now or later

[Bossy22]

To make a long story short, my wife and I are Disney Addicted! We went right after we were married and we went 2 years ago. We always go for 5 day park hoppers and spend every second of it in the park. We LOVE Disneyland!

Fast forward, 1.5 years ago we adopted a little girl. She had alot of health issues but is doing awesome now. She is our "princess" and I have been dreaming of taking her to Disneyland to meet some other "princesses". We were planning on taking her summer of 2013 (she will be 3.75 years old). We think this will be a good age. However, saving has been going better than planned and we could afford to go this year! I am a teacher so summer is when we will have to go (went last time in August and it was great). My question is, for those with children is it worth going with a 2, almost 3 year old or would it be better to wait till next year.

It is hard to wait but we can not afford to go every year so we want to make it the most magical time that we can! So, what say you fellow Disneyland fanatics!

 

[awdsmama]

I would wait. I think it would be more magical next year when she is just a bit older, plus she'll be able to walk a bit more on her own etc.

 

[iheartdisney]

I would wait.
DCA's new entrance and Carsland and are OPENING this summer, which means there will be a learning curve involved with guest traffic patterns. By next summer those will be ironed out and Disney's highly efficient crowd control will be in place. Not to mention user tips and tricks that others will figure out in the meantime!

 

[starshine514]

We took my youngest to WDW right before she turned 3 (our last day there was her 3rd birthday). She loved it! She still talks about it (it was our only trip to WDW) and my pictures of her kissing the characters (which she doesn't do anymore) are priceless! However, she was still a bit short then, so she didn't get to ride as many rides as she does at DL now.

So, it's up to you. Will she enjoy it? Yes. Will you make some good memories? Yes. Would you be better of waiting a year if you can only go one of the two? Maybe.

 

[croppincolburn]

I vote for waiting too. Ds(8) has been going to the DLR and WDW since he was an infant. He doesn't remember his second birthday with Pooh at MK in WDW. The rest of us had a great time and trip. The older he gets the more about our trips he remembers.

 

[GrandBob]

I'd probably wait too, for both the above reasons. But if you're just itching to go this year, one justification is that if you go before she turns 3, she'll be free for both park admission and for character meals.

-Bob

 

[stitchy626]

I would wait. I have followed the FOUR rule in our family. No one goes before age four. My parents did it with me, I did it with my DD all my cousins had to wait too. As a parent I couldn't stay away that long and snuck down twice while leaving her with grandma before she turned four. That just seems to be the magic number that works for us. Potty training is over, no need for strollers and the memories are being formed.

 

[skiingfast]

It is hard to wait but we can not afford to go every year

Can you go every other year?

Maybe you should go sooner, so you can get in more trips before you have to deal with school schedules and the busy seasons during school breaks.

 

[marciemouse]

I have a few different insights. Our DD was also adopted. While she really didn't have health concerns, she was delayed in her speech, motor skills, etc. We took our first trip to Disneyland just before she turned three. We felt she was ready enough to enjoy it, but we also knew she wouldn't remember it in the long run. We just went for one day (had our give-a-day free vouchers). Our DD LOVED a lot about that trip. Her favorites were the parade, tea cups, carousel, Dumbo, and anything with characters. It was a fun trip, and it actually really spurred her on developmentally in a few areas. She was also incredibly over stimulated, and I'm glad we only did one day in the parks. However, we ended up DL addicts and AP holders! Our first trip was just that... a very wonderful first. Our subsequent visits have been wonderful as well, and our DD remembers them now. (She is mostly "caught up" developmentally now, too.) Basically, I think you'd have a great trip if you go now. But I think you'll have a great trip if you go later, too. One benefit to going now instead of later would be that your daughter wouldn't need a ticket yet and could still eat off your plate at any buffet meals. If Disneyland is like a once every five years kind of trip for you, I'd wait. If it's an every other year option, I'd go for it now! Your DD will likely not remember the trip forever, but she'll retain it in her short-term. For us, it's about making memories and having fun together as a family. Have a great trip no matter which you choose!

 

[Honeybee1983]

BOTH?! That's what I would try to swing! hehe

 

[starshine514]

If you do decide to take her when she's still 2, you will save on the price of her ticket, food at buffets/character meals, etc. - which will make the trip cheaper so that maybe you can come back sooner.

I agree with skiingfast about working around school schedules, you can totally come in the low season for a couple every-other-year trips if you start now!

 

[TiggerFamily]

I say wait too. Our youngest was 4 when we took him for the first time and I wish we had waited another year. He was afraid of all the characters and some of the rides. We went back when he was 6 and it was much better and then at 8 and that was the best trip yet. In the planning stages for going this summer when he is 10.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Another vote for the now and later. If you are thinking that Disney is something you can do financially every other year and your family enjoys Disney that much to want to devote those kind of resources to it, then go now and again in two years. You and your child will experience Disney in different ways each time. If this is more of a once every four or five years kind of decision, then I would probably wait.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I would wait.
DCA's new entrance and Carsland and are OPENING this summer, which means there will be a learning curve involved with guest traffic patterns. By next summer those will be ironed out and Disney's highly efficient crowd control will be in place. Not to mention user tips and tricks that others will figure out in the meantime!

Just exactly where is that new entrance?

Jack

 

[jdb in AZ]

We took DS when he was nearly three and he loved it! And it was free for him. We live close enough we went nearly every year when the kids were little. We just set the van on cruise control and it automatically headed for Disneyland. Don't have a van any more now that we're empty nesters, so we usually fly.

 

[dbbydk]

FWIW- the first time we went, our daughter was a little over 4, and our son was a little 7 month old baby (we have great pictures of me carrying him around the park, asleep in a baby bjorn). Between the highly peak season time that we went, the fact that DH and I both got salmonella (he worse than I, because he ate more bad nuts), it wasn't what we had planned for her first trip. I swear, I think we only rode 3 rides the whole 3 day period we were there. She still had a great time. But, we felt that she missed so much, we took her back 3 months later. At 4 1/2, she loved all the rides she went on. She was tall enough for everything but ToT, Mulholland Madness, and Indiana Jones.

We went back a year later, when she was 5 1/2, and DS had just turned 2, and I don't remember there being much he couldn't ride. No, he couldn't do Splash or Space Mtn, but he loved POTC, and the HM. We are going back in October. DS will be a little over 4 when we go. Neither one of them has ever been scared of the characters. DD loves all the roller coasters, and the only rides she hasn't ridden are Tower of Terror and Indiana Jones (due to height).

I think whether you go now, or wait, both have their pros, both have their cons. Pro- she'll be practically free, con- she probably won't remember much. But, you and your wife will have some great memories, and photos, that you can share with her. My kids love hearing the stories about our Princess dinner, and how my son was hitting on Belle, when she was trying to talk to my daughter. At 7 months old, he was quite taken with Belle.

 

[zoey9797]

Since you are already comfortable calling yourselves "addicted", you might as well just admit you will do a now and later. Because if you are anything like most of us, you know that will happen anyway.

We have a billion memories and wouldn't trade one. Remember that Walt built DL for families to spend time together. Not, for certain ages to do certain things. She will "remember" through videos, stories and photos!

We never know what tomorrow will bring, so our family tries to live in the now!

 

[Desiree Y]

Since you are already comfortable calling yourselves "addicted", you might as well just admit you will do a now and later. Because if you are anything like most of us, you know that will happen anyway.

We have a billion memories and wouldn't trade one. Remember that Walt built DL for families to spend time together. Not, for certain ages to do certain things. She will "remember" through videos, stories and photos!

We never know what tomorrow will bring, so our family tries to live in the now!

I agree whole heartedly!! I am no Disney pro, but I think this is one of the best pieces of advise I've read. DH and I are going in March with DD 10, DS 5, DD 4 and DS 21 months. This is my third ever trip, ODD's second and everyone else's first. When we started planning we were going to leave the baby home thinking he just wouldn't be able to enjoy it like the rest of us. But after a lot of reading and thinking we've decided our family vaca wouldn't be a family vaca without him and I've learned that he'll be able to do much more than I thought. Will he remember it years from now? Doubtful, but I still feel it will be well worth it. We've had to upgrade to a mini-van rental which doubled our rental cost so he's not exactly 'free'... but I so love the sentiment about not knowing what tomorrow will bring.

If you can do it now, I say do it. I'd hate to put it off a year and have something come up where you can't do it then and be filled with regret!!

 

[Bossy22]

Wow, some great advice!!! We are also on a list to adopt a 2nd who we could get by next summer so I am leaning towards this summer and then again in 2 more years time!!!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Wow, some great advice!!! We are also on a list to adopt a 2nd who we could get by next summer so I am leaning towards this summer and then again in 2 more years time!!!

With that extra piece of information, I say go for it this year. You may indeed have enough excitement, happiness, and adjusting to do that a Disney trip next summer might be more than you need. Then you will have the pleasure of taking both your children together in a couple years too.