I have a 3yo and 5yo and we go to Orlando every year. We do about 3-5 vacations per year and Disney is just so easy. You can't beat the 2 hour flight and how kid friendly it is. Each time we go, we have a different experience. The last time we went, we didn't do Disney and went to LEGOLAND and SeaWorld. We are going again in March and plan to spend most of our time at the pool and Epcot.

You don't have to go but it is very enjoyable for kids. DH and I are NOT Disney or theme park people. I would never have picked Orlando as a vacation destination but the kids have such a good time. We also do domestic and Caribbean trips. We have yet to do Asia and Europe but plan to once the kids are a bit older. My younger one does not do well on flights.

Different generation. I never went either but it used to be completely out of reach for most middle class people.

Well I am in my 20s, and I have only been to Disneyland one time and Disneyworld another. Disneyland when I was 2, which I don't remember at all, and Disneyworld was when I was three, which I only have vague memories of. My brother was a baby, so he obviously has no memory. We went with my grandparents and never went again because my parents don't like super commercial type vacations, my mom has extreme motion sickness so she hates amusement parks, and they get panic attacks in those sorts of crowds with small children. Obviously I was curious about Disney and I wanted to go when I was in elementary school, my mom said that we were doing other vacations and that was that. We also never went skiing, which was something I was curious about due to school as well and pestered my parents about (they said it was expensive, and not their thing and we didn't go). We also never went to any other amusement park, and I didn't get a chance to go until I was older. I survived to be a well adjusted adult who does not harbor resentment towards my parents over this.

However we did have some amazing vacations growing up. We went to a few places in Central America, Nantucket, the Grand Canyon, London and Paris, and San Francisco to name a few I can remember off the top of my head. I have wonderful memories of all of these vacations. Some were beach vacations, some had jungle hikes, others were going through museums and sight seeing, but all were fantastic times to bond as a family. I don't feel particularly deprived of anything in my childhood, and feel fortunate that I was able to travel internationally from a young age as well as see some of the wonderful parts of this country. I don't think that you "need" to do anything that you don't want to do, nor do I think it's cheating your kids' childhood to never go on a Disney vacation. There are so many great parts of this world to see, and you can never see all of them. If you don't feel like the time and money spent on Disney would be as enjoyable/worthwhile to your entire family (kids AND adults) than other vacations, then just don't go.

If it is your family's thing, great. If it isn't, great. If the kids want to go, but the adults really don't and have limited time and money to travel, well kids are kids, they'll get over it. I think that spending quality time as a family is most important.

Sure. But it can be a really lovely vacation. By pre-k, all of DS's classmates had gone and were talking about it and comparing notes. In k, the kids brought in family pictures and 90 percent were taken at Disney.

And this is a fancy, schmancy, Big 3 private school with families with tons of money.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are cheating your kids if you never go to Disney.

out of what, cotton candy and a bunch of long lines for 3 minute rides? Barf.

Could you be any more clueless? I pity your poor kids.

We're a Disney house and I love going. However, it's just a vacation. My kids were rather go to Magiquest at Great Wolf than go to Disney. They would rather go to the beach than go to Disney. They would rather go to GenCon than go to Disney.

So... go or don't go. NBD

it's definitely possible to avoid, but I would consider it if I were you. Our kids have been to four different countries, many U.S. states, and our whole family loves to travel...but the kids also loved Disneyworld (and they are boys who are not into Disney characters at all). There is a lot to do there besides the Disney characters, esp. if you spend time at Epcot. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I don't think we would go again because there are so many other places we'd like to take them, but I think it was definitely worth going once because it's a unique experience for young kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are cheating your kids if you never go to Disney.

Really?

We don't plan to go to Disney but it might happen sometime, for a long weekend. Your children are very young. They're not even asking you to go there. Cross that bridge if and when you come to it.

FWIW, I disagree that parents who don't take their kids to Disney are somehow cheating them. That's just silly.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up on the East Coast and never went to Disney, and we have no plans to do it with our current 6yo DD either. Our family vacations are a week at Bethany with our extended family, and we do not have any extra $$ or vacation time for anything other than that.

Gah. How boring.

\

Sorry it sounds boring to you, but we love it. We've been doing it for about 35 years and it includes g-parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., and is a ton of fun. We look forward to it every year and are now happy to introduce the next generation to it. The cousins always look forward to seeing their cousins again at the beach.

Anonymous wrote:You are cheating your kids if you never go to Disney.

Really?

We don't plan to go to Disney but it might happen sometime, for a long weekend. Your children are very young. They're not even asking you to go there. Cross that bridge if and when you come to it.

FWIW, I disagree that parents who don't take their kids to Disney are somehow cheating them. That's just silly.

Anonymous wrote:I grew up on the East Coast and never went to Disney, and we have no plans to do it with our current 6yo DD either. Our family vacations are a week at Bethany with our extended family, and we do not have any extra $$ or vacation time for anything other than that.

Gah. How boring.

I was very hesitant and reluctant to take our girls (5 and 7), but they did ask about it and they do love princesses, and lately, Star Wars. So we buckled up and went a few months ago and I have to admit that everyone (kids and adults) had a great time, which surprised me. The fact that the kids had a great time was pretty much a given, but I have to admit that I really enjoyed it as well - partly because seeing the kids light up was fun, but they really do know how to entertain and turn everything into a magical experience. I was impressed. That being said, we checked the box on the list and now we're off to some other adventures - this year we are planning a beach trip and renting a cabin in the WV mountains for hiking and kayaking. We may return to Disney when the kids are older, if they are interested at all, but it's not something we plan on at the moment.

We go almost every year. My kid loves, loves it. He's a kid with some challenges, and he just thrives there. All his issues melt away. It's literally the happiest he is all year.

It's truly a magical place for many kids, and I would never deny it to him. Yes, we go other places as well that are more "adult" but he counts to and should get a vacation he truly enjoys.

We went to Disney Tokyo, just a short train ride outside the city. The kids thought it was fun but the Himeji Castle and the Great Buddha (and the deer) at Nara, are what they still talk about 10 years later.

I have two boys and if I never took them, I don't think they would know differently. They aren't into the Disney stuff, and frankly were more interested in going to Seaworld and the Aquatica water park than the Disney parks.

I think it depends on your kid (do you have girls? are your kids into everything Disney?).

so many better, more interesting things to do.