Just for fun: Disney - how often do you go, for how long . . . .

[SKL]

Just got back from Disney, so it's on my mind.

 

I often see posts that imply that some of you go to Disney fairly often and/or stay pretty long. So I was wondering how common that is. How do you manage it? Do you live close? Are there great discounts to be had?

 

We were there for about 4 days, but because of year-end work and other factors (and New Years' crowds), we didn't get a lot done. It would be great to go back before too long, but it was a really expensive trip for us. We also live a 3-hour plane trip away. So I dunno . . . how do you guys do it?

[AnIslandGirl]

We go to Disney once, sometimes twice a year, and other vacations scattered throughout the year. We do have a decent vacation budget each year, but we put priority into family vacations and the memories made rather than "stuff". Our friends all get new cars each year, wear only designer clothes, etc. Not me, I'd rather have the vacation time!

 

We too fly, but I don't mind it at all. We always stay at the Polynesian and get hopper passes with deluxe dining.We typically stay for 10 nights but do the occasional 2 week vacation sometimes to mix it up a bit. I love having everything paid for before we go!

[Shannanlee]

We go once a year for about a week. We stay at either vacation homes off property of villas. We are a family who enjoys are space. I have not even started planning for this year. We are waiting on my husband's new orders to decide how we are going to do this plus we will have a newborn going this year as well.

[nono]

Depends on the year. Generally, we don't think in terms of weeks, but in terms of days on an annual pass. Each annual pass is good for 366 days. We like to get at least 30 days in on an annual pass. Then, we skip a year. Next up would be a visit to the area where we stay at Disney but don't do any of the 4 major parks*. That way, when we go in again, it is all fresh!

 

We live in NJ. It's about a 16 hr drive. We love it -- picking different attractions to go see along the way or the way back. Right now, we are deciding on when/where our next side trip will be. We have a "gas money" bag. We collect our loose change and savings and put it in there.

 

Many moons ago, long before children, we bought into DVC. I don't, btw, think at the current prices it is a good value. But, that gives us a full kitchen when we go. We always makes one meal at "home" per day, and usually it is 2. And, the accomodations are "paid for." (That's marketing speak for you dropped a chunk of change a long time ago. It's a sunk cost, but you aren't treating it as such!) :laugh:

 

I think there are many ways to do it "right", including to not do it at all. I do think living in NJ makes us predisposed to like amusement parks, which is probably why almost every NJ resident makes an annual trek to FL. It might actaully be a law. ;)

 

 

 

*For instance, if we go in December, we may take 2 days to tour all the Christmas displays at the hotels. We might schedule horseback riding for a day, or if the wind is good a sail on Bay Lake. Next trip, the kids have asked to go see Legoland. Since I loved Cypress Gardens as a kid, we're definitely doing that! :hurray:

[DianeW88]

We go to WDW once a year...usually in the spring after my two oldest are out of college. I live in Utah, so it's a four hour plane trip. We also take the occasional side trip to Disneyland, which is a 10 hour drive from us.

 

I do it by saving a ton of money, wherever I can. My grocery budget is minimal, and my dh and I don't spend a lot on entertainment or toys. He gets a really good monthly bonus, and I try to save as much as I can from it to put in my Disney fund. I use websites like www.couponingtodisney.com religiously. I put almost every purchase I make on my SW Airlines credit card (and pay it off each month), so that I get rapid rewards bonus points. I already have enough points for three of this year's airline tickets.

 

As far as discounts coming from Disney itself, they are few and far between, but they are out there. And if there are any to be found for the time I'm there...I'm using them. I have purchased annual passes for the room discount and the TIW meal card (it doesn't always make sense, so you have to run the numbers), I have joined AAA for their Disney discount, and I have used PIN codes sent to me by Disney, and I have called Disney reservation agents...sometimes daily...to check for additional discounts.

 

I generally don't go during free dining, because I've found the restaurants to be too crowded, and the menu items to be more restricted. I do buy the regular dining plan, however, because eating there is a big part of my vacation. I love their sit down restaurants.

 

Because we're a family of five, we have to have two hotel rooms, so I usually stay at a value resort, unless there is a deep discount on a deluxe. Two rooms at a value gives us two bathrooms and each kid their own double bed, and that is worth the sacrifice of a deluxe...most of the time. LOL Plus, we hardly spend any time in our room.

 

We also get ten day park hopper tickets with the water parks and more option. That allows us the most freedom in our time there, and we love taking a couple days off and vegging at the water parks.

 

Not gonna lie...it's expensive. I budget (and try to save), $10,000 per trip. What doesn't get used, gets rolled over into next year's vacation fund or a trip to California or back to Delaware to see my family. You can DEFINITELY do Disney for cheaper, but we don't want to. It is truly our family's happy place. A little world of magic, where I say "yes" to everything, and we just have fun together. We love it!

 

We are also going to buy DVC...Disney's time share option. I will not finance the purchase, so I am currently saving up the money to do that. I can't wait!!

 

Edited to say: We will be purchasing our DVC on the resale market. Nono is absolutely right...it is NOT a good value at Disney's prices. It's barely justifiable at resale prices. It's the intangibles that make me throw caution to the wind and say, "I don't care, I want it anyway. I want that 'welcome home' and the warm fuzzies it gives me whenever I stay at a DVC resort." You can rent DVC points from any member if you want to "try before you buy." Check the disboards for information.

[Ellie]

Never been to Walt Disney World, but I have been to Disneyland over 30 times. Mr. Ellie has been there even more, because he grew up in San Diego, and his family went there at least once a year, beginning the year that it opened. We've averaged once a year, every year since we got married in 1974.

 

We like to stay for at least two days; three is better. :-) Of course, sometimes we'll also take a side trip to Knott's Berry Farm or Universal Studios. When we're going for more than one day, we try to make one of those days a Saturday or Sunday, because sometimes there are parades or other special things only on weekends.

 

When we were living in San Diego, Disneyland hadn't started offering annual passes, but we'd have bought those in a heartbeat. It was only two hours from our house to Disneyland, close enough for a midweek jaunt in March if we needed a mental health day, lol.

 

Eventually, we'll go to Walt Disney World; we'll plan at least one day for each park.

[Bensmom]

We go once every year which is not enough, but all the budget will allow. Disney is also our happy place. We fly...It takes most of the day to get there. (We live two hours from the airport, so first we drive...then we cannot get direct flights from said airport and have a layover/connection.) My dh loves Magical Express and not having to drive at all, but it is still such a long trip, I wish we weren't so far. We stay 6 nights with 5 days in the parks. I cannot imagine staying 10 days. We have never done a water park though. Don't want to steal the thread, but are the water parks worth it?

We usually do 2 days exclusively at Epcot, a day and a half at MK and hop around a bit. AK is nice, but we aren't huge fans and probably won't even hop over there at all this next trip. At HS, ds loves Toy Story Mania, and dh likes Rockin Roller Coaster, but that is about it. We are planning to watch Fantasmic this next trip because we haven't done that in a few years. After about 5 days we have seen all our favorites multiple times and are done...but now I'm wondering what we've been missing at the water parks :001_smile:

[FriedClams]

We've been going once a year for the past couple of years. This year we'll go twice. We are military so we do the military park hopper and get a condo through the Armed Forces Vacation Club. By watching their deals our housing proces are CHEAP. This year we're doing 4 park days in Feb and then we'll do a Sep time for the water park days.

[Tess in the Burbs]

We have made FL a regular thing as we love the area and all the fun things to do.

 

We did Disney, then Universal/Space Center, then Disney, and going back this year for Universal/Sea World.

 

We go every other year. We have a timeshare from my grandma in a place we rarely go that we transfer to Orlando. The cost of that and the transfer fee is still cheaper than the hotels at Disney. So we stay offsite and like it. We go in Dec most years so it's off season and get the top resorts for little exchange. I price out the Disney onsite stuff every time to my budget offsite and I am always much lower even if we chose to eat out every meal and not use the kitchen!

 

We had so much fun last Disney trip we hated to wait 2 years to get back but we are so excited for this year's trip in Dec!!! So for us, we can afford to go b/c we don't do Disney every time. We use a timeshare that saves money on hotel and food if we use the kitchen. Yes, we pay the parking fee but I would prefer to drive over than use the public transportation stuff.

 

We go for a week and if doing Disney get the 6-7 day tickets, whatever is the best deal when I buy tickets. I prefer Undercover Tourist for tickets. When we do Universal we also do other places like Sea World or the Space Center and just get tickets for a few days. But Disney you at least want 4 days to get to all the parks. We do one park a day. We tend to stay most of the day. At Epcot we will be there when they open and close!

 

Legoland is nearby and it's not a full day but with the drive we made it a day.

 

Hope this helps. Have fun if you go again sooN!

[DianeW88]

There are water parks and then there are Disney water parks. It's sort of like comparing Disney to an amusement park. As in, "Why do I need to go to Disney World? We have a Six Flags right in our town." Yeah. Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are AWESOME!! And if you like amazing water slides....Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach. As Len Testa said in his "Unofficial Guide"..."It's like being washed out of a 12 story building at 60 mph." A POV video from youtube:

[StaceyinLA]

Every year or every other year. We usually stay at least a week, sometimes longer. I'd go twice a year if I didn't want to go other places also.

 

LOVE Disney!!

[SKL]

Hmm, this is interesting! I regret having done almost nothing at Epcot (we went there the evening of 12/31 and it was terribly crowded). Unfortunately I seem to be the only one of our group who sees much value in Epcot (mainly the country exhibits).

 

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by Animal Kingdom. It was just right for my six-year-olds. I thought Magic Kingdom would be the bigger hit, but that was just so-so for the amount of time we spent there (maybe we needed more time).

[carriede]

DH's whole family and we are making into an annual event. But we camp at Ft Wilderness for 4ish days and have yet to buy a park pass. At the campsite, there are movie nights, a pool and splash park, playgrounds, and you can take a ferry anywhere and hop on the monorail.

 

There's lots of us to do without actually going to a theme park. The oldest kids are only 3 now, but might go to the Magic Kingdom next year or the year after (kids will be 5, 5, 3, and 2).

 

ETA: All our family lives in FL, north of Tampa. We're the only ones out of state, and we're just in GA, easy drive.

[tabrizia]

We normally go every 2 to 3 years. It is going to actually be 4 years between the last time we went and our upcoming visit though, just due to life. We have had weird gaps though, like we had a 5 year gap with a quick Disneyland trip in there, then 3 trips in 4 years, then our current 4 year break. Our average trip stay is between 12 and 14 nights, plus an addition 3 days for travel (we do the trip down in 2 days and the trip home normally in 3 days).

 

We also go off season which is going to be a total benefit of homeschooling. Being able to go when the crowd levels are low is so nice and makes for a great and relaxing trip.

 

 

We normally get a 10 day ticket and have off days from the park every 2 to 3 days while we are there for relaxation and to explore other places of interest.

Really my ideal is to go yearly or more often, but it isn't currently in the budget.

[DianeW88]

Hmm, this is interesting! I regret having done almost nothing at Epcot (we went there the evening of 12/31 and it was terribly crowded). Unfortunately I seem to be the only one of our group who sees much value in Epcot (mainly the country exhibits).

 

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by Animal Kingdom. It was just right for my six-year-olds. I thought Magic Kingdom would be the bigger hit, but that was just so-so for the amount of time we spent there (maybe we needed more time).

Epcot is my favorite park after Magic Kingdom!! We literally spend all day there. They have the best sit down restaurants of any park (and the best snack foods...school bread in Norway, anything from Karamel Kuche in Germany, and the pastries in France), and the best shopping (my dd and I always get a pearl from an oyster at "pick a pearl" in the Japan exhibit). We love Soarin', Test Track (newly refurbished as of November), Mission to Mars, and the dorky little Maelstrom ride in Norway. Turtle Talk with Crush is so funny and all my kids love it! Crush talked to my youngest the last time we were there, and it was priceless. Illuminations at night while we're eating dinner on the patio at the Rose and Crown in the UK exhibit is the perfect way to end the day!

[ChristusG]

We live 2.5 hours away. We buy seasonal passes sometimes. On years that we have seasonal passes, we go about every month or two. Usually they are 3 or 4 night trips, with our annual 8 night Disney vacation in the fall. When we don't purchase seasonal passes we still go about three times a year. I've probably been to Disney over 40 or 50 times in my life (I'm only 32 so I'll be adding to that number often lol). So glad that my girls are growing up on Disney and they love it too. I even converted my husband when we got married....we honeymooned there!

[DianeW88]

This sums up why we go. To make memories. Because "that window closes, oh so quick". (Moderator, let me know if I shouldn't link videos...for some reason the video itself shows up rather than just the link. I have no idea what I did to make that happen. LOL)

[ChristusG]

I always joke that I homeschool so that we can go to Disney when everyone else is in school.....however, it's not a joke LOL! Of course, it's not my main reason but it is one of my many reasons for homeschooling.

[whitestavern]

We have gone 3 times since 2009; this is the first year we're either not going or not actively planning a trip. I am SO bummed and do not know what I will do the end of February/beginning of March, which is always when we go. We like to go then because it's cold in the northeast and I want the sun!! It's also not crowded at all, being after Feb break.

 

We always take the auto train out of Virginia so we can bring our car with us because we stay offsite. AmX points pay for our train trip (which is very reasonable anyway) and staying offsite also saves big money. There is just no way we could stay in one hotel room for a week and the villas at WDW are outrageous. I've never been able to crunch the numbers enough to justify onsite.

 

We buy 7 day park passes because it's such a savings after 3 or 4 days. This also makes for a more relaxed trip. We either do 3/4 days or tour til noon and then come back for dinner/fireworks etc. We always have a no park day in the middle of our vacation. We typically do a day or a day and a half at Magic Kingdom, a day each at Hollywood Studios (although our last trip we did 2 days there) and a day at Animal Kingdom. Epcot is at least 2 if not 3 days as it's our favorite park. We always buy our passes from Undercover Tourist, which is a small savings. Last year we spent 2 add'l days at Universal, which was almost as expensive as our week at Disney (we did stay onsite there because the benefits are so great).

 

We're hoping to make a cross country trip this fall, and if so, I'll do my best to get to Disneyland. We've never been. But I really can't wait to get back to Disney World!!!

[whitestavern]

This sums up why we go. To make memories. Because "that window closes, oh so quick". (Moderator, let me know if I shouldn't link videos...for some reason the video itself shows up rather than just the link. I have no idea what I did to make that happen. LOL) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6RGUJL2XVk

 

 

YES!!!

[Jenny in Florida]

Epcot is my favorite park after Magic Kingdom!! We literally spend all day there.

 

Epcot is my favorite, too, closely followed by Hollywood Studios. I've never cared for Animal Kingdom as much.

[Bensmom]

ChristusG, I am sooooo jealous. Course I don't want to live where it is hot (My body doesn't handle heat very well) but I'd love to be that close to WDW!

 

Diane, thanks for the videos. Very cool.

[edelweiss]

We go on average once a year. Sometimes we go twice a year. Sometimes it is a year and a half between visits. We started taking Disney cruises a few years ago, and we take other vacations (non-Disney related) as well, so we have slowed down on our Disney trips a bit.

 

We own DVC, so we always stay at a DVC resort when we go. Our home resort is Bay Lake Towers. We like being within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom.

 

We can get to Disney with a short 2 hour plane flight, so it is a quick and easy place for us to "get away". This year, we are going down for a week in February. Then, we will spend another day or two in April because we are going on a Disney cruise and we always add a day or two on to go to the parks as well. My sister is bugging me to go again this summer, so that we can spend a bunch of days at the waterparks and pools. I'm trying to decide if that is too much Disney for me this year. :laugh: I bought annual passes for the year, so it is tempting to go back.

 

We usually go for a week. We have stayed for two weeks before, and it isn't unusual for us to just pop in for a day or two if we are in the area for something else.

[KrissiK]

We've been once with our kids, 2 Christmases ago. We will likely go in 2014. Our kids were relatively young when we were there, so we were in the park 2 full days. That was enough for us. It's expensive and we are pretty frugal. Plus, I want it to be a real delight when we go, and if you do something a lot it loses its delight, IMO. So, in 2014 our kids will be 4,5,8,10 and 11. We'll probably stay 2-3 days.

[HelenNotOfTroy]

We have been 4 times since DS was born. We go for the day. DH is not interested in Disney or in amusement parks, so he humors me. He has gone with us twice, the other 2 times we went once with a friend and the other with my mother. I have been to WDW many times. I have only spent 2 nights on property and one of those did not involve going to the parks. I have had season passes twice before I met DH and plan to get them again, at least for DS and me. Someday I hope to have a proper Disney vacation, staying in a hotel and visiting the parks multiple days in a row.

[I.Dup.]

I love Disney. We took the kids for the first time in January 2011 (last time dh and I had been there was when we were kids, and we went often) and I took my daughter for her 10th birthday last year in January 2012. I would LOVE to go once a year but with our family size it's probably not possible. Right now it's an all day plane trip and we're 3 hours from the nearest airport on top of that, so that alone is very expensive. However, we are looking to relocate to FL and that will open up a whole new world to us :D :D

 

I LOVE Epcot. Definitely my favorite park. I could easily spend 2 days just there, and dd enjoyed it just as much as I did. She did the spy thing last time we were there where they gave her a cell phone to take around the park and she could make things happen in the different countries. She loved that! Epcot also has great food and SO MUCH to see and do.

[hsmamainva]

We go every year for a week. Absolutely -- hands down -- our favorite place to go on vacation! Well, I love it .. and so do my daughters. Hubby and sons? Not so much -- maybe it's a girl thing. :D

 

We usually drive from Virginia to St. Augustine (10 hours straight), spend the night, and head to Orlando the following afternoon (my hubby went to college in St. Augustine so we meet friends for dinner & drinks...spend the next day on the beach or swimming in the pool...and then can reach Orlando in just two hours). We do the same thing the following weekend when we head back home.

 

We stay off-site at a townhouse in Windsor Hills for $105 per night...includes a full-kitchen, three bedrooms, and private splash pool on the rear patio.

 

We're headed there again in May...and I can't wait! Hubby is talking about a beach vacation in 2014...followed by a family Disney trip in April of 2015 -- AND a mom & girls only Christmas trip in December of 2015!!! I can barely contain my excitement! And, because there will only be 3 of us, we'll be able to stay on-site! A real treat! (We've never stayed on-site...it's just not affordable for all 6 of us).

 

Favorite park? Magic Kingdom -- followed by Hollywood Studios -- then Epcot -- then Animal Kingdom.

[Luckymama]

We've been going annually since 2007, with several adults-only trips mixed in there :D We stay for a week with the family, two or three nights if it's just the two of us.

 

We've been DVC members since 2007 and just last month purchased more points on the resale market. We'll be able to stay in 2 bedroom villas when all the kids go with us! We've been squeezing into 1 br villas at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Bay Lake Towers (those have 2 bathrooms and a sleeper chair and sleeper couch for the kids).

 

Dh says we bought DVC for the door-----the one between the kids and us :lol:

 

Our next trip will be this June as a celebration for dd17's high school graduation :)

 

[3Blessings]

We have gone to WDW 5 times since 2008- so I guess that makes it about once a year. But we have gone 18 months between some visits and 6 between others. We love Disney. We try to stay a week or more when we do go. There are so many things to do.

 

Like so many others have said, this is our "memory making" time. We have bought into DVC and we enjoy taking other family and/or friends along. It's been a real blessing to all of us.

 

The next trip is at the end of February- sans kids! That is a first for dh and I. We are really looking forward to it!

[Cafdog]

We went to DisneyWorld for the first time last February (with a day at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter thrown in). Loved it! We spent 8 total days in FL.

 

Since we live in California, Disneyland is our "home park". We go at least once a year, and its a five hour drive from our house to Anaheim. We flew only one time when a surprise January snow storm blocked I-5. In fact, my DD, mother, and I just zipped down for a Christmas visit back in early December. Crowds were great mid-week!

 

We almost always travel in the off-season. Even before I started homeschooling, I would pull my daughter out of school so we could travel mid-week and off-season. I loathe crowds, and will go to great lengths to avoid them. I love the compactness of Disneyland. We stay in Disney hotels, and walk to the parks every day. I found DisneyWorld wonderful, but a bit too spread out for convenience.

 

My husband and I are total DIsney nerds, and love all things Disney. If I can't make it once a year, I start getting twitchy. :laugh:

[Freckles]

I've been to WDW 3 times, and I favor it over Disneyland. We have season passes to Disneyland. We try to go for 3 full days in the summer when family is in town. We usually stay at the Candy Cane Inn which is a "neighborhood hotel." I wish they had the equivalent hotels to the all star hotels, but they don't. We went for one day the week of Thanksgiving. It was so crowded!! We are planning to take the girls back for 2 days and stay the night the week before spring break. I don't want to go when the rest of Los Angeles is out of school. We love California Adventure. Cars Land is a lot of fun. They have the best Hamburgers and food in general in the California Adventure park. Nothing beats EPCOT for food at WDW. I'm still trying to figure out the train schedule so we can just hop on the metrolink and not fight L.A. traffic. On a good day it taks us about an hour to get there. On a bad day...3-4 hrs.

[SBMama]

We love DisneyWorld! We went for our honeymoon in 2005, then again in 2008. My dad says that he is taking our whole family this fall, but nothing has been planned yet. (Can I tell you how crazy this is making me!?) We have been putting all of our money towards paying off debt the past few years. We should have our van paid off in 2-3 months (yay!), and I am hoping to make yearly trips after we go this year!

[DianeW88]

Something else to help with saving for an expensive vacation like Disney. My kids have always been a part of the process. While our life in the parks is a magical time without "no" being said, our life at home is a sacrifice to get us there. When my kids would say, "Can we order pizza for dinner?", I would say, "Yes, but that is money we could be saving for our vacation." Then I'd let them decide. If they decided they would forgo the pizza, we deposited the amount of money it would have cost into our savings. Then, when we were in Disney World, I would remind them that we were renting a cabana, playing a game of mini-golf, or staying at the Polynesian because they were willing to sacrifice other things they had wanted at home. It was a great lesson that continues today. My older kids regularly contribute "Mickey Money" and they have all learned to resist the "instant gratification monster."

[SKL]

Something else to help with saving for an expensive vacation like Disney. My kids have always been a part of the process. While our life in the parks is a magical time without "no" being said, our life at home is a sacrifice to get us there. When my kids would say, "Can we order pizza for dinner?", I would say, "Yes, but that is money we could be saving for our vacation." Then I'd let them decide. If they decided they would forgo the pizza, we deposited the amount of money it would have cost into our savings. Then, when we were in Disney World, I would remind them that we were renting a cabana, playing a game of mini-golf, or staying at the Polynesian because they were willing to sacrifice other things they had wanted at home. It was a great lesson that continues today. My older kids regularly contribute "Mickey Money" and they have all learned to resist the "instant gratification monster."

 

 

Great idea. I never would have thought of Disney World as a tool for teaching kids delayed gratification, but you're right, LOL.

[Kari C in SC]

We are Florida residents (even though we live in SC - we still own our home in FL). For $211, we can get a seasonal Monday-Friday pass. It is blacked out during summer and certain holidays, but we wouldn't go then anyway. What I have been doing since we moved out of state is this.

 

I book a room for full price during free dining. You pay for the room plus a 2 day ticket. Then I take the 2 day ticket that costs about $190 and upgrade it to the season pass by adding the $21 to it. So, our first trip of the year - we have room, free dining and season passes. That cost me about $1200 at the end of 2011 to purchase for myself, my mom, and my 2 kids. Then I try to use that season pass for 2 more additional trips each year. Depending on the time, details - we may stay on or off site. I prefer onsite, but there have been occasions where I have shared a timeshare with other friends and the cost was way less than staying on site. Once my season passes are paid for - it is just hotel and food. If I can get the lodging cost low, I can also eat fairly cheap for just me and my 2 kids. My mom usually pays for her own food. My dh does not enjoy Disney. Typically, we drop him back off in our old hometown and he hangs at his parents for the time we are at Disney. He gets to fish in the gulf and we get to do Disney. He also makes repairs at our rental house and we get to write off his travel and expenses. I try to take a year off between passes and that has worked well. On each of the 3 trips - we typically go from Monday to Friday. That gives a day for each park and an extra for whatever else we choose.

[Kari C in SC]

We live 2.5 hours away. We buy seasonal passes sometimes. On years that we have seasonal passes, we go about every month or two. Usually they are 3 or 4 night trips, with our annual 8 night Disney vacation in the fall. When we don't purchase seasonal passes we still go about three times a year. I've probably been to Disney over 40 or 50 times in my life (I'm only 32 so I'll be adding to that number often lol). So glad that my girls are growing up on Disney and they love it too. I even converted my husband when we got married....we honeymooned there!

 

I love how you say "growing up on Disney" because that is how I feel about our kids. We moved to FL when our oldest was 18 months old. For that first 10 years of his life, we only ever did day trips over. When he was 12 and my dd was 2, we stayed for 5 days. I was hooked. That was it for me. It was so wonderful. Over the next 12 years, we have gone as often as we can. My kids know Disney better than they know their own neighborhood! It is bittersweet for me. The last full week that we spent with our son before he passed away, was him taking our whole family (me, dad, brother, sister, Grandma and Aunt) and 3 of his close friends to Disney in December of 2009. It was his celebration for coming home from Iraq. He treated us all to Shades of Green and tickets. It was a dream vacation and I thank God so much for allowing us that time. So... as much as I miss him when I am there sometimes - I know without a doubt that he wants his brother and sister to "grow up on Disney."

[Gentlemommy]

Dh works there, so we can go pretty much as often as we want. Ironically, I don't like theme parks lol. Dh does take the older two girls sometimes and stays late for the fireworks, but in order for me to go, it has to be a cool day and not crowded. We went in September and it was amazing. 5 minute waits for everything but Peter Pan (10 min). It was warm, but not blistering hot. Now I'm waiting for February to go again. We do have 2-3 night 'staycations' at a Disney resort when he gets a good discount. A few months ago we stayed in a suite with a kitchen for $67 a night! That was fun.

[QueenCat]

When we go, we go for a week. Since 2001 (our first trip), we've been five times. That doesn't count the years we've gone to the beach & driven in for just one day of Magic. Sometimes we go two years in a row, sometimes there is a gap. Still haven't decided if we're going this year or going somewhere else. We usually alternate it with the beach.....

[mamatohaleybug]

We vacation quite a bit throughout the year; it's REALLY important to me. We always spend a week at the beach every June, do at least a few shorter trips to various places during the year and have gone to Disney World three times since Feb 2011 (actually our 3rd trip is Jan 19-26). We have stayed about a week each time.

 

For WDW, we're 13 hours away and have driven each trip. We do not stay on-site (staying in a 3BR condo in Windsor Hills for $422 this year). We eat quick/counter service with a few meals out of the park. This time we are attending homeschooling days so we are getting discounted tickets. Last year our tickets were given to us by a company that contracts with my DH's employer. We make a reasonable budget for food and stick with it. This year we got some good deals at target with Disney giftcards so we saved some money with that.

 

I'll sacrifice almost anything to travel. LOL Our DD is growing up so we've just made this our priority right now. *shrug*

[Lily_Grace]

We have a Disney fund, so we go when it's full. :) It looks like trips for us will be about every 4-5 years. We like deluxe/villas, and we like to stay for a week at least. Our last trip was 2009, and in 2012 we broke into the fund to go to Disneyland Paris for a week (much cheaper than flying back to the states for WDW ;) DisneyWorld is on the current schedule for 2015/16, and then again when the small one turns 11 or 12.

[Mom in High Heels]

With the exception of 2011, we've been at least once (sometimes twice) every year since 2004, and James Bond and I went,, pre-Indy for our honeymoon in 95, and again in 99 and 00 and 01. In 99, 04, 08, and 09, our trips were to Disneyland Paris and in 10 it was a Disney Cruise (awesome!), but the other times have all been to WDW. Actually we did DLP and WDW both in 09, so that was a good year. :)

 

If we go to DLP, we really only need about 4 days, because it's not as big, plus it's crazy expensive compared to WDW, especially with the Euro rate. At WDW, the shortest we've ever stayed was last year for 4 days, but we were only in the States for 10, so we really couldn't stay longer. Normally we stay 7 nights. Once we did 10 and honestly, we were tired of being so darn happy. Unless we make plans to do other more relaxing stuff outside the parks, I wouldn't stay that long again. We were all exhausted. Our lives are so hard, aren't they?

 

We plan to take the boys to DLP when James Bond gets home from Afghanistan later this year. Indy's first Disney trip was DLP and now it will be Han Solo's (he stayed with my mom when we went to WDW last year). Han Solo is such a Mickey fanatic right now I'm hoping he'll love it. I do not look forward to riding Small World 800,000 times though, like we did with Indy. Urgh.

 

Oh, and as for how far we live, well it depends, as we move around a lot. Right now we're about a 5 hour drive from DLP, but it's only 3 if we take the train (which I prefer). The last time we lived in the States we were about a 4 hour plane ride from Orlando and then we just took the Magic Express (yay Magic Express!).

 

I know this is rambly. It's early here and I didn't sleep well. Forgive me. :)

[Matryoshka]

Wow. That's a lot of Disney, y'all.

 

We've been to Disneyland with the kids once. We stayed with relatives who live near the park and ate gorp and cheese sandwiches we brought in. We waited till I thought the kids were old enough to really enjoy it - I think they were 7 and 10?

 

Haven't planned to go back. It's expensive! I think I've been there twice before that, once with my family when I was a kid, once in my 20's.

 

Haven't been to WDW since I was 10 - that was pre-Epcot and everything else; Space Mountain had just been finished. Maybe we should plan a big trip down there sometime before they all go off to college...

[DawnM]

Our Disney History:

 

We used to live 45 min. from Disneyland. We went about once every two weeks. We had SoCal annual passes so we could go anytime.

 

When DH told me he wanted to leave LA, one of my concerns was being so far from a Disney park (I admit it!) So I told DH that he had to let me go at least once per year. Of course, the cost rose significantly when you have to drive for hours and stay in a hotel, etc.....so we had to figure it out.

 

The first few years we lived in NC we went between 2-4 times per year. We had APs 2 or 3 of those years.

 

Things have tapered off significantly. That, and DH's job now sends him to Orlando for a one week training every November.

 

So, our currently Disney-ing consists of a 2 week stay (one week vacation for DH and one week work/training). We get YES tickets, DH's work pays for the gas and part of the lodging, get SkyAuction 2 bedroom condos for $249/wk, eat mostly our own food, and are able to keep our 2 week vacation to Disney at right around $1,500/yr. including 8 day park hoppers with waterparks and more.

[DawnM]

Yeah, it is funny. We have an amusement park here in town. I sometimes get summer passes. People ask me why we need to go to Disney when we "have a Disney right here!"

 

UGH. There is simply NO comparison.

 

Dawn

 

There are water parks and then there are Disney water parks. It's sort of like comparing Disney to an amusement park. As in, "Why do I need to go to Disney World? We have a Six Flags right in our town." Yeah. Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are AWESOME!! And if you like amazing water slides....Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach. As Len Testa said in his "Unofficial Guide"..."It's like being washed out of a 12 story building at 60 mph." A POV video from youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhtwwradw-Y

[Canadianmumof5]

Loved that One Republic video.......cried the whole time :).

We will be there in 3 weeks!!!! We are staying onsite for the first time and really hoping it is as magical as i've heard.

 

To answer the OP - we don't go that often. Every few years but may look @ DVC.

 

We really need the space now and camping every summer is not enough vacation time for me!

[DianeW88]

Loved that One Republic video.......cried the whole time :).

We will be there in 3 weeks!!!! We are staying onsite for the first time and really hoping it is as magical as i've heard.

 

To answer the OP - we don't go that often. Every few years but may look @ DVC.

 

We really need the space now and camping every summer is not enough vacation time for me!

 

Awww, you'll have a great time!!! If you do buy DVC, don't buy it from Disney. Waaaay too overpriced. Go to the disboards and check out their DVC forums. They'll steer you in the right direction. As for the One Republic video.....I watch it whenever I want to spend money instead of put it in my Disney fund. I sniffle and forgo the purchase. Every. Single. Time. :D

[hsmamainva]

Yeah, it is funny. We have an amusement park here in town. I sometimes get summer passes. People ask me why we need to go to Disney when we "have a Disney right here!"

 

UGH. There is simply NO comparison.

 

Dawn

 

 

I know what you mean! We have 2 large amusement parks in Virginia -- 1 is an hour away / 1 is 2 hours away. We get summer passes for the one that's 2 hours away because they have fireworks nightly in the summertime and we might visit 3 or 4 times over the summer.

 

But it's NOT the same as Disney! Even my hubby -- who's not a Disney fanatic like me -- admitted as much last summer. Our youngest has special needs and the Disney castmembers really go out of their way to speak to our daughter and make her feel special. At the Virginia amusement park, the folks running the rides have glazed looks on their faces like, "Is my shift over yet? Can I go home?"

 

She really fell in love with one ride and we went to customer relations to ask if they had a guest assistance pass like Disney does so that our daughter would have an easier place to wait for the rides. Disney has one of these and, say the ride line is in the dark or a closed in space, we're able to wait outside until it's our turn and then just walk in -- it doesn't reduce our wait time, but it makes it less "disruptive", if that makes sense. And, although they don't advertise it or it will be abused by those who aren't disabled, they've waved us through several times without waiting -- but only if the line is REALLY short -- like 5 minutes or so.

 

The Virginia park said, "We sell these passes where you can go to the front of every line for $60.00 a day, but we don't have anything special for her."

 

My hubby just shook his head and walked away, muttering, "Well..this place isn't Disney!" ;)

[DianeW88]

Yeah, it is funny. We have an amusement park here in town. I sometimes get summer passes. People ask me why we need to go to Disney when we "have a Disney right here!"

 

UGH. There is simply NO comparison.

 

Dawn

 

I know what you mean! We have 2 large amusement parks in Virginia -- 1 is an hour away / 1 is 2 hours away. We get summer passes for the one that's 2 hours away because they have fireworks nightly in the summertime and we might visit 3 or 4 times over the summer.

 

But it's NOT the same as Disney! Even my hubby -- who's not a Disney fanatic like me -- admitted as much last summer. Our youngest has special needs and the Disney castmembers really go out of their way to speak to our daughter and make her feel special. At the Virginia amusement park, the folks running the rides have glazed looks on their faces like, "Is my shift over yet? Can I go home?"

 

She really fell in love with one ride and we went to customer relations to ask if they had a guest assistance pass like Disney does so that our daughter would have an easier place to wait for the rides. Disney has one of these and, say the ride line is in the dark or a closed in space, we're able to wait outside until it's our turn and then just walk in -- it doesn't reduce our wait time, but it makes it less "disruptive", if that makes sense. And, although they don't advertise it or it will be abused by those who aren't disabled, they've waved us through several times without waiting -- but only if the line is REALLY short -- like 5 minutes or so.

 

The Virginia park said, "We sell these passes where you can go to the front of every line for $60.00 a day, but we don't have anything special for her."

 

My hubby just shook his head and walked away, muttering, "Well..this place isn't Disney!" ;)

 

Yes, those people are not "our people"...the mousejunkies of the world. And, btw, Mousejunkies is a fabulous book!! Super funny, and the authors understand us...the Disney obsessed of the world. It's a great read! A guidebook for those of us who already know a lot about Disney, but want to indulge our "habit" a little bit more. His whole section on eating at 'Ohana has me rolling on the floor every time I read it!! http://www.amazon.co...ds=mousejunkies

[sassenach]

It's become a Christmas tradition for our family to go to Disneyland sometime while the decorations are up. We only go for a day, but we have it down to a science. It's totally my happy place. I wish we could go more often!

[DianeW88]

Quoting from "Mousejunkies"... This is the note you are supposed to pin to your shirt BEFORE your meal at 'Ohana. Fill in the blanks appropriately, then be sure to fall face-up on the walkway from the restaurant when your food coma hits.

 

My name is_______________. I am staying at the __________ resort. I have just eaten at 'Ohana and am dangerously engorged and cannot speak. Please roll me onto the nearest bus heading for the ____________ resort. There is a Fastpass for Toy Story Midway Mania in my top pocket. Please take it as a token of my thanks.

 

 

Bahahahahahaha!!! This books is full of gems like that one!! If you're a Mousejunkie...you know whereof he speaks.