Big Thunder Railroad for a 4 year old?

[lillyshula]

Big Thunder is a good "next step up" roller coaster from kiddie ones. It is on the tamer side, but still gives you a thrill. My oldest loved it when she was three and a half, but she is a thrill seeker. My youngest (five) is not interested in it at all for our trip this May. I would only recommend Space Mountain for a four year old if they are very independent and not afraid of the dark. You are sitting in separate cars (one person per car) and it would be very difficult to comfort them if they got scared. It is also a very jerky ride with sudden drops and turns.

 

[Ava]

BTMRR should be fine for a 4yo. For Space, if she's tall enough (at WDW Space is a 44" ride) I'd show her a YouTube video of it and let her decide if she wants to try. Also make sure she understands that she won't be able to sit next to you; the cars are individual seats, 3 in a row per car.

 

[Dis703]

My oldest went on it at age 4 for the first time and he LOVED it. We tried Barnstormer first which he loved and then moved on to BTMRR.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Great, thank you so much! I was wondering about Space Mountain too -- I know that one is in the dark and might be scarier for little ones.

Your four year old will probably be too short for Space Mountain. Besides that, it is really a scary ride for a little one like that. Our five year old grandson was really scared of the dark when he was riding the People Mover through Space Mountain. I can imagine him being terrified if he was going through the dark on a roller coaster.

No to hijack, but how many people can sit together on BTMR? Will I be able to sit with my two children? I'm quite slim and my daughter (5) is tiny for her age and my son (8) is also on the smaller side? I don't think my son will be brave enough to sit alone.

Yes, you can fit an adult and two young kids. The seat is a bench seat, not split.

 

[wintotty]

Unfortunately my then 4yrs old DD hated it. In general she's very cautious and not good with new experiences. She didn't like the roughness of the ride. Even I felt all the shaking quite rough to my old(er) body, and she was moving sideways in the cart so I had to hold her really tight so she won't move around.

Now she loves 7DMT and Splash though.

 

[ttintagel]

Your four year old will probably be too short for Space Mountain.

That is something you may need to consider, depending on your child. The height requirement for BTMRR is 40 inches, and it's 44 for SM. So, if she's anywhere in that neighborhood, you might want to prepare her for being measured twice (once at the beginning of the line and again at the end). Some kids have a natural tendency to shrink down from the measuring stick instead of standing up straight. I've also heard stories of kids being disappointed that they got all the way to the ride and then had to turn back.

 

[AGoofykindagirl]

I would also ask to be toward the front of the train instead of the back. It may be my imagination, but the front seems to be smoother riding than the back. And as someone else mentioned, going up the hills is extremely LOUD! YouTube is great for having videos of various rides. Have a safe trip and have fun!!
Sarah

 

[ZoZo]

All three of you can likely sit in one seat. We have with our 12 year old son when asked by the CM if we wanted to be loaded that way (we are all normal sized people). Just keep in mind that since you'll be the biggest person, the lap bar will be loose on them, so they'll be sliding around in the seat around the turns.

Yes, the lap bar only goes down as far as the "biggest" person, so they're likely to slide around - all three people share the same lap bar. I found this out when going on BTMRR with a friend. I ended up sliding back and forth quite a bit - it wasn't scary (I didn't feel like I was going to fly out!) but the smaller folks aren't secured down as well.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

My 4 year old loved BTMRR. I did Space with my then-6 year old and she hated it. The biggest issue was that you can't sit next to your child...the seating is tandem. It's very dark, like pitch black, and she got scared even though she's not scared of either the dark or of other dark rides. Based on her reaction, her little brother (who was too short at the time) won't go on it.

 

[coolbrook]

I agree with the pp who recommended sitting in the front of the train. I always request this now since I am a ride wimp. It make the ride fun for my and not as fast down the hill since the coaster doesn't "let go" until the end of the train is to the top of the hill and the front of the train has already gone a ways down the hill. I do this on 7 Dwarfs too. You may want to try this at least the first time you ride. Have fun!

 

[ewerstruly]

Maybe. I would "ride" it on youtube and see what you think.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Your four year old will probably be too short for Space Mountain. Besides that, it is really a scary ride for a little one like that. Our five year old grandson was really scared of the dark when he was riding the People Mover through Space Mountain. I can imagine him being terrified if he was going through the dark

My fondest Disney memory is chasing my then 3 year-old daughter back to the entrance of Space Mountain moments before midnight with her screaming "one more time Daddy" all the way.

I say let 'em ride if they're tall enough.