My husband and I love Disney. We could not wait to take our daughter. We took her at 16 months and it was a great first trip. She was excellent on the plane ride and at the parks. She did not care for the characters and we had to parent swap a few rides (no big deal). We received a lot of back lash from some family members who felt that it was silly because she would not remember a thing.
No, she does not remember but we do!! Now 10, she absolutely loves Disney, is quite adventurous, and loves watching videos from her first trip. It's so nice to have those memories and to chuckle together at how cute and little she was and how much we enjoyed building those special memories with her.
This has been the case with all of our children. Albeit young, we have the pictures and videos to share with them and they truly enjoy watching them.
Our second daughter's first visit was at 8 months. She too did an amazing job. It was a little more challenging
though with two children (under 5) and trying to maneuver with a double stroller. We then took our son for his first birthday...nightmare.
He was miserable. Poor little guy just wanted to be free and run around everywhere and anywhere...enough said...We had the double stroller again and our eldest daughter (5 at the time) walked. She did great and never complained. Our second daughter (two) also did great and enjoyed the characters and rides. Albeit amazing and memorable trips, it was a challenge. My husband still talks about how the double stroller reminds him of a big file cabinet filled with this and that. Anytime we went to close it to catch the Magical Express, something (not a child) fell out that I forgot to take out.
We've gone several other times and each time it gets better and better because they are older and can appreciate and enjoy the rides and entertainment a lot more. It's also great when they are able to feed themselves and are potty trained!!!!YESSSSS!!!
That made life so much easier. No diapers! I still always had a bag with important essentials.
We are traveling to Disney in a few weeks
and my kids are 10, 7, and 5 and are so excited. We've involved them in every aspect of the planning. We enjoy watching YouTube videos together related to DW and looking forward to this trip more than all of the others because we can ride almost all of the rides together as a family. We are planning on bringing a single stroller for our little guy. They each have their own kid friendly luggage for the airport (another great aspect as they get older) and each morning they will pick out their own outfits and dress themselves.
Yessssss!!!! DH and I have absolutely no regrets on any of our past trips but if I had to choose the hardest age to travel with, I'd definitely say my son as a toddler. IMO, most toddlers are just learning how to walk and they do not like being confined to a stroller. Five years and up is a much easier trip. Have a blessed trip! Hats off to anyone who has taken a Disney trip with very young children. They won't remember but that's why we have Memory Maker.