You don't "get" it?

[BAMLuvMickey]

I got into a debate with my cousin about Disney. He has never been to DW, but has been to DL....It started with a question then a post on facebook...

I was curious to know how many acres DL is compared to MK/DW in general. So I asked YAHOO answers: "How many acres is DISNEY LAND?" I got my answers that I wanted but scrolled down and saw other "top answers" for the question I asked. Out of the four they listed the third one had me laughing, it was "HOW DO I GET MY GIRLFRIEND BACK?" I was like WTH does that have to do with DISNEY? Since I thought it was funny I posted it on Facebook.
ANWAY....
My cousin commented my post and said how he can't wait to get back to DL with his family and that he will NEVER go to DW. He said it was too expensive and that DL was cheaper.
I was like REALLY? because for me (factoring in all there is to do at DW) its about the same price so you get more for your money by going to DW. I said it never cost me more than(X amount of dollars) to go...and its about the same if I price it to go to DL...
The conversation went back and forth comparing the differences between the two and then:
HE SAYS:
I JUST CAN'T SEE SPENDING THAT MUCH MONEY TO SPEND ONE DAY IN A THEME PARK!?

I guess EPCOT, DHS, & AK are either non exisitant in his head or he thinks it is all part of MK....I was just so dumbfounded. I dropped the conversation...
Then a friend of mine(who works at DW, BTW), saw the post and following comments and messaged me and asked me if he was an idiot...

 

[chartle]

Based upon some of the posts here, many people (even ones who book trips and plan to go) have no idea how big WDW is and how much there is to do or how much it really costs.

Like most visitors to DL, I bet your cousin only goes for one maybe two days. So when he looks at tickets for WDW he only sees $82 per day not how much a 5 day ticket costs.

I'm helping some at work here plan a vacation, one thing I did for her was to print out a map showing where everything is. She will only be taking resort transportation, but I just thought she need an overall lay of the land.

My in-laws also have no desire to go to WDW at all. They just think its an overpriced over crowded amusement park where they wouldn't ride anything anyway.

 

[WDSearcher]

Where does your cousin live? If he lives closer to Disneyland then yes, DL is likely much cheaper for him than WDW. The biggest and most expensive part of a WDW vacation is usually just getting there. If he can easily drive to DL (or if it's a shorter flight), he's probably lumping the cost of getting to Florida into the cost of "visiting WDW."

 

[DaniB]

HE SAYS:
I JUST CAN'T SEE SPENDING THAT MUCH MONEY TO SPEND ONE DAY IN A THEME PARK!?

I guess EPCOT, DHS, & AK are either non exisitant in his head or he thinks it is all part of MK....I was just so dumbfounded. I dropped the conversation...

In all fairness, he's not the only person who doesn't realize how big Disney is and how many parks there really are.

Why not send him a private e-mail saying you didn't realize he thought Disney is a one day park and no wonder he thought it was too expensive.

Just a short bit explaining there's actually 4 parks (name them), 2 waterparks (name them), DTD, and more and that it takes at least 1 day to explore each park (if not more). And another short bit stating the total cost of a 6-day park ticket and how much that ends up costing per day. Also mention that it only costs $5 a day per person to add another day on the ticket.

Then drop the subject unless he responds for more info.

He might still insist it's not worth his time and money. OR, he might be grateful for the infomation and actually research/take a trip there.

Honestly, if there was something in particular (ie, Disney or anything else) that I was misinformed on or misunderstood - And then discovered a friend/relative *knew* I misunderstood but never bothered to give me a heads-up... I'd be really disappointed and upset...

 

[xXMyTwoPrincessesXx]

When DD started asking to go to DW, we initially considered taking her to DL in Cali, because it would've been cheaper for us. It honestly makes no sense to say that because you get to do more at DW, it's the same cost! Cost is how much money you have to pay, regadless of the value you are getting out of it. And for some people, people can't afford to pay the cost for something, even if the value for it is more.

 

[BAMLuvMickey]

Also in the conversation he mentioned EPCOT, so I know he knows about the other parks, I am just not sure if he understands that they are separate from each other. He kept talking about all the "lands" at DL and comparing them to the "lands" at DW but it sounds like he thinks all four parks are one big park. This is not the first time we have had this discussion, btw. I HAVE tried to explain it to him before but I guess he just doesn't get it.

TO ANSWER A PP'S QUESTION:
We live 5 minutes from each other. We both fly out of TF GREEN when we travel.

I know some people don't understand how huge it is, but when you show pictures and other stuff, you figure it would just click. I don't knock anyone going to DL either. I would love to go there too, its just that I don't understand how if you check the websites for planning(which he told me he does) how you couldn't see how big its is...I think the original answer to my question was DL was 85 acres(dont think it was counting california adventure) and I forget how many MK but DW is 47 square miles...Thats definitly WAAAYY bigger than going to DL. He made it seem like they were the same size. If he just planned on going to MK I could understand but like I said I tried explaining it before because he has asked me every time I have gone why I waste my money going there...
ACTUALLY, come to think of it, he NEVER referred to MK AT ALL. Just called it DW...I would love to help him "GET IT" that way he can see both places are just as fun....ANY TIPS?

 

[BAMLuvMickey]

When DD started asking to go to DW, we initially considered taking her to DL in Cali, because it would've been cheaper for us. It honestly makes no sense to say that because you get to do more at DW, it's the same cost! Cost is how much money you have to pay, regadless of the value you are getting out of it. And for some people, people can't afford to pay the cost for something, even if the value for it is more.

What I meant by doing more I meant that at DL, there are two parks and DTD where at DW there are the 4 and DTD. So feel like I am doing more for my money at DW than at DL. Alot of the times I find that if I was to go to DL its more expensive just because of the flight from Providence to CA. I would think that with him having a family of 7, it would be incredibly more expensive for him to go to CALI than Florida...

 

[chartle]

ACTUALLY, come to think of it, he NEVER referred to MK AT ALL. Just called it DW...I would love to help him "GET IT" that way he can see both places are just as fun....ANY TIPS?

Have a WDW planning DVD just appear in his mail box from Disney.

 

[deuceswild10]

Disney is expensive. Doesn't mean that it isn't fun, but I personally do think the price of admission to the parks is pretty steep.

 

[chartle]

TO ANSWER A PP'S QUESTION:
We live 5 minutes from each other. We both fly out of TF GREEN when we travel.

Just in case anyone else is wondering TF GREEN is in Rhode Island.

So the whole DL is closer, is right out the window and yes your cousin is an idiot.

 

[DaniB]

I would love to help him "GET IT" that way he can see both places are just as fun....ANY TIPS?

Have a WDW planning DVD just appear in his mail box from Disney.

Send him a link to this website, but don't tell him your user ID.

Sounds like he's just refusing to understand then. (so-to-speak) Ah well, you can lead a horse to water...

After experiencing WDW, I'm interested in taking our family to DL. But so far I just haven't gotten over the cost of airfare...
But that's ok. I'm sure we have a long time before WDW starts to wear off.

Plus our family hasn't even seen any other attractions in Florida yet, and soon there will be a Legoland as well!

 

[BAMLuvMickey]

Have a WDW planning DVD just appear in his mail box from Disney.

HEY I never would have thought of that!!! Thanks for that!

When I hear people going to Disney or they are thinking about it, I want them to have a good time. This is because the very first time I went, I said I was NEVER going again. We went last minute and had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. I knew about the 4 parks but we only went to MK for one day and had such a horrible time. Fast forward a few years later, my ex and I wanted to take our son on a vacation again before he started school and ultimatley decided to try to plan a full vacation at DW. Needless to say, it went beautifully and I now go back as often as I can.
I want that for my cousin. I wouldn't want him to go and be miserable, I want him and his family to enjoy it!!!

 

[DaniB]

Needless to say, it went beautifully and I now go back as often as I can.

I want that for my cousin. I wouldn't want him to go and be miserable, I want him and his family to enjoy it!!!

Now that's really nice! I was thinking that if you *did* send your cousin a link to DIS, you might want to... edit parts of this thread. To avoid hard feelings or if you didn't want him to know who you are here.

After reading your last posting however... it's so sweet. Maybe he would decide to really look at WDW instead of blowing it off knowing you want him to have such a good time!

 

[BAMLuvMickey]

Send him a link to this website, but don't tell him your user ID.

Sounds like he's just refusing to understand then. (so-to-speak) Ah well, you can lead a horse to water...

After experiencing WDW, I'm interested in taking our family to DL. But so far I just haven't gotten over the cost of airfare...
But that's ok. I'm sure we have a long time before WDW starts to wear off.

Plus our family hasn't even seen any other attractions in Florida yet, and soon there will be a Legoland as well!

LOL I have gone all over Florida...I can't wait to do a Florida only vacation again so I can go to LEGOLAND!!! We didn't care for US/IOA, some of it was ok though. Haven't seen Harry Potter part yet maybe that will make it better for us. I have always wanted to go to Busch Gardens in Tampa.
And I can NEVER find anyone who wants to go to SEA WORLD with me....Even my 9 year old tells me it sounds lame....Ahh well, next Florida only i will force them all and they will see how fun it is(i hope)lol

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I would love to help him "GET IT" that way he can see both places are just as fun....ANY TIPS?

There are some that just can't be helped.

If your friend/relative/whatever has no interest in learning about WDW, just let them remain in the dark.

For us to fly out to DLR and stay for 5 days in a good neighbor hotel, would cost no less than $4,000. (dh, myself, DD, and DS).

I can get us 10 days with DDP for that at WDW, maybe more (depending on when and where we stay).

No need to sweat the small stuff.

 

[Mixie]

Let's see - Disneyland is 160 acres. Walt Disney World is 30,080 acres.

Visually, that's like this:





And that's being generous to Disneyland.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

We understand. Living in Colorado, DLR seems more promoted here than WDW. Even the schools give out brochures on discounted DL visits. When we tell friends we're going to WDW, many think it's this super expensive place compared to DLR.

Both DLR and WDW can be expensive, but if you want to stay on-site at DLR, you could end up paying more than at WDW as DLR does not have an on-site Moderate or Value category. Yes, there are nice off-site hotels where you can walk to the parks at DLR, but to me, you lose some of the magic when you stay off-site. If you're okay with off-site, than both DLR and WDW have many inexpensive options. Plus, with so much to do at WDW, I agree that on a per-day basis, WDW can actually work out to be less expensive than DLR if you stay a week. At DLR, if you stay a week, you will find yourself going to other parks and spending even more money.

We have done both and enjoyed both. There are some things we like better at DLR and vice versa. That said, we still prefer WDW for a single vacation destination.

We do want to go back to DLR after the new expansion is complete. Their expansion sounds a lot more exciting to our family than the MK Fantasyland expansion!

And FWIW, we found Legoland to be just okay. It was enjoyable and I'm glad we did it, but it's not a place that we'll revisit. Even our three lego fanatic boys agreed that it was a "been there done that" type of place.

 

[WDSearcher]

Also in the conversation he mentioned EPCOT, so I know he knows about the other parks, I am just not sure if he understands that they are separate from each other. He kept talking about all the "lands" at DL and comparing them to the "lands" at DW but it sounds like he thinks all four parks are one big park. This is not the first time we have had this discussion, btw. I HAVE tried to explain it to him before but I guess he just doesn't get it.

TO ANSWER A PP'S QUESTION:
We live 5 minutes from each other. We both fly out of TF GREEN when we travel.

I don't know what that means. How far are you both from DL related to WDW? (Sorry ... don't know what "TF GREEN" stands for.)

I know some people don't understand how huge it is, but when you show pictures and other stuff, you figure it would just click. I don't knock anyone going to DL either. I would love to go there too, its just that I don't understand how if you check the websites for planning (which he told me he does) how you couldn't see how big its is...I think the original answer to my question was DL was 85 acres (dont think it was counting california adventure) and I forget how many MK but DW is 47 square miles...Thats definitly WAAAYY bigger than going to DL. He made it seem like they were the same size. If he just planned on going to MK I could understand but like I said I tried explaining it before because he has asked me every time I have gone why I waste my money going there...
ACTUALLY, come to think of it, he NEVER referred to MK AT ALL. Just called it DW...I would love to help him "GET IT" that way he can see both places are just as fun....ANY TIPS?

Remind him that "Disney World" is comprised of four parks, while "Disneyland" is two. That will help. Lots of people don't get that.

Although, if he's talking the parks themselves then yeah ... they're relatively the same size. MK is larger than DL, but not by huge amounts. DHS and DCA are about the same. If, in his head, he's thinking that Disney World = MK = Disneyland, then yeah, he's right. They're about the same.

There's an awful lot of WDW that isn't theme parks. Only about a tenth of hte available land is developed. So that's kind of an apples-to-oranges comparison too. Sure, DW is 47 square miles. But the amount actually available to the Guest is a much smaller part of that.

But if you want to compare physical space, acres vs. square miles doesn't always resonate with people. Here are two easy ways to compare:

1. If the "non-believer" has ever been to NYC, ask him if he can picture how big the island of Manhattan is. If he says "yes", ask him if he thinks Manhattan is fairly large. When he says he does (because it is), tell him "Walt Disney World? Three of those." WDW is roughly three times the size of Manhattan.
   
2. From the standpoint of simple park comparison, here's another great visual. You could pick up Disneyland, DCA, both California hotels and all of their parking lots and put it into the Epcot parking lot. With spaces left over.

If neither one of those gets your point across, then pull up aerial maps!

 

[BAMLuvMickey]

There are some that just can't be helped.

If your friend/relative/whatever has no interest in learning about WDW, just let them remain in the dark.

For us to fly out to DLR and stay for 5 days in a good neighbor hotel, would cost no less than $4,000. (dh, myself, DD, and DS).

I can get us 10 days with DDP for that at WDW, maybe more (depending on when and where we stay).

No need to sweat the small stuff.

LOL. Thats about what I come up with for my family! Depending if i want to go or not, throw in tix for MNSSHP(we usually go in the fall)

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

LOL. Thats about what I come up with for my family! Depending if i want to go or not, throw in tix for MNSSHP(we usually go in the fall)

I hate it, OP.

I grew up in WDW, but a special part of my heart belongs to DLR. I'd love to get them out there, but when I gave the numbers to DH, he flat out said he'd rather go to FL.

Maybe someday...