Empty Nesters

[familydisney]

Hello, all. My hubby and I are heading for a VERY short trip, but it will be our first and ONLY time to Disneyworld without our kids, who are now 25 and 22. We used to go once a year for over 17 years, and almost all of our family memories and culture revolved around Disney. We still talk about our trips every time we are together.

My husband thinks we should go to Magic Kingdom since so much of that park is nostalgic for us. I know this sounds weird, but I wonder if being there without the kids will cause us to miss them too much and feel sad, or if going without them will allow us to fall in love with Disney all over again as a couple. If any of you have had a similar experience, I would love to hear how it went for you.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

The rest of your lives should be all abt you 2! Disney included.

 

[Micca]

Go enjoy whatever you like, maybe you'll take the kids another time...or eventually the grandkids? That's what happened to me

 

[jeneric997]

We were married at Disney, but DH and I went to WDW by ourselves for the first time since kids for our 25th anniversary. We loved it. Over the years because of schedules, I have gone with just one kid or the other or just the kids. While I love having all my family together, I like going to Disney with one other person the best. Less planning, less organizing, more go with the flow.

 

[gharter]

We have done trips once to twice a year without our kids for the last 8 years and love it. We still bring our older kids at times. It's still a fun trip, just different without the kids.

 

[WIll C]

My wife and I first went by ourselves, kids all grown and gone. It's fun by yourselves and plenty to do. We bought into DVC and go once a year or so. They really cater a lot to adults to keep them coming back.

 

[piccolopat]

The freedom to do what you want without worrying about the kids or others is wonderful. Try it!

 

[CarolynFH]

We’ve been visiting WDW without our kids for many years, and it’s wonderful! We don’t have to hurry from one ride to another, we can stop and sit or have a snack/drink whenever we want, and we can ride what we like, not what someone else wants to ride. We especially love being able to take our time walking down Main Street, looking up at the windows to see the names of the many important people recognized there, not to mention the creative ways in which they’re listed.

 

[DDuckSouthBend]

My wife and I are also "Empty Nesters". We have been going to WDW for the last 10 years without the kids. We always start at Magic Kingdom. It has never been a issue with missing the kids. Walking thru the tunnel under the railroad station has always been magical for us. We find that we do not miss the kids. We have done our job and raised two wonderful human beings. Now it is our time to be a couple. We find that there are memories that pop up at Disney World relating to the times we went with the kids. But they do not cause any sadness. They bring a sense of satisfaction that we were able to share WDW with the kids when they were growing up. But now we are creating new precious memories of our time together.

We have found that our trips are different. More relaxed. taking time to enjoy WDW at a slower pace.

I hope that you find your empty nest trips to be the same.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

My wife and I are also "Empty Nesters". We have been going to WDW for the last 10 years without the kids. We always start at Magic Kingdom. It has never been a issue with missing the kids. Walking thru the tunnel under the railroad station has always been magical for us. We find that we do not miss the kids. We have done our job and raised two wonderful human beings. Now it is our time to be a couple. We find that there are memories that pop up at Disney World relating to the times we went with the kids. But they do not cause any sadness. They bring a sense of satisfaction that we were able to share WDW with the kids when they were growing up. But now we are creating new precious memories of our time together.

We have found that our trips are different. More relaxed. taking time to enjoy WDW at a slower pace.

I hope that you find your empty nest trips to be the same.

This is us! Although, for us, the first time we did it was a bit tougher. We did miss them and often mentioned how one of them would like this or that...... But after the first few days, we no longer worried about the kids! And from actual experience - turned out they weren't the least bit concerned about us while we were gone!!

 

[rdevans_2000]

Those nostalgic feelings are pretty much the point! So many of us love Disney for the memories it has given us over the years. It's like looking at photos of your kids after they become adults. It's sad for sure. You wonder where the time went, wish you could tuck them in and tell them a bed time story just once more, remember all of the adorable things they used to say, etc. But we still look at the photos! It helps us remember. So go to MK and embrace the feelings... all of them.

 

[bigmac5]

Adult trips are the best. I have now ventured into solo trips, but loved going with my hubby better than with the kids. lol