ATTN: Empty nesters, has disney lost its magic?

[cedricandsophie]

We love Disney world resorts. Rarely go to parks. Enjoy the pool, fitness center, tennis and eat at all the great restaurants. Happy to bring kids and grandkids if they want to come. But often give them points to do their own thing. Taking the whole family on Disney cruise this summer, our 12th. We all do our thing during day and meet for dinner. Perfect for all.

 

[gina2000]

Again, to me, this reads that you are assuming you are one of the rare few that likes to see other places. Why are you even telling everyone about it in such a defensive way? Those phrases -unpopular opinion, or I may be in the minority but - say to me that you are trying to separate yourself from the masses because you went to Europe or wherever and you think others haven't. How do you know Joe Schmoe didn't go to Europe, because he doesn't talk about it on this board?

I guess I don't understand why people make these assumptions. It's a Disney board and people discuss Disney trips. I didn't realize we have to also list our other vacations destinations as well.

As I read this, I realize I sound mad, I'm not. It's just I find these types of posts odd.

You do realize that I did not use either of those phrases?

You obviously did not understand my point. I've been many, many places numerous times at different points in my life, WDW among them. Each has served its purpose in its own time. At this point I'm looking to visit other places. I make no claim about the superiority of my choices nor do I look to judge yours. All of my destinations claim a place in my life. I'm just at a different place right now. And I was answering the question with more than one sentence.

If I were looking to separate myself from the masses, I wouldn't be renting a small dilapidated shore house. I wouldn't be cruising. I wouldn't be heading to Carlyle to a car show. Going different places doesn't make my choices superior. They're just different.

Idk if I'll be back to WDW any time soon. But if and when I am, I'll be ready to enjoy it and embrace it just as I did throughout my son's childhood.

 

[prudence64]

My husband and I had a greT trip prior to having kids. Very different, but fun. Biggest difference - we stayed away from magic kingdom all together.

 

[bcrook]

My husband and I had a greT trip prior to having kids. Very different, but fun. Biggest difference - we stayed away from magic kingdom all together.

I noticed that too. I spent much more time at Epcot and the Studios.

 

[amg35]

You do realize that I did not use either of those phrases?

You obviously did not understand my point. I've been many, many places numerous times at different points in my life, WDW among them. Each has served its purpose in its own time. At this point I'm looking to visit other places. I make no claim about the superiority of my choices nor do I look to judge yours. All of my destinations claim a place in my life. I'm just at a different place right now. And I was answering the question with more than one sentence.

If I were looking to separate myself from the masses, I wouldn't be renting a small dilapidated shore house. I wouldn't be cruising. I wouldn't be heading to Carlyle to a car show. Going different places doesn't make my choices superior. They're just different.

Idk if I'll be back to WDW any time soon. But if and when I am, I'll be ready to enjoy it and embrace it just as I did throughout my son's childhood.

Sorry, I made the mistake of just assuming and lumping it in with the what I inferred from the other posts. I just started getting a feeling of one upmanship that I didn't like. I apologize.

 

[Boudin]

It kicks major butt!

No hauling more gear than a Sherpa.

No burgers and fries for every meal.

No waiting hours for characters.

No "I'm too cool for this"

I can go to the Hall of Presidents without feeling like I'm waterboarding somebody.

Magic ON

 

[mimicardova]

My husband and I had never been to Disney until after we became empty nesters. We love it. We prefer staying on property and park hopping. We like quick service and usually buy one special package for the candlelight processional. We like acting like kids. We are more spontaneous in how we tour the world. He works at a trauma hospital and I am a therapist, so we both have jobs that involve serious situations. Going to DW is truly like going to a different world for a few days. On two occasions, we have brought different empty nester couples our age along as they had never been to Disney before either. We have had a great time every time. Even the time he ended up in the hospital for part of our stay, we still had a great time. We are going back in December. Can't wait.

 

[W.E.D.]

Empty nesters and soon to be empty nesters,

Has disney lost its magic since the kids are now out of the house and gone.
Heck no!
Has your strategy to approaching disney dramatically changed? Yes. We take it a lot easier and have seen/experienced numerous things we love but the kids were never in to.
Have you taken trips to wdw or dl without your children? Yessir!
If so, do you feel sad?No way. We made many trips with the kids. They now make their own visits. We're discussing a family trip sometime in the future, but we love our visits as a couple.

.

 

[Seeker615]

We went to the Christmas party last year as empty-nesters and really enjoyed it after the crowds thinned out.

I love Disney but we like to take a more relaxed approach to traveling now that we are a bit older. Neither of us wants to plan out rides and restaurants so far in advance or wait for shuttles.

We are eagerly looking forward to going back with the grand-kids when they are a bit older though. Seeing it through their eyes will be well worth the planning then!

 

[JimmyV]

This is the sentence I find implies an insult, or at the very least is condescending - "we will most likely branch out and see more of the world. An unpopular view here for sure, but I am just being honest", - why would you assume people don't travel anywhere else, that's ridiculous - and I didn't ask you for an apology.

You are simply misreading the post. The final sentence of my original post is a summation of my overall explanation. The "unpopular view" is that we will be visiting WDW less often, not that we will be visiting other places. And I have read, and re-read my post ten times and I cannot see a single word about what other people may or may not do in terms of other travels, so I am at a loss to see where you think I am making an assumption about same. So your clause: "why would you assume people don't travel anywhere else" is itself an assumption that I have now twice tried to disabuse. I don't think I can be any cleared. But here goes. Not all posts are about you. I. Me. Myself. The person writing this. Not you. Not any other reader. But me. I, when forced to choose how to spend my vacation dollars and time (which are both limited), will have to elect whether to take another trip to WDW, or go to other places. As empty nesters, we are going to start to spend more and more time going to other places. It may not be a very popular opinion on a Disney-centric board to publicly announce that one is going to visit WDW less often, but that is what we intend to do. That sentiment is not intended to be condescending or insulting to anyone or any other viewpoint. If one reads it as an insult, then that is on the reader and not on me.

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

Empty nesters and soon to be empty nesters,

Has disney lost its magic since the kids are now out of the house and gone. Has your strategy to approaching disney dramatically changed? Have you taken trips to wdw or dl without your children? If so, do you feel sad?

My first trip to WDW was when my DH took me when we were married just a year. It was purely MAGICAL. Fast forward 26 years and 7 fabulously magical and pretty darn perfect trips with the kids to today....

DD is approaching her last year of college, DS will be away at college in the fall (but still very close) and DH and I are absolutely giddie about our solo trip to WDW!!!!

Each trip we've taken (every 3 years) to WDW has always been different from the last and equally has magical. We are soooo looking forward to the changes and magic our next trip brings..

 

[JimmyV]

I guess I don't understand why people make these assumptions.

Oh well, I'm out numbered it seems.

It's not that you are outnumbered. The problem is that you are seeing ghosts. You keep inferring that people are making assumptions about other peoples' travels, when they are doing no such thing. You are reading first-person posts as if they are third-person posts. When a person says that they are going to do "X", don't overread it to mean: "I am going to do "X", unlike the rest of you." If those last 5 words are not actually in the post, don't put them there yourself. Do that, and all is good.

 

[amg35]

You are simply misreading the post. The final sentence of my original post is a summation of my overall explanation. The "unpopular view" is that we will be visiting WDW less often, not that we will be visiting other places. And I have read, and re-read my post ten times and I cannot see a single word about what other people may or may not do in terms of other travels, so I am at a loss to see where you think I am making an assumption about same. So your clause: "why would you assume people don't travel anywhere else" is itself an assumption that I have now twice tried to disabuse. I don't think I can be any cleared. But here goes. Not all posts are about you. I. Me. Myself. The person writing this. Not you. Not any other reader. But me. I, when forced to choose how to spend my vacation dollars and time (which are both limited), will have to elect whether to take another trip to WDW, or go to other places. As empty nesters, we are going to start to spend more and more time going to other places. It may not be a very popular opinion on a Disney-centric board to publicly announce that one is going to visit WDW less often, but that is what we intend to do. That sentiment is not intended to be condescending or insulting to anyone or any other viewpoint. If one reads it as an insult, then that is on the reader and not on me.

It's not that you are outnumbered. The problem is that you are seeing ghosts. You keep inferring that people are making assumptions about other peoples' travels, when they are doing no such thing. You are reading first-person posts as if they are third-person posts. When a person says that they are going to do "X", don't overread it to mean: "I am going to do "X", unlike the rest of you." If those last 5 words are not actually in the post, don't put them there yourself. Do that, and all is good.

Okay.

 

[Arielle22]

DDs are 18 and 20. We went on an adults only trip with my siblings back in 200. Since then DH and I have been 3 times by ourselves for anniversaries and we love it.

We do want we want, when we want. I can watch the American Experience twice in a row without complaints. We don't have to get up early (if we don't want to) and can stay at the parks late.

We feel it is different magic but still magically by ourselves.

 

[Mom2Stitch]

I have not read through the thread, but saw the title and HAD to reply.

I just got home yesterday from 9 days in WDW with my 2 grown sons,ages 30 and 19, DH, and DGS,6. Comparing this trip to my last trip of just me and DH-I'll take the empty nester trip ANYTIME....

Wow, that makes me feel like a bad Mom and Meme, but the peace and quiet we had last year over the chaos of this trip was so much nicer. We had a good time, I loved seeing dgs be in awe of everything, I'm glad we went. But my favorite day was the day DH and I spent on our own at the pool and having dinner at Epcot .

 

[DakotaRose]

I loved having fun with my kids at DL. But going without kids is even better. I will vehemently deny it in front of my kids, but it's true. Our kids are really good travelers, but without them WDW felt like freedom. There was no whining, no sibling bickering, no grousing about where we eat, no leaving the park because the kids are tired and just want to swim. We had a blast!