"I've not been to Disneyland Paris as much...only about 20 times. But Tokyo is my favorite. I have an annual pass. When in doubt, always buy an annual pass."
This fan lives in Dubai, and also has an annual pass to Disney Hong Kong.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Monday, March 16, 2015
Guns, picnics, and organized crime
It's always really fun to me to see what's a big deal in other cultures. Pointing at someone with one finger, leaving chopsticks sticking up in a rice bowl - perfectly innocent things for me might be a total no-no for you.
Which makes the Disney rules fun to compare. Looking at the standard set of park rules in the US yields the standard set of prohibitions: no alcohol, no weapons, no inline skates, no swearing at the park attendants no matter how many hours you'll need to wait to see Elsa. None of these look interesting to me, although I wonder what foreign tourists think of our list of rules.
When I look at other countries though, it's kind of surprisingly fun. For example in Tokyo Disneyland:
I've heard of the yakuza - the transnational organized crime syndicates - in Japan, but in three years of going there, I've only ever seen it once. Maybe, if I use my imagination. Walking down a busy street in Shibuya there was a man going down the sidewalk in a double-breasted suit. The Tokyo crowds literally parted for him, people bowing a bit with respect and perhaps a little fear. He might have been yakuza, or maybe he was just known for randomly beating people up. I wasn't about to find out but watched from a safe distance.
Yeah, you in the double breasted suit. No Haunted Mansion for you!
When I was preparing for my Disneyland Paris trip, I saw a dozen questions online asking whether guests should even bother bringing food into the park, or if it will be confiscated. In any Disney park, bringing snacks is a good strategy, as the counter service the park is eye-wateringly expensive and especially, surprisingly for Paris, distressingly inedible. But Parisian Disneygoers are greeted with this sign:
Considering that the word "picnic" has its roots in French (pique-nique - original meaning lost, possibilities include picking at your food, or bringing your own wine to a meal), it seems particularly unfriendly. But also considering that the French like to bring giant picnic hampers for leisurely, hours-long meals on beautiful days, the park planners probably feared hoards of people staking out turf in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Instead they created large picnic areas outside, to leave an authentic park experience inside, free from picnickers sampling cheese who might make you think that a day in Disneyland was for enjoying with family instead of stampeding from ride to ride.
So there you have it. Leave your guns at home in the US, your mafia uncle at home in Japan, and by no means bring a large, overstuffed picnic hamper to Disneyland Paris.
(PS - if you're going to Paris, go ahead and bring your chips and granola bars. Those are actually okay.)
Which makes the Disney rules fun to compare. Looking at the standard set of park rules in the US yields the standard set of prohibitions: no alcohol, no weapons, no inline skates, no swearing at the park attendants no matter how many hours you'll need to wait to see Elsa. None of these look interesting to me, although I wonder what foreign tourists think of our list of rules.
When I look at other countries though, it's kind of surprisingly fun. For example in Tokyo Disneyland:
 |
| From the Tokyo Disneyland Pamphlet |
You got it, no organized crime at Disneyland. Not in the Mouse House.
I've heard of the yakuza - the transnational organized crime syndicates - in Japan, but in three years of going there, I've only ever seen it once. Maybe, if I use my imagination. Walking down a busy street in Shibuya there was a man going down the sidewalk in a double-breasted suit. The Tokyo crowds literally parted for him, people bowing a bit with respect and perhaps a little fear. He might have been yakuza, or maybe he was just known for randomly beating people up. I wasn't about to find out but watched from a safe distance.
Yeah, you in the double breasted suit. No Haunted Mansion for you!
When I was preparing for my Disneyland Paris trip, I saw a dozen questions online asking whether guests should even bother bringing food into the park, or if it will be confiscated. In any Disney park, bringing snacks is a good strategy, as the counter service the park is eye-wateringly expensive and especially, surprisingly for Paris, distressingly inedible. But Parisian Disneygoers are greeted with this sign:
 |
| Sign outside Disneyland Paris entry |
Considering that the word "picnic" has its roots in French (pique-nique - original meaning lost, possibilities include picking at your food, or bringing your own wine to a meal), it seems particularly unfriendly. But also considering that the French like to bring giant picnic hampers for leisurely, hours-long meals on beautiful days, the park planners probably feared hoards of people staking out turf in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Instead they created large picnic areas outside, to leave an authentic park experience inside, free from picnickers sampling cheese who might make you think that a day in Disneyland was for enjoying with family instead of stampeding from ride to ride.
So there you have it. Leave your guns at home in the US, your mafia uncle at home in Japan, and by no means bring a large, overstuffed picnic hamper to Disneyland Paris.
(PS - if you're going to Paris, go ahead and bring your chips and granola bars. Those are actually okay.)
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