Why We Keep Returning to Walt Disney World

This fun travel-themed week just wouldn’t be complete without mention of Disney, would it?  So for a happy conclusion to Travel Week Extravaganza, please welcome Cheryl of Kids On a Plane, as she shares with us her family’s passion for returning to Disney World.

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Why We Keep Returning to Walt Disney World

Most people who know me in real life, know that I’m a Disney fanatic. I grew up watching many of the movies (some of which I have on VHS, DVD and now BluRay –they should stop coming out with new formats because it’s really expensive to keep rebuying the same movie!) and visited Walt Disney World many times with my family. Disney has played a big part in my life and still does today now that I have children of my own.

I’m currently planning my family’s first Disney Cruise as our family’s 3rd trip in 4 years (if you’re just talking about me then it will be my 12th or 13th – I’ve lost count).

Friends always ask “Isn’t Disney just for kids? Why do you keep going when there are other places in the world to see and explore?” Yes, we’ve been to other places (always in North America so far – Vegas, San Francisco, Michigan, etc) but Disney World always remains at the top of our family vacation list.

There are many reasons why Disney World is our go-to destination:

1. It’s relatively close to where we live

From Toronto, Ontario the flight to Orlando is about 3 hours long. It’s easy flying with a 4 and 1 year old. Less time for them to get restless.

2. It’s Magical

The music, the smells, the theming at Disney World resort hotels and parks, the cast members, the Disney Characters you meet at the parks and restaurants, other Disney World guests that you meet during your visit – everything is as magical as they make it out to be in the commercials.

Disney World today is much different than when I first visited in 1988 when there was only Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.

There’s always something new to see and do each time we visit and I love watching my kids experience my some of my favorite things about Disney World for the first time. The surprise and delight in their eyes when they ride “It’s a Small World” or meeting their favorite Disney character for the first time is priceless.

I will admit like any other parent that travels with young kids – it’s hard, it’s tiring and you’re constantly worrying about how they’re going to nap or sleep at night. Let me tell you. The only time we’ve never had to go back to a room with a crib or bed for nap time is when we were at Disney. Both kids napped for 2 hours in the stroller. And both kids on our previous trip slept for 12 hours straight at night for the entire week. That is magical enough, is it not?!

At home, we are averaging 1 hour for naps (for our 1 year old) and 8 hours at night for the both of them. What do we need to do to bring that magic back into our home?! TELL ME!

3. It’s Delicious

Our May 2012 trip was one we took with my in laws who both retired earlier this year.

GASP! Who in their right mind would do this? I love my in laws very much so I was excited to hear that they wanted to come with us even though I’m sure Disney was not their first choice for a vacation to celebrate their retirement.

My in laws have only been to Disney World once. This was back in the 1980s. Of course, being on a limited budget, they packed a kettle, instant noodles and instant oatmeal because they didn’t know what to expect in Florida. Nor did they want to eat hotdogs and burgers all week.

While we were preparing for our trip, my mother in law asked “Cheryl, do I need to bring a 2nd suitcase for a case of noodles for us? I think it should be enough for a few meals”. I laughed and said “Don’t worry, you can choose whatever you want – Canadian, Chinese, American, Mexican, Italian, French… we don’t need the noodles. Or granola bars or little boxes of cereal.”

We were on the Disney Dining Plan the entire week and my in laws were blown away by the options that were available. While we had dining reservations almost every day, it was really difficult for them to decide how to use their counter service credits. At EPCOT, it was very difficult as they wanted to try as many different foods from the World Showcase as possible.

We all had to go in different directions both days we visited EPCOT. We ate Tacos de Carne (Mexico), Fish & Chips (United Kingdom), Shawarma Platter (Morocco), Turkey Leg (America), and one table service lunch at Le Cellier in Canada (had to make sure they’re doing a good job of representing our country) – the steaks are TO DIE FOR, the Cheddar Cheese Soup is OUT OF THIS WORLD.

Snack credits were used the same way. Dole Whip ended up being their favorite as I predicted it would be (which we got in Magic Kingdom and at the Polynesian Resort) with the Napoleon from Boulangerie Patisserie a close 2nd.

By the end of the week they were stuffed. And they were happy.

When we were packing the night before flying home, my mother said “I’m so glad we got to eat well. Your dad and I didn’t have a burger or fries the entire week! So, what should I do with all these packs of instant noodles? I don’t have any more space in my suitcase”. HA HA HA! I kid you not. We left 10 packs of instant noodles in our hotel rooms because there was no space left in any suitcase or carry on.

My in-laws were actually the one that suggested a Disney Cruise in 2013. Yup, I’m traveling with my in laws again! Hopefully they leave the noodles and granola bars at home this time.

4. It’s Affordable

I know, there are a lot of parents out there who think that Disney is outrageously expensive, but I disagree! Disney offers vacation specials all the time and if you book during those promotions (we have done both the room discount and free dining promotion) you save quite a bit – sometimes hundreds of dollars.

There are plenty of options to choose from if you are looking to stay on property (Disney Resort) for all budgets and the really affordable ones are Value Resorts. Staying on property means your family also gets to make use of Extra Magic Hours and complimentary resort and airport transportation.

If you live close enough to drive you don’t have the added expense of airfare.

Being a one income family for the past 5 years, money is tight. Although I’d love to take my kids to Asia, Europe and many more parts of the world that my husband and I explored before kids, I can’t. It’s not in our budget. The affordability of a Disney World vacation and the learning opportunities that Disney World provides (EPCOT’s World Showcase, Animal Kingdom’s Maharajah Jungle Trek to name a few) is what I’m hoping will encourage my kids to want to continue exploring the world with us when they are older. When we are mortgage free and we have a bigger vacation budget 

There are many reasons why our family keeps returning to WDW. It’s for the memories we made on previous trips and the special memories we hope to make on future trips.
Does your family have a special place you always return to? I’d love to hear about it and the reason(s) why it’s your top family vacation destination.

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Cheryl, her husband and their 2 kids live in Toronto, Ontario Canada. Never one to pay full price, Cheryl spends her free time scouring the internet for discount codes or promotions for family friendly vacation packages. Yes, she probably needs to find another hobby. Her family can be found on a plane at least once a year and 90% of the time you can bet that their plane is headed to Orlando, Florida. Check out Cheryl’s blog Kids On A Plane (no, she’s never seen the movie Snakes On A Plane so there’s no need to ask her what her favorite part was) or chat with her on Facebook or Twitter.

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This post is part of Travel Week Extravaganza.  It does contain a sponsored link. There were other great travel related articles, and travel gear reviews & giveaways all week… so be sure to check out the fun by clicking the button below.