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I didn’t have the Disney experience growing up and don’t feel robbed at all. I was fortunate to be able to go on a lot of great trips growing up. Disney just wasn’t on the list.
We’ll probably take our girls once or twice, but we also have family that live in the general area, so it’ll double as a visit.
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I didn’t go to Disney growing up and don’t feel like I missed out. I’m not opposed to taking our children one day if they express an interest in going, but as of now we have no plans to go. In your shoes, I would pick somewhere that the two boys might enjoy visiting and take a trip with your friend, but like you said, the boys will have a great time wherever you go because they will enjoy just being together.
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Thank you so much all for chiming in. I read every one of them. I probably can't reply to everyone, I apologize but I'll try:
@Mama Bird: I am the same with you when it comes to travel.
@Jennibenni: ha, actually, no! But then I also didn't request when I was 7 because I didn't know better. My parents took me (it was a trip to Japan, and that was just a day in the itinerary), and I was smiling ear to ear the whole time.
How funny, before bedtime I asked DS, if he gets to pick bowling, Six Flags, Disney Cruise, Disney World, which one would he pick - he said bowling. LOL
@Anagram: We are in GA - the most convenient inconvenient place. We are close enough to have no excuse not to go, and everyone around us is going, and it is such a chore to make a trip to go. We talked about going at an absolute low crowd time too, but it would be so odd to pull DS out of school just 2 days after the beginning of school, or a week after Thanksgiving, "because we have to go to Disney" (They will be in 1st grade). Beginning of March is a medium crowd time and that's when DS has spring break but our friend has to pull her DS out of school. Nothing is perfect and everything is up in the air.
@snowjewelz: We also took DS to a ton of places (Sydney when he was 5.5 months, Then London, Paris, Osaka+Kyoto, Hong Kong, Hawaii...etc. etc.), I am curious to know how he feels about them. There was also part of the reason why DH voted no for Disney. He said we took him to places that Disney is irrelevant. He said the reason why I was so excited back then was because that was my first overseas trip, which could be true.
@snowjewelz: @Josina: Trust me, if you operate like me (that I only want to do it once to check off my list), and if you can, take them BEFORE they go to first grade, or even kindergarten. You don't want to go to Disney when it is high crowd, and high crowd is always at school holidays. How I regretted not taking them when they were 4-5 (preschool/ pre-k), when it is more OK to pull them out of school! That would be a much much easier decision.
@bubblegum: MY EXACT FEAR!!!! I can't have a 40 year old man calling me (when I am 80 lol) and questioning why I never took him to Disney when he was a child lol
@Charm54: Glad you had a good time! That sounds like DH (and me) about Disney Cruise. I was soooo against Disney but the Cruise totally softened me. DH was more excited taking pics with the character than DS was lol
@Alba4: Yes to money trap. Somehow we are all (or maybe just me) still losing sleep over it.
@shabang: You are right RE: economically diverse area.
@kiddosc: Thanks. True. I didn't even think of convincing DH. All I said is we have to go. you don't have to but I have to make sure this happens to DS. lol. In fact, DH was not invited because he was against going, and he can be such a Debbie-Downer.
@DesertDreams88: Do you have experience going in early March / when it is classified as a "medium crowd" period?
@Elbiekay: agree to EVERYTHING you said. The only thing is, one thing my friend (yes, the same one who spent 3 hours going through all the reasons why we shouldn't go lol) said last year that really resonates with me - she said we have to go soon, because as they grow older, magic will disappear. a 6 years old's experience maybe totally different from a 16 years old. I am afraid when he was able to ask to go, it would have become something else. If he didn't ask, then he potentially could have missed out the magic he could have experienced at childhood. I don't know. Maybe I am crazy lol.
@Mrs. Tiger: Dutch Wonderland! Sounds amazing! I think DH is planning to take us to Lego headquarters in Denmark next year (DS is obsessed with LEGOS). Let me tell him about the Dutch Wonderland LOL.
Also, I literally asked DS before bedtime, he said he didn't care for Six Flags (we went half a year ago). Hmm.
@skipra: That is too precious!
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: My friend and I were already talking about heading to the park brightey early, have lunch, and leave around 2pm and relax at the hotel. If the crowd is not so bad maybe we'll stay after the parade. Don't care about the fireworks. Trust me. We are really just getting it checked off the list, and we are definitely not planning on hitting everything. (But even that we are still not cite about it)
@Silva: Yes, agree with what you said, hence my dilemma. I'd rather go to a real trip visiting a real place any given day.
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We have no plans to take our kids. We travel a lot with them, and my ILs live relatively close to Euro Disney, but it is not at all on our radar. It seems so expensive for what it is and I would much rather put that money into a different trip. In any case, my kids barely know what Disney is and I doubt they’ve ever heard of the theme park.
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@irene: I did Disneyland in mid-March, DisneyWorld in June. Didn't notice big crowds either time or too-big lines (about 1 a day.) We used fast passes 3-4 times a day for the popular rides. Most lines are covered or indoors or have fans. Best of all, many lines have a couple of TVs that play videos related to the ride, and that talk directly to the viewers. Also the line areas are decorated and have different segments... I don't know how to explain that part but basically it breaks up the monotony. Also, talking to each other helps
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@irene: Ok, so after thinking about it some more I realize the complexity of it probably isn’t fully conveyed. However, it sounds like your son probably is aware of it enough to want to go or not based on how many people you know/how many people in your area who make it a big deal? Like if kids are talking about Disney trips all the time?
I didnt go as a kid but I’ve been several times as an adult and I’m just not that into it. It’s not magical to me, it’s a top tier theme park with overpriced hotels, long lines, and food that is just ok considering the insane price point. That doesn’t mean it’s not fun! But so are millions of other places.
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If you don't want to go so bad, then don't, especially if DS isn't asking to do it....
My Disney experience is this:
my parents took my when I was in 5th grade, it was a great trip but it wasn't magical..I do remember it and have fond memories and I am thankful they took me. I think I was a tad too old though.I went again when I was a senior in highschool with my class and it was AWESOME!! Totally loved the roller coasters and entertainment.
We took DD this past January, she's 4 and I have to admit it was AWESOME. It was magical for her, she's the perfect age. I planned and planned and it was a great trip. So great that even my DH who is not into Disney was asking if DD wanted to come again next year even before we left!
We will plan to go again in 2-3 years when DS is 3 or 4 and DD is 7 or 8
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For me at this stage in my life, vacation planning falls into two buckets, family visits and fun destinations. It's important to me at this point to support my child's interests. Yesterday, we went to see SpongeBob on Broadway. In May we're going to Monster Jam and two weeks ago we went to a car show. Would I have chosen these things? No, but my son expressed interest and my husband and I made it happen. That is how I felt about a Disney vacation, we went when my son expressed interest, which happened to be when he was 3 and 4 years old. Now, he prefers Universal Studios because he's into SpongeBob, the Simpsons and the Minions. We also have a season pass to Six Flags. We just do a lot of kid related things at this time with a beach component for the adults.
I really think the genius of Disney (and character theme parks) is the experience. You go from a movie, to a show, to a toy, to meeting a live character. It's a unique experience and I think it's great to be able to give that to my kid. But that doesn't mean I think museums are a huge waste of time, we just do those in a different way and not on vacation at this time.
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I wont take my kids- first of all they aren't into characters at all and second it sounds SOOOO stressful when I read posts about it - no thanks! Much rather use that money and vacation elsewhere!
ETA: I never went as a kid but went at 26 and there was no magic - LOL - just a theme park to me at that age
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@irene: Hahaha I hear you! I think if you have the money, just bite the bullet. You don't have to do the whole Disney resort and you can even just go to Florida in general and make a fun vacation without Disney overload but do magic Kingdom for a day so DS can't say he's never been.
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@irene: My guess is we probably won't go. My parents took my sister and I (I was 7) and I remember liking it but not more than other trips we took. We also only went because my dad had business nearby (we always did vacations near where my dad was working). My husband is very anti-Disney- doesn't get the hype, doesn't like crowds, etc. I'm more on the fence, so I think our kids would have to express a strong desire to go for us to prioritize it over other experiences. We also aren't done having kids, and ideally I'd want to go when the youngest was at least 4 if we did go. I absolutely do not think you'd be robbing your son of anything by not taking him, FWIW. It doesn't sound like he's desperate to go, and even if he was... well, like is full of disappointments and nobody gets everything they want, and in some ways I think that's a more important value to instill in kids than a magical Disney experience. IF we do go someday, I'd be really tempted to pull my kids out of school at an off time to lessen crowds, especially if they can make up any work they'd miss at school. (That might be a controversial opinion though
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Nope. Hard pass. My family had 6 kids and we went once when I was around 12. My younger brothers enjoyed it and so did I, but no more than any other theme park. Now that I'm older, listening to my mother talk about it, I have no interest in taking my young children. I have very little interest in taking them even when they're older.
Here's why:
DH is super prone to motion sickness. As in one bad ride and he's out of commission the rest of the day. I very much dislike rides that go up and down. That sensation of your stomach dropping? Yep, least favorite. So who on earth is going to go on rides with our kids?That is of course if our children are ever tall enough for the rides. We're short and so are they...
We're all pale as ghosts and sunburn easily, so standing around in lines in the sun equals misery later or sunscreen wrestling.
Probably the biggest reason, it is expensive. You know what isn't? The beach, National Parks, Children's museums, even the zoo isn't anything compared to Disneyland.
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I frankly don't understand the concept of doing anything because other people are doing it. Your family, your rules, end of story. I have a ton of friends, including people who grew up with Disney, who have no plans to take their kids for whatever reasons, and that's perfectly fine. I have friends who only go to Disney for vacations, and I don't get that either. I didn't grow up with Disney, but I came to love it as an adult, and my husband does too, so we've been showing our daughter the movies and cartoons, and she's head over heels for princesses and all the girly Disney stuff, so we went in February (she was just past 4 and a half) and had an amazing time. We planned it for when it would be less crowded, we paid extra to stay on property, and it was worth it. But we likely won't go again unless she really wants to when she's older because we want to see more of the world and have her have those experiences as well. This really is up to you.
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@irene: I don't share your perspective on needing to provide a "magical" Disney experience. Disney is a big publicly traded conglomerate. They don't have a monopoly on childhood magic. They want to hook your family so they can sell things to you and make money.
When I was still single in my early 30s, I spent a few days at a lodge in the Amazon rainforest. At one point we took a canoe down a small stream surrounded by beautiful flora. It really was a magical experience. One of the women in the group gasped and said, "This is just like Disney World!" Um. Sure except that it's an actual an authentic real world experience.
I don't want my kids to think Disney = magic. That is not part of my value system, so why would I bother to prioritize it when I plan family vacations? It makes no sense especially considering that I actively deprioritize it the rest of the time.
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Thank you so much again for your perspective, and again, thank you so much for so many of you assuring me that you are actually not planning to go to WDW with your LOs. I honestly had no idea. There are so many Disney World planning threads up here, and everyone around us have gone at least once already. So in my very narrow world, it quickly equates to, all kids go to Disney, and if I have the abilities and choose not to take DS there, I am a terrible person / bad mother.
I am still very perplexed and flip-flopping every minute. I had this image of our 2 boys having so much fun staying at the Animal Kingdom lodge (yeah, at least we decided on that one but that's about it lol).
To complicate the matter, in a way, it was ME who suggested going with my friend last year. At a gathering, she told us that she is taking her DS to Disney in Spring break this year (she is divorced so I assumed it would just be both of them). Knowing that DH didn't want to go, I suggested we should go together. Then when we talked logistics a few months later, she has said she originally was going to go with her side of family. Then, out of nowhere, DH booked the Disney Cruise for spring break (so we sort of have the "Disney" covered). This makes me feel really guilty: if we decide not to go, I am not just robbing my DS' childhood but robbing her DS as well. (please pardon me for using the phrase "robbing someone's childhood", purely just a phrase / exaggeration to use in this situation) She has mentioned she doesn't care, but I don't know.
Anyhoo. I have just texted my friend a bit of my thoughts, that we could book a small getaway trip on mother's day weekend together instead, or like @bubblegum: said, maybe we'll make it a very short thing and just hit the magic kingdom (what a great idea!). Again, everything is still very up in the air. Please don't judge me if I end up coming back asking for advice for doing the big Disney trip! haha
Thank you all again
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