Disney for a Three-Year Old

[cdispoto]

My wife and I had planned on waiting until our daughter was five to go but we are getting the itch to go in January. Is it worth the cost to go with a three-year old?

 

[Fosteringaprincess]

Well I think I see it differently than you, but my view is Disney is always worth it no matter what the age. I have a 17 year old, 10, 7, and a 3 year old. We have been on 7 family trips and everyone was worth it. Will the trip be your only Disney trip? If so maybe wait another year or two....but your child will enjoy the trip at every age. They may not remember...but you will always cherish those memories. And there's something magical when they are young! Their face lights up in a different way!!!

 

[Fosteringaprincess]

Probably should have mentioned I just returned from Disney sat night with a 3 year old! She was in heaven. She got her 1st princess makeover and loved every minute of it! ( This was her 4th trip to Disney...her 1st was at 12 weeks old). She loved all the characters except when her daddy told her piglet wanted to take her home....mean daddy! Lol she still didn't cry just didn't want to touch piglet in the picture and ran back to me quickly...haha. and she was in awe of all the beautiful princesses! Especially Belle!

 

[Mrs Geek]

We went on a Disneymoon and promised each other we'd do "something Disney" every 5 years. Our 5th anniversary is next month, and we're bringing our kids along- our daughter who will be 4 years old and our son who will be 4 months old. We look at it this way: the trip is for us, really, one that we had planned for before we had kids; and while many people will tell you that a child that young (3 or 4) "won't remember the trip" when she's older, I find that to be completely irrelevant- will she enjoy herself in the moment? Then bring her! I don't care in the slightest that my daughter might not remember every little detail of this trip 10 years from now, what I care about is that while we're there, she's going to have the time of her life.

And there are an awful lot of things for the toddler/preschool set to enjoy! Just remember that a trip with a three-year-old is going to look entirely different than a trip that is adults-only or a trip with older kids- there are probably rides you'll have to skip (unless you like riding by yourself and want to do rider swap), you'll probably need to take things slow (probably won't go rope drop to fireworks every single day), and you're probably going to spend more time standing in line waiting to meet princesses than anything else

 

[SomDayMyPrnceWillCom]

I'm not sure how long he will remember, but my son who is 3 still talks about our Disney trip this past summer. We are going again for Easter week also and he tells me some things he wants to see or do again, specifically meeting characters because he hugged them all and loved meeting all the characters.

 

[lancermom]

My daughter's first trip was when she was 16 months, and my son's was when he was 4 months, so I am obviously of the opinion that it's never too early. I'm also of the opinion that if we always wait to do things until they supposedly remember, we miss out on priceless memories. If you know 100% for certain that this will be your only trip there, that you never, ever will return, then perhaps wait. But if not, then go for it. 3 is a great age at the parks.

 

[caribbeandream]

Although my now teen does not remember going to Disney when he was a toddler or preschooler I never regret those trips. I loved seeing Disney through his eyes. Before you blink they will be tween/teens who just want to do roller coasters but that stage where they are all about the characters being real is short lived. I would go now.

 

[Dismama2boys]

Although my now teen does not remember going to Disney when he was a toddler or preschooler I never regret those trips. I loved seeing Disney through his eyes. Before you blink they will be tween/teens who just want to do roller coasters but that stage where they are all about the characters being real is short lived. I would go now.

This, exactly.

 

[TMcHenry]

We look at it as a vacation for us and much as our son. He is 3 and we are going next week. He has been 3 times before but he doesn't remember it. I like it because I like theme parks and enjoy resorts a lot. I also find it nice where he can just be a kid without too much hassle, and Disney has made vacations with a baby and toddler easy for us. We enjoy that.

He is of course more expensive this round but I still feel it will be worth it!

 

[LadyCerri]

We took our daughter at 2.5 and she had a blast. We just rented a stroller for her and the 5 year old. She swears she remembers it all but I'm guessing she'll remember it much better this time.

 

[ajwolfe]

Although my now teen does not remember going to Disney when he was a toddler or preschooler I never regret those trips. I loved seeing Disney through his eyes. Before you blink they will be tween/teens who just want to do roller coasters but that stage where they are all about the characters being real is short lived. I would go now.

Couldn't have said this better!! My now teen has been doing Disney since he was 2 and we've never regretted a trip. There is just something about the look on their faces when they are little that make it worth every dime! And he remembers quite a bit more than I thought he would from the earlier trips.

 

[WDWFan0813]

If you're looking for people to tell you no...you might be in the wrong place.

We took our first trip with kids when our older DD was 4 and younger DD was 18-months. DD4 still remembers a good amount of the trip. DD1.5 doesn't remember it obviously, but enjoyed it while she was there. Our pediatrician had told us that 3 or 4 is a great time to go, because there is so little natural skepticism, it makes the magic more real. For my wife and I, who both enjoyed WDW without kids, it was made all the better seeing the sheer excitement on the girls' faces.

If you do decide to go, just remember to have appropriate expectations of what you'll be able to get accomplished. Knowing that helped our trip immensely.

 

[TulipMom]

Our DD was an INSANE person fro the entire year she was 3. Even so, we decided to take our kids to Disney that year. DD was 3 and DS was 5. We had a BLAST! She was an angel the whole time. We made the best memories. It was magical how real it all was to the kids. And it's shocking what she remembers about the trip, even now at 5.5!

 

[Mousemommy1]

In my opinion, every age is worth it.

With our older girls, we didn't take them until they were 3 and 5. We started going annually at that point and kept saying we wished we hadn't waited so long to bring them. Disney makes it so easy to travel with littles.

Anyway, we ended up with a surprise baby boy and didn't wait to bring him. On top of going when I was 5 months pregnant with him, he has gone at 3 months, 15 months, and 2.5 years old. Every trip has been awesome. Not completely without challenges of course, but enjoyable. We love watching our kids grow up in Disney and I always tell people that there is no need to wait for a perfect age.

 

[ktlm]

Our first trip with DD (11) was when she was 2 years 10 months. We have been every year since then and that first trip is probably still my favorite. Everything was absolutely real and magical to her and she had a huge smile on her face almost all week. I think the pre-school trips were all my favorites. Their school friends (particularly those with older siblings) will start enlightening them to "reality" very quickly once they hit school age. Other girls were already making fun of DD for still liking the princesses in 1st grade. My DD absolutely adored all the characters in her pre-school years- still does now. Seeing those character meet and greets in her pre-school years at WDW was the best! She had so many special interactions with characters. Does your 3 year old like characters- such as the Santa at the mall, or Chuck E. Cheese, or the Chic Fil A cow etc, or is she scared of those? My DD had a friend whose parents were going to take her, but did not because they took her to Disney Live when it came through town and she was terrified of all the characters. She literally hid under her seat and they were several rows back from the stage. It was the same thing at a Chuck E Cheese birthday party. Even now, I don't think she has ever been a character fan.

My DD still remembers things from her first trip at age 2, but even if she did not, I would remember and those are memories I would not trade for anything.

 

[DizMomAndWife]

We're 50ish days out and our DD will turn 3 while we're there. She is already so excited. She talks about going to 'Rella's' (Cinderella) house and eating with Mickey. She many not remember every detail after, but she sure is excited anyway. For her first trip, we made a photo book when we got back, she looks through that often. With enough planning and flexibility, any age can make for an enjoyable and worthwhile trip!

 

[Aj1129]

We took DS for his first trip a few a weeks before his 2nd birthday. He had so much fun we booked again for next August right before his 3rd birthday. I think any age is a great time to take a child to Disney. DS may never remember the trip but I will always cherish the great moments we had this past summer.

 

[dkdaisy]

We took our oldest at 3 and it was so wonderful to just see the wonder and amazement in his eyes as he took in all the magic. He had a great time on all the rides he could ride and meeting Mickey was just a dream come true for him. I think it is totally worth the cost to see that joy and remember it, even if he won't remember it. We loved that age so much that we're going back next month with both our sons. Our oldest is now 7 and our youngest is just a month shy of 3 and I am so excited to see that same look of wonder and amazement on my youngest's face this time!

 

[MickeyWaffles]

We have taken our 2.5yo DD to WDW twice and Disneyland once. 1yo DS has been to WDW once.

-We were there last month and DD will not stop babbling about all the things she did at WDW and wants to watch all of our video footage. She loves looking back at the photos and videos from when she was 1 too.

-Both DD and DS were 1 for their first trip and I can’t even explain how magical their reactions were even at 1yo.

My take is if it is going to be your only trip, wait a while. If you plan to return, go for it. The young years at Disney are so special and their reactions to things are truly priceless.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

"Worth it" is a philosophical question. Your 3-year-old probably won't remember going. But she will enjoy herself while there and you will remember it.