Will I regret never going to Disney?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As much as I would like to say no, I do think the answer is maybe yes. Of course it is not for everybody, and it is easy to get priced out these days, but yes.

Unpopular opinion here, but you might consider foregoing the absolute craziness of Disneyland and Disney World in favor of planning and saving for Disney Paris. It’s a smaller park, and there are noticeable differences, but the tickets are cheaper, there are several terrific on-site Disney hotels and restaurants, and all of the magic and charm is still there. Just on a smaller scale. It may not be as over-the-top as things are stateside, but the trade-off is you can actually go on rides because the crowds are much, much smaller. To me, that makes it a much more enjoyable experience. It’s an hour train ride from Paris making it a pretty easy trip, no car rentals necessary.

I mean you’d go to Paris and spend time at Disney? Do you eat at McDonalds while you are there too?

Obviously if somebody were to travel to Paris from the US to go to Disney they would spend time in Paris. For all we know, the OP and family have been to Paris a dozen times; maybe they’ve never been to Disney Paris, which is a much more laid-back experience than stateside. I’d recommend it! I’ve been 6-7 times myself with my fam (And yes, McDonald’s is there in Downtown Disney for when you want to splash out, PP )

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:You should go to Disney once. There’s no place that compares. It’s the most magical place on earth. I know grown-ups that go every year. It’s not just for young kids. Spend 1 day at each theme park if you can afford it. It’s memorable.

If you think Disney is the most magical place on earth I feel really sorry for you.

NP. Disney is the most magical place on earth!!!

If by world you mean Florida, then maybe? But the world is vast and amazingly varied. There are literally thousands of more magical places imo. I am at the Great Barrier Reef with my family at the moment, and was at Bora Bora last week, and let me tell you, both are way, way more magical than a crowded overpriced park with blinking electronics and crappy food.

Sorry, but I have been to the two places this poster mentions and of course she is correct . This post is directed at families of means.

It may sound snobby, but of course the actual WORLD is more amazing than some pre-packaged experience, heavily marketed. To my way of thinking , you are a lazy, unimaginative parent if you just fall in line and sign up for a Disney vacation. Help your child take a much bigger, more authentic view of the possibilities!

I went to Bora Bora for our honeymoon. I love to travel. We spend $100k on many vacations per year.

For young children ages 3-8, Disney can be magical.

If you can’t afford it, fine. Being all holier than thou about it is so annoying. I’m not flying halfway across the world with my 4 or 5yo. No thanks. 2 hour flight to Orlando is just so easy.

Yeah, I flew half way around the world with a 1, 3, and 5 year old and they were up every single morning at 1 a.m. like clockwork and would not go to sleep. The beach was pitch dark, and the resort coffee shop didn't open until 6. It was utterly miserable, not at all magical. But they did love Disney!

And honestly ... it's an environmental disaster for everyone to take their kids to every real magical place in the world. Over 4 million people a year visit Animal Kingdom for a (actually very nice) "fake" safari in which you get to see lots of animals in a 30 minute trip through a "fake" savannah. Can you imagine the environmental impact if they all went to Africa on safari?! My kids have been on the "fake" AK safari -- I'm not taking them on the "real" safari because: 1) carbon footprint; and 2) let those African animals live in peace without every American going over to stare at them and drive through their habitat in jeeps.

And going on the "fake" spaceship launch experience at Epcot (which is pretty fun, and if you're brave enough, actually gets 2.5 G's) -- and is just a fraction of the cost and environmental impact of going up in Space X for a suborbital trip! It's less than .1% of the price, so if it's more than .1% of the fun, that math works! I just get aggravated by all the "it's not REAL" posters --- sometimes fake is better than real, for lots of different reasons.

PS We've stayed in all the "real" NPS historic hotels, but Wilderness Lodge is still pretty fun -- I think of it as an homage, rather than a fake.

Interesting you brought up Mission: Space and Kilimanjaro Safari. You’re very right about those two.

As for the Safari: Jane Goodell served as a consultant for it (and for Animal Kingdom in general) and has said it is the best-run zoo she has ever seen.

As for Mission: Space — According to NASA, it’s the closest thing to actual astronaut training that regular people can experience.

I think the people tut-tutting about Disney don’t realize the care that goes into these experiences. Another example: of course Epcot pavilions are not actually foreign countries, but Disney hires people from those countries to work at the pavilions. It’s sort of cool to be able to talk to people from a dozen different countries, just by walking around Epcot.

Agree but wanted to add one thing that is important to my family: access to good medical care, for the minor and major issues that can come up: kidney stones, food poisoning, accidental injuries. I love travel, but I always consider "what if" and prefer places with reliable medical care. So yes to Disney, Europe, Australia, and no to third world countries without good health care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are not missing out on anything. It’s an overpriced theme park that doesn’t offer much beyond hours in line, heat, terrible crowds, and subpar rides. Food is awful and I will never understand the hype. If you are not a fan of theme parks, there is zero draw or reason to be there. Save your money for places that really matter to you.

This is a person who didn’t plan.

Op you should go, but, you need to research and plan it, makes the experience much better.

Not to derail, but what are the best sites to help outline a plan? There are literally 1000s of Disney hacks and tips sites, and I get so overwhelmed trying to figure it out. My kids are 7 and 4, so hoping to go within the next year.

Start a new thread, and I will try to help. Other good resources:

- Disney Food Blog
- WDW Prep School
- All Ears
- Touring Plans

Adding Mammoth Club to this list because Molly has left All Ears with Alan and Max to start their own channel. Oh, the drama! This was big news for the die-hard adult Disney fans. Anyway, she has the best Disney content and tips for anyone planning a trip.

[Anonymous]

I didn’t go to Disney until I was an adult and did not feel like I was missing anything. Now that I have kids, we go pretty frequently. We just got back from our Universal/Disney trip w/our 9th grader and 4th grader. The 9th grader was way more into Universal, especially all the VR rides. It’s a fine park but no Disney. What makes Disney special is the care they put into the guest experience-it’s the Disney way. The staff are all so well trained, the parks are impeccably clean, and they have crowd logistics down to a tee. The new LL isn’t as bad as it seems. You just need to be strategic and book as you go. We did pay for certain premium rides my kids wanted to to (Rise of the Resistance and Guardians), but I’d pay over waiting in long lines for those. Using LL and going to the parks early, we didn’t wait more than 30min for any ride. WDW isn’t comparable to any other amusement park—it’s on a level of its own. Worth experiencing if your kid is interested. At age 10, I’d say skip magic kingdom and focus on Hollywood studios and Epcot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t go to Disney until I was an adult and did not feel like I was missing anything. Now that I have kids, we go pretty frequently. We just got back from our Universal/Disney trip w/our 9th grader and 4th grader. The 9th grader was way more into Universal, especially all the VR rides. It’s a fine park but no Disney. What makes Disney special is the care they put into the guest experience-it’s the Disney way. The staff are all so well trained, the parks are impeccably clean, and they have crowd logistics down to a tee. The new LL isn’t as bad as it seems. You just need to be strategic and book as you go. We did pay for certain premium rides my kids wanted to to (Rise of the Resistance and Guardians), but I’d pay over waiting in long lines for those. Using LL and going to the parks early, we didn’t wait more than 30min for any ride. WDW isn’t comparable to any other amusement park—it’s on a level of its own. Worth experiencing if your kid is interested. At age 10, I’d say skip magic kingdom and focus on Hollywood studios and Epcot.

Interesting...
Our family has done frequent Disney trips (1-2+ per year) for the last 25 years (we own DVC). We just returned, and admittedly August is a terrible time to go to WDW, but college and internship schedules dictated. It was hands down the worst Disney trip that I have taken. The "Disney way" is seriously degrading... and has been doing so for a number of years. Cost is WAY up and quality is way down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should go to Disney once. There’s no place that compares. It’s the most magical place on earth. I know grown-ups that go every year. It’s not just for young kids. Spend 1 day at each theme park if you can afford it. It’s memorable.

If you think Disney is the most magical place on earth I feel really sorry for you.

NP. Disney is the most magical place on earth!!!

If by world you mean Florida, then maybe? But the world is vast and amazingly varied. There are literally thousands of more magical places imo. I am at the Great Barrier Reef with my family at the moment, and was at Bora Bora last week, and let me tell you, both are way, way more magical than a crowded overpriced park with blinking electronics and crappy food.

That’s the thing about opinions, everyone has one. But don’t tell yourself that people that go to and love Disney aren’t going to Bora Bora and other places in the world too.

Funny that you say that. I am a single mom who raised my kid in a 4th floor walk up. By the end of elementary school she had accompanied me to a host of gorgeous, fascinating countries. We had a map on the wall with pins where we had gone. Once, after a birthday sleepover, one of he girls said how lucky my kid was because she had seen Paris. I was struck by that because her parents were both lawyers, they lived in a huge house with a nanny. They had recently spent close to 10K on a Disney vacation with all of the bells and whistles. My daughter and I could have gone to at least 3 countries on that budget. People just have different priorities

(I also think her parents with so busy/focused on their careers that they would never have spent the time needed to arrange for a kid friendly/self-curated overseas trip. They felt their only option was to do the prepackaged thing.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As much as I would like to say no, I do think the answer is maybe yes. Of course it is not for everybody, and it is easy to get priced out these days, but yes.

Unpopular opinion here, but you might consider foregoing the absolute craziness of Disneyland and Disney World in favor of planning and saving for Disney Paris. It’s a smaller park, and there are noticeable differences, but the tickets are cheaper, there are several terrific on-site Disney hotels and restaurants, and all of the magic and charm is still there. Just on a smaller scale. It may not be as over-the-top as things are stateside, but the trade-off is you can actually go on rides because the crowds are much, much smaller. To me, that makes it a much more enjoyable experience. It’s an hour train ride from Paris making it a pretty easy trip, no car rentals necessary.

I mean you’d go to Paris and spend time at Disney? Do you eat at McDonalds while you are there too?

yes, I would and I do.

We recently did a trip to London/Paris with my 3 kids. I’m fairly certain my kids were bored in Paris. They did not enjoy the museum hopping and shopping. It was hot when we went.

[Anonymous]

Pp here. Meant to say I would not and did not go to Disneyland Paris but they probably would have enjoyed it. Our hotel also didn’t have a pool so we couldn’t cool off.

[Anonymous]

As Dr. Becky would say: two things are true. Disney is a very magical place to take kids at the right age, AND you can visit a lot of other wonderful places and have a great childhood without ever going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As Dr. Becky would say: two things are true. Disney is a very magical place to take kids at the right age, AND you can visit a lot of other wonderful places and have a great childhood without ever going.

If a family doesn’t have the resources or limited time, of course Disney shouldn’t be the priority.

There are people who have time and money. I think those parents could find a time to take their kid to Disney sometime between ages 2-11.

Will the kid not have a great childhood because s/he didn’t go to Disney? Of course not.

I have many friends who put themselves first. Whether it is work or couples only or adults only trips or trips where they want to go only. I judge them a little. I don’t care that much but it seems selfish to work a lot, have one or two nannies and then not do kid oriented vacations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t go to Disney until I was an adult and did not feel like I was missing anything. Now that I have kids, we go pretty frequently. We just got back from our Universal/Disney trip w/our 9th grader and 4th grader. The 9th grader was way more into Universal, especially all the VR rides. It’s a fine park but no Disney. What makes Disney special is the care they put into the guest experience-it’s the Disney way. The staff are all so well trained, the parks are impeccably clean, and they have crowd logistics down to a tee. The new LL isn’t as bad as it seems. You just need to be strategic and book as you go. We did pay for certain premium rides my kids wanted to to (Rise of the Resistance and Guardians), but I’d pay over waiting in long lines for those. Using LL and going to the parks early, we didn’t wait more than 30min for any ride. WDW isn’t comparable to any other amusement park—it’s on a level of its own. Worth experiencing if your kid is interested. At age 10, I’d say skip magic kingdom and focus on Hollywood studios and Epcot.

Interesting...
Our family has done frequent Disney trips (1-2+ per year) for the last 25 years (we own DVC). We just returned, and admittedly August is a terrible time to go to WDW, but college and internship schedules dictated. It was hands down the worst Disney trip that I have taken. The "Disney way" is seriously degrading... and has been doing so for a number of years. Cost is WAY up and quality is way down.

Can you elaborate about the quality being way down? We go frequently as well, and our last trip in May was amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As Dr. Becky would say: two things are true. Disney is a very magical place to take kids at the right age, AND you can visit a lot of other wonderful places and have a great childhood without ever going.

If a family doesn’t have the resources or limited time, of course Disney shouldn’t be the priority.

There are people who have time and money. I think those parents could find a time to take their kid to Disney sometime between ages 2-11.

Will the kid not have a great childhood because s/he didn’t go to Disney? Of course not.

I have many friends who put themselves first. Whether it is work or couples only or adults only trips or trips where they want to go only. I judge them a little. I don’t care that much but it seems selfish to work a lot, have one or two nannies and then not do kid oriented vacations.

There are other kid oriented vacations, doesn’t need to be Disney. Parents who are more in tune with their kids can make any number of culturally destinations fun and interesting beyond a commercialized theme park. The problem is that a lot of parents don’t want to put in that kind of prep work, so they label Disney as THE childhood “must do.”

[Anonymous]

We were not sure if we'd like Disney, so took our kid (when he was in kindergarten) for spring for break for 2 nights, with other nights at Sanibel Island. We discovered we have absolutely no interest in returning - even the 5 year old didn't love it. Hated the characters, the rides - everything except Tom Sawyer Island, which was basically a playground. We all loved Sanibel though.

Might be a good idea to check it out for a few nights and return for longer trip if you like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As Dr. Becky would say: two things are true. Disney is a very magical place to take kids at the right age, AND you can visit a lot of other wonderful places and have a great childhood without ever going.

If a family doesn’t have the resources or limited time, of course Disney shouldn’t be the priority.

There are people who have time and money. I think those parents could find a time to take their kid to Disney sometime between ages 2-11.

Will the kid not have a great childhood because s/he didn’t go to Disney? Of course not.

I have many friends who put themselves first. Whether it is work or couples only or adults only trips or trips where they want to go only. I judge them a little. I don’t care that much but it seems selfish to work a lot, have one or two nannies and then not do kid oriented vacations.

There are other kid oriented vacations, doesn’t need to be Disney. Parents who are more in tune with their kids can make any number of culturally destinations fun and interesting beyond a commercialized theme park. The problem is that a lot of parents don’t want to put in that kind of prep work, so they label Disney as THE childhood “must do.”

“In tune with their kids.” Such typical DCUM crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As Dr. Becky would say: two things are true. Disney is a very magical place to take kids at the right age, AND you can visit a lot of other wonderful places and have a great childhood without ever going.

If a family doesn’t have the resources or limited time, of course Disney shouldn’t be the priority.

There are people who have time and money. I think those parents could find a time to take their kid to Disney sometime between ages 2-11.

Will the kid not have a great childhood because s/he didn’t go to Disney? Of course not.

I have many friends who put themselves first. Whether it is work or couples only or adults only trips or trips where they want to go only. I judge them a little. I don’t care that much but it seems selfish to work a lot, have one or two nannies and then not do kid oriented vacations.

There are other kid oriented vacations, doesn’t need to be Disney. Parents who are more in tune with their kids can make any number of culturally destinations fun and interesting beyond a commercialized theme park. The problem is that a lot of parents don’t want to put in that kind of prep work, so they label Disney as THE childhood “must do.”

“In tune with their kids.” Such typical DCUM crap.

Says a parent who can’t be bothered. It’s not about catering to a child, it’s about trying to incorporate what might interest a child and parents alike.

But do take your millionth trip to Disney…