My family doesn't get it!

[sueg]

When I was talking to my mom & 2 younger sisters this weekend, my sister asked where DH & I are going for our fifteenth anniversary in Oct. We said DISNEY!!(We would have said DVC, but they wouldn't get this either) They all shook their heads. What is wrong w/ you? Why are you going there w/o the kids? Didn't you go there for your 10th anniversary? My sister and her DH are going to LasVegas. We don't gamble and neither does my sister, but she'll shop while my B-I-L gambles. They were raving that they got tickets to Cirque de Soiel in Vegas. We're going to see it in WDW. But best of all, we are going on pts. & staying in the brand-new WLV (not our home, we're OKW) and we know we'll have a wonderful time! Thanks DVC. I don't care if my family understands.

[PamOKW]

Lots of people think going to WDW means going to an amusement park. We know better! ;):earsgirl:

Have a wonderful anniversary. Where else can you go with all the entertainment and dining options that you find right at WDW?

[BobH]

For several years I have hoped to take my in-laws and their kids to an OKW Grand Villa as a family reunion. I just don't seem to be able to convince them Disney is worth it. Neither family has ever been there. Now my kids are college aged and I am still hoping we can pull it off so I know what you mean.

[lodgelady]

it would be the MOST fabulous resort in the world! DH and I went alone for a getaway last fall and my family didn't understand either until I told them our itinerary- world class hotel with spa, pleasure island comedy clubs & nightlife, great restaurants, beautiful pools, golf, boating, Cirque etc...we explained that we never even went to MK! It is a complete resort even without the parks- hence all the happy convention goers WDW attracts! After you try to explain if they still don't understand, take comfort that WE do! Have a great time! :earsgirl:

[Terry Sheehan]

We are also going to WLV in Oct. for our 10th. Our home resort is also OKW! We have friends and family that don't get it! I understand there thinking. When we got engaged and I asked my wife where she wanted to go on our honeymoon she said DW. I thought she was nuts!!!!!!!! I had been to MK for an afternoon in 1977. It was hot and humid and there was a 2 hour wait for space mountain! I couldn't get out of there fast enough! Well needless to say we went to "The World" for our honeymoon and haven't looked back since! We have been back 17 times and bought OKW in 1996.

Terry

[Wes]

Just to let people know who may not already know it ...

The Cirque du Soleil show at WDW is "La Nouba".

There are 2 in Vegas: "Mystère" and "O!"

La Nouba costs about $65. Mystère is in the $80 ballpark, and O! is about $100. I am not aware of any discounts available on any of these shows.

(For those going further afield, the Crescend'eau show at Disneyland Paris is not a Cirque du Soleil show, but it is the least expensive (220FF -- about $35) and is quite good. As is O!, Crescend'eau is a water stage.)

[sueg]

Terry,
The honeymoon story really made me smile. DH had never been to WDW or even Fla. when I suggested the combination Big Red Boat cruise and 3 nights off-site for WDW. We liked the cruise, but we loved the World. We dined on the "Empress Lily" (alas, it is no more) and opened and closed the parks each day. DH was permanently hooked. We have never stayed off-site again and made two on-site trips (Poly & YC) before joining DVC. Our Disney trips have been the best vacations, both with our 2 DSs and without them.:bounce: :bounce:

[TriciaT]

I was talking to someone at work today about upcoming vacations. I told her I planned to go to Disney's HH resort in 11/01, WDW in 6/02, 12/02, 7/03 and 11/03, but those were all of my plans for the moment. She looked at me as if I were nuts.

"Don't you think you go to Disney enough?" says she.

"Not nearly enough" said I.

Our trip next June is a 10th anniversary trip for DH and I without the kids. I can't think of a more romantic or fun place to celebrate our anniversary. So what if no one gets it but us.

Enjoy your vacation in October.

[Peggy Sue]

Take heart..we all understand!

Folks here don't understand either! DH and I love to travel, and have traveled to some wonderful places, however, since joining DVC, with the exception of Hawaii, we've had difficulty convincing ourselves to plan other vacations! LOL! We have three DVC vacations planned this year! We've promised ourselves we will go somewhere else next year..but who knows!! I don't even say WDW any more when people ask..I just tell them I'm going to Florida! Hey, they don't know what their missing!

Have a wonderful anniversary trip! (We too dined at the Empress Lilly during our Honeymoon in 1985..we miss it too!) Try Victoria and Alberts for a romantic dinner..excellent!

[auntsue]

While at a family meeting planning our Nov. trip, my sister who does get Disney, asked me, "You don't go on any of the thrill rides, why do you love Disney so much?" I just do! Some people just don't understand that it is so much more than rides. It's a feeling. It's the whole experience. It's the cleanliness, the friendliness, the magic. It's everything! This will be our first trip as a DVC member, so I'm more excited than ever before. I can't wait to go back!

[Paul in CT]

I understand completely! My wife and I will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary in August at VWL AND BWV and VB. I avoid discusssing the subject at work unless asked because the reaction is similar to that you get from your family. All I know is that DVC is right for us and we have no regrets. Enjoy your anniversary!!!

[HeatherPage]

I really don't see what business it is of anyone's why you go or how many times you go either. If someone goes to the beach or mountains every year you don't hear people saying that. My parents get it (having gone close to 10 times themselves). My mom says I'm smart to have joined DVC since we still would have gone tons of times anyways and my dad is the one who got me hooked having taken us about 3 times under 10 and 3 times in highschool. Now my inlaws that's another question if they get it, but I think they know better than to make any comments. The equation is me+Disney on vacation=me happy=husband happy=their son happy so they don't complain, besides they live in Jacksonville, Florida which means they'll see their grandchildren much more since we go right by there to get to the World.

[lsutigger]

Funny, how this thread came now, Just yesterday I mentioned to my mom that we were headed to WDW in October and she said, "Don't you get tired of going to Disney?" Told her no and if she behaves then maybe one day I'll take her! It's nice to know that there are others who do understand. :D

[JackieMD]

We've been to WDW every year but one, since our honeymoon in 1995. We joined DVC in Sept 2000 and we'll be on our second DVC trip next Monday. My DH and I have decided its easier to say Florida because all we hear from family and friends is "not again!". This is the fourth trip for my DS and he's only 3!

Everyone was suprised when we said we were going to HH in August. Little do they know where we're staying!

Because of DVC we'll be going to "Florida" twice a year instead of once!

[Louise-Montreal]

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Let's keep it that way! The fewer who know about the secret the better!

Louise:p

[Bugeye]

I agree that most adults don't understand adults without kids going to WDW. But, I have discovered a growing underground of people at work that actually enjoy it. I brought back five danglers from my last trip for friends at the office and Poof!, they scarfed them right up. The number of monitors with Mickey and friends hanging from the screen continues to grow.:jester:

[dvc_bwv]

My DH and I have been talking about this for the past few weeks as we are going to WDW next week and one of Dh's co-workers (non-DVC who goes as often) who just came back today always get the same reaction from another co-worker who always asks "What is it about that place anyway?!?!" They tell him that you can't explain it, you just have to go to figure it out!
Maybe one day he will and then he'll be going to "Florida" too! LOL;) :smooth: :earsgirl: :earsboy:

[Candace]

LOL JackieMD! When I read your post I realized that for about a year, I have also been saying that I am going to Florida! I told someone that I couldn't explain why I go and go and go......I told her that Disney is not just a vacation spot; it is also a state of mind. Oh yeah, she definitely gave me a blank stare. Maybe that's when I started saying I was going to Florida. At any rate, I can't wait to go back to FLORIDA again!

[Caskbill]

We go to Disney ALL the time, as often as possible. We also go other places including Europe, Hawaii, and everywhere in the US. We like Las Vegas a lot, and last September we met my brother there who is also a DVCer. He asked an interesting question: if I could have all the money I needed, under the condition that I could never go to Las Vegas again, or never go to Disney again, which of the two would I choose.

I think it took all of 2 milliseconds to decide.

My avatar says it all.

[sueg]

:pinkbounc I love this thread. What I left out of my initial post is that we are going to California this Aug. instead of HH. We're flying into San Francisco and driving south so that we can... You guessed it! Our first trip to DL, staying at GC on pts. My mother remarked that she was sure that I was already "planning" that vacation, because she refers to me as "Susan, my oldest, she plans her vacations"

[Kathy C]

Boy can we relate! I hate telling my family where we are going - their response is NOT AGAIN. We enjoy it so much, and you're right - they just don't get it! It's nice to be able to come here, although I lurk more than I contribute, and know that people enjoy Disney as much as you do!:p

[poopie]

I hate telling people we are going to WDW again, they just don't get it.

In Jan 2002 we are going on DCL 4 days as well as 10 days at the world.

When people ask us where we are going on vacation next we just tell them on a cruise.

My hubbies boss asked him where we were going next year and embarassed to tell him WDW again my hubby just said a cruise. The boss then comes back and tells him that he read that Disney has a cruise ship. Hubbie told him he would have to look into that. :earseek:

his boss once asked me what the attraction to WDW was that kept us going back year after year and I just said it was the "Disney Magic"


Rachael

[eva]

We get the same reaction from most of our family and co-workers. Luckily I just started a new job so the people I work with think that our upcoming trip sounds fantastic. I know by next year they will think that I am nuts. We have gotten to the point that we rarely talk to family members about our trips. They just roll their eyes when we do. We do have people that we can talk to about it. We have 4 couples that we have referred to DVC and they are just as excited about their upcoming trips as we are. We are talking about creating a little club that will meet for dinner every couple of months so that we will have people that we can talk to and share pictures with. It's almost like having our own little underground.

[tarzanman]

Congratulations and Happy Anniversary!!!

Go as much as you can. Forget everyone else. My coworkers are starting to finally get it after I have explained it to them about 20 times. Someone finally went to WDW using our advice on how to do things and they came back and told everyone that I knew what I was talking about. Now I am like a travel agent. Sometimes it just takes some convincing but some just will never understand. Have a great trip!;)

[larry_poppins]

Wow! I thought I was the only one who is embarrassed to tell
people at work where I go. Like many of you I just say
FLORIDA and the conversation ends there.

Glad to know I am not alone.

Larry

[TexasAggie]

My DW and I (both in our early 50's) loves to go by ourselves. We try to go twicwe a year,
once with the kids (ages 12&16) and once by ourselves. In fact, my in-laws go once or twice a year between their
trip to Europe and Hawaii and they are in their mid 70's.
Just keep on traveling to the places that make you happy.

[DizMare]

I also avoid the derision of friends and family by saying we are going to Florida. If they say "again?" I just tell them that we own "a timeshare" down there.

That seems to get me off the "Disney again!" hook. Would be nice to share my happiness and excitement with them, without them shaking their heads as if I am too rich/addled/silly. Sigh.

It seems a tad unfair as most of these same people think nothing of returning to the same shore town for a (very expensive!) week each summer. One week in a house a block from the beach, or more, at the Jersey shore starts at about $1200. And all that gets you is a place to stay.

Glad to have this forum to share and vent!;)

[stephcm]

I was just having this conversation the other day, as one of my friends was talking about going to Aruba - again! How come it is okay for people to go to the islands over and over, but if you say you are going to WDW (again!) people just look at you and shake their heads? I was saying how you KNOW that you will have top notch accomodations, and you can do or NOT do whatever you want. The ONLY thing that might be missing is the clear ocean water of the islands, but that's fine with me!
And the way I look at it? All those people that think we are nuts? Well, for every one of them, that's ONE LESS person standing in front of me in a line!

[christiansmom]

Although we went as a family at least once a year when I was a child since opening, the trips were mostly for my brother and me. This past February, I literally had to drag my mother for three days to WDW and she was unmoved. Very sad, indeed. Unless it's Atlantis (Bahamas), Las Vegas or Europe, she isn't really interested.

My husband doesn't fully get it either but he has no choice. He was full aware of my Disney obsession from the very beginning and after eight years, he is coming a long quite nicely. :p

[doubletrouble_vb]

The half of my family I haven't convinced to go to Disney with me doesn't understand but the other half loved it after I made it easy for them to go.

However I would highly recommend doing Vegas once every 5 years. I have to say when I went in October it was a jaw dropping experience. I saw La Nouba and thought it was wonderful...I wanted to see O also but elected to see the Blue Man Group instead. No need to gamble in Vegas just like you don't have to do the thrill rides. But bring your wallet anyway...you'll need it.

Disney tho' is an annual adventure! I'm considering getting DVC points so I can do half weeks rather than the full weeks I do now with my timeshare. I figure I'll use the share every other year to do the rest of Orlando.

[infobahn]

I guess that I am blessed. My Mom is a mild Disney fan, and has been there a couple of times.

My siblings are all over me, they are big Disney fans. I am planning on a reunion in 2003 at OKW in a GV. My DW and I will be in the "master", and then I am letting my two brothers and sister and their spouces and children fight for the other beds. If my Mom comes, that will make for some more fun. I have a feeling we will be getting other rooms.

I guess that is my point, I don't have to explain myself to my family. Well, then there is my wife.

She is not anti-Disney, but has asked why every vacation (including our Honeymoon and last month's cruise on the Magic) has to be a "Disney Vacation". To which I say, when you pay for the vacation, we can go where you'd like. (She makes about what I do, and we are both doing very well - so money is not the issue)

Yet, the SECOND, we step onto a Disney property, she is all over it. No arguments, nothing but fun. Then she asks when we are coming back. Hmmm.

Oh well.