Disney: The Bad and the Ugly

I went back to Disney today. It was a good day, very much unexpected, but fun, and I had a good time celebrating my friend's birthday. You know, so much of what I write on here kind of glorifies Disney. After spending only half a day in the parks, let me now take this time to highlight what I DON'T miss about Disney.

1. The way your feet feel after a full day (or even half a day at the park). I never wear the right shoes, especially today since I wasn't thinking I'd be going to a park when I left the house. One word: OW!
2. Crowds. It's the busy season right now, and I don't like it. I don't like weaving through crowds and shoving my way to get where I need to be. I don't like finding openings and then being yelled at because people think my party is cutting (mind you, this is in a crowd, not a line). 
3. We were at the park for 6 hours today. We rode 2 rides. This had nothing to do with lines, rather, once you're in the parks enough, you kind of just walk around a lot and talk. The thing is, if I'm going to walk around and talk, does it have to be where 70K strangers are also trying to get in their vacation? What happened to nature parks or beaches or walking trails?
4. Everyone knows each other. I'm serious. We were a group of 4 cast members. We all stopped at least twice each to say hi to someone we knew that was working. Seeing this from a different perspective, it kind of creeps me out a little. What kind of power does Disney have over its Cast Members that they not only return to work on their days off, but they do so while spending money, and seeing the same people they work with.... I'm starting to see why it's good to break that Disney bubble, because once it's broken, you start to see the oddity of it all.
5. BTGs. Yes. Brazilian Tour Groups and all that come with them. Just go home. Stop being loud. Stop taking up spaces. Stop pretending like you don't understand hand gestures. Stop being selfish. ICK!
6. I have a process for seeing Wishes. It works every time. Sometimes, there are guests who are lovely. Sometimes, like today, there are guests who use external video lighting for the entire show or guests that put their 8 year old children on their shoulders right in front of you. With all the magic at Disney, you'd think there would be a little more courtesy.
7. Finally, as I stood through Wishes, reciting the entire thing, hand-gesturing when the fireworks were going, I realized something: this wasn't fun anymore. Sure, I'll always love the nostalgia of it. And yes, Wishes still makes me happy. But it wasn't new. It wasn't exciting. I knew exactly what to expect. There were no surprises.

Perhaps that chip they installed at Traditions is finally coming loose. Like I said, I still had a great time today. I'm just ready to have a great time somewhere else too. I'm ready for a new adventure.