Question for those "done with Disney"

[pktbMouse]

thank you all for you wonderful suggestions..you guys rock. We still have our May week to try out this year so we will see how that goes. I dont think we could be "done" with Disney either as we love it so much. Maybe just go for a long weekend in future at off peak time and have another big vacation in May to somewhere else. We would love to go to Juneau and see the whales, thats something we have always talked about so who knows..like you say its a big wide world out there just waiting to be explored...
apologies to the poster for the use of the word "sickened" it was a bit harsh upon reflection.

 

[Mamiamjo]

Like many other posters, we're not done with Disney completely, but I will tell you that we decided NOT to visit WDW this year (even though we have a business trip to Orlando, which we normally would add a stop at WDW on to).
We've decided to do a beach vacation instead. I've also passed on purchasing additional DVC points because, we're not really sure how often we will be visiting in the future.

We hope to return to WDW next year, hopefully, they will have all the bugs worked out of the FP+ system by then.

 

[chapie1968]

We're not done with Disney by any means with 4 young kids. Frankly, we never used FP much (1-2 times a day) and still managed to do everything we wanted to do during our trips, so we're not that out of joint about the changes.

The problem now being if you don't use FP+ odds are you aren't going to see much of anything.

 

[kirstenb1]

We're DVC'rs, but have been done with WDW tix prices for several years. We're fortunate in that we live near Busch Gardens Williamsburg, so we've had platinum passes there for many years. Those passes get us into BG Tampa, Sea World, and Aquatica for free.

But if we didn't have them, I think Universal is a nice park, and I'd combine it with 3 days there, and 3-4 nights at a Florida beach.

 

[smellyia]

The problem now being if you don't use FP+ odds are you aren't going to see much of anything.

I heartily disagree. We did RD (regular opening) at each park and got done with all necessary rides by 12 or 1 at Epcot, AK, and DHS (more like 11:30 here). MK we use 2 RDs and get most done and leave low priority items for evening. We have easily toured without FP and FP+ with great success never waiting more than 15min over holiday weekends. We have always used FP or FP+ as only an added bonus not the center of our touring strategy. All the changes do are make my feet less worn at the end of the day.

We love Hawaii, the panhandle, California coast and much more. Disney is just great right now for our young kids.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Fun vacations:

1. "Other" Orlando - Universal Parks, Seaworld Parks (including Busch Gardens), Legoland, Kennedy Space Center, the new exhibits/museums (coupon sites can get you amazing deals
2. A beach week - find any coast on the east or west of the US and you will find a beautiful beach somewhere. Most have fun family evening activities (boardwalks, rides, family shows, etc)
3. Williamsburg/Jamestown VA - a fun look at history combined with a beautiful theme park/water park (and spend a day in VA beach - awesome
4. Washington, DC - another fun look at history and the country - Cherry Blossom festival, Christmas season, or any of the 3 summer holidays are great times to visit
5. A cruise to anywhere - best family vacation for mom there is!
6. A trip to a game convention - Columbus, Ohio runs a great family summer game convention and they have one of the best science museums in the country - Indianapolis, IN also runs a huge con which would be fun for families. Really, any special interest convention can turn into an amazing family time!
7. Any major city in the US - NYC, Boston, Philly, Chicago, LA, Dallas, etc, etc...there is so much to see and only so much time to see it - most have hundreds of attractions (and if rides are your thing, most have a theme park somewhere nearby...

Disney has not cornered to market on good, family fun, nor have they cornered the market on memories...so, if Disney is not making the memories for you at this time, go somewhere else and make new ones. My family had an amazing other Orlando trip last year and will be going on a cruise this one. Do we miss our Disney trips - yes, a little. But, really, we usually miss wherever our last trip was b/c it was so fun!

 

[tim123]

I was just wondering..it occured to my husband and I last night..what if..just what if when we go in May this year we too are sickend by the FP+ and dont want to go back..where else would we go? we are totally stumped..its always been Disney for us..we just dont have a clue where else to go that could come close.. for those who are done with Disney..where are you now planning to vacation to? thanks in advance

First of all its a big world and there are many experiences to be had outside of Disney's orbit. I've just come back from 3 months traveling throughout northern Thailand and Bali. Get out there and see the world. Its full of wonderful people and beautiful things. I do understand your love of Disneyworld so I get it.
I have one word of advice for you since you've been giving large sums of money to WDW over the years and now may be disappointed with your upcoming visit there……TOKYO DISNEY RESORT!….Disney's Ambassador Hotel and The MiraCosta hotel INSIDE DisneySea….You will be so totally blown away by what you experience there you won't believe its possible. Take an adventure out of America and experience an other culture based on dedication to service, quality and cleanliness….It will blow your mind. You will need to do a fair amount of research to plan your stay accordingly because the parks are crowded much of the time but if you go when the crowd calendar is good you'll see that Tokyo Disney is by far the best Disney Park in the world hands down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIFx6gvqfys

 

[Zeebs]

for us it just isn't possible to go every year because of the cost it involves coming from the UK that said we wouldn't want to go every year either. The world is big and beautiful with so many places to see. I will I am nervous of fp+ as we are staying offsite and this situation will not change on any visit we make.

The kids don't care if they are at Disney just as long as they have our undivided attention.

Next year we are meeting friends from New Zealand in Los Angeles as it is half way between the UK and NZ. We are doing DL and other bits LA and the surrounds has to offer, San Diego, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas. There are three families with children ranging from 4-11, we can wait.

World showcase is nice and all, but I have always cringed at the way some people go on about it like it is actually anything like visiting the actual country.

Kirsten

 

[fla4fun]

I get six weeks of vacation, and typically spend four at WDW and two elsewhere. The elsewhere trips can be anything - a week at the beach, or in Europe, or on a cruise - whatever strikes my fancy at the time.

It really depends on what it is about a Disney vacation that you love. There are other Disney venues you can explore instead of WDW, including the other theme parks around the world, the cruises, or even the DVC resorts that aren't affiliated with the theme parks. Or think about which countries in World Showcase are your favorites and consider visiting one (I've always felt like the WS pavilions were a bit like a 3-D travel brochure - just enough to get you interested in seeing the places in person).

If it's the ride factor that has you hooked, you could try some other parks like Universal or Sea World. I will admit that I am not a fan of Universal. It's just not my cup of tea. But plenty of people do enjoy it and it might make a pleasant change for you.

If your local newspaper has a travel section on Sundays, start reading it with the idea of sparking your imagination. You never know where you will end up!

 

[Lees75]

Come and see Australia! We will look after you

 

[leebee]

GOOD FOR YOU!
Gettysburg brought us together in a way. We met standing in line at BTMRR....each on a singles trip. In conversation later I asked which Civil War general was his favorite, Lee and Grant too easy.(after he expressed an interest in CW history). He said Sherman and our first debate began. (Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain for me)

20th Maine? Chamberlain? Are we "neighbors?"

I'm curious… what was the small town in Maine where the 5th graders did the school trip to Gettysburg? I'd love to be able to organize something like that for the 5th graders in the small Maine town where I teach!

 

[ArwenMarie]

thank you all for you wonderful suggestions..you guys rock. We still have our May week to try out this year so we will see how that goes. I dont think we could be "done" with Disney either as we love it so much. Maybe just go for a long weekend in future at off peak time and have another big vacation in May to somewhere else. We would love to go to Juneau and see the whales, thats something we have always talked about so who knows..like you say its a big wide world out there just waiting to be explored...
apologies to the poster for the use of the word "sickened" it was a bit harsh upon reflection.

Shorter Disney trips in the off peak times are super fun

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Well I'm not done with Disney, but I don't go to the parks everyday on vacation so here are my suggestions:

1. The beaches. This year I have gone to Fort Lauderdale and loved it. In two weeks I am going to stay on the gulf side in treasure island. In August I will go to Melbourne beach. Also I will hit a beach closer to home in may ie Virginia beach. All beautiful and relaxing.

2. Check out events where you live. We do many fun weekend activities near our home.

3. California. It is a huge state with so much to do.

4. NYC. Again so much to see and do.

5. Washington DC. Fun and educational for tots and up. I can't get enough.

6. Stay at a nice resort at WDW or nearby and get a small dose of the mouse.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

I love Disney (despite my complaints) and I love travel, so I'll never be completely done with Disney and I've never stopped visiting other places.
Cruises are great with kids to give you a taste of international travel balanced with relaxing and the food they are used to. When we travel without them, we prefer to be more immersed in another culture, but cruises are a nice start with little ones, and you can have a day at Disney before or after the cruise. We love hiking and camping trips, especially our drive from the Badlands to Yellowstone. The Badlands feel like walking on the moon. When the kids are little, it's fun to just visit a city like Chicago, stay in a rental loft, take public transportation, and visit the children's museum and the zoo, especially if you live in a suburban or rural area. If you want to visit Disneyland, there are so many family-friendly activities in the San Diego/LA area, beyond even theme parks, including whale-watching. My then-four-year-old DD loved being on a real aircraft carrier and sitting in jets that she dreamed of flying. When my youngest DD is a little older, I'm taking my girls to England to see real castles and dungeons, which inspired my imagination when I was young.

 

[charmed59]

It depends on why you loved Disney World. These are suggestions for those that loved DWR, but aren't interest in spending money at Disney right now.

For those that love the monorail resorts: Hilton Waikoloa Village on the big island of Hawaii. Monorail and canal boat transportation gets you around the resort. On resort activities include pools, lagoons, swimming with dolphins, kayaking, whale watching, water slides, and more. Added plus, random night in late June, a room for two adults and two children with an ocean view costs $235 a night.

Honorable mention, Atlantis in the Bahamas.

For those that love the whole princess castle thing: Europe. Pick a country, find a ton of castles.

If you are in Europe, and want castles and rides... Tivoli gardens in Copenhagen, where the idea of themed amusement parks started. Then bike or Segway tour around a story book city that is the home of the little mermaid.

Or, consider Italy. Kid friendly food, wonderful hill towns, and if you really miss Disney, try Gardaland on Lake Garda up in the lakes region. Walking through the front gates you are met by the train station above a sea of flowers spelling out Gardaland in an eerily familiar font. Their version of PotC (I Corsari) starts in a Pirate ship. And though many of the animatronic scenes are familiar, the climax at the end is not... All fast food, even in Frontier land, is Pasta or Pizza. All this for 30 euro admissions.
Venice, and it's Gondolas and bridges and piazzas is only a few hours away.

Cruises are a great all inclusive for the more timid traveler. Alaska will give you the majestic wildlife or a Canadien/New England tour will give you castles and street entertainers and pagentry. Quebec city itself looks like something Walt would have built.

Go see the world. Disney will be there when you get back.

 

[sonofanarchy]

We're already too locked in money wise to cancel this summer, so we'll go and make the best of it. Our plan going forward is to go to Disneyland next year no matter what. From there, we'll have to see what WDW does. If nothing changes, we won't be back. I simply can't get past the idea of paying as much (or likely more) than we always have but getting so much less. And Disney's insulting spin on it trying to make it sound so great literally makes me sick to my stomach.

We'll always go to Orlando. Nothing is ever going to be just like Disney, but Universal is catching up.

 

[JanaDee]

I was just wondering..it occured to my husband and I last night..what if..just what if when we go in May this year we too are sickend by the FP+ and dont want to go back..where else would we go? we are totally stumped..its always been Disney for us..we just dont have a clue where else to go that could come close.. for those who are done with Disney..where are you now planning to vacation to? thanks in advance

I'll answer this like it is a serious question. You can go anywhere else on the globe, the possibilities are infinite.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Disney has not cornered to market on good, family fun, nor have they cornered the market on memories.

We own two annual weeks in Orlando, and we still do new things each trip.

The SeaWorld parks (SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica) have become family favourites. We also love the Universal parks.

We have made amazing memories on an airbout tour through the swamp, petting alligators, touring orange groves, mini golfing, shopping, visiting unique museums, watching the ocean waves crash onto the beach, you name it.

There is so much more to Orlando than just Disney.

 

[JanaDee]

We own two annual weeks in Orlando, and we still do new things each trip.

The SeaWorld parks (SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica) have become family favourites. We also love the Universal parks.

We have made amazing memories on an airbout tour through the swamp, petting alligators, touring orange groves, mini golfing, shopping, visiting unique museums, watching the ocean waves crash onto the beach, you name it.

There is so much more to Orlando than just Disney.

There is so much more to the world than just Disney.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

There is so much more to the world than just Disney.

Agreed. But maybe some folks like Orlando. Maybe travelling there is affordable. Maybe they like the climate. Maybe its familiar and comfortable for them.

I am guessing the OP knows she can virtually travel anywhere that her imagination and budget takes her.