Stop Waiting And Just Go!

[ukwildcat]

I love these kind of posts. I'm a sucker. I see others are too.

DS is 10 months old. He will be making his 5th trip next month (We're blessed with proximity). I know he won't remember it, but that's not why we take him. I love looking at pictures. Children grow so fast. I'm looking forward to the next few years.

Off hand, our easiest trips were the earlier ones, when he was a few months old. They've gotten to be more of a hassle, but who cares. As for melt downs, you need to go at a slower pace. That doesn't mean, however, that you can't enjoy the magic.

 

[WDWorBUST]

I'm so glad I'm not alone in this philosophy. We will be leaving on the 31st to take DD who will be 34 months (one last free trip for her and free dining - can't beat that!!) for her 4th trip. We took her at 13 months, 23 months, 25 months and now 34 months. She enjoyed them all. But I am really excited about this trip because I think it will be the best one yet. We won't be going next year because I'm working really hard to get debt paid off before we go again....but I think we will be going twice in 08 and once in 09 before she starts school so I will survive. I remember how much she has enjoyed the trips. And she watches the video constantly. And she does remember it - how do I know for sure when she watches the video?? One night we were talking about Disney and I was saying we rode the monorail and she said -Where I found my pretty necklace?? Now my first reaction was What?? But then I remembered we were on the monorail and she found a light up necklace like they sell during the parades. There was no way to find the owner of an item like that so we let her keep it. She remembered it - better than I did So I agree with not waiting.

 

[Mickey28]

We took both of our kids for their 1st birthday and had a great time for both. Oue son got his first haircut on his birthday at the barbershop on Main Street. We took my in-laws and it was my father-in law's last trip to WDW before he passed. He got to see his first grandchild's first trip to WDW. If we would have waited we wouldn't have those memories. So I have to ask, Why are you waiting?

 

[mickeymousemom]

We are going in October and it will be our youngest DD's SEVENTH trip. She just turned THREE! We also took her for the first time when she was 3months old. She has known the names of all the princesses for quite some time, can easily pick out a Disney tune from the first few notes of music, LOVES the castle and "Spaceship Earf". I wish we had video of those earlier trips, but regardless, the memories her dad, sisters, and I have with her are always there. I remember Chip N Dale fawning over her in her stroller. She was asleep, but they kept making angel gestures, etc...Dh and I were in tears. It's never too early to take your child to WDW....never....

 

[2poohbears]

I loved your post...beautiful memories. And I agree with your point as well. We took our 2 1/2 year old twin boys to WDW this year and really enjoyed it. (We also had the usual comment from everyone that we should wait because they wouldn't remember it. My thought was - well, I WILL REMEMBER IT!) Every single thing was magical to them...even the bus rides!!! I always enjoyed going to WDW as a child, but it's even more fun watching my boys' eyes light up. I also found their language increased during and after the trip...they saw so many new things & really wanted to express how they felt about it all, I think. They still ask to see the videos at least once a week!

NOTE: One thing I would stress to others from my experience is this---try to stay on their normal schedule for naps and meals as much as you can. This will keep temper tantrums to a minimum and ensure everyone will have a great time! DH and I even napped sometimes as well!

We're going back in JAN/FEB 2007 and again in 2008. I can't wait...I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life. :tearsofjoy:

 

[rkandmjsmommy]

I AGREE 1000%, whenever someone tells me that they are not taking their kids becasue they wont remember, I tell them: "they wont remember books being read to them or the diaper changes for the endless nights of us being up with them when crying" disney is too magical not to share with our kids, young or old

DD was 22 months on her first visit DS was 19 months, we continue to go AT LEAST once a year, I LIVE for my Disney Vacations!!!!

What a wonderful post

 

[2poohbears]

"they wont remember books being read to them or the diaper changes for the endless nights of us being up with them when crying" disney is too magical not to share with our kids, young or old

VERY GOOD POINT!!!

 

[golden1]

I'm feeling a little better after reading that. EVERYONE keeps telling me that I should wait a few years until my kids are older to go to WDW. I think now that dd will be 4.5 it will be the perfect age! She still thinks the princesses are real! I think ds will have a good time also.

 

[scanne]

Hey, I totally agree with you!

My DS has been on 6 WDW trips. He's not even 4 yet. My DD has been on 4 WDW trips and she is 2. DD's first trip was when she was 3 months old, then she went at a year, a year and three months and then at two. We're going back at the end of September and again next summer. Right now, the kids TOTALLY get the magic and LOVE the characters. These trips have been AMAZING - each one gets better and better!

Bring 'em young. And I'll tell you this. They will remember BEING with their FAMILY in the Happiest Place on Earth and that can NEVER be a bad thing!!!

 

[disneynewbee]

You are so right. I took my dd for the first time for her 2nd birthday. She may not remember every detail but she had a blast and we have tons of pictures that she looks through at least once a wk. She bugs me every day asking when we are going back. Her first character meal was also Crystal Palace and the look on her face when I look back at the pictures still makes me tear up.

 

[Magalex]

We took our DS for his first trip when he was 4 1/2 yrs old( financial reasons)in April 2005. It was a magical trip. He will be 6 1/2 or 7 next we go but we are always talking about Disney. We will have many more trips. But some of those families who wait "until children are older" have the thought that WDW is only for children and really only go for their kid's sake. But I think most DISers would agree we all went prior to children and we all will still go on the day the child leaves for college (just like the commerical they had a couple of years ago). A couple waves to their son driving off the college and the husband pulls out the WDW tickets

 

[Mommy2Lots]

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[LuluLovesDisney]

Hi,

I thought I would share a moment my wife and I shared with our DD 4.5 years old and our DS a little over 1 year old.

For so many of our friends we hear ...
"We are going to wait until they are a little older until we take him/her to DisneyWorld - so that they remember it"

My wife and I never went for that - when we felt our daughter was ready for the flight ... we decided to go. She was 2.5 at the time. We felt that WE would remember it ... and would document it on video and with a camera. After all we will take her when she gets older as well.

Now fast forward to last night ... we decided, for who knows what reason, to check out the video of our first trip. She looked so young and cute and so full of excitement. We started the video when we were waiting in the Orlando airport for our shuttle. She was so quick to note that we were going to the home of Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Cinderella, and Goofy. That is all she knew ... she did not know what rides were or how big it was, etc... I don't think she understood the enormity of it all but you could tell she was so excited. It then cut over to her in the stroller going down Main Street for the first time - her hands reaching out to the castle .... "the castle! the castle! .... Cinderella! ... I want to go!" Obviously it being her first trip ... it cut over to her on her second ride ever ... Dumbo (I remember her first - Snow White because no line). The look on her face as she boarded her favorite color Dumbo was absolutely priceless (she obviously wanted DW to hustle over to the pink one).... followed by her being upset because the ride was over had us laughing.

As we watched we had so much fun ... then came her first character meal - Crystal Palace. When she walked in ... she took her seat, she immediately stood up straight in her chair, understood what was going on around her - folded her arms neatly on the table in front of her - and politely started asking Piglet to come to our table. "Pigggleeett over here, Pigggggleeettt come over here" she did not realize that they all eventually come over to the table. As the characters stopped by one after another ... she was just awstruck and so happy to be with them. She then did the parade around the dining area ... with such a huge smile.

The tape then cuts over to her on the tea cups ... we actually had the video camera in the cup with us as she went on it her first time. There is a moment where the cup is spinning and her face - hard to describe - but pure happiness. To see that look on your daughter's face had me crying.

We then went on to a second trip where my wife was very pregnant and we were having a character meal with Cinderella ... well at this point of watching the video. DD says - "Is that really Cinderella or someone in a dress"

Well DW and I immediately just lay into her - we were not happy at her latest revelation. We assured her that Cinderella is real - very real to us - and that her home is in DisneyWorld. DD loves Disney ... but she is getting older and is starting to understand certain things.

Upon further reflection about what had happened last night - I felt strongly that if you are planning to wait until they are older - I say JUST GO NOW! Go again later. There is magic at that young age and it is fleeding - to experience it there at Disney - especially on that yellow tea cup is something I will take to my grave.

One last note ... we took DS when he was 3 months and 9 months (now I will admit this to be quite young) - he is now a little over 1 year old. Last night, everytime a character came on the tv screen ... he clapped and pointed. He gets it ... and we cannot wait for him to have that feeling as well.

How beautiful!

My first trip to WDW was s month after my 3rd birthday. Believe it or not, I do remember some things about that trip- swimming in the hotel pool, drinking orange juice out of a plastic orange, giving Mickey a kiss, watching the bear come down from the ceiling on a swing at Country Bear Jamboree, watching the singing eggs and milk at Kitchen Kabaret, etc. Those are some of my earliest memories and I've never forgotten- maybe that's why I associate WDW with family, love, comfort, relaxation, happiness and magic. Maybe that's why I became a CM in college. Maybe that's why I dream of a Disney wedding.

My nephew went when he was 6 months old (I have a picture of us at the castle on my desk!) and recently when he was a few months short of age 3. He is obsessed with watching the videos and pictures and WDW books. I even play WDW explorer w/ him at least once a week. He asks when Aunt Lulu will take him to Disney World. He told me about the rides and shows in detail- going up to the Swiss family Treehouse, but he wanted to explore the rooms and they were locked, about twirling napkins in the restaurant where he met Mickey and saw the monorail, about Pirates of the Caribbean and how there was real fire and real treasure, and how he met Cinderella and her mice. He totally believes in the magic and he is just as Disney obsessed as I am.

Here's my aww factor story. My nephew (like me) often has nightmares. He was telling me about one, when I told him to do what I do and think of Disney World when he's going to sleep so he'll dream about that. I said "I think of being in Disney World with you, and Robbie (my boyfriend) and Mommy and Daddy, and Grandma and Grandpa, (etc.)" and he asked me "Where we're in Disney World in the dark room and you're dancing with Grandpa? Do you mean that dream?" I was so floored because my big dream is having a Disney wedding and it was like my 3 year old nephew had described seeing my dream in *his* dream!! I don't know how it happened, but it definitely shows that Disney is MAGIC and you're never too young or too old. If my parents hadn't taken me at age 3, I don't know if my life would be the same. I'd rather take kids young and miss a few rides, than to wait too long and miss that magic of having them believe.

 

[shoes99]

My nephew is getting married in Sept. He will be 28 years old in Oct. I have been taking him to WDW since he was 4 years old. Last weekend I sorted out pictures of our various trips for him. He wanted to show his fiance all his trip photos to WDW. The earliest is of my Mom (now deceased) pushing him in the stroller at Epcot at age 4. I have more of my Dad on the AutoTrain. Dan was about 8 when I took Dad, his brother 10 and me on the AutoTrain. That was my Dad's only trip to WDW. (Dad is also deceased). Wow, my eyes are filling up just typing this story. Anyway, we had lots of photos to share.
It was fun to see us at various stages in our lives, sharing WDW.

 

[sunny_]

I feel like the OP! My first three children all went when they were 18 months old for the first time. I'm taking a 7 month old this time just because Disney offered free dining again this year. Dh had to have it! lol

For my very first trip to Disney in 2000 (It was about dh's 12th or something), we left our son who was 18 months old at my Dad's house in Atlanta because we thought he was too young. What a mistake. WE missed him so much! He was into Bear in the Big Blue House so I insisted that we go and see Playhouse Disney Live on stage. Well here I was this pregnant woman crying in the back during the whole show because I missed my son so much! LOL Dh agreed and we went and got him in Atlanta and drove back three days into our 8 day trip. We had so much fun with him there! And he was so easy to take to the parks. He peed in his diaper so no bathroom trips and he rode in a stroller the whole time and even took his naps in there! lol. The day we arrived with him, we went to EPCOT and got his picture taken in front of spaceship earth. Well... when we went to pick up the pictures, they wanted to display his among all the pictures. It was so exciting and magical. He still loves that picture of himself!

He's now 7 and is Disney crazy! lol. I love taking younger kids! I find it easier than walkers because now my two older kids (last year 6 and 4) got tired feet from walking too much and took so many bathroom breaks and it was hard to hold hands and keep track of them. The stroller kids are a breeze! lol

Plus, in my case, I have four kids (7, 5, 2, 5 months). I still wouldn't have gone to Disney had I waited for them all to be "old enough to enjoy it" as some people say! lol

 

[pixie dust 112]

I totally agree. I'll always remeber my 16 month old yelling, Ickey, Ickey whenever she saw Mickey Mouse. And I mean any Mickey Mouse. She's start yelling Ickey, Ickey and we'd be looking all over for the Mouse and she'd be pointing to someone's shopping bag that had a picture of Mickey. Her excitement was priceless!

 

[kkevcamsmom]

We waited and waited and waited to take DD when she was younger, it never happened, there was always somethign else. We also thought it was be way to expensive, I wish we would have known it really isn't that bad. We have spent the same about on this trip as we did on our last trip back to Utah to visit family. Now we regret not just doing it, she's 15 and making her first trip

Our boys are 4 and 6, we know they will love the magic of everything there. Although DD is older she still is excited to go and meet some of the princess and characters but I know it wont be the same.

How I wish we could go back in time and take her when she was 3 or 4....sigh....

I have to agree, don't wait, just do it.

Lori

 

[pixie dust 112]

We waited and waited and waited to take DD when she was younger, it never happened, there was always somethign else. We also thought it was be way to expensive, I wish we would have known it really isn't that bad. We have spent the same about on this trip as we did on our last trip back to Utah to visit family. Now we regret not just doing it, she's 15 and making her first trip

Our boys are 4 and 6, we know they will love the magic of everything there. Although DD is older she still is excited to go and meet some of the princess and characters but I know it wont be the same.

How I wish we could go back in time and take her when she was 3 or 4....sigh....

I have to agree, don't wait, just do it.

Lori

Good news for you. You're DD15 will be as excited as when she was little. My DD14 is still excited on every trip. SHe was little the 1st time we went, but the magic and awe are always there!

 

[ilovepooh]

Thanks for starting this thread!! I've been told DS will be too young next year to take him to WDW, but I've convinced DH (thanks to the DIS threads like this) that it will be great!!

I can't wait!!!

 

[LuvOrlando]

ilovepooh, what a cutie.
You'll be thrilled

One of the reasons I loved WDW when the kids were babies (& little kids) is because I can carry them on, or keep them next to me on, nearly every ride & show. The Mouse is an expert at handeling Mommy anxiety.