Let the teens sleep or not?

[DarkSideMoon]

Yes, I still think it is a poor use of time. Why waste your vacation sleeping late while at WDW? I'm still leaning towards getting those kids up and out! They'll thank me someday...

Why? Its a vacation and if that is what relaxes them or they enjoy doing, why not? I agree with DeeCee735.

 

[salmoneous]

They'll thank me someday...

No, they really won't.

 

[Deb & Bill]

For the price we paid for DVC, my son can sleep at home. He's still in bed right now. When we're on vacation, he goes with the family or he doesn't go.

 

[cindyfan]

In my family.....
My DD will be 15 when we go in June...and she wants to bring a friend, but that hasn't been decided yet.

Anyway....
If she wanted to "sleep in".... she would be staying home!
Together we pick one day that is a down day in the middle of the trip. That day we will sleep till like 9, then do Downtown Disney, etc. And that usually follows a late night EMH when we don't get in till midnight.
Otherwise..... up and out by 8!! And there is never any question or complaints.

 

[Nancyg56]

No, they really won't.

My DD has never thanked me for rolling her out of bed!

 

[cindyfan]

My DD has never thanked me for rolling her out of bed!

Actually..... mine HAS!
My oldest DD tells me how she now sees why I pulled her out to the parks by opening.... and she thanks me all the time!! She knows she could have missed a lot if I didn't.
So she let's the younger one know this too.... another reason for no complaints from my 15 yo when we are the first ones on the bus!!

 

[sheridac]

let them sleep in if that's what they want. We just came back from a Dec trip with 3 19 yo's and an 18 yo. We had 2 rooms. They toured the parks by themselves and we met up for dinner. A few times we left together, if we were going to the same park. But mostly we let them do their own thing. Funnily enough, many times we met up during the day anyway, completely unplanned.

They were happier and enjoyed themselves and so did we. It is a pain in the butt to try to drag them out of bed if they don't want to and it will spoil the day for you all. If you're going to let them tour by themselves anyway, really, what difference does it make if they don't get done what YOU think they should or spend as much time at the parks as YOU think they should. It's their vacation too.

 

[Muffy]

For the price we paid for DVC, my son can sleep at home. He's still in bed right now. When we're on vacation, he goes with the family or he doesn't go.

I totally agree.

 

[Gabrielle]

I have a 15 and 18 year old. I vote for letting them sleep and keep their own schedule. WDW is a great place for teens to break away from the parents for awhile.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

9:30?!?!?!

Yes. Sorry, but speaking from someone who gets up at 6 a.m. at the latest while at WDW, I think 9:30 is sleeping way too late. But just my opinion. I want to get up and get to the parks, Downtown Disney, etc. I don't want to sleep my vacation away, and I didn't as a teen either.

For the price we paid for DVC, my son can sleep at home. He's still in bed right now. When we're on vacation, he goes with the family or he doesn't go.

I totally agree with this.

 

[icecrystahl]

Well i'm a teen myself and I disagree with their plans....I always try and get up as early as possible to get to the parks at opening time. I think you should get em' up early!

 

[MiaSRN62]

I have a 13, 15 and recently 19 yo. I say, let them sleep in. My dd's actually prefer to get up with us and start early. But my ds has been doing more or less of his own schedule since he was about 16. This is about the age he requested to sleep in. He gets very cranky and miserable if he gets up early. So I'd rather have him happy and getting to the parks on "his" time than a miserable teen shuffling along with us, grumbling about how tired he is. Makes for a MUCH better quality vacation for all. Some days during our vacation he just chose to hang out in the room and play video games or hang at the pool. Of course I'd much prefer he be with us, but if this is what relaxes him and makes him happy, then I'm just as thrilled to maybe have a nice dinner with him when we come back from the parks. He's also outgrowing WDW a bit <gasp> I know the day will come soon when he doesn't want to come with us at all..........
My dd's (thus far) are still very much into WDW

 

[krissyh]

A word from ahigh school teacher - let them sleep in. Teenagers are not wired for early morning. There is actually a good deal of research indicating that high schools should start later because teens are more able to learn later (not at a certain length of time after waking but literally "later" in the morning. A family vacation is a family vacation whether they get up with you or not. Sorry to break it to you but you will both have a better time with some "alone time". The girls will be miserable if you make them get up early and then run all day and by day three it'll be a nightmare.

Let them sleep a bit and take the bus to meet up with you at say 10:00, then again at lunch time.

Does DD have a cell phone? Call to make sure she is up and have her call you as they are leaving the room for the bus stop, you will know to expect them at the park at a reasonable interval then.

Make some hard and fast rules and then let them be free to explore and find some independence in a place where that freedom is a lot safer than say - the mall. Rules like meeting at the designated time (with short enough intervals that they don't find too many "random boys". Rules like - Meals are together as is some park time. Rules like "no we won't pick up fast passes for you - if you want them, get to the park early enough to get them yourself".

You might find that you and DH enjoy the alone adult time, your DD will enjoy the freedom and without the whining, you will all have a better time on the family vacation.
Anyway - for what it is worth, that's the take on it from someone who spends all day, every day with 15-18 year olds!

 

[Sammie]

I agree with let them sleep in.

You can force them to go, but what fun is that. Enjoy the time without them complaining you made them get up. Then when you see them be sure to make a big deal out of what they missed by sleeping in. Maybe the next day they will get up on their own.

 

[MouseWorshipin]

If you want them up, get them up! Duh. You're the grown-up here.

When I was 15, my friends and I were routinely hauled out of bed, dead-tired. We hated it.

But now I'm glad, especially for big event stuff, like St. Patrick's day parades.

 

[xmelissax]

As someone who was forced to wake up early all the time as a teen I definately do not look back and think "Gee,thanks guys. That really helped me out even though I didn't realize it at the time." Now as an adult, I plan to let my kids relax on vacation and if that means sleeping in than that's fine. I'd rather everyone have a good time than force everyone to do what I THINK is a good time and have them grumpy and angry. It's good to have some rules, but being totally rigid can really ruin things for everyone else and seems pretty selfish to me.

 

[HolliePoppins]

We are planning to letting them tour the parks alone during the day. We will keep in touch with cell phones. My DD knows her way around WDW extrememly well. I'm not worried about that. I just feel it is a waste of time to arrive at a park at 11am.

Not to mention a waste of money. A disney vacation is very expensive. Why waste part of the day sleeping. I would say if she can get up for school she can get up for Disney. We usually sleep in one day around the middle of the trip. A good day to do this is if you happen to got to epcot twice the day we do world showcase we sleep in a bit, then do some of the things we missed or want to do again then tour WS since it doesnt open till later. Have a great time

 

[Maria395712]

my DD21 and DS 20 hate to get up early we sleep late 1 day and early the next. they bring their friends too sometimes their friends are up early and my kids sleep
maria

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Ok, I guess I was a different kind of teenager.

My vacations always consisted of me, my mom, and my grandparents (who we lived with). I never went off on my own away from them on vacation, including the one time I took a friend (graduation gift). I loved my family and cherished the time I spent with them.

As an adult (I'm 28), I look back on all those trips, which included WDW many times, and think about what great times they were and how glad I am I spent my time with them. I can't imagine looking back thinking, "I slept the morning away then went off with a friend, then hooked up with the folks for dinner that night. Good times."

It makes me sad to see more and more families handling trips like this.

 

[Disneyrsh]

As someone who was forced to wake up early all the time as a teen I definately do not look back and think "Gee,thanks guys. That really helped me out even though I didn't realize it at the time." Now as an adult, I plan to let my kids relax on vacation and if that means sleeping in than that's fine. I'd rather everyone have a good time than force everyone to do what I THINK is a good time and have them grumpy and angry. It's good to have some rules, but being totally rigid can really ruin things for everyone else and seems pretty selfish to me.

I agree. That's why you would have stayed home with Grandma, because then you could sleep in 'til your heart's content.

Going to Disney isn't about sleeping in, that's a completely different kind of vacation with different expectations. When we go to the beach, we have one set of activity expectations. When we're at Disney, they're totally, totally different. What a waste of Disney to 'sleep in'.

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