Disney World isn’t a place that I have much of a desire to visit but due to a special little guy, I might just have to suck it up and go at some point in the not so distant future.
I had the chance to visit Disneyland in California when I was around 10 or 11 years old but have never been to Disney World. I don’t really remember much about my visit to Disneyland so to me that speaks volumes to say how little I probably enjoyed it.
Being that I’m not a fan of amusement park rides or waiting on long lines, Disney just doesn’t excite me as a place I need to go ever again. Oh and don’t forget about the outrageous ticket prices.
However with Lucas really liking Mickey and friends I think it would be an amazing surprise for him to go to a Disney park. I’m not sure when that time will come but I might have to give in and take him within the next year or so.
I’ve heard that Disney World could be overwhelming due to the size of the parks. I’d guess that you could easily get lost and wander around wasting a substantial amount of the days.
Fodor’s comes out with their annual Walt Disney World with Kids guidebook. The authors of the book put together an article on Fodors.com which could help make your visit to Disney a bit easier.
The article is called 10 Things NOT to Do at Walt Disney World.
Here are the tips from the article:
- Sleep in and arrive at the parks whenever you feel like it
- Expect to do it all
- Make this a totally parent-planned trip
- “Wing It”
- Stay on the eastern side of Orlando
- Eat nothing but fast food
- Keep the family together 24/7
- Have tunnel vision
- Give your kids Mickey-phobia
- Assume all rides are appropriate for all ages
Are you a fan of Disney and other amusement parks? If you’ve been to Disney and have some tips to share, feel free to leave them in the comments below.
Find out more about 10 Things NOT to Do at Disney World here.
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My 3-1/2 year old did fine, though we did rent a double stroller, which we used a lot. We went back again 7 months later, when he was four, and he did even better. We didn’t need the stroller or the mid-day nap.
One other thing I highly recommend is the park hopper ticket. If you are travelling with kids and staying on property, you can get up early and go to a park with morning ‘extra magic hours,’ take a break mid-day for a nap or swim, and then head to a second park.
My kids favorite attractions by far are Star Wars Jedi Training in Hollywood Studios and Soarin’ in Epcot (this is a family favorite). The Toy Story rides in HS and MK are also popular with them, as are the classic roller coasters in MK. When they were younger, they loved meeting the characters, but now we get to skip those lines 🙂
Oh, we did NOT like the dining plan. If you are going to do a lot of character dining (a possibility with small kids), then it may be worth it. Otherwise, you are getting a “discount” to buy more food than you might otherwise buy. We don’t normally eat a dessert at every meal, and we brought in healthier snacks into the park in lieu of Mickey Bars and other sugary (and non-sugary) treats readily available. Also, my kids like adult food, so they got tired of the kid’s meal choices and would have preferred to split an adult meal, which wasn’t an option on the dining plan and required us to pay for that “extra” meal when they ordered. So we will not choose that option again.
Mousesavers has a great newsletter that gives you extra discounts on tickets as well as wonderful tips on your Disney experience. If you are planning a trip, check it out.
Jennifer- Sounds like you and your family really love Disney! I think Lucas would enjoy the characters, parades and events but not so much the rides. Enjoy your next visit!
Joey- I can’t speak from experience but a friend of mine brought his kids at around 4 and under a year & I know they had a good time. On the other hand I know some kids that get scared or freaked out seeing the characters walking around…
G David- Enjoy your visit!
Kevin- Sounds like there is hope for me if I do visit Disney in the future! While I do not like rides, I could see enjoying a visit due to the potential happiness it would bring to Lucas.
I agree with the above poster. I visited Disney when I was a kid, and while fun, never really had a desire to go back. Through circumstance I found myself going back as an adult, and my wife and I love it.
There really is something magical about their hotels and parks; there’s exquisite attention to detail and from an artisan or engineering perspective, you really respect what they’ve done in thinking through every detail, which is something I think that only adults can appreciate. From the service to the hotels to the parks, we became huge fans and have visited constantly over the past 10 years.
Check out disboards.com and wdwinfo.com to start your research!
What’s the youngest age you’d bring a child to Disney? I went when I was 6 years old and I still remember the experience (not all of it but certainly magical moments like meeting Donald Duck & Goofy!!!) I always preferred Donald Duck & Goofy to Mickey & Minnie. 😉
I didn’t need a stroller at that age and I was thinking of bringing my kids when the youngest is 5. How did your 3.5 year old react to the experience?
I don’t know how her 3 year old did, but I’m bringing my 17 month old in December – oh boy.
I can let you know how it goes!
We took our kids to Disney at age 5 and 3-1/2, thinking we would go one more time when they were 7 or 8. It turns out, we love Disney. The first trip, we stayed on property at the Animal Kingdom. Disney hotels have magic, which I can’t explain. Plus you get free parking and Disney’s “magical” transportation. Second trip, we used points and stayed in an off property Sheraton. The hotel was nice enough, the pool should have been great, but it missed the magic. Plus we had to pay for parking at Disney because the off property transportation just doesn’t cut it for us. The third time, we used cash and points and stayed at the Swan/Dolphin on property. SPG’s Swan/Dolphin gives you the best of both worlds. You get “extra magic hours” and Disney transportation (plus, I think, free parking at the parks) but you can use or earn points. The weather was chilly so we didn’t use the pools but they looked great and my kids hope we go back so they can try them out. Tickets are expensive, but you can still by no-expiration tickets – a huge up-front investment but protection against inflation which makes sense if you realize you will be going to Disney a lot (4th trip planned next month). We learned that you should add on the “water park fun and more” option to our 10 day no expiration tickets – for just a few dollars more, we get 10 “fun tickets” that can be used at the waterparks. The fun tickets can be used on days you don’t go to the park so it means you get 10 park days PLUS 10 “fun days”. Considering waterpark admission is almost as much as park admission, it makes the addition a great value.