Disney World Tells Santa Lookalike to Hit the Road

[Capper]

The happiest place on Earth just said "no" to the jolliest man on Earth.
Walt Disney World resort gave an ultimatum to a Santa lookalike who was visiting the park Sunday, warning him to ditch his festive gear or get out.
J.D. Worley, 60, is used to being mistaken for Santa Claus. But it had always been something that brought him joy, until a recent visit to Disney World.
Worley, who has a long white beard and bears a striking resemblance to St. Nick, was followed around by many an awed youngster during his recent visit to the park.

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[Quakindude]

Sad really. This is one of the few times I think a lawsuit would be in order.

[wtcnbrwndo4u]

Disney World is full of it.

Lawsuit FTW!

[Capper]

I'll never frequent another Disney establishment. The wife and I drove over to Disney Land a couple months ago....it was the first time we'd been there in 5 yrs. I was surprised and saddened to see that the park has completely sold out....commercialism everywhere. every ride is sponsored by some company, and tied into some Disney movie, with everything having a gift shop full of expensive/crappy merchandise. the people were rude......uuughh.
anyway, its nothing like the "Happiest Place On Earth" that I gre up with.

[Zambini]

Originally Posted by Capper

I'll never frequent another Disney establishment. The wife and I drove over to Disney Land a couple months ago....it was the first time we'd been there in 5 yrs. I was surprised and saddened to see that the park has completely sold out....commercialism everywhere. every ride is sponsored by some company, and tied into some Disney movie, with everything having a gift shop full of expensive/crappy merchandise. the people were rude......uuughh.
anyway, its nothing like the "Happiest Place On Earth" that I gre up with.

Of course there is gonna be crappy disney merch, but I didnt know that they had sponsored rides.....
That pisses me off. I'm still not going to Disneyland ever again. 6-Flags is for me :) way better rides

[Capper]

Yeah, everything at Disney Land is now sponsored by "Brawny Paper Towels", "Kodak", and other things.....McDonalds is also all over the park as well

[One4yu2c]

It's definitely much more commercialized than it used to be, and as usual pricing is out of control, particularly if you're bringing in a family. On top of that, during the holidays or when a new big movie comes out, they change their rides to reflect the theme. Rich found that out on his above mentioned visit, and before that, I was disappointed to take Tammy and her daughters to Disneyland for their first visit (I've been there many times, and used to work there as well) only to have the Haunted Mansion completely redone and cartoonish, to reflect the Corpse's Bride. It was terrible, and nothing like the regular Haunted Mansion. I've since taken them back to Disneyland for a second trip in the summertime, and they got to see the 'real' rides, but not every out of state (or even in-state, for that matter) families will get a chance to make multiple visits.

That being said, I still love Disneyland. The kids have an absolute blast, and though I'm perturbed by the crowds, prices, and ads, they don't seem to mind one bit. And I can tolerate the negatives for the overall experience, especially with the fast pass ride ticketing system actually working fairly well. The Indiana Jones ride alone is enough to get me to come back.

As for the Santa thing, I don't know. Seems like they overreacted, and at the same time, the guy needs to get over it. He's still playing the Santa character everywhere else he goes, and I'd be more sympathetic to him if Mickey Mouse tackled the guy while Goofy chopped his beard off and Pluto crapped on his hat. But even after a second reading, I don't see any of those incidents in the article.

EDIT: For anyone that's never been, a fantastic alternative if you get the chance is Sea World. Much more than just a fishy sight seeing expedition, they put on several excellent shows, and it's become a must-attend park whenever I'm out in California.

[yurimxpxman]

I've never been to Disney Land, but I've been disappointed with Disney of late. In particular, they bought Veggi Tales and turned it into one of the dumbest shows I've ever seen (as if taking away its Christian foundation wasn't enough of a bummer). They've really sold out since Walt Disney was alive, and they keep showing it more and more each time they have a new release.

[One4yu2c]

They bought Veggie Tales? How interesting, I didn't know that.

[Panda Man]

I've been 2x, though I was too young to remember the first time, and the second time was just as capper described it. Also, while I was there all the rides kept on falling apart and breaking down.

Still a good time though, especially space mountain and test drive.

I can't believe they kicked the guy out though. If it was that big of a problem, why did they let him in in the first place?