Age question for dl rides

[geoffmoore]

I'm interested in which rides at DL or DCA you WOULD NOT take a 4 year old girl on. She's never been and is a bit afraid of the dark, but is tall enough for everything but Indiana Jones and the Screamin' rollercoaster.

And as a secondary, any a 7 year old shouldn't ride?
Thanks!

 

[Girimama33]

I'm interested in which rides at DL or DCA you WOULD NOT take a 4 year old girl on. She's never been and is a bit afraid of the dark, but is tall enough for everything but Indiana Jones and the Screamin' rollercoaster.

And as a secondary, any a 7 year old shouldn't ride?
Thanks!

My DD will be 4 next week, and she will go on anything she is tall enough to ride. My only advice is to begin with outside rides like like tea cups, Dumbo, Casey Jr. and IASW. The inside rides are dark and can be scary....especially if your LO is not familiar with the theme/movie.
First time I took DD, she was 3.5 and was/is into robots, so she loved the Star Tours queue and ride. Now she is into Star Wars characters.
Go with what they may find familiar and into interesting.

 

[chrissiecutie]

My DD will be 4 next week, and she will go on anything she is tall enough to ride. My only advice is to begin with outside rides like like tea cups, Dumbo, Casey Jr. and IASW. The inside rides are dark and can be scary....especially if your LO is not familiar with the theme/movie.
First time I took DD, she was 3.5 and was/is into robots, so she loved the Star Tours queue and ride. Now she is into Star Wars characters.
Go with what they may find familiar and into interesting.

I second this! Work your way up to the larger/scarier rides.

We took DS for the first time at 3 & he's now 7. His first ride was Dumbo & we worked up to BTMRR & Splash. He loves the roller coasters- something I didn't know until we got to DL! As his Mom, I chose to keep him off Space Mtn & Matterhorn until our last trip. And of course he wasn't tall enough for Indian Jones until our last visit as well. So those were the 3 in DL that we stayed away from. DCA- I would suggest holding off in Screaming & TOT. But really....it's just depends on your kid & on you as a parent.

BTW- now I can't get him back in the kiddie rides! He's a thrill seeker & adores all the bigger rides! Just start them small & see what they can handle....

 

[CheshireGato]

Some of the dark rides could scare her if she is afraid of the dark. You could YouTube some of them before your trip to get an idea of what it will be like.

A lot of how your 4 year old will view the rides depends on your attitude. If you tell her she might be scared, then she is setting herself up to be scared. If you have a positive and fun attitude about the rides, she will have a great time.

Start small, and work up from there. Take it at her pace and your family will have a blast!

 

[Teki]

Do not start with Snow White I made that mistake lol

 

[CamoMama]

These questions always confuse me. How could other people know what your child will like? You know your kid best, so you're the best judge of what they'll enjoy and what they won't. My advice would be to check them out on youtube as stated above, and ask her what she wants to ride. Sometimes even kids who are afraid of the dark or something else at home will be just fine on a ride in a theme park. You have to figure out whether she's that kind of kid or not.

My 6 year old nephew went on Tower of Terror half a dozen times and LOVED it, even though he was normally kind of a timid kid.

Best tip:

If she doesn't want to ride something, even something like the teacups, don't force it. You want her to have a good time, so trust her when she doesn't think she will. A screaming kid in a queue is no fun for you, the kid, the CMs staffing it or others in line.

 

[DisneytheKid]

I would possibly do some google searches for some video of the "dark rides" to give her an idea of what they will look like. But that is a suggestion from someone with no kids

 

[MagicMomma1]

The advice to "start small and work your way up" is good. Kids are like snowflakes--each one is different! Nobody knows your child better than you do; their personality, interests, fears, etc. After reading the guidebook descriptions and watching some YouTube videos you'll already have a good sense of what your little one will go for. But, then again, she might just surprise you!

I wouldn't describe our 4 yr. old DS as necessarily timid or reticent in day-to-day life but at DL he mainly prefers the tamer attractions--well-lit, non-threatening, gentle rides. For him, things like Splash, Space, TOT, Screamin', Matterhorn, Goofy's Sky School, and THM are unquestionably OUT. He buries his face and refuses to experience most of the Fantasyland dark rides. He rode BTM once when he was 3 and did great but refuses to go again. Won't ride Gadgets Go Coaster. Didn't like Silly Symphony Swings b/c of the height. Doesn't like the talking tikis and sudden thunderstorm in the Tiki Room. He tolerates POC but doesn't like the drops or Davy Jones in the mist. Took him on the castle walk-thru and the goon's door and Maleficent's shadow frightened him. None of these things phase our 3 yr. old however... Like I said, SNOWFLAKES.

I think it would be safe to assume your daughter will enjoy rides like Dumbo, the carrousels at both parks, teacups, Casey Jr., Ariel's Adventure, Alice, Peter Pan, and Pooh. She'd probably love Disney Jr. Live. Beware of Snow White's Scary Adventures. The witch is terrifying to most kids and can spoil them for the other dark rides.

Just follow her lead and have a great trip!