Disney fans are a collection of individuals from around the globe who are connected by their shared love for the company, the films, and the theme parks. While each person brings his or her own personality to Disney fandom, the ways in which that love is expressed tend to fall into just a few basic categories. While all are lovable in their own ways, some are a bit more lovable than others, at least to everyone around them. Here’s a look at the 5 best and worst types of Disney fan. 

Best

1. The helper

The helper tends to hang out on Disney fan forums between trips. He is the first to welcome newcomers, and never seems to get annoyed when the same basic questions come up again and again. He is usually good at complex problem-solving, and can quickly come up with a viable answer for a question like, “So we have 3 actual adults and 4 ‘Disney adults’ and 2 children. One has sensory issues, 2 have huge appetites, and 6 are vegetarians. Three want to eat with characters and 4 won’t go near a crowded character buffet. Should we get the Dining Plan?” At the parks, the helper is usually found approaching people who are staring at a map, offering to provide directions or even advice.

2. The storyteller

A natural-born showman, the storyteller has been going to the parks for years and has had lots of interesting adventures along the way. He’s never met a stranger, and can get an entire roomful of people laughing hysterically over the time his kid fell in the moat at Cinderella’s Castle. Never boorish or boring, the storyteller has a knack for reading his audience and only telling the stories they want to hear. Even better? Unlike traditional “fish stories,” the storyteller's tales are at least mostly true.

3. The planner

This Disney fan is a master at figuring out FastPass+, show times, and the least congested routes through the park. To the uninitiated, it seems that things just materialize for him as if by magic, from nearly empty standby lines to tables at the hardest to score restaurants on property. But all this seeming luck is really the result of tremendously hard work behind the scenes coupled with an encyclopedic knowledge of crowd patterns and throughputs. Fortunately, the planner loves what he does and considers the planning to be part of the fun, so he never stresses out if things don’t go his way. Everyone he knows asks him to plan their Disney trips, and he’s great at creating detailed instructions, so all they have to do is show up and enjoy.

4. The free spirit

The polar opposite of the planner in some respects, the free spirit really just has different priorities. He’s seen and done it all so many times that he’s perfectly content to sit on a bench with an adult beverage and let the world go by. Yet if something is a big deal to you, the free spirit will spring into action to get it done. This live and let live Disney fan is a real joy to travel with, because you never have to worry about him getting upset over doing or not doing anything.

5. The historian

The historian adores the back story behind the parks and attractions, and learning about why things are the way they are today. He has a vast knowledge of the past, and is the go-to person if you want to know why the Penny Arcade closed or what used to be located where the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor is today. Yet the historian is in no way stuck in the past. He might agree or disagree with specific changes, but he’s just as eager to log the next 30 years of evolution.