How do you rationalize ANOTHER trip to Disney?

[bapawoo]

So, we are all lovers of the mouse. We all get it. However, we all have friends and family who DON'T. When you finally let others know that you are going on yet another trip to Disney, you get a mix of reactions. Some excited, some rolling of the eyes, some looks of disappointment, some of envy. Then all of a sudden, you get a pit in your stomach of "maybe I should have saved that money for more responsible things," "I should go explore a new place because I've been to Disney too many times, already," "maybe I have a Disney problem," etc etc. So my questions are:


Do any of you have that feeling when you book another trip to Disney? (Granted, it doesn't last!)

Also, how do you explain to those "non-Disney lovers" why you are going again? Sometimes, it can be frustrating and I can start second-guessing myself.

Thanks!

 

[soarin_over_nj]

I have been on 25 Disney trips and I have numbers 26 and 27 booked. People are always quick to judge me and make stupid comments and I have stopped responding. I know the money is an issue and I probably should save it, but there is nothing that makes me happier than a trip to the World. So my money is going towards my happiness. It is totally worth it.

And for all those Disney haters I just tell them they don't appreciate the magic!

 

[bapawoo]

Your post just made my eyes water... (pathetic, I know.) But it's so nice to hear that. That's been my explanation in a nut shell, but I tend to dance around it a bit for I can easily seem obsessive over it. But you are right. Life is just too short to not do the things that make you happy. We aren't hurting anyone by going. Heck, it's job security for those amazing CM's! No other place can give me that magical feeling. THANK YOU for your post!

 

[brymolmom]

It's very comforting that so many of us here on the DIS are in that same boat. My two sisters are my best friends and honestly I think they truly believe I have something skewed in my brain about the whole Disney thing. I have heard the 'why don't you go somewhere else' and the 'again' so many times....But I get over it. SOmetimes one of my sisters and I will get into a bit of a discussion/disagreement over it. But I always end up writing that off afterward because she is HORRIBLE with money and is in a bunch of debt. I could understand them wanting to shake some sense into me if we had a ton of debt and werent' saving for college for the kids or not saving for retirement - but we do all those things.

So I end up just getting over it. I focus on how much happier I am when I have a trip planned.

Honestly the ONE argument that truly worries me and that I have a hard time getting over myself is the spoiling the kids one, because I fear that it might, indeed, be true. They are not as 'in awe' as they would be if we had never been before or only once or twice and honestly, they do kind of expect it now - which I don't really like having that ingrained in them.

I struggle with that one...but obviously not enough to stop the trips.

 

[mom2val]

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[Tinkerbelle32]

I honestly don't feel the need to rationalize or explain to anyone why we take a trip to Disney or anywhere else. We enjoy traveling, we have the money, so we go. Enough said!

 

[PattnFmly]

As to the money issue - I won't charge a trip, if I haven't saved the money, we don't go. Of course there's always something else that I could spend it on, but I think that will always be the case! I just try and spread out what we make between all the "responsible" ways to use it, and our Disney trips!
And as to the explanation - I really only talk now with those who understand. Those who don't, aren't going to listen to me anyways. If they push, I tell them "it's my vacation dollars that I've worked hard for and I'm going to spend them exactly how I want to", and end the conversation. I had a very dear friend die last month from cancer and she had wanted to go back so badly but it just wasn't to be. So I figure if that's what/where my family wants to be for vacation - so be it! It makes us all happy and gives us a goal to save for between trips and jeepers - it's our life!

 

[bapawoo]

and jeepers - it's our life!

That's all that needs to be said!

 

[satorifound]

"I deserve it". People just think I am kooky for going to Disney again (we last went almost 3 years before, long time) and without kids. I keep telling them I can do anything (and more) at Disney as I can do anywhere else.

 

[Colleen27]

I don't try to explain it to others. I know there are some people, even within our family, that think we're nuts but that's okay. We all have different priorities in life and traveling together is one of ours.

As far as how I rationalize it to myself, that's easy. I genuinely cannot think of a single other place that meets our needs as well at this point in our lives. Between being limited to traveling in the winter (which isn't exactly great for travel to most North American destinations) and having a toddler (which makes me reluctant to do much overseas travel, particularly of the more adventurous sort), Disney is the perfect place for us right now. In a couple-few years I expect we'll be doing less Disney and more other places, when the baby is school-aged and more able to handle a wider variety of travels, but for right now there's nowhere easier and more enjoyable for the whole family than Disney.

 

[Kat&Dom]

For me, as a single parent, Disney is a true vacation because I don't have to entertain my son - Disney does that - I can just hang out and enjoy being with him. My son is 5 and he has made 2 trips to Disneyland and 4 trips to Disneyworld over the past 4 years. We do Disney because I find it to be a reasonably priced vacation and we have so much fun together.

If we go anywhere but Disney, he wants me to entertain him which can get tiresome, I love my son but I much prefer having fun with him instead of having to entertain him.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

So, we are all lovers of the mouse. We all get it. However, we all have friends and family who DON'T. When you finally let others know that you are going on yet another trip to Disney, you get a mix of reactions. Some excited, some rolling of the eyes, some looks of disappointment, some of envy. Then all of a sudden, you get a pit in your stomach of "maybe I should have saved that money for more responsible things," "I should go explore a new place because I've been to Disney too many times, already," "maybe I have a Disney problem," etc etc. So my questions are:


Do any of you have that feeling when you book another trip to Disney? (Granted, it doesn't last!)

Also, how do you explain to those "non-Disney lovers" why you are going again? Sometimes, it can be frustrating and I can start second-guessing myself.

Thanks!

It's your money and your life In the long run i don't really think it matters what anyone else thinks as long as you can afford to do it why not.

I for one am not happy to live my life saying "we should of" we only have one life and i say grab hold of it and enjoy it whilst you can tomorrow is not guaranteed.

I do think a love of Disney is something that you either have or you don't and those who don't well they will just never understand Us we would move our family to the USA to be closer if we could, it would certainly make our trips a lot less expensive

 

[tkitty]

I can relate! I am almost afraid to say "Let's go to Disneyworld again!" I can't really go more than every 3 years, and do try to do other trips between (some of them are DL)
Even though my family hasn't complained, I am afraid to talk about the planning and all that fun stuff too much because they will think that I'm obessed. (Of course I'm not)
As others have said, WDW and DL makes me happy. I want to get all the trips in that I can before I'm too old too enjoy it. My DD30 loves Disney too, but her DH thinks we're a bit nuts. As long as my family dosn't have me commited, I'll keep planning those trips! Even if I had to go alone- I bet I could find a few Diser's to join me! So far, though, I seem to have plenty of family willing to go.

 

[crostorfer]

We went last September, went back last month, and are going back again in September. People keep rolling their eyes at me and asking why I am going so much. My answer? I woke up the one morning and I realized I'm 34 years old, and my daughter is growing up faster than I ever imagined. I wasted too much time and too many years saying "maybe someday we'll do this". Well, I just got tired of waiting and now I am making "someday" happen, just more often than other people, (my husband included, lol), might deem acceptable. As long as my daughter still wants to hang out with me, and still sees the "magic" in Disney, I'm going to keep going back as many times as my budget willl allow. And if they keep up with the military discounts and I keep finding $99 airfare from Seattle, we'll be going back A LOT!

 

[pigletto]

My SIL said the last time we visited "You know there are other places to go right?". Mind you.. she was joking and I did not take offense.
My kids are 7 and 14. They have been on multiple Carribean Cruises, trips to the Adirondacks once a year, and mulitple more local adventures.

Dd being older has had more chance to travel with relatives and with me. She spent half a summer in Santiago Chile with her grandma, has visted 2 other provinces with me, and just came home from a girls trip to Boston with myself and my sister.

These last few trips have been all about Disney for us.

First of all.. we always have a FABULOUS time, and talk about our trips all the time. Second of all, when you have two children with such an age gap it can hard to find something they both love. For example dd would enjoy a trip that was all about historical sites and museums. DS is only seven and still wouldn't get much out of it.
Disney entertains us from the minute we hit the ground until we get back on the plane to go home. We relax, laugh and have a ball.

When they are older we will certainly try other places and go back on a few cruises. For now though? I am happily spending my vacation budget in the place that my whole family enjoys every single time.

When we don't want to go anymore we won't. If anyone is really that concerned where I am spending my vacations that I save and pay for.. well then they have issues.. not me.

 

[crisi]

I don't rationalize it to others. I also don't share too much - my vacations are sort of my business outside of this board.

To myself - I suggest you sit down and write out all the vacations you'd like to take, including Disney. Figure out if they are realistic, what the hurdles are, why you want to go, why you don't want to go. Do the same for Disney. If, in the end "I always wanted to go to France, but by the time we do airfare for four to Europe it isn't realistic, and the kids are really too young for the things I want to do in France - I really want a romantic week in France - maybe when the kids grow up" and "I want to go to an all-inclusive in Mexico - but when I think about it, it really sounds nice, but I don't LIKE lying on the beach" loses to "Disney is affordable for us, and convenient for us, we all have a good time and we like it" then you've justified it.

 

[walkdmc]

I always have a wide-eyed looked and explain how much I love Disney just after I tell them I'm going. They take my excitement as a clue to not rain on my parade. If they do express doubts, I like to think they're ill-informed, or rude.

Disney is one of those places that regardless of how often you visit, there's always something new to be seen. If you go in the Winter, the scenery is different in the Summer, the festivals differ, the fireworks and parades differ, etc. This trip, we might catch the new band at UK in Epcot, or may save that for next trip. And so on....

LOL... and get this....I have DVC. When I was first hooked up with my DVC guide, she asked me how often I planned on visiting. I told her, "at least every 6 months", she responded, "....oh, um, you're like that, hm?" LOL. It took her a few seconds to get on the crazy train but she got it eventually. The family who referred me to her bought 160 points so they could visit every other year. I guess she was expecting the same from me.

 

[disneysnowflake]

I can sit here and think of the wonderful memories I've had with my family because of our trips to WDW. That's reason enough for me to go again.

Each pay check, we put XX amount into our vacation ING account. We figured out how much in total it will cost for a trip, how often we want to go, and figure out a monthly amount to save.

The one person who really scoffs at our going to WDW is just envious because all of her money is going toward paying off her high interest rate credit cards for goods and services she purchased several years ago. She was late on payments, the interest skyrocketed, and her monthly payments just cover the interest on that stack of plastic.

 

[DawnM]

Some people prefer other types of vacations, we prefer Disney. In fact, anytime we have started talking about going elsewhere I am met with resistance because we love Disney.

I don't rationalize to anyone.....I watch how they spend their $$ and they often have money that I would spend for Disney that they choose to spend elsewhere. They have car payments (we don't) or private school tuition, or eat out a lot, or whatever.....

It is all about priorities. For us, Disney is a priority.

Dawn

 

[GinnyEmma]

No need to rationalize. We take vacations to many places. Disney is one if them. Lots if people go to the same place every year. Whether it is Disney, the beach or camping at yosemite.

I also can't imagine only vacationing at Disney so I just figure they winder the same sorts of things.