Is it better to wait for Disney?

[alhenton]

Greetings all,
I have been reading this board for a few months now, both before and after my trip to Disney in July. One thing I have noticed is that there are a lot of people who go to WDW ALOT. Which is awesome. I absolutely love Disney. I am 24 years old, and I have gone 4 times. Each time is magical and I love it and I want to go back.
After reading a lot of topics, I got to wondering.
Is it better to go fewer times and truly get a new/magical experience every time?
Or is it better to be at Disney annually/multiple times a year, and be able to experience it frequently?
I personally would love to go more than I have, but I feel like it would take away the awe of experiencing Disney. There is a lot of negativity about DHS lately, but I am sitting here thinking that I love the parks. Maybe some of the negativity (disappointment?) is coming from those people who are there on a consistent basis and can see how it has changed.
I would love to hear how others feel.
I agree with a lot of what people say on here, but I also feel that since I haven't been there a ton, I don't necessarily see what others do.

 

[G8rchamps]

We went for a week in June 2013 and then bought AP's August 2013. We live 2.5 hrs a way and managed 15 trips in 14 months- 3 of which were a full week. Kids are 9 and 7 (DD had 7th birthday at MK). I have to admit that the whole family got less and less excited about each trip. Don't get me wrong, I'd go tomorrow, but I am currently in the take a break to let the magic build up camp.

 

[Disney Shib]

I think it depends on the person. I go 4-5 times a year and get just as excited for each trip. My best friend actually lives in Florida and goes far more than I do and also gets just as excited each trip. You find ways to make your own magic I think. There's always a new restaurant to try or a new show to see. We try to think of something different each trip. Even if it's as simple as grabbing a beer and people watching.

 

[thomas998]

Greetings all,
I have been reading this board for a few months now, both before and after my trip to Disney in July. One thing I have noticed is that there are a lot of people who go to WDW ALOT. Which is awesome. I absolutely love Disney. I am 24 years old, and I have gone 4 times. Each time is magical and I love it and I want to go back.
After reading a lot of topics, I got to wondering.
Is it better to go fewer times and truly get a new/magical experience every time?
Or is it better to be at Disney annually/multiple times a year, and be able to experience it frequently?
I personally would love to go more than I have, but I feel like it would take away the awe of experiencing Disney. There is a lot of negativity about DHS lately, but I am sitting here thinking that I love the parks. Maybe some of the negativity (disappointment?) is coming from those people who are there on a consistent basis and can see how it has changed.
I would love to hear how others feel.
I agree with a lot of what people say on here, but I also feel that since I haven't been there a ton, I don't necessarily see what others do.

We used to go 2 or 3 times a year, it seemed so often that I didn't need a map to even navigate the roads anymore... then we scaled back trips and started doing DL once in a while, before finally stopping WDW completely in favor of DL (simply because we could get tickets to LA for 100 to 150 a ticket cheaper than to Orlando (never understood why since Dallas is technically closer to Orlando)... This year will be the first in 3 for WDW and the kids are much more excited than they used to be... So I think going to often does take away from the excitement factor.... but it may also have to do with the length of the trips... in the past we would do a week to 10 days at WDW... to the point that no one ever complained when it was time to go home because people were already getting a bit bored.... We then realized on our first week long trip to DL that a week is just too much time, at least for DL... so we started just doing 4 or 5 day trips... which was pretty much perfect for enjoying everything and still not getting bored... Or fall trip to WDW will be 5 days, and hopefully it will be the perfect amount of time to avoid being bored by the end.

I honestly don't think we will be going back to the multiple times a year Disney trips because you do start to get a bit bored by things.... you don't look forward to doing something when you know it was just a few months since you were there. So I think a lot of the folks complaining are probably the locals that have gone too many times.

 

[JasonDeyoung]

I live about 45-60 mins away, I go for a week about every other month or hold out for certain times of the year. I haven't let myself get to the point of getting sick of the parks or a point where it's not still enjoyable. The good part of going frequent is that I don't have to force things like shows parades rides etc because I know I can go anytime. But I could see how going a lot could burn you out for sure. Also one thing I started doing last year, was trying at minimum one new thing, ride restaurant or whatever. My next trip I am going to attempt to golf every course at wdw. Things like that keeps each trip new and different

 

[Master Yoda]

There are a lot of advantages to going frequently. The biggest one is being able to experience all of the special events like Star Wars Weekends, 4th of July Fireworks, New Years, Food and Wine, etc.

You also do not have to really do all of the obsessive, down to the minute planning as there is not real urge to "do everything" like there is when you are only there year or two. I have gone to a park just to ride a single attraction or meet up with friends.

The only real down side to going all the time is your trips are typically short so you never really get to settle in like you do when you are there for a week or more.

 

[rsoxguy]

Howdy alhenton. Briefly stated, I have gone to WDW as often as three times in a month, and I have stayed away for as long as a year. I have gone for as little as single day trips, and I have gone for fifteen day trips.

With that little bit of disclosure, I must say that I don't fall prey to this magic thing that is always discussed by Disney and fans alike. WDW is a cool place to go in which me and my family can have some fun. Whether we go often or infrequently, it's just a place that beats a more local destination, at times. It's whimsical, safe, and makes for a day (or more) of diversion from some of life's weightier issues. I have a great time whether I'm there frequently or infrequently. That's just me, but you did ask for individual input.

 

[DisneyGirl3820]

We live in the Northeast and go twice a year. When we first started doing this, I did feel that we might get bored but now we get just as excited each and every time. I also agree with Master Yoda---things change and new events and attractions are added all the time so you can never get tired of Disney. Disney is forever-changing, as are the perspectives of the people that go there. For example, we used to be bored at Epcot when the kids were really young but now that they're older, Epcot has become one of our favorite places to go. We're now able to appreciate all the great things we missed before.

 

[DfromATX]

We seem to be going about every 2 years, last time being in June 2013; however, our next trip won't likely be until after 2016. (This is due to a possible surgery next summer, plus we have 3 kids that will be in college and they are getting harder and harder to make commitments with us.) Anyway, we like to do other vacations during the non-Disney summers. We like going every couple of years as opposed to every summer or even more than that. I have so much fun just planning Disney and we always miss it when we come home. My husband will often out of the blue say, "I wish I was riding Space Mountain right now." I feel like if we went more than what we do, it wouldn't be as special, not to mention the cost.

 

[BigRedDad]

To me, going often is just as enjoyable. You can take it at a much more relaxed pace, not worry about missing something, and not running around like gangbusters. You can enjoy your resort more, experience different nightlife, do things you wouldn't normally do. We got to watch Wishes from a broken down People Mover once. We get to interact with the Main Street actors.

 

[DfromATX]

P.S. - To keep things exciting and new, we stay at a different resort each trip and try new places to eat. (Except 'Ohana's. We eat there every trip.)

We live in the Northeast and go twice a year. When we first started doing this, I did feel that we might get bored but now we get just as excited each and every time. I also agree with Master Yoda---things change and new events and attractions are added all the time so you can never get tired of Disney. Disney is forever-changing, as are the perspectives of the people that go there. For example, we used to be bored at Epcot when the kids were really young but now that they're older, Epcot has become one of our favorite places to go. We're now able to appreciate all the great things we missed before.

I have found that as my kids got older, we actually had more fun, but my favorite years would be when the older 3 were in the 10/11 range. But it's all fun, right! The different stages in life bring different experiences. I believe no one is too old for Disney!

 

[dreynolds1982]

I will say this, I think both options have their merits, but I prefer the luxury of being able to go often. There is something to be said for the excitement and buildup of a trip to Disney that is 2, 3, 4 years in the making. The one thing that going frequently affords, however, is the ability to experience and enjoy the little things that the parks have to offer. I find that if we've gone too long between trips, we focus too much on doing the big stuff, the must-dos, and end up not having time to enjoy the smaller things (e.g. resort hopping, minor attractions, etc.) and those little things, IMO, are what really make Disney special.

Because my wife and I used to be CMs and went to the parks daily, and even before/after that went quite a bit, when we go now, we feel more like we can just play it by ear and take it easy. If we get to ride X or Y ride, for example, great. If not, we've done it hundreds of times before, so no huge deal. It takes a lot of the pressure off of what can be a VERY pressure packed vacation destination and really adds to our enjoyment of the trip.

That's just my opinion though. As the split decision in the poll above show, everyone's opinion will differ on this one.

 

[FettFan]

If I lived in central/southern Florida, I'd definitely be an annual passholder.

 

[MikeTaylorSound]

You better go often, so you can experience an "old favorite" before it gets ripped out!

 

[Goofyernmost]

As I have mentioned to death, I started going in 1983 and have gone 43 times since then. Most of that was from Vermont, so it was more than a day trip. I never thought about it much and my criteria depended on many things. Mostly financial. But, timing of other things that seem to jump into life and disrupt one's plans to get to WDW seemed to crop up on occasion.

Now that I'm older (66) I am starting to get anxious that by the time Disney gets their butts in gear and puts some new stuff in, I am going to go pass my window of opportunity. That shouldn't happen for a few more years, but, if my health takes a bad turn, I could have already visited my last time. I am actually feeling the anxiety at this point. I used to be in construction so I am tempted to just run down there and fire up the equipment and start the building myself. Trouble is I won't know what I'm building so that might cause a problem or two.

 

[Jahona]

Personally I like to space out my trips. Only reason I'm going back to back this time is because of family. I usually try to wait for new things before I return to the World. Although as mentioned in this thread there is a lot of change happening to WDW and going often will let you experience attractions before they change.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Personally I like to space out my trips. Only reason I'm going back to back this time is because of family. I usually try to wait for new things before I return to the World. Although as mentioned in this thread there is a lot of change happening to WDW and going often will let you experience attractions before they change.

It also helps you to experience those attractions that you might have missed in previous visits due to time constraints.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

My family goes twice to three times per year. I'm always very excited before each trip. I agree with what Master Yoda said. When you go so frequently, you tend to take things at a slower pace. For instance, when we go in August, we tend to do the parks for a few hours in the afternoon to evening and rarely do them during the day. We are there for 2 1/2 weeks and usually only spend about one or two full day in the parks. When we go in January, we spend a full day in the parks, but the concept of "rope drop" was foreign to me. The earliest we usually get there is around 10 AM. Usually we go grab a late breakfast, sleep a little bit later, and stay out later at night.

There's also always something unique about each trip. Last January, I got to see the castle decorated with ice which I had never seen before. In June, 7DMT was open for the first time for us. In August, Frozen Summer Fun was happening. By the time I go in January, I know that the Frozen fireworks, along with the ice-skating, will be a thing of the past.

Even the attractions that we do each trip are different. For instance, we did not do GMR at all this trip, and we only made it AK once this past summer even though between the two trips we were there for three weeks. We also like doing the water parks in the summer, but did not make it to Typhoon Lagoon at all this past trip. So I look forward to next summer and being able to do typhoon Lagoon again. This past January, I saw Beauty and the Beast, which I had not seen for many years. When you're there frequently, you don't rush around trying to get everything done. I took my best friend in January for nine days and had to remind her to pace herself otherwise we would have gotten tired very quickly.

I did get more excited for my Disneyland trip in 2013 than I do for my WDW trips (I can only go to Disneyland once every couple of years since I live on the East Coast), but I would not trade going more often for going less often just because I want to make it more special or more magical. I love being able to go so much and I'm always excited right before the trip and I never want to leave even though I know I'll be back within a matter of a few months

 

[WondersOfLife]

This is actually a very interesting question.. .-.

 

[C&D]

Fortunately for us we are fairly close so we tend to go twice per year (7 hours away). In fact we are there (here) now; made a special trip to see "Offkilter" for their 'swansong' performance week. We don't seem to tire of our favorites and just about always enjoy something we've previously missed.