"kids still too young" too "expensive"

[Colleen27]

. I kid you not, our youngest talked about it all until we went again in Sept 2011 and of course they are all still talking about WDW everyday.

My youngest is the same way. We went when she was 16mo and she picked up so many new words during that trip! For months she was talking about "Mickey's castle" every day, and when we went back when she was 30mo it was clear she remembered/recognized many things. And it is even more obvious now - we're planning a winter trip and she's asking for specific things she remembers from our March trip (and is VERY disappointed we aren't staying at Pop Century with Lady again! ). Sure, she won't remember when she's 20 but she remembers now and these experiences are shaping the person she will grow up to be.

 

[crisi]

Too expensive or I can't afford that often means "I choose not to afford that." And if they are commenting on their own financial situation, it needs to be respected (unless they are like Colleen's friends and really just need a few hints for a trip they WANT to take). If they are commenting on yours, it deserves to be ignored - as all ill mannered comments on your finances do.

"The kids are too young" - a lot of people will only make it to Disney once with their kids. If you are going to be a Disney regular, then the kids are almost never too young (once they are past the 'don't expose them to crowds newborn stage'). However, whether due to finances or just a desire to do other things with limited vacation time/money - a lot of families will go once or twice. In which case, I'd want to wait until my kids could retain a few memories as well.

 

[FiveBoys]

My favorite Disney picture is hanging on the wall right in front of me. It was taken when my second son was 14 mos old. He's with Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey and he has one hand on him with the biggest grin on his face. This photo is 6.5 years old but I still remember Wyatt running up to Mickey and turning around to look at us with such amazement! He doesn't remember, but I do. It was a very special experience for my husband and I.
We have been lucky to take many trips to Disneyland and continuing our Disney tradition is important to us so it is a priority in our budgeting. My SIL on the other hand, has no intention to take her children until they are older.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Depends on what "too young" is. I say if they are in diapers, they are too young.

As for too expensive, show me a good vacation for less.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

Yes, I will send SIl info and some prices. Hopefully they can make it. I'm sure if they tried they could but like many have said you have to want to.

 

[disykat]

Yes, I will send SIl info and some prices. Hopefully they can make it. I'm sure if they tried they could but like many have said you have to want to.

Has she ASKED for information? IMO, it is intrusive to try to talk someone into vacationing according to your wishes. You need to respect theirs, just as they need to respect yours.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Yes, I will send SIl info and some prices. Hopefully they can make it. I'm sure if they tried they could but like many have said you have to want to.

Seems like a good idea. Some people really have no idea what a Disney vacation costs and how much the cost can vary based on where you stay/ what you eat etc... I would give her some basic info. with sample costs and also maybe a couple websites for her to check out pics and then see if she wants more information...

Of course, there are some people who just don't understand the joy of a vacation and will think you are crazy no matter what you do. We got the whole "they won't remember if/ kids are too young" from people when the kids were younger. These same people also thought we were nuts for taking the kids to Discovery Cove. "Why would you pay all that $ for a 7 year old to swim with dolphins?...." They couldn't believe we would have fun visiting New York and so on...

My personal favorite though - "Why are you planning a Disney trip next year with two teenagers? Aren't they too old for Disney?"With some people it never ends....

 

[Deesknee]

Very nice of you to offer. I wouldn't take offense to them deciding to wait. When dh and I are asked what age to bring a child to disney we just say it depends on who the memories are for. the adults or the kids. For us, we try to build as many memories as we can while our kids are young. We also state that if you take your child when they are young..... you're gonna be hooked. DH always kids and advises people if they are planning on traveling many other vacation spots they should do those first, because once you take your family to disney it is going to be the only place you will want to vacation with your family from then on. (which of course brings up "you know there are other vacation desstinations than Disney....blah blah blah....).

 

[teacup princess]

Well I'm trying to book a last minute trip right now for January. Just waiting on my boss to give me approval to change my days off so they coincide with free dining. I fully expect to get some of these statements from my family.

1). DD2 will be 6 months old. No she won't remember it. But I suspect she'll have a great time. She's very interested in people watching so I know she'll be entertained. Plus I'm looking forward to the challenge of "nursing around the world" and "baby-wearing" in the world. That reminds me, I need to go read those threads.

2). I don't consider Disney to be expensive at all. For our week-long trip with 6 people it will run us $2600 including flights and food. (Considering free Dining and $1000 Disney Visa rewards). We could spend more but don't mind staying at value or moderate resorts. Everybody was willing to sacrifice for this. I got rid of my house cleaners, kids agreed not to have big birthday parties this year. That alone is more than our cost for the trip.

Now if they were to give me some useful comments on booking dining at this late a date, That's a conversation I could entertain. I suspect we may be eating all our meals at 9pm, but hey we'll roll with it. It's all good as long as it's Disney.

 

[disykat]

Very nice of you to offer. .

I know I sound like I'm being a PITA, but I really don't get it. What's nice about it? OP invited them, but it seems like they're paying for their own trip. So really, it seems to me that OP is just pressuring them to take the vacation of HER choice. Why is that nice?

OP certainly isn't the only one on this board that does this. I see it all the time here. "How can I convince my parents/friends/etc. to take a WDW vacation?"

I don't understand why people, who seem to get so upset that others don't respect their vacation choice, feel they can force their vacation choice on others.

 

[tms295psu]

We took our daughter a week before her 2nd birthday (she flew free as a lap child... I know, bad parent!)

Answering your question... I prefer my kids experience Disney when everything is still MAGIC, they believe the characters really exsist, I have photos of my daughter with expressions on her face I would pay a million times over for. If I waiting until she were 6, 8, or 10 yrs old... the MAGIC wouldn't be the same! And her "young" trip won't be her last...

 

[jennyjinx3]

I know I sound like I'm being a PITA, but I really don't get it. What's nice about it? OP invited them, but it seems like they're paying for their own trip. So really, it seems to me that OP is just pressuring them to take the vacation of HER choice. Why is that nice?

OP certainly isn't the only one on this board that does this. I see it all the time here. "How can I convince my parents/friends/etc. to take a WDW vacation?"

I don't understand why people, who seem to get so upset that others don't respect their vacation choice, feel they can force their vacation choice on others.

This is true...for me when people say they are not interested I leave it at that. If they truly want our help planning, people will approach us knowing we have been there.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I know I sound like I'm being a PITA, but I really don't get it. What's nice about it? OP invited them, but it seems like they're paying for their own trip. So really, it seems to me that OP is just pressuring them to take the vacation of HER choice. Why is that nice?

OP certainly isn't the only one on this board that does this. I see it all the time here. "How can I convince my parents/friends/etc. to take a WDW vacation?"

I don't understand why people, who seem to get so upset that others don't respect their vacation choice, feel they can force their vacation choice on others.

I know this is not exactly the same, but it took me a long time to convince my DH to take a trip to WDW. His family never went; they really didn't take vacations at all. His mother was very much of the why go anywhere if the kids won't remember, don't spend $ on vacations camp and always made negative comments when it was brought up. Many others in his family were the same. I finally convinced him to go - but I know he did it "to shut me up" not because he thought he would have any fun at all. So, his first trip was at the ripe old age of 29 and it was like I was taking 3 kids with me, LOL (DH, DS5 and DS2) Since then, he has returned to Disney and has also taken other family vacations with us (Universal/ SeaWorld, New York etc...) and loves traveling now. This is very different from the man I married who spent all his "vacation" time at home.

Had a similar issue with my brother and SIL; they had been but were very nervous about going with their kids. They finally did take a family trip and their son will tell you all about how that vacation was a highlight of his life.

Sometimes you just know somebody well enough to know that they would really love something, but just need an extra push. While I wouldn't go up to one of my colleagues or neighbors and try to change their thinking, I think it's different with family. If they are close enough to you, and you can help them in a good way, then why not?

 

[MarineVet]

As far as the "my kids are too young" thing, that is like when I was 21 and my relatives were asking me "so when are you going to get married?" And my reply was "I am too young". Not that 21 was too young, but ME at 21 - I was too young for marriage.

As to the expense - Its really very nice that so many people can take their whole family to WDW, and they have an amazing time, build the memories, etc. I say that seriously, no sarcasm. But maybe they are missing the fact that they are very blessed in this regard and not in the majority. If someone says they can't afford it, maybe its true. My family could certainly not afford it when my children were very young. Period. No need to get into all the details, but my DH and I worked hard, but didn't make much money until quite recently. We feel very fortunate to be able to go now. Just as its never too early for some, its never too late for others. Sometimes you gotta stop and smell the roses, ya know?

 

[Karenj2]

So how do you reply to the "I still think the kids are too young to go" response or the it's "too expensive"?

I didn't read through all the answers, but here are my responses (if I don't tell the person to MYOB)

Kids too young: First of all, *I* want to go, and my DD goes with where I go! And secondly, even if she can't ride all the rides yet, she's spending time with family and enjoying the atmosphere (the music, the characters, etc.)

Too expensive: I save my money, so we're never going into debt to go, and a week long trip to the Jersey Shore costs just as much, and *I* have to do the cooking & cleaning (and it's not as much fun)!

 

[kvnchapman]

For us, vacations are an investment in our family unity. In that sense, they are "priceless". Depending on our financial situation (husband is in commissioned sales), we have splurged on some occasions and "tightened the belt" on others.
We have been known to let the big kids know our general plans and explain a "light" level of gift-giving for upcoming holidays and birthdays, do bday parties at home, recommend Disney giftcards when relatives or friends ask for gifting ideas (even for the grownups - us - LOL).
WDW has several money-saving strategies they offer, such YES tickets.
We just took our 2 youngest children for their 2nd birthdays last month. It was wonderful and manageable. Babies are up early anyway, so we hit rope drop and did the parks until lunch; went back to our unit, ate lunch and the little ones napped; then they snacked or had early dinner upon awaking and we headed back out to the park for the evening. Some nights they drifted to sleep in their stroller and we stayed a bit later doing "adult" rides. Other nights we headed back and had them in bed fairly early. We equipped our diaper bag with a huge variety of snacks, a few familiar toys and comfort items and a small portable DVD player which came in quite handy during a sitdown meal. They were mesmerized by the sights and sounds, loved the kiddie rides and were totally taken by the characters, dance parties, fireworks, parades and characters. They truly "behaved" for over 85% of the trip. And the cost savings... hello??? The twins had free park entrance, ate for free off of our plates and off of their own at buffets and were showered with an immennse amount of birthday related pixie dust.
In 2012, we are taking all 5 children (at time of travel - 13,11,9 and 2 weeks shy of 3 for the little ones -free AGAIN). We are staying on property in a 4 bedroom/ 4 bathroom unit, utilizing our kitchen for most meals, doing 3 character buffets, bringing our own snacks, doing YES for our park tickets and driving down. Total cost is approximately $3100, including gas, and souvenir money. And that figure is for 7 nights.
Like I said, for us it is an investment. In memories, bonding, the fun of planning and anticipating. We enjoy the whole process.

 

[Nancyg56]

They basically did! I invited them to come with us. All of them DH's parents and DH brothers family. That was the grandparents response, "the grand kids are too young to go". Unless maybe I'm being stupid and they just don't consider DD their grandchild and are only speaking of the other two kids.

I think that perhaps you are taking this too personally. We have been invited to go with my SIS IL on their vacations for years. They own a timeshare in Mexico and have offered to give us a room and we just need to pay for the all inclusive. I have declined each time trying to be sensitive to their feelings. I have explained that we are working on our home, that we don't choose to spend the money on that vacation, that DH cannot get time from work, that we cannot afford it. She just could not take a nice "NO" for the answer so finally when she stated that we should go with them in February DH told her that he had no desire to travel to Mexico. That he would never go to Mexico. That he hated the thought of flying into Mexico. I think if she did not let it go he would have told her the truth..............

We are never vacationing with them. Period.........that we had an entire family mutiny the last time she came with us and he cringes every time she opens her mouth. He thinks her DH is a Know it All and she is mouthy and they both drink way too much for us to spend time and money trapped in a respect with them. That we love to travel with our adult children and their families and none of them will go anywhere with her again. If she goes they do not.

I believe that when folks say that they are not going to vacation it is respectful to let it go and accept on face value their reason. It sure beats beating that horse until you find out that the real reason is that they choose not to vacation with you. I am not saying that your family feels this way but I am saying that everyone allocates their time and their money in their own way and no one should feel that the only way is their way.

 

[Deesknee]

I know I sound like I'm being a PITA, but I really don't get it. What's nice about it? OP invited them, but it seems like they're paying for their own trip. So really, it seems to me that OP is just pressuring them to take the vacation of HER choice. Why is that nice?

OP certainly isn't the only one on this board that does this. I see it all the time here. "How can I convince my parents/friends/etc. to take a WDW vacation?"

I don't understand why people, who seem to get so upset that others don't respect their vacation choice, feel they can force their vacation choice on others.

If I take my children to a local park....free to the public....and I invite another to come along, I think that is nice. I am sharing my very valuable time with my children with another. Whenever I am invited somewhere I feel grateful someone welcomes me to join them. I believe an invitation is nice, whether it costs me something or not.

 

[englishteacha]

I am hoping to take baby when he/she is about a year old. I know he/she won't remember it. But I want to take my mom. She'll be 70ish when we go, and I want her to have a trip with her youngest grandchild. If I'm honest with myself about my mom's health and age and personality, she's not going to want to go to Disney when she's 76 and baby's old enough to remember the trip. (and if she is, we'll go again!) I want those memories of my mom and my baby doing something special together with our family. Mom got the chance to go on trips with all her other grandkids. I'm the youngest child of a very large family, and therefore, am the last to have a child. I know Mom won't be around forever.

So if someone says, "Baby won't remember it," I will say, "But WE will."

 

[Akliebert]

The first time we took my oldest DS is was 15 months. We are going in February and this will be his 6th trip. He will be 5. We took my youngest DS when he was almost a year. They both had fun everytime we have gone. When my youngest would get tired I would go to the room and DH would stay in the park with my oldest. My oldest loves Disney and he still remembers some things from his first visit. We all can't wait until our vacation in February. My family is coming with us. It will be my newphews first visit and he is 4.

When we went with my oldest DS the first time we asked family to come with us also. They said the same thing. They didn't want to come because he was so young. All I have to say is they missed out because he had so much fun.