What's the ideal age for a kid's first trip?

[Jill72]

Ok - here's the deal - I know a lot of families go to Disney with kids of all ages...when we were there in April - we even saw newborns! That is not us - we purposely waited until our DD was 5 for our first Disney trip. We wanted to make sure she was young enough to enjoy the magic, but old enough to ride most rides, be interested in Epcot, etc. We left our 13 month old twins at home with the grandparents and it was a great trip. We were so glad we went with our DD at this age - and we said we would wait until our twins were 5 as well to go back.

HOWEVER, I MISS DISNEY!!! And waiting until our twins are 5, will mean our DD will not get to go back until she's 10.....I feel like that's too long to wait to go back.

SO - knowing we don't really want to take kids who are too young and can't do much there - what's the best age (for the twins) for us to go back? Is it 2? 3? 4? (PS - of course I know this depends on the child - but for the sake of argument, let's assume - and pray that our twins are perfect angels in the behaviour department)

Thanks guys!

 

[mystic_path]

Well there really isnt anything better then seeing your little ones faces light up, and the feeling you get when you experience the magic of Disney through your childrens eyes. But if you find that you can handle a 5 year old in a disney park then I think your doing great. Just remember though that the kids are still very small and will get tired much faster then an older child. So the chances are you will be heading back to your hotel for an afternoon nap or making it an early evening so they can rest.

 

[bumbershoot]

(editing to mention I'm talking about disneyLAND, but to me the concept is pretty much the same)


Well, I really enjoyed our trip with DS when he was about 15 months old. He doesn't remember it, but it was great fun, especially b/c I went with my brother and SIL and they were willing to stay with him when DH and I wanted to go on Space Mountain, and it gave lots of options for the rider switch option.

But DS really does remember his trip last year, when he was 2 years and a few months old. He plays Disneyland, pretends to be on the Pooh ride, and so on. He had a grand time, and DOES remember it (he's coming up on 3 now). What's interesting is that for several months he said NOTHING about the trip, and then one day just start chattering about Disneyland and Mickey and how much fun he had had...it was weird, but cool!

I'd say if YOU miss it, then it's worth going, even if you aren't sure your twins will really appreciate it.

And if memory is one of the reasons you don't go...I barely remember my own honeymoon, but I still consider it to have been money well spent. DH has to fill in gaps and remind me what we did (I was one week post conception (3 weeks "pregnant") and was already absolutely exhausted in an early pregnancy sort of way, slept through the chocolate buffet and everything). So just b/c DS might not remember our trip in a few years doesn't bug me.

Plus, under 3, they are free to get in, and I can't really beat that!


Anyway, by your standards our trip in '05 was too young, but he does remember last year, so 2 "and change" might work for ya, simply by the memory thing.

 

[SandrainNC]

I understand people who are just going 1 time only waiting so their children will remember it. But if you are going to go often, I say take them at any age!!! My oldest's first trip, he was almost 4 and then he had just turned 5 his second trip. He will be 6 this coming trip and my youngest will be 16 months his first trip this November. And I cannot wait to see his face light up!!!! And to see how much my oldest has changed with his likes/dislikes from last time. And he is finally 40 inches!! Woohoo!!!!! Sorry, I got off of the subject - I want him to ride Test Track because he is gonna love it!

I say go back. Don't wait.

Sandra

 

[MeLaNie9]

We took our DS when he was 22 months and 31 months and both times he loved it and it was so much fun being there with him. He will often recall little things from both trips, more so from the more recent trip, and talks about WDW all the time. It was great for us because he was free for everything! We are planning our next family trip for Dec 2008 when one DS will be 4 and the other having just turned 2.

 

[emh1129]

The ideal age is whatever you think it is
We took dd wheen she was 2 and we had a blast. I wouldn't change anything about it.

 

[starbox]

We went a few weeks before each child turned three. It was perfect.

 

[kenny]

We took our dd when she was 2 1/2 and it was awesome. Agreed that you can not do everything you used to do but it was soo worth it. Nothing beats seeing their face when they meet their favorite character for the 1st time. She still talks about it almost every day and it has been 6 months. We catch her laying in bed at night singing "small world".

That being said there was rides that she would not go on that my wife and I had to do solo, but the trade off is worth it. When we went last december we went because we were not going to be able to go again for a few years. Now that we saw how she was we are trying to fit in a trip this year.

I say go. Even if your twins don't get as much out of it as you would have hoped, the rest of the family will.

 

[Princess Roo]

I would definitely go before they turn 3 - with twins that's a LOT of money you can save compared to waiting until 4! So, I guess I would pick a time of year that works well for the family and go at that time during the year the twins are 2. Besides being free admission, it's free food at any buffet and you can have the family of 5 in any room legally.

I agree that if you can only afford to go once or twice in a child's life it makes sense to wait until they are old enough to be able to ride everything, but for *my* favorite trip, I think it will be hard to top watching my little toddler's eyes light up at everything that was so new and exciting to him

 

[tjlovespooh]

I would say that there is no ideal age. Each age has its pros and cons, whether referring to disney or otherwise. I would say do whatever you're most comfortable doing. I personally can't even imagine having twins at home so I can't comment on bringing a set of them to WDW! However, we just returned a few days ago from WDW and it was DS first trip, he's 17mo. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat I had some people(my boss) comment on how he is too little and won't "understand anything that's going on" but the look on his face when he first saw Winnie the Pooh was absolutely priceless At that moment I turned to DH and said that the trip was worth every penny! Sure, DS had a few minor meltdowns (mostly about not wanting to ride in the stroller, he walked just as much as we did most of the time) but you know what? He has meltdowns at home too, so it really had no effect on us or the trip (other than our embarrassment). Besides he was a real trooper, he walked all over the world and took only one nap a day, no way that we could complain about an occasional meltdown.
DS rode all the rides we went on, including Pirates and Haunted Mansion. Not a peep out of him, he was loving everything as long as he was moving(waiting in line made him antsy, but that happens with children, and some adults, regardless of age).
Like I said, in retrospect I would do it all over again in a heartbeat! DS won't remember it but I know I'll never forget it. He was absolutely in LOVE with the characters and it seemed like most of them adored him too!
There are two things I would do differently ...
1) Pay the extra $$ to stay at a monorail resort. We stayed at AKL and it was beautiful but I felt we ate up a chunk of our day traveling between resort and parks because we let DS nap every afternoon at the resort(he not a stroller sleeper).
2) Plan the trip for a value season when the parks aren't so crowded. DH and I had been during July a few times before DS was born and figured that May would be much less crowded in comparison. We were surprised by how crowded the parks were most days, MK especially. I would say that a ride that had a 30 min stand-by wait time in July had a 20 min stand-by time in May. In the future we plan to go during the cooler weather, maybe January.

 

[daisy_77]

I think Disney World is for all ages! We had so much fun with our DD who 27 months old in January when we took her for her first trip. Surprisingly, she talks about Disney World all the time! See pic in my sig---that was her on our first morning. She loved the characters! My parents tried so hard to talk us into leaving her home. I am so glad that we didn't. She had a blast! We did the baby swap for rides that she could not get on and it worked out great.

I say you do what you think will be good for you and your family. Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[KMZOB]

We took our son last November when he was 33 months. It was great! He loved the characters, had been watching Playhouse Disney so MGM was awesome for him. We made sure to take him to Hollywood & Vine for Lunch with JoJo and the Little Einsteins. I have to say I wouldn't have traded it at all. He was so excited...and he has remembered it this far. He's been asking so much to go back we have decided to take him this September...he'll be 3 years 8 months.
It would however depend on the child. My son was not afraid of the characters (thought I was scared he would be...he ended up loving them!!!), he loves thrills...so he loved the rides. We rode the Buzz Lightyear ride 4 times in one day...he couldnt get enough of it!
I really just let him go on rides suggested for the "preschooler" experience on the WDW website. And when my DH wanted to go on a roller coaster...me and DS got an ice cream cone or something. It worked out nicely. But it boils down to how much will your children enjoy it. Only you can know.

 

[MinnieGi]

Under three is FREE!!! If you are missing Disney then plan a trip before they reach age 3!! As others have said any age is the right age espcially if you plan on going more than once in a lifetime. Our DS has been five times and he is still not three. He and we enjoyed each and everyone of those trips. There is ALOT under three's can do in the parks. Even when there was a height restricted ride we would take 6 yo DD on there was always something close that we could take DS on. For instance DD and I road Soarin while DH and DS rode the Land boat ride. Then we had gotten the child swap pass so DD rode Soarin with DH and I took DS back on the Land boat ride which he was more than happy about. We find vacationing at Disney with the kids is very easy. The place caters to them which is why we keep going back!!!!

 

[4eyedbuzzard]

Several of ours made their first trip in utero with outdoor siblings. We've gone four times over the years though the two youngest have only been there three times. Our youngest three, now DD15, DS16, and DD19 are all going back with us for 7 days in early June.

We'll be the nutcases singing

"...We're beggars and blighters and ne'er-do-well cads.
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!
Aye! But we're loved by our mommies and dads!
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me..."

on Pirates and overloading the Dumbos on June 8th

All that said, it is easier and more enjoyable once they are past stroller age, and even better once they have passed the height restriction stage. This trip should be REALLY fun.

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

My husband kept saying he wanted to wait untill all 3 of our girls could enjoy and remeber it. But there are 5 years between each girl! Our oldest is 10, our middle is 5, and we have a seven month old! If we waited for our youngest to be older, our middle one misses out on her Princess dream vacations (which she will grow out of someday) and our oldest would be a teenager! Disney World will still be there in a few years, but my babies aren't always going to be young! Hey, and this way I have another ploy for my husband to take me again! So that the baby can enjoy it next time!!!

 

[TinkerbelleMom]

I always said no Disney until they turn 5...we waited until DD was almost 5, and I was pregnant, so it was a now or never situation. We had always vacationed WDW as a kid, and I had seen lots of meltdowns (this was before all the resort options were available). A year later grandma offered me an all expense paid trip, so who could say no to that, even if the baby was only 7 months?! Dh laughed at me because I was so adamant about not doing WDW until they were old enough to enjoy it. But bringing a baby wasn't as hard as I thought it might be, same with a toddler. You just have to accept the fact the trip will not be done commando style, and there's nothing wrong with going back to your resort for a nap and a swim, and enjoying all the world has to offer, things you might not do if you don't take the chance to relax. Seeing the World through a toddler's eyes is fun in it's own way, and I find myself watching her reactions to the attraction instead of the attraction itself.

DD#3's first trip was when she was 3 weeks old. Yea, my "rule" went way out the window. lol

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

I don't think there is an "ideal" age. Every age will bring a different experience since kids change so much each year.
That said, we took our dd when she was 3 1/2. She is a tall girl, so she could ride all the 42" height req.rides easily, and that made it a little more eventful. She was a trooper. We had a wonderful magical time. She really belived in everything, Tink was really flying across the sky, That was the REAL cinderella. Ect. She is 5 now, and starting to question things, so I don't know what her take will be when we go back. It should be interesting.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Our kids have had a great time at even the really young ages of 1 and 2. Plus, YOU want to go and that's reason enough! You'll be surprised how fun it is!

 

[chattyann]

I think whatever age you want to take them is the right age. Personally we took our boys for their first trip when turned 5 and 8 last year. They actually both had their birthdays while we were there.

 

[Jill72]

(editing to mention I'm talking about disneyLAND, but to me the concept is pretty much the same)


Well, I really enjoyed our trip with DS when he was about 15 months old. He doesn't remember it, but it was great fun, especially b/c I went with my brother and SIL and they were willing to stay with him when DH and I wanted to go on Space Mountain, and it gave lots of options for the rider switch option.

But DS really does remember his trip last year, when he was 2 years and a few months old. He plays Disneyland, pretends to be on the Pooh ride, and so on. He had a grand time, and DOES remember it (he's coming up on 3 now). What's interesting is that for several months he said NOTHING about the trip, and then one day just start chattering about Disneyland and Mickey and how much fun he had had...it was weird, but cool!

I'd say if YOU miss it, then it's worth going, even if you aren't sure your twins will really appreciate it.

And if memory is one of the reasons you don't go...I barely remember my own honeymoon, but I still consider it to have been money well spent. DH has to fill in gaps and remind me what we did (I was one week post conception (3 weeks "pregnant") and was already absolutely exhausted in an early pregnancy sort of way, slept through the chocolate buffet and everything). So just b/c DS might not remember our trip in a few years doesn't bug me.

Plus, under 3, they are free to get in, and I can't really beat that!


Anyway, by your standards our trip in '05 was too young, but he does remember last year, so 2 "and change" might work for ya, simply by the memory thing.

Did not know about the under 3 free thing. That's a huge incentive to go before they turn three!