Anyone else "LOVE" Disneyworld, but just "like" Disney?

[olecow]

Don't get me wrong, my family owns a lot of Disney movies and we watch them from time to time (usually when we're gearing up for a trip), but when we're not planning a Disney vacation we're just not Disney freaks. We like Disney, but we LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Disney World.

Get me down at the World, and I'm a maniac . I'm getting pictures taken with characters I don't even know, I'm buying clothing that's over priced (but great quality) that I wouldn't buy outside of the World, I'm dropping $125-$150 on dinner for a family of five and LOVING IT! When I check into my resort and the cast member says, "Welcome Home" I tear up and say, "It's great to be home" and I want to hug them (but I refrain). There are few places on this earth where I'm as happy as I am when I'm at Disneyworld.

Does anyone else like Disney, but LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Disney World?

 

[rammh]

Yep, same way here. The things I buy are usually little things that remind me of Disneyworld but arent over the top in my house. For example one of my favorites is the coffee scoop. Every night before I go to bed, I get to use my little mickey hand coffee scoop and get a smile on my face, but no one would know by walking around my house.

 

[bookgirl]

That would be me. I'm lowkey about Disney in General, but I love going to Disneyworld. In fact I haven't even seen the last 3 or 4 movies. I do love the older stuff and own some on DVD, but I'm not dressing Disney or designing theme rooms or anything like that.

 

[OklahomaTourist]

I can absolutely identify with this sentiment.

Growing up, my family was decidedly not a big "Disney" house. It wasn't that we disliked it, or anything, it just wasn't that big a deal for us. Heck, I was (and still am) a Looney Tunes guy, love the old Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck/Elmer Fudd stuff - primarily because it was so ingeniously written to include humor that adults could appreciate while still making kids (of all ages) giggle.

We saw a few Disney movies over the years, but it was certainly no overarching priority. The only real Disney stuff I had as a kid was Disney Pooh bear my mom made for me (back when mom's actually sewed), and I still have that bear to this day! VCR's didn't exist when I was a kid, so that was a non-factor.

We visited Disneyland in California a few times, but my folks never really considered a WDW visit seriously primarily because when I was growing up the routes there from here were more than my dad wanted to undertake driving (of course, that was 40 years ago). And when WDW opened with just Magic Kingdom originally, there was much less there compelling a visit.

We decided to take our kids the first time back in '01, and we had a marvelous time. We were fractionally more "Disneyfied" than I was growing up, but largely the same general influence it had when I was growing up. But spending a week there allowed me pretty quickly to "get" what it was go to WDW. Standing there at the entrance to MK just in front of the ol Mickey/Walt statue, and I felt like I was about eight again, thinking "good grief, I did this?? COOL!"

For reasons I can't fathom, we waited seven years to go back. This time, we took my mom, and even though she broke her foot about two weeks before we left, she still got hooked on WDW. She loved Epcot. MK. Soarin'. Napoleons at the French Patisserie. All. Of. It. She surely wasn't Disney immersed growing up, but she was practically in tears with excitement when we told her we had decided to chalk up the expense one more time for a Disney trip before our oldest was out of high school. So even my mom, 77 years strong, is like the OP.

I think its just the notion of taking a few days from your day-to-day life and allowing yourself to just be catered to with the flight of whimsy that very much is Disney in general and WDW in particular. WDW still tries very hard to reach that "catering" goal, to make each day fun, special, memorable, enjoyable, and sometimes even spectacular. Not every day is perfect, of course, there are bumps and hiccups, but what human experience doesn't. And, yeah, it comes with an expense, but hey, all vacations do

 

[ReluctantDisaholic]

That's us, too. While we like Disney in general, we LOVE Disneyworld (we probably need an intervention, it's that bad). Most of the stuff I buy there is stuff that has the parks on it more than characters, or stuff with Mickey heads. A day doesn't go by in this house where we don't talk about our past trips or upcoming trip plans.

 

[cemeb4dk]

We are the same way, usually go to WDW or even last year we added Disneyland to the mix. While we love going to Disney, there is nothing in our house or our lives that scream Disney. People say to us your Disney freaks, and we reply no our house isn't decorated like Disney and honestly I don't even own a Disney t shirt. We just love going there on vacation and creating memories with our daughter, plus we are not laying on the beach type of vacationers.

 

[ScrampShopper]

I love going to WDW (4 trips out of my current AP). I'm a theme park person, and WDW is the ultimate theme park. I only own a few Disney movies (Finding Nemo, Toy Story1 and 3). I got TS videos because my DD at 26 months was afraid of Buzz at the M&G. She ran up to him a few months later! I also haven't seen most of the movies out in the past ten years. We do the M&G's because I'm an obsessive scrapbooker and want my scrapbooks to be "complete", plus DD likes to meet the characters even when she doesn't know who they are! She didn't even know Mickey and Minnie until she met them at WDW a year ago and started asking to watch the Disney Junior shows at home after that. That is also when I started getting her some Disney toys.

My fave souvenirs are pressed pennies, pins that have a significance to that trip (DD was finally tall enough to ride Barnstormer so I got the pin for that trip), and bracelet charms and earring for DD. I will eventually get around to displaying the pins and pennies in DD's room, and most people will still not have any idea that I'm WDW crazy!

 

[olecow]

I can absolutely identify with this sentiment.

Growing up, my family was decidedly not a big "Disney" house. It wasn't that we disliked it, or anything, it just wasn't that big a deal for us. Heck, I was (and still am) a Looney Tunes guy, love the old Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck/Elmer Fudd stuff - primarily because it was so ingeniously written to include humor that adults could appreciate while still making kids (of all ages) giggle.

I completely aggree with this. I didn't really watch Wide World of Disney growing up, but Looney Toones were required viewing on Saturday morning with my dad. Now we own the DVD's and my kids think they're great (which they are).

 

[tyzzle]

I used to be that way, but with two little girls at home we are now a Disney household...our bluray collection is ever growing. I have truly created Disney monsters. My 2 y.o. loves princesses so much and I never really liked them...I was an Alice kinda girl

 

[Cee]

Yep.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

We are pretty much the same way. Yes, we have Disney movies. And yes, we have the occasional Disney stuffed animal. We all have some Disney clothing. BUT we LOOOOVE DisneyWorld!!!! We get very excited about trips, and talking about memories from past trips. We enjoy looking at pics and scrapbooks from past trips.

 

[RedfromNL]

yep!

I like many of the movies (though the pixar ones I feel are better).
I love the whole atmosphere at WDW.

But I don't have a house full of Disney-stuff, have a few t-shirts of Disney but not that many.

And I'm really happy to be going back in a few weeks

 

[Keurigirl]

The only real Disney stuff I had as a kid was Disney Pooh bear my mom made for me (back when mom's actually sewed)

I sew, I sew!! I sew most of my kids' Disney outfits, actually! I get fired up about sewing for Disney

 

[Keurigirl]

We love the movies and love the parks. My kids, of course, have the requisite few Disney toys. But aside from photos of our Disney trip in our home, we don't have Disney Decor, etc . We only wear Disney clothing in the parks.

 

[OklahomaTourist]

I sew, I sew!! I sew most of my kids' Disney outfits, actually! I get fired up about sewing for Disney

You and mom would be instant friends . She made pooh bears from that same pattern for every baby in our family (nieces, nephews, etc) growing up.

...but Looney Toones were required viewing on Saturday morning with my dad. Now we own the DVD's and my kids think they're great (which they are).

LOL Absolutely. Our family is so twisted that if anyone in my crew starts off with "Hey, doc, would you like to shoot me now or wait til ya get home?" the rest of us will finish the exchange almost in unison, right down to "Let's try that again...." and "Pronoun trouble..."

Classic. Absolutely classic.

 

[Jadeey]

Yeah this is us too. I enjoy the movies but I'm not obsessed with them the way I am with WDW. (And that's funny since I've only been to WDW once!)

 

[Lizziejane]

I feel exactly the same way. LOVE WDW and the feeling it gives me! I love the classic movies - Cinderella, 101 Dalmations, Snow White, etc. - but hate the newer movies. The only Disney "stuff" I've purchased on our trips were a set of Mickey Mouse ears on the very first day we set foot in MK. Since then, not a single $ spent on keepsakes. Seriously, they're just dust-collectors! My husband did buy an overly-priced jacket on the last trip.

Having said that, DGD is an avid Mickey Mouse fan - Mickeys all over the house; a minnie-mouse chair that she almost lives in; etc. DH has already warned me that he plans on buying a LOT of "disney cr*p" when we take her for her first visit next January. Actually, DH plans on buying as many princess dresses as her little heart desires...

 

[Sparkly]

My Mum doesn't like watching the movies so much (she basically said she buys them for my benefit) but she loves WDW. I'm like the only one who loves watching the movies over and over again.

 

[goodfood4ursoul]

Yep
Love to visit WDW...
I think the last Disney movie I watched was the Fox and the Hound...
Have seen:
Cinderella
Snow White
Bambi
Many years ago... < 10 years old

Does Pirates of the Caribbean count?

The only line I have ever stood in to see a character was the dinner line for Akershus

We used to go there for the Norwegian food until it went so down hill.

The princesses are somewhere between a nice fringe benefit
and an irritating distraction now that they are leading long winding lines of beautiful and over stimulated children, parade-style, between the tightly packed tables during dinner.

I love kids but sometimes you just want to have a less hectic meal
(I think a room in back for those who want a quiet meal could be a good thing- that way the princess party can continue to rock on )

...and you'd like the buffet to have something on it when you arrive instead of being a picked over mess


That was just my last experience at that restaurant and made me not want to return to eat there because it has changed so much.

I am just one less person to fight you for an ADR at Akershus...
more for you~

But I seriously DO love WDW. I'm just not that into Disney stuff...
Everything seems more magical there...

 

[DisneyFive]

It's pretty hard to compare the two really. I mean, the movies and TV shows are just events where you sit in front of a screen and watch. We love Disney movies, but they still don't compare the experience we get in the parks.

WDW is a totally immersive experience with rides, a resort stay, live shows, meals, etc...

Dan