Why repeat visits to DisneyWorld?

[4khansen]

Once I started visiting these forums I found it very odd that people would come repeatedly back to DisneyWorld year after year after year....? I have been there three times in 30 years and that seems more than enough for me..

I was just curious why people do this? Why not try other vacations, there is a great huge country out there to enjoy, let alone the rest of the world. I do enjoy staying in various resorts, and if I lived closer I would probably do that too, without actually needing to visit the theme parks. Maybe that is why some return so often, because they are reasonably close to the area?

Anyone like to let me in on "the thrill" of it annually?

 

[Ilovestitch]

There is SO much to do there, you can't do it all in one trip. On my last trip, my BF and I went to the MK 8 times, yet still didn't see all the attractions. New attractions are always being added to WDW, so people want to go back to experience them.

WDW covers 47 square miles- about the size of San Fransisco. There is just no way you can see and do everything in a week vacation. People go back for special events like MVMCP, MNNSHP, Star Wars Weekends, Flower Garden Festival, Food & Wine Festival.

I like going to WDW because I think its my ideal vacation spot. I'm the kind of person who likes to DO something on a vacation. Going to the beach for a week to sit around is not fun for me. Going to Europe and worrying about money exhange and where to go and seeing museums doesn't really excite me. As far as themeparks go, WDW is the "best of the best" in my opinon. Great attention to detail, the best rides, clean parks, great food, etc. -Steph

 

[safetymom]

There is much to see and do at WDW. Nothing wrong with going back many times if that is what you enjoy.

If Disney isn't your deal then I agree that there are plenty of other places to visit.

 

[jgmklmhem]

Like I always say once you find something you like why change it. WDW just has so much to do and it satisfies all age groups. Many kids don't really see the joy in going to the Grand Canyon. I have been many different places in this country and others and WDW is just my idela location. Great resorts that you could spend the whole trip enjoying plus entertainment and then there are the parks.

 

[Drizzo67]

about WDW.... where else can you travel to different lands and still get to see Mickey Mouse? My children enjoy WDW like no other vacation. I enjoy staying on Disney properties like CBR because its a vacation within a vacation. I don't feel over-Disneyed. I enjoy the rides at MK, the different lands, even the ideas of the future in Epcot, the animals in AK and the history shown at MGM. There is something for everyone, at all times.

Looking forward to going again real soon.

 

[kerry34]

For me, I love to go with my kids. Don't get me wrong, I had fun the few times that I went when I was younger, but I LOVE enjoying DW with my kids. We all have fun together. There is no better reward than that to me. We go on the same vacation every summer as well, to the beach in Maine, and my kids have alot of traditions from this vacation as well, some of the same traditions that I shared with my mom, when we went on the same vacation when I was a kid. None of us get sick of it, it is more like home away from home to me, my kids feel the same way.

 

[DOOM1001]

I agree with everything ILoveStitch Says, Laying around in a beach is not my kind of thing, I like all amusement, water parks and theme parks, they're just my thing that I do in my off-time.My favorites are coasters and even though Disney isn't about big time coasters I seem to find myself there at least once a month since i live in Florida. I went 3 times during the Food and Wine Festival.The excitement level of going to disney isn't the same as when I take an annual trip to Cedar point to ride 300-400 foot coasters, but strolling onto main street on a beautiful day doing 2 or 3 of the parks during the day and finishing it with Wishes or Illuminations at night can't be beat.

 

[JudyS]

I'm going twice this year and will probably go at least twice next year. I don't live especially close; I'm in Michigan.

I love the landscaping, the water parks, and the resorts at WDW. It's also an amazingly easy and convenient vacation. Airfare is very reasonable. In the cooler months, Florida has wonderful weather.

However, that doesn't mean I never go anywhere else. I've also been to many US states, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, and the Czech Republic. And, oh yeah, the People's Republic of China.

I drive a 10 year old Geo with 100,000+ miles on it because I want to spent as much of my money as I can on travel!

 

[goofy4tink]

For us, it's one of the only places we have been that makes the whole family happy. We have tried many other types of vacation but my dh gets antsy very fast. He is typically type A and has two speeds...wicked fast and asleep!! So, after his first trip to WDW, which he did most grudgingly, he decided it was a perfect spot for him!! And dd, 11, just loves everything about it. We have finally reached the point where we don't spend every waking moment in the parks. So, for us, WDW makes a lot of sense.

We've tried the place on the Cape, in the mountains, seeing other parts of the country. But for right now, WDW fills the bill. Good restaurants to try, new things to do each visit, and heaven forbid...offsite if we want. Yes, there are other things to do in Orlando.

 

[mickeysaver]

I go back time after time because my inner child needs it. WDW is my playground. It's magical and I need magic in my life. I haven't been able to go this year and boy, do I miss it. There is so much to see and do there, but mostly for me, it's just the freedom to let my inner child out for a week and be a kid again. Maggie

 

[sbelyo]

There are plenty of other places to go. You can even go out of the country for less money. However I myself have never experienced the disney level of service anywhere else in my 28 years. If you just visit the parks a day here and there and stay outside then you never quite experience all the disney magic. It's the only place that just feels good to be there and definitely the safest for your kids hands down.

For instance tell me where you can eat breakfast in a castle, go bass fishing after lunch, and then end the day with a meal at Bistro de Paris and a ride on a rocket ship.

Also lets not forget the 275+ sit down restaurants (many of them are five star) all within 20-30 minutes of your resort via disney transportation (included in your stay)

 

[justloveit]

We take at least 2 trips per year to Disneyworld. To us, it is the perfect family vacation with something for everyone. We have never been disappointed with Disney. Staying at different resorts within Disney creates as entirely different experience each time. And there is so much to see, we still have not done everything. And there are no words to describe the magic that I feel. But you either get it or you don't.

 

[4khansen]

Glad to see some of you do other trips other than Disney..... I guess I am wowed that people actually have the time and resources to do a Disney trip which I find as very expensive anyway and able to travel extensively elsewhere all in the same year.

Because if you stay at a moderate or deluxe resort it would be at a minimum $200 a night average for four people with a 4 or 5 day hopper pass another $1500 and flights into Orlando at least $1000 RT. $3500 without concierge level services? not including food or other entertainment while there....? and this is for less than a week!

I would guess it would take a minimum $4500 for a family of four at Disney (5 days) based on what I read from most posts on here if they stay in the nicer resorts.

I guess I need to find a better job, or at least my wife needs too! I just can imagine either a lot of people make way more money than I do, or they charge everything and run up huge bills so that they can remember their vacations forever..... .

We tend to always pay up front for most things, and never dip into savings for short-term experiences. I also personally like to be able to share my experiences of vacations with other people, and if they asked where do you go last summer it gets a bit redundant if it is always the same place, even if it was a different resort etc.

I find it amusing to see everyone list their trips to Disney at the bottom of the screen, so thought I would list mine.

1981 -- Dallas/Ft. Worth and Texas environs
1982 -- San Francisco, Reno, Lake Tahoe
1983 -- Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Badlands, Black Hills
1984 -- Sand Hills/Chadron Nebraska, South Dakota
1985 -- upstate Michigan
1986 -- Missouri, Branson, Lake of the Ozarks
1987 -- Hawaii -- Kauai and Oahu
1988 -- Upstate New York, Montreal, Toronto and Niagara Falls
1989 -- DISNEY/Orlando, Bahamas
1990 -- Chicago, Wisconsin
1991 -- New York City
1992 -- Great Smokey Mountains, easternTennessee, North Carolina
1993 -- southern Mississippi River St. Louis and Memphis, Nashville
1994 -- Mexico, Cancun
1995 -- Key West, South Beach, Ft. Lauderdale
1996 -- Las Vegas, Phoenix
1997 -- Los Angeles, San Diego and DISNEY!
1998 -- Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire
1999 -- San Antonio
2000 -- Seattle and Washington state
2001 -- Washington D.C.
2002 -- Philadelphia
2003 -- Disney/Orlando, Naples
2004 -- Colorado and New Mexico

 

[sbelyo]

Because if you stay at a moderate or deluxe resort it would be at a minimum $200 a night average for four people with a 4 or 5 day hopper pass another $1500 and flights into Orlando at least $1000 RT. $3500 without concierge level services? not including food or other entertainment while there....? and this is for less than a week!

I would guess it would take a minimum $4500 for a family of four at Disney (5 days) based on what I read from most posts on here if they stay in the nicer resorts.

My Disney Vacation will cost $2734 this year

Round Trip airfare from Newark to Orlando $635.00
Towncar to resort $65.00
5 nights at a deluxe resort $600.00
2 Adults 2 Children
Park admission to all parks all 5 days $834.97
All food $600.00

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Once I started visiting these forums I found it very odd that people would come repeatedly back to DisneyWorld year after year after year....? I have been there three times in 30 years and that seems more than enough for me..

I was just curious why people do this? Why not try other vacations, there is a great huge country out there to enjoy, let alone the rest of the world. I do enjoy staying in various resorts, and if I lived closer I would probably do that too, without actually needing to visit the theme parks. Maybe that is why some return so often, because they are reasonably close to the area?

Anyone like to let me in on "the thrill" of it annually?

We do visit other places , but we like Disney the best. There is so much to do, and it makes us feel like little kids again...

 

[siouxi31]

You may find this funny but if I had a choice between Paris and WDW, I would probably choose WDW (and I LOVE Paris).
I've been very lucky to have travelled the world through personal and business trips. I've been to Europe, Asia, South America, Central America and all over North America. There are still many states and cities in the USA and the world left for me to travel to but as another poster said, our whole family is happy with WDW.
I've received better service at hotels in Asia but the service at WDW is good for American standards. There really is a magic there. The colors are brighter, the sounds are soothing and there's something there for all of us to do. We do not get tired of it.
I imagine that's why we're here on these boards. There's a whole world of us Disney nuts. It's not that we don't know there are other places to go, it's just what we like.

 

[PrincessCandaceMarie]

OMG what's not to love about WDW?!?!?!? I've travelled across the beautiful USA and still, my heart belongs at WDW...with Mickey, Minnie, Pooh, Pluto, Stitch, Lilo, Tigger, Goofy, need I go on??? PI, DQ, DD, and all the other DIS'rs I can meet, why not go and have fun at WDW!?

***just had to add my 2 cents here...***

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Once I started visiting these forums I found it very odd that people would come repeatedly back to DisneyWorld year after year after year....? I have been there three times in 30 years and that seems more than enough for me..

I was just curious why people do this? Why not try other vacations, there is a great huge country out there to enjoy, let alone the rest of the world. I do enjoy staying in various resorts, and if I lived closer I would probably do that too, without actually needing to visit the theme parks. Maybe that is why some return so often, because they are reasonably close to the area?

Anyone like to let me in on "the thrill" of it annually?

Me...we go for day trips or short mini-vacations b/c we live close and have a Seasonal Pass.

I don't understand those who spend $5-$10K annually to go on these trips in lieu of other "adventures". But then there are people who go on their annual ski vacation or their annual camping trip or annual whatever. I don't understand why you would go to the same place year after year after year.

But then again--I have a list of things I want to do an see and these people probably don't.

My daughters love to travel period and every where we go and everything we do is family oriented.

If we didn't live local to Disney--I would probably like to come annually--but save the deluxe visits for splurge vacations and do the short visits instead and save the rest of my vacation budget to try other things.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

1981 -- Dallas/Ft. Worth and Texas environs
1982 -- San Francisco, Reno, Lake Tahoe
1983 -- Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Badlands, Black Hills
1984 -- Sand Hills/Chadron Nebraska, South Dakota
1985 -- upstate Michigan
1986 -- Missouri, Branson, Lake of the Ozarks
1987 -- Hawaii -- Kauai and Oahu
1988 -- Upstate New York, Montreal, Toronto and Niagara Falls
1989 -- DISNEY/Orlando, Bahamas
1990 -- Chicago, Wisconsin
1991 -- New York City
1992 -- Great Smokey Mountains, easternTennessee, North Carolina
1993 -- southern Mississippi River St. Louis and Memphis, Nashville
1994 -- Mexico, Cancun
1995 -- Key West, South Beach, Ft. Lauderdale
1996 -- Las Vegas, Phoenix
1997 -- Los Angeles, San Diego and DISNEY!
1998 -- Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire
1999 -- San Antonio
2000 -- Seattle and Washington state
2001 -- Washington D.C.
2002 -- Philadelphia
2003 -- Disney/Orlando, Naples
2004 -- Colorado and New Mexico

Wow--so love your traveling style--but alas, no Europe on the list

Last year was a freak year for us--we did England, Wales, & France, I did Hawaii, and we went to Michigan and stayed in Saint Joseph for a family reunion plus a couple of visits to DC.

I'm hoping for a second trip to Hawaii in a couple of years and a Disney cruise sometime after that. We would like to travel out west twice--once for the desert and canyon and the other to visit the forests of California and maybe even another for the Mount Rushmore and Old Faithful bits. Plus we would love to do a ski vacation and go to Alaska.

With all these plans--we just cannot dream of vacationing at Disney on a very frequent basis. I need to lower my spending so that I'll be able to afford all these trips

 

[jel0511]

We go away on vacation about 3 times per year, sometimes 4. Only one of those is to WDW, though it is our longest vacation, 2 weeks in length. We also almost always go to the Caribbean on one of the other vacations, so that leaves us with 1 or 2 left for the year. Sometimes my DH and I go away for an adult only vacation, sometimes we go somewhere with the kids, or visit my MIL. It really depends. Also, our kids are only 6 and 3 now, so our options for vacations are limited if we want to include them in our plans. If I only had 1 vacation per year, I doubt I'd spend it at WDW every year, I'd definately mix it up, because I like to see different places. Since we don't have to worry about that and can take multiple vacations per year, we go to WDW every year and visit other places as well.

Edited to add: I only list my WDW vacations in my signature, since this is a WDW board. I'm sure others are just like that and do go to other places than WDW, they just don't list them since they aren't really applicable for this board.