Good age for childs first visit to WDW [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

Heidict

09-19-2006, 12:00 PM

bartleby1

09-19-2006, 12:32 PM

I think it depends on if it is going to be a once in a lifetime type of trip, or do you plan on going back every year or every few years.

With my first DD, we waited until she was 19 months old. She had a blast and so did we. She talked about that trip for quite a while, but I'm sure at this point she has no memory of it. She is now 6-1/2 yrs old and has been there 5 times (ages 19 mths, 3-1/2 yr, 4-1/2 yr, 5-1/2 yr, and 6-1/2 yr). The only trip we had some problems was when she was 3-1/2. She was afraid of everything (the dark, fake smoke, loud noises, villians, etc).

My DS has been at 14 mths, 2yrs, 3yrs, and 4yrs. We've never had any huge problems with him. He's more "go with the flow" than first DD.

My second DD went at 9 months and 20 mths. She had a blast each time. She talks about our past trip constantly. DH says I have her disney brainwashed already, lol!

Now, obviously, we have been to disney quite a bit and plan on going back many more times. Each age is so different but the great thing about disney is that there is something for EVERY age. I can honestly say that even at 9 mths old, my DD enjoyed our trip last year and she definitely learned quite a bit. Of course, she won't remember it, and if that was going to be our ONLY trip to disney, we would have waited until she were older.

I'm not sure what I would pick as the "perfect" age if it were going to be a one time trip though. Each age offers something special and unique. I can tell you that I don't feel that 8 months is too young. She can go on every ride that doesn't have a height restriction. There is plenty to do, even for real little ones.

Heidict

09-19-2006, 12:53 PM

It won't be a once in a lifetime visit, but we won't be able to go every year either. More like every 4-5 years or so.

I was thinking that age 3 would be good for her first visit, but my DH seems to think that it would be better to wait until she is 5 or so. He is afraid that she won't remember anything from age 3. I'm trying to convince him that even if she doesn't remember stuff when she is older it won't take away from the enjoyment she will have now.

Thanks for your reply, it ought to help in convincing him. :rotfl:

pocohontas2004

09-19-2006, 01:01 PM

I like your idea that she would still enjoy it at 3, even if she doesn't remember it. It is the littlest ones, the preschoolers, who soak up all the magic of Disney. We took our sons as preschoolers and it was fun for all of us as they watched for the characters, got some autographs, did character dining...

bartleby1

09-19-2006, 01:11 PM

Ahh, well, if you are going to go every 4-5 yrs, you could sneak a trip in around age 1-1/2 and then still go when she is 5 like your hubby wants, lol!

I'm probably not the one to ask, lol! I'd love to live there. Yup, right in the castle so I could visit every day. :lmao: :lmao:

I do understand people who want to wait until they are old enough to remember, but that age is different for everyone. My sister has some memories from age 2, where I don't seem to remember much from before age 10, lol! Not sure why that is! BTW, we drove do disneyland in California from NJ twice when I was a kid. I was 3 and 5. I have no memories of it. So 5 may not be old enough for that either.

Anyway, while the little ones don't remember forever, every experience molds who they are and helps them learn. Plus, even if my kids don't remember our trips, I will NEVER forget the looks on their innocent little faces when they saw the castle for the first time, or met their favorite character. Those memories are priceless for me.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Heidict

09-19-2006, 01:33 PM

BTW, we drove do disneyland in California from NJ twice when I was a kid. I was 3 and 5. I have no memories of it. So 5 may not be old enough for that either.

Your parents drove from NJ to CA with a 3 and 5 year old!? Not once, but twice? :faint: Wow! I'm guessing you don't remember the ride because your parents either drugged you to keep you quiet :cloud9: or you just blocked it out. :scared1: You two must have been some really good kids and your parents, wow, amazing. :rotfl2:

I remember when I was 6 my parents picked my sister and I up from school and we drove down from Salinas to Disneyland. I still have some memories of that.

I think that I will badger my Dh so much over the next couple years that he will give in and let us go when she is 3. :Pinkbounc

alloyd1170

09-19-2006, 01:39 PM

We took our son when he was just 2. At that age, he was afraid of Santa and the characters at WDW. I tried to prep him by showing him the planning dvd, and the live Sing Along dvds. They seemed to help, but if a character wasnt on the video, he was more afraid. I had to pretty much walk him up to every one except Mickey (he took off running to him). However, by the last day of our trip he was more comfortable around them.

As for remembering stuff, I dont think he remembered much on his own. I did take tons of pics and some video which he still watches today (hes now 4.5 yrs). He did fine on most rides except for Haunted Mansion, and the 3d movies. Now when we went back the following year when he was 3, he saw the monorail and CR and went nuts. I will say he remembers a lot from that trip. He asked the other day if he could ram my Indy race car like last time. I had forgotten about that but he didnt!

This will be DDs first trip and she will be almost 15 mos. Ive been showing her pics, the dvds, and home movies to prep her. Right now I dont think shes afraid of characters, but we shall see. She loves to dance so I think she will have so much fun, especially in Small World. She also loves Ariel and mermaid was one of her first words (her room is done in mermaids and underwater critters).

Bottom line, I think if you want your child to remember, then 3 would be a good age (plus they still get in for free and eat for free!). They can do most rides that dont have a height restriction. Only you know how your child reacts to loud and scary situations so you have to judge which attractions to do. We always got a seat near an aisle for shows in case we had to bail.

alison

disney's daughter

09-19-2006, 02:11 PM

My husband and I took our oldest granddaughter (now 13) on her first trip to Disney World when she was 4. We didn't go on rides such as Space Mountain...but we did go on Thunder Mountain Rail Road...There was just the three of us and it was wonderful....

Later on we had three more grandchildren...so we took our adult children and all four grandchildren...the youngest was 4. It was great...Whatever the 4 year old couldn't ride, I sat out with her...and didn't mind one bit...

Another thing that I did before taking any of my grandchildren...I explained as much as I could ( about the rides and attractions) before the trip...and went over it several times...For instance...When we go inside the room in the Haunted Mansion...the woman screams and the light goes off and it is completely dark...but, that was OK..because the door would quickly open and that meant the ride was ready...I went through the whole thing with them...I explained to them what a CM was...I told them that should we ever get separated to go directly to a CM...and tell them who his/her parents are....It came in handy...because after we all got off the dinosaur ride...(of course...they all exit into a gift shop)..one of my granddaughters had run on ahead...It was about 20 seconds...but, it seemed like forever...I could hear her crying and she was over right by a CM..When she saw me...she smiled through her tears, saying, "There's my Nana...her name is Brenda....."...The kids were also informed as to what resort we were staying......just in case. I sang "Yo Ho", the pirate's song for that ride...and told them everything that was going to happen....Even the little "surprises" in "It's a Bug's Life".....I tried to think of anything I could to keep them aware of what they could expect...so they wouldn't be afraid....and it worked! Now the kids go on the roller coasters with their hands up in the air..while their Nana holds on for dear life! :cloud9:

mandysbus

09-19-2006, 02:14 PM

We took our DS the other month for the first time, he's 5.5 yrs old which I thought was a good age...big enough to get on the rides that he liked but little enough that it was still magical to him (he loved seeing the characters), He had never had a haircut so we did the first haircut thing which was neat and he loves pirates and for now they have the little Jack Sparrow shows going on and the pirates were a big thing there this year so he was really into that. And we took lots of picture and I hope that he will remember some of this later in life. This is not an every year trip for us, maybe a couple times in a lifetime (i'm 26 and this was my 3rd time there)

bartleby1

09-19-2006, 02:43 PM

Your parents drove from NJ to CA with a 3 and 5 year old!? Not once, but twice? :faint: Wow! I'm guessing you don't remember the ride because your parents either drugged you to keep you quiet :cloud9: or you just blocked it out. :scared1: You two must have been some really good kids and your parents, wow, amazing. :rotfl2:

I remember when I was 6 my parents picked my sister and I up from school and we drove down from Salinas to Disneyland. I still have some memories of that.

I think that I will badger my Dh so much over the next couple years that he will give in and let us go when she is 3. :Pinkbounc

LOL, nope no drugs, even though it was the early 70's! Just a whole suitcase full of barbie dolls! My parents were both teachers so they had the summer off. We kind of grew up in the back seat of the car. :rotfl: First trip we were 3 and 5. Second trip we were 5 and 7. Of course, there were no carseats back then - not even seatbelts in the backseat, so we had a little more freedom. We stopped to see a lot along the way. Each trip was a 6 week trip :) I can't imagine what that would cost today!

tripplanner

09-19-2006, 02:43 PM

I always had in my mind that I would take the kids to Disney when they were about 6 so they could have some memories. Instead, I won a trip when they were both in diapers. Since it was free, we went. The first day was a day at Sea World. We basically spent six hours in the playground area. The kids just couldn't sit through any of the shows like Shamu, etc. They were only happy in the sandbox or playing in the ball pit or going down the slide with daddy. I was soo happy that our tickets had been free. The rest of our trip was spent at Disney. We were magically amazed by the transformation in our kids. The loved MK and Epcot. It was the first time that my husband and I were able to ride some rides with the kids and they loved it and we did too. We did learn that my son didn't like the dark and loud noises and our daughter was a thrill seeker, so we adapted. I also had in my mind that we would go maybe every four years or so. We enjoyed that trip so much, that we started going every year (sometimes twice a year). Every year the conversation starts out the same with "We should go somewhere different" and within a week of discussion, we are back to choosing Disney as our location. I have found that the kids remember very little snipets from their early years at Disney. My husband and I were the real winners here. We have such wonderful memories of the those early years. So for me, I would take her sooner rather than later.

DisneyVC

09-19-2006, 03:13 PM

We have taken dd twice already. We took her when she was 21 months. She had a blast and enjoyed herself. But when we took her again when she was 2 1/2, she had even a better time. To this day, over 6 months ago, she still remembers the trip and talks about it like it was yesterday.

DD was not afaid of the characters, which made the trip that much better. We have another trip that we have planned next month and we are bringing her 7 mth old brother with us.

tigerdragon

09-19-2006, 08:29 PM

I took my DS to Disney last year for his 5th birthday. It was fantastic. We took a trip to Busch Gardens and Sea World just before he was 2 and it was awful. He hated sitting in his stroller and when we let him out he would take off. Granted, those 2 parks are not Disney, but I really don't think it would have mattered. He has always been energetic and didn't want to sit still for very long. I'm glad we waited until he was a little older to do Disney.

eeyoregon

09-19-2006, 08:46 PM

5 or 6 is the perfect age but nothing younger.

Colinsmom

09-19-2006, 09:05 PM

My DS1 enjoyed it a lot when he was 2.25yo, but enjoyed it a whole lot more for his third birthday. Even though it was only 9 months later, it was really clear to us that his appreciation and comprehension had skyrocketed. Plus he had a lot more patience for standing in short ride lines and sitting at character meals waiting for the characters to come to his table. He still talks about details of our trip a year later.

Bonus - if you go right before her third birthday, she will get into the parks and eat at buffets for free. If you wait until after her third birthday, she gets much more expensive, lol!

Deesknee

09-19-2006, 11:07 PM

Hi everyone :wave: I'm new to the boards and thought I would jump in with my first question.

I have an 8 month old daughter, and every since she was born have been planning a trip to WDW. I can't figure out when to bring her though.

I want her to be old enough to enjoy herself and ride some rides, but I don't want her to be to young that she won't get anything out of it.

I figure that we will probably go in Nov, Dec or Jan to avoid the crowds and the heat, plus it is less expensive at that time. So, I won't want to remove her from school so it will be before she is school age.

My questions is, what age is best for a first time visit to WDW? Is 3 good, or should we do it when she is 4 or 5?

Thanks, Heidi

I think the question is when is not a good age for Disney? ;)
Seriously we took our first kids at 3.5,4.5,6.5 8.5,9.5,11.5,13,14,15, Our baby has been at the ages of 11months, 22mnths,27mnths, and just under 3.

I agree with the other poster, When they are really young it is you who gains the memories. Although, my teens claim to remember those first trips. We video one day on each trip & they seem to remember stuff that wasn't on video. Who knows. I'm not even sure I remember what day it is. Who am I anyway. :confused3
BTW, it the 7th trip was for checking out the dvc property we had just bought, so you may not want to listen to me!

dismom301930

09-20-2006, 07:48 AM

My girls were 2 and 3.5 the first time we brought them. It was fabulous - better than we expected! Of course we had to adjust to their schedule, and take nap breaks and go to sleep on the early side. But I have memories that I will treasure forever. I cried when they saw the castle for the first time because their reaction was one of pure excitement and awe. They do remember some things from the trip (especially our oldest DD). Even more important, though, they had a wonderful time when they were there and DH and I have lots of great memories. They can't wait to go back again in a few months and have been telling their little sister (2.5) all about it!

SGB13

09-20-2006, 08:47 AM

I think you have to decide how you want to see the parks and what you want them to get out of it. We didn't want to do a stroller, so we waited until the kids were older. We even did a practice at Carrowinds, then posponed our trip for a year because our youngest gave out so quickly. Then did a practice run a Kings Dominion this year before booking and DS5 did much better. If you don't mind the stroller and you are going so you can see Disney, go now. They may not remember much, but they'll love the pictures of themselves at Disney as babies. Disney is magical now matter what age.
:)

monorailsilver

09-20-2006, 08:53 AM

My dd was 15 months old & my ds was 22 months on their first trips & my dd#2 will be 2 1/2 on her first trip.

My oldest dd doesn't remember it but when I show her pictures she talks about it (brain washed at an early age). She is now 5.

We went last year when she was 4 1/2 (almost) & she doe remember the fireworks & some of the rides from that trip, oh & the monorail (the priority).

My ds I don't think remembers anything but when we got home & we saw the commercials for WDW with the castle & fireworks he talked about it but I just asked him if he remembers watching fireworks with grandma & grandpa & he said yes but he won't tell me where.

I went when I was 3 (about 4 months shy of being 4). I don't remember much other then then sitting in the room at the Poly with my mother looking out the slider at the lagoon. I don't remember if we were watching the fireworks or the water parade (hey this was in 1975). And I remember my sisters went on Space Mountain but I was too little.

I personally don't care if my kids remember it because it is my vacation too. Heck I have taken them to Sesame Place & they don't fully remember it. My oldest just talks about it but that is about it. They don't remember all the day trips we take either.

But I do remember all the day trips & the Disney trips & that is what matters to me.

BTW, I think my dd's age at 15 months old was perfect since she was a social girl & loved the characters. She was not afraid of them other then the face characters.

She played with the characters when they came near her too. My ds on the other hand was afraid of them but that is him.

MOMMYMOUSEOF2

09-20-2006, 10:45 AM

I have taken ds at 2.5, 3.5, 4.5 and taken dd at 8 mos and 17 mos. We didn't think we would be going back every year, but since seeing my ds the first time, we knew vacations couldn't get much better than that. It is all about the kids for us and he came back from that first trip and did not stop talking about it daily for the next 3 months...then he only talked about it every other day. :-) I would definitely take your daughter just before she turns 3. It is a huge cost savings and a wonderful trip. The memories for you will last a lifetime. The memories for her will at least last until her next Disney trip (I'm sure of that).

jodifla

09-20-2006, 12:09 PM

Yes, take her right before she turns 3, so you don't have to pay for her.

Not sure what the big deal about the stroller is. We bring our umbrella stroller, so it's no big deal. I like it better than having DS walk. This way, I know right where he is.

We've been taking our DS since he was 5 months old. He loves it there, and still asks to go all the time at 4 years old.

Kids may not remember it for the rest of their lives when you take them when they are small, but it stays with them LONG after the trip.

jlsDisney

09-20-2006, 04:23 PM

Last year we took are dd3 and our dd15m. They both had a great time. My dd3 talked about it and wanted to go back for 9 - 10 months. Then she found our we are going back again, in a few days to be exact. They have both been very excited about going and can't wait. My 15m old was old enough to ride a surprising number of rides and she loved them all, especially Buzz. The pictures we have are amazing. At the beginning of the week, she didn't like any of the characters but the "face" characters, but by the end of the week, she couldn't get enought of all of them. It worked really great for us. This year, she's two and I know she'll have an even better time than last year.

Joni317

09-21-2006, 01:19 PM

Don't be afraid to take your little one. I love Disney with little ones! They think everything is real, which makes it so magical for the parents! We took our first trip with kids when ours were 18 months and (nearly) 3. It was wonderful. We went back for another trip within the year. Conviced hubby to buy and AP --hee!hee! Anyway, I wouldn't trade those trips for the world. They may not remember everything about them, but we take lots of pictures and they love to look at them. I think they do remember somewhat, especially the older one. Again, the most wonderful part of taking little ones is that the magic is real to them.

One piece of advice, if you're waiting until your child turns 3, I would go a little before then, so they could get in free. Children under 3 are free! That's another reason we went twice in one year! BTW, our family thinks we're crazy for taking toddlers!

We leave in 2 days with ds5, dd3, and dd19 months. :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc

Good luck deciding!

Hope73

09-21-2006, 01:21 PM

We took our daught whos 4 for the frist time. Shje was totally amazed by all of th magic and princesses.

Heidict

09-28-2006, 02:30 PM

Thanks for all your replies everyone. I have now managed to convince my DH that she needs to go before she is 5!!

I wish we could take her now. If only we lived closer and could just drive there. :sad2: But as it is, we can't afford it right away. So, I will start saving now, and of course planning now. :jumping3: :rotfl:

I think we will go in 2 years, just after Thanksgiving. She will be 2 years and 10 months old, so we won't have to pay for her, it will be Christmas time and pretty and not nearly has hot or crowded.

So, 2 years to plan......... :scratchin

brandylouwho

09-28-2006, 03:30 PM

We just took our daughter for the first time (she is 2 yrs 8 mos) and she LOVED it. Will she remember it? No, but we'll be back again and again-or so I hope. Her expressions were priceless and I could almost feel the absolute awe she felt wherever we went.

We did everything in Fantasyland (except Snow White), we did Playhouse Disney Live & the Stars & Motor Cars parade at MGM (her fave parade), she liked Turtle Talk with Crush, the character interactions, eating at the Biergarten & Illuminations at Epcot. She absolutely loved breakfast at the Crystal Palace with the Sesame Street Characters. She was luke warm about breakfast at the Castle.

Now we did take her to Jamaica when she was just 2...to a Beaches Resort with Sesame Street characters, which she feared greatly. (She was a Sesame Street fan, but a 6 foot Elmo was just plain scary to her). And she didn't love the beach like I thought she would either. That 8 months made a world of difference!!!

So...it depends on the attitude and personality of your child...but I think age 3 or so would be great (or go when she is almost 3 so she is still free). :)

pweyl36

09-28-2006, 04:11 PM

5yrs old. No bottles,diapers,strollers,naps,tantrums.Just pure fun :woohoo:

atisikitabasket

09-28-2006, 04:20 PM

My son is an outgoing little guy took our first trip at 2 1/2 and he was just overwhelmed the first 4 days he didn't want to do anything but sit in his stroller and play with his leap pad he wouldn't look at anything. Then the final 2 days he feel in love with Fantasyland. We were sad it took him so long to warm up.

Then we just went in May he was 3 1/2 and loved everything. Some of the rides he got a little nervous on like Buzz lightyear but he was ok if he covered his ears and realized it wouldn't be loud. He talks about our trip a lot and he really enjoyed it this last time. We are going back in Feb. because I want to take him as much as we can while he still has that little innocent twinkle in his eye.

I would add we do take a break every day in the afternoon for a nap and swim and it works out well no bad moods yet!!!!

kcrew

09-28-2006, 06:41 PM

I think it really does depend on if you plan to make repeat trips throughout childhood. If so, anything goes. However, if you are like us, and probably will only end up taking your kids once or twice, a little older certainly makes more sense. You also need to take into consideration your own enjoyment for the trip. How will your child's age affect that? Do you want your child to be able to remember the trip?

I just went and my youngest is a mature 6. I wish I would have waited maybe 2 more years. The hours and the walking were really tough on him.

masterslacker

09-29-2006, 11:29 AM

I'm taking my DD just right after she turns 5. I think it's the perfect time based on her interests right now. Loves the Disney princesses and is able to hang in for a full day of activities. I also think she will remember the trip at least through her childhood and maybe if lucky when she's an adult but we'll see.

CindyAnn

09-29-2006, 11:51 AM

Welcome to the Dis, Heidict! I'm laughing to myself at your question, because this might not be the right crowd to answer that particular question. Can you say obsessed fantatics???

When our DS was born, we decided that we would be able to go for three trips, and the ideal ages would be 4, 8, and 12. Turns out that we were absolutely right! Unfortunately, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 turned out to be just perfect, too! :goodvibes DS took his first trip at 2.5 years old, and it was perfect. DD didn't make her Disney debut until 4 years old, and that was perfect, too.

So long as your expectations are reasonable for your child's age, you'll have a fantastic time.

Cheers,

Rainman

09-29-2006, 05:53 PM

I have three boys. We have been with a two year old 3 times. A three old once, 4 year old once. Our last trip our two year old had the best time. We where amazed at how much he asks about the trip. He truly enjoys reviewing the photos from the trip.

If it is not once in a life time trip and you plan on going back, then I would go for it.

The three year old age is spcecial. The magic kingdom has so much for them. But realize they will not have but some memory of the trip when they are older. Also, at three they cant go to the park for 12 hours.

We are so glad we took are children at an early age. My DW was very worried when we first went that are sons where too young (3 yrs 10 month & and 1 yr old). It ended up being a great trip. It is the happiest place on earth for a family with young children. :)

PatricenPete

09-29-2006, 06:22 PM

I'm the absolutel worst person to ask. We took our DS for the first time for his 1st birthday. Will be remember any of it? No, but he had an amazing time and WE will rememeber it for ever. It was one of the best trips ever.

We were planning on taking DD when she turned 1, but couldn't wait and we are actually taking her this December. DD will be 5 months and DS will be just over 2. We are crazy, I know..... :rotfl2:

Debbie6221

09-29-2006, 06:41 PM

Hi Everyone,
I am really new to DISBOARDS and I am also new to chat rooms so bare with me! I am trying to learn how this all works, the abbreviations and so forth but that aside....
Yeah!!! I have found crazy WDW people just like me!!!! I'm not alone!!! I have been going to Disney my whole life but since I had my daughter in November 2002 we have gone every year...October 2003, October 2004, May 2005 and now we are going in TWO WEEKS for 2006! I CAN NOT WAIT! My son will turn one there on the 12th and my parents will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary on the 15th! So in honor of those two events we have spurdged and are staying at the Grand Floridian for 8 NIGHTS!!!! I can NOT wait!!!! I hear all of you who talk about what it's like to bring the babies who probably won't remember the actual trip.....THEY MAKE THE TRIP (and you remember every minute of it!)
Debbie in Chicago (where today it was pretty chilly).

Cruz91

09-29-2006, 06:45 PM

As soon as I saw the original question - I thought what so many have said. I would say any time after 1 or 2 yrs old is great - as soon as they can interact and smile and laugh. We went when daughter was 4 and son 2, and that was perfect. We were gonna wait till DS was older, but would've missed out on the 'awe' expressions from DD!

DON'T WAIT!!!! GO!!!!

(then go again and again and again and again ;) )