Planning for future trips as emptynesters!

[photobob]

My DD is going to college this August and I am looking forward to doing some studio stays just DW and me. We did a three night trip a few years ago and had a really good time. I am looking for ideas on times of the year to go. Since we no longer will have to wait for school to be out I am looking forward to going sometime besides summer! My job pretty well allows me to travel whenever and I have five weeks of vacation per year, unfortunately I don't have enough points for that many WDW trips!

These are some times I am considering:

*October for F&W
*mid November for lower crowds in between F&W and Thanksgiving
*First week of December for Christmas Decorations
*early February
*Mid-May
*Early march-are spingbreakers there yet?

Any thoughts and experience with these times would be appreciated!

 

[mouseaider]

Hey Bob..... congratulations on being an empty nester. You are going to have a love/hate relationship with it.

My DW and I have traveled for the last ten years by ourselves and we love it.

We've been in mid April, January, Early May, mid May March and December and this year we are going in October fir F&W.

I think your choices are great. Good luck with your decisions.

 

[com_op_2000]

These are some times I am considering:

*First week of December for Christmas Decorations

Any thoughts and experience with these times would be appreciated!

Remember that due to the reduced points during this time of year, this is high DVC usage time. It is a great time to go, DW and I have been going the 2nd week of Dec every year since we became DVC members.
Recommend booking your home resort at 11 months and then try and change if you want a different resort at 7 months.

 

[justloveit]

As fellow empty nesters, we especially enjoy the F and W festival. We wander through the world showcase and enjoy sampling the different food and drinks. We could never do this with the kids, they never had the patience for it, so we never really attempted it. Enjoy!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We're planning on doing Flower and Garden in 2013 because we used up a lot of our 2011 points this year.

 

[Rest&Relax]

Empty nesters for the past 4 years and love it. We usually visit in April for Flower & Garden show and 1st or 2nd week in December. We also enjoy the summer just relaxing at the pool or sitting on our balcony at OKW then taking in the parks in the evening. The summer trip is truly a very relaxing get away. Summer if very different when you don't have kids. If we can we try to make it to the F&W but end up doing the summer instead. Now we have to figure when to do Hawaii!!! I believe we really enjoy WDW more now then when we had the kids. We take in a few new things each time but never over do it. We don't like planning to much any more, we just go with the flow. Enjoy yourselves!

 

[photobob]

Empty nesters for the past 4 years and love it. We usually visit in April for Flower & Garden show and 1st or 2nd week in December. We also enjoy the summer just relaxing at the pool or sitting on our balcony at OKW then taking in the parks in the evening. The summer trip is truly a very relaxing get away. Summer if very different when you don't have kids. If we can we try to make it to the F&W but end up doing the summer instead. Now we have to figure when to do Hawaii!!! I believe we really enjoy WDW more now then when we had the kids. We take in a few new things each time but never over do it. We don't like planning to much any more, we just go with the flow. Enjoy yourselves!

We have caught the tail end of Flower and Garden a few times and love it! It ends earlier than it used to or we would catch it this year as well. I meant to mention also that we may be able to make some trips with my DD, DS and DSIL and use my in-laws points at Bonnett Creek, so a couple of DVC studio trips and a 2 BDR Bonnett Creek stay in a year's time sounds doable!

 

[ReneeMoss]

We always do F&W (Oct) & the Flower Show (Apr.)

One year, we went at the very end of the F&W and 'caught' the Xmas decorations (Osborne Light Show) and that was a big plus - If possible I'd plan again for those dates.

I always book at exactly the 7 mo. window to get a Studio @BCV (we are members at Old Key West) and enjoy just walking over to Epcot.

We also have gone early Jan. &/or Feb. for a mid-winter break - but the weather is 'iffy' and may be cold and/or rainy at those times.

 

[Kathi OD]

We generally do F&W (early November) and love it. This year we were also able to sneak in Flower & Garden and think we'd like to do that again.

 

[thepops]

As Empty nesters (although they do "fly back" during breaks and summer) we did the first week in December last year. It was a great time! (We also got concierge at AKV, so even better.) My girls complained that they were in school.... and I answered "that's why we're going!"

 

[disneychic2]

DH and I have gone the first week in Dec. and enjoyed it very much. This year was exceptionally cold, but weather is always an unknown. We prefer to go in September, but it's pretty hot if the heat bothers you. We just go to the parks early, leave late afternoon, then return for dinner and evening. Plenty of pool time is good too. We've been to F&W and enjoyed it. We've gone the first week of Nov. also and it was more crowded than we like. You've got to go to see the Christmas decorations sometime, whether it's Nov. or Dec. We also did the MVMCP and had a blast! Enjoy your empty nest. I miss my kids (scattered to different states) but we're making the most of it by going to Disney every year. It's a different place without kids! Enjoy!

 

[crisi]

Have fun...we've enjoyed F&W - with kids along - it would be more fun without kids. I find January and Feburary to be too cold for Florida - I might as well bundle up at home - or head further South. If you go then, the crowds tend to be light, but bring clothes for all weather (except really hot).

My kids are middle schoolers - but a collegue with older kids gave me this nugget.

The day you drop your kids off at college, don't go back home. Go straight to the airport. Take a trip. If you go home to an empty house right after you help them make the bed in the dorm, the weight of being an empty nester hits like a ton of bricks.

 

[mopee3]

Hum.. empty nesters.. Lets see we have 5 kids and alot of grandkids, the oldest child is 40 and youngest is 25. None of them live with us. I know we are suppose to have days without kids in our house but, well lets just say alot of the time it doesn't happen. Acually it's a good thing except when we mention DVC and then it's .... "When are we going, do you have room for 2,3,4,5,6" or more.

Got back this April from a 2 adult child, 3 grandchild trip and will leave this November for a GV trip with 8. Next Nov, 2012, it's suppose to be a "all" adult child (I being the oldest) GV trip. Oh I just realised I need another add-on! I feel like old mother hubard, except I am a man and am expected to Serve, Protect, and Provide.. hi ho hi ho it's off to work I go.

Now where can I find a inexpensive 8-12 place van??

Did I mention I love the icons??


Now you all have fun and remember you only get to live this day once!! So enjoy it darn it!!


Moe

 

[kikiq]

Empty nesters for several years now, so we tried new times since I am currently a "out of work classroom" teacher. Love May for the F/G and last year caught the last weekend of the F/W and the beginning of Osbourne lights. Did May again this year, just arranged my substitute teaching around the dates I will tell you that we're getting spoiled going at these times instead of the end of August! As much as I want to get into a classroom and teach fulltime, I don't know that I want to go again in August heat.

 

[disney212]

DH and I love our "alone" trips to WDW. Do Valentines week (have dinner in the castle on V Day), we love that week, it is normally sweaters in the evening but that is one of things we like, cuddling in front of the fire at AK. Doing F&W for first time the week of October 23. Ours are in college and live at home so we always go when they have "school". We also make sure to have a family WDW every other year (that keeps them happy)!

 

[wvulion]

We like to go on the offtimes as well--just remember that the last weekend in February can be crowded due to ESPN the Weekend. It's usually just HS, but there was a spike everywhere during those couple of days. That said...have a great trip and enjoy yourselves

 

[photobob]

DH and I love our "alone" trips to WDW. Do Valentines week (have dinner in the castle on V Day), we love that week, it is normally sweaters in the evening but that is one of things we like, cuddling in front of the fire at AK. Doing F&W for first time the week of October 23. Ours are in college and live at home so we always go when they have "school". We also make sure to have a family WDW every other year (that keeps them happy)!

Sounds like a good plan!

 

[mnra]

empty nester here as well we try to go for all the events like food and wine and flower festival. We try to get there also once in the winter when kids all in school. We are taking the first trip in the summer this coming year since 2007 and actually looking forward to it. We have tried events that the kids would have been bored at and a lot of times just go to parks late and stay late. one other thing we tried was a cruise without the kids and this year dropping the kids of at college one day and getting on a plan the next to go to alaska cruise. They still don;t know about it lol