If you’re like me, you dreamed for a long time of the day when you would finally take your children to Walt Disney World for the first time. You planned and prepped (and saved!) and looked forward to the trip with great anticipation. When that magical day arrived, do you remember the look on their faces as they discovered all the fantastic reasons you were so excited to take them there? They see Mickey Mouse in person! They watch Tinker Bell fly! They’re mesmerized by the Magic Kingdom’s afternoon parade. That look of
wonder is something that stays with you long after your vacation is over. It’s a big part of what keeps calling you back and you think – it just can’t get any better than this!
Flash forward a few years. Now you are a family of seasoned Disney World vacationers. You get a big kick out of how well your little Disney experts navigate around the parks and how opinionated they are about their favorite rides, attractions, and restaurants. They even help you plan where to stay and what to eat. Hopefully, at this point, they’ve each grown to become every bit as big a Disney fan as you are. You watch them race towards Splash Mountain after rope drop, speak perfect 
Spanish along with the Monorail announcer, and pose for pictures – maybe even joke around with their favorite characters and you think – it just can’t get any better than this!
A few more years pass in the blink of an eye and suddenly, your sweet little Disney travel buddies are all grown up. Oh, sure, you still see them as your “children” but they have lives away from home that involve jobs and college classes that put big demands on their schedule. Finding time for a Disney vacation was once so easy! Now the logistics are challenging and, lets face it – how could vacationing at Disney World possibly be as much fun now that your children have grown?
Listen to me carefully – this is important. You may need a little extra planning 
and creativity to make travel times and transportation work for everyone. You will worry that it won’t be the same – things that seemed fun to an 10-year-old maybe won’t be as much fun now. Push those worries aside. All you’ll have to do is look at their faces – walking on Main Street USA toward Cinderella Castle, waiting – next in line to board Rock’n’ Roller Coaster, jumping into a Doom Buggy or trying not to laugh during the Jungle Cruise, finding out that they are the Rebel Spy or taking that first bite of a Mickey-shaped ice cream bar. I promise…You will think to yourself – It just can’t get any better than this!
Thank you so much for this. I have been very anxious about my daughter not wanting to go since she is 20 and in college. I know that she LOVES our Disney vacations and I guess I thought that she was not going to want to go with us anymore. I guess that we will just have to work around her schedule now. I don’t think that we will ever stop going to Disney anymore.
Hi Melanie! I was worried about our family Disney vacations, but not anymore. Our daughter will be heading to WDW for her honeymoon next month! LOL! Next year when our son turns 21, we’ve promised him a trip for his first Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. Now I’m feeling ready for grandchildren! Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment…Lisa
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Loved this post! I have not been to Disney World with my parents but my husband and I are determined to get our baby boy there in a few years. I hope we will have some quality family time there.
Thanks – anywhere Disney is the perfect place for quality family time!
I visited Disney World with my parents, back when they still used tickets!! We never got around to Disney with our kids. Now we have a senior in HS and a middle schooler. So it’s not too late?
Not too late at all, Carla – there’s something entertaining for every age! It’s a great place to drop out of the real world for a while and just BE. For me, when I’m on a Disney vacation, I can remember what I was like before all the responsibilities of adulthood took up residence. We’re all lighter there somehow – hard to put into words, but it’s magical. Thanks for visiting.
When I was looking at colleges in California with my dad and we got snowed OUT of our home state of Colorado, Disney Land was the obvious answer! I love experiencing Disney as a “grown up” with my parents-and that trip was extra special because I got to let loose and be a kid again before heading to the real world! Cheers to all of us having a little Peter Pan spirit 🙂
Amen, Mary! Well said.
This is so beautiful – 🙂 Your family is so lovely! Glad you are still able to enjoy these vacation well past their childhood. Disney is also for the young at heart and you’ve instilled that greatly in their hearts so I’m sure they can reach their 30’s and still find it the most magical place in the world! Have a great one Lisa! -Iva
Thanks for the kind words, Iva – I try to notice and count my blessings every day.
we took our son to Disney when he was one, now we are all gong back this summer when he turns five. I know he wll love it. Happy SITS day
Hi Karen! Five is such a fun age for Walt Disney World! Your son will be tall enough to ride a bunch of attractions and will really love all the characters! You’re going to have so much fun.
We are planning to take our 4 adult children (ages 26 to 35) and one grandchiid (age 4) to Disney World this Fall. I’m going to be following you to get all the tips I can!
Hi Nan – You sound like my kind of Granny! WOW! Four children and your grandchild and you worked it out schedule-wise so you could all go together – that’s fantastic! Don’t forget to make your dining reservations 180 days from your trip if you’re interested in some of the more popular places. Please come back again…at least let me know how the trip goes!
I still love Disney, so I think my older children would too. But the schedule is VERY HARD!! Seems like my children don’t have anything but Christmas Day off together…
Hi Seana – Scheduling is a challenge. In a few weeks, we’re flying to Orlando from Dallas (right after we attend a wedding), but my daughter won’t be with us, so we’re having her fly from Louisiana and meet us in Atlanta where we’ll all change planes onto the same flight to Orlando…logistically tricky, but will be worth it. Hopefully, your family will be able to work out some time off together soon. Thanks for visiting.
Hi! I’m stopping by to let you know I read your bio on thesitsgirls.com page. Congrats! I have a cousin that moved to Florida with her husband and 2 boys to be closer to Walt Disney World. Lol. They’re crazy obsessed and go almost every week. Your blog reminds me of them. I miss them a lot. 🙂
Oh, WOW, Kate…when I think about how lucky your cousin and her family are to be that close to Disney! That would be a dream come true. You should go there and visit them soon. I bet they’d be great Disney tour guides.
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Totally agree. Our 3 kids are now 15, 18 and 21 and we are all eagerly getting ready for our trip next month. We go every two years and while the interests have changes a bit ( they no longer get character autographs, for example ), we still always have a blast. And most importantly as a family in that Disney bubble where the outside world takes a break for a little while.
Hi Stephane. You described it perfectly! The Disney bubble is why we love our vacations so much. Have a great time on your trip!
Aw. Wonderful post. My daughter LOVES Disney. She’s 6 and I think even when she’s older that she’ll still love it. She loves those princesses.
Thanks for coming by, Amber. Our princess will be 24 this year and still has a wonderful time. Not sure I’ll be willing to wait in line with her to see Anna and Elsa, but that’s her plan on our next visit to Disney World.
This COMPLETELY made me choke up. I think about this kind of thing a lot, especially with my daughter at the cusp of her first decade (yeah, she’s only just about to turn eight, but just a few DAYS ago she was turning 5 and we were at Disney for her first time!!) and my son *almost* slightly too big to perfectly fit in my lap. This all rings so true that, I like looking into my future to be reassured that we’ll all still love it as much as we do now. Thanks, Lisa, for making me cry and smile at the same time. 🙂
Happy Friday, Rebecca! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post. It’s my favorite one so far even if typing while crying made it somewhat challenging to finish.
I’ve had a few of those – not blog posts but just other emotional responses to things I’ve written or put together 🙂 There’s something very bittersweet about it… I always sort of want the cry, and don’t, at the same time…
As a mom of three fast-growing, Disney-loving boys, this brought tears to my eyes. Thank you. 🙂
Thanks, Heather. I was crying so hard when I wrote it, I couldn’t see to type!