WDW As The Only Vacation Option: Why?

[Raineman]

I live 2000 miles away from WDW. It is my only vacation destination. I don't care if Genie+ is going to charge $$$$, I am not going anywhere else for vacation, ever.

Reasons:

1. Other places are disgusting. Seattle (been there) is too hilly to walk, with lots of garbage and homeless people on the streets. New York city (never been there) is gross and full of crime. I have never seen a show about NYC without seeing somebody getting mugged or molested. In the Disney Channel Show JESSIE, Jessie the nanny took the kids to a subway ride in NYC, and some guy was shaving his head right next to the kids in the crowded subway, and lumps of cut hair was landing all over the kids!
2. National Parks are full of bears, mosquitos, and endless tourists and cars. There's nothing to do there besides walking. (I know because I live right next to a national park.)
3. Europe has disgusting restrooms, incomprehensible languages, huge lines for famous sites. There's nothing in Hawaii except sit on the beach.
4. We used to go on driving trip where you can stop and learn local history. History sucks. It's stuff they teach you at school to keep you busy, and you don't ever remember or care about it when you grow up.

And above all, there's nothing for kids to do. I assure you, they don't want to learn history. They don't want to wait in line to get on Eiffel Tower or the Space Needle or Van Gogh's museum. They don't want to hike endlessly to get to some lake with nothing in it. I don't want to walk among loud traffic in Manhattan while seeing garbage on the streets. And most importantly, I don't want to get mugged.

Here is what you can do in Disney World: you can sit on the white sand beach in Caribbean Beach Resort. You can visit France in Epcot, or Morocco if you prefer. You can watch a giant wave at Typhoon Lagoon, with numerous life guards around. You can ride a gondola for free. You can get a basic history lesson in Spaceship Earth (that's the only history lesson that doesn't bore me.) Everywhere you go, it's scrubbed spotless. You won't run into a homeless guy begging for food (that happened to me). You can take your kids to go on rides, watch parades or fireworks or shows, eat at an interesting restaurant or quick service spot. The fun is endless. Every day there's something to do, and everyday, everybody has fun.

I don't go to Disneyland (been there) or go on Disney Cruises (done that). Disneyland is too much of a dump, and the Disney cruises are too confining, I was stuck on a boat for 3 days. I've been to many other places, including Asia. They all suck. Disney World is the only place to be.

Well then. Some hot takes and generalizations in there, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so I'll just leave it at that.

 

[aliceismad]

Some people enjoy the familiarity and tradition of vacationing in one place most of the time. I'm not really one of those people, but I know some who buy a vacation house in their vacation destination of choice and spend every vacation there.

 

[Raineman]

Some people enjoy the familiarity and tradition of vacationing in one place most of the time. I'm not really one of those people, but I know some who buy a vacation house in their vacation destination of choice and spend every vacation there.

I've known people who have visited the same resort in the Caribbean 30 or more times, and plan to keep returning. That's definitely not something I would do, but, if they like it, good on them.

 

[aliceismad]

I've known people who have visited the same resort in the Caribbean 30 or more times, and plan to keep returning. That's definitely not something I would do, but, if they like it, good on them.

I do too. It's also common among cruisers. They like making friends and checking in with certain crewmembers and whatnot. It makes them feel like they're "home" while on vacation I guess.

I have a certain set of vacation types I prefer (mostly beach, cruise, Disney), but that's partly out of convenience as well. My husband makes me mix it up more with cities and skiing and things. He would prefer to never repeat a vacation (unless it's Vegas). But other than Disney we've never stayed in the same resort or ship twice.

 

[Andrew25]

Never saw WDW or any theme park destination as a vacation, rather a getaway/weekend excursion.

 

[Stellajack]

Yikes, we do WDW most of the time, not as a "vacation", but as an adventure. In 2019 we did a WW2 battlefields tour which took us to about 7 countries as well as being at Omaha Beach on June 6, 2019 for the ceremonies. We personally outgrew beach vacations after our children were grown. Barring more Covid shutdowns, we will be in Rome next May for 8 days with our roundtrip airfare and Hotel Bernini Bristol cost to be $3,900. We believe that it is best for us to spread any extra leisure time or $'s around for different experiences. Still, WDW continues to draw us.

 

[Namaari]

Some people enjoy the familiarity and tradition of vacationing in one place most of the time. I'm not really one of those people, but I know some who buy a vacation house in their vacation destination of choice and spend every vacation there.

Agreed! My parents continued to go without me when I had my "I'm a teenager now and I'm sick of Disney" phase way back in the day, and have said they will continue to go to WDW every year until they physically (or mentally) cannot go anymore. They love the familiarity, the convenience/ease, and the magic of everything! They have branched out over the years to other vacation destinations, but Disney will always be a part of our family.

 

[monothingie]

I live 2000 miles away from WDW. It is my only vacation destination. I don't care if Genie+ is going to charge $$$$, I am not going anywhere else for vacation, ever.

Reasons:

1. Other places are disgusting. Seattle (been there) is too hilly to walk, with lots of garbage and homeless people on the streets. New York city (never been there) is gross and full of crime. I have never seen a show about NYC without seeing somebody getting mugged or molested. In the Disney Channel Show JESSIE, Jessie the nanny took the kids to a subway ride in NYC, and some guy was shaving his head right next to the kids in the crowded subway, and lumps of cut hair was landing all over the kids!
2. National Parks are full of bears, mosquitos, and endless tourists and cars. There's nothing to do there besides walking. (I know because I live right next to a national park.)
3. Europe has disgusting restrooms, incomprehensible languages, huge lines for famous sites. There's nothing in Hawaii except sit on the beach.
4. We used to go on driving trip where you can stop and learn local history. History sucks. It's stuff they teach you at school to keep you busy, and you don't ever remember or care about it when you grow up.

And above all, there's nothing for kids to do. I assure you, they don't want to learn history. They don't want to wait in line to get on Eiffel Tower or the Space Needle or Van Gogh's museum. They don't want to hike endlessly to get to some lake with nothing in it. I don't want to walk among loud traffic in Manhattan while seeing garbage on the streets. And most importantly, I don't want to get mugged.

Here is what you can do in Disney World: you can sit on the white sand beach in Caribbean Beach Resort. You can visit France in Epcot, or Morocco if you prefer. You can watch a giant wave at Typhoon Lagoon, with numerous life guards around. You can ride a gondola for free. You can get a basic history lesson in Spaceship Earth (that's the only history lesson that doesn't bore me.) Everywhere you go, it's scrubbed spotless. You won't run into a homeless guy begging for food (that happened to me). You can take your kids to go on rides, watch parades or fireworks or shows, eat at an interesting restaurant or quick service spot. The fun is endless. Every day there's something to do, and everyday, everybody has fun.

I don't go to Disneyland (been there) or go on Disney Cruises (done that). Disneyland is too much of a dump, and the Disney cruises are too confining, I was stuck on a boat for 3 days. I've been to many other places, including Asia. They all suck. Disney World is the only place to be.

 

[Joel]

Wait a second, I didn't even know it was possible to go to Disney World and still have money left over for other vacations too...

 

[Raineman]

Wait a second, I didn't even know it was possible to go to Disney World and still have money left over for other vacations too...

Sometimes, when you pile as much into savings as you can, and the other vacations are cheap (last minute Caribbean resort bookings are great as far as $$).

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Over the years that I've been on this board, I have gotten the impression that, when it comes to vacations, WDW seems to be the only option for some people. And, now, with the furor over Genie +, some people, who say they visit WDW multiple times a year, are stating that they will not be returning, or not visiting as much, and I get the impression that they don't know what they will do with their vacation time if they are not at WDW. I have asked this question before, but why would you make WDW your ONLY vacation option? I know the love people have for this place, but there are so many other experiences out there, and to intentionally deny yourself of them is doing a disservice to yourself. Even looking at the US alone, there are so many interesting/historical places to, so much natural beauty to see. Then, (pandemic permitting), you have other countries that can offer the same types of things and more. We have been visiting WDW every year to 2 years since 2014-but they aren't the only vacations we take. We love spending a week at an all-inclusive Caribbean beach resort. We've also visited the Orlando area a couple of times, just to rent a vacation home, sit around the pool, and get out to see local places like Kennedy or a spring training game. I would love to someday drive part/all of Route 66. We've been to Nashville a couple of times. We've spent time in Savannah, Georgia, which is an amazing place, especially for history/paranormal buffs. Deciding to stop giving Disney your vacation $, and going somewhere else, will be a blessing in disguise, and maybe widen your horizons and show that a theme park is not the be-all, end-all of vacations.

There a sick kinda mindwarp with some people.
there really isn’t a “logical” explanation for some

 

[Archie123]

I live 2000 miles away from WDW. It is my only vacation destination. I don't care if Genie+ is going to charge $$$$, I am not going anywhere else for vacation, ever.

Reasons:

1. Other places are disgusting. Seattle (been there) is too hilly to walk, with lots of garbage and homeless people on the streets. New York city (never been there) is gross and full of crime. I have never seen a show about NYC without seeing somebody getting mugged or molested. In the Disney Channel Show JESSIE, Jessie the nanny took the kids to a subway ride in NYC, and some guy was shaving his head right next to the kids in the crowded subway, and lumps of cut hair was landing all over the kids!
2. National Parks are full of bears, mosquitos, and endless tourists and cars. There's nothing to do there besides walking. (I know because I live right next to a national park.)
3. Europe has disgusting restrooms, incomprehensible languages, huge lines for famous sites. There's nothing in Hawaii except sit on the beach.
4. We used to go on driving trip where you can stop and learn local history. History sucks. It's stuff they teach you at school to keep you busy, and you don't ever remember or care about it when you grow up.

And above all, there's nothing for kids to do. I assure you, they don't want to learn history. They don't want to wait in line to get on Eiffel Tower or the Space Needle or Van Gogh's museum. They don't want to hike endlessly to get to some lake with nothing in it. I don't want to walk among loud traffic in Manhattan while seeing garbage on the streets. And most importantly, I don't want to get mugged.

Here is what you can do in Disney World: you can sit on the white sand beach in Caribbean Beach Resort. You can visit France in Epcot, or Morocco if you prefer. You can watch a giant wave at Typhoon Lagoon, with numerous life guards around. You can ride a gondola for free. You can get a basic history lesson in Spaceship Earth (that's the only history lesson that doesn't bore me.) Everywhere you go, it's scrubbed spotless. You won't run into a homeless guy begging for food (that happened to me). You can take your kids to go on rides, watch parades or fireworks or shows, eat at an interesting restaurant or quick service spot. The fun is endless. Every day there's something to do, and everyday, everybody has fun.

I don't go to Disneyland (been there) or go on Disney Cruises (done that). Disneyland is too much of a dump, and the Disney cruises are too confining, I was stuck on a boat for 3 days. I've been to many other places, including Asia. They all suck. Disney World is the only place to be.

You are either trolling or you have zero clue on life outside of WDW. My guess is you are a just a troll.

 

[rio]

You are either trolling or you have zero clue on life outside of WDW. My guess is you are a just a troll.

I’ve met people actually like this. There’s a lot more people who genuinely believe everything they said than you’d think.

 

[Archie123]

I’ve met people actually like this. There’s a lot more people who genuinely believe everything they said than you’d think.

Sad to think there are people like that.

 

[Heppenheimer]

I live 2000 miles away from WDW. It is my only vacation destination. I don't care if Genie+ is going to charge $$$$, I am not going anywhere else for vacation, ever.

Reasons:

1. Other places are disgusting. Seattle (been there) is too hilly to walk, with lots of garbage and homeless people on the streets. New York city (never been there) is gross and full of crime. I have never seen a show about NYC without seeing somebody getting mugged or molested. In the Disney Channel Show JESSIE, Jessie the nanny took the kids to a subway ride in NYC, and some guy was shaving his head right next to the kids in the crowded subway, and lumps of cut hair was landing all over the kids!
2. National Parks are full of bears, mosquitos, and endless tourists and cars. There's nothing to do there besides walking. (I know because I live right next to a national park.)
3. Europe has disgusting restrooms, incomprehensible languages, huge lines for famous sites. There's nothing in Hawaii except sit on the beach.
4. We used to go on driving trip where you can stop and learn local history. History sucks. It's stuff they teach you at school to keep you busy, and you don't ever remember or care about it when you grow up.

I'm not going to comment on going to Disney World every year, or even try to convince anyone to do anything else, but I should make some clarifications here.

Although not every country is the same, you often pay to use the restrooms in Europe. Two benefits to this system. It discourages people from using the toilet as a drug den or dumping ground for whatever trash they want to get rid of. It also usually pays the salary of the attendant whose job is to keep the restroom as clean as possible. Once again, not every country is the same, but the roadside and restaurant toilets in Germany, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland the Netherlands and Scandinavia are generally extremely clean. True, I have seen some truly disgusting unattended toilet "pods" (that's the best word I can use to describe them) along the Autoroutes in France (but the actual staffed rest station toilets are generally very clean), the "squatty potties" I encountered in the early 2000s in the Balkans were pretty nasty, and I was once on a train in eastern Poland where the "toilet" emptied directly onto the tracks. But for the most part, restrooms in Western Europe, at least, are far, far cleaner from what you usually find in the US.

English is by and large the common language across Europe. As a tourist, it is extremely rare that you will ever need the services of someone who can not at least roughly converse in the language, and most will be fluent. And the signage along the roads, in train stations and in airports is designed to be mostly language-neutral for a multilingual continent. Even the machines you use to buy transportation tickets in most countries will allow you to select English as an option.

There's a handful of ultra-popular historical sites with exceptionally long lines, but increasingly, just like with Fastpasses, you can make timed reservations to avoid long waits. And for every one of the stereotypical "greatest hits" that everyone wants a picture of on Instragram (the Mona Lisa is probably the worst of these), there's dozens more lesser known attractions or sites that require no wait. That was one of the things I loved about living in Germany and Belgium. Just driving a slightly different route home from work, I would stumble upon some interesting cultural site that I had never heard about before. Beyond the highlights of "Rick Steves' Europe", there's just so much to see and discover.

Granted, visiting Europe is not for everyone, and I'm not trying convince anyone who doesn't want to visit that they should reconsider. But at least base that decision on accurate information, not stereotypes that may have already been outdated decades ago.

 

[Nottamus]

It’s not the destination as much as how the destination makes you feel here (pointing to my heart)

just the wife and I and we both like how each OTHER reacts to wdw. We reconnect. Relax. Soak it in. Reconnect some more.

There are many many other destinations, this is the one we decided to visit frequently based on how we feel, and the memories we make.

so, it’s Wdw —-until it’s not

 

[marni1971]

New York city (never been there)

You lost me at that.

 

[Horizons '83]

So for me, its not the only vacation option for me and my wife, but we do go 1 or 2 times a year, which will most likely shrink to 1 next year. We live in Atlanta, GA, its a 7 hour easy drive and I have family that lives in Orlando, so its a no brainer a lot of the time if we are trying to get out of town for a few days. The pools at many of the resorts are world class, in fact we always build pool days into our plans. We are big resort pool people, so that plays a huge role in our decisions too.

I am not a fan of flying, a stupid phobia, but if I have a choice I'd rather drive. Prior to Covid, we did have some different plans to go to Montana and the central coast of California but of course got derailed.

 

[91JLovesDisney]

I live 2000 miles away from WDW. It is my only vacation destination. I don't care if Genie+ is going to charge $$$$, I am not going anywhere else for vacation, ever.

Reasons:

1. Other places are disgusting. Seattle (been there) is too hilly to walk, with lots of garbage and homeless people on the streets. New York city (never been there) is gross and full of crime. I have never seen a show about NYC without seeing somebody getting mugged or molested. In the Disney Channel Show JESSIE, Jessie the nanny took the kids to a subway ride in NYC, and some guy was shaving his head right next to the kids in the crowded subway, and lumps of cut hair was landing all over the kids!
2. National Parks are full of bears, mosquitos, and endless tourists and cars. There's nothing to do there besides walking. (I know because I live right next to a national park.)
3. Europe has disgusting restrooms, incomprehensible languages, huge lines for famous sites. There's nothing in Hawaii except sit on the beach.
4. We used to go on driving trip where you can stop and learn local history. History sucks. It's stuff they teach you at school to keep you busy, and you don't ever remember or care about it when you grow up.

And above all, there's nothing for kids to do. I assure you, they don't want to learn history. They don't want to wait in line to get on Eiffel Tower or the Space Needle or Van Gogh's museum. They don't want to hike endlessly to get to some lake with nothing in it. I don't want to walk among loud traffic in Manhattan while seeing garbage on the streets. And most importantly, I don't want to get mugged.

Here is what you can do in Disney World: you can sit on the white sand beach in Caribbean Beach Resort. You can visit France in Epcot, or Morocco if you prefer. You can watch a giant wave at Typhoon Lagoon, with numerous life guards around. You can ride a gondola for free. You can get a basic history lesson in Spaceship Earth (that's the only history lesson that doesn't bore me.) Everywhere you go, it's scrubbed spotless. You won't run into a homeless guy begging for food (that happened to me). You can take your kids to go on rides, watch parades or fireworks or shows, eat at an interesting restaurant or quick service spot. The fun is endless. Every day there's something to do, and everyday, everybody has fun.

I don't go to Disneyland (been there) or go on Disney Cruises (done that). Disneyland is too much of a dump, and the Disney cruises are too confining, I was stuck on a boat for 3 days. I've been to many other places, including Asia. They all suck. Disney World is the only place to be.

Holy mackerel you're particular

I used to live in Seattle, and while there is an abundance of homeless there's definitely fun things to do - Space Needle is fun, Pike Place market is fun, you can eat on the docks, there's lots of cool old shops, it's really about the experience. I've also been to NYC and had a great time - less homeless people than Seattle, I wasn't mugged, our experience with the subway was just fine (I wouldn't trust what you see in a kids show)

I've been to London, France, and Italy and while I find "incomprehensible languages" a little inappropriate, I'll admit that it was nice to find English speakers, and long lines to get in a church can be tiring to say the least. I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything though.

I pretty much agree with you on driving trips...

I was only 14 when I visited the Eiffel Tower and I loved it - I basically sprinted up the stairs.

THAT BEING SAID, while I love Disney, sometimes it's nice to have a change, for learning. If all you know is being treated like royalty at a Disney resort, the more you do it the more you're gonna hate experiences that AREN'T Disney.

 

[nor'easter]

I live 2000 miles away from WDW. It is my only vacation destination. I don't care if Genie+ is going to charge $$$$, I am not going anywhere else for vacation, ever.

Reasons:

1. Other places are disgusting. Seattle (been there) is too hilly to walk, with lots of garbage and homeless people on the streets. New York city (never been there) is gross and full of crime. I have never seen a show about NYC without seeing somebody getting mugged or molested. In the Disney Channel Show JESSIE, Jessie the nanny took the kids to a subway ride in NYC, and some guy was shaving his head right next to the kids in the crowded subway, and lumps of cut hair was landing all over the kids!
2. National Parks are full of bears, mosquitos, and endless tourists and cars. There's nothing to do there besides walking. (I know because I live right next to a national park.)
3. Europe has disgusting restrooms, incomprehensible languages, huge lines for famous sites. There's nothing in Hawaii except sit on the beach.
4. We used to go on driving trip where you can stop and learn local history. History sucks. It's stuff they teach you at school to keep you busy, and you don't ever remember or care about it when you grow up.

And above all, there's nothing for kids to do. I assure you, they don't want to learn history. They don't want to wait in line to get on Eiffel Tower or the Space Needle or Van Gogh's museum. They don't want to hike endlessly to get to some lake with nothing in it. I don't want to walk among loud traffic in Manhattan while seeing garbage on the streets. And most importantly, I don't want to get mugged.

Here is what you can do in Disney World: you can sit on the white sand beach in Caribbean Beach Resort. You can visit France in Epcot, or Morocco if you prefer. You can watch a giant wave at Typhoon Lagoon, with numerous life guards around. You can ride a gondola for free. You can get a basic history lesson in Spaceship Earth (that's the only history lesson that doesn't bore me.) Everywhere you go, it's scrubbed spotless. You won't run into a homeless guy begging for food (that happened to me). You can take your kids to go on rides, watch parades or fireworks or shows, eat at an interesting restaurant or quick service spot. The fun is endless. Every day there's something to do, and everyday, everybody has fun.

I don't go to Disneyland (been there) or go on Disney Cruises (done that). Disneyland is too much of a dump, and the Disney cruises are too confining, I was stuck on a boat for 3 days. I've been to many other places, including Asia. They all suck. Disney World is the only place to be.

Dumbest post I've seen in a long time.