WDW Non Believers.

[real mad hatter]

Good Morning All,Over the weekend in my local bar,some friends of mine were asking me,how a man my age can get so excited about a trip to WDW .Like don't I feel silly getting my photo taking with Mickey,etc,and surely it's just for kids.Phew! So over the next two hours or so,here I was,defending my Disney dreams with six grown up adults,it was all good fun.In the end I summed it up by saying,unless you've been there,it's hard to explain what makes this vacation so different than any other.I don't know how to explain it,escape to a land of fantasy?live out your dreams?or do things you wouldn't normally do like walk around with a hat that has ears on it.I found it hard to convert those non Disney believers.So how would you sum it up?What makes grown up adults go Goo Goo for a WDW vacation?:sohappy:

 

[jlevis]

I guess I'm lucky, my family shares our love of Disney and often joins us on our trips. I rarely find the need to explain my actions. If I do, I point to my US Army Veteran cap and tell them I've been to Hell; Disney is my reward.

 

[real mad hatter]

Way To Go.

I guess I'm lucky, my family shares our love of Disney and often joins us on our trips. I rarely find the need to explain my actions. If I do, I point to my US Army Veteran cap and tell them I've been to Hell; Disney is my reward.

Love your response,will cherish that one,I suppose iam lucky also as my family are big Disney fans,it's just those few friends that are confused about why I make such a fuss.:wave:

 

[annawilliams]

It's the one place that makes all cares go away. Every problem in life disappears for a short time.

 

[gaga4disney]

Because there is so much to do. And even if you aren't into rides the resorts have so much to offer. Yes disney can be overwhelming to some but i live for that challenge. For me, as a man, i can have fun and not care what anybody thinks. It's therapeutic.

 

[britdaw]

I don't know why so many people give so much flack about Disney over childhood-age. My family was making fun of me this weekend for being as excited as my kids are about our upcoming trip.... I told them all to shove it. LOL
What is so bad about loving Disney? Disney is so much more than kids' movies... It's a phenomenon and a lifestyle for some. I'm not some crazy fanatic about Disney, but yes, I admit that I am more drawn to things if they have the Disney name attached to them. Does that make me crazy or stupid? No. It irritates me when people judge adults for getting excited about WDW or Disney.

 

[Coach81]

You either get it.. or you don't.. I'm glad for those that don't.. less lines that way!

 

[SMS55]

Sometimes I think that it's some kind of social conditioning. That once we become adults, we have to be a certian ways and we can't like the things we did as a kid.
I also think that we forget how fun and care free it was to be a kid. Disney is one of those places that reminds you of what it was like to be a kid and those of us on this forum aren't ashamed of feeling like a kid every now and then.

 

[ddbowdoin]

I get it all of the time... people ask me "so if you dont mind me asking, whats a vacation down there run" and my latest response (which is beyond my normal spending means as this is my honeymoon) was "well, this time around we'll probably look at 6K after food and stuff" and then it starts...

"Dude, 6 Flags is here... they have rides and stuff"

"Is that all inclusive, for 6K I just want to get hammered all day" <------ great character flaw revealed to me

"Wow, thats for kids... right?"

 

[ddbowdoin]

Sometimes I think that it's some kind of social conditioning. That once we become adults, we have to be a certian ways and we can't like the things we did as a kid.
I also think that we forget how fun and care free it was to be a kid. Disney is one of those places that reminds you of what it was like to be a kid and those of us on this forum aren't ashamed of feeling like a kid every now and then.

It is 100% absolute social conditioning... especially as a male, I am expected that as a 27 year old male I am supposed to be interested in watching football, grilling meat, getting drunk, and questioning the neighbor because he might "play for the pink team".

People think I am different because I have no interest going to a bar and wasting my hard earned money on overpriced 6 dollar bottles of Bud Light.

 

[real mad hatter]

Here Here!

It is 100% absolute social conditioning... especially as a male, I am expected that as a 27 year old male I am supposed to be interested in watching football, grilling meat, getting drunk, and questioning the neighbor because he might "play for the pink team".

People think I am different because I have no interest going to a bar and wasting my hard earned money on overpriced 6 dollar bottles of Bud Light.

Well said.iam taking note of all these things for next weeks debate.Let the battle begin

 

[Patrick_Ears]

yeah we all hear it from time to time. All of us get asked why why why... yes we love this place that's why!!! I don't get mad when someone downs Disney, i can understand there feelings. A lot complain about the crowds, heat and cost. Yes that is true but what do expect this is a theme park.. Well a Magical Theme Park hehee.

 

[Scooter]

People are always asking me why my wife and I go back to Walt Disney World time and time again. Here's what I tell them.

"If you went to the Dr because you were feeling depressed and sick of the cold, midwest winter weather, and he gave you a prescription that made you feel warm, comfortable, less stressed, happy, youthfull, and brought you closer to your family....when that prescription ran out...wouldn't you ask for a refill?"

 

[Sharkreef11]

Passion

The truth of the matter is either you get it or you don't. To us, WDW is a bubble. When we enter the arches, we now are in a bubble of happiness and adventure in some sense. There is almost no way to describe it.

There are so many misconceptions that WDW if strictly for children or young girls and that parents are always worn down and frazzled from a long day with the kids. I grew up with Disney and learned that there's so much more and it continues to change throughout the decades. My tastes have obviously changed as I've grown, which has lead me to finding new things I like and want to do. I have been going since I was 10 and now am 26. If I had a choice to take a trip wherever I want, I would always go WDW. Of course I want to go abroad, but Disney is in my heart at all times. I would strongly consider somewhere foreign or tropical but would always go WDW. The second we get back from trips I am only thinking about next year. That's the difference maker between those understanding and those who don't. People who don't get it or are judgmental, just need to understand the definition of passion. They need to think of something they are passionate about and that's what WDW is to us.

I think a lot of it is based on your first trip.To me, it's also about who you go with and staying on property. The amenities seem endless when you are staying on property and Disney makes everything sooo convenient. I have came to the realization that some people just don't understand my passion for WDW and I am just fine with that now. Whenever I say I am going on a WDW trip, the response is always "your going again?" Yeah just like how you keep going to the same time-share you have in same shabby hotel you signed on with. Except mine is filled with endless activities and the knowledge I am in the happiest place on earth.

 

[Sharkreef11]

People are always asking me why my wife and I go back to Walt Disney World time and time again. Here's what I tell them.

"If you went to the Dr because you were feeling depressed and sick of the cold, midwest winter weather, and he gave you a prescription that made you feel warm, comfortable, less stressed, happy, youthfull, and brought you closer to your family....when that prescription ran out...wouldn't you ask for a refill?"

How true! I shall use this one as well!

 

[Florida_is_hot]

I been to WDW 20 plus times.
The rate of change is so slow, that I got tired of it.
For example in 3 years the only changes I seen were Star Tours, the Enchanted Tiki Room.

People are down right rude, they got their personal family bubbles and nobody else exists..... use the cells in lines at the front of the cash, take pictures with flashes, talk loud through attractions..... We paid good money others do not matter.

I do not see much Magic anymore.

I get the point of the comments given to me...... the "World" is big place and your time is short.... travel.

 

[SulleyanBoo]

You either get it.. or you don't.. I'm glad for those that don't.. less lines that way!

Agreed:lol:

Disney has been my "happy place" since I could walk and talk. It's an escape from every day problems and it allows you to feel like your a kid whether your 2, 20, 40, or 80! Who doesn't want that?:shrug: But, as like many of you said, you get it or you don't. It doesn't take the Magic away from Me

 

[phlydude]

Acquaintances know that by now, there is no talking to me about my Disney vacations...I just associate myself with those that share the same belief, and to those that don't, I don't mention my trips to WDW.

I look at it from the standpoint of when I was a little kid...I was 4 going on 5 and my grandmother and great aunt took my sister and I. It was supposed to be 5 days but we extended to 7. I don't remember a whole lot per say but when I see things that are familiar from that trip, it does bring back the memories quite vividly.

Now both of them are passed on and it makes me happy that they unknowingly gave me the gift of never ending joy. I think of Disney and it makes me happy...when I leave Disney it makes me sad BUT then I think about coming back and it makes me happy again!

Many happy memories have been had there and it is a place of pure fantasy...no where else in the world can you get away from the stresses of life and be so disconnected from the real world that you leave behind at home for the trip to Disney.

I went as a child and then not again until as an adult with my wife's family (before we were engaged), I proposed to my wife there, we celebrated our honeymoon there and have had over 12 additional trips there together.

This upcoming trip is with a couple our age that is also without kids...should be a fun time!

And when all else fails, when they just won't stop pestering about what makes the trip so worthwhile, I ask them how much they pay for a week at the Jersey shore...when the figure comes in at $3k or higher just for the rental, I laugh and am proud to point out that I am getting a hotel, food and a park ticket (1 day) for each of us for under $1k for 6 nights...the jaws drop and the questions come about how I can pay so little...or the complete non-believers throw things out there like "for that price, it must really suck!"
Ahhh...ignorance is a blessing sometimes - keeps the parks just that much less crowded!

 

[prberk]

I lay a lot of the blame on Disney's marketing over the last 5-10 years. Same as they did in some part of the '70s, they relied way too much on characters and childhood things for their image in marketing.

Walt used to broadcast from the park, as a backdrop to all kinds of stories; but also showed Louis Armstrong and others performing at Disneyland in more grown-up events. And of course he used to have programs that showcased science, talent, and imagination. Those things we saw translated to the parks as attention to detail.

Likewise, for a while in the late '80s and in the '90s, television programs on The Disney Channel (such as WDW Inside/Out) showed the world all kinds of interesting things, from topiaries to amazing food to EPCOT world showcase. They even had a "National Teachers Awards" sponsored by Disney for a while, which showcase amazing teachers.

And food networks and the travel channel showcased Disney on an adult level, too. They still do sometimes, but cannot do it alone.

The bottom line is that Disney has stopped showcasing anything other than pixie dust and characters to the public.

When was the last time you saw anything other than a castle representing WDW advertising? Why would anyone who has never been there think that it is anything else?

Not to mention a place with whitesand beaches, speedboats, interactive zoological experiences, international cuisine, world class golf and hotels with themed pools, lounges, dinner theater, luaus...

 

[powlessfamily4]

Just ignore it. Pondering it and trying to make sense over it will just drive you crazy.