Most Disney-like non-Disney trip?

[buzznwoodysmom]

My BIL is at Big Cedar Lodge near Branson right now. He keeps texting pics and says the whole resort reminds him a lot of Disney (minus the parks), particularly Wilderness Lodge. They have several gorgeous lodges, nice pools, they show movies out by the pools at night, cookies delivered to the rooms at night, campfires with smores and stories. They are loving it and are already talking about returning later this year.

[CosmicRay]

We did a short trip to Grapevine, Texas a few years ago, that has stood out as one of our favorite little getaways, and reminded me a lot of Disney.

I grew up in the town next to Grapevine and graduated from Grapevine High school. DH and I live an hour north of Grapevine now, but my parents still live there. There are so many fun things there.

- DFW Airport observation deck
- Right next to the hotels mentioned is a mall (Grapevine Mills Mall) that has a small LegoLand play park/center with rides and fun.
- Across from the Legoland in the mall is an aquarium.
- And in that same mall has a RainForest Cafe.

[Cinderelley]

Our Alaskan cruise was amazing. We went with Royal Caribbean, and the staff went out of their way to make everyone happy. There was something for everyone's interest, and it was a completely stress free trip once we were onboard. We will definitely be sailing with Royal Caribbean again.

I love Disney, but it isn't the only thing on my bucket list.

[Aurora]

The one vacation we've taken in the last few years that gave me the same sort of affection I feel for Disney was a couple of years ago when we went to Yellowstone National Park.

I was going to say there's really nothing very Disney-like about Yellowstone (except maybe the excellent signage ), but then I started thinking about some of the apt comparisons.

> There is a huge "WOW" factor about nearly everything there -- all the different sorts of easily-seen wildlife, the fantastic scenery, the varied and unique geysers.

> There are "themed" areas: Mammoth Hot Springs, Fishing Bridge, Grant Village -- all with their own identities and National Park visitor's center stamps.

> There are headliners: Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, Grand Prismatic Spring, Tower Fall.

> The rangers and staffers at the visitor's centers are good-natured, helpful, friendly and humorous.

> There's a nostalgia and historic factor -- Yellowstone is the country's first National Park and proudly wears that crown.

> There is way more to been seen there than can be done in one day.

> It's sort of a great American family pilgrimage.

> After you go the first time, you want to go back.

[Mfarquar]

Hawaii reminded us of Disney a lot, but in a different way than you might imagine...

We took boat rides in caves and said, "this must be the feeling that Walt Disney wanted to recreate!" We also went to the town in Kauai (just by chance - wasn't planned) that was used as the inspiration for Lilo and Stitch. The raw, natural beauty of the islands is what many places try to recreate. Oh, and overall, the people were the genuinely the nicest of any place we've ever visited.

Also, when we were in Ireland, we stayed in Dromoland Castle and caught ourselves saying it felt like we were in "reality Disney" - since it was a real castle! We ended up having a good laugh when we saw that a Disney Adventures group had stayed at the hotel the night before we arrived and all signed the guestbook in the lobby! Guess Disney felt the same way about Dromoland!

[joonyer]

This probably isn't what you have in mind, but we have stayed in several lodges in Montana and Wyoming (near Glacier and Yellowstone naitonal parks) that reminded us of the Wilderness Lodge and made us feel like we were at WDW.

That's funny, since Disney designed Wilderness Lodge to make guests feel like they were at Yellowstone (or other western Nat. Parks)
I guess it worked!

[luvdiznee]

It seems a lot of "touristy" type places, like NYC where we went last month, are taking on the way WDW handles things. We purchased a NY Pass which was our admission into many things to see in NYC. And even a lot of hotels, like in the Bahamas, Sandals etc are using meal plans that you can purchase when you book your rooms.

[Lindsey310]

We have been to many places but the only place I am truly addicted to is Disney. Every time we go, I feel like it's the first time and I get very very excited! With that being said, we have done a lot of amazing vacations:

Disney Dream: amazing, most closely linked to disney.
Atlantis in the bahamas
Aruba
Vegas
Maui, Hawaii
November 2012: Grand Cayman!
I have a love affair with the Caribbean but Disney always has a place in my heart!

[NJGIRL]

The one vacation we've taken in the last few years that gave me the same sort of affection I feel for Disney was a couple of years ago when we went to Yellowstone National Park.

I was going to say there's really nothing very Disney-like about Yellowstone (except maybe the excellent signage ), but then I started thinking about some of the apt comparisons.

> There is a huge "WOW" factor about nearly everything there -- all the different sorts of easily-seen wildlife, the fantastic scenery, the varied and unique geysers.

> There are "themed" areas: Mammoth Hot Springs, Fishing Bridge, Grant Village -- all with their own identities and National Park visitor's center stamps.

> There are headliners: Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, Grand Prismatic Spring, Tower Fall.

> The rangers and staffers at the visitor's centers are good-natured, helpful, friendly and humorous.

> There's a nostalgia and historic factor -- Yellowstone is the country's first National Park and proudly wears that crown.

> There is way more to been seen there than can be done in one day.

> It's sort of a great American family pilgrimage.

> After you go the first time, you want to go back.

I love this post and couldn't agree with you more.

[Pongo]

I was recently in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany, and it looked like it should be in Disneyland. It is a walled medieval city (used in the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and it looks more like a movie set than a real city. There are narrow cobblestone streets and lots of shops selling touristy items and tons of restaurants. The people were wonderful. That was the closest thing to a Disney experience that we found while traveling. People have even asked if some of the pictures are from Disneyland.