Haunted Mansion for young/timid riders

[geergirl]

We did the chicken exit once and it must have been that path in reverse. It was SO much worse than the elevator or the ride would have been. Even my then little guy regretted it.



You're lucky.

My guy is 12 and still cannot stand the screaming. When he was little? Forget it. He could see how many people were screaming vs how many people were telling him it was just for fun, and he went with the majority. They must be screaming for a reason, and his parents were obviously missing something Very Very BIG and Dangerous about the ride.

Earplugs helped but he wasn't really really willing to deal with it unless it was the holiday overlay. Skellington made it feel safe for him. Skellington made the screams possible to deal with as log as he had earplugs. And he's not prone to sensory issues in general. But it really bothers him when people are screaming. Screams are done for the purposes of calling for help. Not for fun.

(Which is really no surprise that he feels that way since it's how I was raised, and I never really let him scream for play...I just wish he would have trusted me when I told him that unfortunately others don't follow those rules (and it doesn't mean there's a tiger on HM!))

We are and I know it. They're fairly calm kids. Although when they were 2 one was really freaked out by the drops on POTC. She kept asking to go on it and got progressively more upset each time. And by upset I mean crying on Daddy's shoulder just until we went around the corner. Then she loved the rest. Her twin wasn't scared but eventually cried because if her sister was scared surely there was a reason! In general I buy into the idea that more information is good for reducing fear and that if trusted people aren't showing fear it helps. That doesn't mean it always works! Every kid is different.

 

[agamble]

I'm against telling people they can't scream on a ride. especially a ride that is billed as scary. You can reasonably assume that in a dark room with a dead body hanging from the ceiling someone will scream. If you know that will be an issue for a member of your party, find another attraction to go on. What's next, they have to stop screaming on Screamin?

Agree. People are screaming for fun. Most people over 12 don't really find that skeleton scary, they scream because it's fun. My DH taught our oldest to scream on Splash Mountain to help her get over the fear of the drops. Now she always screams on drops on coasters, etc. because her daddy told her it was fun.

My kids didn't find any of the rides scary, but the older two went for their first time at a young age. We haven't been in two years, but I'm not worried about my little ones thinking Haunted Mansion, or Snow White, or Pirates are scary. I'm worried about my 4 y/o, who's tall enough for the big rides now, wanting to go on coasters and not realizing they're a bit much for him. But maybe he'll surprise me. And maybe your little friend will surprise you too.

 

[Niltiac]

If we want to get into general courtesy, then let's also have Disney tell guests that they can't use cameras with shutter sounds or LED screens in shows or on rides, that they can't hold up their camera or phone during shows, that they can't put kids on shoulders during shows, that they can't talk in the boat on POTC, that they can't sing along during shows. All of those things ruin the experience for someone else.

I agree. I was imagining a statement about general courtesy that mentions phones/flash/talking. It probably wouldn't be very effective though since I'm sure most people know those actions aren't courteous, but some still choose to do it. I have it on my bucket list to ride POTC just once with a quiet group. I try every trip.

 

[ImDMous]

There's several YouTube videos of the stretching room with no one in it or with the audio from the soundrack with no guest noises. You could try 'practicing' beforehand. There is still screaming because it's part of the audio, but at least it's only one voice and not the whole crowd.

We went last weekend and surprisingly no one screamed along. Must have been too tired from the crowds.

 

[MinnieMouse84]

I vividly remember the Haunted Mansion from when I was 4 years old. The only thing that scared me at all was the scream, and that was only because it startled me. I loved everything else about it.

 

[madasax12]

Our kids (4&) have always loved HM, even the beginning because we make it fun....even the screams we look up and when the lights go out we 'pretend' to fall until the crash. From there I told my kids to 'touch the bats' (on the rails) to make it a game walking to the doom buggies.

 

[EPHomie]

We must have gotten a kid friendly crowd because we didn't have any screamers. My 3 year old loved HM but was terrified of POTC. Go figure.

 

[PurpleKomodo]

We had to prep DS, who was almost 3, at WDW that it would get dark and people would scream, but he did okay. He is a little more apprehensive for our upcoming trip as he is 2 years older and a little more aware of what is scary, but I think he will be okay if someone holds him, warns him when it is coming, and lets him cover his eyes and ears.

 

[PMGuernsey]

This may or may not be helpful, but we found a solution with our young girls. First we started calling it the silly mansion. Then we got them amulets that light up when you press them, from Sofia the first (I have 2 preschool age daughters). We told them anytime your scared press your amulet and point it towards what scares you and it won't hurt you. Since we did this they like it, and actually request to go occasionally. I realise this doesn't help with the screaming, but it's worked well for us so far.

 

[Purrkins]

We watched it on Youtube and my son decided we should yell "helicopter" when the audience screams (his pick). We started this when he was three and still do it now, for nostalgia, 4 years later.

 

[GoldnSilverPixieDust]

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies. We will try the videos with our little one and see how it goes. Thanks again.

 

[heffalumpz]

I will be entirely honest - I was forced by parents onto Haunted Mansion as a child, and it really did a number on me. I cried in line when I was 11 and still wasn't allowed to sit the ride out. I had nightmares about it into adulthood - I still feel VERY off at the WDW mansion because of it. It became such a looming fear. Thankfully the feelings didn't follow me to the Disneyland mansion, but just food for thought. I was a very scared child and my mom genuinely regrets not giving me the choice to decide what I did and didn't want to experience. I totally believe in try everything once, but if once is bad, maybe let it rest.

 

[MichiMomma]

I took our 2 and a half year old son last month. I was worried about the stretching room and asked a CM if we could bypass, and she just flatly told me "no". I was worried, but, I agree with others, try to make it silly or fun. I pointed out and would say "look at that silly alligator"... "look at those silly guys". When it got dark only a few people screamed, and my son just leaned into me. He wasn't too scared. I continued the use of the words silly or funny throughout the ride. It seemed to help.

 

[superme80]

My oldest is a scaredy cat. I won't take him on it. I took my middle son and youngest in 2015. We talked about how silly everything is. They enjoyed it.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I had nightmares about it into adulthood

I only recently figured out that a recurring nightmare I've had all my life was from the Haunted Mansion. The dream is so different than the ride, that I didn't put 2 and 2 together until a few years ago when I was on the ride and I suddenly realized the connection of going down in the elevator and the doom buggies. Of course, when I was a little girl, I had 3 big brothers who loved to scare me. So, they'd say things like the ghosts were going to get me and the hitchhiking ghosts were following me home and were going to get me when I was alone in my room. I doubt the ride would have given me nightmares if I didn't have 3 older brothers going out of their way to make it a totally terrifying experience.

 

[Tinkerbell19672]

I will be entirely honest - I was forced by parents onto Haunted Mansion as a child, and it really did a number on me. I cried in line when I was 11 and still wasn't allowed to sit the ride out. I had nightmares about it into adulthood - I still feel VERY off at the WDW mansion because of it. It became such a looming fear. Thankfully the feelings didn't follow me to the Disneyland mansion, but just food for thought. I was a very scared child and my mom genuinely regrets not giving me the choice to decide what I did and didn't want to experience. I totally believe in try everything once, but if once is bad, maybe let it rest.

That's sad I wouldn't force my child to go on it. Granted, she scares more easily than other kids. Couldn't go on POTC until she was 8 and it still made her nervous. Pirates and skeletons scare her. When she was younger, we just didn't go on HM or POTC or we did ride swap. Wasn't worth scarring her for life or subjecting her to something scary just because we wanted to go on it.

 

[agamble]

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies. We will try the videos with our little one and see how it goes. Thanks again.

I had a thought, go on it in the morning. I was watching a video of an evening and people were all very chatty outside the stretching room, and my first thought was that it's rude when people are super chatty. Then I remembered that everything is much quieter in the morning. People aren't really awake and it isn't really the first ride most people run to either, so it may be a much more enjoyable experience.

 

[Jperiod]

I was also a very sensitive frightened child. I hated all of haunted mansion. The changing pictures on wall in the hallway (medusa head) and the pictures of screaming ghosts in the hallway with the doors are especially disturbing. I was also very frightened of all the skeletons on POTC (the lightning shipwreck scene especially).

I totally love the Nightmare Before Christmas version (the overlay is enough to distract me from the ghost photos in the hallway). Since we almost always go during christmas, I prepared DS with youtube videos and we call it "Jack's House" instead of haunted mansion. Because of his autism, he couldn't handle the dark crowded elevator or hallway, so we used the back exit with a CM for years. I don't remember it being dark, just narrow. But it worked great for DS. He graduated to headphones in the elevator and we know where the hidden doors are, so we stand at the edge to be the first out into the hallway to give him space. At 12, he doesn't need any accommodation any more besides being first out of the doors.

When he was 10, we were there during the summer and he wanted to try HM without the overlay. It was my first time years. We both decided we like Jack's version much better and haven't gone "normal" since. DS isn't an easily frightened kid, but the concept of ghosts is more creepy to him than monsters and the like.

DD is very sensitive like I was and I won't even consider taking her on "normal" HM for a long time. She enjoys "Jack's House" though, and just hugs tight during the elevator. She's 6 and just went on space mountain and matterhorn for the first time a couple months ago (though we both find the new yeti's really scary and won't go again for a while)! DS has been going on those since he was 2.5!

So I guess my point is, know your child, prepare with videos, and if there's any doubt your child might not handle part of it, just wait. It won't be like that forever. But these memories during an impressionable time in their childhood CAN last much longer.

 

[GoldnSilverPixieDust]

I had a thought, go on it in the morning. I was watching a video of an evening and people were all very chatty outside the stretching room, and my first thought was that it's rude when people are super chatty. Then I remembered that everything is much quieter in the morning. People aren't really awake and it isn't really the first ride most people run to either, so it may be a much more enjoyable experience.

That is a good suggestion. We might try to give a morning ride a shot when crowds are fewer. My nephew is 4 and for his first two trips to Disneyland he wasn't into the rides as much as the characters. His first trip was at 22 months and old POTC scared him (but he was singing the song the rest of the trip). For our next trip we are definitely planning to take a wait and see approach and let him tell us what he is ready for. Thanks again everyone.

 

[Midnightred]

Just a thought, maybe get a HM kids book and/or play the music ahead of time so the ride is familiar to them. I have 2 autistic boys and they wear headphones that insulate the noise at the parks. These are quite helpful.

Midnightred