What age for 1st trip - 3 or 4 yrs?

[elaine amj]

I have a 1 yr old niece and I want to bring her (and her parents) to WDW at some point. They live in the UK so it is likely to be a 1x in a lifetime trip (EDIT: a rare trip - most likely a couple of times through her childhood). I do want to bring her while she is little. Her parents are not big Disney fans but should enjoy it (they honeymooned at an amusement park). I am debating when to plan on it as based on my family's schedule, it will likely have to be a Christmas trip.

I think 2 years old (next Christmas) is too young so I am looking at 3 or 4 years old. I need a lot of time to plan and save so want to start thinking about it now.

What do u all recommend?

 

[KimBean]

The week before she turns 3. You will save a ton on tickets and food. Tickets are free. Buffets she can eat at for free. Other meals she can eat off your plates.

If money is not a consideration than anytime between 3-4 is good. Our two last trips youngest was almost 3 (actually turned 3 onsite) and then the next year turned 4 while we were there. Both trips were great for her. And it's about same experience, the same rides, still in a stroller, etc. And yeah, I agree that just 2 is really young, she would still love it but if it is a really special thing I would wait.

 

[FargoBear]

If rides are an issue, I would wait until the child reaches 40 inches. A fair number of family rides open up at that height.

 

[elaine amj]

What's the average age a kid reaches 40inches? (I know every kid is different). I dont know that rides will be a major issue. We have plenty of adults to baby swap and neither my DH nor my brother do thrill rides. I just want to watch my niece experience the magic.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

My DD has always had fun at WDW, no matter her age. She was about 19 mos old her first trip, and she's been 3 or 4 (lost track) more times since (she's currently 6). She only remembers bits and pieces from the earliest trips (although we obviously have plenty of pictures, and my husband and I, and my parents, all have fond memories), but she remembers more and more the older she gets.

Our next trip will be when she is 7 (DS will be 2), and she's finally tall enough to ride most of the bigger rides (the mountains, Dinosaur, TOT,...). (In addition to not being tall enough for most of the e-ticket rides on previous trips, until recently she also had very little interest in the "scary" rides.)

I think your niece will have fun no matter how old she is when she goes. However, the older she is, the more she will remember, and the more rides she will be able to go on. I personally feel like 6-7 is the perfect age for WDW, since the kids still believe in magic and they're old/tall enough to experience almost all the rides (and the tamer rides, like Dumbo, are still fun).

 

[canadiandisneymommy]

I wrote a blog post on my thoughts on this and my own personal experiences going with a 2 year old that you're welcome to check out:
http://canadiandisneymommy.com/2014/06/02/are-my-kids-too-young-to-visit-disney-world/

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

What's the average age a kid reaches 40inches? (I know every kid is different). I dont know that rides will be a major issue. We have plenty of adults to baby swap and neither my DH nor my brother do thrill rides. I just want to watch my niece experience the magic.

During our trip when DD was 4, almost 5, years old, she must have been 38 or 39 inches tall because she was able to ride Kali River Rapids (38" height requirement), but she was not yet 40" (so she couldn't ride Splash Mountain, Bug Thunder Mountain Railroad, etc). She is on the petite side, but not overly so (about 40th percentile for height). Two years later, she's about 45".

 

[elaine amj]

I wrote a blog post on my thoughts on this and my own personal experiences going with a 2 year old that you're welcome to check out: http://canadiandisneymommy.com/2014/06/02/are-my-kids-too-young-to-visit-disney-world/

Loved your post. You are now making me consider a trip next summer when she will still be a lap baby(great since that will save on flight tickets from London) and her Disney tickets are free. Still, she will only be 1.5 yrs and even I think that is too young. I think it will be best to budget extra for her flight ticket too.

She will be over 3yrs for a Christmas trip so price wise 3 yrs or 4 yrs is about the same. I really don't want to wait until 6 or 7 (just too impatient lol)

 

[ttintagel]

I agree there's no need to wait until 4 before her fist trip. Now, if you were sure it would be her ONLY trip, I might think 4 would be better (to improve the chances of her remembering more), but she will have a blast at 3, lots of things will be cheaper, and she'll have tons of adorable pictures to look back on.

My guess is the family will want to come back again at some point if they can, so there's plenty of time for her to experience things she'll remember more clearly and to ride attractions with a minimum height requirement.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

Loved your post. You are now making me consider a trip next summer when she will still be a lap baby(great since that will save on flight tickets from London) and her Disney tickets are free. Still, she will only be 1.5 yrs and even I think that is too young. I think it will be best to budget extra for her flight ticket too.

She will be over 3yrs for a Christmas trip so price wise 3 yrs or 4 yrs is about the same. I really don't want to wait until 6 or 7 (just too impatient lol)

I totally get not wanting to wait until she's 6-7! Since she's in the UK, could she possibly do a trip to Disneyland Paris when she's a little older? That way, she'd get to do things (bigger rides) she may miss on a trip to WDW when she's 3 or 4.

 

[Mikie]

Several web sites recommend waiting until kids are tall enough for all height limits, because they can ride everything, are generally no longer taking naps and will remember more.

However, I feel like there's LOTS of magic to be had on attractions and shows without height limits. and I do MANY things with my kids when they're 1, 2, 3 years old - we don't live in a cave because they "won't remember anything"

I took each of my kids just before their 3rd birthdays so that they'd still be free for tickets and character buffets. Had awesome fun each time! This trip, my tallish niece was 3 1/2 and had just reached the 40" height required for splash and big thunder mountain. I think the only remaining height restrictions are 7 dwarfs (44") and exprediction Everest &Rockin rolled coaster ("48). My average-size 6year old son was just now tall enough for all rides.

I really believe if you're looking forward to it and your vacation budget is ready for it, there's no wrong age!

 

[ktlm]

She will be over 3yrs for a Christmas trip so price wise 3 yrs or 4 yrs is about the same. I really don't want to wait until 6 or 7 (just too impatient lol)

DD is 8. We have been every year since she was 2. My favorite trips were the under 5 trips because everything is absolutely real to them and it is so much fun to watch them. By 6 or 7, alot of little girls are over the Princesses and while Disney is still magical, it isn't totally real to them like it is when they are little. We went twice when DD was 3 and had great trips. 4 was good too, but we really enjoyed 3. As far as waiting until they are 40 inches, there is no guarantee that if you do that she will agree to set foot on the bigger rides. DD is pretty tall, so she was 40 inches on her last 3 year old trip, which was just 2 or 3 months before she turned 4. She rode Soarin and Test Track, but she would not set foot on BTMR, SM, Splash, etc. At age 4, I think she rode Splash and BTMR, but she hated them both. Now at age 8, she will agree to ride more of the thrill rides, but she still doesn't care for some of them.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

While I loved the trip we took with our kids when they were 3 & 4, I think that trip was more for us than them.... yes, they had a blast and really got into the characters, princesses for DD, etc. I have tons of pictures but the kids don't really remember it.

I think if I was planning a once in a lifetime trip I think I would wait until 5-6-7 when THEY would be more likely to remember it vs. parents/relatives memories. The kids got to go on more "grown-up" rides like Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, etc. and talk about that trip to date.

 

[katfwat]

I took my oldest at 2.5 and it was a magical trip. She only remembered a few things and mostly from our pictures, but I will never forget her face and reactions as she experienced everything. We went back when she was 4.5 and it was a lot of fun too, just different. She enjoyed rides and getting autographs this trip, but a little of the "everything is so magical" was lost as she was older. We go again in December and she will be 6.5 and tall enough to ride some of the thrill rides which I'm looking forward to, but I'm mostly excited about her 2.5 year old little sister going and seeing it thru her eyes for that "magical" experience! All different, but all wonderful just in different ways. And the 2.5 year old was just shy of 1 last trip and she enjoyed all the stimulation and sights, but I wouldn't have taken her at that age if she were the only one. Whatever you decide, I have no doubt it will be an amazing trip!!

 

[Chloelilymom]

We just went this month withy two kids who are 6.5 and just turned 4 (she was 2 weeks away from turning 4 while on the trip) my little one was JUST over 40" and had an absolute blast. She's a bit of a daredevil and liked the rides more than her older sister. She was able to do so much; mine train, splash mountain, thunder mountain. Her first trip was actually when she was 7 months. She had fun as a baby but this trip was pure magic for her.

 

[elaine amj]

I'm not too worried about her remembering the trip. I went to WDW when I was 14 and I really don't even remember that trip! I remember having breakfast in our condo and eating a burger that made me sick. My mom ended up selling off the rest of our tickets and we went shopping at the outlets - she said we kids said it didn't matter what we did. My kids are usually surprised when I tell them about places they visited when they were little.

I just want to share my favourite place in the world with her. I do think 2 is too young for a rare trip. Even though I believe kids of any age would enjoy it, I have a feeling at 2, the trip is for everyone else and the 2 yr old is along for the ride.

I want her to be at the age where she is thrilled to meet princesses and give Mickey a hug (although if she's like my son at that age, she would be running the other direction!). I want her to feel like she's flying on Dumbo. I'd like her to be old enough to know she is in a very special place. I want her to be old enough to at least do the dark rides. I want her to squeal with delight when she sees a Mickey head drawn in ketchup.

My kids are older now and their toddler years have blurred together for me so I'm turning to the Dis.

 

[Kathryn777]

I took my son at almost 3 and 5 and my daughter at 2.5 and 4. My now 7 year old remembers most of his trip from when he was 5, but not clearly. My now 4 year old couldn't remember a thing. I'm hoping she will from this trip. We'll see. If it is a once in a lifetime trip I'd wait until 4 or even 5

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Our youngest was just shy of 2 on his first trip, just shy of 3 on his second, and just shy of 4 on his third (and then he was 4 1/2 on the last trip we took this summer). By far, the best trip we had with him was when he was 4/essentially 4. On the trip last October, when he was just shy of 4, he had just hit 40 inches...I think Splash changed his life. LOL. The trip when he was 2(ish) was fine, but there was also a lot of sitting out he had to do. The trip when he was 3(ish) was rough...he was in the midst of the 3s when he was sorta a beast. He said he hated everything, was difficult to deal with, he wasn't tall enough to ride everything yet, and he had given up napping even though he desperately needed to nap. But our trip last year was amazing...4 seems to be the prime age for a first trip, IMO. All the magic is there for the kids, you've made it through the "terrible toddler" years, most kids will be fully potty trained by then, and most will be able to tolerate the inevitable schedule disruption that vacation brings.

 

[elaine amj]

Ooo - good point about potty training!

 

[ghtx]

If it is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, then you should wait until she is older, between 8-10 years old.