Wow, you sure do love amusement parks!
If you don't mind my asking, do you have kids? If so, what parks do they prefer from that list?
Is it our nostalgia that brings us back to Disney?
- Thread starter JakeAZ
- Start date
If you don't mind my asking, do you have kids? If so, what parks do they prefer from that list?
That was me till I turned 47 and starting then lots of the spinning and coasters weren't as fun anymore (equilibrium changed and rides with twists and turns instead of being fun gave me a headache), and it went downhill from there. My kids and the rest of my extended family always loved both Disney and Cedar Point. Actually for me that's the age (47) I really started liking Disney (a place with tamer stuff I could still enjoy with my family). Now I'm in my 60s and (sad) the only thrill rides there I still enjoy at Cedar Point are the Power Tower, Top Thrill Dragster (love that ride, so smooth and fast), and the good ole blue streak (if it's still there - first rode it when I was six). If you can do most coasters though and really enjoy them, Cedar Point really can't be beat. I went there annually from age 6 to age 47. Grandparents, favorite aunts, uncles and cousins and my family would gather there every year and then spend a week after that at Camp Dearborn (This is the park that has the most nostalgia for me big time). I was the arranger and continued the tradition as an adult. I miss the old fun house with the fire escape slide and jungle Larry's -- did camping there onsite in earlier years and in later years for convenience would stay at the Breakers - when my old back wanted a cushy bed after doing so many coasters. The yummy corn dogs and fries with vinegar, people watching, the beach right there all for sure added to the experience too and being with family and having fun with them was number one more than anything.
For me, even at a young age, I didn’t fall in love with Disney because of any characters, movies, tv shows, etc…. I don’t really feel like I had any attachment to them. I did watch some of the movies, but I probably watch them more now than I ever did as a kid. 
The characters/movies probably aren’t (or ever were) even in the top 10 reasons I think of as to why I love Disney World. It’s just the whole experience of being immersed into the environment/atmosphere, the theming, the attention to detail, the fact that the entire family can enjoy most everything together. I love thrill rides, but Disney gives me a different kind of thrill. To me, it’s not about repeating attractions over and over again, which would be hard at any theme park without express pass (which normally comes with a bigger price tag). It’s the whole atmosphere.
I will say, yes, nostalgia does play a factor, but it’s not from me going as a young kid. The trips in middle and high school perhaps, but I’ve probably enjoyed it even moreso as an adult. I appreciate what Disney is, including all
the history, moreso as an adult. My husband was never a Disney person, and he fell in love with it on our first trip. We have also taken other people since then, who have also loved it enough to want to go back. So I don’t think it’s always about the nostalgic feelings you had as a kid.
I do have to say that I agree with the poster that said it’s not surprising that the fireworks weren’t a highlight for your kids. I’m definitely not saying you did anything wrong, nobody needs to do everything. And I understand not wanting to deal with the crowds (I would argue, though, that you don’t have to reserve your spot hours in advance, unless there’s a very specific spot that you want). I just wouldn’t expect watching fireworks from a hotel would be the highlight of any kids’ vacation. There is also a big reliance on projections in the night time shows. The projections on the castle, and what they can do with it these days, actually impress me way more than the fireworks, and that’s what has impressed others who we have gone with as well (like the scene that was in Happily Ever After that made it look like one of the castle towers was actually moving and taking off).
With all the talk I did about appreciating it more as an adult, I will say we just got back from a vacation with 2 kids, both boys, ages 8 and 13, and they loved every minute of it. So it just depends on the kids. I don’t expect every kid to have the same interests, just like every adult doesn’t.
….. A side note about Genie+/Lightning Lane. It definitely isn’t perfect, and it’s 100% more confusing than it should be, but I feel like the same express pass system Universal has wouldn’t work at Disney. More people are willing to open their pocketbooks for Disney. Also, they have way more hotels, so giving it free to hotel guests (like universal does) would make it almost worthless. So I feel that if Disney had that system they would have to either limit the amount they sell (making it hard to get) or price it so high that it would be out of reach for the vast majority of guests. So Genie+ is their way of doing something different, but I agree, it can’t be the best alternative to express pass that they can come up with.
The characters/movies probably aren’t (or ever were) even in the top 10 reasons I think of as to why I love Disney World. It’s just the whole experience of being immersed into the environment/atmosphere, the theming, the attention to detail, the fact that the entire family can enjoy most everything together. I love thrill rides, but Disney gives me a different kind of thrill. To me, it’s not about repeating attractions over and over again, which would be hard at any theme park without express pass (which normally comes with a bigger price tag). It’s the whole atmosphere. I will say, yes, nostalgia does play a factor, but it’s not from me going as a young kid. The trips in middle and high school perhaps, but I’ve probably enjoyed it even moreso as an adult. I appreciate what Disney is, including all
the history, moreso as an adult. My husband was never a Disney person, and he fell in love with it on our first trip. We have also taken other people since then, who have also loved it enough to want to go back. So I don’t think it’s always about the nostalgic feelings you had as a kid.
I do have to say that I agree with the poster that said it’s not surprising that the fireworks weren’t a highlight for your kids. I’m definitely not saying you did anything wrong, nobody needs to do everything. And I understand not wanting to deal with the crowds (I would argue, though, that you don’t have to reserve your spot hours in advance, unless there’s a very specific spot that you want). I just wouldn’t expect watching fireworks from a hotel would be the highlight of any kids’ vacation. There is also a big reliance on projections in the night time shows. The projections on the castle, and what they can do with it these days, actually impress me way more than the fireworks, and that’s what has impressed others who we have gone with as well (like the scene that was in Happily Ever After that made it look like one of the castle towers was actually moving and taking off).
With all the talk I did about appreciating it more as an adult, I will say we just got back from a vacation with 2 kids, both boys, ages 8 and 13, and they loved every minute of it. So it just depends on the kids. I don’t expect every kid to have the same interests, just like every adult doesn’t.
….. A side note about Genie+/Lightning Lane. It definitely isn’t perfect, and it’s 100% more confusing than it should be, but I feel like the same express pass system Universal has wouldn’t work at Disney. More people are willing to open their pocketbooks for Disney. Also, they have way more hotels, so giving it free to hotel guests (like universal does) would make it almost worthless. So I feel that if Disney had that system they would have to either limit the amount they sell (making it hard to get) or price it so high that it would be out of reach for the vast majority of guests. So Genie+ is their way of doing something different, but I agree, it can’t be the best alternative to express pass that they can come up with.
luv2cheer92
DIS Veteran
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- Jul 13, 2012
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No kids, but yes I do love all parks!
cjlong88
DIS Veteran
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I didn’t visit WDW until I was 30, and I keep coming back again and again. So for me it isn’t nostalgia so much as it is the fact that we had an amazing vacation and I absolutely loved my experience there.
We are working our way through the world as we travel to different countries and experience different things. There are places we will visit again and places that were one and done for us. We love both international travel and trips to WDW. I would say what really brings us back is the fact that there are a zillion things to do, experience, eat, and see. We have barely scratched the surface of what can be done on property at WDW. That is what makes it such an appealing place to return to.
This weekend will be my 10th visit. We have had amazing meals and okay meals (and one not great one). We have been there on days with no crowds and days where MK was at capacity. We have been during a tropical storm and during weeks where it was sunny and 80 every single day.
And ya know what, in our 9 visits I’ve never had a bad Disney trip. Each one of them was unique and special. Even when things don’t go according to plan…we are at freaking Disney World! It’s a place where my husband and I can unplug and enjoy each other’s company in one of our favorite places in the world to visit.
What makes us come back is everything we have done, everything we haven’t done, and the memories we continue to make during each of our very different trips.
We are working our way through the world as we travel to different countries and experience different things. There are places we will visit again and places that were one and done for us. We love both international travel and trips to WDW. I would say what really brings us back is the fact that there are a zillion things to do, experience, eat, and see. We have barely scratched the surface of what can be done on property at WDW. That is what makes it such an appealing place to return to.
This weekend will be my 10th visit. We have had amazing meals and okay meals (and one not great one). We have been there on days with no crowds and days where MK was at capacity. We have been during a tropical storm and during weeks where it was sunny and 80 every single day.
And ya know what, in our 9 visits I’ve never had a bad Disney trip. Each one of them was unique and special. Even when things don’t go according to plan…we are at freaking Disney World! It’s a place where my husband and I can unplug and enjoy each other’s company in one of our favorite places in the world to visit.
What makes us come back is everything we have done, everything we haven’t done, and the memories we continue to make during each of our very different trips.
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hsmamato2
<font color=magenta>Tink in Training-Good Girl,Bad
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- 15,680
YES. This is so true. I think I tried to bring my kids bc I loved it all my life...they liked it all,but no huge attachment. It's all about the nostalgia,which is much much less than what it used to be for me.
Sydnerella
enough is as good as a feast
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edit
Sydnerella
enough is as good as a feast
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2008
- Messages
- 1,469
We also just returned from a 9 day trip with kids over the Thanksgiving holiday week. But older kids. So I think that is why our experience is different.
My kids are 17 and 15. So a slightly different era in this lightening fast changing culture of ours. Pre era of the iphone or ipad at age 2 for entertainment… They grew up on watching and playing with toys from Disney Junior, MM Clubhouse, Einsteins, Pooh, Tigger, Darby, Disney movie DVDs in the 4 hour car rides to the summer vacations or uncles up north. And both of them were each in WDW by 20 months. With trips approximately every other year while young - we hit that 3 year old time in particular when it was all very real and very magical to them. They were hugging a giant Mickey Mouse and Pooh or Cinderella. They were all alive and so amazingly real to my kids. As many DIS folks have heard, we too got that question about why we brought them when they were too young to remember.
Those early years were memorable for us and their grandparents and even the kids as our Photopass albums became bedtime story books and videos were watched for fun.
So I think that the reason they still love Disney - even the nostalgic rides like the Speedway to the bigger thrills like Flight of Passage and Expedition Everest - is because THEY have nostalgia for Disney through their own “media consumption” and trip experiences as younger kids.
They didnt get pumped about the MK dessert party I booked beforehand but love sitting on the hub grass and out of the crowds so I knew it would be a good option and it turned out to be a favorite experience - picnicking in the hub before the show with Caseys CD nuggets, and us parents relaxing while the two teens ran to ride SM via LL and coming back in time to watch with us out of the crowds. Then all 4 of us heading to Tomorrowland Terrace to sit down for some tasty desserts after before hitting the rides for our Extended Evening hours. It was a pretty perfect experience and good mixture of activities for everyones tastes.
All that said, Im sure they would love Universal as they adore Harry Potter and with our frustrations with Disney $$ grabs and Genie challenges I know we will prioritize some time for Universal when we bring the kids to Orlando next time. Or Hollywood. And who knows, they may like it better. But I suspect they will still have a love of Disney even if they enjoy the “new to them“ experiences at Universal more for a period.
goofyernmost
Aged to Perfection
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- 10,479
It's hard to keep this to just a few words, but I'll do my best. I grew up in upper NY State and spent my life from 15 to 63 in Vermont. Both beautiful areas but with little to no opportunity for a real comfortable lifestyle. It was always a struggle to provide enough income to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. I was relatively successful in what I did, but wages were just normally not high in the area, however, we didn't escape the ravages of inflation. Each year got harder. So much for the whiny history.
When my children reached the age of 6 and 8 they were making comments that stemmed from no exposure to much of anything other than trees. My wife and I decided that we needed to expose them to less rural and more of our immediate world. The involved numerous visits to Montreal, the only big city close to us, so they would know that skyscrapers are over 3 stories high. It also included the feeling that they should be exposed to other places and that a road trip to Florida (including a stop for a few days at WDW) was needed.
We saved and planned for months. At the time it wasn't any requirements for WDW it was no cell phones, ground line reservations to hotels and estimates on how many miles we could make a day and where affordable hotels were close to WDW where we would use as a base and explore other parts as well. The most important was financial. Like I said, it was always a struggle and finding the money to make the trip was not easy. We involved the kids in some of our discussions concerning finance as well as desired places to visit. The girls got allowances and we told them that they should save up like we were doing so they could use to buy things they might want because this was going to be a no frills adventure.
Most of our time was on the road. We didn't really know how long it would take so we over planned the time needed, but it was good because none of us were exhausted during the trip. The kids were on mid-winter break and I was in news paper publishing at the time. I had to work all day putting our paper to bed or at least making sure that all bases were covered before we left. I left early and got home and packed up and left around 4:30pm for Albany, NY. our first stop. I was tired and had a massive headache so by the time we got to Albany I was beat and kept thinking about the 1300 miles I still had left to get to Kissimmee. I laid in bed, hardly sleeping, dreading the next morning. Anyway we started out on a bright sunny, cold day pointed directly south. The further we went the better I felt and by the time we arrived in Richmond, VA I was almost giddy. I slept solidly that night. The next target was Richmond Hills, Georgia. Got there early enough to find a good restaurant where we got more than junk food. The next day was to Kissimmee with a side trip to Daytona Beach to drive on the beach and just enjoy the warm air. A few hours later we checked into an Econo-Lodge just 2 miles from the entrance to WDW.
In the course of our stay we visited a number of places but mostly just WDW. As we entered World Drive, I was enamored by the place immediately. The radio tune in giving directions, the colors, the landscaping, the organization and the warmth (it was close to -20 degrees F when we left home) even the parking lot organization blew my mind. I should say I was 35 at the time. I'll bet that I had more fun than my kids did. It was the best family event that we ever had at the time or even since that time. I remember practically every detail of it and I think we made the best of our time also seeing the Kennedy Space Center, Silver Springs and its famous glass bottom boats and a day or so later took a guided tour of Washington, DC before returning home.
That few days permanently cemented my favorite place to be and spend whatever money I could spare. After that time I made 46 trips to WDW, 1 trip to Disneyland and 1 to Disneyland Paris. Now sadly, Disney has priced me out again. At almost 74 years old I have to once again be concerned about having enough resources to last the rest of my life without having to eat out of a dumpster. Unless things change drastically my last visit was in Sept. 2019.
I'd also like to encourage people to see some of the other things in central Florida. Places like Universal, Sea World, Gatorland and just the general area that is impressive in that just 50 years ago it was mostly just swamp and farm land. The growth of that area from a farm community to a major metropolis because someone built a theme park there is just hard to wrap ones head around.
When my children reached the age of 6 and 8 they were making comments that stemmed from no exposure to much of anything other than trees. My wife and I decided that we needed to expose them to less rural and more of our immediate world. The involved numerous visits to Montreal, the only big city close to us, so they would know that skyscrapers are over 3 stories high. It also included the feeling that they should be exposed to other places and that a road trip to Florida (including a stop for a few days at WDW) was needed.
We saved and planned for months. At the time it wasn't any requirements for WDW it was no cell phones, ground line reservations to hotels and estimates on how many miles we could make a day and where affordable hotels were close to WDW where we would use as a base and explore other parts as well. The most important was financial. Like I said, it was always a struggle and finding the money to make the trip was not easy. We involved the kids in some of our discussions concerning finance as well as desired places to visit. The girls got allowances and we told them that they should save up like we were doing so they could use to buy things they might want because this was going to be a no frills adventure.
Most of our time was on the road. We didn't really know how long it would take so we over planned the time needed, but it was good because none of us were exhausted during the trip. The kids were on mid-winter break and I was in news paper publishing at the time. I had to work all day putting our paper to bed or at least making sure that all bases were covered before we left. I left early and got home and packed up and left around 4:30pm for Albany, NY. our first stop. I was tired and had a massive headache so by the time we got to Albany I was beat and kept thinking about the 1300 miles I still had left to get to Kissimmee. I laid in bed, hardly sleeping, dreading the next morning. Anyway we started out on a bright sunny, cold day pointed directly south. The further we went the better I felt and by the time we arrived in Richmond, VA I was almost giddy. I slept solidly that night. The next target was Richmond Hills, Georgia. Got there early enough to find a good restaurant where we got more than junk food. The next day was to Kissimmee with a side trip to Daytona Beach to drive on the beach and just enjoy the warm air. A few hours later we checked into an Econo-Lodge just 2 miles from the entrance to WDW.
In the course of our stay we visited a number of places but mostly just WDW. As we entered World Drive, I was enamored by the place immediately. The radio tune in giving directions, the colors, the landscaping, the organization and the warmth (it was close to -20 degrees F when we left home) even the parking lot organization blew my mind. I should say I was 35 at the time. I'll bet that I had more fun than my kids did. It was the best family event that we ever had at the time or even since that time. I remember practically every detail of it and I think we made the best of our time also seeing the Kennedy Space Center, Silver Springs and its famous glass bottom boats and a day or so later took a guided tour of Washington, DC before returning home.
That few days permanently cemented my favorite place to be and spend whatever money I could spare. After that time I made 46 trips to WDW, 1 trip to Disneyland and 1 to Disneyland Paris. Now sadly, Disney has priced me out again. At almost 74 years old I have to once again be concerned about having enough resources to last the rest of my life without having to eat out of a dumpster. Unless things change drastically my last visit was in Sept. 2019.
I'd also like to encourage people to see some of the other things in central Florida. Places like Universal, Sea World, Gatorland and just the general area that is impressive in that just 50 years ago it was mostly just swamp and farm land. The growth of that area from a farm community to a major metropolis because someone built a theme park there is just hard to wrap ones head around.
Last edited:
bakerworld
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 24, 2010
- Messages
- 2,907
We go to WDW for me. I enjoy the décor of WDW, how it feels like you're transported to the Islands when at the Polynesian or Caribbean Beach, you're out west at Wilderness Lodge, or South Africa at Animal Kingdom Lodge without the long plane ride. I enjoy the general cleanliness and landscaping of the walkways around the resorts and between the parks. I appreciate the Old Hollywood feel of the main street of the Studios, feeling like I'm visiting different worlds around the Showcase of Epcot, walking across my favorite bridge into Adventure land at Magic Kingdom.
Yes, we've been going to Florida since 1977 and the magic I feel hasn't diminished because for me WDW wasn't about shows and rides. The magic of WDW is the detailed creation that transports you from one part of the US to another and/or one part of the world to another. My husband gets it, our eldest gets it, and our younger two aren't that impressed. I'm always amazed that people only associate Disney with the parks and did all the scrambling around for the old paper FP's and now Genie. You can get on an amusement ride anywhere but where else can you visit Old Hollywood, walk the Boardwalk and enter Europe without ever riding a bus, fighting traffic and parking or climbing aboard a plane?
Yes, we've been going to Florida since 1977 and the magic I feel hasn't diminished because for me WDW wasn't about shows and rides. The magic of WDW is the detailed creation that transports you from one part of the US to another and/or one part of the world to another. My husband gets it, our eldest gets it, and our younger two aren't that impressed. I'm always amazed that people only associate Disney with the parks and did all the scrambling around for the old paper FP's and now Genie. You can get on an amusement ride anywhere but where else can you visit Old Hollywood, walk the Boardwalk and enter Europe without ever riding a bus, fighting traffic and parking or climbing aboard a plane?
ML_LovesDisney
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2010
- Messages
- 1,908
It's less about the nostalgia for me and more about really feeling like I'm in another world. I don't think anyone in my family is truly attached to "Disney" or their movies or shows, more that we love the resort experience and the immersion of the parks where there is something for everyone. I have yet to find a trip to replace that. If I do, I would definitely switch over, but have not yet!
I kinda believe you. When I was a child, we went to our grandparents' house MANY Sundays, and our evening always ended the same way: all the kids'd lie on the floor in the living room, where we'd watch Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, then the Wonderful World of Disney. When it was over, we had to say goodbye to our cousins and go home. That's a very big memory from my childhood.
All of us grew up with one 13" B&W TV, and seeing something like A Charlie Brown Christmas or The Grinch Who Stole Christmas was an EVENT for us. We'd look forward to it, we'd make sure our homework was done well ahead of time, and Mom'd make us Jiffy Pop popcorn while we watched. My own kids -- who were able to watch these shows over and over /any time they pleased -- didn't look forward to them with the same anticipation.
Is nostalgia the ONLY REASON I enjoy Disney? No, but it is a part -- a part that my kids don't really share. At least not in the same way.
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