My wife and I, and her family, have been Walt Disney World (Florida) passholders for years. My dad was a passholder for years until he moved another 45 minutes away from Disney.
It's a little expensive, but there's always something fun to do. Most of us go to re-ride some of our favorite rides. My dad went to just walk around and get exercise and look at things.
Epcot center also has a ton of live entertainment including live bands and performers. They also have events with foods from around the world, flower or butterfly festivals, and more.
For what it's worth, my impression of Disneyland (California and Tokyo) wasn't nearly as good. They were fun, but they didn't have enough stuff to keep me coming back. But then, I don't live there, so maybe there's more to it. Those parks did have one thing that I wish Florida had: They change some of the rides once in a while to match another theme, such as Nightmare Before Christmas on the Haunted Mansion or "Hyperspace Mountain" (Star Wars) on Space Mountain.
I have to say... You're the only person I've ever heard say they went to Disney once and have no interest in going back.
You can add me to the list of people never wanting to go back.
I was fairly excited to take my kids to Disney as I had never been there myself as a kid for unknown reasons. And while I had good time, once is certainly enough. I'd rather travel and see different places as opposed to going the same place year after year.
I think I have had my fill of Magic Kingdom in Orlando. Last time I was there, I hated just about every minute of it. Every square inch of the park seemed to have been redesigned to suck more money out of my pockets rather than to ensure I was having an enjoyable experience.
Every last one of the rides seemed dated and lame, even if they had been recently renovated. Wait. Scratch that. The Finding Nemo one was okay. And that was back when they were using Fastpass instead of this wristband/app system they apparently have now.
I'll actually be in Orlando again a week from now, and we didn't even consider planning anything Disney. The entertainment value divided by the total daily cost of visiting a park is simply too low now. It isn't just the high ticket prices. They unabashedly overcharge for meals and food, and the nearby lodgings nickel and dime you on everything. And the time cost for everything is ridiculous.
The only reason it is so popular is that Disney cross-promotes everything in its media empire. If you let your kids watch enough Disney Channel on television, they will eventually want to visit a Disney theme park or cruise ship.
FWIW, they're still doing fastpass... It's just that the bands are another way to get a fastpass, as is the smartphone app. You can still just get one the old way, though.
I can't argue about the nickel-and-diming, though. It's getting ridiculous.
I guess it depends where you live and how far you have to travel. I live quite close to a major theme park (that many people travel a significant distance to visit) and for me it's a great place to kill a few hours on a lazy afternoon with my daughter when we have nothing better to do. Sometimes they have fun shows in the evening we'll drop by and watch. If nothing else it's a nice place for a weekend walk.
I’m pretty sure it says a lot about my aesthetic and political preferences, some aspects of which I’m not proud of, as I try to reflect on why this is, but the concept of a corporate theme park being a nice place for a walk gives me a physical feeling of revulsion.
I will likely take my daughter to a Disney theme park at some point, and will be willing to tolerate the hyper-branding experience for a day, but I will do so clenching my teeth while observing (especially) people pretending Disney Princesses exist in reality.
There's barely any pedestrian-safe areas in Southern California where people congregate. And they say the malls are dying. I wouldn't know, I haven't been in one in years.
It's a little expensive, but there's always something fun to do. Most of us go to re-ride some of our favorite rides. My dad went to just walk around and get exercise and look at things.
Epcot center also has a ton of live entertainment including live bands and performers. They also have events with foods from around the world, flower or butterfly festivals, and more.
For what it's worth, my impression of Disneyland (California and Tokyo) wasn't nearly as good. They were fun, but they didn't have enough stuff to keep me coming back. But then, I don't live there, so maybe there's more to it. Those parks did have one thing that I wish Florida had: They change some of the rides once in a while to match another theme, such as Nightmare Before Christmas on the Haunted Mansion or "Hyperspace Mountain" (Star Wars) on Space Mountain.
I have to say... You're the only person I've ever heard say they went to Disney once and have no interest in going back.