Coaster Kids in Training

[BonneyRose]

So Gadgets is a starter coaster but once they were okay with that milestone where would you go next?

Have 5 and 9 year old boys. I know we will have to take height restrictions in to mind also.
How would you order these rides in progression of scariness/speed/etc? i.e. you've conquered...let's go try...

(gadgets, goofys, matterhorn, screamin, splash, space, racers, thunder, screamin, indy)

 

[Meriweather]

DGD rode Big Thunder next....that was June at not quite 4. She loved it! Her smile was sooo big. She has also done Splash. Back seat with an adult for now.
She liked the racers too.

We hesitate at Space and Matterhorn because of the seating.....single file.

 

[kylie71]

I also say Big Thunder Mountain, it was my first coaster... and I Loved it at 9 years old!

--Lori

 

[NannyBeBe]

I believe this will depend on each child individually. My six year old granddaughter (RIP) was fearless from Day One. She would have loved every coaster she could ride. Her sister, however, is more timid, so we will handle it more carefully and let her take the lead. Big Thunder and Splash are good choices because you can sit next to your child and hold onto him if necessary. Some folks, myself included, just do not enjoy coasters, and you should prepare yourself for that also and not force any riding until you know your boys are ready and want to ride.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I echo Big Thunder next, although I agree with kids being different. I have two who rode everything the second they were tall enough and two who have eased their way into it. My older 3 will ride everything now. My youngest (6 yrs old) likes Big Thunder and Matterhorn. Tolerates Splash and Space. Doesn't like Goofy's. Is just now tall enough for Screamin' so we'll see if she goes on during our next trip. And has done Guardians and swears she'll never go on again.

ETA:Racers was another early one for us. And Indy I think is my 6 yr old's favorite.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Funny thing for me, as a kid I found Matterhorn less scary than BTMRR. BTMRR seemed so much faster.

 

[mad hatter fan]

We hesitate at Space and Matterhorn because of the seating.....single file.

Space is not single file seating at DL, but maybe Meriweather meant just the Matterhorn. Space is definitely more intense as it is in the dark. I would try Big Thunder first. It helps that you can have your arm around your little one as you ride.

 

[Bossy22]

I would do this order (I did with my girls and it worked great)
1.) Big Thunder
2.) Splash Mountain
3.) Racers
4.) Matterhorn
5.) Space
This trip (in November) we will try the following:
6.) California Screaming
And will probably leave Indy and Guardians till they are a little older.

 

[ChloroformSdxn]

BTMRR has been a favourite since they were old enough to ride (3.) It's really a perfect roller coaster - not boring for adults, has some fun visuals/scenery that also introduce dark scenes/tunnels, and it's fast without any inversions.

 

[Aladora]

I would do this order (I did with my girls and it worked great)
1.) Big Thunder
2.) Splash Mountain
3.) Racers
4.) Matterhorn
5.) Space
This trip (in November) we will try the following:
6.) California Screaming
And will probably leave Indy and Guardians till they are a little older.

I would not put Splash as high in your list! My 12 year old can ride CS all day long but he (and to be honest, I) hate Splash and will not ride it at all!

I would do:
Gadget
Goofy
RSR
BTM
Matterhorn
Space
CS
Splash (or skip this one, that's ok as well!)

 

[HuskyGal]

I mostly agree with pp and would like to add that the adults were the scaredy-cats on goofys! It is really high up and designed to make you feel like you are going to fall out of a litttle car as it whips around corners. I kept thinking, I'm too old for this. I still went on it twice for my DD5 but I was a little bit terrified... We were cautious with DD because she's always been a timid child. Well guess what, she did a 180 and now lives for thrill rides. We went on ITASW and she asked me, "why is it so slow?" Then later concluded that she never wants to go on it again lol.
Our progression:
1. Gogo gadgets
2. BTMR
3. Splash
4. Goofy'
5. RSR
6. SM
She really wants to do screaming but alas will likely still be too little for it. We didn't go on Matterhorn because it was Closed for refurb. Edited to add goofys.

 

[cmph]

I'm not sure there is any one list I could give. My son had happily ridden all of those by the time he was 7. He did California Screamin' too, and I think that was the only one he hadn't ridden by age 5 or so. He likes all of them. His older sister, on the other hand, won't do Space (b/c it's in the dark and she can't see what's about to happen), won't do Splash (b/c she hates the one-big-drop aspect), and certainly will never try California Screamin'. She has done Matterhorn but won't go again; I'm with her, that kills my back. She has gone on Indy but thinks it's a little scary and doesn't *really* want to go again. But - she LOVES BTMR and RSR. BTMR is kind of up and down, without any single big drop, and RSR is fast but smooth. RSR is actually her favorite ride in all of WDW and DL. I kinda feel like BTMR is safest for the general kid population (not the fastest, not in the dark, no big drops), if I had to pick one starter.

 

[SMD]

My sister had never been on any kind of kiddie coaster or probably any real thrill ride before my parents took her on BTMRR at age 3. She loved it. So much so that she never wanted to try Matterhorn (to be fair, back then you could take the Skyway through the mountain and see the yeti, which might have scared her) or Space. When she was 5 we went to WDW and she didn't even want to try Space, and was happy to just ride BTMRR over and over when we were there. I think she regrets that now because we've never been back and when I talk about the difference she has no clue. I was definitely the thrill seeker, but as the oldest it took me longer to either get adults to ride with me or let me go alone. Once my parents sent me to a camp that did theme park trips I did almost everything (not a big fan of spinning rides where you're pinned to the outside of the circle) without hesitation.

 

[cmwade77]

Definitely depends on the child, I would say:

• Gadgets
• RSR
• Goofy(If they don't like heights or switchbacks move this to last place)
• Big Thunder
• Splash (again move last is heights or water are issues)
• Grizzly (move is water or spinning are issues)
• Matterhorn
• Space (move if darkness is an issue)
• Screamin'
• Indy
• Guardians (last place no matter what, unless they turn out to be thrilled seekers)

Of course this is assuming they are tall enough for all of these, otherwise go by height.

 

[nutshell]

My kids have been riding everything they met height requirements for since they were five. Have fun!

 

[Malcon10t]

My granddaughter hit 40" at 2.5 yo. I took her on RSR and Soarin', but didn't want to go further as I didn't want to scare her. The next day, Daddy took her on Space Mountain and Star Tours and she was a coaster junkie.

Each new ride was "The Best Ride EVER!" We rode Grizzly when she was 3 and we had to tell the ride CMs not to listen to the 3yo because they had already put us thru 2x and she was telling them we wanted to go again!

That said her cousin, same age, does not like the coasters. They are 6 now, and she rides everything, and he will ride a RSR and Guardians, but none of the coasters in DL.

 

[NorthernCalMom]

My daughters (9 & 11) made this list with me. Order from least to most scary:

1. gadgets
2. racers
3. thunder
4. indy
5. space
6. screaming
7. matterhorn
8. goofys
9. splash

 

[disneychrista]

Once upon a time Matterhorn did not have a height requirement, only 3 years or older. To me that would be the next logical step, unless your kid would be afraid of the Harold 2.0.

For me I would use the height requirements as my guide. The lower the height the less "thrilling" it would be (in general).

 

[SteveMP]

I used to pay my kids .50 or $1 to go on rides they were nervous about. After gadget, about 7-8 i paid one $1 to go on Big Thunder and she loved it. She asked which other ones were "just as scary". I explained the best I could the differences. Over the next couple years we did Materhorn, Indy, Splash mt, grizly Rapids. Probably around 10 i got her to go on Space Mtn due to darkness. And then around 11-12 for Screamin.

 

[Malcon10t]

Once upon a time Matterhorn did not have a height requirement, only 3 years or older. To me that would be the next logical step, unless your kid would be afraid of the Harold 2.0.

On Matterhorn, its height requirement is 2" higher than BTMRR, so the younger child might have a problem riding.

For me I would use the height requirements as my guide. The lower the height the less "thrilling" it would be (in general).

Yes and no. My granddaughter (6) ranked TOT scarier than Screamin'.

Her ranking:

Gadgets
Racers
Thunder
Matterhorn
Splash
Grizzly
Space
Star Tours
Goofy's
Screamin'
Indy
Guardians