Understanding the Disney passion!

[courtneybeth]

This thread is great because we experience something similar -- we live 1 mile from Disneyland and all of my family and coworkers get confused when we mention that we are taking our yearly or twice-yearly trips to Disney World.

"But Courtney_Beth... You have Disneyland in your backyard. Why do you want to go to Florida?!" they ask me all the time. And what they don't understand is that Disney World is an entirely different experience from Disneyland and we love going back to EPCOT. We may not always stay on property but we can exchange our timeshare for a nice 2 bedroom unit at the Marriott World Center and have a great vacation that doesn't break the bank! My husband and I buy our Premier Annual Passes for each other on our anniversary because we love it so much!

I'm criticized that I will 'never grow up' because i love all things Disney... but I realize that they all have bitter old hearts and I enjoy what I love.

 

[jennimed89]

"But Courtney_Beth... You have Disneyland in your backyard. Why do you want to go to Florida?!" they ask me all the time. And what they don't understand is that Disney World is an entirely different experience from Disneyland

Eurgh!

 

[jennimed89]

This thread is great because we experience something similar -- we live 1 mile from Disneyland and all of my family and coworkers get confused when we mention that we are taking our yearly or twice-yearly trips to Disney World.

"But Courtney_Beth... You have Disneyland in your backyard. Why do you want to go to Florida?!" they ask me all the time. And what they don't understand is that Disney World is an entirely different experience from Disneyland .

haha didnt mean to "eurgh" at your quote! slipped on the keyboard...whoops!

anyways i was going to say...............

Eurgh! i get this all the time, being in the UK i dont have Disney at my doorstep but i get. the old "why dont you just go to Disneyland Paris, its closer and cheaper". Its just not even in the same ball park. Silly people

 

[ErinCat]

I tend to get more prim disapproval about supporting the "Disney Industrial Complex". Princesses! Consumerism! Downtrodden Cast Members!

 

[Lisann]

I tend to get more prim disapproval about supporting the "Disney Industrial Complex". Princesses! Consumerism! Downtrodden Cast Members!

Oh, yeah...that, too.

 

[Micca]

Why don't I go somewhere else? No pirates, no castle, no ghosts, and most of all no ????? I'm out.

 

[Jennasis]

The people I have surrounded myself with in life KNOW why i go and know better than to question it. The questions i tend to get now are "when's the next trip?" Or "can you help me plan our trip?"

 

[mdsouth]

If they don't get it, they won't get it unless something changes.
I just shrug and tell people that Disney is an easy vacation for us, and it's somewhere we can take the kids where we can actually enjoy almost everything with the kids.
The beach doesn't work, because when I go to the beach I want to relax.
Cities don't work, because then we either have to drive in an unfamiliar city, or learn an entirely new mass transit system.
Not all the kids would be able to ski.

Ultimately, everyone has their thing. Some people just don't understand vacationing at all, and other people love their specific choice.

This is one of the reasons why I enjoy going.

I have two places that we visit that I'm very passionate about so central Florida isn't the only one. But I get the questions too. I think for me a lot of it is familiarity and nostalgia. I don't just visit Disney parks though, I love a lot about the whole area.

I could never limit myself so much when it comes to travel though. I still have that desire to wander and see new things and we've done that all of DS' life.

True, I do like to see new places but even when I am planning trips elsewhere, I often wish to myself that it was a trip to WDW. I just get so excited to be going. It is certainly nostalgia for me and just being able to relax a bit as I plan because I know that Disney upholds certain standards and if something isn't right, they will help me with the issue. I hate not knowing what kind of place I am going to end up in based on just something I see on the internet. A beautiful hotel room might just be located in a unsafe, scary neighborhood or other issues.

I TOTALLY understand this. I am so so alone in my weird Disney love affair.

live in the UK and most family and friends have never really been. I get married in 17 days and my future DH was dead against the idea of going. He's such a sceptic about it all & has never even been to the States! He seems to think it will be like a little theme park you can visit on a quiet day off work.

Luckily DH is amazing and booked us up a 2 week trip....as a surprise!!!!! (queue tears of joy)

When we tell people we are honeymooning there we get such looks and all the usual questions (which encourages DH scepticism even further). Trying to explain it all is becoming so tedious...the best way i can put it is "its just a feeling you cant explain". I cant wait to go and see if he feels the same once he has been....at least then i will finally have some back up. Im not getting my hopes up but i cant see how he can NOT enjoy it

Enjoy your honeymoon! Remember to take it slow the first couple of days you are there, so that your new hubby has time to relax and soak in the atmosphere. When I took my DH for his very first time, I messed up by dragging him through the parks at a breakneck speed, and didn't let him pause and relax to see it as it really is. So, he is still very reluctant to go to WDW and just doesn't get it like I do.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and good luck on your trip! I hope your DH loves it!! My DH has never converted to the level of Disney freak that I am, and he thinks it is ridiculously expensive, but he does have a great time. He knows how happy the trips make me, so I can usually get him on board for one every two years.

This is life with my DH too. He doesn't get my passion for it but he will go with me every 2 to 4 years to make me happy.

The question "you're going again"? tends to infuriate me. I don't EVER ask anyone "you are going to the beach AGAIN? to the lake AGAIN? to the fill-in-the-blank" again?"

Yes, I get it. I'm in France in EPCOT, not in the real France. I'm in Italy in EPCOT, not in the real Italy. Yes, I know the difference (for some reason others tend to think that we don't know the difference between make-believe at WDW and the real deal over in Europe). I also want to visit Europe one day, and I will at some point.

People in my neck of the woods tend to ONLY spend their time at the river or the beach, and that's fine, it's a lot of fun. But so what? I don't care that they go every. single. weekend. Why do they feel the need to make fun of my love of WDW? I don't make fun of their vacation choices (or lack thereof) so I don't understand why they have to roll their eyes at mine.

This is what I don't like either. So, you don't approve, so what, you don't have to snarly.

DH and I have heard the questions for years now - don't care! I figure if they are asking then they just don't get it and never will and that's ok. DH and I love WDW and Florida so much we are heading down permanently in 2016. OP - DISers make life so much easier - I'll never forget the day I found the DIS - it was bliss! I thought "omg - I have found my fellow Disney freaks!" It's wonderful. We will be heading back to the World in Oct for our annual trip - I've already started listening to all of my park music. It keeps me sane until the trip arrives.

YES! DIS Rocks!

 

[Lebestiole]

Disney is a feeling. When you're there, you're treated like royalty and every little detail is designed to make you feel joy. Every sight and smell and sound is intricately planned to make you feel nostalgia, happiness, comfort. There's nothing else like it. We can't afford to take multi-annual trips, but if I could, I would. You have favorite restaurants you go to because you love the food, the atmosphere. They're not the only places you'll ever go, but they're your favorites and you'll keep going back.

THIS!!!!

God has blessed me with an amazing family, so we go every year, and the 1st time I went to Disneyland was also my very first time visting the States (I'm from Mexico!) I was around 7 years old and I was blown away by american culture, so different than mine, and then when I finally saw the castle at the end of Main Street... It felt like I was in another world, you know? Several years later, when I was 15 I was being bullied by my classmates and I was considering suicide. Instead of the famous quinceañera party, I wanted a trip to Disney World. And I swear, the place saved my life. I didn't want to kill myself after the trip. I felt so refreshed and loved. Disney is my special place.

Now that I'm 20 I'm finally paying my part when mom and I go to Disney!

HOWEVER...! The world is huge and amazing, and my family loves to travel around the world, so thanks to God's blessings we've been able to experience many other cultures. It's not as expensive as people think it is.

In the end tho, we always come back to Disney!