What (if anything) do we have in Common?

[lbklyn]

After reading the thread about the poster who's coworker said she was crazy and weird for liking and going to WDW so much, I was wondering if there are certain common things about those who Love WDW. Before I start I will say I am 49 yrs. old and by NO means live in a fantasy world. My life has been filled with many (good and not so good) experiences, have held down a full time job since I was 19, have raised a wonderful son pretty much on my own, have taken care of my Mom for years now and I KNOW the reality of life. BUT at the same time .......1. I have a very vivid imagination. 2. I love animation and animatronics. 3. Like a kid I want to "touch everything" in WDW (want to touch the piano and dishes in the party room at HM! ) 4. Given the chance I could stare at the detail of the castle and rides and EVERYTHING at WDW for hours! 5. I am very nostalgic and when I come back a flood of beautiful memories come at me! 6. I can be and seem like a serious person at times but truth is I tend to feel like a kid most of the time and innocent things (like WDW) draw me in more than anything else. 7. I can sit and enjoy an animated movie (toystory, Monsters Inc., Ice Age, Nightmare before Christmas) as much (or more) than a non animated movie. 8.Humor is EXTREMELY VITAL to me! 9. I LOVE to Plan things WAY ahead. 10. The WHOLE process of going to the world THRILLS me (planning, packing, the plane, the hotel, the EATTING, the PARKS!) 10. The pure joy of not having to be a "grown-up" and being able to totally be myself (like it or not!). 11. I am weird and crazy.
If you can, share some of the things you think makes YOU love WDW. Just curious what people who love the parks may have in common!

 

[fireman1]

1. Yes
2. yes
3. yes
4. yes
5. yes
6. yes
7. yes
8. yes
9. yes
10. yes
11. yes

 

[saraheeyore]

the thing we all have in common is that we've been to disney. Most people that don't get why we go so much have never been so they have never stood in front of the castle on their last day of their holiday thinking I have to come back here. People who have never been to disney can never understand what it feels like to be there and we cannot really explain it however hard we try. I went last November and as i live in the uk its harder to go to often. Got nothing planned as yet as I have a 4 month old baby but i will go back even if it takes a few years to save up and people don't get why i keep wanting to go either.

 

[dopeynme]

Sarah, I agree. Many many of the people who don't get it have never even been to WDW. They picture Six Flags with Mickey Mouse. They cannot even imagine the attention to detail, the magic, the customer service that we prize so highly. They also usually overestimate the cost.

As someone mentioned in another thread, I don't get why some people go to the same beach every year. There is nowhere near as much to do, nowhere near as many good restaurants, nowhere near the customer service, no magic at all......Yet no one questions these people! I like to call them "non-believers"! I figure we should feel sorry for them because they have no idea what magic they are missing! Lower crowds for us!

 

[gr8leg8]

Took my mil to Disneyland in Jan 07
never ever ever again

She is a non disney person. It holds no appeal to her.

I am very lucky that her son/my husband enjoys our Disney time.

He is a vacation is about doing nothing type person.
I am the opposite - vacation is about adventure.
So I try to schedule sleep-in time, shorter park days, and lots of explore at our own pace time.

I think you touched on some important commonalities:
a willingness to be playful or silly
an appreciation for visual storytelling, music, cultures
an acceptance that simple pleasures can be the key to joy


a fellow disney nut

edit to add:
just reread your post's last line - what do I love about WDW
so much that we fly from CA when we can drive to Disneyland?
well...
that's a good question.
I love, love, love Epcot.
On our December visit we spent the last day doing Kim Possible Missions and Eating.
Doesn't get any better than that.

Because it's farther away we plan a longer visit
(instead of a weekender) and it feels more like a vacation.

Country Bear Jamboree
(go ahead laugh)
I have the picture pages vinyl from when I was a kid.
I miss the Holiday version.

How to say this? Overly polite / Cheery / Bouncy-ness of the Cast Members.
It seems to infect other guests.
not everyone, but enough for great people watching.

 

[geenerbell]

This is such a good question. I have always wondered what makes some people fall in love with the magic while others seem to miss it. There is something that ties us all together, but what. So hard to say, escape, wanting to see the world through the eyes of a child once more, so many possibilities.

 

[Explodo]

If anything...the root cause for all the comments in the other thread...IMO, seem to center around our love of detaching from the everyday world and enjoying a very vivid and joyful fanstsy world.

We all have our own indvidual loves in that world...but at the center of it all, is the ability to immerse ourselves fully into it.

I also think that's what those folks who don't "Get it" find so annoying. They either can't allow themselves to detach and enter into disney, or they can't detach at all.

 

[appletini]

Here's my answers for the test: EVERYTHING YES, except #9. I don't have to plan ahead...EXCEPT for Disney, which is AWESOME. I think planning a Disney trip is almost as fun as being there. The anticipation of what's ahead. I definitely live in the real world but Disney pays attention SO MUCH to the details that I think that's what's so enthralling about the World. Wherever you look you see nothing but Disney. You never have to enter the "real world" until you leave. Barring emergencies of all kinds of course. Where else can I wear my DD's Princess Ears and carry my POTC backpack while hiding from the sun under a red umbrella. And I'm the DH who's 43.

 

[kymom99]

I am an adult who went on very few vacations as a kid. I think that may be why I love WDW. It makes me feel like a kid. I am also very nostalgic and sentimental. For this reason I like to go back to the same places more than once. I also plan every trip to every destination to the nth degree. That is half the fun to me.

 

[TinkerbellinLouisian]

I'm not sure... but I have pondered this question myself...


IMHO:

1. Disney Fanatics Appreciate GOOD MARKETING/PROMOTIONS (CM's and excellent marketing)
2. Disney Fanatics Appreciate Exploring and Education (SPaceshp Earth)
3. Disney Fanatics Appreciate CONTROL over the vacation... (ex. we could get an education visiting the Grand Canyon...like DH would like to do...BUT I will NOT plan that vacation because I CAN'T ! But I CAN plan WDW)

4. Disney Fanatics Appreciate ATTENTION to Detail... (Towel Characters)

5. Disney Fanatics Appreciate TRADITION. (HIdden Mickeys, Peter Pan, the Characters, Etc)

Any others!?!?! (((HUGS)))

Mary

 

[kathy884]

My parents took me regularly to Disney/Seaworld and Cedar Point, and I have extremely fond memories of both and love going to both with my son and extended family. My brother and cousin (who we met at Disney/Seaworld and Cedar Point when were were kids) are even bigger Disney/Seaworld/Cedar Point fans than I am, and that's saying a lot. As adults we love to meet up there with out kids. My husband's parents were never big on amusement parks, and my husband doesn't care for them either. Rather than dragging him along, I tend to leave him at home and just do a mini trip each year (just three nights), save our main full week vacation trip for something like a National Park that everyone in the family will enjoy. That's what really works out best for us budget wise and time wise.

20 Trips with # 21 coming up // The boards, though, say I’m just earning my ears.
March 1971 – KOA closest to Disney (camping)
March 1972 – Jellystone Park (camping)
March 1974 – Outdoor Resorts of America (camping)
Dec. 1974 – Outdoor Resorts of American (camping)
March 1975 – Outdoor Resorts of America (camping)
Dec. 1975 – Fort Wilderness (camping)
Dec. 1976 – Fort Wilderness (camping)
Dec. 1977 -- Outdoor Resorts of America (camping)
Dec. 1986 – Marriott Royal Palms (condo by Marriott World Center)
May 1993 – Disney Contemporary (Garden Wing) (hotel)
Dec. 1994 – Polynesian Isles (condo)
May 1999 – Disney Contemporary (Main Building with high floor and Magic Kingdom view) (hotel)
Dec. 2001 – Cypress Pointe (condo)
March 2003 – Sheraton Vistana – Cascades section (condo)
March 2004 – Sheraton Vistana – Cascades section (condo)
Dec. 2004 -- Cypress Pointe (condo)
June 2006 –Tampa relative’s condo
June 2007 – Cypress Point Grandvillas (condo). Disney -- Port Orleans Riverside (hotel), and Sheraton Vistana – Fountains section (condo) – stayed three different places on this trip.
Dec. 2008 – Sheraton Vistana Resort (remodeled Fountains section) (condo)
Oct. 2009 – Hilton Garden Inn Seaworld (hotel)
(Will be going again March 2010 – staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Seaworld again)

 

[MerryFlora]

I am a details person. I notice things nobody else does.

I go overboard with themes, whether its home decor or birthday parties

I am an obssesive uber-planner

I like my comfort zone, I do the same things repeatedly

I love a great story.

......I AM a Disney Fanatic!

 

[flipflopmom]

The planning might be a key to enjoyment. My bff left all the planning to her SIL, didn't enjoy it, their family won't be back. I knew more, thanks to Dis, before my trip than she did afterwards. In fact, while they were there, they commented frequently how much my DH would HATE our trip a month later. Instead, he kept commented on how much my research paid off, and how it was the best week of his life. We became DVC members when we got home!

Getting wrapped up in the magic is another key. They talked about the rides. We talked about experiences and pixie dust. Not being afraid to let go, immerse yourself, and appreciate.