Has anyone done Disney with just their partner and left the kids at home?

[newkie]

Hi all, I haven't been a regular member here for a couple of years (and even then, I only posted a handful of times!), but I'm itching to get back to Disneyland, so have started lurking in here again, catching up.

I'd really like to get back to DL with my husband and the kids, but we have 4 of them (ages 13,11,10 and 6), and they are only getting older and more expensive by the minute! So I thought maybe hubby and I could sneak over there for a week or so for my 40th birthday next year, but I feel so guilty at the thought of not taking the kids!

Has anyone else left their kids at home with family/friends and not felt horrendously guilty about it? We've just finished building a new house, so it will be years before we can afford to go as a family again, but I don't know if I can wait that long!

 

[perditax]

You're going to get two types of responses, half the people telling you to indulge yourself for your big birthday, and the other half saying they would never, ever go to Disney without their kids.

You have to decide what's right for you. I'd totally do it if I were you, but I don't have kids. Still, I believe mothers should be allowed some me-time.

 

[Agent 86]

Can you compromise?

Airfares might be more affordable if you elected to go to Tokyo Disney or Hong Kong Disney instead of the US, especially if you're willing to wait for discounted fares or travel on a no-frills airline (e.g. Jetstar) and if you can take the children out of school to travel at non-peak times.

At the same time, there have been recent reports of declining interest in tourists to travel to the US, so if that is accurate, then it could result in cheaper airfares in the future.

 

[newkie]

Thanks guys If it were any other type of holiday, I would have no trouble going without the kids, but it's Disney! And now my 13 year old is giant sized (185cm/6ft) it's really hard to find one room to fit us all in, so it's 2 rooms everywhere we go, on top of stupidly expensive airfares (we're in Hobart, so also have to add airfare costs to get to Sydney to fly anywhere). Tokyo Disney interests me very much, and one day I'd like to get there, but I don't think it's going to solve the expense by much.

I might just have to hold out and save up for us all to go. I like the idea of US travel costs coming down, but I hate the thought of it being because of that numpty they put in charge!

 

[Our Aussie six]

As a mum of four kids I feel your pain. We are taking our family to Disneyland in nov from Adelaide and I am trying to save a buck wherever I can.
To answer you question I couldn't do it, like you said any other holiday would be fine but I would hate to not have my kids with me at DL but that is just me personally and I'm sure it's different for everyone.
In regards to accommodation that sleeps six I've found Anaheim has plenty of options , so you won't need to get two rooms. We have booked with the Hyatt House which also has a full kitchen, very handy with four kids.
I've booked the magic castle hotel in LA and that also has a full kitchen and comfortably sleeps six people.
This is our first trip so I'm not an expert on flight prices but we got ours for just under $1000 pp with VA from Adelaide so I was pretty happy with that. We are flying during the school term so they will miss s couple of weeks of school.
Good luck

 

[jodybird511]

I say go for it. We haven't done it before, but we are heading to WDW without the kids in t-minus 10 days. Can't wait! That being said, my son (7) has frequently commented how unfair it is that we are going without him....even though we are going again in May WITH him

 

[newkie]

How exciting Jodybird! I'd love to do WDW (but again - too expensive for us!).

Our Aussie six, we flew for about $7000 for the six of us last time, so I'd be happy if I could get flights around $1000pp. As for accommodation, we were a bit spoiled last time - not by the hotel, but by the location and price. We were at the Del Sol Inn, which is this dinky little motel tucked in behind Denny's pretty much straight across the road from the park entrances. The Hyatt House looks kind of expensive for the kitchenette studio? I guess having done the trip before, I know what I'd want in accommodation for us six again, and I'm moaning because it's going to cost significantly more than the $130 a night we paid last time. DS13 (who realistically will be almost 15 by the time my birthday comes around next year), really needs a bed of his own, so that puts us out of the family rooms of almost all close by hotels. I need to look for modestly priced 4 queen bed options which leaves us back at two interconnecting rooms. If I could get over my need to be as close to the park as possible, I would open up more options for sure, but this is part of the reason it would be great to just go with DH - it would be so much easier with just 2 people!

I do appreciate all the ideas though. I guess I know now that I'd really like to take the kids with us again, so I'm just going to have to wait....

 

[aussie shaz]

Yep, I'm in the could never do it group. Mine are 13 and 16 and they would be so upset. We once went on a child-free holiday to Cairns and Dunk Island when the kids were about 2 and 4. I was so sad seeing all the little kids having a great time in kids club. I was also very happy when I saw a Dad with a kid slung over one shoulder and a bottle of Panadol in the other!

 

[zanzibar138]

If my parents had gone to Disneyland without me when I was a kid, I would have been devastated! Having said that, it sounds like yours have been before and that there's a good chance they will go again, so it's a different situation. I had never been and there was no chance I ever would until I could pay for it myself, and I had been begging my parents to take me since I was about 4 years old lol!

Perhaps if your trip wasn't entirely Disney focused you would feel better about it? There's a big difference between telling your kids 'we're going to Disneyland' and 'we're going to ..., and we'll stop by Disneyland on the way'. Is there anywhere else you would like to visit where you could transit through a Disney location? That's how we did some of our trips - if we went to Asia, we'd fly through HK and spend a day or two there. If we went to the US, well you pretty much have to fly through LA so it's easy enough to add a couple of days at DLR while you're there. It worked really for us as it allowed us to experience new places and have a 'grown up' holiday, but also gave me my Disney fix.

Having said that, if you did decide to go as a family, I'd recommend looking at Desert Inn & Suites. It's right near the Del Sol Inn, and has suites with 4 queen beds over 2 completely separate rooms, each with their own bathroom. Plus there's a little separate sitting area where you can watch TV etc. And if you only needed one bathroom, there were cheaper suites too that still had the 4 queen beds over 2 separate bedrooms. It would be more than $130, but it was pretty well priced compared to other suites on Harbor, and we found it perfectly adequate, and of course very conveniently located.

 

[beejai]

Yes, hubby and I went last year for our 20 th wedding anniversary.
We loved having time to ourselves but we kind of wished the kids were with us.
Planning another time when the new Star Wars is done (2019)

 

[beejai]

We kind of looked at it this way, they had already been and it was nice for us to spend time as a couple, we just got the kids to make a list of things they'd really like.
We recorded all the parades for our daughter to watch and she loved that.
I wouldn't feel guilty, I loved being on the plane too not having to fuss over our youngest lol.

 

[jacs1234]

I have Newkie and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. In fact we are going to tokyo in 8 weeks with out them lol We did disneyland, just the two of us and it was amazing and so fun, yes we did feel a small amount of guilt and sometimes wished the kids were there but they had just been the year before. They were great about it and happy for us to go. It was so much easier without them. OH GOSH. No spilled drinks, no fussy eaters, no waiting in the bathrooms for the million toilet stops, eating in expensive restaurants with two felt cheap compared to having to pay for 6 meals all the time. We could go as fast or slow as we liked. It was amazing and I highly recommend it. And the plane flight, oh, that was like a holiday in itself, feeding myself and sleeping when I wanted or watching movies when I wanted and not having a bad back because I was trying to make myself as comfortable a pillow as possible for my children sleeping on me. lol I love and adore my kids and they are amazing but the break was great and well deserved. AND ONE HOTEL ROOM lol

 

[beejai]

I have Newkie and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. In fact we are going to tokyo in 8 weeks with out them lol We did disneyland, just the two of us and it was amazing and so fun, yes we did feel a small amount of guilt and sometimes wished the kids were there but they had just been the year before. They were great about it and happy for us to go. It was so much easier without them. OH GOSH. No spilled drinks, no fussy eaters, no waiting in the bathrooms for the million toilet stops, eating in expensive restaurants with two felt cheap compared to having to pay for 6 meals all the time. We could go as fast or slow as we liked. It was amazing and I highly recommend it. And the plane flight, oh, that was like a holiday in itself, feeding myself and sleeping when I wanted or watching movies when I wanted and not having a bad back because I was trying to make myself as comfortable a pillow as possible for my children sleeping on me. lol I love and adore my kids and they are amazing but the break was great and well deserved. AND ONE HOTEL ROOM lol

Totally agree with everything you said

 

[Aussie Wendy]

I'm one backing the I would go side given its to celebrate a big birthday and not worry given the kids have experienced it before I gather? and you will go on hols together again. I just reposted an interesting article on facebook a friend had posted, by a psychologist, about the fact that current gens have placed children too high in the family so that everything revolves around them and their needs and social lives, rather than earlier generations where parents were central. It was interesting and did make you think. I also agree with Zanzibar to perhaps share it with another destination less desirable to them or to have the older ones especially, work with your husband to organise the trip for you as "Mum's big birthday treat" and letting you go together on a "date trip" is part of their birthday gift to you.

 

[newkie]

Oh God guys! I had resolved to just wait it out til Star Wars land opens and all go as a family, but now I'm back to being not sure. Jacs - all the things you listed are the things that made me wonder about not taking them in the first place. The plane flight last time was "interesting" to put it politely (after we got back I was actually happy that we didn't have money for anymore holidays for a while, because I swore I'd never travel with my youngest again ). And not having to think about where we eat because of 4 fussy kids, and no fighting over who gets to push buttons at elevators or traffic lights, or who gets to stand in line first (oh that got old last time real quick!). BUT every year they get older and a little easier and more self sufficient, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad next year? I'm confused now... I think maybe if I do decide to go away with just Hubby we will do something much smaller and less Disney. Maybe Fiji or Singapore... I doubt I'd feel any where near as guilty sipping Mai Tai's at a pool bar without them as I would riding on Big Thunder

 

[losfp]

My wife is going to go next year for her 40th too, and I think I volunteered to stay home and look after the kids......

We're doing a big trip this year for our 10th anniversary and stopping in on DLR on the way back (first big family trip since 2015), and I don't think I can take time off again next year.. I'm going on this big 6 week trip not long after starting a new job in a couple of weeks so I better not push my luck. I got to go to Disneyland for my birthday in 2015 and she wants to do the same on hers as well. She deserves a break from the kids, she works hard and also spends a lot of time kid-wrangling so why not give her a big 40th to remember?

Doesn't mean I won't be green with envy dropping her off at the airport though

 

[beejai]

Oh God guys! I had resolved to just wait it out til Star Wars land opens and all go as a family, but now I'm back to being not sure. Jacs - all the things you listed are the things that made me wonder about not taking them in the first place. The plane flight last time was "interesting" to put it politely (after we got back I was actually happy that we didn't have money for anymore holidays for a while, because I swore I'd never travel with my youngest again ). And not having to think about where we eat because of 4 fussy kids, and no fighting over who gets to push buttons at elevators or traffic lights, or who gets to stand in line first (oh that got old last time real quick!). BUT every year they get older and a little easier and more self sufficient, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad next year? I'm confused now... I think maybe if I do decide to go away with just Hubby we will do something much smaller and less Disney. Maybe Fiji or Singapore... I doubt I'd feel any where near as guilty sipping Mai Tai's at a pool bar without them as I would riding on Big Thunder

Lol, yip we're waiting for 2019 for the new stars wars too, I was hoping it was next year but oh well gives us more time to save

 

[Tashinwdw]

That's a hard one. I would say do it, us parents deserve a break, but then I am all talk, I would feel guilty.

I was brave enough to cruise to Singapore with just hubby and leave the kids behind in February, after the initial guilt and dread, once I was on the boat it was fine, I rang them everyday and they were ok with it. I did miss them most the time and wished they were there to enjoy The Ovation with us but I also knew that I would be listening to them bicker and whinge about things and each other, so part of me was glad they were not there, but the other part still wanted them there. They are a bit older though but I am sure that if I was going to Disney it would be a different story, they would be furious I was not taking them, actually they would pay their own tickets and come along (that's the benefit of them working part time while at school). We went to Hawaii last year and stayed at the Disney resort and one of my daughters wanted to go and I said I couldn't afford to take the kids (it was a stop over due to meeting up with friends in las vegas) so she paid for her own ticket and came along hahaha so we ended up taking the youngest - oldest was doing her hsc so couldn't come and the older boy didn't want to sit on a flight that long to go to vegas, though once we changed the plans to stop at Hawaii he was annoyed that he couldn't go.

My opinion for what its worth is do it. there will be other family holidays and its always hard to get the most out of a holiday when the kids are there and you worry about them etc, esp if one doesn't do rides then someone has to stay out with them etc. so I say, go for it, enjoy it, make the most of it and then your next trip will probably be more relaxing for you because you have had the opportunity to enjoy the parks for yourself - if that makes sense.