At what age is Haunted Mansion ok for kids?

[AlohaAnnie]

I would suggest going on HM during the day the 1st time.

DD was always ok with it when we went during the day. I know the ride is dark inside but I think to her it made a difference.

DD definately loves the ride now and has been on it since 2006 (when she was 4) but there was an incident in 2008 we went on it in the dark and there was a man making scary noices and we had a young cousin with us at the time and she was scared and crying which made DD scared. I can tell you there is an exit door because we took it out.

I would say try it! Sometimes, our kids surprise us!

 

[RDarling]

We were just there, and this was one of my grandchildren's favorite rides. They are 2 and 3 years old.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

My daughter who is almost two rode it and loved it. It really does depend on the kid.

 

[softballmom3]

My DD rode it when she was 5 and loved it too. She absolutely hated other dark, enclosed places but go figure

 

[SEC71]

My daughter has been riding this ride since she was 11 months old. She will be 4 next month when she makes her 8th trip to Disney and she loves this ride.

 

[jdb in AZ]

there was a man making scary noices and we had a young cousin with us at the time and she was scared and crying which made DD scared. I can tell you there is an exit door because we took it out.

When our son was a preschooler we took him in the HM and I made scary noises and it didn't phase the kid, but a woman next to us in the stretching room accused me of child abuse.

 

[ashg8r]

DD rode it and was fine with in when we went when she was 2 - now, at 2.75, whenever I mention it (we're going in Dec) she says, OHH, HM is SCARY! And says she doesn't want to ride it. I'm not going to push it, she's kind of obsessed with things that are "scary", but never wants to get too close!

If she still doesn't want to go in a few years I'll probably strongly encourage her to try it when she's 5 or so, as I missed out on it for years growing up because I was scared - when my cousin finally convinced me to go when I was 11 I was so mad at myself for having been scared of it, and wish my parents had "made" me go before. At the time I thought it would be more similar to the Halloween haunted house in our small town that had people jumping out at you, lots of blood and gore, etc.

 

[summermac]

Both my kids LOVED it and they were 5 & 2. It is not the least bit scary IMO.

 

[Jenn4615]

mine were 1 and 2... Its really not scary...

 

[thumbalyna]

my dd was 4 1/2 the first time she rode it and love it, she is now almost 18 and its a must do every trip

 

[klmall]

We took our DS at 4 years originally and every trip after that. He did go through a "scared of everything stage" when he did insist on closing his eyes when riding through the mansion but he still wanted to ride and did so.

 

[Planogirl]

DS had just turned 4 and he was nervous at first. Once we got off we had to ride it over and over again though. I didn't mind!

 

[21hearts]

My DS loved it on our past trip (he's three) but he didn't like it in February when we went. It just depends on the child.

Both of my DD's (age 2 & 1) loved it.

 

[aripantaloon]

Well, it definitely depends on the child and not so much the age of the child. If you have kids who scare easily, then you may not want to take them on. We've been very upfront with them and have told them that everything in there is just pretend and it's "silly" instead of scary. I know that they have watched countless youtube videos of rides, so I would think that this was one that they watched prior to both of our prior trips.

So, we've taken our kids on this ride both times and their ages were 4.5 and 1.5 the first time and 6 and 3 the second time. We didn't have any issues either time.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Ive personally been going on HM since I was a toddler. I recall going on it as a very young child (maybe 3 ro4) and my mom would always say, Now remember, it is just make beleive!" I also recall thinking from a very young age, "I KNOW it's just make believe, mom!" Even though I was WAY too young to have any idea HOW Disney did 'make believe.'

HM in particular was the attraction that made a big impression on me as a child. Back in those days, it was considered an E-ride (one of the top attractions).

It's hard to explain, but it always fascintated me. I always tried to figure out HOW the effects were done. Now I'm the opposite (I don't want to know). As a result, I have dinstinct memories of each stage of my development via how well I could figure out HM.

So my personal feelings are pretty strong that young kids SHOULD go on it.

Now that I'm older, I've really enjoyed watcing younger family members go through the same experience I went through.

The one spot that the little kids in our family don't always love is the three or four 'popping' ghosts in the graveyard scene. Maybe give your kids the idea that it's okay to cover your eyes.

Also, when we've taken very young family members on this ride...they have been known to actually fall asleep!

I know many families use youtube these days, but I personally think it's a bad idea in most cases.

 

[Kae]

Thanks everyone...

The reason I'm asking is because DD6 is easily startled by loud noises (often covers her ears in movie theaters), and DS8 has been going through this phase lately of being freaked out by the dark. So combining dark, loud and spooky just made me question whether it was a good ride for our kids.

I like the idea of previewing the ride via YouTube - definitely going to do this. Honestly, I think they'll be ok - both have seen Harry Potter movies (up to the fifth one), and DD6's favorite movie right now is "Spooky Buddies.". They both love rollercoasters and other thrill rides...

Just want to be sure we're not setting them up for a major freak out session. Both kids were really uncomfortable with "A Bug's Life," DD6 (then just 5) even scared sitting on my lap and had to leave within the first few minutes of the show (thank goodness we were sitting on the end of the row).

We'll preview it, and play it by ear when we're there. I don't remember much about it - haven't seen it since I was 15, and that's going back WAY longer than I care to admit.

And, to feel even sillier, I have to ask... What exactly is the stretch room?

Hey neighbor (elkhart here) may I suggest the soft foam ear plugs for your trip they were vacation savers for us. My kids even used them at the movies at home. HM my kids have been going on it since DD 18 mths & DS 4.

Kae

 

[Miss Marie]

I think it's fine for any age. When my brother was 5 or 6 he would want to ride it over and over again. He still does.

I think the only part that is really scary is the streching room. Going into pitch black darkness and hearing a loud scream is really freaky. I still have to shut my eyes and cover my ears during that part because I still get a little nervous.

I started watching the video, and I think it's only got close-ups of the really scary parts. It's not that bad for young children. I see Children even younger than that walking out smiling.

The Streching Room, the black widow bride, and the pop-up ghosts are the things that might shake them up. When the ghosts pop up have the kids imagine them wearing mouse ears and they'll laugh. That's what I did when they really startled me.

 

[Karlzmom]

I asked my son at 4 if he wanted to ride. He declined so DH and swapped off. Asked him again at 5, and he expressed interest but was nervous so we talked a bit during lunch about what to expect, how his chosen parent [he always picks who he wants to ride each ride with] would be right there and that closing his eyes was an option but that it was all just for fun. He rode like a champ, if a slightly nervous one. Now he loves it and is already asking about it for our next trip. No single answer will cover all children. You know them best and will be able to do the right thing. Have fun!

 

[Buckeye Princess]

If you ask my 2.5 year old what her favorite ride is, she will tell you it is Haunted Mansion.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

I think the bride's room is actually the "scariest" of all.