Should we bring nieces?

[Questforthemouse]

Any couples without children that have brought their nieces and/or nephews with them. DW and I are planning on another trip this coming summer and were thinking of inviting our 2 nieces (will be 6 and 8 yrs old next summer). We know they would like to go (have never been and my brother and his wife likely wouldn't be able to take them for a good number of years). They're good kids! Any thoughts from our fellow DVCers?

[disneyfan2kids]

You should ask the girls parents first. I know that I might not be comfortable with my 2 kids traveling without me. They might feel similarly.

Any change you could take the parents too? I just think it might be bittersweet for the parents to allow them to go and not get to experience their own kids "disney joy" for themselves.

Just a thought!

(FWIW - I think it's very nice of you no matter what!) :thumbsup2

[Julylady]

I purchased DVC in 2000 for the expressed purpose of bringing my nieces and nephews. I can't have any children of my own and wanted to stay close to my five nieces and nephews (now seven!) and experience WDW with kids. We started by taking sets of two or three - as in boys this year, girls next year - when the youngest was five. After a couple of years we developed more courage and took all five at once! They love Disney and we spend lots of time before together planning the trip. As cousins they have always been close and get along well on the trips. Four years ago my brother adopted a baby girl from China. We have taken her to WDW twice and once on the Disney cruise!

In addition to taking the kids without parents, we have also invited the parents along on some of the trips. They are not Disney fanatics like us, however, and are more than willing to let us take the kids alone. Two years ago, my DS and DBIL went on a 7-day RCCL cruise while their kids were with us.

I am fortunate in that my nieces/nephews only live about 30 minutes away so I see them often. I also try to phone them at least once a week to stay in touch with what they are doing. We are all close so they feel comfortable with us and don't miss their parents too much. When at Disney, we let them use our cell phones to call their parents whenever they want.

I would definitely encourage you to take them! If you have any other specific questions, just ask.

Donna

[murcor]

You should ask the girls parents first. I know that I might not be comfortable with my 2 kids traveling without me. They might feel similarly.

Any change you could take the parents too? I just think it might be bittersweet for the parents to allow them to go and not get to experience their own kids "disney joy" for themselves.

Just a thought!

(FWIW - I think it's very nice of you no matter what!) :thumbsup2

I totally agree with this post and I think its awesome that you want to take the girls.

[MinnieGirl33]

My initial reaction was...

"NOOOOO... Don't do it!!!!" :scared1:

In all honesty, my own kids can try my patience while on vaca sometimes. I can't imagine having to deal with the meltdown of a child that is not my own.

Have they ever been away from their parents?? Have they ever traveled on other vacations w/their parents?

While it might not seem logical, their parents very well may want to be the ones to bring the girls to Disney for the first time.

If you do decide to proceed, I strongly suggest making it a SHORT trip the first time out.

It's very kind of you to want to do this but since you asked... I don't think it's a good idea. JMHO.

[Bojo]

We took our three nieces when they were 10 & 11 and had a wonderful time. I hope you are able to enjoy your time with yours at WDW.

[Deb & Bill]

We brought our two nieces on our first trip. Our son was 4 and they were 9 and 11. They had a blast. My BIL was undergoing treatment for cancer and my sister thought it would be fun for the girls. We had such a fun time with them. My husband got to buy them all sorts of stuff.

We then brought another niece on a future trip - our son was 10 and his cousin was 11. The two kids had a wonderful time doing stuff together.

We brought a third niece with us on another trip - our son was 9 and his cousin was 15. She was so much fun. She didn't spend hours in the bathroom and would do any ride my husband or son wanted to do.

For each of the girls, we had the paperwork in hand incase of injury and they needed medical treatment. We had copies of their parents' insurance to take to the clinic/hospital/whatever if they needed treatment.

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

I think it is an excellent, thoughtful and generous idea! :thumbsup2


You will have a blast, and the girls will always be grateful. :goodvibes

[Pumbaa_]

Have you ever had the girls for an extended period of time? How did that go? Are you willing to adjust to their schedules (up early, need afternoon rest)? How are their temperments? Prone to meltdowns?

I brought my (5 at the time) on a week long trip to Disney. We met my parents (her grandparents to whom she is very close). We had adjoining rooms, so it was great. We had a great family trip. The only hitch we ran into was on our way home. Our plane was diverted due to a much worse and faster snow storm than expected. Instead of getting home at 3:00, we got home at 2am.

SHE was fantastic, and handled the delay in such a great fashion. I would take her again in a heartbeat!!

Have fun planning and hope it works out

[Cruelladeville]

I think it depends on the kids, and on your tolerance level. Kids have a high activity level, and can drive some people crazy. Also, how do the kids take direction from you? If they are poorly behaved, or just don't know when enough is enough, it can be a terribly long vacation. I have taken several of my DDs and their friends, and some of the kids were great, and the others...well, one girl spent an hour every morning putting on makeup in the only bathroom, another thought nothing of changing the TV channel regardless of who else was watching it, and a third...ah-hmm...let's just say that no one should ever see someone else in that position...so, it really depends upon the kids.

It sure is kind and generous of you to think of taking them along... :)

[Wigit12]

We took our niece when she was 4 and saw a whole side to Disney we had left alone for a long time. DS was in high school and didn't go. (We hadn't chased characters in years) It was a great experience for her and us. Now she's 8 and we're trying to work in another trip for her. It still is one of my most favorite trips. Her parents were never in the position to take her and I'm glad they didn't keep her from going with us just because they couldn't. It was the greatest bonding experience and she's still very close to us. We now have 2 more nieces and 2 nephews and look forward to trying to see DW with them in the future but we'd never ever take them all at one time :crazy:

[fishermouse]

Although you specifically asked the opinion of couples without children I'll offer MHO as a parent. As long as they know you well and have spent time alone with you ie: babysitting or day trips I doubt if there would be any reason not to take them. My daughter went to WDW with her girlfriends family and had a blast, of course we know them well. Just be sure to check with Mom and Dad before mentioning it to them. So my vote is GO FOR IT! I can't wait for grandchildren I can bring down to WDW, It's great to watch children experience Disney. :wizard: As a bonus your brother and his wife may really appriciate the "time off" as parents, we love our children but a few days without them can be a blessing. :woohoo:

[lisaviolet]

Yes. Hmmm. A little perplexed here. This is DVC so it's one vacation out of many in the next ______ years. I mean my answer would always be "yes". But if I try to look at it from someone else's angle and be fair....well if it doesn't go as well as anticipated....still a memory for all....and still one vacation out so many.

Have fun,

Lisa

[SuzanneSLO]

Although I never had children of my own, I took my step-grandchildren to DL when they were 6 and 8 for 4 nights. My husband had to work, so I was essentially a single parent with someone else's children!

We had a wonderful time and they were -- mostly -- on their best behavior. I appreciated -- and used-- the advice on DISBoards on taking kids to the parks.

In fact, the trip with just the children was much more successful than when we went back to DL with the whole family because it was much harder to accomodate the kids' parents and their quirks. There is something to be said for being the only adult and getting to make the rules and set the schedule. Even if you have to take the kids' needs into account, this is still easier than also having to take the parent's needs/actions into account.

For example, we headed back to the hotel at about 1 and I told everyone I would take the kids' to the great DL hotel pool after they had rested. The kids' Dad's idea of resting was to lie down with the TV on, so the 9 YO and 2 YO didn't fall asleep for several hours (Dad, of course, crashed immediately) and then they slept until it was 5 pm and dark and time to return to the park. So, they were very disappointed that they never got to swim (and to make it worse, their 10YO sister did after she rested quietly for an hour).

I agree that you should take the kids and plan to have a great time!

-- Suzanne

[bobbiwoz]

We brought "honorary nieces" when 1 was 17 and the other was 10. The younger one was a bit homesick, especially when their mom, my friend, left a message saying that she missed her youngest! I've since chided my friend, she did us all no favors with that message!

You know the kids and parents. Those ages seem a bit young to me to take without parents.

Bobbi :)

[missymagic]

I would definitely do it!!!! They are almost the same age as my girls 6 and 9. I know my girls do not have melt downs. They are usually so excited to experience everything again.


There is nothing like seeing Disney thru the eyes of a child when their eyes light up!!! It is a magical moment you will treasure forever to be able to share this with your neices.

My sister was supposed to be going in February for 6 days with her family and another family of 4 that has 2 toddlers and staying in a 2 bedroom at SSR. Needless to say she was accepted into the nursing program starting in January. She asked my to mommy swap and take her place. She is so upset but it has been planned for a long time and her school will be for 2 yeras straight so there is no place to reschedule. Well I am going in February with my neice and BIL and a fmily staying with us I never met. But I am so excited to be able to share everything with my 3 yr old neice!!!

[byoung]

Take them and have a great vacation.

[calypso*a*go-go]

As long as the girls are comfortable with you, and you will be able to do things at their pace, I'd say ask the parents and see if you can make it happen. Just make sure you get some tips on how to handle it when they get homesick (because they will!). It might also help to make sure they've done some over-nighters away from their parents before you go...a sleepover at a friend's house, etc. You may have the intention of creating a wonderful trip for them, but I think you will find that they are the ones creating a wonderful trip for you!

[Foohound]

I have taken my Niece on our trips twice. Once when she was 8. ( My husband and I had no children then), and again last year when she was 16, as an early graduation present.

We enjoyed it both times, and last year she was a great help with my DD who is 5. I am hoping to take her brother for his first trip next December when we go back. I think if you are close to your nieces and nephews you should have no problems. My husband and I did tons of stuff with my niece before we finally had our own child. She has always been more of a daughter than a niece, we both cherised the memories we have together.

[rocketriter]

For many years, my mother would take the children of relatives with her to WDW as a 5th birthday present. Some families could have afforded to take their kids without her help, others could not have. But an entire generation of extended family grew up knowing that "Grandma Mary" would reach out to anybody turning 5 with an extraordinary gift.

[Inkmahm]

Do it! I have no kids, either, and only got married in the last few years. But I've been taking nieces and nephews to Disney since they were 4 years old. My favorite was my brother's daughter who thought we'd actually moved to the Wilderness Lodge because the guy at the gate kept saying "Welcome Home" whenever we came home at the end of the day! :rotfl: The child was 4 and thought whe was going to live at Disney, she was missing her cats. (Not her siblings though.)

I've also taken my brother and sister sometimes with their kids. And now that we own DVC, we'll be taking entire extended families together. My DH's family is the first to go next December.

[shellybaxter]

Dh and I have no children. Until this last summer (my sister re-married and now has a step son who is 10)there was only one child in our entire family, a seven year old girl named Jonna. We and her grandparent often take Jonna on vacation with us. Dh and I first took Jonna to Disneyland when she was 2 1/2. She then went to Disneyworld with us when she was 4. Her mother was in the process of divorcing her abusive father. My sister and Jonna joined us for a trip when Jonna was 5. We are planning to take Jonna back in January - she will be seven.

As we get to know our new nephew better I'm sure we will take him on vacation too. Our trips with kids are different than our trips without kids. Dh and I have gone on three non-kid trips too. We love both kinds of trips. I would have hated to miss our trips alone with Jonna; they are memories I will always treasure.

[auntsue]

Absolutely take them! What a wonderful experience is in store for all concerned. I do not have any of my own children either and you can probably tell by my screen name that I adore my nieces and nephews. I have taken them to WDW numerous times and each trip was awesome.

A few of the highlights...
1987: DH & I took Mollie (6), stayed at the POLY, it was so great. It's a wonderful age to take them.
1989: I took Emily (3) by myself, she was a little young, but it was an enchanting trip. I rented a video camera one day and that tape is one of my most treasured possessions. She was absolutely precious.
Castle Birthday Cake: I forget the year, but we took Mollie, Emily, Zachary and Billy because I felt that THEY just HAD TO see the castle decorated like a cake. It wasn't because I had to see it, no sir. First stay at the Yacht Club. What a fabulous trip!

Anyway, after the first few trips with the kids alone, we started doing family trips. Wonderful memories, and they haven't stopped yet.

Now that we've moved a thousand miles away from everyone, I'm so glad we have the DVC so we can continue the saga. We'll soon be bringing down Mollie (25), Emily (20), Zachary (18), and Billy (21) in January and Jenn (31) and her son, our great-nephew Joey (10), in March. They grow up so quickly!

When we began taking them way back when, who would have ever thought that they would still be interested in coming with us almost twenty years later! It doesn't get much better than that!

I wish you years of beautiful memories with your nieces.

[bobbiwoz]

Absolutely take them! What a wonderful experience is in store for all concerned. I do not have any of my own children either and you can probably tell by my screen name that I adore my nieces and nephews. I have taken them to WDW numerous times and each trip was awesome.

A few of the highlights...
1987: DH & I took Mollie (6), stayed at the POLY, it was so great. It's a wonderful age to take them.
1989: I took Emily (3) by myself, she was a little young, but it was an enchanting trip. I rented a video camera one day and that tape is one of my most treasured possessions. She was absolutely precious.
Castle Birthday Cake: I forget the year, but we took Mollie, Emily, Zachary and Billy because I felt that THEY just HAD TO see the castle decorated like a cake. It wasn't because I had to see it, no sir. First stay at the Yacht Club. What a fabulous trip!

Anyway, after the first few trips with the kids alone, we started doing family trips. Wonderful memories, and they haven't stopped yet.

Now that we've moved a thousand miles away from everyone, I'm so glad we have the DVC so we can continue the saga. We'll soon be bringing down Mollie (25), Emily (20), Zachary (18), and Billy (21) in January and Jenn (31) and her son, our great-nephew Joey (10), in March. They grow up so quickly!

When we began taking them way back when, who would have ever thought that they would still be interested in coming with us almost twenty years later! It doesn't get much better than that!

I wish you years of beautiful memories with your nieces.

So nice!!! My DS's have an "Aunt Nancy" my sister. You're a wonderful aunt, that's for sure!

Bobbi :)

[Sammie]

The big question is have they traveled before without Mom or Dad.

Disney World can sound pretty exciting at home, but when you get them there and it's bed time or they are tired or a tummy ache are they and you going to regret it.

Just something to consider from personal experience.