Anonymous wrote:But can you describe what makes it magical? There are better roller coasters at Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens. My kids hate the giant characters, so maybe that's the draw for everyone else? I just don't get it. I really tried to like it, too!

NP poster here. My family loves Disney...because it's Disney. Something about being there is so magical and you just feel happy and like everyone (the castmembers at least) are happy. Pretty contagious attitude! It's amazing the amount of people who go to Disney (and spend big bucks) without really doing any research. Going at the wrong time of year when crowds are big can really ruin your first impression of Disney. I would never visit in the summer and/or Christmas week and can imagine if I did, I would not be hankering to get back. We just went from 12/13-12/21 and had a great time. Disney is definitely not about coasters though. We enjoy the shows, the rides and just *being there*. Hard to explain..you either "get it" or you're just like "eh". Neither is a wrong attitude. Different strokes, you know?

*I will add that too much Disney is not a good thing for my family. Some folks go multiple times a year. That is too much for my family. We're an every-other-year sort. With that said, can't wait to get back in 2014! This time we're going to go during the Halloween season. I hear the Halloween parties are great fun and we enjoyed the Christmas party we attended this year.

But can you describe what makes it magical? There are better roller coasters at Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens. My kids hate the giant characters, so maybe that's the draw for everyone else? I just don't get it. I really tried to like it, too!

Anonymous wrote:What do people love about Disney? We took our sons a few years ago, and none of us thought it was amazing. The lines were out of control, the food was expensive (as was everything else), and you even had to wait in line to see any of the characters. I left wondering what exactly people seem to love about it. It was not magical (perhaps because I have sons who don't know much about the princesses), and for all the money we spent, we could have gone to Europe! Busch Gardens Williamsburg is actually a lot more fun for all of us.

If you do it wrong it definitely can be terrible. But if you plan it is magical. You must have gone at a peak time to have the lines. Plus the characters wander around. You can download an app to find them and it will give you wait times, fast pass times, etc. Fast pass cuts down on wait times and you can bring in lots of snacks, water, etc. Not an over planner but even if I am going to Europe I try to figure out the non-peak times.

My grumpy, cynical husband turned to me about 2 hours into our visit on a hot, humid and crowded day to say, "It really is a magical kingdom!"

Go early in the day, have a touring plan, spend money to dine at sit down places and make reservations in advance. Use fastpasses.

Personally, I think it is worth doing the character meals so you can have relaxed interactions with the characters. The look on DC's face when he first met Pooh was priceless.

My boys LOVED it, and we're going again next week. Roller coasters, different adventures in each park, lots of fun restaurants with different experiences, fireworks, live action shows with stunts/crashes/explosions/race cars, exotic animals and more.

The week after thanksgiving.