Going to WDW for anniversary W/O THE KIDS! But, do I tell them?

[azcavalier]

So, my DW and I are SOOO excited to be heading to WDW in April without the kids. We're going to stay at Boardwark Villas, and be within walking distance of Epcot and Disney Studios, so we're going to take in the fireworks shows, stay out later, etc. We just can't even describe how excited we are....

But our children also are Disney freaks, and are going to be SO upset when they find out that we're going without them. So, the delimma is, do we tell them where we're going and live with the guilt? Or do we just say "On a trip" and live with the guilt?

[CleveSJM]

Not sure their ages. The younger the harder I guess but you gotta tell them. They'll understand it's "You" time and share in the excitement. Maybe let them pick a specific gift for themselves that you can "only" get at WDW.

Enjoy!

[CaptainJessicaSparrow]

How old are your children? If they are old enough to understand (I'd say around ages 7+) that the two of you are adults who would like some personal, alone time, then I would tell them.

If they are younger, I would still try to explain in the most appropriate manner that the two of you have been invited by Mickey to spend a "grown-up" vacation in honor of your anniversary.

I think you shouldn't hide it or lie to since it will make things worse when you come home with Disney memories. They might think that mommy and daddy can't be trusted and that you lied to them. Honesty is the best tool, I think, so that it builds trust and open communication between parents and children.

It's not something you should feel guilty about because there will come a time when they too will want alone time from their children and will understand (and appreciate it). As long as you leave them somewhere where they will have a lot of fun (and potentially spoiled a bit by grandparents) then they may not even flinch.

Either way, enjoy the anniversary and good luck in whatever decision you make!

[Goofeygal]

Thank you so much for this post. Me and DH are going tomorrow to disney without the kids and I was feeling the guilt but this made me feel better. THANK YOU.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We went to WDW for our honeymoon without my (now our) DD (who was then 7). She was right teed off with us for a while, especially since she had come with us on the trip where we got engaged. We didn't hide it from her, talked about our plans, etc, like it was any other trip.

We did explain to her that it was important for grown-ups to spend time together, that even though they love their kids, and enjoy spending time with them, just like kids need time to play, grown-ups need time to be alone too.

But, we explained that we needed some special adult time, and that we loved her and would take her with us the next time. She did understand and although she was a bit jealous, she was fine with it.

We did buy her some special gifts while we were there, and we did start planning our next trip when we got back, but it didn't cause us any issues at all.

So, I would recommend that you're honest, nothing is worse than finding out people have been keeping things from you, even if you are a kid.

[kdsjjb]

We were in the exact situation in September. DW and I had been wanting for years to do a trip w/o the kids, but guilt and the feeling that if we were there, the kids should be there , stopped us for years.
We went as a family in Feb, and did a big trip including WDW, SW and US, and figured that we could do it after that one, so we planned one for our anniversary in September. We told the kids from the beginning that we were thinking about it, and told them as soon as we booked it. Since they had just been there 7 months before, they were OK with it. Jealous, but OK. We eased the pain a little by promising a trip in '08 (which we are planning right now) so they really didn't complain at all. In fact, they were excited about the idea of not having us around for a few days. They are 16, 13 and 10 so they stayed for 3 days with DW's parents, right across the street and had access to our house, and then stayed 2 days with my parents in the next town.

I say tell them, be honest and you will all be better off for it.

And have a great time, WDW is a completely different experience without the kids. :woohoo: DW and I are already trying to figure out when we can do it again.

[Dsnygirl]

:mickey: First of all, congrats on your trip!! You guys are going to have SUCH a great time... my DH and I did the same in October for 3 nights/4 days, and we had the best time ever.

As far as telling your kids, I vote yes -- we told our girls (ages 6&9) and they were awesome about it... esp. since we promised some souveneirs if they were good for Grandma!! :D A lot of my friends who also have kids who love Disney as much as mine do said not to tell them, but we figured they'd do better knowing where we were, and I think it really helped them not miss us so much. We gave them an "itinerary" for each day we were there, made it funny with little comments about who we'd try to visit for them and what we'd tell them about the girls, etc... my MIL said they read it every day, and it seemed to make them feel involved. Plus, we talked to them about the fact that moms and dads need "date time" away and all that, and what better place to go than a place we could bring back really cool stuff??? :blush:

So - my vote is to let them know!! (Do you guys have a family trip coming up you can re-direct them to, as well? My girls knew we were going this upcoming December, so that probably helped, too. ;))

good luck - and have fun!! :thumbsup:

[#1donaldfan]

Tell 'em......don't ever keep things from them....how much worse would it be if you just said we going ??, and they find out you went to Disney.....it's a trust issue, as I see it.....:thumbsup:

[ThanxForNoticin]

I agree with most here - be honest and tell them. If you lie and hide it from them, you won't enjoy your time as much when you are there!

[irish1967]

DH and I did WDW alone in May 2005 for our 10 year anniversary.

We were up front about it and really stressed the adult (read "boring" to a 6yo and 8 yo) things we would be doing - so they decided that JUST FOR ONCE it would be ok.

[azcavalier]

So - my vote is to let them know!! (Do you guys have a family trip coming up you can re-direct them to, as well? My girls knew we were going this upcoming December, so that probably helped, too. ;))

good luck - and have fun!! :thumbsup:

Yes, we have a family trip coming up either in September or Jan '09. It's up in the air, but I think we're leaning towards the September "DDP is free if you come during Hurricane Season" special.

Thanks for all of the suggestions of bribery. I honestly hadn't thought about that. That just may work...

For those who asked (and I forgot to tell), our kids are 11, 8, and 3. The three year old won't get what's going on unless we tell her that "we're going to see Mickey Mouse, and you can't come". If we just say "Kids, we're going to DisneyWorld" she won't get it, and will be just fine.

I know that we're going to tell the kids, I guess that was never really an option. But I was considering not telling them until we got back with gifts. But, i'll probably do what y'all have said here. Tell them sooner rahter than later, and promise riches upon our return. Plus, remind them that we're taking them this year.

[vamaggie]

I too vote for definately telling them before. If you want to make them even more part of the trip, have them plan a few things for you (shows, certain restaurants, rides etc). Let them decide on some of the things you are going to do (within budget). You could then take pictures of you doing what they suggested so they can see it when you get back. You could also take the "Flat Stanley" approach but make it "Flat Kids". Take a pic of the 3 of them, blow it up a bit, laminate it and take pics of the "Flat Kids" at WDW with you. I'm sure they will have such a great time with the g'parents they won't even miss you.

[bshaw96]

We are doing the same thing in February, going for my birthday/Valentine's Day!!!! :cloud9:
We too are sooo excited! We never went just the 2 of us before having kiddos, so can't even imagine what it'll be like. I at first did not plan on telling them, but then I finally decided to. For a couple of reasons.
1) Where was I supposed to tell them we were for a week when they are staying with grandparents? I didn't wanna lie to them.
2) I think it's good for kids to see their parents getting away for time to themselves. It lets 'em know how much mom and dad love each other.
However you handle it, enjoy!!!!!

[crazykids]

We're going the first week of May without the kids & we are very excited! My kids are a little younger, (ages 2, 3, & 5) & I've already talked about it with them. The the older two got a little angry when I told them we were going alone. Not sure if they'll even remeber by May, but I told them that we have to go down & talk to Mickey so we can plan our next family vacation for the summer - that made everything ok. We do have a another trip scheduled in August, so we're not lying entirely! :secret:

[1EeyoreFan]

We are leaving in 2 weeks for our anniv.trip.I started preparing my son in advance. My DS14 is a little annoyed but understands. He got to go in Sept. for a week. Our only glitch is we have to take our youngest, DD 2 1/2. My parents were going to watch her but decided she was more than they could handle for that long. lol. SO...romance is out the window but we should still have an enjoyable time.

Prior to having DD my DH and I went for an anniv. and had a blast! I wouldn't feel guilty in the least. I know that is hard to do when you are a parent BUT...Mommies are better mommies when they get some down time. lol

Enjoy and think of us without the luxury of an option. lol.

[em-n-mia's-mommy]

we went this past september without our children, who at the time were ages 4, 2, and 7 months. We told them to prepare them for the fact that they were going to be with nana for a while. DD- age 4 was fine with it at first but when we dropped her off at nanas house for the week things didnt go so well. She did calm down but insisted she was coming to DW with mommy and daddy. After a day or two mom said she calmed down and accepted the fact. They will be fine! Have fun and enjoy yourself!

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

Well, my situation was a little different because I left DH home with the kids. ;)

But, I just went for a few days with a couple of friends and told my kids where I was going.
They are 10,8 and 4 so close to your kids ages.

They were a little miffed in the beginning but we talked about it and then they were fine. Of course, promising lots of pics and presents when I came home helped.

We have already told them that DH and I might be going for a few days this year without them and they said they were fine as long as they got a trip in too.

I also stayed at Boardwalk Villas and while it was not my favorite, you cannot beat the location. Walking to MGM and EPCOT was awesome!! You will have a great time!!

[azcavalier]

I also stayed at Boardwalk Villas and while it was not my favorite, you cannot beat the location. Walking to MGM and EPCOT was awesome!! You will have a great time!!

BV is not our home resort for DVC, OKW is. But we couldn't get a studio at Boardwalk Villas for the whole week anyway, so we're staying there the first two nights, and then kitting OKW the last two nights. We're going to take advantage of the first two nights by eating at Disney Studios and seeing Fantasmic! (which we've never seen at WDW...we've seen the Disneyland version) and then walking home. Then the next night we're going to see Illuminations! at Epcot and then walk home. We've never seen them before, because we've always been with kids and didn't want to stay out that late. They were always grumpy tired as it was. And then to have to fight the crowds for the buses and the ride back to the resorts....sheesh. So, we're going to hit those things on this trip.

[Nurse Kim]

I am glad to see this post. My DH and I are taking our kids in March but also want to plan a trip for just the two of us. I think by taking them first they will be ok with it. My DS keeps telling me he isn't going because he doesn't wanna fly. It's really freaking him out.