5 Big Reasons to Bring Grandparents on Your Disney Vacation

5 Big Reasons to Bring Grandparents on Your Disney Vacation

We are only half joking when we say we will never vacation when the children outnumber the adults. When it comes to evening the odds, having our parents with us on our vacation brings an extra layer of magic. Nothing compares to the experience of 3 generations all together on vacation. It’s even better when we go to one of our favorite places, Walt Disney World in Florida.

Here are 5 big reasons why you should take the grandparents with you on your next Walt Disney World Vacation.

It takes a village.

I heard this phrase growing up but it never really rang true for me until I had my own children. There are times that my husband and I both have responsibilities we can’t reschedule and our children need to be at an event or practice. It’s great that one of our parents is always there to help out and make sure our daughter, Olivia, makes it to singing lessons or to robotics practice.

Our parents are an integral part of our lives and our children’s development. So why wouldn’t we want them to be there to enjoy family vacation time too?

Grandparents experience Walt Disney World with their grandchildren differently than we do as parents. I remember when my mom saw Olivia run into Belle’s arms for the first time. My mom recalled the stories of me playing with my dolls as a child and shared them with my daughter. Connections and new bonds are formed as stories and experiences are shared.

Family Pictures

My dad has always been the one in the background reminding us to take pictures when we are all together. I never realized that I was the one always taking the pictures but never in any of them until I saw that there were no pictures of me and my daughter together on my first Mother’s Day.

Enter Disney’s Memory Maker. We make sure to purchase this service for every Disney vacation. Disney’s Memory Maker allows you unlimited digital downloads of all of your Disney PhotoPass family photos and videos.

Grandma wants a picture of everyone in front of Cinderella’s Castle? A Disney’s Photopass Photographer will capture that.

Grandma wants a picture with all of her granddaughters and Ariel? They will capture that too.

Grandma wants a picture of her alone with Gaston? We’ll have to ask Grandpa first (but they’ll capture it too).

Space to Spread Out

At this point you are reading this, you may be realizing that you are going to be on vacation with your children and their grandparents for a week. That is a lot of time together. You know you love them, but do you really want to be together all day every day for a week?

This is yet another reason why Walt Disney World makes a perfect multigenerational vacation. There is so much to do and you don’t have to do it all together. When you stay at a Walt Disney World Resort, the transportation to and from the parks is free and convenient.

When our son, Avery, is ready for a nap, my husband, Chris, and he hop on the monorail to go back to our room. Olivia and I head over to Fantasyland to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and do a little shopping. Grandma and Grandpa take the monorail over to EPCOT to take a Flower and Garden Tour. Later, everyone meets back up at Chef Mickey’s for dinner with the main mouse and share stories about their afternoon adventures before heading over to watch the fireworks together.

Unconnected Time

Families today are very scheduled and very connected. We have an online calendar where we enter events and appointments for the children so we can keep track of everyone’s busy schedule. Even though we have a family dinner night every week with my husband’s parents and family, even that is still cluttered with homework, work issues and upcoming events.

Our Disney Vacation together gives everyone a chance to disconnect so they can reconnect without all of the distractions. While standing in line for Soaring, Grandpa can tell stories of how he lived all over the US with his dad because they were a military family. When we’re exploring Animal Kingdom, Olivia can tell Grandma about what she learned about gorillas from her school project. And most importantly, everyone can just be together and enjoy our time as a family without worries about what is due the next day or the next meeting we need to attend.

Magical Memories

When I was pregnant with my daughter, everyone told me that time was going to fly by. It’s true. I blinked and Olivia is 11. There is so much we have shared, but there is a lot more I want to experience with her and teach her.

Life gets busy. We all get stressed. Some days, extra stress is added when a phone call turns into bad news. Thankfully our family has something that helps gets us through. We rely on our Disney vacation memories to brighten those days that seem a little too difficult. My 4-year-old son, Avery, will tell us all about Dumbo and how he flew it all by himself. My daughter will tell the story of how the chef in Cinderella’s Castle came to our table and asked her if she “could have anything to eat, what would it be?” (Since she had a peanut allergy, he made her favorite grilled cheese sandwich even though it wasn’t on the menu.) My mom will tell the story of Olivia, her and me all having afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian. These are the magical memories that help bring us together and keep us together.