Duo vs. Kids at Disney World

 

We’re anxiously waiting to enter Magic Kingdom. The excitement is building. The sound of music and laughter ring in our ears. We’re slowly walking hand in hand and we see it… Cinderella Castle, lit up in all its glory. I look at him and a smile has come across his face. There’s a twinkle in his eye; never mind the tears streaming from mine. There’s a pause before moving along to “the plan”. In that moment we’re just happy to be right where we are.

So, who am I with? My hubby or my little boy? Well, the same could be said of the time I was there with my hubby, just the two of us, or of an evening when it was just the kids and I on our recent trip. You see, in my adult life, I’ve been to Disney twice- once a few years ago with my husband, and once a few weeks ago with my kids (and hubby’s family), sans husband. I thought I’d share with you some of the similarities and some of the differences of the two trips, or rather Traveling to Disney with your Significant Other vs. Traveling to Disney with Children.

One thing they most definitely have in common is that you get to be in the Most Magical Place on Earth with someone you care about. And to see them having a good time is always such a wonderful experience. Whether it was a smile on my husband’s face or the face on one of my children, it just made my day!

Differences?

Well, we had to attempt to plan around rests for the kids, where as my hubby and I could just go, go, go. The same could be said of planning when to leave the parks at night. No late extra magic hours for Bubby, but Boo and I loved late nights at MK and Downtown Disney!

I feel like the pace was definitely different with children than it was without. I felt very rushed with the kids. They were always wanting to run on to the next thing, along with some of the adults we were traveling with as well ;-). Now, that’s not to say I don’t get on a mission myself, but with the kids it just felt like we were always on the move. When it was Boo and I, we did have an agenda, but we could go at a much slower pace. Stop to see some of Disney’s hidden beauties. Change course if needed.

Speaking of changing courses… Boo and I were much better able to roll with the punches. Go with the flow. To deviate from the kids’ plan was a bit more difficult! Telling Bug we’d ride Haunted Mansion again in a little bit, but then going to several other things which took us too far from HM to ride again that night, did not go over well.

A perk to having the kids with us on the trip- I didn’t get all the strange looks for stopping to see the characters without kids. With the kids, no one questioned my jumping in the picture 🙂 Boo & I dined at Cinderella’s Royal Table and people definitely looked me over as I participated in the ceremonies, wand and all! However with kids, no one judged me at Chef Mickey’s when I stood up to join the little dance party and twirl my napkin over my head!

 

As for some similarities, if you’d call them that…

Disney is so family oriented whether your family is just the two of you, the two of you and kids, or a single parent with kids. They have something for everyone. Since Disney likes to accommodate everyone on their magical vacations there’s plenty the whole family can do together! Most rides can be done at any age, size or shape! Those that require you to be a little taller, or rather not so short, offer a Rider Swap option. This is where one person stays off with the too little one(s) while the rest of the party rides the ride. Be sure to tell a CM before heading in that you’ll be doing the Rider Swap. Once they’re done, they slip the pass on over to the patient parent for them to skip the line and get in on the excitement. I believe up to two others in the party can join in on the second time as well, so that rider doesn’t have to go alone. In our case though, we had plenty of adults who were willing to sit off with Bubby since they wouldn’t ride either. Boo skips the thrill rides as well, so I was using the Single Rider Line on our trip anyway.

Another something Disney makes an attempt at pleasing everyone with is restaurants. While some with children would possibly prefer to forego any table service meals, we have always taken our kids to a variety of restaurants so they’re accustomed to behaving at sit down meals (although not every meal is without incident with the 2 year old…). There were a few restaurants we ate at when it was just us two and when it was the whole crew. A favorite on both trips was the Hoop Dee Doo Revue! You can’t go wrong there! It was an especially fun night when it was he and I (can you say “All you can drink beer or sangria!”), and still just as much fun on a more responsible, parenting, iced tea kind of night.

While there were some attractions each of the children didn’t like, we were able to enjoy all of the same shows, rides, and fun that Boo & I enjoyed on our trip alone. To hear the kids’ laughter and see their faces as they experienced all of these things though… Wow! It was just amazing.

I had such a wonderful time on both trips. Asking me to compare the two was like trying to compare apples to oranges. You just can’t; they’re both so good, but so different. I am so glad I was able to experience Disney with my husband for an awesome adventure. It’s a trip I’ll never forget. There were so many special moments. Moments that weren’t cut short by a screaming kid or an inpatient child tugging at your arm. At the same time though, the time with my children in Disney was equally priceless. To have experienced Disney through the eyes of babes was amazing. Their excitement radiated. There were so many moments that made my heart melt and my eyes gush!

While it’s difficult to imagine going without my kids again, I would definitely enjoy another adult adventure to the World someday.

Have any of you parents had the pleasure of going to Disney without the kiddos? What were some differences you noticed?