Ever go to Disney without the kids?

[MinMouse]

DH & I are planning a weekend getaway for our 15th anniversary in October. Having just added on more DVC points we thought we should just use them and head to Disney for a long weekend. We have a family vacation planned for early November so it's not like the kids won't go for a long while. We honeymooned in Disney and thought it would be great to go but we're having a hard time leaving the kids behind. We have never both been away together for more than one night. DDs will be 9 & 12 by this time. Should we go for it?

[Yensid_MD]

We go every other year just the two of us. It is great! Have a blast!

[trvlr4301r]

We went a few years back for our 25th anniversary and I kind of felt bad leaving the kids but we had taken them a few times before. We went just the two of us and we had such a good time and it is so different without kids. You can do just the things you want to do and eat at all the restaurants you want to eat at. We had a great time! Go...you won't regret it!

[jdvm]

We take the kids twice a year and my wife and I spend a couple of long weekends on our own. It's fantastic. Often we don't even make it to a park. We do always get a one bedroom unit so we can enjoy a kidless evening witha bottle of champagne in the jacuzzi, which I very higly reccommend!!

[DonnaL]

Absolutely go and have a great time!!! We bought our first DVC points a little over four years ago and added on at SSR last spring. DH and I just love to get away for a few days alone. Our kids are a little older (DS 25, DD 22, and DS 17) and they STILL get annoyed when we go without them. October is a great time to go w/o the kids because the F & W Festival is going on. Lots of stuff to do. Some great musical shows at America Gardens theatre. The schedule should be out soon. Actually DH and I are going w/o the kids from 10/14 to 10/20 with another couple (whose 21 yr old daughter is also upset because they're going w/o her). We've got 2 studios booked at SSR. I'm waiting for SW to release their fares for Oct. to book the air. I've got everything else booked already (rooms, car,). I notice you're in Wilmington....right down the road from PHL (We've got a 2 hr ride to get to the airport). We've gone the last two years in May for our anniversary, but, decided to wait until Oct. this year in order to go to the F & WF.

[MinMouse]

Hi neighbor! Thanks for the input. We too are checking out the SW fares for this trip. . . we're a 20 minute jaunt from PHL. Looks like they are booking through September 12 now. Thanks everybody for the encouragement and keep it coming!

Mindy

[Buzzsgramma]

Thats funny.DH and I are headed down there next wk..for 3 days...staying at OKW in a studio..(home resort is BWV) just made the ressie last wk. Take the kids .....DS36 and DD39 and 5 GD-kids every yr....DH and I usually hit 1 park and go to dinner and golf....just gotta love that ... DVC...........

[SoThisIsLove]

Hi,

You should absolutely go and have a blast. After 15 years of marriage you deserve it. DH and I go all the time by ourselves (we dont have kids yet) and we have a blast. There are so many things to do that you can't when you bring kids. If you are planning on going in October, I highly recommend doing some of the Food and Wine Festival activities. On Saturday nights they have the Party For The Senses. It was the BEST thing my Dh and I ever did in Disney and worth every penny! We also did a Sweet Sunday that was nice too.....but the Party of the Senses was INCREDIBLE!

I hope you have a great time if you decide to go! And Congrats on 15 years of marriage!

Heather :)

[mello]

Our kids are 12, 10 and 3, and we're going without them in June for our 20th anniversary. We're not going to go in any of the parks though, just DTD, Pleasure Island, go around and check out all the resorts, maybe get a massage... stuff we'd never really get to do with the kids along. I felt guilty for about a week lol, but now I'm really looking forward to it!!!

DH & I are planning a weekend getaway for our 15th anniversary in October. Having just added on more DVC points we thought we should just use them and head to Disney for a long weekend. We have a family vacation planned for early November so it's not like the kids won't go for a long while. We honeymooned in Disney and thought it would be great to go but we're having a hard time leaving the kids behind. We have never both been away together for more than one night. DDs will be 9 & 12 by this time. Should we go for it?

[Boston5602]

I go every other year or more without the kids I LOVE IT !!!! :cool1:

[mbhoxsie]

DW and I went for years on our own before we had the kids.. :teeth:

Though we haven't done a trip yet without them (they are still pretty young), I wouldn't think that it's out of the question. :thumbsup2

[LUVMICKEY]

DH and I go alot without the kids. DS is 34 and DD is 32. But we go at least once a year with one or the other of the kids or sometimes both kids and their families. It really is a different kind of trip when the kids aren't with you. We love it with or without. So go for it, you'll have a blast.

Michele

[christianweecare]

MinMouse--Like you, DH & I honeymooned at WDW (almost 31 years ago)! For years afterwards we would take DD (now 26) and DS (now 22) about every other year to WDW. The year our youngest left for college DH & I went back to the World on our own. At first it was a little strange but we had a wonderful time! We have been going just the two of us at least once a year ever since. One year we went 4 or 5 times! We still take shorter trips with one or the other of our kids every year. It's hard to get them together at the same time now, but they both still love WDW! Last year for our 30th anniversary DH & I went on a 7 day Disney cruise and had the time of our lives! We even bought DVC while on the cruise! So the moral of my story is --go and have a wonderful time! Our time with our kids is always precious but we always need time to make memories with the one that started the journey with you, as well!

[tomspixie]

GO!!! ENJOY!!!! Believe it or not, your kids will be better for it as well. My DH and I have been taking one week each year for the last 6...just for each other! We are more united and relaxed which definitely benefits the kids. At first it was a little hard on them...and us. Now it is a week they look forward to! They get to go a few times a year as well...so they get their Disney fix too!!!

Pixie Dust...
tomspixie :tink:

[abner1776]

We have been to WDW many times over the past 20 years and the best trip we had was this past January....sans kids. The youngest one is now at UNH and the oldest one is out of college and ....ugh...living at home. The oldest was not happy that we were going to the WL without her, so we threw her a bone...she went to AKL two weeks later with her friend.

We could get up when we wanted...go where we wanted...eat where we wanted...actually tour Epcot on our own pace without the bickering, crying and moaning of our previous trips to WDW. The dinners were even more enjoyable knowing that the two crying and fighting kids next to us were....not ours. I never knew that one could buy a margaretta and walk around Epcot sipping my drink on a warm January evening with the whole "world" in front of me.

Those who say Disney is only for kids... are right...adult kids.

[DonnaL]

abner1776

Well said.......I couldn't agree more. DH and I always have a wonderful time when we go alone. Not to say we don't have a good time with our kids, but,
it IS a different kind of good time. We also visited WDW for our honeymoon in 1979 and went back for the first time w/o kids (after several visits with kids) for our 25th anniversary. We've been back twice w/o kids since then and plan to make it at least a yearly trip (if I have my way it will be more!!!)
in addition to our trip every year with the kids.

[bpmorley]

We don't have any kids yet and we've been to WDW 5 times since 9-2000. We going again in less than a month. We love it there

[crazywig]

we've done disney once without kids (since having them). that was in nov. '03 for our 2nd anniversary...ds was 18 months. actually about 5 months prior to that we went to cedar point without him too LOL.

in just over a week we are going to universal for 4 nights ALONE (my kids are now ds4 and dd19 months) i can't tell you how much i am looking forward to that!

[bpmorley]

There is nothing wrong with parents having some fun by themselves.

[tomandrobin]

Wife and I went in March for a weekend, we are going for a long weekend in May and another extended weekend in October....all without the kids! We love our alone time together! Do the kids moan and fuss....yes.

You will be amazed at how different you will spend your time without the kids.

YOU WILL LOVE IT!

[ccw]

I not only went without my kids, I went without my HUSBAND! I took 5 girlfriends in Nov. to celebrate my 50th birthday. Then had a fabulous trip back to WDW with DH and 3 teen boys in March and now, sometime before my AP expires in Nov 06, I am going to go ALL BY MYSELF for a couple of days!

You will have a wonderful time and you should not feel guilty about getting away for some couple time.

[fishermouse]

Wife and I have gone away for a week every year for 27 years without any kids. Need time for each other, helps to keep you in love. Kids made it through every week and grew up normal, well sort of normal youngest is now 20. Probably did them good to away from us for a week. We still hit all the parks, no rushing around and we get to go on rides together. Epcot is The Worlds section is a lot of fun without kids, don't get me wrong they had plenty of vacations and have been to WDW more times than most of thier friends. as well as the shore every year since birth. It was just nice to have that one week to ourselves to stay out late and get up late and enjoy the stuff you just can't do with kids around..
So in short "GO FOR IT" wish I was there to send you a bottle of wine..

[dianeschlicht]

Our "kids" weren't even kids when we bought DVC 9 years ago. We do usually bring guests with us, and sometimes there are kids in that number, but usually not. We DO really enjoy an occational trip for just the 2 of us also! We have decided to give ourselves at least one trip a year for just the two of us. The other trips, we are happy to include our friends and family with us at DVC!

[Mister Incredible]

My wife and I went alone for our 15th wedding anniversary. We did all the things we knew our kids wouldn't do (age 11 & 8). We took the keys to the Kingdom tour and ate at Victoria & Alberts. Also, with just the two of us, I rented the Breathless for the illuminations cruise which was awesome. We did the segway tour as well, can't do that with the kids because they are too young.

I told my wife I want to do it again. I think we went on 4 rides the entire weekend. It was a totally different experience.

The kids eventually got over it :rotfl2:

[MinMouse]

Thanks for all the encouragement! Made a reservation at VWL! YIPEE! :cheer2:

[DonnaL]

Good for you, MinMouse, have a great time. Have you stayed at VWL before?
It's DH's and our kids favorite. I'm torn between VWL and BWV. I love VWL for the peaceful surroundings and the atmosphere, but, I like the canal side of BWV, also. It's very nice (when it's just DH and I) to sit on the balcony at BWV with a glass of wine in the evening and just look at the canal (great view of ToT at night). DH and I are squeezing in a quick trip 6/4 thru 6/8 but we're taking our almost 5 yr old GS with us (just the three of us!!!) so it should be a fun trip also. Then in October our trip with friends and then again in January with our whole crew (2 DS's, DD, and DGS) We're at VWL for the January trip.

[MinMouse]

DonnaL ---- we've never stayed at VWL before. We usually stay at our home resort BWV and once at OKW. We want to try them all though! We're really looking forward to it! :cool1:

[Cruelladeville]

<sigh>I took a trip once without the kids, and it was SO romantic! The kids, however, seemed to think we were too old to think of things to do when we were alone :goodvibes so they decided we needed company. :rolleyes: We were going to try to sneak away this summer, but our family grapevine is alive and well, and two children have called within the last hour alone!! When I got online, two messages were waiting for me, too. My children used to hate being around us "old folks". Is it just us, or does DVC have something to do with this?? :love:

[MinMouse]

Cruelladeville,

Gosh I thought this would only be an issue with little mouseketeers . . . I guess I'm in for a long haul!

[jblb1020]

I too am feeling guilty.... I am going away May 17th-20th to Saratoga Springs with a girlfriend and my husband will be staying home with the two kids. BUT I am soooo looking forward to being able to do things I can't do when we go as a family. (DD is 3, DS is 5) I know the kids will be just fine and I will be a a whole new Mom after a little R & R! :)

[pamjb]

DH & I went without the kids (DS 16 & 11) last year in October. He is not a Disney fan, but I told him about F&W fest. He told me to book it. We had always stayed at the All-Star Sports, but I booked us at Wilderness Lodge. DH fell in love with it when we ate at Whispering Canyon a few years ago. We had a ball. Even my Disney hating DH. We went on a tour at SSR and bought 160 points. :cool1: We are returning this October to celebrate our 19th Anniversary, taking friends who are celebrating 20 years. Leaving all of the kids at home. Did they complain? Of course, that's is what teens and tweens do. But I took DS's in March for ESPN weekend and left DH at home. Did he complain? Of course.
It is definately a "different" vacation without the kids. Enjoy !

[DonnaL]

MinMouse,

I think you'd better prepare yourself for the years to come!!!! As I said in an earlier post, our kids are 25, almost 23, and 17 (on 5/1) and they complain about us going w/o them for our once a year trip. Especially our two DS's
(25 and 17). DD likes to go, but, not as much as the guys. However, her little guy (almost 5) has inherited his uncles and grandparents love for a Disney vacation. Our oldest son applied for the College Program while at PSU, but, waited until his last year (which he now regrets) and did talk to them about doing an Advanced Internship after graduation, but, financially it just didn't make sense to him since at that point he felt he needed a position with benefits, etc.
However, our younger son (graduating HS in 2007) and planning on attending PSU already has plans to apply for the College Program immediately after his first semester of college and then taking a semester off if he gets accepted to the CP. Both DH and I feel having a Disney CP on his resume will do nothing but benefit him in the long run (not to mention......I get to visit more than usual that year since I'll be visiting my son!!!!)

[tigger2on]

I went with my sister-in-law in Sept 2004 leaving our hubbies with the kiddies for 4 days.... however I was 4.5 months pregnant at the time too!
;o)
I don't think I'd go again without at least one of them as I missed the excitement that they have every time we go! Plus I don't want to lose the memories that ar happening when I'm not around!

[boardwalk prof]

DH and I began going every year by ourselves four years ago. We had to fudge with youngest ds (4) at the time. Told him we were going to Omaha one year and Minneapolis the next -- that is where the airports were. Finally fessed up and told him where we had been. He eventually got over it, since he goes once a year with us.

This year we went to SSR and didn't do the parks. How relaxing! Sleeping in, eating out at DTD and resorts, lounging at the pool with afternoon drinks, sitting on the balconey and watching the world go by. Just wonderful.

I just made reservations for our 25th anniversary party next March. We will be taking 6 couples (no kids) on a Disney adventure. We are so excited to share the world with friends who we have known so long.

Enjoy your time together. We love being "kids" together.

[sweetinmaine]

We try to do 2 trips a year now. We do one as a family and one as a couple. We have 2 adult children who do not live at home, with families of their own. For years we had to drag them to do anything with us. Now as adults they want to spend time with us! :goodvibes Love how life travels full circle! :teeth: We consider ourselves very lucky that they do like time with us. :wizard: