Is there something as “too much” Disney?

[DianaMB333]

So…. In the recent months I have gotten comments from family and some eyebrows raised when I say that I’m going to Disney “again”… which makes me happy of course, but maybe I have to start thinking if is it truly too much?

Background:

I’m a women, 47yrs old, divorced, no kids, with a 7yrs old niece super spoiled (Disney fan, how is that possible? LOL). I live in Texas.

WDW AP, DL magic key, DVC member, Cruise Castaway club, D23, Disney+, recently joined the Club RunDisney (now I’m a “runner”, but Disney only hahaha), very soon Adventures by Disney as trip is reserved.

Obviously I have Disney merch in my house, not overboard though, things like pins, crafts, a painting or two, some Mickey ears shaped things in the kitchen, ahh some Holiday décor too.

Weekend clothes, omg, probably 80%-ish of the shirts are Disney related. I have the Disney music in my playlists; I can get emotional after the FotLK shows or fireworks;

During the pandemic I felt safe and like my “escape” place; went 2 or 3 times, and since I loved it so much, I have escalated a lot on the trips to Orlando/Anaheim/cruise, maybe Philly or Chicago to see the Disney100 exhibition. Therefore, it is like Disney related things is taking 90% of my travel & entertainment budget.

I just love seeing people in the parks, the happiness, bright eyes, the aesthetic, the characters interactions, the shows, all the small details that are daily taken care of, how it was created and dreamt by Walt/Ron, the “novelty”, the bubble feeling..

I look for Disney related commentary, obviously check the Disboards daily, my social media feed is mostly Disney related (better this than the news I guess), I recommend Disney vacations to every human that dare to ask hahaha, and can go on and on about how Disney related is present in my day to day; because honestly I haven’t had any other hobby before.

So now… I’m doing a checkpoint to myself… should I care what they think?

Maybe not, it is ok to be "a Disney adult fan"... but still, maybe they’re right and I should deescalate back.. ? and if so, mmm decisions decisions,.. I don’t want to feel the FOMO, I want to keep enjoying my “hobby”, obviously time/budget dedicated to T&E can’t increase – so doing this plus other things is not possible.

Have you felt like Disney takes too much of your life and went through a path of just do something else? Have you replaced with other “hobby”?

Ps. After reading this again… definitely is too much LOL.. and writing it to the Disboards is just an emergency sign that I want Disney fans to say “no, just keep going, enjoy Disney” hahahaha… OMG.. I’m in trouble will do something about it.. but in 2025 because 2023/2024 already have plans

Thanks for reading, no need to confirm that I’ve become a “fan-addict” LOL, and just need to stop justifying it..!

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Look, your love/interest in Disney isn't hurting anyone and in fact, it's making YOU happy. As long as you're not going into debt over it, developing a hoarding problem, or ignoring work or important relationships in your life, you're FINE. My answer here would be the same whatever the "thing" was, whether it was Disney or any other interest or hobby. You're happy, no one is getting hurt or neglected, so why should anyone else care what you do or how you spend your time and money?

 

[nw6675]

You do you! If it makes you happy, there isn't too much. Well, if you can't function in daily life and you need therapy, then I'd say too much!

 

[BrianL]

I totally get how you feel. Sometimes I think it's too much too - not so much because of what others think, but I cast my own judgements on my life. Could it be different if I weren't so...well...like me I guess? Which gives the answer - NO. We are who we are. It's not hurting anything, so no worries. I'f a 44 year old mail, unmarried, no kids too - so sometimes people think that's weird enough! Certianly, if you think it's too much, take a break or pull-back some. I've been waffling lately myself, but usually feelings like this pass for me.

 

[BrianL]

Look, your love/interest in Disney isn't hurting anyone and in fact, it's making YOU happy. As long as you're not going into debt over it, developing a hoarding problem, or ignoring work or important relationships in your life, you're FINE. My answer here would be the same whatever the "thing" was, whether it was Disney or any other interest or hobby. You're happy, no one is getting hurt or neglected, so why should anyone else care what you do or how you spend your time and money?

Define "hoarding problem."

 

[fla4fun]

Okay, think about it for a moment. If you substituted Disney with a well known sports team, and said you went to all their games, wore their team colors, and kept up with the team on the internet, would people say it’s too much? I know an awful lot of sports fans that would fit that description.

Everyone has their interests and hobbies that take up a lot of their free time. So long as a hobby is not preventing you from keeping up with your real life responsibilities, like paying the mortgage and utilities, going to work, etc., then I say, do what you enjoy. Just because you have one set of hobbies/interests and someone else has a different one, doesn’t make either one of you wrong.

If we didn’t have hobbies, we’d just be sitting staring at a wall during our free time. How awful that would be!

 

[goofyernmost]

I went 48 times in 40 years, the last 20 as a solo traveler. I think that even my grown children were starting to wonder about my sanity. I loved it right up to my last visit in 2019. Since then the cost and the complexity of the situation just to visit a theme park had gotten so bad that it sucked the fun right out of the experience for me. It didn't take long before I realized that I was done with it. If they were to suddenly lower the price and make extensive planning no longer required I might decide to go one last time, but right now I have absolutely no desire at all. They literally lost me at the process and the cost. I can still walk into Universal whenever the mood hits me, no hoops to jump through.

 

[Gabby01]

Honestly, reading your post, you sound like you’re having a great time! I don’t see what the problem is? If the only “problem” is that other people think it’s too much, frankly, I’d tell them to go fly a kite! There are enough real problems to deal with in life, without people trying to micromanage your free time!

 

[DianaMB333]

Not sure if it is really just about others think… maybe some guilt on expending so much in Disney, maybe some “comfort zone” on going to a place I know and feel safe/energized instead of risking to go new places again, and many other thoughts..

Don’t know.. anyhow thanks for reading and for the comments!

 

[Gabby01]

Not sure if it is really just about others think… maybe some guilt on expending so much in Disney, maybe some “comfort zone” on going to a place I know and feel safe/energized instead of risking to go new places again, and many other thoughts..

Don’t know.. anyhow thanks for reading and for the comments!

I mean, your entertainment budget is your entertainment budget, I don’t think it’s right or wrong to spend it at Disney vs. elsewhere, unless you’re not enjoying it, then just try something else!

I think there’s something to be said for a place that feels comfortable/safe. I definitely value this more as I get older! Is there some other destination you’ve been wanting to check out?

 

[TikiRob]

Exactly what @fla4fun said,

It is only “too much” if it is “too much” to be a sports fan, a gamer, avid shopper, fitness junkie, TV binge-watcher, vacation at the same beach each year, or any other passion one might follow.

 

[mikeishere]

People only look down on it as non Disney adults don’t get it and think Disney is a kids thing your meant to grow out of eventually. Like another poster said they’d have no comment or no judgement if it was something they understood like following a sports team and going to every game etc. Disney isn’t hurting anyone.

 

[ambula603]

If loving Disney is wrong, I don't want to be right!

For real though, Disney is my escape. It is comfortable and familiar but also has new things all of the time that excite me. I get to remember a happier time in the past or look forward to a trip in the future. As someone said, without hobbies, life can get pretty boring and unfulfilling. WDW is my hobby. Sometimes that is visiting the parks, sometimes that is watching Youtubers there, sometimes it is listening to Sorcerer Radio and trying to feel the ambiance.

We do take trips to other places and I love those, as well. But Disney gives me warm fuzzies and I joke that it feels like a drug when I have a new trip to plan.

 

[PSUPreston]

I say go as much as you can!! I will never be able to explain the "I'm home" feeling every time I walk into a Disney Theme Park!! EPCOT is my favorite and I could spend days on end strolling world showcase, drink in my hand and looking at the awesome shirts people have bought/made for their trip!! I have lately made it a point to try and compliment every "button" celebrating something when I see them!!
On a recent trip for my birthday, I think over 90% of CM I saw wished me a Happy Birthday!! Makes me wish I could have 4 birthday's a year LOL
Enjoy your trips!! Cheers

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think the pandemic opened people's eyes to other destinations since Disney was fairly cost prohibitive. But there's nothing actually wrong with enjoying a destination so frequently whatever place it may be. When it starts hurting your budget to the point where you're sacrificing things in bad ways you know you need to step back.

I did pick up from your comments that during the pandemic you said you increased dramatically your emotional and financial investment in Disney, just keep in mind you may need to explore if there's underlying reasons why meaning it's not so much about Disney and your enjoyment of all things Disney but rather substituting or masking other things by way of using Disney. Just something to maybe keep in mind

Perhaps maybe don't share as much of where you're going for a bit to see if it makes you feel better about the side comments.

 

[Gabby01]

I did pick up from your comments that during the pandemic you said you increased dramatically your emotional and financial investment in Disney, just keep in mind you may need to explore if there's underlying reasons why meaning it's not so much about Disney and your enjoyment of all things Disney but rather substituting or masking other things by way of using Disney. Just something to maybe keep in mind

Perhaps maybe don't share as much of where you're going for a bit to see if it makes you feel better about the side comments.

Sound advice. I would just add that sometimes a harmless coping mechanism *is* part of a healthy strategy to get through hard times with your sanity intact (I got derogatory comments about taking up birding during the pandemic. Can now identify over 100 species, no regrets!). Standard caveats of not hurting anyone or spending beyond your means (which it sounds like she isn’t).

Also, YES to not telling people what you’re up to if they’re just going to rain on your parade!!

 

[mikeishere]

…. I also had similar reactions to what the op has described and I’ve started to tell people it’s the parks that make it a life long love because as an adult you do grow out of the latest animation films etc (like I don’t have the same affection for frozen as say the 90s Disney animated films I grew up with) so I have to tell people in an alternative universe if say it was warmer Bro’s and bugs bunny for example that had the Disney empire and and the theme parks it would be all about Warner bros or some other entertainment company and not Disney/Mickey mouse as otherwise people truly would think I haven’t grown up and especially more so in the uk where less adults understand the adult Disney love.

 

[1420Elexismc]

I feel like...as long as your bills are paid and your responsibilities are being met everywhere else-do what you want. You're allowed to spend your money/time on what makes you happy. If you aren't hurting anyone else-who cares?!

 

[Smugpugmug]

I get where you're coming from, OP. Only one of my friends is into Disney parks. Another friend who has children of her own doesn't understand why I would go as a childfree adult. A few of my friends rolled their eyes when I said I wanted to add the Disney parks to my potential Japan trip. A lot of people do think Disney is only for kids and don't understand what makes them special. For me it's not the IPs but rather the overall experience. I do like to mix in some non Disney trips (been going to Universal more often lately and doing a cruise for the first time in 10 years this December) but I do find myself going back to Disney.

As long as you are able to financially afford it and it doesn't impact your day to day responsibilities/obligations, then go as often as you want. It makes you happy and that's all that matters in the end. The people judging you aren't paying for it, so why should they dictate what you spend your time and money on?

 

[DianaMB333]

I get where you're coming from, OP. Only one of my friends is into Disney parks. Another friend who has children of her own doesn't understand why I would go as a childfree adult. A few of my friends rolled their eyes when I said I wanted to add the Disney parks to my potential Japan trip. A lot of people do think Disney is only for kids and don't understand what makes them special. For me it's not the IPs but rather the overall experience. I do like to mix in some non Disney trips (been going to Universal more often lately and doing a cruise for the first time in 10 years this December) but I do find myself going back to Disney.

As long as you are able to financially afford it and it doesn't impact your day to day responsibilities/obligations, then go as often as you want. It makes you happy and that's all that matters in the end. The people judging you aren't paying for it, so why should they dictate what you spend your time and money on?

Hahaha that’s my 2024 plan… Japan with all itinerary around the parks … obvious my family think i’m crazy allocating time to Disney instead of going around more… but.. I want to LOL