Is it the rides, the environment, the characters, or the themed merchandise?

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cloudboy

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It has been a while since I have been on these boards. I used to be a big WDW fanatic, but I lost the spirit several years ago. AS such, I haven't even been inside the parks in over 3 years, and haven't kept up with any of the changes, nor experienced many of the new lands and attractions.

But I have been thinking about what makes Disney special when compared to other amusement and theme parks. And really I just know my opnion, which I am sure is not very closely aligned with everyone else's.

So in order to understand, what do you think makes the Disney Parks so special?

Is it the rides?
Is it how immersive the theming is, and its ability to take you to another world?
Is it the theme and character itself - would any other imaginary land be the same as the worlds Disney creates in their films?
Or is it the characters themselves that are the real draw?

I am curious to know what other people think?
 
Sbk1234

Sbk1234

Well-Known Member
I can't speak for others, but for me it's a combination of all of these. (Cop out answer, I know!)

I think rides and environment are very close, to the point of interwoven. I've been able to have a wonderful time in Disney, escaping from reality while going on hardly any, or even no rides. But it's more than that, too. The nostalgia certainly plays a big part of the attraction, I'm sure.
Disney has stirred many emotions that have become very comforting to me in dark times of my life. I remember being in the hospital after a heart attack. My daughter was about 5 weeks away from being born. To calm myself I imagined walking down Main Street USA with my kids, hand-in-hand. That image calmed me and helped me get past such a scary time.

At its best, Disney is a world better than the real world. It's a Main Street without litter, a pirate ship without scurvy, a jungle without malaria, a small world where everyone gets along and celebrates each other's differences.

True, there's been a lot of changes lately, many not for the better. I hope there will be changes in the company which will lead to better changes in the future, but I'm not holding my breath. But for the time being, I can still get the feelings from Disney that make it worth it for me.

Does any of this make sense?
 
D

dreday3

Well-Known Member
Anytime anyone wants to "understand" why I love going to Disney, I say go to Animal Kingdom.

I love all the parks, but Animal Kingdom is everything that I love about WDW. We often spend afternoon/evenings there without riding one ride.

My other answer is Spaceship Earth. Wonder, awe, animatronics, omnimover - that's all you need.

Honestly at this age, it's the feeling we get more than anything else. We just feel happy at WDW.

(we feel happy at other places too, but you're asking about Disney)
 
KBLovedDisney

KBLovedDisney

Well-Known Member
cloudboy said:
Is it the rides?
Is it how immersive the theming is, and its ability to take you to another world?
Is it the theme and character itself - would any other imaginary land be the same as the worlds Disney creates in their films?
Or is it the characters themselves that are the real draw?
Click to expand...
Gif-Ideas-about-Becoming-Sad-1.gif

...it was...
 
World_Showcase_Lover007

World_Showcase_Lover007

Well-Known Member
It’s the ideas…

It’s the ideas behind the theming, facades, rides and characters. Everything alludes to something more, something meaningful. And it puts you in narrative and context of what is occurring. The strongest of these ideas, of course, is Epcot, which is the idea that the future is bright and tomorrow holds the answers to today’s problems. Our world may be harsh and hurtful, but the world of our children will be better.

Magic Kingdom is the idea that fantasy could be a reality, or at least an idealized escape from reality. It also signals that life is an adventure, where an independent spirit and grit is needed to be successful, albeit in a romanticized way. Hollywood Studios celebrates the magic of the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle, which we may aspire to live, being that it alludes to us being successful and noticed, all while enjoying the finer things in life. As Disney states, it’s the Hollywood that never was.

I went to Busch Gardens in Virginia a couple years ago and they have their version of World Showcase with places like Ireland, Greece, etc….and it was fine. Fun to eat there and see the country-specific decor. But that was it. There was nothing more to it. Just some fun looking buildings.

So Disney has (or had) this ability to put ideas behind things that make it so much more than a building. Its why people spend their days (myself included) wallowing in nostalgia about what Future World means to mankind and how their stay at the Poly inspired them to spend their life celebrating tiki culture and learning about all things exotic. It’s why we’re all still obsessed with Horizons and why members of this community spend countless hours creating 3-D computer models of old Future World. All to attempt to capture those ideas.

The days of Disney creating worlds where awe-inspiring ideas live are likely in the past. But the beauty of it all is that you can’t kill an idea. It keeps living as long as you keep it alive. They can knock down the building and tear down the signs. But the dream lives forever.
 
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JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Its not any one thing but a combination of them all coming together in one package. You can say you enjoy one thing over the others but no one thing provides the reason Disney is so different and continually stands out above the rest of the parks across the country. They have the best of so much but now, drawing in the numbers of guests, but unfortunately other details are starting to chip away the veneer of what makes Disney so attractive to many. Disney got in at an ideal time in history and built up the brand that has carried them to top of the industry. Will they topple? Only time will tell.
 
A

AFoodie

Member
It was all about the rides when I was young. But now, before I began my Disney Parks hiatus in 2019, it’s all about the nostalgia. I’m waiting for things to get better with offerings before I become an annual passholder again.
 
Monkee Girl

Monkee Girl

Well-Known Member
For me, it's the scenery, atmosphere and music. I could go to a Disney park and NEVER ride on a ride. Magic Kingdom specifically. There is nothing more relaxing and endorphin educing than walking into the MK gates early in the morning and hearing that wonderful Mainstreet music. Seeing characters out and about is a plus. The sound of the train and the sparkle of the castle. It's like Easter morning every day. I feel the same way about Epcot and less so with the Studios.
 
wendysue

wendysue

Well-Known Member
For us it was being able to step out of the real world and into our happy place. It was jumping on the first bus that arrived and go to whatever park it was going to. Being so familiar with the parks and resorts that it really was like going home. Not paying attention to the news or politics (or our phones) for whatever amount of time we were there. Sadly, that is gone for us now, but hopefully in our travels we will find another place that is like coming home. :)
 
jasminethecat

jasminethecat

Well-Known Member
It's the complete "staying on site" experience that initially won me over in the mid 90's and has kept my interest ever since. In no other place can you enter a place (from the all-stars resorts to the deluxe resorts along the monorail) which allows you to escape everything you left behind in the outside world for as long as you can afford to stay. Transportation, sight lines, cast members, gift shops, dining...it's 100% disney. Then you go from the outer disney bubble into the magic kingdom, and from there you get into a ride queue which takes you to a story world, in a familiar place or time. I love the rides, all of them which my 6'5" body can fit on. When you're riding a kiddie ride or a thrill ride, you're always just on that ride, it's the only thing that exists. Then you walk back out into the land of your disney park to explore some more, and at the end of the day you're still in the bubble on your way back to your hotel for the night.

I think it's why so many of us literally dream of disney, why we get so excited about a trip and why we get so sad when a trip is over.

The skyliner breaks with this a bit now, previously the only way to see the "wrong sides" of any buildings was in the astro orbiter, and that was a bit jarring for me the first time i rode it as an adult and realized i saw the buildings in tomorrowland were all just giant warehouses and not somehow magical from every angle.
 
W

We love Edna Mode

Active Member
It’s all that and more! For me it’s also the nostalgia. Having gone with my parents, husband, son and now my grandson, there are many memories. Yes things have changed big time but it’s not any better or worse, just different. Every trip is different and enjoyable in its own right. It’s Disney!
 
"El Gran Magnifico"

"El Gran Magnifico"

Mr Flibble is Very Cross.
It was always "The Disney Bubble" for me. At least - when there still was a bubble. I still enjoy it while I'm there. But it hasn't been "the same" in a very long time.
 
Sbk1234

Sbk1234

Well-Known Member
El Magnifico said:
It was always "The Disney Bubble" for me. At least - when there still was a bubble. I still enjoy it while I'm there. But it hasn't been "the same" in a very long time.
Click to expand...
I agree with you, but disagree on one part. I just returned from a week staying at the All Star Sports, and I have to say, there was definitely a Disney Bubble for me. True, it's not the exact same as it was years ago, and there are definitely things that I personally would have done differently, but prior to going my biggest fear was that it wouldn't feel like Disney any more, and my precious escape from reality and security of the Disney bubble would be gone. This couldn't have been further from the truth, in my experience.
 

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