11 year old girl who doesn't like thrill rides

[gaudioli]

Hi all....i'm planning a trip for us and another family...we'll be together. Their daughter will be 11 and she isn't a fan of thrill rides, her younger brother and my kids love them. I know about the place where kids learn how to draw a character...what else is there to do for her? I want her to really have a great time and not be bored.

TIA!

 

[Skjhjb]

I don't do thrill rides, but there are a ton of rides that I can do! Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Teacups, People Mover, Haunted Mansion, Safari ride, Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear....SO much to do!!

I will do Splash, and I will also do Kali Rapids, I've done Soarin and Star WArs with no issues. Next time I'm there I plan to do Mine Train (it wasn't open yet on our last trip)

Animation studio is closed now, so that is out. But there are a ton of meet & greets she can do (If she's into that - my 17 & 19 year old girls were), so that will keep her busy too!

 

[mousehockey37]

Hi all....i'm planning a trip for us and another family...we'll be together. Their daughter will be 11 and she isn't a fan of thrill rides, her younger brother and my kids love them. I know about the place where kids learn how to draw a character...what else is there to do for her? I want her to really have a great time and not be bored.

TIA!

The animation academy just closed.

 

[gaudioli]

oh nooooo really!??! she likes to draw so she was really looking forward to that! gggrrrr

 

[merrick]

yes, animation thing did just close...

my 10 year old DS does not like thrill rides, that means *any* ride with any kinda drop (including pirates of the carribean!). he liked peter pan, dumbo, jungle cruise, buzz lightyear and this year he feels like he would do pirates of the carribean again (even though...) and i THINK we might get him on goofy's barnstormers. we watched the video for splash mountain as everyone says it's more of a "glide" than a "drop". he had no issue with living the land and its a small world, but did make me ask the CM if it's a small world had any sudden drops. the cast member said "no drops, there are babies in their mom's arms so we don't like to do that". lol!!

there seem to be so many other shows and activities, there is plenty for everyone to enjoy.

 

[gaudioli]

she has no problems with the low key rides...jungle cruise, peter pan etc I just feel like the other kids have the "thrills" i was hoping there was something that she would feel was her "thing". That animation thing would have been perfect

Do they still have the ice skating in HS?

 

[Anne5555]

I don't believe they are doing ice skating this year. Maybe she would like having a silhouette made? Or the haunted mansion followed by a $20 photograph that is black and white and holographic so that she looks spooky/scarey from some angles? Or pick a pearl in Japan? My daughter is really looking forward to the pick a pearl. Or maybe she would like pin trading?

If she likes drawing she might like visiting Japan at Epcot to see the collection of Japanese arts. "It is currently exhibiting 'Spirited Beasts: From Ancient Stories to Anime Stars,' a depiction of Japanese mythology's creatures being adapted into Japanese pop culture." Also the store there sells" many Japanese items, including clothing, jewelry, books, manga, anime items (such as posters), and toys. It has been expanded in recent years to include a far greater variety of items than before. More specifically, a greater portion of the store sells Japanese pop-culture related items, presumably to take advantage of the growing interest in these types of products in America. To date, this is the only remaining branch of Mitsukoshi located in North America following the closure of Mitsukoshi's New York City location."

 

[Oneanne]

Non-ride stuff: Pick-a-pearl is a lot of fun... and you get the pearl. There's Sorcerer's at MK and the Pirate Scavenger hunt. Agent P at EPCOT and Hidden Mickey's all over the place.

 

[Moonwolf]

My brother and I were disappointed that the drawing classes were closed too.

Is there a reason she doesn't like thrill rides? Personally I don't like typical amusement park thrill rides due to hating the sensation I get during drops. One of the reasons I love Disney is that it's not just about the thrill rides like in other amusement parks. I won't step foot on Tower and Splash I can only do once per trip (if that). But the other rides I have no problem with. Most of them are just fast with big turns and some hills (might lift you out of your seat for a sec going over but nothing big enough to get the stomach in your throat feeling). Also sitting in one of the front rows makes the rides seem a lot slower since you need to wait for the back part of the ride vehicle to clear any lifts before you pick up speed and by they you're already partly down any hills.

If you want to ease her into the thrill rides in terms of intensity I'd rank them: Barnstormer - Mine Train - Big Thunder - Space (like Big Thunder but in the dark so you can't anticipate what's ahead of you) - Rock'n Rollercoaster (has 2 inversions but I found those don't bother me as much as straight drops other than that it's very similar to Big Thunder and Space) - Everest (doesn't have any inversions but it does have a backwards portion in the dark that gives that sensation and the drop looks bad from outside but as I said if you're near the front your already half way down it before you get any speed).

Those 6 rides plus Tower and Splash are the sum of all the typical thrill rides in all 4 parks. Some might consider Test Track a thrill ride but it's really just being in a convertible driving down the highway with one or two semi-sharp stops. Soarin isn't intense but it can seem high so fear of heights may be an issue. Mission Mars and Star Tours are both simulator rides so it can seem intense especially if you get motion sick (and don't do orange if you don't like pressing sensation - kinda similar to what you feel during an inversion).

Aside from the bigger rides there are plenty of slow dark rides & tram/boat rides. The shows are also really fun to see and there are plenty of them in every park. In MK there's also the sorcerer Mickey game and in EPCOT there's the Agent P game. My brother (19) and I (26) did both and thought they were cool. We especially liked getting the cards for free every day we went into MK. In AK there are a lot of hidden trails you can wander down to see if you can find any random animals.

 

[vicb]

So a few things that come to mind for an 11 yo girl who doesn't like thrill rides:

*Pick a Pearl in Japan was mentioned and is a nice special memory maker.
*Hair wrap in many places, my DD has had it done in HS near Muppet movie, in MK outside of Pirates and on the BW.
*In MK make sure she rides the TTA while others are on Space Mt. I used to do that with my DS when he was too little and/or scared of SM, now I ride it alone because I don't like SM
*Living Seas in Epcot is very relaxing, lots of looking, my DD has connected with "Lou" the manatee over the years and goes there every trip to say "hello" and check up on him.
*HS has some fun themed shops right up the street from ToT and RnRC.
*IF she is into autorgraphs I would get her a book and have her collect autographs at meet and greets while others are spending time on rides.
*MK had a fun Incredibles dance party when we were there last year outside of SM, check the Steve Soares entertainment webpage for other fun ideas of the live entertainment.
*Hidden Mickey quest in each park.

I'm sure there is more I'm not thinking of right now. Disney is great for people who don't like thrill rides, I'm sure it will be fun and special for her.

 

[gaudioli]

thanks everyone, great ideas and tips!

 

[ErinInCT]

My 11 yo dd is the same way, lol. EPCOT is her favorite park. Some of our favorite things to do: Take pics wearing hats from each country. Finding penny press machines (cheap souvenier, they have cute booklets for your collection). We made our own passports and got all the stamps from each country. Buy a fan in China (helps keep you cool too) and getting a CM to write your name in Chinese on it. Pick a pearl in Japan. Watch ALL the shows! Pin trading. Character autographs.
DHS - we were bummed that the animation place closed too. But we're going to the Walt Disney One Man's Dream while big sis rides the scary rides. DD did a book report on Walt Disney and is looking forward to seeing that museum. Maybe your library has the "Who Was" book series and you can check out the Walt Disney book - perfect for 4th/5th graders. We'll also do Muppets, Little Mermaid and Great Movie Ride. Not into Star Wars at all. We'll probably do Indy since The Tanners went there on Full House!!! Got a FP for TSMM!
MK - Kinda nice that we don't have to worry about getting FPs for the main attractions. We only do Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, iasw, PP, Philharmagic, Under the Sea, Pooh, Dumbo, CoP, Buzz, and the People Mover. Maybe we'll do Stitch and Monsters Inc. Haven't decided. We can then use FPs for character meets.
We are not huge AK fans but we did find a lot of unusual characters there (Jiminy Cricket, Rafiki, etc). And good shows!
DD did love getting her hair wrapped last time so that is a good idea for something special just for her that she can "keep" for weeks after her trip.
I'm sure she'll have a great trip!

 

[Arden01]

My almost 11 year old daughter doesn't like thrill rides either. The problem is that her twin sister loves them! We have two plans for every park - one for my non-thrill daughter and one for the thrill seeker. My husband and I just take turns with her. My non thrill daughter absolutely loves Epcot World Showcase. In MK, she likes all the slow rides and the character meet and greets. For instance, when my other daughter is riding Splash and BTMRR, she will meet Jesse & Woody and Chip & Dale. In HS, she likes One Man's Dream. She also loves pin trading and browsing in shops. Good luck!

 

[dprincessmom]

oh nooooo really!??! she likes to draw so she was really looking forward to that! gggrrrr

When are you going. There are rumors swirling that they might reopen that aspect fingers crossed as this is one of my DD's favorites.

 

[gaudioli]

2/27-3/4....oh i hope they do!