To not “get” Disneyland

[1985goingbackagain]

Can anyone explain the appeal of Disneyland to me please? I just don’t understand. In my mind it’s endless queues, full of people, but everything is fake so there are no real sights, yet people seem to love it and go back year after year. Am I missing something and should give it a go, or is it expensive overhyped window dressing??

I hated it. It remains firmly at the front of my ‘never again’ list.

Sinister; queues, and the food was shite.

I’ve been a few times to Disneyland Paris as an adult (once on my own for the sadly now defunct race weekend), and Florida once. I love it, it’s magical. Not even comparable to the likes of Alton Towers.

In Florida we considered skipping Magic Kingdom because we’d been to Paris and how different could it be? Thankfully we changed our minds and went because it was the best day of the holiday.

We’re going to take DS to Paris next year just before he turns 3 and I can’t wait!

I think it’s a bit of a marmite holiday destination, you either love or hate it. We are just back from there and I’ll never go back, adults in full Disney clothing, the crazy heat and humidity, the queues and the crowds were not for me!

Kids are 12 & 17 and they enjoyed the big rides but that was about it.

I remember going to Disneyland Paris when my son was 3 and he genuinely thought that Woody was THE Woody, it was much more fun then with smaller kids but the queues in Florida would drive me mental with young kids.

I went to the one on Los Angeles. Quite interesting because it was actually like a historic monument. They also had another more modern Disney park next door.

I mean it was an interesting thing to say you had done once.

Expensive for both parks when I went in 2012, now double the price. Again it was a one and done for me, so I accepted the price.

I didn't get into all the movies, and the cartoon characters like Mickey mouse and Donald duck actually seemed odd.

Regarding rides. In my opinion the rides at Alton Towers are just as good. So from a ride prospective I would question the need to travel to America or Paris.

we just came back from Disneyland Paris. I quite like a themepark and love the Disney films so thought it would be good, I was unlucky to be there in the heatwave as it was absolutely boiling! I didn't really like itit did feel a bit too plastic to meand I probably won't go again. The queues were big but not crazywe walked on some rides and the biggest waits were around half an hour. However, i realised when I was there that I'm not keen on lots of people and it is very full of people. So I was a bit luke-warm, but my kids absolutely loved it. The firework show was just incredibleit was like nothing else I've ever seen and holding my little girl and hearing her shouting out all the names of the characters as they appeared and saying 'it's magic' made the heat and business worth it. I do hate the kind of snobbery about it though. I told somebody at work I was taking the kids and they were very 'we wouldn't go there'. My kids are great and they deserved a bit of magic and fun even if it wasn't quite my cup of tea.

I absolutely love watching my profoundly disabled daughter thrive at Disney. It was magical taking my other kids before she was born, but the way it’s so immersive brings her such joy. Nowhere else has the combination quite the same with the lights, sounds, smells and experiences.
We did DLP in December and there was a Pixar show with live orchestra that had bubbles, streamers, smoke machines etc along the stage section with characters and she literally radiated utter delight and moved as much as she physically can for the entirety.

That magic? To us is worth every penny.

I know a few "Disney adults", and when they have a trip booked, they are absolutely buzzing in the lead up, and plan their trip to a T. They feel the magic and love going.

Same here. They are actually very smart and talented people in real life so it's hard to dismiss it as an educational or class thing.

I feel the closest thing you can compare it to is a religion. The entire Disney universe clearly has a spiritual element for many people. It invokes a good feeling, a sense of community, shared imagery and stories and the ability to escape life and believe in a "magic" that's bigger than yourself. And of course, in an age where more people aren't actively religious, pop culture and fandoms take over to fill the same need for believing in something.

And of course, for outsiders, some religions and the behaviours associated with it are just bonkers. However socially, you still need to respect religious beliefs even if you cannot relate to or empathise with it in any way on a personal level.

It's also interesting that virtually everyone gets introduced to Disney at a very young age, just like most forms of religion. It's easier to indoctrinate a mind that is easily impressionable than to force older people into accepting something new. Loads of adults forever associate Disney with the nostalgia and happiness of childhood. The same feeling you have when remembering how Christmas felt like when you were small.

A trip to Disneyland feels like a pilgrimage for many fans. The ones I know have a yearly pass and actually go back at least 4x a year so they get their money's worth. They're also buzzing beforehand in a way you can only compare to a spiritual excitement. It's not just mundane excitement over a city break or beach hol. The crowds, heat and long waits don't really matter in that context, just like people going to Mecca or Lourdes genuinely don't care about how many others are also there.

I never fancied it but DH really wanted to go. It was the best holiday I’ve ever had so we went back a few years later. Currently saving for 2028. It’s completely immersive - like visiting a different world for a couple of weeks where none of your normal worries matter.
if you read up before you go and plan properly you can avoid too much queuing and going out of season means you don’t get the humidity. I also love city breaks and visiting very beautiful places etc but it’s just a different type of holiday. An AI spending 8 hours a day by a pool or on a beach is really not my idea of a holiday but I can understand why if you like that you wouldn’t like Disney as it’s much more active.

Imitation????

I don’t understand the appeal of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck etc. How do young children nowadays even know these characters? Mickey reminds me v much of Michael Jackson. Not sure why.

Not at all. Im interested in views and understanding what it’s like from people who have been, I don’t see why this is snobby in the slightest.

I went multiple times as a child and watched all the Disney films growing up. So it’s sort of a nostalgia thing for me.

Been taking our own DC since they were babies. To Paris, CA and FL.

Teens now so Paris is a bit ‘meh’ but when they were little it was a couple of hours on the train for a few days of seeing them absolutely bowled over by meeting their heroes.

Luckily we have a healthy holiday budget, so no matter which Disney we’re at, we stay in the nicer hotels, generally club level. So we’d get fast passes included and characters at breakfast and dinner without a scrum. Easy to get back to the hotel for a rest and a snack and if the baby needed to sleep then one parent could easily take them to the room without anyone else needing to miss out.

We focus more on Florida now, and DC are as excited about the malls as they are the parks. However we’re all suckers for an incredibly themed ride or show and because they’ve grown up with the movies/fireworks/music it hits them in the feels too.

Also the hotels in Florida and California are second to none. Beautiful resorts, lovely pools, great food. Some days we don’t go to the theme parks until the evening.

We love seeing the world, however when you work hard, long hours, sometimes there’s a real value in knowing you’ve got a break somewhere everyone knows, is happy in, kind find something they like. It’s just so easy and where our happiest memories have been made.

Why do some people on MN always see such sinister motivations for posts? It’s so weird when it’s a chat forum to discuss views and an opportunity to understand other opinions.

YABU if you’ve not been. It’s brilliant for children; we did 4 days in Paris when DS was 5 and he loved it. We’ll go back when DD is about 6 and DS is 12.

Florida is meant to be amazing but I baulk at the price.

The queues aren’t that bad, and if you stay in a Disney hotel you get in an hour earlier than other park attendees. If your DC love Disney films it’s really great.

It’s expensive and the food is mediocre, so I wouldn’t go annually, but if you can afford it it’s nice to take your DC at least once.

Lots of people just do Paris as a day trip from a local camp site or Center Parcs; why not try that?

I suppose people like different things. I don’t want to go either, but I don’t like sporting events either (other than Wimbledon).

That is interesting, and makes sense.

I remember a thread like this one and someone said that adults who love Disney must be "stunted" in some way.
One of the biggest Disney fans I know is a qualified nurse. She even got married in one of their parks.

It’s not my thing either, but this afternoon I saw a video of an autistic man and one of the characters there, Maleficent or similar, and the way she was interacting with him was really skilful, she was absolutely making that man’s year, she was leading him somewhere saying ‘move out of the way everyone, Peter and I are coming through’ and he was so happy. So I do see why some people go crazy for it. If I was that man’s parent I would definitely be going back again!

We went for the DC
They loved it and we loved them loving it x

I’m not sure what you aren’t getting?

It’s aimed at children. Children don’t understand what “manufactured” is. Granted, not all kids will like Disney and that’s fine, but the ones that do; they see it as a magical place. The joy of an adult is being able to see your young kids believe in this magic and experience things through their eyes.

That is lovely.

I saw a video of a little boy who was deaf, and the Disney character was signing at him and asked what his name was.

All the Disney adults I know are Neurodivergent. All very smart individuals too. Oxbridge/PHDs for a couple but certainly what folks would call ‘quirky’.

I think it’s often a case of people who enjoy that escape from the real world. Who still want magic in their lives. Who have found a community that they feel comfortable in.

Myself, DH and DCs are ND (ASD/ADHD) however not to Disney adult levels. (Although I do have a couple pairs of ears which I’ll occasionally wear if they match my outfit!)

But we do love the Disney parks. DH was a Star Wars nerd as a kid - so Galaxy’s Edge is all of his childhood dreams come true and it’s lovely to see my serious business manager DH giggling with the DC and doing funny walks (started at Disney when they were little and they still do it now to distract from sore feet/legs) and try on silly hats and see who can keep their arms in the air the longest. No one’s thinking about school or practice or deadlines.

Those of us who get it feel it’s a place we really can get away from the real world for a week or two. Because it’s nothing like the real world.

His name is Thomas!

https://www.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmile/s/QJ6ak7W9RW

I think they must have a lot of training to be this good, or they’re hand picking really special people!

I think if you don’t have the childhood nostalgia for it then you won’t understand it. Rollercoasters screaming with your parents, pineapple ice cream in the blazing sun, your favourite character hugging you, walking all day to shows and rides and eat junk food and then you’re sleepy but mum gets you popcorn and there’s suddenly fireworks over a castle. Then you fall asleep on the shuttle back to your hotel… to wake up on water park day.

Then as an adult you get to watch your own child experiencing that through their own eyes and it’s a new kind of magic.

Tbf it helps that I’ve always had fast passes or VIP so rarely queued more than an hour.

I think those of us who don't get it have some stuff in common:

• not brought up watching a lot of Disney so no association with childhood nostalgia
• no really prone to "believing"/ buying into fascination with characters etc. My kids don't have particular Disney characters they are enamoured with and i am not sure they would feel joy/excitement about an actor or actress dressed up as a character. They are quite black & white sorts of kids.
• happy/in a good place in adult life generally. Not seeking/needing "a magic bubble" or place to escape from worries or troubles