Hate for childless Disney fans

[Mawg]

Try not to live in a box, meaning don't let others define who you are. Life becomes much easier when you quit trying to have what others have or doing what others are doing. Your box should really only be defined by the laws our society has created and your own morals.

 

[Dog Ate Mouse]

WDW is for all. Singles, Families, young couples married couples and of course I guess I am joining the ranks of older married couples. We are in our mid 50's and had our children at a young age. I am 55 and have a soon to be 11 year old Grandson. We have gone to WDW since 1998 as a couple without children. Our daughter went with her boyfriend and then they got married and went to WDW on their honey moon. This is like everything else. You either don't get it or you do get it. U don't feel the hate at all. I do get why are you going to WDW, that is for kids. People my age and older love going to WDW and it is fun time. There is so much to do and see, horse back riding, golf, Bass fishing trips, Tours, Shows, some carefree shopping and so on. Then add in all the places to eat and new things to taste and try. Add all the rides we go on (all of them) and we laugh and have fun like we were kids all over again. Some adults forget what it is like to be kids again even for a brief moment. Love going to the water parks and my favorite the wave pool. Movies bowling. Yes I can have grown up alcoholic drinks if we want to and do.
We have friends that do not understand or get why we go to WDW like we do. Basically we tell them nicely why and go anyway without a care or concern in the world. The way we look at it, is our friends do not realize all the fun they are missing. Some people in this world grow up and never just cut loose and have fun or let their inner child that we all have come out specially in a place like WDW. I feel sorry for them. If I am going to the Bahama's the Mrs and I both want more to do than drink and go to the beach and I guess gamble. We like to do something different every day. To me gambling can be a little fun at times but I realized when you lose there just went the new WDW watch I wanted. We have gone camping and gone to the white Mountains in N.H and simply loved it. We both love to fly fish and I am a part time musician in a Bluegrass/country band. We are always on the go going to flea markets, yard sales and on Fridays nights love to walk on the boardwalk down the shore and play games and eat dinner. But we really look forward to is our next road trip down to WDW. Always fun and exciting.
In closing, to each their own. Sorry, but I do not feel the hate you are referring to because we don't let things like that get to us and let them steal our joy. Life is short my friends, You never know that I might not be here tomorrow. None of us do. We are all on borrowed time and there is so much in life to do and see and experience. All I can say is when I am ready to leave this earth is that I wished I had gone to WDW just one more time. My wife will testify to that.

Sincerely
Dog Ate Mouse

 

[DfromATX]

We have 4 kids and the youngest is 15 with the other 3 in their early 20's. We get lots of comments from people like "your kids STILL want to go there?" And yes, it's mostly from people who have never been. Very annoying. It's like they can't even comprehend that 20-somethings (and us) would still enjoy it.

 

[Rumrunner]

Lately I feel like I have been seeing more and more hate for those Disney fans that are childless. Between twitter and Facebook-I see people making fun of those adults who vacation at Disney without kids.

My husband and I do not have kids yet, and some of our favorite trips have been to WDW just the two of us. Of course we travel to other locations, but what’s so wrong about two adults enjoying Epcot or Animal Kingdom?

What thoughts do you have on the subject?

I thought we were all kids at heart anyway. It is a magical place with or without kids.

 

[Dr. Ludwig von Drake]

I've only been to WDW with my wife and kids. We always have a great time. I'm actually jealous of people who can go as an adult couple. Looking forward to doing that myself someday.

 

[SpiteriFam]

I’ve got nothing against adults going without kids-why would I?!

The only thing that has previously annoyed me was when we were in Paris and adults pushed to the front of the parade line. They unnecessarily block numerous small kids who then can’t see from behind. It’s not like the kids would’ve blocked them if they’d have stood back a little.

Obviously everyone has as much right as one another to enjoy the parks, but I did think that was unfair.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I've experienced people not understanding it. I've never experienced 'hate' over it.

I point out that if WDW didn't get adult-only clientele, it couldn't survive while school was in session with just parents and pre-schoolers showing up. What are pre-schoolers going to do in Epcot all day?

 

[CaptainJackNO]

Lately I feel like I have been seeing more and more hate for those Disney fans that are childless. Between twitter and Facebook-I see people making fun of those adults who vacation at Disney without kids.

My husband and I do not have kids yet, and some of our favorite trips have been to WDW just the two of us. Of course we travel to other locations, but what’s so wrong about two adults enjoying Epcot or Animal Kingdom?

What thoughts do you have on the subject?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with childless folks going to and enjoying WDW. I may be in error, here, but I would imagine the majority of criticism for childless people going to WDW would be from non-Disney fans. Before my wife and I had kids, we were constantly criticized for going to WDW instead of going to the islands, Europe, Grand Canyon, etc. It seemed, at least in my prior experience, that the snobbish criticism came from those people who would not go to WDW with or without kids, not from Disney fans. Now, I am sure there are exceptions, probably from people who don't visit too often who may feel that WDW is a place for kids, but what do they know, anyway?

I say, do what you and your husband like to do and to heck with anyone else's opinion. When they start paying for your vacations, then they can have an opinion. Until then, they should close their mouths and mind their business.

 

[Goofyernmost]

My husband and I have been to WDW several times and we don't have children and never plan to have any. We even have a Disney Cruise planned next year. I've heard comments from people who don't understand why I love it so much but no one has shared any judgmental or hateful comments to me. Probably know I would give them right back to them and I can be pretty harsh lol. But I tend to ignore other people in the parks so I wouldn't notice if they were giving me dirty looks or snide comments. They would have to tap me on the shoulder to get my attention I don't let the opinions of strangers bother me. Heck, I don't even let my family's opinion affect me.

^^^^ This exactly. If people really get upset about people there without kids, they must do a hell of a good job hiding it. I can't even imagine what they might think about me going solo. I think many folks are transferring their own exaggerated fears into some made up reality. Of course, I wouldn't block the view for small kids by being a snot and pushing in front of them, but, I have never even noticed even the slightest concern about me being there without kids. I might have shown some concern about those with children letting them be spoiled brats, but, never the other way around.

 

[wdwdude1]

I think some people just love to hate. I go to Disney all the time on my own as I like the pure freedom of it. I can marvel as long as I want to. Go and enjoy!!

 

[DisneyGigi]

We have 4 kids and the youngest is 15 with the other 3 in their early 20's. We get lots of comments from people like "your kids STILL want to go there?" And yes, it's mostly from people who have never been. Very annoying. It's like they can't even comprehend that 20-somethings (and us) would still enjoy it.

My son, 23, will mourn when we go without him this year. He has a son, 2 1/2 and a stepson, I can promise you, he would go without them, for a short trip, and nothing wrong with that. He loves Disney World because of all the fun we had when he was old enough to enjoy everything. What makes Disney, Disney - is that the kids don’t grow up, that love of fun, still exists, and it isn’t just for small kids- teens, and adults love it too! Momma will miss him too, but I don’t think he qualifies as a child in a long time.
Again, any person that wouldn’t get that, never will. I can’t imagine what is that they enjoy, if Disney World doesn’t make them happy. Just my thoughts.

 

[Lensman]

I've experienced people not understanding it. I've never experienced 'hate' over it.

I used to find people who were more curious about whether they were missing something, as they had the impression that it was only someplace to take the kids.

I went with a single friend once and the next thing you know she's sitting down with a DVC salesperson buying a big (to me) contract.

Mostly I attribute a lot of it as a reaction to it being a somewhat niche interest. As if it would be more "normal" (I would say conventional) to be interested in fantasy football, gambling in Vegas, or fishing. Speaking of fishing, I have a friend who goes noodling, and he doesn't think there's anything strange about going to WDW without kids.

Now that I have kids I do think it would be somewhat strange (or at least mean-spirited) to go without them - at least until they lose interest.

Question for the OP: What kinds of hating have you seen? Maybe the haters aren't real people?

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

We went exclusively to Disneyworld multiple times a year before we had kids. We joined the DVC before we had kids. We go multiple times a year since we've had kids. I couldn't care less what other people think about it. If they want to go to their "adult" places then that's just one less moron in front of me when all I want to do is get on Toy Story.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

Yes it goes both ways.

Some people think that kids don't belong in certain places or that things shouldn't be built with little kids in mind.

I was walking through Fantasyland with my little boy one night during EMH at the MK and heard these snarky little teeny boppers having a conversation and they were saying how stupid it is that Disney allows kids to be in the parks from open to close and that Disney should initiate a "curfew" so people with kids have to leave at a certain time and leave the park to the adults only. Ironically, they would have been kicked out themselves. (which I would have been totally fine with btw) LOL!

 

[Mickey5150]

People at work used to ask why I'd go to WDW without kids and then I told them about the 1000s of different beers, wines and hard liquors available from all over the world in a place where you never have to get behind the wheel of a car and then they think WDW is the greatest place ever.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

True Dat!! Some people would really get ugly with me. Finally I just had to let them have it-----"Look, it's not my fault you had a kid at 18 and you can't afford it" or "the money you spend on cigarettes and liquor is the money I save to go on vacation"

Yeah we're a "Disney family" too and people still make comments to us about how we "only go to Disneyworld" and think that's sorta weird but we also send our kids to private school and people will sorta look down their nose at us for that and talk about how they "can't afford to do that" but I'm like "yet ironically you CAN afford every channel on directv, multiple $400 or $500 car payments a month, and never get tired of going to the beach for a week every year..." Hm... People do what they want to do and that's the bottom line. They can judge me all they want to but they can never make me serve a sentence.

 

[crxbrett]

I've never encountered any "hate" so much as I have seen confusion, shock or surprise, or some sort of fascination - and only by people I actually know and not strangers or other guests in the parks. I don't have kids myself, but have been to WDW a few times with an ex-GF as well as going with my current GF. I've always had the time of my life and never sensed any sort of bad feelings towards myself or the person I was on vacation with since we were a childless couple. Most of my friends can't understand why I would spend thousands of dollars on Disney in a year, but they kind of joke about it or rib on me a little. I just laugh it off now and think it's funny.

Disney is for all - families, couples, singles, friends, lovers and anybody else. Every experience is unique and all have their pros and cons I am sure. In the end, we all just want to get away and leave our worries at the front door as soon as we leave home and head out to LBV, Florida!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

This is nothing new. The majority of non-Disney folks I know don’t grasp the idea of adults liking it too. Many go as far as assuming the Disney loving adult has a poor grip on reality and latches on to some fantasy world for children as some kind coping mechanism. Not saying I agree, but this is a pretty common thought among adult non-Disney fans.

It often doesn’t stop there either. These people often assume Disney parks are only for young children. The mere idea of taking older kids implies to them that your children are equally defective and are being babies and coddled too much in the emotional growth process.

I used to work with a girl who went on an Orlando vacation, but refused to “waste” $ on Disney tickets for anyone but her and her 4 year old daughter because Disney is for babies (according to her). She wound up only going for a few hours because supposedly her 4 yr old thought MK was too much of a baby park. I wonder how she got that idea???

 

[lostpro9het]

What thoughts do you have on the subject?

them, enjoy your life! Disney can be so much fun sans the rugrats.

 

[BuddyThomas]

What's even worse is if your own husband, wife, partner, etc is one of the haters. Every time I bring up the idea of going again, I get stared at like this, LOL.