Too Young for DisneyWorld?

Leanne, I lived in the Orlando area for many years and from my experience, found that the best ages are 3-4 and older for them to really enjoy Disney. I saw many people take younger children who just couldn't hold up to the long day. My kids didn't go before age 3 1/2-4 hope this helps.

L.

Yes, 2.5 in too young for DisneyWorld, in my opinion. It's overwhelming for an adult, let alone a toddler. It's also a lot of money to spend especially when you factor in everything they can't participate in (stage shows, rides, etc...) We just got back from there last weekend and my DD is 5 and it was a perfect age. She really 'got it' and we didn't have any meltdowns. We didn't need a stroller to haul around & she got to REALLY enjoy ALL of it. She could talk to the princesses and participate in the tons of interactive activities they have for kids. She was also able to go on just about every ride there.

I know it's hard for a parent to wait until their child is older to experience Disney, but it really makes for a much nicer experience for parents & kids alike if you wait. :)

I would wait. She isn't going to remember when she is older going at 2. She won't have any memory of it in a couple of years. My son is 8 and we ask him if he remembers going to colorado when he was 4 years old with my parents and he barely remembers it. I would wait til she is 6 or 7.

Too young for Disney? Never.
C. :)

Disney World is overwhelming-even for older kids. It is perfect for about age 5 and up. It's a great place--but wow there is a lot and it can get a little crazy. I would say wait at least a couple more years but if you do decide to go now--have a great time!

Leanne, I took my 2.5 year old to DisneyLAND (which is smaller than Disney World) last summer--we went on a big family vacation which included her older cousins (5 and 7). The older kids had a great time and so did my daughter, but only about 10% of rides/shows were appropriate for her age. We did have a really good time but probably would've gotten more for our $ if we had been able to wait.

On the same trip we went to LegoLand (Carlsbad, CA near San Diego) which is just adorable. It's geared more to younger kids than Disney though there were still plenty of things there that she was too small to do. YOu may want to consider Legoland as an alternative to Disneyland for a toddler.

We took our son to WDW when he was 2 years and 3 months. He had a great time! He's almost 5 now and still loves to look at the picures and talk about how much fun he had. No he doesn't remember all of it, but he surprises me with what he remembers! We stayed onsite and planned on going back to the resort every afternoon for naps, but he never wound down enough for that and just kept going. We had one meltdown, but that was at Downtown Disney, if we had been at the parks, he probably would have been fine. The looks on his face seeing everything and the memories I have of that are worth every penny I paid for the trip. We all had a great time and it was a completely different experience for all of us.

I have a friend who took her 2 and 4 year olds. She kept saying... i don't understand... there were so many crying children and frazzled parents... and it is supposed to be the "happiest place on earth" lol
bottom line. We are waiting till our son is 7 or maybe 10. Then, he will be old enough to remember, enjoy and to be REASONED with.
Save your $$...

I have a friend her took her 2 1/2 year old daughter this past December. She said it was the most amazing trip. Her daughter was completely star struck - she had a little autograph book and got all of the characters autographs. She said it was absolutely adorable! I think it totally depends on your child's personality and how much they love Disney. Have fun!

We took my daughter when she was 3 and now I wish we would have waited. She wasn't ready for it yet and didn't get much out of it. Having been through it, I would recommend waiting until she's around 5 years old.

Let me start by saying...it will be totally worth it!! We just got back from 10 days in Disney World!! We had a blast. I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 4 year old. They both had such a great time. We would head out to the park in the morning and then take them back to the resort to nap. After their nap, we would head back out to one of the parks again. This worked out perfect. My husband and I equally had a great time. I love hearing the kids talk about their time in Disney World. We are planning our trip next year. Their favorite part of the trip was seeing and posing with their favoite characters!! Honestly, that was my favorite part too!! I loved to see their faces.
Hope that helps!! I hope you and your family have as magical a time as we did.

If you find this out would love to know because we were thinking of doing the same.

ya she it too young for disney world .kids of 4-5 yr old have some energy to stay in lines n play ...but age 2 1/2 is very young .so better may be nxt yr or so .

There is really no lower - or upper :) - age limit to Disney. I have taken both of my kids when they were under 3, and would do it again in a heartbeat. Just remember to consider your daughter's personality and needs. As others have said, some kids are frightened of the people in characters. Young kids definitely need some quite down time. We also love the Polynesian. We hit the parks early, and go back to the hotel after lunch time. Naps, swimming, watching movies, whatever will be restful for her. Although there are many rides that she will not be able to do, they have a system called baby pass, where one adult goes on the ride, then the other adult gets to bypass the line to ride.

Any time that is not a holiday or summer is the best time to go to avoid the crowds and lines. But we have done Thanksgiving, New Years, and summer and survived them all.

I would save your money for when she is a little older. We took my 3 yr old nephew, and he had a hard time waiting in the lines and got tired very quickly. He is now 13 and remembers nothing. Your money would be better spent later when you all can share in the memories. It was also very hot in June (potentially hot in the spring as well - we just moved from Pensacola last year to Arlington) and Dillon got overheated which scared my sis and I. We still do not have fond memories of it.

We went with our 2 yr old at the time and it was wonderful. She is 13 now. We went at 2, 4, 6, and 8. The first time at 2 was exploratory and we did not have high expectations. We had a wonderful time.

We always stayed at the Polynesion (right on the monorail line) with easy access to Magic Kingdom to run back to the hotel via monorail or boat to nap or whatever we needed in the room.

Our daughter loved it, as did we. Each time we went, we upgraded the area within the Polynesian where we stayed. I could have stayed at the Polynesian the whole time and not gone anywhere because it was so nice with the beach, etc. We all loved Animal Kingdom as well. Of course, daughter was dressed in her favorite Princess outfit or whatever she liked as we enjoyed ourselves. Her favorite to this day is the boat ride to and from Polynesian to Magic Kingdom.

We have actually talked about going back one more time just for fun times sake to the Polynesian to relive some great memories we have. We loved the character breakfasts, character dinner at Contemporary, Luau, parade, other character featured dinner/lunches and fireworks at night. On the next trip, we might attempt (I say we...HA I don't ride) the bigger rides and things we did not do when we were there last to create one more memory. Of course, we will do without the autographs and character stuff next time around. We've moved on up to teen hood!!

I say go and have fun.

Susan

We took my daughter when she was 2 and 1/2 and she had a great time!! Be prepared for system overload..lol There was so much to see and so much to do that my daughter crashed on the train back to the parking lot. There are a lot of rides that are not age appropriate for them however for a 2 year old there is still plenty to do. Don't do it alone though or you yourself will be exhausted. When we went it was me, my daughter, my younger sister, her boyfriend and my mom. It was nice to have younger adults to chase her.. Also I am not a fan of the leashes but I swore that next time we go we will have one. I was a nervous wreck with her wanting to walk herself with so many people. Be prepared for that. My dughter normally has no problem sitting in a stroller but the excitement of Disney was too much for her little body to contain..

She's too young. We went for the first time when my oldest was 5 and youngest was 2 1/2 because I had a business meeting there and it was my 5 year olds birthday. The 5 year old was just old enough to enjoy it. There were a few rides that the 2 1/2 year old could go on, but he was absolutely terrified of the characters. We were having breakfast and I had gone to the buffet with my older son and I heard him scream all the way across the restaurant when Goofy came near our table. I'd say to wait 3 more years and then you'll all have a good time. It might be different if you had grandparents or other family to go along and they could take her back to the hotel in the afternoon for a nap and you and your husband could enjoy yourselves. Overall, we had fun, but I just know that our younger son didn't get much out of it at all.

One of the things you should look at is how tall she is. There is a chart online that will tell you which rides have a height requirement and what it is. It will be fun no matter what, but I think that you will need to into it with realistic expectations also. I personally would wait until she turns 4 - I think you will have a much easier and better time. Just my 2 cents.

We lived in FL at the time when my son was almost 3 we took him to Disney. BIG MISTAKE! Animal Kingdom was fun for him, until we went to the Bugs Life 3D Movie, he's scarred. Won't step foot in a movie theater to save his life till this day. Any theater type, Dark place, WILL NOT GO, PERIOD! I suggest waiting for at least several years!

I don't think she's too young as long as you remember that she won't remember much from the trip. We took my 2yo in November and she seemed to have a great time. She doesn't talk about the trip much but when she sees any Disney movie intro or anything resembling the castle she will say Magic Kingdom. She also will tell you that "dreams come true" which was a song from one of the stage shows at MK.

If you do go keep in mind your daughters personality. If she has to have a nap in a bed to function you'll have to plan your schedule accordingly. If she's ok with not napping or getting a nap in the stroller than that will help you also. I knew ahead of time that my daughter did not like characters coming anywhere near her so we were quite cautious when we saw any. By the end of the trip though she was more than willing to visit most of them. I had talked them up though before the trip while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. As for rides, there are quite a few rides that she'll be able to do at each park. Overall I'd say we did all have fun and I would do it again.

One more thing...I would not take a toddler (or go at all anyways) during the summer months. It's way too crowded and way too hot making everyone young and old very cranky. If you have the flexibility I'd go January, February or early March (before Spring Break) or October, November (not around Thanksgiving) or 1st 2 weeks of December. These times tend to be less crowded and you'll have good weather.

I don't think she's to young. We took our son at 2 and he loved the characters....ran up and would hug their legs. Loved the rides, it was great. We bought the disney DVD of the parade. To get him use to all of it before we went. We will take him back when he's three. It was awsome!!

Wait, the lines, the heat, the crowds! My daughter was five when we first took her and she was cranky after a few hours.

We took our son when he was 2 1/2. It was fabulous. It was our first trip (we have been 3 more times). He was a little nervous about the characters at first. All our pictures have one parent with him. We kept talking about the trip after we returned home. He remembered more than we thought he would. He had not talked very much before we left, but by the time we returned, we couldn't shut him up. He really liked Pooh and friends, and Playhouse Disney at the Studios. Hope you enjoy.

If this will be your only time going, I would wait. I don't know if you are planning to have more children but the best age is 5 and up. If you can go back in a few years, then go for it. You and your husband will have a good time and your daughter will too. She probably won't remember the trip when whe gets older.

I say go for it!!! It is so fun and to them at that age it is "magical" We took our girls who are now 4 & 7 and now we are about to go back with our son who is 2. They have fun and we just go at our own pace. I do recommend staying at one of the Disney Resorts so that you can use the monorail for easy acess coming and going. My girls still talk about the shows(Country Bear Jamboree was a fav.), a few rides but most of all about Tinkerbell flying at the end of the fireworks show and the Parade of Lights. To this day...so I say go but I do second the person who said consider the time of year-June is extremely hot but so it is here in Texas. HTH