How old is too old for a Disney vacation?

[ErinInCT]

Hi, I posted here b4 (Clueless in CT) & got so many good responses!! I am interested in buying in to DVC but am in the early planning stages & want to make sure it is the right decision for me! Our family consists of myself, dh & 2 dd's (3 1/2 & 4 months). I know we will do Disney a lot while the kids are younger but does there come an age where they get bored with WDW? Do they rebel as teenagers & feel they have seen it all & do not want to go? What do you do then? I don't want to buy a 50 year timeshare only to find out we only use it for 10 years. So anyone with kids, please respond & give me the truth, the whole truth & nothing but the truth!!! (I guess when they are old enough we can just off them on the grandparents & dh & I can enjoy a WDW trip!!!!)
Thanks!
Erin

 

[HookdonWDW]

DD (17) thought that she was Disneyed out last year, during her senior year of high school. She had much more important things to do than spend ANOTHER ::gasp:: vacation at WDW. We told her fine, made alternate arrangements for her, and proceeded to have a FABULOUS time at WDW w/ ds (8). It was fun to do just the things he wanted to do, and have the same parent/child experiences we'd had with dd when we took her to WDW by herself.

Surprise, surprise... guess what she wanted to do "one last time" before she graduated and headed to college last fall???

I think they sometimes get to a stage where they become jaded, and "too cool" for WDW, but I don't think they ever outgrow it. She's now looking into the College Program...

 

[Merilyn]

We joined when the kids were 21 and 17. My son who was 17 never stopped wanting to go. The idea is to let them take a friend with them. It works evertime. No, really it has always been a family/friend vacation place for us. We love to take others and enjoy the good times together. My children are now 30 and 26 and still love to go to WDW. You can never run out of thing to do there. I suppose some children wouldn't want to go every year but mine always enjoy their time there. We have also traded off to other locations which helps when they need something new to do.

 

[JimC]

Our girls are both in college. One loves Disney and the other is much happier at the beach. The parents (us) are both Disney fans. I doubt if it has anything to do with age -- only personal preferences.

 

[Cruise04]

IMO - too old is when you are underground!

 

[nuthut]

We just returned for Disney over NYE and our 25 y/o son and girl friend, our 23y/o son, our 19 y/o daughter and son in law, and our 18 y/o son all went. Also Grandma/pa plus 2 other friends went. The best thing about DVC is the kids keep wanting to go back. And if they want to visit Disney on their own, they can use my points for that too, all no charge!

 

[bobbiwoz]

We didn't buy in '96 when our sons, 21 and 18 said "You can buy into it, but don't expect us to come." Since then, we've had lots of trips there with other adults in the family as well as weekend trips ourselves, AND a wonderful all-age inclusive family trip in '01. So, last year we bought, and we're planning another family trip, mom's 85th birthday, that's her choice, she wants to spend it at WDW! She came with us to MNSCHP last Halloween.

If you're a family that likes to go to Disney, it will work.

Bobbi

 

[llp479]

Our dds are 10, 10, and 7. We bought when the youngest was 1. I've lost count of the number of trips we've taken, and they are still excited about our upcoming trip in March, as are we. We're taking our 23 year old au pair with us for her third trip this year - and she can't wait either.

There is so much to do in the Orlando area besides Disney. We went to Sea World for the first time last August, and the girls want to go again this March.

Our neighbors own at Vistana and go every June. Their oldest is a teen-ager and she still wants to go.

 

[Deemarch]

When my daughter was 13 or 14 she gave us an "Why did you make me come to this place" attitude. She is now 27 with her own DD7. Now the attitude is all soppy, sad eyes, I wish I was going with you!!! We bought at SSR at age 50 this past October. And we did it for us!!! We have made it known that DD, DSIL & DGD are very welcome to come with us from time to time, but in the end it will be theirs. One promise she had to make...When DH & I are 90 and still want to go with them (my dad is 80 and goes on Rockin' Roller Coaster, see where I'm coming from) they have to go with us and turn us loose in the parks, even if we both need those little battery carts!!!

LOOK OUT IN FRONT, HERE WE COME! LOL

 

[DisneyHumbug]

And then the day will come when the kids want to use your points - gasp! - without you!!!!
My 21 yo DD took 3 friends last summer and they had a blast!
This summer my 18 yo DD is taking her friends.
My 19 yo DS loves Disney, but doesn't trust his friends to behave!!

 

[lenshanem]

I can see this happenning with my daughetrs in the future when they're preteens/teens. They're close in age so I'm sure we'll just get a 2 bedroom and let them go off on the parks soem on their own and they'll ahve their own space in the room, too. I imagine we'll let them bring friends every once in awhile in those parent painful days.

I think most kids go through that I'm too cool to hang out with my parenst phase. I ahte to admit it, but I can vaguely remember thsoe days for myself! LOL Now, my Mom is my best friend.

I also think Universal will be a big hit when they get that age, too. We're not even fooling with Universal until they get that age anyway. We might evn have to rent points and use the money to stay onsite at Universal to get the fast pass perk. Wow, Universal is smart! Wish, Dvc woudl offer soemthing like that to us! Wow...woudln't that be cool?!?

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I think kids enjoy Disney when they are younger, and I think adults also enjoy it (I know we do!). I do think there is a few years in between that they may lose interest. Of course I am not an expert on that, as we don't have kids.... Yet!

MG

 

[LuvnMickey]

I just had to chime in. I have 3 sons, 20, 17 and 14. We've been to WDW almost every year for the past 15.

My oldest DS is in college, but joined us in WDW last year for our annual Spring Break trip. I think it's the one vacation with the family he can't resist. He initially thought he didn't want to go. The week before we were leaving, he sheepishly came to me and asked if he could still go. I was lucky to find airline tickets. He came a little later and left a couple days early but it was nice to be together as a family at our favorite place on earth!

We've off to DL this year for a change of pace (and also to visit family in San Diego). But WDW is so much a part of our lives, it's a family tradition. In this part of the country (Minnesota) lots of people have cabins on a lake. We have Disney!

We finally bought DVC a couple of years ago. We probably should have done it sooner but wanted to keep staying at BC our favorite WDW hotel. My DH and I are looking forward to many more years of WDW vacations both with and without kids!

LuvnMickey

 

[mom2boys]

I'll be to old when I'm pushing up daisies - and not until!

 

[geffric]

We bought when the oldest was 2 year and the baby was 4 months. Every year it has been differnet, we so the same things but in differnt ways and enjoy each year for it's uniquiness.. we look back on the years we went with double stroller, bothkids in diapers , one year being afarid of teh characters, the next when they can't stop hugging them ... it was such fun.. and now the boys are 10 and 12 and we do things differently. I don't think that they or us willl ever be to old. BTW we keep talking about when they are older, that we will go by ourselves and have fun..

NOPE never too old IMHO

 

[Sammie]

It is all relative to the person. Some are too old for Disney at 10, others never.

I would discuss this with your children. There is absolutely no way anyone can definite predict your future.

The more important question is Would you get tired of going if your children did not want to go?

You can trade out to other locations all over the world if you want to.

 

[TexasAggie]

The last couple of times we went, DS (now 19) acted like he was bored most of the time and even made comments about it being his last trip until he brought his own kids. We're going next weekend without him (DD has a 4-day weekend off school, he doesn't) and now he's MAD at us for going without him!

 

[kathleena]

I would agreee with others - it is individual - you can't predict what your children will want to do when older.

So buy for yourself! What do you want to be doing when they are 14, 15, 16? Do YOU still want to be going to Disney?

 

[ErinInCT]

Wow, you guys are all great. I love hearing from so many different people with different experiences. I know I will NEVER tire of WDW so I guess that is as good a reason as any to buy into DVC. My 3 1/2 yr old is SOOOOO in to princesses & changes clothes a zillion times a day into princess costumes so I know she 's gonna love it for a while! Then I still have the baby who will probably follow in big sis's footsteps & want to play princess all the time too! Plus the idea of letting them bring friends in the future is a good one! Now to convince DH! I think he secretly likes WDW as much as I do but won't admit it. Hey, it is close to lots of golf courses that that can be the attraction for him!! Plus I just can't wait to see dd's face on her 1st trip to MK & Cinderella's castle! Thinking about a trip in Nov to check out DVC. Trying to rent a place for a week to get the feel of the whole DVC experience! I am really starting to get obsessed here!!!! But from the sounds of the posts I am not the only one!!!
Erin

 

[DisneyMomOK]

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