Disney has ruined other vacations

[HappyGrape]

we are going in October but feel this is our last trip to WDW and I fancy other vacations, without as much planning after.

 

[lakelandgal70]

Totally understand. I have bad habit of comparing everything to Disney.

 

[mickeyboat]

Nope, Disney has not ruined other vacations. I don't compare vacations because we experienced something special everywhere we went.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Wow thanks for the sympathy, but:
A) mom could never be on a plane that long
B) mom and I both cannot do a cruise
C) dad could never take that long off work and he enjoys working, he doesn't want to retire
Add in that mom is already 55 and the general life expectancy for our side of the family is 60-65 so we are low on time.

I've gone to Ireland just for the weekend before. I don't know where you're located, but from the east coast getting to parts of Europe doesn't entail much more travel than it would take to get to Vegas or the west coast.

Alternatively, Central American destinations are only a few hours away from many US cities if you're located to the south, and those of course can be very inexpensive.

International travel doesn't have to be long, complicated, or expensive. You should look into it if there's a place that interests you.

 

[MamaLema]

I love Disney, but don't feel the same as you OP. Everywhere we go, we have fun and the kids are always happy. We haven't been in over 5 years and were planning to go this summer but when I started planning, I just thought is was way too much work and decided to go to somewhere else instead. Put me in the same group of people who don't understand why people only go to WDW every vacation when there is an amazing and interesting world out there.

 

[Princess_Ariel_5]

I think other places can be awesome and fun too but for some reason, I always compare to Disney! Maybe it's the comfort and familiarity that I enjoy the most. I love the beach but after a day I'm like now what? I'm the kind of person who loves planning and needs to constantly go, go, go! To each their own. Glad I'm not alone in my Disney obsession!

 

[cabanafrau]

I think other places can be awesome and fun too but for some reason, I always compare to Disney! Maybe it's the comfort and familiarity that I enjoy the most. I love the beach but after a day I'm like now what? I'm the kind of person who loves planning and needs to constantly go, go, go! To each their own. Glad I'm not alone in my Disney obsession!

We don't just lay on the beach everywhere but Disney. We've loved Disney, but WDW has soured for us, mostly because it's not up to the Disney standards they were famous for. I know the expectation that you're describing, because we have done that in the past at other destinations and felt they didn't stack up against all Disney offered and the level of service. Our last visit left us walking around WDW feeling the now what? because of how stale the parks were.

I follow the boards to keep abreast of what's new and honestly am not liking much of what I'm hearing about changes. Paying top dollar for completely unremarkable meals we book months in advance and now booking fastpasses in advance are of zero appeal for us. They are capable of better dining offerings and the whole fastpass debacle would be entirely unnecessary if they had maintained proper capacity for the growing attendance at a supposedly world class resort.

I'm glad there are people still enjoying WDW. I cannot relate much to how these days, but I would be sad to know it was gone. When we want the Disney experience we'll make our way back out to DLR where it's being done much more to our tastes these days. Other than that, there are plenty of places to plan go, go, go experiences that offer a higher return on quality and value than we can find at WDW anymore. Ten years ago I would have been so surprised to know I would feel this way today.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I agree nothing beats a Disney trip, when your kids are little. Enjoy those trips, while yours are still young. Some kids, like mine, outgrow it in their preteens or teens, especially boys. Before someone gets all excited, I know some boys continue to want to vacation there. I have a nephew who is a Disney nut. IME, he's the exception not the rule.

Yes! Disney was the IT place when my kids were little. We had a wonderful time! My son is 16 now and while he says he loves Disney he complained the entire time we were there. From why were we eating here, why was this ride next, why can't we wait an hour for splash even if I had a FP for the afternoon, why couldn't I get a FP sooner, why does he have to walk alllll the way over there to refill his mug, etc. he said he wants to go back but he will go with his senior trip. I won't be taking him back anytime soon.

I believe my daughter will be that kid that enjoys it forever. She's 10 and knows it's not real but we don't admit it outloud. She'll probably always be a kid at heart.

In the meantime we did Nicaragua as an adults only trip which we loved. Next year we are doing DR for a wedding so a huge family gathering trip with about 70 people. My son is really looking forward to this and so are we. I plan on taking my daughter to WDW on a mother daughter trip around the time of my sons senior trip.

 

[Minnesota!]

What it ruined for me was the EASE of a vacation. I can book a room, transportation, and extras on one site. I know the ins and outs so not much thinking involved. It's cheap, and there is always something to do.

I still enjoy places other than WDW SO MUCH, but I love the ease and affordability of WDW. I find myself, when elsewhere, comparing costs.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

We've always gone to WDW, DL or cruised on DCL. One year my husband decided we needed to try something else out. We went to an all inclusive in Mexico and fell in love with it. We even bought into a vacation club much like DVC where we can travel all over the world. I told him that I would not sign on the dotted line unless he agreed that he wouldn't take my Disney away. Lo and behold I found out that there is life beyond Disney. I now think I prefer that way of life over Disney. We have even found Viking as our favorite cruise line over DCL. I never expected to admit to any of that, LOL.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Not me. There are many wonderful places to vacation. I've never thought of Disney as a "relaxing" vacation, and that is why I primarily vacation...to get away from things. So, for example, I went to Mexico to an all inclusive in March and that was way more fun (to me) because I could sit and do nothing. LOL.

YES, Disney is definitely fun. Relaxing though? No!

I like WDW a lot, but thus far I haven't found anything that tops Yellowstone.

 

[jandegumas]

I'm with you, OP. We only go on one main vacation a year, and it is always Disneyland! If we had the luxury of more vacation time, I would love to take trips in addition to Disneyland, but for now our annual vacation is to see the Mouse!

 

[bethbuchall]

I love Disney, but we can only go on vacation about once every three years. We took a big trip this year that included Disneyland. I was worried that everything after Disneyland would be a let-down. I loved Disneyland and definitely could have stayed longer. But, sitting on the back deck of our hotel room in Zion National Park watching shooting stars and reveling in the peace the night we left Disneyland, I was so happy and content. The next morning we woke early and hiked to Angel's Landing in the rising sunlight experiencing excitement and awe. It was very different from a Disney park, but it definitely wasn't less or ruined by Disney. And that makes me happy to know!

 

[astronautmom]

We started with Disney Cruises and I feel like they "ruined" WDW for us. We loved WDW, but the cruise was fun and relaxing, and in our opinion, took customer service to the ultimate level. The CMs at WDW couldn't live up to the ones on our cruises.

The one thing that has affected other vacations for me is the DIS & Cruise Critic. Planning vacations to other destinations isn't nearly as much fun. I wish all destinations had active boards like this.

I agree with this! I was so thankful that a Disboard user shared the message boards for our recent all-inclusive resort in Mexico, which led me to a very active Facebook fan page for the resort. It wasn't the Dis, but it was great. I'm going through a little bit of withdrawal because there is nothing like the Dis or the Unofficial-Barcelo-Maya for our next destination.

As for whether we preferred the Mexican all-inclusive to the Disney Cruises, it's a toss up. We can't wait to do both again. After we do some other new stuff.

 

[BigAlsGal]

I'm with ya op. While I have fun on my other trips I don't get that warm fuzzy feeling anywhere else but Disney. It is truly my happy place.

 

[ronandannette]

What it ruined for me was the EASE of a vacation. I can book a room, transportation, and extras on one site. I know the ins and outs so not much thinking involved. It's cheap, and there is always something to do.

I still enjoy places other than WDW SO MUCH, but I love the ease and affordability of WDW. I find myself, when elsewhere, comparing costs.

...said nobody, ever. Minnesota! - thanks for this incredibly unique perspective.

 

[Aliceacc]

For what it's worth, this summer we completed our 5th trip as a family to WDW.

And the magic is alive and well for my family. It's still our destination of choice, though with college tuition now on our plate I don't know when we'll be able to get back.

Yep, it's hot and crowded when we go over the summer. Yep, we make our ADRs and FPs months ahead of time. But for us, it's still our happy place. Maybe it's that we can only afford to go ever other year or so, maybe it's something else. But we've never been anything but thrilled with the level of service, the bang for the buck, and everything else about our WDW vacations. We come home exhausted but happy.

 

[sk!mom]

Nope- we just love travel and have pretty much fallen in love with most places we visit.

We have certainly loved our Disney trips but our absolute favorite family vacation was Hawaii. DH and I would be hard pressed to even choose a favorite couple trip but probably England/France.

 

[Minnesota!]

...said nobody, ever. Minnesota! - thanks for this incredibly unique perspective.

Ha! Well, keep in mind that the majority of our vacations to WDW don't include the parks, and flights are paid for with miles So, we only pay for hotel and activities and meals. So, no driving, everything is contained in one 40+ square mile bubble that other people take me to/from. Anything I need is at my fingertips. We are going to northern MN for our anniversary in a few weeks and for 2 nights it costs the same as our upcoming 5 night at WDW. So....we find it very affordable!

 

[ronandannette]

Ha! Well, keep in mind that the majority of our vacations to WDW don't include the parks, and flights are paid for with miles So, we only pay for hotel and activities and meals. So, no driving, everything is contained in one 40+ square mile bubble that other people take me to/from. Anything I need is at my fingertips. We are going to northern MN for our anniversary in a few weeks and for 2 nights it costs the same as our upcoming 5 night at WDW. So....we find it very affordable!

Now I'm intrigued...what does this mean?