[Question] Why do you love Disneyland?

[ShelbyH]

I've really been wondering, MC is full of major DLR fans--those weirdos just like me!--so why does a mega-fan love Disneyland? I know what my reasons are, but I'm wondering what yours are. Words like "fun" and "magic" seem so intangible. What is it that makes you love Disneyland so much you not only pay enormous amounts of money to go, but spend a bunch of time on a forum getting your DLR fix? What is it that makes Disneyland so danged awesome???

[calsig31]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

Reliving childhood memories through my own kids and making new ones at the same time.

[magicaldisney77]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

its a place where you can Forget all life's troubles.

[TL59]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

Where do I even begin.

I think what I like most about it is what Disneyland embodies, all the way back from opening day. It's a place for everyone to have fun together, to step out of the real world to enter worlds of yesteryear, fantasy, and the future. It's a place where you can take a rocket into space, be escorted by ghosts through a haunted mansion, ride on a runaway mine cart, go on an adventure with Indiana Jones, and so many other amazing experiences that you wouldn't experience anywhere else. I think it's truly amazing what Imagineers have done with the art of storytelling through attractions, and is one of the reasons I'm so interested in Imagineering. I guess it's that Disneyland is so wonderful in every single way that it's impossible not to at least like it, let alone be obsessed with it such as us forum users. That's the main reason I love it so much.

[Sorcerer's Apprentice]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

It's the atmosphere of dreams and fantasy, the charm of a place where you can loose yourself and find your inner child while sharing this with others who feel the same.

And it's all good!

[Dec2009Mama]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

For me its a place where:
~it doesn't matter what I wear
~how much I weight
~no demands from work
~unplug from electronics (phones, laptops, etc)
~i eat when and what i want

AND i can enjoy my families faces and reactions to all the wonders of Disney! Esp my two year old who has been to disneyland at 10 months old and 20 months ols and he LOVES it! Every time we go he discovers something new and exciting!

[Stormy]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

For me its a place where:
~it doesn't matter what I wear
~how much I weight
~no demands from work
~unplug from electronics (phones, laptops, etc)
~i eat when and what i want

AND i can enjoy my families faces and reactions to all the wonders of Disney! Esp my two year old who has been to disneyland at 10 months old and 20 months ols and he LOVES it! Every time we go he discovers something new and exciting!

Oh yes!!! This ^ to infinity and beyond!

At Disneyland I AM a child again, even when I was there with my own kids! So many of my kids' memories of Disneyland start with "Remember when Mom....." followed by something I did or we did together at the Park. One of my proudest accomplishments is the fact that both my sons (aged 28 & 23) will tell you that their love of Disney comes directly from me and my love for Disney! If a mom can say that, she is a success! LOL

[frollofan]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

it makes me feel happy for it truly is the "happiest place on earth".

[DisneylandTraveler]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

It's a treasure of joy and magic that can be passed down from generation to generation. I remember passing through those entrance tunnels and sitting in many of the same rides and attractions holding the hands of my parents, both of whom long passed away, the same way my son held on to mine not so long ago. And hopefully he will do the same with his family some day and tell them about the great times he had when he went to Disneyland with his parents.

[jasmineray]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

For me, it's the atmosphere and the rich history behind Disneyland. I'm amazed at what Walt Disney did with his ultimate dream and accomplishment. I nicknamed Disneyland "Never Land" a couple of years ago, because I feel like I don't age there, and I feel like I'm in an alternate universe. It's one of the most amazing feelings.

[Slappypunk]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

I love Disneyland because it's an escape from reality to me. I can enjoy life without the stress.

[ShelbyH]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

These are so great guys! And I totally feel the same way. Thanks!

[redrhino54]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

Because it makes me feel like a kid again ! I can block out the world outside the park, and just have a good time, and share it with thousands of others !!

[ohmyjustin]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

Without saying the same as someone else, I'd have to say the entertainment. They really care about their product and how their cast members represent it. Their parade entertainers, characters, etc. really are top-notch and their smiles are infectious.

[Steveman]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

My ex used to ask me this very question. It seemed to her so out of place with the rest of my interests and my personality in general, that I would be a fan of Disneyland. So, I've thought about this, and I think it mainly has to do with childhood memories. While I don't conciously think about or remember vists as child when I'm at the park, I think that must be the key.

I grew up in an unhappy family environment. A lot of fighting, yelling, and just general tension most of the time. We probably had 3 or 4 family visits to Disneyland when I was kid. And besides the all the magical things at Disneyland that naturally thrills a kid, I remember that on those trips my parents were actually both happy. Happy, and smiling and having fun together. Even though I'm now a middled aged man and many, many years have passed since then, I think somewhere deep down in my subconcious the joy I felt as a kid from those visits still affects me.

[3IAlienKid]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

posted by Steveman
...I think it mainly has to do with childhood memories...

posted by Slappypunk
...it's an escape from reality to me. I can enjoy life without the stress.

It's both these things for me as well. It started with my childhood. My parents would take us once a year. There was something about those memories upon memories that made going to DL feel like coming home so to speak as the years went on. Although as a kid DL wasn't necessarily an escape from reality, certainly as I got older it started to become that too and morphed with the childhood memory thing.

There's that story about how Billy Graham once commented to Walt Disney about the fantasy world that DL was (it's unclear to me whether he meant it as a compliment or slam). Walt replied something to the effect that DL is the way the world should be. I don't think Walt was denying that DL is a fantasy world, I think he was just offering a reframed perspective on it. And this is the way I feel about DL and reality, somewhere in the back corner of my mind I sorta wish the world was like this, and that's what keeps me coming back and why it's so hard to leave at the end of the day.

It's why I like those two plaques on the railroad track overpasses just before you hit Main St. that say "Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy". That just says it perfectly, you're not entering a land of reality, you're going somewhere quite far away from it. Everyone goes on vacation to escape reality, for me DL is perhaps my favorite ways of escape.

[Maleficent4811]

For me, it's the atmosphere and the rich history behind Disneyland. I'm amazed at what Walt Disney did with his ultimate dream and accomplishment. I nicknamed Disneyland "Never Land" a couple of years ago, because I feel like I don't age there, and I feel like I'm in an alternate universe. It's one of the most amazing feelings.

^^^^ this !!!!
I smile from the moment I get into the M&F lot and I'm energized, ready to play!
Just non stop fun, memories old and new, always something to see and do, just brings and overwhelming feeling of joy.

Truely happiest place on earth for me.

[greeeneyes17]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

it gives me a feeling like no other...
It is the one place nobody will ever be too old for.
It makes you appreciate the finished product of hard work and imagination, and goes to show that great things are possible if you work your butt off and be creative.
I just like admiring the place, for all it is, in all its beauty and wonder.
And the best part is, it will never be finished, as long is there is imagination left in the world, according to Walt himself

[ShelbyH]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

These are all so great!

[sbk1234]

Re: Why do you love Disneyland?

It's all that everyone said, and more. I see it as a whole Gestalt thing. It's MORE than just the rides, and shows, and families, and food, and music, and etc. It all meshes into this indescribable thing that transcends all.

Simply put, it touches me.