This is why I keep going back....

[lmillercrew]

I'm glad you started this thread. I have been asked the same thing many times, and my response in "nobody does a vacation like Disney does". We've been to Cedar Pointe and Six Flags and it's just not the same. At those parks you have to pay for a fast pass and the shows and the parades are nothing compared to Disney. I love the atmosphere, I love that I can leave the airport and be submerged into Disney mania for a week or more. I miss it when I leave and can't wait to go back to "my happy place". I've been to Hawaii and Mexico several times, but still would rather be at WDW!

 

[cindyfan]

I love this thread!!
It's nice to know that I am not the only one out there that feels like WDW is the best vacation ever!!
Since my first visit back in '83 ( I was in my early 20's then!) There is just no other place that gives me that warm child-like carefree feeling.
We've been on lots of other vacations (east coast, D.C., Myrtle Beach, camping) and nothing compares.

Both DDs agree too. for both of them, their first visits were when they were 7 yrs old. And it's the only place they ever mention when asked where they want to go.... the oldest DD has kids of her own now and she's taken them down twice now and planning another trip for '09. and the younger DD is 17 and Disney is the only place she would even consider for vacation.

 

[alldiz]

Thank you so much for posting this thread.

I have people asking me all of the time... "Don't you want to go anywhere else?" My reply... No. There is something truly special about a place where you can forget all of your troubles once you are there. WDW is honestly a "fairy tale" setting for me. I honestly can't imagine wanting to be anywhere else.

Exactly....Everytime I think about going elsewhere.....I book a trip to WDW
Kerri

 

[troynkasey]

What an amazing story! I think I've been 8 times and my wife 6. This summer we're going again. I've said we won't be back 2-3 times and we always decide to go. With my DD2 1/2, I can't help but enjoy it. It's stories like this that really make it easy to come back. I've had so many instances like this at Disney that it's almost second nature to me. Upgrades of rooms, special characters from Mousekeeping and CMs going above and beyond.

People who go to Disney and understand it as more than a theme park are the ones who go back again and again and again and....well you get the picture. If it's just a theme park, then you don't get it...

 

[a1tinkfans]

I WISH my dh would feel the same way I do about it. He faithfully goes each trip (because he knows how ADDICTED I am and indulges me, my DS is addicted, but not quite like dear old me) and DH even surprised me with a birthday "quick trip" which was quite an undertaking and I was THRILLED!

On another thread somewhere I explained how Disney is like HOME for me/us and during chemo the DIS was a a HOME, just reading the posts was awesome. Well guess where DH took me when I was well enough to go, Back to POR!

I will NEVER forget walking on that bridge at nite with the lights twinkling, the sounds of laughter from the pool area and just breathing it all in, tears streaming down......and guess what,
I LOVED EVERY DARN SECOND of it.

Thats what Disney does for me, makes me remember how precious life is and slowing down (is that an oxymoron or what) to enjoy time with loved ones can never be replaced.
Wishing EVERYONE a MAGICAL time and wishing you all a wonderful time Mak'n Memories!!

 

[goodfaerie]

That's why Disney always gets my vote when we're arguing about where we're going to go on vacation. That's so great that the CM was so kind to you!!!

 

[pennyplanner]

In 1999, we took our boys on our "one and only" Disney vacation. Walking up the dock back to the WL on our last day, a tear slipped down one of my son's cheeks. "I can't believe we won't ever be coming back," he said. My non-WDW loving husband says, "Well, I didn't say never." You know I was planning the next trip even if it was three years later!

This August will mark our 4th trip. (I've had a couple of solos thrown in there too!) My husband won't be going but we will be taking a couple of my son's friends who have had some very hard luck in life including one who lost both parents to illness and an accident. My husband didn't bat an eye when I said we wanted to take them. He may not love Disney like the rest of us do but he does get it. And sometime, like in the Buzz Lightyear line at the MK, he lets his guard down and salutes as he gets on the ride!

Thanks for sharing your good fortune on your trip! Great thread.

--penny

 

[bellenbuzz]

I am addicted to the magic!
People say to me " You've already been there 4 times.......there is a whole country of other stuff to see.....go somewhere different for a change!"
Those folks just don't get it....
WDW has everything I want all in one world ! And at Epcot, I get to travel around the globe! And there is always something new & different to see when we go........It is so totally ME !!!

 

[troynkasey]

when you go, do you have that feeling that each and every time you go back you experience something new? I mean, there are the obvious new rides and attractions, but in all the times we've gone, I haven't gotten sick of it. I went with my family, Got to take a friend, took my girlfriend (now my wife), went down with my wife and finally got to take my daughter a couple times. Each time there was a different perspective as well as different experience. THAT is why I don't mind going back to "do it again". This year my daughter will make it magical because she knows all the character's names and REALLY gets into the shows. Last year she loved meeting the life-like characters (princesses, etc.).

 

[cindyfan]

In 1999, we took our boys on our "one and only" Disney vacation. Walking up the dock back to the WL on our last day, a tear slipped down one of my son's cheeks. "I can't believe we won't ever be coming back," he said. My non-WDW loving husband says, "Well, I didn't say never." You know I was planning the next trip even if it was three years later!

This August will mark our 4th trip. (I've had a couple of solos thrown in there too!) My husband won't be going but we will be taking a couple of my son's friends who have had some very hard luck in life including one who lost both parents to illness and an accident. My husband didn't bat an eye when I said we wanted to take them. He may not love Disney like the rest of us do but he does get it. And sometime, like in the Buzz Lightyear line at the MK, he lets his guard down and salutes as he gets on the ride!

Thanks for sharing your good fortune on your trip! Great thread.

--penny

OMG!!! This one just brought me to tears!!!
Thanks to everyone for reminding me how precious life is and how important enjoying your family is!!!

 

[skipperkim]

I think the reason I love WDW so much is it brings out the best in people. It is a magical place, where else can you have breakfast with a princess, lunch with a bear, and dinner with a mouse? I do have to concur that it is a land cruise when you throw in a dining plan. But it's better than a cruise, there's much more to do and your room is bigger and it doesn't rock.

 

[texasmom]

Thanks for sharing that great CM story!
Why I keep going back-
Nostalgia, I've been going since I was a toddler, great memories.
Value, it is worth every penny. People growse about the cost, but where else can you get so many entertainment options and experiences in one place? Particularly for kids?
No one does immersive theming like Disney, being there is truly an escape.
No matter how many times I go, I always discover something new.
Customer service, as exemplified in your story, goes beyond the call.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Magic. I can't think of another place on earth that gives me the same goosebumpy anticipation feeling as passing through the main gates or when I get my first glimpse of the Castle or Spaceship Earth.

I agree 100%. WDW is the only place we have been on vacation where I get the jitters of excitement before I leave on the trip. I haven't felt that excited since I was a child on Christmas Eve or the nights before special trips. As well as the only place where I feel as young as my kids and they don't care if I act like them.

Although I have had many memorable moments, one special moment comes to mind. We had Disney snacks and small gifts delivered to our room (I don't remember the service's name). There were princess toys for my daughter and Disney Cars movie items for my son. My daughter was so excited that she exclaimed," Wow, mommy, how did they know that I liked these? This place really is magical!". It brought tears to my eyes.

Every year I say we will need to do something different for a change, but once we do, we still miss Disney so much we have to plan our next trip. All the other non-WDW trips have been great, but they just weren't Disney!!!!

 

[Redbudlover]

It is wonderful reading all of your responses to my story about the CM and your stories of what is magical for you. That is why I love this board - that we all share the same magic....