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

[DrTomorrow]

When we're not going to WDW (which we do quite a bit, to the point of buying into DVC) we're going to Las Vegas. Two places that are quite a bit alike, if you think about it....

 

[Stitchfans]

Funny someone asked this question. Recently my dad and his wife went to Hawaii, and was telling me about their trip. It sounded lovely. We had a trip coming up to go to WDW. (this past March for Easter) He asked me after descibing his trip what would I pick now, Hawaii or Disney? Without hesitating I answered Disney. Can't explain the magic, the idea of becoming a kid again. Reliving my childhood watching my daughters have so much fun with the characaters and on the rides. All the wonderful attracations, shows, parades. No matter what age you are there is something for everyone! If I could afford it we would go every year. More than once a year. I don't think I could ever get tired of it! Wish I was there now!

 

[officer tigger]

We also like to see other places but Disney is the main trip we do each year.

For 1 week I can forget about the "real" world and just enjoy time with my family. To see the look on my daughters faces is priceless. To be able to relax do what we want, and take in all the sights and sounds. There is nothing else in the world that can compare to our experiences in Disney.

 

[ncbyrne]

DH and I love to travel...period! We like visiting historical sights, national parks/forests, touristy stuff in big cities, and we live only 40 minutes from the ocean (MANY day trips to the shore every summer). BUT....WDW is my vacation passion. And, oddly enough, the older I get (I'm a grandma to 6) the more I enjoy it! (Being a DISer helps). It's like one big happy place that you can spend an entire week and not see/do the same thing twice! For DH it's a 100+ fabulous restaurants all in close proximity. And the festivals (Food & Wine and Flower & Garden) create different vacations in the same year. We used to go to WDW every few years. But the past few years I get to go twice a year! One trip with DGDs and the next with just me and DH!

 

[imatoad]

idniagirl, you made a great point, I was introduced to WDW in '72 at the age of 9, and every trip but the last one, Oct. '04, was with family. I was actually a little anxious upon arriving at the Poly last Oct., since it was the first trip back in 12 years, and I had always gone with my family, this would be the first time without them. I had flashbacks at every turn. I went with my best friend, who is pretty much family, and we had a wonderful time, so much so we are going back this Oct.

 

[nataliesdaddy]

because my daughter is 9, and i have fond memories of going when i was a child in 72

 

[sunshine girl]

I feel the same way as many of you who posted already. Disney is an escape; it's beautiful, clean, friendly, and fun. It brings back memories of childhood family trips to WDW, and every time I go I make more memories. I guess I'd say I've grown up with Disney and it seems to grow with me, if that makes any sense.

I am not able to take a vacation to Disney every year because I do love to take vacations elsewhere... in fact, I'm going to Germany in a few weeks to bicycle for 8 days along the shores of the Baltic Sea! I've been to several European countries, a few tropical destinations, and am making may way through the USA, visiting my friends who have scattered across the country.

But I love my Disney trips and I look forward to them so much. Disney magic makes an indelible impression!

 

[kilee]

Just like for everyone else-- Disney just holds a "magic" for me. I, personally, really like the entire Orlando area. It is truly my most favorite place to vacation.

We do always pick at least 2-3 other places to go each year too. I guess I count us fortunate enough to vacation so often. Especially since we went through times (About 6-7 years) where we didn't take a single vacation at all.

In the last few years we've taken DS to NYC, DC, Smokey Mountains, Hocking Hills, Virginia Beach, Lake Placid, and Williamsburg.

 

[drp4video]

Disney is our main destination twice a year (this year three times), and we do go other places, just not as expensive as disney. My family and friends always ask why we continue to go there, when we could experience other great places that are also expensive., like the Carribean or Mexico (she did just go to Mexico on her senior hs trip).

My daughter and I, just love the mouse. SHe is 17 and it is one of a few places where we can go and be the same age. We have gone to L.A., (disneyland was thrown in), and family is in Arizona, but at night, after dinner there is not much we can do together other than dinner and a movie. I remember sitting in our hotel room about 9:30 in L.A. watching t.v. There is always so much that a family (even of 2) can do at the world, during the day and at night.

She just went on a trip to the world with her hs choir singing at Epcot, and was so glad that I flew down and joined them at times, because we really do love going there together. It is our family thing, just the two of us, a way to keep us close, which more than justifies the cost and the repeat trips.

Plus, it is so much fun!

 

[Tishke]

*snipped* Ending cheesey Hallmark moment now!

Not a cheesy Hallmark moment at all. I feel the same way. When I walk past the Crystal Palace I remember my grandmother always taking me there for a meal while we were in the park. I still won't ride Splash Mountain because the year that it opened we went to MK and ate at the Plaza Pavilion. They messed our order up and we wound up with extra food (mind you there were 8 of us there) and my dad says "eat up". He then decides we should all race over to Splash Mountain and get on. I got to the ride and thought better about getting on after eating all that food. Everytime I look at that ride now I remember that trip.

I think a lot of us experienced Disney as a kid and are now getting to share that magic with our families. It's a great feeling.

Tish

 

[miste76]

My Mother and I were talking about this last week... and the best way for me to explain why I go to WDW is:
It makes me smile. Not just a smile on my face, but it makes me smile inside. WDW brings back the innocence and purity that we all dreamed of as children. Most adults have lost that innocence and have become more jaded with every year that passes... Disney erases all of those years and allows us to believe that the world is perfect, even if it's only for a week at a time.

WDW really is a stage that we walk onto, leaving the realities of today's world behind.

 

[MommyPoppins]

People ask me this all the time, sometimes even my DH asks me. lol. But really...we live in Fl. near the gulf coast, so we would waste time and money on a beach vacation. Where else do you take 4 children under the age of 5 on vacation?

 

[gorockdude333]

Because its happy its fun and its DISNEY. No place better

 

[Drcell01]

I have been visiting WDW (actually MK since 1972) when it was just the Magic Kingdom. My grandparents took me to Miami in 1972 and then took me on a bus trip from Miami to MK for the day. The rest is history. We visited at least once a year as a family (grandparents, parents, DW, DD (now 14) and myself. In 1991 we bought into the Disney Vacation Club as one of the first members (we were invited as we were already stock holders).

All of this is because of the way this place makes us feel when we are there. When my daughter was younger, as we would aproach the first off ramp into Disney property she would scream " We're Home" as we caught site of the lighthouse on the corner of the street where Old Key West is located. My grandparents and parents have passed on but we continue the tradition of visiting as often as possible as no place on the planet recharges our batteries like WDW does (exception would be DL which we have visited 3 times in the past). We have also visited many other places in the world (we are not short sighted to think that Disney is the only place to visit).

In the past year we have taken the Disney Cruise and now find it a hard choice in deciding to take a Disney Cruise or go to WDW. We can't decide so we are arriving for the cruise two days early and then leaving on the cruise and then spend one last day at WDW before returning home.

Just for reference I have been to WDW 38 times and hope to visit many more with my family and my daughter's family (would make it a four generation family tradition). Nothing would make me happier!

 

[esk]

With 2 kid under the age of 4, where else would we go? We spent 6 years living in Europe, on year living in Asia and we loved it........but not with children. As tourists, we like to see everything and you simply can't do that with a toddler and a baby....we know, we tried it with DS before he turned one.

People do ask us, why WDW so often? Well, between trips home to see the grandparents, where else do we want to go with them? There are only so many cities with zoos that will hold their for more than a day or two. Disney holds their interest all week and ours too!

 

[Laurajean1014]

It is the most perfect vacation you can have. Here are my reasons' for it:

Airfare is lower than other exotic, warm places
It is familiar (been there over 32 times)
You do not have to change currency - you can use your room key
Don't have to learn a new language (other than DisBoard acronyms)
You will get a tremendous deal for your money (you get what you pay for)
Disney is consistant
Clean
Meticulous
Best fireworks and laser shows
Vast options (you can go to any park, all the parks, no parks, the pool, any pool, etc.
Disney caters to children, teens, parents, grandparents
The food (at the resorts) are fabulous (JIKO, CG, Spoodles, Olivia's)
The golfing is great
Lots of our friends' go the same time we do!
The minature golf is great
Water parks are great
Pleasure Island
DTD Market Place and West Side
You can go to WDW and never go into the parks and just hang!

These are the reasons why we go there, with the exception of: Because DS, DH and I absolutely love it there!

 

[tommygirl79]

First of all, growing up my family traveled over most of the continental US and I enjoyed it all but Disney was always a special time for us - such special memories of childhood as other posters have said. We will,as parents, continue to try and travel around this country and show our children how blessed they are to live here. That being said...

Since money is tight and only one vacation a year is afforded, we feel that Disney offers the MOST for the best price imagineable. I mean, where else can you, for the prices, "travel" to so many different cultures, countries, and time periods within less than a week's period without breaking the bank??

You can sit in a Mexican cantina in the evening and hope over to Italy for a nice dessert afterwards. You can live in an adventure (land) and Fantasy(land) and feel as though you are a kid again with your imagination. You can then step into American in the colonial years and old West with Frontierland and head into the world of tomorrow(land). You can stroll through a section of the Main Street U.S.A. that was so popular in the turn of the century.

Then you can head over to Africa and Asia and see the many animals represented there and catch all the qualities shows and cultures from far away lands that most of us could never begin to afford seeing.

Should you need rest from your travels and want to relax there are those "beaches" and tropical spots - even whole resorts - where you feel as though you have been transported. You can experience our world of movies and entertainment in a fun and imaginative enrionment with reminders of the "golden era" of hollywood and sneakpeeks at what's to come. And that's without even MENTIONING all the fun rides and thrills that available past the culture!!! Simply put - it IS like going all around the world within a short time frame - until we can afford to travel to these real places. However, there is the MAGIC of Disney that just can't be found anywhere else - no matter where you travel.

 

[flyball]

Simply put, our family is absolutely guaranteed a great time...every time!!!

I've been explaining this to my DH for the past few months, as my almost 14yo DD has been begging to return. I have no problem returning every year, as I know that every time is different and replete with vivid memories. We've also been fortunate enough to have visited many other destinations, but my DDs (especially my OLDER DD) wants a recreational vacation before returning to school; she's really not interested in "sightseeing" at this point in her life. With all the educational and extracurricular obligations kids today have, I think they're just as interested in escaping to fantasyland as many of their parents are!!!

 

[mking624]

Well actually Disney is not the only place we go to. It's the place we go to most often, but not the only place. I think my huhsband and I would miss out on so many things if WDW was our ONLY vacation spot. We usually take two vacations a year...one to Disney and one someplace else. Our Disney trip this year will be in August and we're hoping for a late fall trip to Colonial Williamsburg. We've also done the Smoky Mountains, New Orleans, and a few other places. We like to travel and see things. There will come a time that we'll skip Disney for a couple of years or something so we can also go to Europe.

We love Disney so much...we love how carefree we feel when we're there. We love the sense of childhood innocence. But we also make sure we enjoy what else is out there too.

 

[dmonroe]

We do go other places, usually a week at the beach in the summer. But.....we continue to go back to Disney year after year because it is the only place where is whole family is gauranteed a good time every day. There is something for everyone there! I look at it this way: When we go to the beach, that's pretty much all there is--the beach and the pool and maybe driving to go play mini golf or shop. Plus, littles ones can get bored easily and can only take the sun for so long. And, chasing and supervising a toddler on the beach can be quite stressful! We've looked into going somewhere like Atlantis or some other tropical resort; but honestly my kids are little and sand is sand and water is water to them so why spend the extra $$$$ on a tropical vacation when the Florida panhandle is only a 4 hr. drive for us. When we go to WDW there is something for everyone to enjoy. All of us love the atmoshpere. Dh and I love the thrill rides, Ds #1 loves most of the rides and all of the characters. Ds #2 is too little to "get it" but loves seeing the sights! We can go to a "beach", a water park, play mini golf, shop and eat at kid friendly restaurants all without ever having to leave property! Sadly, there may come a day when our kids may not want to go to WDW! That's when we'll look into going somewhere else!