After considering the many poignant perspectives shared with me on an earlier thread about whether or not our family should go for the Disney 4-peat or go somewhere else--it's a done deal, we're going back to Disney!
I must admit I was intrigued by some other options, especially the idea of a Disney Cruise. But the sticker shock of that scared me away pretty quickly. (I know you can get some better deals if you plan way ahead, but ultimately I still think the cost/benefit ratio, for our family at least, doesn't come out in our favor.) I know that Disney Cruise fans say there's nothing better, and I'm sure for many that's the case. However, when our family analyzed it, it came down to do we want to shoot our budget on a 3 or 4-day cruise or do we want to get 8 nights in WDW (with all the park benefits plus side trips to Kennedy, Cocoa Beach, etc.) for roughly the same price? Do you want one super big Christmas present or several very nice ones?
I also searched all over the Internet for beach vacations, etc. elsewhere. Some pretty neat stuff out there--maybe next time.
And just for the record, though we've recently been fixated on WDW, we have also been fortunate to do New York, San Diego, the Black Hills/Yellowstone/Teton trips with our kids (the 5-year old, however, only got in on the San Diego trip and that was when he was 2).
Next year, another drive out West may win out--we'll see.
For now, it's on to WDW planning mode. And to all of you who chimed in with your thoughts on my other recent post on this topic--a hearty thank you!
I must admit I was intrigued by some other options, especially the idea of a Disney Cruise. But the sticker shock of that scared me away pretty quickly. (I know you can get some better deals if you plan way ahead, but ultimately I still think the cost/benefit ratio, for our family at least, doesn't come out in our favor.) I know that Disney Cruise fans say there's nothing better, and I'm sure for many that's the case. However, when our family analyzed it, it came down to do we want to shoot our budget on a 3 or 4-day cruise or do we want to get 8 nights in WDW (with all the park benefits plus side trips to Kennedy, Cocoa Beach, etc.) for roughly the same price? Do you want one super big Christmas present or several very nice ones?
I also searched all over the Internet for beach vacations, etc. elsewhere. Some pretty neat stuff out there--maybe next time.
And just for the record, though we've recently been fixated on WDW, we have also been fortunate to do New York, San Diego, the Black Hills/Yellowstone/Teton trips with our kids (the 5-year old, however, only got in on the San Diego trip and that was when he was 2).
Next year, another drive out West may win out--we'll see.
For now, it's on to WDW planning mode. And to all of you who chimed in with your thoughts on my other recent post on this topic--a hearty thank you!
New England IS really beautiful. I've lived in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. I certainly wouldn't want to vacation here though, but maybe that's because I've lived here all my life? 
