Grandchildren First Trip

[BeerMe]

We took half of our grandchildren to Disney in December. They are all 6 or younger and for two of them it was their first trip. We had a great time but it was a different trip than we had ever had before.

Now, in June we are taking the rest of the kids and their parents to Disney. The only person in the group who has ever been to Disney before is our daughter. This trip will be with 3 grandsons, ages 7 to 15 and the father - 40 something - none of whom has ever been before and our daughter who hasn't been since 1996. We will be staying at Shades of Green and taking advantage of the military Salute tickets with park hopping and Water parks and more. My wife and I have APs.

It has just occurred to me that our touring plans will be radically different than anything we have done in the past. My wife and I are returning to Disney in the fall for most of F&W so we don't have anything we would like to see in June. We can wait until September.

There are several attractions we pretty much skip when we're at the parks now, one being Indiana Jones. We will not skip that this time since I know the boys will love it. There are other attractions that are in the same category. I also know that the boys will NOT be interested in princess M&G. In December we did a lot of that because the granddaughters loved that.

This trip, there are no expectations because no one knows much if anything about the parks. I will do all the planning and base everything on what I think they'll like the most - Like the Mountains in MK and ToT and RnR and Dinosaur and Mount Everest and Kilimanjaro and for the adults - Beers of the World in Epcot. I can't wait to see the reaction to some of this.

I know there are many things down right now, like Soarin' for many reasons, but we will have plenty to do. Plus the water parks will be fun too. As usual there is more to do than we can possibly fit in a schedule.

First time trips are soooooo much fun and I will experience a first time trip vicariously! I can hardly wait.

 

[g-dad66]

I completely identify with your siutation. We have 7 grandkids and take different ones of them on different trips. It makes each trip quite unique, as the trips with the teenage girls are much different from the trips with the 9-11 year old boys, and both of those are quite different from the trips with the young uns.

It makes planning each trip a familiar yet different experience. Lots of fun for granddad....

 

[Ron from Michigan]

First time trips with Grandchildren are so much fun. We only have one grandchild and have taken him with us the last 3 years. We just returned last week from another wonderful trip with him. Yes you have to do a lot of things different but just seeing everything through his eyes is so special. Have fun on your upcoming trip.

 

[Mikie]

We have had the pleasure of taking our kids once with each of their sets of grandparents. What a great time! It's funny how different your visit will be with little princesses to now with bigger boys.

If they express any interest, you can get the planning DVD and at least show them to see if there's anything in particular they'd like or if it inspires them to want to look at attraction lists or anything. Epcot is notoriously tricky with kids of all ages (seems to be a love it or hate it deal) especially if they're not willing to shop and browse. They might enjoy doing Agent Ps world showcase adventure to give the adults a bit more time to explore back there.

I long for a time when my immediate family goes to Disney alone, but it is SO much fun to experience the firsts vicariously. Have a great time!!

 

[mickeymom629]

How fun for you!

I have 4 kids in their 20's. Three got married recently (within the same year)! We just found out that we are expecting our first grandchild!

(Wishful) thinking for the future, do you think it's more fun to take individual children with their new families so you can have one-on-one time with that family, or do you think it's nice to have everyone altogether (for me it would be my 4 kids, with their spouses, children)?

 

[g-dad66]

How fun for you!

I have 4 kids in their 20's. Three got married recently (within the same year)! We just found out that we are expecting our first grandchild!

(Wishful) thinking for the future, do you think it's more fun to take individual children with their new families so you can have one-on-one time with that family, or do you think it's nice to have everyone altogether (for me it would be my 4 kids, with their spouses, children)?

Haven't done the one-on-one time with each family thing, but we have done the take-everyone-altogether thing, and it was great fun. Expensive, of course, and I said at the time it would be a once-in-a-lifetime event (which it has been thus far).

What we have done all the other trips is to take 2 or 3 cousins, almost always without their parents (who mostly don't care about going). This has worked out well for us because the 2 granddaughters (who are cousins) are in the same age bracket, and of the 5 grandsons, there are two sets of cousins who are in the same age brackets. So each trip, we have kids who are generally wanting to do the same kinds of attractions.

Best of all, the cousins get along great with each other, and we don't have any of the sibling bugging-each-other and noisy-competition thing which sometimes goes on at home.

Just an idea for your possible long-range planning....

 

[a742246]

How fun for you!

I have 4 kids in their 20's. Three got married recently (within the same year)! We just found out that we are expecting our first grandchild!

(Wishful) thinking for the future, do you think it's more fun to take individual children with their new families so you can have one-on-one time with that family, or do you think it's nice to have everyone altogether (for me it would be my 4 kids, with their spouses, children)?

We try to do the one on one time with each family but that may be because of conflicting work and school schedules!

 

[mrzrich]

With 3 Boys 7-15 you might find DHS is more popular than it was with the little girls. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Toy Story, TOT, and RnRC. If they extend the Star Wars Fireworks, they are MUST SEE.

 

[lustergirl]

OP: I feel for you and wonder how my trips are going to be in the future with my new and only grandson. He just turned one so next year I will be taking him. I know our strategies are about to change. Places like Fantasy Land in MK are going to popular, as now they aren't. More breaks and the use of a stroller are all new for me.

 

[disnut8]

The one thing I keep mentioning for first timers and those with a little "eh, Disney World is just another amusement park" attitude is Flights of Wonder. We've taken kids as young as five and adults as old as 70 and an asocial person who went to Animal Kingdom because animals can't talk to you. They all loved the show.

And yes, touring with people "outside your element" can be fun mainly because you've been there, done that and are going to go back again. So, you can take a step back, follow their lead and get their reactions and, most importantly, WHY they liked or didn't like something.

One favorite memory with that asocial person (my brother-in-law who I love dearly) - it was on another trip (his first) and it was cold and rainy at Animal Kingdom. As we were walking towards the exit for the day (having spent all that rainy day in the park), we went by It's Tough to be a Bug and he shouted, "I want to do that again! Can we?" My son and I groaned a bit because we were wet and tired but because my brother-in-law was so animated (I crack myself up) about it, the rest of the group agreed. So, they went and my son and I opted out and stood at the then closed Flame Tree BBQ for some son and mother time. Roles were reversed because he did most of the talking and seeing. We watched an ibis climb onto a trash can and pick out a bone and eat the remaining meat. OK - not that appeasing but the conversation we had while watching that was great. Fast forward ten years later when my son is now a father to two and he said he still remembers that conversation and it was a great time with me.

So - go to Disney World with your family, no matter who it is, and don't think about the BIG stuff, remember the small stuff. The stuff that will stick with you for a long, long time.