What age????

[JillShari]

I'm soo curious about these Adventure by Disney trips and can't wait to try one at some point. My kids are 8 and almost 4 at the moment.... when would be appropriate and when they would be able to enjoy trips like these?

 

[acndis]

We took our four-year-old to Greece last year and he absolutely loved it! He's going to Ireland this summer and Winter Wonderland at Christmas. I think the European Itineraries work well for younger kids because there's not as much "active" stuff. Our son LOVED the museums and the beaches/swimming so Greece was a great way to start.

 

[tufbuf]

I guess it would really depend on how travel savvy your kids are. And you know them the best. The website tells you the age minimum and the recommended age for travel. The Galapagos trip, for example recommends age 7 and up and that's because kids younger are not allowed on the ship (Galapagos Explorer II). The trips are active in a sense, since you move around a lot and it is structured so you have to keep up with the schdule. The Disney difference though makes it all worth it! You really should try one.

 

[disneyphx]

I agree that you should ask ABD why the age limit is what it is.
We took our then 5 year old to China and she loved it - ABD said the age limit was about trip length, jet lag etc - that trip was not her first international trip or her first long flight, and we knew she dealt with jet lag better than us!
For South Africa she was 6 - and 6 is the age limit for game drives.....
This year she is really hoping to NOT be the youngest on the trip! But I am pretty sure she will be.....

 

[mapsd]

We had a couple young Adventurers on our Viva Italia trip and they did quite well, but there were several days that they were wore out and went back to the hotel with parents, so they all wound up missing part of the experience.

You have to figure the combination of heat, crowds, and a LOT of walking/standing will run even the best travelers out of gas. Also, although ABD does a great job of making things kid-friendly, there are still museums, cathedrals, etc. that you just don't appreciate until you're older.

You also have to consider with group travel, you don't want to be the ones holding a group back or monopolizing the attention of the guides. Even though a "mini-meltdown" wouldn't seem so bad to me, it might not be endearing to all my fellow travelers. The youngest in the group also are probably going to feel a little "left out" by some of the older kids.

We purposefully waiting until our youngest was a few years older than the minimum age so that:

1. She'd remember everything,
2. appreciate the cultural aspects,
3. be able to keep up with group,
4. have the palate to experience the variety of food.

You know your kids best, but you want them to enjoy it as much as you. The Colliseum has been there for thousands of years and it will still be there in couple of years!

 

[holden]

This is one of the reasons we are doing the Amalfi/Italy trip instead of the traditional Rome/Italy trip. The trip we chose seems more "cultural" instead of sightseeing. Our kids will be 11 and 7 when we go. We will also have 4 grandparents with us.

Our kids have traveled 12hrs. to Hawaii a couple of times, so we know they can do the flight. We are planning to arrive a few days before the trip begins so they can adjust to the time change.