The Real World versus Disney World...

[jtopp]

We also enjoy futureworld, as well as world showcase. My daughter recently told me that her college marine biology course was nothing more then the living seas. Its amazing how much the realworld IS presented in disney world.

 

[jujube]

When we went to Epcot in 1984, my husband said something like " Meh, let's go to Europe. It's cheaper and at least it's real." He never "got" Disney World which is fine.

While I love WDW, I have to say that I prefer the real countries because I can visit historical sites. WDW is no substitute for that. It is fun though.

 

[awoogala]

I have not traveled the world extensively. (we keep thinking of a european trip, but having two kids who are screamingly afraid of flying has put that on hold!)
To us, I think of it as a flavor of the country. I don't expect it to be an exact replica or replace the real thing, but I also visit areas by me that are considered"little India", or"Chinatown", with the same idea. It is exposure to people and culture, but I would never compare actually seeing china in person to that experience!

It reminds me of when we stayed at the boardwalk! We live in NJ- I could not imagine enjoying a replica of Atlantic city! But we did! We loved! It is a romanticization (is that a word?) of an era, it is lovely, and it was a sweet nostalgic ideal. The actual Atlantic city has always seemed quite a bit sleazier to me ;-)

 

[JohnNYC]

My kids are 7 and 9 and we've had the good fortune to travel overseas quite a bit with them, since they were infants. They enjoy and appreciate seeing other countries but see Disney as a totally alternate vacation and look forward to each equally - there's really no comparing, they're such different experiences.

As an aside, we love World Showcase, and especially pavilions that represent countries we've been to. We were in Tangier, Morocco last summer and loved that this trip to Epcot we got to look at the Morocco pavilion in a whole new way.

 

[QueenElinor]

This is starting to affect how we view Disney, but it's actually made it better for us. We don't have to spend a lot of time wondering what we missed, and trying to see everything.

For example, we don't stay at the Grand Floridian, Polynesian or Wilderness Lodge having been to the Hotel Del, Hawaii, and the Old Faithful Inn (the last two, quite a few times). The kids have been over half the countries in the World showcase. This cuts out quite a lot of WDW, but it allows us to concentrate on the rest. I'd say that having been to quite a few of the "real" vacation spots has made visiting Disney less stressful and more enjoyable. And if we do eat at, say, the Rose & Crown, we get to reminisce about when the kids were old enough to have a beer, and now they're not!

If we came to Disney more often or stayed longer than a week, it might bother me, but as it is we still find WDW to be a lot of fun.

 

[MaleficentRN]

It's meant to be entertaining, not to fool you into thinking you are really in Europe.
And my DH, who lived in Hawaii for several year and hated it, thinks Polynesian is realistic enough that he has said we'll never stay there because he'll have flashbacks.

 

[elaine amj]

It's just a fun, idealized version of the real world. I take it for what it is.

My kids have been fortunate enough to travel to various places - but Disney is still Disney. There's magic in the air and that's what counts

I have to say - after growing up in a tropical country, I don't have the same romantic view of the Poly as most folks. My DH went gaga while it didn't make a massive impression on me. Wilderness Lodge is my idea of exotic!

 

[LucyBC80]

I've been to the real worlds counterparts of some of the World Showcase a few times (mostly Italy and England) and still love what Disney did. Granted I went as an adult so I don't know what my reaction would be if I had gone as a kid.

 

[KellyNY]

Epcot is more of an idea, general association with the country then actual reality. Basically when you there, it is exactly how you pictured it but it has little to do with actual place. Also lets not forget scale, it is difficult to do something realistic in such a tiny space.

 

[PersonalizedMouse]

I think you need to take Epcot for what it is.

If I wanted the real thing I would go. My in laws are European and I could go at any time....But
With three kids I choose not to be on a plan for 9 hours, get killed by the Euro exchange rate and hearing are we there yet 20 times-at least not yet

We will go someday when the kids are older. For now I am perfectly content listening to the beautiful music pumped into the France pavilion, while sitting on the edge of the fountain while my kids run around in the dark waiting for illuminations to begin

 

[QueenElinor]

It's just a fun, idealized version of the real world. I take it for what it is.

My kids have been fortunate enough to travel to various places - but Disney is still Disney. There's magic in the air and that's what counts

I have to say - after growing up in a tropical country, I don't have the same romantic view of the Poly as most folks. My DH went gaga while it didn't make a massive impression on me. Wilderness Lodge is my idea of exotic!

My kids would probably find it hysterical- we're close enough so that they take school field trips to Yellowstone. Having said that, we're staying at the Yacht Club because the only time my spouse and I have been to the Eastern seaboard was when we went to Bar Harbor, before the kids were even born. So that's exotic to me!

And I totally second the thought that Disney is still Disney- plus, none of us have ever been to the REAL Tomorrowland (or if someone has, they can't admit it).

 

[*pixie*dust*]

Funny, I was just talking about this in another thread.

For 20yrs my husband and I have travelled extensively (10 yrs with our daughter), we have seen most of the world. Our world is an amazing place and I am very lucky to have seen it not only in all its awesomeness but its dark side too, which reminds me every day how lucky we are.

I urge anyone who can, to explore the world.

But now, we are happy to vacay in Disney every year. We don't see it as fake, we see it as an escape. The one place where we can truly forget about the outside world and our daily challenges and just relax. We can breathe and just enjoy each other and our time together. Its almost like time stops, everything else is on hold

I fee the same way. I too was very fortunate to travel a great deal before my son arrived. I don't see WDW as trying to be other locations-- rather I see WDW giving us a utopian or romantic sort of glimpse of some of the best features of of those other places.

 

[Schmeck]

The other night a friend told me that her kids didn't enjoy their visit to Disney World. (I know, horrors! )

Why? Because they'd spent years travelling extensively in the Real World as young children and couldn't get over how fake everything was at Disney. Having seen Italy and Norway and England in person, they just didn't enjoy the pretend versions at all.

The "I've been to the real ______" works for World Showcase, but they didn't enjoy the rest of the parks at all? Do they sit in real tea cups, so those fake ones weren't fun? They meet real princesses, so the fake ones were boring?

To me, it sounds like the parents are raising boring kids, with a certain lack of imagination.

 

[ImAllEars]

It's meant to be entertaining, not to fool you into thinking you are really in Europe.
And my DH, who lived in Hawaii for several year and hated it, thinks Polynesian is realistic enough that he has said we'll never stay there because he'll have flashbacks.

I very much agree with this. I live in Europe and have enjoyed many visits to the countries represented in World Showcase, but i dont feel the need to compare. I allow myself to be entertained or in some cases amused by the little things chosen to represent each country. Most people will visit Europe if they want to experience the real culture and beauty there.

 

[Magpie]

The "I've been to the real ______" works for World Showcase, but they didn't enjoy the rest of the parks at all? Do they sit in real tea cups, so those fake ones weren't fun? They meet real princesses, so the fake ones were boring?

To me, it sounds like the parents are raising boring kids, with a certain lack of imagination.

Oh quite the opposite. They're highly creative, accomplished kids, that anyone would be proud to have raised. But they've been on real zip lines and real white water rafting trips, and they've eaten in real castles.

I think the eldest son in particular is a highly intelligent, logical guy, so being still young, "authenticity" is a very important concept to him.

Personally, I love the "dollhouse" metaphor, and will bring it up some day with them!

 

[Karabee]

Whether you've been to the "real" or not, you take it for what it is - an amusement park. I've been many places around the world, including Morocco and Italy, and I was actually excited to go back to EPCOT and try to match up what I've seen with what is there. Is the food the same? No. Is everything a bit more of a "fairytale version?" Of course. But it's giving you a taste of being somewhere else, not a full substitution. Africa is a dream trip, but in the meantime I'm perfectly happy pretending AKL is Africa

 

[WedgieSock]

Oh quite the opposite. They're highly creative, accomplished kids, that anyone would be proud to have raised. But they've been on real zip lines and real white water rafting trips, and they've eaten in real castles.

I think the eldest son in particular is a highly intelligent, logical guy, so being still young, "authenticity" is a very important concept to him.

Personally, I love the "dollhouse" metaphor, and will bring it up some day with them!

So has my daughter - we were surrounded by castles & palaces - and yet she loves Disney because it ignites her imagination ... it takes her to a place that she chooses, she leads the way instead of following. Like a PP says, I think it has more to do with imagination. Reminds me of my FIL - a professor who has no regard for anything 'pretend'. If its not 'real', then it doesn't matter.

 

[DisneyDanielle85]

I haven't real all of the other posts but for somebody who's only been to WDW as an Adult (and many times now) after traveling places like England, Scotland, Washington DC, Cape Cod, ETC when I was younger and into my adult years, I still think it's magical even if it's not EXACTLY like the other places I've traveled. I love to travel the world, however each time I schedule a trip to somewhere that isn't WDW, I always find myself wishing I WAS going to Disney. This past year for example. I came into some extra money I wasn't expecting so my Hubby to Be and I scheduled a trip to England to go see Phantom of the Opera and a couple of other Various things while we were over there, and a few weeks before the trip I almost canceled and went to Disney instead. (I know I'm obsessed, aren't we all? ). I have a trip scheduled in 36 days to Disney now for our Honeymoon. The point is they are two very different vacations. Both of which I enjoy a lot. I love Traveling to England, but I also enjoy going to Disney World. It doesn't Make Disney any less magic for me because EPCOT worlds don't look EXACTLY like the real England. (thats my only REAL comparison). I go to Disney because I love the magic feeling I get when I see the Castle or when entering EPCOT or Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom. I love the atmoshphere of Disney and the feeling of leaving behind the real world for a bit. I also like travling to places like England or other areas of Europe to expand my knowledge of other cultures and other places.

I guess I like both....Some people just don't. Too Each there own. It's not right or wrong.


P.S. The Castles I saw in Scotland were BEAUTIFUL but they didn't give me that feeling that Cinderella's Castle does!

 

[atp]

I'll take the fakeness of Disney over going to real places any day...

Sure, it's nice to go visit different countries, BUT...unless you go with a tour guide or something, there's a LOT more planning involved, and a lot more things to worry about.

If you go to any country, you have to know where to go to see the cool things it has. You have to know where it's safe to go and where it's not, you have to figure out how to get to and from those places. Unless you have a ton of money to "waste" to hire someone to do all the work for you and just spend a lot of money when you are there, it's going to be a huge hassle.

Whereas when I go to Disney, I stay on property and the moment I check in, there's nothing for me to worry about. There's always safe and "free" (included in the cost of your hotel) transportation available, a ton of fun things to do (most of them at no extra cost), it's pretty much 100% safe, it's clean and looks good all over.

Can't say the same for any other place, anywhere in the world. It's just not the same to me.

As for it looking "fake", I guess I like fake then! To me it looks great, it feels like I'm travelling to different time periods or places depending on which park I am and what part of the park. It feels like I'm in a movie or a story from a book or something. You can't have that anywhere else. You can at some places, but not non stop like at Disney.

Anyway, to each their own, but the only way I could possibly compare a "regular" trip to a Disney trip is if someone did all the work for me and took me there and paid for everything. And even then, it wouldn't be as perfect IMO.

Maybe they enjoy it so much because their parents have a lot of money to do all the fun things and they don't have to worry about anything because their parents do it for them, so to them it's just as magical and safe?

 

[bellanotte10]

I've been all over Europe, been to Mexico, canada, the Caribbean, but I love doing both. I vacation "down the cape" every summer, but would still love to one day stay at the beach or yacht club. Someone here said it before, but Going to the Italy pavilion reminds me of Italy, I had a nice time talking about my study abroad experience with a nice cm at the uk pavilion, and love the Mexican pavilion more than Mexico.

I do both, and it's fun to see how, as a pp put it, the real world meets fantasy. Sure it seems fake at times, but it's cool to see a blending of things I love in a place I love. And the world showcase has given me a goal. I want to say I've been to the real version of every country. So far I'm missing a lot, but it makes me want to go see the real thing for myself!