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rafiki fan
01-24-2007, 10:16 PM
I know being from the Midwest things do smell different in Florida but on our last trip our daughter got out of the vehicle at Downtown Disney and here first words were
" Now this smells like Disney." Are we the only Midwesterners who find the aroma of Florida unique or is there really a WDW smell. We thought maybe it was the vegetation or just the humidity. Maybe it's something in the air that entices you to keep coming back. Is there really something there? What is the aroma of Disney for you?

McLiberal8
01-24-2007, 11:42 PM
I am from Nebraska and I completely know what you mean.
The Disney smell to me used to be the humidity, the plants, and all that..
but my last trip the smell that lingered in my nostrils for days was that Stitch's G Escape chili dog smell. Yuck! :ill:

mickeyd
01-25-2007, 12:21 AM
For me it's definatly the humidity. Although there are various smells that I smell from time to time that I associate with WDW, like the cinnemon apple smell from the Christmas shop

cheergurl265
01-25-2007, 12:28 AM
I am from the Midwest too! and whenever i step off the plan and take a deep breath i know i am at disney. its a mixture of the humidity and the adrenaline and the magical i already feel for the fun i am about to have! Its the greatest smell in the world.

ps that chili dog smell from stitchs great escape definately does linger a little too long. :stitch2:

AndrewJackson
01-25-2007, 07:57 AM
its a mixture of the humidity and the adrenaline and the magical... :stitch2:

...and diesel fumes. :)

I am from the midwest as well. There is definitely a unique smell at Disney. I also think it is a combination of the lake, and the cyprus mulch that they use at the resorts.

There are also other smells that will take me back..

... the burning smell of Spaceship Earth
... the orange groves of horizon, now Soarin'

I could go on and on.

LibertyTreeGal
01-25-2007, 08:16 AM
WDW has a diversity of plant life that is going to strike just about anyone's nostrils. You just don't get that combination anywhere else in the world. And yes, humidity has a definite odor..... so does living in the desert, but I am used to that so I don't notice it anymore.

WDWhuny
01-25-2007, 08:52 AM
The Disney scent was discussed about a year and a half or two years ago. I think if we went back we could find it.

Disney does buy scents. As I recall they buy several different scents. The only ones that I can specifically recall are the two from the Main Street Bakery. They purchase the scent of cinnamon and chocolate chip cookies. While what they bake naturally smells good, the smell would not go out to the middle of Main Street. To help this they pipe it out to the street. In the previous discussion the name of the company was discussed and it was amazing the number of companies that pump in scents to make their products more popular.

I'm not certain if this is what you are referring to in your post. But, Disney does make sure that every sense is part of Disney experience. :mickey:

SBETigg
01-25-2007, 09:07 AM
There is definitely an overall Disney smell that seems different than anywhere else. And there is a whole range of sub-smells, too. Like the steamy tropical air at the Polynesian. I love walking in there just to sniff that welcome back Poly smell.

sneezyone
01-25-2007, 10:33 AM
I wouldn't doubt the "pumping in a scent". Scents can help to control and alter mood, which is often done as aromatherapy.

Funny side story...I used to work at Hershey Park, an amusement park RIGHT NEXT TO the famous Hershey chocolate plant. I mean from any of the higher rides you can see the plant, the silos where the cocoa beans are stored...anyway, you can almost always smell the chocolate being made. People would walk up to me and ask if they pumped the smell in! Cool thing is that if the smell of chocolate was very strong, it was a sign that it was going to rain.

I wouldn't doubt Disney's use of aromatherapy. It would only make "scents" ( :)

DizNee143
01-25-2007, 10:42 AM
Disney def does have its own scent..im from the northeast though..i think its just Disney/Florida smell..
i dont know what it is exactly...i love the smell of the water in disney..we have talked about that a few times on these boards..but thats a smell in Disney that stands out...
but does anyone notice when they come home and unpack that..you catch a little of that "disney smell" lol..everyone thinks me and my sister are weird when we say that..but the stuff in your suitcase really does smell like disney!! :mickey:

handmaidenofprincesses
01-25-2007, 10:44 AM
you know its funny, the other day i was in a store, and i'm not sure what i smelled but disney world immediately popped into my head! the olfactory system sure makes some weird connections... haha i was left craving a spin on "it's a small world"!

Figgyluv03
01-25-2007, 12:31 PM
The smell of the freshly made ice cream cones from the ice cream shop on Main Street. Nothing in or around Philly has that type of smell and feel!

mttafire
01-25-2007, 01:38 PM
:mickey: Disney "Florida" does have a certain smell. Im from Ohio and we do notice it also. :cloud9: Smell is a VERY sensative sense and it usully is the most powefull "memory" sense.

Mikey Piano 23
01-25-2007, 04:20 PM
I think its the swamp smell. I'm from Connecticut and we have 'wetlands' however it dosent have the same type of odor that Disney does.

Also I think the park has all the different smells of the goodies that you can buy...you can almost smell the magic! :mickey:

Off to Never Land
01-25-2007, 10:35 PM
The first time I run water in the Disney hotels, I feel like I'm riding Pirates....it is a weird Flordia water thing. But in a strange way it is nice because it means I'm there!

mainstreet1997
01-26-2007, 03:10 PM
I totally know what you mean. I was in Yankee Candle once and almost bought a candle because it smelled like "The burning of Rome" from SSE. At Bath and Body Works my sister shoved a make up brush in my face and said "What does this smell like?" It was kind of a vanilla-y smell and for some reason we both associated it with Boardwalk. Oh man im having serious withdrawl symptoms.... :sob:

jkj1224
01-26-2007, 03:24 PM
I used to live in Seattle and everytime we came to florida and got off the plane my whole family would say "smells like florida"...it was that humid swamp odor, which isn't as strong as it used to be. Now that I live down here I only notice it once in a while right before it rains.

For me though the MK will always smell like popcorn

DNS
01-26-2007, 03:26 PM
We always notice the Disney smell, but I really don't recall the smell anywhere else in Florida, just Disney. We thought it was a combination of Disney foods and other things unique to Disney.

Jasper
01-26-2007, 03:28 PM
While there are certain smells in specific locations I think the place as a whole smells like other semi-tropical locations I have visited. I think the plant life, atmosphere, air blowing in from the gulf, etc. combine to give places like Florida their own special smell.

lil jon 69
01-28-2007, 02:31 PM
i'm from St.Louis and it smells different like smells really good different plus my allergies have never acted up down there

DNS
01-28-2007, 02:46 PM
i'm from St.Louis and it smells different like smells really good different plus my allergies have never acted up down there
Same here with the allergies. I have a terrible time here in Ohio, but I can actually breathe in Florida! I've been told it's the salt air, but I don't know if there is any truth to that.

johnO
01-28-2007, 04:04 PM
I've only had allergy problems for the last few years. Last Feb when we were in WDW my allergies didn't give me a problem. It was fantastic! I live in SC where the air is salty and just as humid as Orlando. I think the real difference is the fact that there was no DOG :dog: living with us. I love my dog but I've definetly come to suspect that she is behind alot of my allergy symptoms.

mousetrapper
01-29-2007, 12:10 PM
There are many great smells in WDW, like the bakery smell on Main Street in MK and the burning of Rome scene on the Spaceship Earth ride. But "the" Disney smell to us is all in the water...whether you're on POTC or Splash Mountain (just don't get your nose too close to the brown rubber handrails...now THAT'S a smell I don't like at all!), there's a very special water smell that is unique to WDW.

We love it!! :thumbsup:

lightyearfan
01-29-2007, 01:01 PM
yup me and my wife would agree, there is a certain Disney smell, which is good though. like people have stated i just think that it's the vegetation thats pretty similar all around the WDW property, because you don't get that same smell at MCO Airport or even Universal Studios

Victor :mickey:

Belle_0717
01-29-2007, 01:11 PM
Yes! It begins when you leave the plane - it's a Florida fresh smell. Sometimes I think I can smell it at home in the summer.

Then the resort has a smell. As you enter the Magic Kingdom you are welcomed by the popcorn then you hit the bakery for chocolate chip cookies. The water smell on rides like PoTC and the Jungle Cruise. Animal Kingdom brings a fresh smell of plants and wildlife.

Thankfully I can close my eyes - think of the location - and smell s Disney smell!

GenieOfPA
01-30-2007, 11:16 PM
someone i know took the Keys To The Kingdom Tour in MK this month, and told me that her tourguide told her that on Main Street they actually have exhaust fans that pump air out of the "sweet treat" shops and onto the street so the air smells sweet! mmmm, i can smell it now...

DREAMADREAM93
01-30-2007, 11:47 PM
Well im deffinatly not a midwesterner [ weather phobia kills the thought of ever living there ] but i live in ATL. Ive even noticed that Disney has a very distinct smell. i vote that it should be the new Glade Plug-In .

- Jordan

alilprincessmom
01-31-2007, 02:35 PM
I live in Florida, and when I go out west or up to New York, things smell differently to me!! It is funny how we associate smells to certain things!! But, WDW does have a scent all it's own, and I don't think it is a Florida thing, because, since I am from here, I wouldn't notice a difference, and I do! I think it may be a combination of aroma's, and I think maybe they do pipe in certain smells, because it can't always smell that good by the bakery on Main Street!!!!!!

grumpyguy
01-31-2007, 02:45 PM
clean!!!!

ravsluvdisney
01-31-2007, 06:41 PM
I find specific smells that make me smile when I reach the World. We stay at the POLY and the fragrant smells as you walk along the grounds are intoxicating. The monorail smell brings me back to my trips as a kid. The old rides seem to do the same (Snow White, HM, IASW, etc.). And don't get me started on the bakery smells wafting down Main St..... :thumbsup:

Golf Grumpy
01-31-2007, 08:02 PM
There is a smell at BCV that I can not put my finger on. We have come close a couple of times but never found it. IT is a tree as you are walking by the pool near the parking lot. I think it is a tree, but maybe a shrub.

It is THE smell for me. Nice and sweet, and just very relaxing.

Red Randal
01-31-2007, 08:13 PM
I've always found the "smell" to have alot to do with the water (and, I'm guessing, whatever they use to treat it.) I've noticed I get a strong Disney smell when walking into a hotel or other building with a fountain.

As for the allergy discussion, mine are usually terrible all year round, but worst in the spring and summer...this August in Disney I was fine. Maybe it was the pixie dust but chances are it was that salt air. (I'm guessing the salt air, since I also felt fine in Ocean City a month earlier and I don't think Tinkerbell stowed away in the case of Mike's Hard Lemonade I brought with me to the Dunes Manor.)

Marilyn Michetti
01-31-2007, 10:45 PM
This is wierd, because we were just talking about this over the week-end, (smells in general), and we thought that Florida smells mouldy. That's not to say it's bad, or unpleasant, just kind of like a greenhouse. We're from a really dry climate, so getting off the plane in Orlando, it's kind of a steamy, scent.

Think about it tho' - the finest places, like museums, churches, and libraries, all have that wonderful, distinct amoma. :thumbsup:

EeyoresBestFriend
01-31-2007, 11:14 PM
I'm sooo glad that other people notice it! My DH always rolls his eyes and says 'how can it SMELL like Disney?!'

We've always gone in March/April and the jasmine(I think) is blooming - so it always smells sweet and humid and absolutely WONDERFUL!! I also am a huge fan of the little gecko like lizards that are everywhere, though I was unsuccessful at finding one on a necklace or anklet. :(
I'm looking forward to uttering those words again and the smell in April !! :cloud9:

MushuGrl
02-01-2007, 06:04 PM
Has anybody ever noticed the smell of chocolate on the third floor of the Contemporary?

Red Randal
02-01-2007, 06:18 PM
The third floor of the Contemp? Is that the "concourse" level or is it the convention center?

If it's the concourse level, maybe this is too simple but, is it mayble chocolate desserts from Chef Mickeys and the Concourse Steakhouse?

Jasper
02-01-2007, 06:30 PM
Same here with the allergies. I have a terrible time here in Ohio, but I can actually breathe in Florida! I've been told it's the salt air, but I don't know if there is any truth to that.


I have a friend who is a professer at the IU (Indiana University) medical school who specializes in the area of lungs and allergy. According to her, the entire Ohio valley is the worst place in the entire country for allergies because the Ohio valley is just that, a valley, and as a result it is normal for heavy contaminated air to pool in the Ohio valley and not catch any good air to clear it out. Plus what breezes do blow in come from the center of the country and bring all their crud with them. Another issue is the type of plants and how they pollinate which causes more pollen to be in the air in this part of the country than you find in others.

When you go to Florida, the air is constantly cleaned by breezes coming in from the gulf. Granted there are always places and times when air can stagnate in other places as well but my friend says it is most common in the Ohio valley.

jclightchasr
02-02-2007, 04:04 PM
I currently live in GA but lived in Florida for 6 years and speaking directly on the smell of Florida it comes from the grass. And it is especially strong in summer time. My wife and I call it bitterweed. I have also heard it referred to as wiregrass.

I regards to Disney smells I spoke with an old associate of mine who attended some marketing classes at Disney (I assume at the time this was at The Disney Institute but I have no idea where for sure) he told me that Disney does use scents to develop strong pleasurable connections with your memory and these fragrances vary and are throughout the parks. I also was living in New England and we ate at Rainforest Cafe which smelled exactly like Disney water rides. I asked the host about it who told us that they were affiliated with Disney and they utilized a fragrance which Disney supplied them that was distributed through the heating and air ducts in all their restaurants. Again for purposes of memory development and also to make those of us who have been to Disney want to go back.

Marilyn Michetti
02-02-2007, 06:36 PM
I know I already posted, but it just occured to me that the elevator in our hosp. smells just like the monorail. :D

GoldenDreams
02-17-2007, 12:14 PM
We just got back and unfortunately, the monorail cars are developing a really bad smell. Something growing in the air ducts? It has a very bad bathroom smell layered with cleaning fumes. Hope they can solve that.

Everything else was great --- perfect in fact!

mainstreet1997
02-17-2007, 08:46 PM
We just got back and unfortunately, the monorail cars are developing a really bad smell. Something growing in the air ducts? It has a very bad bathroom smell layered with cleaning fumes. Hope they can solve that.

Everything else was great --- perfect in fact!

I thought it smelled like pigs. I think its all those sweaty people. Come on Disney! Invest in a couple bottles of Febreeze!

LudwigVonDrake
02-19-2007, 11:08 AM
The smell of the Disney water especially in PoTC, the smell of Main Street, the smell of Big Thunder Mountain, Rome in SSE, and even the A/C has a certain smell..Too many others that I can't think of right now :mickey:

angedeaile
03-22-2007, 07:00 PM
I have lived all over and I do have to agree with you. Every place I have lived smelled different. Even Alabama and Florida smells different to me. Parts of Michigan smell different..

It all has to do with the atmosphere. It is nice to see others aren't as nuts as I am with smells though.:mickey:

Infact, I remember the different smells of people I know and places. It creeps my boyfriend out when I know he went to work or if he went somewhere new I don't know the smell of. It keeps him on his toes.

smartinez1
03-23-2007, 08:05 AM
I completely agree, I don't know what it is about Disney, but it does smell different! I especially smell it when I go into MK and in the main street shops, I don't know if it is the a/c or what, but sometimes I will be walking in a store somewhere and I have to stop, because I smell that disney smell.