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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Disney or educational holiday

110 replies

sailyboat · 08/03/2023 12:26

WWYD
Let me explain before the Disney naysayers arrive...
I went to Disney world as a dc and love it and have always wanted to return. But it's so expensive now it's unreal.
BUT I still want to go and experience it with my dc. Dh on the other hand thinks I'm being silly and would rather go somewhere 'educational' that dc will learn things and also be less 'tacky'

Dc is 9 and I feel like they'd probably enjoy DW more than an educational holiday but I do understand dh as if we put that money elsewhere we're looking at Galapagos or further afield elsewhere in the world and dh thinks this is so much better. I clearly fall under his version of tacky and still want to go to WDW...

OP posts:
Nearlyamumoftwo · 08/03/2023 12:50

Hi@sailyboat also, although we love our children dearly we should think of ourselves too! Your husband might really loath spending all that money on Disney when there is a whole world out there that you’re working so hard to earn money to see. Could you compromise and take her to Paris, and do something bigger and suited for other family members another time?

FlibbertyGibbitt · 08/03/2023 12:52

DISNEY!!! Don’t stay in a Disney hotel . Buy flights separately. Book a condo or villa separately. Get tickets on the Floridix site . Doesn’t need to be expensive however just remember each ride has a shop !

MajorCarolDanvers · 08/03/2023 12:52

Disney

cortisolqueen · 08/03/2023 12:52

We went to Florida when DC was 7 - 5 years on he still talks about it.

We did Disney - he still remembers the rides & the shows, Universal - it's all about Harry Potter world, then NASA, and Gatorland. He is desperate to go back one day.

Im all for educational trips, but Disney would win every time for me.

Fridayfairy · 08/03/2023 12:56

Disney cruise! And visit some interesting historical places!

YellowAndGreenToBeSeen · 08/03/2023 12:57

Galapagos. No question. I would have LOVED this as a kid. Loved it. What an amazing trip (& do DLP if you must - I hated Disney as a kid though and still do).

riotlady · 08/03/2023 12:59

Definitely Disney!

Although perhaps controversially I would say I enjoyed California more than Florida as a child, even though it’s smaller. Heat is less oppressive, less driving and nicer vibes.

HairyToity · 08/03/2023 13:00

I'm the weirdo who's parents took to Disneyland Florida but complained it was a fake world and I preferred Barbados. Yes, my parents had money.

I also loved holidays to Sri Lanka and whale watching in the Azores as a teenager.

Go with the majority and Disney though. My brothers loved Disney, it was just me.

Lordofmyflies · 08/03/2023 13:00

Sorry OP, I'm with your DH on this! We were quite disappointed with the whole Disney experience as a family - the queues, the tat, the prices, the food. The kids much preferred adventure sports and activities that we did in places like Iceland (lava tubing, riding, snowmobiles) or Jordan ( camel riding, dune bashing, falconry, sand surfing).

DinosaurOfFire · 08/03/2023 13:01

Definitely Disney for a 9 year old. Plus as PP have said, there are other things around the area- Kennedy Space centre is incredible, there are also trips to go see Alligators further south than Orlando, you can go in hot air balloons and helicopter rides, there are lots of 'educational' experiences around there as well as experiencing Disney.

Figmentofimagination · 08/03/2023 13:03

100% Disney. But I am a massive Disney fan and love going to WDW.

If your DH wants it to be educational, get your DS to read about imagineering and how the rides were designed and built, how it relates to the Worlds Fair, the history of Walt acquiring the land in Florida etc.

For example, Tower of Terror doesn't drop you, it actually pulls you down. Imagineers did not find dropping to be fast enough so they built a system that pulls you down and then back up.

Also, the parks are educational. Animal Kingdom has a safari, Epcot has rides about history, farming, testing cars and speed, and a giant aquarium (one of the biggest in the world) and has the world showcase where you can learn about different countries and cultures, try different food from around the world, and they put on different festivals throughout the year. In January it's their art festival where you can see artists painting, in December it's their holiday festival where you can learn about different traditions around Christmas and winter solstice.

Laquila · 08/03/2023 13:04

There's quite a lot of middle ground between Disney and the Galapagos! Have you ruled out other options and these are the two shortlisted?

I think you could have a lot of kid-friendly fun on quite a different holiday - say, Japan or NY - but I get that Disney is a bucket-list thing for some people. We don't have the money, but some friends did it last year with a California road trip and visits to various other places, so Disney was included but not really the focus. They had a great time and managed to please everyone.

Figmentofimagination · 08/03/2023 13:06

Also you can do different experiences for an extra cost like going behind the scenes at Animal Kingdom to learn about how they care for elephants, or rhinos etc.

Surelyitscoffeetime · 08/03/2023 13:09

How about going to the Disney parks in Japan as a halfway house? You get a Disney fix and you can combine it with lots of plenty of learning through visiting other places.

CatOnTheChair · 08/03/2023 13:09

Why can't you go to Disney, and have a few days start or end if the trip somewhere "educational" nearby?

LessonsInPhysics · 08/03/2023 13:09

When my DC was 9, they were desperate to go to Costa Rica and see some sloths. So given the money, that's what we would have done.
I think it depends on whether it's a holiday of a lifetime or whether you can afford to do this every few years.
If you have another chance to do something amazing in 2-3 years time, then do Disney now. And as others have said, there is a lot more to Florida than Disney if you have the time to take another week to explore.

complexandreal · 08/03/2023 13:11

OP I know more than I ever want to know about Disney via work - but I've never been. It's not my bag. What is my bag though is the Huuuge amount of non theme park stuff you can do in Orlando.

Wildlife is incredible. You can swim in natural springs, ride horses, watch rocket launches, go on a space camp at Kennedy Space Center (or meet an astronaut), go surfing on the Space Coast, go night-kayaking in transparent kayaks on bioluminsecent swamps. You can swim with manatees. SO much educational stuff. Not to mention heading on down to the Keys for even more wildlife.

complexandreal · 08/03/2023 13:14

FYI: if you look on Pinterest for Florida or Orlando away from the Theme Parks you will find loads and loads of amazing blogs on the amazing things to do in Florida

minipie · 08/03/2023 13:18

We have same age kids but are probably more like your DH.

I’m happy to do a short trip to Disneyland Paris but any huge budget trips are going to be something that is IMO far more amazing like an African safari, Costa Rica, Borneo, Belize etc. Kids will love this as they love nature and animals and exploring. They’re not that into Disney, I’m sure they’d enjoy it, but not ££££ amount.

The idea of choosing a holiday to provide a talking point later is totally daft and a bit wanky though.

HalfasleepChrisintheMorning · 08/03/2023 13:22

Disney- bits are educational!
Think Animal Kingdom, lots of Science and geography at Epcot, and definitely do a day at Kennedy Space Centre.

Luckypoppy · 08/03/2023 13:23

Disney

accentdusoleil · 08/03/2023 13:26

Euro Disney and go to Paris too ??

Sleepless1096 · 08/03/2023 13:29

Disney. Lots of other cool stuff that's 'educational' to do in Florida round about DW. And 9 is a perfect age.

Galapagos would be amazing but not necessarily with a 9yo. Why don't you start saving for that and plan to take your DC when she's 17/18 as the last major family holiday before uni/college/first job? She'll be a much better age to appreciate it then.

DibbleDooDah · 08/03/2023 15:40

You could go to Japan and do both - Tokyo Disneyland!!!

QueenCoconut · 08/03/2023 16:29

Disney 100%. We travel a lot and Florida still remains our favourite place on Earth.

To compromise with DH why don’t you add educational elements to it:

  • go swimming with the manatees in their natural environment and learn about them and the conservation programmes
  • Visit discovery cove and do the underwater adventure with sharks, learn about different sea animals, do the wildlife walk with sloths etc
  • Lake Apopka wildlife drive - very educational if you listen to the app guide explaining about the wildlife protection programme
  • Winter Park tour and Azalea Gardens where you can see nesting Egrets
  • Cycling West Orange trail , learning about the regional agricultural history, growing citrus fruit.
They are all within a driving distance from Orlando and can be done in half a day with theme parks squeezed in the afternoon. there is so much more than theme parks to Florida, it’s so rich in fauna and flora, beautiful national parks and conservation programmes. People tend to assume it’s tacky without doing their research first.