So… how many times is too many?
I recently received an email from my friend, Wayne, asking if I had read an article in the Business section of our local Sunday newspaper. He went on to ask if I planned to write a rebuttal and suggested I might have already written an article on that topic. I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.
I thought back to Sunday’s paper and remembered that, due to overnight freezing rain, our paper hadn’t been delivered until 10:00 a.m. so I admit I didn’t give it the thorough scrutiny that’s typical for me. We hadn’t yet dumped it into the recycling bin so I dug around until I found the Business section and began to peruse the stories.
The first one referenced an ad posted on Craigslist purported to be looking for “attractive, brainy” models for a coming campaign to promote independent bookstores in the Capital Region. That can’t be it.
I also found a story on how every organization should strive to build an entire company of salespeople. Nope. That’s not it either.
As I turned to the last page, the words jumped out at me. It was a Wall Street Journal article titled “Disney Debate: How Many Times Is Too Many?” Bingo!
The article was written by an investing and finance writer, Jeff D. Opdyke, and begins by asking the question, “How much is yet another trip to Disney World worth?” The answer, according to the author, is not as much as it costs. Huh? Them’s fighting words. I thought about running over to the Wall Street Journal and challenging this writer to a duel. Of course, in my mind the Wall Street Journal would be a large office with a bunch of writers bent over Underwood typewriters, clacking away—something out of All the President’s Men. I could stride in and smite him across his cheek with a glove. In reality, Mr. Opdyke is probably at home, on his patio, typing away on his MacBook.
Nevertheless, he had my interest now. While a duel was not out of the question, I thought a rebuttal might be more fitting. Plus, writing a rebuttal is sort of the 21st Century version of a duel and it’s a whole lot less bloody.
Mr. Opdyke begins by explaining a disagreement with his wife on the value of yet another vacation at Walt Disney World. She wants to go, he doesn’t.
To support his argument, he cites the excessive cost, which he details at “close to $5,000 for four days” for his family of himself, his wife, and their two children—a 14-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter. He admits the cost is a bit inflated due to his insistence on staying in a monorail resort—“I hate waiting for buses”—and the inclusion of a meal plan. While Mr. Opdyke readily admits they’ve enjoyed past trips and knows his children will “love this vacation,” his opinion, if I may paraphrase, is that there’s a better bang for the vacation buck out there.
The article references several other families with similar disagreements on the “return to Disney” theme. His primary point seems to be it’s nonsensical to “be spending more than a thousand dollars a day to go to an amusement park we’ve already seen.” He admits that had his wife suggested spending $5,000 for a two-week drive from Yosemite National Park to Glacier National Park, or a trip to Disney in Paris or Tokyo, he was all in.
I have to admit, Mr. Opdyke presents an interesting argument; it’s just one I happen to disagree with—at least partially. My friend, Wayne, was correct—back in 2009, I did write an article entitled “Why We Go Back” and I even devoted a chapter in my book to deal with the question, “You’re going again?” (And there’s another shameless plug for my book which has a link at the bottom of this column—order now, patent pending, all rights reserved and your mileage may vary.)
I’ll say up front that I have no problem with anyone’s desire to broaden the cultural education of his or her children. There’s certainly something enriching about visiting different areas of the country and the world. Indeed, if one has the financial means to broaden the vacation spectrum, go for it with my blessings. See new cities, visit new sites and experience different cultures. However, one should never impugn the inherent value of repeat Walt Disney World vacations.
Let’s attack… er…. debate Mr. Opdyke’s arguments in order. His first complaint seems to be the cost or, as he puts it, “spending more than a thousand dollars a day to go to an amusement park we’ve already seen.” I’m reminded of a line from The Godfather: “If you consider a million dollars in cash merely finance…te salute, Don Corleone.” Well, Mr. Opdyke, if you consider Walt Disney World a mere “amusement park, you’re sorely undervaluing the resort.
Resorts, pools, water parks, monorails, boats, dinner shows, shopping, restaurants, nightlife, waterways, bicycles, magicians, fireworks, La Nouba, musicals, golf, camping… oh yeah… and rides. You know what I mean, right? I’m preaching to the choir here. This is not Six Flags we’re talking about… it’s Walt Disney World (I really wanted to put a “freakin’” in there but I wasn’t really sure where to insert it.) Just because you’ve been to Disney World previously doesn’t mean you’ve seen it all before. Heck, I’m north of 25 trips and there are still items on my “To Do” list.
How about the cost itself? Mr. Opdyke doesn’t say when he’s traveling so we’ll have to make some gross assumptions. He does indicate he’s from Baton Rouge so a quick check of a few Web sites indicates he can fly round trip to Orlando for around $250 so that’s $1,000 for his family of four.
Four-day park hoppers will cost another $1,000 and four nights at a monorail resort, say the Polynesian will come in around $1,200. Let’s give him the Basic Dining Plan at around $150 per day, or $600 for the trip and our total is $3,800. I personally think his “$5,000 for four days” is a bit of an embellishment, especially because anyone reading this could probably offer him some advice on discounts or tips that could save him more than a few bucks.
Here’s another argument: “The impact of Disney fades with successive trips. While I clearly remember the first time our daughter saw Minnie Mouse’s house, I really don’t think this time will be any more special.” Really?
On her first trip, Mr. Opdyke’s daughter was four and she’s now seven. Will her next visit be different? You betcha. I once stated that I love Walt Disney World for many reasons but those reasons are different today than they were twenty years ago; or ten years ago; or even just five years ago. I certainly change over time and the way I visit changes as well. Sure, there are many consistent attractions and I will enjoy them forever but with each new trip, I find something else to savor; something new or simply something that I was unaware of previously.
I don’t for a minute believe Disney’s impact fades with successive trips. If anything, the reverse is true. I would suggest that Mr. Opdyke’s daughter would enjoy another trip equally, and probably differently, than the last one. Heck, she might enjoy another trip even more than the first one. Certainly a four-year old’s tastes will differ rather significantly to a seven-year old’s. I would also suggest the same thing for his son… and probably for him and his wife, as well.
The next argument concerns alternative trips. The author states that “…just about any other trip would provide new experiences and new memories for my kids to complement those they already have from Disney. Thus, to me, the value would be more closely aligned with the cost.” It’s hard to argue with that. New memories complementing existing ones would always be a good thing.
He supports this opinion with a relevant story of another couple that wanted a return trip to Disney World with their family. They instead opted to fly to San Francisco and drive up the coast of Northern California and Oregon. The trip probably cost about the same amount of money, but he argues they now have both memories to enjoy — Disney and the California trip.
“Would we have loved Disney?” he asks. “Probably. But the experience would have been the same as the one we’d already had. I doubt we’d even be able to differentiate between the two times we went.” There’s another grain of truth in that. I admit that we sometimes have to consult records to determine on which trip we saw La Nouba… or had dinner at the California Grill… but I disagree that one couldn’t differentiate from one trip to the next.
To me, each trip is different and each of them is special in their own way. Remember, I’m the guy that continually declares the months of planning and reliving the trip are just as much a part of your Disney experience as being on the trip.
It seems as if Mr. Opdyke has resigned himself to this trip but he indicates it will be his last. His strategy to overcome the resistance of his family is to involve his children in the planning process. Who among us would argue with that?
He wants to have his children think about other places they’ve heard about or have seen in the media. He mentions his daughter’s recent interest in Mexico; and how his son talks about New Zealand because of a cartoon he loved as a child. Again, if one has the financial means to consider these as family vacations I think that’s wonderful… it’s just not my cup of tea. I’ve been to Mexico once and my preference is nachos and a margarita from La Cantina de San Angel in Epcot. That’s kind of a joke, but barely. If I had to choose between a trip to Mexico or a trip to Disney World, I’d choose Disney faster than you could say “Three Caballeros.”
Again, from Mr. Opdyke: “If I can tap into that curiosity, then maybe I can drive vacation expectations in a direction that moves us away from Orlando and toward a far greater value for our money.… Because despite those famous Disney lyrics, it really isn’t a small world after all.”
My intent here is not to mock this author’s reasoning or intentions. They’re valid and his desire to broaden his family’s vacation experience is admirable. As a family, we have certainly taken vacations outside of Disney parks and resorts and will continue to do so—although somewhat less frequently since becoming Disney Vacation Club members.
My argument is with the implication that a vacation to Walt Disney World somehow decreases in value with return visits. I’m just not buying that. If anything, I believe the opposite to be true. With each successive visit, I’ve found more things to enjoy and even more reasons to return. I may tire of it some day but I haven’t reached that point yet.
That’s my opinion. What’s yours?
Oh… and Happy New Year, everyone!
