haunted mansion ride

[magic kingdom park]

can someone explain this ride to me, is it scary for a 7 year old???

 

[lovethattink]

It's happy haunts. It depends on the child. If your child is afraid of the dark it could be. My son has been going on it since he was in kindergarten. The 1st time he went on it, he was afraid before we even got on the ride. He was crying as we entered the stretching room. My nephew did the same thing when he was 9. When they got off the ride, it was a different story. They said they loved it and wanted to go again. They said it was just scarry not knowing what to expect. Now they enjoy the ride and their favorite room is the dance room.

 

[SamanthaL]

My Sophia is 5 and has seen the walkthrough of it and wants to go. I know she will do fine. Someone here had posted the link to the pics and descriptions of the ride. Maybe that will help your son decide if it looks too scary. It isn't meant to BE scary though! Good luck with your decision!

 

[Twigs]

As said above it depends on your child. When my DS's were 4 they had a Disney Halloween tape with scenes from the haunted mansion in it and were looking forward to the ride. They did not like the dark at that time and got so scared in the stretching room that they would not look at anything on the ride, they kept hiding into me and DH. After that they would not go on anything that was even remotely dark. We went back to WDW when they were 6 and they were fine on the ride, and rode it a few times. I have heard from a lot of people that the stretching room is where their kids got scared, but then there are those kids who are OK with it all.

 

[WeLoveThePoly]

My DD (7) first went on HM when she was 5 and she loved it - not scared at all. Well, except for the part in the attic where the heads pop up and scream.

Also, last year was the first time she went on HM at night (during MNSSHP) and for some reason after that the HM scared her a bit - even during the day.

Debbie

 

[Jenn Lynn]

My DD just went on it. DH made it fun for her. They named the spiders (Charley and Harry), and just talked about things. She was fine.

 

[ruttie]

I was worried when they first went on but I have found with my kids if I just tell them what to expect they are fine.. So i told them that they were gonna turn off the lights have a loud crack of thunder and a scream but it was all pretend andthe light would come right back on and thenn right beofre it happened I said now rememebr the lights are gonna go off for a minute They had no problems!! enjoy!!!

 

[Arielle22]

Dh and I took our niece when she was 6 (now 19). We were in the stretching room and a CM walked behind us. We didn't notice until he said "boo" to our niece. It scared her so bad she cried through most of the ride.

We took her brother 2 yrs later when he was 6 and he had no problem at all with it. Our dd's started riding it at about that age also.

 

[HopperFan]

My kids have been riding since babies no problem but every child is different.

Look here for a preview http://www.grimghosts.com/wdw/index.html

 

[jacksonsmom]

This is one of my son's (5) favorite rides!
This past summer during E-nights, we went on it 5x in a row.

My son first rode the Haunted Mansion when he was 3, he loved it for the start!

I did explain the ride to him & reminded him that everything was just pretend. We even sometimes try to 'scare' the pop-ups by screaming at them

My son's favorite part is the dancing ballroom!
It really depends on the child. My son is pretty fearless when it comes to hauntings

 

[ErinInCT]

We talked about it with dd4 well in advance (I think the plpanning video shows some scenes) & always mentioned how just about every ride/attraction/show at Disney is just pretend (except the princesses of course). We brought glow sticks from home so she always had a bit of light in the dark rides! She was fine since she was sitting right next to dh who could protect her. I had to laugh though at the end when the ghost "joins" your doom buggy, dd was pressed so close to dh that it looked like the ghost was sitting on her lap!! She definately keeps her hands close to her eyes so she can cover them in the dark rides (Snow White, HM, etc).

 

[buzz2400]

my ds refused to go on this ride. said he was too scared. one year he decided he would do it. went through the stretch room and he chickened out. they escorted us out right before the doombuggies. I kept telling him that Mickey would not make it that scary, that he was just having fun with people. The next year a cm in the Canada pavilion was talking to him and told him that it was not scary and if it was he could come back to her and she would give him a fastpass to splash mountain. So the next day he went on the ride and it is now one of his favorites. One person also suggested that you bring a small flashlight. There are a few "scary" parts like the graveyard. Just don't push your child to go on if he is not ready.

 

[Leota]

Since the Haunted Mansion was my favorite ride from my childhood trip to WDW, I was anxious to share it with my DS, who was just 4 at the time. He wasn't really ready.
The next trip he was ready tho, at 6 - it became one of his favorite rides.
He's never been a kid who liked Ghost Stories or Horror Movies tho - I think every child is different & you have to gage it by how well they handle the dark & little scary things - how do they do at Halloween?

 

[LittleMermaidsMom]

I've taken my 3-year old on this and she was fine... a little wide-eyed at first, but she wanted to go back on it again.

Here is a link to a great site that will walk you through the attraction and has pictures...http://www.doombuggies.com

 

[TSirgey]

My daughter loved the Haunted Mansion at 3. It was by far her favorite ride at Disney. Before our trip, we watched a Disney Sing along Songs video that was about Disneyland. Most of the rides they show are similiar to WDW and her favorite song was the Haunted Mansion tune. The part where the witches pop up was the only part that frightened her a little. Now she tells us that was her favorite part of the ride. We have always told her that the villians pretend to be scary and they seem to be her favorite characters. I think it depends on your child, but I also think it depends on how you react.

 

[AFMom]

I'd say from my kids experience when they were 2.5 yrs and 18 mo's that if you can get them through the streching room, they'll like the rest of the ride. We warned them (as well as we could) what as coming, and held them very close, and told them they could close their eyes through the room (when it gets dark and the lightning flashes). They were a bit unsettled by that part - but once it was over they seemed to really like the rest of it. Even now at ages 6 and 8 - they won't ride after it gets dark outside! They want bright happy sunshine when they get out of the ride!

 

[snorlax42]

2 things

1. Don't let her look up in the streching room.There's a rotting corspe hanging from the ceiling.

2.Tell her that ghosts are going to pop up and scream at 1 part.

Other than that she should be fine.

 

[WDWprincessloyola]

You really have to know your child when going on this ride. I have seen children get on and off without any problems. One poor girl about six was so frightened that she was begging (not even crying) her parents to leave and that she wanted to go home. I love the HM but the attic and graveyard scene still freak me out sometimes and I have been known to jump at the things popping up...and I am nearly 20! I think that you give your child a good warning and description of the ride, it should be all right.

 

[TXMommy]

The stretching room is also what did my kids in - they were 6 and 3 the first time they rode. I had explained it all to them, exactly what was going to happen, even that the lights were going to go out - but when the CM said something about us being "trapped" and "there's no way out" they freaked! When we got to the Doom Buggies they were both literally trembling they were so scared, but we talked them thru the rest of the ride and they were fine! I think it's the stretching room that scares kids the most. Now my kiddos are 10 and 7 and will be riding again this spring!

 

[Artuero]

My kids (almost 6 and just turned 4 at the time) got really really frightened by the haunted mansion. I am not sure why-- my 6 yo went on all of the thrill rides with no problem, and they both loved Dinosaur! but for some reason the atmosphere at the Haunted Mansion really freaked them out. Especially my 6 yo daughter. Strangely enough we are going back in early December and both of them really want to visit the Haunted Mansion again.