Did your kids or family outgrow Disney?

[Spunky946]

I don't want to say outgrow it, but we are at the time that we want to visit other places. I'm sure we will return, but we, well my dh and kids have decided to explore our great country.

I personally would go all of the time, but dh and ds want to try other places. My dd is more like me and would go more often. At some point we will probably sneak in a girls trip.

We did go 3 times in 22 months and I think that was a bit too much for dh. We went on an Alaskian cruise this summer and it was amazing. My kids fell in love with cruising and can't wait to go again. We actually won a cruise, so we will probably go Jan of 2016.

We were planning on taking a trip to Disney World August of 2015, but might go to California instead and visit Disneyland and go to some baseball games.

Disney World will always be in my heart and I will return someday.

 

[rykaydad]

My kids lost interest 10 years ago (when they were 8 and 12) after they discovered cruising. My wife and I are returning to Disney this year as Empty-Nesters!

 

[CWdreamer]

I didn't even take my kids for the first time until they were in middle school. Now they ar3 16 and 18 and they love it. I even did a mother daughter trip (my mom is in her 60's) and loved it. We toured very differently than I do with my kids.

My family will never outgrow Disney, we will just tour differently.

 

[Jubaby]

Our family has never outgrown WDW. We took our daughter as a young child, and went repeatedly. We sometimes added a day or two of Universal into the mix, but always enjoyed our Disney time. Now as an adult, our daughter still loves Disney, and we are starting to take our young grandchildren. My husband and I also like to take adult only trips where we spend more time doing things like signature dining experiences, and Food & Wine Festival. It will be a part of our lives well into the future.

 

[nluvwithdisney]

I didn't go my first time until I was almost 14. It was the summer before I started high school. My parents are now in their 60's and they still love to go. I am now 42 and I still love to go.

Like people said, you start to tour differently. I now enjoy World Showcase more. Hit parks at a leisurely place and continue to find things we haven't done and restaurants we haven't tried.

 

[PFopma]

Pretty much everyone in our family who has visited WDW as a child still has a love for it! We've been taking my nephew since he was 2. He is now 19 and working at a Disney Store. He has gone on trips to WDW with friends. He has also been to Disneyland and Disneyland Paris with family. He plans on doing the College Program after his sophomore year. I will be very surprised if he EVER outgrows WDW!

 

[jade1]

Not even close.

Did a few US runs here and there to supplement some thrill years so maybe keep that available-but didn't compare to the feeling they get at WDW. Now in their 20's they want to go to WDW more than ever. Although we do have that lovely winter to get out of as well, so that is some of it for sure.

Can you say EPCOT Wind Down.

 

[JanaDee]

At 13 and almost 18, yes, my kids have outgrown Disney.

 

[Blue32]

Thanks all!

So maybe I shouldn't overthink it. Sounds as though the majority never had issues with "outgrowing" WDW, and even if you did that's fine too. Our kids absolutely love it right now, so there isn't any reason to see that changing.

The one 'known" is that they will be hitting high school in 2 or more years. I just don't know if we'll be able to, or want to, pull them out at that point. ...and I don't think we would go during the peak season.

I think we'll get a good feeling later this year on how they like alternate vacations. We're taking a year off from WDW to build the yearning, but also try something new, a family cruise.

I could probably keep going to WDW for the rest of my life, and I have a feeling the rest of the family is the same way. (although it seems at SOME point, it has to get repetitive and a litte stale) My wife and I were never able to go as kids, so once we took the kids in 2010, were were hooked.

Dan

Have you ever considered Disneyland during peak season(summer)? Just curious. We loved going there during the summer. Yes, it is busy. But the crowds are not as bad as you would think after the APH's are blocked for the summer. There are almost as many attractions in DLR as WDW and the weather is fantastic during the summer. I know it's not the same as WDW, but it's an option if you love Disney. And SoCal has a lot to offer outside of DLR as well.

 

[mitchwebb]

For us it did change once they hit high school. We will not take them out of school but find some of the Holidays are great with teens. I know some wouldn't be caught at WDW for NYE but we find it a great place for all ages to be together. We don't go expecting to do rides rides rides but instead as a fun place to celebrate NYE as a family.

We love thanksgiving at WDW with all the Holiday decorations and for the first time we are going during spring break.

I think it does change but still as much fun. My DD16 is already planning a high school graduation trip with her best friends.

 

[HM]

I can see a day coming in the not so distant future where Disney won't be our go to family vacation. Did you outgrow Disney? Maybe for a period of time, or permanently?

My oldest will be in high school in a couple of years, which makes pulling her out of school for Disney a no go, and I don't think we want to visit during peak times. ...so that's one factor.

The other, which makes me kind of sad to think about, is the potential that the kids just might "outgrow" Disney. They just won't be into it anymore? Has this happened to you? Maybe it's for a time period, but then you come back when they're older, etc?

I'm thinking that cruising, or other destinations like national parks, etc.. will become the norm... I love those options too, but Disney always holds a special place. It was our first big family vacation back in 2010, when the kids were 8, 6, and 3. Now they are 12, 10, 7.

Dan

My kids are 21 and 19. We started going when they were 6 and 4, once a year.
The 19 year old shows no signs of outgrowing Disney, the 21 year old pretty much outgrew it six years ago and so did DH. We've had two family trips since then though. 19 yr old and I travel alone to WDW mostly now.

At this point, I'm pretty much done with it. Not enough has changed to make me want to go back each year. I've got visions of visiting all the places we've put off to spend our money at WDW all these years. No trip planned for next year.

 

[flicx]

I haven't outgrown Disney. Disney has outgrown my wallet. Cost is what is keeping us away.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I have been going to Disney since I was 7 years old and there has never been a time when I haven't wanted to go (I'm 36 now).

If my kids are anything like me, they won't outgrow it either.

 

[PEC]

My family will do other vacations but I don't think there will be a year that they will say I don't want to go to Disney if that is where we have planned. If you look around Disney you will see many different age groups enjoying the experience.

 

[LBIJim]

Both daughters seemed to lose interest in Disney by the mid-teen years. We took them again after that, they enjoyed it well enough, but it was no longer a big deal. Younger daughter is 25 and lives in the Orlando area. She goes to Disney maybe one or two days a year if she can finangle someone else into paying for it. But she has an annual pass for Universal. She also used to have passes for Sea World and Busch Gardens.

Older daughter is 28, visits younger daughter every year, but probably hasn't been to Disney in 5 years. It's not that she dislikes it, it's just not a priority.

I always wanted to go to Disneyland in California as a kid, and then WDW in Orlando until I was maybe 14. But my family never went, and then I lost interest. Went one day to MK during college spring break, and one day to Epcot in the later 80s while I was in Tampa on business. Those days were fun, but nothing special. I didn't start really enjoying Disney until I was in my mid 30s and we took our daughters. DW was never there until that time either.

DW and I still enjoy Disney, and the trips without kids are much better and more relaxing.

 

[casperthegm]

We'll never outgrow it. My wife and I both went to Disney as children and have grown up with it. We take our son, who is now 13, every year. He's hooked too.

That said, we have grown to like Universal more as our son has gotten older. The larger thrill rides appeal to him and the amazing job Universal has done with Harry Potter in both parks appeals to all of us. So, while we will never outgrow the magic of Disney I have to give a tip of the cap to Universal for their recent work, which I think has trumped Disney the last couple of years.

 

[jen2207]

Nope. We just kept having kids! Maybe not everyone's solution.... Lol

My oldest is a freshman, my youngest just started preschool - by the time my youngest is through high school it is very likely we will have grand kids to take!!

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

My 2 DD's never lost interest in WDW. They now go by themselves with friends. Those "teen" years where you might have thought they would want to go to gag...universal, they said no if we want roller coasters we have six flags nearby. Not going all the way to Florida and waste any days.
I brought them up right !!!

 

[Sheaboys]

I have 2 in high school, they are Junior and Freshman, one in 7th Grade, 1 in 2nd and 1 in Kindergarten.

We just returned from an August Trip. I have not been pulling kids out since they started 3rd grade. So we go in the summer, late summer. In fact we got home the day before school started.
The last bang before the grind of school.

And no, none of my kids have out grown Disney yet, the oldest is 16. And these are all boys, if that makes a difference.

 

[Sheaboys]

Nope. We just kept having kids! Maybe not everyone's solution.... Lol

My oldest is a freshman, my youngest just started preschool - by the time my youngest is through high school it is very likely we will have grand kids to take!!

You are alot like us. Oldest is a Junior and youngest is in kindergarten. 5 boys. We will have kids in Junior High or High School while most likely becoming grandparents. YIKES!