Why Disney is BETTER as an adult!!

AggieDizzer

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 22, 2019
A recent article on the Dis described several "disappointments" the author had to face when returning to Disney as an adult. The article got me thinking: Why do I enjoy the parks so much MORE as an adult than I ever could have as a child?

A few that jump right to mind:

- I can now enjoy the parks with my wife, who also loves Disney
- I can "make the magic happen" for my OWN children
- Now, I get to pick the park(s) and resort(s) I want to visit!
- 4 words: GRAND MARNIER ORANGE SLUSHIE!!
- Romantic dinners at our favorite Disney restaurants with said wife
- Control over the daily itinerary
- Possessing a deeper understanding of how the parks work - which is VERY fascinating to me
- I can someday join DVC (#lifegoals)
- MERCH!

I totally respect the author of the article's point of view, although I think adulting at Disney is WAYYYYYYYY better. Anyone else agree? Thoughts?

:)
 
A recent article on the Dis described several "disappointments" the author had to face when returning to Disney as an adult. The article got me thinking: Why do I enjoy the parks so much MORE as an adult than I ever could have as a child?

A few that jump right to mind:

- I can now enjoy the parks with my wife, who also loves Disney
- I can "make the magic happen" for my OWN children
- Now, I get to pick the park(s) and resort(s) I want to visit!
- 4 words: GRAND MARNIER ORANGE SLUSHIE!!
- Romantic dinners at our favorite Disney restaurants with said wife
- Control over the daily itinerary
- Possessing a deeper understanding of how the parks work - which is VERY fascinating to me
- I can someday join DVC (#lifegoals)
- MERCH!

I totally respect the author of the article's point of view, although I think adulting at Disney is WAYYYYYYYY better. Anyone else agree? Thoughts?

:)

As someone who started going only after they were an adult, I feel that it is just as magical as it is for children. Sure, we have to pay out our own pocket(which I believe was the guy's biggest gripe) and things sometimes don't go our way, but there is a certain freedom to being able to do what you want, when you want, something children don't really get to do because they have to stay with their parents. There is something special when you see that sign for the first time as an adult though. I do agree with the guy on the monorail(that situation has become rather unfortunate), and Disney does need to fix it up some, but I prefer the boats and buses personally.
 
And it also means that I can just do whatever I want whenever I go to the parks. No waiting for others lagging behind me, no parents telling me what to do and what not to do, I can on as many rides as I please and I can travel alone. Basically I'm a free man when it comes to the Disney theme parks and it can also be applied to virtually anyone who has ever been to the Disney theme parks alone in general.
 
My husband and I always went with the kids, then the grandkids. One time, we stayed over for a few days by ourselves, and WOW!!! We had a fantastic time! We went where we wanted and when we wanted. We could actually wander around looking at all the stores, displays, art, building architecture. We rode what we wanted to. BEing able to eat what and when you want was fun too.
Don't get me wrong, we loved being with the kids and grandkids, but we found out that Disney without them was a special place just for the 2 of us. We wander around walking hand in hand, discovering things we have never noticed before in our mad rush to the rides.
Now we go once a year by ourselves and cherish every minute of exploring Disney together.
We are not newlyweds, and have been married 51 years:):love2:
 


We have loved taking our kids to WDW through the years. But have always talked about the time we would be able to go on our own. I retired last year and my DD goes off to university this year. So this Christmas we are upgrading to APs and will spend all of 2020 (our 20th anniversary year) going as often as we can! Super excited!!!

Disney as an adult is amazing.I can choose where to spend MY money. I can appreciate the things happening in the background. I can relish the effort that goes into making the magic happen.
 
We have loved taking our kids to WDW through the years. But have always talked about the time we would be able to go on our own. I retired last year and my DD goes off to university this year. So this Christmas we are upgrading to APs and will spend all of 2020 (our 20th anniversary year) going as often as we can! Super excited!!!

Disney as an adult is amazing.I can choose where to spend MY money. I can appreciate the things happening in the background. I can relish the effort that goes into making the magic happen.

Yay to all that!! You are so right. You are living the dream!! My oldest is a CM at HS, in the DCP. We are SO proud of her. We've loved sharing the magic with our kids, but my wife and I look forward to seeing the Japan parks together sometime and enjoying a cruise (which we have never done).
 
I made my first trip to Disneyland in my late 20's during a business trip to Anaheim. In my late 40's my wife and I went to WDW during a business conference held at the S/D. We became hooked! That started our yearly, then twice yearly vacations to WDW. We are now Disney snowbirds and enjoy visiting the parks a couple times a week. Since I never visited as a child, and we didn't have any children, I can't say whether it is better as an adult but I can say that it is still pretty special walking down Main Street or under Spaceship Earth.
 


It's incredible how I've gone from having trips to Disneyland Paris with my family to simply being a solo traveler. I tell you my first time going alone was just marvellous for me. Yeah I did have a couple of minor things that were bad but not every trip to a Disney theme park is perfect. For me this is a great achievement.
 
I agree and this is why. My wife and I have taken our children and grandchildren and great-granddaughter over the years since 1994. We have always enjoyed the parks with our family but in 2013 something happened to change all of that. We decided to spend a second week at WDW that year for two reasons, celebrate my 60th Birthday and attend my Nieces wedding in Jacksonville. On the third day of the trip we were laying poolside and my wife remarked what I had been thinking, "This is the best vacation we have ever head down here and I can't think why". It suddenly came to me, no family-just the two of us. I love my family but it was a whole new experiance seeing the parks without little ones-or even the bigger ones. We could take our time, really see the sights, pass the long lines because we really don't need to go on that ride right at this minute, quieter meal times, etc. Ever since then we have done our annual trek, just the two of us. Do we miss the kids? Sure but we are enjoying the trip so much more.
 
Never went as a child. I did go with my daughter and it always ended up feeling it revolved around her with me paying even when she was 20. So, now I'm on my own I love it. It's wasted on kids and people who cannot appreciate the work that goes on making WDW a magical place, like the theming and lovely CMs.
The best trip I ever had was February 2009, my first solo trip, I was convinced I'd miss my daughter and it was a shock to realise I was having the best time ever! When I came home I had so many people telling me how rested I looked and that was a first.
 
As someone who started going only after they were an adult, I feel that it is just as magical as it is for children. Sure, we have to pay out our own pocket(which I believe was the guy's biggest gripe) and things sometimes don't go our way, but there is a certain freedom to being able to do what you want, when you want, something children don't really get to do because they have to stay with their parents. There is something special when you see that sign for the first time as an adult though. I do agree with the guy on the monorail(that situation has become rather unfortunate), and Disney does need to fix it up some, but I prefer the boats and buses personally.
I also started as an adult. I had never stepped foot into any Disney park until I was 43, for my DW's 40th b-day, and I have to say I had the best vacation I ever had.
 
When you go as a kid, you ultimately do what your parents want you to do. Sure, they are making it magical for you but it's different than when you are an adult. As an adult you get to plan what you want to do, you can appreciate everything that has gone into creating the magic and best of all - you can eat all the ice cream you want. :rotfl2:
 
I think some of why I love Disney so much as an adult is the escape from the real world. Kid-me didn't need an escape; most days were fun. Adult-me appreciates the Disney bubble so much and hasn't found that at other vacation destinations. Another thing I like more about going as an adult is all the planning and research that makes me appreciate it so much more. On my childhood trips (most of which were a single day during road trips from Connecticut to Southern Florida) we didn't really know what was there or what we'd enjoy most, we just showed up, did some things that my parents chose or that sounded good at the time, and we left. Now going to Disney is a much more deliberate experience; we have an idea what all the rides or attractions are before we go, we're able to pick the ones we'll like most, and we have the control over our experience that comes from hanging out here and knowing the strategies to get the most out of our vacation. I think DH and I like Disney at least as much, maybe more, than any of our kids do. Don't get me wrong--they like it (except my 15 year old, who doesn't like anything except books and video games right now!), but they don't appreciate it as much as DH and I do.
 
Now going to Disney is a much more deliberate experience; we have an idea what all the rides or attractions are before we go, we're able to pick the ones we'll like most, and we have the control over our experience that comes from hanging out here and knowing the strategies to get the most out of our vacation. I think DH and I like Disney at least as much, maybe more, than any of our kids do.
I agree. Sometimes I think the researching and planning may be half of the fun of a Disney trip.
 
It's incredible how I've gone from having trips to Disneyland Paris with my family to simply being a solo traveler. I tell you my first time going alone was just marvellous for me. Yeah I did have a couple of minor things that were bad but not every trip to a Disney theme park is perfect. For me this is a great achievement.

I travel to LA a couple times per year for work and when I am out there I hit DLR solo. The first time I went alone I wondered if it would be weird, but I hadn't even crossed under the railroad tracks and onto Main Street USA before that feeling quickly subsided. I would of course prefer traveling with my wife, and/or my kids, but going solo can be really enjoyable too!
 
I think some of why I love Disney so much as an adult is the escape from the real world. Kid-me didn't need an escape; most days were fun. Adult-me appreciates the Disney bubble so much and hasn't found that at other vacation destinations.

This is a huge piece for me. When I go under that arch, all of the stress and thoughts from work and real life melt away and I can be a kid again. I can ride all the rides, meet all the characters, and just let go. That level of transport from the real world wasn't something I felt when I was younger (even though my first trip wasn't until I was a teenager) and it is something that I can really appreciate now.
 
I think some of why I love Disney so much as an adult is the escape from the real world. Kid-me didn't need an escape; most days were fun. Adult-me appreciates the Disney bubble so much and hasn't found that at other vacation destinations. Another thing I like more about going as an adult is all the planning and research that makes me appreciate it so much more. On my childhood trips (most of which were a single day during road trips from Connecticut to Southern Florida) we didn't really know what was there or what we'd enjoy most, we just showed up, did some things that my parents chose or that sounded good at the time, and we left. Now going to Disney is a much more deliberate experience; we have an idea what all the rides or attractions are before we go, we're able to pick the ones we'll like most, and we have the control over our experience that comes from hanging out here and knowing the strategies to get the most out of our vacation. I think DH and I like Disney at least as much, maybe more, than any of our kids do. Don't get me wrong--they like it (except my 15 year old, who doesn't like anything except books and video games right now!), but they don't appreciate it as much as DH and I do.

While I do find any destination I go to typically is an escape for me, particularly since I tend to choose more adventurous options, I do agree Disney, and theme parks in general, are a great way to get out of your head for a day, a few days, or several days. Something about it just let's you release your worries and have fun. My first trip to Disney, as I mentioned earlier in the post, was as an adult, but I feel it's only the rush, like you get at smaller parks(my home ones were Dollywood(Dollyweird as I call it) and Carowinds, though there are a lot of parks a few hours from me), on steroids.
 
And it also means that I can just do whatever I want whenever I go to the parks. No waiting for others lagging behind me, no parents telling me what to do and what not to do, I can on as many rides as I please and I can travel alone. Basically I'm a free man when it comes to the Disney theme parks and it can also be applied to virtually anyone who has ever been to the Disney theme parks alone in general.
This is really it for me. I can do what I want, whenever I want, however I want. Do I want to leave MK and take the little boat over to the Poly because I like going across the lagoon to get a drink? Heck yes. No one complaining that it's too hot or cold or that they want to meet Scrooge McDuck (all of which my mom did on my last trip hehehe) and then making me feel personally responsible when they're not 100% happy. I know how to get a bunch of fastpasses and use them wisely, I know when to take breaks & when to go nuts, and I can have any treat or souvenir I want because it's my money. :P
 
I agree with what everyone else has said. Attention to details, going on any ride I want, appreciating the value of a trip and the value of resort only stays, staying up late for DAH or MNSSHP/MVMCP, eating at and enjoying signature restaurants. On a personal level, I have also grown to appreciate the smoothness of the thrill rides at Disney World. I can go on any thrill ride at DW or DL multiple times and feel great the next day. I ride some of the thrill rides at the amusement parks here in Ohio (I am looking at you Cedar Point and Kings Island) and I am sore for at least 3 days.
 

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