Question for Repeat Disney Vacationers

[TerrytownGrl]

My wife and I cruised on RCL every year for about 10 years. Amazing how nobody ever seemed to have a problem with that but I digress. My wife had been to DW as a senior in HS while living in NJ. At 35, I had never been and quite frankly, had no desire to go and I mean absolutely NO desire to go.

We were not a family that watched "The Wonderful World of Disney" on Sunday nights (I'm 47 now). My daddy watched "The FBI" so I did too. I didn't even really know very much about Disney at 35, quite frankly, except to know who Micky Mouse was.

Anyway, long story short, after my DW ragged me for 10 years to "let's go to DW JUST one time", I agreed, kicking and screaming. Figured I would let her "get it out of her system" so we could get back to normal vacations cruising again. (We did not have a child at the time.)

I'll never forget it. I still remember the first time, as a 36 YO male (a man's man, BTW), I walked into the entrance to the MK. Attempting to describe the feeling would be a futile attempt at describing a feeling I couldn't even begin to put into words. Remember that I didn't want to be there! I didn't want to be there AT ALL!

I was hooked. Immediately. I can't explain it but I was. The magic got me right then and there and I didn't even know what the magic was at the time but I knew I had it. I knew this was a place I wanted to come back to and come back to often.

Not having sense enough to actually keep up with it the first few years, I actually don't know how many times we've been now but it's somewhere around 15-18 at this point. We bought into DVC this year (we have a 3 YO DD now that LOVES Disney).

We haven't been on a cruise since I first set foot in the MK. I think my wife even resents this sometimes now. Sometimes I wonder if she regrets ragging me for so many years to just go with me one time. LOL

I'm sure as the years go on we'll probably take advantage of II trade-outs with DVC and eventually, we will visit other places through DVC but our vacation home will always be Disney now.

I'm not sure I even understand it myself but I do know that it's true. I think the poster above stated it so eloquently that I wouldn't even attempt to try to explain it better. The quote above is about as well articulated as I could imagine.

If you have one of these people (and I have had them too; haven't we all?), send'em to me. I can explain it. Better yet, challenge them to go once. I dare them. So would my wife.

I challenge any father in America to stand on Main Street USA while holding his daughter in his arms and watch and listen to the words and music while Wishes! goes off and not tear up. Any father that ever does that just once goes to the "git it" column immediately. I promise you that.

If you've never been, you'll never understand. If someone's been once, you'll never have to explain it to them.

-bob

Bob,

Thank you...your post is so beautifully written (and so true)....I teared up just reading it.

Now, I have to wipe my eyes and head off to work. (Heigh Ho!)

 

[ginaluvsdisney]

I am constantly asked the same question and I tell people it has a little bit of everything! We have been there enough that we can make as manic or relaxed as we want. We can spend the whole day swimming or go to a park, which in my opinion is the best of both worlds. Also you will be hard pressed to find another vacation spot, at least in our area ex. the beaches, that have the cleanliness and customer service that we have experienced in WDW!Plus the magic takes hold once you pass those gates it gives me chills everytime!

 

[busykate]

Please don't flame me, but I would rather go to the beach or the mountains on vacation BUT Dd loves disney and the happiness she feels and the expressions on her face are worth every penny!!!! She would move to orlando just to be able to go there every day. We compromised and took a year off but are going back for free dining. She's one happy camper, she'd have her bags packed already if I let her.

 

[ransom]

We continue to vacation at WDW because when we're there, we're more relaxed and happy than we are anywhere else.

We love the attractions, the atmosphere, the theming, the resorts, and the way we're treated by CMs.

Plus, there's always something new!

 

[domiii]

It is hard to describe the feeling or state of mind. I truly feel I am in the Happiest place on earth. We've been over 16 times and we still have not done everything. No trip is ever the same.

When I was growing up we would vacation in at Lake Winnipesauke in NH, it was beautiful. When I was in my early 30's, we would vacation at the Jersey Shore. I loved those vacations, but there is nothing that brings me a serenity and, as others mentioned, the ability to leave everything behind for the time I am at Disney. When it is time to leave I repeat all day long "I don't want to go back to reality."

I grew up watching the Wonderful World of Color. Watching Walt Disney explain the parks, his ideas, the movies was magic and I longed to be part of it. Now I can be. People know we are a HUGE Disney family so they don't even bother with the 'you're going there again.' And quite frankly, I don't care if they think it or not.

And I am happy to be part of the magic on the Disboards. Reading and contributing to the threads keeps the magic with me every day.

 

[TangaroaTiki]

It's a feeling. It's hard to explain. I don't even need to go to the parks at this
point to get it. It's being there, in that "world" that transports me to a "zen"
place. That's a concept, eh? Zen at Disney. A good name for a new resort.
I'd be there in a heartbeat.

I so completely agree with this - I just need to be at one of my favorite resorts and then maybe pop into one of the parks for a meal, maybe a couple of attractions, then glide back "home" on the monorail. Blissful

 

[Tiggerkeeper]

None of my family (outside of the immediate) understands either . BUT Disney is the one place we all agree on and once we pass through that magical entry gate the kids (now 24 and 21) become absolute angels. We go every year even now that they are grown - in fact, this year we start a new generation as we are taking our 9 month old grandson!

There is so much to do at Disney we still have a long list of things we have to do - so more trips for our future!!

 

[GailT]

Disney is nothing but happiness and magic. "baggage" is left behind and there are no worries when you are there. There is enough entertainment for every member of your family. Nothing can replace the opportunity to bond with your family that Disney provides.

You said just how I feel. I do alot but I also go other places just to have a little balance in my life

 

[xiosmx5]

When I walk throught the gates and stand on Main Street it's like nothing else.

 

[LilGMom]

Just WHAT is it about Disney they makes you want to go back again and again and again and again and again....

I gave up trying to explain to people and most people that know me know that asking or picking at me anymore is futile. Most of my friends and family know that after 20+ trips WDW is the place that we'll continue going to regardless of what they say.

For me and my family part of the reason we continue to go is the warm fuzzy comfortable feeling that we get when at WDW. We leave the less enjoyable parts of reality at the door when we leave the resort each morning. There is a little something for all of us and there is always something new that we discover, whether it be something new that wasn't there during our last trip or something that we have just never noticed.

 

[Nancyg56]

I'll never forget it. I still remember the first time, as a 36 YO male (a man's man, BTW), I walked into the entrance to the MK. Attempting to describe the feeling would be a futile attempt at describing a feeling I couldn't even begin to put into words. Remember that I didn't want to be there! I didn't want to be there AT ALL!

I was hooked. Immediately. I can't explain it but I was. The magic got me right then and there and I didn't even know what the magic was at the time but I knew I had it. I knew this was a place I wanted to come back to and come back to often.



I challenge any father in America to stand on Main Street USA while holding his daughter in his arms and watch and listen to the words and music while Wishes! goes off and not tear up. Any father that ever does that just once goes to the "git it" column immediately. I promise you that.

You sound like my DH. He was the one to insist the kids go to Disney that first time, and when my DGD came along the one to give us the push to take her while she would still get the magic. We both were raise in the same kind of family, early Sunday dinner after Mass, light supper, bath and then Disney in our pajamas. He grew into a man's man as well. Right until he watched my DGD"s eyes light up when her Hero and then best friend Pluto came to see her at Chef Mickey's. He has been hooked on Disney Magic ever since. We walked into the MK and got the privilege of seeing it through a 4 YO Princess's eyes, saw the people and characters of our childhood come to life and let us experience a nostalgia from that simple time when the only worry either one of had was what kind of ice cream to have for dessert.

This feeling never goes away, we both get it every time we look at the pictures and relive that first vacation after too many years. My normally frugal husband insists that I go with Kady at least twice a year becasue she is going to outgrow this all too soon. I rather doubt that, she is a Disney Princess through and through, and has taken us all with her.

My sister asked me why we haven't gone anywhere else, there is so much more to do and see. She hasn't been since her own kids were little so she doesn't know how much there is to do and to see and how this is the one place that if you take the time to feel the magic it will find you.

 

[donnajz]

Thanks to all of you for your comments. WilsonFlyer -- quite a beautiful post. Reading these brought tears to my eyes. My vision's still a bit blurry. I totally agree ... everything about a Disney vacation is so magical...we even love the ride to our resort on Disney's Magical Express.

Just preparing for our trip to Disney and being on the message boards adds to that feeling. Walking down Main Street and seeing the castle brings tears to my eyes. When someone asks me why we're returning again and wouldn't we like to see another place, my reply is "Like my daughter says, why would we want to go anywhere else -- Disney IS the Happiest Place On Earth -- although I'm not so happy when we're watching Wishes on our last night knowing it will be at least a year until our next magical Disney vacation.

We're so looking forward to our next Disney vacation.

 

[sfbank]

To sum it up, it is our Happy Place! We have loved Disney and have been hooked since our first trip. We have really no desire to vacation anywhere else right now until our big family vacation in 2010 to New York City but we will find time to make a quick 4 day weekend trip back to our Happy Place because I can't take long countdowns anymore after last year We love everything about Disney. The atmosphere just pulls you in everywhere you go and we love it. We are always planning our next trip before we even leave. We love the Boardwalk and the Innkeepers Club staff. The rides, the music, the sounds, the smells, the sights, nothing can beat Disney World.

 

[bbowers]

Because it feels like going to Grandma's house. When the security guards say "Welcome Home" at the gate, we truly feel that - even my big macho husband. Wearing his Grumpy shirt.

There's always something new to try (new ride, new restaurant, new tour), so each trip is different, even if you are going to the same place. And while we do like trying other places (Alaska, Hawaii, Vegas, DL, NYC) - I get withdrawals if we don't get back to WDW at LEAST every two years, and lately, every year seems to be even better.

 

[eliza61]

Please don't flame me, but I would rather go to the beach or the mountains on vacation BUT Dd loves disney and the happiness she feels and the expressions on her face are worth every penny!!!! She would move to orlando just to be able to go there every day. We compromised and took a year off but are going back for free dining. She's one happy camper, she'd have her bags packed already if I let her.

Definitely no flames from me. While I love WDW and enjoy the dis boards, one thing I don't like is how we jump on anyone who says that they are not disney fans. Some times it seems we get personally offended if every one on the planet does not feel the same way we do. Glad you guys are able to compromise so well.

 

[skier_pete]

Personally, I wish that there were more people that didn't "get" Disney, then the parks wouldn't so darn crowded.

While I loved going to Disney world, before we took my Daughter, I didn't feel the need to go every year. DW and I went in 1997, and when we went again in 2000, we had fun, but felt like...eh...that's enough for a while. My Step-Sister would go with her son every year at least once a year, and I always thought - how could she go so often?

But when I took my DD in 2006, to watch the way her eyes lit up riding It's a Small World, or watching Spectromagic, i just couldn't wait to come back again. (And Bob - I am one of those other Dad's that gets tears in his eyes during Wishes!) We weren't going to come back in 2007, but we did...then we weren't going to go this year...but we were planning out vacations for the year back in Feb, I asked DW, if you could go anywhere in the US for vacation, where would you want to go, she said "Back to Disney!" So we are going again...and back in 2006 I declared that I wanted to do my 40th birthday at WDW - Xmas 2009! Then maybe for Halloween 2010.

So, here I am, going every year like a swore I wouldn't do...but the big reason is my DD. Kids change so quickly, you have such a short time that your kids really *believe* the magic...I know there are lots of teens that still love going to Disney, but you never know,at 12 she might tell me "I don't want to go to Disney any more!"

That said...I don't think we would ever take more than one trip a year...there is so much else to see in this great land of ours, I could never get tied down to one place all the time. (We typically take 3 trips a year, with 1 of those being a trip to visit "family".)

Anyways, too much rambling, sorry.

SkierPete

 

[GoldieSaysMeep]

Because I never run out of things to do there...

 

[asmit4]

I would tell people "well, you go to Florida and rent that house each year, you go to Mexico each year, you go to your vacation home in Phoenix each year, you go the Jersey shore each year"...

LOTS and LOTS of people have the same vacation each year or rotate btwn 2 every other year. DW is no different.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Thanks for the kind words, folks. I teared up writing that.

How could I forget...

Oh, and during Wishes!, "What color's 'Rella's castle now, Daddy?"

"Uh-oh! It's the witch, Daddy! Please save 'Rella's castle!"

Try describing that feeling to one of your non-Disney friends.

I could go on and on...

 

[TSMAMI]

Its the magic and the escape. Its the best place to bond with your family.