Why do Disney vacationers seem uniquely subjected to social vitriol?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The reason people (here) hate it is because it is a cross section of the US population. They are forced to see outside their bubble and acknowledge that yes there are fat Walmart moms among us as well us unrefined slobs wearing shirts and people who yell at their kids. And adults who like rollercoasters and dole whips and parents who make vacation all about the kids. If you can’t unwind and enjoy for a couple of days then keep taking your kids to boring history museums around the world, we’re having way more fun at Disney.

What this post reminds me of is that I don't think any rollercoaster is worth waiting more than 15 minutes for. I have read about the rise of bookable rides, special passes, and all the rest of the revenue extraction mechanisms. I think there is a very poor value for money at Disney on busy days. I remember as a kid deciding that Space Mountain wasn't worth 90 minutes of wait. I eventually got to try it years later and it was a dull experience. I do not like crowds and wasted time. And Dole Whip IS an inferior dessert.

lol ok so basically no fun at all.

PP. How about too smart to overpay for a mediocre experience?

Have you ever been to one of these parks on a low attendance day when you can walk on to rides? That is awesome. Re: rollercoasters specifically, Cedar Point is a good example. In the summer you can wait 2 hours in a line, surrounded by morons who smell like weed, to take one 3 minute ride. Or, on a grey evening in early fall, you can throw on a sweatshirt and ride 10 times. If you actually like roller coasters, which is more fun?

Disney overcharges now. They keep perfecting revenue extraction. When I was a kid, a character "experience" was randomly encountering a costumed worker serendipitous strolling the park. Now it's a paid bookable thing that costs extra. Is it really different to the little kid after? They got a hug and a photo. But the parents now might be $400 poorer.

This is not about pure fun. It's about the fun value per $ ratio.

Here's a Europe example. Going up in the Eiffel Tower costs money and takes a lot of time. And honestly is not that interesting if you don't understand what the tiny ground-level features are that you are looking at. Seeing the Eiffel Tower do its sparkle show at night from across the river is a fun, free, and quick way to "see" the Eiffel Tower.

I just went to LA at Christmas and I wanted to take my kids to a park, but I skipped it because the crowd estimates indicated that we might only be able to do a handful of rides in exchange for $100+ tickets. And the weather was predicted to be dicey. Universal Studios no longer allows just a studio tour. The price is dramatically inflated because they've added just a few rollercoasters and experience areas. They literally have made things a worse value since I went as a kid. And a lot of the features are from old movies that my kids can't even relate to.

I’ve had some amazing days at Disney. But sure, if you want to mosey into a park at 11 am with no plan or strategy on a school holiday, you’re going to a pay a premium for a miserable time.

Everything is crowded now. Too many people are always trying to do the same things. If it was dead it would probably be because it's run down and nobody wants to go there.

There's a great NY Time article about Disney which juxtaposes the experience of a wealthy man paying whatever to take his daughter through and a working class family that scrimps and saves to make it happen. TLDR is the wealthy dad and daughter have an amazing great trip, see everything and do everything they want while the working class family really struggles and misses out on a lot.

I did not take my kids when they were little, although I went as a little kid and didn't really care for it. Many families around us went and I never judged them for it, it's just not my cup of tea.

That article was weird. The blue collar family was staying for well over a week, missed out on the lightning lane windows, waited in line longer, etc. They could have stayed on property for fewer days, booked the LL 7 days out and done it all spending about the same amount of money in a shorter stay.

Why should you need a degree in Disney just to visit?

Feels like shopping at Safeway where you need to go through the weekly specials, then the digital coupons, then the just4u specials then the online shopping specials then the manufacturer coupons. Or you could just go to Aldi.

In travel terms, just go to a state or national park or a museum.

You wouldn't dare show up to Paris without figuring out how to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Versailles, or any other main attractions first. This is how life is now. Everything is crowded, plan ahead.

Got to a national park? Hope you got your tickets as soon as the window opened. Maybe it as 30 days in advance, maybe it was a year in advance. It all takes planning and coordination. You can't just roll up with your camper to Yosemite on a whim.

I travel.for work with occasional down days and I've had trips where I took the train to places like Florence, Leiden or Ghent and just wandered around and had a great time. You can actually vacation without being constantly on your phone like Disney demands.

With 3 small kids? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Disney is a family trip. Traveling with a family requires planning. You can't just wander around, sit in a cafe and smoke and read a book pretending to be chic with kids in tow.

Literally did Leiden on impulse with 3 kids (including my nephews) and it went fine. We went to the Hortus Botanicus and the fort and got Stroopwaffles at the market.

People way exaggerate the difficulty of Disney planning. Obviously you had to get transport to Leiden, Google attractions, where to eat, and how to get around. For Disney once you read, um, one paragraph on lightning lanes you are good to go. The difference is actually that Disney has *so much* to do that most people do want to do additional research to decide what to do when.

Basically if you want to ride the major rides you either have to shell out or massively time everything. Otherwise riding the popular rides is over an hour in line.

Jenny Nichols digs into this in that massive Star Wars hotel video (she, like me, is a former employee). The frustration of taking things that were free and putting them behind payrolls and making it harder to go to the parks.

So going to Leiden with my family didn't actually require googling because I was with family who k own the area. But even with a current Disney employee who knows the parks well, you have to watch apps dor ride times and when you can get on rides. It's messy and much more phone dependent than a standard outing.

No, it’s really not but you are determined to dig your heels in. You could just walk up and wait in line.

Sorry, but some of us had much better things to do than stand in line for two hours for a 90-second ride.

Well, not enough of you or else the line wouldn’t be 2 hours long.

Trust me, there are plenty of us who have no desire to go to Disney. That includes every single kid in both of my children’s classes, none of whom go to Orlando for vacation.

You have polled people about this? I’m sure they’re lying to you because what a bizarre thing to ask all these people.

So, we have what are called conversations. My kids talk to the other kids. I talk to the other parents. People discuss where they’re going on vacation. I’m sorry that concept is so foreign to you. Must be weird to not talk to anyone ever.

They are going to Disney. Just not on spring break. Who do you think is buying all those premier passes and VIP tours?

I’m so sorry to break it to you but we have conversations about what people do over the summer and other times of year as well. I’ve heard about multiple trips in all four seasons, none of which included Disney.

Also, who do I think is buying those passes? International visitors is my answer.

You are delusional trying to convince yourself that wealthy, educated Americans would never set foot in Disney. It’s apparently important for you to believe this but you could not be more wrong.

I never said wealthy, educated Americans would never set foot in Disney. I’ll wait for you to find that quote if you want.

I guess we can just assume the people you know are dumb and broke since they never go.

Can you walk in a straight line? Because you can’t think in one.

I know people who have been to Disney with their kids once. As have I. We’re all UMC/UC and don’t care to go again. I don’t understand why you have such a hard time grasping that.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:So much bitterness and jealousy on this thread. No one is forcing anyone to go to Disney. If you don’t want to go, don’t go! Problem solved. What exactly is your issue with other people taking a trip you don’t want to take? I’m not mad at people who like camping, something I have no desire to do. Why are you so mad?

The thread title is looking for explanations for vitriol!!!! RIF.

Correct. OP wants to know why people who don’t like Disney care so much about people who do. No one has answered WHY they care. They just toss out more insults without explaining why it matters to them. Why they can’t just ignore and move on with their life.

MULTIPLE posters explained why they hated the adults who did Disney and took up all the spots in line for the characters. I’ve never had that problem so I don’t have a dog in that fight but to say that no one answered why they care is to say you didn’t read a single one of the 20+ pages that proceeded your inane post.

That’s it? That’s the reason? It’s not fair their kids have to stand in line with adults?

Again, I don’t have that problem. But read the responses and you’ll see why people said they cared. I’m not here to argue with you over their reasons, I’m just pointing out that you completely missed the point of the almost two dozen pages before your stupid post. Enjoy your next Disney vacation.

[Anonymous]

I think the people who are frustrated with Disney aren't frustrated with the adults who attend Disney as much as they are the adultification of Disney. The problem isn't that these people exist as much as it is that the park is switching away from being an affordable family vacation to a more expensive experience aimed at adults.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-08/-disney-adults-are-a-key-demographic-for-the-company-s-theme-parks?embedded-checkout=true

Now this is ultimately an economic decision but it may be one that backfires in Disney. They're catering to a lot of adults that have nostalgia for their own past experiences. But not building nostalgia for the next generation means it might fall apart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't personally care, but I think it's a specific quality about the adults that love Disney. All the adults I know that love Disney are not well people. They don't love Disney the same way someone loves Hawaii. It's different. They tell everyone they know, constantly bringing it up how much they love Disney.

When they have another trip planned, again, reminders that they love Disney. It just doesn't let up and is very annoying. Nobody I've met talks about other travel passions the way people talk about Disney.

The vacation equivalent of CrossFitters, if you will.

Haha, yes exactly!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The reason people (here) hate it is because it is a cross section of the US population. They are forced to see outside their bubble and acknowledge that yes there are fat Walmart moms among us as well us unrefined slobs wearing shirts and people who yell at their kids. And adults who like rollercoasters and dole whips and parents who make vacation all about the kids. If you can’t unwind and enjoy for a couple of days then keep taking your kids to boring history museums around the world, we’re having way more fun at Disney.

What this post reminds me of is that I don't think any rollercoaster is worth waiting more than 15 minutes for. I have read about the rise of bookable rides, special passes, and all the rest of the revenue extraction mechanisms. I think there is a very poor value for money at Disney on busy days. I remember as a kid deciding that Space Mountain wasn't worth 90 minutes of wait. I eventually got to try it years later and it was a dull experience. I do not like crowds and wasted time. And Dole Whip IS an inferior dessert.

lol ok so basically no fun at all.

PP. How about too smart to overpay for a mediocre experience?

Have you ever been to one of these parks on a low attendance day when you can walk on to rides? That is awesome. Re: rollercoasters specifically, Cedar Point is a good example. In the summer you can wait 2 hours in a line, surrounded by morons who smell like weed, to take one 3 minute ride. Or, on a grey evening in early fall, you can throw on a sweatshirt and ride 10 times. If you actually like roller coasters, which is more fun?

Disney overcharges now. They keep perfecting revenue extraction. When I was a kid, a character "experience" was randomly encountering a costumed worker serendipitous strolling the park. Now it's a paid bookable thing that costs extra. Is it really different to the little kid after? They got a hug and a photo. But the parents now might be $400 poorer.

This is not about pure fun. It's about the fun value per $ ratio.

Here's a Europe example. Going up in the Eiffel Tower costs money and takes a lot of time. And honestly is not that interesting if you don't understand what the tiny ground-level features are that you are looking at. Seeing the Eiffel Tower do its sparkle show at night from across the river is a fun, free, and quick way to "see" the Eiffel Tower.

I just went to LA at Christmas and I wanted to take my kids to a park, but I skipped it because the crowd estimates indicated that we might only be able to do a handful of rides in exchange for $100+ tickets. And the weather was predicted to be dicey. Universal Studios no longer allows just a studio tour. The price is dramatically inflated because they've added just a few rollercoasters and experience areas. They literally have made things a worse value since I went as a kid. And a lot of the features are from old movies that my kids can't even relate to.

I’ve had some amazing days at Disney. But sure, if you want to mosey into a park at 11 am with no plan or strategy on a school holiday, you’re going to a pay a premium for a miserable time.

Everything is crowded now. Too many people are always trying to do the same things. If it was dead it would probably be because it's run down and nobody wants to go there.

There's a great NY Time article about Disney which juxtaposes the experience of a wealthy man paying whatever to take his daughter through and a working class family that scrimps and saves to make it happen. TLDR is the wealthy dad and daughter have an amazing great trip, see everything and do everything they want while the working class family really struggles and misses out on a lot.

I did not take my kids when they were little, although I went as a little kid and didn't really care for it. Many families around us went and I never judged them for it, it's just not my cup of tea.

That article was weird. The blue collar family was staying for well over a week, missed out on the lightning lane windows, waited in line longer, etc. They could have stayed on property for fewer days, booked the LL 7 days out and done it all spending about the same amount of money in a shorter stay.

Why should you need a degree in Disney just to visit?

Feels like shopping at Safeway where you need to go through the weekly specials, then the digital coupons, then the just4u specials then the online shopping specials then the manufacturer coupons. Or you could just go to Aldi.

In travel terms, just go to a state or national park or a museum.

You wouldn't dare show up to Paris without figuring out how to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Versailles, or any other main attractions first. This is how life is now. Everything is crowded, plan ahead.

Got to a national park? Hope you got your tickets as soon as the window opened. Maybe it as 30 days in advance, maybe it was a year in advance. It all takes planning and coordination. You can't just roll up with your camper to Yosemite on a whim.

I travel.for work with occasional down days and I've had trips where I took the train to places like Florence, Leiden or Ghent and just wandered around and had a great time. You can actually vacation without being constantly on your phone like Disney demands.

With 3 small kids? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Disney is a family trip. Traveling with a family requires planning. You can't just wander around, sit in a cafe and smoke and read a book pretending to be chic with kids in tow.

Literally did Leiden on impulse with 3 kids (including my nephews) and it went fine. We went to the Hortus Botanicus and the fort and got Stroopwaffles at the market.

People way exaggerate the difficulty of Disney planning. Obviously you had to get transport to Leiden, Google attractions, where to eat, and how to get around. For Disney once you read, um, one paragraph on lightning lanes you are good to go. The difference is actually that Disney has *so much* to do that most people do want to do additional research to decide what to do when.

Basically if you want to ride the major rides you either have to shell out or massively time everything. Otherwise riding the popular rides is over an hour in line.

Jenny Nichols digs into this in that massive Star Wars hotel video (she, like me, is a former employee). The frustration of taking things that were free and putting them behind payrolls and making it harder to go to the parks.

So going to Leiden with my family didn't actually require googling because I was with family who k own the area. But even with a current Disney employee who knows the parks well, you have to watch apps dor ride times and when you can get on rides. It's messy and much more phone dependent than a standard outing.

No, it’s really not but you are determined to dig your heels in. You could just walk up and wait in line.

Sorry, but some of us had much better things to do than stand in line for two hours for a 90-second ride.

Well, not enough of you or else the line wouldn’t be 2 hours long.

Trust me, there are plenty of us who have no desire to go to Disney. That includes every single kid in both of my children’s classes, none of whom go to Orlando for vacation.

You have polled people about this? I’m sure they’re lying to you because what a bizarre thing to ask all these people.

So, we have what are called conversations. My kids talk to the other kids. I talk to the other parents. People discuss where they’re going on vacation. I’m sorry that concept is so foreign to you. Must be weird to not talk to anyone ever.

They are going to Disney. Just not on spring break. Who do you think is buying all those premier passes and VIP tours?

I’m so sorry to break it to you but we have conversations about what people do over the summer and other times of year as well. I’ve heard about multiple trips in all four seasons, none of which included Disney.

Also, who do I think is buying those passes? International visitors is my answer.

You are delusional trying to convince yourself that wealthy, educated Americans would never set foot in Disney. It’s apparently important for you to believe this but you could not be more wrong.

I never said wealthy, educated Americans would never set foot in Disney. I’ll wait for you to find that quote if you want.

I guess we can just assume the people you know are dumb and broke since they never go.

Can you walk in a straight line? Because you can’t think in one.

I know people who have been to Disney with their kids once. As have I. We’re all UMC/UC and don’t care to go again. I don’t understand why you have such a hard time grasping that.

Nobody cares about your insular bubble, but here you are going on and on about it like you have a point.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:So much bitterness and jealousy on this thread. No one is forcing anyone to go to Disney. If you don’t want to go, don’t go! Problem solved. What exactly is your issue with other people taking a trip you don’t want to take? I’m not mad at people who like camping, something I have no desire to do. Why are you so mad?

The thread title is looking for explanations for vitriol!!!! RIF.

Correct. OP wants to know why people who don’t like Disney care so much about people who do. No one has answered WHY they care. They just toss out more insults without explaining why it matters to them. Why they can’t just ignore and move on with their life.

MULTIPLE posters explained why they hated the adults who did Disney and took up all the spots in line for the characters. I’ve never had that problem so I don’t have a dog in that fight but to say that no one answered why they care is to say you didn’t read a single one of the 20+ pages that proceeded your inane post.

That’s it? That’s the reason? It’s not fair their kids have to stand in line with adults?

Again, I don’t have that problem. But read the responses and you’ll see why people said they cared. I’m not here to argue with you over their reasons, I’m just pointing out that you completely missed the point of the almost two dozen pages before your stupid post. Enjoy your next Disney vacation.

I didn’t “miss the point.” I just think that is a ridiculous reason to have vitriol towards strangers. No wonder our world is so angry if this is all it takes to make someone upset. You know who isn’t angry? Disney Adults.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much bitterness and jealousy on this thread. No one is forcing anyone to go to Disney. If you don’t want to go, don’t go! Problem solved. What exactly is your issue with other people taking a trip you don’t want to take? I’m not mad at people who like camping, something I have no desire to do. Why are you so mad?

The thread title is looking for explanations for vitriol!!!! RIF.

Correct. OP wants to know why people who don’t like Disney care so much about people who do. No one has answered WHY they care. They just toss out more insults without explaining why it matters to them. Why they can’t just ignore and move on with their life.

MULTIPLE posters explained why they hated the adults who did Disney and took up all the spots in line for the characters. I’ve never had that problem so I don’t have a dog in that fight but to say that no one answered why they care is to say you didn’t read a single one of the 20+ pages that proceeded your inane post.

That’s it? That’s the reason? It’s not fair their kids have to stand in line with adults?

Again, I don’t have that problem. But read the responses and you’ll see why people said they cared. I’m not here to argue with you over their reasons, I’m just pointing out that you completely missed the point of the almost two dozen pages before your stupid post. Enjoy your next Disney vacation.

I didn’t “miss the point.” I just think that is a ridiculous reason to have vitriol towards strangers. No wonder our world is so angry if this is all it takes to make someone upset. You know who isn’t angry? Disney Adults.

You did miss the ENTIRE point of this thread, which was asking why people were angry with certain Disney people, which was asked and answered. No one cares about your opinion as to whether or not their vitriol is valid. I, personally, think it’s ridiculous. Anyone who pays to go to Disney gets to wait in line for whatever attraction they want. If that means adults get to take pictures with a princess before a child, then so be it. That’s life. So I don’t agree with the hatred towards Disney adults, I’m just annoyed at your inability to read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much bitterness and jealousy on this thread. No one is forcing anyone to go to Disney. If you don’t want to go, don’t go! Problem solved. What exactly is your issue with other people taking a trip you don’t want to take? I’m not mad at people who like camping, something I have no desire to do. Why are you so mad?

The thread title is looking for explanations for vitriol!!!! RIF.

Correct. OP wants to know why people who don’t like Disney care so much about people who do. No one has answered WHY they care. They just toss out more insults without explaining why it matters to them. Why they can’t just ignore and move on with their life.

MULTIPLE posters explained why they hated the adults who did Disney and took up all the spots in line for the characters. I’ve never had that problem so I don’t have a dog in that fight but to say that no one answered why they care is to say you didn’t read a single one of the 20+ pages that proceeded your inane post.

That’s it? That’s the reason? It’s not fair their kids have to stand in line with adults?

Again, I don’t have that problem. But read the responses and you’ll see why people said they cared. I’m not here to argue with you over their reasons, I’m just pointing out that you completely missed the point of the almost two dozen pages before your stupid post. Enjoy your next Disney vacation.

I didn’t “miss the point.” I just think that is a ridiculous reason to have vitriol towards strangers. No wonder our world is so angry if this is all it takes to make someone upset. You know who isn’t angry? Disney Adults.

You did miss the ENTIRE point of this thread, which was asking why people were angry with certain Disney people, which was asked and answered. No one cares about your opinion as to whether or not their vitriol is valid. I, personally, think it’s ridiculous. Anyone who pays to go to Disney gets to wait in line for whatever attraction they want. If that means adults get to take pictures with a princess before a child, then so be it. That’s life. So I don’t agree with the hatred towards Disney adults, I’m just annoyed at your inability to read.

My apologies for expecting them to give an actual rational reason. But you’re correct. They technically answered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much bitterness and jealousy on this thread. No one is forcing anyone to go to Disney. If you don’t want to go, don’t go! Problem solved. What exactly is your issue with other people taking a trip you don’t want to take? I’m not mad at people who like camping, something I have no desire to do. Why are you so mad?

The thread title is looking for explanations for vitriol!!!! RIF.

Correct. OP wants to know why people who don’t like Disney care so much about people who do. No one has answered WHY they care. They just toss out more insults without explaining why it matters to them. Why they can’t just ignore and move on with their life.

I don't like Disney. I do ignore and get on with my life, except when someone tells me I've deprived my children by not taking them. Then I explain the vapid consumeristic nature of Disney as a sterile fantasyland. Don't want my opinion, don't criticize me for not introducing my kids to that drivel.

Please tell us where to find an unsterile fantasyland instead oh wise one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't personally care, but I think it's a specific quality about the adults that love Disney. All the adults I know that love Disney are not well people. They don't love Disney the same way someone loves Hawaii. It's different. They tell everyone they know, constantly bringing it up how much they love Disney.

When they have another trip planned, again, reminders that they love Disney. It just doesn't let up and is very annoying. Nobody I've met talks about other travel passions the way people talk about Disney.

And people who have no business spending that kind of money save all their money for two years to be able to go for a long weekend. So trite.

Who do you think you are to judge people with less money than you? What a jerk.