kirbypwang

I've only been to WDW but many times with between one and three children from 6 months to 6 years, including twins. Disney World is a good choice for a family trip even with young children even if they don't remember much - they live in the moment, and those moments are important too, not just memories. I strongly suggest a park hotel, ideally the Polynesian for Magic Kingdom access, huge room size and pool and sort-of beach (on the lagoon but good enough for 3 YOs). Also the water parks are wonderful and low stress for this age. If trained, they may be able to spend a few hours at a kids club at the hotel, which is a trip highlight for our children and critically lets the parents get out kid-free to a park or dinner, which can really make a difference in your day.

Orlando Vic

LCS, you may already know this but Walt Disney World is much, much more than Disney Land. They are not equivalent.

WDW consists of four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal kingdom & Disney's Hollywood Studios) and two water parks (Typhoon Lagoon & Blizzard Beach).

There is some merit to the idea of waiting until your twins will be older in order to get more out of the experience. Also, if you plan a trip to WDW, be sure to consider central FL's climate, particularly during the summer when it is hot & humid. When you spend 10-12 hours at one of the parks (as some do) this is a consideration with small children. Of course if you come during spring, fall or winter, this will not apply.

jrhmdtraum

Florida by far.
The "kid's area (mickey's land or something similar) is much bigger. Watch it, Donald Duck "stole" my daughter's lollypop and she crys 15 years later when she sees him).

Also, for your twins, Robinson Caruso's island is alot of fun. The most important part is to stay at a Disney Hotel where you can Monorail back and forth. Do not think you have to do everything or else. Do not think of expense, if you do you will try to do everything in 2 hours. Just have fun.

Go in morning, come back to hotel at lunch and nap and then go back in late afternoon or early evening. They will love it.

codex57

How long do you have?

They may be better off at one of the animal parks. Whether it's the Disney one or a zoo or Sea World, etc.

Since OP is from Dallas, humidity shouldn't be an issue. Otherwise, if you're sensitive to humidity, CA is nicer in that regards.

Also, if you're just going for a day or two and can really only hit one park and Disneyland/Magic Kingdom is the one you really want to go to, you walk a lot less at Disneyland cuz it's more compact.

If you've got more time, I think Florida is a better bet.

OMAFlyer

I've not been to either world or land as a parent with kids -- we'll do that later this year with 3 kids, the youngest of which is 6. But I've been to both parks plenty of times, going back to age 9, and WDW in Florida would be my choice.

I can only second the many posters who suggest staying in the park, planning naps during the day (we'll do that with our 6 y/o too!), and returning to the park in the early evening.

Don't forget to check out the "Extra Magic Hours" for WDW resort guests, and the Disney Dining Program, which can help make your trip "all inclusive" and give you more time in the park (we picked a time of year that is "less crowded", which is a relative term at Disney). Check out www.mousesavers.com (no I have no connections to that site or its owners - we've just used it and AAA for research).

We have traveled extensively, but locally with our kids when they were younger. Doing Disney with twin 3 y/o really boils down to their breaking point .... and yours. If they travel well, why not? We kept our trips with younger kids closer to home -- Adventureland in Des Moines and Denver -- which proved to be both fun much less expensive. Des Moines is a 3 hour run, Denver a 7 for us (flying really is not an option on these runs). Gave the kids travel experience that they all remember.

Bottom line: Have fun with your kids!

lost*in*cyberspace

?? Kid are not free on international flights.

I would take the kids to Disneyworld rather than Disneyland, if you live between the two.

Flews

Pretty nit-picky. Ya, you're right. Not free. I exaggerated. It will cost me whacking $100 per child. S0 a grand total of $200, for tickets worth $36,400!

Sheesh,

tfar

You mean you are flying in F with babies? If that's the case, that would be provocative, not to say outrageous.

I wonder why airlines allow it. I especially wonder why airlines would allow it on F if they possibly have a full paying pax for that seat.

Sorry, for the OT.

On topic,

I think codex57's approach is very reasonable. Cali if you don't have so much time because it's smaller and Florida if you bring more time.

TIll

leandrorar

We have been visiting WDW with our now-3yo son every six months since my wife was pregnant! Last time was 2 weeks ago.

We are based in EZE so it's a 15 hours overnight trip to get there.

We have enjoyed every visit and I can asure you that our son has enjoyed every visit and wants to return again and again.

If you can/want to travel, take this opportunity and do it.

What really worked for us was staying in a property inside the resort. This makes really a BIG difference.

Also plan well. Take your time. Lots of info in google. "WDW toddler".

ArizonaRoadWarrior

Most airlines charge 10% of the international fare for a lap child and it is not the fare that you pay for your ticket typically but the full fare (i.e. the most expensive) for that flight. If the fare for a FC seat is $ 10,000, the fee for the lap child ticket will be $ 1,000 plus taxes.

whimsey21

Also it seems clear that the nature of the child is more relevant than the age. My daughter has been to Disneyworld various times since she was 2, and I think she enjoyed it the most at age 3. They actually do have quite a few activities for very young children, though I think most visitors never even notice since there are so many other high-profile things to do. If the OP's daughters have enjoyed disney films and are excited by princesses, there's a good chance they'll love the experience...

ArizonaRoadWarrior

Generally speaking, it is my recommendation to go to Disneyland over Disney World. Since Disney World consists of Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, there is a strong chance that your twins will enjoy Disney World when they are older.

Another reason why I recommend Disneyland is Knott's Berry Farm. We have not been there but our next door neighbor (four children under the age of 10) goes through on a regular basis and they strongly recommended this theme park since it has more things for younger (under the age of 4) children. Also, you can drive down to San Diego if you have the time and budget.

There are other considerations such as:

Airfare: Is it cheaper to fly to Disneyland or Disney World? If one route is more costly, it can add up. I did a quick search of fares (leaving August 17th and returning on August 21st)

DFW to LAX $ 369 – American Airlines
DFW to SNA $ 389 – American Airlines
DFW to ONT $ 369 – American Airlines

DFW to MCO $ 199 – American Airlines

..and as you can see it is $ 170 cheaper to fly to MCO than Southern California…at four tickets that is $ 680 ($ 170 x 4). Please be advise that there were some non-direct flights with cheaper fares to LAX, SNA & ONT. It is my preference to have direct flights to avoid issues with connecting flights and etc.

Budget: If you are planning to go to Disney World every year (or a regular basis like every other year) than it doesn’t matter if you don’t go to all of the parks, couldn’t ride all of the rides and etc.

Time of Visit: It is our preference to avoid going to parks in ‘high’ season thus eliminating the waiting time for rides and etc. It is our preference to visit during the middle of the week than the weekends. It can be challenging to wait in line for 45 minutes for a ride with a young child.

Weather: As Orlando Vic wrote, one needs to consider central Florida summer’s weather when it is hot & humid. As we all know as parents, young children don’t handle the heat as well as older children and adults. It is my preference not to schedule a vacation to Florida during the hurricane season.

We were traveling in mainland China and we took a side trip to Hong Kong so that we could take our son (he was 16 months at the time) to Disneyland. He had a blast. The park was small compared to other Disney theme parks; therefore, we were able to do everything in a day. The following day, we went to Ocean Park, another theme park.

The bottom line...go to one of these Disney parks and have fun with your twins.

hfly

Flews, you are probably looking at several grand for your kid, not $100.

krobbins

I've been to Disney hundreds of times (both as a child and with my children, now ages 17 and 15) since it first opened and I can tell you for sure that the most miserable people in the park are the ones with kids under 5 in the hot sun.

My best advice is to wait until they are older IF this is an extravagance that you are unlikely to repeat due to circumstances, finances, etc. If those are not at issue and you plan to take them over and over again, it can't hurt to take them now I guess. You know your kids' tolerance levels and can plan around them if there's no pressure to make the most of your one and only trip to Disney World/Disneyland.

We always did early mornings in the park, followed by lunch, pool, nap and them back out in the evening. Less crowded and fewer weather-related issues.

6rugrats

ArizonaRoadWarrier and others are correct about pricing for lap children on international flights. I also don't understand how you paid only $200 for $36,400 tickets? Please explain.