WDW...It's A World Of It's Own...

I couldn't imagine just staying at WDW for two weeks.There is so much more to see and do at the other parks and other places nearby.It doesn't mean your views are any less valid KF.I just feel if we are spending 2 days each way and thousands of miles then i want to do as much as possible.
Universal has really made an effort in the last few years to up it's game and there is some amazing stuff over there.Seaworld is always a nice change of pace.
Because it is our one treat every year/18 months we also tend to "assist the US economy" quite a lot at the Mall/outlet stores.
Overall though if Bubbling for 2 weeks is what makes you happy then who is anyone else to judge.

I think everyone should do what they enjoy on their vacations...that's what makes it a vacation...a break from your everyday life...something new to energize you. We have friends that go to a golf resort and play golf all day; that's their break. Another teacher takes his vacations to go participate in poker tournaments; that's his release. To each their own. I enjoy the bubble...a break from all the 'news' in the world.

In past years we have only ventured out of the bubble for the outlets (a girl has got to shop!) and 2 days at universal and for me that was too much time away! last year we skipped universal and only ventured out for a day and I loved it, like you I love being in the bubble and escaping from everything!

This year due to the universal expansion we are venturing out and although I'm excited about it I'm more excited about the bubble!

Sob.Sob.. ( I've done Uni/IOA three times..Done Seaworld twice..Shamu...Shamu..I'am still wearing trainers and Elvis silk shirts from previous mall shopping trips..I view it like going to an Island that is 47 square miles in diameter..I don't want off till the big bird arrives to fly me home...Your probably too young to remember a TV series called " Fantasy Island " starring Ricardo Monty something...and a wee guy who would see the guests arriving shouting " De Plane De Plane " ...LOL..That's my take on WDW...My Island of Fantasy and Dreams..

I've had those kinds of reactions from various people too. Not so much about not leaving the bubble, but more that we are going to Disney World in the first place. Some folks just don't understand why. But every so often, I get to return the favor...

I have a friend that asked me a few questions about Disney World over the last month or so, leading me to believe they are wanting to go there. He then just told me the other day he's taking his wife and son to Orlando for March break. They're staying at a hotel which is at the DOORSTEP of WDW. But...

They're NOT going to Disney World! At all! They want to avoid crowds at the parks and go to various smaller places like museums etc.

So, of course, I had to give the raised eyebrow, confused reaction look. "You're going to Orlando, staying just outside the bubble, but NOT going in?" That would be torture to me!

Totally agree..My friend by passed Niagara Falls years ago without stopping because he didn't think it was worth looking at..

Coming back from Disney one time, we flew right over it...

I'm one of the people who lives a short drive(2 1/2 hours) away from WDW and I go often(about 30-35 days year/6 years in a row and counting ) and I still want to stay inside the bubble of the parks. I don't care about anything else in Orlando or along the way. My husband still has to practically drag me out of MK on the last visit there of each trip, even after all of our visits. I was shocked at how much I enjoyed WDW the first time we visited. And my love has only grown exponentially over the last several years. This fall or next spring we will venture over to WWoHP at Universal to see the expansion. Harry Potter is probably my only other obsession, besides WDW so we have to see it. But we'll be back to WDW that same visit!

I would say about 90% of adults who know that my husband and I go to WDW so often think we're crazy If we post about it on Facebook, we usually get a few snotty comments like "You don't even have kids, why would you go?" or the worst one we ever got was "Your life must be pretty boring if you go to WDW all the time." After I add a few choice responses of my own, I promptly delete them. I don't understand their mentality at all. They think our life is BORING because we go to WDW all the time???? I think our life is AWESOME because we go to WDW all the time!!!

Well said...My father in law has the same attitude...He has never been, and never will..He thinks it's all Mickey Mouse..He'd rather spend thousands and thousands going to U.A.E. then comes back and tells me what I'am missing...Tall buildings..unbearable heat...Lots of sand and camels...Oh Yeah! ...

well for me its tricky as I love travel, but also love disney. In all honestly this will be out last disney world trip until we have kids of our own. We are saving for a wedding and a house at the moment. We both really want to go to LA for our honeymoon so maybe disneyland too.

as for staying in the bubble I am totally up for that, other people in our party want to go to NASA, Universal ext but I'm happy just doing disney. I am excited to do all the new harry potter stuff but its not at the top of my list.

I definitely think it's a world of its own. Because with a destination like a city, a different state or province or even a foreign country, you have a tendency to see more attractions that are more spread out. Take New York, for example. Sure, Manhattan has all the shops and major tourist attractions but the Bronx has the Yankees and the Bronx Zoo, Brooklyn has Coney Island, Queens and Staten Island also have their fair share of attractions. Or if you're visiting a foreign country, you tend to visit multiple cities more often than not. With Disney World, it's twice the size of Manhattan but everything is centralized so to get from Point A to Point B inside the bubble is not a problem. That's probably why there is the "resort" name in the "Walt Disney World Resort" moniker.

"Sure, Manhattan has all the shops and major tourist attractions but the Bronx has the Yankees and the Bronx Zoo, Brooklyn has Coney Island, Queens and Staten Island also have their fair share of attractions."

You obviously refer to the Staten Island garbage dump. One of the largest in the world and viewable with the naked eye from outer space?

This has been happening to me a lot lately, even tho we're going with a young child, most of my friends and coworkers just don't get it. Even my mother in law who is a self proclaimed 'travel expert' keeps telling me to just go to MK for a day and spend the rest of the time at a beach.

To me, sitting at a beach is way too boring. I love to be doing things on vacation, and Disney World is so full of things to do! Plus, you can't beat the atmosphere and attention to detail that you get in the bubble, and venturing out (for more than HP world), feels like a total breech and let down of that magical feeling.

Staten Island has the Historic Richmond Town, Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, museums and other places. It won't be on a bucket list for most tourists but if for whatever reason, people want to venture to all five boroughs, there's plenty to do in Staten Island. But that is the borough that definitely gets the cold shoulder from the others.

It's not even on my bucket list and I live here. We're better known for the dump, and Melanie Griffith in Working Girl.

Being from NJ, I can hope at least we agree on a couple of things: Jersey Shore has given our places a bad rep even though we know what really goes on in our neck of the woods and I would think there are plenty of snobs in NYC that look down on us.

Even when we stay at a non-Disney resort, we usually stay within the Disney bubble except to sleep at night. Occasionally we'll venture to the Universal parks for a day or two, but that's it. I can shop at home - and since we live near some major tourist attractions (Gettysburg, Hersheypark, and Lancaster County Amish Country), I can even shop at outlet malls near home.

I love Richmond Town and The Chapter (Charter?) House. We've made special trips to SI to visit them more than once!

We have done the 'other' parks a few time over the years, but the last few visits we tend to only tick to WDW. We have always loved Disney and have an amazing time there so that's where we try to spend as much time. BUT....... there is always room for shopping. I love to shop, probably more than DW, I'm a T-Shirts junkie/collector so it's paradise and I get my hads on brands that I don't get here. Last year we decided to do something different each visit, last year we went on a fan boat ride and it was really good, saw a few gators, birds and lots of amazing sights.

We go to Disney because we love being in the bubble that is Disney. We don't have to rent a car or worry about getting from one place to another. Disney takes care of everything. We just get to sit back and enjoy the ride. Sometimes I wonder if we are missing out since we have never been to Universal but maybe someday we will feel like we want to venture out of our comfort zone.

Last year we ventured out because my husband wanted to check out a guitar store in Orlando. Well be printed out google maps, followed the instructions and ended up in a pretty rough looking area. After that we only venture out to the outlet mall which we know how to get to and it isn't far from the bubble. I like that particular mall for the discount Disney store. There are lots of deals to be had and I do love a bargain. My hubby likes this one shoe store in particular where he always finds a great deal on shoes and boots we can't find at home. Other than maybe a trip to Winn Dixie for groceries, we stick to the bubble ourselves.

The only time we pop our heads out of the bubble is to go eat. There are a couple restaurants down there that we love and don't have at home so of course we have to venture out a bit for that. (We do order in for one of them now instead of leaving )

If we do any of the other parks, it is a separate trip all together. We got free tix to Universal and went down a couple years ago, it was torture being so close to Disney and not going but I lived. Universal was great. I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan and it was the main reason we went. I want to go back once the other HP section is completed for sure.

We've also ventured out for putt putt once but not again since we played Fairways, it is awesome!!!

Echoing JHugo, I go to WDW because I want to be at WDW. It's my ideal vacation - I love the weather, I love Disney, and I love not having to worry about anything once I get on the plane. Also, I don't have much interest in Sea World, Universal and such; and I'm not much of a shopper. I've only seen I-Drive from the window of a shuttle or car. LOL

In maybe a hundred-something trips, I don't think I've ever been outside the bubble, others than when I was a kid and most of the WDW resorts weren't built yet.

The only things in Florida I saw was the airport and WDW. When you live so far away you might as well make the most of your Disney trip and see and experience everything even if that mean just staying in Disney. I don't think its any different to going to somewhere like Fiji when you don't really venture anyway besides your hotel and the beach.

We have friends who keep asking why do we go back? Once done you're done! We LOVE the bubble. We don't worry about the driving, the food, anything. In all the choir trips to WDW, they stay off property and do the shopping at the knock off places. I have many lovely castle shirts from those places, but I am loaded and really not that interested in more. If I am I will buy it on ebay.