Do your kids still find the magic of Disney as they get older?

[kimba]

I am so sad after our recent trip because I feel like Disney trips will not be as magical now that my kids are getting older. My youngest DD is almost 9yrs old and I feel like some of that youthful excitement will be gone when we plan to return in 2 years. I even noticed this time that she didn't care about seeing many of the characters or getting autographs. My favorite moment was entering MK at opening and holding hands and skipping. I don't think she will want to do that in the Middle School years. Do your kids lose interest in Disney when they hit their pre-teen and teen years or do they just become interested in other parts of the Disney experience?

 

[Fantasmic23]

I was wondering about this, too. DD is 11 (will be 12 in October) and DS will be 8 in April.

On our trip last week, DS was still very excited about everything but DD was rolling her eyes a bit (mainly at the rides in Fantasyland). She seemed to be more interested in listening to her iPod and after the first day, I demanded that she leave the iPod in our condo.

We're going back in February 2011 and I hope that the Disney Magic will still be intact for them. I think it will be. I'm hoping it will be. DH and I are HUGE Disney World lovers and we always hope that our positive, gung-ho Disney attitude will rub off on them.

I will say that this time around (our first DW vacation was in 2008 when DD was 9), DD seemed to have more appreciation for Epcot and World Showcase.

 

[NMAmy]

I figured when dd went off to college this year, that that would be the end of our WDW trips with her. She shocked the heck out of me when she asked me if we could go for her spring break. I thought for sure she'd be lobbying for Mexico with her friends.

You do have to adjust your expectations. DD is an only child so when she was about 14, we began taking a friend along for her. I also allowed her and her friend to go off on their own and meet up with us for meals, etc. Now that she's 19, she and her friend usually make their own plans and meet up with us when they get the urge--which is a lot more often than I'd expected! The characters and parades aren't very interesting for them but they love the rides and the fireworks, etc.

Some kids don't like to go to WDW with their parents once they hit those teen years. With the transportation options, it's actually a great place to take them and feel safe giving them some independence when they're teens. I feel pretty lucky that our dd still loves the magic of WDW. I'm sure it helps that Mommy pays for everything!

 

[shaylahc1]

I definitely think it changes. My kids don't want character autographs anymore When we went on our Disney cruise in January my 8 year old said "you know, Mom, I KNOW it's just people inside those costumes...." I guess that part of the magic is GONE!

That being said we still love Disney I guess as kids get older they lose the whole "characters are real" aspect of it.

 

[Bdawg]

I would guess it depends on the child but my two boys are 16 & 19 and still love going to Disney. The idea of "fun" does change with their age though. Like you we use to skip around and get autographs etc... Now it is getting on rides, spending an enormous amount of time on the island watching the shows, getting their favorite DW food etc. The excitement level has not changed but the activities have. A young kid can act like themself and a 16 year old gets to act like a 4 year old. I wouldn't worry about.... you may miss the the skipping and autographs but they will enjoy it the same as they use to just in different ways.

 

[growinupdisney]

I am so sad after our recent trip because I feel like Disney trips will not be as magical now that my kids are getting older. My youngest DD is almost 9yrs old and I feel like some of that youthful excitement will be gone when we plan to return in 2 years. I even noticed this time that she didn't care about seeing many of the characters or getting autographs. My favorite moment was entering MK at opening and holding hands and skipping. I don't think she will want to do that in the Middle School years. Do your kids lose interest in Disney when they hit their pre-teen and teen years or do they just become interested in other parts of the Disney experience?

I can only speak for mine who are DS13 and DD15 and the answer is NO! They still love going to WDW yes they don't do the autographs anymore but they will have their picture taken with certain characters! They still skip down mainstreet and have to have their Mickey Icecream. As long as your in the kid mode they will too! My kids have learned from me that when your in WDW all the rules of the real world are out! We can walk around with tiaras. mickey ears and no one cares! I try to be as happy as I can which in turn makes them happy! Now since we have my dd2 it has made them really start to enjoy WDW even more they show her stuff, get in line to do autographs and pictures. We even had a debate more with older ones where we were have our character meal. They know that everyone there is at WDW to have a good time so they can act uncool for alittle while!

 

[Deb Harnett]

DD is 16 and our third trip is in April. She's more excited about this trip than the first two.

She isn't interested the fantasy Land rides anymore but is just as excited to see the Characters and most of the other rides. She's also planning the next trip.

 

[iwrbnd]

I have a little trouble with my older ones and it makes me sad. One only wants to paintball and the other wants to go snowboarding. There is the darn ipod in their ear thing and contantly texting which steals the magic when we're there, too.

The first time I went to Disney I was in college and me and my friends went to California for spring break. We went to Disneyland one day and only stayed 2 hours! Can you believe it? We completely missed the magic and only wanted big rides. Teens!

Anyway, fast forward to when I'm in my 30's and go to Disney World because my husband has a conference. I expect it to be like when I was a teen so imagine my surprise when I'm swept away and crying at the experience! I'm completely hooked now!

I think when you're a teen/older child you are growing up and trying to break away from your youth and looking towards adulthood. So Disney doesn't help you do that. Then when you're an adult you want to break away from reality and return to your childhood days which Disney does. I think that's why many adults love Disney more than teens.

But, of course, not all teens are the same and some will love it! Here's hoping yours will!

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

I have to say my best trip was when I was a senior in high school. My brother was in college, so it was just my parents and I who went. We stayed at WL, did some character meals and just had a fantastic time being together.

 

[Momvic5]

We went to Disney this past December, and I thought for sure my DS13 was going to be totally bored. He is bored with everything at home. I was wrong! He was not over-flowing with excitement or skipping down Main Street, but he was in a great mood - talking, laughing, and willing to ride everything. This past trip was probably one of our best. My children are now 8, 10, and 13yrs old. Our trip was easy and stress free- not a single time did someone whine or cry. My Dh and I did not have to carry a backpack, push a heavy stroller, or hold sleeping children. Our focus was different this time - my DH and I decided that we were just going to concentrate on family experiences and not necessarily Disney experiences. My oldest loves to eat right now..he is a tall, skinny bottomless pit....so our meals were definitely planned with him in mind. Everyday, his excitement was sparked by our meal plans. My DD10 loves to pin trade so we made sure to make that an important part of our trip. We all had so much fun hunting for her most desired pins. My DS8 loves everything Star Wars so we spent a lot of time in Hollywood Studios. The magic was different, but it was still there.

 

[TiggerFamily]

my DS 9 told DH the other day, I hope we don't have to see characters this trip all I want to do is the rides. Well someone should have told me this a day earlier, I booked us 4 character meals for May. I still love the characters and DS 8 likes them too. I'm hoping when we get there he will be in to it. I personly can't wait to see them!

 

[williamson_ja]

I would guess it depends on the child but my two boys are 16 & 19 and still love going to Disney. The idea of "fun" does change with their age though. Like you we use to skip around and get autographs etc... Now it is getting on rides, spending an enormous amount of time on the island watching the shows, getting their favorite DW food etc. The excitement level has not changed but the activities have. A young kid can act like themself and a 16 year old gets to act like a 4 year old. I wouldn't worry about.... you may miss the the skipping and autographs but they will enjoy it the same as they use to just in different ways.

This pretty much sums up what I was going to say. My kids still LOVE going to WDW and love all things Disney, but don't' really want to do autographs and such. We have fun doing different things. Guess where my dd wants to celebrate her sweet 16th?? WDW of course. She just got an itunes gift card for her birthday and she bought the soundtrack to the Lion King with it. I guess they can still love Disney even when they are teens. My kids do... BTW one of their favorite things to do is to help plan out all of our ADR's. They love getting to help pick the restaurants and researching ones that we've never been to before. They are foodies of course... don't know how that happened.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

My oldest is 17 and she can't wait to go back. I think she has learned to appreciate Disney for what it is, like I do. Her love for Disney grows every time we go.

 

[plutolovr]

My 3 kids loved Disney even as they got older. My eldest DD probably more than the other 2. When she started college all of her spring breaks were spent either at Disney World or Disneyland. She did the College Program twice and when she graduated she moved to Orlando to work for the "Mouse" and hasn't returned.

My other 2, even though in their 20s are still willing to do the family trip again, but with college and jobs getting together is getting harder to do.

My son's favorite spot was the Adventurer's Club, I know he's bummed that it closed.

 

[VirataMama4]

My DD11 still loves going! She even got a new autograph book the last time we went and was upset when we didn't stop at all the characters...

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

DD17 and DS14 still have all the magic left. It shifts a bit - as in they both enjoy getting pictures with the characters, but no autographs (this actually works well as you can put the autograph on the picture if you use photopass). They both still enjoy character meals but we let them use their ipods during long waits etc. When we get back to the rooms if it is earlier, we let them access the internet to be with their friends. The older they get, the more they remember and appreciate the trips. They DO NOT remember anything from the trips when they were young. Those were for DH and I to remember.

 

[PJB71]

Hi

My 2 DD's have been fortunate enough to of been going to WDW for the last 10 years.

My youngest DD was only 8months old at the time and the oldest was 3.

I can honestly say that the magic is still there for them, although it changes in different ways.

When they were young it was the characters, autographs, princesses, parades etc.

Now they are older, 13 and 10 they love the rides, shows, food experiences and even having the independance of being able to go into the shops on there own (Although they don't relise im hiding two steps behind them!!)

I would say that IMO Disney is a magic place for all ages

 

[4HOLIDAYS]

My boys are 11 1/2 and about to turn 14. We will be at WDW for this birthday as well as my mom's 65th. We go between 4 and 6x a year so I don't think it is the same as others who go only every yr or two. They still enjoy it but it is different from when they arre younger. They like the resorts and restaurants, things like DQ, mini golf,boat rides... They still love going on fav rides over and over but are also happy to sleep in and do less rides. They see the magic in low crowds, nice CM's, hidden Mickeys, tours...

 

[WDW_lover_in_SC]

You all will be extremely shocked when your childern are 21 (my age) and tell you about all the wonderful times they had at Disney. The magic dies a little for most. But it's a place where everyone feels like a kid.

 

[::Snow_White::]

I think it depends on the kid. One trip I was 7 and the next trip I was 13, and it was even more fun than when I was little. We're going back this year, and I think that most teenagers just become interested in different things, but most still love it. I don't care for the characters, but I love the shopping, rides, parades, music, and scenery/taking photos.

I'm 16 now and I love disney! (Obviously, that's why I'm here!) I know many kids in high school that love to go to disney for vacation, and I think we all feel like kids again when we go. I don't think the magic is gone, there is just a different type of magic there. I love remembering my childhood and acting like a kid again and watching other children get excited about seeing characters. I'm pretty sure everyone in my high school knows I'm the "disney girl", it's still my favorite place! I still love the movies and seeing the characters, just not so much the interaction.