Disney's Death Star is calling me

Yeah. And I'd rather have a root canal than go Christmas Week, though.

 

Agreed - fly in Saturday after Thanksgiving - little crowded Sunday then you have parks to yourself rest of time in very festive atmosphere.

Other good time to go is late August/ Early Sept. All the Florida schools are back in session so there are no locals and crowds are light.

 

Here's something that happened somewhat serendipitously to us. ...

We went to the Magic Kingdom (again) on the last day of our five days in Orlando. We got there at opening and ran to Tomorrowland, where they had another rope barricade set up. We found a spot on the end. It was me, my wife, my 11 year old daughter and my 7 year old son. A staffer spotted us. He asked if we were a family. He took us inside the ropes and we became the "First Family" of Tomorrowland. We got to ride the Buzz Lightyear ride first, got a free picture and -- best of all -- got passes that sent us to the front of the line of every ride in the park. ... So, be early, get to the ropes, and stand out. Look charming and familial. It's worth a shot.

It's a memory my kids will never forget. They'll tell you it was the best day of their lives.

 

That's a fact, if you take your children when they're are old enough to enjoy most of the parks and young enough to stay in the Disney Spirit, they will remember it the trip forever. It will always be a wonderful memory of family.

OTOH My parents took my brother (age 5) and myself (age 8) to Disneyland in California a long long time ago. My clearest memory is my parents taking my brother onto the ride for The Matahorn and finding there was no room for another person. So they put me in a car with a group of Japanese business men. I was scared shitless as it was the first rollercoaster I was ever on. And all I could think during the ride was that my parents were assholes for not waiting for the next ride, so we could all be together.

The memory of my parents being assholes resonates with me today.

 

I agree about it being a memory that lasts a lifetime. I went when when I was 8 and don't remember a whole lot about the trip ... not sure why it doesn't stand out because I was old enough.

However, we first took our kids when our daughter was 4 and our son was 1 and we've been back four times since that first trip in March 2005. Granted, my son doesn't remember and won't remember his first trip. But we've always taken the attitude that who cares if they remember it later as long as they're enjoying it now. At 1, he was too young to enjoy it for sure, but my daughter still remembers that trip and she's 7 now. We have tons of pictures and in most cases some video of every trip. My son was 3 the last time we went this past August and he definitely knew what was going on then and talks probably weekly about going back to Disney. It's just another way of looking at things. I'm sure we'll continue to go back as the kids get older and can remember the trips even better.

I will second the service aspect of Disney. They rob you blind and make you feel damn good about it!!

 

Mrs. Abbott calls that Getting what you pay for

 

The in-laws paid for us to go on a Caribbean cruise back in January of 2004, when my oldest was just nearing three years old. She doesn't remember much about going on the boat, but she recently said she did remember the day in the Magic Kingdom we carved out during our trip. I'm sure going again back in the spring jogged her memory a little.
The memories of the first trip are probably more for MrsExpendable and me. I was holding my daughter when she first met Mickey Mouse, who came out to sign her autograph book. I could feel her wet her diaper. At the end of the day as she slept in her hotel bed, I told MrsExpendable that it was the best day of her life to date. One of mine too.

 

As opposed to, say, USAirways, which charges you top dollar for airfare and provides an experience roughly akin to being gang raped by all of cell block C.

 

That's different. You get a wider seat.

 

Went in December with the wife and her 3-year-old niece and 2-year-old nephew. No, they don't remember a lick of it, but it wasn't the end of the world, either.
Two pieces of advice:
1. Drink at night while you're there. Every night. It will prevent nightmares.
2. Watch the Family Guy episode where Peter takes Stewie to Disney. It not only makes "It's a Small World" funny as shit (those kids are real!), it also gives you Jeb Bush eating a dead puppy to laugh at.

 

Get one of those books that tell you how to plan the "Disney Experience" My wife did, and it was golden, the best vacation of our lives. It's key to get there at opening. If you wait til noon, you're screwed.

 

also, there are plenty of other attractions in Orlando -- Titanic exhitibit, Universal, etc. Break it up. Universal's not great, but it's cool. I'm a Titanic buff, so I loved the Titanic exhibit. Also, they have Pizzeria UNO's there, which is worth the visit on its own. That's if you're into Chicago deep dish pizza, which I am.....