Does Disney Ruin

We have Wonderland season passes as well. Went during the last PA Day, so wasn't particularly busy. Hannah and I went on Yukon Striker... I can confidently say that Disney does NOT have a ride that compares due to That Drop.

With that said, Wonderland is still very much a standard amusement park and not a Destination theme park like the various Orlando parks are. You go for the coasters, the water park and really just the joy of being outside doing something. My expectations definitely differ between the two.

Does it ruin other vacations? Not for me, with the caveat that I'm not an onsite person and thus do not achieve "full immersion". I treat every vacation as it's own new adventure (even if it's a cruise ship I've been on a few times before) and that helps me maximize my enjoyment. I don't know that this would work for everyone though.
 
I've stayed Disney Deluxe, Moderate and Value over the years. I have to say that I still enjoy other vacations as well.. We're in southern Maine right now staying in a quirky inn. We're a 5 minute walk from a 3 mile beach. It's a different holiday from Disney but equally enjoyable.

For us it's about being together with those we chose to travel with (for that particular holiday). This one is just DH and myself. We had a huge seafood lunch so for dinner we ate a tub of Ben and Jerry's Phish Food ice cream. Couldn't ever do that with the kids in tow.

A holiday is more than the venue, it's the experiences and the memories you make that make it special.

Just my thoughts.
 
Totally agree.. it was a weekend getaway. 2 nights in a $200 a night Marriott not a vacation ...
Sorry for my poor choice of wording
All I meant by the post I found myself comparing everything lines, crowd management or lack of..
I always used to enjoy my weekend getaways even to simply wonderland .. I didn’t for some reason enjoy this ( enjoyed the zoo incredible Sunday tho so all was not lost) I think it’s simply Disney hangover ..




You also can't compare the cost. It's apples and oranges to me. Disney is a vacation, Wonderland is a day trip.
 
All I meant by the post I found myself comparing everything lines, crowd management or lack of..
I totally agree, they could take some lessons in crowd management. I also stopped going to Wonderland years ago, once the kids were in university. The park just doesn't appeal to me. One of the things I loved about Disney was the ability to ride with them when they were little, rather than stand at the fence waving. I don't know if Wonderland has changed in respect to parents being able to ride the kid rides with their little ones, but that was what stood out for me back then.
 


Hannah and I went on Yukon Striker... I can confidently say that Disney does NOT have a ride that compares due to That Drop.
Yeah, if you're an extreme rollercoaster person, Disney may not work for you. For me the appeal of Disney in part was that most of the rides and attractions were family rated, and also that they have a story. Not just a fast rollercoaster with a thrilling drop. Lately Wonderland has become a coaster park. There are members of my family who really enjoy that.
 
I wouldn't say Disney ruins other vacations for me. Other trips I take have different goals and different expectations. I'm up for quirky (usually century old) hotels in other places. But when I'm at Disney I have a certain expectation there. I'm seldom disappointed.
 
Last summer I was looking to go to wonderland for my birthday but then my dh doesn't like rides and I couldn't find anyone to go with. In August a targeted ad on facebook found me and I bought a '19 season pass because you could use it for the rest of the '18 season. So far I've just used it twice, once in '18 and once for the seasons pass holder preview night. I live in downtown Toronto, use the public transit system to visit wonderland and go by myself, bringing a book for longer lines and then I get to do exactly what I want ride wise.

The plan is because I finish my workday in the early afternoon I can go post work during the week and miss the crowds. The weather hasn't really agreed with that plan yet.....but hopefully soon!

Off of OP's question, I don't think Disney has ruined other vacations for me as each vacation checks a different box. Disney is full of the magic and great service, wonderland gives me the thrill rides I love, other vacations give me a chance to experience and explore somewhere new.
 


no, it doesn't ruin other vacations... but Disney is still my top Vacation spot. If i only took 1 vacation a year, it would be Disney, but since i take a few... i go other place and see other things.. I worry that once the kids get older, Disney may not be at the top of my list but i guess that's what Grandkids are for.. ;)
 
We love both Disney and Wonderland - we do Wonderland yearly, we all love the big coasters! I was actually worried Disney would be too tame for them,but we had a blast when we went in 2017, and are working on our next trip next year! And my kids really want to do an all-inclusive, which we have never done with them and I think they will love. Lots of room for lots of vacation love! :)
 
Alright ha ha here’s the back story to why I posted. Big kids and I love roller coasters . Big kid and I are heading to Cali this summer as his high school grad trip .. we had no intentions of doing Disney was doing beachy things Knott’s berry ( owned by cedar same as Disney ) we had their hotel booked etc ..
And we both looked at each other in the morning and said “Disney instead”
No fees to cancel that package luckily and a quick time frame to figure out new plans and all but whatever ..
of course we will continue to visit non amusement entertainment places and be happy . Doing Hilton head next summer did stampede summer before etc etc
It was just a thought I had regarding how Disney impacted for us personally our vacation plans.. wasn’t meant to upset anyone found it really interesting my 17 yr old thrill seeker would rather do Disney .. maybe it’s the food as he already has his must eat lists started lol
 
Yeah, you're not alone ;-)

We have free tickets for Playland this summer (amusement park in Vancouver). I haven't been in YEARS. No desire. But the tickets are free, so I guess we will use them. Ugh....NO comparison. lol But yes, even if staying in different hotels etc on other trips it's like "well, if we were in a 1 bedroom villa....." haha :rotfl:
 
Yes. We could have done closer theme parks this summer, but I’d rather save that money for Disney. I will only fight those types of crowds and pay the big bucks for Disney.
 
YES, a thousand times YES, but not for the reasons mentioned here. I have some pretty complicated dietary issues that Disney handles with amazing ease. I love being able to go somewhere and eat food safely that i haven't had to prepare myself, it's such a treat! No where else can even come close to the service i get there and when we are looking for a different holiday spot I need to spend hours researching, sending emails, reading reviews and then i still end up needing to cart a ton of meds with us and panic the entire time that I'll get sick. We don't even spend much time in the parks when we do go, last trip was 3 weeks long and we were in the parks maybe 6 days. I come home and dream about the food!

This is another reason we love Disney so much!
 
Yeah, you're not alone ;-)

We have free tickets for Playland this summer (amusement park in Vancouver). I haven't been in YEARS. No desire. But the tickets are free, so I guess we will use them. Ugh....NO comparison. lol But yes, even if staying in different hotels etc on other trips it's like "well, if we were in a 1 bedroom villa....." haha :rotfl:

We only do the PNE once for the year out of habit and do a few rounds on the wooden coaster lol playland doesn’t really compare to a real theme park, but there is some nostalgia for me.

Also, I do still love fright nights
 
We only do the PNE once for the year out of habit and do a few rounds on the wooden coaster lol playland doesn’t really compare to a real theme park, but there is some nostalgia for me.

Also, I do still love fright nights
There are plans to 'reinvent' the park as it were and make it into an actual big theme/amusement park (some rides are already closed I think??) but I think the final project won't be done for a few years.
 
We love both Disney and Wonderland - we do Wonderland yearly, we all love the big coasters! I was actually worried Disney would be too tame for them,but we had a blast when we went in 2017, and are working on our next trip next year! And my kids really want to do an all-inclusive, which we have never done with them and I think they will love. Lots of room for lots of vacation love! :)
We did Beaches Ocho Rios a few years ago. Loved it - place had large pools, waterslides and a beach area that the kids used. There were tennis courts but they don't play. It can feel boring though - if you have a "cruise mode" this is definitely the time to engage that. Excursions are available for a fee, of course. But overall, it's a relaxing time.
 
We live 15 minutes from Wonderland and did buy a season's pass last year and this year as well. It's a good way to spend a few hours during the summer on a weekend and our kids quite like the waterslides and wave pool. Having said that...I agree with others in there is no magic or special feeling. Nothing like Disney...but its just a nice day out (or even a few hours for us)

PS - One thing that angers us at Wonderland is the cost of food. At Disney it may cost but you still feel its worth it. At Wonderland, it's a complete rip off. Last summer we purchased 4 subs and 2 drinks and it cost us $65. Crazy. And the other weekend got my kids an ice cream each...$15. Wasn't even anything special.
 
Wonderland lets you bring in small snacks (even though they're not supposed to) and water, so we do that. Generally speaking the meal portions are enough that the four of us can split two meals and a funnel cake. I don't particularly like the food there so I basically eat whatever wife and kids don't. We actually might try going out of the park and across the street to eat this year. Kids love the xiaolongbao at Asian Legend.
 
I think Disney does have great service. We have experienced great service at other hotels, also. I feel that the appeal of Disney hotels, along with the service, is the theming and attention to detail. Still, their WDW hotels are not five star luxury hotels, but they are a treat for us. I have had my sights set on a future anniversary trip with DH staying somewhere like the Belmond Hotel Cipriani in Venice, but the 3K per nigh rate makes me twitch. I am pretty frugal.

For our cruise in January we booked with RCCL and are looking forward to it, but we would also like to do a Disney cruise in the future because I have read numerous posts about the great service on their ships.
 

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