7/8 year old kids going to Disney.

[thelittlemermaid83]

If you've ever taken a child who will be 7 or 8 to WDW what have they been into, have they stopped "believing" in the magic?

Would like to know as this is when i'm likely to be taking DD and i'm secretly hoping she will still be into princesses etc...well i can hope can't i

 

[wayneg]

Every child is different.
Pic of DS age 14 last year, his friend age 15 and me age 41. Some of us are never too old to dress up.

 

[robinb]

If you've ever taken a child who will be 7 or 8 to WDW what have they been into, have they stopped "believing" in the magic?

Would like to know as this is when i'm likely to be taking DD and i'm secretly hoping she will still be into princesses etc...well i can hope can't i

My DD is 10 and when she was 7 & 8 she still loved the Princesses and dressing up to see them. By the time she was 9, she outgrew it. She still loves to meet the characters but she no longer lives, eats and breathes Ariel. As long as YOU still embrace the magic so will your child. The magic is still there for kids that are past that stage ... it just changes. I have a friend whose DD is a senior in college and has been going to WDW since she was in a stroller. Walt Disney World is still her "happy place".

 

[wedreamofdisney]

My daughter will be 7 yrs ( 1 1/2 months off 8 yrs) when we go next year and she has told me that as we are going for 21 days, can she have 21 outfits!! Better make a start on that now
I don't think she will have grown out of it at all!! I am 29 yrs old and I still haven't grown out of it, I don't think I ever will

 

[team harris]

We were seriously worried this year taking our 15 and 12 yr old sons (both have EMO tendencies! LOL). Needn't have worried - they still enjoyed everything! They first went aged 7 & 9 and did everything their heights allowed as well as Fantasyland. I have always thought that girls keep their "cuteness" longer than boys, but I only have boys at home. Having said that our 15 yr old was insistant in buying a classic MM t-shirt - I guess he is now "old" enough to be able to wear it without being accused of being childish and our 12 yr old designed his own classic t-shirt in Downtown Disney, but I have noticed that it's not worn with certain school mates present!
Children are all different, but that first trip will always be M A G I C!

Have fun!

 

[wildwood]

I am 34 and fell the magic ever time , my DS is 12 and I never see he smile so much as when we are in Disney even the smell of a shop can make he smile .

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I think some aspects of the holiday can become a bit too familiar, if you go regularly like we have been so lucky to have done 'some' of the magic can be lost.
We had just under a 3 year break and because of that enjoyed our holiday this year possibly more then ever.

Joshua is hard to predict though, with him not being able to talk it can be difficult for us to understand how he can get so much joy from something one year and not be interested the next.

Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom is always magical for young children and 7/8 seems just like a pefect age to me, Josh at 12 now has always enjoyed it there and Mum & Dad do too. You could argue though that we would get as much fun when we are 70/80.

Everyone is a big kid in Florida, I know I feel 10 years younger when I am out there, that makes me about 21 (in my dreams).

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Thanks everyone!

I just didn't want to look like a bad mum dragging DD to meet Tinkerbell when its not Hannah Montana

 

[wayneg]

Thanks everyone!

I just didn't want to look like a bad mum dragging DD to meet Tinkerbell when its not Hannah Montana

Now I did take DS into see Tinkerbell and he was not too thrilled with that but he still smiled for the camera.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Now I did take DS into see Tinkerbell and he was not too thrilled with that but he still smiled for the camera.

 

[scottish mum]

Last year when we went the kids were, 11, 7 and 4. Our 7 yr old probably loved it the most, the 11 yr old was very self conscious while the 4 year old was nervous of the characters whereas the 7 yr old loved all the characters and was quite happy to participate in all the parades at character meals. He was also tall enough for all the rides and rode every single one. The other 2 still had a great time but it was our 7 yr old that felt the magic the most.

Don't worry your dd will have a blast

 

[Sarah84]

I'm 25 and still believe in the magic so im sure you'll have no problems with a 7/8 year old.

I went to WDW with 2 friends when I was 21 and still insisted on meeting the characters, infact I just got back from DL California with my now fiance and loved nothing more than meeting Mickey & Minnie and co and the magical disney feeling was still there even for me coming upto 26, if i could have got away with dressing up in Princess dresses a few times i probably would have

 

[2Tiggies]

I took my daughter in April this year - she had just turned seven. She is beyond the princesses and many of the other things - yet she LOVED Pooh and Friends at the Crystal Palace - we even had to go back for another meal! She also was bent on meeting all the princesses and fairies. There is something about being in the sensory overload of Disney that causes even the most stable, balanced people to stop acting their age and be caught up in the magic. I would suggest discussing things with her once you arrive and the magic kicks in. I think you may find yourself surprised. Remember, seven year olds are still kids - they just seem to be forced to forgo many of the little things they would naturally choose in the name of peer pressure. I am sure I was still playing with Barbie dolls when I was ten - now if you are six years old and like Barbies it's like social suicide. Just share her enthusiasm every time she decides to go for something that surprises you and try not to look surprised. Don't feel bad if she decides against things either. The great thing about girls is that when they get to the tweens and teens stage, it suddenly becomes girly fun to engage in these fairytale things all over again - and some of us stay like that forever!!!! Have fun!

 

[Sweet Pea UK]

Hi.

DD will be 8/9 when we go next year. She has been to WDW when she was 4 and 6 and to DLRP when she was 6 and 7. She is looking forward to the next trip more than ever and still really believes in the magic. OK maybe some of the little rides like Dumbo won't have the same thrill factor but she still loves them because of the themeing. She is disney obsessed as I know your little girl is. I am looking forward to the fact that she will also be able to appreciate some of the more "grown up" things such as the afternoon tea at the GF and some of the "scarier" rides.

I don't think it matters what age you are - Disney is ALWAYS magical.

Happy Planning xx

 

[Julia Ann]

this is a great thread as we plan to take our DD just before 7th Birthday - at the moment she is 22 months old and obsessed with Mickey Mouse and co - bit of brain washing already can't wait to take her.

 

[kieras nana]

for me,our trip with kiera,was definately more magical,when she was 6,rather than 8,but it was still fantastic at 8.
when she was 6,she believed everything!
when we were at seaworld & went on the helicoptor simulator & it crashes through the ice & then you exit into the north pole bit,she was absolutely amazed,until she believed,we couldn't get back to grandad,because we had crashed!
then on soaring,she truly truly believed,we were flying,the look of amazement & the excitement,when we got off,was priceless.
when she was 8 however,she gave mickey mouse a massive hug & when we walked away,she told me to bend down,so no one could hear her & whispered in my ear,that she had felt a person,when she hugged him & maybe he wasn't realbut the highlight of that trip,was the fairies,she was jumping up & down with excitement & it was then i realised,the magic was still there
can't wait for next year
tracy

 

[suzybear6]

I'll let you know next year when we get back as DD will then be 8 years old and DS 7 years old

To be honest I'm not at all worried that they won't get the Disney Magic....I'm 44 and I still get it!

I suppose as far as Princesses and the like goes though it does depend on the child. I certainly know of at least one little girl that wouldn't want to see any princesses even at the age of 4...it's the more typically "boys stuff" she likes! My DD however is still into her Princesses...her favourite stories atm are all the princess fairly tales (she's 7.5yrs now) even though she's a big HSM fan. She has even said that she really wants to meet Pooh, Tigger etc... I think at this age while they can have some more grown-up likes, they are still very much a child deep down...well my DD is anyway
I'm sure seeing how much your Kyra loves her princesses now at 4 she'll still find them magical at 7/8 yrs but maybe in a slightly different way.

Tracy, we took our Kira to DLRP when she was 5 and she seems to know that the rides were rides rather than real iykwim, but DS then aged 4 really believed that he'd been into space after going on the Star Tours ride! He was a bit confused when he found out that there was a "Disneyland" in Florida as well as Paris as he wanted to know how Mickey Mouse could be in 2 places at once (had to tell him MM is a bit like Father Christmas and could get to different places very fast)

One thing I'm looking forward to by going when they are a bit older is that DS will actually not be so shy of the characters...at 4 he loved wacthing them from afar but wouldn't go near them And of course there is all the bigger rides that they will now be tall enough to go on (even at 5 yrs old my petite DD couldn't get on BTM)

Not that I'll be going on any roller coasters with them...that's DP's job!

Luv Suzy

 

[kieras nana]

funny,you should mention that suzy,as kiera was only asking me yesterday,how mickey mouse,could be in hong kong,as well as florida
we really have to think,on our toes,with them sometimes,don't we
tracy

 

[Cyrano]

I queued with DD7 for 40 minutes to see Tink and friends while mum and the others went on Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain

DD definitely still believed in the magic

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Thankyou for all your replies, looks like i will have nothing to worry about