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View Full Version : Please tell me they're getting rid of the carnie attractions on the Midway.



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santoanderson
09-24-2008, 09:05 AM
Okay, I didn't do a trip report, from April, because I've been REALLY busy, but here's my big negative with this last trip. I was given the charge of my niece for one morning of our trip, while my parents went souvenir shopping. We headed over to DCA, wanting to see the Mr Potato Head AA. She instantly saw the basketball hoops on the midway and all the stuffed animals and HAD to try it out. Typically I steer clear of these, mostly in local amusement parks, because they're essentially there to take your money with warped hoops and overpriced balls. But I figured, "Hey, it's Disney! They wouldn't try and do that! :fez:" So we go up to the basketball toss. I believe it was three bucks for a game, so I gave the CM six, since my niece and I were both playing. So we got the basketballs, shot and missed. So we both look at the CM asking, "So, can we take our second shot?" Nope. No second shot. For 3 bucks I got to literally throw a basketball away. This is remarkably un-Disney-like. I know at least with the Frontierland Shooting exposition you get a few shots, and the novelty of playing with something you can't do at home, but the Basketball thing was just the oldest, cheapest trick in the book.

Pr1ncess365
09-24-2008, 09:20 AM
I don't like that area either. I feel that If I go to Disney, it's not to see carnival type games. I can wait into the local one comes around and even then I don't go. There's parts of DCA I like mainly the thrill rides, It would be good if they changed it more to mirror Hollywood Studios in Florida and have themed restaurants.
Disney will probably pick up on it and make changes.

cstephens
09-24-2008, 09:45 AM
So we go up to the basketball toss. I believe it was three bucks for a game, so I gave the CM six, since my niece and I were both playing. So we got the basketballs, shot and missed. So we both look at the CM asking, "So, can we take our second shot?" Nope. No second shot. For 3 bucks I got to literally throw a basketball away.

Did the signs not indicate that one game meant one ball?

anniedg
09-24-2008, 09:58 AM
I agree and I think the Midway games area is the ultimate example of why DCA hasn't been as succesful as they'd hoped. I love most of DCA, but that area does nothing for me. As for the renovation, I don't remember the specifics for that area. I may have just assumed they'd get rid of the games because I think they should :p

MiaTurner
09-24-2008, 12:31 PM
I don't usually play carnie games for that reason; just impossible. I guess whether you put your money into it depends on what you're hoping for :P The fun or the prize. Me and my mom play skeeball every time we go, and we suck at it, but we do it for the fun. As for claw grabbers and balloon popping games and others to that affect that I actually deem "playable", I've won quite a few things off of Paradise Pier before.

My only secret is just what I said: I try to decide if it's "possible" or not before I surrender my money ;) The basketball one never made the cut for me.

What's "Disney"?
09-24-2008, 12:36 PM
Typically I steer clear of these, mostly in local amusement parks, because they're essentially there to take your money with warped hoops and overpriced balls. But I figured, "Hey, it's Disney! They wouldn't try and do that! :fez:"

You're kidding, right?

Disney overprices TONS of things. Food, souvenirs, etc.

Smorri
09-24-2008, 12:46 PM
My daughter LOVES the fishing game, as she wins something every time. There is also another game where you have to have at least two people playing: a couple of us will play and then make sure the CM announces my daughter as the winner... which she enjoys. Of course the prizes are small, but between the prize and her joy it's well worth a couple of dollars.

So just for the record, some of us enjoy the games and shouldn't be deprived of them when you always have the choice to not play.

I haven't looked, but are the prizes for the basketball game any more substantial then the little stuffed duckies won in the fishing game? If so then I think it would be proper that the chance of winning would be correspondingly smaller... risk vs gain.

Smorri

racccoon
09-24-2008, 01:13 PM
I agree and I think the Midway games area is the ultimate example of why DCA hasn't been as succesful as they'd hoped. I love most of DCA, but that area does nothing for me. As for the renovation, I don't remember the specifics for that area. I may have just assumed they'd get rid of the games because I think they should :p
DCA was suppose to be a re-creation of the pier attractions of decades past. The fun attraction of those pier days were the games on the boardwalk. I think it is a nice addition to Paradise Pier, it gives it that nastalgic look. I would also guess that people like to play those games, for I see people playing all the time and some people walk off with prizes. Additionally, no CM will actually forcing anyone of us to play the games.

ScottC4746
09-24-2008, 02:27 PM
Did the signs not indicate that one game meant one ball?
I will have to check that out next time I go. I worked for the other park that had a mascott with long ears and their signs say "X# ball(s) for $x. No practice shots"

bananaman20
09-24-2008, 02:30 PM
I agree and I think the Midway games area is the ultimate example of why DCA hasn't been as succesful as they'd hoped. I love most of DCA, but that area does nothing for me. As for the renovation, I don't remember the specifics for that area. I may have just assumed they'd get rid of the games because I think they should :p

The only thing I could find online about this was " Also included in this re-theming will be re-imagined midway games..." So I'm assuming that Disney is going to do something with them to make them stand out as more than your average carnival game.

Disclaimer: I found this on Wikipedia so I don't know how accurate this information is

Second Star
09-24-2008, 03:16 PM
You're kidding, right?

Disney overprices TONS of things. Food, souvenirs, etc.

I hate to disagree, and I'll probably get blasted for it:

But, Disney doesn't overprice anything. Disney is after all in business to make money, and sound economic principle is to price your product at a cost the the market will bear. People are paying Disney's prices, and they are reporting profits to the stockholders. Therefore, they are not overpriced.

People may not like the prices, but then, no one is forcing them to make a purchase.

CV12Pirate
09-24-2008, 05:41 PM
$2.95 for a bottle of Dasani water is overpriced. Even if Disney paid coke for it, which they don't. What are your feelings toward gasoline prices, overpriced or okay?

Second Star
09-24-2008, 06:03 PM
$2.95 for a bottle of Dasani water is overpriced. Even if Disney paid coke for it, which they don't. What are your feelings toward gasoline prices, overpriced or okay?

If Disney only sold Dasani water at 2.95 a pop, and shut down all it water fountains, didn't allow water bottles into the parks, or provide a free glass of water at the counter service windows (just for the asking). Then I might agree that 2.95 is overprices, but you do have other options.

As for Gas prices, they are what they are, and if you have noticed they have been coming down of late. A direct relationship to people adjusting their driving habit to not use as much gasoline. My problem with the oil industry is the appearance of market manipulation of the price.

BTW, you may want to go down to your local young sport complex and see what they are charging for a bottle of water.

CV12Pirate
09-24-2008, 06:07 PM
I must be really old because when I was younger water was FREE!

santoanderson
09-24-2008, 06:30 PM
Well you get charged 4 bucks for a churro, but you still get a churro. You pay 3 bucks to shoot hoops, and you get a dirty look. I should've examined the signs, I admit, however getting dragged around by an excited 7 year-old kind of blurs your perception, and when they say "I wanna do that!" it's easy to succumb to the kid. I guess the gist of my annoyance comes from my niece's reaction and the content of the experience. When the CM just shrugged her shoulders, as if to say "Game Over" my niece got supremely bugged. It was the supreme, I just got screwed, feeling, and nobody wants that feeling at Disneyland. So to make her happy again, we went to one of the shops and she picked out one of those handheld fans, dropping another few bucks. Looking back on it I wish she had picked out something a little more unique to play. Maybe something a little more disney themed, that you can only find in Disneyland (like the Shooting exposition). Something that might take a minute or two of your time and leave you impressed. But seriously, from the moment I handed over my cash, to the moment we got the bad news, ten seconds had passed.
I don't know why I'm so bitter about it. Maybe it's because my niece and I shoot hoops together every now and again for 2 hours or more, and literally take hundreds of shots during that time. Maybe I'm bitter because we both missed :p, but I think it has more to do with the price/experience comparison. If they had made the game more interesting, with bright lights and AA characters, sure I'd pay, but it was essentially a ball and a hoop. Had it been a dollar per ball, fine. Two dollars is getting too pricey, and three dollars just shows a lack of common sense.
I'll just have to avoid the basketball hoop on future visits. Didn't Walt say something about building Disneyland to combat the carnival stands, and cheap tricks on the boardwalk?

VickiC
09-24-2008, 06:49 PM
My kids are 6 and 9 and have never even asked to play the games. I guess they know I'd say no.

sandiegorob
09-24-2008, 07:35 PM
Eh, I find nothing wrong with games. The kids like them, I like them, it's all subjective.

VickiC
09-24-2008, 08:51 PM
My kids know I'm a cheapskate.

cstephens
09-24-2008, 11:19 PM
I should've examined the signs, I admit, however getting dragged around by an excited 7 year-old kind of blurs your perception, and when they say "I wanna do that!" it's easy to succumb to the kid. ... So to make her happy again, we went to one of the shops and she picked out one of those handheld fans, dropping another few bucks. Looking back on it I wish she had picked out something a little more unique to play. Maybe something a little more disney themed, that you can only find in Disneyland (like the Shooting exposition). ... If they had made the game more interesting, with bright lights and AA characters, sure I'd pay, but it was essentially a ball and a hoop. Had it been a dollar per ball, fine. Two dollars is getting too pricey, and three dollars just shows a lack of common sense.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but I'm really having a hard time figuring out why it was Disney's fault. Disney didn't make you pay for the game. I know that kids get excited and want things, but it's the adult's job to be the sense of reason and not give the kids everything they ask for. And you also chose to then let her pick out a souvenir and let her get a souvenir that wasn't to your satisfaction. Disney didn't force you to buy it or choose which item to buy. You said you would have liked the game better if it had more bells and whistles. When you step up to the booth, you can see everything that the game is about - there's nothing hidden. Here's the amount you pay, here's what you get, here's what you have to do. Nothing was a surprise, so I'm not sure why you expected more out of it or were unhappy with the price when you paid it willingly.

The only time I've ever played the midway games is during Halloween Treat, when they're free. I'd never pay for it otherwise myself, but if others want to, they can. I just don't see getting upset over getting exactly what was promised you or situations that you have perfect and total control over.

ScottC4746
09-25-2008, 04:54 AM
You're kidding, right?

Disney overprices TONS of things. Food, souvenirs, etc.
I disagree about overpricing things. True, if you compared a burger at Disney VS a burger at Mc Donalds or Burger King, it is higher at Disney, but look at the quality.
I could easily walk to a chain restaurant on the corner and get a pot roast dinner for less than the $17 I pay at Disney. The quality I feel is better at Disney. Their Turkey Legs are around $7 at Disney, a price I would pay over and over. Beverages are a little high IMHO, but the fountain sodas they have just a certain mix I cannot find anywhere else.

backsthepack
09-25-2008, 04:54 AM
My kid LOVES those games. He always walks away with 5-6 prizes a trip (he plays them several days in a row). When we go to Disneyland we plan on blowing money. We budget for it. If these games entertain him and he is having fun...they why the heck not?

It is a good lesson for him too. When he runs out of the money we give him to play and should he not win, lesson learned. He tried pouting once after blowing that days game money because he didn't win. Tough. You tried, you didn't win. Try again tomorrow. You can't always win.

For us these games are no different than the games set up every where you go. Movie theaters, machines in grocery stores, etc. There are things to lure kids into spending money every where you go.

Carina
09-25-2008, 07:44 AM
I think they are tacky and undisneyish... BUT my kids would be told NO way Jose if they asked!

I cringed that dad let them do the shooting game in frontierland because It bothers me that they have things that cost to do in the parks. I am of the belief that everything we do should be covered by my addmission ticket ( I dont mean eating and buying stuff - I mean everything we DO). I think disney is (should be) different and as I said above those games are common and tacky.... of course if everyone agreed they would be long gone by now!

And yes Disney has a right to cash-grab like any other company... I just doubt they are making a killing on those games so that argument is not all that valid in my opinion.

dznyphreak
09-25-2008, 09:47 AM
My kid LOVES those games. He always walks away with 5-6 prizes a trip (he plays them several days in a row). When we go to Disneyland we plan on blowing money. We budget for it. If these games entertain him and he is having fun...they why the heck not?

Did you know that you can trade up on some of the games? Instead of 5-6 smaller prizes, he could get 2-3 bigger ones. They do have to be prizes from the same game, though.

backsthepack
09-25-2008, 01:40 PM
I had no idea he could trade up. I will have to keep that in mind for next time.

mousemom
09-25-2008, 09:40 PM
I would never spend money on them, not to knock those who do...we all spend our money somewhere or another, but my kids do love the games when we've been to Mickey's Trick or Treat Party. You can play as many times as you want for free and they give out candy whether you win or not.