When is too much too much?

[real mad hatter]

Hi everyone.Just been reading some threads today and it got me wondering.( what's new eh ) Iam a great believer in if you do something or go somewhere too often,it gets boring.Examples like eating out at your favourite restaurant every week,or going on vacation four times a year to the very same place.Now don't get me wrong,am not jealous of those of you who go every year or go several times a year,honest.Even if I could afford to go to WDW every year for 14 nights,I wouldn't.When our two yearly vacation is zooming in I love planning out new stuff and all the rest of the magic things to do.Just curious about the folk who go more than once a year,is it not a bit like De Ja Vu.Like "here we go again" same rides,same sights,same shows,etc.Does anyone agree with my theory or am I as mad as a hatter.

 

[disneygirl76]

Well you are mad but that's why we love ya! Actually, I totally get this thought and we go once a year. I try to make each year new and different. Go for different lengths of time, go at a different time of year, try something new. So it breaks it up and its not always the same. We actually don't plan on going back into WDW until 2015. Next year will be (hopefully) a resort only trip for a couple of days and then Disneyland and then 2014 will be a Disney Cruise out of NYC. I have found that if you go into the parks every couple of years, then you get to experience more new stuff. I can't say whether or not it gets old or not. I don't know what its like going more then once a year. But as for going once a year, I want the experience to be some of the new and some of the old.

 

[MKCP 1985]

Well you ARE mad as a hatter, but you are on to something. Most long term members of this forum that I know agree with taking a break to make it more special. Still, you will have no problem finding people here who would go every day if they could.

For me, Walt Disney World's charms are most special if I go once every couple of years, or even an annual trip. When I go more often than that, I tend to pay more attention to the price of things or other negative details.

 

[Vader2112]

Hatter, I have to tend to agree with you. We live in FL and are anual passholders. I enjoy going to the parks as my 2 and 4 year olds never tire or the rides, shows, etc. My last trip I found myself actually thinking I can not wait to go back to the hotel while at MK . I do not know if this was because of the frequent visits, the heat, the kids only wanting to do meet and greets, or the fact that I learned that I was rather ill when we retruned home. We live about 90 miles from WDW but still like to stay on property. I find myself enjoying the resorts as there is the feeling of being in a bubble while on property which we have discussed before.
Well with that said and myself on the mend we plan on attending the MNSSHP on 10/21. So funny the first thing I am able to do physically will be a trip back to the World!
The other thing that quells this "same ole" feeling has been watching the progress of New Fantasyland and being able to have the preview in November. I am also creating a Disney bucket list, beleive it or not even after numerous trips to the parks there are still several things I have just never done.

 

[Tomi-Rocket]

I know people who go more than once a year and I've often wondered if I would enjoy that. We go every other year and each time we've gone there is something new to see, which I LOVE! So I don't know, to be honest. I've never heard of anyone who goes often that they get bored with it, though. I've heard more people say they didn't like WDW! Those are the crazy people, as we all know.

 

[Britt]

I totally agree and have wondered the same thing! But here I am, soooooo upset that I've barely been on here, that I can't go for another 2 years (2014). Reading other peoples reports totally depresses me and bums me out (except Shookies. I had to read his).

WHY??? It's the same rides...same food...heat...crowds. WHY am I so bummed about not going? LMAO. It's seriously pathetic.

 

[ShookieJones]

Good question. Bottom line? They got me hooked. I'm back every year and I love it.
My parents took me when I was young. WDW with all their short comings of late still do something right
that they've always done - Customer service. You go to the magic bubble you get treated like a king or queen
you feel good you get that taste and now you have happy nostalgic memories about this 'magical place' Your hooked and coming back year after year..and you bring your kids and now their hooked.. What a plan WDW has!!

I tend to do the same things over every year..but I always sprinkle in something new - a resort - a restaraunt - an attraction - a ticketed event...etc. etc. The last two years we added in Universal for two days so that breaks things up a bit. I am also considering Sea World or Busch Gardens in the near future as well.
Here is the thing if I could go back twice a year I would. why? Because there is so much to do and see
I think one of those vacation those two yearly vacations would be a lot less hectic a lot more resort hopping and maybe a couple extra TS meals etc..the other trip would be more ride \ attraction oriented.

@Britt thanks for reading..I've said many times how gut wrenching it is to be done with your vacation and come here and talk to people who are getting ready to go on their vacations...it may be pathetic..but the it's also true. With that being said...I'm honored that you're reading my TR...

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

Great question Hatter! When my son was younger we averaged two trips a year, and it started getting stale to me. So, we cut down to once a year, or at the very least, once every 2 years but I STILL get excited going once a year. (Missed last year due to DH's work schedule) I am a creature of habit, by nature, and still go to Disney with nostalgia on my mind, reliving my childhood and my DS's. We try different things every year, to try to keep it new, but nothing beats lying in bed, at your favorite resort, after a long, exhausting, absolute fabulous day.

 

[Blueskyze]

We've been multiple times this year, but every year will not be this way. We were just introduced to the magic in 2011. We knew we'd be making 2 trips in 2012 (one adults-only, one family), so it made more sense for us to upgrade to APs. Since we had those, we have squeezed in 2 more short trips and are planning one more long one before they expire. For us, everything has been brand new - trying new restaurants, discovering new things each time in the parks, etc. This will also probably be the only time we'll able to do the adults-only thing, because we are in the process of adopting more children! By next year (fingers crossed!), our lives and family will be very different, and we'll be planning carefully just to do one annual trip. So, in all of my trips this year, I have tried to appreciate every minute, and soak up all the magic that I can, knowing that this is probably the only year I'll be going so frequently.

 

[Tiggerfanatic]

I live an hour away from Kennywood - my daughter and her friends go at least once a month every summer, sometimes more. A girl in my office has 3 timeshares - 2 at the beach and one in Vegas. Takes 3 vacations every year, same beach, same ocean, same resort, same golf course. My husband goes to Montana every other year on a hunting trip - same mountain, same ranch, same elk herd. He also goes to Bike Week in Daytona every spring, and Bike-tober Fest every fall - stays at the same condo, rides the same roads, talks to the same dealers, sees the same half-naked drunk women on motorcycles (haha just kidding!)

I look at it this way - if I'm going to do and see the same thing time after time, I choose to see Mickey!

 

[LuLaSue]

Great Question! We typically go once a year with a shorter weekend hop in between, trying something new each time. Maybe we try a tour or a few new dining spots or maybe just exploring our resort more. Some years we dedicate more time to a certain park, getting into all the nooks and crannies. We always leave saying..."When we come back, let's try____."

 

[zurgandfriend]

Everyone is different leave it at that. My in-laws go to the same cottage on the same beach for the same week every year. They sit on the beach all day, which is my idea of nothing, but they love it.
Our good friends go to WDW twice a year every year for the past 15 years and always stay at the Wilderness Lodge. That’s what they like, if I went that often I would stay at every resort there was but again that’s me. 30 years in the military and 15 more in civil service and I have been everywhere in the world including a lot of places I didn’t really want to go so Disney is just right for me.

 

[bdearl41]

I understand your sentiment for sure. I love Disney World, and always have. However, for my wife and I, about once every 2-3 years is plenty. We also love to go to other places, mountain, beach etc. And we make sure to take at least one trip a year overseas. If I had gone to WDW every year, I would have missed out on many of the 33 countries over 5 continents I have been to. Seeing the world has been my greatest gift in life. My wife and I plan to go to India next fall, Brazil for the world cup. After than we plan to have children, in which case our trips to WDW will be better fit, but for us right now, the same thing over and over, though could be incredible, causes us to miss out on so much and we personally dont want that.

 

[real mad hatter]

Cool answers everybody.Yes there are still things new I come across and yes Iam hooked and admit being a Disney geek.Even tho next year were off to Dubai,I still dream about my 2014 vacation to WDW.

 

[pixiesteno]

I can kind of agree with this. When our son was in school in FL we did more trips to WDW as he was right in the Orlando area. From 2009 - 2010 I was at WDW on 5 trips. I enjoyed each and every trip but I found that I was not dying to get to the parks each and every morning. I still love being in the WDW "bubble" but have learned to enjoy other aspects of being on property.
It is funny DH and I were discussing this yesterday when planning for our 25th anniversary trip in January 2013. We were going to pull the travel trailer out of a snowbank and take it. But after our discussion on the logistics of pulling a 29 ft travel trailer from western NY to FL in the dead of winter we decided to explore staying on property at a resort and saving the RV trip for better weather. As there are discounts out now for the time period we did some preliminary planning and DH suggested that we try a new resort for this trip. So that is something exciting and new/different from other trips!

 

[Alison1975]

We def experienced a little "oh that again" this trip. It had been 13 months ( and before that 11 years) since the last trip. HS was a bust for us..I had no desire to see the shows again ( spent 2 full days there last year) so it was a few hour park tops for us. Everywhere else we had no issues doing new things and it wasn't until the LAST day in the parks when I was like "ok..i'm done.. ".. now crazy us..we are going back net year btu this time we will have an even different group dynamic and most of the expansion in FL will be open.. and we are doing hoppers and water parks..which my younger 3 have never done..

 

[luv]

Having lived where we were buried under piles of snow for half the year, I think there is no such thing as too much Florida in the winter. I would bail 3-5 times a year.

But I never limited myself to Disney. There is a lot to see and do just in Orlando. People who don't go to Uni are, IMO, deprived of an amazing experience. Then there is Sea World. Throw in a drive and you can add Busch Gardens or the KSC. Then there is all the general tourist stuff.

If all you ever do is go to Disney, I suppose one visit a year is enough to satisfy anyone.

If you open yourself to all of Florida, the list goes on forever, lol.

 

[KCheatle]

Great Topic!! Whenever I'm leaving WDW and I start feeling that depression about "I want to come back...like next week." I tell myself that it wouldn't be any fun to come back that soon. The merchandise will be the same, the rides will be the same, the shows will be the same, even the construction will be the same - nothing will be different. Part of the fun of going is that things are different each time - there's new shows, rides, t-shirts, etc. If you go too often, the excitement about those new things is lost. So, I tell myself that we can't come back for at least 10 months to a year after each trip becasue we want things to be different the next time around. Some may say that this is even too quick of a return (my DH included), but I say I've only got about an 8 year window before my children stop believing in this magic, so I'm going to maximize that time. I think once every year - 18 months is a good schedule for WDW trips

 

[tracyandalex]

I love going to the parks, but since we have discovered DCL I would rather do that. That being said DD loves the parks and because she has yet to see a lot of things I am not yet bored. Seeing her see things for the first time (every time is like the first time for her now because her memory is so short at this age) has given new breath to the things I've seen a hundred times. Now if not for DD we'd definitely be taking more trips other places. I'm pretty sure we will always go to WDW at least once per year though because we love it that much.
Also, I do try to do something new each time such as staying at a resort we've never stayed at or eating at a restaurant we've never been to.

 

[SMS55]

We've done multiple trips a year on many ocassions when my economic situation was good. Our trips are quick though. They are no more than 3-4 days, so perhaps that's why it doesn't get stale for us. We live 3.5 hours so it's not a long drive for us and requires little planning. We plan around the long weekends the kids have off from school. Deep down I'm a big kid so I enjoy it as much as my kids. Also since we take short trips you can't possibly do everything, even though we do more in 2 days than most people do in 5 or 6. There's always something we didn't get to do. Last time we went Big Thunder was still closed so that's one thing I am looking forward to when I go in 2 weeks. When I went in November we did MK in the morning and hopped over to EPCOT in the afternoon. It was too late for fast passes for Soarin' so that was something we were excited for when we went in May. For us Disney offers a quick escape from the daily grind. The wife and I get to act like kids for a few days too and you rarely get to do that.