Is going to Disneyland a "once in a lifetime" sort of thing? Or is it not that special?

It’s like anything else in life. It’s what you decide to make it.

I’ve never been. If I was in the area, I might go once just for the hell of it. Long lines have kept me away so far, though.

It’s special for a lot of kids. I remember the [second] time I went to Disneyland. (The first I was in a stroller).

Of course it’s different for people who live near there and are used to its presence, but for me, as a kid, it meant driving across the desert from Nevada to Orange County. And of course it was one of the most fun things imaginable for me. Even now that I’m older, I still like going. Part of that is fueled by the fact that my mom is a Disney fanatic and is obsessed with the place.

We certainly don’t go that often, not even close. Last time was April ‘09 and before that, June ‘07 and before that some time in ‘05. My next goal is to go there with my boyfriend. :)

I have an annual pass and I have lived in So. Cal most of my life. I have probably been to Disneyland upwards of 50 times. I love it every time. But that’s me. Some people absolutely hate Disneyland. Sure, they are soulless grumps with no sense of whimsy, but hey, to each their own. ;)

Once was enough for my family.

I’ve been to DisneyWorld a few times. To me, it is pretty low on the list of places I need to return to, though I am sure I will go there at least one time with grandchildren. What it does, it does well, in a plastic, white bready sort of way.

@tinyfaery
I love Disneyland too. Hell, I plan on working for Disney (in animation, though…)
My parents just never want to pay for it.

I’ve had a lot of fun there, beginning in 1957, when I was 8 years old, and continuing through my older kid’s teenage years, and my younger kid’s pree-teen years. It’s not too bad a rip-off, some of the food is reasonably good for the price, you can summon a cute young blond by dropping a candy wrapper (they come out of nowhere to sweep it up) and the rides are fun (I like the old ones that have been there forever the best.)

ive been to Disneyworld about 3–4 times when i was younger for family vacations. I was kinda bored with it after the second time…Even though I was young.

It’s fun if you like standing in line for 1 hour to ride a 5 minute roller coaster. It is something everyone should do at least once though. Pirates of the Caribbean is so bad ass!

Not special to me. Never been. Have no desire to go. Would rather stay as far away as I can.

I went to disneyland in Paris with relatives when I was a kid. In retrospect, it was not that impressive.

I’ve been there twice. It’s okay. I would rather go to universal studios, but that’s just me

I love Disneyland. It is the American Mecca of theme parks. It is the Holy Land of vacations. It truly is the Happiest Place on Earth.
I make the pilgramage every couple of years. I love bringing someone who hasn’t been before, or a child. I feed off their discovery of the park, and their excitement of this wonderful place.

I’m not from SoCal but I am from Florida, and ppl there do the same shit with Disney World. They even buy annual passes. Some people just love it. I don’t care for it THAT much. I’ve been a few times. I didn’t go for years and years until finally they came out with other stuff like Universal Islands of Adventure and Animal Kingdom and stuff.

It just seems the same it’s always been. But like I said, some ppl love it. A girl at my job, I live in SoCal now, said that she goes sometimes at night just to see the fireworks ( I didn’t even know that was a thing there). She’s now “saving up” to buy the annual pass.

It’s pretty neat, but after one trip to Disneyland and two to Disney world, it isn’t too amazing.

I’ve been to Disneyland twice: once in Tokyo, once in Anaheim. If I lived closer to one—hell, if I lived on the same continent as one!—I think I would try to get there annually. I understand it’s not everybody’s thing, but those two days I’ve spent there were two of the most memorable days of my life.

@iphigeneia
Where do you live?

I lived in FL, and I typically would go when other friends came from out of state to bring their kids there. I would drive up and meet up with them for a day or two. I like it, I can go every year, or not go for several years. But, I do start to miss it after a good 5 years go by, I feel like I need to go back.

I’m from Canada, and I’ve been to Disneyland three times in my life (as an adult with my family)—-first time was back in March, 2006, then May, 2007, and finally April, 2009. The first two times it was fun, but by the third time the novelty sort of wore off and I was getting a little tired of it. It’s a wonderful, pretty place——beautifully landscaped and decorated, clean, and wholesome for the entire family. The rides are fantastic and the weather (when we went) was always nice. The only drawbacks were the expense and the fact that there is nothing but junk food there, nothing really healthy to eat. I would go again, but not for a little while. My two little children loved it of course, and want to go again——this year! I will have to think about it.

@squidcake Australia :D It’s probably good there’s a substantial space between my home and Disneyland.

I’ve never been, but it sounds like a waste of a perfectly good vacation to me.

I’ve never been to either US Disney park. As much as I love the rides at Six Flags, I hate the lines, the pricey food and the expense. I can only imagine it’s worse in the case of a Disney park.

@aprilsimnel If you go off season, there are very short lines for most rides. Off season is when school is in session. Summer (mid May through early September), winter break, thanksgiving, spring break all very busy.

For those who have a season’s pass, it can be an everyday thing. I wish I had one.

When I was 17 I went, I was honestly underwhelmed. It seems like it would be a great place to be a younger kid or to bring a younger kid, but for what a thrillseeking teenager wanted out of a theme park, it was overblown. I would LOVE to go to DisneyWorld…there are so many different parks and attractions, but Disneyland was a theme park built for mostly a younger set. There were a couple of fun thrill rides, but it took forever to get on them, everything was WAY too expensive (even for a tourist trap), and it was just minimal bang for your buck.

If you’re into thrill rides, particularly coasters like I am, the real place to go is Cedar Point, in Sandusky Ohio…for my money there is no better theme park in the US.

It’s exciting for young kids. But it’s definitely not a “once in a lifetime” sort of thing. It’s just sophisticated entertainment. That’s it.

As an adult with no young children, it’s not really special enough for me to consider going even once. If I had enough money to visit the US there are plenty of other places that would be far higher up in my list.