is a visit to the world appreciated more by...

[cynic710]

someone who visits often, and has done so since their childhood, or someone who has never been there and is visiting for the first time in their mid-twenties?

since ive been going since i was 2, i feel the nostolgic connection to the past plays a big role in my current love for the parks. what do you think?

 

[Iteachwood]

Good question..from someone who has been going for 26 years...I KNOW I apprieciate it now as much if not more...BUT I do remember our first trip and it was MAGICAL to say least...but I think I really DO appriciate it more now

 

[dave&di]

My 1st trip to WDW was in 2008 when I was 31 years old! It was during that trip that I KNEW I had to keep returning, I now save like scrooge to return every other year.

When I was a child I never dreamed I would ever go there, it was a magical place far far away! my family weren't travellers and infact my trip in '08 was my first EVER holiday! I appreciate it because it is special to me, no I have no nostalgic memories from years ago.

 

[jlevis]

Interesting question. I know that my appreciation for all things Disney has grown over the years. My reading has gone from tour guides to biographies and company history. In the parks I pay attention to themes as I wait in line. I enjoyed the Keys to the Kingdom tour as much as I did Splash Mountain. But, I really am still a kid at heart.

 

[JillC LI]

My first trip was with my family when I was 8 years old, and I remember it with affection through a child's eyes. Sadly, I did not return until I went with my own children 30 years later. It was like seeing it for the first time again, and that trip was so incredibly magical to watch my children see it for the first time as well. So I had huge appreciation seeing it for the "first time" as an adult. That said, we've been back many times as a family since then, and we still love it just as much. So it's hard to say who appreciates it more.

 

[cynic710]

awesome replys. im excited to see it through the eyes of a dad for the first time and enjoying it through my friends who have never been and are in their mid-twenties. but again, going now brings me back to childhood, and i feel like its something that cannot be replaced.

 

[Huglife]

Disney has shaped many people's lives through films and cartoons so even if you travel for the first time as an adult, that sense of nostalgia is still there. I went as a child, however I took my boyfriend for the first time when he was 31 in 2008 and he feels the same way I do. Our third trip together is in December.:sohappy:

 

[Sweet Melissa]

It's difficult to say. My first visit to Disneyland was when I was five, and I grew up enjoying and loving all that the Anaheim park (and later, parks) had to offer. I didn't go to WDW until I was 21, and while I do love it, I still love Disneyland more. I think nostalgia does play a part in that.

Of course, I would be predisposed to love Disney theme parks even if I didn't grow up visiting them. I've been a fan of Disney's films — both features and shorts — for as long as I can remember. I wanted to dress up as Minnie Mouse for Halloween well before my parents ever surprised me with that first trip to Disneyland. The first movie I remember seeing in theaters was a re-release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I was taping episodes of The Mickey Mouse Club with my family's first VCR. The parks could be instantly nostalgic even for adults on their very first visit.

 

[Todd L]

Man! Thats a tough one.....I honestly get really excited for every trip!

I think because We have great memories and favorite things to do We get excited to go do all those things!

I also have the benefit of watching my kids enjoy the parks for the first time!

 

[JIMINYCR]

My wife and I did not go to WDW until we were married and adults. We each have said we wish we had the opportunity to have gone as kids but unfortunately that wasn't possible. I think we appreciate it more now because we have more knowledge about what Disney has to offer, an understanding about the history behind what went into the creation of the parks, and can appreciate it more because of the things we have to do to save and earn our way there.

 

[crispy]

I didn't visit WDW until I was an adult, and I was totally hooked after that. I remember being in awe of Disney as a child so I imagine that plays into why I love it so much even though I never visited. I read threads on here and get nostalgic about attractions like 20K Leagues Under the Sea and Horizons that I never got to see.

 

[popsicletrees]

I have been visiting WDW every year since I was an infant. My husband's first visit was at the age of 26. I can definitely say that I appreciated that visit much more. Don't get me wrong, he had a great time, and any expectations that he had were blown out of the water by what Disney can actually do. However, he didn't share the same feelings towards some attractions that I do because it wasn't nostalgic for him, which is understandable. Plus, it was a bit overwhelming for him because he knows that there was so much that we just didn't have the time to do. However, he is looking forward to the next trip that we are taking together in May, and I am hoping that he will begin to understand why I love this place so very much.

 

[InLikeFlynn]

Hmmm good question. I would say the person who visits often...because if they keep going back, they have a reason and therefore everything is more important.

I know my first couple visits were not impressive...I went at almost 15, and then again in my early 20's. Just didn't get it. And then I went at 30 with my 3 year old dd and saw everything through her eyes and was hooked. Now we are total junkies, about to leave for our 8th trip since her first one, which we just took 3 1/2 years ago. I definitely feel a love for the parks like I never imagined the first time I went. I didn't even care to go back after my first trip.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

Very good thread and it got me thinking, my wife and I epitomize those two categories. I've gone over the years starting in my childhood and she first went when she was 25 years old in 2009.

No doubt over the years I appreciate it more now then when I was 10 but I would love to have those "baby eyes" for the first time in viewing it.

The main question here is who appreciates it more? The person who has memories from years gone by or the person who never got to go as a kid but only heard about it only to finally realize their dream come true.

Tough one, it really is

 

[cynic710]

seems to me that i asked the million dollar question. and i think one of the best points brought up was that even though you may not have visited the parks, you may still be an avid disney fan, in which case the park will still be nostalgic due to your knowledge via the movies and other outlets. in either case, its a safe bet that if you even like disney slightly, the park will satisfy beyond expectation.

 

[craz4disney]

I dont know I had been there when I was 6 and was amazed, but when I was a freshman in high school, I was able to enjoy seeing my grandfather go for his first time at the age of 64. It was amazing to see the look on his face as he reverted back to a little boy when the magic struck! Since then he got to go 3 more times. The last time he went was with 12 of us. 4 generations. It was a trip to remember.

 

[Disneydreamer23]

going there now at 18 19 20 21 22 i last went there when i was 7 so 11 yrs later i see my self loving rides i loved as a child i remember being little on ET and on dumbo and pirates so i think it has a part to play in each roll my finace went for this first time in 2008 being 20 or 21 and his eyes didnt light up as much as mine seeing the rides i went on as a child etc

 

[draybook]

My 1st trip to WDW was in 2008 when I was 31 years old! It was during that trip that I KNEW I had to keep returning, I now save like scrooge to return every other year.

When I was a child I never dreamed I would ever go there, it was a magical place far far away! my family weren't travellers and infact my trip in '08 was my first EVER holiday! I appreciate it because it is special to me, no I have no nostalgic memories from years ago.

I was also 31 on my first trip to WDW in 2008. My wife hadn't been since she was two, in 1983, and our kids had never been. I grew up going to DL, since I'm from SoCal, but I haven't been out there since 1992.

We definitely cherished our first trip, and we got spoiled by the low crowds of September in 08.

 

[jlandis44]

My first trip was senior in HS in 1987. I liked it, but was more enthralled with the fun of getting away from the house and staying overnight with my high-school friends. So, I didn't really get a full appreciation for it (not to mention, it was crowded as all heck). I had to go to FL for a wedding a few years ago, and since I had my own kids, I decided to turn it into a WDW trip. It was the last week of October, during the Halloween festivities. I was hooked. My kids pretty much viewed it as "just another amusement park", but I was enamoured with the sights, sounds, and overall atmosphere. Now, I'm finding myself there every year, sometimes more than once per year, and I might never lose the bug, even when the kids move out

 

[FLORIDA_PHIL]

hi all
I didn't see what all he fuss was about and i made my first visit in April 2008 when i was 41 !!!! well how wrong i was !!! i fell in love with the place and have been back in Oct 2010 and going Oct 2012 for my 20th wedding anniversary like you all say its magical i cant stretch to every year but am planning every other year i enjoy the planning just as much as the being there that first look from main street to the castle mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm nice