After the kids move on, do you still do Disney?

[Fargoman2]

(sorry for being off topic but I tried about 6,000 times to post this unsuccessfully on another board.)

Five years ago, we made our "once in a lifetime" trip to WDW. That "once in a lifetime" trip has turned into five annual visits to the World. When we first
started going, our kids were 12, 9 and 3. The next time we go--Dec. 2006--our oldest will be a high school senior. What has happened to my little girl? How will I handle knowing that the 2006 trip will be the last time she is with us at Disney as a full time member of our household. Our "fab five" will never be the same.

Each time we go back to Disney, I feel the time with our kids in the World slipping away. It's hard for me to let go. I will miss so much sharing the magic of Disney together as a full family.

I know this is odd for me to be thinking this way already. Is anyone else as
sappy and pathetic as I am? Have any of you made the transition to Disney post kids? I would be afraid I'd spend the whole time missing our days there as a full family. Oh well, just thought I'd share my odd perspective with you.

 

[DW mouser]

Our first time was going to be an only time too with a cruise for my son,wife and 3 grandkids. We are planning our 5th trip and went to DL last year! I would not go without my grandkids but the youngest is 7 so since I'm 58 I will be old before she's grown up!! I look at it like my grandkids will be getting married someday and there will just be more of us!!! Everyone better have good jobs though because grandma can't pay for more then 7!!! LOL!

 

[disgal1]

Our oldest is 20 and a junior in college, our youngest 17...we did the disney cruise as the oldests graduation present, and just returned from a 10 day trip to wdw with them both.
we are planning another disney cruise next summer,,they will be 21 and 18. It is their idea to go!'

doesn't matter what age they are, soon as the word disney comes up at our house, they are all in!

We figure one of these times, they'll not be going, but dh and I have been many times without them and have had a blast.

Life goes on, just changes. Plus , in another few years, the grand kids will be coming, and we just start all over again!

 

[Leota]

I can relate. I have crammed in 3 trips this year as my son will be a senior next year & I feel like time is slipping thru my hands. I told him I was worried we would have no more trips together after he went away to college & he said "You're kidding. I plan to go with you as long as you let me"

I know I will do WDW even without him tho. I have gone 2x without him already & have Disney memories & activities with friends as well as with my family. I'm sure DH & I will want to do more WDW trips just the 2 of us. We'll have a few days to test that out in Dec. before our sons & grandsons join us. I'm hoping that DH will love WDW without children and want to go occasionally.

 

[sherry8253]

My DH and I are 52 and we go to Disney at least once a year. Every few years his DD from a previous marriage and the 2 grand kids meet us for a long weekend. But most of the time we go solo. Disney is great fun for young and old alike! It is our favorite vacation spot.

 

[a Really Bad Egg]

I am having those same thoughts! Our kids (DS9 and DD15) are growing up and we're trying to make every trip we can before they go on their own way.

In fact, we've held off buying into the DVC because we fear the Disney trips will fade into memories.

My advice is make all the trips you can and savor every moment you have them with you.

If you make them special, they won't want to miss the next visit.

 

[soccer mom]

First of all, let me say that I can't wait until DH and I can go by ourselves! It will feel like the honeymoon we never had!

In the mean time, our four kids 25, 22, 19, 16 continue to travel with us! My son 25 hasn't gone in a few years, but is blessing us with his presence this year. All six Romano's together again!

No one is too old for Disney! We just changed when we go and now work it in around the Christmas holidays during college breaks! Last year January; this year December!

My guess is, if you have as much fun as we do as a family, it may be quite awhile before you get that honeymoon!

 

[Blueberry]

My kids are grown and gone, and we have several grandkids now too...Last family trip with just us and all three kids was in 1994, last trip with any kid was in 1996..Since then we have had many wonderful trip with just us two crazy empty nesters. Sometimes one of the kids will meet us there for a few days with the grandkids, but mostly it is just us..However all three of my kids still love Disney and take their families every couple of years...

 

[IndyDisneyFan]

You will treasure the memories of family trips forever, but like the others who have posted my husband and I go for a week without the kids every year and really enjoy ourselves! In February we did a 3 night Disney cruise as part of our week, and enjoyed it so much we are going again this coming February. Our DS 9 can not understand how we can have so much fun at Disney without him, but it is wonderful to do what we want, when we want to do it. Our other children, DS 16 and DD19 still went with us in June for our family trip, but we still look forward to our every Feb. trip without them. We are taking them back for Thanksgiving to make more family memories, but Disney is fabulous for everyone. Since my kids have grown up with Disney magic running through their vains I have no doubt someday when there are grand children they too will be joining us on those new family vacations to make even more very special memories for all. Just not in February!

Laura

 

[webray]

LOL, we took our daughter on a senior trip to WDW also. Then we started going alone as she was the youngest. I think she hated it more than we did. She would call, we would be in Orlando doing the parks....lol.

It was hard at first..we would say oh the kids would love this and remember when. Then it got to be all about us, and what fun you can have when you aren't paying for kids..lol.

Now that they are even bigger and giving us grandchildren we are looking forward to the day when the grandchildren are big enough to take into parks.

 

[Dalton5]

Heck yes! My kids 11,11,16 weren't as hyped us as I am about our Sept. trip. But too bad Mom wants to go...

The only other time that we went was in 1999. It was my first time. At that time I realized (I'm slow sometimes) that my parents went to Florida to visit friends when I was 16 and they went to WDW. They didn't even think of me It took me 17 years to figure this out!

 

[SueC1216]

The first time my husband and I went to Disney, I was pregnant with our first child. My husband actually had to drag me to Disney. I didn't want to go. We have made many trips as a family over the years and the last one as a "family" was when my daughter was a senior in high school.

My son is a couple of years younger than my daughter and he loved Orlando so much after all those trips that he moved to Orlando a couple of years ago.

My husband and I love going to Disney without the kids. It is almost more fun. We get to do what we want and the kids aren't fighting. Plus, as an added bonus, we get to visit my son. Sure is tough to have to come to Disney to see our son

So yes, we still do Disney. We actually bought at DVC about 10 years ago and it is like having a second home to come to.

 

[christianweecare]

The best is yet to come! DH (51) and I (49) made our first trip to WDW on our honeymoon way back in 1975! Once our DD (25) and DS (22) arrived we started making every other year trips as they grew up. When DS started college DH & I started making solo trips to WDW--several a year! We have been able to stay at resorts and eat at restaurants that we could never afford with kids in tow. We still make shorter trips with our kids when we can arrange them. This past May we made a quick trip with DS during a school break. Next Feb. we will be making a trip with DD, SIL, and GD (first trip!). So things will change-- but you can still find ways to spend quality time with your family at WDW!

 

[antmaril]

My only child is leaving for college in 10 days. Where did the years go? We have been going to Disney World almost every year since he was four years old.

I thought our next trip would just be my DH and me, but I asked my son if he would go with us if I plan a short trip in early January before he goes back to college after the Christmas break. He gave me a thumbs up. So I am very happy to report that the three of us will be doing Disney again in less than six months. Yea!

 

[TeresaNJ]

Actually, my adult "kids" still love to go to WDW, especially my 19yo daughter, and my 24yo son. Not so much my 25 yo son; every two or three years is enough for him, but if the other two don't get to go at least once a year they are in withdrawal. My DH and I go once or twice a year by ourselves, and we love it, get to do whatever we want, and then we try to go once a year with the whole family. Just did a trip with eleven of us. So while it will never be the same as when the kids were young, it is still just as much fun, just in a different way. There's alot more freedom now, everyone does some stuff on their own, and then we get together and do some things as a family. In fact, I'm taking a short trip with just my daughter in less than two weeks, and then we are taking the 24yo and his girlfriend with us in March of next year. Don't be sad, just think of the day when you will get to take your grandchildren!

 

[7thdwarf/dopey]

Yes, but there was an adjustment period.

 

[jann1033]

our last trip was our first one minus the girls and , hate to say it but hubby and I agree, our best yet! yes there is life after kids at disney. it's different for sure and i have to admit the first few days i thought about our trips with the girls but then we just had fun and really did what we wanted when we wanted. next trip will hopefully be with girls and grandbaby but i am thinking of a few days at the beginning or end with just hubby again.

 

[Disneyanajc]

Our son turns 35 next month, we loved all the family trips to Disneyland with him and took him every year. As is life, they leave the nest.
We started to really miss all the summers we spent at Disneyland and booked
our first solo trip in 1993. My DH and I love going and plan to go as long as
we can....we even talk about getting dual wheelchairs when the legs go. We would stroll, people watch, ride the rides and just have so
much fun together.
Now, we have come full circle....vacations with our DS, DDiL and a beautiful
grandson. Life is Great and what fun we have keeping up with a 4 year old.
Yes we still do Disney and love it!
JC

 

[LoveWDW]

My husband and I have gone on our own twice, and this will be the third time. We enjoy the trips. It is a different kind of enjoyment from when we took the children and mainly wanted them to have a good time, and needed to adjust the days around their needs. Now we do what we like to do.

 

[bdcp]

We took our boys in '89 when they were 3 1/2 and almost 6 and again in '98 when they were 12 and 14. This Nov it's just the two of us (boys in college) and we can't wait. We actually can afford it more now that we're paying for two in college than we could when they were young. We look forward to the day we take them and their families. We are so looking forward to "our" time this year. My first trip to WDW was in '89 and my parents had gone with friends in '79 or so and left my sister and I alone at home. I didn't care at the time, I was in college and dating my DH, but now I think, "that stunk" leaving us and going alone. But, I get it now and can't wait to spend some Disney time with my DH.