Why should I have to justify myself?

[dissupermom]

I've been to Europe. I've been to Mexico. I've been to Canada. I've been across country on a train. I've driven down I-35 from Minnesota to Texas (separate trips). I've driven from Philadelphia to Houston and back.. I road trip it yearly!! I've been to other places, but I always go back to WDW. when someone asks do I go anywhere else, I name the cities I've been to and the countries I've been in and say "there's no place like home"! that's usually enough to shut them up!!

 

[RevKjb]

I get it all the time too. And I've stopped justifying and explaining. When people ask/comment, I simply say, "yep!" What's left to say? If they want to ramble on, I tune them out and thinking about other things...such as planning my trip.

I tell people that there are about 150 restaurants onsite and I haven't yet been to even 1/2 of them, so I HAVE to keep going back!!!

Who gives a rats pitui what others think?!?!?!

 

[blessedby3]

I get this ALL the time from people around me. The same people who go to the Beach every year(or whatever their favorite vacation spot is)…yet that is okay. Its just not okay for me to go to my favorite vacation spot every year. Makes NO sense.

 

[Disneyhabs]

Hi All,

I'm sure a lot of ppl here that love Disney as much as I do have the same issue as I do. People are always asking if I'm tired of going and that it's stupid to go so many times and that I should go somewhere new. I feel that if I enjoy something, why should I have to change that solely for the purpose of change. Personally, I like knowing that if I'm going to spend a lot of money on a vacation, I know what I'll be getting in return. It's not just about going on rides or even the parks themselves, it's the whole experience that people don't understand. I've been going twice a year for the last 4 years and I realize that it is a lot but why not enjoy what I love. Do any of you always feel the need to have to justify yourself to friends or family? There are a lot worse things money can buy you in life. As long as it's not effecting you financially, I say have fun and do what you love. Love to hear opinions.


Thanks

This is when I ask them why they have to keep going to different places. I ask if they just haven't found that one place they love to go to and say we are lucky we have found our holiday place we love to go and I say it sucks that you have not been able to do that yet. I find that usually shuts them up pretty quickly.

 

[nabi]

You only go around once. If it makes you happy, Do it, and then do it again.

this was my very mindset this past week, but it was not over a vacation....turned out perfect!

 

[Muziqal]

As much as I love Disney parks, I am not comfortable going to the same place on each vacation. That's why I've visited 9 different Disney parks so far.

I know families who always vacation at the same location every year. (Every year to WDW, the same lakefront cottage, the same time-share in Hawaii, the same ski condo, the same campground, etc.). I find it fascinating and a bit sad. Kind of like a kid who never moves out of their parents basement.

Personally, I have had some kind of Disney experience every year for the past decade, but I've also experienced a lot of other things. I try to alternate a "new to me" experience between trips to WDW or Disneyland.

By all means continue visiting WDW as often as you can, but don't expect everyone to love that about you. Our tastes and desires are unique to each person, thank goodness.

Your post implies that personal growth/maturity does not occur for those who do not "branch out" - and that you pity them. This is a tough generalization to make. And I wonder if feeling sad for them is a bit unwarranted. But I bet that some of the remarks the OP has gotten may come from the same place your post does. And I speculate that feeling judged is a big part of why this seems to be a common sore spot for people in this (i.e. Disney) fanbase.

I think there could be an entire host of reasons why people choose to vacation where they do (that is, if they are fortunate to be able to vacation at all). Socio-economic, psychological, geographic, ideological, or sociological reasons. I'm sure we could pull up multiple doctoral theses on 'The Peter Pan' syndrome and the disney obsession.

One ideological conflict I've had with going as much as I have (and even working there for a year) is how it oozes capitalism and consumerism. It markets "magic" and "family" but - let's not kid ourselves - it is a corporate machine making money for its stockholders. I think, as I've gotten older, my type of vacationing (at WDW) has changed. I think to think through why some people might not agree with your choice to go there might help you understand where the criticism comes from.

Not that the criticism is deserved or from a place of concern...but people have opinions. Let's be honest, everyone is judging someone for something...

 

[nickcirc]

I had a girlfriend that used to be all like "You keep going to the same place, its stupid and you need to grow up"... she didn't last long

Honestly, To me, everybody has "something" from a local pub on a friday or vegas weekends. I've never had to justify myself or others.

Did my family look at me funny when I purchased a Premier Passport? of course, but then they accept that its my "out" its my magical place. I have a good job, healthy lifestyle, Disney doesn't "run" my life, Its just my out

I flew to Paris & Hong Kong just for Disney Trips, didn't even think twice about it
(Japan is the final one to tick off this year.. for now!!) For me a "Disney" trip is not a vacation, its just a weekend thing, I still travel plenty around the world all the time for vacations, But my bi monthly Disney World trips are just that, just weekend escapes to the magic. I fall asleep on a plane and wake up in the world.

My Advice, Stop trying to think about it as "Justify". And instead just think about it as heading down to the local bar. so what, its a 5 hour flight away

 

[GAGirlInVA]

As much as I love Disney parks, I am not comfortable going to the same place on each vacation. That's why I've visited 9 different Disney parks so far.

I know families who always vacation at the same location every year. (Every year to WDW, the same lakefront cottage, the same time-share in Hawaii, the same ski condo, the same campground, etc.). I find it fascinating and a bit sad. Kind of like a kid who never moves out of their parents basement.

Personally, I have had some kind of Disney experience every year for the past decade, but I've also experienced a lot of other things. I try to alternate a "new to me" experience between trips to WDW or Disneyland.

By all means continue visiting WDW as often as you can, but don't expect everyone to love that about you. Our tastes and desires are unique to each person, thank goodness.

Everytime we've been to Disney we've had a different "flavor" to our trips. You can have different experiences in the same place. (How many resorts and three levels plus DVC, different dining plans and more restaurants than in some small towns, different extra experiences, different characters, possibly new lands/rides, mix and match!)

The question we get most is, "Haven't you done it all?" To which, I smile, wink and say, "Not yet! Maybe one day I can say that!"

 

[GrtWtNorth]

Nobody posts on these forums without expecting to be judged, myself included. Definitely an interesting read.

 

[Portugal1000]

I have had so many comments over the years. I live in England and a lot of people just can't understand why I go back every year. I am lucky that I have travelled all around the world but I just can't stop going back to Orlando. Main reason is that it's the best family holiday and I love going on holiday with my family. I know people who leave their young children every year with family and go on holiday without them. I wouldn't dream of commenting as I have never done that but they have no problem implying that I am sad for going to florida every year. It amazes me that it upsets people so much where I take my holidays. My true friends of course are happy for me. On the flip side, I have had people that I don't know that we'll at work or from sons school who have heard about my holidays and come and ask me to help them plan their first Disney trip. They always have a great time and I just love planning. I don't think most people realise how much there is to do in Orlando. A lot of people I have spoken to honestly think there is only Magic Kingdom. If people are rude, I just smile. I am then quite happy that they have not been to Orlando/Disney. They don't know what they are missing.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

There are certain people who always seem to think they have a right to an opinion of how other folks live their lives. If its not your vacation choices, it will be something else that they choose to pick apart. Ask my how many people over the last 18 years have given me their opinion of my son growing up as an only child .

We get those same comments and remarks. I ignore them all. Every "Oh My God, you're going back again?" is met with my big smile and a cheery "Yup, only _____ days to go!!". If they probe further with a "don't you ever get tired of it?" a simple "Nope!" usually ends it. If or when it doesn't, I don't mind asking them, quite pointedly, why it seems to bother them so much.

If you don't owe someone an explanation, don't give them one. For the folks who are honestly curious about what we love so much about Orlando, I am happy to share all the great attractions and resorts we have visited. For the ones who are just envious or nosy, I end my part of the conversation and they have no choice but to end their end too.

 

[Micca]

Here's my take: We're connoisseurs! Anybody can stumble in to a Disney park and have a good time, but we repeat visitors are honing and refining the experience with each visit.

We try new things, or things we missed previously, we re-visit favorite attractions and experiences, and try new twists on attractions (BTMR: Better day or night, discuss.)

There are so many variables to a WDW trip, no two visits are exactly alike.

I'll also echo what others have said--the more you visit, the more it becomes a resort experience. It's not just about the "rides", it's about the atmosphere, the visual and aural experiences, and the pleasures of the unexpected(not to mention the Mickey bars). How is that different from any other vacation destination?

 

[sunkissed4]

We go a lot.. a few times a month, sometimes a couple times a week if we feel like it and we're constantly getting eye rolls and questions about how we MUST be so sick of Disney and we've done everything. Many question how we can afford it, without understanding how relatively cheap it is for us at FL residents.

Who cares? It's where our family likes to go right now. We skip dinners out, we don't go to the movies, or other things families do, we go to Disney!

 

[chrismb22]

Another thing I get (and have shut down quickly) is "why stay at a deluxe hotel, you aren't in the room anyway" ... Because I want too. If that's how I choose to spend my money then that's how I choose to spend it.

 

[surferdave]

Very few things free your soul as much as not giving a crap about what other people think.

But even better, very few things are as entertaining to me as continuing to do something I know annoys you if it was none of your business in the first place. I'm probably going to get more creative about it as time goes on.

 

[Bradyboy89]

Very interesting opinions, I see now that it is more wide spread than I thought. Just want to make one thing clear tho. I would never let anyone's opinion influence or dictate how, where or when I would do anything. I just find it very interesting that a non harmful thing such as a vacation can warrant questions as such. Maybe it's just my personality but I really don't care what anyone else does in their life as long as it's not effecting me, and that goes for many different aspects of life. Great opinions! Only 57 more days!!

 

[smitch425]

Can someone tell me why my post was removed? What did I do wrong?

 

[disneybliss2]

We've been ribbed by others for going several times, but get this....we've only made four trips since 2006. We go once every other year. Based on some of our friends comments, you'd think we'd we go eight times in one year. We don't let it bother us though. Many of the comments come from friends who have never been to WDW. We really don't let the comments phase us. We get a different experience each time we go as our children reach height requirements and can ride different rides, we experience different resorts & restaurants, etc. You can never see/do it all, so we always experience different rides/attractions too. It's what works for our family and makes us happy.

 

[JillianMarie]

Ok - personally I don't really get the defensiveness. I mean, if someone asks me why I go there as often as I do I answer "Because it's awesome and super fun" and that's the end of it. I have certainly never felt as persecuted or judged as a lot of people in this thread seem to. If someone wants to ask me a question, I'll just answer it and move on with my life. I have never had anyone go on and on and how I should expand my horizons (I actually travel quite a bit, so that has certainly never been an issue) so maybe it's just in my attitude that I don't get that kind of push back? I don't know.

 

[AshleeH]

We get the same criticism. My mom, especially, doesn't understand. But we don't have to justify it. My husband gets one week of vacation every year, we want to go somewhere fun, the kids love it, and we love it (possibly more than the kids!) so we'll keep doing it as long as we love it.