Time after time we hear our kids whine “I’m bored!” But did you ever think you would hear that at the Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort? So this week we asked our parent panel: What do you do if your kids begin to get bored at Disney parks? How have your trips changed because the kids were getting bored? How do you prevent boredom with your “usual” plans?
Mary Kraemer is an avid Disney fan and travel consultant with CruisingCo/MouseEarVacations who loves to travel with her husband and children to Disney destinations as often as possible! Mary writes:
All four of my kids began visiting Disney parks before I had to pay for their admission tickets. Because I love Disneyland so much, we usually visit the park three or four times per year, and we’ve had annual passes ever since the kids needed park admission.
I find that going “only” three or four times per year keeps Disneyland from becoming too commonplace for us. We go often enough to really enjoy it, but not so often that we take it for granted. I wonder, for folks who go more often than we do, if it loses its appeal.
When my oldest child started into his teenage years, his siblings were toddlers/preschoolers, so we often invited one of his friends to come along on our trips to Disneyland so he would have someone his own age for company. That worked really well for several years. We’d assign a meeting place and time, and the boys would go off on their own for hours at a time, enjoying the park at their own pace.
From a devoted Disney fan who, once upon a time, wrote for MousePlanet and participated in MouseAdventure, things changed for him.
During his high school years, when many kids aren’t thrilled to travel with their parents anywhere, the Disneyland trips became more of an issue for him. Rides weren’t as thrilling as some of the ones at other coaster parks; he didn’t care about the theming anymore…it just wasn’t as much fun. It became…gasp…too childish. He was burned out, he was done.
You know the story of the Polar Express when people grow up and can no longer hear the sleigh bell ring? I sort of felt like that with this child. He’s even gone so far as to tell me that when he becomes a parent, he will let me take the kids to Disneyland because he just doesn’t want to go there. (I’ll take him up on that!) I think that maybe having his own children will elicit a change and the magic will return because there’s nothing quite as wonderful as seeing the joy in a child’s eyes at a Disney park.
As for my younger children, now 14 and 15, everyone is still really enjoying their Disney experiences, anticipates the next trip, and seems to be as happy at the Mouse House as their mom. I cherish these trips, wondering if that will change or whether they will keep that magic in their hearts for the rest of their lives. Time will tell…in the meantime, I have faith, trust, and pixie dust!
Chris, also known as GusMan, is always planning his next family trip to WDW and loves to help others plan their trips, as well, through sharing his experiences. Chris writes:
I would love to say that kids never get bored at Disney parks. However, it does happen from time to time even though the queues are themed in such a way where they are the preshow to the attraction itself. From being a part of Andy’s room at Toy Story Midway Mania, to learning about the legend of the Yeti while waiting to ride at Expedition Everest, you have a good amount of entertainment while waiting in line. Younger kids, though, sometimes are not as interested in the small details. They want Mickey, rides, attractions, and active entertainment.
I am an advocate of doing a lot of planning when it comes to our vacation. I stand by the thought that planning is half the fun. At the same time, as children age, their responses to vacation plans can be somewhat unpredictable. As Disney die-hards, we would like to think that if you get the children started on liking Disney at an early age, they will grow with it being a direct part of their life. At the same time, growing kids also mean changing interests. That may mean that as you plan, you also have to keep those changing interests in mind. As an example, you may have a young daughter who loved the princesses and loved being a princess herself. You may continue planning with princesses in mind as she grows older. But don’t be shocked if for some reason she changes her mind and no longer wants to wait in line to meet Cinderella because they are now boring. It makes princesses no less magical—it just that the magic is now being seen elsewhere.
So, what is a parent to do in the event that a child is just not feeling the magic? What can be done when the interest seems to be wearing off? While not often, my wife and I have run into this situation before. Here are some things that we do to get to the root cause of the issue and how to handle it:
- Find out what the child is experiencing. Sometimes you have to sit down with them and ask them about their day and how things are going from their perspective. Children see Disney through a different point of view and, as parents, we need to see what they are seeing. This may take some time to get the real answer, but be patient and listen carefully.
- Is the child starting to seem bored or uninterested because they are tired of the stimuli? After all, Disney is a busy place. Sometimes finding a quiet spot and enjoying a snack is all that is needed to “reset” a bored child.
- Are you about to go from boredom to meltdown? Its time to take a break at the resort hotel. This may mean splitting up your traveling party, but a few hours out of the limelight can pay back dividends later in the evening.
- If you know your child well enough to know that he/she does not like a certain type of attraction, try to do a little bargaining. Make a deal that if they make it though one attraction, they can pick something they want to do. To help this even further, we give the kids a choice of activities so we still maintain some control.
As you pursue the perfect Disney vacation, keep in mind that Disney is an ever-changing place It morphs before our very eyes and is never the same place twice. At the same time, sometimes as parents we love the classic Disney elements. They are still there, but be on the lookout for what makes magic in your children’s eyes.
It’s your turn—keep the discussion flowing!
Visit the Parenting in the Parks section of our MousePad discussion board, and share your opinions about this topic or many others, or send your suggestions via e-mail. Reader-submitted tips might be used in a future article, and you might be selected to participate in an upcoming panel discussion!
