Is Disney Fun for Adults Because It's For Kids?

One thing I love about Disney is it’s appeal for so many age groups. Going with a child is so different than going just as adults. When DS was young it was all about QS Dining and whether or not there was something his royal pickiness would eat. Going with just DH now we are free to explore different restaurants and try new foods, indulge in golf, spa days and shopping. Our next trip is just DH and I in May 2019, but we are planning one after DS’s first year of college in 2020 so we can visit GE. Now DS is way more interested in signature dining and golf so it a whole new kind of trip. And I have a feeling we will go again when he’s 21 but hopefully he’ll be paying for himself at that point.
 
I don't think it's a kid place so much. Walt Disney World specifically allows me to escape reality for a bit. I can tune out work and most adult responsibilities and isolate myself from the problems of the outside world for a week. I don't have to drive, I don't have to worry about cooking meals or mowing the lawn. I don't have to worry that the woodchuck is eating my wife's plants. Generally get to have a good time, in place that is usually experiencing better weather than my home at the time.

This. X 10. I never went as a child, but I always wanted to. I was 19 the first time I went and was enthralled. So I guess in my head I will always associate WDW as the ultimate vacation. I'm sure my love of WDW has a lot to do with my childhood or lack there of. The truth is I really don't care why, I just like it. I don't want to ruin it by over psycho analyzing it. It may be as simple as it's just a fun place to go. Here's the thing I don't hunt, fish, gamble, smoke, do drugs, chase women, heck I don't even drink much anymore. So going to WDW is a benign if not down right wholesome activity compared to a lot of "activities".


My love of WDW is nobody's business except my wife's, and bless her heart she indulges me. Everyday I have to be an adult solve problems, answer questions, fix things, pay taxes, deal with accountants, IRS, patients, etc. etc. etc. So when I go to WDW I can escape for one whole week every 2-3 years. I can do what I want, eat, drink, and play without having to worry about making every other person on the planet happy. Is it a "kiddie" place? Maybe, but I don't care.
 
I agree with other posters--Disney is for all ages! I will be spending my 50th birthday at the MK next month. We will be bringing kids, but I have taken plenty of trips without kids. I would rather enjoy myself than waste my time worrying about what other people think about how I spend my money.
 
I agree as well. Disney is for all ages. You go there and you do what you like or even love. People get carried away with things that are "age-appropriate" or whatever that means. When my nephew was 7 years old, he loved the Yeti in Expedition Everest and his older sister got scared and she cried. I am in my late thirties and I love going on the Dumbo ride and the teacups. Having fun is the name of the game at WDW and there is something for everyone, no matter your age.
 


but she knew I like "children's stuff" too and she wants to go to Disneyland together when she gets back.
Sounds like denial to me. She loved it and she wants to go back but needs you as an excuse, so she can say she just goes because you like it. Maybe she'll get over that.
 
Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. Everyone has had such great comments. As I thought about this more, it seems like there are a lot of people out there who have this idea that Disney is for kids. I'm reminded of Jim Gaffigan, who did a funny bit on WDW (even though I disagreed with the premise), where he said, “now there are adults without children that go to Disney. And they’re called weirdos. Very nice people... absolutely crazy.”

Well, I don't mind being crazy as long as I'm in good company haha. Maybe what struck me about "kiddie place" was the idea that some people have an idea of what's responsible and mature, and sneaking off to a children's park sounds like the opposite of responsible and mature. And for people who think that, either they really haven't gotten to appreciate the many sides of Disney... or maturity is overrated.
 
My husband and I went the year before we got married, for our honeymoon, and a couple more times before we had kids.

No, Disney is not just for kids!

We're going next month without the kids, first time in 20 years!

I don't give a crap what others think. You don't need to either!
 


This thread reminds me of my first visit to Disney, at Disneyland.

In 1979 I got the opportunity to go to a trade convention being held at the Anaheim Convention Center. One weekday afternoon my boss, who was a Disneyland fan, said we needed a break and walked me across the street to Disneyland. It was all a blur. I was getting the chance to experience something that I grew up watching on TV. I don't remember much... screaming on Space Mountain, the Matterhorn, Pirates, Jungle Cruise. Little snippets of memories. No embarrassment for me.

It was almost 20 years before I got the opportunity to do Disney again. This time at WDW. My company held a new product introduction training at the Swan/Dolphin. I decided to take my wife with me. We got a room at the Boardwalk and stayed an extra couple of days after the training. That visit started our addiction of yearly WDW visits. Which we now continue as Disney snowbirds who enjoy our "winter walks enhanced by Disney". Definitely not just for kids.
 
Kiddie Stuff???? I am sorry but Ii do not understand the term. Just what did she mean by kiddie stuff? Getting away from work for a couple of days? Leaving the world and all of its' problems back at home? Enjoying yourself? Having fun? When did this become kiddie stuff? I will soon be 65 and my wife and I travel down to WDW every year. Not because we want to act like kids, but because we deserve a time to relax, enjoy each others company, and develop new and cherished memories but most of all, experience the Magic. Remember, Disney said his parks were for children of ALL ages. Take it from a senior, when you lose your inner child you lose the ability to enjoy life. Never give up the wish that Dreams do come true.
 
It's fascinating that 63 years after Walt set out to make what was NOT a "kiddie park", some people still think of amusement/theme parks that way. I could understand that sentiment in 1968 but not in 2018.

I have found that people in Europe tend to think of all amusement/theme parks as places for kids. Not so much in the States. So it's not terribly unusual to me that bryanb's GF and her friends feel that way. Really all it takes is one trip to remove that belief.
 
If you haven’t yet I would break up with her she clearly doesn’t understand and you don’t need that in your life.
 
Disney turns me into a big kid so that makes it even better. I think I enjoy it more as an adult since I can appreciate more of the little things in the parks.
 
Dump her ;) Nah just kidding, Disney is about escaping reality and letting loose (metaphorically, or after a few at Trader Sams literally). Myself and my boyfriend love rides but it isn't just thrill rides or we'd go Busch Gardens or similar, it's the immersive theming from the music through to design details. We've been to 4/6 of the Disney Parks and it's all about suspending belief for X amount of time. Yes riding Dumbo is kiddie, but the immersive back stories to Haunted Mansion or Pirates aren't. The only solution is to take her and change her mind!
 
This question can be broken down into two answers for me.

The first is yes, I get to be a kid and relive my childhood and not get judged. In a world where there are a lot of stresses and worries, it's nice to Akuna Matata for 10-12 days.

Secondly, I feel that if you go for the correct events (or even if you just like to go to Springs), you can have more fun as an adult than you ever did as a kid. Obviously, I love runDisney, but our favorite event in the world to attend is Food and Wine. Flower and Garden is very nice, but the F&WF is just phenomenal. We love the dining and shopping at Disney Springs as well.

As a whole, its the escape that we love, and you don't always appreciate that as a kid.
 
I grew up in SoCal and went to Disneyland often, all through High School. After my Grandparents passed, Mom and I relocated to Texas, where my Grandmother's family is from. It was about 10 years before we were able to go to Walt Disney World. By that time I was in my 30s and Mom was in her 60s. It was amazing how much both of us missed the Disney park atmosphere and being around really happy people. The next year, we bought into DVC, and regularly visited 2 to 3 times per year. Now, 27 years later, I'm 60, Mom is gone. I still go regularly, sometimes solo, often with close friends. Sometimes there are kids in the group, sometimes not. Overall Disney is about connecting with a special part of ourselves, at any age. Building new memories and reliving memories of happy times. Disney is for all ages, as Walt said, "To all who come to this happy place: Welcome."
 

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