Best Age for Disney?

> What age is the best age to take my kids to Disney for the first time?This is something that all travel agents get asked A LOT. My answer?  There is no right answer.

I have seen 3 week old babies in their mothers arms on Pirates of the Caribbean on up to 60 year old kids going for the first time.

Several things to take in to account.

 How does
your child handle being out of routine? Nothing ruins a day at Disney like a child who is at the end of their rope of being dragged from ride to ride because the parents want to do one more thing the "child will love"

How does your child handle crowds?  Disney on certain days and certain times of year can be overwhelming to seasoned adult veterans.  Planning your trip during
the off season can be helpful to your child as well as your pocketbook.

Do they know who Disney characters are?  Yes there are families out there who have kids who don't know who Mickey and Minnie are.  I have met two such families this summer.  One of those families took a day trip to Disneyland. I understand the kids had a great time.

How does your child feel about characters?  Will they scream bloody murder if Mickey or Donald come up to them at a character breakfast?  That is no fun for anyone at your table or the entire restaurant. Some kids are scared of whole costume characters but no of those who have "real" faces.



These are all things that need to be answered before you go. If you have never taken your child to an amusement park, then take a day trip to a local amusement park to see how they do with all of the above.  It will give you a sense of what your child can handle.

With younger kids, the biggest advice I can offer is plan down time.  Do not go all day everyday to the parks.  Plan time for swimming, resting and just hanging out.  We enjoy taking trips on the monorail to see other hotels.

 When Phil was 17, we took a long family vacation to WDW.  It was Phil's high school graduation present.  Drew was 4.  Drew hit over load and one day refused to go to the park.  Rather than it ruin the day, Scott stayed with Drew.  They hung out in the room, did laundry, played with the toys Drew had gotten earlier in the trip, swam and had a great day.  He just needed a do nothing day.  By about 2 he was ready to get back in the action.

Flexibility is the key when taking kids to Disney.  Any age is a good age to take kids to Disney World as long as the grown ups remember to listen to the cues of the kids and make sure to put the kids first.