How young was your LO for their first visit?

[starshine514]

The only character my son didn't like (and still doesn't like at age 5) was the Beast.
QUOTE]

That's funny you should say that! My youngest met the Beast last year on her third birthday (at Epcot). Beauty and the Beast was her favorite movie, and she kissed nearly every character she met (I have the cutest shot that the PP photographer caught of her kissing Goliath (the lion) from JoJo), but the Beast was still difficult for her - I think she barely managed to overcome her fear and hug the Beast. I think the big problem was that he was so HUGE!

That was her first Disney trip. Her first theme park experience was shortly after she turned 2, and she generally did pretty well. I must say, though, it became so much easier after she was done with diapers!

 

[FourM's]

We waited until youngest DD was 3. My theory was I didn't want to worry about diapers or naps. Some kids aren't fully potty trained at that age and some still take naps. It all depends on your child and what you can handle. The thought of hauling a diaper bag into the park and having to head back to the room for naps didn't appeal to me.
We also had big plans to forego the stroller on that trip too. We had told DD that there was no strollers at DL. Well as soon as we walked throught the ticket turnstiles she saw the stroller rental counter. After her dad got tired of carrying her on his shoulders we had to get a stroller. I was so sure a 3 year old could walk around the park all day, what was I thinking?

 

[coaches24]

We waited until youngest DD was 3. My theory was I didn't want to worry about diapers or naps. Some kids aren't fully potty trained at that age and some still take naps. It all depends on your child and what you can handle. The thought of hauling a diaper bag into the park and having to head back to the room for naps didn't appeal to me.
We also had big plans to forego the stroller on that trip too. We had told DD that there was no strollers at DL. Well as soon as we walked throught the ticket turnstiles she saw the stroller rental counter. After her dad got tired of carrying her on his shoulders we had to get a stroller. I was so sure a 3 year old could walk around the park all day, what was I thinking?

Haha, funny you mention that. We just went with my 2yo DD and thought the stroller was the best invention ever. Carried everything we wanted to bring and our DD. I said to my wife after our trip "how will we do DL when our DD is too old for the stroller. I cant imagine not having our small cooler with water and snacks, a place to put the cameras and such so we dont have to carry them etc.

 

[GhostlyHitchhiker]

Haha, funny you mention that. We just went with my 2yo DD and thought the stroller was the best invention ever. Carried everything we wanted to bring and our DD. I said to my wife after our trip "how will we do DL when our DD is too old for the stroller. I cant imagine not having our small cooler with water and snacks, a place to put the cameras and such so we dont have to carry them etc.

Funny you should mention THAT. I'm trying to figure out how I can justify a stroller with 2 9-year olds, a 12-year old and a 13-year old just so I don't have to carry all the STUFF. ;-) (And as a photography nut, I really do need the cameras... I swear...)

 

[Smokering]

We're planning on going this December, when DD will be a few months shy of 4 and the as-yet-unborn baby will be 6 months. We didn't make the decision based solely on their ages - cost, timing, weather, there were lots of factors - but I'm hoping it'll be good. DD might be old enough to walk around without a stroller (she's a pretty impressive walker, because we don't have a car; and we'll be taking the parks fairly slowly because of the baby); the baby will be a good "interactive" age to meet my sister, who's meeting us there and won't have seen him before; he'll also be young enough to be portable and hopefully fairly travel-friendly; and at the age where we can give him tastes of food, but don't have to cart around jars of baby food either. And he won't be tiny tiny either, which is good because of the whole recycled-air issue on aeroplanes and general germy issues.

Of course, he won't remember any of it; but DD will, and frankly, we're mostly going for my benefit! I'm prone to PPD, so hoping that looking forward to DL will help a bit in the postpartum months. Anyway, it'll give us a good excuse to go again in a few years - "But DD enjoyed it so much, and poor DS doesn't remember any of it!".