Avoiding jump scares?

[staceychev]

Heading to UO/IoA in early December with my family, which includes an anxious 13 year old. She is not a huge fan of roller coasters (like her mama), but she is also terrified of what she calls "jump scares." To give you an example, when we rode the Dinosaur ride in Disney 2 years ago, it literally took her over an hour to calm down. The Tower of Terror had her miserable bawling her eyes out for at least 30 minutes. Are there any rides you'd specifically suggest we avoid with her? She's a huge Harry Potter fan, so I'm hoping she can handle those rides!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Avoid Kong. Well, you should ride Kong because it is fun and cool. But she shouldn't.

 

[macraven]

Have her watch some of the rides peeps have put on line/Internet

Might help you decide in advance rides she should avoid

 

[offtoseemickey]

Fast and furious reminded me of everything I don’t like about Dinosaur - I was jumping from all the air, water and fog being blasted in my face. The ride wasn’t all that either.

Would watching the rides on YouTube help before you go so she can anticipate the scares?

 

[wilbret]

Great idea. That’s what we did with our kids. Plenty of video out there. Unfortunately, even the tame rides feature “jump scares,” but a little preparation might help.

We went from at least one scaredy cat to kids that seek out coasters as soon as they reach the height requirement.

Fast and furious reminded me of everything I don’t like about Dinosaur - I was jumping from all the air, water and fog being blasted in my face. The ride wasn’t all that either.

Would watching the rides on YouTube help before you go so she can anticipate the scares?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Note that Forbidden Journey also has scary portions - the ride is very very good, so it would definitely be worth her watching videos for preparation if possible, rather than missing it entirely. Especially if she is a Potter fan.

 

[staceychev]

Note that Forbidden Journey also has scary portions - the ride is very very good, so it would definitely be worth her watching videos for preparation if possible, rather than missing it entirely. Especially if she is a Potter fan.

Thanks - good point!

We're surprising them with this trip immediately before leaving (in other words - picking them up from school and handing them Hogwarts letters on the way to the airport). DH and I talked about it last night, and I think I'm going to start finding videos of rides and have them all queued up for watching on the plane or in the hotel that evening.

 

[autismmom1]

Well, there are quite a few rides where characters "surprise" you or the action has a startle element to it. So many of the attractions are simulators, but the ride vehicles respond to the action on the screen, such as when Electro "shocks" you on Amazing Spiderman, the vehicle hums and shakes. On the Forbidden Journey, which is my favorite, btw, it is a mixture of animatronic and screens...dementors swing out toward your bench, a dragon breathes fog directly in the face of at least one person (on the very end) and the whomping willow "swings" your bench around (it's very fluid, though, not jerky). On Gringott's, there is a portion where your cart is suspended in a lean forward position when Bellatrix casts a spell on you, and then you are released down a coaster type small hill. I wish I could help more, but I've found that riding something the first time is always anxiety-ridden for me, then on subsequent rides I learn to LOVE it!

 

[FSU Girl]

There are a lot of rides that will have some scare elements to them. I agree, showing her the videos before hand will give her a better idea of what to expect so she can decide if it's too much. I went with kids a couple months ago and they wouldn't ride the Hogwarts Castle ride, the videos were too scary for them. I did get them on Gringotts, but there were parts they covered their faces. If she's a big Harry Potter fan maybe tell her to cover her eyes at certain parts so she can still experience these rides.

 

[imprint]

There are a lot of rides that will have some scare elements to them. I agree, showing her the videos before hand will give her a better idea of what to expect so she can decide if it's too much. I went with kids a couple months ago and they wouldn't ride the Hogwarts Castle ride, the videos were too scary for them. I did get them on Gringotts, but there were parts they covered their faces. If she's a big Harry Potter fan maybe tell her to cover her eyes at certain parts so she can still experience these rides.

Trust me I'm not trying to be demeaning or anything, I'm truly curious. What parts of Escape from Gringott's were scary for them? And what are the ages of the kids? It might help others with children decide if their kids will enjoy the ride. I, personally, can understand children, or maybe even adults, being frightened by the initial drop on the ride (I love it), but the rest of the ride is action on screens.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Trust me I'm not trying to be demeaning or anything, I'm truly curious. What parts of Escape from Gringott's were scary for them? And what are the ages of the kids? It might help others with children decide if their kids will enjoy the ride. I, personally, can understand children, or maybe even adults, being frightened by the initial drop on the ride (I love it), but the rest of the ride is action on screens.

Not the person you quoted, but my kids (4, 6, and 8 at the time) did not like the 3D basilisk coming right at them. They also did not like the villains (particularly Bellatrix) or the lightening-like spells. They were fine with the drop but the action on the screens was what scared them. The HP movies are pretty dark and intense for younger kids and the ride has the same feel.

 

[skylock]

I have been taking my son on every ride he was tall enough for since he was quite young.

Before we did anything, I told him it was just entertainment and no matter how real it looked, it wasn't and that nothing would touch him ever as long as he kept his appendages inside the car and his restraint on.

Never had a problem.

 

[FSU Girl]

Trust me I'm not trying to be demeaning or anything, I'm truly curious. What parts of Escape from Gringott's were scary for them? And what are the ages of the kids? It might help others with children decide if their kids will enjoy the ride. I, personally, can understand children, or maybe even adults, being frightened by the initial drop on the ride (I love it), but the rest of the ride is action on screens.

The one scared was 8. She didn’t like when the villains would try and attack. I had a talk with her before the ride about how it isn’t real, but it didn’t help so she just covered her eyes at those parts. She likes rollercoasters so those parts didn’t bother her at all.

 

[staceychev]

I have been taking my son on every ride he was tall enough for since he was quite young.

Before we did anything, I told him it was just entertainment and no matter how real it looked, it wasn't and that nothing would touch him ever as long as he kept his appendages inside the car and his restraint on.

Never had a problem.

Unfortunately, my daughter has diagnosed anxiety that overrides her ability to deal with things intellectually like that. She's bright enough to understand that it's entertainment, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't overwhelm and upset her. She's tremendously sensitive, and has been since pretty much she's been born. It's just her temperament.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

The one scared was 8. She didn’t like when the villains would try and attack. I had a talk with her before the ride about how it isn’t real, but it didn’t help so she just covered her eyes at those parts. She likes rollercoasters so those parts didn’t bother her at all.

That was the same for my kids. I've told them many times that nothing at Disney or Universal will hurt them and that helped sometimes but often not. I'm an adult and I know that Michael Myers isn't real but he still scares me. I hate horror movies and won't watch them anymore so I guess my kids come by it naturally.

 

[staceychev]

That was the same for my kids. I've told them many times that nothing at Disney or Universal will hurt them and that helped sometimes but often not. I'm an adult and I know that Michael Myers isn't real but he still scares me. I hate horror movies and won't watch them anymore so I guess my kids come by it naturally.

Me, too! I hate horror movies - I'd do Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, but you'll never catch me at HHN!

 

[mitsukoshi samurai]

None on the train

 

[Monykalyn]

My son has social anxiety and a dislike of roller coasters as well. We've done Disney alot over past year (older kid worked there) and the fear of the unknown is a huge thing. From experience at Universal-my son loves loves loves Spiderman (some "scare jumps" but not extreme), MiB, good for transformers, F&F, Jimmy Fallon. Gringotts is better then Forbidden Journey (although now that he has done it a few times he just closes his eyes at spider and dementor parts), Mummy he refuses to do again (pretty intense scenes combined with a roller coaster), and he's never done Hulk or Rip Ride Rockit. Also loves Fight of Hippogriff (gentle roller coaster).

I'd do Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, but you'll never catch me at HHN!

I thought the same until I did HHN this year...because my 16 year old wanted to (universal is soooo her happy place!). I had an absolute blast at HHN-went with the mindset "not real, expect to be scared, go with it" and had soooo much fun. WAaaaaay more fun than I'd ever thought! Still love MNSSHP and would love to do again, but if I really had to choose I think I'd do HHN over Mickey

 

[bumbershoot]

The Tower of Terror had her miserable bawling her eyes out for at least 30 minutes.

Was it the unexpected drops and being sent upwards? I’m trying to figure out if there’s anything startling other than that.

I have been taking my son on every ride he was tall enough for since he was quite young.

Before we did anything, I told him it was just entertainment and no matter how real it looked, it wasn't and that nothing would touch him ever as long as he kept his appendages inside the car and his restraint on.

Never had a problem.

I’m truly glad that that tactic worked for you. You are very lucky.

Lucky that you got the kid you did and not my kid. Because my kid trusts himself and his eyes and his ears. And it doesn’t matter what I say, he just thinks I’ve missed something important.

It’s been this way since he was 2 and everyone but me screamed in the Haunted Mansion elevator, and he realized that he must have a very stupid mother.

Almost all parents tell their kids the same thing you told your kids. And some of them go along with it, like yours. But many kids don’t go with that program.


On the other hand, my son figured out the potty (the concept if not the full expression lol) at 18 months old and humored me as I kept him in dipes for another year “just in case”.

Huh. Maybe he does have a stupid mother.