Would you spend your 50th at Disneyland?

[Headdoesntfeelclear]

Would this be weird?

I'm definitely not a Disney adult 🤣
My Dd has wanted to go for a few years, by my 50th (just over a year away) she will be 9, and it feels like time is running out to take her and for it to be magical.
As cheesy as it sounds, i'm happy to go as it makes me happy to see her happy. Of course I would rather be on a beach in Hawaii, but can't afford that and love Paris and we can see the sights and show her Paris too

It just seems a bit 😂 to spend your 50th there. The last time I was in Paris was for my 30th when we got engaged

Its actually quite sad, fine, don't like it, I probably would hate the sorts of holidays/hobbies they do but I would never hijack a thread to say I'd rather stick wasps in my arse than do x,y,z, I'd think well this thread does apply to me so I won't respond.

All very odd!

My dad is doing this for his 70th 🤷‍♀️ loves the place and we got a massive air BnB for us all and all the grandkids

And nobody has taken me up on my offer to tell me what they do on their holidays so that I can explain why WDW (and the Orlando area) would still have things for them

Boring fuckers 😂

I am looking forward to my 2 disney trips next year, ticking Tokyo off my list in particular, not a child in sight in our party. I honestly dont care what people think, I will mention it to my very immature friend who is coming and is the Head of Governance for a very large international insurance company. She is stupid and immature, I'm so very sad for her 😂

I will. I go to historical and heritage sites. And museums. Did it with my kids too. Knossos in Crete, Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Smithsonian in DC... that kind of thing.

Visited Disney in California with DC 1. Was not for me. Did not return with DC 2.

Mostly people go hiking because they like nature, beautiful scenery, peace and quiet;, getting their steps in is just a useful by-product. I don’t think you would have the quite the same experience walking round a theme park !!

I go hiking too. Disney is not the same.

I dont think i would like Disney, but appreciate lots of people do. We go camping which i know loads of people dont find enjoyable.
Its just as well everyone likes different types of holiday otherwise they'd all be fully booked!

We couldnt afford Disney and rarely went abroad when our DC were a suitable age for it so it was not a real life dilemma we had to deal with.
Its my 50th next year but my kids will be 18 and 20 so hopefully we'll find something everyone likes

Well then Epcot has you sorted immediately doesn’t it. World showcase is essentially a collection of cultural exhibitions, with shows that take you across China and Canada (the two that I particularly enjoy) looking at their history and their rich landscapes.

There are 11 countries featured, each designed with the assistance of the countries themselves. There are shows that immerse you in the culture, authentic street artists, food from the various places. Even the cast members there are from the countries that are represented.

There are museum style exhibitions including a rotating series of exhibitions on American history, the Bijutsu-kan Gallery which showcases Japanese culture and traditions, Mexico have folk art on display. They aren’t just using replicas of artefacts either, there are real Viking artefacts in Norway for example.

They have festivals through the year, celebrating Food and Wine, Art, and Flower and Gardens…each one is represented by the countries that are in the World Showcase and more countries participate. Famous artists, performers, chefs appear and give talks or display their works.

There is an entire ride dedicated to the history of communication and technology. You basically sit in a car whilst you are taken through the invention of paper, language, art developments, the computer. There is a whole area dedicated to marine life and conservation of manatees etc. There is a show about climate change and how we can protect the planet, and it is right next to a boat trip where they show you about the plants and sustainability of the park.

All of that is just in one park. It doesn’t even mention all of the things you can do in Animal kingdom with the Safari, walking trails amongst animals, conservation education, tours, petting zoos for younger children to learn about animals.

I love going to cultural sites and museums, and my favourite ever trip of that nature was to Florence and the Galleria Academia where I got to see the Statue of David. But it doesn’t have to be one or the other, and Disney can have a place to play whether you realise it or not.

I would really rather go to China and Japan. Which I have. With small kids. I find the whole thing a bit artificial.

I also hated Vegas but my DH liked it.

Disney have a camp site too…though that’s an expensive trip if you are wanting to go camping. I imagine it’s good for locals (not super super local) though.

Yeah and absolutely I would love to go there too, Japan is on my list for the near future but waiting until son is finished at uni so I can do some of Korea on my own then meet him back in Japan.

I find the idea of Vegas to be incredibly tacky, but again I will end up going when my son is over 21 so that we can explore it fully, I won’t love it, but I’ll definitely find some good in it and enjoy it. I mean I really wasn’t fussed on New York, stinky stinky place, but I still loved some aspects of it like 9/11 museum. I don’t write either of them off as awful just because they aren’t to my taste, and I’ll still enjoy parts of them, and I certainly wouldn’t be rude about them like people are about Disney.

Agreed. But Disney isn’t a hiking holiday, and Orlando isn’t only the theme parks. There are so many places across Florida that you could visit at the same time as the theme parks. The space coast, they have bioluminescent sea life, they have the Everglades. These things are not accessible in all places, and so this would give other options to explore.

The point I am trying to make is that people ridicule or are downright rude about people who go to Disney and who are Disney Adults, but why? There is literally no reason, not liking Disney doesn’t make a person special, and being rude to people who do makes them just that…rude

It’s not so much what I do, as to what I see and the feeling I have about places. I like European towns and cities which have a proper old town, or white villages. I like to sit in a cafe in a beautiful old square or wander around narrow streets with interesting little shops. I like visiting churches and palaces. I also like scenery like hills, and lakes and the sea.

Im sure in terms of ‘doing’, I could wander up and down my local high street and go to Costa but it wouldn’t be quite the same thing!

I have been to DLP - we went when DS was 8 or 9, so in terms of the OP’s question, I would go to make my child happy, but it’s not my thing otherwise .

It’s not that complicated, @Boreded. Florida doesn’t have mountains. It doesn’t have a via ferrata. It doesn’t have medieval cathedrals. It doesn’t have Roman ruins. It doesn’t have cities and villages that have developed organically over centuries (other than a bit of St Augustine). If your ideal holiday is medieval art and architecture in Florence/Venice/Ravenna, or climbing in the Alps, or doing the Wild Atlantic Way, Florida has nothing. I’d be quite interested to see the Everglades, but nothing else appeals.

The OP asked 'Would you ...' so 'No I wouldn't' is a reasonable reply.

I like to go to local cafés, drink nice coffee and pastries and watch the world go by.
I like to go to interesting museums.
I like to walk to interesting natural features - up hills, round lakes etc
I like to walk along beaches and do a bit of rock pooling, stone throwing etc with the kids
We like to try ice creams.

Well its not a helpful reply though, surely the whole point is to give an opinion in response to the OPs query. As opposed to purely no I would rather stick wasps in my arse (not saying that was your comment)

Out of all parks I've done I think California was not the best.

You can like Disney and also appreciate history and culture. I love museums too but sometimes I just want to experience the Disney magic and I love the songs and merchandise 😁 I believe I'd enjoy it more if I go just with DH like we used to pre DD but I'd like to give DD the Disney experience when she is old enough.

I think this sounds like the perfect plan for you all then really. It doesn't matter what other people would like to do or what they will think. Enjoy!

That’s not true. I took you up on your offer and you came back with a response that did not convince me to go to Disney. I am fairly certain I will never go to Florida. I’d say 99% sure. I don’t know why that offends you and why you’re so defensive about Disney. It’s almost like you’re being paid to advertise it, but I’d be surprised if the capitalist behemoth that is Disney needs you to advertise it on MN. But then again the CoL is hitting hard worldwide so maybe footfall in the parks is declining.

I have actually been to a Disney park. I went to Disneyland California in the late 80s when I was a child. We spent one day there. I had a good time but actually enjoyed San Francisco and Santa Cruz more, even as an 11 year-old. The biggest thrill of the trip was buying the Neneh Cherry album in Tower Records in LA before it was on sale in the UK. That gave me bragging rights when I got home!

I’m going to be sticking to my UK and Europe holidays if it’s all the same to you.

Also, as pointed out by PP, hiking is nothing to do with getting one’s steps in 😂 It’s about being in the wilderness, appreciating nature and finding headspace. I can assure you I won’t find headspace walking round a theme park.

I am sure you are right @Boreded in so far as most people could probably find something they would like in the Orlando area if they went with a positive attitude. I honestly can't think of anywhere I have been where I have been unable to find something enjoyable to do, and even the places I have least liked have had some redeeming features. I don't doubt that there are some interesting things to see and do in the theme parks and surrounding area but I still won't be going. Not because I think Orlando is objectively "bad" but because life is short, the world is huge and there are lots of places which appeal to me far more.
I feel much the same about Disney/Orlando as I do about skiing or a beach holiday in the Caribbean. If for some reason I found myself in one of those situations I would make the best of it and hopefully find aspects of the trip fun and interesting, but I wouldn't choose to do any of them.
The USA as a whole is pretty low on my wish list currently but if I did go there are loads of places I'd prioritise over Orlando, due to my personal interests and preferences. Not some kind of anti Orlando vendetta, just the fact that with limited time and money for travel I'm not going to spend any of it on somewhere that doesn't attract me on the off chance that I'm wrong, when there are plenty of places, many much nearer and less expensive, that I really do want to visit. Surely that's a fairly common view? Why does it matter if people don't want to visit Orlando, or anywhere else come to that?

💯 with you, I love a little potter around in a seaside town on the coast of Spain or an island. I do Disney every year but not at the expense of other breaks, cultural or relaxing.

Yeah and that’s totally fine, it doesn’t have to appeal. But people on here are shitting on those who do go to Disney, or making stupid comments like they’d rather poke their eyes out.

There’s nobody quite as rude as someone who dislikes Disney and makes it a whole thing, it’s bizarre.