Spin-off: Anyone else besides me who could care less about going to Disney?

[StacyWithFourRugrats]

Now, right off I will say I LOVE Disney. My youngest is named after Ariel's daughter, Melody. Little Mermaid is and always will be my favorite Disney movie. I was heartbroken when Howard Ashman passed away. I truly believe that Alan Menken and Howard Ashman created some of Disney's best musicals and of the likes we will never see again.

 

I also love roller coasters and remember my Disney trip with somewhat fond memories (what I can remember).

 

However, I could really care less about visiting Disney World (or Land) with the kids. My children don't know about Disney World really. We lived in San Antonio near Sea World and had season passes when they were younger. They rarely would go on ANY rides, even the simple ones for the young children (tho they will now go on the carousel and a small boat ride at a nearby park).

 

I just find it almost too hyped up now for me. I am not sure why. I know it can be an excellent adventure and all but it still just doesn't "click" for me. I can't see spending the money on it. But again, I am kinda weird and all :tongue_smilie:

 

Am I the only one?

[Mamagistra]

I am not particularly interested in DW or DL. Meh.

 

There are, however, a few people on this very board who talk it up and make it sound pretty dang fun, thus I find myself daydreaming about it occasionally... ;)

[PrairieAir]

Not my kinda scene. Too many people packed too closely together, too much commercialism and hype, too much man made, and too little nature. No thank you. I'd much rather spend the money visiting a national park. Or anywhere else.

[Mom2GirlsTX]

have no desire to go. Now alot of that has to do with my youngest has sensory issues and any type of crowd totally drives her crazy and makes her highly unpleasant...thus theme parks are not fun for us. Given the cost there are more enjoyable family vacations for us given her reactions to large crowds.

[abbeyej]

I *love* going to WDW. :) But there are a few things that make a huge difference for me... We go at the lowest crowd times of year, when the weather is relatively cool, and we stay on property. I imagine, much as I love Disney, I'd enjoy it an awful lot less if there were massive crowds or oppressive temperatures.

 

I wouldn't tell someone who had no interest in Disney to go. But for my family, it's been wonderful. (And as I've mentioned several times before, the stuff they will do to accommodate a food-allergic child has absolutely made my trips.)

[Colleen]

Ya know the saying, "You couldn't pay me to (fill in the blank here)"? That's the operative phrase for me when it comes to Disney. PrairieAir summed it up well.:)

[Jenny in Atl]

For the $ I would rather take the kids to Paris or London or the South of France. :auto:

[Plucky]

If you do go, do it during the off season. We have the run of the park then. I can't stand crowds but when we can just walk up and get on a ride it's really worth it. But I'm an amusement park junkie.

[Danestress]

We took our older son about 12 years ago. I was absolutely dreading it - it seemed so entirely not "me." But I was pleasantly surprised. It's so clean and it wasn't crowded when we went. I was amazed by the variety of bird life, and it was just a nice vacation (though honestly, for the money there are other vacations I would rather take).

 

We took our younger children last year, and it was pretty much the same. Clean, easy, convenient, fun. Much better than I thought. I think people who just *love* Disney are nuts. The music and the characters are pretty annoying. We aren't a family that watches a lot of Disney movies, and I just don't really "relate." And there was not one. single. thing. I would want to buy there. The food was okay but even though we ate at some of the nicer restaurant, the better restaurants in Charlotte (which no one would call a great culinary city) are better, quieter, and mostly less expensive. So for me, it's not really a great vacation, but if you time it right, it's also not so crowded. And I think Disney really does a wonderful job with transportation, customer relations, and creating "happy." It's really a nice vacation, but not a "must do."

[Quiver0f10]

I have never visited and never plan to. Just isn't my cup of tea.

[JFSinIL]

Disney LAND (the REAL place - ok, I am from S. Calif. and even worked there for a couple years in the mid-'80s) the first weekend in June.

 

I would far, FAR rather be there off-season, but I have too many kids in public school now, so have to face the crowds :-(

 

Actually, I'd rather go to the Disneyland of my childhood, and ride the Carousel of Progress, and the Mine Train ride through natures wonderland, and the hover cars, and see the original 360 degree CircleVision film and get shrunk into the mighty atom. Sigh. At least now I can see an autoanimatronic Johnny Depp in the Pirates ride!

[Janet in WA]

We've been many times (to both DW and DL). We've had some good times there, but I could really take or leave Disney. Dh and middle ds, on the other hand, LOVE all things Disney, so, as I say, we've been to the parks many times. When we lived in central FL, I far preferred Busch Gardens and Sea World.

[dangermom]

I'm not a huge Disneyland person. We went a lot when I was a kid, and I liked it, but it was very different then! (I remember E tickets...) I did go with my husband once after we got married--he had never been there and we were in LA for a wedding. That was fun.

 

I'm not a Disney fan, and we don't buy the movies or anything. We have a few, but I really don't like the merchandise and won't buy Disney clothes or anything. There are a lot of places I'd rather go.

 

Even so, I'm thinking about trying to go this fall--our youngest is 5 and they really want to go. So I'm getting my version of fun out of the idea by buying Tinkerbell and Ariel fabric (which I normally wouldn't touch with a 10' pole, being anti-commericalism as I am) and planning dresses to sew. Maybe then they won't beg for $60 princess dresses, right? Hah.

[j.griff]

It really doesn't appeal to me. I've NEVER been to either park though.

[Jennifer in MI]

LOL! I think I'm living out a childhood fantasy by going to Disney as an adult. We never had the money to do anything growing up and my best friend went to Disney every year! I was SOOOOO jealous!

 

We took a trip in 1999 and had a wonderful time. Our second family trip was in January. I thought it would be a one time thing. But, everyone in my family LOVED it!!! It was so clean and the people there couldn't do enough for my family to make sure we had the time of our lives. They catered to my ds' food allergies (which is always a concern!).

 

Oh - and my dd. The one I thought would only be along for the ride. I was WRONG!!! She was the one who had the most magical trip of all. She was in awe of EVERYTHING!!!! It was worth every penny just to see the look on her face.

 

We're also not a Disney watching family. My kids don't know half the stories. But there's something about being there . . .

[Cricket]

*gasp* How can you say such things!? :)

 

Honestly, I wasn't much of a Disney person. I thought it looked kind of fun but that's about it. We went to Disneyland for the first time two years ago. I couldn't believe how fun it was! The parades, the fireworks, the shows, the rides! My dh loves it and has been many times. He kept telling me it really was the happiest place on earth. My dh....who would rather live as a hermit in the mountains than anywhere else...loves Disney. Sure, it can be crowded but for the most part everyone is so nice and in a good mood while they are there.

 

When we went, we had 5-day passes and were there over Christmas. We would be there every day at opening, go back to our RV for lunch and naps and then back again until closing. I was 7 months pregnant and we had three kids 7 and under and grandma and grandpa in tow. It was a blast! I can't wait for our next trip.

[chiguirre]

Dh was totally not into the Disney thing. He agreed to go only because I guilt-tripped him into it. I was expecting the worst, but there was no way I could handle the kids without him, so he had to come. I honestly though it would be a one time trip and I could check it off my list of mommy must-dos.

 

Dh was very pleasantly surprised! We all had a good time and the boys managed very well (thanks to the special accomodations for autistic kids). Disney deserves their great reputation for customer service. Dh even said he'd be happy to go in a couple of years when we could ride everything.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

I saw Disney on Ice when I was a small child and I never got over the scary witch. Never liked Disney animations/characters. Grandparents took me to Disney when I was 13 and I just hung out in some disco-place and rode the E-rides. Didn't hug Mickey or wave at the floats....

 

I think I was an early-Goth child. Hum.

 

K

[Antonia]

I love WDW; I could live at the Magic Kingdom. When we lived in Orlando, we had passes and went to MK or Epcot every weekend and never got tired of it. It's one of the only things I miss about FL since moving to CT. I really feel that those who have never been don't know what they're missing.

[Doran]

I went as a child to DL. More than once, even. But have no real interest in going now....if it's just ME we're talking about. But, see, it's not just me. It's my children, too. And, as much as Disney sounds like a cousin to water torture to me now, I know how much I loved it as a child. And, I'm pretty sure I will gain enjoyment from watching my kids have fun. Therefore, I will probably go, someday. Hopefully it will turn out better than I imagine, as it seem to have for many of you. :D

 

Doran

[Plaid Dad]

My dw is a huge Disney fan. The fact that we spent our honeymoon at Disney World should tell you exactly how huge. :001_rolleyes:

 

We've been to Disneyland, Disney World, and even Disneyland Paris. That's more than enough for a lifetime as far as I'm concerned. But it's a very big deal for my dw and she likes creating memories with our dd there. They just went to Disney World in January, and I took a vacation elsewhere - a Benedictine monastery, to be exact! I missed them, but I was happy that they were able to go to a place they love and happier still to be in a restful, quiet environment.

 

I imagine I will go with them again at some point in the future, but for me, going to Disney is about doing something special for my family, not my own idea of the perfect vacation.

[pixelroper]

I'm afraid I'm a stick in the mud over this one. I agree w/OP no interest here.

[kpupg]

Ya know the saying, "You couldn't pay me to (fill in the blank here)"? That's the operative phrase for me when it comes to Disney.

 

:iagree:

[Tracey in TX]

 

I think people who just *love* Disney are nuts. "

 

 

Hey, I resemble that remark :tongue_smilie: (being silly, nothing meant by this)

[StacyWithFourRugrats]

I am not even sure if they know it exists to tell you the truth ;)

 

I do not care for crowds nor does my 8 yo ds, tho he might surprise me. My 5 yo dd is horrendously scared of costume characters. Anything fully dressed up comes near her and she freaks out. It takes a pry bar to get her off me!

 

I sometimes desire to take them but I am not sure it would be their first choice (especially the boys). They would LOVE to go to Legoland tho.

 

There was a time when we thought our youngest dd would require open heart surgery around 7-8 years of age (luckily, she won't need it until *hopefully* her teens). Her condition qualifies her for a Make-A-Wish foundation wish and I thought she would LOVE to go to DW with it before her surgery (this was a few years back and again, I don't think they really know what it is still). People have told us that they treat wish kids as Princesses literally. I know something like that would be a trip of a lifetime for her and give her lasting memories and take her mind (and ours) off her surgery.

 

But now, well, I can't see that being her "wish" anymore, even if she did get one. Her wish would probably be to go to Korea.

 

And for the record, I loved Disney so much that our wedding cake had Mickey and Minnie on top ;) When did I lose my "Disney-ness". Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!

[OhM]

For the $ I would rather take the kids to Paris or London or the South of France. :auto:

 

What she said! I'd like the kids to see the real places, not the recreations or re-imaginings.

[Tracey in TX]

DH talked me into visiting WDW as newlyweds. I wasn't interested, but wanted to appease DH. SO glad I did!! We went several times before children, and twice with the kiddos.

We're considering WDW in Sept. or Oct, depending on sports commitments.

 

WE LOVE WDW!!

[Faithr]

I had absolutely no interest in going to Disney World a few years when dh suggested it. But we went and had THE BEST time. I really relaxed and had fun and it completely surprised me because I am not a theme park kind of girl.

[Tabitha]

Yep...I could care less. All that money into commercialism......

[ChristyB in TN]

I have never been so I am probably missing out and all. I agree with Prairie Air, WAY too much hype and the emotion around it is gaggable. :tongue_smilie: Just my personality peeking through... I totally respect everyone I know and love who go to Disney and love it. I love them for being who they are.:D

[KellyBelly]

Even as a child I didn't like anything "Disney". I never even enjoyed the movies - I know that's odd and so "UnAmerican", so I don't usually talk about it ;)

 

As someone else mentioned, I went to Disneyland when I was 13 and spent much of the time at a weird disco place.

 

So far my kids (8, 5, 3, baby) haven't mentioned it, so we have NO plans to take them. I'd much rather spend the money on something closer to nature.

[Karenciavo]

You all can stay home, I am absolutely fine with that :D

 

I am not a big fan of Disney movies (Pixar films are the exception), but I love WDW. Character meetings and parades are not high on our list, but they are enjoyable. The "rides" (really attractions) are a big draw for us, but so is the customer service and all the neat little touches Disney provides such as the chef coming out to talk to my nut and fruit allergy son, the Hawaiian story teller at our favorite hotel, laying in a hammock at my hotel watching the fireworks at MK, earning our monorail driver's license, eating lunch with an Imagineer, taking a tour of EPCOT on a Segway, eating smores with Chip and Dale. My list goes on and on.

 

Like Abbey, I'm not trying to convert anyone, but perhaps if you checked your preconceived notions at the door you might just find yourself enjoying a vacation at a Disney Park.

[Lady Katherine]

I felt exactly the same way until my parents took our whole family to DisneyWorld. I dreaded the trip, the crowds, and the walking. But when we got there ... oh, MY. I have never had more fun week in my LIFE! Seriously! It was so much better than I could have ever imagined! I would go back in a heartbeat.

[nmoira]

We don't do Disney or any product with a character licensed from Disney. Period. No toys, movies (except Miyazaki, which is unfortunately distributed by Disney), books, magazines, clothes, lunch boxes, junk jewelry, costumes, diapers, fast food tie-ins (well, no fast food, so that's a gimme), stuffed animals, CD's, wallpaper, carseats, .... [i'm sure this list would be much longer if I'd recently been to a conventional grocery store, TRU, or BRU.]

 

My daughters think Princesses are primarily dragon food, especially the ones in dresses so frilly and heavy they can't defend themselves (i.e. the sitting ducks).

[PiCO]

I might consider going when it's not so crowded. Last time I went to DL I left after about 1 hour. Crowds were making me feel physically ill. I took younger dd back to the hotel with me- she was not enjoying the crowds either. Older dd stayed with dh until the placed closed down!

 

 

Now, right off I will say I LOVE Disney. My youngest is named after Ariel's daughter, Melody.

 

My daughter's name is Ariel! Named after the gymnastics trick though, not the little mermaid.

[Tammy]

they both are a waste of money.....I mean a HUGE waste of money!

[Sarah in FL]

and I think Disney is ok, but certainly I avoid it when it is crowded and/or hot, which covers a lot of time here in Florida. Disney does irk me in how fake everything is. For example, we were part of the parade crowd for the "Christmas Day Parade", which was taped in early December, and the parade was stopped and started and re-done numerous times to get just the right scenes for the tv show. Totally fake, scripted and rehearsed.

[*anj*]

I've never been to any Disney theme parks. I suppose we'll take our kids at some point, maybe in a couple of years. But honestly, when I think of all the other ways we could spend that money....well it's hard to swallow. There are just so many interesting places to go and things to do with that amount of money. And it's not just the money, it's the hype too.

 

Even so, friends of mine have gone in the past couple of years. Those who were dying to go of course had a good time--no surprise. But there were a couple who went "taking one for the team" because their children wanted to go and they also came back with glowing reports. They said all of the things that have been mentioned here: excellent service, care for details like Celiac disease, cleanliness, they felt like it was safe and fun and good. They said that for that short time they pretended there wasn't all kinds of nastiness out in the world and that it was "a small world after all." And the looks on their children's faces were priceless.

 

So I guess we'll go eventually.

 

I'd rather go to Europe, or the Grand Canyon, or to see the Redwoods or Alaska, or Niagara Falls, or practically anything else, though....

[Mamagistra]

I'd rather go to Europe, or the Grand Canyon, or to see the Redwoods or Alaska, or Niagara Falls, or practically anything else, though....

 

Um...Texas? :D

[readwithem]

I'm not nor is anybody else in my family. It seems like too much work :)

 

We have been twice when we were in the preschool stage - but we also tied it to visiting friends about 2 hours away both times.

[*anj*]

Um...Texas? :D

 

Yup! I've got plenty of friends in Texas!!! :hurray:

[Amy in Orlando]

I live here and avoid actively Disney. I'm weird, Disney actually depresses me.

[langfam]

My kids think life-size Disney characters are scary, so cringe at the thought of going to Disney World. Hey, save me some $$

[Just a Jen in Mississippi]

We just went at the end of January (08) and I HATED it!! I thought it would be less crowded and I'm sure it was compared to summer but the stress was unbearable to me that it totally out-weighted the fun we had. We stayed at Pop Century and I would never stay there again. The lines for the buses to get to the parks were always so long and at several meals there we walked around and around the eating area with trays of food looking for a place to sit. And because we had two rooms due to our family size, the meal plan was a total pain (and not enough food). I could type a novel about this, but in short, Disney ended up refunding us $369 after we got home because of our nightmare experience at Cinderella's Table for breakfast (issues with our meal plan and them trying to screw us because the breakfast was two points and one of my children in one room had one point left but another child in the other room had three, and they tried to force us to pay the remainder, even though they could clearly see we had all the necessary points to cover the last meal of our vacation) and a bad experience at Biergarten at Epcot. I would never, ever go back. It just seemed like such a money pit and I was sad that we had spent so much to experience what we did. I wondered the whole time where the "magic" was. I know I'm stepping on toes and I'm sorry. There are some die hard Disney lovers out there, but it just wasn't what I expected. Not my idea of a vacation.

[Audrey]

Now, right off I will say I LOVE Disney. My youngest is named after Ariel's daughter, Melody. Little Mermaid is and always will be my favorite Disney movie. I was heartbroken when Howard Ashman passed away. I truly believe that Alan Menken and Howard Ashman created some of Disney's best musicals and of the likes we will never see again.

 

I also love roller coasters and remember my Disney trip with somewhat fond memories (what I can remember).

 

However, I could really care less about visiting Disney World (or Land) with the kids. My children don't know about Disney World really. We lived in San Antonio near Sea World and had season passes when they were younger. They rarely would go on ANY rides, even the simple ones for the young children (tho they will now go on the carousel and a small boat ride at a nearby park).

 

I just find it almost too hyped up now for me. I am not sure why. I know it can be an excellent adventure and all but it still just doesn't "click" for me. I can't see spending the money on it. But again, I am kinda weird and all :tongue_smilie:

 

Am I the only one?

 

Grew up in S.FL. Have been to DW perhaps a dozen times as a kid. Have less desire to ever go again than to kiss a rat's behind.

[Remudamom]

blah blah blah

[pixelroper]

our nightmare experience at Cinderella's Table

LOL:lol: I'm loving this phrase!

 

**I do not mean to laugh at your experience, I'm truly sorry it didn't go well.**

 

I read your post and had to pause here to imagine how nightmarish Cinderella's Table would actually be for me, my imagination went w/it. :D

[Angela in TN]

We are Disney lovers here! We just spent my youngest ds 5th birthday there in February. We've been 4 times in the last few years and there is still something new to us each time we go. None of us are tired of it yet, although we are taking a break from Disney World in the coming year and instead will be going to San Diego for about 10 days and we will be spending at least 1 day at Disneyland! We love it! We dreaded our first trip thinking it would be overwhelming but the key is to have a plan (park touring), stay off property close by in a rental, and don't go at peak times. We've stayed on property a few times (quick trips) but it's nice to be able to spread out on vacation. To each his own. :)

[LN in WI]

I always said we would never go to Disney World. Why go there when for the same $ you could go to Europe?

 

Well, dh has a conference in Orlando in the Fall, and a bunch of former colleagues thought it would be fun to do a reunion of sorts at Disney.

 

So we are going for a week! Our new homeschooling class is "American culture" as we brush up on our Disney movies and cartoons. ;)

 

Ellen

[Karenciavo]

I always said we would never go to Disney World. Why go there when for the same $ you could go to Europe?

 

I can't fly to Europe for $79 (thank you SWA) and with the $ worth about 65% of the Euro and 50% of the British Pound I don't see how it's the same price at all.

 

Well, dh has a conference in Orlando in the Fall, and a bunch of former colleagues thought it would be fun to do a reunion of sorts at Disney.

 

So we are going for a week! Our new homeschooling class is "American culture" as we brush up on our Disney movies and cartoons. ;)

 

It's really not necessary to know any plot lines or characters of Disney movies, but if you are enjoying your studies have a blast.