Is the Haunted Mansion scary or funny? Would it scare a3.5 yo?

[bytheblood]

I would not ride it early in the trip. One scary dark ride and your child may refuse to go on all other indoor rides. Seriously. I recommend working up to HM with your 3.5 year old. Start with non-scary rides such as It's a Small World and Peter Pan. Then add in scarier rides like Winnie the Pooh (yes, that can be scary) and Nemo at Epcot. Only add Haunted Mansion once your 3.5 year old has ridden on several indoor rides without fear.

This is great advice.

 

[Kingdom Keeper29]

When I was five I remember being scared by The haunted mansion. But a lot of kids aren't. So results will vary

 

[Radiorox]

Walking in HM is dark and that scared me as a kid and scares kids I've gone with. I always prepare them, joke around and tell them to yell when the lights go out to "scare others." It works. ;-)

As for the ride part, I give my BFFs son earplugs and he closes his eyes. Good to go! ;-)

 

[needtoplan]

I'll be honest. This age is tricky. Younger, they don't scare. They don't know enough to be scared. Just A little older, they understand pretend. Here is our scenario: Took DS on it at nearly 3, he loved that scary ghosty ride. Took him back when he was nearly 4, petrified. Took him 5 months later, once again loved it. So, the people who say they have been taking them since babies- well it depends. Exactly how old were they when they actually rode it. 3 1/2 years old is a tricky age. My opinion, the child will be scared.

As a side note: this is mine and DH's favorite ride and probably our son's too now. For an adult not scary at all.

 

[MacClemsons]

Depends on your child. DD screamed all the way through Peter Pan when she was 3 and Pooh's rides with the Heffalump was scary too.

We made the mistake of taking our young kids to Bug's Life when they were 2,3,4. We had a hard time going to ANY 3D movie or several years after.

That was 5 years ago. Only oldest has been on HM. Ride got stuck for 5-10 mins so she won't be doing it again.

 

[letsgoreds]

I would not ride it early in the trip. One scary dark ride and your child may refuse to go on all other indoor rides. Seriously. I recommend working up to HM with your 3.5 year old. Start with non-scary rides such as It's a Small World and Peter Pan. Then add in scarier rides like Winnie the Pooh (yes, that can be scary) and Nemo at Epcot. Only add Haunted Mansion once your 3.5 year old has ridden on several indoor rides without fear.

GREAT Advice. DS7 had a bad experience at 4 (Prince Caspian of all things), and from that point on, not a fan of indoor rides. Even gave us a hard time at 6 with Nemo. NEMO! He will ride any and all thrill rides/rollercoasters, but not a fan of unknown box rides.

DS7 rode it for the first time at 3 or 4, and I made sure to talk and laugh through the entire ride, with a high, happy voice. He didn't have any problems with it. I remember being in second grade and refusing to ride, while my 4 year old little sister had a blast.

 

[mominwife]

My 6 year old dd loved it. Hands down one of her favorites. Just depends on the kid

 

[aubriee]

We took our grandson last Feb when he was 3 years 8 months. He held my hand throughout the ride for some reason, but loved it, giggling his way through the graveyard scene with the jumping heads. I did hold him in my arms, during the stretching room, but that was because I was afraid of him getting stepped on. We did warn him, before going in that some adults like to scream to make it more fun. Sure enough a couple screamed in the stretching room, but my grandson just put his hand over his mouth, laughed, giggled, and pointed at them saying they were funny. At no point was he scared and this kid is definitely not a brave, outgoing kid. His baby brother, at almost 2 y/o, is braver than him.

 

[Albytaps]

The popping heads... that's the worst part IMO. It was always a part I didn't like and my kids don't like it either.

It's possible at 3.5 years old they won't be scared as PP mentioned. My girls usually didn't scare at that age but then at 4-5 they start getting scared. My 10 (now 11yo) still closes her eyes during the cemetery popping heads... I think I did too at that age.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

depends on child, grandson age 4 loved tower of terror, still talks about it. he could care les about Haunted. not scared just did not like. he also loved small world. no way to figure what is going to work with your child

 

[rdevine10]

We took our kids on it when they were I think 2 and 5. HUGE mistake for our 5 year old. She (who was not a crier) bawled hysterically for 20 min after the ride. We finally figured out, at the end they say a ghost will go home with you and show a fake image in your car. She was CONVINCED this was real. She is now 10 and still remembers it and will likely NEVER ride that ride again (and its a shame, as I love that ride!). Lesson learned for me.... my kids to not like anything like that.

I will say she loves Pooh, peter pan, etc. She does NOT like the dark either!

 

[SaraMc]

We have been taking DS since he was 6 months old. Around 2 when he knew fear he changed and was crying the whole ride, his head deep in my husbands arm pit. Yet would be playing and we would hear him hum the music from the ride. ( we would watch it on youtube to prepare him for the ride) He loves the Haunted mansion anything halloween, but hates the dark. So we came up with "Bravery Bracelets". The glow tube bracelets you can buy at Michaels. Any dark ride we break one of those open for him ( now 6) and his sister on rides that are dark and he's good. Even now, 4 years later he loves the ride once we get to the banquet room. Before that he's very close to myself or DH with his bravery bracelets on.

 

[AlohaAnnie]

Fun! We love it!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Our grandchildren, age 5 and 3.5, were fine on that ride. But the three year old is a real dare devil. I can see a more quiet children being terrified.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[johde]

As others have said, it depends on the child. It can also depend on the day. When my niece was little, she rode POTC and loved it, rode it multiple times laughing at "the guy in with the piggies". About 9 months later we went back again and I don't know what happened but she had a major meltdown of crying and screaming "I want to get off". She's out of college now but it tooks years before she would ride it again.

 

[Ginny Favers]

My kids are very big scaredy cats, I mean-- my DD6 will not even go upstairs in broad daylight and get changed when she comes home from school, because she is afraid of being alone, and they both sleep with the lights on.

We approached it like it was all in fun and Disney Magic, and that none of it was real. We made like it was no big deal. They loved it.

I, however, am kind of spooked by parts of it. The bride? Eek.

 

[John Paul]

It should be fine as long as they are not scared by the intro or in the stretching room. I feel you will get a good feel there

 

[ZephyrHawk]

The Haunted Mansion is both funny and scary. I first rode it when I was 3.5 I was terrified. I screamed bloody murder at the hitchiking ghost scene (like a previous poster, I thought it was real). And 5 minutes past the exit, it was (and still is) my favorite Disney ride.

 

[blessedby3]

I agree with PP's that it depends on the individual child. My dd5 will not go on this ride. Probably the last time she rode it she was 2. Then, we went back at 3 and she put her brakes on. Same thing when we went this past Oct and she had just turned 5.
She is not a fond of dark rides, in general, and I think she gets a certain "vibe" from the look of the CM's, the music, etc and wont go on.
We also watched youtube videos of the ride before we went on our last trip and she said she would ride it...but changed her mind quickly when we were outside of HM

 

[Reese D]

As everyone else said, this is really going to depend on the child. My children have loved it since they were toddlers, but I could see how children would be frightened. There are dark and spooky elements.