ktlm
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2008
2 years 10 months to take advantage of free under 3. We have been to WDW or DLR or both every year since then except 2020 and now 2022. That first trip was one of my absolute favorite trips. Everything was new and she was little enough that it was all real and magic. By age 5 she was being enlightened by other kindergarteners with older siblings that things weren't real, so I'm glad we had the total magic toddler years.
Don't believe that don't take them until they are tall enough to ride everything theory. Just because they are tall enough or a little older doesn't mean they WILL ride things. DD had hit 40 inches by her 3 year old trip and was a daredevil then and rode and enjoyed a lot of the thrill rides. By age 5 or 6, she developed a fear of thrill rides she had ridden and loved in the past and we couldn't get her back on most of them until age 9 or 10. Our worst trips kidwise (not counting things like a hurricane LOL) were ages 6-7. She was too big for a stroller, but didn't have the stamina for all the walking yet and would complain about her feet and legs, especially if it was a hot day, and get tired and whiny, and cranky quickly. She was scared of ALL the thrill rides, including the ones she had ridden multiple times and loved at age 3 and 4, and wouldn't get on any of them. We even had to bribe her onto Pirates at DLR because of the little drops. By 8 she had the walking stamina and was going from park open to close again, and things were much better and by 9 she was riding some of the thrill rides again.
Don't believe that don't take them until they are tall enough to ride everything theory. Just because they are tall enough or a little older doesn't mean they WILL ride things. DD had hit 40 inches by her 3 year old trip and was a daredevil then and rode and enjoyed a lot of the thrill rides. By age 5 or 6, she developed a fear of thrill rides she had ridden and loved in the past and we couldn't get her back on most of them until age 9 or 10. Our worst trips kidwise (not counting things like a hurricane LOL) were ages 6-7. She was too big for a stroller, but didn't have the stamina for all the walking yet and would complain about her feet and legs, especially if it was a hot day, and get tired and whiny, and cranky quickly. She was scared of ALL the thrill rides, including the ones she had ridden multiple times and loved at age 3 and 4, and wouldn't get on any of them. We even had to bribe her onto Pirates at DLR because of the little drops. By 8 she had the walking stamina and was going from park open to close again, and things were much better and by 9 she was riding some of the thrill rides again.