OT: how young is too young for a trip to disney?

[JessNewbs]

Alicia,

You have to remember this forum is not a random sample of the population. Many, if not most, Australian children NEVER get to go to Disneyland.

And that is OK. No one will call the authorities.

There are many things you will need to provide for your family and a trip to Disneyland is wayyyyyy down the list.

This is so true! I am 26 now and I have never been overseas. Two years ago we went to QLD from SYD on a plane and that was mine and my husbands first time! It is NOT the norm to pop overseas to Disney for aussie kids. This is why we have waited until our kids are over 5 to go, plus for our big trip we have something like 8 flights including stop overs. There is no way I would brave this with a child under 5. I struggle to go in the car for more than an hour with a child under 1!

Everybody is different and just think if you start your family now you will have many more "single" experiences with your partner when the kids are grown up! That's how I see it. I can't wait to explore the world with my hubby when the kids are grown. We went to the gold coast twice with the kids but we feel like there's nothing there to see now!

 

[cola]

If you need a cheap fast Disney fix with baby/toddler go to Hong Kong Disneyland mid-week. The park is tiny, easy to do in half a day mid week with no kids. You know what they are missing because you know what there is at DL and WDW, but they don't, much less stress for everyone. HK is pretty cheap - cheap airfare, cheap hotel, cheap food, cheap park tickets, shorter flights. It's the budget Disney option on a small less exhausting scale, so no need to be concerned about overdoing it.

The train to get there is a whole other attraction too

 

[KiwiMouseGirl]

Im only 18 and am already "planning" my imaginary children's trip to Disney! HAHA!

I guess it really depends on the child, and how often you are planning on trying to do family trips to Disney resorts. I've always envisioned taking them when they are tall enough to go on everything. That way you can go on everything as a family And making sure you show them video's of the rides before you go so *fingers crossed* they aren't affraid to ride. Im sure my plans will change inbetween then though

 

[viaggiamo]

Honestly, if you love travel, just take your children.

Sometimes our trips are about us, sometimes they are about the children.

We always have fun and seeing the world through the eyes of you child is the most amazing experience. Ever.

That said it is hard. Bloody hard work.

But worth every second.

I say just go, take your baby, take your toddler, take your crazy three year olds...

Take longer, relish slow travel, stay somewhere nice, don't overplan, have rest days, don't flit between places too much.

Once you find your groove with your child(ren) and travel you will just know.

Our children are total travel addicts, just like their parents, they are 2 and 5 and cannot wait to get on the plane again.

C

 

[shushh]

I have to strongly second viaggiamo's thoughts.

There's never a perfect time other than when you're ready to go. Kids learn to adapt granted some better than others, but they will definitely pick up on your travel style and habits. Plus they also remember and get a lot more out of the experience than you'd think.

As already mentioned, seeing the world through their eyes is priceless and makes all the hard work worth it!

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Ours were just 8 and almost 6 which was a great age. 6yo has great memories. We did the trip as a Whitsunday island spending 10 days. Plenty of time for rest, off days and to enjoy. Both loved collecting autographs and dining with characters. The only ride my youngest could not go on at the time was Screamin.

By brother and I were 10 and 7 when we first went, we were very lucky indeed. Taking my own children for the first time was magic. I worked my but off and went without lots but was all worth it. Our kids love to travel and have learnt to go without in the short term for great things in the not too distant future.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Just weighing in seconding Viaggiamo and shushh- whatever you love doing you keep doing, baby(s) and all. Your child learns to go with your family's flow-if that is travelling then it has its ups and downs, it can be hard, it can also be so amazingly rewarding when through their eyes, even at 1, you experience moments of magic that as an adult you miss. Same goes though for if you love shopping, or dining out, or going to the footie (well maybe not quite that at a few weeks) or whatever. Take bubs with you from week 1-most of the time it means you are able to keep enjoying your fave things and you build up shared interests for those future teen and adult years. Congrats on making a big decision, and sending you lots of pixie dust that in due course your dreams become reality.

 

[ngaire01]

If you need a cheap fast Disney fix with baby/toddler go to Hong Kong Disneyland mid-week. The park is tiny, easy to do in half a day mid week with no kids. You know what they are missing because you know what there is at DL and WDW, but they don't, much less stress for everyone. HK is pretty cheap - cheap airfare, cheap hotel, cheap food, cheap park tickets, shorter flights. It's the budget Disney option on a small less exhausting scale, so no need to be concerned about overdoing it.

The train to get there is a whole other attraction too

We took children (DD16, DS13) to HK DL for their first Disney experience age 12 and 9 years. It is the smallest DL in the world and has traditional MK features.

A great intro to the Disney theme park experience. A good way to test if younger children are comfortable meeting the characters and trying various rides/attractions. HK is also a much shorter flight from Australia or New Zealand.

 

[ky71]

The youngest age we have taken our kids was 7months (third child -heaps of confidence and it was our second trip to WDW)!

Our oldest went to DLP at 18mths and our middle child's first visit was DL at exactly 3yrs old (her birthday).

Babies are very easy travellers and we have not had any issues no matter where we've travelled. Okay I admit a toddler in a stroller throughout Europe probably wasn't the smartest idea but you get the drift!

 

[alicia1506]

thanks everyone for your thoughts and sharing your experiences with your children.

this has helped solidify things for us re: our expectations and when we think we would like to take a child overseas.

to be honest, right now we are focusing on taking ourselves overseas in the next year and to do that, i need to find a job relatively soon, so ... fingers crossed that things will pick up.

thanks again for weighing in on the situation

 

[Libby]

It's so hard to pick the perfect age. Our started going to Disney at 9months and 5 months. I'd say between 3 and 5 are the magic years but it really just depends on what your children are like . We're about to go again with my girls now being 11 and 13 and I know it will be a very different trip but one I'm very excited about. I think if you've got the right attitude any age is great. They most likely won't remember if they are under 10 but you'll have the memories, the photos and the videos .

 

[jameswilson799]

When child is able to talk with people, enjoys events and food and walk without any support, In Short at the age of 5.