Well from a pilot POV, I'm glad the days of visits are over. You don't get much more idea of what is happening from the flight deck than from a cabin window. Most kids just don't understand, and go all shy and quiet. I've had visits where I've come to realise the visitor is actually quite hammered, others asked 'to bring their son up' and come up holding a young baby.....that has filled its nappy! I've had hysterical women laughing and shrieking up, and people who just want to bitch about their treatment by the airline. Unfortunately the ones who see magic in it are very few and far between.
Sorry folks, the flight deck of an aeroplane moving at 500mph is no place to show 'hospitality' and engage in small talk. It is a working environment, and one that in an instant can turn very sour. I've had an engine fail whilst 2 visitors were on the flight deck and conversation was in full swing, and I was the only one to hear it. Those days are gone, for many obvious reasons. I am not even allowed to have my own wife or brother or son on the flight deck. It is not a recruitment aid or hospitality suite- it is a working environment where things can go wrong in a flash. Maybe only experienced pilots can understand this.