My Disney love is making me a bad Canadian :(

[mommymanda]

Hopefully I get some understanding here...although who knows

My family gets one big trip each summer. 2014 we went to Disney, 2015 my hubby and I are taking a long overdue kid free honeymoon (hey we haven't had more than a weekend kid free since we met 11years ago). 2016 I have been planning to rent a cottage in the east coast (we are from Ontario) and let my kids see more of our country, 2017 will be back to Disney.

This is my plan...but when I start looking into East coast info I just feel "yup that looks okay" or "sure the kids would like that". Yet I'm always watching Disney pricing and when I pull up deals or see Disney info I get a twinge of excitement thinking "yay we will get back soon".

So now I want to swap my plan. Do another Disney trip for next summer and East Coast the one after. Family/friends think I'm nuts as they keep saying Disney will always be there...but to flip that so will the East coast. Budget for either trip is about the same so money is not really an issue.

I can't really say why I get this feeling. My guess is Disney is the only time I am on a holiday and also get a break...if we rent a cottage, guess who cooks, cleans and pretty much does the same things I normally do, just a nicer house. I haven't discussed either trip with the kids, but I know whichever we do they will enjoy.

So please someone validate me here...Yes to Disney next year, or explore our own country first?

 

[dis_guy]

My guess is Disney is the only time I am on a holiday and also get a break...if we rent a cottage, guess who cooks, cleans and pretty much does the same things I normally do, just a nicer house.

This doesn't sound like much of a vacation for you. Just saying. Have a family meeting, hash it out, and go where you'll all get a break from everyday life. Good luck.

Just to add...DW and I did our "last" WDW trip about 4 trips ago. We always say otherwise but we always go back because once I see a deal on flights or we get free dining or a room discount or a combination of these we can go there for a week for a lot less money than we spent for a trip to Europe three years ago. We loved Italy and will be going back but compared to Disney, we're talking "real" money.

 

[Disneylover99]

Book your Disney trip and don't give it another thought.

 

[bankr63]

Our family compromises. Every odd year we go to Disney to satisfy the kid in the family (that's me). Every even year we go somewhere else. That's for our March trips, which are never in Canada. We do ski most Februaries and we explore our great country in the summertime, when the exploring is generally more practical.

 

[bcwife76]

I have seen more of the US, Mexico and Europe than I have of Canada! Honestly I have no desire to travel across Canada and to me, a cottage sounds too much like work Go to Disney, have a blast! A vacation is supposed to be something you *want* to do, not something you should dread.

 

[CdnKayDee]

Spend more time at the Canadian Pavilion and bring One Week with Joshua Jackson.

 

[mommymanda]

Our family compromises. Every odd year we go to Disney to satisfy the kid in the family (that's me). Every even year we go somewhere else. That's for our March trips, which are never in Canada. We do ski most Februaries and we explore our great country in the summertime, when the exploring is generally more practical.

Thanks, that was kind of my plan from the beginning. We threw the pattern for a loop this year deciding to travel kid free...but what better reason to make next years super kid friendly.

Spend more time at the Canadian Pavilion and bring One Week with Joshua Jackson.

Lol love it, I knew I'd find some like minds in this forum.

 

[alohamom]

Throwing in my two cents- My bff and hubby did a family East Coast cottage getaway last summer and found the adults appreciated it more than the kids. Her hubby loved the laid back, relaxed vibe of the area and the idea that there isnt much to do besides sight-see. The kids (16 and 13) found the ocean water waaay too cold and were bored about half way through the trip so they really began bickering and it made for a less than memorable vacation for them all.
My hubby and I camped through the East Coast one summer when we were in our twenties and liked it but not enough to go back. Although it was very scenic and we had a good time, we just wouldnt go back unless we had to or maybe when we are much older and dont want a lot of action - sorry East Coast Dis'ers!

 

[chrispeto]

We go to WDW on odd years and we head out West on even years to visit family, but it is Western U.S.
Renting a cottage sounds like work to me and I know my kids would be bored (13 & 11). When we go out to Washington we drive and site see along the way a different thing everyday.
We do weekend trips in fall to Owen sound sometimes, so I guess we are in the same boat.

 

[greenclan67]

We are the same. Went to Disney & Florida 9 years ago for our first "and once of a lifetime" trip with our 4 & 6 year old girls! We have been every year in March since and the last 2 years we have done Xmas and March. Then last summer we drove to Williamsburg, Va ( we have SeaWorld Parks, Platinum Passes) so thought it is only 12 hours to drive. We went to a ball game in Baltimore on our way there. Did Busch Gardens, & Water Country USA. Our passes don't expire until Nov of this year, (2 year passes) We went to Florida, Dec & March and leave in 22 days for Virginia Beach. My girls are taking surf Lessons at the beach, will go back to BG & Water Country, and stopping in Hershey for a night to do Hershey Park. I have people say all the time, why don't you go somewhere in Canada. My answer is, I don't know, but we enjoying our vacations in the US. And I got my whole week in a 2 bdrm condo for $500 US. I can't find that here.

 

[canadiankim]

I think cost is big thing, yes you can do the East Coast for a similar price to Disney but value for money don't you think you get more for your dollars at Disney?

We love to travel but always head across the border on a cost basis alone. We ski in the winter and the cost of a day at Holiday Valley is less than a day trip to Blue Mountain. Plus the added benefit of shopping, cheap gas and less crowds.

Go where your heart takes you and if the family are happy with that you will have a great trip!

 

[dis_guy]

I think cost is big thing, yes you can do the East Coast for a similar price to Disney but value for money don't you think you get more for your dollars at Disney?

For us it's definitely an issue of cost. Our Nov (CBR, 6d PH, Free Dining) week at WDW will be about $3800 CAD, including flights from Edmonton. That would get us two flights to London(or Paris or Rome) with very little left for anything else. Don't even get me started on hotels and meals... So, in spite of what most people who have never been think, Disney is a pretty good vacation for the price. It surprised me when I first realized this, too.

 

[alohamom]

So, in spite of what most people who have never been think, Disney is a pretty good vacation for the price. It surprised me when I first realized this, too.

So true!

 

[DougEMG]

Do the trip your kids want. Eventually they won't be going with you and you can do those adult vacations.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Our time together as a family is priceless.....whether its watching a movie on a rainy Friday night, in a cottage on the east coast, or poolside in Orlando. When it comes time to select the next vacation spot, its selected with our interests and value for our money in mind. We don't feel any particular need to be faithful to one spot or another, nor do we feel the need to dedicate our vacation time to any particular country.

We haven't seen much of our own country (flying to the east or to the west from Canada is ridiculously pricey in comparison to flying south, and we have long since determined we are not a road trip family) and I feel no guilt for that. We've explored Ontario to death. Right now, Orlando gives us EVERYTHING we look for in a vacation: value (even with the current exchange rate), fun, sun, warmth, and "different" experiences from home (different restaurants, swamps and gators versus forests and bears, etc.). Its somewhere we all look forward to returning to. And we reconnect there. As a result, its become our go-to place for family holidays.

I say, if you want to go south instead of east (because that's where you think you will all get the most enjoyment), then do that....and don't look back.

 

[canadiankim]

For us it's definitely an issue of cost. Our Nov (CBR, 6d PH, Free Dining) week at WDW will be about $3800 CAD, including flights from Edmonton. That would get us two flights to London(or Paris or Rome) with very little left for anything else. Don't even get me started on hotels and meals... So, in spite of what most people who have never been think, Disney is a pretty good vacation for the price. It surprised me when I first realized this, too.

As someone who used to live in London I totally agree. For us to fly back there as a family of 4 is a minimum of $4000 for the flights alone. Now we are lucky that we have family and friends to stay with so accommodation is free, but add on a car rental at another $700 for a two week holiday and spending money! Well in the end even a 'cheap' trip back to England will cost us around $10000 which will basically cover us for 2 holidays to Florida - not always a full on Disney/US trip but a trip to the Sunshine State.

 

[dis_guy]

For us to fly back there as a family of 4 is a minimum of $4000 for the flights alone.

And that's really a pretty good price for four, at that. DW and I went to the UK, France, and Italy in 2013 and 10 days cost us just over $10 000 CAD, then. I'm sure it would be more now. So that would be about 3 of our typical week long trips to Disney.

Best way to get to the UK I've ever seen? A friend of mine way back in High School got free flights to London because his mom worked for Wardair (a long time ago). Add to that they had family there and he could just about go for long weekends if he wanted.

 

[canadiankim]

We usually fly with AirTransat and have found them to be the best price and pretty good flights, usually under $1000 per person. Last year we had to go back with only 2 days notice as FIL passed away. We fly to Philadelphia then on to London Heathrow. Great flights going but the layover in Phillie on the way back was so long that we were totally done in when we arrived back at Toronto, best price we could get at short notice was $1100 per person so not too bad.

 

[mort1331]

Ok I am not here to rock the boat, but to add another thought. We are DVC members, so we are not anti-Disney. We also have family in the east coast, Nova Scotia. To me it would depend on the time of year for the coast trip. Late summer or early to mid Oct, I would head east. 2 trains of thought. Cant stand heat in the summer, so Florida is a no go, and the coast has lots to do. The Tattoo in Halifax in July is world known, and the busker fest puts Toronto's to shame. The laid back down home feel is unequaled anywhere. In the October season there is the HUGE pumpkin fest and scarecrow fest that attracts loads. During both a trip to Louisberg is a must, largest fort in North America. And for the adults there is a couple of great distillery tours, and the Alexander Keith's tour in Halifax is the best I have been on anywhere in the world(and I have been on just a couple,lol) and its great for the kids too, Have the lobster chowder at the end in the pub.
If your flying in then yes you have a big expense and for renting a car that just adds to it. But my kids talk about both and do ask when we are going back to the east coast. They are 4 &8 just for reference.
All that said, and ask questions if need more advice to the east coast, We Love our Disney and go once and sometimes twice a year.
Its always nice to try new things and I am a firm believer in traveling my own country from coast to coast, so when we travel we appreciate where we live even more.
Good luck in your decision

 

[samsteele]

Go where its more of a vacation for you as well as your family. Sounds like you wouldn't have much of a break doing the clean up in a cottage. Have you considered staying at a value resort (eg the POP or if a larger family, the family suites at an All Star?) rather than a more $ moderate or deluxe at Disney? Many of us spend more time in the parks than we do enjoying the resort anyway. With the money you save, you could put it away as a financial head start on a more Canada-centric trip for next year. Re the cottage, have you checked out rentals here in Ontario for the summer shoulder seasons? While top dollar rentals in the height of the season, very late August can be less $ especially in areas like the Kawarthas near Peterborough. Lots of choices! Good luck!