Too Young?

[Frozen2014]

Hi,

We're planning a trip to DW in October. Our son will be 9 and daughter will be 5 by then. This is a once in a lifetime trip (i.e. we'll only be able to do this once). Maybe this is a silly question, but are they too young to come, or should we wait? I'm kind of set now on the trip as I've started looking and planning so would be dissapointed to wait, but at the same time, the idea is for them to hvae the best time. I guess my concern is that my daughter won't even remember it. I went to DW when I was 9 and have vague memories (but my memory is bad to begin wtih ). Havnig said that, my daughter is in the princess phase so we don't want to miss that time...and as my son is getting older, it will be harder for him to tolerate the younger type attractions (we'd like to do some family things together but also realize that we will have to split apart for some attractions).

Thoughts?

 

[vicki_c]

Definitely not too young.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Perfect ages!

 

[Kellykins1218]

My oldest son is 19 and took his 1st trip to Disney when he was 4 1/2. He can tell you, in great detail, everything we did on that 1st trip lol. Trust me, they'll remember it.

 

[donnaf516]

Definitely not too young.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Ummmmm, no!!!!

They are perfect ages for a Disney trip!

My kids have been going annually since they were 3 and 5, and although they don't remember everything about that 1st trip, they do still remember bits and peices and they are now 7 and almost 10.

And, be careful of those "Once in a Lifetime" trips....they often turn into a lot more than that.

 

[ciera321]

We started taking our kids when they were about that age, and it was great! They can still remember parts of the trip and they're old enough to do many of the attraction.

 

[recmouse]

And, be careful of those "Once in a Lifetime" trips....they often turn into a lot more than that.

This! Yep!

 

[RMulieri]

Definitely not too young.we brought our daughter at age4 and she remembers it perfectly.

 

[wilma-bride]

I'm with the others. My son was 5 on his first trip. We had refrained from taking him any earlier (more due to the practicalities of travelling all that way/routines etc. than anything else) but felt that, at 5, he was old enough to appreciate and experience many of the things that WDW had to offer. He absolutely loved it and will still tell people about Snow White kissing his hand and Mary Poppins calling him precocious That truly was our most magical holiday.

P.S. Not sure if you're aware but there's no such thing as a 'once in a lifetime trip'. Our first once in a lifetime trip was in 2004 and I will be taking my 12th once in a lifetime trip in March

 

[Mommy2Corinne]

Those are perfect ages!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

It really depends, and every child is different, but I would go now. I will break my thoughts into a few areas:

Their experience :

They will both love it, but the 5 yo probably will not get the full experience as she may not yet be ready for some of the rides. However, she is exactly the right age to love the princess stuff. A few more years might or might not push her out of this window, both in terms of being ready to ride everything and still loving the princesses. Their age difference makes it hard to judge when to go to maximize the benefit for both. In my experience, about 10 years old is a perfect age for WDW. Most children this age are still willing and able to "believe", and they are also brave enough to ride the scary attractions. By the time your daughter hits age 10, you son will be 14. At 14, my boys were well past the "believing" phase in their life. That part of the magic - how important is it to you? If it is very important, I would go soon.

Their memories :

There is a very good chance that your daughter will forget most of the trip. The details will be lost over time. You can help prevent this by reviewing the trip with pictures periodically for a few years. Either way, the general feelings associated with the trip will not be lost. My boys do not "remember" their earliest trips, but they know that they went and have happy feelings about WDW that were mostly tied to those early trips.

Seize the day :

You know that you can go now. Tomorrow is a promise made to no one. Consider this when making your decision. Even if she forgets, you will not. Your memories of their childhood is a precious things, and their childhood is fleeting.

 

[DividedSky]

5 might be too young. Like puberty, we all develop at our own pace. 5-6 is the typical age a child's brain develops to the point that these earliest memories are retained

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/12/science/la-sci-child-memories-20110512

 

[cajmom]

You are never too young for Disney! I think you should take this trip because you never know what will happen in the future.

 

[KelleyK75]

We took my nephews for the first time at 3 & 1, and the 3 year old still remembers in detail what happened. He's only 6 now, but I think he'll always remember it. And what they don't remember in detail they'll remember through pictures and video. I think your kids are at great ages. Will they remember every detail 20 years from now...probably not. But they'll remember enough to make it a special trip.

 

[Ariel on Land]

I don't think there's any way to know if they'll remember it or not. I honestly don't remember much about my first 2 trips and I was 10 and 16. I can't even tell you where we stayed the second time!!! But they ARE at good ages to enjoy it. We took DD for her first trip when she was barely 2 last October and she's still talking about it and asking to go back!

 

[Hopefully]

I believe they are the perfect ages. Go and Enjoy!!!

 

[vweryhappy]

They are not too young! Go for it!

 

[meljean]

Not to young! My first trip was when I was 14 and I don't remember much. They probably won't remember a lot in the long run but they still want to go have fun! You will have the memories and that's almost the best part.

 

[mlsst124]

If you can go now, my vote is to go!! Life is too short! I do agree with the others in saying that you may think its a once in a lifetime trip now but once you go you may decide you'd love to get another trip (or more!) in before they grow up.

As for remembering, they may not remember every detail but they'll remember the overall feeling and excitement. I have found with my kids that with so many pictures and videos that are taken these days, these reinforce their vacation memories. And even for the details they don't remember, they really enjoy looking back at pictures of themselves when they were younger and hearing the stories that go along with them.

I understand you're planning this trip for your kids and you want them to remember it for years to come- but when you see your daughter's excitement as she is in the moment meeting the princesses at 5 years old, it will be a very magical moment & memory for you too! You won't regret it