Subtext: Disney Is For Little Kids

I've been seeing this commercial a lot on TV lately...which must mean it's airing on TBS (we watch a lot of Big Bang Theory reruns), the SEC network (my husband is a South Carolina football fan) or HGTV (we're Basic white people; this one's self-explanatory):

Now, don't get me wrong: I like Universal Studios and I love the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (obviously). 

But this ad really grinds my gears. I mean, I get it. It can't be easy to be a theme park in Orlando. Busch Gardens is in Tampa; Sea World has the whole marine mammal/sea life thing going for it; and let's not forget the, ahem, unique schtick the Holy Land Experience has going for it. But Universal, until recently, had it pretty rough; it must be tough to be an entertainment-based-theme-park-in-Orlando-that's-not-Disney. The two are fairly similar -- theme parks + themed hotels + downtown shopping area + water park -- but the power of Disney is just...overpowering.

So I get the ad campaign. I do. You have to differentiate yourself from Disney somehow and, yes. Universal targets an older demographic: here are more thrill rides and coasters; Halloween Horror Nights is no Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party; the Dr. Seuss area of Universal is pretty much the only "kid" area; and kids probably graduate from Disney movies to Harry Potter books.

The implication of the commercial though is that Disney is only for little kids -- that you can "outgrow" Disney: "Kids grow up; so do vacations." Which...makes me bristle and make this face:

Um, What? No... GIF from Xfactor GIFs

I won't lie and say that I didn't go through a "I'm-too-cool-for-Disney" phase; mine hit around late school and ended freshmen year when I took my First Year Seminar at UNC and realized that people could study things like Disney and Harry Potter for a job. But even then, I was never too old for a Disney vacation. When my younger brother had a soccer tournament in Orlando, I always tagged along. My mom and I would visit all of the parks -- we rode The Hulk when it first opened at Islands of Adventure; rode the Jaws and Back to the Future rides at Universal when they were still there; and we had to buy these awful pajama pants at Sea World because we got soaked on their water ride -- but we always saved the Magic Kingdom for last because...well, because it was so darn magical.

And that was before Disney upped their game. Now, some of the best restaurants in Florida -- some of the best in the country -- are at Disney World; no greasy theme park fast food here. The Food & Wine festival at EPCOT is one of the biggest crowd draws in the Fall -- especially for Florida residents. And Disney has made a conscious effort to appeal to couples/adults rather than just families and expanded their Fairy Tale Wedding packages.

At the end of the day, it's just a commercial and I know that. It's not going to change my mind about Disney and I certainly don't underestimate the power of Disney to instill a life-long love in the tiniest of humans. But that doesn't mean that "grown-up" vacations can't include days at both Universal and Disney.