As new parents, or even grizzled veteran parents, one of the things you often look forward to is taking that obligatory trip to Disney World or Disneyland for your kids. In fact, you could insert any or all of the major theme parks surrounding the Disney empire including Sea World and Universal Studios.
For this discussion, let’s just focus on Disney World since Disneyland is, well, Disneyland. Let’s also just call a spade a spade and sum it up as that “obligatory trip to Orlando”. For arguments sake though, we’ll refer to it simply as “Disney” for the rest of this article. The bigger point is, you have high expectations bestowed upon you when you become a parent. You MUST, at some point in your life, take your kids to Disney. No bullshit, no exceptions. Isn’t it like a required pilgrimage or something?
However, you should NOT take your young kids to Disney…or Universal, or Sea World, or Orlando for that matter (since no one goes to Orlando for any other purpose).
Why not take them? Well one reason is…
It Puts You in the Poor House
Those that have gone to Disney know that it is ridiculously priced. It seems you are constantly opening your wallet and paying exorbitant prices for simple trinkets marked up 8135%. That’s not to mention the cost of the hotel and their lovely “resort fees” which grant you…a FREE COFFEE! Oh, there’s also the required purchase of something at every park you visit, transportation, and food. At some point during the vacation you’ll succumb to the beating, give in, and simply hand over your card with utter disregard for the hurting it’s putting on your balance.
But THE biggest reason NOT to take your young kids to Disney is…
They Won’t Remember Jack-Squat
Look around at Disney and you’ll see kids of all ages, from teens to infants. You’ll see 3 year olds being pushed around in strollers with cotton candy on their forehead and Disney paraphernalia piled up in their laps. Do you really believe that kid will remember the experience of going to Disney years down the road? For that matter, do you think they’ll even remember it the following week? Doubt it.
How much do you remember when you were 3? I don’t remember much. Sure I have fleeting memories of early early childhood but I wouldn’t say it justifies my parents paying 8135% over face value for the experience.
There will be those that say taking your kid at that age allows them to experience it in the moment and have a happy childhood. Really? Again, for the cost, I might be able to get a hint of the experience at a fraction of the cost at Chuck E. Cheese around the corner.
With all of that said, I DO believe you should take your kids to Disney (and all of the other parks) at some point. I’m just saying wait awhile. Wait until they are old enough to remember all the glorious moments in vivid detail. Wait until they can remember it as if it happened yesterday. I’ve taken my kids to Disney a couple of times but it was when they were both over 10 years old. I wanted them to fully absorb the experience and have it in their memories for years to come.
What is your opinion? Do you think you should take really young kids to Disney? If so, help me understand.
I can’t disagree Jeff. You make two HUGE points. My wife and I took our daughter when she was about 5, and although I think she enjoyed herself (and remembers some things), I can honestly say that she appreciates it more now at age 12. For Christmas we received one-day Park Hopper passes which I converted to Annual Passes. Why? Because I have always wanted them since I was a teenager, and my daughter is at a great age to appreciate these trips and really enjoy her time with “Dad”. ( My wife hates lines, especially at amusement parks), so I have accepted that these will be our Daddy and Daughter Disneyland Trips together. We bring snacks and only spend money on one special meal during our trip. Now if you have more than one child, that creates a whole new set of problems…
Good points. That’s great you have the passes where you can enjoy it over and over. Anytime for Daddy and Daughter time is GREAT time. I have two so I’m there with you man.
I think both are valid points, we went with our oldest when he was 3, more than a year later he remembers it, but it was a large family trip, we will do it again when they are both older and can truly enjoy it.
That’s a good approach. Sometimes taking a couple trips is not a bad thing. It is an enjoyable experience in the moment.
I’d have to disagree. First off, the two points above could be made about doing *anything* with young kids that costs money. Which is fine if you are on a tight budget, but has nothing to do with Disney.
My daughter is 3 and we’ve taken her twice because we love Disney too. While she won’t remember much later it’s true (though I do have fond memories of my parents taking me and my older siblings when I was 3), she loves talking about it, learning to read books about it, singing songs about it, and looking forward to our next trip. We love it as much as she does.
I hear ya Matt. I think the main thing about Disney is the extremes of the cost. Sure, everything costs money with kids but Disney (and the other parks) are really up there. I guess it’s because I just came back and paying ~$100 for each person at Universal just hurts. I can’t think of anywhere else you’d take your kids that would hit your wallet to that degree…just to get in!
You also bring up a great point in that it is an enjoyable experience for the adults too. I love going to the parks and really enjoy seeing their faces light up. I just think the best bang for the buck is just waiting a lil while longer before doing it.
As we moved slooooowly through the line for the roger rabbit ride with my 3 kids we were boggled by the couple in front of us who had a baby and a 2 yr old. The baby screamed and the toddler was terrified and hot and frustrated. WHY why would you spend money and time pretending it is for the kids when clearly this is your thing and you are making life hell for you, your kid and us.
Wait till they are old enough to remember the effort and $ you are putting them through
LOL…I’ve been there Kerry. It doesn’t make a lot of sense.