i have several friends (all with kids) who have been to wdw and claim to hate it. there reasons seem really thin and largely seem to boil down to:
i didn't plan very well.
i can't really imagine why anyone wouldn't enjoy disney. i could see someone saying it was too expensive, or not worth it, but i don't get people who claim not to like it. do you guys know people like this?
I know people who don't understand Disney World very well, and people who really don't understand why anyone would want to go there versus another vacation.
I think it's a matter of taste, and, yes, planning.
I figure, for everyone I know who doesn't understand it, that's one less person who gets to be in line in front of me for Space Mountain!
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2010 Beach Club Resort
2005 Port Orleans Riverside
2006 Animal Kingdom Lodge
2007 Wilderness Lodge
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2009 CBR/Polynesian
The people I know who don't like Disney don't like the IDEA of Disney World. Some of them have never actually been there and don't see the appeal, especially for adults without kids. I think if they were to go, they'd enjoy it, but you know what they say about some people's minds being like cement--all mixed up and permanently set.
Gray
SoloFriendly.com
I feel that the reason people say they don't like it is because they had a bad experience there. And the reason they had a bad experience boils down to one thing and it's just what you said - bad planning.
Let's face it, for the uninitiated, a poorly planned Disney trip can amount to a hot, crowded, frustrating disaster. If your only trip to WDW was one of these, then I can see you telling everyone you meet that you don't like Disney.
I don't have a lot of sympathy though, for those that don't plan well. There are so many resources out there about WDW that there is no reason to not have a plan of attack before you go. I understand that some people just aren't planners, but in this case, where the difference would mean a bad vacation vs. a good one, you'd think the extra effort would be more than worth it.
Upcoming Trips
The people I know who don't
like Disney don't like the IDEA of Disney World. Some of them have
never actually been there and don't see the appeal, especially for
adults without kids. I think if they were to go, they'd enjoy it, but
you know what they say about some people's minds being like cement--all
mixed up and permanently set.
SF I think that's a great point. So many people tell me how commercial or crass it is even though they've never been there. Of course I can't really argue with them, but I think they're missing the point! 
I feel that the reason people say they don't like it is because they had a bad experience there. And the reason they had a bad experience boils down to one thing and it's just what you said - bad planning.
Let's face it, for the uninitiated, a poorly planned Disney trip can amount to a hot, crowded, frustrating disaster. If your only trip to WDW was one of these, then I can see you telling everyone you meet that you don't like Disney.
I don't have a lot of sympathy though, for those that don't plan well. There are so many resources out there about WDW that there is no reason to not have a plan of attack before you go. I understand that some people just aren't planners, but in this case, where the difference would mean a bad vacation vs. a good one, you'd think the extra effort would be more than worth it.
Imagineer:
It's always shocking to me that people will drop $5,000 on a vacation and not even spend any time trying to maximize it. Maybe they have more many than I do, but if I'm gong to make a major expenditure like that, I'm going to make darn sure that I'm making the most of it.
I understand that some people just aren't planners, but in this case, where the difference would mean a bad vacation vs. a good one, you'd think the extra effort would be more than worth it.
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2010 Beach Club Resort
2005 Port Orleans Riverside
2006 Animal Kingdom Lodge
2007 Wilderness Lodge
2008 Animal Kingdom Lodge
2009 CBR/Polynesian
I feel that the reason people say they don't like it is because they had a bad experience there. And the reason they had a bad experience boils down to one thing and it's just what you said - bad planning.
Imagineer wrote:I feel that the reason people say they don't like it is because they had a bad experience there. And the reason they had a bad experience boils down to one thing and it's just what you said - bad planning.
That and some people are just evil.
Seriously though, I've known people, including one current co-worker, that just think it is overpriced, overmarketed, etc. I have dubbed these people evil.
I've given up on even trying to talk WDW with them. They have their (wrong) opinion and I have mine!
But I don't mind them staying away. As SpaceAce said, one less person in front of me in line!
Has your coworker actually been?
That and some people are just evil.
Okay, maybe not evil, but possibly lacking in their openness to try new things...
sounds to me like they hate rainbows and happiness and pixie dust. sounds pretty evil to me.
Seriously though, I've known people, including one current co-worker,
that just think it is overpriced, overmarketed, etc. I have dubbed
these people evil.
Well, it IS overpriced and overmarketed, but that's no reason not to like it anyway. Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good.
Gray
SoloFriendly.com
Quote:Seriously though, I've known people, including one current co-worker,
that just think it is overpriced, overmarketed, etc. I have dubbed
these people evil.
Well, it IS overpriced and overmarketed, but that's no reason not to like it anyway. Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good.
It's sort of like Starbucks. There is no frickin' way that my Vinte Mocha Frappuccino is worth nearly five bucks, but ohhhhhhh is it gooooood!!!
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Good point. I'd be hard pressed to claim that it wasn't a very commercial place. But that's part of its appeal!
Good point. I'd be hard pressed to claim that it wasn't a very commercial place. But that's part of its appeal!
Agreed! Compare staying for a week at a hotel in some city, anywhere. Then think about spending a week at WDW in any of the resorts and think about the feeling you have, the mood they set for you and the fact that you are indeed in a fantasy world.
It's worth every penny!
That is also one of the items of brilliance in the development of Disney Vacation Club. The "Welcome Home" that we get every time we check in has been hammered into our psyche so much, that we really DO feel like we're home when we get there!
Smart folks those Disney marketers!
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That is also one of the items of brilliance in the development of Disney Vacation Club. The "Welcome Home" that we get every time we check in has been hammered into our psyche so much, that we really DO feel like we're home when we get there!
Sounds funny, but I think a lot of us consider our timeshares, lake cabins, and other standard vacation destinations more "home" than our own houses because we're usually happy the whole time we're there. The people who "don't like Disney" probably feel the same way about the place they're most knowledgeable about. 
May 2008 CSR 
Has your coworker actually been?
Brad wrote:Has your coworker actually been?
Yes, she lived in the Miami area for 15 years. I just figures it's her that is missing out on the fun!
Plus if you live in Miami it can't possibly be cool to like WDW.
Plus if you live in Miami it can't possibly be cool to like WDW.
May 2008 CSR
Usually, those I talk to who don't like Disney have never been there ad think it's a 'kid place' My MIL was like that. She had no clue about what it was really like and it was almost as if we had to talk her into going with us last year. As soon as she got to the Poly, her jaw dropped and I believe the woman was completely dumbfounded the entire trip.
She is super excited to go this year..gee, wonder why?? Disney Magic! 
Updates while we're there and trip reports >> Disney Vacation Trip Reports
Usually, those I talk to who don't like Disney have never been there ad think it's a 'kid place' My MIL was like that. She had no clue about what it was really like and it was almost as if we had to talk her into going with us last year. As soon as she got to the Poly, her jaw dropped and I believe the woman was completely dumbfounded the entire trip.She is super excited to go this year..gee, wonder why?? Disney Magic!
It seems like 50% of people who don't like Disney World haven't even been, and the other half decided they didn't like it before they even went. That's of course excluding the people who don't plan it out, who are just robbing themselves.
Like I said--keep it quiet and that means more discounts and shorter lines for us!
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2010 Beach Club Resort
2005 Port Orleans Riverside
2006 Animal Kingdom Lodge
2007 Wilderness Lodge
2008 Animal Kingdom Lodge
2009 CBR/Polynesian
UnbalancedLibra wrote:Usually, those I talk to who don't like Disney have never been there ad think it's a 'kid place' My MIL was like that. She had no clue about what it was really like and it was almost as if we had to talk her into going with us last year. As soon as she got to the Poly, her jaw dropped and I believe the woman was completely dumbfounded the entire trip.She is super excited to go this year..gee, wonder why?? Disney Magic!
It seems like 50% of people who don't like Disney World haven't even been, and the other half decided they didn't like it before they even went. That's of course excluding the people who don't plan it out, who are just robbing themselves.
Updates while we're there and trip reports >> Disney Vacation Trip Reports
What's not adult about a castle?!?!?
What's not adult about a castle?!?!?
LOL
Updates while we're there and trip reports >> Disney Vacation Trip Reports
It seems like 50% of people who don't like Disney World haven't even been, and the other half decided they didn't like it before they even went. That's of course excluding the people who don't plan it out, who are just robbing themselves.
When I did my first convention at WDW, some of my board members had a fit. They didn't understand why in the world we'd want to do a convention at a "theme park". Once they'd been, saw the facilities, saw how well they were treated, and basically had a GREAT time, some of them suggested we do another one right away there. We ended up having three conventions in four years there.
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I fancy myself a Disney missionary. I keep bringing people there kicking and screaming, and then they keep buying annual passes... 
I have a surprising number of friends who are very pro-Disney. It was one of the big reasons I decided to go the first time.
I fancy myself a Disney missionary. I keep bringing people there kicking and screaming, and then they keep buying annual passes...
Ohhhhhh.... I wanna be a missionary too!!
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Annie wrote:I fancy myself a Disney missionary. I keep bringing people there kicking and screaming, and then they keep buying annual passes...Ohhhhhh.... I wanna be a missionary too!!
Mind you, they're not buying ME annual passes!!
I fancy myself a Disney missionary. I keep bringing people there kicking and screaming, and then they keep buying annual passes...
May 2008 CSR
When you visit Walt Disney World, you need a plan, or a frontal lobotomy.
Jim