Disputing with my husband. . . Please weigh in

[Elle23]

If kids remembering things is so important, why do anything when they are young? Why not just sit in the house staring at the walls? Yet we do fun things for our young kids all the time! Disney shouldn't be the exception!

Disney was completely off my radar until recently when I took my 2 youngest kids (13 and 14). Honestly...the trip was more for me than for them. It's not JUST for kids! (We ALL had an amazing time and can't wait to go back!)

 

[elaine amj]

If kids remembering things is so important, why do anything when they are young? Why not just sit in the house staring at the walls? Yet we do fun things for our young kids all the time! Disney shouldn't be the exception!

Disney was completely off my radar until recently when I took my 2 youngest kids (13 and 14). Honestly...the trip was more for me than for them. It's not JUST for kids! (We ALL had an amazing time and can't wait to go back!)

I think one argument is that at that age, they think pretty much everything is fun. I admit - I had a hard time justifying spending thousands and thousands on something for them when they would have almost as much fun at the free festival down the road.

We spent those years either doing low cost things (that they loved) or if we spent money, it was on something WE wanted to do. For many ppl, WDW is something they do mostly FOR their kids. Because they would have little interest going without kids, the focus is not so much on the parents watching the kids discover the magic, the goal is more for the kids to have a wonderful time and that is why the kids' memories are considered more important.

And yet, and yet, I rather regret it now. And when it came to my niece, it was super easy to decide to spend the money! I am going to be such a dangerous grandma LOL!

 

[Elle23]

I think one argument is that at that age, they think pretty much everything is fun. I admit - I had a hard time justifying spending thousands and thousands on something for them when they would have almost as much fun at the free festival down the road.

I can understand that. We hardly took vacations when the kids were young because a vacation with 4 young kids was no vacation at all!

 

[looking4themouse2]

My husband went to Disney World when he was 13. I went when I was 16. Neither of us have but maybe one or two memories from those trips. We reasoned that if our son was going to barely remember the trip that we might as well go when it would be the most magical for him! To us, the fun is for the kids and the memories are for us.

One of my favorite memories is at a Christmas party where my son begged to meet Minnie and Daisy. He waited patiently for an hour to meet the duo and gave them each a kiss. Immediately after he looked at me with these big eyes and asked, "Will Mickey and Donald be mad at me?". It was so genuine and adorable!! He was even a little nervous to see Donald at breakfast a few days later! I doubt he'll be that endearing as a teen. LOL

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Aww you're story got me feeling all nostalgic and tears eyed. My daughter and I are taking her first trip in 22 daysfor her 4th birthday!!! Lately when she does something naughty she asks me if Mickey is going to be mad at her and when she does something good she's like are you going to tell Mickey what a good girl I am? It cracks me up ever time, and at the same time makes me know I chose the right time to take her❤ It gets me more excited than I already am for this trip!!!!

 

[Surgie]

I think yours are great ages now! We are taking our four grandkids and their parents next year. Kids will be 1 through 5 1/2. Of course the 1 YO will just be along for the ride. But it will be magical for the other three. We are staying long enough to have 3-4 MK days so we don't have to pack so much in. We also won't do too many night things but that's ok.

My first WDW trip was when I was 22 and the park was only 5 years old. I remember very little other than getting a booklet of paper tickets with letters on them for the rides, E being the best of course! So I've never bought into waiting for kids to be able to remember things before I take them places.

 

[brockash]

I recently began planning our first family trip to Disney. My DS will 7 and DD will be 4.5 at the time of trip. My DH thinks they are too young and it will be a waste because they wont remember any of it. And in his words, "he's only giving the guy with big ears money once." He would prefer to put it off until they are 10 or older. I think its the perfect time and if we wait too long it wont be as magical. They may not remember but I will!

Any feedback would be most appreciated.

I will say those ages are about perfect...especially the 4.5 year old. My favorite ages with my kids were 3, 4, and 5...they were just in so much awe of everything. As far as a once in a lifetime trip (if that's something you're on board with too...otherwise, there'd be a huge problem in our house and it most def. would not be the only trip for the kids and me) this probably is the best age for that and you will have the pictures to remind them etc.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

If kids remembering things is so important, why do anything when they are young? Why not just sit in the house staring at the walls? Yet we do fun things for our young kids all the time! Disney shouldn't be the exception!

Disney was completely off my radar until recently when I took my 2 youngest kids (13 and 14). Honestly...the trip was more for me than for them. It's not JUST for kids! (We ALL had an amazing time and can't wait to go back!)

The vacations that I took when my son was little didn't cost what Disney costs. Heck, my son was happy every time we took him to the park. A long weekend at the beach and he was set for a while. A movie? It was great.

We love Disney and we are now DVC members, in other words we don't think Disney is just for kids. But I couldn't see spending what it costs for a Disney vacation when my son wouldn't have remembered any of it. We took him for his 10th birthday. He had a great time and he remembers it.

Obviously it is up to the person paying for the trip. But to me, it seems like a waste of money.

 

[MarBee]

My husband said the same thing when we went for the first time when my kids were 4 and 2.5. We are going again for our fourth time since then this summer when they will be 7 and 5! He is hooked now too!

 

[kboo]

He is more of sit on the beach with a drink and not move kind of vacationer. I don't think he is looking forward to crowds or lines. I know this about him which is why I'm planning to go at a time of low crowds and plan for some resort days

My DH was like that too! That trip to AKL in 2003 in my signature? It was a long weekend in early December and I was up early to walk around the resort, watch the animals and then catch the bus for EMH ; he was like, "I'm on vacation! Let me sleep in ...." I remember we'd take vacations to the Caribbean or beach resorts, and he'd want to spend the whole day lying out on the beach, and I'd go in the water, read a book, sit for a while, and be like, "ok, now what?" and it was 11am.... lol.

My husband said the same thing when we went for the first time when my kids were 4 and 2.5. We are going again for our fourth time since then this summer when they will be 7 and 5! He is hooked now too!

Fast forward to we finally have kids, I've been going since I was a kid, my younger sister since she was 1. WDW is my happy place, partly because it has so many great associations to my own childhood. DH never went with his parents, and went once in HS with his band before I started dragging him in 1993. My mom organized a family reunion offsite in 2013 when ODD was under 2, and she loved it, though she doesn't really remember it and we could have been anywhere. So DH, ODD and I stayed onsite in August 2014 just before she turned 3, was "Saved" a ton on tickets, food, etc. because she was free, and she still loved it. One night she had a meltdown with DH while I was riding space mountain, and he yelled, "WE ARE NOT COMING BACK HERE FOR A LONG TIME!!!!" He slept in the next morning, I took DD to Epcot, we had a blast, and we were back 8 months later... LOL. I think 2.5-almost 3 is a hard time, (DH: "There's a reason why they're free under 3!") and now he's loving it. from our 2015 trip (ODD was 3.5) she's really remembered a LOT, and the magic has not worn off at all. It will be interesting, YDD will be about 21 months when we go, so the same age ODD was on her first trip, so she'll probably have fun. It's fun for us and for the kids at all ages; there's stuff to do differently, etc. One thing we hadn't realized until we stayed on site and went more often, is how much stuff there is for adults and how you can have very different vacation experiences. If he is a not-move-much sort of vacationer I'd suggest at least a few days, if you can swing it, at a deluxe where he can hang out at the pools, on the resort grounds, etc and be at his own pace, and you can take the kids to a park if they want. The most magical times with my kids started at 3.5 - I look back at some of the pictures and the looks on their faces.... they're so enthralled.

ETA: My ODD remembers *a lot* starting with the BWV 2015 trip, when she was 3.5. They may blur together, but she definitely remembers.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

I think for a once in a lifetime trip, 8-9 years old is a great age if a one and done trip is a definite. Go right before they hit adult prices, lol! IMO there truly is no perfect age to go to WDW, especially when you are taking more than one child. I do have to say that there is no guarantee a child will "remember" a trip by waiting until they are older. DD15 told me she doesn't really remember the trip we took when she was 9, and has faint memories of the WDW trip we took when she was 11. Photos and videos will be there for the whole family to reminisce about the trip. I personally think 4 is such a magical age for a first Disney trip. A person can marvel and appreciate the wonder of WDW at any age young or older; but there is something very special and priceless about experiencing Disney at the preschool age. I know WDW is an expensive vacation and many families can only go once or never get to go at all; but childhood is so fleeting and kids grow up too fast. I say go as soon as you can make it happen! Once your DH is there and experiences it, he may very well turn around and be the first one on the phone to book the next Disney trip!

 

[yankebabie]

I am taking my grandson for his first trip in June. He will just have turned 5. I am soooo excited to take him and he will be excited to go with nana. ( I haven't told him yet). We Share a special bond & even if he doesn't remember all of the trip we will share precious time together in the moment and that is priceless to me

 

[Hikergirl]

My husband said the same thing when we went for the first time when my kids were 4 and 2.5. We are going again for our fourth time since then this summer when they will be 7 and 5! He is hooked now too!

LOL, that is exactly how our first trip was supposed to be, a one and done. I was surprised at how much dh liked WDW while there, but I didn't expect him to want to go on another trip. Then a couple years after I suggested it again, and he was "yes, its a great idea because XXX was so young he probably doesn't remember it". I think we have been 4 times since that.

OP, your kids are at great ages and will have a great time. It is possible your youngest will not remember this trip though.
You and your dh just need to figure out what is more important. If this is truly a one and done, maybe it is worth waiting a year or two.

 

[Dakota731]

And why should everything just be for our kids' memories? What about mine when I saw the faces of my four year old twins when we went to WDW for the first time? It's a priceless memory for my husband and I. I don't remember much before age ten but my parents still took us on vacation every year. And maybe your husband will be like mine (who didn't think he would like Disney) and wants to go back just as often as I do!

 

[tinkerbell1112]

my kids will still tell me they remember things from their first trips...we started them when they were each 3 (they're now 13 & 10). the best thing to do to keep those memories alive is to take lots of pictures and to look at them a lot and to talk about the stories from those trips a lot.

My DH says the same thing every time we come home from a trip, but he still agrees to go the next time it comes up LOL

My personal FAVORITE times to take my kids was right around the age of 4 and again around the age of 7 4 because everything was magical and sweet and 7 because they could start to get into the "bigger things"

 

[tinkerbell1112]

And why should everything just be for our kids' memories? What about mine when I saw the faces of my four year old twins when we went to WDW for the first time? It's a priceless memory for my husband and I. I don't remember much before age ten but my parents still took us on vacation every year. And maybe your husband will be like mine (who didn't think he would like Disney) and wants to go back just as often as I do!

I completely agree with this. Our memories are important too! And it seriously is an incredible feeling as a mom to see your kids so completely happy and excited!!!

 

[tinkerbell1112]

When my daughter was 3.5 on her first trip the ONLY character she was obsessed with was Pluto - I cried every time she met Pluto (I think about 10 times over the days we were there) and then when she CRIED her eyes out because Pluto had to "go on break" when it was almost our time. The pictures of her where she wouldn't even turn around to smile because she was hugging him so tightly are some of my favorites from all our trips combined!

 

[DISfirstTimer]

And why should everything just be for our kids' memories? What about mine when I saw the faces of my four year old twins when we went to WDW for the first time? It's a priceless memory for my husband and I. I don't remember much before age ten but my parents still took us on vacation every year. And maybe your husband will be like mine (who didn't think he would like Disney) and wants to go back just as often as I do!

Exactly. I have been to MK 3 times and the only memory I have was from my last visit when I was 21. During the parade a little girl next to me grabbed me because she was so excited to see Minnie Mouse. 16 years later I still see this sweet little strangers face. I'd just like to replace it with the face of my own children.

 

[Minnesota!]

They might not remember everything, but you will

I went for the first time at age 9 and I remember VERY few things (rain, lots of it, eating nachos while watching the Riverboat, Small World with my dad, and Goofy wearing some space suit).

 

[nmrgrl55]

My oldest were 6.5 & 4 on our first trip and they absolutely remember it. My daughter turned 3 on our last trip, and 2 years later she is still talking about "mickey's house" and the princesses she met They are absolutely not too young to remember ohhh...and my oldest are 13.5 & 11 now, so the memories from their first trip aren't from a year or 2 ago. They remember years later.

 

[tigger51276]

He is more of sit on the beach with a drink and not move kind of vacationer. I don't think he is looking forward to crowds or lines. I know this about him which is why I'm planning to go at a time of low crowds and plan for some resort days

I say go as a family now, there is a magic that may not be there for the kids as they get older and it's so amazing to see them there while they still believe in everything! I've been taking my kids since they were babies, it never mattered to me if they remembered or not, I remember and I will have those memories and photos for ever! My ex husband only ever came on one trip and that was for my then 4 year old's birthday (not his daughter) and he is not a crowd, line, people person, patient in any way type and even he said that he had fun and would go again (granted he never did). So there is always the possibilty he could go down and change his mind especially if you add in stuff that he could enjoy (for example my oldest daughters dad is finally taking the trip with us this year and so we are going to eat in Germany as that is one of his favorite types of food).

Also even after I got married to my ex, he never came back to Disney with us (in fact he didn't ever want to go on any vacations) and so I just traveled with the kids myself. We did Disney ever year, camped a ton in the summers and would do mini weekenders. I would go with my best friend, my mom, my sister, my step mom and little brother, who ever. If there was no one then it was just me and my girls so if he truly doesn't love it and when they are older you want to go back, I say go, kids are only kids once and just because one parent isn't the vacation type doesn't mean you all can't vacation!