Why Disney World is a Real Vacation (and Other Vacations Aren’t)

Sometimes taking a vacation with young children feel like more work than fun. Packing the bags, planning meals, lugging the bags around, navigating to your destination, making food while you are there, etc. etc. can be exhausting.

I’m sorry, but taking a family “vacation” to a house at the beach is just moving my daily work to another location.

I keep going to back to Disney World because it is a real vacation for me. I’ve traveled extensively around the U.S. (45 states and counting) and quite a bit internationally, and Disney remains my favorite place to visit.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the adventure of visiting new places, and I don’t mind all of the planning and work involved.

But when I want to just relax, recharge, and enjoy quality time with my family, I head to Disney.

Why is Disney World so much different than other vacations? Read on, friend…

So here are my top reasons why Disney is a real, actual vacation:

#1: I Don’t Have to Drive (or Navigate)

One thing I get a break from on a Disney vacation is driving. We grab a cheap flight into Orlando (usually with free Southwest miles) and take an Uber to and from the airport. 

We also take advantage of free Disney transportation (in the form of busses, boats and the monorail) around Disney World property and grab an occasional taxi.

I completely love not having to drive or worry about directions the entire time I’m on vacation!

All I have to do is find the right bus stop, and I’m good to go. At first, I questioned if I would like riding buses around on vacation, but now I wouldn’t do it any other way.

It is so much less stressful than trying to drive, navigate, get stuck in traffic, and park.

#2: No Car Seats

I love that I don’t have to bring a car seat when traveling to Disney, since you can not use them on any Disney Transportation.

I’m not the only one who loves not having to travel with a car seat – our daughter loves it, too! So much so, in fact, that we have a hard time convincing her to sit in her car seat once we are back home. 🙁

#3: I Don’t Have to Cook or Do the Dishes!

When we take a trip to visit family, camp, or rent a house somewhere, I end up doing the same amount of cooking (or more) than I do at home.

Since a lot of my daily workload involves food, I really don’t get a break from my regular routine on these types of “vacations”.

I don’t mind preparing food at home, in fact I usually enjoy it, but I love getting a break from cooking sometimes!

At Disney World, I don’t prepare a single meal the whole time we are there. I do bring along supplies for breakfast (fruit, yogurt pouches, bars, etc.) which we eat in our room.

We eat lunch and dinner at either counter service or table service restaurants throughout our trip.

I think not shopping for, prepping for, cooking, and cleaning up after meals is the best part of a Disney vacation for me!

Of course eating out every day on vacation adds to the overall cost of the trip quite a bit. But dining at Disney doesn’t have to break the bank.

Some of my favorite restaurants at Disney are quick-service restaurants, where entrees are around $10 each.

I drink water with my meals and skip dessert in favor of a treat from a bakery later.

Sometimes meals are even big enough to share between two people! It is definitely possible to stay within a budget and not cook any meals on a Disney vacation. 

#4: I Don’t Worry About a Sorry Hotel or Poor Service

When we travel to destinations other than Disney and stay in a hotel, I’m never sure what we’re going to get.

I have stayed in hotels owned by reputable chains that ended up being dirty and run-down.

I’ve experienced poor customer service at more places than I’d like. I just never feel like I know what I am going to get in terms of quality and service, even after I have researched a hotel on TripAdvisor!

At Disney, I know that my hotel room will be clean and in good repair. I also know that I will receive incredible, world-class hospitality no matter what resort I stay at. 

I have stayed at every Value and Moderate resort (as well as most of the Deluxe resorts) and I have never been disappointed in Disney’s customer service. The employees (called “Cast Members”) at Disney will try to exceed your expectations in every situation.

When we had trouble with our Magic Bands once at Animal Kingdom Lodge, the cast member gifted my daughter with a large plush giraffe. It was totally unnecessary since we were only out a few minutes of our time, but wow, did it make our girl’s trip.

Staying at hotels costs a lot of money, so I want to be sure I’m going to get good quality for what I pay. And I never worry about that at Disney!

#5: Someone Else Takes the Pictures

I know I’m not the only mommy/family photographer out there. I’m usually the one trying to capture memories of our daily life with my phone or camera, while on vacation or otherwise. At Disney, I let the PhotoPass photographers do some of this work for me.

Disney positions photographers all around the parks – at all of the character meet & greets, around the icons of each park (Cinderella Castle, etc.), and other random places all over.

You may know about the pricey Memory Maker package that you can buy, but did you also know that the PhotoPass photographers will take pictures for you with your own phone/camera?

Just ask them politely to take a few pictures for you and they will always kindly oblige. It’s part of their job, so don’t feel bad about asking!

#6 Disney Magic is Real

Finally, just a few more notable differences between vacations at Disney World and those elsewhere.

First, I challenge you to find a more kid-centered vacation experience than Disney.

Cast Members there are on a mission to acknowledge your children and make them feel special.

I long ago lost track of all of the nice things Cast Members have done for our daughter. Kind words, princess wands, stickers, glow cubes, etc. are showered on my daughter on every trip. Everything from pools to attractions is designed with kids in mind.

We also always seem to be granted some extra magic on our trips. I’ve been given totally unasked for and unexpected room upgrades, free food, FastPasses, etc. just to make our trip extra special. It is such a nice surprise to have your expectations surpassed when you least expect it!

And last, I love that Disney attracts folks from all over our country and world. We always enjoy chatting with others guests on the buses, in lines, or just around the parks.

Almost everyone is friendly and happy to share how their trip is going. We’ve met people from countless countries all over the world on our vacations, which is a nice change of pace for us. Folks just seem to be nicer at Disney, which I chalk up to Disney magic as well. 🙂

So, for all of these reasons, I feel like I get to truly relax and enjoy myself on a vacation at Disney World. Guess what? I’ll be going back next year.

How does a Disney vacation compare to other trips you’ve taken? Please share your thoughts in a comment below!