Why I keep returning to Disney
One question I always get asked is ‘why do you keep going back?’ These people do have a point. There is the whole world to explore out there, but for some reason this 39 square mile patch of land in a city on the other side of the pond keeps pulling me back. I could make a really bad ‘Moana’ reference here, but I won’t – but if you are now singing that song in your head then, ‘you’re welcome’ (yep, sorry if you are singing that one too, and now you know how my family feel!) I first visited WDW in 1994 after university and had the most amazing time. Only two years earlier I’d returned to the love of Disney that I’d had as a child with the release of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Nearly 20 years, one husband, and two kids later, I returned to WDW in Oct 2012. The plan was to take the children on a ‘once in a life time’ trip. They were 8 and 5. It was as amazing as I had remembered and the children were in awe of everything.
As with a lot of people this ‘once in a life time’ trip turned out to be anything but. We returned in 2014 and have been returning ever since then. We have stayed off site, on site, become DVC members, had an Annual Pass, and in 2016 discovered Disney Cruise line.
When you find your happy place, you catch hold of it. For me Disney is my happy place. It doesn’t matter your age, you can feel like a child again and you will find your own way of enjoying it. As my children have grown up our Disney experience has gone from being all about character meets to being all about the rides. And each age that they have gone has given us different memories.
Familiarity is also part of it. Both me and my son are autistic and knowing where our favourite spots are and how we can get away from the crowds, is invaluable. Yes, there are new rides and new experiences each time we go, but the essence of Disney remains the same.
We sometimes play the game of ‘signs you are a Disney family’. A lot of our shared memories contain in jokes and references to experiences we shared. Like the time we got stuck in Hollywood Studios in a torrential downpour and whilst three of us sought shelter in the entrance of the ABC Commissary, my daughter refused and just danced in the rain. Or the time we got stuck at Epcot in the rain and we joked about my husband running from ‘Germany’ in the World Showcase back to the Mouse Gears shop while we were waiting.
Or the time she ran at Goofy when she was five and nearly knocked him over. Or her very first character interaction when there was no queue for Snow White but she was too nervous to walk up to her. So Snow White came over, took her hand, and led her to the spot.
Just the other day I was in the car with her and Earth Wind and Fire’s ‘September’ came on the radio. Her first comment was ‘I feel like the car should be spinning’. No, she wasn’t referring to my driving, but the fact that this was the song we had playing during 6 out of the 9 times we rode ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind’ in 2022.
Family holidays are made of things that generate a lifetime of memories and Disney definitely does that for us.
Disney does what it can to make the experience work for everyone. We have had a lot of use out of the DAS (Disability Accessibility Service) Pass. This allows people – primarily those with cognitive disabilities – to be able to access the rides. I struggle with sensory overload and the queues for rides are themed with lots of stuff going on. Whilst this is great in that it passes the time and there is always lots to see, it is a real problem for people like me. I have my limit on how long I can cope with a queue and being able to use the DAS Pass when I need to means I can keep going.
If you have a physical disability almost every ride is wheelchair accessible (and they have alternative options for the very small number that aren’t) and wheelchairs/scooters can be hired in the parks or from other companies in the area.
I always remember something I read about the character meet and greets, and when I watch them it is 100% true. When they hug someone – child or adult – they will never let go until the guest lets go. The idea is that they don’t know why that guest needs the hug or what is going on in their lives, and so they let the guest decide. This, to me, is SUCH a big thing.
There is a sign above the entrance to Magic Kingdom which sums it up very well: "Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy"
So, to answer the original question: there is no one reason why I keep going back. Unless it is to keep the magic going.
So where have we stayed? Here are our experiences with WDW and DCL
October 2012 – WDW – offsite in a villa
October 2014 – WDW – The Grand Floridian
August 2015 – WDW – Old Key West and Port Orleans Riverside
August 2016 – WDW – Beach Club Villas, Vero Beach, and cruised on the Disney Dream
February 2017 – WDW – Animal Kingdom Lodge, The Villas at the Grand Floridian, and cruised on the Disney Dream (adult only trip)
July 2017 – DLP – Newport Bay Club
August 2017 – DLP – Sequoia Lodge (adult only trip)
October 2017 – WDW – Polynesian and cruised on the Disney Dream
August 2018 – WDW – Bay Lake Tower, Port Orleans French Quarter, Vero Beach, cruised on the Disney Dream, and cruised on the Disney Fantasy
August 2109 – Cruised on the Disney Magic from Dover (Norwegian Fjords)
August 2021 – 4 night Staycation cruise on the Disney Magic to try and get my dose of Disney that Covid had taken away
August 2022 – WDW - Port Orleans French Quarter, Beach Club, Riviera, Grand Floridian, Vero Beach, and cruised on the new Disney Wish
