Leaving kids at home...pros and cons

[normbalko]

I need some advice. I am itching to return to WDW, but now that we have three kids (8, 4, and 1.5), it is getting a little pricey. My 8 year old has been to WDW twice (last when she was 5), and to DL once. She is at an age where she'd be more willing to do some stuff she couldn't/wouldn't do before. The 4 year old is leery of most things now.

My question is, is it wrong to maybe just take the 8 year old and leave the other two with family? And then next time, just take one of the other kids, so on and so forth? It seems like the 8 yr old would enjoy it the most and be able to enjoy it more w/o being slowed down by a larger group. My 4 year old has already told me he won't go on anything because it's all "scary".

OR, is that just wrong to split up the family during a "family" vacation? Anybody else do this or try this? I'm torn.

 

[UPbeekeeper]

Personally, I'd rather take the entire family, and just cut corners and go cheaply. Stay offsite, pack snacks, don't eat dinners at the park, etc. Not sure how long you normally go, but maybe take a shorter trip. Anything to save a little money. But I would definitely bring the entire family along.

 

[real mad hatter]

Oh No.

You'll live to regret it in years to come,trust me.That's all iam going to say.

 

[GoochDSA]

At first I thought "I don't see why not" but the more I thought about it, the less I liked the idea of splitting up the family and, IMO, you're asking for nothing but trouble if you start to take only 1 kid at a time. Is it an option to go on an adult only trip, sans kids? It will give you 2 a chance to do all those things you can't usually do, stay where maybe you normally couldn't stay and go at a time of year you normally couldn't go (like durring F&W in October, hint hint wink wink). My fiancee and I go without kids and have an absolute blast. Not to mention it gives us a chance to act like a couple of kids without having to worry about kids.

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

Personally, I'd rather take the entire family, and just cut corners and go cheaply. Stay offsite, pack snacks, don't eat dinners at the park, etc. Not sure how long you normally go, but maybe take a shorter trip. Anything to save a little money. But I would definitely bring the entire family along.

I have to agree. There are so many ways to cut corners, even if (dare I say it) stay off property. We have done that in the past (Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista) then did the magic your way pkg plus dining. My theory was always, when there's a will there's a way. Face it Mom, you wouldn't have a *magical* time knowing the other children weren't with you. I went to Disney once without my son (he was much older) and cried myself to sleep. Nothing is more powerful than a mother's guilt, and I swore, I'd never do that again! Good luck and happy planning :wave:

 

[zurgandfriend]

You'll live to regret it in years to come,trust me.That's all iam going to say.

You took the words out of my mouth. This will come back and bite you many, many times.

 

[mickeysshoes]

I have to agree with all the above posts. Its got to be all or nothing. Find a way to make it work for everyone or leave all 3 kids with family and just the 2 of you go. I feel that older kid will have power over the younger one. Monkey see monkey do kind of thing!! Let that work to your advantage.

 

[normbalko]

thanks for the advice! we have always stayed at CBR, but considered staying at a value resort. I don't know if we could stay offsite, we rely on the disney transportation too much (for nap times and such), and really the resort has become such a huge part of the vacations itself, i'd hate to leave that out of it.

we usually stay 8 days, i suppose we could cut that down to 5. i'd love to have a "just the two of us" trip, but i fear we'd regret it and the 8 yr old would freak out if we went w/o her!

 

[Princess_Minnie]

"But Mom, you took her/him to Disney World!" :hammer:

Imagine this everytime the left behind kids want ANYTHING. As a person having gone on many many many Disney family vacations with the whole family, I would be completely outraged if my parents took my sister and left me behind.

With kids or leave them all. It will be easier in the long run! And my parents went on a solo trip when I was about 13 and they had a great time!

If you take them all, remember baby swap. When I was little we used this all the time. I also got all my sister's autographs because she was scared TO DEATH of the characters, but refused not to get autographs. There's ways around everything!

If you have all the kids with you, you won't be worried about the ones left at home. If you don't bring them, you won't disrupt one kid's vacation to check on the other kids at home.

 

[pixiesteno]

Don't do it. I thought I would never hear this but I was wrong. Here's the scene : 2004 first trip for me since 1980, first trip for DH and youngest DS; oldest DS could not go he was in the USMC and in Baghdad. Fast forward to family trip in 2008, DH, youngest DS, and I go. Oldest DS is home from USMC, now married with two young sons and newly born twins. Subsequent trips still finds oldest DS married, now with 5 children, also back in the service with the US Army. Believe it or not there is still an occasional whine from oldest DS (who will be 29) this year about his brother going and him not. Now, mind you, oldest DS went to Disneyland while still in HS with his uncle on a trip to CA that youngest son did not go on.
You will regret it. Take a trip with you and your spouse and enjoy an adults only trip

 

[mrsdanalind]

I have to agree with all the above posts. Its got to be all or nothing. Find a way to make it work for everyone or leave all 3 kids with family and just the 2 of you go. I feel that older kid will have power over the younger one. Monkey see monkey do kind of thing!! Let that work to your advantage.

We have always taken our kids, until they age of 18. At that point they were more inclined to go with out the "rants" than with. But that aside, if you go cheaply, (value resort, one room, ) and with a meal package it's not that expensive. We cut back on the buying and just enjoyed the parks, not the shopping. We budget for the spending so that we could do our Christmas shopping in, and saved there. There are ways to cut the cost, and not leave anyone home.

 

[real mad hatter]

Happy Ever After.

thanks for the advice! we have always stayed at CBR, but considered staying at a value resort. I don't know if we could stay offsite, we rely on the disney transportation too much (for nap times and such), and really the resort has become such a huge part of the vacations itself, i'd hate to leave that out of it.

we usually stay 8 days, i suppose we could cut that down to 5. i'd love to have a "just the two of us" trip, but i fear we'd regret it and the 8 yr old would freak out if we went w/o her!

Well if we were in your shoes,so to speak,we would do as you are planning,cut from a eight day to a five day,go from mod resort to value,plan ways of saving on food by sharing the huge portions that you get,[ at least we think their huge] and lots more.Hope you make it as a family vacation and iam sure you will,and I know that this story will have a happy ever after.:wave:

 

[mickeysshoes]

We have always taken our kids, until they age of 18. At that point they were more inclined to go with out the "rants" than with. But that aside, if you go cheaply, (value resort, one room, ) and with a meal package it's not that expensive. We cut back on the buying and just enjoyed the parks, not the shopping. We budget for the spending so that we could do our Christmas shopping in, and saved there. There are ways to cut the cost, and not leave anyone home.

How did you stop taking them??? :shrug:....Mine are 20 and almost 18 and they are still getting vactions paid for the RANTS...I am doing something wrong!!! :lol: The hard part for me is getting the HD to agree to leave them home. :ROFLOL:

 

[Susan Savia]

We always took both kids. They slept in the stroller if tired, we stayed offsite (as always) and if there was a ride the other didn't want to go on, we simply sat it out and then when that parent come off it, the other parent got to go and the child got to go Again! She loved that....Every year our group picture with Mickey or in front of Epcot was taken of us together. I vote you all go. You'll look back later and be glad you did.

 

[wdwmomof3]

I am glad that you are considering changing to a value resort and cutting a few days off so that the whole family can go. You will already be saving a lot because the youngest gets in free so don't forget about that.

Just wait until all three are considered adults, and you have to get two rooms at a value, or a room at Riverside to accommodate everyone. It's hard to do that on a budget, trust me.:hammer: Just enjoy these days!:lol:

 

[notslim99]

It's all kids or no kids. I suggest just going as a couple. When we realized that we hadn't been anywhere by ourselves since our honeymoon, my DW and I booked the POFQ last March and did WDW as a couple. It was phenomenal. The only drawback is that you'll miss your kids like crazy, but we had a great time and spent some quality alone time together while experiencing the magic. Of course, the guilt of leaving our DS behind was evident in our extravagant (for us) spending on a truck load of souvenirs for him. :lol:

 

[foreverbelle]

Like everyone else, you may regret it years to come. Though I will say growing up my parents did the same sort of thing though on a different level. They always did trips with just us. So my dad took my sister to Disney one year, while my mom took my older sister to somewhere else-she was in HS at the time so I think they went to NYC to see broadway shows-. While it may not have been idle to most people, at the same time having that individual trip also created some outstanding memories.

 

[tarin24u]

Everyone is pretty much saying the same thing for a reason... and you will feel so sad when you are watching a parade or sharing some lovely moment and you realize you didn't bring all your children. If you can't do it this year wait until next year and do it.

 

[mrsdanalind]

How did you stop taking them??? :shrug:....Mine are 20 and almost 18 and they are still getting vactions paid for the RANTS...I am doing something wrong!!! :lol: The hard part for me is getting the HD to agree to leave them home. :ROFLOL:

Easy I started making them pay for their part of the vacation. This is the last year that our youngest is going to go with out paying.. NEXT YEAR.. muhhhhahhha. We are aslo having a family reunion this year, my oldest daughter,her husband and two kids, my son and his wife,my mother ( who is going to be 83 and it's her first Disney trip) my DH and I. My SILs mom and aunt. So it will be a big party.
My youngest is inviting her best friend and her boyfriend...
LOOKING FOWARD to December 1 st..

 

[etpinge]

It's all kids or no kids. I suggest just going as a couple. When we realized that we hadn't been anywhere by ourselves since our honeymoon, my DW and I booked the POFQ last March and did WDW as a couple. It was phenomenal. The only drawback is that you'll miss your kids like crazy, but we had a great time and spent some quality alone time together while experiencing the magic. Of course, the guilt of leaving our DS behind was evident in our extravagant (for us) spending on a truck load of souvenirs for him. :lol:

I second the go as a whole or just as a couple. My DW and I have done WDW and DLR by ourselves and only WDW with the whole family.

Either resort as a couple changes the way you see things. Dinners are less rushed and usually a bit more dressed up. Time isn't as rushed and when you hear a scream or cry you joke, its not us, right? But you do feel a little guilty and you definitely miss the kids by the end of the trip.

Strongly encourage a trip with just your sig other. Its so much fun and then to suppress the guilt, go back with the kiddos.