Thinking about giving Disney a break.

[jkh36619]

We are AP holders and go to Disney anywhere from 3-5 times a year(about 7 hours away). I think we have decided to give DW a break for a few years after our AP's expire at the end of this year. It may be impossible for us to do because we love it so much but here's our thinking. With GE opening and building up to the 50th, I just think it will be a madhouse. I do feel it will be really nice to visit right before GE opens due to people holding out in which I would just buy a week pass. If we can resist the urge, we will go for the 50th or 2023.

The second reason is that I think park will have changed so much from now to then, we would get that 1st visit feeling back which was awesome. I just don't know if we can do it :/

 

[ArwenMarie]

You can do it

Breaks can be good

 

[SaintsManiac]

We'll be taking a break for a couple of years to travel elsewhere (Universal, NYC, DC). I'm hoping to get back in 2020, but who knows. I feel that GE is going to change things forever and I am not sure how I feel about it, even though I really love Star Wars.

 

[kniquy]

It sounds like you really love going and if you are losing some of the Magic then for the next couple of years maybe plan to only go once a year - maybe still get the AP and work 2 trips in under that one pass - so you get your value out of it. There really is so much to see around the US that you could focus your efforts on seeing some other parts of the country. Maybe if you are having a tough time with the thought of letting go then go cold turkey -- no annual pass but pick a spot you have always wanted to visit and start researching. Putting off your trips for a few years will certainly help bring back the magic and hopefully a lot will have changed by the next time you visit.

I am dreading after this November - November will be our 2nd trip this year but then we will not return until 2020. We are focusing on yellowstone for our off year. So with turning our focus on researching that trip i hope that i will not be missing Disney too much.

 

[sam_rogers]

We haven't properly done disney since 2012 (except for a quick mnsshp visiv when we had a week at universal in 2016) and after previously having a few visits in quick succession... For us anyway we travel from England... We've been happy to have a break and are looking forward to our trip more than normal. Sometimes a good break is useful to help you feel rrallr excited about Disney again.

 

[jkh36619]

It sounds like you really love going and if you are losing some of the Magic then for the next couple of years maybe plan to only go once a year - maybe still get the AP and work 2 trips in under that one pass - so you get your value out of it. There really is so much to see around the US that you could focus your efforts on seeing some other parts of the country. Maybe if you are having a tough time with the thought of letting go then go cold turkey -- no annual pass but pick a spot you have always wanted to visit and start researching. Putting off your trips for a few years will certainly help bring back the magic and hopefully a lot will have changed by the next time you visit.

I am dreading after this November - November will be our 2nd trip this year but then we will not return until 2020. We are focusing on yellowstone for our off year. So with turning our focus on researching that trip i hope that i will not be missing Disney too much.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I still have the magic so to speak but if the parks are changing as much as has been posted, I think it would be really exciting to see it new again. And there are other things on our travel list to keep me occupied I suppose but it gets expensive. People really don't get the value that an AP offers for DW. Especially if you can get outside the bubble.

 

[Donalyn]

After going a number of times in a very short period (for us anyway), we haven't been to WDW for 4 years. I just got to a point where I needed to start traveling to other places, to show my kids other parts of our country. But now I am super excited for our trip over Spring Break. A lot has changed since my last trip. It will be somewhat new.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We don’t do disney multiple times a year or even every year. Probably every 2-3 years. We like to travel to other places. The breaks are refreshing and makes our returns that much more fun.

 

[ChristineOH]

I am dreading after this November - November will be our 2nd trip this year but then we will not return until 2020. We are focusing on yellowstone for our off year. So with turning our focus on researching that trip i hope that i will not be missing Disney too much.

We had an "off" year in 2016 and visited Yellowstone and Grand Teton and the White Mountains in NH. Yellowstone is amazing and the hiking in the Tetons is spectacular. You will love it! Old Faithful Lodge is spectacular. When we walked into the breathtaking lobby, my kids said, "This looks like a Disney hotel!" Um, no kids. The Disney hotel looks like this. LOL!

This is our "Disney year." June 2017 on our AP, March 2018 with the marching band, and June 2018 right before the AP expires. Then we may be taking a break for three years before repeating that when our middle child goes with the marching band. But I really hate the thought of no Disney till 2021. Maybe we will do a Universal only trip, or do a West Coast trip with Disneyland.

OP-- nothing wrong with taking a break!

 

[Shanti]

We are AP holders and go to Disney anywhere from 3-5 times a year(about 7 hours away). I think we have decided to give DW a break for a few years after our AP's expire at the end of this year. It may be impossible for us to do because we love it so much but here's our thinking. With GE opening and building up to the 50th, I just think it will be a madhouse. I do feel it will be really nice to visit right before GE opens due to people holding out in which I would just buy a week pass. If we can resist the urge, we will go for the 50th or 2023.

The second reason is that I think park will have changed so much from now to then, we would get that 1st visit feeling back which was awesome. I just don't know if we can do it :/

You can do it. Go on some Disney cruises, and you can transfer your Disney vacation experience from land to water. Or go to Disneyland in California. That's also a special, yet different, experience.

 

[Donalyn]

ChristineOH - you should definitely try DL for a Disney fix. Or Aulani.

 

[hertamaniac]

Thought about it and we're within commuting distance to WDW. But, I need to be able to go to WDW whenever I need a break from reality.

 

[reluctantredhead]

We did the same thing a few years ago, and it ended up being a really good thing for us.

Until very recently we lived about 10 minutes from DL and were APs there, and we took a yearly trip to WDW almost every year for the last 20 years. When our daughter was in 6th grade we realized that maybe we were "Disneyed out" because we weren't looking as forward to our yearly trip as we typically did. So we went to Hawaii instead, took a cruise, went to NYC...and within 2 years we were itching to go back! And when we did, we appreciated it so much more than we had been by the end of our "streak", lol. So I think your idea of a break is a good one...and I bet you will get that "first visit" feeling back like we did.

 

[wahoostampingirl]

The last time I was in WDW was 2015. We took 2016 off and then traveled to Cali and Disneyland last year. So while I've been to a Disney park fairly recently, I am itching to get back to WDW. Before our break, we had been to WDW at least once a year since 2007. We have a trip planned for this summer and it really does feel like my early days of trip planning because a lot has changed since 2015.

 

[jkh36619]

One thing we looked at between now and 2023 is Disneyland Paris. I didn't realize how affordable staying on-site was. Airfare is another story flying from the south.

 

[Bete]

What is GE, please.

 

[Hopefully]

Galaxy Edge. The new Star Wars Land

 

[Bete]

Galaxy Edge. The new Star Wars Land

Thank you

 

[LVSWL]

We have had a forced break...our dog has had two knee surgeries and 15 days in the vet hospital for a stomach ulcer in the last 7 months. We had trips planned for February (now) and May that we had to cancel to be sure he is through rehab for the second knee. We are booked for the first week in December which would have been over two years since our last trip. I CAN'T WAIT! We used to go three times a year and did get a little burned out sometimes. Not being able to go has turned me into a Disney nut again!

 

[klmall]

Taking breaks are the only way to keep DH and DS interested in ever going back to WDW. I might be happy going every year but even I find some of Disney's recent decisions and the ever increasing crowds taking away some of my enjoyment.

We too like the national parks and have a Yellowstone trip planned for late May. Last September we spent time in Moab, Utah touring Canyonlands and Arches NPs. Other years we visited Acadia NP, Great Smoky NP, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Glacier, Mt. Rainier and Olympic National Parks. I think traveling other places (including Disneyland) provides a great change.