We love to go to Walt Disney World. Get over it.

“You’re going back there again?” “Haven’t you seen everything there is to see by now?” “Doesn’t it get boring?” “Seriously? How many times have you guys been there?”

My husband and I are both almost 50 years old.
We have no children.
We love to go to Walt Disney World.
Get over it.

I know lots of people who spend their spring break every year on a beach on the Gulf of Mexico or have a summer vacation cabin on a lake somewhere and no one ever questions their travel habits. It’s not like we haven’t visited other places too – vacations like a road trip through the southwestern US, a ground tour of Alaska, a stay at dude ranch in Arizona, and a planned trip to Yellowstone this summer.

But, you see, the hubby and I went to Walt Disney World on our honeymoon many years ago. He’d never been, but I had been a few times with my parents and with friends. I knew that I loved it, but didn’t expect him to love it as much as I did. We decided to go back the next year. Then, even though we thought that maybe we shouldn’t, we went back again the following year, and then again the year after that. Eventually we just gave in and accepted that this was our happy place and stopped making excuses for it. We bought points in the Disney Vacation Club and haven’t looked back since.

Growing up in the 1960s, spending Sunday nights with “Uncle Walt” was the norm. He would sit on his desk dressed in a suit or cardigan sweater and tell us about everything – wildlife, history, making cartoons, what was new at Disneyland – so the Disney microchip was installed very early for those of us at the tail end of the Baby Boomer era. That may be the basis of it.

But I think it’s more about fantasy and escape. Once we pass through those gates, the rest of the world is just gone. The entire 47 square miles that make up Walt Disney World seem to be ours as we immerse ourselves in the fantasy of just being truly away from everything real, everything stressful, and everything troublesome.

Maybe you're one of the cynics because you think it’s all rides and attractions. If so, you are sadly mistaken. You could stay there for weeks and not experience everything that is available. Of course we have our favorites and must-dos, but we always try to see or experience something new during each visit.

The long and short of it though is, why do there seem to be so many people who feel it’s okay to critique someone’s travel choices in the first place? I’m thankful that, through the vast online Disney community, we’ve found a group of like-minded friends. Now, whether we travel alone or in a group, there are always others who understand and would never think of asking why we would “go there again.” After all, it’s their happy place too!