Some people don't "get" Disney

[KeithS]

So, there I was at work, trying to impart my Disney enthusiasm on my fellow workmates - and what do I get? just some smart-alec comments about me being silly about spending my money going to these parks.

Now, I can excuse this from people who have never been to a Disney park, but a few of them had. Those that had gone said they enjoyed the rides, but that it was similar to going to Movie World etc, just bigger!

Then I realised that these people just didn't "get it". They were failing to connect with the parks at an emotional level. To them it was mechanics and facades - not heart and soul, nostalgia and atmosphere.

Have other people come across this from park visitors? What if your partner was like that - they travel with you they but don't get it? I am lucky in that regard as Della and I both share this Disney obsession with each other. What is it like if you have to drag your partner along (or do you just leave him/her behind!)

Your thoughts?

[sandie]

My husband Peter doesn't get it. He is just happy to go on a holiday - he would go wherever I picked. But thats ok - it means I get time alone in theparks and he will take the kids. As long as we do a few car related things he just hands over the cheque book and I go to the travel agent.

We actually got married at WDW (before Disney had organised weddings) so I guess that proves he is happy to go wherever I choose. Except he is quite up front that he will never go to Tokyo with me and is a bit blah about Europe. When we are old we may need to take separate holidays!

My daughter whois 10 is starting to get it but i don't think my son ever will.

Thats ok though I don't get people who spend $80,000 on a car or want to spend 2 weeks lying on a beach!

Sandie

[KeithS]

Thats ok though I don't get people who spend $80,000 on a car or want to spend 2 weeks lying on a beach!

Della and I were saying exactly the same thing yesterday. We were at our skiing club annual dinner last night, and we were talking to people at our table who said they had just come back from 17 days at a Thailand beach resort. We both thought - why 17 days at a beach?

I guess some people like lying on a beach reading a good book - but for me, my holidays have to be interactive!

Even though your husband doesn't get it, it is great that there is so much in the US to do that he can come along and still enjoy a great holiday while letting you do the stuff you like to do.

[sandie]

Actually the really good thing is that I have him convinced that if he ever wants a divorce it needs to be done at WDW otherwise it wouldn't be valid in Australia!

Sandie

[mushu mama]

So, there I was at work, trying to impart my Disney enthusiasm on my fellow workmates - and what do I get? just some smart-alec comments about me being silly about spending my money going to these parks.

I get this from work, the coffee girls, family, everyone! The eye rolling and smirking starts as soon as 'Disney' is out of my mouth. The upside is I can go to the antique fairs far and wide down here and never have any competition for the Disney goodies. It all waits for me to turn up with cash \:D/... although maybe I shouldn't be telling anyone about that!

What if your partner was like that - they travel with you they but don't get it?

Now this I can speak on with absolute authority. In my experience, it definitely takes the shine off the fun when the person you are travelling with doesn't 'get' Disney - you know "no more shopping" or " haven't you got a photo of that already?", " we don't really have to ride it AGAIN do we?". And I can guarantee that I won't be doing that again. ](*,) .

My daughter gets Disney, and my son pretends not to.

~Lisa

[mushu mama]

We both thought - why 17 days at a beach?I guess some people like lying on a beach reading a good book - but for me, my holidays have to be interactive!.

Don't tell me I'm the only beach fiend on this forum. Sorry guys but I LOVE the beach. 17 days on a Thai beach sounds blissful. And 'not interactive'? try snorkling, diving, sea kayaking, cave diving (bit yucky when there are eels in there too though...)SHOPPING, massages on the beach, windsurfing,MAI TAI's at sunset- now thats interactive!!! I don't think I've ever packed a book yet! But its would be hard to top Tahiti for beaches. Gorgeous! Oh.... and floating along in an awsome blue lagoon with a huge group of eagle rays just beyond your arms length - that was magic.

Oops, sorry, this was about Disney travel wasn't it....

~ Lisa

[KeithS]

17 days on a Thai beach sounds blissful. And 'not interactive'? try snorkling, diving, sea kayaking, cave diving

Maybe it is just my English heritage coming out - you know how us poms hate water (at least baths and soap etc!!!)

[calisota]

I think that most people who know me have already accepted that I:

...am addicted to the Gilmore Girls.
...have over 2000 books and have read most of them.
...can not only turn on a computer but actually work it.
...have holidays where I don't shower for days at a time, walk long distances and eat odd things in strange places.
...have a head full of useless trivia
...don't drink beer
...have actually listened to classical music
...don't surf
...support the All Blacks

so my love of Disney is just a minor quirk.

Of course this doesn't mean that they get it, it just means that they accept it as the norm for me.

I went to the States a few years ago with a couple of girls. We planned on spending a few days in LA (walking distance from Disneyland), and then drive to Las Vegas for a few days. They loved Vegas but only spent one day in Disneyland, despite having paid for a 3 day ticket. I ended up going the 3 days while they went shopping. Their biggest complaint was that it was smaller than they imagined and, while they enjoyed the one day, they felt they had "done Disneyland" on that one day.

I spent all my time walking around just soaking in the atmosphere but after having spent time in all the theme parks here (Dreamworld, Seaworld, Movieworld) it was just another park to them.

Greg

[calisota]

Here's an article I found that is on topic for this thread but didn't really belong on the "Disney News" page off the site front page.

Greg


Turning back the clock at Disney World

Grown-ups find magic without kids
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 05/28/06
BY TODD LEWAN
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Adults I know who go to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., have this tendency to describe how the theme park has helped them bond with their children, or how important it is to have the little ones teach them how to feel young again.

Although I'm a grown man with no spouse or little ones, I appreciate those sentiments. I just don't get why over-30s need kids to bring them back to Disney in the first place.

I'm one of those silly grown-ups who, on occasion, goes to Disney without kids.

I suppose I could spend my free time more productivelythan getting nauseous from zooming in the pitch black on a high-speed roller jet called Space Mountain or dining at a restaurant that looks, smells and costs like some eatery on the Quai d'Orsay in Paris — when, in reality, it is only a replica within a world of replicas.

But there is something about deciding to be childlike and silly — even for a few hours — that is liberating.

The last time I did Disney World was on my birthday. A lady friend had flown in from the West Coast and wanted to spend some quality time together.

I suggested the Magic Kingdom. She asked me if I was kidding. I said not really.

Ready to let go

We stopped first at City Hall, where a "Today is my Birthday" button was pinned to my shirt pocket, and continued on up Main Street, USA.

Boys selling balloons, men playing trombones and ladies in Mrs. Potts' Cupboard all wished me a happy birthday.

Inside the gift shops, where your vision gets saturated with a kaleidoscope of colorful gobbledygook, my cynical side rose up and whispered into my brain:

"Beware! Theme parks are mass-marketed, scripted experiences designed, quite sublimely, to lull the visitor into a consumeristic trance."

"Hey!" she said, and then plopped a tan golf cap with a blue, embroidered Mickey silhouette on my head. "Now, that looks really cute on you."

When it makes perfect sense to plunk down $20 for a Mickey Mouse golf cap, and when you stroll about in public wearing such a thing free of embarrassment — that's a sign that you have abandoned all logic and are ready to let go.

Head of the line

We visited Disney World during the fall, one of the park's least crowded seasons. I assumed that fastpasses — those vouchers to help you zip to the front of the regular line — would be unnecessary.

But the sign at the entrance to Splash Mountain said we'd have to wait two hours on the regular line. So, we took our fastpasses to Splash Mountain.

We returned four hours later and zipped right to the front of the line, passing scores of people. There was, I'll admit, something childishly satisfying in noting their sallow expressions.

On Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, I almost lost my golf cap careering through canyons and rimrocks and tunnels at breakneck pace. But in the end it was worth it. My face had gone pallid, and my companion felt a tinge of pity.

"Poor baby. How about a kiss?" she asked.

Next, I suggested a boat ride at Pirates of the Caribbean.

We took the last row (on purpose, I may add) in the boat, and began to float through a dark, chilly tunnel. She huddled close when the sounds of cannonball fire started booming.

I didn't see much else of the ride, except the sailor or imprisoned pirate groaning from behind bars. Otherwise, it was smooth sailing.

Streaks across the sky

As it turned out, we turned back the clock on adulthood for another 10 hours.

Some of our golden moments included: "Mickey's PhilharMagic," a multidimensional movie where you feel like you're riding Aladdin's magic carpet through clouds, accompanied by breaths of wind, aromas of pastries and squirts from popping champagne bottles; the plunging, sensation of the first drop into blackness aboard the Space Mountain coaster; watching the childlike smile light up the face of my date as she gave Mickey a hug while I snapped their picture; and seeing the glittery beams cast by the SpectroMagic light parade light up the eyes of a woman in a wheelchair.

The end of the night found us beneath Cinderella's Castle. Up above, fireworks burned diamondlike streaks across the sky — a perfect way to end the day.

[sandie]

Greg i have a friend I should fix you up with.....
let me know when you are next in Sydney.

Sandie

[KeithS]

Hey Greg, to me you sound pretty normal (except the Gilmore Girls...that show is just too girly for me...)

I guess there is no such thing as normal anymore - take my dad for example, he has sugar on his ice cream, not chocolate sauce or strawberries...sugar!

If I went to the US and had the choice of shopping or Disneyland, I know what I'd do (and it wouldn't matter if they were attractive girls either - I wouldn't be shopping...unless it was in the Main Street Emporium!)

On Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, I almost lost my golf cap careering through canyons and rimrocks and tunnels at breakneck pace. But in the end it was worth it. My face had gone pallid, and my companion felt a tinge of pity.

I enjoyed reading that news article. But it got me thinking along other lines - does anyone here suffer rollercoaster motion sickness? I'm pretty fortunate in that I never feel queasy getting off these rides (even the teacups!) In fact, California Screamin' had the opposite effect on Della. She was feeling queasy before getting on (it was our first ride after breakfast) and when she got off she was feeling fine!

[sandie]

Body Wars at EPCOT was the only Disney attraction that made me sick - thank god its gone!!!

I know a lot of people get sick on spinning rides - especially Mission Space.

Sandie

[mushu mama]

it got me thinking along other lines - does anyone here suffer rollercoaster motion sickness?

Nope
.... I'm too busy doing this insane mix of giggling and screaming....

what a rush! \:D/ I LOVE rollercoasters!


~Lisa

[KeithS]

what a rush! \:D/ I LOVE rollercoasters!

It is funny but I used to be scared of them. I never even went on one until I started going out with Della.

My first coaster was the Big Dipper at Sydney's Luna Park - Della and I went there on one of our first dates in 2000. It was a pretty good coaster with a couple of inversions (it is up at Dreamworld now I think - it was too noisy for the local Sydney residents!). It took us all day to get the courage to ride it, but when we did, it was great fun - but we only did it once and it didn't make me feel any more comfortable about coasters in general.

My next coaster experience was Movie World - however the Lethal Weapon wasn't operating when we went to get on as it was undergoing maintenence - when it eventually came up, we were a bit worried about riding it - so we missed it.

But it wasn't really until Disneyland last year that I got over the whole fear factor. I never forget walking into DCA and seeing California Screamin' and thinking "Are we really going to ride that??!!!" It took us a week to get the courage up (using the smaller coasters at DL and Universal to desensitise us. Also, Della kept reminding me of the ridicule we would face if we returned to Australia after 10 days in DL and had not even ridden CS!)

Then, when we finally went on it, it was like - Oh wow, this is the best ride ever! We both loved it and yelled and screamed.

Conquering that coaster left me with a zero fear factor as far as coasters go - it is now just a big rush. We rode Space Mountain multiple times in HK and could sit there and just enjoy the ride, the rush and the special effects without the panic.

Now, whenever I look at a coaster, there is no hesitation from my part - it is just a "let's get on it" feeling.

[mushu mama]

......... 'Snaps' for Keith and Della!!!! =D>

Welcome to the ranks of 'adrenalin junkies'.......

With this world trip on the go (am presuming you got a 'yes' from your respective bosses by the new blurb at the bottom of all your posts) you will get quite a few doses of 'rush' by the time you return home.

Wish I could go too.

~ Lisa