Page 83 - The Disneyization of Society

THE DISNEYIZATION OF SOCIETY

them have gone well beyond this and are now resorts in their own right, in that
they encompass so many forms of consumption that they are destinations
74 independently of their ports of call. These huge cruise ships include a host of shops
(some ships essentially have their own malls), many restaurants, shows and variety
acts, casinos, banking facilities, and sporting facilities (including ice rinks and golf
courses). Carnival Cruise Lines’ Destiny includes: a massive casino; four swimming
pools and sports facilities; a jazz club; a huge disco; a comedy and dance lounge; Las
Vegas-style shows; and many restaurants in addition to the dining rooms. 56
There are signs that this process of adding more and more forms of consump-
tion is likely to accelerate. At a speech given to the Seatrade Asia Pacific Cruise
Convention in Singapore in December 1996, the Italian architect who designed
the Crystal Harmony cruise ship and Huis Ten Bosch, one of the most successful of
the Japanese gaikoku mura (foreign country villages) referred to in Chapter 2, suggested
that the large cruise ships will eventually become floating theme parks. 57

Other domains of hybrid consumption

The foregoing discussion has emphasized some of the major spheres in which
hybrid consumption has taken place in late modern society. However, it does not
exhaust all of them by any means. The following is a catalogue of others along
with a brief discussion of each.

• Weddings These are among the more surprising elements to be included in the range
of consumption offerings. The Disney wedding has become a popular rite of passage at
Disney’s American theme parks, but it is not the only hybrid consumption venue where
they take place, since they take place at Mall of America too. 58
• Family entertainment centres Often located on the edges of cities, family entertainment
centres are sites where a variety of leisure experiences are combined in one setting, with
a multiplex cinema frequently forming the leisure hub. 59 Star City in Birmingham,
England, combines a huge Warner Village cinema, amusement arcades, various restau-
rants, a night club, some shops, and a health club. A similar kind of development is
Xscape just outside Milton Keynes, which has an indoor ski slope as its hub and includes
climbing walls, bowling, a multiplex, interactive games area, cafes and restaurants, and
60
some shops, and which attracts five million visitors per year. At night, the tenor of the
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complex changes in that a nightclub and bars become the main focus for clientele. In
San Francisco, Sony’s Metreon Center comprises a multiplex, IMAX cinema, video
games, an adventure simulation, theme park attractions, shopping with an emphasis on
games and entertainment, and restaurants. 62
• University campuses Several commentators who have noticed the way in which many
American university campuses increasingly look like malls in which a large array of shops
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and restaurants are available, many of which are national chains. A similar process is hap-
pening to some UK campuses, which are increasingly becoming home to a wide variety of