Disney with an almost 4 year old

[Jessieknj]

We have booked a trip for December to take DS to Disney. He will be almost 4 (2 months away) when we go. Can he go on a lot of rides and stuff? We've gone many times before we had DS but I never noticed what kids could do or not since I didn't have any .

We want to take him before getting pregnant again but I want to make sure it's worth the money.. that he will enjoy and get to do a lot.

Thanks in advance

 

[bartleby1]

Definitely is worth the money and you will find PLENTY for him to do. In fact, you probably can't even do it all.

He can definitely do everything without a height restriction. You will want to check his height to see what else he can go on. Some of the larger rides like Soarin, Splash mountain, etc, have a 40 inch height requirement which you son may or may not meet. My kids were all over 40 inches by his age but they are fairly tall kids. Check his height so you will know exactly what he can go on before hand.

You can check for ride restrictions based on his height here:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/height.htm

 

[mom of princessx2]

Totally worth it. We went when our DD's were 3 1/2 and 1 and although I wouldn't recommend taking a 1 year old it was absolutly magical for our 3 1/2 yo. She smiled the entire trip. I would suggest taking afternoon breaks and even some little breaks during a TS meal or Character meal. We didn't have 1 meltdown the whole week. Have a great time!

 

[Jessieknj]

Thanks so much. He was 38 inches when we measured for snowtubing last month so 2in by december is possible he is in the 97% for height

 

[puffkin]

My son turns 3 this Wednesday. He has been there at 3 mo, 19 mo, 22 mo, and 2 1/2. Except for the 3 mo. trip, he has tons of memories. It was so magical for him and he asks us EVERY SINGLE DAY to go to Disney World. My son has been on pretty much every ride and attraction that he is tall enough for except ToT. He was just 40" in October so my 2 1/2 year old got to do most of the big kid rides and he loved it.

The nicest thing about his age on our prior trips was that he didn't have the "gimme" problem yet. I think that can get trying with older kids!

A 4 year old will have an absolutely MAGICAL time

 

[verlee]

It is a great age! (I would almost say perfect age if it wasn't for that darn stroller.) I had the same reservations as you. People were telling me that my kids were too young and that we were brave to take them. I worried about tantrums, crowds ect. I almost left him with the grandparents. That would have been a huge mistake. 3-4 is a great age! They can ride almost everything and they believe everything they see! And he was amazingly well behaved. (We did tailor the trip to him and ds6... naps..snacks ect)

We took ds3 in Jan. He had a blast. He went on almost all the rides and loved the shows. I have to say watching his face and enthusiasm when he met characters was priceless. Ds6 liked them to but he suspected they were people in costumes and was not as blown away by meeting them. I got tears in my eyes when ds3 met Goofy. They were like long lost friends reunited!

Another story.... my ds3 never slept with anything. I had tried since he was born to encourage a toy/ blanket to provide comfort at bedtime. He was not interested. However, at wdw ds3 met Stich and thought he was great. He bought a "baby stich" that he sleeps with every night now.

Take your son!! You and he will have a blast! You both will have a ton of great memories.

 

[Jessieknj]

Ahh I didn't even think about a stroller.. we haven't used one in so long but I should probably bring one. He hates it but I guess when he gets tired of walking he will rethink that lol.

Thanks for all the replies. We booked Dec 14-21 but may be able to change to 12/7-14 if DH can get that week off. We're going to stay at a condo offsite to A)save some money and B)have a kitchen and fridge for snacks and some meals.

 

[miksilver]

Your son and your family will have a great time!

The one thing I remind myself when travelling with my little one is to remember that they are only 3 (or almost 4). So when they get a bit tired, or hot, or cranky, or whiny I just say to myself, "She's only 3? -- Remember?" She's so well behaved most of the time that when she acts her actual age I have to stop and remind myself. Then I realize that when my DD is tired, hot, cranky or whiny so is my DH ! That's when we stop, take a break (sometimes in the park, sometimes back in the room) and afterwards we ALL feel better. It's amazing what a little sit down, smell-the-roses time will do for everyone's temperments. Even crazy-Disney-lovin' Mom is better off for it! Just pace yourself and you'll be fine.

Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[tam626]

My ds was 3 on his trip & we found plenty for him to ride.

 

[Disneymom2266]

We have booked a trip for December to take DS to Disney. He will be almost 4 (2 months away) when we go. Can he go on a lot of rides and stuff? We've gone many times before we had DS but I never noticed what kids could do or not since I didn't have any .

We want to take him before getting pregnant again but I want to make sure it's worth the money.. that he will enjoy and get to do a lot.

Thanks in advance

Oh! I cannot think of a better age to take to WDW! I took my first DD there when she was almost 4, now I have 2 DD, one is 18 and the other 12. There is so much to do there at that age!! The characters come by the little ones more, Magic Kingdom has more than enough, and he will not even miss the big rides. So many attractions, not to mention the pools. Where are you staying? I would say take him, and my advice is to bring your own water bottles/juice boxes.

 

[Disneymom2266]

Another thought, since he is young enough to not be worried about taking him out of school, I would suggest going during the off season. We used to take our dd in September. You may also enjoy May. If it is his first time there, less crowds would be beneficial, and more time with characters at meals if you do the character bfast or dinners. Just a thought. Hope you go and enjoy!!!!!! We have been going every other year or so since 1994. It`s our favorite vacation destination for sure!

 

[Disneymom2266]

Ahh I didn't even think about a stroller.. we haven't used one in so long but I should probably bring one. He hates it but I guess when he gets tired of walking he will rethink that lol.

Thanks for all the replies. We booked Dec 14-21 but may be able to change to 12/7-14 if DH can get that week off. We're going to stay at a condo offsite to A)save some money and B)have a kitchen and fridge for snacks and some meals.

You will thank yourself for bringing a stroller, even if it`s an umbrella stroller. If you can, absolutely try for the first week of December. It is the slowest time before Christmas, and the decorations will already be up! I have heard of a dinosaur restaurant in DTD, but I cannot think of the name. It might be a blast for your ds. We always brought a soft sided cooler to put water and juice in and kept it hanging on the stroller bars.