Are you a Rider or an Experiencer?

I think I can be either, but once I get my mind going one way it's hard to change it. I typically either approach my vacation as a "laid back" one, where I'm not worried about what I get to ride, or a more "ride-centric" one, where I want to maximize what I'm getting to ride. I think the laid back ones tend to turn out better though.

I'd call myself an experiencer. But mostly I do like to experience the attractions... the queue, the preshow, the ride, the postshow. I love it all!

I'm definitely an "experiencer." I enjoy just being in Disney World, walking through the parks, enjoying the resorts. DH is a rider, though!

I believe the whole point of Disney is the Experience. The parks, Attractions, and hotels, are all based around themes that make the Disney experience what it is. Strip it all away and your basically left with (Insert local Basic amusement park name here.) If you truly are more interested in the ride then the show save yourself some cash and hit a Six Flags.

In my humble opinion....

Hi Marzyar! Welcome to WDWForGrownups!

I think you hit it on the head. While the "thrills" of the Disney rides may not be as big, I have never felt as enthusiastic about a Six Flags ride as I have Splash Mountain. Now admittedly part of that is because I have fond memories of the movies, but there's just a difference between the Disney "experience." While I think thrill rides are a ton of fun, I spend a whole lot more time at WDW.

I'm probably pretty close to a middle ground, but I lean more towards being an experiencer. I do love to ride rides, but I don't have to ride them all, and I don't usually ride each one more than once. I also love the shows and just wandering around looking at things and taking pictures.

I was looking through some older topics and came across this one. I would love to hear what everyone has to say about it. Although, I suspect our answers will be similar.

While I love the rides, it was the Disney experience that brought me back a second time after a long absence from the World.

There are three amusement parks within an hours drive from me that I rarely go to. I can get a discounted season pass from work for the closest one. I don't. Why? The rides are great but the experience just isn't there as it is with Disney.

I feel blessed that during my life i've been to WDW seven times; but you sure can tell the folks who are there for their "one & only" visit!!!! I can see the stress and anxiety on their faces...trying to plan every last attraction to visit on the bus ride back to their resort; every last hour of their visit scheduled!!!
I am sure blessed to be an "Experiencer" rather than a rider.....I am hopeful to be gratefully living out the experience for years to come...

An experiencer for sure! I love the rides but taking time and enjoying the little things is really what sets Disney apart..for me anyway.

I love some of the rides, we rode Expedition Everest 3 times in the span of like 20 minutes last trip, ... BUT

Its much more about the experience. I look forward to all the details. It's why I love the Animal Kingdom, feels like we've gone to India, Africa and the theater all in one day. In fact I can't wait to see Nemo again.

I would say I am an experiencer. I love to ride don't get me wrong and want to ride as much as I can while in the park but we also go on the deluxe dining plan so I have no trouble stopping and enjoying a delicious meal a few times a day. I also try to visit as many of the resorts as possible while I am there to eat of course. I also love to spend an afternoon in world showcase shopping, learning, and eating so more. If I want to go gung ho crazy on rides then I can go to Cedar Point for the weekend. There are some pretty crazy rides there.

Experiencer. I love being engulfed in Disney, especially at MK. I can soak up each "Land". Shoot, I could spend an entire morning in Liberty Square or Main Street USA alone....LOL! Love riding the rides but it's the whole experience of the ride that captures me. A "Must Do" for me is just walking around "Plaza Rose Garden".

When I was a kid, my parents LOVED camping. Sometimes, we would just go for long wknds (living 3 hrs away) and just stay at Ft. Wilderness. We never went into a park. Had a blast. Great childhood memories. When family came down from Ohio, then we'd go to the parks (2 x a year).

Experiencer. I really don't have to ride much, I just want to be there. In the MK I want to be in Adventureland. In Epcot I want to be in Morocco, France and the United Kingdom. I want to take thousands of pictures, drink yummy cocktails, and shop and shop and shop.

When I was young (1970's) I can remember when WDW was to some extent my family's "secret place", a complete escape from the modern world. On our trips there were no outside newspapers, no outside TV, when we were in Disney, that's it, we were in Disney. We would spend a week with just MK for a park, half of our trip was non-park days. We just needed to be there soaking up the magic. I've never really moved on from those memories, I enjoy the hustle and bustle but the only thing I really need to do is be there.

I'm both. I can't imagine going to WDW and not doing my favorite rides. But the experience is also a huge part of what makes WDW special.

Experiencer. If you just approach it as a place for rides, I just really think you miss the point. I hear a lot of people approaching it this way; they're the same folks who say they'd rather go to Busch Gardens because the rollercoasters are better. Fine by me. Have a good time, and leave me Disney

I am an experiencer....I love to just take it all in! The hubby and I just like to sit back, take our time and let the world flow by. When it is busy the two of us sometimes just find a bench look for the little things others miss at disney. Like the sparrows taking a bath in the ice by the pop machine at the contemporary quick service or how they have managed to make nests in the smallest places and how about those crazy lizards. At Fort Wilderness we had to wait for our cabin to be ready so we sat on the back porch at check in and watched butterflys and noticed all the beautiful flowers that we would have missed if we were in a hurry. One night we were heading for a boat and a deer walked out of the bushes towards us. I mean it was right in front of us. Another family was right beside us and didn't even notice. They were too busy running to somewhere....It was kind of weird like we were the only ones seeing this amazing creature.