What age for Disney World?

[Anonymous]

What's the best age to start taking kids to Disney World. DS will be 3 1/2 this Spring... too young? Our DD will be 1 so I imagine she would just be along for the ride...

[Anonymous]

We just went with our almost 4 yr old and 18 month old. They both loved it though our 18 month old was afraid of the characters. We have all these pictures of DD hugging a princess and DS leaning as far away as possible looking at her as if princess whoever was a monster. There are a number of rides that you can hold an infant on that your 3.5 yr old will enjoy. Small world, the merry go round, tiki room etc. They also have a few play areas inside the park for smaller kids.

Your 3.5 probably will really enjoy it but if aren't planning on going a few times you may want to wait until they are 4.5 and 2 or 5.5 and 3 when they can both be more into it.

We stayed in one of the resorts on the monorail which was great but a real pain for everyone to be in the same room. They have places with villas that have more rooms, dishwasher and laundry but then you need to either take a shuttle bus or rent a car to get to the transportation areas and then the monorail.

We were on the fence about doing the meal plan and were glad that we didn't do it. Its a good deal for families with older kids but not sure how it would work with little ones. For any restaurant that is considered sit down or table you really have to make reservations well in advance which is difficult with little kids. Our kids tend to eat smaller amounts and their nap schedule was a little off from the excitement so we did better finding something to eat when they were hungry.

Make sure you don't forget anything if you stay in the resorts without a car. While you can get baby things in the resort the prices are outrageous. I forgot the pack if swimmy diapers for DS and had to buy them individually for a few dollars each. You may also want to take your own pack and play. The cribs looked questionable.

It was a really fun vacation but completely exhausting. I felt I needed a vacation from the vacation.

[Anonymous]

I am a big Disney fan, so in my opinion, they're "never" too young, but you need to have realistic expectations. If you are one of those parents who HATES Disney, and are doing it purely for the kids, you'll be dissapointed.

I took my boys when they were 11 months and 2.5 years. And yes, the 11 month old was basically along for the ride. They both went on only the gentlest of rides (Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, carousel, It's a Small World). My 2.5 year old also LOVES trains, so we did lots of trains (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and gratuitous monorail rides). He liked seeing the characters from a distance of no less than 50 yards -- but he didn't want to get any closer!

We also kept a fairly strict schedule -- arrived at the parks as they opened, stayed the morning, had lunch, then returned to the hotel for naps and pool/relaxation time in the afternoon. Keeping that schedule was the smartest thing I did. Do NOT get a ParkHopper pass unless you are out of your mind. Its too much for any child under 5.

Disney is not cheap (although kids under 3 are free to get into the parks), so I think there is this sense that you have to "get your money's worth". Don't go if you won't be happy with a vastly pared down schedule, because that is what is required to do it with toddlers/young kids.

We did Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. They liked all three. The 11 month old's favorite thing were all the ducks walking around on the grounds -- so a small part of me thought "crap! I just spent all this money coming to Disney for ducks!". But the truth is, I really like Disney, and both kids had a lot of fun -- watching ducks, swimming in the pool, riding the trains, stomping in the puddles while Mom and Dad watched a Beatles knock-off band at Epcot, etc. It just isn't the stuff you would necessarily go to Disney for.


By total chance, we ended up going back the following year (so younger son was almost 2, and older son was 3.5). They certainly enjoyed it more. At that point, my bolder younger son LOVED the characters and wanted to get right up close to them. My older (more cautious) 3.5 year old still preferred to look from a distance! So-- my recommendation-- avoid the much sought "character breakfasts" until you know whether your child wants to be anywhere near the characters. Also, Animal Kingdom is a GREAT park (my favorite). It really is a glorified Disney zoo, but so cool. If your kids like the zoo, definately go to AK. We also did the nighttime parade (a big hit) and the fireworks (also a big hit but only because we watched from the safety of a boat near the Polynesian Resort -- any closer would have been too close for my kids).

Hope that is helpful!

[Anonymous]

Having gone with our almost 2 y/o, I would recommend waiting until your youngest is around 3 y/o.

Younger kids really don't get it and there tend to be hoards of young children melting down from the crowds and heat.

[Anonymous]

We went this year and loved it! However, I would never want to go--it is a BIG trip, especially financially--until my kids were potty trained and no longer in need of naps. Will make for a much better trip...

And we loved Animal Kingdom as well!

[Anonymous]

I took my now teenager when he was about 3 1/2 and it was great. He ended up in a rented stroller some of the time because he was way too tired to walk but he did love the entire visit.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in FL and have been to Disney at least 25 times. I think 8-12 is in the perfect age range. Kids younger will certainly enjoy it, but you should definitely bring a stroller or rent one (yes, even for the 5-7 yr olds if you plan to be at the park for a large portion of the day and will walk a lot!!) and take time out during the hottest part of the day to nap or rest. Pushing yourself and your kids is a recipe for disaster. Also, try to go during winter. The weather anytime between May and October can be BRUTAL!!!

I personally think 3.5 is too young as your child won't remember it, and will likely be overwhelmed and scared by a lot of the noise/rides/crowds. If you are making a special trip there and live far away from Orlando, I would wait a few more years. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PPs. We took my daughters when they were 6 and 3. It was perfect for the 6 year old. It was a little overwhelming for the 3 year old. We rented a double stroller in the park each day which was a necessity, even for the 6 year old. It was built-in shade/rest for the kids and allowed us to get around the parks more quickly. I also recommend going off season. We went in late April, and I still felt like it was crowded and hot. We all said we couldn't imagine being there in July or August. All that being said, we had a great time. You just have to keep your expectations in line, and know that your little one(s) may melt down, or be afraid of characters, or want to go back to the hotel pool, etc. etc.

Magic Kingdom is the most crowded of parks. The others weren't too bad. Definitely avoid MK on a Saturday if you can.

[Anonymous]

It all depends on what you are looking to achieve.

We needed a vacation and went early last month with our 2 1/2 YO and 8 MO. For us, it was the perfect vacation. We shelled out a bunch of cash but had a wonderful relaxing fun time.

We stayed at the Boardwalk villas in a 1 bedroom and had enough room in the bedroom for a pack and play on both sides of the bed. (Note a grandparent came with us a slept in the suite space)

The villas were nice as the kids took naps and we did not have to sit in the dark bedroom but were able to walk around and not worry about waking the kids.

Our approach was to go to a park each morning, come back for naps, go back to a park in the late afternoon / evening.

An example of how we did the parks. One morning we went to Animal Kingdom. We were there as the park opened and went on the Safari, A Bugs life, Lion King Show, Elmo Show, had lunch and left. We intentionally did not try to do it all. My 2 1/2 YO loved the shows. We knew that doing the parks this way we were missing a lot (afternoon parades for example) but for us it was worth not doing them and having rested children.