How Do You Decide?

[Snickals]

Just wondering how do others decide which Disney they vacation at???

I have only ever been to WDW and love it. But am also very tempted to visit other Disney's (but afraid they won't compare to WDW)...also tempted to do a Disney cruise...also tempted to check out Aulani. There are just so many choices!

This year we are finally able to have another Disney vacation in December but it is so hard pinpointing where to go/what to do, pretty sure we can only afford one option this year... #FirstWorldProblems lol

 

[aussie shaz]

We've been to Disneyland twice. We loved it the first time, so wanted to go back. I have planned WDW so many times, but it gets pretty expensive, the flights are too long, and it's just a difficult holiday to plan.
We're doing Tokyo Disney next month. My son wanted to go to Japan, and I was encouraged to go because there were 2 more Disney parks there.
I've been to WDW once, years ago, but I'd love to take the kids one day. I'd also love to do a cruise, but my hubby refuses.
I guess that's why we choose where we do.
Oh, and I really have no interest in Paris.

 

[AussieNSW]

Just an idea that might make it either harder or easier. Have you thought about a WDW holiday and maybe a 3 or 4 night cruise rather than a 7 night cruise. Each time we go we tend to do both. We fly into the east coast or Dallas and visit WDW and fly home from LAX so we visit Disneyland before flying home.
At WDW we stayed on site as it was the week between Christmas and NewYear and was very busy. I adored every minute of it including the crowds. We went especially for the Christmas feel and decided that WDW would be the best for that at the moment. I made the right decision for our family. That was due to the emphasis on the 60th celebrations at Disneyland. On the way home we stayed on site at Disneyland hotel for 2 nights and hated it and moved offsite for the rest of our stay. It was more like we were vacationing in Anaheim and went to Disneyland a few times as well as doing other things. Such as shopping, Warner Bros studio tour and Six Flags Magic mountain. It was different because we weren't in the Disney bubble and also had a car.

 

[Tashinwdw]

I am a huge WDW fan, so always want to go there, mainly because we stay onsite and love the Disney bubble that it creates. I highly recommend a disney cruise and as AusssieNSW mentioned its a great idea to break up the WDW stay with a cruise. Its what we did and we cant wait to do it again. Disney cruises are amazing, my DH wants to do it again mainly for Castaway cay. that is such a beautiful island, wish you could stay there for a week. There are more options to do other things at WDW IMHO but any disney is great and I look forward to seeing each one.

 

[Minniesgal]

We have the complication that we love the resorts and resort restaurants at WDw but prefer the parks at DL. Somehow we always end up back at WDW

 

[DVCAustralia]

I LOVE WDW and go there regularly, although it will be even better when the new lands at HS and AK are done (and maybe Epcot has something extra).
A short Disney cruise was great, but they are increasingly expensive.
I like Disneyland, and once Star Wars land arrives it is a definite visit, but on its own it is not really enough.
Tokyo Disney was great, but I will not be back.
HK Disneyland is too small to go to from Australia.
Shanghai Disney will be an experience, but I suspect it will be like Tokyo Disney and very focused on the domestic market (as it should).

I would strongly recommend Aulani. I always have a fantastic time there, and there is so much to do.
Plus the flight is shorter, and you still get US outlets nearby, and a huge mall and shopping a bit further away.

 

[Agent 86]

The length of the holiday, the expense and what else there is to see in the area / country are probably our deciding factors.

For example, a relatively short and cheap trip would mean visiting Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea as part of our continued exploration of Japan.

A long and expensive trip would probably mean Europe, which would include Paris Disneyland. Or possibly the US and Canada, with an extended visit to Disneyworld and a Disney cruise.

A long and neither cheap nor expensive trip would probably mean visiting Hong Kong Disneyland (and Shanghai Disneyland) while exploring more of China.

 

[FireflyFi]

I look at what's going on with the park in conjunction with where in the world I want to go. WDW, Universal Orlando and Disneyland have so much in the pipeline, if I go this year, I'm going to want again the year after for all the new openings. So... Off to TDR...! It just happens to be Disneysea's 15th anniversary.

 

[Twilight Terror]

We are DVC members, so the choice of destination (WDW) is pretty obvious! Why pay for accommodation when it's free (minus original outlay and annual dues!)? We used to go every year when we were based in the UK, as flights were cheaper and quicker, but our stays were shorter. Now, we tend to go every 18-24 months, and stay longer to make the long flight and expensive prices more worthwhile. We actually just got a great deal on our flights - I changed the departure date to one day earlier, and returning two days earlier, so lost one day total, but saved nearly $3000AUD, so can't complain! It's interesting to hear where people go from here, as I know most of my (non-Disney) friends tend to visit Asia or West Coast USA, not East Coast, and automatically think California when we say Disney. We have also developed a bit of a bug for cruising!

 

[aussie shaz]

DVC, why won't you go back to TDL? Is it 'been there, done that, don't need to go again', or you didn't like it for some reason?
Fi, we miss the 15th Anniversary by about 10 days. We will get Easter though, so that's exciting.

 

[FireflyFi]

That's a shame, shaz. But I've seen pics of the Easter celebration and it looks gorgeous! Want to get over there during that time of year at some point (for the merch alone haha)

 

[aussie shaz]

Haha. Yes, thats what's on my mind.

 

[zanzibar138]

Like a couple of others here, we also tend to think about Disney as part of a larger holiday, so it depends on where else we're going. In the last couple of years, the only time we have made Disney a focus of the trip is if there's something special that we specifically want to do there (for example, runDisney events, anniversaries, or grand openings!).

 

[Caroline NZ]

Disneyland is our sentimental favourite. I went with my Mum for the first time when I was a teenager. Have been back with my children a number of times. WDW was fun, but Disneyland is my happy place.

 

[viaggiamo]

We love Disneyland. Have been 6 times, been to WDW twice but pre -kids. The planning and longer flights put us off with small children. They are almost at an age that we will reconsider it, plus Carsland was always the pull to DL.

We have never visited the Asian parks as when we go to Asia we do different things. Same as Europe next year, when we are in Paris we will be in Paris. I love Disney but we add it to our trips.

DH and I are not cruise fans so have not tried these and most likely wont.

Have fun planning, I love those moments when you have a blank slate and can decide anywhere!