Disney with Kids debate, input needed!

[BOTL76]

Hello Disney Fans.

DW and I were talking about our trips to Disney. For your info there is us, DS18 and DD2. On top of this we are talking about planning for another child potentially down the road

In 2007, at that time the 3 of us went to Disney twice (remember disney dining plan and flights from Buffalo for $150 round trip!)
Since then we have gone in 2009 and last November for DD first trip!

Not sure about others, but we feel we might be in the Disney every 2-3 year mode.

My wife and I were debating/discussing how much we want Disney to continue to be a part of our lives and were wondering if anyone can share your experience of taking your kids , especially through the ages of 2-10, and what that has been like for your family when you have been able to go. Do you go every year, two, three....?

Our other discussion is I might be picking up a second job part-time, just for the purpose of helping out with education funds and vacation funds. If this happens, we could look to go every year.

So again the debate, worth it to go every year with kids growing through the 2-10 age range or are we better to "skip" and spread it out over 2 years for our trip to Disney?

Your thoughts and feedback are appreciated!

To date we have had nothing but very positive trips to Disney and have stayed both on-site and off-site!

Thank you

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

We first went with our 3 kids five years ago when our youngest was 6yo for our "one and only trip". We were back 3 years later for another trip with a 4 day DCL cruise at the end of the trip. We didn't go back the next year but we did a DCL B2B cruise instead. This year our youngest will be 11 yo and we are headed down for free dining at the end of August. Next year we have another DCL cruise booked. We didn't intend for Disney to become our annual vacation but it has worked out that way.

 

[Kindigo]

This sounds like the same discussion my hubby and I have been having as well. And we don't have any little ones yet to worry about.
We are trying to decide if a trip is possible every year or every other year. If you asked my opinion lol I would go every month. And the reaction I usually get from the DH is this -->

But I think we are going to try for every other year now to try and save money up. If you go every other year to can possibly make the trip bigger, stay longer and have more funds. Again this is just my opinion.

When I was younger, Florida and Disney were my family's vacation spot. My parents took my brother and I every year. All four of us would pile into the van and make the two day drive down there. This happened countless times and I have good and....non so good memories of it. (Found out my baby brother could scream and cry through three states. )

But again, those were different times. and I believe the cost of a Disney ticket was much cheaper, not to mention the price of gas.

 

[Kat&Dom]

Originally, I had planned on doing Disney every second year but find it is such a reasonably priced vacation that we keep going back. I bought a resale timeshare 3 years ago that I get a 3 bed/3 bath condo so can invite another family to join us (timeshare was $500 to own and maintenance fees are $400 per year) so our accomodation cost is minimal. I also collect Airmiles and redeem for Disney tickets so have no park costs. Our Disney trip cost is flights, car rental and food.

As long as I can get redeem my Airmiles for Disney tickets, we will continue to go to Disney at least once or twice a year. I think that as long as your family finds it to be an affordable vacation destination, there is nothing wrong with going as often as you want. My son is 6 turning 7 in the fall and I am hoping to do Europe in a couple of years and feel that Disney has been good training ground to prepare him for new experiences and seeing other countries.

He has 5 trips to Disneyworld with another one happening in August and 2 trips to Disneyland with another one planned in November to see Carsland. Disney is very much a big part of our vacation planning but I know as he gets older, our vacation plans will change to other interests. I figured that this year is the best year for doing Carsland before he is too cool to be excited about Mater and Lightening. Oh and his first Disney trip was at age 2 1/2 - we went to Disneyland then for his 3rd birthday, we did Disneyworld. Each trip to Disney is a new experience and he is able to ride new rides as he gets taller. Really - kids are just little for such a short time, every moment you can spend together as a family having fun is precious.

 

[BOTL76]

Thanks everyone for the input!

Kats and Dom loved your post, thank you for sharing. If you don't mind could you recommend a few websites for searching for timeshares? Our last trip we stayed offsite at Windsor Hills at a 3 bedroom condo, so we are tempted to looking into long term condo options!

Thank you

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

We did the same thing with a timeshare, our maintenance fees are higher at $700 per year, but MUCH cheaper than staying in a small hotel room onsite. We get 2 beds/2 baths, full kitchen and beautiful amenities and we are within the Disney property gates...purple signs everywhere !!

That being said, we have become Disney freaks since our first "once in a lifetime" trip to Disney in 2008. We are planning our 7th trip for this Oct...I know we are nuts....but I digress...

Disney is our only vacation spot, this will change over the years, maybe ...but with a timeshare we can stay anywhere!

Good luck with your timeshare search...we bought off of ebay BTW.

 

[Kat&Dom]

Thanks everyone for the input!

Kats and Dom loved your post, thank you for sharing. If you don't mind could you recommend a few websites for searching for timeshares? Our last trip we stayed offsite at Windsor Hills at a 3 bedroom condo, so we are tempted to looking into long term condo options!

Thank you

Glad that you found my post helpful. I found my timeshare on redweek dot com. Another option is to just rent a timeshare when you need it - Florida is so over run with timeshares that there are some amazing deals out there.

I am very pro timeshare and have had excellent experiences with owning but it is not for everyone. To truly get the value out of your timeshare, you have to use it and you have to be willing to plan far out in advance if you want to get into a specific place with your timeshare. For instance, I wanted to take my mom to Hawaii in February 2013 for her birthday so I booked the timeshare week last month.

Some people don't want to have to commit or plan that much in advance but in order to get into high demand places during their high season, you do have to book in advance. One in a while, you can luck out and get a place last minute but more often than not, people are disappointed because they wait to the last minute and can't get into where they want to be.

For me, space on vacation is important - I don't really enjoy being in a small hotel room with very little space. I like having a kitchen, having laundry in the unit, having separate bedrooms and more than one bathroom so timeshares are extremely appealing to me - I like having a condo rather than a hotel room especially when travelling with children - they can have a quiet place to veg out where you are not tripping all over each other.

If you do decide to buy a timeshare, google the company that the timeshare is with, make sure you read all the good and bad reviews so you know the pros/cons prior to buying. Check with Better Business Bureau to make sure they are a company that it on the up and up. I personally would not buy directly from a person - when I bought my resale, I contacted the owner for information but the sale was handled by a 3rd party who made sure all the legal documents transferred properly before releasing my funds to the owner - it made it safe for me to buy and safe for the owner to sell and get their money. I think it was $200 to have it handled that way but well worth the money to make sure all the correct legal steps had occurred.

Good luck in your search. And I hope you have many years of super fun Disney trips.

 

[who's ur daddy?]

You are kidding, right. You are asking a forum full of Disney freaks whether you should go to Disney more often. This is akin to strapping a raw turkey to your head and walking into a den full of hungry lions.



In my mind, when the kids are 2-10, that is magical period in your life. A perfect match for Disney.

 

[dvcdisney]

My husband and I went to Disney for our honeymoon about 17 years ago. We didn't stay onsite but we still enjoyed it. We went every year until our son was born 4 years later. We decided to wait a bit and thought it would be difficult to take a baby to Disney. We finally decided to go when he was 2. We ended up staying at the AKL for 8 nights and we absolutely loved it. By the end of our vacation we had purchased into the DVC membership.

With our DVC points, we went every year after that. Our son was great on vacations so we never had any issues and wondered why we even had second thoughts. Then a couple of years later we bought more points in order to stay in the 1 br villas for 2 weeks.

Almost 8 years ago, my daughter was born. We didn't skip a beat. We went when I was pregnant with her and then again when she was 9 mths. We had then started to go every 6 mths so we decided to purchase more points since we needed at least 4 wks worth of points per year. Before my daughter turns 8, she would have gone to Disney 15 times (with 3 cruises under her belt).

However, we did find that the kids were so much easier when they were smaller. The stayed in the stroller. We went back to the resort for naps. It was usually quite relaxing. The older they got the more active they wanted to be and so we did do some running around to all the rides several times.

The good news is that we have gone so often that they now prefer to go back to the resort and relax at the pool. The rides are not a must. Now we all seem to put the restaurants as a priority. We spend 3-4 hours in a restaurant a day (2 TS meals each day).

We take them every time. But then again, we don't vacation without them.

My son is getting older and I'm starting to feel that eventually we need to cut down on our trips so he doesn't miss a week of school. Cutting back would be very difficult for us.

So take them when you can. It'll create the best memories.

Good Luck with your decision.

 

[bankr63]

Thanks everyone for the input!

Kats and Dom loved your post, thank you for sharing. If you don't mind could you recommend a few websites for searching for timeshares? Our last trip we stayed offsite at Windsor Hills at a 3 bedroom condo, so we are tempted to looking into long term condo options!

Thank you

A word of caution. Get educated first, then buy. The best source of unadulterated advice is other owners, and nowhere has more (both owners and unadulterated advice) than Timeshare Users Group (http://www.tug2.net/) and more specifically their BBS (like the disboards, but VERY opinionated http://tugbbs.com/forums/).

There is a lot to know about picking a good timeshare, where to pick a timeshare, and even IF you should buy a timeshare (timeshare rentals for the foreseeable future should remain cheaper than owning).

We own three annual timeshare weeks in Orlando at nice resorts that we got for a song, but that is probably about one week too much. Even with owning, we only actually go to Orlando every other year, and trade our remaining time for other vacations. I have NO regrets about owning these timeshares, but had I found tug first I probably would have done things a bit differently.

 

[momtoamulan]

Will goo every couple of years...our oldest was four her first time. We had made sure she was great at walking...enjoyed rides...and sort of knew the characters before venturing with her...

She went again when she was six...we went because it was my fortieth bday present...again, great age...more rides to go on, which she loved...

Last year i wanted to go, but hubby said our second dd was too young and would be too crazy there (this s a runner child who cant sit still...also, she is super tiny for her age...). This year we will finally make the trip with her..lshe is four...she loves anything princesses and fairies..so, we are hoping she will enjoy it...i will make hubby go on its a small world with her (not a fan..hahahha)

 

[canadakath]

We went the first time when oldest DS was 5 1/2 and youngest was almost 3. Have been 4 times total now from May /09- Nov /11. I think the best thing about going often with kids this age is that each time is new! Every year they grow a bit or get a bit more brave and make it on another few rides. We mix the favourites (Chef Mickey's is always a must) with something new every trip. It also helps me relax and not feel like we have to do it all at once - we go at their pace (which has gotten better as time goes on) and a couple of months after we get home I start working on DH to agree to the next trip!

We weren't supposed to go this year, but it looks like we will head down again in November (shhh it's a secret this time). And I couldn't be more excited - this time we are mixing in Universal and Legoland for a little variety, and Agent P has taken over for KimPossible in Epcot!

 

[BOTL76]

Everyone thank you great posts and insights much appreciated! We are hoping (fingers crossed) for a May 2013 trip.

Was curious for those that have rented time share before. Our last stay in November 2011 was at a nice 3 bedroom Condo in Windsor Hills. What is the difference from renting a time share (in this case looking for a 3 bedroom condo to suit our family needs) then me booking at Windsor Hills again? Sorry if I am clueless on this!

Thanks!

 

[alohamom]

We took our kids for the first time when they were 3 and 5 (ish) and have been going almost every 2 years since in some form or another. Sometimes we do the halloween party and one other park or sometimes we do hoppers. They are now 12 and 14 and still love to go. just the other day my son and I were listing to the cd with the ride theme music in the car and we kinda both got a warm fuzzy feeling. Sappy, I know but we just have such great memories from the parks. Having said this, we went to Disneyland Cali for the 2nd time last March, had the hoppers that were on special and we all agree that we have had enough Disney for a little while. (but we always say that) I think part of it for us is that there is so much to experience at every age range, my kids were too small for Haunted Mansion and Pirates the first time but now love those rides. As they get older, they tend to appreciate the finer details like the Main street windows or the resort architecture. I guess bottom line is that each family is different, good luck with your choices!

 

[dis_guy]

Well, our family didn't go to Disney, even once when our kids were "the right age". I had been to Disneyland once as a kid and didn't enjoy it very much for various reasons. My wife had been to Epcot once with her parents but had no strong feelings about it. So when we had kids we never really considered a Disney vacation at all. Besides, when the kids were small, we were living on one income and I assumed the cost to be prohibitive, so never really looked.

Fast forward and our two kids are now in university and graduating from high school. Out of the blue, my in-laws announce that they want to take us all to Disney World for spring break in 2008. I guess they got tired of waiting for us to take them. At one point I thought I'd just stay home but went so I wouldn't hurt any feelings.

Needless to say, it was not what I had remembered from my 1973 visit to Disneyland. I was amazed, impressed, and was planning a return visit before I got home. Since 2008, we've been back 3 times as a family and my DW and I have gone as a couple, twice. We'll likely go as a family again for December 2013.

My advice is simple. If everyone enjoys your time at Disney then everyone wins. Sure, sometimes my wife wonders if we should've gone elsewhere but she never regrets taking a trip to WDW and neither do I. It's worth it to see my three adult girls (including DW) turn into 10 year olds as soon as the Magical Express people call them "princess".

So yeah, take then when they're young. Go as often as you like providing you can comfortably afford it. Remember, older kids and young adults can enjoy a trip as much as the little ones.

Do I regret not going when they were small? Yup. Do I think we've made up for it? Double yup!

 

[jwcollin]

Well... We started taking our two daughters to Disneyland when they were 8 and 5. We had gone there 3 times when we found Disney World and Free Dining and have been there 3 times with the fourth coming up this August. My Daughters are 20 and 18!!! They have never wanted to go anywhere else! My oldest has been to Disneyland twice without us, she went with University buddies. My daughters and I went on a "girls only" trip to Disneyland last August, was a last minute trip. Came home and two days later booked the Disney World trip! The girls are already planning a "sister trip" next May to Disneyland. I don't know what it is, I can't explain it, but it just is always a wonderful time. It just seems when the time is there, we like to go. And I am thrilled that they still want to go with my husband and me

 

[monkey30]

So I am one of the other ones that went once, got hooked and seem to always find a great deal to go.

We Went in Oct 2008, jan 2010, sept 2011 and then just DH and I went Jan 2012! Now we are going to DL in Sept, and possibly nov for a girls only trip.

My kids love it, but they have commented that they are getting tired of it, so this will be the last Disney trip for them for awhile. Hoping to maybe save for a DCL in the next few years.

 

[SeptBabyMom]

My husband and I were big Disney fans before we had kids.... and once we had them? We just had to share the love.

We are heading back to Disney World in November and going to give a Disney cruise a shot this time. We figure it's just another beautiful way to experience Disney.

 

[Flews]

We have 4-year-old twins, and have been going to Disney two or three times a year since they were 2. We're heading back for their 6th visit in October. They love it. We love it. We now plan one of our trips each year in conjunction with their birthdays.

Cheers,