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Email a FriendWe live in S. FL so when our children were young we took them to Disney, season pass, resident discount, etc.. It was never really magical. Last November, I went to Disney with my college daughter, her friend and a group of highschool teens, all friends. It was the best trip ever! No whinning, crying, fighting; just fun. So, I’d say wait until they are older and can really enjoy.
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Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Friday, March 25, 2011 9:15 AM
I came across an interesting article yesterday, “15 places kids should see by age 15.”
Looking over the list, our family is doing pretty good. We’ve seen nearly half of the places listed, and a few more of the sights are in our immediate future (Grand Canyon, here we come!).
One place on the list, I must admit, I find a tad debatable. Among the fifteen places the article mentions, wedged between Williamsburg in Virginia and Freedom Hall in Pennsylvania is…Walt Disney World in Florida.
What do you think about that?
I have been to Disney World many times and think it’s great. It is a blast actually. But every time Paul and I discuss bringing our family, we end up opting to spend all that money on something else. I know our boys would love the Magic Kingdom, but I don’t see it as ranking up there with Niagara Falls or the great Redwoods of California—not in the grand scheme of things anyway.
But we have plenty of friends who have gone to Disney World for family vacation and describe it as magical. I am sure when you go it is indeed a marvelous time. Are you one of those folks? Do you think the Magic Kingdom deserves to be on this list?
And what other places might you add to a list of Must See Spots for kids?
Comments
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Having grown up in Virginia, pretty much everything I haven’t seen on that list is west of the Mississippi. I do vaguely remember going to Disney when I was in second grade. It was a good time, but I’m the oldest of my siblings, and I know they don’t remember any of it. So, I concur - wait until they’re older.
One thing my parents did do for that trip was go during February (we just took a week out of school and decided that was OK ^_^). First, it was nice to escape the winter weather, but it also made for a much less crowded time, and I’m sure there are reduced rates then too!
Posted by LB on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 10:22 AM (EDT):
My family visited Disney World last spring. My daughter was just shy of 3 and my son was 1. It was a total blast! My daughter has an amazing memory and still regularly recounts the fun things that we did while we were there, she even remembers things I had forgotten. It was truly “magical” for her and a great time for all of us.
It’s best to go on a weekday, so it’s not as busy…that increases the enjoyment and decreases the waiting in lines.
We will be going again someday!
Posted by Steph Johnson on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 10:23 AM (EDT):
I wish more people felt as strongly about taking their kids to Mass/religious services as they do about getting their kids to Disney. For me, it’s like a Vegas experience for the younger set. Too much commercialism, too much stimulation, too much, too much, too much!
Posted by Anne in NYC on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 2:30 PM (EDT):
Maybe for the country as a whole, but on this site I’m sure ALL of us are more concerned about getting our families to Mass every week than we are about getting them to Disney, ever—even if we do go to Disney. Your point about over-stimulation is well taken, though.
Posted by Jay on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 10:30 AM (EDT):
I like all sites they list and haven’t been to many of them but ouch the prices would be high for us and that is only paying for 2 out of the 4 kids since they are 2 and under. How does a family do it that has 6 or more kids they have to pay for? Oh well, we won’t be cross country driving or flying anytime soon. We are only 40 mins from Disney and still have not been b/c of the price.
Posted by Karen on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 10:33 AM (EDT):
Disney World is fun but if I had enough money to take my 9 children to Disney World we wouldn’t be going to Disney World. We could have an amazing vacation for those thousands of dollars. A vacation that they would remember for the rest of their lives and that wouldn’t look like everyone else’s vacation.
We have been to DW multiple times when my oldest were little but that is because we lived in FL and it was a weekend trip. I know my littles would love it but they would love Yellowstone just as much and appreciate the latter more when they were older. My oldest son, who has been on lots of trips, considers our trip cross-country…6000 miles in 3 weeks the best vacation of his life…and he had been to DW :D
Posted by Karen on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 10:40 AM (EDT):
We’ve done 4 (I’m not counting DW) with children who were old enough to remember it and Yellowstone is next on the list but it will be a while before we do that.
Between dh and I we’ve seen all of the list. If I had more time I’d come up with my own list because while a few I definitely agree with there are others that are ???
Posted by Melissa Z on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 10:51 AM (EDT):
Last summer we took a major road trip from Pennsylvania to Montana, stopping at KOA’s every night out and back. 4 kids, ages 6, 4, 3, 1. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! And not too bad $$. There are many cool historic places all over this country that are worth seeing, and for us, driving through the sandhills of Nebraska was an experience never to be forgotten (by me, anyway). When we got home our 3-yr-old was diagnosed with a serious illness with no cure, and we could see God’s hand in our fun, carefree 3-week trip. I would NEVER have traded our trip -which took us way up into the Rockies- for lines and crowds and high prices at Disney. That’s not the side of America I want to see. We came home happy to be Americans, surprised at how wholesome and friendly most of America really is. It was the best trip ever.
Posted by Shari on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 11:33 AM (EDT):
That sounds like the kind of vacation my family would enjoy. I don’t like being told what my kids should see and I think they’d get a lot more out of seeing our great country than the commercialism that surrounds DW. Dh and I visited Yellowstone before we had kids and we’d love to visit as a family.
Posted by Shari on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 3:00 PM (EDT):
KOA Campgrounds are all across the country and many have campsites, RV hookups and cabins. We’ve stayed at one and the kids loved it. There’s minigolf, playgrounds and often swimming pools. If you’re traveling cross country they’re very economical.
http://koa.com/
Posted by majellamom on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 11:26 AM (EDT):
Well, right now my kids are 6 and 4, so maybe the list won’t look so daunting when they are older. Being located in the middle of the country, most of the places on the list are very far away! We are currently planning on a trip to the Grand Canyon, and it will take us 32 hours of driving round trip…and that is one of the closest! (Yellowstone would be a little bit closer for us.)
We did Mount Rushmore with the kids earlier this year, and they LOVED it, but it didn’t make the list. I think it would be more useful to have regional lists of attractions to see with kids. My list would be very different than someone who lives on the east coast, and I think that is just fine.
Posted by Christina on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 11:46 AM (EDT):
I have only been to one of these and my husband none. Both of us grew up in poor families and it was too expensive for us to do road trips and pay for hotels along the way. Even camping wouldn’t have worked because we would need too much camping gear to fit in our car. I hope to show my children some of these things, although we have some time as my youngest is only six. This summer we will hopefully be visiting the Hoover Dam and its amazing new bridge on the way to a wedding so that is something.
Posted by Rebecca on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 12:02 PM (EDT):
Well, we haven’t done any of them with our kids. But, living pretty much smack dab in the middle of the country would make it pretty hard to do more than 1, maybe 2, as a family since most everything listed was on one of the coasts. We do plan on doing Yellowstone as a family some day, but we’re going to do it right and take a full 2 weeks and do some other things in the general area like Jackson Hole, WY. We hope to go within the next 5 years. If it takes that long our oldest would be 14 at the time.
And I’m going to add a 16th for all of us mid-America dwellers. A trip to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado is so much fun and the kids never seem to get over the amazing views. There is such a rich Old West and mining history, Rocky Mountain National Park, and plenty to do summer or winter. We took our kids for a week-long camping trip 2 years ago and had a blast. We can’t wait to go back again.
Posted by Karen on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 12:16 PM (EDT):
I grew up on the East Coast and dh grew up in CA, AZ and CO and then we lived as family all up and down the Eastern seaboard (now in TX) and drove from CT-WA and back in 2003. That is why we have managed to cover most of these places in our lives.
Every child should hopefully see the ocean and mountains (real mountains, not big hills) in their lifetime. My favorite place on earth is Block Island, RI…specifically in the spring or fall…NOT during the summer (insane crowds) but you’ll never see it on any list.
I’m more of an ocean girl than a mountain girl but I still loved going over the Continental Divide.
Posted by Tina D. on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 12:33 PM (EDT):
I agree with you, Rachel. I wouldn’t put Disney on the list. I have no desire to go there, with or without my kids! Perhaps we would have a fun time, but I wouldn’t put it up there with the Grand Canyon or Gettysburg. I also have a bone to pick with Fenway Park being on the list… I think my Yankee-fan husband would, too! Tho he’s a baseball enthusiast and might cave on that. The Chicagoan in me wonders why, then, isn’t Wrigley Field on the list? 
(Come to think of it, there isn’t anything else in the Midwest worth visiting, according to the list!)
Posted by Jay on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 1:36 PM (EDT):
I’ve been to all of those except Fenway and Craters of the Moon, and DH has been to all except Craters of the Moon. Honestly, I think a lot of those wouldn’t be appreciated by kids under 10 or 11—which gives parents only a few years to get in a lot of those sites. I’m glad to see so many natural places on the list though—America’s national parks are true treasures.
We live about 6 hours from Disneyland, but it’s not super high on the priority list for taking the kids. I don’t think they really appreciate it until they’re at least 4, and the prices are insane!
Posted by Financially squeezed on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 1:53 PM (EDT):
I would like to write on behalf of those families, like mine, who cannot afford trips.
Taking your kids camping is inexpensive and very valuable. Going for nature walks/hikes in your local area is worthwhile, as is visiting state parks. There is a lot of fun to be had close to home, no matter where “home” is! God made an entire amazing world and universe. It’s all fabulous.
There was nothing wrong with Rachael bringing up this topic! Family trips are wonderful for those who can afford them. I am only writing because I don’t want the moms who cannot afford trips to feel like they’re depriving their kids.
Posted by Claire on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 9:09 PM (EDT):
We don’t have much of a travel budget, either. When I was a kid, we did a fair amount of travel, but the only way we could afford to travel was by visiting relatives who lived within a few hours driving distance, or by going on trips associated with my parents jobs. Now that I have my own family, we’re in a similar situation. We try to go to Cape Cod every year, and the only reason we can afford it is that my friend’s parents own a house there and rent it to us for really cheap (and it’s within a few hours driving distance). We go to NYC because it’s only a few hours away, and we stay with my brother and sil when we’re there. Last summer we spent quite a bit of money to go to northern Maine for my cousin’s wedding; we stayed for a week and made that our summer vacation instead of Cape Cod. That is not something we could afford to do every year, and wouldn’t have even considered it except that I thought it was important to go to her wedding.
I don’t think parents should ever feel guilty for not being able to afford to give their kids material extras, including travel. If they can afford it, that’s great. There are countless wonderful places to take the kids, and the list will look different for each family depending on preference, etc. But no parent can give a child everything. For those who can’t afford to travel, there are ample places to take kids no matter where you live, as Monica and the previous poster pointed out. Staycations can be just as educational and entertaining as travel vacations. I would hate to think that there might be people who intentionally keep their families small just so that they can afford things like travel. Travel is great, but I would never choose it over giving my child a sibling (unfortunately, I can’t give mine that either, but hopefully he’ll know that it’s not intentional).
Posted by CP on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 2:04 PM (EDT):
We have no plans of ever, ever going to Disney Land or World. We don’t have really have a travel budget and any travel we do is very locally. We do hope someday to travel the country and learn about our country with the children. I would honestly feel guilty spending that kind of money to go to Disney Land/World…to do what really? I would rather roam the countryside, where it’s quiet. Go to the beach and learn about aquatic life. Some day, go to Europe and learn about Church history. There a million educational/historical sites and places I would rather see than to feed the commercialism of DL!
Posted by Anne in NYC on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 2:16 PM (EDT):
We’re going to WDW in May, but I still wouldn’t put it on the list. I’m sure we’ll have a wonderful time, but I think the other sites are more important to experience. Between DH and me we’ve done all of them, and I plan to have our kids see them all at some point, too.
I would add Santa Fe (especially for Catholics—the oldest church in continuous use in the US is there), White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, the Rocky Mountains (anywhere), the Outer Banks of North Carolina (especially Kittyhawk), New York City, Savannah Georgia, the Mississippi River (anywhere), the Great Lakes (anywhere), the Everglades, San Francisco, Mount Ranier, Glacier National Park, the Big Island of Hawaii (live volcano!), and the Alaskan wilderness.
Obviously very, very few families will be able to do all of these, but I think the main point is to take vacations that show the grandeur of creation and build an appreciation for American history.
Posted by Ciao, bella! on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 2:37 PM (EDT):
It doesn’t say U.S. places but they all happen to be in this country. For our family, the heart of Christendom is something that I very much wanted my kids to be familiar with, so: they all took Italian and they all have been to Rome. They went first as pre-teens and now, as teens and early 20s, have each been back for a second and, for one of them so far, a third time. One will most likely be studying there for a college semester (once she decides on her college!).
Sure, Mickey has his place (although WDW was way better years ago, like back in the 70s and 80s, before they tried to appeal to contemporary crowds), but I’d trade you 100 Disney trips for one day in the Eternal City.
Posted by Shelly @ Of Sound Mind and Spirit on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 3:11 PM (EDT):
I’ve been to 9 of the 15 and only 2 of them before I became an adult. My daughters have been to 3 on the list and it’s highly unlikely they’ll go to many more before the age of 15.
However, you asked should WDW be on the list (of places to go) regardless of “before age 15”. WHY NOT? All of those places are debatable in one way or another. I made it to WDW at the age of 38 with 9 and 6 year old daughters. We all LOVED it. We purposefully saved for 5 years to make the trip and to try to go at an age when the girls would both remember it and be young enough to find the magic.
Is WDW for everyone? No, but neither is Fenway or San Diego Zoo. We choose to spend our money vacationing to places that interest us. It’s a very personal decision for each family.
Posted by Michelle Reitemeyer on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 3:56 PM (EDT):
Despite being fairly well traveled and loving to go places with our kids, we’ve only been, as a family, to 3 of the places listed. However, if you consider the spirit of the list, we’ve been to many many more. For example, we’ve never been to the San Diego Zoo, but we’ve been to plenty of zoos, some big, some small. We’ve not gone to Monticello (I have, but no one else), but we went to Mount Vernon. Some things you can’t substitute for (Grand Canyon), but others, really, you can (Fenway Park, definitely). I think for any family with more than 2 kids, it is unrealistic to think you can see all of these places. Airfare alone would kill us! But I definitely think that day trips to whatever your area has to offer are generally inexpensive and definitely worth the time. I agree that kids should see the mountains and the ocean (or at least a really really big lake for those of you in the middle), and I think county and state fairs, big city buildings, a ball game (even minor league - they’re the most fun anyway), an afternoon at an amusement park (cheaper tickets), and lessons in history at museums or other places of interest are valuable both for life experiences and for family team building. As for Disney, I prefer Cedar Point in Ohio, but I’m a roller coaster nut. We did manage to take our family of 8 for about $2000 for the week (4 days at the parks), but only because of military discounts and only because I had the money and set it aside. My kids saw an ad for a Disney Cruise, and when I looked up how much ($8000 or more), I thought how much more useful that money would be elsewhere. I’d rather go to the Grand Canyon.
Posted by Jill on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 4:15 PM (EDT):
We live in Central Florida and are Disney passholders. We LOVE Disney. And at any age for a child, it can be truly magical particularly if you aren’t bound and determined to run the family ragged to see every single thing because you paid for it!! Seeing it before the kids are 15 is, I think, a good goal and worthy of being on the list because, just like Fenway Park (which is certainly not on my list of ever seeing—who cares?!), it is pure Americana and excellent family entertainment. Further, as homeschoolers, we use Disney (along with a Disneyschooling group—find it on Yahoo) as a classroom for social studies, science, zoology, technology. It’s actually been a great resource for us!
For those who would like to go but the cost is daunting, I would recommend that you look into low season when Disney often offers the dining plan for free. They package room, park tickets and dining (one snack and 2 meals per person per day) into one package that is paid in advance. My sister, who lives in Virginia, does this every year in September and literally does not spend a dime once she arrives. She will pack up groceries and snacks and bottles of water and even wine for relaxing in the evening, take it all to her hotel room and it’s pretty much an all-inclusive vacation for her. One thing that many people don’t know is that if you book say 10 days in the hotel, but you only get a 5 day ticket, you still get the free dining for the other 5 days. So, you can really save some money this way and still have some days to sit by the pool, go to the beach or see other Orlando attractions.
As for “Gay Days”, it is a misconception that Disney “hosts” this event. Gay Days is organized by an outside organization and Disney cannot legally bar these people from coming to the park en masse, just as they could not bar a large group of Catholics from showing up one day all wearing the same t-shirts and carrying a rosary. It is a terribly unfortunate situation that has been going on for years. My husband and I, before kids, happened to go to the Magic Kingdom on that day completely unawares. My husband asked me if it was a “special” day at Disney and I replied, “um, every day is special at Disney”. Well, we’d happened upon Gay Days and were really turned off. We made our complaint at Guest Services and left. We know now that the first week of June is not family friendly and we choose not to attend then.
I think it’s an unfair position for Disney to be in because they are really caught between a rock and a hard place on this one. I just try to remember not to attend that week and keep in mind that for many more years than Gay Days has been going on, Disney has hosted and promoted Night of Joy every September which is a Christian music festival and they celebrate Christmas every year with abandon. If you haven’t seen the Christmas Candlelight Processional at Epcot, I’d put that on my must-do Disney list. It’s a re-telling of the Christmas story by a celebrity guest narrator (Jim Caviezel was amazing) and the words come straight from the Bible along with a massed choir singing all the beautiful Christmas carols. So, yes, Gay Days happens but it’s not in any way “hosted” or sponsored by Disney.
If you do go to Disney and are looking for a church for Mass, there is the beautiful Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine just off Disney property which is a church built specifically for tourists. It was started when Disney invited priests to come to the resort hotels to offer Mass on Sundays and the Diocese of Orlando realized that a place for tourists to worship was needed. The Shrine is beautiful and offers daily Mass and confession, a Saturday vigil and several Sunday masses. We go often and it’s a really wonderful break in the rush, rush of visiting Disney.
If anyone has any Disney questions or is planning a trip, I’d be happy to help.
Posted by Danielle M. on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 5:04 PM (EDT):
Thank you for your post, Jill. We love Disney. I know I am blessed that my husband makes enough money for us to go on vacation, but I really get a little tired of people on some sights making me feel like I should be ashamed of it. We love vacation, we love natural vacations, camping, the beach and Disney (after about age 4). It is a shared experience for us and our children, we remember our awe as little kids when we watch them. My DH works very hard at his job to earn money to support our family, taking his children on vacation and watching them have a great time is one of the rewards he looks forward to.
Posted by Andrea on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 5:28 PM (EDT):
We had a wonderful vacation in Disney World as well. We had to be in Orlando for the FOCUS national conference, as my husband was working as a missionary at the time. We figured that if we were so close, we may as well tack it on. FOCUS missionaries fund raise 100% of their income, and we were no exception, only we had 4 children! Not only did we save for a good while, but we searched high and low for ways to cut costs which resulted in a wonderful, memorable, family vacation that we look back on with great fondness. I simply reject that taking a trip to Disney World necessarily involves all the bells & whistles that make it over the top.
The children got no souvenirs, we brought in food or shared meals (lucky for us, we have 4 girls who eat pretty moderately), and so forth. It was still just as “magical” and fun for the whole family. Everybody was able to participate in most everything, which was a huge deal to me as a nursing mother at the time! haha
All that being said, I don’t know that Disney necessarily belonged on this particular list, it seemed to stand out like a sore thumb, even though we thought it was a blast. lol We also love historical sites and National Parks. Any trips we have taken as a family tend to happen when the opportunity arises, we haven’t ever planned a “vacation.” Although, after seeing this list I am just dying to hightail it out of Wyoming and head to the East Cost!
Posted by Mary Kate on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 5:35 PM (EDT):
Thanks for all of this, Jill! My dh and I are planning on taking our 6 kids (1st time for them!) this Sept and are in the initial planning stages. Mass was a HUGE question for me, as we would be flying (yay for saving up all dh’s FFmiles from business trips!) and wasn’t sure how to get 8 of us to Mass. I would love to hear more from you, but don’t want to clog up the board with it. If it’s possible, could you email me? I have a few ???s that are still unanswered. Thanks!
My email is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Posted by Mom of 4 on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 5:48 PM (EDT):
Hi Jill, I would love your insight. Never wanted to go but now that the little people in my house are getting bigger I wonder if we could do it on the “cheap”. When is the least expensive time of year to go? Stay at the resorts or not? We have 4 children so how do the accommodations work?
Posted by Jill on Friday, Mar 25, 2011 10:22 PM (EDT):
Hi Mom of 4—I have 4 kids too. If you want to email me regarding Disney, please do. My address is finnertyricardo at gmail dot com. I’m happy to help.
Just to clarify, we don’t do Disney to the exclusion of other travel. We can afford Disney because, one, we live here and get a Florida resident discount on an annual pass. It pays for itself in about 5 visits—we’ll meet with friends who are visiting Disney at least that many times in a year so it’s worth it to us to be able to see those friends who are traveling to Florida. We also finance it by asking for money for Christmas from family members who give us gifts. It gives us a full year of entertainment which is better than a shirt, I think!
We have done tons of travel including many on the CNN list and my kids would just as much want to go to Monticello (or Montpelier, James Madison’s home in Virginia—we were there last week on his 260th birthday and it was FABULOUS!) as they would to Disney. But these days, as much as I’d like to go back to Europe, with four kids we do what we can and often travel to places where kind people have offered us lodging in the form of a mattress on a basement floor, time shares that they are not going to use or a summer cottage in the off season.
In our family, we take any opportunity to learn about the world around us and the various cultures in it whenever we can but, obviously, staying within our means. For me, I’d rather travel and have those types of experiences than have new clothes, a bigger house or a new car. With four kids, it’s harder to travel but we start ‘em young and they learn to be flexible and interested in new places. Any new babies that come along will get strapped to my back and carried along on whatever adventure we can find—that’s just the culture of our family. Each family has their own priorities, opportunities and limitations and we each do what is best for our own families.
Posted by Claire on Saturday, Mar 26, 2011 9:01 AM (EDT):
I would definitely rank travel above all the things you mentioned (expensive clothes, large house, fancy car, etc). But, I rank it below things like being able to stay home with my son, my husband working reasonable hours that allow for family time, etc. You’re right, each family’s approach is going to look a little different, and a lot of it will depend on their resources.
Posted by Steph Johnson on Sunday, Mar 27, 2011 1:19 PM (EDT):
Hey, didn’t mean to kill your buzz, Gabbi! Enjoy it! My 7 children go to a Catholic school in the Midwest where any time there is a four day weekend people head to the airport. I know that everyone on this website is in love with their faith and Mass is a priority. I was speaking more to my frustration with the circumstances here in my own little corner of the world. I’ve never commented before…and I think I’ll crawl back into my own hole and not comment again! We’ve been to Disney and actually to all the places listed. I’d still take Mass over any of them any day.
Posted by Michelle on Sunday, Mar 27, 2011 1:34 PM (EDT):
One of my favorite things about travel is taking the family to new churches for mass. It is awesome to see our universal church in action. It also sends a very powerful message to our children, that it doesn’t matter where we are or what we are doing we will not put other things before our faith. We have also witnessed to friends we were camping with when we explained we couldn’t plan the trip through a certain Sunday because there was not a church nearby for mass.
Posted by Jill on Sunday, Mar 27, 2011 2:59 PM (EDT):
I agree Michelle. Whenever we travel, we always find a church so that we can attend Mass and the experience is always worthwhile. We meet some “locals” and feel part of the community we’re traveling in. We see different types of architecture and different ways in which our faith is expressed artistically in the decorations of each church. We read the bulletins to find out how different churches gather together as a community and what kind of ministries they have that we might not. We also learn about different saints since some churches are named after saints previously unknown to us (St. Bede in Williamsburg, VA for example!). Traveling as a family does not exclude us from going to Mass. It provides us the opportunity to show our children that God is more important than whatever it is we are doing. We tell them that God blessed us with the opportunity to travel and that we will spend at least an hour giving thanks for that opportunity. It is also a witness to family and friends of our commitment to the Church.
Posted by Susan on Monday, Mar 28, 2011 8:19 AM (EDT):
I’ve been to Disney World and Disney Land a few times each. I wouldn’t call them “magical” but they are fun if you like to people watch and stand in long lines. My family and I are more the road trip types. We like to see the real thing, not some artificial Disney construct. Our favorite trip to date has been a road trip encompassing 20 states over 2 weeks. Up next is a cross country drive to California and back summer of ‘12.
Posted by Steph Johnson on Monday, Mar 28, 2011 12:05 PM (EDT):
Didn’t mean it was an either/or proposition. I wish more people in my children’s Catholic school felt as strongly as you all about traveling AND going to Mass while traveling. We certainly do, too and I appreciate the fact that this is a place where people can have fun and live the faith! Amen!
Posted by Kelly@inthesheepfold on Monday, Mar 28, 2011 1:10 PM (EDT):
I wouldn’t put WDW on the list, but it sure is fun! We went last October. I have two suggestions for people thinking about a trip:
1. Pull your kids out of school and go in Oct-Nov or late April-May. Lines are WAY shorter, none of that blistering heat, and you can score discounts.
2. Our 3 year-old LOVED every minute of it. It was the Magic Kingdom - meeting Buzz Lightyear, Pooh, and Lightening McQueen. Our one-year-old had just learned to walk and was not happy to held or strolled through the parks. If we had gone even a month earlier, she (and we!) would have been much more content. The older kids (9 and 13) weren’t into the characters, but loved the cool rides.
The oceans and the mountains should be added to the list. As a midwesterner, I would have to mention the beauty of the Great Lakes. Worth the trip.
Posted by Sally on Friday, Apr 1, 2011 3:35 PM (EDT):
On the off-chance that someone is reading this this late in the game, I remember all the camping trips my parents took me on much more than I remember Disney. We liked Busch Gardens a lot back then…more than Disney? maybe. I did make my poor parents take me on Small World so many times both of them haven’t wanted to ever make a return trip the magic kingdom. My other, non-camping favorite trips as a kid? Boblo Island which, sadly, no longer exists.
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