BeerMe
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2011
While this is not a TR as such it is our story, or a small part of it:
We have been very fortunate over the years in our Disney trips. I just sat down and counted the trips we’ve made to Disney and I came up with 57 trips. I’m not sure how accurate this count is. I may have missed a few. Only 2 of them were driving; the rest were by air. Our first trip was in 1973 and until 1995 we made infrequent trips. I also made a trip to Disneyland in 1968 when I was in the Army. We’re going back in a year.
Over Easter 1995 we stayed at Shades of Green for a week and that is when our love for all things Disney blossomed. Since 1995 we have averaged more than 2 trips a year and we’ve stayed in every non-DVC resort on Disney except Coronado Springs. Maybe someday we’ll stay there too. We stay a lot in offsite condos because they’re a LOT less expensive than staying onsite. In our opinion, there are benefits to both onsite and offsite stays.
Our trips tend to be much longer now, since we’re retired. We made two trips in 2013 of 3 weeks and 7 weeks, 2014 a trip of 7 weeks and in 2015 we stayed from 1/17 – 3/31. I admit we extended our stay that timebecause of the bad weather up north. We are staying for 12 days in December with 4 of our grandchildren, and taking 3 more next June for their first Disney trip. We already have reservations at Shades of Green for that trip which is my favorite resort. We are also planning on staying for the entire length of F&W 2016. I already have condos booked for half that trip – Silver Lake just outside of Animal Kingdom. I’m looking at booking Star Island for the rest of that trip.
For the majority of our trips it is just the two of us and these days we usually stay at offsite condos, with a few days here and there at onsite resorts. We have been lucky to get great deals through the military. I am US Army Retired. For example, we are staying at SSR in December and I can get 40% off on the room. Then we are able to get huge discounts on tickets. Disney is very generous to the military and I personally appreciate that. As an aside one of our daughters lives just outside the real Saratoga Springs and she thinks it’s funny she’s staying with us at an imitation Saratoga Springs.
The December trip is one I’m looking forward to since we haven’t been to Disney at Christmas since 2012. I’m looking forward to CP and the Osborne lights. None of the grandchildren have been at Christmas time either and this should be exciting for them too. For two of the GC this will be their first trip to Disney and we will celebrate that. We will have to find something for the other kids to celebrate so they can wear buttons too.
I know our experience is unusual. Most people do not go on vacations at Disney as often as we do and most can’t stay as long as we do. Like I said, I consider us to be very, very lucky.
When we go next June, none of those 3 grandsons have ever been to Disney before and their parents probably won’t ever take them. So we’re taking them the week after school lets out. That will be an interesting trip.
What we do is not for everyone. We are fortunate enough to take other trips too, but Disney is the majority of our traveling. Many of our friends just shake their heads when we tell them we’re going back to Disney, but some understand our obsession.
We have been very fortunate over the years in our Disney trips. I just sat down and counted the trips we’ve made to Disney and I came up with 57 trips. I’m not sure how accurate this count is. I may have missed a few. Only 2 of them were driving; the rest were by air. Our first trip was in 1973 and until 1995 we made infrequent trips. I also made a trip to Disneyland in 1968 when I was in the Army. We’re going back in a year.
Over Easter 1995 we stayed at Shades of Green for a week and that is when our love for all things Disney blossomed. Since 1995 we have averaged more than 2 trips a year and we’ve stayed in every non-DVC resort on Disney except Coronado Springs. Maybe someday we’ll stay there too. We stay a lot in offsite condos because they’re a LOT less expensive than staying onsite. In our opinion, there are benefits to both onsite and offsite stays.
Our trips tend to be much longer now, since we’re retired. We made two trips in 2013 of 3 weeks and 7 weeks, 2014 a trip of 7 weeks and in 2015 we stayed from 1/17 – 3/31. I admit we extended our stay that timebecause of the bad weather up north. We are staying for 12 days in December with 4 of our grandchildren, and taking 3 more next June for their first Disney trip. We already have reservations at Shades of Green for that trip which is my favorite resort. We are also planning on staying for the entire length of F&W 2016. I already have condos booked for half that trip – Silver Lake just outside of Animal Kingdom. I’m looking at booking Star Island for the rest of that trip.
For the majority of our trips it is just the two of us and these days we usually stay at offsite condos, with a few days here and there at onsite resorts. We have been lucky to get great deals through the military. I am US Army Retired. For example, we are staying at SSR in December and I can get 40% off on the room. Then we are able to get huge discounts on tickets. Disney is very generous to the military and I personally appreciate that. As an aside one of our daughters lives just outside the real Saratoga Springs and she thinks it’s funny she’s staying with us at an imitation Saratoga Springs.
The December trip is one I’m looking forward to since we haven’t been to Disney at Christmas since 2012. I’m looking forward to CP and the Osborne lights. None of the grandchildren have been at Christmas time either and this should be exciting for them too. For two of the GC this will be their first trip to Disney and we will celebrate that. We will have to find something for the other kids to celebrate so they can wear buttons too.
I know our experience is unusual. Most people do not go on vacations at Disney as often as we do and most can’t stay as long as we do. Like I said, I consider us to be very, very lucky.
When we go next June, none of those 3 grandsons have ever been to Disney before and their parents probably won’t ever take them. So we’re taking them the week after school lets out. That will be an interesting trip.
What we do is not for everyone. We are fortunate enough to take other trips too, but Disney is the majority of our traveling. Many of our friends just shake their heads when we tell them we’re going back to Disney, but some understand our obsession.
