Have any of your kids NOT enjoyed WDW??

[CJK]

I know, sounds like a strange question!! We're taking our nephews this summer (dn6 and dn4). The 6yr old is quite timid and fearful of doing anything for the first time. I'm having visions of him crying on PotC or Splash Mountain. To give you an idea, he refused to watch Aladdin on dvd until very recently b/c he thought it would be too scary. The 4yr old is a bit of a daredevil but due to height restrictions, may not be able to ride the bigger rides (and dn6 may be too frightened). What are your experiences?? Tell me I'm worrying too much!

 

[markh]

My 6 year old would rather go to US, but my 9 year old loves WDW.

 

[jeannej]

My son went through a phase from about 7-11, where the unknown just scared him. So, it was sometimes a real waste of money to even take him as one of us ( meaning mom or dad) would be sitting with him outside a ride we really wanted to go on.

However, when going on trips with his peers to WDW I found he wasn't about to admit something frightened him and he managed to conquer what fears he had.

Now WDW and IOA and Universal are great fun him and consequently for mom and dad as well.

jeannej

 

[WishUpon.....]

i dont know, but im trying to save up enough money to take my 6 and 3 year old s there. My 6 year old, stephanie, is gonna be 8 soon.

 

[JessicaR]

i dont know, but im trying to save up enough money to take my 6 and 3 year old s there. My 6 year old, stephanie, is gonna be 8 soon.

Is she skipping 7?

 

[becka]

Is she skipping 7?

Kids do grow up too quickly today don't they!!!

 

[TigerandPooh]

My grandson diddnt enjoy it....but that was because he was scared of mickey mouse

 

[TigerandPooh]

i dont know, but im trying to save up enough money to take my 6 and 3 year old s there. My 6 year old, stephanie, is gonna be 8 soon.

8? wouldnt she be 7?

 

[JessicaR]

Kids do grow up too quickly today don't they!!!

Hee Hee! Now thats funny!

Sorry I will add my opinion to the topic so I dont hijack it!

When my youngest was 3 we started taking him to the theme parks. He had some fears of anything that was loud or dark. After a few rides there didnt seem to be anything he wanted to do but go back to the hotel and swim! Kinda frustrating for us but of course a fear is a fear and we understood. We backed off and did the happy toned "bright" rides or so I thought! LOL seems its easy to find the dark or booming noise on most everything. The best part of all of this is that after a once through on his own the next day after giving him the break he needed and having a few talks about how it all isnt real and now that you have done it once you can know what to expect...he came around! He actually asked us to go back on so he could try it again.

My best advice is no matter what happens dont stress. Dont make a big deal about it and let him make his own decisions. You can take turns if there is something hes adament about not riding. He may surprise you and I hope he does Maybe seeing his brother doing something hes afraid of will give him the courage to try it too!
Good Luck and I hope you all enjoy yourselves.

 

[sskem96]

My 8 year old was scared of all most everything, but I wouldn't say she didn't enjoy herself. She loved the Buzz Lightyear ride and ended up going on it 4 times. She hated the 3D movies (only went to 2 of them) and refused to go on most rides. She loved Innoventions East and Spaceship Earth. She liked all of the rides in Fantasy Land except Peter Pan. She liked the characters. She would really just like to sit and people watch than be part of the action, but that's what she enjoys doing, so she still had fun. We didn't pressure her to go on anything she didn't want to, because that's what she really hates. She sat outside in the shade with my cellphone and had DH's cell # in her belt pack in case she needed anything. I know you can't do that with a 6 year old, but she's almost 9 and very mature. She's the kind of kid who the more responsibility and independence you give them, the more responsibe, independent and mature she becomes. She's always begging to stay home alone, but in our state you have to be 12. Heck, I was babysitting when I was 9!

 

[ptrbryant]

Our DS9 STILL won't go on POTC, HM...basically, he doesn't like rides that much. But he LOVES WDW! He loves the 3-D films, the shows, the whole environment. I always try to explain to people that WDW is wonderful even for those who don't like rides!!! I wouldn't worry about it and I also would not force him to try anything that makes him nervous. There's an awful lot to do and see that is magical!

Karla B.

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

When we were all there 2 years ago, my 8 yr old at the time, who generally is afraid of most amusement park rides, didn't like very much. We started out with AK and she did all right with the Safari, but when we got to Its tough to be a bug OMG. She was standing up in her seat SCREAMING, and wouldn't go on anything else that day. We left AK and went to Studios, and she was a bit better when we saw Blue and gentler kid things.

The next day at MK she again wouldn't venture much. Consequently DH, myself, and my oldest DD (18) took turns spending time with the 8 yrs old doing non-threatening activites. (eg. NOT- HM, POTC, SM etc.)

The day we went to Epcot was like heaven. She finally found something she thoroughly enjoyed. The live shows, chinese acrobats, the Japanese candy lady, visiting all the countries, she loved it all.

I think we at first were a bit disappointed, but as any parent knows with kids you have to be flexible and be willing to change your plans based on the situation. We all still had a great time, even though it turned out differently than our original expectations.

Have a fun trip!

 

[CEDmom]

My DD who's 5 is a very cautious child. The last time we were in WDW she was 3 1/2. Besides It's a Small World, The Jungle Cruise and visiting Toontown she really didn't like much about MK. However, she LOVED the World Showcase in Epcot. In the end we had a great trip. We also went to DL when she was 4 and she loved it because we knew what to avoid.

If I were you I'd prepare yourself that he might not want to do a lot of rides but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to do. Whatever you do don't force him or make him feel badly because he doesn't want to do something the rest of you want. You can always do the child swap or take turns going with the 4 yo on more adventurous things and calmer things with the 6 yo.

 

[MouseDogMom]

My DD is 14 now, and still HATES Haunted Mansion. She rides it with us, but closes her eyes and ears. She won't ride ToT or RnR, but waits with us and then takes the chicken exit. She's been doing that for years. I've always felt like the CMs take good care of her. I took her to US when she was 8, and she was scared of everything there. She doesn't like dark rides or waiting areas, and it seemed that everything there terrified her (even ET, which I still don't understand!). There are just some times that we insisted that she ride and close her eyes and ears if it wasn't easy for her to wait without us, and other times we went on without her.

 

[ReninDetroit]

DS16 and I are the "wimps". The fiercest ride we tackle is Splash Mountain. Nothing scarier than that for us. But the thing is, DS15 is almost as huge of a fan as I am. He read like 4 guidebooks cover to cover in one sitting lol. He loves it.

DS8 is a total ride tackler. The bigger, the better. He gets bored on alot of the stuff DS16 and I really enjoy. When DH is with us, he'll go on the big rides with him but most of the time he's either not with us or he's working in Orlando while we're down there. (He works ALL the time...)

 

[MargaretF]

Go with the flow. Offer the child the opportunity to go on the ride/attraction, etc. but if they decline, just move on to the next one. My DS took years to get up the nerve to ride HM, he'd get the door and back out, the next year, he made it in the door but then we had to find the special exit to get him out. When he finally rode it, he liked it okay, but only loved it the next year (we aren't sure he actually saw anything the first time through b/c his eyes were shut tight) I learned early on that if they are resistant, it is easier to pass and do it another time or another year. Just be prepared to send your party through some rides in shifts. My favorite response from DS at age 4 was at Illuminations. The music started, the fireworks went off and in the brief lull, he announced in a very loud voice "I DON'T LIKE THIS", (of course all the adults nearby broke out laughing) but needless to say, we did not see all of Illuminations that year.

The great thing about not riding everything the first trip is that for years, we have always had "new" rides to do as the kids got bigger and became less apprehensive. Watch out also for misinterpretation of the ride, DD wouldn't ride ToT at MGM because she thought they dropped you with a bungee cord set up, not a seated elevator.

 

[BuzzLightYear3]

On our first trip, we took our then only DS....he was 3-1/2. He didn't like anything dark, anything that went fast, anything 3D, any characters, anything with water (including swimming) etc., etc., etc. We did know all that before we went though, but we decided we were going anyway. I was 7 months pregnant, so we figured we'd take it easy anyhow. Now, after many trips and 3 kids later, when I think back about it, it was one of my favorite trips....we just took it easy and saw the world through his eyes and appreciated what he appreciated.....sitting in the back on the Disney bus, being asked to help 'drive' the monorail, the singing-in-the-rain umbrella, the Brinks truck with the hydraulic lift (now gone), the water wheel in the food court at then Dixie Landings. We didn't pressure him....we just let him set the pace and went with the flow, and we had an absolutely fantastic time. We now have 3 kids, and after having at least one of us have to leave several character meals with at least one kid absolutely terrified, we learned to respect their wishes and focus on what they do want to do. (Oh, and yes, DS out-grew all that.....now 11, he still loves Disney, but given a choice of rides, he'd rather be on the extreme thrill rides at Universal.)

 

[shanleal]

We have taken our kids probably 4 times. They really haven't enjoyed it yet. I think this summer will finally be the time they do. They are 10 and 11 now and old enough to tolerate the heat/lines. They were close to enjoying it 2 years ago so I feel confident about this trip. The worst trip with them was when they both still fit in the double stroller. Probably 3 and 4. However, they have always enjoyed the pools at the resorts!!

 

[PolyAddict]

I have to say after reading this thread my 2 oldest DD's were 4 and 6 when we went for the first time.

They were very intimidated by everything...loud noises, dark rides, 3d stuff.

I thought they had pretty good exposure to various things b/f the trip. They were both in school, had been to fairs and six flags.

Poor little things, all they wanted was the pool.

I was much younger and stubborn headed back then and insisted they do all their height requirements allowed. After all, we had spent ALOT of money on a package and plane tickets and were only there 4 or 5 days.

They would have been perfectly content with the pool for the whole trip.

Our 3rd DD was born when they were 7 and 9. She has gone to US/WDW @ 9 months and 3 years. She is not nearly as intimidated as they were.


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Michele