Haunted Mansion

[claypje]

I really want to take my 2 and 4 year old on the Haunted Mansion. Does anyone have experience taking kids this age on HM?

 

[wiigirl]

I really want to take my 2 and 4 year old on the Haunted Mansion. Does anyone have experience taking kids this age on HM?

I took my oldest daughter when she was 4....she loved it and had no problems.

 

[mommy2jack]

My 3.5 yr old DS (last year) loved it. My 13 month old DD (last year) was completely indifferent to it. My DS is a bit more adventurous then some. There really isn't any ride he won't try. I think it really all depends on your kids though.

 

[MushLRC]

All 3 of my kids started doing HM around age 2. We didn't have any problem with it. Your know your kids the best though. It's more silly scary than frightening.

 

[Fantasmic23]

I first took my son on HM when he was 5. I'm going to be honest ... He did NOT like it. Things started to go downhill in the Stretching Room. He spent the entire ride with his face buried in my husband's chest. We returned to WDW when he was 7 and he was ready to try HM again. That time, he saw that the ride was "silly-scary" and he loved it. Good luck and please let us know about your HM experience.

 

[sassie_kat]

We've been twice with our three kids - first time they were 4, 2 and 16 months. My husband was being an a$$ and screamed in the stretching room when it went dark so all the kids freaked out. Once we got on the ride though they were fine and liked looking at all the different things.

This time, they were 6, 4 and 3 and we went without hubs. They remembered that he screamed in there and were a little nervous but held on to me and my BIL. When we got on, my 4 and 3 year olds rode with me and were *freaking* out until I started pointing things out for them (the ghosts were having a birthday party, dancing etc.) Even my 6 year old commented that he thought it was scarier this time and still loves to tell anybody who will listen how they changed it and made it soooo much scarier! (He has a vague understanding that they update rides and make changes, but he came to the conclusion that they changed HM all by himself.)

Despite the fact that they were all "scared" by the ride, they had no problem taking Daddy on it a couple days later when we went to MK for our last day of the trip.

 

[starsweeper]

We took our older kids at 2.5yo and 3.5yo. The stretching room was the scariest part for them. We tried to laugh and make it light as the story was told in the stretching room. They didn't find the actual ride scary at all.

 

[msmama]

I took my son on it at 10 months, 2 and 4 (and will take him on at 5 again in a few weeks).

I think the scariest part is when the lights go out in the stretching room (and yes, usually somebody screams) so be prepared for that. I usually pick up my son or make sure I'm holding him close for that. The ride isn't scary and I find that talking (quietly) through it helps.

Last trip, rather than being stuffed into the stretching room, for some reason they only let about 15 people in. I actually found having all that empty space a little scary!!

 

[Annie78]

I am debating taking my 3 yo. He usually is not afraid so long as we talk about potentially scary things first, and definitely likes the "this is silly, not scary!" angle. What should I mention? The lights going out/screaming in the stretching room and the hitchhiking ghost are the main surprises I can think of, but any others?
We will only attempt HM if he does well on other dark rides first.

 

[HulaHoopy]

We went on it 3 times in october with my DD3 and DS4. We told them it would be fun and just to remember that ghosts are not real. Overall, we tried not to make a big deal out of it. They loved the tricks the hitchhiking ghosts played. The only thing that might be scary is the stretching room. We just held on to them so they weren't afraid.

 

[RMulieri]

We took our DD at age 4...The stretching room did her in..It goes completely dark with thunder and lightning effects and usually people scream...The ride itself didn't frighten her.

 

[123LuckyMom]

I took my 11 mo old DD and 4.5 year old DS. DS is usually very brave, but after the stretching room, he wanted OUT of that ride!!! I tricked him a bit to get him to go on, and he tolerated it fine. He thought the hitch hiking ghost was great! If it hadn't been for the stretching room, I think he would have loved it. As it was, he didn't. It didn't scar him for life, though, so I think it may depend on your kids. I might warn them, though, that the beginning is much scarier than the rest of the ride.

 

[kt_mom]

DD was 4 on her first trip and it was herr first ride. She loved it and it continues to be a favorite. DS has rode it each trip and I think he's just sort of indifferent to it. I'm curious to see what he thinks on our trip in December when he's 3.5.

 

[MrsH42608]

We took our guys on it at 15months & 19months. Loved it both times!

 

[mm1971]

I really want to take my 2 and 4 year old on the Haunted Mansion. Does anyone have experience taking kids this age on HM?

The stretching room can be a little scary in the dark and at the end. My DD loves the HM, but is still a little nervous in the room. She tends to close her eyes and hold on through that part, but overall has always liked going on.

 

[dragonfly08]

DD #1 was 17 months old the first time she did HM, and DD #2 was 4 on her first visit. For both girls, it's one of their favorite attractions. Like pps have said, the diciest part is the stretching room but they're fine if someone is holding their hand (and by now, at 6 and 9, even that is more silly than scary to them).

 

[tikistitch]

Like so many other people have said, we started bringing my nephew and niece in from about a year on. My nephew is 7 now and the stretching room still scares him, because people always scream and it's completely dark. Two trips ago, a teenager standing next to us also pointed out to all the children around him that a body is hanging up in the ceiling when the lightning strikes, so now my nephew always thinks someone actually is hanging themselves even though we've told him for years it's fake and in no way real. The concept really bothers him a lot and he still talks about how he doesn't like that part and asks why someone would do that to themselves. Eep. After we get out of the stretching room it takes until we're sitting in our doom buggy and going through the first area for him to calm down enough to enjoy the ride. He does love the ride and loves to notice new things each time we go, and always begs to get to see the ghosts in the ride. Especially the hitchhiking ghosts at the end. It's just the stretching room that leads to issues for us.

My niece isn't bothered by anything in the ride anymore and she's about 4 1/2. It's actually one of her favorites. She's much more of a daredevil and is much less anxious than my nephew.

 

[Timandalicia]

I really want to take my 2 and 4 year old on the Haunted Mansion. Does anyone have experience taking kids this age on HM?

The scariest part for that age is when the lights go out in the room prior to the ride (especially when there are 12 year-old girls in the room. They scream for fun). So that becomes the make or break it. Do whatever you can to help them through that. Let them know ahead of time that the lights are going to go out, and for how long. Tell them "let's pretend scream when the lights go out". Carry them during that part. Get through that and you are home free. It's just another ride to them then.

 

[MSSANDRA]

My DS6 HATES it. Always has and says he always will. He is super smart and totally gets it's not real, a total dare devil, will ride the mountains but hates that ride. I sota pushed him into it last trip because I was sure he would be fine now, nope,,,, tears. Lots of them and this is a kid that never cries. Yep....felt bad but he forgave me.

 

[amber_cntrygrl]

My DS6 was 4 the first time he rode it and he HATED it. He'll be 7 on our trip this year, and he says he WILL NOT ride it again He knows it isn't real, but he won't ride it again. I think it was the stretching room that did him in.