Talk to me about our first trip.

[knx9211]

DS will be three in June.
DD was born this past October.

When is the best time to go when it will actually be fun? I’d like to go when it’s not too hot. So probably in January/February.

So should we go next year? Or wait another year until DD is over 2?

How far in advance does one start planning?

Who is going to help me? 🤣

[TamiTaylor]

Full disclosure I am a TA.

J’s first trip was when he was 3.5 and I wish we had taken him sooner. I think there is a lot to do for every age group. If you are looking for late winter/early spring, I would recommend late Feb/early March. I loved going in early March for the Flower and Garden Festival.

You can book a room 499 days in advance. Dining is 180 days and Fastpasses are 60 days.

[bronxgirl]

Do you think this will be a one time trip, or will you go back again in the future? If you're only going once I would wait until your daughter is a little older, but if you think you'll go more times then I'm sure your kids will enjoy it now.

[bdubs419]

We went a few weeks ago during the 1st week of February. The crowds didn’t seem too crazy. But just as a warning weather can be all over the place that time of year. Weather ranged from 40-80 while we were there. But I’d say more days it was on the colder side so we didn’t swim really at all.

I waited till my boys were 5 and 6.5 and I was happy that I did. I saw a lot of families with young kids/babies that honestly looked miserable. But everyone has a different opinion on this so do what you think is best for your family.

[knx9211]

Feb 24, 2020 13:53:55 GMT -5 bronxgirl said:

Do you think this will be a one time trip, or will you go back again in the future? If you're only going once I would wait until your daughter is a little older, but if you think you'll go more times then I'm sure your kids will enjoy it now.

I think we’ll definitely go more than once, so that’s why I thought early isn’t bad since we’ll do it again at least one more time. I’m just worried about everyone being miserable because they’re too young to enjoy it.

[knx9211]

Feb 24, 2020 13:45:05 GMT -5 TamiTaylor said:

Full disclosure I am a TA.

J’s first trip was when he was 3.5 and I wish we had taken him sooner. I think there is a lot to do for every age group. If you are looking for late winter/early spring, I would recommend late Feb/early March. I loved going in early March for the Flower and Garden Festival.

You can book a room 499 days in advance. Dining is 180 days and Fastpasses are 60 days.

Oh hi can you help me with this when we’re ready? I need lots of help I have no idea what I’m doing. I haven’t been to Disney in almost 30 years.

Is it really crowded for that festival? I want it to be warm enough to swim but not sweaty hot. We’re from Pittsburgh, so sweaty HOT for me is like 80. Ha

[TamiTaylor]

Feb 24, 2020 14:26:51 GMT -5 knx9211 said:

Feb 24, 2020 13:45:05 GMT -5 TamiTaylor said:

Full disclosure I am a TA.

J’s first trip was when he was 3.5 and I wish we had taken him sooner. I think there is a lot to do for every age group. If you are looking for late winter/early spring, I would recommend late Feb/early March. I loved going in early March for the Flower and Garden Festival.

You can book a room 499 days in advance. Dining is 180 days and Fastpasses are 60 days.

Oh hi can you help me with this when we’re ready? I need lots of help I have no idea what I’m doing. I haven’t been to Disney in almost 30 years.

Is it really crowded for that festival? I want it to be warm enough to swim but not sweaty hot. We’re from Pittsburgh, so sweaty HOT for me is like 80. Ha

I can definitely help you guys. It wasn’t too crowded early on the festival when went. The weather is wonderful. Warm but not hot.

[katespade]

Feb 24, 2020 13:45:05 GMT -5 TamiTaylor said:

Full disclosure I am a TA.

J’s first trip was when he was 3.5 and I wish we had taken him sooner. I think there is a lot to do for every age group. If you are looking for late winter/early spring, I would recommend late Feb/early March. I loved going in early March for the Flower and Garden Festival.

You can book a room 499 days in advance. Dining is 180 days and Fastpasses are 60 days.

What age do you wish you had taken him?

[TamiTaylor]

Feb 24, 2020 14:36:32 GMT -5 katespade said:

Feb 24, 2020 13:45:05 GMT -5 TamiTaylor said:

Full disclosure I am a TA.

J’s first trip was when he was 3.5 and I wish we had taken him sooner. I think there is a lot to do for every age group. If you are looking for late winter/early spring, I would recommend late Feb/early March. I loved going in early March for the Flower and Garden Festival.

You can book a room 499 days in advance. Dining is 180 days and Fastpasses are 60 days.

What age do you wish you had taken him?

Before he was 3 because then he would have been free. If we had gone 7 months prior he would have been free and we would have been able to to pretty much the same exact rides that we did at 3.5.

[dancingirl21]

We took DS1 when he was 1.5. That was also my first time so I was more excited about me than him! It was a really fun trip. We didn’t try to pack too much in and did short days in the parks with lots of pool time.

We went back last October when DS1 was 6 and DS2 was 3. It was a blast. Both kids did long days like troopers, and have been talking about it non-stop since. We said we would hopefully go back in a few years when they are older and are able to go on more rides, but here we are trying to plan a November trip. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Patsy Baloney]

So, I err on the "older is better" side because fuck a stroller. Fuck naps. Fuck public potties 89 times daily. FUCK IT.

We went right after DD graduated from preschool in mid-May. She was a pretty fresh 5. It was AWESOME.

We did 1.5 days in Animal Kingdom, 2 in Magic Kingdom, 1 in Epcot and 1 in Hollywood Studios. She powered through all-day, every day and we rode almost everything as a foursome (her Nana came with us) except for some roller coasters that she thought were a little too intense for her. She was mega mega mega into meeting characters. She loved all the little side shows (the Muppets Great Moments in American History was her fav). She was soooo excited because she saw the Rainy Day Cavalcade, a parade that is done on cloudy/drizzly days where some characters appear in rain gear. She loved shopping and finding the perfect thing to take home. We didn't argue about anything. She walked the whole way barring 2 late nights we did (one at Magic Kingdom for fireworks, one at Animal Kingdom for River of Lights) and her dad piggy-backed her to the bus on those nights.

There was actually a tropical depression forming in the gulf at the time. I was FREAKED about rain the whole time we were there. Nope! It was cloudy and cool (for Florida) for most of our trip, one big rainstorm in the evening when we were at the hotel, and a few showers here and there. It was perfect. We got swimming in, no sun burns, and weren't dying of heat/humidity.

I can't wait for DS to be 5 so we can go as a family again. I likely won't go with kids any younger. Too much effort for lazy me!

[nsl]

We took both boys for their first trips at age 4. With DS 1 it wasn't intentional at all--we wound up going on a last-minute trip because H was invited to a conference at the Swan and we realized that it wouldn't cost much for me and DS to tag along. It was a good age for him because he was old enough (and tall enough) to ride everything that looked interesting, and because he's a pretty easygoing kid in general and even then wasn't prone to tantrums when he got tired.

DS 2 was a totally different story. He has ADHD but hadn't been diagnosed yet, and Disney was just way, WAY too overwhelming for him at four. Even now that he's 9, medicated correctly, and using cognitive behavior techniques, he struggled at times with sensory overload on our last trip. We have to plan around his needs more than anyone else's when putting our trips together.

All of which is to say that every kid is different and I don't think there's a universal "best" time. I didn't want to take either of them before they were old enough to remember the trip, and I wanted to be able to have fun too which I knew wouldn't be likely when they were infants or toddlers. Some people have wonderful experiences taking kids those ages, though.

[nicolewi]

I think any age can be good, depending on tons of variables.

We went when my youngest was just four, and that was awesome. She made the 40" cutoff, and with her being the youngest, that was fantastic. I actually loved having the stroller--it was so handy! But she was old enough that we didn't have to deal with diapers or naps. She LOVED the princesses, and that was very fun for all of us.

It's hard for me to imagine going with a baby. BUT, If I went with only little kids, then it would just be a lot different of a trip, geared towards little ones. We wouldn't have tried to to the big rides and we would have chosen different schedules.


If you are only going once or twice, I'd wait until they are older. If you can afford to or are close enough to go several times over the years, I am sure it can be fun with a baby as well.

[daisyduck]

I would book it right now and go in May before your son turns 3, especially if you think this is a vacation you will repeat. My just turned 4 year old has spent 6 full weeks in Disney at ages ranging from 6 months to 3.5. We have enjoyed it at every age and actually think Disney is the easiest vacation that we do with her. It's one of the only places where our interests are almost 100% the same, so we aren't disappointed that we don't get to do activities that she can't do yet (long hikes on a National Park vacation, snorkeling on a cruise, etc).

I agree with others that it is very kid dependent, but we've done rope drop to fireworks on almost every day of every trip. When she needed naps she would do them in the stroller or harnessed to us.

Edited to add...I would go before your son turns 3 because it is so much cheaper. Don't have to buy tickets and if you go to any character buffets he will eat for free vs paying like $35-$40+ for a 3 year old!

[milano]

Our first trip we had a 10 month old and a 3.75yo. Next trip they were 2.5 yo and 5 yo. We are taking them again next week at one week shy of 3yo and 5.75 yo. That's 3 "free" trips for my youngest.

All our trips have been great and I regret zero of them. The 10 month old enjoyed herself the first trip but we centered it around my older one. It was great because at 10 months she was barely crawling so she was happy to be carried, worn, or in the stroller. Last trip she was still good to ride and walk and I expect this trip she will want to walk all the time.

When to go all depends on how often you plan to go, the temperaments and interests of your kids, your traveling preferences, etc. Lots of things to consider when deciding!

[sent]

I took DD at 3.5. It was so awesome for her. She thought the princesses actually lived there. I didn't feel it would have been worthwhile for her or me prior to that. DS went on his first trip at 9 months when DD had just turned 5. He was pretty useless on that trip, that trip was all about getting one more trip in for DD before the princess magic was over. I'm glad we went because on our last trip, DD had turned 6 and she had very strong suspicions that Minnie couldn't possibly be meeting people at the back of Epcot and also meeting people 10 minutes later when we were somewhere on the other side of the showcase. DS went again at 22 months and was more aware and had more memorable reactions and interactions. Even if he won't remember anything, the rest of us will remember how he freaked out when he saw the dwarves. Or that he wanted to interact but was simultaneously crying when the fur characters came around at the dine events. We have gone at the end of May, beginning of December, and January during MLK week. The beginning of December was the least crowded time. The December and January trips had multiple cold days on each trip (like the kids needed a puffy jacket & a warm hat level of cold) so we never went into the hotel pools on those trips. Since your kids aren't in school yet, I'd look to go at a less crowded time just because you can.

[goldengirlz]

Feb 24, 2020 15:45:00 GMT -5 Patsy Baloney said:

So, I err on the "older is better" side because fuck a stroller. Fuck naps. Fuck public potties 89 times daily. FUCK IT.

We went right after DD graduated from preschool in mid-May. She was a pretty fresh 5. It was AWESOME.

I’ll sit in this corner. DD’s first trip was also when she was 5 and it was the perfect age. Seriously, perfect. Still enthralled with all the “magic” and meeting all the characters but without any meltdowns, or complaining about walking or waiting in lines. We didn’t need to bring a stroller or a diaper bag. Plus, there’s nothing like watching your baby take her first roller coaster ride (lol).

But I also had no desire to do Disney before my kid could really remember it. I said I would do ONE trip and consider my parenting duty done. (Of course, we recently booked our THIRD trip in four years, so famous last words.)

[ribollita]

I’ve been at all ages up to 8 so far. The best age is hands down 3.5-4.5 IME. At 5 my kids were no longer fully into characters like they were when younger.

[huskymom]

We’ve been at:

18 months
5 months/3 yrs
2 yrs/4.5 yrs
4 years/6.5 years

DD1 doesn’t remember the first 2 trips and DD2 only remembers the last one. We’ve always had a stroller and I don’t mind it - last trip we’d basically just park it for a few hours and use it for storage.

Having a 5 month old wasn’t terrible but it was late sept/Early Oct and HOT. Wearing her was so sweaty. So many stops for diaper changes. Easy to nurse on the slow rides though. We didn’t too many park days though.

Going to DL this summer at 6/8.5 years and then I think our next trip to WDW will likely be more of a universal and Disney combo.

[knx9211]

Feb 24, 2020 22:11:22 GMT -5 daisyduck said:

I would book it right now and go in May before your son turns 3, especially if you think this is a vacation you will repeat. My just turned 4 year old has spent 6 full weeks in Disney at ages ranging from 6 months to 3.5. We have enjoyed it at every age and actually think Disney is the easiest vacation that we do with her. It's one of the only places where our interests are almost 100% the same, so we aren't disappointed that we don't get to do activities that she can't do yet (long hikes on a National Park vacation, snorkeling on a cruise, etc).

I agree with others that it is very kid dependent, but we've done rope drop to fireworks on almost every day of every trip. When she needed naps she would do them in the stroller or harnessed to us.

Edited to add...I would go before your son turns 3 because it is so much cheaper. Don't have to buy tickets and if you go to any character buffets he will eat for free vs paying like $35-$40+ for a 3 year old!

This would be awesome but we’re closing on a new house in 10 days and have my BILs wedding in May so it’s very unlikely we’ll get anywhere before his birthday 😭

[Mrs.flang]

We took DD1 when she was 16 months. It was fun, but she didn't really appreciate it, and didn't know any characters or anything. Now that she's 3.5 I think it would be a great age for her to return.

If your littles will nap in the stroller, I think that would make things 1000x easier to enjoy.

We went in early January and had great weather and even though it was a little cool, we spent one afternoon at the pool. I think you should go January 2021!

[knx9211]

Thanks everyone!! Seems like this is very kid dependent. DS still NEEDS a nap ( a long one!) so it may be better to wait. It almost seems like a year from now could be good for HIM but DD will likely be a new walker and that could be a nightmare. She’s a crap napper, hopefully that will change soon (PLEASE).

But I’ve heard a few opinions on times of year, so if anyone else had an opinion on that for when we finally plan I’d love to hear it! We don’t want it to be SUPER HOT but DS loves to be in the pool. A time when it’s less crowded would be great too.

[sent]

Feb 25, 2020 9:21:35 GMT -5 knx9211 said:

Feb 24, 2020 22:11:22 GMT -5 daisyduck said:

I would book it right now and go in May before your son turns 3, especially if you think this is a vacation you will repeat. My just turned 4 year old has spent 6 full weeks in Disney at ages ranging from 6 months to 3.5. We have enjoyed it at every age and actually think Disney is the easiest vacation that we do with her. It's one of the only places where our interests are almost 100% the same, so we aren't disappointed that we don't get to do activities that she can't do yet (long hikes on a National Park vacation, snorkeling on a cruise, etc).

I agree with others that it is very kid dependent, but we've done rope drop to fireworks on almost every day of every trip. When she needed naps she would do them in the stroller or harnessed to us.

Edited to add...I would go before your son turns 3 because it is so much cheaper. Don't have to buy tickets and if you go to any character buffets he will eat for free vs paying like $35-$40+ for a 3 year old!

This would be awesome but we’re closing on a new house in 10 days and have my BILs wedding in May so it’s very unlikely we’ll get anywhere before his birthday 😭

I forgot about this. I had planned to take DD when she was 27 months. The day after I booked my hotel, we started our house search, found a house that afternoon, put in an offer and it was accepted like two days later. The day after it was accepted, I went back and had to cancel the Disney trip because money. But all of that made her first trip at 3.5 so worth it!

[wesleycrusher]

I took my DD around 15 months. We used a carrier (especially useful the day it rained!) and stroller. By far her favorite thing was the small Laughin Place play area underneath Splash Mountain. There are also other little play area located throughout the parks- the dinosaur playground at AK, there's a small play area at the end of Mission Space in Epcot, the queue for Pooh at MK has a tiny house. She liked plush characters the best- Pooh and friends were a big hit because they're fuzzy and colorful, but the "face" characters (like the princesses) didn't interest her at all.

The one thing that I do remember about when the kids were younger is that even using rider swap, it can take a long time for both you and you DH to get on the bigger rides. I didn't realize how much "downtime" there would be- like for both of us to go on Splash it was easily 30 min-1 hour.

Another thing we did was that DH usually stays up late and I go to sleep early, so he went back to the park sometimes after the kids were asleep in the room when the parks were open til midnight.

[hocus2]

I'm the lone person who waited a very long time and I don't regret it. Disney is very expensive and huge. My kids were 7 and 8 when we went and I though that 8 year old has the best time and my 7 year old was still not up to spending all day at the park which frankly I felt we needed to aim for max time since the tickets are so expensive. We did some character stuff but mostly we went on rides, saw some shows and swam at the hotel pool.

[Covergirl82]

For time of year... We went one year the week where October and November overlapped. The weather was great! I live in MI, so I can't do super hot or humid either. The temps were generally high 70s/low 80s and not super humid, so it was nice. We've also gone in early December, and the weather was mainly low 70s, with a couple days in the 60s. Not great for going swimming (and the nights were cool enough you needed a long sleeve shirt or a sweatshirt), but it was nice for walking around the parks.

[Covergirl82]

Feb 25, 2020 13:13:35 GMT -5 hocus2 said:

I'm the lone person who waited a very long time and I don't regret it. Disney is very expensive and huge. My kids were 7 and 8 when we went and I though that 8 year old has the best time and my 7 year old was still not up to spending all day at the park which frankly I felt we needed to aim for max time since the tickets are so expensive. We did some character stuff but mostly we went on rides, saw some shows and swam at the hotel pool.

I'm in agreement here. It's an expensive trip to not feel like you got your money's worth.  Our first big trip was when DD was 5 (closer to 6) and DS was about 7.5. It was fun, but there were some rides we couldn't go on due to the kids' heights or the kids were scared to try.  We didn't want to do rider swap, or wait for one person to go on a ride solo (unless they could walk right on).  Plus, we didn't rent a stroller, and found that we should have, as it's a lot of walking for young kids and their legs got tired.  We paid extra to go to MNNSHP, but left by 9:00 pm because the kids were falling asleep on a bench at MK.  I felt like we all had much more fun when we went when the kids were 7 (almost 8) and 9.5 because height was not a problem, they were willing to try some of the more thrilling rides, and they had more stamina. Because my kids like to have lots of pool time, we do build in at least 2.5-3 days of pool days, so that we can go to the pools in the morning, taking a midday break, and then go back in the afternoon and maybe again in the evening.

[mccallister84]

We took our girls last October when they were a month shy of 3 and 16 months. The almost 3 year old had a blast and was tall enough for the tamer roller coasters. The 16 month old had fun too.

Not going to lie, it was stressful, especially the buses (we stayed at Grand Floridian so were spoiled by the monorail to MK) but I would do it again. When going with littles I would definitely recommend going when you can swim. We spent every afternoon by the pool. The girls definitely couldn’t hand sun up to sun down in the park and I’m not sure how we would have spent the down time in the afternoon without the pool.

[wesleycrusher]

Feb 25, 2020 13:33:37 GMT -5 Covergirl82 said:

Feb 25, 2020 13:13:35 GMT -5 hocus2 said:

I'm the lone person who waited a very long time and I don't regret it. Disney is very expensive and huge. My kids were 7 and 8 when we went and I though that 8 year old has the best time and my 7 year old was still not up to spending all day at the park which frankly I felt we needed to aim for max time since the tickets are so expensive. We did some character stuff but mostly we went on rides, saw some shows and swam at the hotel pool.

I'm in agreement here. It's an expensive trip to not feel like you got your money's worth. 

I can agree with this but it's true of ANY vacation that is expensive.  Will the kids remember, are they old enough to do x, y, z, will they enjoy themselves? 

Honestly, when we brought DD to Disney as an infant toddler, we weren't bringing her for her to go- we were brining her because WE wanted to go and she tagged along.  I think that is true for a lot of people who go with younger kids.

[krystee]

I have brought my kids at all ages from baby to 5 (my in-laws live nearby), and I far prefer going when both kids can walk so holding a baby in line isn’t exhausting and/or super hot. We had fun at all ages, but if I wasn’t going basically every year, I’d probably go when the littlest is 2.5-2.99 (so still free) and maybe again at 5 and 7.