Transitioning to Empty Nester Life at WDW

[PrestonatorSR]

My DW and I have been empty nesters for awhile now (since 2017), so we have had some time to adjust to daily life without our 3 kids, now aged 36, 33 and 27. But when it comes to the idea of going to WDW alone, we are about to embark on unchartered territory. You see, up until last summer, our 33 year old was a WDW cast member. So, our trips over the last decade have come with the comfort and joy of reuniting with our daughter on each of those trips. Now that she no longer works there, we are wondering what it will be like when we are all alone for the first time ever on our next WDW trip, tentatively set for August 2026. I'm not sure how I/we will react to that full new reality. While we are excited to go, I fear the sense of emptiness I will feel walking around with only the fading memories of being with our kids for all the Disney trips we took with them while they were growing up. This whole "letting go" business isn't super great fun. Oh, I know that in time my DW and I will get through the initial pain of those lost days and begin to treasure a new chapter of Disney experiences. In the meantime, if you have any good advice or strategies for moving into this new stage, we're all ears. Thanks all!

 

[tachyonbb]

We went through similar thoughts about 18 years ago. First empty nest trip to Disney. We focused on dinner reservations and tours that we thought they daughters would not like. We did the behind the trains and behind the seeds tour. Both highly recommended but the trains tour is not currently being offered. We are gardeners and found the seeds tour to be great. By the third day we had rediscovered our inner child and just enjoyed the experience. We now take our whole family to Disney including our two grandsons. Experiencing Disney through the eyes of your grandchildren is very rewarding.

 

[fla4fun]

My DW and I have been empty nesters for awhile now (since 2017), so we have had some time to adjust to daily life without our 3 kids, now aged 36, 33 and 27. But when it comes to the idea of going to WDW alone, we are about to embark on uncharted territory. You see, up until last summer, our 33 year old was a WDW cast member. So, our trips over the last decade have come with the comfort and joy of reuniting with our daughter on each of those trips. Now that she no longer works there, we are wondering what it will be like when we are all alone for the first time ever on our next WDW trip, tentatively set for August 2026. I'm not sure how I/we will react to that full new reality. While we are excited to go, I fear the sense of emptiness I will feel walking around with only the fading memories of being with our kids for all the Disney trips we took with them while they were growing up. This whole "letting go" business isn't super great fun. Oh, I know that in time my DW and I will get through the initial pain of those lost days and begin to treasure a new chapter of Disney experiences. In the meantime, if you have any good advice or strategies for moving into this new stage, we're all ears. Thanks all!

Focus on things you either haven’t done for a long time, or have never done because the kids weren’t interested. There won’t be as many memories tied to these activities. There is so much construction going on right now that the parks don’t feel the way they normally do, which will also work in your favor. Don’t try to recreate your past experiences. Find ways of creating new ones.

I had the same feelings only my situation was the reverse. I always went with my parents on family trips and when they passed away close together, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about going to the parks without them. There were a few times I wished I could share what was happening (which you can do by email or text during your trip) but in the end it was fine.

 

[jo-jo]

Our trips increased once we were empty nesters. Some things we did sounds nuts. Brought books and sat around the firepit at AKL and read for an hour. We can read anywhere, but we don't have an 8 ft firepit at home and then roam over to roast marshmallows.

We also found joy is other people kids. The toddlers dancing at a parade, starstruck seeing Mickey. Chasing a lizard up and down a tree, even though Mom and Dad spent $500 so you could go on Dumbo.

 

[The Mayor]

My DW and I started our trips alone back in 2005 and while at first it seemed strange, we soon came to enjoy the freedom of planning and doing what we wanted. We went almost every year up to 2022, except maybe a couple of years, and tried to do something new or different each time. One of the things we enjoyed was trying a different tour each trip. We also changed from not flying out early in the morning and rushing to a park when we landed and went to mid-morning flights and just relaxed at the resort pool the first day. That helped us feel refreshed the next day hitting one of the parks.

Our trips alone ended in 2022 when we went with our children, their spouses and our grandchildren (10 of us!!). Did the trip again in August 2025 and between both trips watching our grandchildren's faces light up, I'm not sure if we'll go alone again anytime soon!!!

 

[Praying Colonel]

We did our first empty-nester trip in 2010 for F&W with both kids in college. It was glorious. We've had several empty-nest visits since and they never fail to disappoint. It's a different feel but very fun.

 

[bluezy]

We have our first "empty nest" trip coming up in a few months. We have 5 children (currently ages 21-39, the youngest is away at college). We have done 10 trips over the last 24 years with our family (I also did 3 trips in high school). We were a family of 4-13 people on those trips (including spouses/partners and grandkids). My husband and I have joked for years that once the youngest kid was in college, we were dropping her off on move-in day and then heading straight to Disney by ourselves. That didn't happen. A family member of DH's recently moved to FL and lives about 2 hours from Disney. He wants to go visit that family member. I wasn't really excited about visiting the family member but when DH suggested adding a 3 day visit to Disney at the end of our trip, I was all in. (I later convinced him to make it a 6 day trip to Disney ). I cannot wait for this trip!! Our last 4 trips have been a challenge to plan. We didn't stay together as a big group all day every day, but we tried to plan a few hours together (doing rides together, having a meal together, or going to a nighttime show together) for at least 5 of the 7 days. That has gotten more difficult with every trip. We've already decided this empty-nest trip will be a relaxing trip. No planning something every day that the entire group can do together. No rope drops! No having to search for the grandkids stroller after every ride. No finding a restaurant that everyone likes. After staying at a Value resort for the first 10 trips (we needed 2 rooms or a suite for every trip), we're staying at the GF this time. We will do LLs/LLMP for the rides *we* want to do. We will eat where *we* want to eat. We will go to shows that we've never taken the time to go to before. We will spend time truly exploring all the countries in World Showcase. We will slow down and enjoy walking around Animal Kingdom. We will enjoy all the extras of the Flower & Garden Festival. I might even book a tour or two. The list goes on and on. While it will probably feel very weird to be there with no kids/grandkids, I'm sure we'll adjust very quickly. And we know that we will do more extended family trips in the future (already planning for one next year), so we're going to soak in every unplanned moment of this kids-free trip. Don't get me wrong, we *love* our kids, their spouses/partners, and grandkids; but we see them frequently so it's not like our extended family trips to Disney are the only time we all get together as one big group. DH will retire in the next 2-3 years and we plan to make kids-free trips every few years once that happens. I should probably mention that all of our kids have been to Disney at least once without *us*, so I feel zero guilt about taking a trip without any of them.

 

[Jonnnyap]

When we go as a couple, we have a nice tradition of finding someone with an orange bird shirt on and gifting them, unsolicited, an orange bird pin that we bring. Someone did this to us years ago, and we’ve carried on that tradition. It’s a nice way of making someone else’s trip nice, and it always brings a smile to our face. Finding little things like that might be fun for you. I hope you have a great trip!

 

[kanerf]

Been going solo to WDW for years. In my mid-sixties and don't have any issues. I love being able to walk 7-8 miles a day and not really notice it.

 

[jtopp]

While you will reminisce about the family trips, its time to move forward with new experiences shared with DW. Slow down, visit that resort that was a waste of time before. Try a new restaurant with food you normally would not eat, and joke about it. We spent one morning on our balcony quietly harassing the golfers while enjoying our coffee. There are so many experiences to enjoy without the kids, but beware: the fun changes when you have your grandchildren with you, experiencing the park in their own way. As a side note, be cautious of the weather in august. It can be brutally hot and oppressive.