Coming to the end of my three and a half mile torture session on the treadmill, I found a final burst of energy when what I thought was going to be an incredibly uplifting commercial came on. It was for Walt Disney World (hey, I watch soap operas – I’m just glad when it’s not a diaper commercial) and featured a mid-thirties-ish couple having a real blast by themselves. It went through a litany of things that people without kids can enjoy when thinking about planning a spontaneous trip to the Happiest Place on Earth…
No homework to check…
No school vacations to work around…
No photos with Mickey…
It finished by introducing them as “Mark and Natalie with no kids…” over an image of them looking madly in love at a romantic dinner. Just as I’m thinking, “Whoa, Disney – way to go on representing the childless and the Childfree!”, they drop their three-letter bomb:
YET.
*Sigh* I went from being totally jazzed about how such a mainstream company had the forethought to be inclusive of the 20 percent of us who don’t have kids, to being totally bummed by the realization that we’re probably a long ways away from that.
Needless to say, I hopped off the treadmill and immediately made myself a martini.
Maybe Lady Liz is blogging her way through the decision of whether to create her own Cheerio-encrusted ankle-biters, or remain Childfree. You can follow her through the ups and downs at MaybeBabyMaybeNot.com.
We are friends with a couple who cannot have children and they love Disney, go there for vacation every year. This commercial would really upset them.
We went to Disney World on our honeymoon in 1993. We had a great time, and it was so different than when I went with my family (less stress, more spontaneity). There are so many adult-centered things at Disney–the nightclubs on Pleasure Island, for one thing–so I just don’t understand why the “yet” was necessary. But then, Disney is also known for sanitizing and whitewashing over every story they adapt into a film that I’m really not surprised at their attempts to homogenize every guest experience.
You see, Disney knows that grown ups have loads of fun at Disney. Probably more fun than parents who have to deal with whiny, sweaty, tired, hungry, thirsty, sleepy kids. But they want to hypnotize parents into thinking that that happy couple who is having a blast could be them… or they want to entice them with past memories and a longing to relive them even if they have to take the kids. 😛 I’m hoping to take the hubs next year. I only live 4 hours away by car. Never thought it was just a “kid” place. We always made it a point to take the grandmothers, the great aunts, all relatives and friends passing through Florida. Of course my niece and nephew, but they were going for the same reason the rest of us were, to have a great time. It wasn’t just about them.
Disneyworld isn’t so bad, if one know where to go (adult-wise)…. Me, I came as a teenager and I just knew two things- no magic kingdom, and no epcot. Back then, I didn’t want to deal with kids…LOL So I went to the Hollywood Studios, and there weren’t much kids there. Now there’s some new parks, I’m eying- but then again it depends on mymood. You know?
I had the EXACT same thought process as you when I saw that commercial. “Holy shit! A commercial directed at people without kids??” And then “oh. of course not.”
Maybe one day. JC Penney did those ads that had gay couples in them, so maybe someone will eventually include us too.