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I'll bite. I think "fanatic" is too strong a word, but I enjoy going to Disneyland, and have occasionally bought an annual pass despite living a day or two driv
by armadsen 7y ago
I'll bite. I think "fanatic" is too strong a word, but I enjoy going to Disneyland, and have occasionally bought an annual pass despite living a day or two drive from Disneyland. I've also made a point to visit other Disney parks when I've been near them (Florida, Paris, Tokyo).
Fundamentally, it's fun escapism. You go spend a few days enjoying some of the same stuff you enjoyed as a kid. My wife enjoys going too, so it's something we can do together. For those of us with kids, it's a fun family activity. Walt Disney was explicit about making a place that was fun for both kids and adults when he conceived of the park. I'd say Disney has succeeded. I enjoyed going before having kids too, though. We don't take every vacation there by any means, but a couple times a year we go and have a blast.
Personally, as an engineer, I really enjoy the work of the imagineers. It's engineering and art combined to bring joy to people, which to me is a pretty pure expression of my own reasons for being an engineer. Incidentally, I started my career doing engineering for effects for live theater, and I also spent time at a company that at one time was a major robotics subcontractor for Disney parks. So there's a component that is admiration for people that do the things I do, but are the best in the world at it.
Beyond that, Disney(land/world) is unquestionably the highest-tier theme park in terms of quality. Everything is just top notch: customer service, theming, ride quality, immersion, cleanliness, etc. So, if the question is why Disneyland instead of Six Flags or even Universal, part of it has to be that Disney is the best in the category they're competing in.
- prawn 7y agoWhat makes you return there each year over other things you could reach with the same amount of driving? If you're near California or Florida, you are a day or so from a huge range of amazing places. Is it ease and familiarity? I'm Australian but have been to Disneyland (CA) twice and Disney World (FL) once; twice with kids, once without. It's a polished experience for sure, but we spent a lot of time baffled by people in themed t-shirts, spending days there or returning year after year in place of other holiday options.
- chrisseaton 7y ago> If you're near California or Florida, you are a day or so from a huge range of amazing places. What makes you think they don’t go to those places as well?
- prawn 7y agoPersonal experience talking to Americans who particularly like Disney properties. Obviously no drama either way, just curious to hear what drives it. Some people wondered why we were only there for the day rather than a full week.
- jedieaston 7y agoI think that's because at Disney World, it's somewhat impossible to see everything in one day, even if you were to filter the list of attractions to things that you wanted to do. There's simply too much to see.
- prawn 7y agoSame applies almost anywhere I guess. I didn't get to every US state on that trip or every national park or every hike in each park. In one day at Disney World's main area, we knocked off a fair few rides - from opening, until late at night with shattered kids. If I'm choosing between seeing the highlights of a whole new place, or getting to a few extra things that I didn't prioritise and missed at Disney, I'll usually take the former. The queueing to thrills ratios tips the scales too even with Fast Pass and Rider Share. A few weeks after blowing $1k on a day at Disney World, we visited the Amazeum in Bentonville, Arkansas, to the tune of about $40 and my 7yo preferred that. Amazeum and Crystal Bridges as a day out was excellent, for anyone ever in the area.
- armadsen 7y agoI have travelled lots of other places too. I’m lucky to be able to travel maybe more than the average American. I like going to Disneyland. That doesn’t mean it’s the only place I go or that I don’t also like traveling to other places in the country and the world.
- cardiffspaceman 7y agoWe live 75 minutes from Disneyland. That means we can do things like time our visit so that the last night is Sunday night, stay in a hotel there, and then do the drive home as a commute to work. In any case we do a quick visit annually as a sanity thing after the silly season each fall. But within California, we also go to places like the Sierra Nevada mountains and the central coast of CA that we can reach in a day or less by car.
- larnmar 7y agoI went to Disneyland once, as a six year old, and enjoyed it then, but as an adult and parent I’ve come to hate Disney with a passion for the way they just keep buying up or otherwise appropriating _all_ the popular cultural artefacts and turning them into products, churning out an endless series of repetitive, polished, just-above-mediocre lowest common denominator structured entertainment units. It’s like watching all your favourite restaurants slowly get replaced by Cinnabon outlets.
- fit2rule 7y agoI agree with you. I'd take Vienna's Prater park - or even better, De Efteling in the Netherlands - over Disneyland any time of day. All the staples are there - none of the slick, expensive shine. Plus, you don't have to spend most of your day waiting in line.
- otabdeveloper4 7y ago> You go spend a few days enjoying some of the same stuff you enjoyed as a kid. Dunno, the stuff I was actually enjoying as a kid was the dangerous stuff parents wouldn't approve. Seems like it's more of a conception of 'what adults think a child would enjoy' rather than what children enjoy.
- mark-r 7y agoIt depends on the age of the kid. When my daughter was 3 she had an amazing time meeting all the Disney princesses.