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 once would have laughed at the idea that I would love Disney, but DS was desperate to go so I caved in. I bloody love it, 3 days in and I was wearing Mickey ears and eating Mickey shaped ice cream while cast members called me friend 😂

We've been a couple of times since and will probably go again in the next couple of years. It's expensive but we enjoy every moment.

Funnily enough I'm also capable of enjoying other things as I approach all travel with an open mind - in the last few years we've also been to India, South Africa, Germany, Morocco and this year we're going on an expedition cruise. We love all of them!

It's 43 square miles. As big as San Francisco. Twice the size of Manhattan. It's got 4 theme parks and 2 water parks. 30ish hotels? If you're staying there it's no different to staying in a hotel in a resort or seaside town in terms of things to see and do.

Love it. Not a particular Disney fan. I don't buy the very overpriced merchandise. And I don't get into meeting the characters - although the parade is very well performed.

It's just a really well done theme park. It's very clean, the staff are really friendly (this is Flordia not Paris).
The staging of each of the rides is fantastic.
It's an absolute triumph of marketing and branding - which I find really interesting just on its own.

The queues cam be horrific but with a bit of forward planning you can minimise this.

I don’t think you can grasp the sheer size of Disney world Florida until you’ve been. It’s not just A theme park. There’s 4 main parks and 2 water parks. Now if you dislike theme parks generally then it’s unlikely to be for you regardless as they’ll all feel the same. But each park is different with different rides and themes. So it’s like spending a day at Alton towers then a day at Thorpe park then a day at Chessington etc. You can’t just walk between the parks either. You need to take a bus/monorail/cab etc. You really do need at least a full day at each park to appreciate them.

If someone loved art museums I’m sure they wouldn’t say well I’ve been to one so I don’t need to see any others. They’ll likely all be different so they’ll want to see them all. But if someone hates art there’s no point them going to more than one as they’ll all be the same to them. Someone who likes cars might want to learn all about and look at every car. To others, you’ve seen one car you’ve seen them all. They’ll all look the same.

With a Disney holiday a lot of people also go to universal studios for a few days. A lot of people seem to use Disney and universal interchangeably but they are different places. But universal is a short drive away and also has 4 parks. 3 theme parks and a water park. So if you wanted to do Disney and universal and went to one different park each day that’s 10 days minimum. And that’s without factoring in any rest days/chilling by the pool. Which the hotels also have obviously. There’s also Disney springs which is shops and food etc you can go to.

It doesnt appeal to me at all (or DH ) so we've never been. We also think we would dislike cruises (a Disney cruise would be the ultimate nightmare! 🤣)

But we like camping and self catering...both of which other people would hate, its just different interests....
Imagine how much longer the queues would be if we all wanted to go!

I went to Disney World in Orlando three times as a kid in the ‘90s. Part of the “magic” is that it’s so immersive and it really does feel like you’re in some sort of fantasy world. If you’re not into Disney movies, don’t bother, but I was the kind of kid who dressed up like Ariel and Belle for Halloween and I had a great time.

Agreed - Disney World in Orlando is enormous. I don’t think it’s possible to do every part of every park in less than a week, bare minimum.

Disneyland Paris is apparently the most popular one. Having been three times to Florida, once to California and twice to Paris, I can definitely say all are excellent but Paris is not as crap as it was 20 years ago.

Last October, it was much better than I remember it being, and much easier to get to than flying for hours, especially with young children. My two had a brilliant time.

My neighbours love Disney and are in their late 50s and don't have children, so it's not just for those who have a young family.

My childhood was privileged to go twice to both Florida and California, and one of my favourite memories was the wonderful Spectro Magic parade at night. Just remembering it now makes me feel all fuzzy and a happy 10 year old again, clutching my Eeyore toy, having a great time.

Can you be more specific. Which Disneyland? Paris, California?

I presume you're asking me (sorry if not lol 😆)

The Paris one apparently, if I'm correct. I'll double check though.

Ha! I would fry any friend who made me go

No I meant OP but I see she does mention Florida so she means Disney World.

To answer @1985goingbackagain until you’ve been you can’t possibly understand the level of pleasure you get from it and it keeps you wanting to go back every year.

It isn’t about Mickey Mouse and Princesses as much as it is remembering the previous trips and then seeing the updates, reliving the same experiences, and making new memories. Another poster mentioned about the size, but I don’t think it does it justice, because doing Disney isn’t even about just Disney.

There is everything that people could want in Florida. Beaches just an hour away if you don’t want to live on Disney property, restaurants and entertainment districts beyond just those at Disney and universal. There are 4 Disney parks, and 2 water parks, then 3 universal parks and a water park, then Sea World, Busch Gardens, Lego Land, Kennedy Space Centre. You can spend the day relaxing and then swimming with dolphins, you can eat at a different awanky restaurant every night, there’s a boardwalk, city walk, 2 large outlets just in Orlando, a huge mall.

honestly you will never find someone who can do everything in their lifetime, it’s impossible. Even if you don’t care for rides you don’t have to set foot in a park to have enjoyed yourself. It is EVERYTHING, not just Disney

If you like theme parks, Disney are amongst the best. If you don’t they probably won’t appeal to you. I would accompany a grandchild if they wanted to go, but it isn’t somewhere I’d choose otherwise.

If you’re unsure, Paris Disney World is the best way to try it out - only an hours journey back to the centre of Paris if you decide it isn’t your thing.

For me, it was the absolute joy and wonder on my DD's face every second we were there. Every ride, every themed snack, every character interaction, the matching ears. It wasn't somewhere I had a desperate longing to go (having never been myself, I hadn't really got any pre-conceptions about it) but I'd take her back in a heartbeat because she loved it so much! I'm not a massive Disney fan, so I was surprised to find myself absolutely gutted to have to leave and to be tearing up every five minutes during our stay

The size of it means it is very immersive - it’s the size of a city (or several cities, I suppose). I don’t even particularly like Disney but was impressed by WDW in Florida. The water parks are also fun, Universal is pretty great.

It isn’t just a themed ride, the whole area the ride is in will have been landscaped to look like Jurassic World, or Star Wars. The queues weave through whole “jungles” or “rebel bases”. At the time I went, there was nothing on a similar scale in Europe (theme parks were just rollercoasters, the queues had all the atmosphere of a security queue in the airport). So it was pretty impressive compared to what I was used to.

My Mum saved up to take me and my brother to WDW when we were kids in the early 90s. I remember it being truly magical, like nothing I had ever experienced before...the wall to wall sunshine, the thousands of lights along Main Street during the night time parade, the smiley Americans telling us to "have a nice day", the sounds, sights and smells really did make it the "most magical place on earth".

We have been lucky enough to take our kids to WDW in Florida and CA a few times and although different, the magic is still there.

As an adult I appreciate just how excellent the 'product' is. Everything is streamlined, safe, and efficient. The little touches of customer service in the resort hotels are worth every penny, in my opinion. And the fireworks are out of this world!

Going to Disneyworld has kind of spoilt anything the UK (or indeed Disneyland Paris) can offer. We enjoy travelling to other places, seeing other countries and relaxing on European beaches, but will mix this with trips to Florida.

It doesn't appeal to me at all but I don't find it difficult to understand why other people enjoy it. It's a bit like skiing. I have zero desire to ever try it but I can see how it would be a lot of fun if you were a different kind of person to me. With Disney, I think the thing that seems to appeal to lots of people I know who love it - the fantasy and kind of being in a bubble away from the real word - is precisely what I don't want. Similarly with skiing I'm put off by the element of danger whereas it's the adrenaline rush that appeals to lots of keen skiers. I don't think either viewpoint is right or wrong, just different. If I had the same amount of money to spend on a holiday that some of my friends who go to Florida regularly do, there is no chance I'd spend it on going there. In fact there isn't anywhere in the world I have found yet that I'd go back to year after year. But so what? We like different things and it would be a very dull world if everyone was the same.

That's a fascinating theory. Could explain where there are significantly fewer Disney adults in Europe or other places that are naturally beautiful and designed for walking. The parks themselves are heavily inspired by medieval European villages. I always felt that Venice has similar vibes to Disneyland where people are just supposed to walk and get lost in a beautiful environment that transports them far away from their usual lives. Obviously no real comparison though...Venice is spectacular and not some capitalist man-made money grinder.

I was at Disney in Paris last week. The parade was cancelled because of the heat. It was hellishly busy (bank holiday). There were no characters walking round. When mine were young the characters would be walking up and down Main Street, giving high fives and hugs and posing for photos. Now you have to book and pay extra for this. Two adults and 3 children (2 of them teens) cost the best part of £1000 for two days just for entry. We weren’t staying at Disney.

The DCs (not ours, we took younger relatives) were ready to leave by 5pm. On day 2 one of them refused to come and stayed in the hotel in his own.

It’s really not the same as it used to be.

It’s immersive; an escape from reality.
Fast passes reduce queue times, the rides are amazing and it’s a ‘happy’ place.

I went to Disney World when I was 11 back in the 1990s and it was absolutely bloody amazing. America generally. The theme parks. The food. Just a stand out memory for me and my parents (it was our first foreign holiday). I was slightly older than the age group the Magic Kingdom is pitched at but loved it regardless.

There’s been some really interesting answers and theories on this thread. Thank you to the people who have explained the scale and structure of the parks rather than deciding there’s some “snobby” or unreasonable thinking behind asking a question on a chat forum! Sadly this seems to be an automatic reaction from some people on virtually every MN post these days.

I didn’t even know the term Disney Adult until this thread!

I was exactly the same when we took our children. Watching their faces see the characters they loved come to life was magical and something I’ll never forget.

The whole Orlando area can be good for adults.

There are more adult orientated theme parks like Universals Island of Adventure (some of the best rollercoasters in the world) and Seaworld. Some of the Disney attractions like Hollywood studios and the Epcot centre have great rides. They have a good water park at Blizzard mountain.

If you fancy some science you can go to Cape Kennedy and have a tour of the space centre as well. They have a Saturn V hanging from the roof which is just epic.

Disney may be a bit more kids orientated overall, but there is a ton of stuff to do in Orlando that is adult orientated.

It’s targeted at Disney fans so if you don’t fall into that category, of course you won’t “get it”. I’m not a big Disney fan personally so not my cup of tea, it is just a theme park like Alton Towers basically with people dressed in the costumes walking around/doing little performances.