Is WDW a definite must for a 5 year old Disneyland raised child?

[luv2sleep]

Or can I wait until he's older? My son is 5 and has been to DL several times already. I've been probably over 30-40. People I know who've only been to WDW keep saying how I must take him to WDW. The thing is I just don't want to pay airfare, travel by plane and experience WDW alone as a single mom while he is this young. DL has been more than enough for me and I'd like to wait until he's much older before doing that trip. Honestly it seems very overwhelming to go there. I'd just rather drive 60 miles, park and enjoy!

So what age would be better to take him to WDW as a single mom? He's not that patient so I was thinking an age where he can tolerate long waits for transportation and lots more walking than DL? Right now we spend about 5 hours at the park and then take a break back at the hotel.

Thanks for your help!

 

[rowan1813]

To me, I think you can wait until he is older. As you say, he is not a patient kid and he might not like the long lines at WDW, especially those waits that come with the transportation to and from the hotel and parks (I've heard those can be an hour or more on a regular basis).

I also believe he would be able to appreciate what WDW has to offer much more if he were older the first time he goes. I barely remember going to WDW when I was 7 and I often wish that my family and I had waited until I was older just so I could appreciate Epcot and what used to be MGM Studios, now DHS, much more. The time that we spent at Epcot for me was incredibly boring as I had no interest in other countries or technological advances like I do now.

I know that people will say that MK and DL offer different experiences, and while I agree with them, I do think that you can wait until he is older and you are not as overwhelmed, in order to go to WDW.

That's just my 2 cents. Hope it helps!

 

[Badge]

Well, I would wait until at least 10. You will want him to be old enough (and tall enough) to ride everything he wants to ride, but also old enough to spend a full day in the park.

You also don't want to wait so long that he becomes to "cool" for the magic. While a lot of us never went through this phase, I have had friends that felt they were to "cool" to go to Disney starting around age 15-16. Of course, that phase normally does not last long, if he ever goes through it at all.

If at the age of 10 you can go to the parks, he can ride everything at DL and can stay in the park for the whole day without complaining a lot about waiting in line, I think he is ready. WDW is really a place you need to experience at least once. It really is a whole different animal than DL.

I grew up going to WDW and I loved it. The past few years I have starting to take trips to DL as well. While I love DL and how close by everything is, WDW is still my favorite just because of the sheer size of it. So much to see and so much to do. When you go, you need to go for 7 days at least! I am to the point were 7 days is not enough and I normally go for 8-10. With DL, I only need 3 or 4 to get my fill of the "magic" and am ready to go home.

 

[sonnyjane]

I went to WDW twice... once when I was 6 and once when I was 12. I remember almost all of the 12yo trip and virtually none of the 6yo trip other than meeting Pluto at a character breakfast. The main thing I really enjoyed when I was 12 was Epcot... I saved my money all summer and bought one souvenir (about $5 each at the time) from each country. I also really enjoyed the water parks. In other words, I agree with the others that you can probably wait a few more years to maximize the experience.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I think being older would help appreciate all WDW has to offer. I think 10+ would be good.

 

[jemimabean]

I don't understand why your friends are saying that you MUST take him. He's five years old for Pete's sake! Would you have fun? Probably. But he's way too young to remember it later, and it is really pretty huge and overwhelming.
We used to take our kids there, but we won't likely take them back until they're in their early teens. I think that 12-15 is when they'll enjoy it the most. Until then, Disneyland is PERFECT. It's a great size, and we all love being able to walk back to the hotel easily during the day for a rest.

You've got a whole lot of time before I think that a trip to WDW would be fully appreciated by your son. I wish that we had known and understand the differences between the parks when our kids were little - we definitely would have done Disneyland and enjoyed it more.

 

[skiingfast]

I've been in the same boat. I'm glad I started taking him early.

You will probably like it too. Go for a week, you have enough time to see each park more than once. Use the dining plan to save some money(not the free dining plan that could cost more). Lots of places to eat to choose from, all with plenty for kids. Lots of fun pools. New adventures.

It's a great place for a vacation, and you haven't done it yet.

 

[Disney4us2]

I took my DD to WDW when she was 5. She had already been to Disneyland countless times since she was 15 months old. I am a single mom and didn't find any problems traveling with her at all.

She loved WDW at that age and still does now at the age of 12. It is a totally different experience. Disneyland is a land and WDW is really a whole world in the Disney bubble.

If you can do it, great. If not it will still be there when you are ready. I wouldn't say it is a must do. I don't have any regrets taking her at the age of five. Just lots of great memories.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

All I can do is give you a very firm yes

 

[mrswh]

WDW is fun, yes. Will he have fun there? Of course! Do you *have* to take him? Goodness, no. I honestly don't think there will be much difference to a 5 year old other than a longer flight. When asked which she likes better, my DD (5 at the time I asked) would say she liked one or the other based on completely random things like "I liked the cupcake at DHS" or "the hotel at DL left chocolates on my pillow." They don't notice more "magic" or any of the other stuff we do and think they should. I see no point whatsoever in putting in the time, money and effort to take him to another park, that, to a 5 year old, is pretty much the same thing as the one he has been to several times already. If he enjoys DL, take him to DL. If you are going to spend the $ and time on a big trip, use it for a totally different experience, and go to WDW sometime when he's old enough to want to (or you want to!). JMO.

 

[owensamo]

I don't think you need to take him at 5, but I would think about taking him before he turns 10 - simply because at 10, he'll be paying adult prices for tickets and food.

We're actually in the opposite boat right now - we're planning a first trip next summer to DL. We've been to WDW multiple times, but the last time any of us was at DL was when I was 3. Our DD will be 10 (for all of 2.5 months - so of course she'll be in the adult meal range! ) so we're looking at pricing for 3 adults rather than the 2 adult + 1 child pricing we've had at WDW for the last 8+ trips. It's kind of annoying - but we'll deal. At WDW with the dining plan, it makes even more sense to go before that magical age of 10 to get the biggest bang for your buck - especially if you're travelling across the country to do it!

So while I don't think you need to go *now*, I'd say planning a trip in the next 5 years is a good idea. At 9.5 he'll be as able to do everything he and you want to do, and he'll still be at child rates!

 

[luv2sleep]

Thanks everyone for your responses! Very helpful.

If we lived closer I'd have been already. For me DL can be an exhausting vacation. I guess I don't want to spend the money to get there, stay and eat just to be overwhelmed and even more exhausted with a small child. We went to Hawaii this summer with family and although it's far and expensive it was way more relaxing than DL. I'd go back there in a heartbeat. I also want to have him enjoy it with me vs me constantly maneuvering and planning to try to counter fatigue and meltdowns on the trip. Just seems too far and expensive to deal with that. I probably don't see the financial value in it yet. I will when he gets older for sure.

Right now we have 2 cruises planned. One that sails right here out of LA so that I can just drive, park and board! The other is out of FL so while it will be a hassle to fly there and back, once we are on the ship it will be all inclusive, relaxing heaven! What makes it even better is that my sister is going with us.

So I will stick to DL and cruising for now and hit WDW when he's a little older.

Thanks again!

 

[sonnyjane]

The other is out of FL so while it will be a hassle to fly there and back, once we are on the ship it will be all inclusive, relaxing heaven!
Thanks again!

Devil's advocate.... If you're flying alllllllll the way to Florida anyway...........

 

[luv2sleep]

I don't think you need to take him at 5, but I would think about taking him before he turns 10 - simply because at 10, he'll be paying adult prices for tickets and food.

We're actually in the opposite boat right now - we're planning a first trip next summer to DL. We've been to WDW multiple times, but the last time any of us was at DL was when I was 3. Our DD will be 10 (for all of 2.5 months - so of course she'll be in the adult meal range! ) so we're looking at pricing for 3 adults rather than the 2 adult + 1 child pricing we've had at WDW for the last 8+ trips. It's kind of annoying - but we'll deal. At WDW with the dining plan, it makes even more sense to go before that magical age of 10 to get the biggest bang for your buck - especially if you're travelling across the country to do it!

So while I don't think you need to go *now*, I'd say planning a trip in the next 5 years is a good idea. At 9.5 he'll be as able to do everything he and you want to do, and he'll still be at child rates!

Oh good point! I'm going to remember that! Thanks!

 

[luv2sleep]

Devil's advocate.... If you're flying alllllllll the way to Florida anyway...........

I thought about that but the cruise is a week long and we are going over Spring break which is only a week. If it was summer I'd definitely at least go to DTD or something before. We have to fly in the night before we sail though because there's still school that day.

 

[Badge]

I thought about that but the cruise is a week long and we are going over Spring break which is only a week. If it was summer I'd definitely at least go to DTD or something before. We have to fly in the night before we sail though because there's still school that day.

Since you are flying in the evening before your cruise (great idea by the way!), you still could drive over to Downtown Disney to see it. Maybe even drive around by some of the hotels to get a feel for Disney World. Of course, it all depends on where you are flying into to as well.

Heck, if you are sailing out of Port Canaveral, you might want to think about spending a night onsite at like Pop or something. You could fly into MCO, and take the FREE Magical Express bus to your onsite hotel. Once there, you could take the Disney buses to Epcot or the Magic Kingdom and take a ride on the monorail (something you DO NOT need Disney tickets for). This would give you a chance to see the size of the World and get a feel for the transportation systems Disney has in place. That might help you make up your mind on when you would be ready to travel for a longer time. Also, if you could get an early reservation, Breakfast the morning you sail out at Chef Mickeys would be a lot of fun! You could even save your monorail riding experince until that morning. Take the bus to Magic Kingdom, jump on the hotel Monorail and ride the Monorail INTO the contempory hotel, have breakfast there and ride the Monorail back to Magic Kingdom after the meal. Then just hop on the bus back to the hotel you stayed at to get a taxi to take you to the cruise port. This would save you a rental car as well since Disney will take you to your hotel, like I said, for FREE! Then just take the taxi or a shuttle bus to the Port. If you are doing a Disney cruise, you might even be able to take the Disney bus to the port from the hotel.

Whatever you end up doing, you will love cruising! Will this be the first time you cruise, or have you done them before? I have been on nine so far and my tenth is coming up in Aug.

 

[luv2sleep]

Not renting a car but taking the ME from the airport to a DW resort and staying overnight sounds like a great idea! The ME can take you to port so that's a fabulous option! No park visits but we can hang out and eat at the resorts. No character meals. My son doesn't like them unless they have normal sized heads and bodies. He's afraid of them otherwise. Wouldn't want to spend $$ on that. We have a character breakfast on the ship but since it's included and not an extra charge I will try it out and ask the server to not have characters come to our table. Thank you for the resort stay idea!

 

[luv2sleep]

Oh and this April will be my 5th cruise but my first Disney cruise. It will be my son's first cruise. Can't wait!

 

[Badge]

Not renting a car but taking the ME from the airport to a DW resort and staying overnight sounds like a great idea! The ME can take you to port do that's a fabulous option! No park visits but we can hang out and eat at the resorts. No character meals. My son doesn't like them unless they have normal sized heads and bodies. Thank you for this idea!

Well, if your son does not like the characters, then skip the Chef Mickeys idea. Still, taking a trip on the Monorail would be a lot of fun for both of you. You would get to see some of Epcot and a little bit of Magic Kingdom.

As far as taking a Disney bus to the port, I am not 100% sure if you can do that unless you booked a Disney land and sea package. If you are not taking a Disney cruise at all, taking the Disney bus to the port won't happen at all. However, if you booked a Disney cruise, you might have to call and ask if you can take the Disney bus to the port from your hotel. I don't see why it would be a problem, but calling them and letting them know is a good idea so they know how many people are at the hotel to pick up. If all else fails, you can take a shuttle bus or a taxi to the port.

However, taking the ME bus from the airport to your hotel is something that you can for sure do and will save you a little money!

I think doing something like this, were you arrive in the evening, maybe take the Disney buses to Epcot or MK to ride the Monorail or take the buses to DTD will give you a great feel for how their transportation systems work and will allow you to see how your son will deal with them. Also, whenever you do decide to visit WDW, you will already know how to get around, which can be a headache for some people.

If you are looking for a cheap Disney hotel, I reall suggest Pop Century or the brand new Art of Animation. However, Art of Animation (while still a value hotel) will not be totally open yet I don't think so they might only have family suites open for booking which cost a lot. Pop has a great place to eat at the hotel with a really nice counter service breakfast, some nice (but simple) pools, and an arcade.

One fun thing to do however if you do stay at Pop would be to cross the bridge to Art of Animation (they are like right next to each other) and look around. From the concept art I have looked at and some of the constuction pictures I have seen, it looks like a really nice value hotel with lots of fun things your son will enjoy looking at!

 

[luv2sleep]

We can take ME to port only if we are staying at a Disney hotel. It's just not free. It's about $30 pp. They don't offer land and sea packages anymore for some reason. Both this April and next year's Spring break cruises are Disney. This year is out of LA and next year out of Port Canaveral.

I don't think we are going to take all that transportation. Just reading what you have written about it seems overwhelming, lol. We would probably stay at a monorail resort (probably the Polynesian because I'd really like to stay there) and ride the Monorail for fun. I can't afford the Poly for a whole vacation but I can swing one night. May be the only time I get to stay there.