What makes Disney World "Disney" to you?

[phi2134]

Hi All, what I am curious about is what makes Disney special to you and where do you get your feelings from when you are at the parks/hotels or just even on Disney grounds. I think I am curious about this because of all the recent discussion, excitement and let down certain people have over the FLE. A lot of people are very disappointed in FLE that Disney isn't putting in an E ticket or there are too many M&G's. Or in the case of other attractions that Splash Mountain has seen better days and the lack of rides/attractions in Epcot and DHS. But I just dont think this can even come close to being let down in the whole Disney experience.

I have been to WDW probably close to 15 times over my life and have experienced the vast majority of it. When I was little, I was amazed by the characters and I loved going on the rides and just the excitement of being the next in line to get to go on my favorite attraction or meet the characters.

As I have gotten older and as Disney has evolved, no longer is the anticipation excitement centered around the rides, I get that same feeling as soon as the plane lands and I as I get on the Magical Express. To me Disney has done some things amazingly and others they could use improvement. But no ride or attraction can compare to the feeling I have of just being surrounded by Disney. From the smell of the hotels, to the site of seeing the castle or Spaceship Earth from Far away. Heck, I even get chills just seeing the Tower of Terror Billboards on the highway.

So I was just curious, what about everyone else? What makes Disney magical to you and where do the feelings come from?

 

[Lisalyn]

How much time and room do we have?? LOL What makes Disney magical to me? The whole package! The DME, the first CM I see at MCO playing games with children in the lines waiting to get on DME, the little movie the DME shows....and then you land at your resort. I've said this many times before - it is the one and only place I've EVER been where I don't think about anything except where I am, what I'm doing, the sites, the scenery, the laughs, etc etc. I don't think about problems, work, money, nothing. Is that a bit selfish of me internally? Yes probably BUT every now and then you need to stop and smell the flowers along this journey called life. No matter how many times I've entered into MK and see the Castle for the first time on that particular trip - it brings tears to my eyes. I can't help. It is the one place on Earth where I am comfortable being their with my family or by myself. It is the one place on Earth I stop and actually take in all my surroundings instead of running by them.....It is all the little details that make Disney my ultimate vacation spot. Disney makes me feel at home.

Walt was an absolute genius and a man I admire beyond words. His thoughts and visions are ones I take to heart today and carry with me.

 

[Skippy's Pal]

I hear you. As an authentic "aging Baby Boomer" (class of 1946), Disney to me has come to mean nostalgia and "place-making" more than specific rides / attractions. When I was in the workforce, going to Disney with my family meant a getaway from office stressors and passing on to my kids the specialness of Disney. Now that I'm retired, Disney is so much tied-up with memories of my youth, and instead of being 65, I'm 11 and back in my parents' living room watching "Disneyland" on their black & white TV (Spin and Marty, anyone? or "True Life Adventures?). Don't get me wrong, love many of the new attractions, but to me Disney is more than the sum of its parts. Sadly, much of the "magic" these days seems to come at extra cost (Wild Africa Trek, concierge AKL requirement for Sunrise Safari). But whatever, the peak of "Disney magic" to me is standing on Main Street and hearing Jiminy Cricket singing "When You Wish Upon A Star" at closing. Still chokes this old guy up.

 

[LivFreeorDisney]

I first went to Disney World at the age of 29 so I never saw it in the eyes of a child. So what I like about WD is the resorts. I feel at piece when I'm just at the resort swimming and just walking around a near perfect setting. To be truthful I would prefer to go resort hopping over going to the parks and that's what my wife and I did before we had kids.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

attention to detail, background music, characters, the castle, everything!

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

The unchanging familiarity.




Oh and the high prices and over indulged brats.

 

[DisneyJunkie]

For me, it's never really been about the characters or anything like that. I think it's always been how immersive the experience of staying within the World really is. Of course I love the rides too, but there's just something about driving through those gates at the start of a vacation there that somehow almost instantly makes you forget about your problems and stresses of everyday life, and you just feel both excited and relaxed at the same time. And that feeling continues throughout the stay, pretty much until you drive off property again on your ride home. There's also the kid-like excitement that comes over me while I'm there, because really.....who wouldn't rather be a kid with rather small problems and people to take care of you instead of an adult with the larger issues and worries in life to contend with?

 

[phi2134]

For me, it's never really been about the characters or anything like that. I think it's always been how immersive the experience of staying within the World really is. Of course I love the rides too, but there's just something about driving through those gates at the start of a vacation there that somehow almost instantly makes you forget about your problems and stresses of everyday life, and you just feel both excited and relaxed at the same time. And that feeling continues throughout the stay, pretty much until you drive off property again on your ride home. There's also the kid-like excitement that comes over me while I'm there, because really.....who wouldn't rather be a kid with rather small problems and people to take care of you instead of an adult with the larger issues and worries in life to contend with?

I wonder who would win...Bane or BatManatee?

 

[SulleyanBoo]

I could probably write a book on what Disney really means to me and where the magic comes from for me. Escapism is just one of my largest draws to DW. I can just laugh, be silly happy and really feel like the kid at heart that I totally am. And, not feel bad for it. lol. I love how I have been able to see the growing changes appear as I have gotten a little bit older since the late 80's. Only change I haven't like seeing is of course the price but hey I get it and I choose to spend my hard earned $ on Disney's magic and to me it's worth it. I love how every new Disney trip produces new Disney memories that last a lifetime. I love how every time I watch Wishes, I continue to cry even though I've seen it about 10 times. It gets me every single time. Walt Disney is one of my life's largest inspirations. His imagination, drive, works, and creations are beyond incredible and so untouchable. Disney is not just a past time or like for me. It is a passion that truly has a huge spot in my heart. I'll be forever grateful for Walt and everything that he has started.

 

[tracyandalex]

For me it's the immersion. I love being cut off from the real world. I generally don't think about anything back home, i just have fun!

 

[Goofnut1980]

Mine is simple... When they say "Have a magical day!" But the last trip, it took 4 days before one single CM said it to me... I was shocked. So I started saying it to them. Maybe they all needed a cheer up??

 

[steviej]

I think the details for 1. Plus the friendliness of the cm's.

And even though i've been going to wdw since i'm 11, as i'm getting older, i'm starting to enjoy the resort aspect of the walt disney world resort. For example, now, i have to go to a spa with every vacation down there. And I'm not 100% about rides the entire time. Now, I might take a nice stroll around WS and grab a few drinks. Or instead of immediately taking the monorail straight to MK, I might stop for a quick bite at one of the hotels the mono stops at, or a drink.

 

[wiigirl]

attention to detail, background music, characters, the castle, everything!

All this....and the food and treats!

 

[cameronmouse]

for me its stepping off the plane and heading to DME and anticipating the ride through the gate while watching the infamous "bus" video. The detail throughout the stay from the parks to the hotels and the fact that no matter what is going on back home it completely disappears once we arrive at the world.

 

[bethymouse]

What makes Disney World "Disney" to me is Walt Disney himself- the genius of his time! He created a place where dreams really do come true! It's magical, beautiful, colorful, and delightful! The characters, the rides, the restaurants are all unique..... Aw shucks... everything!

 

[Goofyernmost]

What makes Disney World "Disney" to me is Walt Disney himself- the genius of his time! He created a place where dreams really do come true! It's magical, beautiful, colorful, and delightful! The characters, the rides, the restaurants are all unique..... Aw shucks... everything!

I feel the same way about Walt, but when it comes to WDW, my hat's off to Roy Disney. After Walt passed away, roughly 5 or 6 years before WDW ever opened, it could have been sold off in parcels because the catalyst was gone. The drive and the imagination was dead and buried. Roy, in loyalty to his brother and after much convincing went ahead with an altered version of what Walt had envisioned as Disney World. Walt's focus was on EPCOT which turned out to not even be a shadow of what Walt had in mind. EPCOT Ctr. turned out to be another (actually two) theme parks but not the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow that Walt had dreamed about and planned out for years.

We owe a lot of love to Roy and the remaining imagineers that understood Walt for creating this place that we all love so much. Many hands were involved in what we see today including Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. I think they did a great job overall

 

[Jedeye80]

For me it's the little things, seeing as though I'm at work right now at 4:26am I am wishing I was on a overcrowded bus going back to my resort after a night in Epcot. I haven't even got a seat but all I can do is look out into the darkness playing over everything I've seen that night thinking that it can't get much better than this. Then I realise that I'll have that same feeling for the next 13 nights. Trying to take everything in is impossible, I know the parks need work but if I was there right now would I care, not one bit, sometimes you have just got to go with it, I don't plan my day at the parks I just go where my feet take me. That's what Disney is to me, another world where all is good and next time I go it will be even better because I will get to see it through my sons eyes for the first time and there's nowhere on the planet that makes people feel that way.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

Well put it this way. From the age of 10 (first trip) to 29 (most recent trip) I always took the ferry back home at night for some reason. It is a nice leisurely ride and I love watching the castle and the park still lit up at night. The boat is never full because I never leave until I absolutely have to but there is only one place where I am actually saddened to leave and that is Magic Kingdom (and to an extent the other parks). I mean, I am really sad on that ferry ride back to the parking lot because I generally don't know when the next time is I'll be back. Disney touches you in ways no other place can.

If there is any way to describe it that's it.

 

[Mikester71]

Can be summed up in one word for me - ambience.

No other place on the planet can provide you with it, or even come close, with the obvious exceptions of DL, DLP, etc.

 

[pixiesteno]

So many have hit upon most of the reasons. One of them is I fully relax while there. Part of me just wants to turn off the cell phone for the whole trip and leave it all behind -- oh, wait, I am getting closer to that with each trip. The last two trips we have managed without worrying about emails from work. It was liberating.
But it all starts with "welcome home"!