What makes you keep going back???

[Couchy]

What keeps bringing us back is my 2 whining 20+ year old "kids"!!!

Seriously, we just happen to enjoy WDW. We don't look for perfection/imperfection, don't care to notice if there's a bulb that needs to be replaced or if something needs a paint job. That's not why we go. We ENJOY the ambiance of the parks, looking at all the little things, nibbling on all the good stuff, enjoying the rides, and just enjoying being together. To us, THAT'S what it's about

This is it for us as well

We can escape the real world.

There are so many choices of things to do.

Just sitting on a bench in the world is amazing.... especially if eating a Mickey bar

Where else do people tell you " have a magical day" ?

 

[KorieDWnut]

It feels like home. I am comfortable, know where I am going, know what I want to do and am never dissapointed.

I like to go on vacation as in, be away from work, be away from my house, my bills, chores, etc...but I am not a person who can relax in a do nothing way. I can't lounge on a beach, I can't hike through mountains, or look at nature. I like to go go go go! And I like to be visually stimulated. When I have had too much, I like to go relax...but I like the options of going fast and going slow. I love the resorts. I love the pools.
I love the parks, the service and most of all, the themeing. It is just the perfect place to fill all my needs!

 

[Radiorox]

Dole Whips!!! ;-) I go back for the Dole Whips!! Nah, I like that you can act silly without judgement. I love that I have the choice to relax by the pool and an hour later be screaming on a rollercoaster. Then there is themeing - and a new detail that you recently discovered on a 40+ year old attraction that you've ridden countless times.

Life is a little more relaxed around the Mouse. ;-)

 

[Miss Potts]

I don't even know where to begin!

Ever since I was a kid, I loved hotels and especially Disney hotels! Most of my favorite family moments happened on our vacations so when we return all the fantastic memories resurface.

I love the familiarness of Disney... I feel at home among "friends".

I also feel like the money spent on a Disney trip is a good value - you get the best of both worlds: magical experiences and memories that last a lifetime.

And finally, you know how some trips you take.. There is a certain point on the trip when you are ready to go home?!?! I've never had that feeling at Disney... AND THAT is why I keep going back!!!

 

[LisaTC]

You made me cry !! I wish you tons of happiness and much good health for Taylor. The three of you deserve to enjoy a whole bunch more trips Enjoy every precious minute that you can !!

Me, too! What a touching story!

 

[DizzDoll]

Our first trip was through Make a Wish for my daughter about 8 or 9 years ago. I was pretty disappointed. I always dreamed of going when I was a child and now that I was there it seemed everything had been overrated. Before I get flamed for that comment let me add It had been a rough year and I just wasn't quite ready to allow myself to have a good time. Slowly during that day things changed. I saw my daughter go from being scared of the characters to pointing them out for photo opportunities. To go from dreading to rides to saying "again" over and over. I then started noticing how big and how often her smiles were and it was contagious. Anyone who has a special needs child or a child with health problems know there is no sight more precious than your child's smile and no sound more welcome than his or her laughter. I started seeing Disney with the eyes of a child and I, my wife, and her were all hooked.Taylor had her latest heart surgery last fall and is doing fine and we are looking forward to another visit in August to the place where we all three can feel like a kid again. So, I guess the reason we keep coming back is summed up best by Taylor's Smile. Worth the price of admission every time.

It's not even 7:30 in the morning and I'm crying!!! Wow. This us a beautiful post. God bless you, your wife, and especially Taylor. We'll be there in August as well and I'll be thinking if you.

 

[NYDisneyKid]

What makes me keep going back? Having an AP and living 10 minutes away.

 

[astraltravel]

I'm an artist and going to Disney flips me from my left brain into my right brain, the place where real art comes from. There is no place else that allows me to stay in that magical state pretty much 24/7. Of course the trip planning is mostly left brain activity; such as making reservations, budgeting, paying for the whole thing, figuring out the timing and schedules, etc., but once that is all done and we are in the airport headed out the 'magic' takes over.
Picking a favorite resort is crucial and staying In The World is the only real way to keep that magic going all the time. We usually stay at one of the 'Ports' or the Poly and the fact that you are actually living in a garden is a huge thing for me. The sights, smells, sounds, all stay in me for a long time after I am back and influence my art in many ways. People make fun of me for my love of WDW but I don't care. If they experienced what I feel they would know, too.

 

[mommyrosa2]

Disney is my Eutopia! It's where the outside world and all its troubles cease to exist. I don't watch or read the news for the 8-9 days we are there because I just want the wonderful dream to go on and on. It starts the moment you drive on to Disney property and immediately brings a smile to your face. Though it's not perfect it sure as heck is a ton better than any day at home with lots of pixie dust scattered throughout the trip.

I love knowing I don't have to cook or clean the entire time. I can just be a mom and enjoy my family. I can be a kid again! It's okay to laugh and I don't have to worry how I look. And I can eat all the treats I want since you walk or sweat off most of the calories

Just thinking about Disney now I get warm fuzzies

This ....
I actually call it my "happy place". We also think it's a good value for our family. While some folks don't want to be bothered with ADR's, we actually like making our Dinner ADR's in advance and by doing so there is no "bickering" about where to go to eat. Everyone gets along and it's the one place that we really can just de-stress and have fun!

 

[River Country]

its a lot of different things for me

1 its my childhood, now its my daughters childhood

2 its my relationship with my wife when we hit some rocky times we planned a trip to WDW and in my opinion it help save my marriage

3 Magically always changing always a new experience

4 ....I am a DVC member with a premium AP BOOYAHHHHHH

 

[soccer mom]

It is the magic of WDW being whatever we want it to be! Watching the wonder on our children's faces when they were little; still being able to wow them when they were teens; the family time we so desperately needed.

Now just the two of us go and choose it over cruising because again it can be anything we want it to be, fun, relaxing, entertaining, new, and a time to be together that we just don't seem to be able to create at home with grown kids and family. And every few years we invite all the kids and their families to join us and it just reminds us how blessed we are!

Too sappy?

 

[~April~]

We are a family of five and we all have very different personalities but somehow we all agree that we LOVE Disney.

The magic of the place is unbelievable.

the detail in every thing is very well thought out and shown in everything they do.

Its very clean. I literally look around and can't believe for the mass amounts of people there on a daily basis how utterly clean it is.

the magic, there is just nothing like it.

The look on my children's faces, my oldest is a not so happy 13 year old and our past trip to Disney (beginning of May) I saw his smile A LOT EVERYDAY!!

I love feeling like a kid again and not being judged because I want to be goofy with my kids and the characters.

oh and did I mention the MAGIC?!! Seriously Disney hits a spot that I can't really explain.

 

[~April~]

Our first trip was through Make a Wish for my daughter about 8 or 9 years ago. I was pretty disappointed. I always dreamed of going when I was a child and now that I was there it seemed everything had been overrated. Before I get flamed for that comment let me add It had been a rough year and I just wasn't quite ready to allow myself to have a good time. Slowly during that day things changed. I saw my daughter go from being scared of the characters to pointing them out for photo opportunities. To go from dreading to rides to saying "again" over and over. I then started noticing how big and how often her smiles were and it was contagious. Anyone who has a special needs child or a child with health problems know there is no sight more precious than your child's smile and no sound more welcome than his or her laughter. I started seeing Disney with the eyes of a child and I, my wife, and her were all hooked.Taylor had her latest heart surgery last fall and is doing fine and we are looking forward to another visit in August to the place where we all three can feel like a kid again. So, I guess the reason we keep coming back is summed up best by Taylor's Smile. Worth the price of admission every time.

You made me cry. thoughts and prayers to Taylor, my own daughter is looking at heart surgery in the near future. and you are right, you just want to make everything in their World happy because they already have to endure so much pain.

 

[hawkeyesparks]

Why we keep coming back:

The familiarity of new discovery. I know these parks like many on this board do. I don't need maps or touring plans. I've done it so many times I know what to do and where to go. BUT EVERYTIME I go I see something new and that's the best.

The quality of the experience. Is Disney expensive? Yes! Very! But I feel like I get a lot for my money. From the service to the food I believe it's the highest quality in the industry.

The little things. Like the bunnies on the grass at MK or piano player at Casey's. Things they don't have to but it puts a little more pixie dust on the trip.

When I'm there I'm all there. We stay on property and so we immerse ourselves while there and that's worth it's weight in gold to my family.

 

[ConvenientTruth]

What keeps me coming back...

 

[wdw&sonny]

Yes, I agree with the previous posters...all of them.

I have wondered this myself, "Why do we keep going back?" and you have all made that clear:

So many reasons. Too many reasons to sum up in one post, but among the previous 50 or so are all of our reasons and no other vacation comes close to providing all of that.

Here's a few near the top of what would be a long list for us...

The security of the WDW bubble.
Entertainment for young to old, and often at the same time.
The familiarity of favorite attractions, resorts, restaurants
Or, exploring a whole new world each time
Planning obsessively or relaxing and going with the flow
Stimulating every sense...sights, sounds, thrills, smells, tastes
Pure, unadulterated fun all day long
Escaping the real world and leaving all stress behind
Immersing in memories of Disney and Pixar movies
Family time

 

[jhaig]

Walking down Main St. as the rope drops, listening to the "welcome music" as CM's wave to you with their Mickey hands, as you see the castle in the distance on a sunny Florida morning - top THAT, Universal!

 

[SoonerSean]

When I was growing up we went to MK and DL every few years. I took my future wife for her first visit in 1989. When our daughter turned 3 we took her for the first time in 1999. We've been back every year since and will be back again in November.

For me it's the magic of the place... there is simply nothing like the feeling you get when you walk through the gates and see Main Street for the first time. Just wonderful to see it and the castle.

Can't wait to see the new Fantasyland. Last time we were there all they had open was the new Dumbo.

Also - there is something to be said for how outrageously easy Disney makes it - from the Magical Express bus ride, to the way they handle your luggage for you, to the ease of almost everything you do while there. Just outstanding.

I have a very cynical in-law who hates Disney and says we're ruining our kids taking them there. But while we do go annually - we also have taken them to beaches, to Chicago, to Washington DC, and numerous museums and attractions all around. So while we love Disney - it has not been the entire focus of our family vacations... not that I think it would be wrong if it was.

 

[Fargoman2]

Our "once in a lifetime" trip was in August 2001. At that time, the kids were 12, 9 and not quite 3. After that, we said we need to go "one more time." So back we went the next year, telling the kids this will be our last time for awhile. Next year rolls around, ok, maybe ONE more time. You get the idea, we've been trekking there from Minnesota every year since that "once in a lifetime" trip. In many ways, the Disney experience defines our family--it is where we feel deeply connected.

Our oldest daughter did the college program at Disney and she got engaged by the castle. Our next oldest daughter is doing the college program now and we are going to see her in 11 days! And our son, 14, is adamant that we keep going back every year.

Disney is not perfect, but it remains a magical place for us. It's not about the rides and attractions--though they are still loads of fun--it's just about being together and reconnecting with each other. The experiences and memories we have at Disney will be with us forever. I just can't imagine not going there every year.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I suppose for dedicated fanbois and fangirlz, I am considered part of the problem. In no way do I think WDW is perfect, but my family and I enjoy it very much every time we go. Over 15 trips now, and each experience has been somewhat different, but always wonderful.

Our kids are now 16 and 13, and we have been going since they were 3 and 1. WDW is a vibrant part of my family story. It is our "happy place". My wife and I are constantly on call with our jobs, but when we go on a WDW vacation all those concerns melt away and nothing matters but our little family of four. I think this is why the kids have maintained such a passion for WDW even after so many visits.

WDW gets customer service right 99% of the time, at least in my experience. While I do sometimes wish more new attractions and experiences would be added more quickly, really I could give a hoot. I get what I am looking for at WDW pretty much every time I go.

Having said that, I also disagree with those who are quick to defend Disney in all circumstances. They are not some mystical entity; they are a business. Businesses are imperfect.