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Credit: DisneyWhen Walt Disney first conceived his idea for Disneyland in the ’50s, he wanted to design a place where kids and their parents could briefly escape reality and spend quality time together. With multiple Disney Parks on multiple continents, it’s safe to say he tremendously succeeded.
That all being said, there has been a sea of discord surrounding the age groups of Guests coming to the Parks on any given day. While families with children are still the primary focus of Disney’s marketing and advertising, they might have been representing the wrong audience for years.
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Walt Disney himself fully admitted that the “oldsters” visited marginally more than the younger Guests, and recent reports further confirm that point. However, late-blooming Disney fans recently came forward and discussed how visiting places like Walt Disney World as adults has truly changed their outlook.
Disney Parks: The Great Debate
Dick Van Dyke once sang, “you’re never too old to be young,” a maxim that Disney fans have lived by for nearly a century. That being said, there has been some massive debate over the appropriate age to enjoy the wonderful world of Disney, especially Parks like Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Furthermore, many fans have debated whether there is such a thing as too old or too young to experience the magic.
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While a majority of Disney’s media, parks, and products are primarily directed at a younger audience, a recent debate and sparked whether or not somebody can be too young for places like Disney World. Recent reports have shared troublesome accounts of misbehaving children and disgruntled/entitled parents leaving chaos in their wake.
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Although the so called “Disney Adults” don’t have clean hands either, it’s the Guests under the ages of five and six whose trips are heavily effected by poor planning and tantrums as the following result. An age minimum for the Disney Parks has been discussed before, but what really is the best age for your first trip?
Late-Blooming Disney Buffs
A recent discussion on r/WaltDisneyWorld hypothesized that a majority of Disney adults were simply adult Disney fans that only discovered the joys of the Disney Parks later in life. Currently, the thread has over 150 different responses, but the consensus is experiencing Disney outside of childhood has a tremendously longer lasting effect.
Users like u/chunkycatt share their how first time at Disney as adults better shaped their appreciation for the Parks. The user writes,
“I went for the first time at 28. My husband grew up with Disney, but my family was incredibly poor so we never got to go growing up. My husband took me to Disney World and it was instant love. Its been 5 years since my first visit, and I now live here and go every weekend.”
And u/vapemommy adds,
“I was 22 the first time I went, and about 28 the second time I went and that’s the trip that turned me into a Certified Disney Adult. Sometimes I feel like a lot of people who have been going to Disney their whole lives act superior to people who didn’t go until later, but my parents just couldn’t afford to take us and I appreciate the trips that I CAN take now so much.
Adults who visit Disney for the first time or gifted with a unique perspective. Not only do they have a fondness for the magical worlds of tomorrow, yesterday, and fantasy the Parks present, but they are also granted with an appreciation for the dedication to detail that goes into bringing them to life. Of course, perspective is only one perk of waiting to visit the Disney Parks.
Making Memories That Last at Disney
A popular sentiment about the Walt Disney World Resort is that it’s the place where memories are born. If that’s the case, than the Adult Disney Park Guests have much more of a case for them than their much younger counterparts.
A caveat needs to be mentioned here. When we’re speaking about “younger Guests, assume that we mean any child, toddler, or infant under the age of five. We’re not saying that parents shouldn’t bring their young children to Disney if it makes them happy, but consider who is truly benefiting from the trip.
Saying someone is too young for Disney has been incredibly taboo in the past, but think about how some young children respond to being too overstimulated. The Disney Parks are bright, colorful, loud, and can even push some adults into sensory overload. Parents wanting to bring their kids to Disney might want to let their kids enjoy the resorts rather than get too overwhelmed at the Parks.
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To support this claim, many Guests who visited as toddlers or children and returned as adults have shared how much of a difference it made. Moreover, many of them claimed not to even remember at that age.
u/akraut illustrates the point by sharing,
“I’m told, I went to Disneyland as a very small child. (My mom has the very large photo album to prove it.) But my wife and I (with no kids) are annual pass holders and go to both parks a couple times a year. Disney as an “older child” is a fantastic getaway.”
u/tiredprincess95 also adds,
“Even though I’m a Floridian, I only went to Disney once as a kid (barely remember) because we could not afford regular trips like that. Once I moved to Orlando, I went occasionally throughout college via friends who had guest passes or cheap student tickets, and fell more in love every time! Finally my husband and I were able to get annual passes in 2021 and now are totally Disney adults.”
There’s nothing wrong with bringing kids to Disney, as debatable as the subject might be. However, bringing one’s baby or toddler to the Parks is more of a benefit for the parents than the kid in question. Visiting as an adult, especially with other adults or even flying “Han Solo,” definitely has more perks.
More Money, More Mickey
In the famous words of Rumplestiltskin, “All magic comes at a price, dearie.” To say that visiting any Disney Park is expensive is the understatement of the century. That said, many adult Disney guests take full advantage of everything the Parks have to offer simply because they are more financially stable.
In short, many Guests who visit Disney later in life do so not just because they can, but because they can reasonably afford it. A great example comes from u/optimuspaige91 who writes,
My first time was at 22 with my now husband. I grew up poor in a family with a lot of kids. It just wasn’t feasible for us to go. We now go all the time, and we had our honeymoon at Disney.
“I know lots of friends who either were in low-income families or just had families who didn’t want to spend their money on a Disney vacation. As adults, we go to Disney to check off that childhood check box and it’s such a great feeling.”
Disney Parks and an Attitude of Gratitude
There are many benefits to visiting the Disney Parks as an adult, regardless of whether it’s your first time or 50th. However, those who visit when they get older have a more palpable sense of appreciation and gratitude for everything that makes the Parks magical.
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The comments are full of stories, like many previously listed, of older Guests seeing Disney with a more mature set of eyes. There are dozens and dozens of comments that share the same sentiments, but the one by u/Rakinonna truly grabbed our attention.
The user writes,
“I was 56 on my first Disney trip, I was formerly “anti-Disney” because I thought they were just money-hungry p.o.s.’s …but I decided to take my daughter for her 8th birthday for personal reasons …I cried when I saw the statue of Walt and Mickey ( and I still tear up when I see it) and was totally blown away by all the theming, immersion and the magic… We have gone back every year since (9 so far).”
When to Visit the Disney Parks
There are plenty of reasons to go to the Disney Parks, but age is irrelevant in the end. While social media might go back and forth on what age is right and what age is wrong, both camps are two entirely different experiences. Disney was designed with all Guests in mind, the fact that some will have a better time than others is entirely dependent on the individual.
The best demonstration of this idea can be found in the words of a former Disney princess who states, “it’s so fulfilling for people in certain ways, and you don’t know what it took for them to be at the Parks.” Not everyone has access to Disney at a very young age, but not everyone has the opportunity to pursue it as an adult. At the end of the day, Disney only succeeds if it’s able to bring the audience joy and magic, regardless of age.
How old were you on your first Disney trip? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!