Is it just me or..........

[Kay7979]

We don't have kids, and we still like to go to Disney on a fairly regular basis. I think I like it more than DH, but he enjoys it, too. It is so much fun to try new things there, as well as revisit familiar places, favorite resturants, special places to sit and people watch. We also do other Orlando attractions on some visits, and like another poster said, many times we only do one or two parks the entire stay, and save the others for another trip.

I personally would not want it to be my only vacation destination, but we take three weeks a year and go different places, with Disney being one week every two years or so. I could happily go once per year as long as I had another week or two elsewhere. I fully understand, however, the people who have limited vacation time and have decided that this is where they have the most fun and relaxation, and this is where they want to come every year. Some people go to the same beach or campground every year, and enjoy making family traditions that way. They like the familar places and routines, and knowing what to expect. They feel assured of having a good time. Disney is the same way. There's enough new to keep things fresh, but enough familiar to make it like a pair of comfortable, favorite old jeans. I really can't imagine having seen and done it all at Disney to the point of boredom. You may simply be unaware of how much more there is to experience that you haven't tried so far, from boating to specialty tours and shows, to great restaurants, spas etc.

 

[dislovr]

as being from a younger crowd (21) i LOVE going to disney and still go with my parents. they have been taking me ever since i was just a few months old. back then we used to go twice a year...cut it down to once a year for a lil while and now were back to at least twice a year (it will be 4 for me in a 12 month period). i love it and always have. my brother just 2 years younger than me is the same way. even though the teen years both my brother and i loved going and always had a good time with lots to do. so im not with the OP on this one. however i do know people that auctually hate disney so everyone is different. either way i love it and will continue going back year after year!

 

[DiszyDeanette]

Anything that I ever think about spending a significant amount of money on, I think, I'd rather spend this money in Disney. Any time I think of going on a vacation I think, there's no where I'd rather go than Disney. I have no kids. I was fortunate enough to have parents that loved taking my sister and I when we were younger. I just got back from my first trip since 2003 and three years is the longest I've gone without a trip to DisneyWorld since 1994. TAll that being said, you're speaking a foreign language to me...especially the "there just wasn't as much to do" part. I believe that everyone can and should have their own opinions and I'm sure you'll have some people agree with you but I strongly disagree.

I couldn't have said it better myself! (nor could my 11 & 16 year olds who can't get enough of WDW!)

 

[run4me]

I love Disney but only go every 4-5 years. I have three kids 22,18, &10. As much as I enjoy Disney I would not miss other places we go.. Fiji is hands down #1, Yellowstone, San Fransico, Canada, Mexico, and etc. I wish to go to Europe, Spain, etc. There is so much in the world that I want my kids and myself to explore.

 

[DiszyDeanette]

DH is not as enthusiastic about WDW as me of course.

Why "of course"?? My DH is a Disney ADDICT, LOL! He plans our trips, makes our reservations and is like a kid again when we get there. Men can love Dis too!

 

[Demosthenes]

We are blessed, and are able to vacation quite a bit. We usually go to WDW once a year for a week, take a week long cruise, and spend two weeks in some other destination (this year it was Hawaii, next year it's New Zealand). I have been all over the world, and I've seen some fantastic things, but the best vacations we have ever had have been at WDW. That is true whether it is just DW and I, or the whole family.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Are there others on these boards that only go every 5 or so years to Disney. We went in 1999 and then went this summer. I prefer to spend my money taking my kids to see alot of other places besides Disney. I am sure that I may get flamed here but we went in 1999 when kids were 5 and 7 and just so cute and adorable and it was a blast. Then we just went this summer -they were 11 and 13 but it just wasn't the same -we had fun and all- don't get me wrong but there just wasn't as much to do -we got to do all the new rides etc and it was fun but I doubt we'll go back-

That is one of the main reasons why we do go every year and maybe sometimes twice a year. My kids are now 8 and 2. It is still loads of fun. It is a bright and magical place for both of them.

I realize one day that may not be the case. So when they are very young we go quite often. When they get older, yes we will do other trips. But for now we all love visiting the mouse.

 

[HollisterSweetie]

My family absolutely loves going to Disney & my "kids" are 17 & 13. Do you know
what my 17 (will be 18) year old wants for his High School graduation?? A 10 day trip to Disney (with us of course)!!! I do NOT agree with the "nothing to do"
part. We go from morning till night & we could still go go go. Even if we are riding our favorite rides over & over again or watching the fireworks we always have
something to do. We went last April (also in 99, & 2004) & will go back to give
my son his graduation gift then we may not be back for a few years (college).
But it will just about kill me to not go after next year. My husband & I are also
anxious to go maybe for our 25th anniversary. I love hearing about people that do not have kids & love going to Disney. It brings out the "kids" in all of us!!!

That's what I wanted, and got, for my HS graduation(10 night trip to disney). As part of the gift they paid for DBF as well, even though it meant having to get 2 rooms rather than one. It was amazing! I hope your sons is just as magical!

 

[DOOM1001]

I'm not only into Disney, I'm a BIG fan of any theme/amusement/water park, thus I would love to go to every city in the world to visit their parks AND the city itself.As of now I've only visited parks in the US, but really want to go to places like Japan and most European countries, but since right now I can get up at 5am and drive up to Central Fla. and be at Disney and other parks by 9am, I'll continue to do that with the once or twice a yr trip to out of state parks and cities!!!

 

[LoriMistress]

For us, it's the money issue since I'm all the way in California, it's a pretty penny to fly down to Florida and back. Though, we do go to DLR and visit other places during that time. We were there in 2003 and we'll be there in December 2007.

 

[Katems]

It's quite possible some of the 'magic' was gone because of the big break in between. You said they were five and seven at the time, and loved it. Had you gone the next year they'd have remembered it with excitement and been all excited about going back and I think that would have really kept up the momentum. We went last year when the girls were four and nine and they had the best time ever. At the time, we had NO intention of going back anytime soon, but after seeing how much fun they had, we are indeed headed back tomorrow, exactly one year later. Will we keep it up? If finances allow, yes.

Every five years is fine, but like I said, I think the magic left because of the huge gap. Enjoy your other vacations! Maybe you'll find some other spot that you all will continue to love for years to come.

 

[jo28501]

I went on 4 trips to WDW between 1997 and 2000. The trip in 2000 I had just turned 16...after that I wanted to go on beach holidays with friends rather than to Disney (luckily this was a temporary blip!!). So now I haven't been since 2000. I'm taking DBF for his newbie trip in January - by that time it will be 6.5 years since I was last there. Its cool as there are so many attractions that have opened / changed since 2000.

But we are already thinking about going again in 2008. After that we are thinking of not going again until we have kids - so it will be a few years break.

Having said all that though - since I'm from the UK there have been a few trips to DLP in between.

147 sleeps to go....

 

[LadyLuc361]

For me, I think the Disney "brainwashing" started at a young age. When i was a kid we went back every couple years and it was just sort-of inbedded in my brain. Now I can't live without the place. We still went on other vacations too. However, when I was a kid we usually only did a few days at Disney where now it seems like Disney is at least a week long vacation.

 

[shyjade]

I took my DD (now 8) to Disney back in 2001 when she was 3 and she loved it, but we haven't been back since (lots of family who live out of state who we usually visit on our vacations). I was determined to take her this year before she gets "too old" (not that one is ever too old for Disney), while it's still magical to her young mind.

Surprisingly, she hasn't been overly excited about this trip, or at least not until I told her we are staying at the AKL...NOW she's excited! Yet there is no doubt in my mind she will LOVE Disney and everything about it. I really believe she thinks she's "too old" for some of it, as she has no desire to meet characters or get autographs "because they are just people dressed up Mom." And before anyone suggests she's one of those girls who has grown up too fast, I should tell you that her most favorite thing to do is play with dolls!!!!

Ok, that was a lot of rambling on my part, but the point I'm trying to make to the OP is that I totally understand the difference in excitement when going several years apart.

 

[tlev]

If I had the vacation time and the $$$, I would love to be able to go every year, (or more!), but we can really only afford one vacation a year and there are so many incredible places to go in the world, (this year it will be Kauai). With only one chance to go through life, I would hate to think I missed out on something because I went for what was 'comfortable' or 'familiar' instead of trying new things. We will definately be back every five years or so, but we want to go other places too.

 

[jsmla]

The kids went to Disney lots when growing up but we also went to other places too. Lots of beach trips, camping trips, trips up the East Coast, the Smokies, the Rockies, the desert, Canada, DC, NYC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Europe. DD and I have even travelled to Australia and DS to Russia. We're definately middle-middle class but we just love travel and vacation!

 

[Pats Dragon]

We have planned many trips to "other places" and I'm sure they would be fun but we always end up at DW. We just love it. The secret to hav ing a fabulous time w/ kids is to plan for the kids! Pre teens love Disney Quest, typhoon lagoon, roller coasters which don't have lines early in the morning. The game room at the Contemporary, mouse boats, putt-putt tournaments among the family etc. keep everyone happy. Dw keeps my family in touch and we all enjoy being together. My friends who aren't fanatics don't understand.

 

[ransom]

I grew up in northern California, but the first time I ever visited a Disney property (Disneyland, of course) was when I was 12. It was part of a longer trip with my parents, which included a camping trip at Big Bear. During the Disney portion of our trip, we stayed at the Inn at the Park, and spent two days at Disneyland, one day at Knotts Berry Farm, and one day at Universal Studios.

That was a wonderful trip, but we had just as much fun going to Yosemite or to little out-of-the-way fishing locales that my dad would find for us. Vacations with my parents were often focused on getting truly away from it all, whereas we might take a day trip on a weekend to an amusement park such as Great America.

When Disneyland really became fun for me was when I visited one or two times per year from the mid to late eighties. Most of those trips were made without parental supervision, and most involved multiple days at the park. Having that freedom to explore and to set one's own agenda was terrific, but the topper was having been to the park so many times in so short a period that I became an expert on Disneyland. I knew just what to do, and when to do it. The experience became much more relaxing for me because I no longer felt I was at the mercy of the park; rather, I learned how to make the park work for me. The plethora of experiences available at the park opened fully to me, and I partook of them at my leisure. That's what really made Disney the tops in my book.

Over the 18 years since my last visit to Disney, I've worked hard to get my life on track. I worked hard in college, got my degree, and landed a job with a great company. I worked hard at the company (starting in the mail room), and eventualy landed a decent position there. I've been with the same company since 1992 - it's really that great!

In all that time, though, I've been very careful with vacations. Since 1992, other than visiting my parents and taking working vacations (I did game design on the side for a while and so we attended the related conventions), we've only been on one real away-from-home vacation, and that was just for a weekend and it was less then a six hour drive away.

For the last several years, I've been hinting to DW that we should head to Disney World. Neither of us has ever been there (although she, like me, has been to Disneyland more than once). This year, after going to a local Six Flags theme park and enjoying ourselves immensely, we decided to make our Disney World reservations. I bought the Unofficial Guide, Biernbaum's book, and the Passporter, asked for the free Disney vacation planning DVD, and signed up on this board. I read the books, DW and I discussed our options, then we made our reservation - less than two weeks after going to Six Flags!

I'm hoping the trip will be as delightful to DW as I know it will be for me. She loves amusement park rides, and I'm hoping she'll also love the heavily themed but less wild rides that Disney specializes in. But most of all, I'm hoping she will get into that Disney groove I experienced back in the 80s, where all is right with the world, where unlimited fun -and- relaxation is at your fingertips, and where all humanity is your friend.

By booking at WL in December, I'm stacking the deck a bit in my favor since DW absolutely loves Christmas.

Still, I hope the whole experience, from the plane flight to our stay in the World, goes so well that DW wants to go back as soon as possible. I don't want Disney to become the only vacation we take every year, but I'd like to start taking more, and more significant, vacations, and I'd like Disney to be a big part of that.

As for the OPs comments, I can only hope that as those kids grow up they'll have the opportunity to do what I did, and discover the magic of Disney for themselves. There really is no place more relaxing and wonderful than the Disney theme parks . . . when they're approached in the right way.

 

[HayGan]

Everyone is different as the posts already here have already shown. Yes, I am totally obsessed with Disney right now (as are my kids) and we will experience several trips over the next few years but we also do other things. We take several long weekends away throughout the year as well as a week at the beach. As my boys grow up I'm sure that we will do different things but for the next few years (because of their ages) there will likely be at least 1 Disney trip a year.

 

[kvogel11202]

We do other trips as well as our WDW trips.... I took my daughter to England for her 10th birthday (had a girlfriend whose husband was stationed there USAF) we go camping in NH, skiing in Vt, travel to baseball games one road trip a year, next summer is Washington DC, maybe Philadelphia. I go on "Wine Weekends" with the girls to the Hudson Valley, but we MUST return to Disney Every other year, the kids love it, my DH and I love it, and my parents love it. Why not enjoy a vacation everyone can get something out of? And most times as soon as someone hears we are going, we become a grand gathering!