Family of 5 on Rides Question

[cfrith5]

It's been a few years since we've been, and now we have a family of 5. Last time we had 2 kids and 2 adults, so it was easy getting on rides. This time it's me, hubby, daughter 13, daughter 10, and son 4. I'm trying to remember how all the rides are with seating options...which ones will it be hard to get all of us on close to each other? I'm guessing there are some where we won't even be able to go together?

 

[ArchOwl]

It's been a few years since we've been, and now we have a family of 5. Last time we had 2 kids and 2 adults, so it was easy getting on rides. This time it's me, hubby, daughter 13, daughter 10, and son 4. I'm trying to remember how all the rides are with seating options...which ones will it be hard to get all of us on close to each other? I'm guessing there are some where we won't even be able to go together?

Will the 4 year old be tall enough to go on the thrill rides?

 

[starshine514]

It's been a few years since we've been, and now we have a family of 5. Last time we had 2 kids and 2 adults, so it was easy getting on rides. This time it's me, hubby, daughter 13, daughter 10, and son 4. I'm trying to remember how all the rides are with seating options...which ones will it be hard to get all of us on close to each other? I'm guessing there are some where we won't even be able to go together?

There will be some that will only fit 4, so one parent may need to ride solo. Two that come to mind are space mountain and goofy's sky school (which your 4 yr old might be too short for anyway) - oh, toy story and buzz also. There are many rides that you may just have to group people by size (say one adult and the two youngest kids sharing a seat). I wouldn't worry about it at all. They will direct you where to sit on each ride.

 

[PigletSeeker]

We're a family of five, ages 7, 5 and 3. It's really not bad...we've been able to ride most everything without a height limit together. My husband did ride alone on Toy Story (at the same time as us) so everyone could shoot. You can get 3 across on this, but there's only 2 guns. Our youngest isn't tall enough for the 40" rides, so DH and I switch off on those.

 

[HydroGuy]

There will be some that will only fit 4, so one parent may need to ride solo. Two that come to mind are space mountain and goofy's sky school (which your 4 yr old might be too short for anyway) - oh, toy story and buzz also. There are many rides that you may just have to group people by size (say one adult and the two youngest kids sharing a seat). I wouldn't worry about it at all. They will direct you where to sit on each ride.

FWIW, Space Mtn has 6 seats not 4.

 

[HydroGuy]

It's been a few years since we've been, and now we have a family of 5. Last time we had 2 kids and 2 adults, so it was easy getting on rides. This time it's me, hubby, daughter 13, daughter 10, and son 4. I'm trying to remember how all the rides are with seating options...which ones will it be hard to get all of us on close to each other? I'm guessing there are some where we won't even be able to go together?

Mostly it will not be an issue. Here and there you may have to have one ride alone. Some rides are 2 seaters. Alice and other FL rides are 2x2. So you may have to have 3 in one car and 2 in another. Buzz LY is 2 at a time. So one person will be solo.

 

[cfrith5]

Our 4 year old is 41 inches without shoes on.

 

[cfrith5]

Thank you! So a lot of the rides will be able to fit 3 people?

 

[starshine514]

FWIW, Space Mtn has 6 seats not 4.

Oh. You're right! I was thinking more about the 2 side-by-side thing. One parent will be sitting without another person beside them.

 

[lk2500]

Family of 4 here and DW doesn't ride most of the rides scarier than Star Tours. My 2 DS's ride together and I just ride in the row next to them solo at DL, Knotts, SFMM, wherever, never been a problem. If possible the operators will fill the seat next to me with another solo rider if they're paying attention. I've ridden next to a few interesting people over the years, but it's never been a real problem

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Thank you! So a lot of the rides will be able to fit 3 people?

A lot will. Your 2 older ones are old enough to ride together or alone too. I rode Peter Pan in one boat with my 4 kids (one on lap, all under 9). Most FL rides are designed so both parents can ride with a child, so 2 kids and 1 adult are usually fine. Buzz and TSMM only have 2 guns per seat, so one will have to ride solo. Space is 2 per row, so one adult or one of the older kids can ride in a row on their own. Big Thunder can fit 3 across but it could be a tight fit so one may want to ride solo. The 4 year old will have to ride with one of the adults, since none of the kids are 14.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Just like a group of 3 my kids and I have taken a few just the 3 of us trips *2009* several rides the 3 of us would squeeze in together *Thunder, PP, HM. Other rides DD & I or DS & DD would ride together, if DS was on his own he'd be in front of DD & I, if I was alone I'd be behind my kids. It might be just the 3 of us again this Oct. DS isn't so small anymore so I'm not sure if we'll fit on any of those 3 of us in one ride vehicles, not a big deal.

 

[starshine514]

Just like a group of 3 my kids and I have taken a few just the 3 of us trips *2009* several rides the 3 of us would squeeze in together *Thunder, PP, HM. Other rides DD & I or DS & DD would ride together, if DS was on his own he'd be in front of DD & I, if I was alone I'd be behind my kids. It might be just the 3 of us again this Oct. DS isn't so small anymore so I'm not sure if we'll fit on any of those 3 of us in one ride vehicles, not a big deal.

This is how we do it with my two girls and I. On some rides, I sit behind them (they seem to allow this on the Fantasyland dark rides), for Astro Orbitor and Dumbo, I ride with DD5 and DD7 has her own, on Space Mountain and Buzz, DD7 rides alone in front of DD5 and I. On BTMRR, HM, LM, etc. we all sit together.

OP, your daughters look small enough that it may be likely that you can do one of them with you and your son on BTMRR, if not, then the girls can ride together and you can make DH ride on his own. HM, LM, PP, etc. shouldn't be a problem with the 2 + 3 seating arrangement.

 

[cfrith5]

This is how we do it with my two girls and I. On some rides, I sit behind them (they seem to allow this on the Fantasyland dark rides), for Astro Orbitor and Dumbo, I ride with DD5 and DD7 has her own, on Space Mountain and Buzz, DD7 rides alone in front of DD5 and I. On BTMRR, HM, LM, etc. we all sit together.

OP, your daughters look small enough that it may be likely that you can do one of them with you and your son on BTMRR, if not, then the girls can ride together and you can make DH ride on his own. HM, LM, PP, etc. shouldn't be a problem with the 2 + 3 seating arrangement.

In my FB profile pic of my daughters they look small because that was a few years ago, haha! My 13 yo is now 5'5"!

But it sounds like it shouldn't be a problem! Maybe a few rides one of us will ride solo. Thanks everyone!

 

[MerryJ]

We just got back from our trip with a family of 5 - although my kids are younger (7, 5 and 1). I was worried before hand, but it was really nothing to worry about. Disney is really, really family friendly!

Many, many rides could fit us together. Sometimes all five on a bench. More often, 3 and then 2, but even if we weren't go ether, we were generally together, just in front of each other. They don't separate parties if at all possible.

The overall rule seemed to be that over 7 could ride alone, and under 7 must ride with someone older - there was an age - I want to say 14? I know I heard this specifically on Astro Orbiter. My 7 year old begged to be allowed to ride big thunder mouton "alone" so on his last time he was allowed to sit in a car alone (with his brother and I right behind him). I just told him he could ask the CM, and if they said yes, he could.

The general procedure was that when we arrived at the end of the line, the CM would ask how many of us there were. I got in the habit of holding up fingers, because it could be loud! They would then direct us to the right lines, giving directions about seating. Do listed, because it is different for every ride. Some things were very specific (3 in the back, 2 in the front), other are more general - you are in rows 3 and 4.

My only other advice is make up your minds BEFORE you get to the end of the line about who wants to ride with who, if there is any doubt. We were in line at Splash, and the cast member asked if my 5 year old wanted to ride next to me. He did, so we were directed to the last two rows of the log (two of us in back, and my 7 year old right in front of us) When we got there, there was some confusion, because the previous group wasn't boarding their log. They had changed their minds about rider configuration, but the CM wouldn't let them and made them get on as they had originally told her. I think if they had said they wanted to ride a different way, she would have directed them differently in the first place. But once you are directed, you can't really switch!

Oh - and my boys (5 and 7) who had never been on a coaster before LOVED the big thunder mouton railroad - and three can sit in a row together on that!

Have fun!

 

[chrissiecutie]

Check out allears.net - they have pictures of the rides & the seating for them. This helped me quite a bit when planning our first visit with DS. Just make sure you click on "Disneyland" because most the stuff on this site is for WDW.