As a “Disney Adult”, you’ve probably heard people say that “Disney World is for kids” many times over the years. Unfortunately, this has become all too common in recent times, and it’s something that has even been trending on the likes of Twitter recently, with some guests criticizing adults who attend the parks without any children.
If you’re reading this, then the chances are that you’re a Disney Adult. Or maybe you’re someone who firmly believes that Walt Disney World is intended to cater only for children. Well, if you fall into the latter category, we’re here to respectfully disagree! And here are five reasons (of many) to back it up…
5. Walt Disney World’s Magic Ingredient Is Nostalgia
It’s no mystery whatsoever that Walt Disney World, just like the movie industry, relies heavily on themes of nostalgia (although it’s fair to say that the theme park resort was the first to recognize the magic in such a thing). When exploring its theme parks, particularly the likes of Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, in many ways you’ll feel like you’ve been transported back in time.
And we’re not just talking about movies of the yesteryear – we mean to say the era itself. Magic Kingdom, of course, is an explosion of the golden age of cinema, and the attention to detail here is bar none. But if we are talking movies, or even one of the many traditional Disney characters from them, Walt Disney World simply knows what it is you loved about your own childhood and it taps into this incredibly well.
As such, it’s fair to say that a child doesn’t appreciate nostalgia like a Disney Adult does. And how could they, when it’s something that isn’t even remotely relevant to them yet?
4. Some Attractions Aren’t Suitable For Children
Shock horror! Yes, some Walt Disney World attractions are not suitable for younger children. However, we won’t get into specifics, largely because opinions on what is suitable for a child in terms of what’s deemed scary and what isn’t will naturally vary from person to person. However, there are other things to consider, such as height restrictions and the overall suitability of a ride, such as the more thrilling, adrenalin-fuelled experiences.
But with all that said, more importantly, Disney Adults are of course free to experience rides and attractions that have seemingly been made for the younger generation. In other words, you’re free to experience anything you like at the parks, and you should be able to without judgement. When we talked about nostalgia, we said that children couldn’t possibly appreciate these things as much as an adult – and this is true.
While there are of course some children – the older variety, of course – who will have fond memories of previous Walt Disney World visits, generally speaking, nostalgia is usually something adults tend to love revisiting.
3. Adults Tend to Appreciate The Attention to Detail
To say that children don’t appreciate anything is untrue. There are many children out there who don’t throw fits or tantrums when they’re exploring one of the happiest places on the planet, and whose jaws are left hanging just as much as any adult when they see a Disney Parade or a Night-time Illuminations event. But it is reasonable to say that adults, generally speaking that is, tend to appreciate what’s around them a lot more.
And there’s no place that has such striking attention to detail like Walt Disney World. In fact, there are so many examples of this that we don’t even know where to start. We’re no psychology experts, but it’s possible that children soak in these levels of detail on a subconscious level, whereas we adults are often on the lookout for the smaller things when it comes to exploring the resort.
In fact, do children even care that so much attention has been put into Magic Kingdom to ensure that it looks like it belongs in the early 20th Century?!
2. Entertainment, Shopping, and Food
Suggesting that Walt Disney World must be for adults because it has countless retail outlets, eateries, and forms of entertainment wouldn’t hold much merit, because you could argue that it needs to have those things in order for adults to have something to do while the younglings are busy enjoying the wonders of the resort anyway. But if that were the case, then why do some of the outlets, for example, sell things for adults?
It’s a little odd to imagine children taking their parents to Walt Disney World, and spoiling them rotten at one of the many fashion outlets. And do children like to wine and dine at the more elegant eateries the resort has to offer? We think not. We wouldn’t be surprised if there were some people who tried to point out that the resort is sort of split down the middle in terms of its target audience, in that the parks are for the children, and the likes of Disney Springs are for the adults.
Obviously, this is untrue. Just as untrue, in fact, as suggesting that Walt Disney World is only for adults. Just as there are plenty of things at the resort exclusively for adults, the same applies to children.
1. Walt Disney Himself Said So
“Adults are only kids grown up, anyway,” is just one of many quotes from Walt Disney that has been immortalized over the many decades since he first built Walt Disney World. It’s also no mystery that he created the resort to appeal to both adults and children, something he admitted time and time again. These themes are even echoed in animated features such as Peter Pan (1953) with quotes such as “Never grow up.”
It’s possible that you believe that Walt Disney World is for adults, but that those adults should only visit the park with their children. In other words, you might be against the fact that “child-less” adults, or adults who choose to visit without their children, don’t have the right to enjoy the magic the resort, and its many counterparts from California to Tokyo, have to offer. But simply put, this belief goes against everything Walt Disney World stands for.
Everyone has the right to enjoy Walt Disney World, and needless to say, sometimes adults need just as much magic in their lives as children do.
