Will this ruin the magic of Disney for our kids?

[hipporina]

We took our kids to Disney in May 03 and all had a blast. We are thinking about going back in Jan 05 for the marathon (if we can figure out what to do with the kids during the race) and in Aug/Sept 05 for a trip with our extended family. We are also thinking about getting ap's and maybe squeezing in a third trip too.

My concern is that some of the thrill and magic of going to Disney will be diminished if we go that much so close together. I was watching the planning video and people talk about their kids shaking with excitement at seeing the castle and I want them to feel that way. I definately don't want them to reach the point where Disney isn't thrilling and exciting. If we do go those times, we will probably take a few years off to go other places.

Our other option is to leave the kids home with family for the marathon weekend, which would solve the child care issue, and go somewhere else for vacation this summer. Then we would return to Disney in Aug/Sept with the whole family. What do you guys think?

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I don't think Disney ever loses it's magic, for any one.

How old are the children?

My family went several times a year when my brother and I were kids and we never got bored or sick of it.

 

[kilee]

Personally I would go to Disney as much as I could. I think kids that get to go a lot do tend to take Disney trips for granted alitte bit. But when they get older I think they will realize just how special those trips really were. If you can do it, why not, because who knows what the following year might bring.

 

[My5Mouseketeers]

I know this is not the same as WDW, but we have passes to Six Flags Great Adventure. My kids (8,7,7,3, 1) get excited every single time we go. Even if we go twice in the same weekend. They still want to hug the characters and stand in lines for their favorite rides. It has not lost its special feeling.

And Great Adventure is NOTHING compared to WDW.

 

[CamColt]

I dont think it would ruin the magic at all. It hasnt for my kids.
My 7 yo DS has his 7th trip planned for July and that will my 4yo's 6th trip. They still love it. In fact just today my 7yo took our trip photo albums off the shelf and started going through all of them. And I was watching a video of our trip from 2 years ago while I walked on the treadmill. When I said to DS "I have 1 minute left", he replied "Nooo, dont shut off the video". Ive created monsters.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Originally posted by hipporina
My concern is that some of the thrill and magic of going to Disney will be diminished if we go that much so close together. I was watching the planning video and people talk about their kids shaking with excitement at seeing the castle and I want them to feel that way.

We go every single year. The kids are 8 & 11. They definitely don't "shake with excitement" when they see the castle however they love to go and are really excited every time. In order to keep it special, we try to do something new every trip, one trip it was the Hoop De Doo, another time it was the Family Magic Tour(their favorite activity ever!), one time it was Disney Quest, this time it will be the Illuminations cruise. You can still keep it magical and your kids can still enjoy it.....ours certainly do!

 

[Robo]

Originally posted by hipporina
My concern is that some of the thrill and magic of going to Disney will be diminished if we go that much so close together.

I always wondered that about myself.
Found out last year.
My DW and I live in the Kansas City, MO area, so Orlando is NOT just down the block.
I'm a freelance video producer so I can sometimes wrangle my schedule around vacation trips.
My DW has been with the same company for MANY years and has several weeks' vacation time available.
Conditions were favorable for a "Disney Fling".
We made a scheduled trip to WDW on Feb. 1, 2003 for 10 days.
We bought AP's because we thought we "might" return for maybe an early Christmas trip right after Thanksgiving.
Ah, but now, after we get back home, we have these "free" themepark tickets burning holes in our pockets.

It gets to be April 2003 and we think we'll drive down to Branson, MO in May for a little R&R (a 5-hour drive, if you count Wal-Mart stops along the way).
I ask, "How much do hotel rooms in Branson cost? (We never stay in lavish resorts, anyway.)
SHE replies, "About $69 a night."
I say, "Let's call WDW and see how much an ALL STAR room costs, off-season with an AP.
We do... and its $59 a night... at WDW... NOT Branson.
She asks, "How much does round-trip airfare cost between KC and Orlando this time of year?"
I say, "I'll go on-line."
I do... and each person's ticket is about $130... round-trip to WDW... NOT Branson.
Flying and staying on-property at WDW was "cheaper" than driving/staying/buying show tickets/etc. in Branson, MO, our home state.

Where do you suppose we went... WDW... NOT Branson.
We "only" stayed 7 days this trip... so that's 17 days within 3 months time.

Fade-Out/Fade In... its almost Fall... Still have those "free" tickets taunting us to USE them again.
By now we know what to ask for and how much it should cost... and we found we could get (aprrox.) the same deals as before... if we go after Oct. 2nd.
And... We DO!
This trip, no holding back, 10 more days.

So in 2003 we two KC folks spent 27 days (almost a month) in WDW.

And I'm ready to go again!

I was so afraid I'd "ruin" it with too much of a good thing...
But after these 3 close-together trips, I'm not worried about that anymore.
With each trip I find unique "Disney Moments" that make wanting to return that much more urgent.

I just remember it this way... In 200"3", we went "3" times.
Will we go 3 times in one year again?

Well, not this year (once may be it.)

But "5" trips in 200"5"... now there's a challenge!

 

[lwestwise]

I have been well over 50 times and would always go again tomorrow. I have taken my kids many times and grandkids as well and they would go again tomorrow. I can't imagine losing the magic.

 

[hipporina]

Thanks so much! I feel a lot better about it now. My boys are 8, 3.5, and 5 months, so when we go in Jan they will be 9, 4.5, and 14 months. Our first trip was so incredible and I just hope future trips will be as good!

We have never been anywhere else major with the kids (we've done weekend trips to San Antonio and such) because we've only had the older 2 for a year and a half (they are adopted) and the little guy for a month (foster/working on adoption) and there are so many places I want to take them. But I guess they are still young enough that there is plenty of time left to take them the other places we want to go too.

Besides, we all love WDW and it would give us a chance to stay at several different resorts. Now if I can just figure out childcare for the marathon, I will make my reservations!

 

[ducklite]

I think Kids Night Out does childcare any time of the day or night, you might want to try them.

As an FYI, depending on where you stay you might need them as early as about 3:30-4:00am.

Anne

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My kids have gotten sick of WDW. We went when my kids were 10, 7, and 4 for our first time. Three years later (and with the addition of a child) we went back and got APs that time. The kids were then 13, 10, 7, and 1yo. We all went twice that year, once my DH and I brought the baby (DH had a conference), and at the end of the AP I went and met my sister. I was not sick of WDW, but my older kids had had enough. Last April we bought Universal APs and now have the same issue with our oldest kids (now 16, 13, and 10yo). The Universal APs have now expired and my 4yo and I have WDW APs. I never tire of the parks, both the WDW ones and the Universal ones, but I'm afraid my DH and my older children do.

As the saying goes, I need to "plant my own garden", so I'm going to use my AP 3-4 times this year, with various people. So, yes, some kids don't want to go time after time.

T&B

 

[jl3614]

I'm going to be in the minority with this post, but this was our experience.

Our kids are almost 4 and just turned 6. We just returned from our third spring break trip in a row (1st week of April each year).

The kids enjoyed themselves no doubt - but certainly not as much as the previous two trips. They had great interest in some attractions at each park, but overall they had more periods of not caring - especially at AK.

The 6 yr old DS wanted to leave the park de jour most days after a couple of hours - he was bored. All he wanted to do was go back and play by/in the pool. He would have been happy anywhere that had a pool. As far as he was concerned we could have stayed at the local Hollidome (1 mile down the road), and it would have been a great trip.

so at least for our kids the maog if not lost, had some lusture (sp?) missing.

Jeff

 

[jl3614]

Sorry, I didn't proof read before submitted -

The word in the last sentence should be "magic" not "maog".

I assume you still got the jist of my thought.