Expedition Everest for 7 Year Olds?

[jen42002]

Our kids just make the height requirements for EE. It is their first trip to WDW and I have never been on it either. What kind of scare factor is there for kids that just turned 7? Anything to specifically keep an eye out for.

Thanks!

 

[Coach81]

Beware the YETI!!!!!!

My 7 year old just rode it for the first time this past summer.. he loved it.. but it can be quite intense.. if your child is not a thrill seeker (like mine is) I'd use caution.

Good luck!

 

[polyhm83]

Maybe you could do a search on You Tube for a ride video, they have them for most rides. Then your son could watch it and decide if he would like it.

 

[RCMommy]

We have 6 yr olds and they are big fans of Big Thunder Mountain but until recently I didn't realize they are tall enough for EE.

How do the two roller coasters compare??

If they are fine on BTM, are the chances are they will be on EE as well?

 

[piglet33]

My DD6 loves this ride. It is a little scary when you see the Yetti and think the tracks are gone, but if you explain all this to your child before the ride, you should be ok. Does your child get scared easily? If yes, maybe rethink going on this.

When we went in August, my DD was a rollercoaster maniac. We road BTMRR 6 times in 30 minutes since there was no wait. We just kept going on and on and on. She also loved RnR.

ETA - I think some of this ride is in the dark. So if your child doesn't like the dark, it's probably not a good idea to go on it.

 

[On-Y-Va]

My 7-year old rode it for the first time this year. The coaster does go backwards and in the dark. My son loved it and immediately got back in line with his brother to go back on. My 10-year old daughter, who has been on Space Mt., Splash Mt., and Big Thunder Mt, several times is terrified of EE. So, part of if depends on the child.

 

[mickeyplanner08]

Last September we had an almost 8 and 6.5 year old...older one loved it, younger cried and never wanted to do it again.

This August they are now not quite nine and 7.5, and older one still loves it, younger one liked it OK, but once was enough for him. It is jerkier than BTMR IMHO. We rode BTMR over and over, but once on Everest was enough for me, too! Have fun, you can always try it once

 

[FigNewton]

We have 6 yr olds and they are big fans of Big Thunder Mountain but until recently I didn't realize they are tall enough for EE.

How do the two roller coasters compare??

If they are fine on BTM, are the chances are they will be on EE as well?

Personally I think it's only a little bit more intense because part of the ride is backwards. If it weren't for that I'd say it was pretty much on oar with BTM. Others feel differently though saying it is generally much more intense.

 

[RCMommy]

We'll give it a shot. I didn't know it goes backwards so I will tell the kids beforehand, thanks for the tip!

The kids will normally try any ride once. So far, the only one they have adamnatly said "never again" was the Dinosaur ride in Epcot. I think it was just loud and dark...

 

[Hannathy]

I would say it compares to BTMRR in intensity. It has a slightly bigger hill but very similar as far as comparing coasters go. The Yeti part is over so quickly that I don't think half the people even see it. I have been on it with 5 yr olds that did fine. If they like coasters they will like it, if they don't like coasters they won't like it.

Why must every ride and experience be sanitized for today's kids? Half the "fun" in rides is the thrill and scare factor. You are supposed to be thrilled/scared. Take them on and let them be a bit scared and feel the thrill of "living" thru it and bragging about it. This is how self esteem, self assurance, confidence and independence is developed.

 

[SenoiaDawg]

My DD (7 at the time) and I both rode it last May for the first time. She is not what I would call a thrill seeker, but wanted to ride a big roller coaster. While in line I could tell she was getting nervous, but she never waivered in her determination to ride. Once on the roller coaster I kept telling her that nothing on the ride would hurt her. I kept talking to her during the whole ride and the only time that I could visibly tell she was scared was when she lost her stomach on the big drop. I let herr know that that was what she was supposed to feeland that she would be fine. By the end of the ride she was excited that she rode her first real roller coaster and wanted to do it again. Niether of us can wait until we ride it again in December!!!

 

[two*little*birds]

DS was 6 last year when he rode it for the first time - he LOVED it and went on multiple times!

 

[JarrothsMom]

My son was 7 when he went...he loved it. However as mentioned before he is a thrill seeker and loves RnRC and ToT. Alot of kids I know do not. he can see it from the outside and make up his mind. I would do like said before and let him see it on youtube. The Yeti can be little scary...more so than the actual coaster... but if he knows it is coming then he should be fine. My son was scared of the dark and it did not bother him AT ALL! He did not care for Dinosaur (dark and disoriented) but he loved this. SOonly time will tell. Good luck!

 

[bleeps]

I am an adult who learned, late in life, how to be able to get the courage up to go on some rides (thanks to my DS, who insisted that WDW wasn't as much fun if mom was sitting out most of the rides).

My observations:

People who've always been comfortable riding coasters/thrill rides forget (or perhaps never knew?) how hard it is for people who are fearful or highly motion sensitive. I say this because IMHO, BTMRR and EE cannot remotely be compared.

BTMRR is a great getting-to-know-you kind of coaster. After I finally got the nerve to ride Splash, and after trying Goofy's Barnstormer a couple of times and determining that it really wouldn't be the death of me afterall, I got myself up to BTMRR.

Each subsequent time on a given ride is easier than the last, especially as I say if you don't take to thrill rides naturally. I now ride Splash, BTMRR, TT, and love them (NEVER thought I'd be able to say that).

Still -- EE is a different beast. I did try it once, and it is possible that I may try it again, but there's no comparison between it and BTMRR. The "fast" is MUCH faster, the banked curves are much more intense, and of course the whole dropping backwards thing.

My advice, if it's possible, would be to allow a child to try other, milder rides (Splash, BTMRR, TT) and if they love 'em then by all means try EE. The reason I wouldn't advocate having a youngster try EE as his first coaster would be that it could be VERY hard to get him on other rides afterwards if he doesn't like it. (Someday, maybe I'll tell you the story of talking DS, when he was 5, onto Snow White and then never getting him on another dark ride that trip)

 

[DawnM]

I have 2 completely different personality types between my 11 year old and my 9 year old.

My 9 year old and I will do EE several times in a row through the single rider line (his record is riding it 17 times in 2 days!)

My 11 year old won't even go on it anymore because he hates the Yeti.

My 5 year old just does whatever Dad is doing! He has ridden it a few times but he is too young for single rider and my DH only likes to ride it once per visit.

Dawn

 

[JenniD44]

I absolutely agree that it depends on the child. When we were there 2 years ago, my DS, who was 11 at the time, would not do EE. He saw the hill from the outside and that was it. He does love SM and went on it probably a dozen times. My DD, who was 7, went on EE. I can't say she loved it because she kept her eyes closed most of the time, but she is planning on doing it again when we return this December. I still don't think DS (now 13) will do it because the hill "looks" too big. In reality, I don't think it's that bad. Although I will say once was enough for me.

 

[TxRabbit]

Riding EE during the day and at night are completely different experiences. My DS8 loved EE during the day, HATED it at night. You ride around, you go on up the hill, you read the end, you wait, you hear the tracks behind you moving, then you go backwards and kind of sorta UP hill, then you go forwards again, down, down, down. During this down part, there is a Yeti that is hanging out above the tracks. You go under him. I think when the ride is at a higher level of operation, he actually swipes at you... Anyway, at night, he is lit up. My impression is of a redish kind of light. DS hated that. Didn't even see him during the day really. But at night...

 

[Sandi]

My 6 yo nephew rode it for the first time in August. He rode with his dad and DD14 and I were right behind them. The photo taken was hilarious -- his eyes were huge, popping out of his head. (I'd post it but I'm not sure how my sister feels about that.)

Anyway, I thought he wouldn't want to ride it again. His dad said once was plenty and my DD14 needs to space out her EE adventures. Nephew was all "Aunt Sandi, please go with me again." So we did -- quite a few more times over the course of our vacation.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

My 7 year old loves it. My 6 year old hates it and never wants to ride again. She first rode it when she was 5.5 and she is a bit dramatic

It disorients you a bit when you go backwards in the dark.

 

[Billwedgie]

My son was 6 when we went in 2007 and he loved it. We rode it several times and he would of went on 10 more times if he could. He does get scared on certain haunted trails, rides, ect. but this didn't bother him at all.