TOTALLY GEEKED!

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Dear Prudie. Cheating ON Disney

ed11563 · Guru

Dear Prudie,
My husband and I are facing an ethical dilemma when it comes to his parents and their choice of extended-family vacation time. They are comfortable financially and it has become a tradition for us to fly down on school break from the Northeast to their home in central Florida. Often, on their dime, we visit One of Central Florida’s Most Popular Destinations. This year our youngest will be turning 3 years old just ahead of arrival. That is the “magical” age at which admission must be paid. My in-laws have asked how we feel about passing him for a 2-year-old, thus getting in for free. Our issues are that it’s their money, but we feel kind of icky about lying, and also our other children would be old enough to pick up on what we’re doing. We are grateful for the trip and their generosity but since they asked, is it OK for us to say they’ve got to pay (the ridiculous cost) for the preschooler?

—M-I-See You Go Broke ...

Dear M-I,
I’m with Jim Gaffigan on Disney: “If you haven’t been to Disney as an adult just imagine you’re standing in line at the DMV. And that’s it.” Last year Disney CEO Robert Iger made $34.3 million. This was a crushing drop of 15 percent from the previous year, and probably due to people like you who pretended their 3-year-olds were 2-year-olds and didn’t pay the $93 kiddie tariff. Yes, that’s what it costs to bring a child into the park, one who later in life will have not one single memory of that $93 day. Or as Gaffigan says, “We hope you’re having fun. It was either this or send you to college.” Perhaps when you get to the ticket booth and say junior is only 2, your older children will be appalled to discover Mom and Dad are conspiring in a lie to defraud Disney. More likely they’ll be distracted by the tweens hitting puberty who are being pushed in strollers by parents claiming the kids are still toddlers. Tell your youngest to say, “Ga-ga, goo-goo,” as you enter and don't worry about ripping off Disney—your group will be dropping a bundle. All age cut-offs are somewhat arbitrary, but that 3-year-old one seems positively exploitative. If you must expiate your guilt, going on the hellish “It’s a Small World” ride is the Disney equivalent of self-flagellation.

—Prudie

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Thank you ed!

ed11563 · Guru

I'd rather protest the price by ...

wait for it ....

NOT GOING THERE

-- Edited by ed11563 on Sunday 1st of November 2015 09:42:56 AM

ed11563 · Guru

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
Thank you ed!

Happy to assist smile

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

Ok so these people can't pay the $93? The rest of their vaca is free, I would tell the ILs you are not lying about the kid's age. What a horrible example to set.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

OH please. "Horrible" example. I think that's a bit melodramatic.

Fort Worth Mom · Mod/Penguin lover/Princess!

I would rather pay the $93 than set a bad example for my older children.

But that's just me.

Mellow Momma · Sniff...sniff, sniff. Yay! A Bum!

Fort Worth Mom wrote:
I would rather pay the $93 than set a bad example for my older children.
But that's just me.

Agreed.

And when you cheat a big mega-corporation in the name of "teaching those high paid executives a thing or two" the only people who suffer are the lowly hourly workers. Steal from WalMart and it doesn't hurt the people you want it to - it hurts the hourly workers at WalMart who end up with lower raises and fewer hours to get all their work done because the store isn't as profitable.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Pay the $93 bucks!

It IS a horrible example.

Lying, cheating, greed.

We are the example for our kids. If we are going to talk the talk, we should walk the walk.

As for Disney, I've been 3 times. Each time was beyond well worth the cost.

BUT if you are not the kind of person who likes amusement parks, you're not going to like it no matter what.

About the "magical age", I was more about the magical kid can do all the walking and ride everything in the parks.

42 inches is the minimum height requirement on the rides. At 42 inches a kid can ride everything in the park. From the most gentle kids ride to the biggest thrill ride.

But yeah, the OP needs to pay for these trips cause they are setting another bad example for their kids.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Well if it really was a problem for Disney they could require birth certificates.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

It isn't about it being a problem for Disney.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

We went once. it cost our family of 5 a small fortune.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Yeah. It isn't cheap.

But it was your choice to go.

People shouldn't steal.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Last time we went it was $4128.00 for our cabin and park hopper tickets for the 6 of us.

Gas and food was another $607.00.

Not counting the souvenirs and things like that.

But it was so very much worth it.

We all loved it.

The kids were all at ages to enjoy it. We were all healthy and able to do everything.

All the extras and special and extended times made staying in the resort the absolute best way to do Disney.

Nobody Just Nobody · Rib-it! Rrrib-it!

We had this exact same Dear whoever about a year ago.

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
We went once. it cost our family of 5 a small fortune.

Would you teach your children to cheat at basketball? Advise them to lie about their age so they could be on a younger team and thus being the star player?

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

I was given the younger discount once. We were at Dollywood almost a week after Jesse's birthday. I made a comment that he gets the big kid price and the cashier asked how recent his birthday was.

I told her and she gave me the rate for the younger kids.

Said happy birthday and told us to have a good day.

That was a very pleasant surprise.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
We went once. it cost our family of 5 a small fortune.
Would you teach your children to cheat at basketball? Advise them to lie about their age so they could be on a younger team and thus being the star player?

Did i say i condoned it? And i paid the full amount for all our tickets.

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
We went once. it cost our family of 5 a small fortune.
Would you teach your children to cheat at basketball? Advise them to lie about their age so they could be on a younger team and thus being the star player?
Did i say i condoned it? And i paid the full amount for all our tickets.

Yeah but earlier you said it wasn't horrible. It is horrible to set that type of example for our kids, whether it be cheating on a admittance ticket or cheating at something else.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

But yeah Disney firing all their workers to hire illegals doesnt make me overly sympathetic to them. But i have paid every damn dime i have ever owed for everything.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Abortion is horrible. Getting a 3 yr old in at a 2 yr old price , not so much.

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
But yeah Disney firing all their workers to hire illegals doesnt make me overly sympathetic to them. But i have paid every damn dime i have ever owed for everything.

And how do you know this? My niece works for Disney and she has no knowledge of this. Disney is quite the responsible corporation.

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
Abortion is horrible. Getting a 3 yr old in at a 2 yr old price , not so much.

Horrible is anything you teach your kids is ok that makes them learn that it is ok not to obey rules and laws.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Lets not use catastrophic language for minor bull. lol

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Stealing.

Lying.

Cheating.

Manipulation.

Not the things I want my kids to learn.

Mellow Momma · Sniff...sniff, sniff. Yay! A Bum!

I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
But yeah Disney firing all their workers to hire illegals doesnt make me overly sympathetic to them. But i have paid every damn dime i have ever owed for everything.
And how do you know this? My niece works for Disney and she has no knowledge of this. Disney is quite the responsible corporation.

There was a huge stink about this about a year ago. They fire everyone in IT, but first made them train their replacements. They were not illegals though - they were foreign workers here legally under some house bill I can't remember the name of. They paid the foreign workers considerably less, caught heck for it, and backtracked.

Mellow Momma · Sniff...sniff, sniff. Yay! A Bum!

mobile.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/us/last-task-after-layoff-at-disney-train-foreign-replacements.html

huskerbb · Guru

I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
We went once. it cost our family of 5 a small fortune.
Would you teach your children to cheat at basketball? Advise them to lie about their age so they could be on a younger team and thus being the star player?

Sports leagues would require a birth certificate as proof--especially if the child is large and/or talented compared to the rest of the group.

huskerbb · Guru

I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
Abortion is horrible. Getting a 3 yr old in at a 2 yr old price , not so much.
Horrible is anything you teach your kids is ok that makes them learn that it is ok not to obey rules and laws.

Some rules and laws it is ok not to obey.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

So it's ok to teach your kids to lie, cheat, steal and manipulate?

How do you reconcile this attitude with your Faith?

huskerbb · Guru

lilyofcourse wrote:
So it's ok to teach your kids to lie, cheat, steal and manipulate?

How do you reconcile this attitude with your Faith?

???? Where did I say that? What I said was some rules were meant to be broken.

Do you have trouble reading what is written?

chef · Guru

DH and I don't lie about DS' age. If the cashier wishes to overlook it, we accept the kindness.

huskerbb · Guru

I wouldn't take a 2 year old or a three year old to Disney. It's a complete waste of money in the latter case. They can't ride on half the rides, anyway. They won't remember it, or not much of it.

chef · Guru

huskerbb wrote:
I wouldn't take a 2 year old or a three year old to Disney. It's a complete waste of money in the latter case. They can't ride on half the rides, anyway. They won't remember it, or not much of it.

I wouldn't either. We want to take DS to Disney World at some point but will probably do so when he's somewhere between 8 and 10. Old enough to remember the trip, young enough to still get to do all the kid stuff.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

huskerbb wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
So it's ok to teach your kids to lie, cheat, steal and manipulate?

How do you reconcile this attitude with your Faith?
???? Where did I say that? What I said was some rules were meant to be broken.

Do you have trouble reading what is written?

What rules?

How do you teach your kids to follow rules if you don't follow them yourself?

And when the result of breaking the rules are lying, cheating, stealing and manipulation, how do you justify that?

If a parent doesn't set the right example, how can they expect their child to?

huskerbb · Guru

lilyofcourse wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
So it's ok to teach your kids to lie, cheat, steal and manipulate?

How do you reconcile this attitude with your Faith?
???? Where did I say that? What I said was some rules were meant to be broken.

Do you have trouble reading what is written?
What rules?
How do you teach your kids to follow rules if you don't follow them yourself?
And when the result of breaking the rules are lying, cheating, stealing and manipulation, how do you justify that?
If a parent doesn't set the right example, how can they expect their child to?

Again, I never said that. You seem not to be able to read or comprehend what is written.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

If you don't want to pay the price of admission for your 3 year old, don't take them. Disney is quite fair about this. If your child turns 3 during the trip, but is still 2 when they arrive, you don't have to pay. But if they are already 3, you need to pay for it.

And FYI - a 3 year old may not remember everything, but if you don't wear them out trying to do everything, they WILL enjoy it.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

huskerbb wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
So it's ok to teach your kids to lie, cheat, steal and manipulate?

How do you reconcile this attitude with your Faith?
???? Where did I say that? What I said was some rules were meant to be broken.

Do you have trouble reading what is written?
What rules?
How do you teach your kids to follow rules if you don't follow them yourself?
And when the result of breaking the rules are lying, cheating, stealing and manipulation, how do you justify that?
If a parent doesn't set the right example, how can they expect their child to?

Again, I never said that. You seem not to be able to read or comprehend what is written.

What rules and laws are you talking about when you said this?

Some rules and laws it is ok not to obey.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Are you gonna go all self righteous this morning? You have never intentionally driven over the speed limit? Never made a right turn when it said "turn on light only", etc? Never jaywalked?

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

It isn't self righteousness to not deliberately break a rule or law.

Yes, I do try to drive the speed limit. I don't always succeed but it try.

I don't jaywalk. I don't intentionally break laws and rules.

Not anymore.

How on earth could I teach my kids not to do those things while doing them myself?

And that is the big difference here. Intent.

Purposefully deceiving to steal is a lot different from accidentally getting a couple miles over the speed limit.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
Are you gonna go all self righteous this morning? You have never intentionally driven over the speed limit? Never made a right turn when it said "turn on light only", etc? Never jaywalked?

Those things do not involve STEALING. And that is what it is when you lie about ages to get in free. It is lying and stealing. And yes, I may speed, but when caught, I don't lie about it and I pay the damn fine.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

I didn't say I agree with it. Nor did I say I would do it. I have paid every damn dime I have ever owed on everything.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
I didn't say I agree with it. Nor did I say I would do it. I have paid every damn dime I have ever owed on everything.

So what exactly are you trying to say?

huskerbb · Guru

lilyofcourse wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
So it's ok to teach your kids to lie, cheat, steal and manipulate?

How do you reconcile this attitude with your Faith?
???? Where did I say that? What I said was some rules were meant to be broken.

Do you have trouble reading what is written?
What rules?
How do you teach your kids to follow rules if you don't follow them yourself?
And when the result of breaking the rules are lying, cheating, stealing and manipulation, how do you justify that?
If a parent doesn't set the right example, how can they expect their child to?

Again, I never said that. You seem not to be able to read or comprehend what is written.
What rules and laws are you talking about when you said this?
Some rules and laws it is ok not to obey.

We've had threads before about certain school rules that are ridiculous--not displaying an AmerIcan flag on their vehicle was one. Not all rules involve money.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

huskerbb wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
So it's ok to teach your kids to lie, cheat, steal and manipulate?

How do you reconcile this attitude with your Faith?
???? Where did I say that? What I said was some rules were meant to be broken.

Do you have trouble reading what is written?
What rules?
How do you teach your kids to follow rules if you don't follow them yourself?
And when the result of breaking the rules are lying, cheating, stealing and manipulation, how do you justify that?
If a parent doesn't set the right example, how can they expect their child to?

Again, I never said that. You seem not to be able to read or comprehend what is written.
What rules and laws are you talking about when you said this?
Some rules and laws it is ok not to obey.

We've had threads before about certain school rules that are ridiculous--not displaying an AmerIcan flag on their vehicle was one. Not all rules involve money.

What does that have to do with this?

FNW · Guru

I read somewhere years ago that Disney recommends waiting to bring your children until they turn 7, to ensure an enjoyable experience.

That being said, we made the mistake of taking the boys just before their 5th birthday. We were in Cali and staying at the beach house for a week before Disneyland. It was the first time the boys went without a nap. All week. They played with cousins, went to the SB Zoo, and just had a blast. So by the time we got to Anaheim, they were pretty exhausted. Day one at the park was bad enough, day two ended quite early, with all of us tired and frustrated.

Last year, at age 6, the boys visited DisneyWorld. They enjoyed the rides we took them on, but due to the heat, preferred to hang out at the hotel pool, which had a fantastic slide and lazy river.

I think there are a lot of factors that should be considered when planning such a trip. Growing up 20 minutes from Disneyland, I never gave an impromptu visit any thought. Particularly in the days of the value books (ride coupons). But living where I do where a Disney day would require travel and hotel stays, more needs to go into the planning. And it is expensive. VERY expensive. If you cannot afford it, stay home. Choose another park to visit, which is more local.

As for cheating the park out of their admission price, I could not bring myself to do that. Regardless of Disney's wealth. I refused to lie about my boys' age to get them a free meal at the country club, too. There is just something wrong about it, IMO.

huskerbb · Guru

lilyofcourse wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
huskerbb wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
So it's ok to teach your kids to lie, cheat, steal and manipulate?

How do you reconcile this attitude with your Faith?
???? Where did I say that? What I said was some rules were meant to be broken.

Do you have trouble reading what is written?
What rules?
How do you teach your kids to follow rules if you don't follow them yourself?
And when the result of breaking the rules are lying, cheating, stealing and manipulation, how do you justify that?
If a parent doesn't set the right example, how can they expect their child to?

Again, I never said that. You seem not to be able to read or comprehend what is written.
What rules and laws are you talking about when you said this?
Some rules and laws it is ok not to obey.

We've had threads before about certain school rules that are ridiculous--not displaying an AmerIcan flag on their vehicle was one. Not all rules involve money.
What does that have to do with this?

I never said it had anything tomdomwith it. I was responding to a statement that seemed to imply that all rules and laws should always be followed No matter what.

As as far as this issue, though--the whole setting an example for your kids angle is way overblown. You are going to give your credit card to the cashier. They are going to charge a lot of money on it. You and your kids will go through the gate. They aren't going to know or care what the age limits are or if you fudge them. I'm not saying anyone should or should not do that. I'm saying I couldnt give a **** less and setting it up as some big teaching moment is absurd.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
Lets not use catastrophic language for minor bull. lol

Since when is lying and stealing minor bull?

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

What you are saying is that stealing is ok.

You have to tell the cashier how many tickets you need of each age group.

Kids are a lot more astute than you like to pretend.

And even if the kid doesn't know, how is it right to steal, lie, cheat and manipulate?

How can you say, do as I say when you don't?