I often hear the following statement from my clients. “I want to wait until my child is old enough to remember this trip.” And then they may ask how young is too young for a Walt Disney World or Disneyland vacation. I have to say that I have two different thoughts on this topic. Let’s explore each scenario so that you can find the best time to plan your next visit!
First, there are a few situations where it might be best to wait to plan your first visit. If this is probably going to be your one and only trip to Disney, then I would wait until your kids are older, so that they do have their own memories of the trip. Or if your children are fearful of characters and new people, then you might want to wait until they’re a little older. You don’t want your children to be frightened by Mickey or Minnie, you want them to run up to them and be soooo excited to see their favorites! And if your children are fearful of theme park attractions, then you may want to wait until they can really enjoy the Disney experience. And in the COVID environment there is one more reason that you might want to wait. As of June 15, Disney has relaxed their mask policy for all vaccinated guests. Anyone that is fully vaccinated will not have to wear a mask in most areas. While this is great for those of us that are vaccinated, it will be hard to take off your mask while telling your children that they have to wear one. So you may want to wait until everyone can go mask-free.
But there are sometimes when you don’t need to wait to enjoy Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Don’t think that you have to wait a few years to really enjoy Disney if you are ready to go right now. We took our twins to Walt Disney World every year from the time that they were less than a year old! And while they may not remember
some of those trips, they have heard the stories from us so many times that they have had those memories imprinted on them. Some of my favorite Disney memories are from those trips, like when Aurora kissed our baby daughter on the head and left a perfect lipstick kiss, or when our two-year-old punched Tigger right in the nose for no reason! We asked her, but we never did find out why she was mad at Tigger, lol! And I will always remember when our oldest twin got soooo excited and ran to see Mickey Mouse. She was probably about two or three at the time, and I’ll admit that I got a little choked up. That was the beginning of her love of Disney, and she still loves Disney now that she’s 19!
And of course there is the financial benefit of taking younger children. Children age 2 and younger are free! They will receive free entry to the theme parks, and they can share a plate with you or a sibling at most restaurants for free. If you do want them to have their own kid’s meal, then you would need to pay for that, but this is a great benefit that Disney gives, especially at the buffet restaurants.
So while there may be times to wait to take the family to Disney, if you’re thinking of taking younger kids, I say go! Your Wishes & Dreams Travel Consultant can help you plan the perfect vacation for you and your little ones, to put a little Disney magic into everyone’s lives.
