How has your Disney experience changes as kids get older?

[pooh2001]

First trip - DS age 9 DD turns 6 at WDW
Our last trip we did - DS age 19 DD age 16 at WDW

Differences
Ticket prices were less - last trip 4 adults
Food prices were more - older they get, the more they eat
Rides - no more Carousel and Dumbo - Here comes All the Mountains!
Tours - Keys to the Kingdom tour, DD finally hits 16 years old !

Best part of them getting older - they know about money.
Funny how it is when it is some of their money - how more picky they get on what they will buy with it.

We also gave them each a budget - use all the money we give them or keep it at the end of the trip. No more big 'toys' are purchased. Pins for DS and jewelry for DD - they each could fit their purchases in a zip lock bag. Less junk - more wants and keepers.

Another great thing - they were old enough to go to the pool by themselves and we could have some alone time in the room

Our next trip - will be in a few years after college degrees are completed.

So it may be DS & DD each may have a friend or spouse with them AND
they each will pay for most of their WDW vacation.
OR
It may just be DH & DW trip sans kids

 

[jeffbear]

Both of my kids are now in their early 20s and neither of them has ever out-grown Disney. In fact we took them for a trip back in May 2014 and they had as much fun as they did the first time we took them back in the 90s.

Of course, it's fun of a different kind now, but they still like to go back and re-visit things they loved as children. My daughter hadn't been on Small World since she was about 12 and absolutely loved going back for it's "40th Birthday" last year.

 

[bjscheel]

DDs 16 and 13 are still very much into Disney World. But then, they are Disney fanatics basically. Last summer was the first time DD13 was brave enough to ride all the rides (except TOT which none of us want to repeat again). They still like to meet the characters a lot. DD16 does have more of a desire to visit other places AND Disney, but DD13 would be all WDW all the time if allowed.

They also are game for rope drop every day because they know it's best!

 

[Softball Mom]

I am curious at what age your kids outgrew Disney (if at all) or how your experience was with preteen and teen children.

Disney with teens changes. My DD (17) did all the planning. She found the FL resident discount and sent us an email with the link, chose the fast passes and booked the ADRs. It was like having a personal travel agent lol

She still loves to see the characters and parades. However, she has the most fun with the extensive list of hidden gems for each park that she found somewhere on the DIS. Hidden Mickeys are also a new favorite.

It is definitely a different experience but there is something magical once we are there. It's like she becomes a little kid again and so does DH. The humor is different now such as inside jokes, people watching, etc.

We are heading back for her spring break and she is so excited which makes me so excited!

 

[estherhead]

We travel in a group of 11, my sister and her husband and four kids and our family of five. We've been going since the eldest was 3 and he's now 17. All 7 kids still love WDW. But they no longer want to go separately. We go all 11 or not at all. They want their cousins to be their companions. We do give the older ones freedom which they love. They are allowed to do the parks as smaller groups without us. I really think they will go to WDW forever if they can afford it once I'm not paying.

We also from time to time invite friends to go with us with keeps it fresh for them. They get to show their favorite travel destination off and introduce new people to it. They LOVE that.