Why do you go to Disney? Why not some other place?

[dan-tot]

I like others are well know at work for being the Disney Expert. Recently I have had this question asked to me on different ocasions by different people. Why do I go so often, why not go other places. I have been going on a regular basis since 1992. In 1973 that was the only time my mother went to WDW and we never had a chance to go back. My mother passed away in 1991 so we will never have that chance again. My sister is handicapped and is being cared for by my brother and I. I like Disney and I have been there many times since being stationed in tampa which is only an hour and a half away. I want to go mainly for my sister so that she can experience what disney holds for her. I experience other places because of my job with Uncle Sam and he pays me well enough to give my sister the gift of Disney. I think if you have not been and experienced Disney how can you say Why.


Dan-tot

 

[polly p]

Like you we go to Disney as often as we can. But we do go to other places because of my children's competitions(cheerleading). The last time we went to Hershey park which we go to every May for competition my dh walked around the park saying yeh its nice, but its not Disney. Upkeep wasn't disney, cleanliness wasn't disney, service wasn't disney. There is no other place for us.

 

[Bugdozer]

Hi,
Lets see why do wee go...

It's coming home
fun and relaxing
great service
never a dull moment
quaility time with my last son- things we both can have fun at like Walt said
No hassels- they transport us, take care of us and it feels safe
It's like being in another "world"
Leave reality behind
I am very comfortable there-know my way around!!
Son loves it-I brainwashed him
Many many more reasons!
cheryl

 

[crow11ad]

I agree with everyone. Now how do get my DW into the same feeling.

 

[SDFgirl]

I go because I have so many wonderful childhood memories from there...it is a warm, happy, cherished place in my heart. And the magic never fails to appear as an adult as well!

 

[DoomBuggyBabe]

Well, we do go other places. We just got back from several days in Arizona. We've got a Northern California trip (San Fran, Napa and Tahoe) and a Northeast trip (Cooperstown, a moose photo safari in Maine and Niagra Falls) on the drawing board. I like to escape to a beach a few days each summer. I dream of going to Italy. All of these things are fun, scenic, relaxing.
But they're not Disney.
Yes, we want to experience the wondrous variety of the world at large.
But we cherish most of all the wondrous variety of the World at large.
It is the only place we can feel like 8-year-olds again, and act like it. It is a place where we can ride roller coasters, see fireworks extravaganzas, and have sumptuous, romantic dinners all in the same day. It is a place where the customer service is unmatched. It is a place where there is pure and utter magic. This is what keeps us going back year after year.
Long live the Mouse.
Cheers,
Q

 

[Cookie Princess]

We like to balance a tropical vacation (ARUBA) with our WDW theme park vacations. DH bought a new car this year so we have to skip one...guess what...we are skipping Aruba. I think it would kill me to ever miss a year with the Mouse!

 

[floridagirrl2]

WDW is always fun, always relaxing, and only 2 hours and 15 minutes from our house! We also vacation at our favorite beach (St Augustine), which is only an hour and 45 minutes from our house.

We've tried other vacations, but nothing has been as fun as WDW and ST Augustine Beach. Yeah, we're stuck in a rut, but it's such a fun rut!

 

[Tishke]

I was fortunate to grow up a Disney kid. I was on Dumbo before I could walk and the park is so full of memories for me that I wanted to share it with my husband and DS5.

We do go other places, my son has been to the Smithsonian and Philadelphia as well as to the beach. We try to keep him seeing new things.

Disney is just so magical. It's more than the rides, it's the atmosphere. I may go to Disney stressed from my daily life, but that all disappears with the first view of the "Giant Golfball" in Epcot. (we always do Epcot first)

Tish

 

[Mom to Will and Finn]

We do go other places. Our plan is to do Disney every other year and somewhere else on the in between years. So far we've stuck to it.

I think, for us, we enjoy Disney so much because it's like stepping into another world or dimension. As soon as we drive under those signs it's like we've left all our stress, worries, and cares on the other side. I think that's why we like staying onsite so much, too. We don't have to pick up all our baggage until the very end of the trip.

 

[imatoad]

Absolutely no place else makes me feel the way WDW does. It's the one place I can go and escape the real world, just leave it behind.

 

[kupperman]

We go other places like to the beach in the summer but, I'd rather be at Disney. You can forget your troubles while you are there. The atmosphere is wonderful , the service is great and its the only place in the world where I can skip down the street and not feel silly!

 

[blanq]

Although most everyone who frequents the DIS Boards loves Disney, I think you will find there are plenty, my family included, who do not do WDW exclusively. We love to take a WDW once a year, or maybe once every year and a half. But inbetween, we travel to other places too. We like to take between 3 and 4 vacations a year. This year we went to Palm Springs in March (with side trips to Sedona and the Grand Canyon), have an Alaskan cruise booked for summer, and likely will go to WDW in October. IMHO, there is too much "real world" to see to spend all my vacation time at WDW. Although, we do LOVE WDW!

 

[Daxx]

Daxx's wife here. Gasp - we do go to other places! We take trips to Washington, DC, Maryland, New York City, Boston, N. Carolina, etc. along w/our Disney trips. Canada is our back yard, so we spend a lot of time vacationing there, too. Thankfully, we have family who live in other states and we spend a lot of time w/them. Disney, is something that we enjoy and will continue to enjoy for a long time. We plan on seeing more of the US and Europe ... yet plan of seeing more of Disney as well. This May, DS and I are going to WDW in less than 2 weeks and then, once we return, we have a few weeks until our NYC vacation. This summer, we'll all go to WDW in July and then head to Washington/Maryland for some more summer fun.

Just b/c you do Disney doesn't mean you can't do anything else. We like to combine our Disney vacations w/other vacations.

Even if we didn't go on other vacations, Disney is just a great time. No stress, great service, loads of fun and millions of great memories. And, we can all be kids!!!

 

[nluvwithmickey]

Let's see....The first time is great because you create your first WDW memories. The following times after that you create more memories AND it brings back memories of how much fun you had the last time....


This was especially true at our last trip....we kept saying: remember last time? we were in front of LTT for the parade? Remember how DD freaked out in ToT? Remember that little shreak she let out on BTMR?. Remember how my eyes welled up the first time I saw that castle? ( they still well up!)

Creating memories , and remembering them. Things happen during the time passed in between each visit and I tend to reflect on that also. How fast my children grow....and how time goes by so quickly.....

I'm a real sap for those things!

 

[srcrmcky#1fan]

I too agree with everyone!
While WDW has definitely been my main vacation destination, I have ventured to a few other places...but my favorite is still Disney!
Just this February, my husband and I traveled to Vegas for our first time. Guess what...I had to tie in Disney somehow, so we took the 3 1/2 hour drive to Anaheim, for one day of Disney fun!
No matter what, I just can't get enough and I honestly can't explain why! The attractions, hotels, service, and the "magic" is something that no one else can beat in my book!

 

[minmate]

Well, for awhile there, we spent too much time moving around and using vacation time to fly back and visit family, and having kids -- four in a row -- that we didn't do any 'real' vacations. I have lived in several parts of the country already and have traveled the country with my parents. I'd like to eventually do the same for my kids.

With that said, when a vacation opportunity presents itself, we usually find ourselves choosing WDW mostly because our kids are still young and it seems to offer the most enjoyment for all ages. They are not really at an age where going to a beach for a week would be significantly more relaxing for us than going to WDW. The same goes for more educational vacations such as D.C./Smithsonian. There are plenty of things I'd like to do for myself and dh as well as my children: Las Vegas, Europe, a cruise, but these things will likely be a once or twice in a lifetime thing. I don't consider it to be a great idea to take 2-6 year olds to Vegas... it's not really meant for them. I also don't think they'd enjoy the Smithsonian at this age (maybe the 6 yo would) -- I can just picture 10 minutes into it and the whining would start!

I'd rather wait and do them when my kids are older so they can get the most out of it then. WDW will always be a destination for us though because they can enjoy different parts of it at different ages.

We also do a lot around here. We live in New England but only moved here about 6 1/2 years ago -- and there's so much to explore, together as a family. We also still find that we spend some vacation time going to visit family, despite the fact they may live in areas not particularly considered destination areas.

As my kids get older, I can see us doing WDW interspersed with other vacations. For now, I just thank God that we are able to take time to spend with our family and for the freedom to choose to do it as we see fit.

 

[Snow Shoe]

It's the only place we can go and feel/have a vacation. I grew up watching the orginal Mickey Mouse Club on tv and wanted to be just like the Mouseketeers. Then I became an adult. Going back to Disney lets me become a "Big Kid" again. It's such a wonderful feeling every time I'm there!

 

[imatoad]

Oh, I definitely travel to other destinations, I just like to make WDW a must do at least once a year.

 

[idinagirl]

I've lived and travelled to lots of places- Spain, England, Ireland, Africa, all throughout the States and Mexico, and Canada. But nothing is quite the same as the World.

I lived in Anaheim, and hated Disneyland. I find the crowd there COMPLETELY different. It's kind of rough, imho.

WDW is where I made memories with my family- my parents, my sister, my cousins. To keep going back just adds more amazing memories to an already amazing place.

It's kind of like a living scrapbook.

I walk by Pirates and I see me with my Dad, or me with my sister, or me with this or that other person. My little sister is attending Culinary School, so I don't see her as often and being in Disney makes me feel like I'm 6, 10, 12, or 19 again and that she's there with me.

I also think it is being THAT happy (an effect of WDW magic) that brings people closer together. Not really all the rides, parades, etc.

Ending cheesey Hallmark moment now!