How often to visit Disney???

[kandb]

We have been going yearly to Disney with our family, however in 2014 we skipped Disney. When we went this past Aug/Sept 2015, I have to say, it was our best trip ever. I am wondering if going yearly is too much? We have a bounce back reserved for Aug/Sept 2016 and I am wondering if we should go to BuschGardens/Water Country in VA (we live in NJ and can drive there) instead and then go to Disney in 2017? Our trip for our family of 5 to CBR (2 adults, 2 Disney adults and 1 child) for 10 nights with free dining and airfare will cost around $6K. I am just wondering if we should save around $4K and go to Busch Gardens? Just wondering if yearly makes going to Disney not as exciting? It just seemed like this year after missing a year, that we enjoyed it so much better. Is yearly "too much"? Is it better to have longer period between visits?

 

[anniemae]

It depends. There are people who go once a year and locals who go all the time. some, space it out more. We went 2 years in a row and I think we will skip a year, like you said, it makes it more new and exciting. Granted, you can find tons of new stuff to do every year, but still, skipping a year makes it more "fresh" I think. Kind of like doing the rides every year makes it like you are checking things off a list or something.

 

[larryz]

Yes.

 

[maryj11]

We go every year. Riding some of the same rides each trip does get a little boring, but there are some that I never get tired of like the RNRC, Everest, Splash Mountain and the Safari. Then again we can have fun doing other things and not even riding the rides. We try to find new things to do each year and stay at different resorts. We plan to stay at the BC our next trip so that should be fun since we have never even been in that area before. A couple of years ago we went to DTD to see the La Nouba show and it was awesome. This past trip we went to the MK dessert party and went on a tour of Behind the Seeds. We also like to try different restaurants each trip. There are so many different things to do at Disney. I guess if you get tired of it skip a year or two.

 

[CAS239]

We go every other month, so yearly would be far too long for us lol

But your situation with spending that much, every other year might not be bad. But just know Busch Gardens doesn't hold a candle to Disney.

 

[Disneylover99]

The more I go, the more I want to go.

 

[mesaboy2]

We go every other month, so yearly would be far too long for us lol

But your situation with spending that much, every other year might not be bad. But just know Busch Gardens doesn't hold a candle to Disney.

That is of course a matter of opinion that I won't agree nor disagree with. That said, BGW is a beautiful and fun park in its own right.

 

[Ava]

Personally, we went in 2014 and 2015 and I don't think we will go in back to back years like that again. It may have been the ages of our kids or that I tried to do too much on this year's trip or having the grandmothers along (or a combination of all of those things), but this year's trip was just not as fun as last year.

I'd like to go back in 2017 when there will be a few new things at AK and Epcot, and our younger DD will be 4 so probably tall enough for some of the bigger rides.

 

[drea21]

The more I go, the more I want to go.

This is how I feel. I started out as meh, I could take or leave this, there is so much more in the world to see, blah, blah, blah. Fast forward to present day and we have annual passes (live in PA) and will have spent 3 full weeks in a 365 day time period this year in Disney. We also have kids at the age that it is truly magical for them (2 & 5) and also at the age that a regular beach vacation could never be relaxing because we would be chasing them around anyhow, so we figure we might as well be somewhere that entertains them. (But lets face it, we love it just as much)

That being said, we decided not to renew our passes, and for our annual winter trip we are going to do a 7 day DCL cruise in 2017 instead of WDW. Obviously I'm going to have to sneak one day to MK pre or post cruise in though ;-)

 

[minnie mum]

When we lived a lot closer, we went about 5 times in 3 years. It was too much. Our last couple of trips just weren't that much fun. We've found that since then our trips are getting spaced further and further apart. Our last trip was after a 2 year absence. It was a good trip, but I think it will be 2-3 years before we return. Especially with all of the construction. We are enjoying vacationing in other places instead.

It's different with every family. Some prefer the familiarity of doing the same thing all the time. We like the variety of finding new places to visit, with occasional returns to old favorites. And that's what WDW is, an old favorite.

Put another way, I like Mac and cheese a lot. But I don't want to eat it every day.

 

[BigAlsGal]

Im heading there in 3 weeks, I just went for a few days last month, and I'm already stressing about not having my next one booked yet.

I might have a problem...

 

[EmilyS90]

I think it just depends on you. We went this year and already can't wait to get back so we've already got a trip scheduled for next year. I know a lot of people who are "one and done" type of people when it comes to disney, and I know a lot of people who can't imagine missing a year. And then there are people I've seen on here who go 2 or 3 times a year! We don't have a plan about it yet but who knows, we may skip a couple years after this next trip.

 

[disney world dreamer]

if you find WDW to be more exciting going every other year and it will save you $$$ maybe skipping next year would be good for you.
but only you can decide what is best.

personally i LOVE going to disney world yearly or even twice a year as i'm doing this year.

after this trip we may not be going to WDW again until 2018 though because next summer we may be going to Hawaii which would cost $2,500 per person and in 2017 we're going to DLR and possibly on a cruise.

we will miss WDW like crazy and would prefer to also go to WDW but it just may not be possible.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

We are DVC and typically go every other year. We bank up points so we can do a grand villa. If we didn't do the grand, we could go every year, but the grand is perfect for our family. That's why we typically go every other - once we went grand we couldn't go back!

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

I'd like to think I can do Disney every year, but I think as I get older, it will be more special to me if I go every other year. I could certainly go in consecutive years and wouldn't complain, but my trips would be very different.

 

[GPC0321]

Different strokes. I haven't been in 17 years, so my excitement for the upcoming trip is through the roof! My last trip was my first as an adult and first staying on property and it was one of the best experiences of my life.
That said, I wouldn't ever want to get complacent about Disney. Part of the fun, for me, is the novelty of the place. I fear if I went frequently (even every other year) it would lose a little something. If I were able to visit more often, I'd still probably space trips apart by 3-5 years.
Busch Gardens, Colonial Williamsburg, and Water Country USA combine to make a pretty great vacation.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

As people have said, it will completely depend on you and your travel party. We go multiple times a year and have had a lot more fun on those trips than one ones when we have waited a while since our last trip. I think a big reason for that is that we aren't a concerned with making sure we get everything done each trip. We will talk about our must-do's for each specific trip, make sure we get those done, and then have fun just taking stuff in and getting in some of our "possibly-do's". When we were going once a year or even less often, our "must-do" list was always a lot longer, especially when it came to restaurants and the bigger rides and it was hard to fit it all in. Honestly, with FP+, there's no way we would have been able to really get in all out of must-do's so it works out better for us to take smaller trips with fewer reqqirements, anyway.

 

[margot31]

When I lived in FL I went 3 times in less than 2 years. Now that I had to move away this is our first trip back in 3 years. This will be our last trip free of kids since we are being mean parents and leaving our 1 year old with his grandparents while we go play.

If we were to move back to FL I think we would go every year due to the kid and take advantage of going while we live so close. For us to fly down every year if would didn't go back to FL would cost too much and be too as a whole.

 

[cjparker0110]

We have been going yearly to Disney with our family, however in 2014 we skipped Disney. When we went this past Aug/Sept 2015, I have to say, it was our best trip ever. I am wondering if going yearly is too much? We have a bounce back reserved for Aug/Sept 2016 and I am wondering if we should go to BuschGardens/Water Country in VA (we live in NJ and can drive there) instead and then go to Disney in 2017? Our trip for our family of 5 to CBR (2 adults, 2 Disney adults and 1 child) for 10 nights with free dining and airfare will cost around $6K. I am just wondering if we should save around $4K and go to Busch Gardens? Just wondering if yearly makes going to Disney not as exciting? It just seemed like this year after missing a year, that we enjoyed it so much better. Is yearly "too much"? Is it better to have longer period between visits?

I only went back to back for a few years because I had family working there. Other than that, we usually went every 2-3 years (it's been 8 now but I will be going back in2017). That said, a break can be a good thing because there is more change when you return which means more new things to experience. Also, it is better on your budget.

As for the trip to VA, I would say go for it. Busch Gardens is amazing! Water Country is fun as well. I'm not sure what you like the most at your parks, but Busch Gardens has a great blend of thrill rides, kids rides, and awesome shows! If you're into the thrill rides, you might also consider King's Dominion in Doswell, VA. While not as much of a family park, KD has tons of great thrill rides and is on your way to BGW (it's about 2 minutes off of I-95). Of course, you could also take in some other great sites in VA (there's lots to be seen) including Virginia Beach (about an hour from BGW...or 2 if traffic is bad), Colonial Williamsburg, Natural Bridge, Lurray Caverns, Skyline Drive, Yorktown victory center, Ft. Monroe (Casemate Museum where Jefferson Davis was held after the Civil War), and the list goes on. VA is really quite wonderful (I grew up there). If you have any questions feel free to ask.

We go every other month, so yearly would be far too long for us lol

But your situation with spending that much, every other year might not be bad. But just know Busch Gardens doesn't hold a candle to Disney.

In what way does it not hold a candle to Disney? Busch Gardens has been awarded the most beautiful theme park in America for over 20 consecutive years...even Disney couldn't compete with that. The entertainment is top notch. Just like Disney, they recruit singers, dancers and musicians from all over the country (and world). The rides are amazing (they even had a motion simulator ride like Star Tours before WDW had Star Tours)...that particular ride closed but has been replaced by a couple of different films since...so it is still there. Last time I went it was a 4D experience where you got wet with the water in the ride and could smell the scents of what was near you while being jostled about in the 3D environment of the attraction.

They have some amazing kids and family fun rides as well. While it is NOT Disney, it is about as close as you can get without being at Disney.

Of course, we are talking about Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. I have heard it is light years ahead of the Florida location so if that is your experience, then you have missed out.

 

[Meriweather]

3-4 times a year.
But alternating years between WDW and DLR. We buy annual passes.
Drive to DLR and fly to WDW