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[MissDisneyisMagical]

I'm 26, no kids and going in November - haven't told anyone at work cos I don't want the aggravation and the weird looks. All they know is I've got 3 days off, they don't know what I'm doing with them!! I get so sick of being called "childish" just because I love Disney - what they don't understand is that it's actually nostalgia for what I grew up with. No matter what anyone says Disney is for everyone and everyone, young or old, has the right to enjoy it in whatever way they choose to!

I am exactly the same, 25 with no kids, going again tomorrow. Like you my work colleagues know I have 2 days off, but not where I'm going. It's really quite sad that we feel we have to keep the fact that we're going to Disney to ourselves, but unfortunately people do judge and I find, like you, it's not worth having to explain yourself over and over.

I started going to Disney regularly (Florida and Cali) from when I was 3yrs and DLRP from when I was 7yrs - I grew up there. I was also born at the right time for all the Disney renaissance films (Little Mermaid, Aladdin, B&TB, Lion King etc.) as well as being introduced to all the old ones by my mum. My parents started going to WDW and DL in the 80s before I was born, and fell in love with it. For us, going to Disney as a family is all about the fun and the nostalgia. Plus we just love the way Disney does things, the little attention to details, the amazing theming. Outside of Disney, I'm not particularly Disney-mad, and to be honest I don't often think about Disney stuff when I haven't got a trip planned, but I love going and will continue to go because I need a little bit of regular Disney-styled magic in my life - if that makes me "mad" then bring on the men in white coats!

i'm so glad to hear someone the same age as me with no kids enjoys it as much i do! my bf thinks its really unusual to love disney at my age although after taking him twice to dlrp he admits it is good at least now and he did find tangled and TS3 funny at the cinema. he still hasnt agreed to go to florida yet though

[big disney kid]

this seems to be a very common thing when you say your going to disneyland but i dont care what people say anymore in most cases people who judge would love to go some people just love to complain or run down other peoples holiday and yes a lot of disney if for kids but there is plenty to do for big kids as well i dont care if people judge me for running after scully or chasing woody to get a pic when i go to disneyland i feel like a kid again disneyland paris was not built when i was young so i allways promised my eldest daughter i would take her and the day i did it was the best move i ever did to see the look on her face and the 2 younger ones was worth every hard earned euro .the 200000000 photos we have prove it was worth it now we go every year  so i dont give a toss who says what anymore all i know is i will enjoy myself my kids will have memorys for the rest of there days ,,,,,,,

[ed-uk]

Only Disneyland and the world of Disney (films etc) could bring out such strong feelings of loyalty and emotion in people. I don't think any other theme park or company could do it for so many people. The strength of Disney is that we all grow up with the films and characters, and the story telling stays with many of us forever. We can find that story telling in the parks, the films, the theatre and no doubt the cruise line.

[Tinkswishes28]

My partners family used to be the same - non disney people, and i have pursuaded them to give it a go! We are going next year. I really hope we have a wonderful time, or they will never forgive me !

[samuelvictor]

It doesn't surprise our family & friends that we want to go again - after all I'm a traditional animator & very much into the history of Disney & animation as a whole.

To be honest, in the area where we live, the vast majority of people (ourselves included) don't GO on holiday as they simply can't afford it. However, we live on the coast and regularly enjoy taking the kids to walk or play on the nearby beaches, so perhaps we have the best of both worlds.

We decided to go to DLPR last year as the kids were getting older and we wanted them to experience it whilst they were young. We saved and saved and saved. Several other local families booked at the same time as us, but we were the only ones who actually managed to pay off the full amount. (That said, the other families drink and smoke, and spent a fortune on Christmas presents etc. We didn't, it's that simple.)

We have had some criticism for the fact that we've booked to go again, many people saying a holiday to Disney is a "once in a lifetime experience" - I simply don't believe that. We enjoyed it, we want to do it again, with the benefit of knowing what extra things we'd like to try this time, and being able to plan which rides, shows etc we want to see more efficiently. The kids can even save their pocket money, birthday and Christmas money etc knowing what they'd like to buy when they get to the parks. We've become shareholders for discounts, and I'm sure we'll continue to go til the kids feel they are too old for it. Personally I hope it never happens, as I still thoroughly enjoyed it!

I must admit, before we went, we did feel that we were going to Paris rather than Florida simply as it was cheaper. There does seem to be some stigma that Paris isn't a "real" Disney, compared to California and Florida. Once we were there, that all went away.

My wife spent the first twelve years of her life spending a month in Florida, and visiting all the parks. (she wasn't rich, but her family worked in travel agents and airports!) She had also visited California several times.

When comparing DLPR to the main Florida and California parks, she decided in many ways the Paris resort is better for us, and not an inferior "third choice" as we initially imagined. I can't really comment as I'd only been to Florida and California in the past on business and not explored much, and had been into Disney Village and eaten at Annettes when staying in Paris on business, so had no real experience of the Disney Parks themselves, but what I DO know is that for a family who can't afford to drive, the DLPR encompassing the hotels, 2 parks and Disney Village is an amazingly compact holiday - it still blows my mind that we got on a Train in London & got off literally at the entrance to the Parks. It's a wonderfully designed resort, and with the planned expansions in the future I can only see it growing

Of course, when we have more money in the future, we'll of course visit Florida and California as well, mainly to visit the other parks not in Paris (I'm particularly interested in Universal Studios for example. Of course I know this isn't Disney, but it's nearby) But I suspect that these holidays will be more spaced out and occasional, whereas I hope we'll return to Paris frequently.

[disneyisthebest]

Funny topic name

[ilovedisneylandparis]

I think sites like this are great, to read and realise that other people love DLP as much as we do I hate when people say mean things or make comments about Disney holidays too, if I mention it then it's not unusual for friends or family to say "Again?!...but you went last year?". To me it's not just a 'holiday' that you'd get bored of if you went back too often; it feels like a home to me, somewhere I can be safe It's a perfect world, and who wouldn't want that?! I would get bored going back to the same apartment in Spain year after year but I'd never get bored of DLP and I think all the people on here saying the same is proof of how magical a place it is!

[torillien]

hear hear ...

all of my non-disney loving friends are the same, they think I am crazy. I love everything Disney and esp DLP.

My other half was also the same, until he came with us in June and saw how much our 4 year old loved it - she says DLP is her most favourite place in the world. We have 2 DLP holidays pencilled in for next year

I don't give a hoot what other people say and if they judge me .. I love Disney and DLP (even more so than WDW) and I would go more if I had the time and could afford it.

I see something new everytime I go - Great thread

[Sugaroo_]

Thank goodness my fiance loves everything Disney just as much as I do, so he doesn't think I'm cuckoo every time I ask him to go. I get the most "judgement" from people who have never been there, but they really don't count now do they?!? I think there's a misconception that "it's for kids" or it would make more sense to them if we had kids. Bottom line is we really enjoy ourselves at DLRP and nothing anyone says affects us.

[MissDisneyisMagical]

while i was at disney paris middle of december i encountered a family ( a mum dad and small child) while queuing up to meet Rapunzal, when Flynn came down the queue to entertain us the dad said to the mum have a photo with him and she said its just for kids adults shouldnt get involved, this then set my bf off as he felt a bit silly standing in a queue to meet a princess and i was like well there isnt really anything i can say to that is there?! ( bf is a bit grumpy at the best of times)! it did sort of deflate me a bit as it then made me feel a bit strange, think ill consider going with my friends next time!

[Othersider36]

I hate it when this happens!
I recently went in october and all my friends at school and EVERY one of them who hadn't been before said " disneys for little kids." I had to explain to them that even with the characters and fantasyland, it's still for all ages and they should just look up space mountain 2 or tower of terror. But the worst one came today when my friend Chloe said to me "Disneyland paris is boring" :evil:. she said that it was tiny compared to florida so I had to explain to her that size is nothing compared to the character that france has over america.

[jj554]

What an interesting topic to see how narrow minded some people can be. Luckily when my colleagues spot me pricing up a trip (using the PC at work, I have a boring job) they just laugh at me and say "you're not going back AGAIN are you?" - but in a jokey way. They just think I'm a bit mad - I am 22 and very much childless (2 guys). I've only recently got into DLP, as you can see from my signature below I've only been twice. We had such a fab time in April last year, then I got an offer through from my travel agent for the fireworks etc, I literally couldn't say no. When it comes to this year I am planning again for Nov. I mentioned this to my other half and he looked at me like I was crazy, and said "don't you think weve done it enough for a while?" - I think he thinks I've given up on the idea but I'm going to book without telling him haha. I was telling him how excited I am by the prospect of the Ratatouille ride (obviously a lot lol) and he was moderately interested but nowhere near the scale of me. LOOK AT THE LOVELY PARISIAN CONCEPT ART you fool! I wouldn't miss the 20th celebrations for anything. In my defence I pay for our holidays (he is a student, whereas i work and am very bossy lol so if I pay I get my way) so I'm sure he can't put up too much of a fight. I'd love to do Florida but him getting two weeks off isn't feasible until he graduates. So that gives me time to save up. In the meantime I am more than happy to go back to DLP because I love it there.

I still get the same excitement even though it's not the first time, in some ways I'm more excited because I've still got some bits I haven't managed to cover on our previous trips, the 20th celebrations to look forward to, different hotels to stay in and other restaurants still to try. I know how much of a good time I had last year and it's so good to have something to look forward to all year!

Sorry for branching off topic and babbling, I've just got a bit over excited about everything haha.

[Newbie]

I was worried about people's attitudes, but when we said we had booked for our last trip 2 families we know then booked and another couple told me they had been when their kids were little and did I think they should go again! :lol:

[Catalina]

This Topic is great, I am really glad I am not the only one who has this ... "problem".

I've recently booked my Trip for myself and my Boyfriend. Most of the People I tell actually think it's cool we're going and they support it. However, I did get asked "do you ever do "normal" Holidays", which I found very funny. What on Earth are "normal" Holidays?

What really surprised me though was the comment from my best friend whom I've previoulsy gone to Disneyland with twice. She thinks that Disneyland is "no Place to go with your Partner". She then went on how she can not understand why one would like to take a Partner to Disneyland. Eventhough I am the anti-romantic - I don't do "long walks on the beach" (and not just 'cause I live in Switzerland)   - , I don't understand her at all. This is by far the silliest reaction I've ever had on that subject ever.
What do you think? Why not go to Disneyland with your Partner? - Even if you don't have kids!

[jackieann]

hi Catalina

It most certainly is a place for couples.  I would love to go with my hubby just the 2 of us but i could not leave the kids behind.  We went in Oct and my mum came along so one of the evenings she had the kids in the hotel and we went for a walk around the park just the 2 of us, it was lovely.  Its a beautiful place and can be very romantic.  Maybe she is jealous and wants to go in his place.  

ENJOY XX