How often to visit Disney???

[MataHari22]

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?

Too much for some people and not enough, for others. Just depends. I think one thing that is good to do with people who visit more often, is to change it up and stay in new places, eat at new restaurants, see new shows, and even go at a different season to experience more new things and inject a bit of freshness and new things into the trip. I always had many years between my trips, and now, this will be my third trip in three years. Hopefully, I won't be bored or sorry that I went. I think getting to see the Xmas decorations and experience the Xmas party will be amazing.

The only person who can answer those questions for your family, is you guys.
Been to Busch Gardens once before and for me, it was no where as fun as WDW for me.

 

[dkrauss]

This is a very interesting question for my wife and I. We've been to WDW every year since 2012. We haven't been in 14 months and have a trip scheduled for Dec. We then have a trip in January for the Marathon. In March its a Disney cruise. That's a lot of Disney in 4 months. Each trip is different in that Dec - Christmas..........Jan - Marathon/First group trip with friends............March - First Cruise (of any kind). We're also planning a family trip in Nov 2016. So we have a lot on the board.

Guess I'm gonna find out if there is such a thing as too much WDW I know my wallet already says THATS ENOUGH!!


Doug

 

[epcotty]

yearly is fine, we feel bad if we haven't gone to a specific park (with the exception of AK) within the past year

 

[cjparker0110]

I haven't been to BGT, I have been to BGW.

I always thought BGT was known as better than BGW. They seem to have cooler animals?

I agree though, you can make a great vacation down in the Williamsburg area.

BGT is better known in a sense because it is so close to WDW. For a while they did a lot of heavy advertising of BGT the way they now do for the Universal parks. They hope was that people on vacation at WDW would take a day to go to BGT...which was easier when there was only one or two WDW parks.

BGT does have cooler animals because BGW doesn't really have any. When they were first opened, BGT was called BG:The Dark Continent and it had an African theme: thus the animals. BGW was Busch Gardens: The Old Country and had a 1300-1500s European theme to it. They used to even have a guy dressed as a Knight and another dressed in a Loch Ness type costume running around!

All that said, BGW has the Clydesdales. Other wildlife is natural (not uncommon to find a peacock roaming around). They have had some animals at various timesetting zoo which is gone now, bird show which I believe they also did away with and Jack Hannah's tigers and such...but again, I think that is all gone now. It's been a while for me as I no longer live there and usually use my trips home to visit family and old friends that are still in the area. When the kids are a bit older I'll probably take them for the roller coasters (Alpengeist, Apollo's Chariot and Loch Ness Monster remain favorites do this day).

 

[happymommy]

I love going every year, and this year I went twice. End of August DD and I got AP's, so going over spring break and August again in 2016 with the AP's.

Some folks, once is enough (like my in-laws, but they went over Memorial Day weekend, only did MK and stayed off site, and waited in long lines and hated it I think - they refused to take any advice I offered them!).

My sister has gone twice, but she only went for her kids and she doesn't like theme parks. I don't think she'll ever go back. How on earth or we related?

The year I skipped was fine, but I then missed it! This is the 3rd time I've had an AP, but may be the last. After I bought them, the price rose to the point that I just don't know. Plus, DD will be going to college soon. DH only goes every few times with me, not every trip. He prefers a beach vacation.

I've been to Busch Gardens and Water Country in Williamsburg 3 times, and DD and I liked it a lot! We're near Baltimore, so of course driving works. I-95 was a total mess on two of those trips, though, so the one time we did 301 south over the Nice Bridge was so much better (we were picking up my friend in southern Maryland along the way). I'd check out the traffic coming down from New Jersey. Also, we had gotten the Super Grover passes, so did two trips on that plus Sea World Orlando during that one year - it saved a lot! Plus, free premium parking and some other discounts came with it.

We did Colonial Williamsburg as well - didn't care for that at all.

I'd say definitely look into BG/WC! I liked the picnic area at WC - we always packed a nice picnic with wine to enjoy!