Age Appropriate Trip to Disney for Kids (1 Viewer)

[tommyGunZ]

If cost is an issue, find a hotel that is close but not on Disney property. When we go to Disneyland, we stay in a cheap hotel b/c the kids are dead as soon as we get back from a day in the park.

Disney isn't cheap, but choosing the most expensive option when pricing a trip and then complaining about cost is weird. Are you related to Otis fCurse?

 

[fantasycurse42]

I'm not complaining about the cost... My whole opinion is; I'd personally (me not anyone else) would rather take my kid(s) when he (they) are older. Just wondering why someone would prefer taking a younger child over an older child, that's all.

 

[RBM]

FC....play around with this and see if the cost comes down. We did this our first trip and I'm pretty sure it was cheaper. We did Beach Club 2 bedroom. Went with my parents for 5 nights. Awesome resort. Pool is ridiculous.

https://www.dvcrequest.com/cost-calculator.asp

 

[MAC_32]

I'm not complaining about the cost... My whole opinion is; I'd personally (me not anyone else) would rather take my kid(s) when he (they) are older. Just wondering why someone would prefer taking a younger child over an older child, that's all.

i think the moment they're old enough to appreciate and remember it is the right age. If you wait too long then it won't be as meaningful. I went when I was 9 after being exposed to Cedar Point and Kings Island and was bored because all I wanted to do was rides but the ones there kinda blow in comparison. I think I would have appreciated it more had I went when I was younger and still watching the actual disney stuff.

 

[glvsav37]

Have not read the whole thread...but here are my thoughts....take it they are from a very Disney family. 2 kids, 8 and 4 and we typically go to WDW for 2 weeks in the summer.

1st off: there is no "right age"...you need to know your kid/s. Are they active and like rides? Do they get scared easily by noises or large characters? Can they stand for a while without going bonkers? Do they nap...how are they before and after naps? Are they picky eaters? Walkers or get tiered easily, do they sit well in strollers? All of that needs to be considered before you even attempt to book a trip.

What time of year do you typically vacation? The steep drop in attendance during those "slow times" as become less and less, but traveling in the off-season is better with kids. Generally shorter waits, calmer temperatures, and the parks shut down earlier, so it kind of forces you to get back to the room or resort and have a nice meal, go swim, or put the kids down and spend the rest of the evening with your S/O enjoying a bottle of wine on the balcony.

How tall are they? Do they hit the minimum required heights for most rides? Some kids grow late...if thats yours better to skip this year instead of paying for them with limited attractions to do.

You realize you don't HAVE to go to the parks everyday? Take a day off every 2 days. If you are staying on site, most of the resort pools and play areas are amazing. Also, there are tons of entertainment at the resorts, even available if you are not an onsite guest.

• Take a horse and carriage ride at Port Orleans

• Miniature golf on either of the 2 Mini-golf courses

• Rent a small speed boat at the Contemporary and buzz around bay lake for a bit.

• There are free outdoor movies and a campfire every night at each resort.

• there are babysitting services for hire so you and your S/O can go enjoy a nice adult dinner (we have never done this)

• Join the pirates club for the day—its like a kids day camp with WDW CM guides who take the kids around the resort on scavenger hunts and do activities.

• Hit Downtown Disney/Dis Springs for some shopping...or bowling at splitsville,...or a movie at AMC...or DisneyQuest.

• Go to the campgrounds and visit Circle D Ranch. Its where they house all the horses that are used in the parks. Its free to go pet them and learn from their trainers. There's also a little original Walt history here.

• Off grounds in Orlando there is plenty of things to do

Its true kids won't remember everything about the trip. But just tonight my 4 year old was asking when we were going back so we can ride his favorite attractions.

IMO, there is a very thin slice of time where they are into Princess and Pirates, and once its gone, its gone. Going to the parks with older kids is indeed fun, but its a different kind of fun. Disney does an amazing job with imagination and tapping into kids fantasy worlds, and the looks on their faces as they experience those moments is priceless.

No matter what age your kid/s are....you will have a great time as long as you are honest with yourself, adjust your expectations accordingly, and don't try to push through and do everything...you can't...and it will only lead to your family hating each other and the trip.

 

[glvsav37]

FC....play around with this and see if the cost comes down. We did this our first trip and I'm pretty sure it was cheaper. We did Beach Club 2 bedroom. Went with my parents for 5 nights. Awesome resort. Pool is ridiculous.

https://www.dvcrequest.com/cost-calculator.asp

Renting DVC points is much cheaper in most cases. The only time you lose out is when they are offering free dining perks that are not available to DVC members...and if you are renting points, you are a temporary DVC member.

that said...I have 26 DVC points available if anyone wants them...$13/per point. Need to use by October.

 

[(HULK)]

Flight alone for a family of 4 from the northeast is 2k give or take...

I'm doing no more than 2 Disney trips bc there is just so much to do for fam vacations, I can't see going on more.

But I do think at least one or two Disney trips is something every family should do.

I went last Jan w/ my wife, and my two girls (5 and 3.5 @ the time).

It was awesome at that age. I'm not sure I would go younger than 3.5, but she held in there pretty well.

Airfare from DC was $810 (taxes/fees included) on Jetblue... which is a great way to fly imo.

Rental car was $250 for a midrange SUV.

Strollers were $15 a pop from the Orlando/Kissimee Walmart. We bought them and left them. No idea why anyone would pay to rent one. Waste of cash.

Accomodations were $0 for us, stayed at a friend's timeshare he couldn't use. Was like 2 miles outside of the parks.

4 6 day passes (non-hopper) were like $1200. Hopper seems like a waste with younger kids.

Food wasn't terrible. Ate breakfast and most dinners at the timeshare. Probably around $750 spent on the week.

All in all it was a great trip. We're going to do it again Jan/Feb 2016. The key is being willing to pull the kids from school for a week in the low season. Its still warm, and the lines are minimal.

 

[(HULK)]

Also, if you stay onsite and go in the offseason, you typically can get a dining plan thrown in for $0.

For the life of me I don't get why folks go in the summer. Florida is hot and muggy all summer. The lines are terrible and park is packed.

Winter is so much better. Its 70 to 80 highs and 50ish lows. Less crowds and short lines.

You really think your kid can't miss a week of 2nd grade?

 

[NutterButter]

If cost is an issue, find a hotel that is close but not on Disney property. When we go to Disneyland, we stay in a cheap hotel b/c the kids are dead as soon as we get back from a day in the park.

Disney isn't cheap, but choosing the most expensive option when pricing a trip and then complaining about cost is weird. Are you related to Otis fCurse?

Its amazing the nice condos you can get right down the street for cheap. If you're the type the needs to go back to the room midday, that won't work, but we went with a 4 and 7 year old and never had that need. The condo actually came with 2 complimentary strollers. If you're going to do the park at night which is really a must for the parade and fireworks, then just leave at 4 or 5, go back to condo, make some dinner in the kitchen, maybe take a nap, and head back.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Lol there is no line cut pass. I suggest you research that issue STAT.

this changes everything.Six Flags has the Flash Pass... Worth every penny IMO.

Yea well...Disney. If waiting in line is an issue for you I strongly suggest booking far enough in advance that you can get all the fastpasses you want or just not going at all.

There are a few VIP tour guides available at MK. They are used for contest winners and celebrities, but the citizenry can buy into the program for like $250/hr with a 6-hour minimum. They bypass attraction queues, usually bring their groups through the exit or a backdoor route to eliminate wait times. Those tour guides wear a unique plaid vest not seen anywhere else in the parks.

It would be tempting to book one of those folks for MK on December 26 or 27 to see how many hours of standby queue time you could bypass, but I'd be worried I'd talk so much trash to the people in line as I walked by them I'd get tossed from the park.

 

[glvsav37]

I was tempted to do the VIP tour this last summer b/c it was my wife's 40th birthday while we were there....but decided to put that money toward another gift b/f we left.

Its crazy expensive but doable if you have a larger group you can split it between. I think they do a max of 10.

One day we will do it, maybe when the kids are a little older and we can utilize it for all the big ones like Space Mtn, ToT, RnR coaster, and Soarin. Right now my kids are not into those.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Lol there is no line cut pass. I suggest you research that issue STAT.

this changes everything.Six Flags has the Flash Pass... Worth every penny IMO.

Yea well...Disney. If waiting in line is an issue for you I strongly suggest booking far enough in advance that you can get all the fastpasses you want or just not going at all.

There are a few VIP tour guides available at MK. They are used for contest winners and celebrities, but the citizenry can buy into the program for like $250/hr with a 6-hour minimum. They bypass attraction queues, usually bring their groups through the exit or a backdoor route to eliminate wait times. Those tour guides wear a unique plaid vest not seen anywhere else in the parks.It would be tempting to book one of those folks for MK on December 26 or 27 to see how many hours of standby queue time you could bypass, but I'd be worried I'd talk so much trash to the people in line as I walked by them I'd get tossed from the park.

LOL. "Why yes, this is grey poupon".

 

[parasaurolophus]

Lol there is no line cut pass. I suggest you research that issue STAT.

this changes everything.Six Flags has the Flash Pass... Worth every penny IMO.

Yea well...Disney.If waiting in line is an issue for you I strongly suggest booking far enough in advance that you can get all the fastpasses you want or just not going at all.

There are a few VIP tour guides available at MK. They are used for contest winners and celebrities, but the citizenry can buy into the program for like $250/hr with a 6-hour minimum. They bypass attraction queues, usually bring their groups through the exit or a backdoor route to eliminate wait times. Those tour guides wear a unique plaid vest not seen anywhere else in the parks.It would be tempting to book one of those folks for MK on December 26 or 27 to see how many hours of standby queue time you could bypass, but I'd be worried I'd talk so much trash to the people in line as I walked by them I'd get tossed from the park.

LOL. "Why yes, this is grey poupon".

Not sure why, but this has me rolling. Probably because I am picturing bruce in his nation of zamunda jersey saying it.

 

[DocHolliday]

We took our daughter when she was almost 4. I thought she was a little young but I was wrong. She napped on my shoulder for about 30 minutes every afternoon and had a great time. She has talked about Disney since the day we left. We are going back in about a month.

We are doing it differently this time since our first Disney trip was too long, too busy, and too expensive. We went for 7 days and did a different park every day. This trip we are going for 5 days and are only spending the 3 middle days in parks.

There is no way in hell I would go to Disney in the summer. FL in the summer is hell on earth.

 

[Godsbrother]

Taking my kid for his 5th birthday, just doing a long weekend though. Will be doing two park days, not too worried about a meltdown. He's an...interesting kid. Fascinated with dangerous weather and natural disasters. Guessing he isn't old enough to appreciate Universal, so my immediate thought for one is Epcot but no clue on the other. Any suggestions from the peanut gallery? Price isn't an issue.

Magic Kingdom without a doubt would be #1. After that it really depends on what you're looking for. EPCOT is more of an adult park but there are some cool things there for kids too. Hollywood Studios only has one ride geared for little kids, Toy Story Mania, but if he likes thrill rides the Tower of Terror and Rock N Rollercoaster and Star Tours are great.

Animal Kingdom is underrated IMO because a lot of people just want to do rides and don't do the shows and trails.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Taking my 3 boys in February (6, 3, 2)

We're doing a shorter trip though (4 nights, 3 days)

I realize it's not ideal for the younger kids, but I think it's a good age for the 6 year old

We'll probably go back in another 3-5 years for the younger ones

Just for reference this is about 4 racks (baby free)

Flight for 4

Caribbean beach with Pirate Room (wife insisted...added a few hundred)

3 park days Dining plan included (4 nights)

Memory maker upgrade