Did anyone ever regret their trip?

[Figment1983]

BLASPHEMY!

 

[DisneyFive]

After our first back to back years, 2010 and 2011 we had pretty much sworn off WDW. It was just too much the same from year to year. (Same resort, same time of year, same group of people)... fast forward a few months and we really start to miss it, then we decided to give it another try in 2012. SO glad we did. We had an amazing time. Perhaps our second best visit, behind our first. We found that our secret is to try as many NEW things each trip to keep things fresh, and the magic alive.

We finally took a break last year and did a family cruise instead. Everyone loved that too, so after this year's WDW visit we'll probably transition to (non Disney) cruises. A great alternative. So this may be our last WDW hurrah... kinda sad, but it is what it is... we'll see what the future holds...

Dan

 

[Eandbmom]

Not for Disney but for this year's vacation. We were so disappointed that we wished we had just stayed home and put the money towards next year's Disney vacation. For Disney is the favorite And everything gets compared to it. But that is not true for everyone.

 

[EdmondD]

our cross-country road trips

Cross country road trips with SIX kids? Good grief woman...I can no longer read your posts with any credulity, knowing they're being written by a crazy person!

 

[lustergirl]

Well this past trip in April was one of the best that I have ever been on, went solo for 5 days. First trip in 4 years and I loved every minute of it. Came home exhausted but it was so worth it. My plans definitely changed on this trip as I have had knee issues for the past two years. I slowed down a lot and took several breaks in the middle of things. I spent time exploring the resorts and fell in love with AKL. I ate at Sanaa one night, was the best meal I have ever had at Disney. Next trip next month I have rented a scooter to get around with. I just had surgery on my right knee a month ago so mobility is an issue right now. I am going to have the time of my life though.

 

[itchin2go]

BTW - I'm amazed so many people say other vacations cost as much as WDW-based vacations. I can do 2 other vacations for the cost of one WDW vacation.

Orlando has a glut of hotel rooms, condos, vacation homes. That can make at least the lodging portion of the vacation less expensive than other places.

 

[cakebaker]

Some of our WDW trips have been better than others and there are choices we made that, given the opportunity to do over again, I'd change- but regretted trips as a whole? No, never. But, WDW is not the only place we go. I wouldn't want to allocate all our vacation funds to just WDW.

 

[cakebaker]

BTW - I'm amazed so many people say other vacations cost as much as WDW-based vacations. I can do 2 other vacations for the cost of one WDW vacation.

That depends completely on what vacations you're talking about and exactly how you vacation at WDW.

We spent our first night at Disney in a very nice off site hotel. I was impressed for what I could get for $125. No where have we traveled that hotel costs were that low. Our beach front hotel in St Augustine cost more per night than our deluxe resort. The food was no cheaper, and everything we did outside of sitting on the beach cost money. We enjoyed it, but a week there would cost us much more than a week at Disney.

I'm not making the claim that Disney is a bargain, but it's no more expensive than any other major vacation we make and sometimes quite often, less.

 

[Jfsag123]

Then again, once we are there I never worry about money and just focus on having a great time. They must put something in the water that makes it easier to drop dollars like you are flushing Benjamins down the toilet.

Same here! My DH was just talking about this the other day. I was talking about tempering myself with regards to booking ADRs for our next trip in order to not spend as much money. DH said "once we're there, you know you're not going to care, so why not go for broke now?" He's right. I worry about regretting the expense of the extras prior to the trip, but once we step on WDW property that seems to melt away. Definitely something in the water...

 

[MakiraMarlena]

anyplace a family of 8 goes is going to be more expensive than me going the same place. WDW is just about the cheapest place I can go that is out of driving distance. And some places in driving distance that I go are more expensive. But that's just because of how I've handled paying for WDW.

 

[momtosam]

Kind of. We took DS when he was 2. He was too little. He was scared of the characters and wanted to be at home with his toys. We had some fun times, but it was a lot of money to spend for an overall unimpressed child. (Now, of course, he loves it!)

 

[momof2n2]

Orlando has a glut of hotel rooms, condos, vacation homes. That can make at least the lodging portion of the vacation less expensive than other places.

Oh for sure. We get beautiful houses for about $100-110/night. But nowhere else but WDW do I pay $500/day to entertain ourselves.

 

[momof2n2]

anyplace a family of 8 goes is going to be more expensive than me going the same place. WDW is just about the cheapest place I can go that is out of driving distance. And some places in driving distance that I go are more expensive. But that's just because of how I've handled paying for WDW.

Of course. But for my family no other trip comes as close in cost to WDW. A week at the beach is about 33% of the cost.

 

[100AcreWood]

I'm the Disney nut in my family. We're going back this year after a 3 year break. I think it will be another 3 year break before we return after this trip. It's great, but there so many places to see and things to do. I would try other stuff for now and come back to Disney later. It's an overwhelming trip. Money wise, we book an offsite condo, buy basic tickets and eat counter service meals (no ADRs for us).

 

[Jadyreen1282]

The only regret was going solo after a breakup. Never ever again. Nope. Depressing as putting a dog down. My opinion there's nothing I'd rather do less than spend three g's on myself with no one to share at my favorite place.

 

[IvyWinter]

I regretted one trip not so much because of going itself, spending money, or any of that, but because of who came along. I brought my then boyfriend who pretty much made the entire trip miserable, complaining about how expensive everything was, how everything had mickey on it (well duh), how corporate it is....ugh. I very much regret going with him and that trip is always a sore spot in my memories. Needless to say we aren't together anymore...not for just that, but his negativity was a part of every aspect of life, not just a disney trip!

I've yet to regret going just for the sake of going, spending money, or anything like that. It still holds up for me, and im a kidless adult. I feel like it'll only get better when i DO have kids.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Not exactly a yes to your first question, but I've certainly had some visits that didn't go well...or the trip was part great, and part horrible (like getting a dreaded phone call that something bad happened while we were away).

We've also had trip injuries that complicated things. We've been pretty lucky in terms of not getting sick. That said, we used to go with extended family. The bigger your party, the greater the odds of a problem.

Suffice it to say, when WDW cost much less, it wasn't the end of the world if we lost half a day to family drama.

At current prices, the risk factor is prohibitive.

 

[Jennytoon]

OP, if you're checking back in every now and then, remember ...

... kids are smart about knowing what to ask for and what not to ask for. I grew up in a very blue collar family, and I knew well that if we had a big trip it was a one time thing and nothing like it would come along soon. My sisters and I, in the same place as your kids, *wouldn't* ask to go back to Disney -- we knew what the answer would be, and that persistent questioning wouldn't do anything but make the grownups grumpy. Your kids may just be smart enough to ask for what they know they can possibly achieve; it doesn't necessarily mean they didn't have a great time or think the experiences are equal. And truly, would you want them to stop asking to do anything that would be fun for the rest of the summer so that the Disney trip can stay on a pedestal as the pinnacle of a good time? Betcha not.

And on the topic of it being to them what it was to you ... give it some time. It may be that it won't be. Or it may just be that they have not finished processing it yet, or will come to look at it differently as they grow up than they do now. Some of the best moments of my childhood were not ones I raised up in value at the time they occurred.

 

[danceintherain]

BTW - I'm amazed so many people say other vacations cost as much as WDW-based vacations. I can do 2 other vacations for the cost of one WDW vacation.

It's definitely a perspective thing. We have 2 kids. One who is still under 3. We can also take advantage of Armed Forces Salute tickets, which cuts our ticket cost in half. Perhaps, if I was paying full price for tickets, it would be a little more difficult to swallow. Granted, we do have to sacrifice extra days in the parks, because we're limited to 4, but doubling our ticket cost for an extra day or two isn't worth it to us.
The tickets are the smallest percentage of our trips. For our upcoming trip we're spending $900 on hotel, over $600 on airfare, and $800 on food. Tickets are only $531. If/when we have more children, and the AFS discounts get tossed to the wayside, the gap between Disney and the rest of the world may spread.

I've looked at other places, and at some point my brain starts processing that we could go to Disney for that amount of money. When I take into consideration the things we'd want to do at those other places (snorkeling, zip lining, skiing) it quickly becomes clear that we wouldn't be able to fully enjoy wherever it is WITH the children.
Even Great Wolf Lodge would be over $1000 for us for a long weekend, and that doesn't include any food or additional activities. We're not really water park people anyway. Maybe that's where we'll take the kids when DH gets back from his deployment.

To some degree it's a matter of your definition of a vacation. When I vacation, I want to be able to go somewhere and have someone else do all the thing I'm used to doing. That means no cooking and no cleaning. I want to be free to enjoy a list of activities with my children, and I want options. That costs a little extra money.

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

I have regretted certain things about trips to WDW, like who we took with us or things we could have done better but I have never regretted taking a trip there. Now other vacation places? Oh, yes.

As far as regretting how much money it costs, I haven't. BUT, I try to use every effort to save on a trip's cost. No rack rates for me and I buy park tickets from a reputable discounter. No dining plan, no memory maker, maybe one character meal. You don't always have to have these things to make a very good WDW trip, but some people seem to feel that everything the Disney Travel Co. promotes is a must do.