Good Age for New Year's in a Park?

[CraftyMommy]

I've never been to WDW during a crazy crowded time. We usually go the first or second week of December. My son wants to go to WDW for his birthday sometime. His birthday is New Year's Day, and I thought it would be neat to do a short Mom/Son trip for his birthday. Husband doesn't have much interest in WDW in general and really doesn't want to go at a crowded time. So I thought of just taking him myself. What is a good age to take a child in the parks, probably MK, staying there all day, then staying for New Year's fireworks to ring in his birthday. He is turning 11 this New Year's. I was thinking of maybe planning something for when he turns 12. That would put it on a Thursday/Friday and we could stay for a few days afterward and come home Sunday before he has to go back to school.

How old are your kids if you spent New Year's in one of the parks and how well did it go over? I think 12 is a good enough age, but I also don't want him to be cranky and tired. Should I wait a few more years?

 

[disney world dreamer]

age really doesn't matter.

what matters is how well your child does n the parks for long periods of time.

my family has always been the RD to after park closing type so no problems for very long days at MK.

i went with my sister and niece to ring in 2009. my niece was a couple weeks shy of 10.
she did fine.
we got back to our room at 1:30am and were back at MK at 7am where we stayed until late afternoon.

 

[mrsR123]

How well do you think he'd tolerate huge crowds and long time periods without rides or any real place to be? I don't think staying up would be difficult at that age (I teach 7th grade and they are night owls!) but it is a very different park experience on NYE.

My teens did fine last year, DD19, DS16, and DS14, but they were content to fight the crowds in the shops and stop by the various bands.

DH49, though, was losing his patience...