Adults without kids - why do you visit characters?

[brertoad]

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.

Very true on all points. It's wrong to judge someone for wanting to have a photo op with a character, although it was not the norm for them to get multiple poses with the character, it wasn't right for the parent to yell at the person or to harass or bully them. Each person wants to enjoy their time at Disney and one of the worst things that can happen is for another GUEST to ruin your vacation. We don't yell at parents to tell their kids to shut up, society makes SO MANY accomodations for parents and childrens behavior. How many times have you been shoved by a stroller? Ran into by a child? Eardrums pierced by screaming?
It happens all the time, we were at Kouzzina the other night and some kid just belted out the LOUDEST scream ever, the whole restaurant got quiet, and after a few moments of absolute shock, everything went back to normal - No one said anything about it to the family. So, what the hell is up with that? Any parents care to comment about weird behavior of children, because I am certainly curious about it? (Why do some kids lick everything? so gross...) LOL.

 

[brertoad]

My first trip to Disney was when I was 7, in 1976, with my beloved Grandpa, whom I was visiting in Florida because he moved there from Chicago where we all lived. I was devastated when he and my grandma moved, but he promised me a trip to WDW to cheer me up...I swear, my Grandpa, who was 67 at the time and a crabbish old guy (think Walter Mattheu in Grumpy Old Men) kept saying before the trip, "We are leaving at 4pm to get back to St. Pete and you each get ONE book of tickets!"

...well, 4pm came and went and Grandpa said, "We are NOT leaving!" and he continued to buy more books of tickets! I rode Peter Pan with him and he was as bright-eyed as me! He was enthralled with every part of WDW!

Ar one point during the day, he posed for a picture with Snow White.....he had on an old-man cardigan, a wrinkly face, plaid shirt, suspenders and what I guess could be called a "trucker hat" (it was his Operating Engineers Local 150 hat) and the BIGGEST grin posing with Snow White!!! To this day, our family treasures this photo. Grandpa died the next year, so it was our only trip to WDW with him, but every time I see a character, it reminds me of him.
He was an elderly man (people were OLDER, I swear in the 1970s), but so happy to be posing with Snow White, and so child-like in WDW...the character interaction has always been one of the best parts of every trip to WDW and I look forward to more in September, as do my teenaged kids. WDW is my fountain of youth.

What a lovely story.

 

[FunAtTheCircus]

I love meeting the characters. To me Mickey is the entire experience of going to Disney World. I love getting to see him, shake hands and of course move on so the children can see him too. In some ways seeing the characters makes it feel real to me. Helps create the magic and remind me where I am.

 

[xxpeplyxx]

The character meet and greets are part of the experience I'm 22 and meet the characters when I visit, and the memories I've got for doing so are some of the best each time I go, stitch had us doing some halarious poses, chip and dale stole our water fan bottles and had a water fight as well as soaking us to! Again fantastic memory's and totally awesome pictures! Mickey mouse waved his finger at me to tell me off for having a tattoo, boy how guilty did I feel lol! Buzz and woody were crazy, and a ball of laughs again had us doing all sorts of poses, the list is endless but my memories will last forever and that's all that counts

 

[Katie In Wonderland]

I'm 20 (turning 21 in October and I will be at Walt Disney World celebrating my 21st Birthday) and I still go see characters. I've been going to WDW since I was about 4 years old and I have no plans to stop going ever. I have to get a picture with Mickey Mouse every year. It actually shows how I've grown over the years and they mean the world to me. I love meeting characters still. I know some people my age hate it but I love it. It's all part of the magic. I got in line about a half hour before and got to meet Cinderella and Prince Charming, Snow White and her Prince and Rapunzel and Flynn Rider (who, let's me honest, I REALLY went for since I'm a HUGE Flynn Rider fan ) at MNSSHP last year. SO worth it. It just adds to the magic, I think. If you 1 or 101, nothing beats getting a hug from Mickey or from your favorite Princess (or hero) My birthday wish last year was to meet Flynn Rider, get smoldered, see the tiara (which was in the satchel) and get a hug from him. My wish came true twice and both were the best days ever. Also, Mickey, Minnie and other characters "sang" to me and Minnie and Tigger wrote "Happy Birthday" and "Happy Birthday Katie" in my autograph book (yes, I still keep one. I like having it.) My 20th birthday was SO magical and I hope my 21st will be just as magical or even more so. I can't wait. 73 days can't go quick enough.

 

[Mommy2Jameson]

If I see Winnie the Pooh I am knocking my kids over to get to him!

 

[aubriee]

I took my mom for her first ever WDW vacation a few years ago when she was in her early 70's. My dad would never vacation so we never got to go on vacations when we were kids. Vacation to us was me and my mom going to West Virginia for a week to visit her relatives and my bother and dad going to Colorado for a week deer hunting. We never took a single true vacation with all four us the entire time I was growing up. The year we had to put my dad in the nursing home, I took my mom for her first ever really vacation. I scheduled alot of character meals, even though I wasn't sure if she'd think it was silly or not. I was shocked that she absolutely loved them. She even wanted to stand in line to meet the characters for a picture.

Her favorite picture from that trip is a picture of her with Minnie Mouse. My favorite picture was a picture I took of her in Dumbo. We had stayed in line with all those little kids, then purposely sat in different Dumbos, just so I could turn around and get a picture of her in a Dumbo. Some of those parents might have questioned what we did or even got a little irritated with us, but I had a right to take that picture of her in that flying Dumbo. She had a smile a mile wide, while she was waving at me in the Dumbo in front. I had that picure blown up into a 5"x7" and have it sitting on my dresser. That was a priceless memory. I'll be taking her back Sept 1st-8th. She turns 79 y/o Sept 9th, so we are going down there for her birthday. Due to her health it will probably be her last trip. She's already said she wants a picture with Tinker Bell and Tigger. I intend to see that she gets them. If she wants a picure with a character we'll have every bit as much right as some family with a kid.

 

[aubriee]

I do believe that there is a certain percentage of parents who wanted children solely to get preferential treatment as parents. These parents often show less maturity than their minor children. I think that this woman using hostile language against a harmless stranger in front of her children fits that description.

I agree. I didn't get to go to WDW until I was in my late 40's when I took my eldest GD and her dad down there. I fell in love with it and have been buying Annual Passes and going 4-6 times a year ever since. My husband is not as big a WDW fan as I am and I can only get him to go once or maybe twice a year, so alot of my trips are solo trips. Every single solo trip I have parents trying to push their kids in front of me for parades, characters, shows, etc. They always want to smile and make some comment about they know I won't mind since WDW is for the kids after all. Then when I let the kid stand in front me, the parents try to ease in front of me too, saying they want to be able to see their kids reactions. I've gotten to where before a parade starts I'll look around to see if a kid can't see, then invite the kid to stand in front of me, but I emphasize the word 'kid' and if they try to squeeze up there too, let them know I meant kid only and if they try to get up there too, then they can just move back, including the kid. I've been called the B word when I refuse to let the parents get in front of me. Sorry, but having a kid does not make you special or qualify you for extra privileges. You might remember a thread on here not too long ago where someone posted about a man jumping in front of the long line at the Main Street Bakery, saying he had kids that were hungry and he shouldn't have to wait. What was bad was that the CM let him get away with it.

As I said in my previous post, my mom was in her early 70's when she got to make her first ever trip to WDW. I was in my 40's. We paid our money and have just as much right to do anything at Disney as you do. Walt Disney designed WDW so that everyone would have a place to go and have fun.

 

[MrsDuck]

Because I like to see the characters...

 

[peaceluv&mickeymouse]

Everyone is a kid in Disney!

 

[CindyIsMyFave]

We made our first trip as a family this past April and I sometimes think I had more fun than my kids. Our youngest son and I stood in line to see Winnie the Pooh while my wife and other son were doing something else. I'll let you in on a secret... I am a lifelong Pooh fan. I love him. So our son was a "front" for his Dad.

We get to Pooh and our son gets a big hug. Next thing I know Pooh turns to me with arms wide open and gave me a big hug.

38 years old and I got teary eyed by a hug from Pooh.

The pic of me standing there smiling with Pooh shocked my friends, who thought I considered myself too " manly " or something. I just laugh and explain when Pooh Bear wants to hug you, you hug. Unfortunately my wife didnt have the camera ready for the hug. I wish she did !

Walking in those gates every care I had vanished.

"Oh to be a kid again." ?

Just go to Disney.

THIS is fantastic. I suspect my 35 yr old DH would describe some characters exactly the same way, though he's not quite admitted it verbally yet.

I do like the "when Pooh hugs, you hug back" excuse though! He got far too much grief from his friends about photos back in 2009, and I think this is a great reason!

 

[WDSearcher]

Adults want to meet characters for the same reason people want to meet movie stars. Most people, if they suddenly found themselves able to have a meet & greet with their favorite sports or film or TV star, would gladly stand in line, shake hands, get an autograph and take a picture. Why? It's not like they're making any sort of meaningful connection with that star. But hey ... it's a STAR.

Same thing with the characters. No ... Cinderella isn't the "real" Cinderella, but if you've ever met a TV star when they're in a M&G situation, you're not really meeting the "real" person either. You're meeting the "TV Star" Neil Patrick Harris, not the NPH who hangs out with his kids by the pool. To me, wanting to have your picture taken with a character is the same thing as wanting to have your picture taken with a celebrity.

Some people think it's fun and cool and silly. Other people couldn't care less. Different strokes.

 

[thepoohguy]

All I can say is my next trip is in March. I turned 40 this past April. If I can't get a picture with Perry the Platypus in March, I will not be happy.

That is all...


Seriously though, getting pictures with the characters is a lot of fun. It brings the child out that is within you. My wife and I love it, and we don't have kids.

 

[thepoohguy]

One other thing, how many people pass on pictures, because the person doesn't look enough like the charachter?

 

[DisneyDre]

My Husband & I just love WDW! We are in our late 20s and meeting the characters is half the fun. At Disney everyone is a kid! We get just as excited to see a character as kids do. WDW is the one place you can forget about your problems and just have fun, even if you dont have kids!

 

[disneychic]

Because some of us couldn't visit when we were children.....and if I want a photo with Mickey at 31 then why not? Disney is for kids of all ages

I agree! You said this perfectly.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I took my mom for her first ever WDW vacation a few years ago when she was in her early 70's. My dad would never vacation so we never got to go on vacations when we were kids. Vacation to us was me and my mom going to West Virginia for a week to visit her relatives and my bother and dad going to Colorado for a week deer hunting. We never took a single true vacation with all four us the entire time I was growing up. The year we had to out my dad in the nursing home, I took my mom for her first ever really vacation. I scheduled alot of character meals, even though I wasn't sure if she'd think it was silly or not. I was shocked that she absolutely loved them. She even wanted to stand in line to meet the characters for a picture.

Her favorite picture from that trip is a picture of her with Minnie Mouse. My favorite picture was a picture I took of her in Dumbo. We had stayed in line with all those little kids, then purposely sat in different Dumbos, just so I could turn around and get a picture of her in a Dumbo. Some of those parents might have questioned what we did or even got a little irritated with us, but I had a right to take that picture of her in that flying Dumbo. She had a smile a mile wide, while she was waving at me in the Dumbo in front. I had that picure blown up into a 5"x7" and have it sitting on my dresser. That was a priceless memory. I'll be taking her back Sept 1st-8th. She turns 79 y/o Sept 9th, so we are going down there for her birthday. Due to her health it will probably be her last trip. She's already said she wants a picture with Tinker Bell and Tigger. I intend to see that she gets them. If she wants a picure with a character we'll have every bit as much right as some family with a kid.

I love this post..I too took a parent to WDW. My dad had his picture taken with Pocahontas and was grinning like crazy,lol.

 

[Phatoomch]

My DH went to the world for the first time at 50. He wasn't looking forward to it. He doesn't like 'theme parks' and Disney was for kids.

But, when he walked through those gates he got that "feeling"

I have a lovely collection of photos of him, grinning like a loon, with Goofy, Mickey, Jack Sparrow, Minnie, Donald Duck, Pluto to name but a few. He's not a patient man when it comes to waiting but he waited with a big smile on his face to meet characters. It brought the child out in him and reminded him that life doesn't have to be serious all the time.

 

[capeseal]

I have two young children and believe that everyone has a right to enjoy character greetings. Last winter when we went to meet Rapunzel, there was a guy in his late 20's/early 30's standing by himself to meet her. It was fun to watch his enthusiasm and I didn't care that he was in front of us. My (then 3-year-old) was thrilled to meet another fan in line for her favorite character and told me excitedly that "grownups can like princesses too!" My daughter knows that if she wants to meet her favorite characters she needs to wait her turn and I am teaching her that everyone gets their time to interact and that if she is patient, she'll get a turn as well.

When DH and I went in college, we went on a short Disney trip and though we weren't into characters, we spotted Kermit and Miss Piggy one afternoon. We are both huge Muppet fans and eagerly got in line. Well, we ended up being the cutoff and had some really annoyed parents who were upset and made comments because we wouldn't give up our spot to their children. Now that I have children, I want to model better behavior for them. It is important to me that they don't become entitled just because they are kids.

Watching others (adults and kids) have their interactions with the characters is part of the experience for me. Sometimes, it is really entertaining and funny.

 

[Phatoomch]

I have two young children and believe that everyone has a right to enjoy character greetings. Last winter when we went to meet Rapunzel, there was a guy in his late 20's/early 30's standing by himself to meet her. It was fun to watch his enthusiasm and I didn't care that he was in front of us. My (then 3-year-old) was thrilled to meet another fan in line for her favorite character and told me excitedly that "grownups can like princesses too!" My daughter knows that if she wants to meet her favorite characters she needs to wait her turn and I am teaching her that everyone gets their time to interact and that if she is patient, she'll get a turn as well.

When DH and I went in college, we went on a short Disney trip and though we weren't into characters, we spotted Kermit and Miss Piggy one afternoon. We are both huge Muppet fans and eagerly got in line. Well, we ended up being the cutoff and had some really annoyed parents who were upset and made comments because we wouldn't give up our spot to their children. Now that I have children, I want to model better behavior for them. It is important to me that they don't become entitled just because they are kids.

Watching others (adults and kids) have their interactions with the characters is part of the experience for me. Sometimes, it is really entertaining and funny.

My daughter thought it was awesome that adults (especially her Daddy) wanted to meet the characters too. And she loved seeing her grandpa having his photo with his fav - Jiminy Cricket