buncha random questions 'bout DL rides...

[PineapplePrincessCA]

I've had a bunch of random questions about DL rides pop into my head lately. Can somebody help me out with any of these?



Astro orbitor- Are these the old rocket jets? Is there a height restriction?

Matterhorn- The minimum height is only 35". Do you think it would be too scary/bumpy for a (not quite) 3 year old?

Splash Mountain- Why do they have a 40" height restriction? Isn't it just floating around in a "log" boat? I think my son would LOVE it. Just trying to understand why the height restriction.

Toontown- What all is here? Minnie and Mickey and *always* there? And you can get pictures with them? I have a 3 year old, 4 year old, and 5 year old. How much time should we plan on spending here?

Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin- From what I can see, it looks a lot like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride? yey or ney?

Gadget’s Go Coaster- What age group is this aimed towards?

Finding Nemo- The old submarine ride was never one of my top favorites. However we're BIG Nemo fans, but just wondering if we should wait for this ride. How does it compare to the old ride?

Sleeping Beauty's castle- I've been monitoring the rides and I've noticed there is frequently a wait for this. I don't remember there being anything in the castle on previous visits. What kind of attraction is here??

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride- Again.... I don't remember this one. What is it like?

Autopia- If you're under 54", can you still drive the vehicle as long as there is somebody over 54" in the car with you? Meaning... can my 39" son drive if I'm next to him?




Thanks!

 

[specialks]

My responses:

Splash Mountain- Why do they have a 40" height restriction? Isn't it just floating around in a "log" boat? I think my son would LOVE it. Just trying to understand why the height restriction. The final drop is quite steep. I worried my 5 year old would fly out and kept my arms around her.

Toontown- What all is here? Minnie and Mickey and *always* there? And you can get pictures with them? I have a 3 year old, 4 year old, and 5 year old. How much time should we plan on spending here? Mostly little houses and things to explore at the different buildings. Minnie's House doesn't always have Minnie but Mickey's house always has Mickey.

Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin- From what I can see, it looks a lot like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride? yey or ney? It was ok, nothing to schedule but ok to do if you have time with no wait. My girls (5 & 3) don't know the movie so they didn't really get the "plot".

Gadget’s Go Coaster- What age group is this aimed towards? Young ones -- your 3 & 4 year old should enjoy it and probably your 5 year old too (IMO).


Sleeping Beauty's castle- I've been monitoring the rides and I've noticed there is frequently a wait for this. I don't remember there being anything in the castle on previous visits. What kind of attraction is here?? It is a castle walk-through with little picture windows that help tell the story of Sleeping Beauty. Some scary surprises if you pull on doors...

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride- Again.... I don't remember this one. What is it like? Dark ride kind of like Alice & Snow White but with the Pooh characters.

 

[barefootmomma]

Matterhorn- I probably wouldn't take a not yet 3 y.o. on it, if it were me.

Splash Mountain- As previously mentioned, the finale drop is quite steep and there are several smaller drops before you reach the one at the end. There are no restraints.

Toontown- This is one of my 3 y.o.'s favorite places. Mickey is always in his house, wait in the line at the end, it moves quickly. Minnie is sometimes at her house, you will see her out front if she is (I'm sure there are specifically scheduled times if you ask a CM). We've also had great luck seeing other characters walking around sans handlers which is nice. We had a great little photo op meeting with Goofy on Friday. He came out the TT City Hall door and walked across to Toon Park and a line formed for photos and autographs.

Finding Nemo- I would do it once, for the experience. It's a cute little ride, much better at night we've found. It is quite loud though, and there are some parts that might be scarier for the younger one so I'd make sure they're lap sitting or next to a parent if they're easily jarred.

Sleeping Beauty's castle- It's a fun little walk through. It tells the story of Sleeping Beauty.

Autopia- If you're under 54", can you still drive the vehicle as long as there is somebody over 54" in the car with you? Meaning... can my 39" son drive if I'm next to him?

In answer to this, yes. My 40" son drives, I help steer and push the gas from the passenger side of the seat.

 

[bumbershoot]

IMO the height restriction is so that extremely young children don't go on Splash and try to get out. Sort of a maturity thing. Just like with Grizzly River Rapids...the restraint is just a lapbelt, but a kid who is 42" will hopefully be a bit more mature than a very young kidlet who might freak and try to get out. (alas with Grizzly it seems to be the "grownups" who feel the need to get out and cause a full ride-stop...)

Roger Rabbit as a ride is kind of fun. But the line is insanely loud. It's a meltdown in the form of a ride queue. DS has to be perfectly rested, completely hydrated, well fed with good foods before we even think about getting in that line; otherwise it causes extreme crankiness.

Nemo is fun, but then again I liked the subs. But again, LOUD. We all wear earplugs on it. Nearly unbearable with "bare" eardrums.

We like Pooh. It's a bit psychedelic with black lights and neon, but the ride vehicle sort of rocks up and down and is quite relaxing. DS likes going again and again, and I like that too b/c it makes me sleepier and sleepier.

 

[kimnjed]

Splash Mountain- Why do they have a 40" height restriction? Isn't it just floating around in a "log" boat? I think my son would LOVE it. Just trying to understand why the height restriction. Oh man there is a super steep drop at the end!!! My 4 year old loved it and was barely tall enough but I was squeezing him like crazy!

Toontown- What all is here? Minnie and Mickey and *always* there? And you can get pictures with them? I have a 3 year old, 4 year old, and 5 year old. How much time should we plan on spending here? We took about an hour there. The kids love it, I think it's just "ok".

Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin- From what I can see, it looks a lot like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride? yey or ney? My kids don't know the movie either. They didn't really get it, not worth a long wait, but if you can walk right on, go for it!

Gadget’s Go Coaster- What age group is this aimed towards? My 4 year old and 6 year old loved it! It's a good intro roller coaster. It's a very short ride, but they liked it a lot.

Finding Nemo- The old submarine ride was never one of my top favorites. However we're BIG Nemo fans, but just wondering if we should wait for this ride. How does it compare to the old ride? My kids loved this too! I wouldn't wait a long time for it, but we went during our Magic Morning so we only had to wait a few minutes. If you like Nemo you'll like it

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride- Again.... I don't remember this one. What is it like? It starts out with a little stormy day, then Pooh falls asleep and has a dream, when he wakes up his friends are throwing him a party. That is one of the best rides for the little ones, in my opinion It's super cute.

Autopia- If you're under 54", can you still drive the vehicle as long as there is somebody over 54" in the car with you? Meaning... can my 39" son drive if I'm next to him? Yep!

 

[DisSarahK]

Astro orbitor- Are these the old rocket jets? Is there a height restriction? I'm not sure about the rocket jets question, but my 2.5 year old went on these just fine--once my husband took both children on the ride in a single jet.

Matterhorn- The minimum height is only 35". Do you think it would be too scary/bumpy for a (not quite) 3 year old? Not sure, we didn't go on this one because I thought it would be scary...I don't do scary!

Splash Mountain- Why do they have a 40" height restriction? Isn't it just floating around in a "log" boat? I think my son would LOVE it. Just trying to understand why the height restriction. Another one we didn't do

Toontown- What all is here? Minnie and Mickey and *always* there? And you can get pictures with them? I have a 3 year old, 4 year old, and 5 year old. How much time should we plan on spending here?We saw Mickey and Minnie while we were there. We made a few different trips to ToonTown on our days there and our children really enjoyed being there.

Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin- From what I can see, it looks a lot like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride? yey or ney? This was my least favorite ride at Disneyland, that's all I can say, LOL!

Gadget’s Go Coaster- What age group is this aimed towards? It's aimed for little ones your children's ages--they'll probably really like it. This was the first roller coaster my children ever went on and they liked it.

Finding Nemo- The old submarine ride was never one of my top favorites. However we're BIG Nemo fans, but just wondering if we should wait for this ride. How does it compare to the old ride? We didn't go on this one because of the lines and my dislike of enclosed spaces.

Sleeping Beauty's castle- I've been monitoring the rides and I've noticed there is frequently a wait for this. I don't remember there being anything in the castle on previous visits. What kind of attraction is here?? This wasn't open yet when we were at DL, but it is a walk through exhibit type thing.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride- Again.... I don't remember this one. What is it like? It is dark with "black lights"--my children liked it. I liked the air conditioning.

Autopia- If you're under 54", can you still drive the vehicle as long as there is somebody over 54" in the car with you? Meaning... can my 39" son drive if I'm next to him? Yes, your son can drive. My 2.5 year old drove the car while I did the pedals. It was a rather jolting ride, LOL! He *loved* it!!

 

[Monkey Monkey]

I took my not-quite-3 year old on the Matterhorn and he loved it!

 

[Kayla's Mom]

I took my not-quite-3 year old on the Matterhorn and he loved it!

I am another one with a little one that liked it. She was just over 2 her first time (she is 3 now). Same trip she was not a fan of Gadget's Coaster, that one goes pretty fast. She likes it now though.

 

[JoRo]

Last Oct 2009 we took our TALL daughter who had just turned 3 and 41 inches on everything we could - she loves rides, we had been testing her all summer at county fairs.

The Matterhorn was a little scary (because of the snow monster) for her but we were all ready to do it again but see they are changing the cars - so basically she would no longer be able to be jerked around and snuggle close to mommy she would be on her own - so now I think she is to little not safe.

She loved the log ride but didnt like the water so in June we are taking a poncho - if our son 2 is tall enough in a couple of months we would take him - its a great ride as long as you are in the back seat cuddled close for the last drop.

Space mtn - to scary

Everything else she loved......except snow white...

So enjoy as long as you know your child and they enjoy the thrills enjoy the adventures with them.....

My 2 cents.

 

[disneylovingfamily:4]

I took my not-quite-3 year old on the Matterhorn and he loved it!

I was hoping for this reaction when I took my then 3 year old, but he was terrified! I ddoubt he will try it this trip now

 

[JoRo]

Oh I forgot the cars - she had a blast - once the lines were short enough she drove and I helped a little and pushed the gas.....was really fun...

 

[sierranevada]

Quick note -there is no need to ever wait in line at Roger Rabbit. It is not connected to the FP network so you can pull a FP at any time.

 

[bumbershoot]

Quick note -there is no need to ever wait in line at Roger Rabbit. It is not connected to the FP network so you can pull a FP at any time.

Unless...the FP machines aren't on/line isn't open.

Or you don't want to wait until the "come-back" time.

 

[skiingfast]

I was hoping for this reaction when I took my then 3 year old, but he was terrified! I ddoubt he will try it this trip now

I took my son on his 4th birthday we went on the Matterhorn 3 times over a couple days but he didn't like Harold, the Abomniable Snowman. Everything else was great with him. Same thing at WDW, Everest was great except he didn't like the Yeti.

Also on the first trip to DL Splash Mountain was a near disaster for him, I think it was scary mostly dark and isolated, no on else was on our log and the que was almost empty the que had him frightened already. Less than a year later it was the low point of our WDW trip. He was so upset we couldn't ride because it was in Rehab.

 

[jacobsmommy]

Does the Roger Rabbit ride actually involve spinning? I don't want my dh to puke....

 

[bumbershoot]

Doing my best to describe...

It has a wheel in the middle. You can spin it more using that wheel. The ride itself has spin to it. You can grip that wheel for dear life and keep some of that spin from happening.

 

[chrissiecutie]

Astro orbitor- Are these the old rocket jets? Is there a height restriction? I thought this was being remodled/shut down...I heard some rumors to this effect, anyone know for sure?

Matterhorn- The minimum height is only 35". Do you think it would be too scary/bumpy for a (not quite) 3 year old? It's "cutesy" scary which is what Disney does best. IMO Haunted Mansion is much scarier for little ones. We didn't do this with DS (who was 3 1/2 at the time) only because the line was so freakin' long! BTW, he LOVED Haunted Mansion, so scary wasn't a problem for us. Matterhorn is a bit bumpy and at one point the ride goes in reverse (if I remember correctly) and there's the Yetti of course, which IMO is not scary, very clearly fake. If your little ones are scared easily or have problems with Snow White, Haunted Mansion,etc- then I would skip this one until they are a bit older.

Toontown- What all is here? Minnie and Mickey and *always* there? And you can get pictures with them? I have a 3 year old, 4 year old, and 5 year old. How much time should we plan on spending here? DS LOVED it here and could have spent a couple hours here easily. He's a bit of a daredevil and really enjoyed the roller coaster. We did this coaster first before the bigger ones to see how he would do. He loved it so much, went on it about 4 times in a row so we figured he could handle Big Thunder and the others- which he loved too!

Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin- From what I can see, it looks a lot like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride? yey or ney? Not at all like Mr. Toad's. If the line is long then skip Roger Rabbit. If there's no wait, then by all means- do it! DS and DH liked this ride and there's really only this and the coaster in Toontown. If you get there right as Toontown opens you'll be able to go on both rides more then once with pretty much no wait.
Gadget’s Go Coaster- What age group is this aimed towards?

Finding Nemo- The old submarine ride was never one of my top favorites. However we're BIG Nemo fans, but just wondering if we should wait for this ride. How does it compare to the old ride? Lots of folks say they like the old one and that Nemo is a bit of a let down- I didn't agree, we all liked it. Check out you tube for some great videos!

Sleeping Beauty's castle- I've been monitoring the rides and I've noticed there is frequently a wait for this. I don't remember there being anything in the castle on previous visits. What kind of attraction is here?? No real attraction at the castle itself but more behind it and the rides/shows. At least that I know of....You can walk inside the castle.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride- Again.... I don't remember this one. What is it like? It is super cute! It's like a ride in Fantasyland, short and sweet!

Autopia- If you're under 54", can you still drive the vehicle as long as there is somebody over 54" in the car with you? Meaning... can my 39" son drive if I'm next to him? They say that you have to be 54" to drive but I always put my son in the "driver's seat" and me in the passenger. Then I just do the gas/break and he steers. CM's have never said anything and it doesn't seem to be an issue for those who aren't tall enough to be in the driver's seat.




Thanks! [/QUOTE]

 

[chrissiecutie]

Does the Roger Rabbit ride actually involve spinning? I don't want my dh to puke....

You can spin it if you want. It's kinda like the teacups. The ride itself will spin a bit and you can control the excess spinning with the wheel.

However, Roger Rabbit moves more along a track, like a normal Fantasyland style ride, then the teacups.

I get very dizzy very easily, for that reason I've never done the teacups. But I've done Roger Rabbit several times. Just get in and don't touch the wheel. If it starts to spin on the track too much, just grip the wheel and hold it steady. It will be fine!

 

[bumbershoot]

They say that you have to be 54" to drive but I always put my son in the "driver's seat" and me in the passenger. Then I just do the gas/break and he steers. CM's have never said anything and it doesn't seem to be an issue for those who aren't tall enough to be in the driver's seat.[/B]
:

You have to be 54" to drive *alone*. Any kid can steer while the parent uses the pedal, and any tall enough to hit the gas but not 54" kid can use the pedal and steer, they just can't be alone in the vehicle.

 

[Saskiwi]

Astro orbitor- Are these the old rocket jets? Is there a height restriction?

Matterhorn- The minimum height is only 35". Do you think it would be too scary/bumpy for a (not quite) 3 year old? Depends on the 3YO! It's fast and bumpy - more thrills than scares - apart from a brief appearance by the Yeti!

Splash Mountain- Why do they have a 40" height restriction? Isn't it just floating around in a "log" boat? I think my son would LOVE it. Just trying to understand why the height restriction. There's a BIG drop at the end and a couple of smaller ones along the way - our family's favourite DL ride though

Toontown- What all is here? Minnie and Mickey and *always* there? And you can get pictures with them? I have a 3 year old, 4 year old, and 5 year old. How much time should we plan on spending here? PLan on spending quite a bit of time here - always lots of characters, Goofy and Pluto too - lots of tricks to play with outside the buildings (the fireworks factory is a great kid favourite)

Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin- From what I can see, it looks a lot like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride? yey or ney? louder, wilder and spinnier than Mr Toad - I never turn the wheel on this one or I get sick

Gadget’s Go Coaster- What age group is this aimed towards? Pre-schoolers - very short n sweet

Finding Nemo- The old submarine ride was never one of my top favorites. However we're BIG Nemo fans, but just wondering if we should wait for this ride. How does it compare to the old ride? Not worth the long waits IMHO - Nemo theming isn't so great - and we loved the movie

Sleeping Beauty's castle- I've been monitoring the rides and I've noticed there is frequently a wait for this. I don't remember there being anything in the castle on previous visits. What kind of attraction is here?? This is a very cute walkthrough attraction, with windows showing scenes from the movie- plus a few "tricks" - trying opening doors etc!

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride- Again.... I don't remember this one. What is it like? As another poster said, like a Fantasyland dark ride - very cute

Autopia- If you're under 54", can you still drive the vehicle as long as there is somebody over 54" in the car with you? Meaning... can my 39" son drive if I'm next to him? Hmm dunno sorry - not big Autopia fans