first disney trip

[Slinky_dogg]

Just wanted to ask anybody who knows
Is age 2 or 2 1/2 to soon to take my DS to disney for his 1st trip? if so,what is a good age?
Thanks~

 

[hammertime]

I don't think I would take the kids before they are 3. I think 5 and 6 are great ages but I know you probably don't want to wait that long.

We are planning a trip to DL with my friend and her 3 year old next Fall. That way we can share the fun of the baby as well as have some adult time. Should be fun.

 

[shelleyz]

We took our almost 3 year old in October. He was 2 years 10 months when we went. He did pretty good. He wasn't always interested in everything. At first he didn't like the characters then if I went up with him he was ok. He did good on all the rides we went on. He fell asleep in his stroller almost every day. He liked riding the Disney buses. He tells me he wants to go back to Disney. I say go for it. Our 4 year old loved it. He loved the characters and getting there autographs, he loved the rides, he still talks about it all the time. I'm thinking of bringing them back in the spring.

 

[kevind65]

our daughters first trip was for her 5th birthday and we felt like that was a perfect age for it. but, then again, we never tried at 2 or 3 years old either, so, maybe that would be a perfect age too? who knows? just remember: its important to pace yourself and your children. do that and I think you'll be OK.

 

[chirsty'smom]

We took our son when he was just pass the 2 1/2 yr mark. We only went for 1 day to MK. He LOVED the characters, flipped over Buzz Lightyear and went nuts over the fire works. We were there right after Xmas - got there for character breakfast 7:30am and stayed til 10:30pm. He slept in his stroller and never complained.

I loved watching him totally enthralled w/everything.
We went back 6 months later and spent 3 days at WDW, he (and I) couldn't get enough!

I say go for it - but then again I couldn't wait to introduct WDW to my kids!

Have fun!!!

 

[Slinky_dogg]

Thanks to everyone for the help,esecially christy's mom.
Ya'll are right right I can't wait to share the magic that is DisneyWorld with him,but,I don't want to push it too soon. I think I'll go for it when he hits the 2 1/2 range.
Thanks Agian~

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

We took our daughter when she had just turned three. She did great. Just remember to keep a very relaxed pace. You can't go commando-style with a toddler

 

[kalidk]

I JUST RETURNED FROM WDW, MY SISTER CAME DOWN WITH HER
3 KIDS UNDER THE AGE OF 3.

MY 2.5 YEAR OLD NEPHEW HAD FUN BUT DID NOT ENJOY MOST THINGS LIKE THE MUPPETS, BUGS LIFE, WINNIE THE POOH.

HE ENJOYED THE ANIMALS AND THE TRAIN RIDE.

ITS ALOT OF WORK I FOUND OUT....

SO IT WOULD DEPEND ON YOUR CHILDS DISPOSITION ALSO....DOES YOUR CHILD LIKE CHARACTERS?

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

 

[tjkraz]

We first took our son at 18 mos, and again at 22 mos. He had a blast. He loved the parades, fireworks, characters and much, much more.

I think 2 1/2 is a great age--particularly because you don't yet have to pay for your son. Park admission is free. Food at buffets is free. No charge for the room.

The most important comment I would make is to be sure you plan your vacation around your child's schedule. If he normally naps at a given time, make sure you schedule a daily break during nap time so that he doesn't have to try and doze off in a stroller.

Don't go into the trip with the "commando" attitude of wanting to see and do everything. Try to plan the trip around your son's normal routine and everyone will have a much better time.

Will your son remember the trip for all time? Of course not...but YOU will. Don't forget that camcorder.

 

[goofyernmost]

When you consider how big a fan I am of Disney, it pains me to say that I still believe that there are ages when the kids are just to young to appreciate WDW.

That being said, there is nothing wrong with taking them, but you have to be realistic in your expectations. I have seen some terribly unhappy parents that expected thier young children to have the same thrill as they do. This will probably not happen. Taking them for the most part is harmless because Disney is pretty "kid" friendly but when it turns into a tired crying child vs. a tired frustrated parent, it just isn't pretty.

My youngest was 6 when we first went. Because that was my experience, I naturally think that is the best time. They were young enough to still "believe" but old enough to travel well and enjoy it totally. I think the only thing my youngest had a problem with was the Haunted Mansion but she never said anything about it until we went 3 years later and she admitted that she had her eyes closed the entire time on the first trip.

There are a lot of rides that might scare a little one that doesn't understand the idea of fantasy and make-believe, so it would be extra work and effort on your part to do things seperately but together.

We didn't delay our first visit because of that, but I have always been pleased that our first trip was a completely enjoyable trip for every family member. JMHO!

 

[RUSHBURY]

Our DS was 2 and 9 months - DD's were 9 and 12 - DS had a great time and we've returned every year since then and he always looks forward to going and still remembers his 1st visit as do my DD's.


Helen

 

[Fearthisss]

I'm probably going to be crucified for this one, but here it goes...

We just returned from our first trip to WDW. My DS will be 10 next month. We wanted him to be old enough to remember it, be self-mobile, and have a great time while not being too old where we were hearing "That's for kids, Dad." He had a GREAT time and got a blast out of meeting the characters.

Unlike the others, I believe another under 6 is just too doggone young. My wife says anything under 5 is too young. There's A LOT of walking and standing around. There were a couple of points during our trip that I referred to WDW as "stroller hell." With that said, we had a GREAT time. But I saw more kids in strollers that were sleeping (in the middle of the afternoon), fussing, crying...or were completely out of their strollers and in their totally-exhausted-looking parents arms doing any of the same things.

Nope, no way would I take a preschooler. Believe me, I wanted to take my son to the Magic Kingdom in the worst way, but I'm so glad that we waited.

OK, let the stoning begin.

Mark

 

[joshsmom]

We don't stone people here!!! You have every right to your opinion. I couldn't WAIT to take my DS, but I did wait until he was 5 yrs. 9 mon. We may have gone sooner, had I had the $$$$ to do so. But, due to many things, it just wasn't in the budget. DS LOVED it and still remembers his first time. Of course, he is "Disney-fied" (his first experience with Disney was "seeing" Toy Story when I was 7 months pregnant with him!) and can't WAIT to go anytime we get the chance! I don't know that I would have wanted to take him much younger than that, but the most important thing is that you know your own children! It's also important to remember that no matter what your expectations, it is supposed to be a FUN trip--so try not to stress when your child gets tired, fussy, etc. Sit down and enjoy the scenery!! Good luck to you!

 

[goofyernmost]

Wanted to add a footnote to my previous post on this topic. The youngest I refered to in it is now 28 years old and has a son of her own. Since I am planning to go again in March we were discussing the trip just yesterday and do you know she remembers every little detail about the trip, the fun we had and the family memories we created in the process.

Her mother and I have since divorced but we will always have the memory of the wonderful year we went to WDW and sang "Now is the best time" in CoP. No amount of money could ever replace those memories for me....they were a time of joy, discovery and love that I have yet to duplicate and probably never will.

Go and take your family whenever you can, economics and fate made me wait but it isn't necessary. Your child my be to young to be able to retain any real memories on this trip but you will. Enjoy, life is to short to waste it waiting for just the right moment. Who knows what your moment might be.

My two "babies" are all grown up now and I will never be able to relive that time, but I am so glad I took the time to do it then.

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by Fearthisss
Unlike the others, I believe another under 6 is just too doggone young. My wife says anything under 5 is too young.

As I said, we took our son when he was 18 mos and 22 mos. And we'll be taking his sister when she is about 17-18 months. Frankly I don't think there's anything that could be said to convince me that our trip was too early.

He won't remember the trip, but that's not the point. We will!!!

Some of the most cherished memories of our child's youth occurred during those trips, and we have many on video or photograph to enjoy for years to come. You can't put a price on moments like:

- Andy talking about riding "Bumbo" and seeing "Nana" (which was "Mickey" back then.)
- Seeing him rush across the room at full speed into Pooh's arms.
- The smile on his face as he rode the kiddie tubes at Typhoon Lagoon.
- The awestruck look on his face as Mickey took his hand and lead him across the room for a photo.
- Running through the fountains at Downtown Disney.
- Seeing Andy sitting on my shoulders as about 1/3 of the Tapestry of Dreams performers stop to either shake hands with him, pat him on the head or just wave.

Over a year later he still loves to watch the vacation videos and thumb through our albums. And, we only have two CDs in our minivan--the soundtrack from the Muppet Show and the Illuminations / Tapestry Of Dreams CD from WDW. He usually sings along with the TOD music.

The success of any WDW trip depends upon the approach taken. In roughly 12 days at WDW, we never once woke our son to make Early Entry. With one exception, we were in our room for at least 3 hours every afternoon so that he could take a nap.

If finances are an issue, then I can completely understand why people may want to wait. People able to take their child only once or twice during their youth may want to wait until he/she is a bit older.

But if scheduled in a manner that's fair to the child, a trip to WDW is no different than a trip to Gymboree or a stroll through the mall. I don't think I've ever heard any parents complain that their children were over-stimulated by WDW.

 

[DisneyJules]

I went for the first time when I was 4 and I actually do have memories of that trip. 5 and 6 are really good ages as well. I think it's fun to bring the kids when they're really young, all these great memories start to form at a young age, what fun!

 

[CindyBella]

If you think you will be going to Disney every so often, What are you waiting for you will have the best time. Two is a great age to take children! GO! GO!

If this is your ONLY Disney trip you will be making and you really want your child to remember it, WAIT! here is why.....

We took my son at age 2 to Disney Land. He doesn't remember meeting Tarzan or anything about it. This kid has an amazing memory too. It broke my heart that he didn't remember Tarzan. He was his favorite.

Luckily for me he will be making his sixth trip to WDW during Christmas. He is 6 now and sure to remember everything.

We took my daughter at 10mo. Now she is 2 and this will be her fourth visit. If this was the last time we could ever go to Disney, I would wait till she was at least 6. Knowing what I learned from my son's first visit, I know she will not remember this upcoming trip years from now.

On the other hand, I will never forget the look on my son's face when it was his turn with Tarzan, Jane and Terk! I have pictures of the moment that I treasure.

What ever you decide, have a great time!