First ride at MK for preschoolers?

[DisneyPiPhi]

My daughter, who was then two-and-a-half, went on Cinderella's Carousel for her first ride. She already liked carousels and was excited to see one, so we hopped on. I think Dumbo was #2. The carousel might be good for lots of kids because it might be familiar to them.

 

[westie55]

Dumbo and the Aladdin Carpet ride are cute and kids would enjoy them, but they don't really have "wow" factor IMO. They are a simple spinning ride that isn't that much beyond what you might find at a local amusement park. For wow factor, I think HM and Pirates are the winners but depending on your kids' personalities, they may be frightening although neither is particularly scary. Ariel is a very well done ride. Peter Pan is great as well, but it is SHORT and ends practically as soon as it begins. I agree that IASW is classic and screams Disney to me. As a young child I loved (and still love) the Country Bear Jamboree. Jungle Cruise and Pooh are also great for kids, as is Buzz. It's the Magic Kingdom... most everything is great for kids!!!

 

[Moxiepup]

I think It's a Small World would be a great, immersive ride with the "wow" factor you're looking for. It's not fast or dark, just fun, so it sets a good precedent for the other rides that might have those elements for kids who are unsure about rides. It's iconic Disney too, so it's a nice one to create memories with.

 

[Klayfish]

Rather than rushing with the crowds to Fantasyland, you may consider turning left off Main Street USA and heading to Adventureland. We have done this with our son when he was 2, 4 and 5, and it worked well. We hit the Swiss Family Treehouse,

If the first thing a preschooler did at WDW was Swiss Family Treehouse I'm afraid they'd run out of the park crying and refuse to come back.

 

[cubed]

For DS5's first time ever at MK, we were there there for just one day and unplanned without FPs. BIL's friends walked us all in for free, so we weren't complaining! Anyway, it was peak spring break season two years ago and I already forgot what he rode first. We had a 6wk old newborn at the time too so my mind wasn't all there anyway. For our trip at the end of the month, I have Peter Pan as our first ride. We'll see what he thinks!

 

[anna samantha]

Small World is such a Disney classic, I would go with that.

 

[labdogs42]

I vote Dumbo. It is a classic and it isn't dark. Then Pooh or Small World. That's my list!

 

[stink]

What is their favorite Disney Movie ? I would choose the first rides around their favorites, perhaps it is ride Journey to Little Mermaid and than meet Arial. Or ride Buzz and meet Buzz lightyear. If it is Monsters Inc, see Laugh Floor Comedy Club. If it is Peter Pan ride Peter Pan and meet Peter Pan and Tink or Ride Pooh than meet Pooh. If it is Beauty & The Beast, than see Enchanted Tales with Belle.

And you can ever go wrong with the classics of "It's a Small World" and the ride that is the dread of many adults, but kids seem to love the "Tom. Land Speedway".

 

[Nutmeg2016]

If the first thing a preschooler did at WDW was Swiss Family Treehouse I'm afraid they'd run out of the park crying and refuse to come back.

Funny, my 5 year-old loved it.

 

[lchicago]

Our 4yo is pretty anxious so we started with the slower rides. The favorite rides were PP (by FAR), dumbo and the carousel. Barnstormer was too much although I know lots of kids this age range like it. You know your kids best. Have a wonderful time!

 

[Angel Ariel]

We will have FP+s and a loose plans for our MK days (May 2018) but none of the kids have ever been (will be 4,5,5 and 13 months at time of trip). So we want a "wow" first experience on our first MK day. Don't want 7DMT right off or anything that might be scary not knowing how they'll react. What would you recommend for the first attraction that all 4 kids can enjoy?

When we took DD, we followed the advice of starting with outdoor rides (think Dumbo, Mad Tea Party, Carrousel, Jungle Cruise, Astro Orbiter, etc), then going to indoor (but friendly) dark rides (ex, it's a small world, peter pan, Buzz lightyear), then going to dark rides that were more "dark" in tone as well (Pirates, Haunted Mansion, etc), then working our way up to something like Barnstormer or Thunder (depending on their heights, of course).

We were at DLR, not WDW, but we wouldn't have done (for ex) Mr. Toad's Wild Ride as one of her first rides, despite how much we love it, because we didn't want to scare her off of dark rides entirely if she didn't like Toad. By starting with outdoor rides and gradually going into the dark rides (w/dark tones), she wasn't scared of anything at all throughout the trip

 

[IrishNYC]

Peter Pan "...and away we go!"

I loved that it was DD's first Disney ride right after a PPO CRT breakfast. It just seemed so magical to walk up Main Street, dine with princesses, then sail off to Never Never Land on a classic ride.

 

[jvz82]

This past trip, I let my kids decide what ride we did first and they chose It's a Small World! They are 2, 4, 6, and 8 and they all loved it.

Often times we will start in Adventureland though. If we do that, we'll start at Jungle Cruise. We didn't start there last trip because it was EMH and Adventureland wasn't open yet when we got there.

 

[Brian Noble]

none of the kids have ever been (will be 4,5,5 and 13 months at time of trip). So we want a "wow" first experience on our first MK day.

Small World.

I took my kids to their first Disney Park trip when they were 5 and 3---at Disneyland. Our first attraction was Small World. We hadn't made the turn past the England scene when the youngest piped up with: "I didn't know they had so much."

 

[emonade8]

My kids still love the tea cups for some reason.They get a kick out of the spitting camel in Aladdin.

Haha I get a kick out of the spitting camel too. And so do my dds and they're 17 and 16! you just never know when he'll strike....

 

[caliope]

In order to appeal to all 3 age groups mentioned (5, 4, and 13 months old), I'd do either Dumbo or Small World first, followed by Tea Cups. We first took DS at age 16 months and those are the only 3 rides we did. He loved them then and still enjoys them as a 4.5 year old (as well as just about everything else...there's very little at MK he doesn't enjoy!).

 

[Dis703]

IASW was the first ride for each of our boys. They loved it and still do.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

This was our three year old's first trip and she loved Dumbo. We rode it twice per her request. It's a Small World was mesmerizing to her. She tolerated the dark rides like Peter Pan, the Little Mermaid, Frozen Ever After, Figment, etc. but they weren't her favorites. She just made the height requirement for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and loved that as well as the Barnstormer.

 

[North of Mouse]

Dumbo.... it just screams Disney World.

I second this! Also, Little Mermaid's ride - don't know if you have girls or boys.

As for the coaster rides (Barnstormer can be a little intense for little ones) ) would leave them for lots later - after seeing their reactions to some of the other tamer ones.

 

[patty57]

I'm going to go with Small World. I know some adults don't care for it (personally, I love it), but from the eyes of 4 or 5 year olds, I think it's a great Disney place to start. Not that I think any of the other ones are "bad", I'd have no problem taking kids that age on those rides. But to me, IASM doesn't have a ton of high tech lights, lasers, noises, etc.... It's lots of simple moving animatronics (if that's the right word for them), almost like cartoon characters, with simple music playing. I realize Pooh and Pan are fairly simple too, but my preference would be IASM simply because of how big it is and how much variety it has.

It could also be personal bias, as it's one of the few rides I remember from my first visit to WDW, when I was pretty young. In my eyes, it's as Disney as WDW gets.

I agree with this, and I am one of those adults who doesn't like it.