How old were your children on their first visit to Disney World?

[EACarlson]

My older one had just turned 7 and my younger one turned 4 during the stay. It was the 10th anniversary for my wife and I and where we went for our honeymoon, which was my wife's first trip. The 7 year old hated it, the 4 year old loved it but remembers almost nothing about it now, five years later. I would have preferred to push it off another year or two so that the younger one would have memories of it, as we probably aren't going to go to the expense of bringing the kids again.

 

[antpec]

My husband and I have recently become first time grandparents, and can’t wait to take our grandson to Disney! I am wondering at what age your children first visited Disney World. My children were 10 and 6 on our first visit. My niece was 3 and seemed to handle it well. I am just curious about others’ experiences.

My first born was just a little older than 2 when we first went. She handled it well. Just kind of went with the flow of things. Didn't really do the rides but she really enjoyed the character interactions and the treats! My 2nd was 6 weeks! She was just along for the ride. I've never been worried about theirguaranteed. fun will be guaranteed. Memories not so much for them but we take lots of pics. My oldest is now 5 and loves going to the parks.

My husband and I have recently become first time grandparents, and can’t wait to take our grandson to Disney! I am wondering at what age your children first visited Disney World. My children were 10 and 6 on our first visit. My niece was 3 and seemed to handle it well. I am just curious about others’ experiences.

 

[antpec]

My son was about 15 months. My daughter was 26 months. I think 2 is an amazing age for the first visit.

I agree. My daughter was 2 and was super excited for everything.

 

[antpec]

I forgot that a child doesn’t need a ticket until they turn 3. Great idea to go right before a third birthday! I’ll keep this in my toolbox when convincing family members of when to plan our first trip with our new grandchild.

Free before 3 is a motto to live by!

 

[mrandmrsthomas0618]

I actually loved taking out daughter when she was 3 months. Its much easier imo before they start moving haha

 

[Disney2027]

Ours were 5, 3 and 1. 1yr old honestly slept most of the day in his stroller but 3 and 5 loved it and went hard all day (with 3yr old crashing hard after fireworks in the most awkward cramped position in the double stroller). We knew we’d be going back (heading back next year when they are 9, 7 and 5) so we loved going with them young but I think if we knew we were only going to get there once we would have waited till the kids were all big enough to go on all the rides and to not have to do stroller parking for every ride which takes SO much time to find, find a spot and then weave back through crowds yo the entrance and back again after ride.

 

[cdoc29]

Is this going to be there one and only trip to Disney or will they go several times during their childhood. If it's one and done I would wait till they are 8-10 and can form some pretty strong memories. If the plan is several then right before they turn 3 is a great time. They are free, old enough to enjoy many aspects of the park and make you see things you have never seen before through their eyes. Plus if you have been many time it will force you to go more slowly and take more breaks for the kids.

 

[figmentdream]

My son was 2 years old. My daughter had just turned 1 when she went for the first time (son was 4 then). The pictures are priceless. I never thought I would want to bring my kids so young, but we did it and I am so glad we did. I am taking my daughter for her sweet 16th birthday next week! I turned her into a Disney kid for sure!!

 

[disneycat321]

I commented on this awhile back but wanted to update now that we’ve gone….

We took our daughter to Disneyland for her second birthday and had an absolute BLAST. No regrets. It was so much fun with a newly 2 year old! (Plus, she was free!) She was fascinated by the characters, adored the carousel, and still asks to watch videos of some of the rides over a month later. We kept to her normal sleep/nap schedule, went at a much slower pace than usual, and just had an absolutely fantastic time. I know she won’t remember it, but WE will, and she will always have the pictures!

We live in CA, so WDW is quite a prospect for us with the cross country flight and 3 hour time change, so I imagine we’ll hold off on that for several years. But we’ll be back at Disneyland a few times before then, hopefully!

 

[Summer2018]

Both parks are far away from where we live. If we lived in California or Florida, we would not have hesitated to bring our DD sooner. I much prefer Disneyland, but have only been once because it’s across the country.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

Due to family economics back in the day, we made our first trip to WDW when our daughters were 17 and 19 yrs old. It was absolutely magical in all kinds of ways. My first grandson made his very first visit at 9 months. Of course he doesn’t remember it but his parents and I have strong memories and lots of pictures. He seemed to think every aspect of the trip was made for his entertainment, from characters, parades, and even fireworks to the cherished moments we shared just watching the little birds clean up popcorn while we waited for his parents to ride BTMR.

Four years later, we were back, with that grandson who was almost 5, his 3 yr old brother and cousin. *Also, it was my 89 yr old mother’s first ever visit! We made a number of great trips through the years, including 2024, when we were back with those same kids at 21 and 20 yrs. Every trip included traditional experiences and some new ones, all enjoyed uniquely from our individual POVs. Trust me, there is no right or wrong age.

* My dear mother made it DL at 94. She loved both her trips!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

God Bless your mother, LuvMyEar. My late friend Sue went to Disneyland not on but in celebration of her 100th birthday a couple of years ago.

 

[Otaku]

My husband and I have recently become first time grandparents, and can’t wait to take our grandson to Disney! I am wondering at what age your children first visited Disney World. My children were 10 and 6 on our first visit. My niece was 3 and seemed to handle it well. I am just curious about others’ experiences.

Probably around 1 1/2. It was during COVID but we have DVC and wanted to go lol. We had a really good time, except for the part where our little one tripped and had a scrape on her nose from like the first day onward, so all the pictures look slightly sad