What is it About WDW????

[Disney Girlie-Wirlie]

What is it about WDW that keeps us DISer's coming back for more? Why can't we EVER get enough? Why do we keep coming back? Why does no where else in the world do to us what WDW does to us? Why do we miss being there...WHEN WE'RE STILL THERE???

And WHY DO WE LOVE IT SOOOO MUCH?

I've been asking myself these questions for a long time, as have all my friends and family. Everytime I tell someone I'm going to WDW, they just don't get it.They say, Why do you love it there so much?

So, finally last night, I made a list a mile long with all my reasons why. So,now, I'm curious to hear from YOU what it is about WDW that you love so much.

 

[disney junky]

Turning back the clock. The kid in me. Those Disney touches that were more than you could have imagined. Always something new. Hidden Mickeys. Sharing with someone the first time. Being first (or almost first) in line to open a park. Fireworks. Tinkerbell. The magic.

 

[cinderkelli]

Seriously it would take forever to list all the things I love. I love the diversity, the characters, the decorations, the rides, the attention to detail that noone does like Disney, the feeling of being completely away, being outdoors all day (I sit at a computer inside all day away from windows), just the general feeling of happiness that seems to pervade the place.

I know what you mean though. I just got back and cannot WAIT to go again. I seriously get almost depressed when I think how long it will be before we go again.

 

[LISAMWDW]

just the general feeling of happiness that seems to pervade the place.

I know what you mean though. I just got back and cannot WAIT to go again. I seriously get almost depressed when I think how long it will be before we go again.

Ditto! I will add that I get to be a kid again!

 

[FanofG00fy]

Disney for me is several things. And these are the reasons why I keeping coming back year after year. This is why my house is decorated with Disneyana. This is why I always wear Disney t-shirts, a disney watch, and disney earrings.

1) Disney brings out my inner child
2) Disney is the only place I feel "safe"* while on vacation
3) Disney feels like home
4) Disney staff have never been rude like other theme parks
5) Disney was created to bring family together. And it does mine.
6) Disneyworld is the only place that I glow! (my DBF and my family have said this every trip)
7) Disneyworld is also the only place on earth that people don't point and say, "look how big she is" or at least I don't hear them

*By safe, I mean, I know where I am going. I know how the Parks are set up. I don't need a map to find the nearest bathroom. I know the rooms will be good and if they are not, Disney will take care of them. I know if I break down on Disney property and I am a Disney guest....Disney to the rescue. I know if a family member gets sick enough to go to the hospital (twice by the way) Disney is there for anything my family needs.

Chris

 

[Amy]

For me, WDW is the one place where I can TOTALLY relax. We stay on property, so once we're there, I don't even have to think about "how are we going to get to MGM?" Just head to the bus stop, and it's all taken care of.

And WDW has something for everyone - I know my boys won't whine the entire trip. We took them to Niagara Falls one year, and they could have cared less. "It's just a whole bunch of water; I'm bored."

But most of all, it's what cinderkelli said:

just the general feeling of happiness that seems to pervade the place

WDW is where I go to escape all the nasty stuff in the world.

 

[ryanmilla]

Good thread Disney Girlie-Wirlie!

Like most people I'd have to say the feeling of being a kid again, seeing the characters and riding the rides. It brings back so many fond memories. Also their attention to detail is phenomenal.

But what really does it for me is the simple fact that the place is designed to make you happy. I can't help but smile whenever I am there. And seeing everyone having such a good time (especially, my own family) always makes me smile even more.

No matter what happens in my life or no matter how expensive WDW gets, I will always go back for more.

 

[Renee1061]

I told someone the other day that I feel like I'm in a different world when I'm there.

I think when you're there, you secretly get sprinkled with pixie dust...... then it's just in your blood. You have to go back!

Renee

 

[Dis-Wiz]

I think it is the memories that have me going back every year!

The first time I went, I remember it was the happiest experiance of the life, and every time we go back, I make a new favorite memory. I want to keep going back to WDW to make more and more magical memories with my family.

I want these memories so that when I am having a bad day that just seems to get worse, I can think about these memories and just smile and be as happy as I was at Disney!

 

[Karnak]

I make at least two trips to Walt Disney world each year, and sometimes it's a solo trip like the two this year (see below). When friends or family members ask why I go to WDW so often. The argument usually begins with something like "You've done everything there several times before."

"Why do people who like to fish go fishing more than once? Why do people who like to play golf, play often? They've fished or golfed many times in the past. Why do it all over again?" I answer.

"Well, that's different," they say, shaking their heads at me.

"How is it different?" I ask.

So far, no one has been able to come up with a logical answer.

So, I'll be back just after Thanksgiving, and again probably during baseball's spring training season, and ....

Well, you get the idea.

Enjoy.

 

[Mickeyistheman]

What a great thread!

I will echo many dis'ers on here and yes it makes you feel like a kid again, but in today's world of work and negativity around every corner. Disney just makes you feel good. As you can see by the many people who return and want to experience "that feeling" again. I am back a week today and am miserable. I have been listening to Wishes on my cd player at work and I get choked up because I love seeing it.

I also think that we all look forward to going again because we always have a good time and I speaking for most Dis'ers that are on here, even those that don't have the best time, they still go back again and again.

Disney has to be doing something right or it may just be that that gets sprinkled on us when we least expect it!!

 

[ryanmilla]

Can I add something else? Okay, I will anyway.

WDW is the only place that always lives up to my expectations. Normally, before any vacation I usually work up how good it is going to be in my mind and it never lives up. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy my vacations, but it always seems it would be better.

But when I go to WDW, I usually work it up even more in my mind and time and time again, WDW always delivers. The trips are usually exactly what I hoped for or even better.

What other place can consistently do that?

 

[disneymouse]

DH works alot of hours so disney for us is a time the kids and us have a great time just being together...also, i feel so far removed from the 'real world' that any worries i might being having just melt away for that time we are there. plus we get to be kids too!

 

[Belle Amy]

I never got to go to Disney as a kid. My parents dispise crowds and Disney in general. I went for the first time to MK when I was 15. And I had a horrible time. Actually my second trip wasn't all that great either. But it wasn't Disney, it was the people that I went with that made it unenjoyable.

My fiancee (then boyfriend) took me for the first time after we had been dating only a couple months. I went to all the parks with him, and he showed me the magic that Disney had. It wasn't just the obvious, but the little things, the details that made it amazing.

It does make me feel like a kid...but the kid I never got to be when I really was a kid.

It's also something special that I share with my fiancee. I can spot the exact place where we first saw Wishes or Illuminations, and how he held me.

But it's the fun stuff too. The things I keep looking for that are slightly hidden. The talking water fountains at Epcot. The rope in the mine next to the entrance of Indiana Jones at MGM. Push the trashcan at Magic Kingdom. The magic is in the details.

But the best thing about Disney is that it is MASSIVE. And I know I've had a lot of firsts in the last few years because of Disney and my fiancee, and that I will continue to have those firsts, because, well, there's so much property to see and experience. And I know Disney will never let me down when I need a smile or a laugh.

I cry when I see video of Fantasmic or hear the soundtrack to Wishes. It's just that special. Magic happens there. Magic that everyone can take home.

Besides, where else can I get a pint in UK, wander over to Japan for some sushi, and then wander over to Norway for some yummy desserts. Only at Disney!!

 

[rejobako]

Interesting thread. My WDW perspective has changed over the years. As a kid, WDW consisted primarily of MK, Poly, and the Contemporary, but even so it seemed impossibly huge and magical and even mysterious -- how could it be possible that someone built all this just for us ? The monorail ride from the parking area was exhilarating and excruciating at the same time. When are we going to GET there? E-tickets were akin to bars of gold, etc.

After girlfriends and drivers licenses entered my life, and WDW was accessible without chaperones, WDW became a different kind of playground. I remember when Space Mountain still had the old-style seats where you could sit two-people back to front in the same seat. You climbed in and your date would necessarily have to scoot back close to you and let you put your protective arms around her. It was like the world's most sophisticated tunnel-of-love.

In my college years and beyond, friends began to scatter to schools and workplaces around the country, and WDW became a designated meeting place to get back together. Some of the best male-bonding I've ever done has been while negotiating a World Beer Tour in EPCOT, or laughing at each other's irrational fears on Tower of Terror, or just basking by the pool at a resort in the late afternoon, knowing we've successfully escaped the real world and responsibility in this special place.

Those days, however, are nothing compared to what I feel for WDW now. Why? Well, because my fantastic wife and I have two playful, imaginative little DDs, and nothing quite compares to spending the day with my family in a place designed for the sole purpose of making us happy.

I've been to WDW enough times to have seen some of the worst of some people on occasion, but I think the reason there are threads devoted to the "bad stuff" is that it is typically so out of context with the general mood of the place. I hardly ever wear my worn-out old-school Mickey T-shirt at home, but I woudn't consider walking into MK without it, nor would my family allow me to. My family loves the place. It makes them feel good. It enhances our good-times together, and helps to smooth out the ruts we sometimes fall into otherwise. It's about tradition, and happiness, and fun, and friendship.

And a cynic could easily line up this post up against a wall and blow countless holes in it and remind me about how I'm deifying a big mega-corporation that wants nothing more than to make tons of money off of me and my family; etc., etc. yada yada. Sure, it's all true. I cringe when the AMEX bill arrives the next month, but we always plan for it, and we always manage. If big corporations exist to make money for their stockholders, it might as well do so while making my children happy. I grew up with WDW, and I plan to take my kids as often as possible solely as an experiment: I never managed to get sick of the place no matter how much I tried -- let's see if I can accomplish that with my children.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Disney is closest to my religious/philosophical beliefs. To me, it respresents the best of humanity- love, friendship, creativity, honesty, acceptance, respect, magic, beauty and more; constantly improving, exploring, discovering, learning, growing, playing, laughing, helping. When I watch the movies, these values that I hold dear come to life. When I enter Disney World, I feel like I *should* have felt entering a church- just overwhelmed with the energy of the love and happiness throughout the world.

Disney is representative of the stories and values my parents taught me, and of their love and sacrifice in order to introduce me to the World- they showed me my castle, gave me my First Kiss with Mickey Mouse and taught me to believe in my dreams. Now, I am able to share my love for Disney not only with them, but with my three year old Disney obsessed nephew and my wonderful Disney loving boyfriend.

I have a picture of me and my nephew as a 4 month old in front of the Castle, and a picture of me and my boyfriend in front of the fountain in Epcot on my desk at work. When I look at these pictures, I am able to get through my day, because I know that all my hard work is appreciated, that love and learning are still valued in the world and that there are people in my "Home" enjoying it and keeping it alive until I get back there again. I know that I have a trip to look forward to and many more years of having that breathless, magical feeling of seeing that Castle and knowing for certain that believing in dreams and goodness, love and light, isn't silly and that there are people who feel the same way I do.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

I'll keep this brief The memories we have: honeymoon, being there 10 days after the 9/11 attacks, dodging a hurricaine in 2003, our first cruise in 2005. When we travel to see my parents in the Finger Lakes region of upstate NY, DW and I will often pick a WDW topic to pass the time during the 5 hour drive: favorite ride, funniest experience, best food, best service. The Finger Lakes are home, family, fun, and like that piece of clothing that always feels right when you put it on. But there is often some work to be done: mowing, helping to fix things up, and the drive (but it gets us away from work). WDW is a drive to the airport, and then someone else can do all the driving/worrying. There's something about walking into BC and seeing Art Lark, the greeter. We know we're there, things will be taken care of, and we can just be.
And, it is the one place where I have to work to keep up with my scurrying DW. (I'm 6', she's 5'3").

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I'll respond first and then read your responses later, so as not to influence my thinking...

1) Being at WDW makes me feel care-free. That's saying a mouthful when all I do every day of the year is care for other people.
2) Excellent customer service
3) It is like a family retreat center for my family -far enough away to be separated from routine at home just a bit
4) creativity and imagination of 99.95% of the attractions there
5) the beauty and diversity of the architecture -even within the same park
6) character interaction
7) the tropical setting

could go on forever if I staretd getting specific

 

[Renee1061]

I am back a week today and am miserable. I have been listening to Wishes on my cd player at work and I get choked up because I love seeing it.

Oh, I know what you mean. Everytime DD & I hear the little voice sing, "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight...." we look at each other and say, "I wanna go back now!" (We were there 4/22-4/28)

Renee

 

[shellynn24]

OMG, where to start? I love WDW because it reminds me of my happiest childhood memories and there weren't that many happy ones. But I mostly love it because of the look on my kids' faces when they are there; I really started getting into the yearly visit after I had my first child. I really love the attention to detail and cleanliness that is just sadly lacking in any other amusement park I've been to. I love the diversity of the World, you just never run out of things to see. Plus the best reason of all, who doesn't love Mickey Mouse ? Those that say they don't just grew up too much and don't remeber what it's like to be a child!