[gabes_mommy]

...when they started really enjoying WDW?

We took DS to WDW when he was 15 months old and although it was a wonderful trip we decided to wait to return until he was old enough to truly enjoy the whole experience, rides, shows...etc. I am just wondering how long we are going to be waiting to return to WDW.

Thanks in advance!!!

[A Goofy Family]

We didn't take the kids until their 5th birthday and they LOVED that trip...the next trip was at 8 and they remembered the previous trip so they were really comfortable, knew what to expect and were truly excited about the trip. Since then they've been another 6-7 times (they're now 14yo) and they still get excited about the trip and actually insisted that we do our last spring break trip there instead of anywhere else in the country; knowing we were going back 2 more times this year.
They "get it" every trip, but each trip is through different eyes. We love watching how the kids embrace the vacation and family time. It's a different experience every time!

[Daisee]

Our first trip with kids was when DS was 5, and DD was 2. DS LOVED everything about Disney, DD not so much. She was very upset when her brother could ride rides she couldn't (height restriction, intensity, etc.) She got hot and sweaty and irritable. We skipped a year and took them back, and all has been smooth sailing since. They are now 14 & 10.

[mickeysgirlz]

I took my kids when one DD was 5 and the little one was 10 mths.

DD5 (at the time) d all things . . . but DD10mths(at the time) this is when she caught the DISNEY BUG . . . after our visit she was all about Mickey and Princesses . . . she'd point them out in stores, on TV!

Now, my two DDs are as addicted as me!

PS. Take him BEFORE he turns 3 so he can at least be "Free"!

[chottsy]

our first trip DD was 3 1/2yo. she loved it!

[A Goofy Family]

Originally Posted by mickeysgirlz

PS. Take him BEFORE he turns 3 so he can at least be "Free"!

Gosh...I wish I would have thought about this years ago!! We wouldn't have waited so long to take them!

[Jennatrz]

DS was 18 months and loved it. His eyes sparkled next trip was 2.5 then 3. All is can talk about is going to Disney. He asks everyday. Can we go to DisneyWorld tomorrow? He is also addicted to the planning DVD he watches that at least once a day.

[BuzzLightyear]

Our first trip DS was about 18 months.

Really, really enjoying it and talking about it was when he reached 4 years old.

[dancing4disney]

Our last trip when the kids were 13, 12 & 9 was great. They could all go on the rides and no one was really afraid to go on most things. The only downfall was they weren't as in to the characters. They were more so a couple of years earlier when they were 9,8 & 6. (they were also a lot cheaper then).

[Caseys Corner]

DD 2 yo and a DD 6 months and about 28 for me. Ha Ha

[woohoo]

This is what I have experienced with my kids over the years

I have never bought an infant other than a single day at MK while visiting friends. I was fine and he was fine but it was not a normal trip for us.
I think that at 1 1/5 they love the music and the lights and the excitement- they are a lot of fun to watch their reactions and they are pretty easy to bring with you.

At 3-4 they are a blast! They are interactive with the characters and they will talk about it for months later- They will dance and sing and know all of the songs and movies because its not hard to get them to watch them before leaving. They can talk to you and are very excited and that is easy to get caught up in.

4-7 They know the characters, they know the movies, they are big enough for all the rides (well maybe not RnRc) They have friends in school that will be able to talk to them before and after the trip. They "like" character dinners but are less likely to participate in the parades or anything embarassing. But the excitement was very high and they ultimately love the whole vacation

8-10 They are definately big enough for rides, but its harder to get them to do what you want because they have their own ideas of fun. I found that this was also the age of picky eating and complaining about being tired. They did not want to go to any character dinners because those "were for baby's" and they only wanted to go on the rides- they did not want to enjoy every part of being there. They bickered and fought the whole time. I also had issues at this age with kids that wanted to buy everything everywhere!! (this was my worst trip with Em and Nicky) But at the end of the day they are still happy at the end and they ride everything with you and its a lot of fun all in all

10-13 Was one of my favorite trips! They are helpfull with the little ones, they are patient and are polite. They cost a lot more to feed but they eat what they order and there was little complaining. They respect how much it cost to go and they did not mind helping save or be frugal just to go. They were happy to just be there and happy to just enjoy the characters. They played and had fun in the parades and they enjoyed the shows and fireworks. It was the first sign that they were becoming young adults and with my kids they were raised loving Disney so it was nice to see them develop their own love.

[johnkimv]

My husband and I luckily received tickets to go see Regis and Kelly Live at Magic Kingdom in 2005 when my daughter was 8 months old, so we went- with no expectations of what the trip would be like. We all had such a great time and even had to extend our trip one more day while we were there. We contimued to go every couple of months and now go about every 6-8 weeks. When we added another kid to our family, his first trip was at 4 weeks. I think it is important to take them young and continue to take them, if you can, so they are not scared on rides or scared of the characters. My kids (3.5 and 2) love all things Disney. I think the biggest part about taking little kids to Disney is to expect very little. Go and have fun- there are so many colors, light, sounds and people to keep them entertained.

Oh, and another plus- feed them early, let them fall asleep in the stroller, and go have dinner with your spouse. It is almost like a date, but with your kids in the stroller next to you. This is why it is so important for us to bring our own comfy stroller!!

We are going in November without kids for 3 days and I almost feel guilty!!

[Dopey]

The boys went to WDW the first time for their 5th birthday and that was, hands down, the most fun. They got everything, were big enough to enjoy most rides. They had a blast and so did we.

[momofaprincess]

Our DD was 2 (the day after her 2nd birthday we went) and although it was a good trip (she loved the characters and things of that nature) we had ALOT of meltdowns, but I think that maybe DH and I expected too much of her (our first child -- we were learning)

The new baby (DS) will be almost 5 months when we take him for the first time in January and we plan on really taking it easy and taking lots of breaks!!

[DisneyTeacher]

My son was 5 years old when we first took him. I wanted to take him sooner but my DH wanted to wait. At 5 he could do almost any ride he wanted and since he's not a thrill ride guy.

Our next trip will be his 8th trip and it just keeps getting better and better.