7 year old girl - will she still believe?!

[iheartbklyn]

We will most likely not be back to WDW until early 2018 when my daughter is 7 years old. I am wondering if she will even still believe in the magic at that age? I know 7 is still young but I don't know what to expect as far as those things go...please give me advice for those of you who went when your kids were younger 3-4 and back around age 7...thanks!!!!

Our next trip will be half Disney Cruise half WDW and we are planning to get married on the cruise.

 

[Robo]

We will most likely not be back to WDW until early 2018 when my daughter is 7 years old. I am wondering if she will even still believe in the magic at that age? I know 7 is still young but I don't know what to expect as far as those things go...please give me advice for those of you who went when your kids were younger 3-4 and back around age 7..

A second-grader?

I was still a believer in Santa Claus at that age!

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

A second-grader?

I was still a believer in Santa Claus at that age!

I agree. Both my DD's believed at this age. We played along, which obviously helped them continue to believe. It's magical in WDW (much like Santa at Christmas). So much more fun when they still believe (teenagers now ). Enjoy the magic

 

[DisneyFive]

The magic is definitely still there for a 7 year old. Not sure if it ever really goes away.

As far as believing the characters are real, well, who knows... but we never felt it necessary for our kids to think that. I don't think they ever thought they were real, but they still had an incredible time with the characters at 7 years old or so.

Dan

 

[iheartbklyn]

Great, I am so glad to hear this!!! I was feeling like we should try and speed things up to increase the likelihood of her still being excited and getting caught up in all the magic (although good point in this thread, does it ever go away????). 3 years will give us enough time to really get our ducks in a row so to speak and make our next trip AND WEDDING amazing!!! I am so looking forward to staying longer and truly soaking up more of that Disney air too.

Who knows, maybe we'll win the Flip Side contest and get to go before then.

 

[soniam]

Heck, I'm 42, and it's still magical for me DS8, soon to be 9, still loves riding Winnie the Pooh too. I don't know if he believes the furry characters are real, but I think he believes the face characters are real, particularly Mary Poppins.

 

[KEPE]

We took DD at 3 1/2, 4 1/2 and now we are going for her 7th bday and this time by far she is MOST excited. She's helping with the planning and talking about the rides and what shows she wants to see. Even looking at the food threads and telling me what she wants to get. For sure the magic is still there. I am more excited for this trip than either of the past!! Have a blast!!

 

[GovieMom]

We took our daughter right before she turned 7, and while she did line up to meet and hug the characters, she realized they weren't "real." I'm sure it had to do with the zipper she noticed on the back of Tigger's costume, when she told me she knew it was a person dressed up. Oh well.....she did at least enjoy all the characters otherwise.

 

[leshunlenese]

I think so. Just an example my nephew is 7 and tells me they characters are not real that there are people inside them because no dog walks on two legs like that he said as we mentioned Pluto. I don't believe him! However he still lights up when we go and he tells me the real characters are the ones without the hot costume. Cinderella is really Cinderella! Totally agree with him on that part! The magic lives!!!

 

[SillySallySews]

My oldest daughter was four on her first trip. She's 8 now and Disney is still full of magic for her. My oldest son is about to turn 13 and I'm pretty sure he still finds magic there too, but would probably never admit it if I questioned him lol.

 

[prudence64]

My daughter at age 4 whispered to me as we waited in line to meet our first character "mommy, I think these are just regular people in costumes". She also noticed that the Cinderella at the castle and the Cinderella in the parade had two different faces. So, it just depends on the child.

back at age 8 and whole she had a great time, there was definitely no "magic" involved for her.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

The magic is definitely still there for a 7 year old. Not sure if it ever really goes away. As far as believing the characters are real, well, who knows... but we never felt it necessary for our kids to think that. I don't think they ever thought they were real, but they still had an incredible time with the characters at 7 years old or so. Dan

Yeah.. I didn't know that anyone pretended that these characters were real.. It was never a deal breaker for us whether or not our son "believed". It just never occurred to us that he would think they were real.....

 

[hallie]

I don't think it matters whether she does or not, my kids are 18 & 14 and they still love pics with the characters. Just because you know that Mickey isn't really a giant talking mouse who's face is frozen in time doesn't make it less magical.

 

[PeterPanic]

We will most likely not be back to WDW until early 2018 when my daughter is 7 years old. I am wondering if she will even still believe in the magic at that age? I know 7 is still young but I don't know what to expect as far as those things go...please give me advice for those of you who went when your kids were younger 3-4 and back around age 7...thanks!!!!

I guess it depends on what you consider magic. Magic is a state of mind at Disney. It isn't like pulling a rabbit out of a hat or anything. It is more like how you feel when you are there. Since a full grown adult can feel the magic I don't see any reason why a 7 year old won't. Just don't make it a topic of discussion. Play it by ear and see how she reacts to stuff on her own. You might be surprised.

A second-grader?

I was still a believer in Santa Claus at that age!

Wait! What do you mean "still a believer in second grade"? Are you saying that Santa isn't real? Oh, no! Now you've gone and ruined Christmas for me. I hope you are happy!

 

[LoveToTravel2001]

We've gone almost every year since DD was 4. It was magical then but it's still magical now at 13. We are going again in April/May for a major cheerleading competition and she knows nothing is real but just the idea of being in Disney is pure magic for her. It helps that DH and I are still into the magic of Disney. Tops on her things to do - breakfast with Chef Mickey and Lunch with Princess Sofia! I think kids feed off their parents response and if you are into it, she'll be into it. DH and I still get our picture taken with the characters, enjoy all the rides, thrill in watching fireworks, enjoy a Mickey ice cream sandwich... Have fun and enjoy it - and congrats!

 

[mirandaperez10]

I am 22 and I love the characters !! They seem real especially the face characters !!

 

[Dimaline312000]

I've been to Disney World as a child and now as an adult, who's 32 years old and I still believe in the magic that is in Walt Disney World. My family and I were just there in late November and early December and even though I had fallen and broke 2 ribs in Downtown Disney my family and I still had a blast!! I remember the night at Magic Kingdom watching the Wishes light show and seeing the castle change all these beautiful colors and listening to the music I felt the magic and all of a sudden I feel a tear roll down my cheek and I knew than that as soon as we stepped foot on Disney property that the magic was back. Kids seem to grow up a lot faster these days than when I was growing up but I still believe that as soon as your 7 year old daughter sees Cinderella Castle again the magic will return to her heart and she will still believe because Disney Magic surpasses any amount of time. God Bless!!

 

[Joshuy]

At 3, my daughter thought everything was real. She was totally enchanted. we're going tomorrow and she's 6. She knows it's not real but the anticipation is unbelievable. She is giddy with anticipation which she was not at 3. At 3 everything was a surprise. We'd wait in line to see minnie mouse and when minnie mouse appeared she had no idea. But now she can anticipate, plan, think about what she wants to do. She can't wait.

 

[momtoltl74]

My kids are ages, 8,9, and 11 and they all still believe in the Magic of Disney

 

[rainboots]

My DD was almost 7 last Feb when we went. At home, she is quite unimpressed/too cool for a lot of stuff. Still a nice little girl, but never outwardly super excited or animated about most things. I was really worried going into the trip, about her being blasé about everything.

She was a giddy little girl! She loved everything. Princesses, rides, even Sofia (who she won't admit to friends that she watches regularly)! It was like all pressure to be cool was off since she was just with family. She didn't believe the characters were 'real' but that didn't make her love them any less. My avatar is the moment she first saw the castle, going down main st. I swear this blurry little pic alone was worth the $3000 vacation to me(although, I was in complete heaven, too)! I tear up every time.

Your DD will still be entranced by the magic. .