Originally Posted By MPierce >> Sometimes I'll skim thru the trip report boards here (and on other sites) and the one thing that 99% of them have in common (unless their written by UKers) is they never mention things like golf, tennis, pools, parasailing, boating, fishing, biking, hiking etc ...it's all about going on SPace Mountain eight times or grabbing a picture with Buzz ... or eating at Crystal Palace etc << Maybe that's because most people can do all of that within a short drive from their own home. If your visits to WDW are far, and few between, you really hate to give up park time for other activities. As you well know, most guest from the U.K. come for about a two week visit. If you have that much time, and have invested all the money, and trouble to get there, you would naturally want to do different things.Remember Spirit, you can pretty much go anytime you feel like it or close to it, the vast majority of people can't.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^How often I can personally go to WDW isn't important to how people choose to vacation. A WDW vacation has become a vastly different beast than it was 20 years ago. And the relaxing ... the recreational opps ... the taking advantage of all that is Walt Disney World simply has gone by the wayside. Not for everyone, of course. I can (and do) often spend entire days at WDW resorts without setting foot in a park or going for just a few hours. But most run from start to finish. If I had to guess, I'd say the average WDW guest gets about five hours of sleep a night ... just always on the go. That's why I see so many miserable folks. Tired, rundown, sick ... But I like to sleep until 11 a.m. or noon when on vacation so what do I know about relaxing ;-) But with four parks, plus the costs of a WDW vacation, people are pushed to their limits ... and that's why you so often see meltdowns (of the adult and child varieties!)
Originally Posted By mrichmondj << But with four parks, plus the costs of a WDW vacation, people are pushed to their limits ... and that's why you so often see meltdowns (of the adult and child varieties!) >> I thought that was part of the fun of family vacations! Families really don't need to spend that much time together! And for what it's worth, I've seen these meltdowns at just about every vacation destination I've ever visited around the world, even those relaxing beach destinations that should be so meltdown-free. I don't think things have changed all that much with respect to family vacations. You just happen to notice it more at WDW because the density of vacationing families is so much higher than any other destination on earth.
Originally Posted By danyoung >How often I can personally go to WDW isn't important to how people choose to vacation.< That's exactly what makes the difference between how you (and I) vacation and how the average Disney park visitor vacations. When you have the luxury of repeat visits, you can afford to spend time drinking in all of the great atmosphere of the place, without feeling that you're somehow not getting your money's worth by being in the park every freakin' second. But if I only got to visit every 5 years or so (or maybe even the fabled once in a lifetime), I'd be right there from open to close, and then at Downtown Disney till 2am, killing myself to get the ultimate Disney experience. As a buddy of mine once said after I suggested it was time to leave the club and go home - "Wah wah wah - you can sleep when you're dead. Bring be another beer!"
Originally Posted By danyoung Yes, my friend. No matter how many times I try to leave, they keep pulling me back in. . . . Welcome back home!
