If you could only take your child to Disney World once, what age would be the “sweet spot” to do it

[FortForever]

Yep, I agree. If they're only going once, I'd wait till around 9 or 10. I think they'd have a better chance to remember the trip, and they'd have the stamina to stay up late for fireworks and navigate the parks for longer periods of time.

As a mother of 5 grown children and grandmother to 5 more (so far,) I am going to also say 9 or 10 is the perfect age. We are local passholders who take the grandchildren all the time, so I experience the different ages regularly. The 9 year olds are the best. They can ride everything, they can research all the rides and make educated decisions on what rides are important to them, they can handle the long days, and stay up late for EMH. They can go to the bathroom on their own and don't need a stroller. And, best of all, they will remember the trip for the rest of their lives.

Any younger and there will be gaps in their memories and will not have as good of an understanding of what they want to do. Any older, and things won't be as "cool" anymore --- at least until they reach young adulthood.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I took my youngest son to Disney Paris when he was somewhere between 10 and 11 y/o for the first and only time.
He remembers it as one of our best times together despite my inability to dress to his standards.

His older brother was attending school at the time and nooooooo I do not believe in cutting school for vacs so he was left with doing Outward Bound during his vacation.
The older one still complains about his bro going to Disney. Me? I laugh.

 

[Magical2017]

This will be our sixth trip with kids. I think the "sweet spot" was when my youngest was in K and our oldest was in third grade. The trips were great before that, but that was the age when they were totally into everything. Our trip last year was our best, though, because they could ride everything (they were in second and fifth on our last trip). Every stage has been wonderful.

 

[maramarrie]

Well, mine have been several times since before my younger child was born, and I'm still thinking "the older the better." The first year we went without a stroller was Ah-mazing! I got them both Camelbak packs and they carried their own water, snacks, and jackets. It was great to not hassle with stroller parking and I wasn't weighed down with all the family gear. Even at 7 and 9, my kids are not really thrill seekers and one of them will NOT ride most of the fun stuff. We turn into con artists just to get her to remember she likes Soarin'. We are looking forward to another trip this year, but I have a feeling my younger child still will not want to ride anything. She screamed through SDMT last year. They are old enough that they really get into the scavenger type activities (like Wilderness Explorers at AK, Remy seek & find during Food/Wine Festival). I'd say if you're only going once, do it when they will remember it and are mature enough and tall enough to enjoy the rides. I think *most* 7 year olds would fit that bill.

 

[Ladyandthepuppies]

My DD was almost 4 last year and the magic was real for her, it was adorable and made the magic real for us, too.

If you're really only doing it once though, I'd wait till they can remember it. I went for my first time for my 5th birthday and have only a few clear memories of that trip. The one I remember best was age 17 tbh.

 

[Marionnette]

The best age for each of our children was when they were around 5 years old. There was still that sense of wonder and a belief in magic but by that age, they had overcome most of their "stranger danger" fear that they had with the characters when they were younger. They had yet to become self-conscious about dancing with abandon or too old to let loose with huge belly laughs when delighted by small things. When it comes time to take any grandchildren that we are blessed with, the perfect age would be 5.

 

[Sparkly]

I was nine for my first trip and I was tall enough for all the rides, didn't need early nights and still remember it.

 

[crazy_cremello]

I went for the first time when I was 8...I vaguely remember the villa we stayed at and for some reason, the Tapestry of Dreams parade at Epcot. Nothing else. Went again aged 10 (2004) - best holiday I’ve ever had, remember every second of it and it was fabulous. We came from the U.K. so I’d suggest if you’re going only once or if you’re coming from that far away, at least 10!!

 

[Micca]

The 9 year olds are the best. They can ride everything, they can research all the rides and make educated decisions on what rides are important to them, they can handle the long days, and stay up late for EMH. They can go to the bathroom on their own and don't need a stroller. And, best of all, they will remember the trip for the rest of their lives.

We are grandparents and have just returned from a trip with our 5 & 6 yr. old granddaughters. This was their third trip in as many years and it was the best one yet (this time they didn't freak out over the characters and there were no shoe-throwing tantrums.) While it was a wonderful trip, I agree that the ability to ditch the strollers and have the kids in charge of their restroom trips will be something that will make trips a bit easier in a few years. I'll also add that when kids are old enough to know what they like to eat and can manage their plate without someone cutting up the meat or removing unwanted toppings from a sandwich it'll make meal time more enjoyable.

Just in case I sound like a cranky grandfather, our DGDs are at our house several times a week and we love every minute of it. But dealing with children at home is less stressful than when you're at WDW.

 

[Thing 1]

We have had trips with all different ages. I think 7-8 would be my choice for once and done.there has been new discoveries and favorites every trip and we have been going as a family about 20 years. I loved Preschool age because they were so excited about everything and those pictures are just priceless. I like school age because they learn to love Epcot and WS and can stay up later and do all the night Time shows. I love as they get even older and we traded character meals for signature dining and I get to parent less and enjoy more. Any age after 6mo works for me but I guess 7-8 if I have to choose.

 

[FortForever]

Just in case I sound like a cranky grandfather, our DGDs are at our house several times a week and we love every minute of it. But dealing with children at home is less stressful than when you're at WDW.

Cranky grandfathers don't take the kids to Disney! It didn't sound like that at all.

Not only did I take my own kids and currently take my grandchildren to Disney, but I was also taken to Disney every year, as a child, beginning in Dec. 1971. The years I remember most vividly and fondly, I was 9 and 10. If a child is only going to get ONE trip during their childhood, it should be at an age they will remember it forever.

 

[juxtapose]

7-10 sometime. We just took my 6 year old and she had a blast but she was too scared for a lot of the rides and didn’t have the stamina for super long park days.

 

[saraheliz]

One child and one trip? 8-9 years old. Tall enough to ride everything, potentially brave enough, but still young enough for it to be magic. My almost 9 year old went in April (she had previously been just prior to turning 3) and it was a fabulous age.

 

[PollyannaMom]

My favorite trip was when DS was 5. It was just so magical! But he says 10, because that's the trip he really remembers.

Any age that works for you is going to have it's own advantages, though!

 

[DIS_AWC]

I think it depends on the child and their interest, but for my particular two girls, 5-6 was the perfect age. On our first trip, my older daughter was just about to start kindergarten (5.75) and deep in her princess/character obsessive phase, and the trip was absolutely magical for her (and for us seeing everything through her eyes!). She still counts meeting Elsa for the first time and having dinner at Cinderella's castle dressed up in her own princess dress as some of her best memories. On that trip my younger daughter was just under 3 and it was overwhelming for her - she was afraid of lots of the characters and nervous to meet others, plus she tired easily and still needed a good nap each day.

On our most recent trip, my younger daughter was 5.5 and older daughter 8.5. This was the trip of magic for my younger - starry eyed for all of the characters, SO excited to go on all of the rides (I think we rode It's a Small World five times...), lots more energy for longer days in the park. My older daughter still had fun and she was a bit braver about rides (she even went on FoP!), but she is just on the cusp of being "too cool" for some of the characters and littler kid rides. And at this age she obviously was totally aware that all of the characters are people dressed up. But she did still light up when she saw Tinker Bell "fly" during HEA, so the magic wasn't completely lost on her yet. It did make me really happy that we squeezed in a trip when she was younger and the magic was SO alive for her.

For us, Disney is about the magic and the total experience. There are plenty of rides we didn't have a chance to ride and that didn't diminish the experience for us. When it comes to rides, we feel we can easily spend a day at a local amusement park as our kids get older. If rides are the most important thing to you though, you would definitely want to wait until the kids are above all height restrictions so you can take full advantage while there.

I will say, if we'd had to choose only ONE time total to go with both kids, taking both ages into account, I would prefer when the younger was 5 and older was 8 because it was the best of both worlds (still plenty of magic, more energy, more bravery for rides, etc), plus the girls were good ages in their interactions together as well (sat together on some rides with parents behind them, swam together at the pool, etc).

 

[Summer2018]

Children’s reactions to the magic really depends on the child. My DD (20) was very caught up in the magic even at age 11. That year we arrived on Christmas Eve. It was the last year that she believed in Santa Claus. When she woke up to her wrapped gifts from Santa in our hotel room, she was amazed that Santa Claus found her in WDW.

She knew that the Disney characters were actors, but she still allowed herself to be carried away by her imagination. That was a wonderful trip.

After that, she was a teenager when we returned. She still fan-girled when she saw Princess Aurora. Now at 20, I think she might actually be more excited than ever.

I still stand by 9 being the sweet spot.

 

[Amanda Hall]

The best age for each of our children was when they were around 5 years old. There was still that sense of wonder and a belief in magic but by that age, they had overcome most of their "stranger danger" fear that they had with the characters when they were younger. They had yet to become self-conscious about dancing with abandon or too old to let loose with huge belly laughs when delighted by small things. When it comes time to take any grandchildren that we are blessed with, the perfect age would be 5.

THIS - at 5 he did the dance party in the hub without abandon. At 6 he was too embarrassed.

 

[MomOfDisneyPrincess]

We thought our first trip was the "Once in a lifetime" Disney trip. DD was seven, almost 8 and it was a perfect age. I got bitten by the Disney "bug" and we have been three more times since then. This last trip, she just turned 12 and while we still had great fun, it was a little sad that she was too old for dressing up like a princess or joining in on the princess parade at the Royal Akershus dinner and things like that.

 

[Clark W Griswold]

I think 4-5 is perfect. They are old enough to ride almost everything possibly except for 2-3 rides. They still enjoy characters. You can put them in a stroller and have storage under for things you want to bring in. That has been the sweet spot for our kids.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

Our son was 10 on his first trip. He was pretty mature for his age so I wondered if it would be too child like for him. But he loved it. he absolutely DID NOT want to leave. We are going tin a few months to celebrate his 21st birthday! So, even as an adult he still loves it. If you only plan to go once, Id wait till the child is about 8 or 9 or 10