First Time going to Disney- reluctant to go - any advice?

DCmay, I hope you can see how many folks have crowd and anxiety issues but still love the MK. I'm one of those who also have anxiety issues with crowds. I enjoy the MK but know when I've had enough and need a break. One thing you can do is take one of the resort launches and cruise your way to the various MK resorts....get off at one and look around, have a snack and just recharge before heading back. My personal favorite is the Wilderness Lodge but lots of folks love the Polynesian.
Take it slow and enjoy...

We travel as all adults and I am overwhelmed with crowds here at home. In the magic kingdom I am so distracted by landscapes and architecture that the crowds become an after thought to me. I use simple tricks to avoid the bottleneck places as a whole so I can keep in my happy place. An example is as much as I love walking down main st and looking at the castle the crowds build up. If it get overwhelmed I go into the shops on the left siding looking at the castle. They are all connected and I don't have as many people to deal with for a little break. When you exit the end you still have a view of the castle and a lot less people. I love the parades but crowds get me so I watch back in frontier land where normally less people watch the show. Wishes can be viewed all around the hub infront of the castle but we stand to the right of the plaza restraunt where there are less people and it's My favorite place. If you can tolerate the smell of smoke the stairs are a Great seat to enjoy the show without people all over you. Just know that it is a designated smoking area as well. I don't mind it. Disneys is just like life if your willing to let good things happen they will if your looking for the negative it will appear. I hope you have an amazing experience and I'm sure the rest of this forum is hoping the same for you.

Hi DCmay, I'm close to your age and my husband and I travel to WDW frequently despite having no children because WDW is such a rich and varied vacation destination. At almost 33-years-old, Magic Kingdom is my favorite park. At 9, I was all about EPCOT, but now that the world I live in on a daily basis is so "real", I prefer the park that lets me escape! I tend to be very shy in most situations, but I feel comfortable enough to have conversations with complete strangers the minute I walk through the front gate at MK. This is a quick, simple read about just how powerful this magic pixie dust can be for people:

3500: An Autistic Boy's Ten-Year Romance with Snow White

My recommendation for getting more engaged in the trip is to pick up a behind the scenes book. One of the things that solidified WDW as a vacation favorite for me was reading about the history and symbolism that is celebrated everywhere. There are layers upon layers of details in these parks--especially in the Magic Kingdom. For example, the tree in Liberty Square that has the 13 lanterns hanging from its branches (representing of course the 13 colonies) was moved to that location, but the tree broke while it was being transported, so it had to be wired back together and more than 40 years later, it's still welcoming visitors to Liberty Square. If you look closely in some of the upper windows, you see a few artifacts. THe musket in the window was a colonial symbol that the man of the house was present and could protect his home and family. In another window, you'll notice two lanterns signaling the colonists that the British would arrive by sea. My favorite detail in this land is the pavement color. Most of the pavement is red except for a brown path that weaves through the village--designed to represent the open sewer systems from colonial times. Keeping with that theme, you'll find that there are "technically" no restrooms in this land. There are loads of other great details like this.

Good luck! I hope you have a wonderful trip!!

I have developed a terrible fear of crowds also. It's so bad, I can't even enjoy an orgy anymore. {rimshot}

dcmay -

I'll be thinking of you today! I hope that you have a truly wonderful time at the Magic Kingdom.
Sending LOTS of Pixie Dust your way!

I hope you come back and tell us if you enjoyed it (so hope you did). I can say, just the architecture, beauty of the park, little touches everywhere, would be enough to make it enjoyable for me even if I didn't care for Disney.

I certainly hope we have a new Disney Fan!

Hey, dcmay, we all would really like to know whether you enjoyed your day and what you thought of the Magic Kingdom. Even if you were less than thrilled, we won't hold it against you.

Can't wait to hear about your day at MK. I hope you had a good time.

I made my first trip to Disney when I was 16, returned 20 years later for the second visit (a year later for the third!) and then made a solo trip last October. Whilst I can appreciate not everyone likes Disney for whatever reason, going to the Magic Kingdom allows you to re-attach with your inner child. At 31, you're a relative whipper snapper - I'm 42 and even then I'm the whipper snapper to some of the older kids here! I always appreciated Disney as a kid - I didn't watch loads of stuff, but did like the Magic World of Colour and Disneyland when younger. Being a slightly cynical teenager as I was, you do get cajoled into doing things that made sense as a kid but you'll soon get the hang of it - it's like riding a bike...you never forget.

Never view anything as being negative - as others have said it will only cloud your day there and your other half will end up spending his day trying to make you feel as ease and will subsequently enjoy the day less as well.

You're a bookworm - I'd suggest visiting Fantasyland where the likes of Beauty and the Beast, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan and the more book orientated attractions are. These are less thrill based and more quiet rides albeit in the dark. The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse is a good visit too, Pirates of the Caribbean (if you liked the movies) Have a ride on the carousel but ease yourself in - you're there to enjoy yourself, too...that's all you have to remember! Actually, getting on the rides will be better for you when the parades are on - everyone goes to those, leaving you to enjoy the other attractions without being mobbed too much!

Hope I made some kind of sense! And just noticed I was a bit late to this party! >_<