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??

Yes, snobby seems to be the default insult. It’s nothing “snobby” whatsoever, tbh I’m more fascinated how people afford it!

Of course not. Snobby is when you look down on other people and think you’re somehow better than them because you choose different things. Not liking something is not being snobby in itself, it’s the judgement that often goes along with it.

🤣🤣

It’s interesting that a question about Disney prompted a list of cultural credentials rather than an answer.

Given that artists such as Mary Blair are admired well beyond Disney fandom, it’s a curious assumption that enjoying Disney somehow excludes an appreciation of art.

I’ve managed to visit the Royal Opera House, Tate Modern and Disney World this year without suffering any cultural confusion. They didn’t even rip up my La Traviata tickets when I had a Disney keyring on my bag!!

We've just come back and I didn't enjoy it. Went when I was a child and wanted to recreate that experience for my DC - but impossible when queues so long, everything so expensive. My daughter had a good time though. We stayed off site which puts you at a massive disadvantage with queuing - on site guests have 10 days in advance to buy Lightning Lane passes, Off site only have 3 which means passes for some rides have sold out or that only certain time slots have gone by the time you get the opportunity to book. If you don't buy Lightning passes at all you're looking at 60 min+ queues for some rides. Made the mistake of having a beer and a cocktail in one if the parks - cost us $39.

We were a Disney family when I was a kid; we went to DisneyWorld every year for April school vacation when my brother and I were children. That being said, we live in the US and this was not considered a big trip for our family; there are a lot of inexpensive flights from New England to FL. The threads I see about spending weeks in Orlando and it being a big expenditure are confusing to me and I don't get it, either. It's not a great area and if someone is traveling from outside of the US, it's one of the last places I'd recommend for a beautiful vacation.

We've been twice. First time in summer when DC were 4/6 and second time during New Year when DC were 6/8.

Queuing was a minimum as we used the app to track queue times and went on popular rides during parade times or first thing when the park opened. We preferred the theatre shows to the rides.

I think the comment of it being fake could be applied to anything popular these days. Visiting the eiffel tower, fake. Visiting London, fake with lost of tatt shops. Watching Taylor Swift in concert. Fake. "I love you all". Do you fuck. Most of the pleasantry chats with your colleagues has every chance of being fake and for appearances.

OP your life will be alot faker than you realise so learn to embrace some if it.

Im not "into" disney but can appreciate it for what it is.

My mum and dad took us 3 times (20 years ago now) and i have the best memories.

We have just booked a 18 night stay, 14 in disney and 4 in universal and i must admit im sooooo excited, I have 3 girls and i know they will be just overtaken with excitement, we are keeping it a suprise until we get to the airport.

I think what they do they do really well and i dot get why people are annoyed by it.

People aren't going for a "beautiful vacation". It's a busy, active, on-the-go holiday. People go for 2 weeks upwards because it's incredibly expensive to fly out in school holidays. You get guaranteed weather, some cheap shopping, some good days outside the area (Busch Gardens, Space Centre, Crystal River) and if you stay in the right place you don't need a car. There isn't really anywhere else like it.

If you want any planning tips then just PM me…I’ve been doing that style trip every year for a decade and a half. Have it down to a fine art now

Not my cup of tea but for many it's the middle class dream. I don't mind a theme park by Disneyland is chavvy.

Thanks so much, one of my best friends is disney obsessed and goes every year, shes helped me loads as its a total minefield and hard to understand but im getting the idea 😅

I’ve zero interest in shopping and other sights in Orlando area but I have taken my kids to enjoy the parks a number of times over the years. We also love the weather.

always come back having lost a few pounds and done 20k steps a day (and a tonne of rides). Kids have a blast although probably more into universal now. I never got to go as a kid because of the cost so I’ve loved it with mine. Also some ND kids absolutely love theme park rides which is another bonus. My kids don’t all like sightseeing type trips so this is one we all enjoy together. For me the secret is in the planning which I do absolutely militarily so we all get loads out of it.

As observed above I also feel the need to justify myself 😂I also have various cultural memberships, kids also enjoy theatre and art with me, and we love to go and see live sporting events too. We also have sporting and active holidays. We love them all.

I went quite a bit to Disneyworld Florida as a small child, as we lived nearby. Since moving to the UK, I've been lucky to go back many, many times, never as a holiday in itself, but as part of wider holiday in Florida/seeing family.

On the face of it, it's just a theme park, but once there, it's much more. Everything is geared up to be good, everyone is friendly, everything is clean, keeping the 'magic' alive is paramount. Rides are fun, shows are spectacular. My family and I are all as cynical as they come, and yet all of us still love Disney. I wasn't quite so enamoured with Disneyland Paris.

Also Disneyworld is more than just Cinderella's Castle, there are 4 parks plus 2 water parks. And they're each HUGE. I love Epcot for feeling like I'm stepping into another country for a moment, I love Animal Kingdom for the incredible world building of different continents, and I love Hollywood Studios because I'm a massive film fan and love the insight into the behind the scenes.

And guess what, I'm also well travelled, always visit UNESCO sites, churches, art galleries and museums around the world on my travels (and sometimes pop into a local museum on my lunch hour to study a particular painting or artefact), love opera (and pop), read literature (and very occasionally chick lit) etc etc etc.

We can all like different things. And you don't have to go to Disneyworld/land.

We’ve only done two day visits to Disney Paris which had been enough to tick the Disneyland box as parents. We’ve been three times. Youngest absolutely loves it and intends to do the full Disneyland World/Universal experience when she is old enough to pay herself. She is also obsessed with history and a complete nerd so quite well rounded.

We’ve always stayed off site and done Paris as well. I love that we can be riding Space Mountain one day and in the Musee d’Orsay the next. DH is an architectural technologist and loves all the design that goes into the park and rides. My DC don’t really like the characters but we enjoy wandering around and going on the rides. Even an old cynic like me can find some love for It’s a Small World. It’s just fun to embrace a bit of whimsy sometimes. It isn’t cheap. We paid nearly £800 for 4 x two day tickets last time. But it’s an every few years thing for us. We’ve also really enjoyed Efteling in the Netherlands which is cheaper and we prefer it to Disney.

You do you, and I'll do me.
I didn't go to Disney as a child, but went as a young adult when I could pay for it myself and loved it. Since then, I have been many times to Florida, California, Paris and Tokyo once.
Both my DC loved it as children, now as adults, one still would go at any opportunity, the other is not so keen.
Being in the Disney bubble makes me happy, I don't know why it just does.
My idea of a nightmare holiday is all-inclusive in a resort in the med during the school holidays (or any time really)
I also wouldn't want Disney to be my only holiday or to go every year or multiple times a year. Just every once in a while, then travelling the rest of the world in between.

Well I definitely recommend watching the weekly news updates from DFB and also PagingMrMorrow on YouTube, he is really fun

I've only been once, to Paris. Here were the good bits:

The rides are great, well themed, well organised, staff even have ride-related costumes
It's far cuter and more appealing than your average theme park e.g. all the olde worlde style buildings
Some good interactive mini shows / set pieces for when you're not on rides
We found the staff fantastic in general throughout
The fireworks / drone shows we saw were amazing
Generally happy vibes from everyone around us (until the evening anyway)
No one in our family found the general Disney experience / characters / parades magical tbh, kids possibly a bit old?
Lots of different food choices
It was v busy but never felt overwhelmingly crowded

Tbh I wouldn't rush back, but if the above appeals to people I can see why they go back repeatedly. I think a lot of people like to know what to expect.

I’m interested.

For the record, I hated it, but I’m wondering what you think makes it ‘chavvy’?

The holiday you described would be my idea of hell too, but then so was Disney. I wouldn’t go on a cruise either.

I think I’ve realised that holidays with fewer people around are my bag.

In my defence, I see a lot of people (most of them fairly small) during working hours, so holidays are about getting away from it all.

This
Never understand why some people can't grasp that we all don't like the same thing.
I'm guessing it's because it's fun, whimsical, reminds them of happy childhood memories or something like that.