The million dollar question

[2BoysMum&Dad]

All these messages have brought a tear to my eye and a lump to my throat! We are coming to WDW in the summer from the UK and have never been before.

My DH is a typical Brit and pessimistic about everything. It took me a lot of persuading him to let us come on this holiday as it is costing us HUGE amounts of money to fly over and stay for three weeks from England.

He said if I really wanted to "do Disney" why not go to the one in Paris as that is so much closer to us. But, in my opinion, nobody can do Disney like the Americans! I hope you prove me right and I am sure you will.

If you are all typical of people who visit WDW, we are GUARANTEED a fabulous magical time. The tip someone said in this thread about seeing the character as the real Disney character and not somebody dressed up in a costume IS REALLY a useful tip for me to give my DH.

The biggest bit of advice I could give to anybody planning or even thinking about going to Disney is to visit this message group. Everyone here is really friendly and is definitely THE PLACE to get the best possible advice.

My mother is one of the worst people to talk to about holidays. She thinks the ideal holiday is to pop over to France (a cheap holiday for us from southern England) and do nothing but sit on a beach all day and speak to a few locals so the kids can learn French.

I am sure most Grannies will know better (right?). I have yet to tell my DH's parents that we are going because they have been away since I booked the trip. I am sure they will be excited for us as they are more in touch with the real world and realise the kids will have so much fun there (us too of course).

Thanks everybody for confirming that I have made THE BEST holiday decision of my life - REALLY!

2BoysMum&Dad

 

[sarahsmom73]

It's Magic!

 

[Karibeth19]

The post from 2BoysMum&Dad made me think of another reason why WDW is such a wonderful place to vacation year after year. The people you encounter from all over the world!!! At Disney, more than any other destination, you will come across people of all nationalities and religions, and I find that one of the most enjoyable parts. On our last trip, we met several families from the UK, I listened in on conversations among French families to see if my high school French had stayed with me, and we saw a group of Islamic men outside the Philharmagic entrance who had stopped to recite their evening prayer. And then there are the great conversations we had with the kids working in WS and AK. My daughter surprised the girl at the French Kidcot stop by saying, "Bonjour" and "Au Revoir", and totally charmed the young Moroccan man at that Kidcot stop as they worked together on her mask. I heard about a lovely English countryside home from a young man working in the UK pavillion (I shared with him my secret desire to be in a Jane Austen novel), and my husband received a huge hug from an African storyteller after he danced along to her song. We also learned why my DD is so stubborn and strong-willed from a woman in the China pavillion as she described traits of those born in the year of the Ox. Where else can you encounter such a diverse group of people in one place? Experiences like that just add to the magic, and you never know what you will encounter year after year. You may have been there before, but Disney is never the same trip twice!!

 

[Lucky4me]

Everyone I know knows where I'm going on vacation. Some will never understand and that's okay. I've learned not to discuss it at all with those people.

 

[2BoysMum&Dad]

Thanks Karibeth19! I am sure you are right about all the different sorts of people making the experience all the more interesting and enjoyable.

In 1997 I went to see a friend with one of my children in Houston. Just before we went, I said it would be a trip of a lifetime and we wouldn't be able to go the US again. Two years later we went to see her again. Two years later all four of us went to see a friend in Philadelphia! Now we are off to Disney!

I am now saying visiting Disney will be a trip of a lifetime because of the cost! Although visiting Disney is more expensive than visiting a friend, I am sort of hoping this will not be the only trip to Disney. My only obstacle will be persuading DH. Maybe after we have been, my job of convincing him will not be so difficult. I will report back when we are home.

2BoysMum&Dad

 

[auntkelly]

I am surprised at how many people who found out we were going to DWD on vacation felt compelled to say something like "we've just never wanted to go to Disney World." If someone told me they were going Cancun on vacation I'd say something like "oh how exciting, I'm sure you will have a great time," even though I'm not a beach person and Cancun is not my idea of the ideal vacation spot. I don't know why people like to rain on other people's parades-I guess its just human nature.

 

[DisneyJules]

They're just jealous or they haven't experienced WDW and can't even comprehend how amazing it is.

 

[BluesTravlr00]

i'm a 21 year old college guy, so needless to say i hear about it anytime i mention wdw. last year i had maps of each park on the wall behind my monitor in my room at the fraternity house, which got me plenty of interesting comments, and senior year of high school i chose to go to wdw instead of cancun, with the same effect.

 

[tinkerbell6]

Our daughter (almost 6) is going on her 3rd trip to Disney in 3 years. I think some parents see a Disney trip as something you're obligated to do ONE time for your kids, but that's it. We see it as a perfect family vacation that we all love, not an obligation. Pre-child, hubby and I went to DL by ourselves a few years back.

We know Disney is the maybe-unrealistic utopia type of place, but that's why we love it! Everyone has stress in their lives, and we like to go to Disney to escape it. We're not the type of people who can sit on a beach all day for a week (but at Disney, we could if we wanted to).

Everytime we hit the gate, I get all teary and usually say something along the lines of "I could live in this park". Can't wait to go again.

Lisa

 

[studog]

What about those people that say they've been but still don't care for it. There's always gotta be someone around that's negative.

Ken

 

[BluesTravlr00]

Originally posted by studog
What about those people that say they've been but still don't care for it. There's always gotta be someone around that's negative.

Ken

said people are clearly mentally unstable.

 

[loriandmatt]

i get this all the time from co-workers. I don't let it bother me, but have my canned reply all ready for them. "i could have worse additions! - like crack!" that always gives them a chuckle and gets me out of there before they tick me off. ( How would they like it if i busted on their vacation choice every year - the jersey shore.)

the slack we get from family isn't as easy to blow off. We try to be as nice as possible, while at the same time letting them know this is what WE dig and this is what WE are doing.



By the way auntkelly -

I don't know why people like to rain on other people's parades-I guess its just human nature.

it isn't human nature - it's rudeness. your right, i would never think of saying something like "why would you want to go there?" or "you'd have to kill me to get me to do that" (all comments i have heard when asked about my Disney Vacations. )

Case in point - i have an employee who loves cold weater and hockey. He visited Montreal Canada in January of last year and went to the Hockey hall of fame. i would rather have my eye teeth pulled out than do either of those things, but i was happy that he and his wife were going on a vacation that they would enjoy. I kept my preferences to myself and wished him well on his trip - even asked how he liked it when he got back.
Doing otherwise when hearing of someone elses vacation is just being rude.

- lori

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by studog
What about those people that say they've been but still don't care for it. There's always gotta be someone around that's negative.

LOL - Like loriandmatt I have an employee that has been to Disney once - visited EPCOT to watch her daughter perform at the Outdoor American Pavillion & "Disney does nothing for her". We all know that you can definitely judge what Disney is all abut in one day by going to EPCOT so I see her point!!!

She is taking a cruise in a few weeks. Leaving from NYC & heading down the coast to Florida. Stopping in Orlando but would "never go to Disney again".

Are you kidding me - leaving from NYC in February & travelling on the Atlantic. I didn't say anything, but my thought was the same as loriandmatt's - I'd rather get teeth pulled than be on a ship in the Atlantic in the middle of winter. I hope she has fun, but that's just not for me.