Are you a Disney or a WDW Fan?

[cloudboy]

Yes, this is another Wand poll. But with a twist. I decided to take this out of the other discussion on the wand because I want to get an idea of the type of fans who make up this board.

Pretty simply, I find myself a fan of (although perhaps diminishing) Walt Disney World. I don't particularly consider myself a huge fan of Disney itself (the characters, features, etc.). Not that I hate them but htey are not the center of my life, either. I realize that a lot of people who love Walt Disney World are also huge fans of anythign Disney, and perhaps first consider themselves Disney fans, and fans of WDW because of that.

What I am interested in is finding out if you consider yourself first a Diney fan, or first a fan of Walt Disney World. Second, I am interested in how that relates to how we view the park - I am picking the wand because I think that is a pretty significant object of Disneyness, although it could be related to many things having to do with the characters around the park.

Well, anyway, who are you?

 

[Connor002]

I'm most definitely an overall Disney fan, rather than specifically idolizing WDW alone.

 

[Rammstein]

As much as I like Disney films such as Pirates of The Caribbean and Toy Story, I am more a fan of Walt Disney World than anything Disney. And, personally speaking, I don't mind the wand.

 

[Vernonpush]

I am a Disney fan, not WDW specific. I've wanted to work for Disney since I was 5 years old (45 years ago) lol.
I think that the wand is only there for those people who have no clue as to where they are (at WDW and Life). The same people who go to Disney's Animal Kingdom at noon and complain that there are more Fastpasses for Expedition Everest.
Sometimes you don't have to cater to the lowest common denominator. If they pick up a park map, they will know where they are (eventually).

 

[lilclerk]

...I am a WDW fan and I don't love or hate the want :shrug: I loved it for the Millennium celebration... now it's old, and I do think SSE is much grander and certainly looks bigger and better without it... but I don't HATE it with the passion that other people here do.

 

[hcswingfield]

Shame you don't have a category for those of us who really don't love or hate the wand. Spaceship Earth looks different with the wand overlay, but I really don't think it's better or worse - just different.

 

[disney_fan_fam]

You could call me a Disney fan. Love the movies, some characters , LOVE the parks! :sohappy:,

I could do without the wand though.....

 

[mitchk]

I'm a WDW fan. As a kid I loved the movies, but I must say I enjoy the Disney theme parks more than the movies. BTW, I HATE the wand

 

[kybred72]

this is interesting! I thought I was in the minority when it came to being a fan of WDW and not necessarily Disney. Mickey and characters are cool but it's those parks that I love. And not becuase of the thrills but because of that childlike giddiness you feel inside! :sohappy:

 

[mac41099]

I had only been to MK once in 1981. So, growing up, I was actually a fan of all the movies, characters, and music and not so much the park because I was only 6 at the time.

Went to WDW in 2005 and each year since, and it has turned me into a huge fan of WDW, as well as all things Disney (movies, tv, music, characters, merchandise, toys, etc).

The parks (and the music plays a VERY important role in this) make me feel great and takes away all my worries in life. It gives me the biggest smile to see the joy on my kids faces at the parks. To me, it is my oasis and is truly "magical."

 

[fizzle75]

I have been a very big Disney fanall of my life. I grew up loving art,specifically animation and comics and Disney and it's amazing animators were probably my main ispiration for persuing art. I was amazed at the skill of animators like Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston(even though I didn't know their names at the time) and their ability to breath life into a character and suck you into the story they were telling. I have very fond memories of watching World Of Disney(on Sunday nights if I remember correctly) and how drawn I was to Walt himself.

As a Disney fan I was very aware of the existence of Walt Disney World and Disneyland and I wanted to go desperately but my family had very little money and was never able to take me. I remember reading about and seeing reports on the news about the opening of Animal Kingdom back in 1998 and I remember thinking to myself "Ok, someday I absolutely HAVE to go to WDW". When it came time for my fiance(now wife) and I to decide where we wanted to go on our honeymoon I knew immediately where I wanted to go but didn't know if she would want to go. It turns out that even though she wasn't as big of a Disney fan as I was she was still a big fan and had always wanted to go to WDW too. We ended up going to WDW for our honeymoon back in April of 2005 and we fell absolutely head over heals in love with the place. I can still remember the first time I saw wishes and how incredibly moved I was. As I sat there on the ground in front of The Castle watching those amazing fireworks, hearing Jimeny Cricket's voice and just absorbing all of the "magic" around me, I began to fight back tears with everything in me as I realized I had finally found my "happy place". I was instantly hooked.

I don't know if I can give a definitive answer to the question because I have come to love Walt Disney World as much as I love Disney. For me they now both go hand in hand. I can't tell you how much I cherish every WDW trip. Going to Walt Disney World takes me back to a much simpler time when I didn't have the cares,concerns and stress that seem to fill my life now. The moment I land in Orlando and realize how close to "home" I am, the stress just begins to melt away and I feel once more like that pudgy little kid who used to get whisked away to another world on sunday nights as he watched Mickey,Donald and Uncle Walt. I can't put into words how much Disney AND Walt Disney World mean to me and my wife.

Oh,and by the way...

I LOVE the wand and I STILL tear up everytime I watch Wishes!:wave:

 

[LoriMistress]

Hmm...I love the parks and I love Disney. :veryconfu

 

[WDWGuide]

Neither. The WDC isn't quite the evil empire it was just a few years ago, and the parks are in a much better shape than they used to be, but I wouldn't call myself a fan. I am just a customer who enjoys much, but not nearly all, of what they have to offer. Now if Project Gemini, Beastly Kingdom, the originally planned Disney-MGM expansion, Fire Mountain, as well as Swiss, Russian and sub-Saharan pavilions were built in the next few years, then you could call me a fan.

For all it's worth, I say "Mr. Iger, tear down that wand!".

 

[figment1985]

I am an obsessive complusive disney world fan, I somewhat like the disney movies, but it's the fantasy of the rides at wdw that gets me.

 

[raven]

WDW mostly but also Disney history.

When I worked at The Disney Store there were cast members with knowlege in specific areas of Disney. Some were very into the films and animation, others into charcaters. I was the only one who knew so much about the parks. So everytime a guest came into the store wanting to know details about trip planning or the parks they were sent to me. :wave:

 

[fizzle75]

Neither. The WDC isn't quite the evil empire it was just a few years ago, and the parks are in a much better shape than they used to be, but I wouldn't call myself a fan. I am just a customer who enjoys much, but not nearly all, of what they have to offer. Now if Project Gemini, Beastly Kingdom, the originally planned Disney-MGM expansion, Fire Mountain, as well as Swiss, Russian and sub-Saharan pavilions were built in the next few years, then you could call me a fan.

For all it's worth, I say "Mr. Iger, tear down that wand!".

I've gotta ask...If you're not a "fan" then why bother joining a WDW fansite?

I realize most folks probably don't have the emotional attachment to Disney/WDW that I do but I just don't understand joining a web community that celebrates a shared love for something that you can't call yourself a "fan" of. Maybe it has alot to do with the fact that I'm a big ol' dork too!:lol:

 

[cloudboy]

Wow. I am really surprised about the results! I had kind of thought we would find most people Disney Fans, and then find a big split between those who liked the wand and those who didn't. But it looks like things are neck in neck, really.

 

[TTFN-Tiggger]

I love all things Disney! Guess that is what drives people around me crazy sometimes. They will get over it though. It is the best place to be in the entire world in my opinion!!

 

[DisneyMusician2]

The wand has blinded them to the truth...Brainwashing, I dare say!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

I love the Parks, I enjoy the films and the wand is quite ok