Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder..

real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Yes..It's an old saying and I'am sure I've asked a question like this in the past..Reason for bringing it up is a friend of ours is returning to WDW after a 10 year absence..He phoned me tonight to ask what is new since 2003.? :eek:..Where to start..Anyway I'll sleep on this tonight.:hilarious:..Here's my question..Have any of you had a gap of 5 years or more since your last visit,and did you find that indeed absence did make your heart grow fonder,and made the trip & planning more exciting,than say if you go on a yearly visit..Now I'am sure those of you who indeed go every year still plan and get excited about this magical vacation,but I could feel the excitement in my friends voice on the phone..Here's the odd thing..In 2003 they went with their daughter ( 8 ) and son ( 10 ) both now living away,so this trip in November,it's just him and his wife.Yet he sounded to me like a kid who had just won the holiday of a lifetime..Curious what your feelings are on this.? Does absence from WDW make your heart grow fonder.;)
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
LucyK

LucyK

Well-Known Member
Between my first and second visit there is a gap of 8 years. Absence does indeed makes the heart grow fonder. I read every I could find about was a new on the parks and still I was in awe when I first stepped inside MK. Ok, rewind, I was in awe by the time I got to ME, everything was so neat and they made us feel so welcomed, I cried once every 5 minutes.
 
Upvote 0
disneygirl76

disneygirl76

Carey Poppins - Nanny and Disney Enthusiest
real mad hatter said:
Yes..It's an old saying and I'am sure I've asked a question like this in the past..Reason for bringing it up is a friend of ours is returning to WDW after a 10 year absence..He phoned me tonight to ask what is new since 2003.? :eek:..Where to start..Anyway I'll sleep on this tonight.:hilarious:..Here's my question..Have any of you had a gap of 5 years or more since your last visit,and did you find that indeed absence did make your heart grow fonder,and made the trip & planning more exciting,than say if you go on a yearly visit..Now I'am sure those of you who indeed go every year still plan and get excited about this magical vacation,but I could feel the excitement in my friends voice on the phone..Here's the odd thing..In 2003 they went with their daughter ( 8 ) and son ( 10 ) both now living away,so this trip in November,it's just him and his wife.Yet he sounded to me like a kid who had just won the holiday of a lifetime..Curious what your feelings are on this.? Does absence from WDW make your heart grow fonder.;)
Click to expand...

I believe that it does. There was a gap from 1998 to 2005. There was a lot of change between those years. 1998 I went with my parents as one of our last family trips and then in 2005, I went for our honeymoon. I was SO excited to get back there! Beyond thrilled! So yes, distance makes the heart grow fonder. The thrill I feel now is different. Its a trill to return to something that means so much to me. I'm excited, but its different. I still cry every time I step onto Main Street. I do miss the excitement and wonderment of not going for awhile. But I don't think I could take the time off and not go every year now.
 
Upvote 0
coachwnh

coachwnh

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
I never had the chance to go as a kid. The first time I went, I was in college working as a camp counselor in the early 90s. I didn't go back again until five years ago, almost 15 years later. I still remember the first time I rode Its a Small World and how I felt. I loved it. I am very fortunate to be able to travel to WDW and DL more often now. I think subconsciously, Im making up for lost time. My wife and I have already talked about mixing it up a bit vacation-wise after our APs expire next summer as I think we are all ready to move on. But right now, I love this time that I spend with her and our kids in Disney! :)
 
Upvote 0
HouCuseChickie

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
My longest absence from WDW was a little over 11 years. I can say that the planning that went into that 2010 trip after the long wait had so much excitement behind it. Not to be cliché, but it was truly magical. We've taken the girls once each year since that trip, but I can't help but feeling like I'm "chasing the dragon" a bit. i.e. no matter how much I add to future trips to make them super fun and magical- it's still not going to capture the magic of the 2010 trip. What's funny- I think I'm ready for a break. I still think I'm going to try and weasel an adults only trip for F&W next fall;) and may throw in a day or 2 in Anaheim - max - if we do a SoCal exploration trip, but I really want to start taking the girls other places. We'll see how that goes...but assuming it goes as planned...we'll revisit the whole WDW thing and see if absence really does make the heart grow fonder.
 
Upvote 0
Club34

Club34

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I went as a senior in HS in '89 with my family, then college and young adulthood happened. It just kind of clicked when I was 28 going on 29 that "hey, I work and have money and I can back on my own as an adult". So then I did for many years in a row. Now its been about 3-4 years due to grad school and a "divorce". I am looking forward to a trip solo this January but I am not sure I am up to it as the "world" was our shared place. Don't know if I'm up for it or not. Might be too sad. I have to early Dec. to cancel.
 
Upvote 0
JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
We had a 4 year Disney Drought. My DW didn't want us to go while our DS was going through high school. WHAT TORTURE... Oh how I dreamt of Disney. I tried every husband trick imaginable to get her to say, yeah we can go. But she wouldnt let in. All I could do was listen to others describe their trips. And cry. So the year he graduated, when we finally stepped back onto Main Street , it felt like I had been away for 100 years. The joy I felt coming back after a 4 year absence was indescribable. Absence DOES make the heart fonder but dang does it hurt bad.
 
Upvote 0
SMS55

SMS55

Well-Known Member
As a kid I used to go once a year and continued that through early adulthood. I was always excited to. From 2003 -2006 we were going three times a year. I always had fun and was always excited but not the couldn't control myself excitement from before. Then from mid 2007 I didn't go again til mid 2010. And I was going crazy. I am going this Wednesday and I am jacked up. It's my first trip since October.
 
Upvote 0
epcotisbest

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Never went as a kid. First trip I was 22 and have been blessed to go at least once a year since then, some years two or three times. This will be a two time year, went in May, going back in Sept.
I honestly believe if we went only once every few years it would probably make a big difference in how I feel about it, and park time would be more important than it is now. For our Sept. trip we have not even decided what tickets we are going to buy, if any. Who knows, we may just go back to SeaWorld, but that would probably be a bit silly this trip as we are staying at BLT and can just walk over to MK.
Yes, hatter, we still get excited, but it is is to a lesser degree going more often.
 
Upvote 0
Mamadreamsofdisney

Mamadreamsofdisney

New Member
Does 15yrs count lol? I think it does I went when I was 5 and then the last time in 1998 I haven't been since but I remember everything that makes me smile and go back.. Yes I realize that there totally different things like the skyway is gone(yes I have pics of it) and the new areas, but it's the fact it's some where I remember the fun and beig lil... Now since I have 2 kids 7and 8 right now I'm wanting to go ( doesn't help with commercials lol) but I want my two to know why when I hear wdw I'm like a lil kid again.. I hope ur friend has a great time.. He must remember going 10yrs and plus no kids this time more adult fun
 
Upvote 0
jw24

jw24

Well-Known Member
Oh definitely, but I still envy the people who get to go every year! Before I became I graduated HS, I went to WDW three times with a nine year gap from my first visit to the second and a seven year gap from the second visit until my HS graduation trip. So I mean, I wasn't the Disney fan that I am today back then but that senior trip really established WDW as my laughing place. I enjoyed everything they offered and the experiences I experienced were something beyond my wildest dreams. So what if you're 18 and you interact with the characters for the first time? Who cares if you're 18 and you enjoyed the MK classics like Peter Pan's Flight, Jungle Cruise or POTC all for the first time? Seriously, out of all the places I've been to in my life, WDW is the place where I've never felt happier and a place that I'll never stop visiting and well, there are not a lot of places out there that make you want to come back a second time. I do, however, feel that even though I am jealous of those who make their annual WDW trips, maybe there is a downside perhaps of doing the same old, same old with not much variety. So I prefer the gaps to be not too short or not too long so I think going every 3-5 years doesn't sound too bad in for my future solo trips.
 
Upvote 0
ImagineerDude

ImagineerDude

Well-Known Member
11 weeks from my latest visit and it's still too long :cry: I think my longest gap was 2004 to 2007. So three years. I was so excited when we were going back in 07 I couldn't stand it! I used to cry on the last night at MK getting off the monorail...I don't know if I'm "growing up" or if I've been so much ('09, '10, '11, '12, '12, '12, and '13) lately that it has lost effect (don't get me wrong I still get goosebumps when I see the castle and I cry when I watch Wishes) that's why I'm kind of hoping we have a longer break, but not too long ;), before our next visit which is looking to be summer 2014 :happy: It's our 10th trip and I'm planning it to be the best one yet!!! :D:greedy::joyfull::)
 
Upvote 0
real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Club34 said:
Yeah, I went as a senior in HS in '89 with my family, then college and young adulthood happened. It just kind of clicked when I was 28 going on 29 that "hey, I work and have money and I can back on my own as an adult". So then I did for many years in a row. Now its been about 3-4 years due to grad school and a "divorce". I am looking forward to a trip solo this January but I am not sure I am up to it as the "world" was our shared place. Don't know if I'm up for it or not. Might be too sad. I have to early Dec. to cancel.
Click to expand...
Don't you dare cancel....:mad:... Go and enjoy a holiday of a lifetime..I have met so many people who have only dreamed of going just the once...Trust me,you will not regret the new memories that this magical land provides.;)
 
Upvote 0
Tinkerbella16

Tinkerbella16

Well-Known Member
I had a 4 your gap between my trip in 2008 and my last trip in 2012... Boy did my heart grow! I already have this love and obsession as it is, so the gap made me feel it even more! I was SO excited. While I was there, I really took the time to just stop and remember where I was, take it all in and appreciate being there. I told myself that I was not going to go that long with a trip ever again... unless money really does not allow it.

I am still even more excited for my upcoming trip in November. Even 1 year that passes makes you feel that way. I don't go more than once in a year so I love that excitement leading up to the annual trip! :joyfull:
 
Upvote 0

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom