Differences between 5 and 8 year olds

[sjcampbl]

We will be taking our family of mom, dad, and 3 daughters ages 2, 5, and 8 for the first time to WDW in January. I have never been, so I have no basis for planning other than books, websites such as this, and travel channel documentaries.

I have begun getting marginally concerned about the number of attractions that I (dad) and my 8 year old daughter will really want to see, but that will likely be too intense for the other girls. The abundance of Travel channel shows on WDW has helped to gauge reactions. Although we play the "uh huh", "huh uh" game with the 5 year old, as to whether or not she will be scared, I know that they will almost certainly be too much for her.

How do you experienced veterans deal with the difference in ages and appropriate attractions. Would it be better to just plan on splitting up and dad going with the older sister, and mom stay with the younger ones? That's not much of a family vacation solution, though.

 

[RebeccaLovesDisney]

When we went in 2001, DD was 7 and DS was 4. DD was tall enough and very willing to go on all the rides. DS was too short for a number of them. We used a few strategies. On the rides that DS couldn't ride and DH wanted to ride, we used "baby" swap. DH and I each got to ride and DD got to ride twice (she loved that). On the rides that DH didn't want to ride (he's not a thrill ride person), like RNR, TOT, and the Mountains at MK, he took DS to ride or see other attractions. For example, while DD and I rode Space Mountain 3 times in a row (it was not busy), he took DS on Buzz and the race car track (don't remember the name). Same thing at MGM, while DD and I rode TOT and RNR. I think they went to the Little Mermaid and animation attractions. We didn't have any problems with any of the shows or other attractions that sometimes scare young children, so we didn't have to split up or miss those. But you could use similar strategies if younger children didn't want to see those.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

It's not hard to split up for an hour or two and then meet back up, especially if you have cell phones. As far as what your 5yo will be able to do, that really depends on her. My 4yo is a daredevil and did anything that he was tall enough for. He was 42" when he was last there so could do most everything. He's now close to 44" so we should be able to add Space Mt and Mission Space to his list. That's only 2 rides that he won't be able to do.

Take advantage of the baby swap if and when you don't want to split up. That will allow you and your wife to go on the rides and your older kids a chance to repeat the rides with the second parent.

T&B

 

[A&D's mom]

This probably depends on your kids. Our 2 yr old son loved Buzz Lightyear, our 7 yr old daughter was scared, although she loved Big Thunder Railroad. My husband and I had just as much fun riding the Dumbo and Pooh ride in Fantasyland as the kids. Baby swap sounds like a good idea. Maybe the younger kids can get a treat to a Disney Ice Cream while the older kid rides Splash Mountain. Or take the younger girls to see Cinderella's Suprise Celebration while the oldest goes to Adventureland and Tomorrowland. Have fun!

 

[LisaR]

I have one very adventurous 9 yr old that has always been willing to try anything as soon as she was tall enough. Loves almost every ride she tries. She is also the type that doesn't get scared off even when she hates it. A few years ago she rode ToT for the first and last time. Came off in tears. Never wants to try it again. We got a snack and let her calm down. Five minuites later she jumped up and said she was ready to try RnRC! My son is 7 and the complete opposite. He doesn't like to try things. If he does and hates it, he is pretty much done for the day! So, we have to be VERY careful with what he rides. The good news is, all the rides have something to entertain the kids at while DH and DD ride. There is always a gift shop close by and some of the rides have play areas nearby. Mission Space has a great area to hang out in!

That said, there are tons of attractions in all the parks that my son really enjoys. That is why I love WDW so much. There is so much to do even if you aren't into thrill rides.

Lisa

 

[shirleyb]

Like others have said, we just split up for an hour or two, but most of the time, we spent together. Don't sweat it, it will work out great.

 

[sunnygirl]

We spent a day at the MK with 11 in our parents, teens, 8-10 year olds, and my 2 DDs, 6 and 4. I had prepared my DDs for rides like the Haunted Mansion, which I thought they could handle ( the 4 year old is braver than the 6 year old). I also got them mini flashlights and instructed them to shine them on the ground whenever they needed too. Those helped in a few of the dark rides, more because it distracted them than because of the light (LOL!). I read on another thread that other people use lightstick necklaces or bracelets for this purpose, too.

We split up for big rides like Space Mountain, Big Thunder, etc, so I could stay with DDs and the others could go on the rides, which was fine with me. In the MK there are so many fun things for the little ones to do, so you don't have to skip that much. Like the others said, it all depends on what you think your children can handle.

But what was great was having walkie talkies! I felt better knowing I could communicate with the others and we could meet up at any time. Cell phones would work as well, I'm sure.

Have a magical time!

 

[sjcampbl]

Thanks for the replies. I was beginning to think we maybe needed to plan two separate itineraries, but that's not how I want to spend the vacation.

All good thoughts and ideas.

 

[MsLeFever]

Some of the "big" rides have interesting little things to do quite close by - like Splash Mountain has a little playground and Mission Space has one of the interactive fountains.

We went with a 2 year old and a 6 year old and usually grandma stayed back with the baby and found something to play with or eat while we rode. Fast Passes limited the time that she had to cool her heels with DD.

Barbara

 

[suerob]

We have three dd's, ages 2, 5 and 7. Our last trip was in August and we're going again in December. Our 5 yr old rides almost everything the 7 yr old does. The only ones she couldn't ride that I can think of were Rockin' Roller Coaster and Space Mountain. The 5 yr old rode Test Track, TOT, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Kali River Rapids. We usually just sit and have a drink or snack while waiting for others to ride. With fastpass, the waits are not very long. Even with a 2 yr old, we find that we really don't have to split up all that much. The kiddie concierge is a nice place to wait if you want a break. There's one by Space Mountain and one in Frontierland. It's cool and quiet, the kids can watch tv, color, play with toys, or just relax.

 

[MNSusan]

We took our grandkids when they were 4 and 8. There were some rides that we knew the little guy wouldn't be able to handle, but there were others that I just wasn't sure. I carried the pocket size version of the Unoffical Guide to DisneyWorld with us - it has *scariness* ratings for each ride and we found them to be very helpful. For example, we were all set to ride Pirates of the Caribbean - what little boy doesn't love pirates, right? But the guide says, "may frighten some young children," so DH took the older and I rode Aladdin with the younger.

On our last day, we were on the Jungle Cruise - very tame and mild - and there was a little boy who was just freaking out. The mom and dad were very upset with him for being scared. When we got off the ride, I handed the mom my guide, showed her how the rides were rated, and wished her luck.

Susan

 

[welovedisneyx4]

Last October when we went, DD was 7 and pretty much a daredevil and DS was 3 and not tall enough to ride the bigger rides (whether he wanted to or not!) so we did the baby swap alot and I don't think we ever split up. It did take a little more of our time, but I enjoyed having time to rest and sit or play w/ DS. He didn't seem to mind, and it was nice spending time w/ just him.