In April, 2006 I took my new bride to Disney World for our honeymoon. It was the first time she had ever been to the world, and I had not been in nearly 15 years. Instead of taking it easy we ran around like maniacs the entire time–we had to do as much as possible in our five day honeymoon because we never knew when we would get to come again! We got to go back in August, 2008 with our two boys and did the same thing–a marathon run through Disney World because we may never have the opportunity again. We exhausted ourselves on both vacations.
All of that changed in the spring of 2009 when we bought into the Disney Vacation Club. Now our Disney World habits have shifted to ones of relaxation and pure enjoyment. We don’t have to worry about riding certain rides or seeing a certain event because we may not be back. If a ride is down or a show on hiatus, it’s fine. We’ll just catch it next time we’re at Disney World.
The attitude change afforded us by DVC has also shifted the outcome of our family vacations. Now we come home relaxed and re-energized. We spend a lot more time together on the trips vs breaking up for various interests, and we’ve also learned to take in the details that surround us.
We’ve also learned to enjoy the offerings of Disney World outside the park–we even spent a day last August at Disney World without going to the four theme parks. To many that might be Disney heresy, to us it was pure and total relaxation. DVC has eliminated the stress of the next Disney vacation and allowed us to slow down and appreciate life. Not only has it made Disney more fun, but it’s helped bring us closer as a family.
Contributed by: Rob Whitney (NDD#107) Rob is the DDL Disney Vacation Club Blogger. He is also the creator of Disney Family Man.
