Crazy Comments: Perceptions of Disney from a non-Disney Person

[I_heart_Tigger]

I was at the drugstore today buying a little first aid kit and some mini sizes of stuff for my Disney trip and had the following conversation with the cashier:

She: Oh, you must be taking a trip, where are you going?
Me: I'm going to Disney World!
She: Oh, you're taking your kids?
Me: No I don't have kids, I'm going with 2 of my girlfriends, just a girls trip, we're pretty excited!
She: Oh (*long pause*) So you're going all that way with your friends just to play games and go on slides
Me: :brick:

So tell me, what crazy comments have you heard that just show how some people don't get it?.

 

[mrsdanalind]

I was at the drugstore today buying a little first aid kit and some mini sizes of stuff for my Disney trip and had the following conversation with the cashier:

She: Oh, you must be taking a trip, where are you going?
Me: I'm going to Disney World!
She: Oh, you're taking your kids?
Me: No I don't have kids, I'm going with 2 of my girlfriends, just a girls trip, we're pretty excited!
She: Oh (*long pause*) So you're going all that way with your friends just to play games and go on slides
Me: :brick:

So tell me, what crazy comments have you heard that just show how some people don't get it?.

Disney world? Isn't that the one in California? Oh well then you must be going someplace else... besides isn't that just for kids?
:veryconfu

 

[RSoxNo1]

The misconceptions are definitely out there, and it's a function of Disney's marketing. Their marketing outside of Orlando is targetted at family vacations. Then they seemingly are baffled why they can't reach the young adult demographic.

If they marketed to that demographic there would be a change in the perception. I know I can convince anyone that can afford it, that there's plenty of things for them to do in Disney World.

These misconceptions are entirely linked to poor marketing. You can argue that it's a function of the difficulty of changing preconceived notions, but there have been little to no attempts from the marketing department to try and change these misconceptions.

Disney could easily run an ad campaign that highlights young couples, groups of young adult males, or young adult women enjoying things like dining, the tequila bar, and the more thrilling attractions. They could expand it to spas, golfing or if it still existed Pleasure Island. This can't just be advertising to Floridians - this needs to be up and down the East Coast. Disney World is a destination, and right now many people feel that there's nothing there for them if they don't have children.

 

[erasure fan1]

The one I seem to get the most is
"How in the world could you spend that many days in Disney world? Theres not THAT much to do."
Of course I have my stock "well there is a lot more than just the parks..." answer and most of the time they still have no clue.

 

[FantasmicMinnie]

"You're going to Disney AGAIN?! Don't you want to go anywhere else?"
"Aren't you a little too old for that place?"
"What's so good about it?"

I'm only 19...:lookaroun
I'll be going until the day I die.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

Me: I'm so excited, we're leaving for Disney World soon.
One of my clients: Disney World? Really? You like it there? Is there even anything to do?
Me: What?

I understand that not everyone will love Disney, or understand my need to go there so frequently. And I even understand people wondering if it's just for kids. But to be asked if there's anything to do there confounded me.

 

[MickeyPeace]

The misconceptions are definitely out there, and it's a function of Disney's marketing. Their marketing outside of Orlando is targetted at family vacations. Then they seemingly are baffled why they can't reach the young adult demographic.

If they marketed to that demographic there would be a change in the perception. I know I can convince anyone that can afford it, that there's plenty of things for them to do in Disney World.

These misconceptions are entirely linked to poor marketing. You can argue that it's a function of the difficulty of changing preconceived notions, but there have been little to no attempts from the marketing department to try and change these misconceptions.

Disney could easily run an ad campaign that highlights young couples, groups of young adult males, or young adult women enjoying things like dining, the tequila bar, and the more thrilling attractions. They could expand it to spas, golfing or if it still existed Pleasure Island. This can't just be advertising to Floridians - this needs to be up and down the East Coast. Disney World is a destination, and right now many people feel that there's nothing there for them if they don't have children.

I pretty much said this same thing in another thread and people on this forum all came at me with pitchforks! lol

I agree 100%. Market to more than just families with toddlers. I put in the Disney vacation cd and watched it with a friend. I was embarrassed (as my friend cringed) how slanted it was toward toddlers. The cd made me feel like I didn't belong in the parks if I didn't have kiddies and a stroller.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I'm with Red Socks and the Prince. Run ads based on 'toddler + grandparent moments', and this will be the perception of the park you create.

I think the results of that are even more disastrous than us getting weird looks for liking the parks. The result is that parents everywhere dream of the first day they bring their young 'uns to Disney, only to discover that the experience often isn't all that magical. Few toddlers are extatic having to stand in 95 degrees for an hour for a thirty second spinner ride. Only to be dragged along to stand for another hour in 95 degrees only to be manhandled by a huge furry monster eight times their size while daddy takes pictures.

The Disney experience was so dissapointing for the small children Disney targeted, that the MK is being rebuild as toddler cartoon kingdom to suit the demograph their marketing attracts.

 

[MarkTwain]

I'm with Red Socks and the Prince. Run ads based on 'toddler + grandparent moments', and this will be the perception of the park you create.

I think the results of that are even more disastrous than us getting weird looks for liking the parks. The result is that parents everywhere dream of the first day they bring their young 'uns to Disney, only to discover that the experience often isn't all that magical. Few toddlers are extatic having to stand in 95 degrees for an hour for a thirty second spinner ride. Only to be dragged along to stand for another hour in 95 degrees only to be manhandled by a huge furry monster eight times their size while daddy takes pictures.

The Disney experience was so dissapointing for the small children Disney targeted, that the MK is being rebuild as toddler cartoon kingdom to suit the demograph their marketing attracts.

Not to mention the more serious consequences for sophisticated or adult-focused environments, such as Pleasure Island, Future World, or certain Tomorrowland attractions.

 

[majorrfb]

"You're going to Disney AGAIN?! Don't you want to go anywhere else?"
"Aren't you a little too old for that place?"
"What's so good about it?"

I'm only 19...:lookaroun
I'll be going until the day I die.

We get this same response from friends and family all the time but my DW and I try to go twice a year. If I'm in Florida, I will find an excuse to get to the World.

I'm only 69 and I'll be going until the day I die. :sohappy: :ROFLOL:

 

[J03Y]

when Grad Nite was still going on, i'd walk past the activity director's office (cause my mom's a teacher there, and i frequently run errands for her in the main office) and every year and i glance at what the Class of whatever year was naming the buses (they'd name them different Disney movies every year).

i'd look over and the igits would have names of movies that weren't even close to being Disney movies. i'd seen them all

Anastasia
Madagascar
Shrek
El Dorado
Happy Feet
Prince of Egypt
Shark Tale

 

[Ravenclawdia]

when Grad Nite was still going on, i'd walk past the activity director's office (cause my mom's a teacher there, and i frequently run errands for her in the main office) and every year and i glance at what the Class of whatever year was naming the buses (they'd name them different Disney movies every year).

i'd look over and the igits would have names of movies that weren't even close to being Disney movies. i'd seen them all

Anastasia
Madagascar
Shrek
El Dorado
Happy Feet
Prince of Egypt
Shark Tale

This. This is our high school, ladies and gentlemen.

Speaking of which, the amount of Too Cool for Disney attitudes I-- we-- get here is ridiculous. Mostly hilarious, though.

"I don't understand how your favorite park is Disney World. They all kind of suck, but at least MGM has Dueling Dragons."

:brick:

 

[danstadnik]

I'm embarrassed to say that when I was 16, I got to go to WDW 2 times in a 4 month span - and at the time, I was kinda bored. I liked Future World, and some of the old MGM attractions, but the rest was too kiddie-like for me. I was a thrill ride guy - I only liked rides like 90 mph looping coasters with NO theming. And after that, I didn't return for 17 years...

Now, I'm in my late 30's, and I love EVERYTHING in WDW, from Small World to Everest, and everything in between. And for my faves, give me an omnimover full of AudioAnimatronics over a roller coaster any day. I appreciate the theming more than anything.

But I believe the teenage version of me had a lot in common with most other teens and young adults, when it comes to amusement parks. And I don't think you can easily sell WDW to that crowd. Those kids want Six Flags or Cedar Point. They want to be hurdled through the air like a shotgun blast, or spun around so quickly they can't see straight for days. So I don't blame WDW for leaving them out of their campaigns.

And as for the 30-somethings and older who are without kids, well, I just think that WDW assumes those folks have already made up their mind in regards to what they think about a Disney vacation. There's really nothing that can be said in a 30 second spot during "Grey's Anatomy" that's going to make a young newlywed couple say "Let's skip Bermuda this year and head to Disney World instead!" I mean, there are those of us who just ALWAYS want a Disney vacation, and those who don't.

But do you know what sold me on my first trip to the World as an adult? All of those commercials with parents and their small kids, and watching the magic through your child's eyes... And then that first return experience got me addicted!!! So for me, the marketing worked!

 

[Mansion Butler]

Slides. . .

I can't think of a slide.

 

[mrerk]

I pretty much said this same thing in another thread and people on this forum all came at me with pitchforks! lol

I agree 100%. Market to more than just families with toddlers. I put in the Disney vacation cd and watched it with a friend. I was embarrassed (as my friend cringed) how slanted it was toward toddlers. The cd made me feel like I didn't belong in the parks if I didn't have kiddies and a stroller.

Back when the Disney vacation video came on VHS you would get different videos based on how you answered the questions they asked. There was a family one, a grandparents one, one for couples without kids (honeymooners, empty nesters) etc. and maybe a couple more. I don't know why they got away from that.

 

[Rob562]

I pretty much said this same thing in another thread and people on this forum all came at me with pitchforks! lol

I agree 100%. Market to more than just families with toddlers. I put in the Disney vacation cd and watched it with a friend. I was embarrassed (as my friend cringed) how slanted it was toward toddlers. The cd made me feel like I didn't belong in the parks if I didn't have kiddies and a stroller.

When I have friends planning a trip, I let them borrow a copy of the Happiest Celebration on Earth DVD from '05 or '06 (the Erin/Stacy/Luke/Dave video), and let them know of the inaccuracies. It gave a MUCH better overall view of what there was to do in WDW for all demographics.

Since then it's gone downhill, from the people standing in clouds telling us what their dreams were, to the families with little kids of the recent videos...

I miss the days where they'd send a VHS tape, and they asked you what the makeup of your group was, and had 3 or 4 versions they could send out.

-Rob

 

[jmani56]

I am in my late twenties, and to be honest I kind of like things the way that they are.

When I go to WDW, it's an escape from the stupidity of my peers on a typical "adult" vacation — pretentious clubs, random hook-ups and sloppy drunkenness. I agree that Disney should do a much better job marketing to couples and some segments of more sophisticated young adults, but I'm just fine being in a predominantly family environment when I go to WDW. I don't think adding large groups of young adults looking to party will make the experience better. Bringing back a jazz club for example may attract a younger but mature crowd. Bringing back nightclubs just attracts rowdy locals, because let's face it — people looking to party on vacation aren't going to pick WDW for the club scene.

Disney marketing does target families with small children, but in all honestly it seems to be working pretty well from a business perspective. The parks are more crowded than ever. And when the target audience is families, you get less cheap-thrill roller coasters and more Spaceship Earth's.

I guess my point is that maybe we should be content with keeping WDW as our adult vacation secret, otherwise the demographic in the parks may change and things may be less enjoyable. It's also always funny to bring first-timers along and watch their reaction as they realize they had no idea how wrong their perceptions were of WDW. Yes, it's annoying when people make comments about our vacation plans, but I usually just smile and let them stay ignorant.

 

[Florida_is_hot]

I pretty much said this same thing in another thread and people on this forum all came at me with pitchforks! lol

I agree 100%. Market to more than just families with toddlers. I put in the Disney vacation cd and watched it with a friend. I was embarrassed (as my friend cringed) how slanted it was toward toddlers. The cd made me feel like I didn't belong in the parks if I didn't have kiddies and a stroller.

I seen these commercials Disney tried them.
The only negative comment I ever hear for the most part is I should see the
"Real World" Africa, Asia and Europe pretty valid a logical point.

 

[minnielaw]

I am in my late twenties, and to be honest I kind of like things the way that they are.

When I go to WDW, it's an escape from the stupidity of my peers on a typical "adult" vacation — pretentious clubs, random hook-ups and sloppy drunkenness. I agree that Disney should do a much better job marketing to couples and some segments of more sophisticated young adults, but I'm just fine being in a predominantly family environment when I go to WDW. I don't think adding large groups of young adults looking to party will make the experience better. Bringing back a jazz club for example may attract a younger but mature crowd. Bringing back nightclubs just attracts rowdy locals, because let's face it — people looking to party on vacation aren't going to pick WDW for the club scene.

Disney marketing does target families with small children, but in all honestly it seems to be working pretty well from a business perspective. The parks are more crowded than ever. And when the target audience is families, you get less cheap-thrill roller coasters and more Spaceship Earth's.

I guess my point is that maybe we should be content with keeping WDW as our adult vacation secret, otherwise the demographic in the parks may change and things may be less enjoyable. It's also always funny to bring first-timers along and watch their reaction as they realize they had no idea how wrong their perceptions were of WDW. Yes, it's annoying when people make comments about our vacation plans, but I usually just smile and let them stay ignorant.

I TOTALLY AGREE!! I do not want to see WDW marketed as a bachelor party locale a la Las Vegas. No "What Happens in WDW stays in WDW" ads.....yuck. I agree that I prefer to keep WDW for adults a hidden destination. Let those who don't know better go elsewhere...makes it less crowded and rowdy for the rest of us.

If people want to do their homework and discover on their own that WDW has lots to offer adults, then have at it....but I personally don't want WDW to target an adult demographic.

People make all sorts of comments to me about our WDW trips and I just usually respond "You're either a Disney person or you're not". People tell me that a WDW vacation is exhausting and boring. I respond..."yep, it's not for you."

 

[s&k'smom]

I love the misconceptions and this thread both are giving me a good chuckle. My family has finally stopped asking but when I mentioned maybe going to Europe for my 50th birthday my sister says "oh good someplace different". For me it's the whole escape, only 3 hours by plane from my house. And well I've never had a bad time there and I'll admit I still get so super excited when I unexpectedly run into a character and get my picture taken!