Some Thoughts on Disney and Life

[Jack Kerouac]

There are a lot of opinions currently about Disney and the experiences being offered in the parks being just one big cash grab after another. But I am beginning to believe it doesn’t matter.

What matters is living a rich life full of joy. And for a lot of us, Disney provides us with some of that joy. I know it did, does, and will, for me. 30+ years of wonderful memories with my parents, siblings, wife, kids, and my parents with my wife and kids. In fact, I’m planning on Disney taking more money from me than I ever imagined just two years ago. Once my wife and my sons visited for their first time last April, I realized Disney will provide us with a lifetime of joy and memories, because it brings us together.

I would like to imagine every single one of us would ideally like to live a full, rich life, and Disney is likely a part of that rich life (otherwise, why are you on this website?) Doing Disney might mean blowing out our wallets George Constanza-style on one bucket list-like trip. Others can spend even more per trip many times over and not blink an eye. And for others, it’s done economically. I’ve witnessed it done by people with the means for more but are content with less, and they still choose to visit Disney.

Disney is accessible to many people across the economic spectrum, just because there are so many options provided by Disney and other companies centered around Disney. Supporting Disney is also supporting small businesses and individuals directly and indirectly. By using these ancillary businesses, you help those people directly. But even if you don’t, by visiting Disney, you keep those small businesses afloat because Disney is afloat.

Life requires us to spend money. Today sadly, that money goes less far now then it did before. But that Mickey pretzel and cheese costs less than a pretzel and cheese at our local zoo. The money grab is everywhere, not just Disney. Corporations everywhere have long been designed to serve the shareholders, not the stakeholders, and the only time the customer is right is when the company can use that leverage to extract more cash from the customer over a long-term relationship.

I’m skeptical of all businesses, individuals, and everyone and everything in between. But I am willing myself forward to provide my boys with some great experiences while they are young. A lot of them will be at Disney. A lot of them will be at a YMCA family camp each fall. And almost all of them will be because I chose to spend the money to take the trip, instead of gifting them the money after I’m dead. After 15+ years of working with older clients and their kids, the majority of people prefer memories with their loved ones to money from their loved ones. At least the ones deserving of the money.

And yes, I’m still saving for my retirement and my boys’ college, if you were concerned.

Create the memories while you can. Life is lived just once and our kids and grandkids are young just once. My eight-year old is already talking of a Time Machine to take him back to when he was two, and all I want is for him to enjoy his childhood while he still has it. You get to be a child just once. Enjoy it when you’re young or while those you love are young. Whether or not it’s Disney-related, just know your kids and grandkids want the memories, not the money. And it’s not just Disney that asks for, and takes, your money.

But if you’re still skeptical of Disney and/or me, just buy Disney stock to hedge your bet. Like I did. And I did for my kids. But really, I just want Disney to do well so my kids and their future kids can experience the joy Disney has brought me over the years.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I enjoyed reading your post, and it is the memories of times spent with family and friends that give me the most smiles. You are right, many of these times together have been Disney experiences.

 

[Her Dotness]

For the reasons you give, I am monumentally weary of the threads whining about how Disney is nothing but a cash grab these days. Disney has always been more expensive than many other vacation sites.

Nobody who can afford to vacation has room to complain about how much those vacations cost. Go to Disney or go somewhere cheaper and consider how privileged you are fer Mickey's sakes!

It's the "feel-goods" that count in life, not how much things cost.

 

[rhenkt]

Well said.

The greatest moment in my life was when my son met Mickey for the first time. I’d pay every cent I own to bring moments like that to him and my wife again in the future.

 

[loves to dive]

Great post, the memories are so important. Yes, Disney is expensive but as another poster said, it always has been. When my son was young I was a single Mom. We went to WDW the first time when he was just shy of 3. He loved it so much I knew we would go again. It took me 2 years to save the money for us to go. That meant sharing Happy Meals and spending our Saturdays in the park with PB&J sandwiches and in the year we didn't go to WDW just going somewhere close to home for a long weekend. He was fine with that because he knew why we were saving. We have gone every other year since then until he became and adult and I started going once a year, but still every other year with him and either a girlfriend or his now ex-wife or his now SO and daughter. He is now raising a Disney daughter. She will be 2 1/2 the next time they go and she has already been twice. His SO had only been to Disney once as a teenager and after going with us when their daughter was 8 months old, she became hooked. My son has been lucky enough when he travels with me to stay in the moderate or deluxe resorts and the first time they went with me, we stayed in a semi-suite at the Dolphin. The next time they went without me (I had been the week before we just couldn't coordinate our dates) they stayed in a value and were perfectly happy doing so since that was what they could afford. I'll be going on their next trip but we will be staying in different resorts, they in a value and me in either a moderate or deluxe/Dolphin (haven't made up my mind). They are good with that since they will have some alone time with Grandma taking the baby for little snippets and they will still build those core memories for themselves and their daughter.

I've told this story before. My son had an ugly divorce at the same time he developed permanent nerve damage in his spine and had to take a medical discharge from the Navy. He was a very depressed young man and in a lot of pain. He and I took our regular trip to WDW, stayed in BWI. One night while walking back from Epcot we heard music coming from the beach at YC. They were having a private party and had a DJ. My son liked the song playing and started singing and dancing along the Boardwalk. Here was a young man who hadn't smiled in over 2 years and most days was in terrible pain. But he was at WDW and was laughing and singing and dancing just because. I'll admit I cried happy tears. You can not put a price on that.

 

[Her Dotness]

One night while walking back from Epcot we heard music coming from the beach at YC. They were having a private party and had a DJ. My son liked the song playing and started singing and dancing along the Boardwalk. Here was a young man who hadn't smiled in over 2 years and most days was in terrible pain. But he was at WDW and was laughing and singing and dancing just because. I'll admit I cried happy tears. You can not put a price on that.

And that's what some of us prize most--those magical moments that admittedly might occur other places but have more impact because of our love of being at Disney.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

For the reasons you give, I am monumentally weary of the threads whining about how Disney is nothing but a cash grab these days. Disney has always been more expensive than many other vacation sites.

Nobody who can afford to vacation has room to complain about how much those vacations cost. Go to Disney or go somewhere cheaper and consider how privileged you are fer Mickey's sakes!

It's the "feel-goods" that count in life, not how much things cost.

I grew up in a middle-class home with two working parents. We did Disney a lot, but tickets were provided by timeshare tours, and we stayed exclusively off-site, usually with my grandparents too. My dad was frugal, but he knew vacations were investments in his family. Thankfully, I learned the same from him, and I'm even more blessed that our children will be staying on-site during our visits. Our first vacation with DVC is just 18 days away. Despite our countdown calendar, our boys were pleasantly surprised by the relatively low number today.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

Not trying to wrap up this thread. Just wanted to say a quick thank you to all of you. As I have said before on the Disboards, while I hate social media in general, I absolutely love the people on here. Everyone is so kind and willing to share the good (and bad) that happens to them, both Disney-related and non-Disney-related. Thank you for being here, sharing, and just participating. You are the good in the world. Just like Walt believed. This, I believe, is the one legacy of his we need most to believe in and live out. Thank you again!

 

[DLgal]

Well said.

I follow a financial guy who is all about figuring out what a rich life means to you. I fully agree with his philosophy to "spend extravagantly on the things you love/value highly, while mercilessly cutting spending on the things you don't."

It's a good way to live.

Disney gets a lot of our money. It makes us happy. That's all that matters in the end.

I drive a 17 year old car thats been paid off for 13 years, so that Disney can get $500/month for our family's DL annual passes instead of making a car payment.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

Well said.

I follow a financial guy who is all about figuring out what a rich life means to you. I fully agree with his philosophy to "spend extravagantly on the things you love/value highly, while mercilessly cutting spending on the things you don't."

It's a good way to live.

Disney gets a lot of our money. It makes us happy. That's all that matters in the end.

I drive a 17 year old car thats been paid off for 13 years, so that Disney can get $500/month for our family's DL annual passes instead of making another car payment.

Another Ramit Sethi fan… I read his interview with Morningstar’s Christine Benz and Jeffrey Ptak. He’s a commonsense all-star in finance. My Subaru was paid off early and that was a few years ago. The idea when I bought it is for our eight year old to inherit it for his first car and we bought it prior to his birth. We actually have fewer miles on it than we originally thought we would at this point in time.

One thing I will say, being in finance for 15+ years, Ramit is right about spreadsheets. I cannot do them and I don’t want to do them for the rest of my life. But I can figure out what is most important and focus our money on those things.

 

[DLgal]

Another Ramit Sethi fan… I read his interview with Morningstar’s Christine Benz and Jeffrey Ptak. He’s a commonsense all-star in finance. My Subaru was paid off early and that was a few years ago. The idea when I bought it is for our eight year old to inherit it for his first car and we bought it prior to his birth. We actually have fewer miles on it than we originally thought we would at this point in time.

One thing I will say, being in finance for 15+ years, Ramit is right about spreadsheets. I cannot do them and I don’t want to do them for the rest of my life. But I can figure out what is most important and focus our money on those things.

Ramit is a breath of fresh air amongst the cadre of uptight financial "experts." I love that he drives a 16 year old Accord and is a renter, even though he could absolutely afford to buy a house. He's a smart one.

I bought our CR-V when my oldest was 3 and my youngest was 1. My oldest learned to drive in it last year and my youngest will do so next year. It just crossed the 100k mile mark and I plan to pass it down to my oldest once he needs a car more regularly.

I couldn't care less about what car I drive or whether the home we live in belongs to us or a landlord. I buy my clothes at Costco. We go big on Disney, vacations in general (what's a vacation budget?), and food.

 

[Miffy]

Although I hardly have an unlimited budget and can't say I'm happy with many of the new upcharges at WDW, nevertheless, I do not regret one dime I've ever spent there. I love WDW.

DH and I moved a couple of years ago and I still don't feel quite at home in the new location. But I always feel at home at WDW.

I'll be there in 2 days and even though I can't stand heat and humidity, I know I'll have a wonderful time. It makes me happy just thinking about it.

 

[notatallmagic]

What a beautiful thread and so many lovely comments. I am blessed by all of you this morning.

I've shared this before, but my kids and I have had some real...stuff. For many years, my daughter barely talked and rarely smiled. After a trip when my kids were 5 and 2 (some magical moments and some really awful ones) Disney became magical to her, and after a super rough patch, and lots of saving and sacrifice, we were able to return one January for a week at an All Star with Free Dining. That did it. We returned every other year, then every year, and then after some super difficult personal losses, we were able to become Annual Passholders. I remember asking my kids' counselor if that was a healthy strategy, and she said "It certainly is. Find joy where you can. This is a rough world."

I asked the same of my Financial Advisor about my vacation budget. She assured me that there is no greater value than creating memories with your children and loved ones. So my "Making Memories" budget is the largest line item I have. These years are so precious.

Has Disney made a multitude of decisions that I find irritating, annoying, and downright wrong? Yes. Does it still hold a place in my heart that brings joy? I remember my Grandma and Grandpa taking me to Disney on a "private" vacation when I was 7. We drove from Ohio, ate sandwiches and Pringles (I'd never had a potato chip before! We were poor) at rest stops, and rode Small World, Carousel of Progress, the teacups, and Pirates. We watched the America show, and my souvineer was a Disney song record. I remember dancing with my Grandma to those songs - her favorite was Small World. I remember my daughter meeting princesses and Peter Pan pulling her pigtails. I remember my son "fighting" Darth Maul, and being gifted a toy Porg, and seeing Chewie and Darth Vadar and KNOWING they were real. I remember walking with my mom along the river in Magic Kingdom on a beautiful day. Everyone in my memories is gone now except my kids, but I have those wonderful, magical moments to hold.

I guess that's why it's still worth it. Find joy where you can.

 

[DLgal]

Although I hardly have an unlimited budget and can't say I'm happy with many of the new upcharges at WDW, nevertheless, I do not regret one dime I've ever spent there. I love WDW.

DH and I moved a couple of years ago and I still don't feel quite at home in the new location. But I always feel at home at WDW.

I'll be there in 2 days and even though I can't stand heat and humidity, I know I'll have a wonderful time. It makes me happy just thinking about it.

Have a great trip! We will be there one week from tomorrow! I'm very much looking forward to a week of fun with my boys.

 

[DLgal]

What a beautiful thread and so many lovely comments. I am blessed by all of you this morning.

I've shared this before, but my kids and I have had some real...stuff. For many years, my daughter barely talked and rarely smiled. After a trip when my kids were 5 and 2 (some magical moments and some really awful ones) Disney became magical to her, and after a super rough patch, and lots of saving and sacrifice, we were able to return one January for a week at an All Star with Free Dining. That did it. We returned every other year, then every year, and then after some super difficult personal losses, we were able to become Annual Passholders. I remember asking my kids' counselor if that was a healthy strategy, and she said "It certainly is. Find joy where you can. This is a rough world."

I asked the same of my Financial Advisor about my vacation budget. She assured me that there is no greater value than creating memories with your children and loved ones. So my "Making Memories" budget is the largest line item I have. These years are so precious.

Has Disney made a multitude of decisions that I find irritating, annoying, and downright wrong? Yes. Does it still hold a place in my heart that brings joy? I remember my Grandma and Grandpa taking me to Disney on a "private" vacation when I was 7. We drove from Ohio, ate sandwiches and Pringles (I'd never had a potato chip before! We were poor) at rest stops, and rode Small World, Carousel of Progress, the teacups, and Pirates. We watched the America show, and my souvineer was a Disney song record. I remember dancing with my Grandma to those songs - her favorite was Small World. I remember my daughter meeting princesses and Peter Pan pulling her pigtails. I remember my son "fighting" Darth Maul, and being gifted a toy Porg, and seeing Chewie and Darth Vadar and KNOWING they were real. I remember walking with my mom along the river in Magic Kingdom on a beautiful day. Everyone in my memories is gone now except my kids, but I have those wonderful, magical moments to hold.

I guess that's why it's still worth it. Find joy where you can.

What beautiful memories you have! I have similar ones from my childhood and it has always brought me peace when I think about them. I loved WDW so much as a kid that I vowed to get married there once they built that wedding pavilion. And we did! My husband loves Disney as much as I do, even though I took him on his first WDW trip when we were only 20. It's so cool to be able to take our kids to the place we got married 22 years ago. And it's special that we always get to visit it on our WDW trips.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Thank you for the original post because those feelings have been trying to surface , maybe since the day we thought Covid was over .
I kept trying to remind myself how broken hearted Covid left me and we could not wait for our Disney Freedom to return …
I can not imagine life without Disney and Universal since I chose to move here in 2018 but I have been a Disney land gal since high school graduation in 1968…
I have a list of 10 heroes Obviously a few religious but
Mr. Walt Disney has always been there
Now I have respect for Mr. Bob Iger because he has been a brave soul trying to salvage Disney …
And I also am starting to think I should add Mr. Josh D’Amaro because he walks the walk inside Disneyland .The same Main Street that Walt built for all that arrive at this Happy Place.

Year of 100 Disney Memories is a big celebration for us all.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

Thank you for the original post because those feelings have been trying to surface , maybe since the day we thought Covid was over .
I kept trying to remind myself how broken hearted Covid left me and we could not wait for our Disney Freedom to return …
I can not imagine life without Disney and Universal since I chose to move here in 2018 but I have been a Disney land gal since high school graduation in 1968…
I have a list of 10 heroes Obviously a few religious but
Mr. Walt Disney has always been there
Now I have respect for Mr. Bob Iger because he has been a brave soul trying to salvage Disney …
And I also am starting to think I should add Mr. Josh D’Amaro because he walks the walk inside Disneyland .The same Main Street that Walt built for all that arrive at this Happy Place.

100 Years of Disney Memories is a big celebration for us all.

While COVID was absolutely terrible and my children have suffered in many of the same ways as their peers, e.g. my youngest was born during the pandemic and is speech-delayed, which our pediatrician has said is not uncommon for many children born around the same time, the one good I experienced is that it helped me put things into perspective. I became a big saver after getting married, but it became a hindrance for me to take our family on vacations. My wife joked that I would book a vacation, only to cancel it due to "financial concerns". But last year I asked my wife if we could buy a DVC resale contract because I knew it would provide us with so many future memories and it would also hold my feet to the fire when it comes time to take a vacation. It's like a forced savings tool, just for memories.