When you vacation is it always Disney?

[Gumbo4x4]

Yes, we get that reaction all the time!!!! But it's funny how those same people sit on the same beach every vacation in the same location, yet I say nothing to them.

We LOVE Disney world, kids included. There's so much there for all of us to enjoy together as a family. We have our favorite restaurants and our must do rides. We truly can't imagine going anywhere else for our main vacation every year.

We only go in November/Dec., so over the summer we always go on a little getaway to another state... But we have no interest in leaving the country. We do what makes us happy, and quite honestly, could care less what other people think.

I think it's funny how people feel it's a 'disservice' to their kids to go every year. What better place to bond and enjoy every moment with your kids? The look on their faces when they see a new character or go on their favorite rides are enough for me. There are new memories to be made with each trip. Sorry but I'd rather sit on a ride than sit on a beach any day. Go and enjoy!!!!!

I wouldn't say going annually was a "disservice" to your kids. But, going to Disney to the extent of excluding other vacation experiences "might" be.

We have friends who take a pretty lavish beach trip every year. Different places, but always somewhat the same. DW loves it & has no desire to change it up. DH & DD put their collective feet down. Next year, the mountains.

 

[Gillyrose779]

The thing for us is Disney isn't just the parks- we have even talked about taking a long weekend just to swim at the pools and take in DTD. Also, Disney changes for the seasons- going for the Flower and Garden Festival is a completely diff. experience than Christmas time. Every trip for us has been different so I don't necessarily think going to Disney every year is "taking the same vacation every year". Most people don't get that.

That being said we have changed it up- ie. 3 days at Disney Vero Beach followed up with 3 days at Saratoga Springs so I can say they had a "beach vacation". We also go on long weekends in the Midwest, closer to home- ie. minor league ball games, children museums, zoos.

I'll add that I think a lot of people think Disney is a once in a lifetime so it's hard to wrap their head around going every year. So many people go to the same beach every year and no one says anything to them b/c that is normal- heck even going to a diff. beach every year is still just the same beach vacation- at least it was for me growing up.

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

We've taken our girls to Disney (a bunch), Lake George, NY, the Jersey Shore (once a year we go for 3 nights - I hate the shore), and Montego Bay & Negril, Jamaica.

We recently purchased a motorhome (drove it to Disney last week!) so we have plans to explore the US some more, and we also are planning to go to Paris in April 2017 (and visit Disney Paris while there, of course). Also on my "near-future vacation" plans list is a cruise to Alaska (NOT Disney Cruise). There are so many great places to see that I don't want to limit us to JUST Disney... but for now, they LOVE it. When we ask them where they want to go, the answer is ALWAYS Disney.

We're going to Disney 5 times in the next 12 months. After that we're taking a break -- or at least not going more than once a year

 

[awalker1015]

We just had our second disney trip and are planning a third for fall 2016. For now I think it's just a phase our family is in. The two years prior we did the beach. And will probably do beach again next summer as well. My mother makes negative comments about us planning a third trip to wdw, but frankly it's no ones business. This makes our family happy, no one else is paying for it so it is what we will do as long as we enjoy it.

 

[Spunky946]

We went to Disney three times in 22 months and now we are taking a break. We last went in October of 2013. We have since went on a cruise to Alaska, the beach, and this summer we are going to California for 10'dqys including disneyland.

We will be back someday, but ds. 10 has a dream to go to all 50 states and all Major League Baseball parks. So we are going to work on that. As much as I miss Disney, I love that my kids want to travel and see the country.

 

[ProTraderColin]

yes

 

[btk2333]

Definitely not our only vacation. Our kids are 1 and have been to wdw once and two more trips in the next year. Taking them to San Francisco in two weeks- we've done three long weekends in Chicago with them. We'll probably take them to London around the time they're five. I love wdw but I have a serious case of wanderlust and hope to impart that on my kids

 

[smitch425]

This October will be our 9th trip in 9 years (since having kids). We used to get the "You're going to Disney again?" question, but after 3 or 4 years, the question became, "So when are you going to Disney?" Lol! We take at least one other big trip a year. New York, D.C., St. Louis...just to name a few. This year it is a 14 person Gatlinburg vacation, which I am very excited about. All of our family lives 3 hours away, so spending quality time with many of my nieces (ages 8, 3, 2 and 9 mos) is going to be so much fun! In addition to those two trips, we spend a couple weekends traveling with the University of Dayton football team, and during their bye week we head to Lexington for a UK game, when possible. We also spend about 30-35 nights a year in Indiana with the family. We use our suitcases A LOT. Lol!

 

[luvmy2babies]

It seems to be for our trips of significant length.

We live in NC so we have done fall break in the mountains and loved it and done the beach in the summer and loved it. It’s one of the things I love about our state. We also do little getaways during the fall when our favorite basketball team has a road game on a weekend. Hoping to take a long weekend to Washington DC this summer as well.

But when it is time to think of going anywhere for more than just 2 or 3 days, it has ended up being Disney World since we started going.

Our little family is made up of a woman in her early 40s, a tween girl and a soon to be Kindergartener (a boy); and Disney just fits us right now. There are other things I want to do when my son is a little older and can tolerate longer trips. One is a drive across the country. I also want us to try cruising. I wanted my son to be toilet trained and off naps so we are about ready for that.

With the space in their ages, plus being opposite genders they are so different so when I find something they both enjoy a lot we tend to repeat it.

They love Disney and are always asking to go back. And some people say “well it will always be there”; but there is likely to come a time when they aren’t as into it as they are now. Plus, my daughter just told me yesterday she wants one more visit to BBB before she ages out. So while Disney will always be there, not everything about it will always be available.

I don’t consult anyone on where to vacation. I don’t even have a spouse to consider and since like another poster said, no one else is footing the bill for the trip or the bills at home; so, we’ll do what makes us happy.

 

[Ava]

This is the first time we're going to Disney two years in a row. We went in 2011 when DD1 was 2, had planned to go again in 2013 but delayed until 2014 because of DD2 being born. We were there during Free Dining and decided to book a bounceback for this year for us and our moms, to get in one more trip while DD2 is still free. Then we'll take a year or two off from Disney.

I think a lot of people don't realize how easy of a destination Disney is when you have young children. They want to wait until the kids are old enough to ride everything, but Disney really does make it easy to vacation with babies/toddlers/preschoolers. We'd love to take them to Washington DC to see all the sights there, or out west to the Grand Canyon etc, but those destinations I think will be better when they're a bit older.

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

It has taken a lot of will power to hold off til my DS turns 5 to go to Disney, lol.

We go to the beach for a week each summer (Gulf Shores, AL or Panama City Beach), we also do long weekend trips to Gatlinburg, Nashville, Chattanooga. We camp at some of our local campgrounds as well.

Heading to the beach in 4wks but most excited about Disney in 10 months! =)

 

[disneyseniors]

We had such an amazing vacation last October at WDW. We surprised the kids and truly had a magical week that we will remember forever. So, naturally I want to go back When I told my friends/coworkers/family that we wanted to start saving to go back their reactions were all the same.... "AGAIN?!? Why not Hawaii or a road trip to the coast, why not give them a new experience". I understand what they're saying that it's good to show them new things... but we truly loved Disney and grew closer as a family. I feel like maybe one day when they are all older we can vacation by the beach... but right now we all love it! I wish we could afford two vacations a year... but that's not in the cards anytime soon. Do you ever get this reaction from people you know or ever feel like maybe you should vacation somewhere else to give the kids different memories?

Wow, you think you get the looks and comments! Try being in your 60's and retired, and going every year. I get tired of hearing, "but you've already done that, do something else. Not that again!! That's a place for kids" We have been going for the past 4 years yearly and still haven't seen it all, or done it all. We go alone or meet up with kids/grandkids but mainly on our own. We enjoy the easy ambience of being by ourselves, doing what WE want to do, eating at nice restaurants, going DTD, yes riding rides, seeing attractions, taking the time to admire the architecture of the buildings. We enjoy being in a safe atmosphere where we can feel like kids again. So,.......I just feel that those people who make comments don't understand. and I don't care if they do, because it is OUR money and time. If they pay for our vacation, then they can have a say in it. Might sound harsh but kinda tired of hearing some really rude and thoughtless comments. I sometimes say,"don't you go to the same lake, beach, resort, every year? what's the difference? It's because you love it. So, do what you want and don't worry about others.

 

[Ali0812]

I don't consider Disney a vacation. I think it's more of a trip or an adventure. We do Disney once every couple of years. Afterwards we go to the beach for a few days for some real relaxation. We go to the beach at least twice a year, every year. That's where our heart truly is. Other than that, we go on a cruise every other year or so and spend quite a bit of time camping. My advice is to not be concerned about what others think about your vacation choice. As long as your family is happy that is all that matters.

 

[richmo]

It seems that for at least the last ten years or so, we have had at least one Disney trip...anywhere from about 3 nights to two weeks one time. But, we've also mixed in other vacations...NJ beaches, Grand Canyon and Arizona, Washington, Williamsburg, etc.

I will say that the familiarity of going to Disney makes it an easy trip, making it much less stressful to set up than the others. And the majority of my Disney trips are offsite, so I still have to go thru the renting a car, getting accommodations, etc. I've driven so much around WDW at this point, its almost as familiar as driving at home.

 

[Gracie09]

Right now it is. My parents own a DVC so it less expensive for us to go there. Also, until the adoption of one of my daughters' is finalized, we can't leave the country. Hopefully next year it will be a cruise, or Beaches or some place overseas. If not, maybe DC

 

[smiths02]

We have only been on a few real vacations since our marriage in 2002. We just simply couldn't afford vacations all the time. We don't go ANYwhere on an annual vacation.

That being said, multiple Disney vacations (DLR or WDW) make sense for our family because we live in GA and I am from Southern California. So we can drive to WDW. And while we would have to fly to California, we can visit family at the same time.
I see our next few family vacations being to Disney for a few reasons.
1) We can drive there in just 7 hours or so. Flights are expensive for 5 people. And extended road trip with toddlers= big fat no for me
2) It is a relatively easy vacation for toddlers. Camping or the beach with 2-5 year olds, no thanks!
3) It is relatively safe and family friendly. Vegas, New Orleans, Washington DC just don't strike me as places I'd want to be out walking at 11pm with my children. (And I'm not saying you can't have a safe trip there, but I kind of like that Disney is a bubble)
4) We've been there before, so we know how to get around, what hotels to look at, etc. I would feel lost trying to book a hotel somewhere and find one that isn't the Ritz or Bates motel.


Now, as our kids get older, we would like to branch out, and, like I said, we don't vacation every year anyhow, but for the next few years


I think for some people vacation=travel and see the world. For me vacation is connect with family, have fun, relax, enjoy some luxuries you would normally. This is why Disney and cruises are my favorite vacations. I just don't have that "bucket list" of things I need to see before I die...guess I'm just not adventurous LOL

 

[DCbride]

We just returned yesterday from WDW. It was my 7 year old's 25th vacation to WDW. Each one was different and unique because of how she has changed since her first trip at 10 months. Also as a PP said, different times of the year=different vacations. We travel Easter, late August and Nov. we stay from 5 days to 2 weeks. We stay offsite to Beach Club.

I live about 40 minutes from the NJ shore and can not imagine spending a whole week there! Last summer we paid about $1500 for the Beach Club for the week. Several times I thought how much nicer that was than renting a house at the shore for $3000 for the week. My kid played in the sand, pool with lifeguards. There were recreational activities, nightly movies, water sports, etc. all this without going into the park. But we do have APs so walking to France for an afternoon pastry was a bonus!

Now, DD has also been on 16 cruises with her grandparents, plus many cities on the east coast. So she isn't exactly "deprived" of seeing other places. I would love to visit Hawaii and Australia again, but those trips would equal easy 4-5 Disney vacations for me. And I would like to travel more often than that!

 

[Clbemrich]

Most people seem to go on the same beach vacation every year. Which I think is great, because they get to establish traditions and get a good feel for the place they are in. No one judges them, so why do it to people that choose to go to Disney every year? This year will be our first Disney trip, and i'm hoping i love it so much i'll want to go back. That means it was great right?

 

[amylevan]

We've been to Disney plenty (as can seen by my signature) but by no means is that the only place we vacation. There is too much to see in this world.

And it's not even the most expensive.

 

[hsmamato2]

No.... but we go yearly,for quite a few years. Why? Because we enjoy it! It's our 'all inclusive' resort kind of fun.... let's see,in WDW we have pools,restaurants, beautiful surroundings,entertainment whenever we want it that changes frequently,and always something to do no matter how the weather turns out....what's not to repeat? People always ask why,that's what I tell them... They go on cruises repeatedly,that doesn't appeal to me.And we go plenty of other places.... once my kids got older... we've seen a lot of the country,and some of others, but not much international yet....that's another goal.we usually camp in various places, plus some other trips thrown in for adventure-