My Five Least Favorite Disney World Attractions

It’s no secret that Orlando’s Walt Disney World Resort is my favorite vacation destination. I’m already planning my next trip while on the flight returning home. However, I cannot say that I love every Walt Disney World attraction. Here are my five least favorite Walt Disney World attractions.

Stitch’s Great Escape! (Magic Kingdom) – Let me begin with full disclosure. I’m not a huge fan of the “Lilo & Stitch” movie either. I don’t dislike it but it’s not on my short list of films to view again. That being said, I don’t find anything endearing or entertaining about this Walt Disney World Tomorrowland attraction. In fact, to me, it is distasteful with its unpleasant smells and restrictive shoulder harness.

Country Bear Jamboree (Magic Kingdom) – With its musical numbers and corny jokes, this Audio-Animatronics revue is popular with small kids. I cannot say I appreciate the humor or songs featured in this attraction that never seems to end. To make matters worse, I find the quality of the audio on this attraction lacking. The poor audio quality makes it difficult to even understand the Audio-Animatronics, let alone enjoy the banter.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends (The Ride) (Epcot) – This is another kid-friendly attraction whose appeal is lost on me. Clam-mobiles take visitors on a journey through scenes from “Finding Nemo” until the riders disembark at the aquarium. I enjoy the aquarium itself, just not the means of reaching it. In fact, I avoid this ride and enter the aquarium through the side entrance.

Expedition Everest (Animal Kingdom) – This is one of the most popular rides in Animal Kingdom so you may be wondering why I dislike it. I suffer from motion sickness and this attraction aggravates my condition. This is not reason enough to dislike the ride – many attractions at Walt Disney World have motion sickness warnings and I do enjoy most of them. If the entertainment value of the ride outweighed the discomfort I felt, it would be on my “must-do” list. However, I simply don’t find Expedition Everest that interesting.

Studio Backlot Tour (Hollywood Studios) – This “behind the scenes” tour begins with a demonstration of how special effects are created and ends with guests narrowly escaping explosions and flooding at Catastrophe Canyon. Perhaps this attraction has become pedestrian to me because I’ve experienced it many times. In any case, I’m hoping it will be re-imagined and the thrill value restored. Until then, I’ll take a pass on this attraction.

No doubt that for every attraction on my least favorite list, there will be Disney World visitors who love it. That’s part of the beauty of Walt Disney World – there’s something for everyone!

Would you Lie for your Child?

I spent part of this weekend catching up on some long overdue magazine reading. It was the April 2009 issue of “Parenting” that challenged my thinking. Each issue has a “Mom Debate” section and this month’s question was “Would you lie to get your kid out of trouble?” Without hesitation, my immediate, emphatic thought was “Of course not!” To me, it seemed such an obvious answer that I was surprised that a whopping 42% responded, “Yes.” I had to read the sample responses.

The parents who responded “No” cited reasons similar to my own. Parents didn’t want to set a poor example for their children, they were worried that kids wouldn’t learn that actions have consequences if Mom always fixed the situation, and they also felt that one lie would lead to even more.

The following rationale fell into the “Yes” category.

“It depends on the situation. If it would prevent my kid from getting beat up, yes, I would lie. If the principal called and asked if I knew my kid skipped a class, no, I would not lie. Bottom line, never say never, parents. Parenting is not black-and-white.” –Panda Roo on Parenting.com

“Bottom line, never say never, parents. Parenting is not black-and-white.” These two little sentences and the statement that a lie may be warranted if your child were in danger really challenged my thinking and reminded me that indeed, parenting is not black-and-white. After all, as parents, we often know what to do in theory but are confronted with countless practical situations where the books just don’t have all the answers.

This “Mom Debate” was a gentle and welcome reminder that many parenting decisions fall into “gray areas” and that as parents we should support each other and refrain from judgment.