Will I regret never going to Disney?

[Anonymous]

Eh, we're not doing Disney and I'm not planning on navel gazing about it when I'm elderly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always imagine my kids meeting their freshman roommate and they review their childhoods together. My kid doesn’t have to be wonder boy/girl but I would like them to have felt cared for and loved and had some middle class experiences. Also not to feel ‘left out’ when the conversation turns to summers…I loath Disney and all it stands for as a company - I worked for ABC News when they took them over - but still took my kids. It is a quintessential American experience whether you want to admit it or not. I would spend the money and go - even if you feel ripped.

My kids have been all over the US and have gone to several foreign countries, plus several more low-key amusement parks. They’ve never asked to go to Disney and I don’t think they’ll miss it.

My kid is 5 and has been to:

- Disney several times
- England
- Italy
- Sweden
- Finland
- Estonia
- NYC a lot, as my parents live there
- Arizona a lot, as the in-laws live there

This December, we’re taking her to Paris. Next December, we’re going on a Disney Cruise.

Turns out, going to other places and going to Disney isn’t mutually exclusive, despite what DCUM thinks.

Okay? I never went to Disney and I had a perfectly fine American upbringing, thanks.

Congrats! Just stop acting as though those of us who go to Disney a lot are somehow not able to go elsewhere. You all try to flex on all the places you’ve gone, as though those of us who go to Disney a lot never go elsewhere.

Not the point of this thread. We know some people like it. Some don’t. The question is would she regret not going. Hard to argue that there is true regret to be had if you don’t make it to one very expensive and stressful theme park.

If it’s not the point of the thread, then why are people listing all the places they’ve gone instead of Disney?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are not missing out on anything. It’s an overpriced theme park that doesn’t offer much beyond hours in line, heat, terrible crowds, and subpar rides. Food is awful and I will never understand the hype. If you are not a fan of theme parks, there is zero draw or reason to be there. Save your money for places that really matter to you.

This is a person who didn’t plan.

Op you should go, but, you need to research and plan it, makes the experience much better.

No amount of planning can make Disney palatable to someone who just doesn't enjoy what it offers. I'm in that camp. To me, it's a complete waste of time and money, even if I plan 6 months in advance. For the same amount of money that I spent in Disney (or less), I've taken my kids to Europe, US national parks road trip, and the Caribbean. Disney, in my view, just doesn't compare. This is, of course, subjective. Some people prefer Orlando and asphalt to the Alps. I get it. However, I wanted to let OP know that there are those who can go an entire lifetime without going to Disney and they may even be the better for it.

And some people like and do it all.

[Anonymous]

I have a 12 and 14 year old and 0 regrets about never going to Disney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 12 and 14 year old and 0 regrets about never going to Disney.

Congrats!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are not missing out on anything. It’s an overpriced theme park that doesn’t offer much beyond hours in line, heat, terrible crowds, and subpar rides. Food is awful and I will never understand the hype. If you are not a fan of theme parks, there is zero draw or reason to be there. Save your money for places that really matter to you.

Totally get your opinion on Disney, but “subpar rides”? What?

The rides are essentially glorified conveyor belts where you’re forced into dark tunnels to watch lame animatronics. I also hate the staring at a movie screen while you sit in a chair effect for the others. I like real rollercoasters and Disney doesn’t cut it so the park would never be worth it for me

+1

I can’t believe how much I paid for universal only to be basically watching TV from a moving seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always imagine my kids meeting their freshman roommate and they review their childhoods together. My kid doesn’t have to be wonder boy/girl but I would like them to have felt cared for and loved and had some middle class experiences. Also not to feel ‘left out’ when the conversation turns to summers…I loath Disney and all it stands for as a company - I worked for ABC News when they took them over - but still took my kids. It is a quintessential American experience whether you want to admit it or not. I would spend the money and go - even if you feel ripped.

My kids have been all over the US and have gone to several foreign countries, plus several more low-key amusement parks. They’ve never asked to go to Disney and I don’t think they’ll miss it.

My kid is 5 and has been to:

- Disney several times
- England
- Italy
- Sweden
- Finland
- Estonia
- NYC a lot, as my parents live there
- Arizona a lot, as the in-laws live there

This December, we’re taking her to Paris. Next December, we’re going on a Disney Cruise.

Turns out, going to other places and going to Disney isn’t mutually exclusive, despite what DCUM thinks.

Okay? I never went to Disney and I had a perfectly fine American upbringing, thanks.

Congrats! Just stop acting as though those of us who go to Disney a lot are somehow not able to go elsewhere. You all try to flex on all the places you’ve gone, as though those of us who go to Disney a lot never go elsewhere.

That wasn't me. I could give you a listing of all the places I haven't been, starting with the Caribbean etc. My parents certainly did not take us international travel as children. We did a lot of camping and historical sites within a 10-hour driving radius of our city. The point is to say any one thing is required for an American upbringing, to understand America, etc, is just stupid.

I never said that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are not missing out on anything. It’s an overpriced theme park that doesn’t offer much beyond hours in line, heat, terrible crowds, and subpar rides. Food is awful and I will never understand the hype. If you are not a fan of theme parks, there is zero draw or reason to be there. Save your money for places that really matter to you.

Totally get your opinion on Disney, but “subpar rides”? What?

The rides are essentially glorified conveyor belts where you’re forced into dark tunnels to watch lame animatronics. I also hate the staring at a movie screen while you sit in a chair effect for the others. I like real rollercoasters and Disney doesn’t cut it so the park would never be worth it for me

+1

I can’t believe how much I paid for universal only to be basically watching TV from a moving seat.

Someone writes an inaccurate post about Disney rides and you respond with something about Universal

[Anonymous]

It depends. Magic Kingdom has a few dark rides that are basically just boats going by animatronics. But there are a few good rides like Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror.

If you want to ride coasters, Universal is the better park. Velocicoaster is supposed to be great. I'll still miss Dueling Dragons which was my favorite.

If you want a pure coaster park, I'd go to Cedar Point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends. Magic Kingdom has a few dark rides that are basically just boats going by animatronics. But there are a few good rides like Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror.

If you want to ride coasters, Universal is the better park. Velocicoaster is supposed to be great. I'll still miss Dueling Dragons which was my favorite.

If you want a pure coaster park, I'd go to Cedar Point.

If people are criticizing Disney World for not having thrill rides, they’re missing the point. That’s not what Disney is and they’ve never tried to be that.

[Anonymous]

I loved the Disney parks I went to as a child, but I've never gone to American ones. I brought my children several times to the ones I've gone to. HOWEVER, they were never as enthused as I was at their age and that's because they've been exposed to so much more than the standard Disney fare that they don't have a particular bond with any of the characters or themes of the park. For them, certainly, it's fun to go, and they're happy to be there, but it's not as special as it was for me. We have gone to other theme parks abroad, and those have been fun too.

Mostly, since we all hate crowds and heat, we try to go to such things in the winter and during the week. There is nothing worse in my mind than paying large sums for the hell of standing in line for hours in the sweltering heat. Blaaargh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are not missing out on anything. It’s an overpriced theme park that doesn’t offer much beyond hours in line, heat, terrible crowds, and subpar rides. Food is awful and I will never understand the hype. If you are not a fan of theme parks, there is zero draw or reason to be there. Save your money for places that really matter to you.

Totally get your opinion on Disney, but “subpar rides”? What?

The rides are essentially glorified conveyor belts where you’re forced into dark tunnels to watch lame animatronics. I also hate the staring at a movie screen while you sit in a chair effect for the others. I like real rollercoasters and Disney doesn’t cut it so the park would never be worth it for me

+1

I can’t believe how much I paid for universal only to be basically watching TV from a moving seat.

This is actually pretty funny because their slogan for a long time was “Ride the Movies.”

[Anonymous]

We’ll go if someone else pays for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are not missing out on anything. It’s an overpriced theme park that doesn’t offer much beyond hours in line, heat, terrible crowds, and subpar rides. Food is awful and I will never understand the hype. If you are not a fan of theme parks, there is zero draw or reason to be there. Save your money for places that really matter to you.

Totally get your opinion on Disney, but “subpar rides”? What?

The rides are essentially glorified conveyor belts where you’re forced into dark tunnels to watch lame animatronics. I also hate the staring at a movie screen while you sit in a chair effect for the others. I like real rollercoasters and Disney doesn’t cut it so the park would never be worth it for me

+1

I can’t believe how much I paid for universal only to be basically watching TV from a moving seat.

This. You stand in line for over an hour to sit down and watch tv. I will never understand the hype.

[Anonymous]

The regret part is in your head, so we can’t tell you the answer.

I can say the experience was not something that appealed to us: overpriced, fake adventures, with crowds/lines/heat.

I brought my kid to other countries, where we did real boat rides, saw real alps, etc. Those memories are more meaningful to me. But you sound perhaps more prone to marketing/commercialization.