What is the Best Age to Take Children to Disney World?

The best age is to take your children to Disney World really depends on how many times you plan on making Disney World your family vacation. 

For example, for us, the only vacation we take is to Disney World or a Disney Cruise. Therefore, if we take our kids at age 5, it won't matter whether or not that is the perfect age because we are also going to take them at 6, 7, 8, and for the rest of their childhood. If you plan on going to Disney at least every 3 years or less, don't worry about if they are too young or what age they are. Take them at 3 years-old and six and eight and twelve and twenty! (And, of course, there is NEVER a too old age to take them.) 

However, if Disney World is a trip you only want to take once or twice, age is going to be a really important factor when deciding when the best time to take your little ones will be. The best age to take your kids to Disney World is when they are old enough to remember it-- at least 12 years old. I know this might not be what you would have expected, but it is truly the best thing that you can do for them if you are only taking them once. Why? Because if you take them when they are 5 years-old because you think they will love the princesses at that age but won't love the princesses at 12, then this is only an experience for YOU not them. I have had so many friends say to me, "Yea, I went to Disney World once when I was like 5, but I can't really remember it."

For your children to remember your Disney World vacation is one of the most precious things you can give to them. 12 or 13 years old is the perfect age to visit for the first time. They are big enough to ride everything, old enough to remember and young enough to still feel that special childhood magic of Disney. 

Believe me, I took my nieces at 5 and 6 years-old, and I did that for me more than for them. They loved it, but even with all of the pictures, they aren't going to remember what we did like I will. And they were just as interested in getting in the pool at the resort as they were in going to the parks! Disney World is a wonderful place for little ones. They LOVE it. But they won't remember it. Only take them at that age if you also plan on taking them when they are pre-teens and teenagers. Because that's when it will mean the most to them.