Best Rides & Attractions for Kids Who are Easily Scared

[SaraK]

Hi all. We’re going to Disneyland in April and looking forward to it! Our 5 year old son is scared of loud, sudden noises. What are the best rides/attractions for a young kid with easily-frayed nerves? I just now (the day AFTER buying our plane tickets) saw that the river is drained, so I’m disappointed that the related rides won’t be available, but I’m sure there are plenty of things to keep him happy, right?

 

[DizNee Luver]

We took our very young twins to DL last April & they have a number of sensory issues & recently one was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum. We were very aware of sounds as this sets them off......the rides/attractions are loud, be it speaking, noises or just the music. When you're experiencing it for yourself, you don't tend to notice...but when trying to be careful, it really surprises you. A few to try:

The carousels (both parks)
Storybookland Canal Boats
The teacups
Small World (especially if the child recognizes the music)
The Main Street Vehicles
Soarin' (more visually than loud)
Grizzly River Run
Mickey's Fun Wheel

We found that the more we play Disney music (which is the one thing the girls really react positively too), the better they will do at the parks.

I hope you all have a wonderful trip & the noises won't be too much of a factor...but be prepared to realize it is quite noisy.

 

[FlameGirl]

My daughter gets scared of rides sometimes, but this last trip she was much better than on previous trips. One thing I will say, is that she absolutely HATES Soarin'. She cannot accept that she isn't actually being suspended a couple hundred feet in the air, no matter how we try to rationalize with her. She squeezes her eyes shut tightly and practically hyperventilates.

So...there's that.

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

When I was 13 my sister was 4 & scared of everything...so we went on the carousel non-stop. Very boring for a 13yo!!

With DS I purposely stayed away from "dark" rides because we were in the Monster Phase...surprisingly enough he went on & loved them all. And really these dark rides CAN be loud - those in Fantasyland like Snow White, Alice, Pinocchio, Mr. Toad....

Have you considered prepping him? You can find videotaped rides on youtube!

 

[letthembelittle]

I second the recommend of watching the videos of the rides on YouTube. We have gone twice with our little ones and the second time they really surprised me with how brave they were. The only ride they complained about being loud was Winnie the Pooh, and I will agree it is SUPER loud, way louder then it needs to be in my opinion.

 

[melbarkwith]

Another vote here for watching rides on You Tube and listening to Disney music before you go.

We also avoided dark queueing areas, avoiding too much time to think that the ride is scary. Something else that worked with our 3YO was to be at the park early, and pretty much walk onto rides. We walked straight onto Star Tours on our first day, and she loved it (and became obsessed with it!). I'm quite sure that if we had to line up for 10-20 minutes in the dark, we would never have gotten her near the ride.

I also told her repeatedly before we left, that if she was on a ride she didn't like to just close her eyes. That definitely worked on Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. (We also walked straight onto it, which helped too). It didn't however work on POTC - go figure!

 

[disneynerd420]

I also agree with the idea of prepping him with youtube videos. I had to do it with myself to get on some rollercoasters.

When I was a little kid, I was afraid of everything. I recommend ear plugs for those easily startled by loud noises. I'm going to be 24 years old in a few days, I will say without being ashamed, loud noises still frighten me. Bear in mind, that this fear no longer prevents me from going on the rides, but now I know when to block my ears.


I would try to stress that all the rides are for fun and that he is in no real danger.... or you could do what my mother did. Just guilt him into getting on the ride. J/K.


I hope everything works out.

 

[SaraK]

Thanks all. We have watched some YouTube videos and will again as it gets closer.

He's more scared of sudden noises, like fireworks. I think he'll be excited to be there and "forget" to be scared. I hope so, anyway.

 

[LavenderPeach]

The Dumbo, the Casey Jr train and the big DL railroad would be good choices too.

Also, if he's afraid of fireworks then you might not want to take him on Soarin' since they show fireworks at the end and it's pretty loud.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

You can also take him on

Tarzan's Treehouse
Jungle Cruise (does have one part where they shoot blanks at hippoes)
Winnie the Pooh
Peter Pan
Autopia
Turtle Talk w/Crush
Animation Station
Playhouse Disney
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
rides at Fliks Fun Fair
Golden Zephyr
Jumpin' Jellyfish

Iffy ones: Alice in Wonderland & Mr Toads Wild Ride

Stay away from It's Tough to Be a Bug & probably Captain EO
NOT Snow White's scary adventures

 

[bumbershoot]

Since you know that noise is going to be a biggie...know that it is VERY loud and overwhelming just walking around in parts. Tomorrowland is crazy-loud.

So...bring earplugs. Or earmuffs. DS was having an absolute meltdown in Tomorrowland, and I finally realized it was b/c of the noise and hunger. Thankfully for whatever reason I had thrown my earplugs into my purse, and I quickly (and gently) jammed them in his ears. Kinda gross, for sure, but oh man did it help him! He now gets his own earplugs in a junior size. It really really helps.

I'll think more about rides after I make dinner...but for now, just figure out if earplugs (either foam in the ear, or silicon that sits to cover the ear) or some type of headphone/earmuff will work best for him.

One ride comes to mind...>NEMO is ridiculously insanely loud at times.

 

[Flitterific]

Another one to stay away from is Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin in Toontown.

 

[bumbershoot]

Another one to stay away from is Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin in Toontown.

Good one. Though for my guy, it's the line that can do him in. If we can get a FP, the ride itself hasn't been bad for him.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Ditto the idea of bringing earplugs just in case. Hopefully your child won't need it but it's good to have so you all can enjoy the experience.