Disneyworld is not for kids....

[treehugnmama]

DISNEY IS NOT WONDERLAND", before she came......

thats funny I was worried that Disney would be like wonderland. I hate wonderland but LOVE DISNEY

 

[brighteyes]

DISNEY IS NOT WONDERLAND", before she came......

thats funny I was worried that Disney would be like wonderland. I hate wonderland but LOVE DISNEY

The funny thing about that is the first time we went to WDW, I kept it a surprise until shortly before we went. In the meantime, while trying to convince my DS11 to buy a pair of sandals for WDW (He HATES sandals) I almost let it slip that we were going to WDW.

I got really frustrated and blurted out, "You need to have comfy shoes that you can still walk in if you get wet from the rides! You're going to be doing A LOT of walking" To which my DS11 replied what rides? walking where? I replied "Well we're going to Wonderland for 10 days!" My DS freaked out in the store, saying "Yeah, we're going to wonderland for 10 days!!"

When he finally found out by an easter egg hunt which revealed clues and a poem to tell him he was going to WDW, he was crestfallen, and said "So we're not going to Wonderland?"

I said no "We're going to WDW!!!"

I was doing this

My son was doing this

To then I was like The surprise did not go how I planned at all. I still don't get it because he hardly does any rides at Wonderland.

 

[bbrnca]

I agree with OP's that WDW is not for everyone.... yes there is walking involved and if done right you can minimize the amount of times you walk in circles... ... some times you see very young ones having melt downs and wonder why are they there but heck it's Disney World even if you have a meltdown in disney it's fine... everyone has a melt down everynow and again.... heck we were there in july and our DD's had meltdowns (to much walking I want to go back to resort ) now i must inform you they are 17 and 20....... (they won't be going back anytime soon ) as for wife and i we enjoy the walking even sometimes we don't go on the rides.....

 

[FLVacationGirl]

Sorry for not getting back to this post sooner. I took a few days off my Disney obsession to plan a Vegas trip. I prefer Disney planning, big time.

I wish my sister would want to go to WDW so both of our families could enjoy the time/memories together, but oh well. I think I need to start doing WDW at the same time as other DIS'ers who have family who won't go with them. I'm also very envious of the families who do Grand Gatherings and all vacation together.

 

[wendyt_ca]

Disney isn't for everyone but I think a lot of people have misconceptions of Disney. I had a friend ask me if it was like the West Edmonton Mall??
We all know someone who is anti Disney. For me it's my best friend. She has never been really anywhere but says she would hate Disney. Yet she loves Eeyore and some Disney characters. She says she will someday take her two daughters when her youngest is 6. She acts as though it will be absolute torture for her to go. Although I don't know if this is all just an act or not cause she used to tell me how she always wanted to go to Disney before I went. Sometimes she tells me she hates rides other times she loves crazy rides. She talks about Disney as though it is a bootcamp and says within 20 mins of being there she will be throwing up (even without getting on a ride)

 

[starrzone]

I'm a widowed dad of three kids, Brendan 9 and Jessica and Ciara (twins), who are now 6.

The four of us went to WDW for a week this May, and all of us absolutely loved it. It was the best week of our lives. Sure there was lots of walking, but who has more energy than kids, and where would kids be more excited to be than WDW?

WE loved it so much that with the last of my wife's life insurance I purchased a resale DVC contract. Now we'll be able to go every year from now on.

WDW is definitely for kids, and will make even the crotchetiest of adults into big kids.

I am so sorry for the loss of your wife. What a wonderful way to honor her memory, with a DVC membership; I bet your kids will have cherished memories for years to come.

 

[dhluvsDisney]

Firstly, hello fellow 'pegger! To tell of our story, the first time we decided to go was when dd was 9 ds 10 and ds 2. Everyone encouraged us NOT to take the 2 year old saying he wouldn't remember and it was a waste. Well, I couldn't imagine not taking one of my children, so we took the 2 year old. Well, of course he doesn't remember, but the selfish me and dh and the other kids certainly remember him being there! Wonderful experience. To see the sheer joy and pleasure on ALL the children's faces is worth EVERY penny. Since then, we go every year at least twice a year (note DS and DD are 19 and almost 21) and it is still loved by all! We take friends and family with us as we have DVC and it is the best family/friend time we could ask for. Yes, Disney can be a bit of a "working" vacation, but you need to outweigh the negs vs positives. I am not one to lay around the beach all day, so the walking and seeing (and golf) suits us just fine! We have made believers out of many!

 

[xipetotec]

So I was talking with my sister this evening and mentioned that I would like to buy her one '1 week Disneyworld childrens pass' each year for her kids, instead of birthday and Christmas gifts, so that when she does go to Disneyworld one day, it will be more affordable for them. (3 kids, 3 years for them to accumulate one pass for each kid.)

She said, 'sigh... I don't know if I EVER want to go to Disneyworld. Maybe someday. Maybe when the kids are all over 10 and it will be a ONE time thing. Disneyworld is horrible for kids. Disneyworld is NOT for kids. I was talking with one of the patients at work and he said he wouldn't take kids under 10. There is ALOT of walking.'

I'm so glad that she takes her patient's word over her own sisters. I've done Disney with my girls at ages 1 and 4, and 2 and 5, and we are probably going to do it again while they are still 2 and 5. If someone else had a bad experience with their children, that trumps my positive experience.

I'm trying to understand that Disney isn't for everyone, but it's hard for me to believe with her because she has always collected Disney movies and is more into that stuff than I am. I did tell her that I understand and that some families enjoy traveling with their babies and toddlers and that everyone is different, but I still was left feeling that she is going to find people to mirror her existing thoughts on the situation.

So, I'm here to mirror with people who feel the same way I do and LOVE traveling to Disney. Hee hee.
Thanks for letting me vent a little.

Sometimes it sucks when you want to share Disney with your family and friends, but none of them have interest in going. Is anyone else in the same boat?

Well you're gonna have people who don't like it. I have a friend in Texas who's daughter decided she wanted to go and she all like "*sigh* well we'll have to suck it up and take her" and it wasn't because she had never been, she genuinely doesn't like it.

THat being said, the age thing is RI-DI-Cu-LOUS... Okay, I can see how walking and heat can be hard on a small child, but there are ways around that. ( strollers, misty fans, naps, swimming breaks ). We've been going every two years since my youngest has been 3 years old ( the other two are two years apart respectively ), so we've had a wide range of age experiences. Now my oldes is 16 and my youngest is 11. And I can tell you that each age range sees it differently, but ALWAYS love it. ( my oldest just went on a school trip there with other 16 year old schoolmates. They had a BLAST ).

What I often hear is "I want to take them when they're old enough to remember". And I tell them, "you know what? YOU'LL remember.... taking them that young allows you to see Disney through a child's innocent eyes of amazement." When I took our 3 year old there, it was one of the most magical times we've ever had down there. Seeing his sheer wonder at seeing Peter Pan ( omg did he ever LOVE Peter Pan ) and have me run along with the parade so he could wave to him. Omg, I still tear up about it today 8 years later!!!

So yes.... Disney is WONDERFUL for Children, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I love when people say they're waiting until their kids are old enough to remember it. I was 6 when I 1st went. Here's what I remember:

1. Flying thru a t-storm and my mom crying and vomiting in the little bag. We kept asking her 'what happens if lightning hits the plane?'
2. Dumbo
3. 2000 Leagues Under the Sea or something like that. I thought we were really down deep. We were underwater on NYE when it turned 1974. Everyone counted down and cheered at midnight and the whole thing shook which scared me.
4. Our rental car broke down and they had to bring us another one.
5. Each ride required a ticket and at some point my mom refused to buy more tickets. We were so sad and begged for more.

Thats it.

After a while memories fade even of my adult trips. I went on a 2 week Perillo tour of Italy the day after I finished college back in 1990 and barely remember that now.
Good thing I took lots of pictures and had the time and energy to make a really nice photo album/scrapbook.

 

[sympatico]

Too much work???

3 years ago I convinced friends of ours to plan a Disney vacation. Because they have a big family I suggested that they rent a vacation home like we've been doing for years. The first year they went they had 5 kids ages 1- 9ish and they had a ball.
So they went back the next year even while she was pregnant with kid number 6 and loved it.
They went in March this year with 6 kids ages 1-12.
They're going again in Oct with the 6 kids and she'll be 6 months pregnant with kid number 7. Ask her if it's too much work to take your kids to Disney. They love going and the kids love it too. Anywhere they go is a lot of work but it doesn't stop them.
Our grandkids have been going since they were 1. We get the same " But they won't remember it if they go at that age." So what, they have fun while they're there. And each time they go after will be new to them.
We've been places since we've been married and when I mention them now my husband can't remember being there and he was in his 30s when we went so I guess we shouldn't have gone if he's not going to remember.
I say go and have fun while you can, you never know what tomorrow holds.