When is my child old enough to go to Walt Disney World?
Visiting Walt Disney World is a rite of passage for many kids — and their parents. But when is a child old enough for a first trip to Disney World?
Since Disney is built for fans of all ages, anyone can visit. So whenever you want to bring your child to Disney World, it's the right time. But what if you want that first Disney visit to be an extra-special experience for everyone in the family? What, then, is the best age for a child's first visit to Disney World? Let's look at the pros and cons of visiting the Walt Disney World Resort with children of various ages.
0-2 years
Pros: You don't have to pay for them! Children under age three get free admission to Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks. Many of Disney's most-kid-friendly attractions have no height requirement, including Frozen Ever After, It's a Small World, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, and the iconic Dumbo. No one is wandering off at this age, either.
Cons: They will not remember even one moment of the trip — at this age, this visit is entirely for you, not them. And you will have to push or carry them everywhere, hauling a diaper bag throughout the parks like a Sherpa climbing Everest. At this age, kids are basically living, breathing, crying, cooing baggage. Granted, for some weary parents of older children, that fact might fall back into the "Pros" column.
3 years
Pros: Three-year-olds likely will be out of diapers by now, though "accidents" remain possible. And kids this age will start meeting some of Disney's lowest height requirements for rides:
- 32 inches: Alien Swirling Saucers, Tomorrowland Speedway
- 35 inches: Barnstormer
Cons: You have to start paying now, but Disney does offer (slightly) reduced admission prices and lower-priced kids' meals for children ages 3-9. (Pro tip: You can order kids' meals for teens and grown-ups, too. No one cares.) While children this age can walk for short distances, you'll likely still need a stroller to get through a full day in the parks. Also, a three-year-old likely won't remember more than a fleeting moment of your trip, at most. You're not really making memories for them yet, though they might enjoy videos of their trip in the future.
4 years
Pros: They are still in pre-school now, giving you greater scheduling flexibility, even though the "off-season" is a rarity at Disney anymore. This also is the youngest age at which most kids will be tall enough to ride most of Disney's restricted attractions.
- 38 inches: Kali River Rapids, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (please do not put them into the pilot seat at this age!), Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Slinky Dog Dash
- 40 inches: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Mission: Space, Soarin', Star Tours - The Adventures Continue, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Test Track, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Cons: If your child has not hit 40 inches yet, visiting the parks at 37-39 inches is just about the most frustrating time imaginable for a kid. That said, kids this age still probably won't remember more than a few moments of the trip years later.
5-6 years
Pros: Children are more likely to remember their first Disney trip if it comes at this age or older. Potty training is a distant memory. With a little school experience now, children are more likely to be able to handle lines and crowds with less hassle. Because they are less likely to throw a fit than younger kids, friendly children this age are absolute magnets for character attention at meet and greets. They also likely will be tall enough to ride four more of Disney's most popular rides:
- 42 inches: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- 44 inches: Avatar Flight of Passage, Expedition Everest, Space Mountain
Cons: School schedules become an issue now, potentially limiting the times when you can visit and what offers you can take. Endurance remains an issue, too. Plan on investing time in naps, or pay the price later in the day with ultra-fussy kids.
7-9 years
Pros: You can ditch the stroller by now, making getting around the park much easier. Seven years old is the minimum age that children who meet the height requirement can go on rides unattended, allowing your kids the opportunity for some "independence" while you take a short break. This also is your last chance at those child admission prices. At this age group, your kids likely will be able to go on all the rides at the parks.
- 48 inches: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, TRON Lightcyle Run
Cons: These are the transition years from toddler Disney to tweenager Disney, so they might proclaim themselves too old for some of the photos ops and experiences that younger children would embrace on a first visit.
10-13 years
Pros: They almost certainly will be old enough and tall enough for everything. Kids this age are ready for a little extra responsibility, too, taking some of the pressure off you.
Cons: You have to pay the adult price for them now. And when the Inside Out crew hits that "puberty" button, wow, family vacations can enter a whole new stage of drama.
14 and up
Fourteen is the minimum age to enter a park alone. But as high schoolers now, they've missed some of the magic of visiting Disney for the first time as a young child. Still, as a parent, you've also missed the hassle of diapers, strollers, and missed height requirements by waiting until your child is older to bring them to Disney.
When did you first visit Disney? What's your earliest memory of visiting? And if you are a parent who has brought your children to Walt Disney World, how old were they on their first visit? Did you wish that you'd waited until later... or come earlier?
(Note: The original version of this story appeared on the site nine years ago.)
Replies (16)
I was the advanced age of 15 before I visited the Magic Kingdom, and we waited until our kids were 5 and 8 before taking them to WDW. Before then we took the kids on summer trips to Storyland, now part of the Herschend chain, and when asked I advise young parents to do the same. Very young kids are going to have a better experience at a Storyland, Dutch Wonderland, Sesame Place, Lego Land or other child focused park at a fraction of the cost of a trip to Disney, and the bargain price will drastically reduce the pressure on mom and dad to get their money’s worth from a pricey and potentially stressful trip.
My grandson is closing in on 8yrs old. He's been to Disney all his life, so I've seen all the stages.
He's now said "I'm done with Disney" and Universal is the only place he wants to go too !!
Kids grow up fast ....
I was 3 the first time I went to MK, and I didn't get to go again until about 15 years after that. . . I was bitter that my only time was a time I didn't even remember. Wait until they're in grade school at least.
Currently pregnant with our first. Planning on doing the Universal UK grand opening when they turn 5. Also planning on a Halloween Disney Cruise and WDW (mini?) trip when they're 2-3, plus the Texas Universal Kids park.
It helps that my wife is even more crazy for theme parks than I am. Which is saying something.
We've been taking our kiddo to Disneyland she was about three months old. It's been a blast seeing her grow up at the park at a time in her life when the changes are so noticeable. We also took her to Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Epic Universe back in October when she was turning seven months old and we're going to Hong Kong in May.
But we love traveling and we love going to theme parks. It is, obviously, harder to go to a theme park all day (let alone multiple days!) when you have to take care of a small human. But, uh, so is literally everything else. At least Disneyland is fun!
What a fascinating and thought provoking question, Robert, and something I have never really considered but it has my mind now in overdrive. The answer is, there is no minimum age and it is down to each family but with all things considered I would go with a minimum of 3 years old with my preferred age of 6-7 as they will definitely understand and remember the magic and experience and the walkways will not be clogged with pushchairs (strollers for my American brethren) which are a real bugbear for me in an already congested environment.
A lot of this depends on the child individually. Many kids that would normally age out may have needs like being on the spectrum with special interests, etc.
I’ve often wondered: does Disney (or any theme park for that matter) enforce the “Pay at Three-Years Old” rule or is it more of an Honor System thing?
8 or 9 - you want the Child to enjoy and remember it.
I was a mere 'Ahem' 38-ish when I went for the first time - walking down Main St in Magic Kingdom for the first time, I might have had a tear in my eye... Must have been some onions in the air that day.
Now back to moving the 2 inches of snow we just got on top of the 17 inches.....Ahhh the North East.
@James - I believe it's on the honor system, because aside from presenting a birth certificate, there's no accurate way for the park to determine a child's age. I would guess that CMs ask kids directly how old they are if they appear significantly older than 3 knowing that they'll probably get an honest answer directly from the source and not from the parent trying to save $100.
Like many things, the answer to this is "it depends." I don't think there's anything wrong with doing a trip with an infant, but it needs to be done with the mentality that it's because the parents want that memory, not because the kid wants to be there. For those wanting it for the kid, however, I'd generally say 5-6 is probably a good target. By this point, most kids are able to experience a majority of the park's attractions, and while they likely won't have the ability to go open to close, they are usually able to be present and invested in the experience enough to understand everything and get lasting memories out of it. Some kids might be able to do this a little earlier, and some might need a little longer, so rather than age a benchmark is when the kid is both interested in the experience presented by a theme park and has the skills to participate in such an environment without causing issues for the parents or other visitors. On the high end, if kids reach 10+ before visiting, it might be worth reconsidering whether that Disney visit is necessary for them or is more your desire, as if the kids aren't Disney-inclined it might not be the proper choice of a family vacation.
As for me, I've lived local to Disneyland my whole life and first visited so young that I can't remember it. I do have lots of fragments from visits at a pre-kindergarten age, but they are just bits and pieces that blur together and may have been twisted slightly as the years wore on. Unfortunately, my family could never afford the Walt Disney World trip (and also didn't see it as necessary based on our location), so I didn't visit the resort for the first time until I was 26 (it actually was my third Disney resort as I made it to Paris on a family trip to Europe five years earlier).
My brother's kids were only months old when they went on their first trips. For the third, they waited until he was two and a half and it went better with him excited.
My sister's son was four for first trip to Disneyland and loved it with a second trip two years later better. My sister still think a couple more years before he's ready for WDW due to the size.
I've seen so many families look like theyre having the worst time of their life trying to haul around their super young children. You're paying thousands of dollars for a trip just to then have to constantly worry about them.
Just go when they can be more independent. Youngest I'd take them is 6 so at least they can go on the rides with me.
Wait until they are 16-17. That way they can get a JOB, save and buy their own ticket.
@formula 40 - That's certainly the most financially sensible (and cynical) way to approach this. However, I think as theme park fans, we all owe it to our kids (and the livelihood of the industry itself) to develop patterns in life that will shape the way they approach their adulthood. If we aren't willing to take our children to theme parks when they're young, even if it's not cheap or convenient, then they may not be drawn to them as they get older. I agree that every family has their own dynamic and situations that may dictate when it's appropriate to take the very first WDW (or other destination theme park) visit, but waiting until they are employable is probably too long.
You must be registered and logged in to submit a comment.
Here is the philosophy we used after we had our first (and only) child, who is now about to turn 16.
His first visit to WDW (and Universal Orlando) was in October of 2010 when he was just 8 months old. As Robert notes, he was more like a piece of carry-on baggage, and while we have plenty of photos of him from this visit, he doesn't remember a single moment. Yes, the visit was more for us, but I do think it's valuable for young parents to visit with an infant BEFORE they decide to take toddlers or kindergarteners to Disney. I'd also note how clutch baby/parent swap can be when visiting parks, and simply because you have a child that isn't tall (or mature) enough to ride, shouldn't prevent you from enjoying attractions - you're still paying full price to visit the parks.
His second visit was in the fall of 2012 to WDW and Universal Orlando, and he does still remember a bit from this visit. Visiting just before he turned 3 was a distinct savings even if he couldn't ride all the big rides. We also visited Disneyland/DCA in March of 2013 so he could visit before he turned ("looked like" he was) 3. He could definitely walk around quite a bit, but having a light, easily collapsible stroller was critical, especially since we stay in the parks from rope drop to close.
Ultimately, it comes down to your own personal preferences, situation, and family dynamic. We made visiting theme parks part of our family vacation patterns, so it's pretty much second nature for us to take a trip to a destination park at least every other year. However, if you're the type of family that doesn't anticipate visiting theme parks as frequently, you might want to make that first visit when your child is an infant and then not visit again until they're tall enough to experience the most of the attraction and remember it, which would probably be in the 8-11 year old range.