Answering to people who don't "get" WDW?

[Nancyg56]

I used to be one of those people. I went a few times when the kids were litle and did nto care if I never went again. Until I went again Of course so much had changed but I had changed as well.

I just tell people that this is one place that DH and I can see things through the eyes of our DGD and where we can let nostalgia play a part in our vacation. I tell them that we both have fond memories of those Sunday nights in front of the TV waiting for the WOnderful WOrld of Disney to start. After that I say nothing.

 

[PattnFmly]

It's funny, after our last trip, one of the docs I work with asked me what we "could possibly do at Disney for 10 days - how many times can you go to the park?" When I asked which park? you mean the MK? and he said, "but isn't that what Disney is?" I asked him if he had 5 minutes. I then explained, 4 theme parks plus 2 waterparks plus DQuest (which my men love!) plus mini golf plus fishing plus just plain ole pool days ... he was amazed! Not saying he'll go now, but at least he's enlightened and doesn't think we just go the MK for a week plus at a time!

 

[Tink3815]

I think Disney lovers are frougal. Tell me where else in the US you can get a hotel room that is clean and safe for less than 65.00 a night. Free transportation from the airport. Free area transportation. An abundance of things to do in price ranges from free to 75.00 a day. Restaurants with every type of food you could want and in every price range. Clean beautiful pools. We have gone several times. At times we do the parks everyday. At times we lie by the pool, and enjoy a special dinner every night and no parks. We never seem to run out of things to do. (I do miss Pleasure Island).

 

[iwrbnd]

I'm a teacher and it's the only place I can be the kid for a change!


I was there for my 42nd birthday last year and a character waved at me and said Happy Birthday! I was so happy! At that moment I didn't care he was probably a college student waving at me! I was a kid again!

 

[minniebeth]

I am very passionate about Disney and we do go a lot. I used to feel like I had to convince others what was so magical about it. I've given up on that all. Sometimes, I do believe that people need to experience it more than once to learn their way through it and see it the way we've seen it. We've had a few less than magical trips and did "do-overs" to make up for them which were great. So those people? I do try to encourage them to understand why families like us repeat.

Others? Like another poster said, some people go back to the same beach, or vacation spot year after year, it's what they do and Disney is what we do.

We do go other places though, those are the trips we talk about. We've just stopped talking about our Disney trips. Makes life easier sometimes.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Yeah, my BFF took her family to WDW ONCE and was like...been there done that...they like to go somewhere different every year. Good for them. She laughs when I say we are going back to Disney/Uni.

I think people who don't get Disney don't understand Disney fully. They didn't research their trip and it is overwhelming to them when they arrive and they only do a third of what the rest of us do at Disney. They don't know how to make the best of their park time and leisure time.

We love that we are on vacation the minute we get out of our car at the airport. We don't have to drive anywhere or worry about where we are going to eat or how to get to ???. It is like one ginormous kid AND adult playground. And your resort is a vacation within a vacation.

It is the one place we have found that we are at ease as a family. It means alot to us as we have a special needs DD who isn't "out of place". We know the Cms are there for EVERYONE and enjoy their jobs. They are prepared for customers with food allergies, they are prepared for parkgoers with different needs of a wide spectrum. Whether you are 2 or 82 yrs old...doesn't matter.

For me, any vacation other than Disney, has to be measured by Disney standards. To people who don't get that, I feel sad for them. They are really missing something special. On the brighter side, they aren't competing for my spot in line at Splash Mountain

 

[wdwfan16]

I don't know what to tell people because I don't "get" Disney either. It is a great place but there are other great places as well. I can't imagine spending EVERY vacation at Disney.

I don't "get" golf yet people will plan an entire vacation to Myrtle Beach just to golf all week and do this year after year after year.

Whats the difference?

 

[Magic Mom]

Yeah, my BFF took her family to WDW ONCE and was like...been there done that...they like to go somewhere different every year. Good for them. She laughs when I say we are going back to Disney/Uni.

I think people who don't get Disney don't understand Disney fully.

Maybe for some, but I think a lot of people just don't like it. They aren't theme park lovers. I thnk we Disney lovers forget that it's OK to not like Disney...GASP!!!

I have a good friend that hates Disney. She took her kids, planned a great vacation, and really didn't love it. It had nothing to do with not understanding Disney. Her tastes are just different.

 

[Disney-Kim]

I try to tell people sometimes that it isn't just one park like Disneyland (well you know what I mean).

Its 4 parks, waterparks, boat rentals, lakes, pools, beaches, and great restaurants. They say..."ohhhhh" and a tiny lightbulb goes off. I try to convey that its a mix of things we do on vacation.

But most people have only been to Dland in my area and they tend to think of you being at Dland for a week, in the middle of a city, etc. Not beautiful Florida.

The people I work with say "of course your going again"...like I am insane

but then here in AZ its hugely popular to go to San Diego for vacations...which we find boring....so its completely the role reversal when someone says they are going again...

 

[marypoppinswannabe]

All of my friends think I am crazy to go back so often. This is one place where my entire family likes to go. So, it does not matter to me what other people think. Spending time with my family is far more important to me than their opinion.

Although, next year we are all considering a trip to NYC or DC instead of Disney.

 

[minnie56]

I am a TA...I get it too...but I get "WHAT you are going away again"???? I say
"Yes, I am"!!! End of story.

Not much they can add to that!

I do Disney at least 2x a year and maybe 3-4 cruises and my daughter attends school in NYC so I am there maybe 5x a year ..and on it goes. My other DD isd starting a 1 yr stint at Disney in May so I guess 'here we go again'! I'll be hearing it too!

Who cares, you don't have to justify anything to anyone!

 

[kc10family]

because we like it!

 

[Poohbear123]

Whenever I say I am going on vacation, everyone says: Disney Again? And I answer.."where else is there to go?" Needless to say, they don't have an answer...now when I get back from vacation they ask "whens your next Disney trip?" And I give them the dates and the countdown... (I also fly to Orlando, get ME and all the hotel discounts being a Fl. Resident)!

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

It really depends on who I am talking to.

I have brought someone with me to a WDW trip and she fell in love with it also. The only people I know, personally not on DIS, who have been to WDW in the last 10 years love it also and have been more than once. Any who has been before but a long time ago typically doesn't understand why I go so much and the first thing I ask them is "do you know how much has changed since you went in 1986?"

Then, being from Oregon we have a lot more Disneyland goers and they start comparing it to Disneyland. Some will even call it Disneyland in Florida or just Disneyland. A which point I correct them and/or explain how different DLR and WDW are.

And a lot of the flack I get is from a group of people who go to Vegas all the time. I've been there 3 times (2002, 2008, 2009) and I simply do not understand the appeal. I think gambling is stupid and I'm not a live performance kind of gal, take away those two things and all you have left is crappy rides, booze and nightclubs in the middle of the desert. I have all of those things at home.

I do agree there are more places to go than Disney but other than New York City, none of them so far have been more exciting than Disney.

 

[kimmar067]

I just try to explain that it's a place where I can enjoy myself without the hassles of life. For a short time when I'm on Main Street I forget about my job, mortgage, etc. Plus, it's like going on a vacation where you don't worry about pickpockets, crime, etc. And, we enjoy it because if the attention to detail.

Most people just don't get it because they have in their heads that Disney = only for kids. They can't understand it, so I just let it be "to each their own."

...well put - my sentiments exactly....I have an added reason why I choose to go to WDW over other places...my DH was diagnosed with celiac a few years ago, and, since the CM's and chefs are specially trained for those with special dietary needs, it is just easier and more hassle-free than worrying about where we will be dining while on vaca....I know that he will be able to enjoy his trip and be able to eat most of the foods that he loves...

 

[kimmar067]

Who cares, you don't have to justify anything to anyone!

...a-MEN, sistah!

 

[kimmar067]

...a lot of the flack I get is from a group of people who go to Vegas all the time. I've been there 3 times (2002, 2008, 2009) and I simply do not understand the appeal. I think gambling is stupid and I'm not a live performance kind of gal, take away those two things and all you have left is crappy rides, booze and nightclubs in the middle of the desert. I have all of those things at home....

 

[kimmar067]

Maybe for some, but I think a lot of people just don't like it. They aren't theme park lovers. I thnk we Disney lovers forget that it's OK to not like Disney...GASP!!!

I have a good friend that hates Disney. She took her kids, planned a great vacation, and really didn't love it. It had nothing to do with not understanding Disney. Her tastes are just different.

....apparently, she's not a 'magic mom' like you ! [ ]

...as for being 'theme-park lovers' or not 'theme-park lovers', I don't think it's that either. Many of my students LOVE theme parks (we live within an hour of Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ) and they LOVE that place. I love, love, LOVE Disneyworld, but you couldn't pay me enough to go visit that place - it's dirty, most of the rides are poor copies of WDW's (and others), the food is WA-A-AY overpriced and sub-par, and the list goes on and on. I think that, for those who 'don't get' WDW, they view it as just another 'theme-park', but to me and many others, part of the lure of WDW is that it is almost a 'state-of-mind' - a true place of 'escape'....that's why, whenever we visit WDW, I tell everyone, "We are going to Disneyworld.", not , "We are going to Florida." !!

 

[ZephyrHawk]

DH and I keep getting this from my parents, who are obsessive world travelers. The answer is, "Yes, of course we do, but for the price of one trip to Europe we can go to Disney twice."

 

[disneyworldaddict]

We rarely fly, so for our family, it is a great getaway that is driving distance. We can stay at the cozy, woodsy WL or the Beachy BC. We can take our DD to do the parks and act like big kids ourselves, or we can let her have fun at a kid's club while DH and I enjoy an upscale dinner and cocktails. We can stroll through the World Showcase and admire the shops, performers, etc or lay by the pool at our resort. There are SO many dining options, SO many resorts to choose from. There are so many DIFFERENT vacations to be had at Disney.

oh, ETA that I think many people just think about the parks when they hear "Disney" and honestly, the parks are secondary for me! We are going in May with no park passes...just hanging by the AKV pool for a few days!!

This is my answer also. For us its a quick 2 hr flight from a small convenient airport. ME makes the vaca start at the airport.

We went last Jan and didn't do parks either. We went DTD and the Boardwalk, we hotel hopped and spent hrs at AKL and WL sear4ching for hidden mickeys and watching the animals. We ate at wonderful restaurants every night and of course sat by the pool and flew home with a tan.