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Our Disney Series:
3- Should I take my baby to Disney?
4- BEST never-before-seen Disney Tips
Today, I am going to talk about the best age for Disney – my close friend just asked me which of the kids ages were the best for Disney and I thought that if she wanted to know, maybe you do, too.
We recently went to Disney and we had a family of 11. (Our family of 6, minus one… we left our baby girl with my husband’s parents), my brother, his wife and their two kids, and my parents.
Here were the ages of kids:
7, 5, 4, 3, and 2. (The 7, 5 & 3 year old are mine. The 4 & 2 year old were my nephew & niece .)
I will tell you the pros & cons of each age to help you make a decision about when you want to take your kids.
7- Our seven year old had the BEST time!
- He was so well-behaved, didn’t complain (too much) about having to walk all day
- He could ride on every ride.
- He was easy to talk to when we waited in our hour-long lines and he went with the flow.
- He liked seeing the characters and still believed in the magic of Disney.
- He wasn’t scared on the ‘scary’ rides because he knew that they were pretend.
- He never cried when we left for the day
- He stayed with us the whole time, without having to hold his hand or say “Stay here.”
- The look on his face when we walked into Disney was priceless!
- He could stay up late and still handle the next day like a champ!
- All in all, this would have to be the PERFECT age to go to Disney, in my opinion.
5- Our 5 year old had a great time, too.
- He was able to ride MOST of the rides, but not the really fast roller coasters.
- He did get more tired walking.
- He was still patient in the lines that lasted an hour or more.
- Eating was easy with him because he just ate sandwiches or he ate whatever we offered him (we took sandwiches in- you can do that, now!)
- He was excited to meet the characters.
- Several of the rides scared him, but all in all he did great.
- He lasted until 10:30 pm the second night before falling asleep on the monorail. (His normal bedtime is between 7:00 & 7:30)
- This was a great age to go, but I think that another two years will make a really big difference for him, when he can ride more things!
4- Our 4 year old nephew was about the same as our 5 year old.
- Overall, pretty good.
- He did get tired from all of the walking.
- He was pretty patient in the long lines and went with the flow for most things.
- He seemed to get tired out a little quicker and was ready for bed by about 7:00. They had to leave before the parade because he and his two year old sister were getting sleepy/fussy.
- He loved meeting the Characters and he had fun on all of the rides, even the faster ones (like Test Track and Tower of Terror).
- He loved being with his cousins for his first time in Disney
3- Our 3 year old had the most fun meeting the characters.
- He couldn’t wait to meet Mickey and Minnie.
- He liked the teacups and Its a Small World.
- He was too young to ride on most of the older-kid rides.
- His little legs were tired and he rode in the stroller for most of the day.
- He didn’t know many of the characters because at age three, he really hasn’t seen many Disney movies yet, but he did love the parades.
- The long lines weren’t handled well by him. His patience is thin at age three.
- He had to be entertained in order to stand quietly in these lines (luckily, a lot of the lines have things to keep them busy now).
- He had fun, but I would have waited a little longer to take him again (maybe age 4 or 5).
2- Our 2 year old niece had fun, but she was definitely the hardest one to have there, only because of her age.
- First, let me say that she is very mature for her age and she is just the sweetest/cutest little thing and I could listen to her talk & sing the whole entire day, but Disney is a long, hard day for a two year old.
- She had to ride in the stroller for the majority of the day, unless she was being carried.
- She LOVED meeting Minnie Mouse, but she couldn’t do many of the rides.
- She was ready for a nap by about 1:00, but since we weren’t going back to the room during the day, she made it until about 6:00 when her two-year-old behavior got the best of her.
- She had a lot of snacks and drinks to keep her busy and occupied.
- Luckily, she & my 3 year old son are best friends and they were able to keep each other company in the double stroller, sharing snacks and giggles,
- All in all, I think that these little ones were just a bit too young to really get the most out of Disney.
So– My favorite age? SEVEN! It was like a match made in Heaven… Disney & Our 7 year old!
When do we plan on going again? 2016- when our baby girl is 40 inches tall (the height requirement for most rides) which puts her around age 4 or 4 1/2, we figured. We will then have the ages: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 – I am excited just thinking about how much fun it will be!
I had the best time at Disney and we can’t wait to go back!
I went my first time as a kid at age 6, the end of Kindergarten. The next time I went was when I was 13, the end of 7th grade. Great experiences. I remember both trips perfectly.
As a parent, if you can only afford or go to Disney once during your child’s childhood years, I would go when your child is in grade school (grade 1-5). That way they are old enough to appreciate Disney but still be young enough to believe in the magic. At age 5 or younger, your child’s Disney memories will likely be spotty or be nonexistent if they are 3 years old or younger.