Best first ride?

[mcnewstead]

What would be the best ride to introduce my kids to the Magic Kingdom? I would like it to be something not to wild or scary. Its going to set the tone for the rest of our week and I want to start things off on a good note. My daughter is five and my son is eight.
Thanks!

 

[roserae]

I would say Dumbo or the Carousel. Dumbo does go up in the air, so take that into consideration. I'd avoid the indoor rides as a first ride, not because they are scary (except maybe Snow White), but because they tend to be dark. Check out the Family Board too, lots of great info over there for taking kids.

I just realized your kids are 5 and 8...didn't see that at first. Hmmm, first ride. Well, you could still do Dumbo. The carousel may be a little young for them...but I like to ride it! Anything in Fantasyland would probably be fine, except Snow White. It can be a little scary.

 

[Leota]

I would say it depends on the ages of your children...

 

[katgarbars]

My DS7 is most looking forward to riding Goofys Barnstormer.

 

[pammypooh]

My kids first ride was when they were 6 and 7. My youngest loved (and still does) Winnie the Pooh. So the Pooh ride had to be our 1st ride. We bolted for it and imagine our joy at seeing the characters of Pooh, Tigger and Eyeore greeting the riders. We were one of the firsts there and a CM came over and said that Tigger would really like to ride with my girls. My Dh and I sat in the same hunny pot behind my two girls. Tigger acted out the ride as we went through. I had tears in my eyes. I couldn't believe their first Disney ride was with a character! It was perfect!

Pam

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

My DD3 insists that she wants to ride the elephant (that's what she calls Dumbo), so that's where I'm heading. I figure it will be good to start there, since it's a very slow-moving line any later than that. I've never been on Dumbo before, so this will be a first for me as well.

 

[kandmwedding]

My vote would be for Buzz Lightyear. It's a great interactive ride, is usually kind of empty for most of the morning, and is something most kids are familiar with. Unfortunately, most kids nowadays don't really know Goofy, Mickey, and Donald like we use to when I was a kid.

 

[CinderellaIam]

My vote would be for Peter Pans flight. The magical feeling you get as you "fly" over never land is really, well, magical!

 

[LovePug]

Originally posted by CinderellaIam
My vote would be for Peter Pans flight. The magical feeling you get as you "fly" over never land is really, well, magical!

I second this choice .

 

[disneywithdrawal]

Originally posted by LovePug
I second this choice .

Third for Peter Pan! I'm looking forward to it being my first ride on my next visit - and I'm 32!

 

[Tooneric]

My vote and my kids' votes would be to get a fastpass for Buzz Lightyear and then ride TTA. Over the years this has always been their favorite starting place. It's a soothing introduction to Tomorrowland. You get to view many of the rides as well as view the whole area from above. There's never a line either, so you can walk right on whle waiting for your Buzz fastpass.

 

[Got Quattro?]

My vote is for

MR TOADS WILD RIDE

oh wait...the genius of Mike Eisner decided that ride was no good...so they made it the Winnie the Lawsuit ride instead.

 

[Jill Schwartz]

When we went for the first time two years ago, I too mulled over what would be best to start my 6yr old twins (boy/girl) and my 8 yr old daughter. We were there at Xmas so we were following the UG touring plan. Since my 6yr old son was a bit nervous about going I decided to do Buzz first b/c he likes Buzz and he liked the idea of shooting targets.
We walked right on to Buzz....and he immed. freaked out!! To him, it was overwhelming...too much going on, bright flashing lights and sounds.
Now that he is older, I think he will be fine and he is even saying he wants to do Space Mountain. But if I had to do it over again, we would go for Aladdin, Dumbo, TTA. Maybe Peter Pan or Pooh, although I agree with the inside thing. He said he was afraid we would be trapped inside!
Jill

 

[JABEAR]

I would say Dumbo just for the fact that the line for it tends to get long, fast.

But if you are looking for a ride that they will always remember as their first. I would go with Peter Pan. The moving loading ramp, the flying pirate ships, as well as the life-sized movie scenes throughout. This one is our favorite and is the first one every time.

We always watch the movie as a refresher before we go........Off to Neverland!......Here we gooooo!!!

 

[Lisa S]

I would vote for Dumbo before the line gets too long. It is so much fun looking around the park from Dumbo. If the line is too long, then I'd go for Peter Pan.

 

[PlutoPony]

Suspect I'll be the only one w/ this choice but... Haunted Mansion! We wanted DS (9) to get the idea that MK isn't a "typical" amusement park, and at his age weren't sure he'd be thrilled about spending a week at WDW if Dumbo or Peter Pan was his first impression . Not that there's ANYTHING wrong with those rides, but for a 9 year old boy they may not be particularly amusing. HM is such a fun ride (if you're not easily startled) that you just have to come out of it smiling and appreciating Walt.....

Beth

 

[bytheblood]

I would suggest letting your children make that decision. Let their eyes be their guide to making a choice. Mine was 5 the first time we took her and the very first thing that caught her eye was Dumbo. We took her to Snow White first and should have never done that. After that adventure, we let her make the ride choices after that.

She will be almost 8 next time and we are letting her plan our route. It is much more enjoyable for everybody that way.

 

[Gary M]

I would suggest Winnie The Pooh and Peter Pan. Get to the MK when it first opens and go to these rides before they get crowded.

 

[jl3614]

I think your 5 yr old would love Pooh as a first ride. Also I would consider taking them on "Its a Small World", if it has opened back up when you are going.