Childfree (by choice) Disney Lovers!

[danijake]

So next Wednesday (8/1) is national non-parents day.

Our local 'Couples Without Kids' group is going out for supper at a very nice
local place to celebrate. I called today for our reservation & the girl asked if the group was celebrating anything, so I told her yes & what.
To her credit, she just said, that's great, we'll note you are a meetup group celebrating that night & see you next Wednesday.... she never skipped a beat.

Wish there was a similar group by me!

 

[zima-cheryl]

Wish there was a similar group by me!

We found ours on meetup.com
The closest of the franchised No Kidding Groups is a bit farther than we want to be driving, at least after work during the week.

I also just found a new web group called DINKLife. I'm hoping to find some folks on that site that may be in our area too.

I know it is tough, but worst case you could always start your own meetup group & see if there is any interest in your area.

 

[chloe4ever]

Getting ready for my upcoming trip (10 days till we leave!!!).

My boyfriend and myself are in our 30's and child free. We will be meeting up with my sister, her two little girls (7 and 8) and her husband.

One of the biggest reasons for not wanting kids is my inability to deal with the whole "kid-centric" culture of today's society and how kids are currently raised. I don't believe in catering to kids, putting kids above my relationship and my boyfriend and talking about kids 24/7. Being with my sister and her mom friends made me want to pull my hair out. I just cannot deal with modern mothers. They talk about their kids ALL THE TIME!! 24/7!! I cannot be part of that for 18 years. And you cannot avoid it. Your kid cannot live in a vacuum. You have to talk to other moms--and that would drive me insane. Also, the whole "safety" issue drives me nuts with modern parenting. I believe that kids need freedom and we live in a culture of fear--and I cannot deal with that. So besides not have a strong desire to have a child of my own--the whole modern parenting culture really puts me over the edge in not wanting a child. I just cannot deal with that world for 18 + years without being locked away......

But I am looking forward to our trip!!!

Do you guys think we should rent a car? We are staying on International Drive and have heard horror stories about disney transportation--don't want to be waiting for the bus for over an hour......

 

[zima-cheryl]

Do you guys think we should rent a car? We are staying on International Drive and have heard horror stories about disney transportation--don't want to be waiting for the bus for over an hour......

I would. The busses for hotels off property don't run as frequent as the ones on WDW property. Also, it gives you more flexibility for going other places to eat, taking a break mid-day and maybe even doing other things one or two days.

Check out Priceline or Travelocity (or any other similar site). Sometimes you can snag a great deal on a rental car through them.

Rentalcodes.com sometimes has good deals, but be prepared to put in some time digging around the website.
http://www.rentalcodes.com/

Also, if you have AAA or Costco or anything else like that check for a discount. We even have a discount code from our timeshare (not Disney) that is good for Hertz.

Also, did you book any part of your vacation via AAA? If so you should ask them about a parking pass. Evidently the parks still have the special AAA parking area. I know it is near the front, but don't know if it is a discount on the price? Doesn't hurt to ask.

Takes a bit of time,but you can usually work yourself a good deal.

 

[DisneytheKid]

Great thread. We don't have any kiddos... yet, but we both love doing Disney! Whoever thinks its just for kids has forgotten how great it feels to FEEL like a kid again at Disney

 

[zima-cheryl]

So who here has done Akershus? DH decided today that is what he wants to do for his birthday supper. OK- who can blame a guy for wanting to celebrate w/a bunch of princesses?!?
Just curious what other CF folks think of the restaurant? And the food?

And fellas - what would you want for your birthday @ WDW?
My original plan had been to suprise him w/an upgrade to club level @ the Contemporary but turns out they are refurbing then so that is a no go.
I was looking at the Richard Petty Exotic Car thing. Or maybe a tour or something. Any suggestions or ideas from any guys out there?

 

[DisneyHoneymoon2002]

Although hubby and I are child free (not by choice) together, he has a daughter from a prior marriage who is now 21 and so we don't see her much (well, he sees her but I don't see her much at all). We both are Disney nuts. All of our Disney trips (excepting one, last year) were without children along. While my first choice would always be to have children, that is not the deck I was dealt. Disney makes me happy!!

 

[Darkfirewolfe]

And fellas - what would you want for your birthday @ WDW?
My original plan had been to suprise him w/an upgrade to club level @ the Contemporary but turns out they are refurbing then so that is a no go.
I was looking at the Richard Petty Exotic Car thing. Or maybe a tour or something. Any suggestions or ideas from any guys out there?

I asked my guy. His ideas were a special dinner (his favs are Jiko & Merreksh) or a day during the trip were we do all his favorite things in the park first.

We stayed last time club level at AKL and it was pretty amazing. Or I've heard great things about the club level at the Poly. Those could be nice upgrades since the Contemporary doesn't work.

For one of our anniversary trips, my DH got flowers delivered to our room. I know they also do balloons, beer, & snacks. That could be cool. Or a trip to the spa for a massage. (^_^)

 

[NemoLeo]

I know everyone on this thread will truly appreciate this one (and it made DH and I laugh like fools). Earlier this week someone brought a new baby into the office to meet everyone. People were oohing and aaahing and everyone wanted to hold said baby. Except me. I think they break way too easily and I have no idea what to do with them!! Fast forward two days and someone brings in a new puppy. NOW I'm the one that's thrilled! (And I think I was even making all the same noises that they made over the baby).

DH and I have decided that the only maternal instinct I have pertains to puppies and other furry critters. Hmmm, maybe if babies had puppy breath and could be crate trained in a week or two I'd be more interested??

So, I know I'm late to the party, I just found this awesome thread. Your comments above summarize exactly how I feel. I have a colleague that keeps brining her baby into work and almost seems to be forcing her child in my face. I'm very open about my not wanting kids, so it's a bit annoying. My two dogs are more than enough for me and DH.

I'm 32 DH is 34, we've been married for 7 years and we are beyond happy to be child free! Finding this thread is great because it makes me feel good to know that we aren't the only ones! I've never wanted children, I even know that as an early teen. My family all know, understands and doesn't force the issue, but there are certainly other people that just cannot fathom being married and not having a house full of kids. Its interesting how some people have no issue with questioning why I don't want kids, but find it ridiculous when I ask them why they wanted them.

Thanks everyone for making my day today!

 

[stindall]

Do I count? I'm 23 (DH is 28) and have been married for 4 years but not out of a pregnancy obligation, just because we love each other! No kids on the horizon for a few years. 2 doggies are handful enough! We actually just got back from Cedar Point and I can't imagine taking a child there until they're tall enough to ride the good rides! No way I'm going to sit around while they ride the kiddie rides!

 

[zima-cheryl]

So I'm curious.....
What other CF groups do people subscribe to or associate with?

We are lucky, in our area there is a CF couples meetup group. There is also a "No Kidding" group but a bit too far for us to go to many of their events.

Recently I found a website called DINK Life that has some great informaton (other day was a great writeup on CF resorts/hotels).

 

[NemoLeo]

So I'm curious.....
What other CF groups do people subscribe to or associate with?

We are lucky, in our area there is a CF couples meetup group. There is also a "No Kidding" group but a bit too far for us to go to many of their events.

Recently I found a website called DINK Life that has some great informaton (other day was a great writeup on CF resorts/hotels).

I wasn't even aware that there were CF groups. So...none for me!

 

[CurlyJo224]

I went to a No Kidding meetup in my area, but all of the other members were ten to fifteen years older than me, professionals, and being childfree was the only thing we had in common.

I'll have to check out DINKlife.

 

[Darkfirewolfe]

I haven't gone to any CF groups and also didn't know there were any. Several of our friends are CF, so that's a nice bonus. I would worry that in those groups, the only thing we would gave in common is being CF. that's why I like this thread b/c we are Disney fans too. It's something else to connect us.

 

[CruisingGoddess]

I'm in a local CF group that I found through Meetup.com. They are nice people and we have some things in common, like traveling a lot but most of them are the "Happy Hour" and Botox types, which we are not. Within the group, a small clique formed so I've been a bit turned off by that.

Oddly enough, I find that I relate to retired travelers the most because they travel a lot, have disposable income, and if they have kids, they are grown and their lives don't revolve around them anymore.

 

[chloe4ever]

I would. The busses for hotels off property don't run as frequent as the ones on WDW property. Also, it gives you more flexibility for going other places to eat, taking a break mid-day and maybe even doing other things one or two days.

Check out Priceline or Travelocity (or any other similar site). Sometimes you can snag a great deal on a rental car through them.

Rentalcodes.com sometimes has good deals, but be prepared to put in some time digging around the website.
http://www.rentalcodes.com/

Also, if you have AAA or Costco or anything else like that check for a discount. We even have a discount code from our timeshare (not Disney) that is good for Hertz.

Also, did you book any part of your vacation via AAA? If so you should ask them about a parking pass. Evidently the parks still have the special AAA parking area. I know it is near the front, but don't know if it is a discount on the price? Doesn't hurt to ask.

Takes a bit of time,but you can usually work yourself a good deal.

Thanks for all the helpful info!!

We booked a car through Advantage that was REALLY cheap but we are worried that it will turn out to be a 1977 Pinto!! It was THAT cheap Be afraid, be very afraid..........

Does anyone have any experience with Advantage?? I don't really care about customer service, as long as they don't try to stab me or anything, I will be fine. They are renting me a car, not taking me out on a date, I just want a car that works.......And being from NYC, gruff and to the point is right up my alley.

Its interesting how some people have no issue with questioning why I don't want kids, but find it ridiculous when I ask them why they wanted them.

Thanks everyone for making my day today!

Yes, how dare you ask them WHY they want kids! Most likely they are defensive because they don't want them anymore!

No way I'm going to sit around while they ride the kiddie rides!

But good mothers make that sacrifice don't you know.......... And it is SO fun to watch your toddler go in circles for hours at a time.

 

[CruisingGoddess]

Thanks for all the helpful info!!

We booked a car through Advantage that was REALLY cheap but we are worried that it will turn out to be a 1977 Pinto!! It was THAT cheap Be afraid, be very afraid..........

Does anyone have any experience with Advantage?? I don't really care about customer service, as long as they don't try to stab me or anything, I will be fine. They are renting me a car, not taking me out on a date, I just want a car that works.......And being from NYC, gruff and to the point is right up my alley.

I've used Advantage from LAX a couple of times and would not use them again. They don't run enough shuttles so you wait longer at the airport and are aggressive with pushing insurance, GPS, etc. which wastes more of my time. Their LA office is also in poor location; further than other car rental companies. I also wouldn't past them to claim I damaged their car when I didn't since I don't buy their insurance. (Make sure you take photos with your cell phone camera of ANY FLAW before taking it off the lot.)

I'll never use the less known agencies again. Not to mention, you can usually earn air miles by using the national agencies (Hertz, Budget, Thrifty, Dollar, etc.)

 

[zima-cheryl]

(Make sure you take photos with your cell phone camera of ANY FLAW before taking it off the lot.)

Good idea.
That would actually be a good idea no matter what rental company you use.

 

[zima-cheryl]

huh? Travel- car rental advice/discussion. I am pretty sure they go hand in hand.

And- I KNOW what this thread is about- I am the one who started it.

Last I looked the title of the thread was "Child Free (By Choice) Disney Lovers!" (That would be me )

 

[KathyTX]

Just doing a little cleanup here, don't mind me... carry on!!