What makes Disney so Special to you?

[WDW Peak Seasons]

I am curious as to what your repsonses are to this question. For our family I think it is just the safe environment that Disney offers. As soon as you drive under the Welcome to Walt Disney World Resort arches and enter the property you just get that magical feeling like you hahve left all your problems behind.

Please let me know your thoughts.

[nbodyhome]

Re: What makes Disney so Special to you?

I actually don't know. It's like being in Paris, or London, or Switzerland...each has a feel to it. I've been going to Disney for 30 years now, but I can't put my finger on why I still do (I'm drawn to it, just like Paris!) I am fortunate to live close by, so I can go elsewhere for vacations.

Denise

[WDW Peak Seasons]

Re: What makes Disney so Special to you?

Hey Denise did you get my email by the way with the sample? And I know sometimes it is hard to put your finger on it. The best way I can describe also is if you have been on the property for a day or two and then have to leave to go pick up something from a store. You know immediately when you leave the property...think International Drive

[Dagobert]

Re: What makes Disney so Special to you?

Disney is very special for me, because when you enter the parks, especially the magic kingdoms, you forget everything around you, you enter the happiest place on earth. There are no other parks like disney, it's just the disney magic. When you see the characters you feel like a child again.

I'm a very new disney-park fan, I've only been three times to DLRP and in January I'm going to WDW, but now I'm addicted to disney parks.

[nbodyhome]

Re: What makes Disney so Special to you?

Hey Denise did you get my email by the way with the sample? And I know sometimes it is hard to put your finger on it. The best way I can describe also is if you have been on the property for a day or two and then have to leave to go pick up something from a store. You know immediately when you leave the property...think International Drive

I did get the email, thanks! It has been so busy here with family and such, but I'll be reading it today or tomorrow.

Also - it is interesting to see how the Brits do Disney. They often stay 2 - 3 weeks off property, go to Universal, Sea World, and I see lots of posts from them with raves about Wal Mart. I like that they often aren't tied to just Disney. But it is nice to stay on property too.

[maddogjoe]

Re: What makes Disney so Special to you?

The first time I went WDW was just after I join the Navy (Late 76), and my family came down from New England to go with me. The next time was my honeymoon a couple of years later. The next time, was the first time with my two boys, and the time after that was the last trip my father in law ever made before he passed away. The last trip I went down was after my oldest son graduated from HS, figuring it my be the last "family" vacation we get before they go off on their own. The next trip I hope to make is next year, after my oldest graduates from college and before he is mired down in the "working world".

Every trip to WDW has been a great memory, even the one with my father in law. We all knew how sick he was but once you hit WDW all the real world troubles fade away, and for that week or so all is right with the world, thats why I love Disney!

[Charmed-One]

Re: What makes Disney so Special to you?

Also - it is interesting to see how the Brits do Disney. They often stay 2 - 3 weeks off property, go to Universal, Sea World, and I see lots of posts from them with raves about Wal Mart. I like that they often aren't tied to just Disney. But it is nice to stay on property too.

We stayed off property the first few times visiting WDW, mainly because we could'nt afford to stay at a Disney Resort but since our first stay on property we would'nt stay any other way even if it does mean saving longer for our trips. It's much more convenient for us as the buses run much more regular than at off property hotels and because we spend the biggest majority of our trip at Disney and we don't have a car that is a big bonus for us.
We always go to Universal and Sea World and i love all the shopping malls!, looking forward to going to a Wal Mart for the first time too

[AstroBlaster]

Re: What makes Disney so Special to you?

Disney takes me back to my youth when my father used to work at Disneyland and we would go often (even after he left the company he still had connections). Now I relive my youth through my children's eyes.

[MJMcB]

Re: What makes Disney so Special to you?

dole whips and norweigan girls

[Parisi]

Re: What makes Disney so Special to you?

All I know is that everytime I step foot onto Main St USA, I get transported back to when I was a kid and I went for the very first time.

[WDW Peak Seasons]

Re: What makes Disney so Special to you?

Yep Dole Whips. Even last Christmas when in the AM it was in the 40's I still had to have one!

[kcnole]

Re: What makes Disney so Special to you?

There are two, maybe three things that really make both Disney and to some extent Universal really special to me.

1. Nostalgic memories. My family spent a great deal of time in both parks when I was younger and to this day there are no greater memories than our time there. If I could go back and relive any portion of my life it would be our trips to both Disney and Universal. My family life always had a lot of tension and both my parents are now divorced, but when we were in the parks it was as if there really was something magical that happened and all those tensions just disappeared and for 1 or 2 weeks, we were the perfect family. I really miss those things. Some of these are starting to fade a bit however as the rides I have those memories of disappear. Such as 20k, Horizons, The Hanna Barberra ride at Universal, etc... But fortunately many of them still remain. And I will cling to those memories till the day I die.

2. Visiting either of those parks (especially if its on a long vacation where you're staying on site and immersed in the magic for the entirety) allows me to completely forget about all the stress I have in the real world. While I'm there the Middle East problems don't exist, no politicians are quipping at each other with ridiculous comments, my job doesn't exist. Its just me and my wife (and soon my son as he gets older) having the greatest time of our life.

3. Its just the ability to enjoy these attractions together as a family. Walt's old quote about Disney being a place where the family can have fun "TOGETHER" is what I think makes them so special to me. Its why I'm so disappointed to see so many rides slowly becoming thrill oriented which means that children, and grandparents, and people who just don't like thrill rides can't ride together anymore. That makes me a bit sad as just like my point in number 1 of memories I loved as a smaller child being able to laugh and enjoy the same attractions that both my parents and grandparents did all at the same time.

[danyoung]

Re: What makes Disney so Special to you?

Threads like this one come up every once in a while, and I love reading peoples' responses. You see a lot of words like "magic" or "that undefinable something", but it usually comes down to the same thing - Disney parks just feel like no other place on earth. I've been visitng the parks since my first visit to DL at a 6 year old, way back in 1963. Combine all of the anticipation of getting to see the place for the first time that I'd been learning about from TV for the past few years, with the fun of the actual day, spent with my immediate family and some of my favorite relatives, and you've got a firm foundation of special memories. Imagine my joy at finding out at age 10, during the summer between 4th and 5th grades, that we were moving from our small town in Washington to southern California, AND DISNEYLAND WOULD BE JUST 15 MINUTES AWAY! It was very cool during those years to save what little money we earned as kids for our next DL trip, being able to go 3 or 4 times a year, and especially enjoying the special event nights like G.L.A.S.S. Night (Greater Los Angeles Sunday School), where you got to storm the park from 7pm to midnight with a very limited crowd AND NO A-E TICKETS! Fun memories!!!

And now, as an ol' single guy, I split my visits between coasts, trying to hit each at least once a year. I still have many relatives in SoCal, so that's always a good excuse to visit. But I've taken to the dubious habit of not telling them the exact dates of my visits. Gotta get my DL fix for at least a couple days before turing my time over to Aunt Shirley and all of the family that I simply MUST reconnect with! But my main vacations are in Florida, where I can be totally on my own with no expectations or requirements outside of having to get to my next ADR.

I like to split the days up, with mornings spent doing the hard park storming right from park opening, and afternoons and evenings taking my time, enjoying shows and musical performances, experiencing the terrific fine dining that WDW has in abundance, and finishing the day with one of the many world class fireworks shows. It just makes for a day like nothing else in my regular routine, a day filled with doing fun stuff and eating great food and meeting interesting people, both guests and CM's. It's incorrect to say that I do the tourist thing and shut my brain off at the gate. But I do indeed move into a completely different vibe, and enjoy discovering whatever cool experience is right around the corner.

1 week from today to WDW!!! (not that I'm counting . . .)