What age for 1st trip - 3 or 4 yrs?

[elaine amj]

If it is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, then you should wait until she is older, between 8-10 years old.

I did that with my kids and missed that awesome, everything-is-magical age. I doubt this is once in a lifetime - just once-in-a-long-time. Besides, I'm too impatient. I want to take her NOW!! But I know it's ridiculous to spend that much to bring them all across the pond just to take a 1 or 2 yr old to Disney. I just can't remember what 3 was like and whether I am better off waiting until 4. It will be a stretch to our budget to do it, but DH and I have talked and we are willing to save for it, especially since it is entirely likely we will only see her every 1-3 years (I'm going to try to plan another trip across the pond when she is 2 or so).

 

[richmo]

I was just about to respond in a similar way to the previous poster. If it is truly a once in a lifetime trip, I'd wait a few years...at least to age 7 and 8. I know its hard to wait, but you'll have to if you want them to have good memories of the trip. They'll have fun at 3 and 4, but the lasting memories will be for you, not them.

 

[txnana]

I did that with my kids and missed that awesome, everything-is-magical age. I doubt this is once in a lifetime - just once-in-a-long-time. Besides, I'm too impatient. I want to take her NOW!! But I know it's ridiculous to spend that much to bring them all across the pond just to take a 1 or 2 yr old to Disney. I just can't remember what 3 was like and whether I am better off waiting until 4. It will be a stretch to our budget to do it, but DH and I have talked and we are willing to save for it, especially since it is entirely likely we will only see her every 1-3 years (I'm going to try to plan another trip across the pond when she is 2 or so).

We took my oldest grandson when he was 4 turning 5, he loved it all and it was very magical. This upcoming trip is again a family trip for grandson #2 who is 4. He has been carrying around framed pictures he finds in my living room of us with Mickey and others on previous trips and has said for over a year "I get to do this when I am 4!" His younger brother who is 19 months already recognizes the pictures of Mickey and he loves them so I know it will be magical for both of these guys on their first trip! I would definitely not wait for the older years - your memories are just as important as the child's memories. Others have pointed out that some kids remember everything and some even who have gone at an older age - remember nothing!

 

[floralmouse]

My oldest son was 2 years, 2 months on his first trip. He's 28 and he still remembers it. He remembers more than I do. I said that to say I'd go for 3 years based on our experience.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

I did that with my kids and missed that awesome, everything-is-magical age. I doubt this is once in a lifetime - just once-in-a-long-time. Besides, I'm too impatient. I want to take her NOW!! But I know it's ridiculous to spend that much to bring them all across the pond just to take a 1 or 2 yr old to Disney. I just can't remember what 3 was like and whether I am better off waiting until 4. It will be a stretch to our budget to do it, but DH and I have talked and we are willing to save for it, especially since it is entirely likely we will only see her every 1-3 years (I'm going to try to plan another trip across the pond when she is 2 or so).

Especially since you're already thinking about traveling to Europe soon(ish), could you plan to take her to Disneyland Paris while you're there, and then do a bigger trip to Florida when she's a bit older? I don't recall the Eurostar being overly expensive (certainly less than a flight from London to the US), and it was a very comfortable trip.

 

[elaine amj]

Hmm, I was initially thinking before 3 so she would have free tickets/dining. Then DH pointed out that in the grand scheme of things, saving $300 was not going to make a massive difference to the overall cost of the trip. I do need time to plan since we will be using airmiles to pay for the flights (have to figure out what we can earn in the time frame).

I am loving the feedback - the toddler and preschooler years have completely blurred together for me and I forget what my kids were like at each age.

 

[nscarnati]

We took the kids right after they turned 2 and 1, and then again 9 months later. Both times they loved it, but the one year old enjoyed it a lot more once he was 20 months. With kids that age, you're not going to be getting on any roller coasters except with doing the parent swap (which is easy to do when they're napping in the strollers)

 

[snoopy352]

If this is truly a once in a lifetime trip, and it's for her enjoyment the most, then i would strongly recommend waiting until she's 5 or 6. She will get a LOT more out of it then.

 

[Kirby]

I think 4 or 5 is a good age. We waited till our daughter was 5 for her first trip and it was magical!

 

[dwheaton]

We took our daughter when she was just shy of 2 and just shy of 3. Both were fun, but I'd recommend the latter. She was old enough to engage with a lot more of it, including the characters. It's really up to you in terms of what you want to get out of it. I agree that going right before 3 is good to save a lot of money.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

We took my 3.5 year old at 38 inches (That gives ya Minetrain) and had a blast. We're going back in December and really hoping he makes it to 40. I'd wait till at least 40 inches if it will be a one time trip.

 

[elaine amj]

If this is truly a once in a lifetime trip, and it's for her enjoyment the most, then i would strongly recommend waiting until she's 5 or 6. She will get a LOT more out of it then.

I doubt it would be once in a lifetime as we are quite likely to bring her again at 8 or 9 (dependent on our financial situation of course). I am editing my OP now that I've thought that part through. That's why I am thinking 3 or 4.

 

[TravelandLeisure]

We took my dd for her first trip this past summer when she was 3.5 years old. She had an AMAZING time and still talks about it. She requested that we return this summer, and we decided to go for it (there was still so much we didn't get to do!). She was around 39.5 inches, so we got to do several of the 40 inch rides, including Dinosaur, Test Track, Soarin, and BTMRR. She was also at a magical age to meet the characters, as she thought she was meeting the real Anna and Elsa, etc.

IMO I would wait until she is at least 3 to go if this is a major trip. She will remember more, get to do more, and it will probably be an easier time for all involved vs. having to worry about an infant's nap schedule, potty training/diapers, etc.

 

[pixel_pusher]

Taking my almost 3 year old in about 2 weeks for his first trip. Even before we were trying to have a kid, we couldn't wait to share Disney with our future children. He's very excited to go, we've watched parade and ride videos since he was 1 or so and he's always said he wants to visit Mickey. He just hit 38 in tall, so we'll be able to ride most things, and the extended family will be going(in laws and SIL and her husband) so he can hang out with them while we do the big rides.
For us, this was the lowest age we were willing to take him. He's pretty well behaved for his age and verbal, and mom and dad were jonesing for some WDW. I do really like the fact that he's free as well.
Been a very rough year for our family as our kiddo has been diagnosed with a life long disorder and all of us just felt like we really needed some family time at our happy place.
Hopefully it all goes well and we can limit the # of meltdowns to a few.

 

[MomofKatie]

DD's first trip was when she was 3 years, 9 months. She really enjoyed herself- loved the characters, loved shows and loved slow dark rides. We couldn't get her to go on any rides that had spinning, went up high, or looked fast (no Dumbo, Teacups, Barnstormer, Aladdin's Magic Carpets, Carrousel, etc). While she had fun, she missed out on a lot and was very fearful of many things. DD was a very cautious kid, so that age wasn't ideal for her.

We took her back right after she turned 6, and it was a near-perfect trip. She was young enough to still believe in the magic, but old enough to be brave and ride attractions she rejected earlier. She still didn't do Barnstormer, but really loved just about everything else she was tall enough for. She also was at the perfect age for character meals and meet & greets.

If we had waited until she was ready and willing (and tall enough) to ride everything, we wouldn't have visited until she was 11! It took her a long time to work up the courage to try any roller coasters or other thrill rides. And by the time she decided she loved thrill rides, she no longer liked dark atmospheric ones like Haunted Mansion, TOT, or Dinosaur.

 

[kathy884]

I'd wait till four. But that's because when my son was three although he loved Mickey and Minnie's house (no longer there), the castle, and Dumbo, that was about it. He was super scared of the characters, and OMG "It's a Small World" and all those dancing / singing dolls, even though he knew the songs and had watched a video were really freaky. Now he loved the Contemporary hotel, the boats, and the monorail. MK was the only Disney park we tried and that was really a complete waste of money. // We left after four hours, and he was delighted about that and the chance to play in the hotel swimming pool. SeaWorld, though, was a big hit. He loved everything about that place.

He is adopted from eastern Europe,:debwalk: and at three it was just a bit too much. One year older made a world of a difference. Now my niece and nephew loved the place even as toddlers. DS was fine at the MK once he was four, but really not all that in love till he was in elementary school.

lol -- SeaWorld and the hotel swimming pool were really the main hits in Orlando prior to age six, when Disney finally made it to the list too. // A difference here too is that we usually do at least a little mini trip annually. I would have skipped it till age six for him, but it was worth going just to meet up with extended family.

 

[Buttrcp16]

I also think that if the trip is going to be one of VERY few, to wait until she is 4. If she is 3 she WILL have to have park tickets, so you aren't saving any money there. And there are a lot more experiences that open up to kids once they reach 40" tall; not to mention their memory of the trip will be better.

We took our kids for the first time last month (they were 4 and 23 months) and my 4 year old was in AWE. Loved every second of it. It was the perfect age for him to go. I think he got a bit more out of it than he had if we went when he was 3. There's also naps/stamina to consider. At 3, I don't think he would have handled long park days as well. We didn't have any meltdowns and I don't think I could have said the same thing if we had taken him when he was younger. That being said, my 23 month old handled it well, but was definitely tuckered out and we had to take things at a slower pace for him.

Best of luck planning your trip!

 

[Mousemommy1]

Our girls were 3 and 5 on their first trip and it was amazing trip. We wondered why we had waited so long. We are expecting a baby boy in January and his first trip will be in April (he will be a little over 3 months old)...

 

[Crl1817]

Cdc height chart: http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/set2/chart-08.pdf

Better odds of a four year old being able to ride more. I have a four year old right now and I would vote for four over three for that reason and because many four year olds have dropped naps so are a little more flexible for touring and potty training is likely to be more firmly established.

 

[Babs1975]

My kids both went for the first time when they were three, and been several times since then. I think three is a great age to go. There are certain things they love at three that kind of fade later. I am certainly glad I had them experience Disney World at the age of three. My daughter absolutely loved the characters at that age. All she wanted to do was meet characters and get her autographs. She was also totally into the princesses. Now, since that was her first trip, I did not schedule dining at the castle with the princesses because I didn't think she'd really be all that into it and for what you pay, didn't think it was the best option. But, I wish I had. I didn't realize how much she would have loved that, and by the time we were there and did realize, it was too late to schedule. Now, by her next trip at age 7, her love of princesses had faded and she wanted nothing to do with even dressing up as a princess for her Bippitti Boppitti Boutique reservation. Instead she opted for Alice in Wonderland. Now when my son was three, actually almost three and a half, has was 39.5 inches and I only know this because we all wanted to ride Soarin' together and he was too short to ride. That was really the only ride that we wanted to do that he couldn't do. I would take the kids when they're younger. We've been when my daughter was 3, then when the kids were 3 and 7, 5 and 9 and are going in a month when they are 7 and 11. Every trip is magical in it's own way and there are new experiences every trip. I do remember those young experiences for the kids to be especially magical though. You don't want to miss that.