Do you think 5years old is a good age for a first trip to Disney??

[Figaro30]

Just curious if people had to pick and choose how old their child would be on their FIRST trip to disney do you think it would be 5, 6, or 7???
My nephew is going to be about 5 3/4 years old when i take him. His mother is not sure if he's maybe too young to be able to really enjoy WDW. What does everybody else think about this???

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[tednvon]

I think five is just great....the ages that struggle are about 1 to 3 years when the kids are real active but have trouble really focusing on al the disney stuff....and frankly will remember little or nothing about the trip....at five they can go on a lot of the Magic Kingdom rides and enjoy the Disney touches....If you go in summer they will still need a break from the heat and a good PM rest.....Just my humble opinion after many many fun trips with kids and grandkids..Ted

 

[MaryT]

I read somewhere that kids don't really 'appreciate' the experience until age 7 or 8. I guess it all depends on what you mean by appreciate. My niece was about 3.5 when I took her for the first time and she still remembers things about that trip (she's now 13). I've been with a child as young as 2 who, the next year when she was 3, remembered things from the year before and talked about them before we went back to Disney that year. I think you just need to adjust your expectations to sort of 'go with the flow' when the child is that young. (lots of rest and a good stroller)

It is also easiest, if at all possible, to stay on site (on the monorail if you can) with kids that small. When they get older, they don't need to go back to the room as much, but it is very handy when they are little.

 

[pnelson]

We have taken my son when he was 3, 5 and 7. Five years was definitely are best trip. At 3, he had a lot of tantrums and missed a lot. At 7, he loved it and went on everything, however, he was a little more grown up. At 5, he went on everything but was still young enough to ride Dumbo and get really excited. I guess, my best memories are when he was 5 because it was majical for me!

 

[padams]

just went to WDW last month with ds age 5. It was magical. I am sure you will have a wonderful trip.

 

[sha_lyn]

if handled correctly I don't think any age is too young. Our DD was 2 1/2 on our trip (one yr ago next week), and she still remembers a lot of it. She had a great time, no tantrums, and was albe to do almost everything there

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[roliepolieoliefan]

I think it depends on the child. We originally were going to wait until DS was 5. But decided to take him this year, he was 2 1/2. We all had a great time. Just tonight, he looked at me and said Mommy, I miss Mickey.

 

[minnie mouse]

We have taken my oldest daughter to Disney ever year since she was one, and she will be 5 in the fall.

And I think every age holds something special for the child and the adult with them.

So I think 5 is perfect!!!

 

[musical2]

My daughter is going on her fifth trip in May and she will be just shy of 4 years old. She had her 3rd and 4th trip when she was two year old and she had a wonderful time with the characters. She remembers her trips as a two year old, because she talks about it often. She loves to watch the videos of those trips. All she can talk about lately is the trip to WDW in May and seeing the characters again and wearing her princess dress.

Five years old is an excellent age to go.

Bart

 

[elgerber]

I don't think anyone is ever too young for Disney. That said, I think 5 is perfect. My dd was one month shy of 5, and she was in heaven!!! She talks about some aspect of our trip everyday, since we got home about 3 1/2 months ago.

Erika

 

[Valerie-Ann]

We had the <font color=red>best</font> time when we took DS 4 years ago. He was just about to turn 5. He went on all the rides with me and DH. It was so much fun! Since DD wasn't born yet, it was just the three of us.

Does he remember most of it? NO. BUT, I DO!! Plus, we have all the photos, including the one of all of us on Splash Mtn.

I always said that I'd wait till DD was closer to 5 till we went again, but I just couldnt' wait that long. We'll be going again this May - DD is 2 1/2.

~Valerie

 

[BuckeyeBelle]

Five is an awesome age for WDW! The child is still into all the Disney stories and fantasy, but they can also ride most of the e-rides *if* they want to. If you wait until the child a few years older, they might start pooh-poohing the fantasy stuff because they think they are too big for it. I took an eight and a ten year old earlier this year, and they didn't even want to set foot in Fantasyland because they said it was for "little kids." (Like me - LOL!) There's a substantial chunk of Disney Magic that's best appreciated while they are still small. IMO, no age is too young, but five is perfect. Hope they have a great trip!

 

[Figaro30]

Thanks everyone for your terrific input. I appreciate the comments and will be sure to pass them on to my sister to help reinforce that it will be a great trip, which I'm sure it will be!!

Thanks again.

'81 - Cont.
'88 - Disneyland
'89 - Maingate East
'91 - CBR
'94 - CBR
'95 - CBR
'98 - BC
'00 - WL
'01 - OKW

 

[mormol]

we just got back a few weeks ago w/our 22 month old and 5.5 year old. She LOVED it! She also loved it at 3.5, although we didn't do too much other than fantasyland and MGM shows when she was 3.5
This trip I bought them both a disney autograph book and the big fat pens and the 5.5 year old was OBSESSED the whole trip with getting autographs!
SHe was so excited to see the characters. The rides were okay for her, she is a bit timid and was actually scared on the Winnie the Pooh ride! (you know how heffalumps can be lol) but she LOVED the shows, this trip we did ANimal Kingdom and she loved that too. SHe loved the character meals, SHOPPING (unfortunagely) and most of all getting as many autographs as she could. SHe got something like 28 but insists we go back cause Rafiki had to go before she could get his!
A classmate of hers, who just turned 6, actually loves going on all the scary rollercoasters! I think 5-6 is the perfect age as they are still a bit believing that the characters are real (although mine didn't believe in the ones in full mask costumes but ones like Ariel and Cinderella, well of course they were real!

 

[GlenelgMom]

Hi! We went last month for the first time with our 4 1/2 yr. old DS...it was wonderful! Everything was magical to him....he was thrilled with the rides, seeing the characters, the Sword-in-the-Stone ceremony, even Cindy's RT for breakfast. We have the best pics of him and the Princesses...he's totally smitten with them!
I think you just have to be wise to your child (or your nephew) and know when to take that pool break, when to call it a day, take a rest, etc. It's such a huge experience and easy to become overwhelming for anyone of any age (especially on those hot Florida afternoons). But is it worth it to take them when they're young: YES!!!
Have fun!

 

[gtaylor]

Our experience has been with a 4 and 6 year old was its great for them, great for mom, dad and grandparents but not much memory for the kids. At 7 and 9 again, great and you can do more but not many memories for the 7 year old....Greg

 

[BuzzDad]

I have been with two different 5 yr olds on their first trip. It is a PERFECT age because they are old enough to understand what's going on but yet young enough to get excited and caught up in Disney Magic. Take lots of video of the child's experiences (not just the scenery) and he/she will remember it always.

 

[Sharmaine]

Haven't been, but we are going this year with kids who will be 4 1/2 and 7. My personal opinion, the 4 year old is a little young. But, I don't want to make the 7 year wait any longer. I think she is at the perfect age - but that age doesn't last long.

At a certain age, and as I remember for myself this was about 8, kids develop a much more realistic perspective on life. A little of the
ability to experience things in that magic way that little kids do, disappears. Think Santa Claus.

My daughter knows what Disney is (thanks to TV and friends) and is old enough to appreciate what a big deal this trip is. She can anticipate and plan, and thats half the fun. She understands its a one time thing too. And she's still young enough (I hope) to see Disney through a kid's eyes - where I might meet a man in a mouse suit, she'll meet Mickey Mouse. At least that's what I hope.

My son...well. He has an idea of what Disney is, but he really doesn't understand what a big deal it is. Its just some place we are going. Out of the blue, he has, on different occassions, informed me that he's scared of airplanes (this was a casual revelation) , and that he doesn't want to go to Disney because its too hot there (that would be Grandma talking). He just doesn't entirely GET it.

So, I would say 5 3/4 is not "the" ideal age - if you really want the maximum first-and-only time Disney experience bang. Another year of maturity will allow the child to more fully appreciate the trip. But, if you are going to take him regularily, then might as well go this year. We've been taking our kids to local zoos, safaries, theme parks etc since they were babies, and have never had any problems sticking out a sunrise-sunset day in the parks. 5 year olds certainly like this stuff, they just might not completely appreciate what a big deal it is

 

[aimeesmom2]

I think age 5 is a great age!

It really depends on the actual child though... Personally my little one is not going until she is 5 yrs old... I hear many complaints about this especially from my own parents, however I know how she is... meaning that she tires very easily, can get very cranky and is scared to death of the characters... We go to Six flags and she freaks out when she sees Bugs Bunny or Tweety... The characters there only hang out at the front of the park and at wdw they are all over.... I personally do not think she is ready and just prefer to wait.. I figure that is alot of money to spend and for everyone not to have a good time.. I think she would be overwhelmed with everything.. She is just 3 yrs old, so I figure for the next 2 years it will just be me and my 2 older kids..

I dont make it a point to exclude her from our other trips that we take, its just this one is so expensive and I want everything to be right and want her to also enjoy it...

Good luck in whatever you decide..

WHATZ UP!!??

 

[Tigger2U43]

I think that is a great age to go. We took our daughter there for the first time when she was 5 yrs. old. Just remember to schedule nap time in there and try to keep them on a schedule that is close to what they are used to and you should be fine.