Anyone have child who DOESN'T want to go to WDW?

[dsnymomof4]

I am so bummed. DS12 has informed me that he is getting "tired" and "bored" with going to Disney (have been 4 times in last 5 years). I have going crazy here because I am trying to figure out when is the soonest we can go back! DDs all can't wait to go back and DH and I can't wait. But, DD12 said he would rather go to the beach for a week, he's tired of the same old vacation. What? Are you MY son? I don't know what to do? I don't want to go anywhere else. I don't enjoy the beach for more than a day. In fact, we drove down last year and spent one day in Daytona before heading to WDW - I couldn't get out of Daytona fast enough, I just wanted to be at Pop. He's even said he would rather stay home on our next trip! I'm so upset - I want him to love going as much as we do! What should I do?

 

[sPaRkLeSpAz]

I've always LOVED going to Disney World.. But some of my friends don't like it.. Maybe you can let him bring a friend?..

 

[laceemouse]

Tweens and teens often go through this. My oldest dd is 14, will be 15 in April, and she has been saying she is tired of WDW for several years. Part of the problem is she wants thrills and the rest of us do not. On our last trip, 12/05, she rode SM, RnRC, and BTMR by herself. It would be nice if she could bring a friend, I'm just not sure we want to start getting into that KWIM! I have suggested that she could stay with my bro and SIL and NOT come, but then she always says "okay, I'll come". We do vacation other places, she just feels that she has done WDW enough. I know when she moves out in a few years she will not be going to WDW with us anymore, and maybe not again for a looooong time, but for now she just has to suffer thorugh, and we have to put up with her complaining. I know it is hard, but different people like different things and that is just life. I think part of it is she just doesn't want to be with our family 24/7 anymore. It is all part of growing up

 

[powellrj]

we have gone through this before. Once they get older and have been on many trips they just don't want to do it anymore. My oldest DS made plans to stay with his grandparents just so he didn't have to go back with us. Now my middle DS is growling, so we are taking a couple years off and doing Universal on-site this year. Its still Orlando, but when they get a little older Disney just isn't the same for some kids.

 

[jojosmom]

My ds7 could never go to Disney again and be happy. He has some medical issues that interfere (sensory) with the whole Disney experience and it is quite difficult for him. I would love to go again this December (just got back in January) but the only hold-back is my ds's experiences at Disney

 

[tcolbert]

He may be at the age where bringing a friend would be a good idea (if you can work it into the budget.) He would certainly enjoy the rides at MGM, as he may have outgrown the MK. You could always give him the task of being the park 'navigator' and assign him the duty of planning out your route or your itinerary, he might get a kick out of it. You could also take him to Disney Quest if you have time, it's a great arcade.

 

[Mrs.Prince]

Those words....Don't like Disney....What do they mean????

Oh well I guess if you go all the time it can get tiring.

 

[mom2riceboys]

My DS11 is also getting tired of Disney. So, we've included a couple of days at the Universal parks for him. He is thrilled and can't wait for our vacation! I think Univeral/IOA has a lot to appeal to pre-teen and teen boys. Hope you all have a wonderful time on your vacation.

 

[swillis]

I had originally planned a family vacation for Nov 2005. WHen I asked the kids if they wanted to go to Disney for our family trip (they've only been to MK, and not with ME!!) they said "No thanks" They wanted to go to the beach in florida.

Well that's what I had originally planned. We were going to go to Clearwater for a few days, but then both kids ended up having major conflicts with things going on at school, that THEY said they didn't want to miss. I said ok, and promised to reschedule the trip for this spring.

Fast forward to this spring, and I said "Guess what? We're going to Disney"

I figured that they are already 10 and 11. Their schedules are only going to get more hectic, and less easy to plan around. Darn it, if I don't get them to Disney now...I may never get them there!!

They still aren't all that excited. I think it's because they don't know what they are missing. Even when they went to MK before they didn't do alot of things because of who they were with (ex husband) and time of year they went (august)

So I will be soooo excited for all of us!! And (hopefully) they will look back and be very happy I "made" them go to Disney

 

[MAKmom]

We had that a few years ago thus the HRH trip & Seaworld. We loved it but no one wants to go back. It is not DISNEY.

If you do Universal stay on site, front of the line access is great.

My oldest DD said she was not going 2 years ago & then a few weeks before we were to leave she Feaked & said she had to come with us. I had to pay more for airfair to include her.

 

[Grendalynn]

I think that is what I am afraid of .. too many trip to WDW will desensitize the kids and the excitment just wont be there...?? I had posted that question not too far back as we were looking into the whol DVC thing.

I know that age is hard and hopefully all will work out for you and your family. Maybe you can show him some of the Travel books and ask him to pick a few things he would want to do?? Good Luck!

 

[Holly]

We went in December and my 12 year old son stayed home with Nana and Papa.
He has been many times and at this age is just busy with tweeny things. I missed him and was disappointed that he didn't want to come, but the rest of us had a great time and he had a great time being spoiled at home by his grandparents.
We are going back to WDW in August and he has already said that he does want to go this time so woohoo!

 

[DisTeach1]

I read this post yesterday, and actually thought of it during the night. I even asked my 12 year old son if he wanted to go back to Disney World. But, my conclusion with some of these kids, (except for the 7 year old with sensory problems), is that they are spoiled brats! When my sister and I were 15 and 17, my Mom took us to Disneyland for a treat, and we were thrilled. We never would have dreamed of turning down a vacation, nor did we "need" to take a friend. Guess what? Taking a friend completely takes away from quality family time. What's with these kids that turn up their noses? My cousin has always put an emphasis on "family" vacations, i.e. we go as a family, we all go, and friends don't go. Her three teenage boys all look forward to their trips and enjoy the time they have. They don't grump or whine about where they are going!

 

[momsgoofy]

dsnymomof4...I understand your situation!

Our DS has started to grow weary of trips to WDW and we've only been 4 times since 1999. I think having gone twice in 2005 though was what may have done it for him. Since it was our first year as DVC members, DH and I got all excited about getting to make the extra trips thanks to our DVC membership, so I can understand Grendalynn's concerns. But, just because our DS isn't "into WDW" doesn't mean we'll be selling our DVC points...it just means we are looking into the other options with our points.

I also think, like many posters on this thread have stated...it's that tween/teen thing. I remember when my sister was 16 and we did a big family camping trip north thru Canada and 5 states...she was miserable and Mom threatened to put her fanny on a bus home everyday. She missed her friends and didn't want to be on no stinkin' family vacation. Also, for our DS, an only child, he'd rather be able to do some of the fun things at WDW with a friend than the parental units... ...and we are starting to debate that option for future trips. I know last year when my Dsis, her daughter (2 yrs. younger than DS and also an only child), DS and I road tripped to Virginia for a family baptism, that DS had a great time. He and his cousin got along very well even though his cousin is a girl. For us, this may be a great option...Dsis and her daughter are huge Disney fans...matter of fact, Dsis told me the next trip we go to WDW for Christmas to let them know and they'll go, too.

I think that what DisTeach1 posted is valid for some, but not for all. I do not think that just because my DS doesn't want to go to WDW again for a while means in any way that he is a spoiled brat. It just means that he knows when we ask him his opinion for family vacation ideas that his opinions do mean something. I can't speak for anyone else's family, but for us, a family vacation means not only does the whole family go, but the whole family gets a say in the planning. For example, when we started to plan a trip for this June, we thought we might just head to WDW (use those DVC points), and since DS isn't into the parks, we'd just hang out at the resort pool, enjoy the spa, visit some of the other resorts we haven't seen and go to DTD...try to relax more than go-go-go in the parks...which is the part that DS really dislikes. Well, when we talked more about the trip, we realized that DS really wanted to see more of the world than just WDW, Orlando, and Florida beaches. (In all honesty, I can't blame him...I wanna see as much of the world before I die, too.) Actually, this is a whole family thought...see as much as we can. So, since I've had the wish to see DL at least once, we talked it over and are going to California this trip. (Only DH has been there and it's been over 25 years since.) So, we are pretty excited...staying at the Grand Californian, which is suppose to be a fantastic resort.

The other factor that I believe is involved, and other posters have hit upon, is the only child syndrome. Both DH and I have siblings...DH's are closer to his age than mine, so he remembers great family vacations, while my sisters are 16, 12, and 6 yrs. older than I am. I have never been on a family vacation with both of my parents and all of my siblings...for the first 10 years I remember vacations with the sister 6yrs. older and my parents, which were great. But by the time I hit the tween/teen stage, it was just my parents and me...totally boring since my parents were in their mid to late 40s by then and didn't always want to do things that really interested me. So, I got lucky and by 4th grade I was getting to bring a friend along...not on every trip, but some of them and it made the world of difference. My parents weren't being bugged with the "I'm bored...what can I do?" and they were able to relax more and have a good time and because I had my friend, I wasn't bored and had more fun. And as for the quality family time, well, it was still there...at least for me because I still have wonderful memories of spending time with my parents, who were more relaxed and able to enjoy the time we spent together...and the friends I took had been my friends for so long that they were like another member of the family anyway.

So, I guess after adding my 25 cents worth, I'm just trying to say that, dsnymomof4, you are not alone! There are many of us moms who love going to WDW, but our tween/teen kids don't anymore. Also, that for each family it's a uniquely different experience as to the why's and wherefore's of the situation and because of that we've all gotta work out ourvselves what is best for our families.

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

You could compromise and go to the beach for a few days after your Disney trip. Disney has a great resort 2 hours south of WDW in Vero Beach. The accomodations are great and there are many activites for the kids. Jet ski's mini-golf, great slide at the pool, pool games, camp fires, bike tours, etc. The resort itself has no mention of Mickey and the gang, although they do have 1 character breakfast during the week on Saturdays. It still has the Disney Magic though and is very relaxing.

Another thing you could look at is doing the Disney Cruise/park vacation. 3 or 4 day cruise together with 3 or 4 day at Disney World. He may enjoy being able to hang out with the teens (they have their own separate area and no parents are allowed).

Or, you could also make a day just for him. Let him pick out all the rides and plan the touring. If he likes thrill rides and your DD's don't maybe you can split up, you with Him and your DH with the girls. If you haven't been to a water park yet you could try to plan that in too. I don't know too many teens who don't like the water parks. Good luck, He doesn't know how lucky he is.

 

[sara74]

Seems a bit harsh to call other people's kids spoiled brats to me. That said, my own 'bratty' child (and DH too) had me in tears the other night. I made the final call and paid off our whole trip. It is all done, ADRs, meal plan, plane tickets, hotel. Clothes are already set aside. And no one but me is excited. DS is too young to even understand what a trip is. DD doesn't quite get how cool Disney will be and DH is a stick in the mud whose parents never took him on a vacation and he doesn't 'get it' either.

So there I am, phone in hand in the kitchen and I tell the family who are all reading/playing in the same room "Anyone who is excited about going to Disney stand up and say me!" (in my most excited and happy voice) 3 blank stares. DS playing with magnets, DH goes back to his Newsweek. DD looks up and tells me she is too tired to go to Disney World. So what did I do? What any other hormonal, totally involved in overplanning her vacation woman would do - cried. Burst into tears and cried in the kitchen. Am I embarrassed? yep. Is the family starting to act a little more excited? You betcha!

 

[Drewandwendi]

I'm sorry you are dealing with this, but I am SOOOO glad I'm not alone. I have been terribly upset that DD13 doesn't want to go on our trip in April. Everyone says it's a "teen" thing, but I am pretty upset that she doesn't want to go on our family trip. I remember going to WDW when I was 18, and I had a blast...even with my parents lol. As a matter of fact, I do not remember ever NOT wanting to go on a family vacation. Then again, I still go on long weekend trips with my parents during the summer. I guess all we can do is hope they grow back into WDW!!! BTW, since my DD doesnt want to go on this trip, she will be staying behind with her aunt. She has decided that 9 days of hanging with my sis is better than WDW. So be it. No, sh isnt a spoiled brat, but the way I see it, I deserve to do things I enjoy just like the rest of the family. We spend many weekends at the beach, and she brings friends then. She is much happier in a laid back situation anyway.

 

[dsnymomof4]

Wow. Thanks for all of the responses. It really does help to know I am not the only one out there dealing with this. What's hard is that the rest of the family - me, DH, DD9, DD7 and DD5 are totally into Disney. We can't wait to go back. I appreciate all of the suggestions - I have thought about maybe doing a few days at a beach. I never thought about Vero Beach - I'll have to look into that. I have also been thinking about the land/cruise, but that's way out of our price range right now. My DS12 is really into cars, so my DH tried persuading him by asking if he would want to go if the 2 of them rented a Lambourgini and drove to Florida? He said yes. But, I was upset at the time and told him I wasn't going to "bribe" him to go to Disney! Anyway, the other day he asked me to take him and a friend to the skatepark and I told him on one condition - no more talk about not wanting to go to Disney. As of right now, we don't even have a trip planned (waiting for codes to come out so maybe can do a late-August trip). But, honestly, after reading all of the above postings, I do feel a lot better about the situation. Thank you again for all of your responses and support.