Of course! You surely knew I was going to suggest that's exactly what you do. Unless you're my childrens' grandparents. If you take them without me, I won't survive. But I'd be open to tagging along with you on the trip! :)
One of my favorite memories of childhood is when my grandparents took my sisters and my cousin to California to Disneyland when I was around 10 years old. I can still hear my Memaw squealing and can see her smiling on the Matterhorn. Before that trip, I would've never believed she would get on a roller coaster, much less have that much fun.
Here are some pics of that trip - wish I had more of them!
Here are some tips to help you if you decide to take your grandkids on a Magical vacation!
Plan Ahead!! This is important in any vacation with kids, but with Disney, you can plan almost everything ahead of time. Spontaneity is fun, but if you are a little older and a little less mobile, you want to minimize standing in line or backtracking all over the park because you didn't realize someone's favorite ride was half a mile the other way.
Even with careful planning, I've walked over 13 miles in one day at Disney. If this seems like an impossible task, consider renting a motorized scooter. There are tons of them being used all over the parks and Disney is very helpful to guests using them. Just keep in mind that they don't move very quickly so you'll need to come up with a plan to keep excited little ones with you if it's crowded. Make them have a hand on the scooter at all times or some other rule to keep them with you. I always recommend putting your information on a tag on their shoes that they can show to guest services if they get lost!
Have dinner or lunch at the Prime Time Cafe if you are at Disney World. It's a restaurant stuck in the 1950's and it's just like eating at Grandma's house. Would be fun to take your grandkids there and reminisce about the "good old days!"
Don't try to cram too much into a few days. Consider adding a day or two that are "non-park" days where you can hang out at the pool, see some of the surrounding area or do some shopping. I personally want to spend all of my time in the parks from open to close but I've been told (by my own family) that doing that can be exhausting. I don't believe it, but to each his own!
If you take your grandkids and their parents, you can take turns with the kids. Nice way to spend time with everyone but you could trade off one or two days of the trip and have some time alone and let the parents have an evening to themselves. And a cost saver - when you travel in a group and purchase the Memory Maker (photos) at Disney World, you can buy just one Memory Maker and everyone in the group can use it to print and download photos - you don't need one for each person.
Please give me call or email me if you want more information about planning this type of trip. I can really help with the pre-planning and make sure you get the most out of your vacation!
