Adults without kids - why do you visit characters?

[Jennasis]

Because it makes us happy.

 

[mickeymouse108]

I'm genuinely curious why adults without kids visit characters. Obviously by that point in your life, you know that it's not *really* Mickey or a princess standing in front of you and you don't actually have Cinderella's signature in your book, so what's the draw to the characters?

I'm asking because on our trip last week, we were in line to see Tiana and there was a couple who were most likely in their mid-20's a couple of families in front of us. They both had autograph books and the guy took an unusually long time talking to Tiana and doing different poses with her. So much so that that one mom in front of us started getting testy and said in a loud voice "Come on. There are KIDS waiting to see her. You had your time."

Now I do get that Disney is not just for kids, but I don't understand why an adult would stand in line to meet a character. Character meals are a little different since you get food there, but all you get in a character line is to meet the character. Can you tell that I really can't wait until my girls don't want to stand in character lines any more?

I must say you do not get it!
I am a huge disney fan I love disney and I am a MickeyMouse addict i have tons of mickey jewlery including a diamond necklace.
Adults love to meet the characters as well as children and have every right to do so. I am more excited to meet mickeymouse than my two daughters. For me being at disney makes me feel like a kid again I went to disney in the 70's when i was six and seven with my parents and I lost both parents by the time I was 21 for me taking my girls to disney is like visiting my childhood and it makes me feel close to my parents and part of that is meeting the characters and seeing picks of me at six and seven with mickey and other characters and then having pics with them now and also with my own children.
Hope this shows you why adults wait to see them and that they are not just trying to take time away from children getting to meet them.

 

[dennes]

Coming from New Zealand and paying almost $40,000 for a trip to LA and Florida, I certainly did stand in line for cuddles with Pooh Bear and Minnie Mouse. I was 25 the first time I went and will be 36 with children when we spend about the same to come back in September.

Minnie and Pooh are as much part of my adulthood as they were my childhood. we have sat as children watching the Wonderful world of Disney for years. It is a mere pipedream for anyone from NZ to go to Disneyland so I feel justified to stand in line and cuddle those wonderful creatures that have helped make me the adult I am today

But it goes without saying that anyone who wastes time posing 57 times with the same character while theres a queue behind you, is just plain rude

JMTCW
D x

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Because it makes us happy.

This is my favorite answer. Whenever anyone ever asks me about going to Disney so much or why I when I don't have any kids, etc - this is always my answer. You really can't argue with it!!

 

[cinderbrella]

When I was about 17/18 I went to Disney Paris and took an autograph book to collect the signatures for my cousins to make a miniature scrapbook with messages for them, I was physically pushed out of the way by more than one parent and ignored by two characters until the children had finished crowding around for autographs. Bearing in mind I suffer extreme panic attacks and it was out first family vacation in five years I had tried very hard to put myself in a crowded place after lots of years of councilling. Moral of the story some people suck you cant change that everything else is irrelevant about age it's just certain people and there rudeness.

Disneyland Paris don't care about adults getting autographs they just let kids push through as they have no queuing system I got shoved by the parents many times and gave up I even put the autograph book in cinderellas face and she still ignored me and just saw the kids I waited around 20 mins didn't get many autographs at all I don't wait for the characters there anymore!


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[kbelle8995]

I think it is fun on occasion to stand in line for Cinderella or Mary Poppins. Adults without kids are just being young at heart.

It was rude from them to take more than one pose. But other than that nothing wrong with them standing in line to see a character

 

[stepdisney]

The character's friend (CM) will move people along when a certain length of time has been reached, so no one really spends 'too much time' posing, etc.

Adults without children pose with characters because they are people too - people who just don't happen to have children, for what ever reason, and they want to enjoy their lives just like anyone else.

Just because someone has kids doesn't mean they have more rights/benefits/needs, over someone without kids, does it?

We hear complaints about adults not giving up seats on buses, not letting other people's kids get in front of them at parades (even if the adults had staked out a spot an hour beforehand), and now people complain about how long some adult takes with a character?

When parents think that their kids are entitled to something just because they are kids it makes the kids grow up thinking they are entitled to everything, IMO.

I agree.

While I know that there are a lot of people at Disney World, we all get our turn, just like we learned in Kindergarten.

I teach 7th grade and entitlement is at an all time high, i.e. "get out of the way so that my kid can do whatever....."

Not really sure why we are questioning why anyone at any age wants to visit with a characters at Disney World.? It's Disneyworld, the characters are meant to be photographed and visited by all who walk through the gates.

 

[sephorachick]

My husband never stood in lines for characters before me but he never went to Disney as a child. I have a soft spot in my heart for Disney & especially Mickey.My last trip in November I saw Mickey in his Fantasia outfit & I got so happy & was jumping up & down. I'm a disney dork thoyugh. I am a past cast member/intern. Whenever I felt homesick I would go ride space mt & see mickey & I would feel better again I feel a lot of adults are too serious ect. I work for the gov't so I want to have fun & act like a kid on my vacation! ºoº

 

[MissManda]

I'm genuinely curious why adults without kids visit characters. Obviously by that point in your life, you know that it's not *really* Mickey or a princess standing in front of you and you don't actually have Cinderella's signature in your book, so what's the draw to the characters?

I'm asking because on our trip last week, we were in line to see Tiana and there was a couple who were most likely in their mid-20's a couple of families in front of us. They both had autograph books and the guy took an unusually long time talking to Tiana and doing different poses with her. So much so that that one mom in front of us started getting testy and said in a loud voice "Come on. There are KIDS waiting to see her. You had your time."

Now I do get that Disney is not just for kids, but I don't understand why an adult would stand in line to meet a character. Character meals are a little different since you get food there, but all you get in a character line is to meet the character. Can you tell that I really can't wait until my girls don't want to stand in character lines any more?

Because when going to Disney, I feel like a kid again and if I want to have my picture taken with Mickey, I'm going to do it! Its part of the Disney magic!

Its not for anyone to judge why anyone would want to get in line for the characters or why a character might spend what seems like a little extra time with someone. Now, obviously, I don't know the situation with the guy in your story but there are a lot of reasons why he could have been taking up what was perceived as others as too much time. How do you know that he didn't have a little sister back home who is sick and Tiana is her favorite princess. Maybe Tiana was doing extra pictures with this guy to give to his sister. Maybe that is what the autograph book is for. Maybe this is a once in a lifetime trip for him and he's enjoying every second. Maybe he was just a really cool/fun guy that Tiana just enjoyed chatting with for a minute.

When we go this summer, by 14yo nephew has declared his only "must do" is to have his picture taken with Donald Duck. Of course, he's old enough to know that it isn't really Donald and its just a person inside a costume. But its the one thing he really wants to do. Should I rush him through the line because he's older and knows Donald is not real? Heck no. I'm going to let him enjoy his time. And if I see people in front of me doing the same thing, I'm not going to complain.

 

[revroy]

"Your dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway." Walt Disney

Me and the DW with her faves.

and Me with the main Mouse.

 

[disneychic2]

DH and I don't stand in line to meet characters, but we have eaten at character dining and had our pictures taken there. The characters spent as much time with DH and I as with the kids and it was pretty cool.

Last trip we took our DGD who was almost 5 and we did stand in line to meet the characters because she wanted to. It was fun and I had no problem with adults only in line. It's really no different from adults sitting on Santa's lap at the mall.

I don't think the OP was judging anyone, just curious as to what the attraction would be for adults. She obviously doesn't feel that way herself and really wanted to know. I become a kid again as soon as I get on the ME from the airport! And I stay in that mode until on the way back to the airport.

ETA: I think anyone who takes up an extended amount of time is rude, whether it is an adult or child. Most of the time, the CMs will move people along so this doesn't happen too often, hopefully.

 

[HappyDaisy]

I may look like a grownup, and I may act like I'm grown up most of the time, but deep inside me lives a five year old little girl who still believes in magic, fairies, princesses, princes, and Peter Pan. There is also a 10 year old boy who adores action adventure movies, superheroes, and pirates!

I guess you could say that Disney satisfies every facet of my varying personalities! LOL!

Of course, I would never stand in the way of an actual child getting to enjoy the things that are meant for them; but, I won't hesitate if the lines are short and the venue is sized for adults, as well!

 

[Disneyholic]

Here are 2 video commercials that show how we feel. I couldn't find the one, though, that has the parents looking into the windows on Main Street & seeing kids looking back.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA93vBjD4EU


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kxz2vXhsSg&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLB45D0ABB70C2AD5A

DH is 68 & I am 58. We DO stand in line for characters and DO have pictures taken & get autographs. We didn't go to WDW until I was 43 & he was 53. When we are there we DO feel like little kids again. I get very emotional and sometimes I even throw a temper tantrum when I get overwhelmed. goodvibesUsually DH says something that hits me wrong & I melt down.)

I go to WDW to forget REAL LIFE for a while. I still have a very good imagination, so that helps.

 

[bookgirl]

I don't ever do the charecter meet and greets in the parks persay. I did do the Visa meet and Greet (free and hardly any line) and on my next trip I'm doing the Pirates and Pal Fireworks cruise so I'll actually meet the Peter Pan charecters as it's part of the 'show'.

I don't actually like haveing my picture taken so I can't imagine wasting time to do a greet, but the one I did do it was fun and I actually use the picture as my screen saver at home. It was .....whimsical, and kitchey. I still kinda smile about it whenever I see it.

 

[gator girl]

I do it to give the characters a break from all of those gross kids.

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

We don't do it often, but there are occasions when we do. We all paid admission, and spend money on the vacation, so I don't feel like I'm taking anything away from anyone else. We don't do autographs--but that's personal preference--we're way more into pins.

Why we've done character pix in the parks:
*Sometimes there's no line and we say "eh, why not?"
*DH loves Phineas and Ferb more than some children do--so that line was a must-do... and it was fun!
*The same went, but for me, when I saw Boo, Remy, and Emile at Pixar weekend in May 2011--we waited forevvvvver in those lines!
*I like to get ones in different costumes, like at AK during the holidays the characters were dressed for Christmas.
*If the character is rare--When we were at DL, we saw characters we've never seen out before--we took the time to stop just because!

 

[BlovesC]

This question makes me really sad.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Because it's fun.
Because I like it.
Because I want to.

and because I can.

 

[JKMJ441724]

but one year (for my 10th anniversary!!!) DH and I went without the kids. My daughter was in kindergarten (I think) and had written a letter to Mickey and made me promise to give it to him. She also made me promise not to read it either. We waited in line, gave Mickey the letter (took pictures and video to prove it). After we were finished with Mickey, I asked him if he wanted me to do something with the letter, wink, wink. He took the letter and hugged it to his chest and waved his finger - like "no, no, that's my letter".

 

[Jozymouse]

I'm in my late 30s and i LOVE meeting characters! I will wait it line to meet characters i've never met and characters wearing new/different outfits. I also always get my picture taken with Minnie since its a tradition and i have a pic with Minnie from every Disney trip! I dont do autographs but i am tempted, this time around, to get autographs from the SW characters since we will be attending 2 SW weekends!!!! We usually dont spend alot of time with the characters (just a quick pic) but if the character starts interacting with us a bit more than we just play along