Tag Archives: Disneyland

A Proposal Ruined By Disney

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I literally thought it was a joke.

After all, most of what you see on TikTok is one, right? As I scrolled through my feed, the video of the Disney worker slicing into the screen and intercepting the ring box from the dude proposing to his girlfriend caused me to pause. I watched it over and over.

I thought this who Disneyland Paris deal was staged. Unfortunately I was mistaken.

There is a text message thread with my wife, sister, and I that is set up solely so we can send TikTok videos to each other. I copied the link of the ring snatcher video and sent it to Miranda and Sid. Right after sending it, I followed with a short text that read Haha. That has to be fake though.

Yesterday morning I learned that it wasn’t fake. While at the gym, one of the televisions tuned to a cable news station was replaying the same TikTok video I saw with a lower third that read something to the effect of Disney Worker Ruins Marriage Proposal.

Get out of town.

It actually happened. An employee at Disneyland Paris took it upon himself to swoop in the middle of a proposal and swipe the ring box in defense of “company policy.” The team member carried the ring off the platform the couple was on and attempted to re-position them in a new spot by quipping in a happy/sarcastic voice, “Over here will be even better.” It was mortifying.

After snatching the ring, the Disneyland Paris employee pointed to a spot off the platform for the guy to propose. What a mess.

This time, Disney, you have gone way too far.

But I guess I need to be fair. It turns out that Disney could at least admit how outrageous and disrespectful the employee’s actions were. The company said, “We regret how this was handled. We have apologized to the couple involved and offered to make it right.”

I sure hope Disney’s attempt to “make it right” is giving the couple a Mickey Mouse wedding inside Cinderella’s Castle plus free Disneyland passes for life.

Seriously though, what was going through the employee’s mind? Even if they were breaking a Disneyland rule (which they actually weren’t), why not just let the proposal play out and perhaps issue a rebuke after the woman was able to at least slip the ringer on her finger? What is wrong with some basic human decency.

I can’t help but remember my proposal to Sidney. I did it in a high-trafficked, public spot as well. But everyone around us was respectful and supportive. There was no rogue employee who had to steal the show and ruin a once-in-a-lifetime moment. I feel bad that the guy and his new fiancée didn’t get the same courtesy that was given to me.

Let us never let the perceived power we think we have while doing our day jobs go to our heads. When we allow that to happen, shameful scenes like the one we saw in Disneyland Paris will occur. Don’t Blink.

Disneyland is Just Better Than Disney World

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Thumbing through Parade Magazine today I couldn’t help but read the feature on Disneyland. In July the park will turn 60 years old and the magazine pointed out a few interesting facts about its very successful run. Reading about it brought up a semi-serious debate I have with Sidney from time to time.

Sidney will tell you that she has visited Disney World around 8 times. I have visited Disney World twice. I have also visited Disneyland. We will go back and forth on which park is better. It gets pretty serious.

Maybe it is my west coast bias, but I think Disneyland is better. Although I made that trip with my family when I was in fourth grade, I remember it very fondly. In fact, it goes down in the Reser history books as the best family vacation we ever went on. In the past five years, I have made the trip to Orlando twice. Both times I stayed at a Disney resort property and of course visited Disney World. Perhaps it was my old age, but I just didn’t think it was all that great. A little more on this in just a little bit.

Sidney uses her veteran Disney World status as reason on why that park trumps Disneyland. She has had numerous fabulous experiences going as a young girl with her family and then with her young niece as well. To her, there isn’t a better place on the planet so it must top the similar park in California. She also uses arguments that I can’t deny…Disney World is newer and bigger.

But in my opinion, newer and bigger isn’t always better. Disneyland is more intimate. In comparing my experiences in both parks, it just felt like Walt Disney’s spirit was hovering around me closer in Anaheim than it was in Orlando. Disneyland is just more magical, more historical, and more original. You can’t deny the originality aspect, Disney World is an east coast replica of the place that was built 16 years before it.

I think Disneyland wins on the intangibles as well. The consistent and pleasant sunny conditions that characterize life in southern California contrast with the unpredictable and stormy weather that plagues Orlando. While Disney World definitely receives many gorgeous days, it also is prone to nasty days as well. Trust me, I know. Yes, I already alluded to it but Disneyland will also always come first. It was the prototype and Disney World will simply never catch up to Disneyland in terms of nostalgia and pop culture references. Finally, Walt Disney practically built Disneyland with his own hands. He was five years dead before the Florida park opened.

Okay, there you have it. Once again I give you a heavy dose of my opinion. If I ever win a professional sports championship and they shove the microphone in my face I am telling them that I am going to Disneyland. Now it is your turn. What park do you feel is superior…Disneyland or Disney World? I am curious to know. Don’t Blink.