Bringing 2nd generation to WDW?

[Lisa Hale]

Curious, I just answered another post (about how many times you've been to WDW - sorry but I don't know how to link a post) that made me start thinking about something my DH and I have discussed before. We bring our kids every year, always plan to. Our son is now a teen and the way time flies, it won't be long before he's an adult with a family of his own - okay, a few more years, but you guys know what I mean, .

Who all has brought their own children to WDW for several years and now brings the whole family (i.e. son or daughter in law and grandkids)? We have actually talked about how cool that would be for us. We don't have family on either side (long story, but no grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.), it's just us and our kids. We love the idea of bringing our kids and their spouses and eventually grandkids to WDW with us.

Now, we know there will be huge changes then. We don't expect or want to spend all of our time with them. We really want them to experience disney "their" way, but do want to be able to have a couple of dinners or shows together, some special pictures, and how ever much time they want to spend with us (within reason), doesn't even have to be the same resort.

Okay, now that I've rambled for a while, is anyone still hanging in there??? Who else has done this or wants to do this someday with their kids' families?

 

[ldo]

We went with them as kids, now we go with them with our kids. We go every Easter. We stay in a 2 or 3 BR timeshare. We usually have 1 big dinner (character or show) together and then a go our separate ways--some do Disney parks, other golf and others lounge by pool.
But we do most dinners together, either out or in the villa, and several afternoons of fun pool time. It is one of the highlights of my parents' year (mine too).

 

[MinnieGi]

DH and I have also talked about this!! We own DVC and so this will line up perfectly when our kids strike it out on their own with their own families. Okay its a loooong way away - they are 6 & 2!

Actually I am a second generation Dis'er! My parents brought me and my brother and sister during our growing up years and they still love to go!! In fact this November we are having a family runion Disney trip with my parents, Dbro & DSis-in-law, Dsis, DH's parents and hopefully his brother's family. We also have good friends joining us too. We enjoy Disney as a group and its fun visiting with family who have all been on past trips together - we know each others likes and dislikes and relive those funny vacation moments over and over again!

 

[indigoxtreme]

We do in fact we all went this past October. My son and daughter, her husband and her daughter. This year we are going in July and the 2nd granddaughter age 3 will also be coming along this time. Both are my daughters children. My son will not be with us this time due to work schedule. It was so much fun to have all the family together. We attended our first MNSSHP and it was a blast.

 

[bettydau]

Subscribing.

 

[Hope73]

We always bring my mom with us. Mom pays her own way and we pay for our family. The beauty is she gets her own room and the kids sleep wiht her. Plus she doesn't ride the roller coasters so she takes the kids to a show while we ride.

DH and I thought we would want alone time to go out but discovered we want to be together all of us. It has been wonderful

 

[KSBelle]

A family group to WDW is one of the best vacations there is. My sister and I were both fortunate enough to go to DL and WDW with our parents and then all of us and my children were able to go together. My parents have since died but my sister and her children and my children and now their children have been able to all go together.We have made so many magical memories together. We plan out our days and don't necessarily spend all days together but do go to certain parks and certain TS meals as a group. We can do a more relaxed vacation to WDW because we have been there so often.We stay in the same resort for convenience sake.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We all started with my parents back in 1977, my dad decided we should try the new WDW, through work he belonged to the Magic Kingdom Club and we got discount. First trip, me, wife, our son, age 5 and my parents. What we saw made a change in our lives, we kept going back almost every year. Dad passed but my mom still enjoed going with us. Throw in her sister a few times and some work friends and were still hitting the Florida trail after 38 plus visits. My mom, 85 now, and too feeble to go, soul willing but body not, would still like to go. Its been my wife and I and son, grown and has children a few times, and daughter, married, met hubby while on the college program one fall in WDW, when they can still going to WDW. We have always split the room with whoever wanted or I foot the bill since we were going with or without them and its a whole different experience now that they are grown and we're older. When we plan a trip, usually one a year, sometimes 2, we always ask the kids are they interested, usually they ask us when we're going so they can plan ahead, and we meet them in WDW, we take the train and they fly but still stay together, play and dine together. They are free to come and go but prefer us to be along. We relax by the pool, have some cocktails and never miss a Hoop Dee Do and each trip is always better than the last.

So to answer your post, yes, the tradition continues, daughter doing the college program, then graduating college and moving to Florida to give Disney a shot at a career but returning back home, poor wages in her field after one year, we still go, she still is a Disney child and always will be. They grow so fast, where did all those years go but we're still blessed to keep the tradition going and we're mid-late 50's and enjoy Disney more and more every vacation, no other place for us but there.

 

[Wishes]

Reading your post pepe of ohio gives me such hope! We have enjoyed going to WDW with our two children so much! Our DD was 5 and our DS was 9 the first time we went to WDW and as you said they grow so fast! They are now 16 and 20! We went on what will probably be our last trip as just the 4 of us this past summer and we had the best time and made so many wonderful memories! We are planning on going again next summer and will be bringing our DS's girlfriend along with us. I'm excited that he wants to go back with us again and even though I know it will be different it will be fun to still have our DS with us and I'm looking forward to seeing the look on his girlfriend's face as she experiences WDW for the first time!

 

[annieb727]

These stories are GREAT....my first time to a disney park was after graduating high school for one day at disneyland after going to mexico with my youth group...so obviously I didn't go with family.

I have never gone with my mom or grandparents. But dh remembers going with his grandma a long time ago - that was so special to him.

We have taken our boys to DL (1 time to wdw in 2003 when ds4 turned 1) a couple of times...and I hope to continue the tradition...I want to take their kids when they have them...it sounds so incredible! I like the fact that when my boys are married and have their kids, we can be there and let them go on a date or two while we take the kiddos to the parks - and just be there in ways that neither of us (me & DH) have experienced.

I love the idea of keeping the tradition going! My boys are already all about disney! They keep asking when we're going to Disney World, and I tell them how many days LOL (128 by the way).

Keep those stories coming...I love to read them

 

[lpizzuro123]

My boyfriend and I have been together since 1991. We starting bringing his son in 1997 - he was 9 at the time. We go down at least twice a year - most of the time with him - a few times just the two of us. This coming July we will be going down with him and his girlfriend. I am sure this will be a different kind of vacation but I am also sure this is the start of many generations of Disney goers. Even though he is older he still likes going away with us and we like his girlfriend very much so we are really looking forward to it.

Linda

 

[chessclubmom]

I have already made my 12 year old DS promise to take me with on his first Disney vacation with his wife and kids. I will even pay if I have to, although after all the vacations we have taken him on I would think he owes his dear mom a vacation. If he does a WDW honeymoon however, I don't know what I'll do. I can't make him promise to take me along for that, but who will do all the planning, make the touring plans, the ADRs, know all the short cuts, and my favorite: wake them up at 6a.m. to eat a good breakfast before heading to the parks before opening?

 

[Phedre]

I grew up going to Disney with my grandparents, parents and little sister. Now that I'm married and my sis and I have our own homes, we all still get back together several times a year down at the parks. I can't wait to bring kids some day (once I have them, LOL) and we are fully expecting my parents and sis to come along too. We do a lot together but always leave some time for families to go separate ways for a bit. It's always a great trip

 

[pepe of ohio]

I have already made my 12 year old DS promise to take me with on his first Disney vacation with his wife and kids. I will even pay if I have to, although after all the vacations we have taken him on I would think he owes his dear mom a vacation. If he does a WDW honeymoon however, I don't know what I'll do. I can't make him promise to take me along for that, but who will do all the planning, make the touring plans, the ADRs, know all the short cuts, and my favorite: wake them up at 6a.m. to eat a good breakfast before heading to the parks before opening?

You can never tell, our daughter and SIL, met while she was on the college program in Disney and she finished and moved back to finish college. He moved back up also and when she graduated from college, she decided to give Disney another go, they both moved back down to Kissimmee for 1 year. Working for Disney didn't pan out for daughter and they moved back and got great jobs in the Columbus, Ohio area. On a recent vacation to WDW, we still go and meet there, he proposed to her where they first met in the MK and got married in October. We were so stressed from the wedding plans we decided to take our Disney vacation right after the wedding, well, they had a 7 day cruise scheduled and after that and going to WDW for 7day guess what, we all met up again in the happiest place on earth and got to enjoy them on the second half of their honeymoon, greatest vacation ever, memories I could never describe and future trips always in the works, they are the best.

 

[Lisa Hale]

All of these trips sound fantastic! I am so grateful to be building memories with my kids and look forward to continuing that forever!

 

[DisneyFairy19]

Before it was my parents and my sister.. Now its us four plus my DF and sisters DB.. and I am sure in a few years there will be a little one tagging along

 

[Hope73]

We don's have an extended family but my mom goes along.

My mom is alone and my husband, DD6, DS 8 and grandma go each year.

The first year hubby and I thought we would want to be alone more and grandma would be with the kids at hotel. Once we got there we had so much fun that we didn't want to be away. Grandma was great for the fact that the kids weren't old enough to ride big rides. She would take them to Beauty and Beast show ane we would go on Tower or Terror or RRR coaster.

Last year my hubby sat out of the trip and we went with my mom aunt and my two kids. It was wonderful again. I am an only child and my aunt has never married so she is like a second mom to me and extremely close to my kids. It was wonderful to be just the women of the family.

We always get 2 moderate rooms. If hubby is with him and I get a room with a king bed. When aunt was with we had 2 rooms with double beds and the kids switched between.

Multi gen has been great.

 

[Creola]

Our first trip was when our kids were 5 & 8 years old and my father-in-law came along with us. Not only was it the first visit for the kids, but also for DH and me.

We went back about 3 years later with just the kids.

DH and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversay there (no kids...it was GREAT!)

Both kids spend their honeymoons there.

In December, we'll be making our first "Big Family Vacation": DH & I, son and daughter-in-law, daughter and son-in-law and our one-and-only (so far) grandchild (who will be 3). Having seen the expression on the faces of my kids the first time we went to the MK, there was no way I was going to miss seeing the expression on my grandson's face!

We'll be on a photo "mission". We have pictures of our daughter with Chip & Dale and my son-in-law with Chip & Dale (they were both about 5 years old then). On their honeymoon, they made sure to have someone take a photo of both of them with C&D. So now we want/need a picture of their son with C&D.

I love the thought of continuing our Disney tradition...both taking the trip and taking the photo!

December can't come fast enough for me!