have a very difficult time justifying paying the current prices, much less, what it will cost in the future, regardless of what my annual income was.

Thanks to those who replied. To those that didn't, well, you do realize that I didn't need to put the "nothing" category on the poll, right? 125+ views and only 15 votes speaks volumes.

Ditto. You can also add the original Psycho that.

"Wicked" - Ice Cube

Nice first post! Good to see plenty of pics you don't normally see of BGA.

^^ ^ Thank you two. Glad someone cleared up that panda question for me.

^ Remember, that's coming from someone who grew up on Disney parks. Once you actually leave Florida and start exploring the rest of what the country has to offer, you say to yourself sometimes 'wow, great rides, nice service, but man what a freakin' dump.'" It doesn't count for everything, but it's certainly nice to see a clean park. I mean, I don't think there's anyone alive who's seen that pic of Riddler's queue and thought, 'hmm, how delightful.'

^^^ Well, at least they got one thing right then. I sympathize with those who hate to see history ripped out, and I can't stand horrid operations either, but sometimes (at least in my weird way of thinking) a clean park can help offset some of the surrounding failures.

I'll just stick with the top 5. 1. In 'n Out - Sadly, I have to travel to the left coast to get my fix, but it's always well worth it. 2. Zaxby's - How many different ways can you serve chicken in a fast food setting? Zaxby's will show you....and it's good, too. 3. Boston Market - I really miss this place. Just another thing wrong with north Georgia. 4. Arby's - The menu has gotten much much better over the years. 5. Quiznos - mmmm, tasty.

So how much do you give to charity each year? You should consider many avenues of giving on this topic....in-kind donations to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the American Cancer Society or Give Kids the World, memberships to PETA or the WWF (that's not wrestling anymore ), disaster relief organizations like the Red Cross, winning "first ride" auctions for new coasters on Ebay (which usually benefit a local charity), buying state lottery tickets (most money goes towards education, or so they say), and even just giving loose change to The Shriners at a busy intersection. Also, feel free to list some of your favorites that you have given to.

^^ Call me crazy, but I don't think the upper section has it any easier.