So have you ever explained attractions to people and you know they don't "get" it

[Walt Disney1955]

There is a guy at work bound and bent he is going to take his family to WDW in a few months. He is as excited as his children. This is his first time. I've talked in great lengths about how different the rides are. He sounds very excited about stuff like Pirates and Haunted Mansion and I think he "gets" the uniqueness of them.

However, have you had people look at you like you have three heads when you try to explain what makes some of these attractions great? Like how can you sell Small World to people? I have a hard time.

"Well, it's a boat ride with a bunch of dolls singing the same song over and over...............hey remember that Simpsons reference.............."

I find I get that a lot with people. It is really hard to explain some of these rides because there is no precedent for the people that have never been. How do you tell someone that Haunted Mansion is the best haunted house you've set foot in but that it isn't particularly scary. It's just interesting.

Anyway, not that I have to explain myself, but I've had this happen with people in the past.

 

[scoobygirl39541]

Yes! I get this all the time, especially with people whose only theme park experience comes from Cedar Point. It's nearly impossible to explain an immersive experience to them because they have no basis.

My big one is always Splash Mountain. I always recommend it as a FP+ for newcomers, but when I try to explain why... It's hard to sell it lol It's a flume ride with singing animatronics.... But so much more than that! It's so hard to explain the magic "feeling" to people.

 

[graphite1326]

I know what you mean. The first time we went (not counting the 79 visit), I was totally hooked. I was amazed with SE and thought TGMR was great (of course I love old movies). But I cannot explain what makes them so fun.

 

[TB4244]

I've had this problem too. "Well its just a theme park isn't it? Why would you want to spend two weeks there"
So I tried to explain to someone who has never visited WDW why we go so often and why in two weeks would we not be able to do and see everything. My explanation to them met with blank expressions and "I don't get it". So I said go and see for yourself, its the most fun you'll ever have. To date, as far as I'm aware they still haven't been.

 

[Sassagoula-Rvr]

Yep...it's like beating your head against a wall....finally say, "JUST DO IT"

 

[JIMINYCR]

I try explaining all the time but I know theres no real getting it until they go and experience it first hand. People who have never been have no idea about the of the uniqueness of the Disney parks and attractions. Their perception is based on their past trips to their local fairs and amusement parks. Possibly they have visited a 6 Flags but even that doesnt get them prepared for all that Disney has. Just explaining that the queue lines are full of great things to see and find and not just a winding path to the ride. They have no idea. So you wait until they come back from their trip and inevitably they say... WOW, I couldnt believe it... Then I smile as they tell me things they saw that I know all about.

 

[Sassagoula-Rvr]

On another note, we knew someone who always said "my kids wouldn't like Disney...." their kids are all grown up and starting their own families....they went once...now their whole family are Disney nuts....including the grandparents...pretty funny to see...isn't the old adage "don't knock it 'till you tried it"?

 

[Goofyernmost]

I have a friend that made the comment that she was sure she wouldn't like it cause she was to old for stuff like that. There wasn't really anything, in the form of description, that I could say that I felt would change her mind. Since she was going anyway because she had already committed to taking her kids, I just said that the only advice I could give her was to leave her "grownup" at the gate and let yourself be a kid again. She said she wasn't sure she could do that, but, she was going to try.

Long story, short... she went, she loved it and told me that the trick worked. She and her husband are going again now that their kids have grown up. They are going with another couple that has never been and she cannot wait to go. She is all excited and can't wait to be the guide this time. Turns out she gave the same advice to them that I had given her 25 years ago. "let your kid out" it needs to be free to play.

 

[bethymouse]

I try to explain to people all of the time . They ask, why Disney? It's not for the rides, it's for the entire experience of WDW resort- food, fun, and magic!

 

[DisneyDaver]

I try to explain to people all of the time . They ask, why Disney? It's not for the rides, it's for the entire experience of WDW resort- food, fun, and magic!

I have the same conversations with friends. Most of my guy friends think I'm a bit nutty over my WDW love. I think you either feel the "magic" during your first experience at WDW like most (perhaps all?) of us who post here ... or you never feel it and don't understand.

 

[WondersOfLife]

There is a guy at work bound and bent he is going to take his family to WDW in a few months. He is as excited as his children. This is his first time. I've talked in great lengths about how different the rides are. He sounds very excited about stuff like Pirates and Haunted Mansion and I think he "gets" the uniqueness of them.

However, have you had people look at you like you have three heads when you try to explain what makes some of these attractions great? Like how can you sell Small World to people? I have a hard time.

"Well, it's a boat ride with a bunch of dolls singing the same song over and over...............hey remember that Simpsons reference.............."

I find I get that a lot with people. It is really hard to explain some of these rides because there is no precedent for the people that have never been. How do you tell someone that Haunted Mansion is the best haunted house you've set foot in but that it isn't particularly scary. It's just interesting.

Anyway, not that I have to explain myself, but I've had this happen with people in the past.

Oh yes I have a pretty long list of attraction I've tried to explain to people.. Mainly the AA shows.

Cranium Command: "So you watch a show in a boy's head..."
CBJ: "So there are these bears that play guitars and sing old country music..."
Tiki Room: "So birds sing.. and... That's about it."
Living with the Land: "So you go through these nature scenes and take a boat tour of a green house..."
Spaceship Earth: "So you ride the story of a high school history book..."
The American Adventure "So you watch a AA show with the story of a high school history book..."
Maelstrom: "So there's this floating head then a burning village then this three-headed troll sends you backwards then there's this polar bear and then you see some tree troll and it send you into an oil well and then you get off at a town and yea."
Stitch's Great Escape: "So you sit down and Stitch burps and spits in your face..."
Captain EO: "So.......... um... Michael Jackson's in it.... and... um... Watch this link."

 

[DisneyDaver]

Stitch's Great Escape: "So you sit down and Stitch burps and spits in your face..."

After a few times through it (I skip it now), I still don't understand Stitch's Great Escape. Alien Encounter was one of the best attractions at WDW. It was travesty to see it go, but even more so to see it replaced with this Stitch "attraction."

 

[WondersOfLife]

After a few times through it (I skip it now), I still don't understand Stitch's Great Escape. Alien Encounter was one of the best attractions at WDW. It was travesty to see it go, but even more so to see it replaced with this Stitch "attraction."

I agree, and even though I do make fun of SGE.. I notice myself riding it every time I go to MK. I honestly enjoy it for some reason. It's pretty fun to me.

 

[Milla4Prez66]

The worst is hearing people try and explain Disney (or anything for that matter) attractions to people when they are dead wrong and just spreading wrong information. I was on Mission Space today and actually heard someone trying to tell their family this ride used to be Space Mountain.....like jeez.

 

[Cesar R M]

After a few times through it (I skip it now), I still don't understand Stitch's Great Escape. Alien Encounter was one of the best attractions at WDW. It was travesty to see it go, but even more so to see it replaced with this Stitch "attraction."

I honestly was more interested in seeing the Stitch animatronic.
The whole thing is still.. boring. Maybe fun for little kids.

 

[ChimneySweep49]

I was on Mission Space today and actually heard someone trying to tell their family this ride used to be Space Mountain.....like jeez.

There are just no words sometimes.

Everybody knows it used to be Mission To Mars.

 

[PlutoHasFleas]

Haha! Great examples! How about:

Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor: "A monster makes fun of kids and their parents. Some hack comic is actually hiding out of view, and the monster is a projection. No, it's not Mike or Sully."

Enchanted Tales with Belle: "You act out a play for a face character Belle."

BONUS: Extinct: Skyway: "It's a sky ride."

 

[scoobygirl39541]

I guess, if you strip down most Disney attractions you have a really slow moving ride or very tame "coaster". That's all the average person is going to see because that's really all they know. That's why Disney is so mind blowing, it goes beyond your wildest imagination!

 

[Walt Disney1955]

You know, 3 of my buddies and I went to Cedar Point in 2010. We love the coasters. It was a nice trip. However, to a man, all 4 of us would agree that nothing beats a day at Disney. Between the 4 of us all of us has either been to WDW, Disneyland or both. So we're experts. So 4 grown men feel this way, but it is a "kid's" park. hehe

 

[Chef Mickey]

It's the story of my Disney life. I try to explain the Haunted Mansion, Pirates, or Spaceship Earth are some of the greatest attractions ever created, and people look at me like I'm an alien. They don't understand how an omnimover ride built in the 60s could be that great. They don't see all the detail, story, or thought put in every little thing.

I told someone I thought Tower of Terror was one of the best rides ever and they said, "I didn't like it. The drop was almost nothing. Not scary at all." Obviously, there is soooo much more to it than that but he just glossed over all that. The queue, the library, the enormity of the tower, the story, the details, Rod Serling seamlessly telling us the story, the cast members, the ride before the drop, etc etc etc.