When you are deciding where to go on vacation (anywhere) what factors do you consider?

[eliza61nyc]

For informational purposes only,lol there are no "right" or "wrong" answers.
What factors weigh in folks picking a vacation destination? what factors go into deciding on a Disney destination?
Is price/cost the primary motivation? familiarity? nostalgia? things to do?

It seems like one reoccurring theme for much dissatisfaction with the mouse world is Nostalgia, which is a bit foreign to me. I don't look at a vacation destination and think "we use to get XYZ". I tend to compare it to what's out there today. so for example the parking fees, I don't think "Disney never use to charge parking fees" I think "90% of places now have some type of resort/parking fee" so that's not something that would effect my decision.

For me, when I look at price it's in relation to other offerings, Disney versus going to the beach which is probably why I don't see the mouse world as so outrageously out of line. Generally I look at what I want to do first, so activities are important and then work from there.

How do others decide on a vacation destination?

 

[JIMINYCR]

Activities rule for me. If I enjoy what I'm going to be doing somewhere, that matters the most. Price doesnt come into the decision much. If I want to do something I will save for it no matter the cost. It just means I have to budget better. Prior places counts somewhat because I decide wether I had a decent time before. I dont compare places because I realize every place offers different options which goes back to the decision surrounding the activities. WDW vacations offer so many different activities and quality entertainment, that it is an easy decision to make.

 

[DisneyJoe]

For me, especially now that I am getting slightly older and have a physical disability, is how accessible is the location? I won't be one to do white water rafting or riding a donkey into the Grand Canyon.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

Lots of factors. For starters, we know what we'll get with WDW. We've been there and we know it will be a great vacation. Spend some money, yes, but you get your money's worth.

Second, make sure there are things for your kids to do, if you are bringing them.

Third, the price. How much will a hotel/resort cost? How much will the activities cost?

Lastly, word of mouth. I learned a lot about Southern California/Disneyland from reading these boards, so we took the plunge and went there. You should have no problem nowadays reading reviews, or hearing reviews. They are all out there.

 

[LUVofDIS]

For us it depends on the type of vacation we want, active, relaxing, party, etc.
Disney and hiking type vacations are our active vacations.
The Caribbean or any type of warm water vacation with SCUBA diving is a relaxing vacation with a hint of partying mixed in.
Visiting a city or historical area is educational with some relaxation and a little active mix.
Visiting friends that live faraway is usually relaxing except when we visit our friends in the Upper Peninsula of MI, than there is cold water SCUBA, four wheeling, Razor or snowmobiling.

Of course my idea of relaxing is snorkeling where my wife likes to lay on the beach.

We try to take one of each vacation type every year.

Price obviously has to play a part. Usually in the form of cost verse value. But also we can't afford a $20,000 one week trip, that wouldn't make sense to me.

We always compare one location against another. We are going to Jamaica later this year, we normally go to Negril, but this year we have someone who can't afford the location and she is single so that ruled out another resort in that location. We looked at the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana, Santo Domingo and La Romana) or Runaway Bay Jamaica, we compared all the pros and cons and ended up choosing Runaway Bay. The original list was many Islands and we just kept narrowing it down.

My point is there are many reasons and they all carry a different weight depending on what we are looking for and what we want to do. So I am unable to point to one thing and say it carries more weight. But it does get me thinking as to how I choose what I choose.

 

[Much-Pixie-Dust]

My criteria are 1) activities and restaurants that interest my family, 2) airfare prices when we are visiting, and 3) can I get there via a direct flight.

Like an above poster said, I will save the money if we feel it’s important to us.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

Prior places.

 

[Paper straw fan]

Well lets see here:

Activities- Wife and I have no desire to just 'sit by the pool/beach' for longer than a couple hours total. We tend not to really rest until we get home

Scenery- I want incredible things to look at- for me, this is mostly natural beauty (waterfalls, volcanoes/mountains, wild animals, etc) and for the wife it can be that, or impressive/historic structures, buildings, historic sites

Local atmosphere/crime- are we staying in an area that is safe to walk around in? How far are we from good places to eat and drink?

I'll just call this 'hassle' - how much of an ordeal is the travel there, how easy/hard is the language barrier, can we avoid peak season and still have nice weather and enough activity..

 

[Kevin_W]

Distance/travel time is part of the equation for me. I don't live near a major airport so with transfers/layovers it can take quite a bit longer to get to some locations and this eats up valuable vacation time.

It also affects price. Flight prices from non-hubs are quite a bit higher. (Or I can drive 6 hrs to Chicago or 9 hrs to JFK).

 

[Kevin_W]

Well lets see here:

Activities- Wife and I have no desire to just 'sit by the pool/beach' for longer than a couple hours total. We tend not to really rest until we get home

Scenery- I want incredible things to look at- for me, this is mostly natural beauty (waterfalls, volcanoes/mountains, wild animals, etc) and for the wife it can be that, or impressive/historic structures, buildings, historic sites

Local atmosphere/crime- are we staying in an area that is safe to walk around in? How far are we from good places to eat and drink?

I'll just call this 'hassle' - how much of an ordeal is the travel there, how easy/hard is the language barrier, can we avoid peak season and still have nice weather and enough activity..

Very good summary of our attitudes as well!

 

[Patcheslee]

#1 not listed for us is how much vacation time do we have for work. Right now I only have 5 vacation days left for the year, 1 will be used for a weekend trip to a local amusement park for her birthday. Save 2 in case kid gets sick before the end of the year. Leaves 2 days I can roll over into next year.
#2 Always budget
#3 What there is to do, always need a good pool and waterpark.

 

[DisneyDoctor]

I can't stand sitting by the pool for 7 days. The first two days are nice, but after that I just gets boring. That's why I prefer WDW over other places.

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

Just my dear wife and I....

1) NOT getting killed. Seriously, while we could do mini-vacations in Chicago? We don't. Sadly? Same for San Francisco - though I was born & raised there . Our last trip a couple of years ago was wonderful, for the Disney Museum. Rest of SF? ehhhh - not so much.
We are also avoiding most of Europe .

2) Getting past 1)..... QUALITY. Not vacationing where dear wife has to cook. SHE gets a vacation too . So we want GREAT dining. Oddly? Having been to Hawaii? This is why we don't go there.

3) PRICE - don't care that much. To us? It's a vacation. Just about every WDW trip sets us back around $6000.

4) (Sounds odd) - POLITICAL SITUATION: We are not going to an unstable area, either within, or outside of, the US. See 1). .

All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

1 My personal romantic image about a place
2 is it feasible time and moneywise?

 

[jloucks]

Lots missing from that list.

Some of the big ones for me are...

• Crowd levels. I don't do massive sweaty elbows and armpits.
• Safety. No crime zones only. This rules out lots of international destinations.
• Poverty. I avoid destitute areas. Too depressing.
• Language Barrier. No time for that. However, France is on my bucket list.

 

[Goofyernmost]

The only real factors that I use now are Cost and Desire. Last year for the first time in 35 years I didn't go to Florida. What I really wanted to do was be near the ocean, not on the beach other then walking in it, just the tranquility of the surf against the shore feeling. So instead of going from Raleigh to Orlando, (more expensive) it was Raleigh to Myrtle Beach, So. Carolina.

NC has beaches as well, but, I have a lot of history with Myrtle Beach and I hadn't been there in a number of years. So I guess for me it can be boiled down to desire, first... and Cost, second.... and opportunity, third... The last one is really strongly connected with desire now that I am retired.

Spoiler: In Reality

Cost will rule out desire almost every time. However, I like to think that I am in control instead of my bank account.

 

[Nottamus]

Its just the wife and I, so really its all about us going to a place we can 're-connect.' If we go to a place SHE likes and I'm meh about, its not right. and vice versa.

So when we go somewhere, its all about us both being happy. Energized, learning something, being entertained.

 

[21stamps]

My criteria are 1) activities and restaurants that interest my family, 2) airfare prices when we are visiting, and 3) can I get there via a direct flight.

Like an above poster said, I will save the money if we feel it’s important to us.

I echo this, and I’ll add- unique experiences.

Couldn’t choose an option because experiences and airfare/travel time/ease of getting around are all factors.