What do you want your kids to remember about your Disney vacations?

[JJZMgailey]

With all of the craziness of getting that perfect dining reservation or those perfect FastPass+ selections for certain Attractions and shows at the exact times we want, it's made me think and reflect on our past Disney vacations a bit.

My kids are teenagers now and we have more of a go-with-the-flow vacation style than we ever used to; even when it comes to Disney and all of the pre-planning that is necessary now. I see so many threads here on The DIS where folks are so incredibly upset about not being able to get that perfect reservation whether it be dining or FastPass+. The planning part is one of my favorite things and more I think about it, the more it makes me a little sad that so many folks are more upset about it than they are excited. i almost feel like they're losing a little of the magic with all of the hullabaloo. Your kids aren't going to remember whether or not they ate at a certain restaurant, but they sure will remember the experiences they did have on that certain Attraction or how silly the Characters were at that restaurant they did eat at - not to mention the people that they are with and enjoying that time with them.

Do you want your kids to remember how upset you were about what you didn't manage to get reservations for or how much fun you had with what you did?

 

[pooh4evr]

Family fun.

Editing to add, we usually surprise our kids with trips. Due to my DH's schedule and health (MS) we don't want them to get their hopes up and have something happen and then they be brokenhearted when we have to cancel. So, they have no idea how much planning I actually do overall.

 

[sk!mom]

Your title asks one question and your post another.

My kids- I hope that they remember the great times and places we've experienced together.

My planning style- Planning my next vacation, wherever I'm going, is one of my favorite past times. However, I love to relax so I guess I'm an uber planner with lots of relaxing in that plan.

For instance, for last August's WDW trip. I knew it wold be hot and our group of adults and teens would want late afternoons napping or lounging by the pool so that time of day was kept free. For our Hawaii trip, I made sure that my plans and budget included lots of time and money for beach chairs, umbrellas, and maitais.

I'm also careful to take into account my fellow travelers, what would they like to do? I also, do not force my plans on anyone. I'm the planner but if anyone wants to skip something in favor of sleep or relaxing, I'm fine with it. My DH doesn't care for AK so he usually takes that as a rest day. On group trips, I share my plans and people join or skip as they wish. Last summer, my brother and his family hadn't ever been to WDW and their typical vacation is a cruise or a beach so they skipped some things in favor of sleeping in or relaxing and that was fine with me.

Disney is without a doubt the trip where I do the most planning but I'm fine with cancelling/changing/skipping things as we go. For most other trips my plans are mostly just notes on what days and times sites are open, what are the areas "must dos," a trip advisor or yelp list of the best restaurants, and then we can decide what we feel like each day.

 

[JJZMgailey]

Your title asks one question and your post another.

Oops - my update didn't take from my iPad!

 

[Mousemommy1]

We go annually, and our Disney trips are our 11 days a year 100% totally devoted to family fun. We are an extremely close family, but our lives are hectic. DH and I both work full time. The girls have school and athletics (and our 11 year old plays on the elite club travel teams for softball and basketball, so anyone who does this knows what a time commitment this is). We are constantly on the go. Plus we have baby brother who is well, a baby.

Disney is our time to slow it down and enjoy being with one another. We abandon electronics for the most part and just enjoy the moments together.

I just hope they cherish the time we spend together at Disney just being a family, I know I sure do.

 

[sara1215]

We are going for the first time. I am planning like crazy but reminding myself (or trying to) that the kids will not know or care if we don't get to something *I* wanted to do. They'll never know the difference. So I want them to remember the magic. I want them to have fun. And they'll be happy no matter where we eat or what we do.

 

[JJZMgailey]

We are going for the first time. I am planning like crazy but reminding myself (or trying to) that the kids will not know or care if we don't get to something *I* wanted to do. They'll never know the difference. So I want them to remember the magic. I want them to have fun. And they'll be happy no matter where we eat or what we do.

Yay!!!!

 

[5kidsmommy]

Honestly this is the first trip I've actually planned much. We usually camp in our trailer, so no stress about a hotel, every site at Fort Wilderness is awesome. We rarely ever do table service for dinner, so no ADRs to worry about. I just get whatever fp+s I can and if we miss them oh well. So usually our kids remember just having fun on our trips and going with the flow, it's the type of family we are.

This trip is a little different, just two of us going. My daughter picked the hotel, she requested certain restaurants for certain meals but that's about it. I've tried not to stress but I'll admit I've been kind of obsessed with planning, but not stressing, just having fun with the scheduling. So I hope that my planning will help, I'm still not worried about fast passes, we'll ride everything we want to ride, I am certain of that. This trip is about her and it should be a blast, she hopefully remember it forever.

 

[daisygirl902]

I find since my little guy came along I seem to have been "cured" of my obsessive planning. Do I still try for those hard to get reservations? Yup. But do I care if we get them or not? Nope! In fact on our last few trips, we've actually cancelled a couple of our reservations last minute to grab a last minute meal at some of the lesser known gems around the world! There are so many great places you can grab a reservation at last minute, as long as you're flexible. Our last trip was with a 10 week old, and he'll be 14 months on our upcoming vacation. One of the many things I'm grateful for since having him is that he's really just taught me to enjoy the moment.

So, to answer your question about what I want him to remember fro our trips (well, those that we take once he can actually remember...lol)...I want him to remember the magic. It's that simple.

 

[bigsis1970]

I haven't brought my kids since they were young, every year from 2001 (8 & 5) to the last trip being 2006 (13 & 10) and I was a single parent, they are now grown 21 and 18 and I am remarried but I hope they remember that for that week or two (sometimes!) when we were there I was NOT stressed about anything! it was all about having fun, swimming, eating treats for breakfast lunch and dinner, being silly and lot and lots of laughing!

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

With all of the craziness of getting that perfect dining reservation or those perfect FastPass+ selections for certain Attractions and shows at the exact times we want, it's made me think and reflect on our past Disney vacations a bit.

My kids are teenagers now and we have more of a go-with-the-flow vacation style than we ever used to; even when it comes to Disney and all of the pre-planning that is necessary now. I see so many threads here on The DIS where folks are so incredibly upset about not being able to get that perfect reservation whether it be dining or FastPass+. The planning part is one of my favorite things and more I think about it, the more it makes me a little sad that so many folks are more upset about it than they are excited. i almost feel like they're losing a little of the magic with all of the hullabaloo. Your kids aren't going to remember whether or not they ate at a certain restaurant, but they sure will remember the experiences they did have on that certain Attraction or how silly the Characters were at that restaurant they did eat at - not to mention the people that they are with and enjoying that time with them.

Do you want your kids to remember how upset you were about what you didn't manage to get reservations for or how much fun you had with what you did?

Just having FUN with Mom & Dad!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

It depends on the trip. Mostly it's about spending time together, having fun, and the little things. Family in-jokes that are created during a trip. Special events.

Sometimes, there is more to it. This November will be our second trip with the high school band and chorus. Our son will be marching down Main Street and singing in the Candlelight Processional. Those are things worth remembering.

 

[DGoofy]

For this year's trip, the kids are very involved in the planning. It is making wonderful memories before the trip, just seeing how much they have grown and also giving us much time to remember past trips and wonderful times!

 

[Mom2SamandJames]

My youngest son (7) is performing in December with his school chorus. He is so excited, and my mom is getting to join us for her first trip to Disney in over 20 years. For us this trip will be all about family fun and getting to see Mimi enjoy the magic of Disney with the boys. We have made 3 reservations, and for the rest of the time, we plan on just going with the flow.

 

[mandis77]

I don't think a day goes by without one of us talking about a Disney memory. Just this morning my DD4 said, "remember how the camel spits at the Aladdin ride? that was so funny!" We have fun talking about all the little things, it helps keep us hopeful and excited for the next trip!

 

[Crystal824]

We own DVC, and go to WDW typically once per year. When my kids think of WDW, I want to them to think of fun family vacations where they had ice cream for breakfast before Soarin over California. A place where most requests (minus the million request for souvenirs- we do buy them souvenirs just not every one they want) were granted. For instance, we experienced Enchanted Tales with Belle three times last year until my 4 year old got to be the Beast and dance with Belle. We rode the carousel three times in a row because my four year old asked to do so. We do balance these requests with our "plan." We wouldn't skip a FP+ or dining ADR to ride the carousel, but if she asks and we can fit it in we do it.

You are right, my four year old doesn't often talk about eating at Be Our Guest or Le Cellier (although she has eaten a both), but she does remember talking to one of the Citizens of Hollywood and singing Let it Go with on Sunset Blvd. (she talks about that all the time). She also talks about doing BBB, dancing with Belle, and meeting Elsa and Anna. She fondly remembers the Disney Jr. Dance Party where she danced with Mickey and Minnie. One of our favorite memories from our last trip was when we got stuck at Universal. We took a Mears shuttle over and they were supposed to pick us up at a certain time, but the shuttle didn't show up until over an hour later. When the bus arrived, the bus driver was hilarious. Rick the Bus Driver (look him up). He sang and danced to Shake it Off with our four year old (and a few other kids) before we left. She still talks about that too. We all do. Sometimes, we make the best memories when we veer off plan.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I'd like them to remember everything except the cost.

 

[Roxyfire]

I definitely want my son to remember the whole magical experience. He went last year with his father's side of the family but didn't get to stay on site or spend much time in the parks either. It was kind of a whirlwind trip so he didn't visit anywhere but Magic Kingdom. So I definitely want to make it one of many future vacations that we can both remember fondly. Plus I think he will get a kick out of helping the planning process, too. I'm hoping at 10 he will have some more concrete memories than I do of my Disney trips from childhood. If we can do the legwork ahead of time (which it seems like through FP+ and ADRs) I can relax a bit more knowing we can get a few of the "best things" done with a short wait.

 

[Tiffylv]

.

 

[katyjeka]

We have been fortunate enough to travel with our girls quite a few places, Disney being one of them. I actually work 1 1/2 days a week to pay for our trips. From early on we decided to show our children what the world has to offer. We live in a very small town and their exposure to different cultures is limited. I hope we install in them the love of travel and the desire to seek adventure. We want them to understand how much we enjoy our family and treasure the time together as we all know it comes with an expiration date!! We were stranded in a tropical storm in Honduras, left at the airport in San Juan for almost 2 days, and visited the Grand Canyon when it was below zero, I believe our girls have learned to make the best of it and find the fun in every situation. Missing a favorite ride or meal at Disney is nothing in the scheme of things. I too read the posts and laugh to myself. People worry about the weather, grabbing a fastpass, etc... We're just so grateful to be there it really does not matter to us. If I get our dining choices great, if not so what, we are still at Disney.