Ideal age for Disneyland?

[novazx3]

I have a 2.5 year old girl, I have been interested in going to DL for some time now. What's the best age for her to go? I want her to be able to enjoy the rides and have a good time. She is very tall for her age (in 4T) clothes right now, but her maturity level is that of a 2.5 year old, I don't want to spend the money to go if she is going to be scared on every ride. Advice?

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

You never know. My nieces were scared of everything but the carousel, mine at the same age/same trip were fine with everything. Try showing her rides on YouTube and see if she's scared or thinks its fun.

 

[RandomPrincess]

Every kid is different my 8 year old niece refused to ride and of the coasters. My cousin was 4 and had no problem riding all the coasters and Tower of Terror.

 

[meajuly5]

My 1.5 year old loved every ride she could ride. My 6 y old nephew was scared. Depends on the child. Great age to take her though. She'll love something--the rides or shows or characters

 

[coaches24]

every kid is different. Our first trip was when DD was 2.5 and she loved every second of it. I showed her all the rides she was tall enough to ride on YouTube before the trip so she had an idea of what they were and didn't take her on anything she didn't want to ride. She did good on all the FL rides but chose not to ride dumbo and SW after the first time. She loved toon town but did not want to ride GGC. Over in DCA she loved bugs land and she even made it through Aladdin though she got restless during the show so DW and I had to keep her on our laps and hold her so she wouldn't disturb anyone else. But for much of the show she was very interested and engaged.

Her favorite things in DL were Winnie the Pooh, Tiki room, King Arthur's carousel, PP, IASW, AIWL and even POC.

Now at 4 she still loves POC but doesn't want to ride Splash ( we got her to ride splash once at 3.5 but not our last trip).

I honestly don't think there is a "perfect age" or a "bad age". The good thing about being under 3 is they don't need a ticket so even if they aren't big on rides it's not a huge deal. You and your spouse can trade off riding rides while the other waits with your DD and then all go on whatever rides she does want to do. And there are great places for her to just walk and explore and play in both parks which is great for the adults to sit and take a break in the middle of the day when the parks are most crowded.

 

[scoker]

I took DD the first time for her 4th birthday and she was a huge chicken when it came to dark rides but it was a great time anyhow. Last year at age 5 she was much more adventurous and she was tall enough to go on Splash , BTMRR ect and loved those and was a little more adventurous with the dark rides. I don't think there is a bad or wrong age for DLR just a different experience at each age. We are going again in three weeks. DD is 6 now and at last measure was 47.5 inches. I'm terrified that *I* will have to go on screamin

 

[CandMmommy]

We went last year, with girls ages 2.5 and 5.5. They LOVED POTC, Peter pan, snow white, mr toads, all the FL rides. The only ride that sorta scared my 2.5 year old was the tiny coaster in toon town!

 

[danlkrim]

It all depends on your child and what you want to get out of the experience. i bought the annual pass for our local Six Flags park and did several day trips with DS over two summers before going to WDW when he was 6. we also went to Day Out With Thomas 3 times. Now, my DS7 loves roller coasters and fast rides. Dark rides and shows, not so much yet. He likes things like Peter Pan but not Haunted Mansion or shows like Nemo at AK. He has watched most rides on YouTube and that helps. He has been very hesitant to meet characters. Considering the cost of a Disney vacation, for us, waiting a few years was better so that we all enjoyed the experience. Would DS have enjoyed Disney at an earlier age? Probably. Would I have enjoyed it? Not sure. Toddlers can be a lot of work at a theme park. This really is a personal decision.

 

[mabdallah]

We took my dd right after she turned 3 this summer. She loved everything that she was able to ride. I was even surprised that she like POTC because when I showed her a video of the ride she said pirates were too scary. We just made every ride fun and distracted her in possible scary parts. She is still only 39 in at 3.5 so no Splash mountain however we are hoping to on our next trip this October. Her cousin same age but 40 in was scared of everything even the little mermaid ride. So I guess it depends on you kid and you can usually tell what they can and cannot do.

 

[araes2102]

We waited until DD was 5 so she could enjoy everything (being tall enough to go on everything except Indy and Screamin, as well as being mature enough) AND she would appreciate and remember the trip. We can't afford to go on vacation more than once every couple years so it was really important that the trip make an impact! Disney (of course) did not disappoint and I feel like she was the perfect age. But then every kid and every family is different

 

[gmi3804]

I'm 47. So I'd say that's the ideal age.

Next November, the ideal age will be 48.

 

[mysteriouspnai]

I don't have kids yet, so my thoughts may not be valid

Personally, I don't want the hassle of taking a stroller into the park, so I probably wouldn't take my kids to Disneyland until they're old enough to deal without a stroller. I'll take trips back and forth to the locker if I have to, but I'm afraid of losing my temper and therefore losing the Disney magic if I bring a stroller.

 

[Iheartdonaldduck]

I took my 2 1/2 yo this Nov. and he loved every ride we took him on. I also had my 1 yo with me so I had my double stroller. I know someone said that they would not want to take a stroller. but I loved having it. I brought in a cooler with snacks and drinks. Had jackets and blankets for when it got cooler out. We stayed open to close. Both took a nap in stroller and I people watched. I think the best part to me was I bought my ticket but they were free.

I went with my sister and her 2 kids, ages 2 and 4, my mom , and my other sister.

I told my husband that it was a great experience that I will remember forever. My son doesn't remember a thing but at the time loved it. I think his favorite ride was in CA The little Mermaid. We rode it 10 times in a row while waiting for world of color. No line and our stroller was just outside the line hold a spot for us to watch it.

 

[californiamomof4grls]

I think it's all a out preperation! Since she is 2.5 you wont pay for her to get in. So if she doesn't like everything it's fine! There are plenty of things to do that she will love! My 4th daughter went for the first time when she was 2.5 and she LOVED it! LOVED it! She was a little afraid of the dark rides but if you think Dd might be wait till the second day to try them out! There is so much to do that isn't dark. She will love Playhouse Disney and Aladdin! The parades are awesome! The is all of Bugsland! IASW we did that one over and over! If you go with the right expectations you will both have a fabulous time!!

 

[MrsSwiggy]

We took our 2.5yo to DW in October and he loved it. We talked about each ride while we were waiting in line and during the ride if it seemed to intense. Even rides he seemed scared of at the time, he either asked to ride again or talked about them later. He liked the characters as long as my husband or I were holding him and he loves to look back at his pictures and reminiscence. We took him to DL when he was 6mo and he just slept through everything. I think this years trip to DL will be the best so far!

 

[Malcon10t]

I started taking my kids when they were 6 weeks to 4 mos of age. We took my granddaughter when she was 6 mos. They were all perfect ages. We took my granddaughter at Christmas for a week. She was just shy of her 2nd birthday. She had such a blast. Is it as easy as it will be when she is 6-8? No, but it is worth it to us.

 

[PHXscuba]

No one can say who will be scared on what ride, and sometimes that even changes by the by the trip!

That being said, here are my personal "break points" for good milestones to go before or after:

1. Just before they turn 3, and you have to buy a ticket

2. When they are potty trained

3. When they are (for sure) over 40 inches and can ride a large portion of the rides in both parks

4. Before kindergarten, when you have to work around school schedules


PHXscuba

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

No one can say who will be scared on what ride, and sometimes that even changes by the by the trip!

That being said, here are my personal "break points" for good milestones to go before or after:

1. Just before they turn 3, and you have to buy a ticket

2. When they are potty trained

3. When they are (for sure) over 40 inches and can ride a large portion of the rides in both parks

4. Before kindergarten, when you have to work around school schedules


PHXscuba

All excellent milestones!

 

[DisneyFamily7]

My kids all went between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 and they had a magical time! They were not scared on the rides, although one of my 1 1/2 year-olds was scared to be up close to the characters. My other kids all loved the characters at that age.

 

[helenb]

One thing I did for my kids when we first went to Disney (they were 2 and 4) was I gave them a fresh glow bracelet every morning. I told them that the bracelets were Tinkerbell's fairy dust and it would keep them safe, and if they got scared on a ride they should look at their bracelets. Of course the bracelets really lit up on the dark rides and the kids loved them! It worked for every dark ride including PoC and HM.

Just a suggestion.