How do you describe Disney World to some who's never been there?

[buffettgirl]

first, I never try to compare it to the local amusement park with the triple loop backwards coasters. I tell them if that's what they want then Disney will disappoint them. But I tell them that when you're at your local amusement park, you walk from ride to ride with nothing much else going on. The rides are the attraction. At Disney though, the rides are secondary to the attraction. The attraction is the park, the sights, the sounds - everything is themed so that you can believe that you are somewhere else, somewhere that isnt' your real life. The rides just happen to be there to enhance all that.

Then when you factor in all the other stuff there is to do in the world - that just is beyond explanation.

 

[tkitty]

Tell them it is about magic and wonder. It is about being 45 years old but feeling like you are 10 again. It is about watching you children become wide eyed and giggly at meeting Mickey Mouse for the first time, or 10th time. It is about spending time together with loved ones at the most magical place on earth. It is about staying at a wonderfully themed hotel and experiencing the magic 24 hours a day. It is about experiencing many different dining options.
It is about the stepping on to Main St USA and crying becasue you are so happy to be there. It is about gazing upon Cinderella Castle with marvel about how beautiful it is sitting at the end of main St. It is experiencing the emotionally chargedmagic of Wishes at the end of the day, watching the fireworks explode in the sky above Cinderella castle , and although every body is tired from a long day, you cannot wait until tommorw to do it all again.

....so well put!

 

[cowboymickey06]

Before my first trip, my DGF tried her best to explain the wonder of WDW. She showed me park maps, videos, and anything else Disney she could find. None of it helped. I had it in my mind it was just another amusement park. I thought you could walk from one park to the other. Until you've experienced it for yourself, I don't think there are words to fully make someone understand what it's all about. I guess the best way to describe WDW to anyone is "you have to see it to believe it".

 

[mooneyda]

Tell them it is about magic and wonder. It is about being 45 years old but feeling like you are 10 again. It is about watching you children become wide eyed and giggly at meeting Mickey Mouse for the first time, or 10th time. It is about spending time together with loved ones at the most magical place on earth. It is about staying at a wonderfully themed hotel and experiencing the magic 24 hours a day. It is about experiencing many different dining options.
It is about the stepping on to Main St USA and crying becasue you are so happy to be there. It is about gazing upon Cinderella Castle with marvel about how beautiful it is sitting at the end of main St. It is experiencing the emotionally chargedmagic of Wishes at the end of the day, watching the fireworks explode in the sky above Cinderella castle , and although every body is tired from a long day, you cannot wait until tommorw to do it all again.

this is said perfectly

 

[twokids0204]

I also don't like to think of any of the so-called rides as rides. They are all "themed attractions". Even if the attraction has a roller coaster type feel (i.e. Space Mountian or EE), they are so much more. The "ride" is just part of the experience of the attraction.

And I think this is proven through the details as mentioned before. The whole concept of the attraction starts as soon as you take your first step in the line. With music to acompany the experience, and features that take you into the magical make beleive world. i.e. Tower of Terror guides you through the Hotel lobby... Haunted Mansion - 'nuff said!!

 

[verlee]

It is hard to talk about Disney to people who have never been there. To me, WDW is about making dreams reality. Not roller coasters. Where else can you be in the middle of a pirate battle, be attacked by a yeti while climbing a mountain, be spit on by a camel while riding a magic carpet, talk to a garbage can, fly, battle Darth Vader, go to space, try all the cokes in the world.....I could go on and on. It is all about experiences, not rides.

We had to leave WDW for a few hours because of a trip to the walk in clinic. I tell you when we left the "World" and entered the real world, I had a physical reaction. It was jarring. I did not expect that. Disney is so good with not only the big themes but all the little details. And that makes all the difference. You are totally immersed, with all your senses, in that world. I will never again go to WDW and not stay on site. I like the magic!

But trying to explain to family and friends and they look at me like I am crazy. Magic???? How do you explain magic?

Now, the only question is how and when can I get back there??

 

[neonurse]

Magical...I love feeling like a kid again!!!

 

[JLTraveling]

My ex-bf happens to be from the Czech Republic. He wasn't raised on Disney movies or fantasy of any sort. He was 11 during the Velvet Revolution, when the Communist government was overthrown. His parents were staunch realists who believed that the only way to get ahead was to keep your head down, your nose clean and work extremely hard.

I talked him into going to WDW with me for five days. He agreed to make me happy, but kept asking what he was possibly going to do at an amusement park for five days. I took him to the website, showed him old pictures, even described my old jobs (I was a CM for several years). My bf just could not wrap his brain around what I was describing.

We flew in late at night and took the back way to my Dad's house...which happens to involve driving through Disney property. We pointed out the signs when we arrived on property, and again when we finally left property...as an architect, the bf was extremely aware of space and distance -- that's when it started to sink in.

The five day trip got extended to nine days. Let's just say I made him a believer

Now Dad and I are bringing my cousin and her husband down for a week. She's a Disney fanatic, while he's never even left Tennessee...his initial reaction? What will I do in an amusement park for a week? You just can't describe it to someone with no frame of reference

 

[DisMN]

It's not just you. I honestly don't think it is possible to adequately explain it, even to those receptive to the explanation. My DH and DDs watched every planning DVD, YouTube vids of the rides, read all my literature, showed them the map, compared the size of the property to a local town... Well, you get it, everything possible. My biggest explanation is the complete immersion in all things Disney. Yet their jaws dropped when we neared the property and all the Highway signs began to show park and resort names. When the hit the gates the simply stopped talking. After 10 days there, my DD 14 still says there is no way they could have been prepared. She will tell me she never really understood how massive and all "Disney" it was. DH agrees wholeheartedly and says the guys at work "don't get it". I am so happy he does and so moved our trip from 2010 to 2009!!


And there you have it, the perfect explanation.

Yep, we just got back from a trip with a young man who kept telling me that there was NOTHING I could tell him about Disneyworld that would or could impress him. He was absolutely positive that he'd already seen it all....after all he's been to many theme parks throughout the U.S. and after all, he's not INTO Disney.

LOL 1/2 day into our trip he started to say "Wow!" and "I had NO IDEA....and no, you could NOT have adequately prepared me no matter what you told me about this place!"

Looks like we have yet another convert in the family.

 

[I'mwithGrumpy]

We are all of one mind A co-worker of mine approached me a few weeks ago. Her husband was trying to convince her to take time off from work for a family vacation. He suggested maybe WDW. She approached me because she knows I'm a Disney nut. She asked if I thought her family would enjoy WDW. I attempted to lamely explain why it would be the most wonderful vacation her family ever took. She told me her DD loves the princesses. Her kids are 10 and 12. I did my best to explain, but there is no adequate way to explain the magic of being at WDW. So after several e-mails and encouraging, they have booked their first family vacation to WDW. I cannot wait to hear how they're trip went. I've offered my best pointers and gave her the link to Disboards. I told her it would help her more than she could imagine

 

[BrerRabbit_fan]

In a word- magical.

 

[Suellen]

Bottom Line? You don't. They will never, never, never get it until they get it. KWIM?

 

[8lovesmickey]

I think it's all about the details. It's a new world on a giant scale, and it's an escape. It's hopeful, optimistic, and beautiful. It's definitely chaotic, but there are plenty of places to escape if needed. Nothing is overlooked, from background music to what's under your feet. Adults and kids can have tons of fun together or separately. There's learning, laughing, and a true appreciation that everyone can get along if we try.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Because this thread is 9 years old, closing.