How Disney ruined my vacations for life: A cautionary tale

[PamNC]

As a child, my family went to Disney a lot - we had relatives in Florida so that made it easy. We did stay at hotels (usually offsite, once at the Contemporary) sometimes just to have privacy. I have been going sine 1971. Went a lot during early years, kinda' slacked it off during teen years, and early adulthood. But, I went back for my honeymoon in 1994. As long as I was married to this dude, which I am not anymore, we were hooked and went every year - sometimes twice. A couple of times 3 times. Then, after the divorce I skipped a couple years, went in 2010, and I am going twice this year. I vow to get back to my regular Disney trips. My take on this subject ... you should vacation wherever you want ...

I love the beach so I combine Disney trips with a couple of beach trips. I live less than 4 hours from the beach so it's easy to do. The cost of a Disney vacation has gotten out of hand in my opinion, but, if you do your homework you can go for a decent amount. I'm going in 13 days and staying at AKV by renting points - turns out to be $144 a night.

Disney hasn't ruined me from other vacations but I do set my standards higher because of Disney.

 

[artemis4]

Our one Disney trip was a lovely time, and we are going back in a few days. That said, no, Disney has not spoiled me for anything.

Bush Gardens Williamsburg was a lovely theme park that we truly enjoyed. So was the waterpark near it.

We have hiked remote areas, found Rocky Mountain waterfalls with snow at the end of May, swam in the ocean in November in North Carolina, and created rafts from logs in an Illinois river.

We have eaten lobster delivered directly by a lobsterman who beached his boat in the front yard to bring them to us, found a hole in the wall tortilla factory serving fab barbacoa, and learned that some of our kids' favorite meals ever involve picking up grocery store deli hot counter food and eating it in a park.

Our children have done cartwheels where Pocahontas did them in Jamestown. They have walked on a Revolutionary War redoubt, in the mist of Niagara Falls, in the original Roanoake settlement and in 900 year old Pueblo Indian kivas. They have walked the same hallways that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington walked. They have ground corn using ancient stone tools, watered a garden by pulling water from a well and carrying it in buckets on yokes, and kayaked in the ocean with seals popping up around them.

No, Disney has not ruined us for other travel. The depth and breadth of other travel makes it hard to return to Disney often.

 

[RobbW]

Has it become mundane? If not, what have you done to keep that from happening?

Dan

My wife and I, friends, and family have been going to WDW for going on 2+ decades now. I can no longer count the number of times I've been to WDW. You would think that after visiting so many times, one WOULD get bored or start finding it mundane. However, the exact opposite is true for us. Once you've been to the parks a certain number of times (not that there is a *specific* number of times), you start to look past all the rides and shows and start noticing other things that Disney has to offer that you never noticed before because you were always so busy going from ride to ride to ADR to show to ride, etc.

While we still max out our FP+ and ADRs with every trip, I now enjoy taking a slower more relaxed pace through the parks and actually "seeing" everything that Disney does, not just "looking" at it. I don't know if that makes sense or not, but that's the best way I can put it. I so enjoy finding all the little intricacies Disney has built into the parks that most guests may not notice. It just takes several visits to be able to look past all the sparkle, dazzle, and pixie dust and start seeing and enjoying the "bigger picture."

We love taking a lot of the behind-the-scenes tours ("Behind the Seeds" at EP being one of my favorites). We love spending more time in each land/area and just soaking in the ambiance. We love visiting different WDW resorts during each visit (not just the one we're staying at) and really enjoy being completely transported to whatever world the resort is based on. The Poly is my absolute favorite for doing this (I've never actually stayed at Poly, but I visit Poly during EVERY visit). We love finding all the hidden Mickeys that are EVERYWHERE! We love riding the Jungle Cruise multiple times and noticing the differences in the scripts and the individual nuances of each captain. We love trying new restaurants we haven't been to before.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is ALWAYS something new and different to experience with each WDW trip no matter how many times you've been!

I loved Disney when I was a kid and now returning with my kids but I doubt my wife and I will ever go without our kids. There are so many fantastic places to see out there.

My wife and I are SOOOOO the opposite! We are HUGE WDW fanatics, but yet, we have never been to WDW just the two of us. Even before we had kids, we've always traveled there with friends and family. We both dream of someday visiting WDW just the two of us! Disney is NOT just for kids. There is SO much more!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

How many of you who have spent similar dollars on other vacation options (like a cruise, Hawaii, Europe, etc..) and still decide to pretty much stay with Disney exclusively? Just curious. No right or wrong answer.

We do a WDW vacation every year (sometimes more than one), but we also do a vacation elsewhere in the world every year (sometimes more than one). We love WDW for what it is, but we also want to experience the world. We accept each vacation for what it is, or what it turns out to be (our vacations rarely turn out to be what we expected them to be).

Yes, we love Disney and we return a lot for the things that only Disney seems to be able to provide - but there is a big, beautiful world out there. If we couldn't afford to do both, we would do Disney less so as to experience more.

 

[RobbW]

We do a WDW vacation every year (sometimes more than one), but we also do a vacation elsewhere in the world every year (sometimes more than one). We love WDW for what it is, but we also want to experience the world. We accept each vacation for what it is, or what it turns out to be (our vacations rarely turn out to be what we expected them to be).

Yes, we love Disney and we return a lot for the things that only Disney seems to be able to provide - but there is a big, beautiful world out there. If we couldn't afford to do both, we would do Disney less so as to experience more.

Completely and totally THIS! All the way!

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

And finally, the Poly for $300?? 2005 called. It wants its rate structure back.

I just did an expedia search and found the poly garden view for $300.00

 

[Pmlocke]

I loved Disney when I was a kid and now returning with my kids but I doubt my wife and I will ever go without our kids. There are so many fantastic places to see out there.

I too wondered what it would be like going without our children and then the grandchildren and let me tell you this. Try it once. The first time my wife and I made a solo trip was, we discovered, our best trip we ever took to WDW. We now go every year sans children and grandchildren and the trips just seem to get better every time we go down. It is a whole new experience for you, one that you can never experience with children. Try it. You to will be hooked. I am not trying to tell anyone not to try other vacations. My wife and I like tot ravel as well but we now look forward every year to our Disney week.

 

[Bullseye]

Our DVC home resort is BLT. Every time we watch a Walt Disney Production and they show the castle I always say "Yep, my vacation home is just a few blocks down to the right from there "

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I too wondered what it would be like going without our children and then the grandchildren and let me tell you this. Try it once. The first time my wife and I made a solo trip was, we discovered, our best trip we ever took to WDW. We now go every year sans children and grandchildren and the trips just seem to get better every time we go down. It is a whole new experience for you, one that you can never experience with children. Try it. You to will be hooked. I am not trying to tell anyone not to try other vacations. My wife and I like tot ravel as well but we now look forward every year to our Disney week.

My wife and I are going without our children in 10 days - can't wait. But we also traveled to WDW as a couple long before we had children, so doing Disney as a couple is not new to us.

 

[Eandbmom]

I agree completely! We lived overseas for awhile and spent that time visiting other places, we loved it! Back in the U.S. cost of living is higher so we have to budgets our trips more, we went to Disney last year, had an amazing time! We just did some local traveling this year and to be honest, it stunk! My dh and I feel like we didn't get a vacation at all. The kids were bored. All I heard was pleading to go back to Disney. I even gave the kids a choice to go to Disney or Grand Cayman (friends live there) and they said there was no contest, Disney of course!

 

[JimmyV]

I just did an expedia search and found the poly garden view for $300.00

Well, since the thrust of the post was: "The Poly is the best place for my family", let's take a look at times when a family might realistically go.

Columbus Day weekend and surrounding days-$539
Thanksgiving (limited days available)-$746
Week between Christmas and New Years-$676
February Break-$599
April Break-$542

 

[MrInfinity]

Well, since the thrust of the post was: "The Poly is the best place for my family", let's take a look at times when a family might realistically go.

Columbus Day weekend and surrounding days-$539
Thanksgiving (limited days available)-$746
Week between Christmas and New Years-$676
February Break-$599
April Break-$542

Huh? I'm going Thanksgiving weekend and the next week. Paying less than $300/nt/room out of pocket after taxes and everything. We never pay rack rate.

 

[JimmyV]

Huh? I'm going Thanksgiving weekend and the next week. Paying less than $300/nt/room out of pocket after taxes and everything. We never pay rack rate.

Those are Expedia prices as of 5 minutes ago. You think I made them up?

 

[JACKNAG]

We are all doomed

 

[MrInfinity]

Those are Expedia prices as of 5 minutes ago. You think I made them up?

I didn't say you made them up, I said there are ways to avoid paying rack rate. Or in this case, I guess, Expedia rates.

 

[Magpie]

I guess we did things backward... we traveled all over with the kids when they were little. Visited museums and tourist spots and did all kinds of cool, educational, mind expanding stuff.

Our first trip to Disney was when they were 7 and 9, as a tiny part of a cross country car tour (we were on the road for three weeks). It spoiled us for other theme parks - we visited Canada's Wonderland on our way back to Canada. Canada's Wonderland had been one of our favourite places prior to Disney, but after it just couldn't compare. The food was terrible, and when my son hurt his neck on a coaster and got off crying, the kid running it ignored him. As did everyone else working there. We never went back.

It was a couple more years, before we returned to Disney. Great trip, but we all agreed it was a once every three years kind of thing. There were so many other places to go and see!

But then, my husband got invited to a conference at Disney and I accompanied him. Our first time with no kids. And we got bit by the Disney bug! Now the two of us have annual passes and enjoy adult trips two to three times a year. We'll likely drag our young adults down for a trip in a couple years, but mainly Disney's our thing. (Naturally, we still visit other places, too.)

So I'm amused to see all the folks here saying it's just for the wee kiddies.

 

[princesscharming]

Our one Disney trip was a lovely time, and we are going back in a few days. That said, no, Disney has not spoiled me for anything.

Bush Gardens Williamsburg was a lovely theme park that we truly enjoyed. So was the waterpark near it.

We have hiked remote areas, found Rocky Mountain waterfalls with snow at the end of May, swam in the ocean in November in North Carolina, and created rafts from logs in an Illinois river.

We have eaten lobster delivered directly by a lobsterman who beached his boat in the front yard to bring them to us, found a hole in the wall tortilla factory serving fab barbacoa, and learned that some of our kids' favorite meals ever involve picking up grocery store deli hot counter food and eating it in a park.

Our children have done cartwheels where Pocahontas did them in Jamestown. They have walked on a Revolutionary War redoubt, in the mist of Niagara Falls, in the original Roanoake settlement and in 900 year old Pueblo Indian kivas. They have walked the same hallways that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington walked. They have ground corn using ancient stone tools, watered a garden by pulling water from a well and carrying it in buckets on yokes, and kayaked in the ocean with seals popping up around them.

No, Disney has not ruined us for other travel. The depth and breadth of other travel makes it hard to return to Disney often.

Love this!

For those who go on multiple vacations every year, how long are you staying on your vacations? I'm also curious roughly how much people spend. It's not for the purpose of being nosy. I'm curious what percentage of your budget you reserve for vacations. I'm sure some people invest more than others because it's a bigger priority. (That's how I feel. DH isn't as big on that, but we manage.)

 

[artemis4]

Love this!

For those who go on multiple vacations every year, how long are you staying on your vacations? I'm also curious roughly how much people spend. It's not for the purpose of being nosy. I'm curious what percentage of your budget you reserve for vacations. I'm sure some people invest more than others because it's a bigger priority. (That's how I feel. DH isn't as big on that, but we manage.)

I admit that we are a bit unusual since we homeschool and are self employed, so we are very flexible in schedules. We take two vacations a year, each about 10-11 days. We spend seven nights at our destination location and time driving there and back.

I am the queen of the nice vacation on a budget, and our family style helps. We drive instead of flying and renting cars. We always rent houses or timeshare condos at our destination, only staying in hotels one night on the road each way and sometimes not even that. I play hotel points for a free on the road stay at least other trip. We don't eat out much because I like to cook, even on vacation. We really enjoy national parks, hikes, museums, etc. We value really seeing and experiencing places over expensive meals, mini-golf, shopping, and the standard tourist strip experience.

Our average trip costs us $2100 for our family of 6. Disney is crazy expensive at $4300. Our Disney trip next month will cost as much as Maine last June plus Santa Fe next May. It's going to be probably four years before we go back to Disney because there are so many more places to see before the kids finish growing up. Oh well, Avatarland should be done by then

 

[epcotty]

Disney has that addictive quality, I hadn't been back for quite a few years and then we all started going about 6 years ago and have been quite a few times since

 

[Sytrace]

We live in Orlando, are annual passholders, annual water park passes and have had many a "staycation" at Disney resorts over the years. We are taking our 6th Disney cruise in 3 weeks and have enjoyed every single one of them. Yes, we have been, I daresay, ruined by our Disney experiences over the years, but in the best possible way.
Our favorite though is going on the cruises as they are the best place to unplug for 7 days from the world of phones, internet access (no, we don't buy the internet package) and various social media websites. The experiences to be had in different ports of call, although brief, are memorable and educational in witnessing first hand other cultures and traditions. And best of all, the cruise line offers diversity in their staff so that as you sail with them, you can interact with them. It is truly special and magical.
We have done road trips to different states and done tourist experiences in each of them. ( I homeschool my 2 kids ages, 12 and 13) so each road trip, each cruise and each visit to the theme parks is like a fun packed field trip where we do what we want and see new things.

My daughter (13) is pretty much over the "Disney at least 1 x a week" thing and prefers the cruises or the water parks.
My son (12) will do anything and go anywhere. Oh I hope he keeps that magic as he gets older.

We love EPCOT the most because of the cultures represented and though someday we will travel to those places and experience it firsthand, right now we get to talk to the CM who are there on the exchange program and learn about so many different ideas and traditions.

Ruined for life? Yes, sign me up!