What vacation destination would you prefer the most?

[Big Phil]

Alright I realize I am on a Disneyland site and one of two things will happen. For starters there are a lot of local Disneyland folks here that see nothing special about a vacation around Southern California since they live there. Or...........there are people who love Disneyland and Southern California who live a long ways away from it and will choose it first. That's fine, but I am going to put some options out there. I left it to North America. Other than Cuba or Dominican I have never been outside North America so I am going to try and keep it to places on this continent. I'd love to go to Paris too but this isn't the thread for it.

So if you had a choice what would be your #1 vacation destination? (obviously there are options heavily influenced by Disney). Maybe you still love Disney but have never been to New York before. Anyway, discuss.

Southern California - Disneyland, Universal, Hollywood, Knott's, lots of beaches, Studio tours

Orlando - WDW, Universal twin parks, Sea World, Busch Gardens (close enough)

New York City - Empire State Building, Times Square, Central Park, NBC Studios, etc.

Niagara Falls - The Falls (Canadian side is more lovely), Journey Under the Falls, Skylon Tower, Maid of the Mist, Ripley's, Guinness Book of Records, 5 different Haunted Houses, Marineland

Las Vegas - Close enough to the Grand Canyon, main strip, hotels, Caesar Palace, shows, slots

Cleveland - Cedar Point, Rock Hall of Fame, Football Hall of Fame (1 hr. south)

Nashville - Dollywood, Grand Ole Opry, Smokey Mountains, etc.


I know some are better than others out there. I just tried to throw in some destinations with theme parks in it for the heck of it. I have been to more of those places than I haven't. Niagara Falls is two hours away from me and while people come from all over the world to see the 8th wonder of the World I think as people living in Canada close to it we get a bit jaded over it.

I think with SoCal and Orlando you can spend greater than one week there. Not sure you could or would want to in the other places since you might run out of things to do but that is just my opinion.

Personally, of the places I have been to on that list there are three of them where I literally felt sad to leave. Orlando always makes me sad to leave, New York City gave me that feeling too and so did SoCal. I guess I had the same feeling with all three of them that when you are there it feels like the most important place in the world. You feel like whatever is important is going to happen there and you don't want to leave and miss it. That's the feeling I got from those places at least. No other place does that to me.

Anyway, I know for sure there will be people wondering why other places aren't on here and it really came down to running out of options, hence the "other" option. Go nuts.

[KellyMcG86]

I was VERY torn on this. Disneyland is my favorite place, but I've been there many times in the past few months. My husband and I have a goal to visit all 50 states together, and there are a few on your list we haven't been to yet...

BUT my number one vacation right now is Orlando. I have been to Florida many, many times, but haven't visited WDW since I was too young to remember. I'm dying to go there again before I get pregnant or have kids, but I don't think it will work out. Hopefully in the next few years we'll get the opportunity!

[Sambo]

other ... Disneyland.

[sbk1234]

Right now I'm in withdrawl for Walt Disney World, so Orlando is my choice.

[numberfour]

i live in washington so i only get to go to disneyland every two years if im even that lucky so SoCal gets my vote

[Trumpet]

hard to choose, but it varies from what you are interested in. For me, it would be southern california, due to the amount of theme parks

[JMazz]

I'd love to go to Paris too but this isn't the thread for it.

I know this isn't the thread for it but... DO IT.
Srsly, if you ever get the chance and have any inclination to ever see the City of Light, plz go.

It was IASW that got me hooked on Paris, oddly enough when I was a small child. Long story for another time. But Paris is my fave destination on earth - and hey, they have a really reasonable facsimile of DL there and that was a plus (tho I kept thinking the Matterhorn is missing!!!).

This is why I voted "other". I cannot get to Paris enough.

[greenalfonzo]

The only one with the beach.

[planodisney]

Cocoa Beach is only about 20 minutes further from WDW than the beaches of orange County are from DL, and the water in Cocoa beach isnt freezing cold.

[bayouguy]

Our daughter is getting interested in New York City. I guess they were talking about the Statue of Liberty. And I told her that she was in New York once when we visited relatives but was too young to remember.
That's were our next east coast visit ought to be.

[thedude76]

I really, really like the outdoors: Yosemite, Zion, Grand Canyon, the Andes, etc.

But I'm going to DL/DCA in a couple of weeks, so I'll let you know if the new attractions brings Disney higher up on my list. It's just so much cheaper to go backpacking.

[Big Phil]

Alright, I did a mistake on this poll. I shouldn't have wrote "Nashville" but instead Pigeon Forge, TN. That's where everything is.

Other than that, just a quick question to people here. I live an hour away from Toronto. And 90 minutes away from Niagara Falls. I go to Niagara Falls annually just to see the attractions and I always take a glimpse of the falls since it never gets old. However, I figure Niagara Falls to me is a lot like Disneyland to people in SoCal. You love it, but since you are so close it doesn't have the mystique like if it would be far away. With us living where we live the choice of Disney Parks for people is Orlando since it is closer. Very few people venture over to Disneyland. So California in general sort of has a mystique about it to people from here.

The question I am asking is does Niagara Falls have that mystique to the people that live a long, long ways away from it?

[thedude76]

The question I am asking is does Niagara Falls have that mystique to the people that live a long, long ways away from it?

If I'm going to travel to see something epic, it better be epic. I don't put Niagrara Falls very high on my list.

If I was going to travel far to see a waterfall, then I'd go to Iguazu Falls:

Iguazu Falls - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

or Victoria Falls:

Victoria Falls - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The thing about Disney is that it gives you ideas about places to go, but then you actually have to go. For example, the safari ride at Animal Kingdom inspires me to do two things: summit Kilimanjaro and go on an African safari in Tanzania. Both are on my list to hit within in the next three years. And the cost to summit Kilimanjaro isn't that much different than the cost to go to WDW. Now, that's the sad part.

[G24T]

My favorite escape is California's central coast because my ideal vacation is one far away from the digital age.

[14 MPH]

Hawaii for me!

I love Disneyland, but it's so close to me that I can't take a vacation. Orlando is nice too for WDW.