Disneyland CA for 5 and 7 Year Old

5 and 7 are great ages for Disneyland. It's more fun for parents when the kids are little like that because you see the innocent wonder in their eyes. They wont be disappointed.

My rule was when the youngest was 7. That is the age they can really
appreciate it. So mine were 7, 10, 11 and 12. Had a blast!

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HECK NO!!! Are you kidding, your kids are perfect ages for Disneyland! there are a lot of rides to go on, shows to see, parades to attend, character dining which is the best way to meet your favorite characters as they personally come to each table for pics and autographs. Plus, from my experience, I grew up going to Disneyland and have developed such fond memories. However, friends of mine who went when they were older found it "dumb and boring". Take your kids starting now, you won't regret it, I promise! Last time I went was in 2009, my kids were 6 months, 3yo and 6yo. They went longer into the night than I honestly thouht they would. I didn't purposely keep them out but all the lights, music and fun just kept the smiles going, it was an awesome trip!!

Disneyland is perfect for kids all ages! Your 5 and 7 year old will LOVE it! Don't even bother to go to Knotts. It is so inferior compared to Disneyland. Actually Knotts is better for older kids who love fast roller coasters without the gimmicks, and don't care about the cleanliness or ambiance of a theme park. Disneyland is a can't-miss. You can go there and have a great time even without the rides, just watching shows, parades, meeting characters, eating yummy food. And when it comes time to sit and rest and relax, there are much more pleasant areas for this at Disneyland than there are at Knotts.

Hi, I have passes to Disneyland and Knotts and have been going with mine since they were born. Both are fun, but Knott's has more roller coasters that yours might not like or be able to go on. I would skip Knotts and do Disneyland. Knott's has Camp Snoopy but that's about it for young ones. If you stay at a hotel closer to Disney, you can always go back to the hotel and take a rest and go back in the evening. Now with summer here, the park is open from 8am- midnight. Lots of time to see everything and also have time for a rest. Have a great time. If you have more questions, you can email me directly. We go about once a week to both parks. I have 4 year old twins. Have a great time in the Happiest Place!

Disneyland really IS the Happiest Place on Earth. I liked Knotts Berry and Legoland, but I ADORE Disneyland (the original one, not Calif. Adventure). There are great rides for all ages.

We just went to Disneyland in April of this year with our grown daughter and her 3 1/2 yr old daughter. She had a blast! Shes pretty gutsy about big rides and loved the roller coasters, Thunder Mountain, Matterhorn, Space Mountain, and such. She also loved the rides in Fantasyland, the carrosel, PeterPan, Mr Toad, Story Book Boats, Casey Jr train, Dumbo, Small World, you name it she rode it! She is still young enough to believe the costumed characters are "real", and was a bit scared of getting too close to a couple, but maybe more shy than scared. She was in awe of Cinderella, and Snow White. Loved seeing Mickey, Minnie,Pluto and others. She thinks the castle is "THE CASTLE". When riding the Jungle boats, she believed the animated animals were real. She still talks about the dinosaurs she saw in the Grand Canyon while riding the Disneyland train.She rode in a rented stroller just fine, and walked now and then just for fun. Lots of older kids were in the rented strollers and they are great for carrying jackets, food, drinks, supplies stuff you buy and your purse and camera between rides. There is plenty to see besides rides but I know kids want the rides more than shopping. Id say older kids, will have just as much fun. Something about them being young and still innocent in ways makes it really special. There are enough things in Disneyland to hold their interest at any age really. There were several great things to do in California Adventure and because we had time, we did the park hopper passes and spent time there too. We didnt get to see all of it and wouldnt have minded doing more. We missed the one ride that is the most popular, where you "ride" in a plane and it "flies" you around Ca, and you never really leave the building. The line was huge, but I still wish wed done it. Even at 3 my grand daughter was tall enough and brave enough to ride Tower of Terror and LOVED it, 3 times more! She was not tall enough to ride California Screamin' and was really upset. She did the water tube ride, (cant think of its name) but had a blast even when she got soaked. We stayed across the street at the Tropicana Inn for a very reasonable price. Free parking and you never have to move your car. We walked across the street and into Disneyland as soon as they opened each morning and stayed till they closed at night. She fell asleep in the stroller a couple times but that just gave grampa and M. a chance to go do the rides they liked while I stayed in the shade and rested and talked to fun people. There is a lot of neat stuff inside "Downtown Disney" too, and we only went in for a short time. Be warned they dont let you take in rented strollers, but you can take your own. So if a child is too tired to walk far, its not the best idea, but worth going if you can. I say take them now while still young to enjoy the younger kid stuff most, and then in a few years take them back again and let them do the kids stuff again and all the bigger stuff they want. We had a wonderful time!

We take our 3 year old every year around her birthday (started when she was 2), and she enjoys it so much. Go for it! They're only kids for a little while! 5 and 7 are the PERFECT ages for Disney!

from my experience growing up near disneyland and taking my own kids, starting at age 3 and going until maybe 11 are all great ages. for me, by the time i was 12, i was just running around pulling pranks as soon as my parents were out of sight. i loved the scary rides but everything else was for babies! lol
my kids can last all day from the ages of 3 to 7. i havent taken them this year, budget problems, but hopefully we can go next year!
have fun!
and dont believe any negative things you hear about california adventures! its super fun, especially hollywood (maybe thats just cause im a film pro major, but its my favorite part!)

Our children loved Disneyland at age 5. Also California Adventure
across the way is even better and has lots of things for younger children.
;You can get 2 or three day passes for park hoppers at your local supermarket.
This saves money.

We were told that the best age to take our kids to Disneyland was 9. We waited and took them for their 9th birthday and it was absolutely perfect. They were young enough to enjoy the magic of all of the Disney characters they met, and yet old enough to ride the rides and stay up late. Also, if you can, don't go in the summer. Take them out of school and go when it's not crowded. You will have a much better time if you avoid the peak times.

I think younger is better. the awe and wonder and magic of disneyland is lost on older kids. If all you want are rides another park might be better. if you want charm it is all about disney. I could spend a day at disney and not go on any rides. Okay, obviously, I love the place. I know this summer Disney is doing a so cal ticket. summer is very crowded. not my fav time to go. and no, it is in no way a value. Disneyland is expensive.

They will love it! We had an annual pass the year my son was two (so he was still free) and he loved it! He just turned 4 and I just bought us passes again. He's actually tall enough for all but 1-2 rides (he is 42" tall), though we choose mostly to stick to Fantasyland and a few others. At 5 and 7, your kids will have a great time and be able to do pretty much any ride.

As far as getting tired, remember that it's only fun if no one is throwing fits. So it might be worth it to take a break for a couple of hours midday and go rest/nap somewhere, then get your energy back and go back into the park for a few more hours. You'd be surprised though...kids have an amazing amount of energy when it comes to Disneyland! They can last a lot longer than you'd expect.

Only thing... I'd recommend waiting until the school year starts and actually taking them out of school and going on a weekday. You'll be able to do so much more if you go when it's not crowded and your day will be much more enjoyable.

We go to Disneyland all the time. I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. My 4 year old is tall enough to ride all of the rides and she does. She's not afraid of anything and has a blast. Just depends on if your kids get scared easily and how tall they are.

5 & 7 are the PERFECT ages for Dland. Our 6 yo can now go on every ride at the park height-wise and this last time we ditched the stroller, too, so that was nice. Have fun!

Your kids would absolutely love Disneyland! You know that Disneyland has Southern California resident tickets during their off season and the prices are discounted. Check their website it is usually during their fall/winter months. and they should have it posted. Most hotels in the area during that time are discounted as well if you plan on staying the night. There is one place to stay that is budget minded, very reasonable, clean and with a great staff that is walking distance (they also provide a shuttle). They are close by to the park it's called the Candy Cane Inn. Check into it. Good luck and I wish you and your kids lots of fun at the happiest place on earth.

We started taking our kids when they were in diapers (even though we have a 9 hour drive each way, a one income family and 4 kids). :)

It all depends on what you like to do. If you're very much thrill ride people, yeah, wait until the kids are older. If they will love the whole atmosphere - photos with characters, wearing costumes to the park, watching parades and fireworks - go now.

There's lots at Disney for younger kids, although the lines do tend to be longest on those experiences.

The best advice I can give you - 1. DO NOT try to do it all. You can't, and you'll be exhausted and grouchy (so will the kids). 2. In the middle of the day, when it's hottest and the lines are longest, go to Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island (Disneyland) or Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (California Adventure) and just let the kids run around. There's lots of shade, caves to explore, fun activities they won't have to wait half an hour for, and even the chance to get a character photo or two.

my daughter is 4 and can get on basically ALL the rides. she loves it there. your best bet is to get a 2 day park hopper ticket. we have passes and go all the time :)

I believe it depends on what your children like. We've been taking my daughter to Disneyland for her birthday for the last 3 years and she's turning 6 this year. She's really into the Princesses and that makes the difference. On the other hand my 12 year old son, would rather spend his time at Magic Mountain but ends up enjoying Disney regardless. To get the most for our money, we usually stay until closing and then we stay overnight at the Howard Johnson hotel down the street. They have this great pirate ship water play area that the kids love. We get up early the next morning and play in the water until time to check out and go back home. Last year we also made reservations to eat lunch at the Blue Bayou restaurant in Disneyland and the kids thought that was an extra special treat as did the adults.

We took my 5 year old to Disney World this year and had a BLAST. You'd be surprised how much they CAN go on. We did well by going to the park first, then being willing to head back to the hotel around lunch time (saved on park food this way too), relax a little, nap or whatever, then head back to the park in the evening when it had cooled off.
Honestly, we adults weren't really any more able than he was to spend all day in the park. Even with a 12 year old I would have gotten cranky and tired and done well with the mid-day break!

HTH
T.

Since you live in Carson, and it doesn't sound like money is totally an issue (since Legoland is just as expensive or almost as expensive as Disneyland)......I'd highly recommeng you buy annual passes. You can probably drive there in 20 minutes flat and just go for a few hours if needed. And you can time it where you eat a meal before you go and pack a meal for the car ride home, it'll save you a ton of money. As the others said, your kids will love it at this age, since they should be tall enough for all the rides, but not too old to be bored with the small rides.
BTW, we did SeaWorld recently and that was really neat for all our kids....one is a teenager, one is elementary, and one is a toddler....highly recommend it. They all loved it!