Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

Would love to hear some opinions- thx!

Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

You're going to get a variety of opinions. I only went to Disney once as a child. I was 3 at the time. I have so many, specific memories of the vacation. I remember who went on which ride with me. I remember specifics about some character interactions. All sorts of things. We just got back from Disney (my first trip since age 3) with our 2 & 3 year olds. They had a ball. I doubt my little one will remember, but he was free anyway lol. If my big one is anything like me, there might be some lasting memories. They loved every minute of the trip, so it was totally worth it for us.

Re: Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

I haven't found a bad age...we've gone almost every year since my oldest was 2...now that the older ones don't get tired and need naps or diaper changes, it's easier, but they are more expensive! My little one loves the magic, but she still naps, gets cranky, and needs the stroller, so that can be a hassle sometimes. If you are planning on one trip, I'd wait until 5-6 so that they really can enjoy all Disney has to offer. If it's going to be a trip you do again and again, we started at 2 and loved that trip!

Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

We don't plan on going often at all. We just took our DD for the first time last January when she was 4.5 y/o. She was very into princesses and just loved all of it. We always said around 5 was our ideal age to take her. We are doing a Disney cruise in a couple months and then we're done with Disney for awhile.

Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

we took DS when he was 3... and he had fun, bt he didn't totally "get" it. he had a decent number of meltdowns, etc. But it was still a great trip!!
THEN we took him again when he was almost 5-he LOVED it!!! So totally into the whole thing! one of the best trips i've ever had! then we took him again last summer when he was almost 6, and same thing- he had a great time!
so i would say 4/5 is probably the best age. They're old enough to be able to hang for the longer days, a little more patient waiting in the lines, etc. they're tall enough to go on pretty much any ride. BUT yet they're still young and innocent enough to into all the characters and the "magic" of everything...

Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

Thanks for the info everyone! My son will be 4 soon but im thinking of holding off until 5 years old. My daughter is two years younger and i want to make sure she is somewhat able to enjoy herself without crazy meltowns etc.

Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

In my opinion, so take that for what it's worth lol : )....it depends on if you plan on going back to disney a a few times or is it a once in a childhood thing.

For a one time trip, for girls I would say between the ages of 5-8. They are still really into the princesses and will be in awe by all the magic that is at Disney. They will also be old enough to remember most of it. For boys, I would wait later, from like 7 - 9. There is so much Star Wars and soon Avatar stuff that you want them to understand it so they can enjoy it. If you are going to go alot, then any age is fine...We started going when DD was 3 and was back 6 times before she was 9.

Re: Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

We just went last month for the first time. DD was 3 yrs 4 mos and DS was almost 16 mos. I thought she was a great age for it. She had a great time. Loved the rides, we did the princess stuff for her. DS was too young. He was mostly along for the ride.

I agree with the others though about it being a one time childhood trip, in which case I'd wait until they're older, or if you plan on going multiple times, which we plan on doing.

Re: Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

We have been taking the kids since my daughter was 18 months and my son was 2. They have always had fun each trip. My now 9 year old daughter has never been gaga over Princesses, and Disney is much more than that anyway. We go often.....and have probably been 2 dozen times over the years now. They still have fun each time. So in short, I think any age is a good age, but if you are going once and done, I would say 5ish.

Re: Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

We took my son when he was 2. He did love a lot of it. I think the trip was more for me and my wife. He was too young and small for a bunch of things, and a handful of non-scary things were too scary for him b/c they were dark or whatever. He had a good time, but it was not

We're going back now that he's 5.5 with my parents. I think hes going to have a blast. The little one is going to be 9 months. He's going to be along for the ride.

If you're doing a once in a childhood trip, I'd wait until the youngest is 4-5. If you're going to go a few times, maybe start when the oldest is 4-5.

Re: Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

We have gone to Disney every year since kids were 1 and 3. Kids are now 5 and 7. We've never had a bad time at Disney but we plan, try to avoid crowds and only spend 4-5 hours at the park at a time.

I think 4-5 is an ideal age to go to Disney. They can really enjoy it and go on most everything. Disney has a lot of rides geared towards younger kids. By the time a child is 10, I could see her/him aging out and not wanting to ride the baby rides.

Re: Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

For me, any age as long as they are potty trained. I would not want to take a child younger with having to carry formula & diapers. My younger ds was 2.5 on his first trip to disney. He had a great time & remembers a lot about it. He talks about it more than my older child at the time(who was turning 5) There were so many things he could ride & the shows we took him to were right up his alley since he watched tons of Disney jr at the time. He will be almost 5 when we go again & he is not as into the kiddie shows anymore so I'm glad we got to go during that phase of his. We won't be taking the kids to disney that often. I imagine around 4 maybe 5 times total while they are kids.

Re: Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

We've taken our kids starting when they were young. DS2 went on his first trip at 6 months. We'll be taking DS3 in a few weeks and he'll be 6.5 months.

If you are only going once I would say somewhere between 6-8 years old. I would try to make sure they are tall enough to ride everything, assuming they'd want to ride roller coasters etc.

But if you plan on going back then there really isn't an ideal age. DS1 has been almost every year since he was born and every age has been so much fun for different reasons.

Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

We took my DD when she was 18 months and it was awful. I heard so many people say that there is no bad age to take kids to Disney (and I had high hopes of returning every year), but we will not be going back until she is at least 4.

Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

My kids are 4 & 6 now. I've taken them to Disney for the last 3 years now. They had a great time every time but I would say the ideal age is 4-5. Around this age, my kids really enjoyed the character interaction and actually remembers the trip.

Re: Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

2: for the magic of it (they think everything is real)
3: they have more stamina (and naps are gone)... so they enjoy it, but now ours understood the characters are not real. The parades become great and character interactions.
4: princess and pirate heaven for my kids at least
5-6: They start to enjoy the rides for the rides sake (they enjoy the race cars, for example, and start to like the roller coasters). Some may still like princesses, but it's clear they are not real.

I have 3 kids, so I like to see the stages through their eyes. Once the excitement for the rides for their own sake starts, we will do less Disney and more adventure parks.

So, honestly, I think 2-4. Even though they may not remember.

Re: Ideal ages to bring kids to Disney?

I took DD for 2 days in MK when she just turned 3. She had an amazing time. But I'm dying to go back. Trying to plan a trip for when she turns 6. But I think 4 or 5 would have been a great age to bring her back. Then once between 6-8, 8-10, 10-13, 13-18. LOL!!! I used to go every few years. I have different memories from each trip. I remember being younger and enjoying the characters more. I remember being older and enjoying the shows/fireworks/rides more. I find the joy at all ages.