How busy is Casey Jr. Train?

[LavenderPeach]

We are planning on going to DLR on Nov. 13 which is a thursday and therefore I believe is a MM day. DS3 has never been to DL before and is very timid about new experiences so we wanted to take him on the Casey Jr. train first since he's been on some little trains before so it will seem more familiar to him. I know FL in general gets busy if you're not there when it first opens but how is the Casey Jr. train? We won't be able to go in early so we were wondering if there is a long wait. Or should we instead go to CA when it first opens and do Heimlich's Chew Chew train first? We're just not sure how he will do waiting in a long line so we want to make his first experience there as pleasent as possible. Anyone have any suggestions for which plan of attack should we use?

We also live in SoCal and will be getting APs so we'll be coming back frequently throughout the year and don't need to see everything the first trip.

 

[cheshiregirl]

There is never a line for Heimlich and the ride is seriously less than a minute long so it is a good 1st experience imho. However, Casey is an amazing ride! You may have to wait 10-15 minutes for it, but it is so worth it. After the Carrousel and Dumbo, CJr is my DS's favorite ride. He especially likes the monkey cages and pressing his face up against the bars like he is a wild animal!

 

[JaneJetson]

Maybe bring a tiny toy or a small book or something for him to play with/look at in lines. Or just make up a game of some sort to keep him occupied.

I think Casey Jr. is a much better ride. Also, Heimlich isn't really much like a train, IMO. So if you wanted something that actually resembled a train, I'd do Casey Jr. Not sure how the lines are. I think I've only ever ridden it at night.

 

[bronko78]

The line doesn't usually look long, but sometimes it takes longer than others, depending on if they're running more than one train or not. It is worth the wait, in my opinion, and while my kids like Heimlich, it doesn't compare.

 

[bumbershoot]

With a timid, newbie 3 year old, I would start with Heimlich's.

There has been a line for it a few times we've gone, so though it doesn't usually have a line, it can indeed. But it's a lovely queue and it's full of little ones, so even if there are people in front of you it should be OK.

And if there's not much line, you can ask to go again if she likes it, and they don't always have you get out to go again, you just stay in! So I would definitely start with that, it's probably the easiest ride of them all, especially for a timid first-timer.

Oh, but you might want to make sure she's seen bug's life. If you haven't been on the ride, Heimlich talks, loudly, the whole way through (he burps, too!). Also there are smells and you're misted with watermelon water at one point.

We love the ride. At DS's request (when he was 3) we went on it 8 times without getting off the ride. Nice little nap!



Now as for Casey's. It's a great ride, most definitely! And an OK line-up, though it's longer than it appears IMO. But it's a zippy little train, going faster than you think it will. So for that reason I don't see it as an appropriate first ride for a timid newbie, especially if you have DCA to choose from. I might do Casey's first when you get to DL, but in my opinion it would be good to start with Heimlich's.

 

[LavenderPeach]

Thanks everyone for the good suggestions! I think maybe we'll go to CA first and try Heimlich. I think DS will be okay with the fact that the Chew Chew train doesn't look like a regular train. He hasn't seen bug's life (he's not very interested in watching movies) but i made him a disney "text book" with pictures of disney characters that have rides so we've talked a little about Heimlich. I was also just thinking that the chew chew train might be better at first because it has open cars and Casey has some that are covered. He was a little more nervous about the train we went on that had covered cars instead of being open although he did fine once the train started.

 

[JaneJetson]

Thanks everyone for the good suggestions! I think maybe we'll go to CA first and try Heimlich. I think DS will be okay with the fact that the Chew Chew train doesn't look like a regular train. He hasn't seen bug's life (he's not very interested in watching movies) but i made him a disney "text book" with pictures of disney characters that have rides so we've talked a little about Heimlich. I was also just thinking that the chew chew train might be better at first because it has open cars and Casey has some that are covered. He was a little more nervous about the train we went on that had covered cars instead of being open although he did fine once the train started.

You can also search for ride videos on youtube.com and show them to him. that might help prepare him a little.

 

[LavenderPeach]

You can also search for ride videos on youtube.com and show them to him. that might help prepare him a little.

I did that a little bit but i found the audio on most of them to be sort of annoying (a lot of background noise and people talking loudly - sometimes in another language ). I would love to see some sort of a music video for the rides so that you hear a nice, clean version of the soundtrack to listen to while you watch the video of the ride. I did see one for Casey Jr that was like that but I didn't see any others.

I think it would help for DS to see some ride videos in order to recognize it when we get to DLR but i don't think he understands that he's watching a ride he will be going on. He is a little delayed in his development and he was somewhat isolated for a long time (due to his numerous medical issues) so he doesn't always understand stuff like that. And he also doesn't really talk yet so sometimes it's hard to know what he understands and what he doesn't.

 

[Mugglemama]

I did that a little bit but i found the audio on most of them to be sort of annoying (a lot of background noise and people talking loudly - sometimes in another language ). I would love to see some sort of a music video for the rides so that you hear a nice, clean version of the soundtrack to listen to while you watch the video of the ride. I did see one for Casey Jr that was like that but I didn't see any others.

I think it would help for DS to see some ride videos in order to recognize it when we get to DLR but i don't think he understands that he's watching a ride he will be going on. He is a little delayed in his development and he was somewhat isolated for a long time (due to his numerous medical issues) so he doesn't always understand stuff like that. And he also doesn't really talk yet so sometimes it's hard to know what he understands and what he doesn't.

considering all of that, heimlich really does seem like it would be a better first ride. you might want to consider going on a carousel too, perhaps sitting on the bench with your son the first go-round before seeing if he's ready to ride on one of the horses.

autopia might be one you want to consider? the disneyland train? i hate autopia myself, and have never been able to figure out why the line is often long, but it is a good candidate for a ride that your little guy might not feel afraid on.

 

[DahliaRW]

Casey wan't open for MM when we were there. I dunno how the line is first thing in the morning, but we went in the evening and waited nearly a half hour.

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

you could also ride the train around the park.

I think casey jr is my favorite ride in fl my dd3 loves the monkey cage.

 

[bumbershoot]

Thanks everyone for the good suggestions! I think maybe we'll go to CA first and try Heimlich. I think DS will be okay with the fact that the Chew Chew train doesn't look like a regular train. He hasn't seen bug's life (he's not very interested in watching movies) but i made him a disney "text book" with pictures of disney characters that have rides so we've talked a little about Heimlich. I was also just thinking that the chew chew train might be better at first because it has open cars and Casey has some that are covered. He was a little more nervous about the train we went on that had covered cars instead of being open although he did fine once the train started.

You bring up something that should probably be talked about with him. And that's the fact that you are riding IN Heimlich. According to the micechat types, it's a great failing of that area, that the theme falls apart (of it being a carnival made by bugs for bugs, so why is all but one ride riding IN a bug shape?). It's cute to us, but depending on your guy's personality, it might be a bit "ew". Only Flik's Flyers really has the theme part right, where you're riding in things that bugs might have put together to make a dumbo-type ride. All the rest? Riding in bugs.


We only like riding in the unenclosed cars on Casey's. Hubby is paranoid about not fitting in the train cars, and frankly it's fun to face forward on it (though we've never been in a train car so we have nothing to compare it to). And people (in my gigantic twice-on-the-ride experience, LOL) tend to NOT take the outside cars, they gravitate towards the fun train cars! So it's generally pretty easy to snag an outside seat, and the CMs there have been super-nice to me (we had been waiting and were in the very middle of the narrow line when suddenly DS had to pee NOW, and as we made out way out, the CM told us to just come up the exit ramp so we didn't have to wait in line again, for instance), so asking to wait until the next ride, if the outside cars fill up ahead of you, probably won't be any trouble at all.


The train around the park is such a good idea! The only issue is the dinosaur part, so maybe you can find out where to get on and where to get off so that you avoid that part, at least at first, for your sensitive one.

 

[JaneJetson]

Quite a few parts on the train around the park go into dark tunnels. So keep that in mind.

We like sitting in the caboose of Casey Jr. We face backwards but we like it.

 

[LavenderPeach]

autopia might be one you want to consider? the disneyland train?

Yes, i think he would like autopia (i like it too!) and it's a nice outdoor ride. I know over the course of the next year we will be slowly working our way up to going on the dark rides. We'll try the big train too.

You bring up something that should probably be talked about with him. And that's the fact that you are riding IN Heimlich. According to the micechat types, it's a great failing of that area, that the theme falls apart (of it being a carnival made by bugs for bugs, so why is all but one ride riding IN a bug shape?). It's cute to us, but depending on your guy's personality, it might be a bit "ew". Only Flik's Flyers really has the theme part right, where you're riding in things that bugs might have put together to make a dumbo-type ride. All the rest? Riding in bugs.


We only like riding in the unenclosed cars on Casey's. Hubby is paranoid about not fitting in the train cars, and frankly it's fun to face forward on it (though we've never been in a train car so we have nothing to compare it to). And people (in my gigantic twice-on-the-ride experience, LOL) tend to NOT take the outside cars, they gravitate towards the fun train cars! So it's generally pretty easy to snag an outside seat, and the CMs there have been super-nice to me (we had been waiting and were in the very middle of the narrow line when suddenly DS had to pee NOW, and as we made out way out, the CM told us to just come up the exit ramp so we didn't have to wait in line again, for instance), so asking to wait until the next ride, if the outside cars fill up ahead of you, probably won't be any trouble at all.


The train around the park is such a good idea! The only issue is the dinosaur part, so maybe you can find out where to get on and where to get off so that you avoid that part, at least at first, for your sensitive one.

You're right about the Heimlich cars. I never thought about it but it is kind of strange that you're riding in a bug instead of something made by a bug. Thanks for the warning about that but i don't think it won't bother DS at all. He has had such limited experiece in the real world (as opposed to the hospital world) that I don't think he would think it was strange or gross or anything. He just turned 3 but in some ways acts like a lot younger and i don't think his thinking is sophistacted enough yet to find it disturbing in that way.

And I'm not too concerned about him being afraid of the dinosaur on the big train. Since it's outside the train I think he will be okay with it. He is more worried about people or things coming right up to him since he thinks they might try to put an IV in him or do some sort of therapy with him or any of the other many traumatic things he's had to experience. And the dark rides might be an issue because sometimes he gets upset about going inside enclosed areas- but not always - so it's hard to tell what he will think of all this.

And thanks for the insight about the enclosed cars vs. unenclosed cars on Casey Jr. I figured we would ask the CM if we could have an open car but if they don't fill up as fast anyway then we might not have to do that.

 

[bumbershoot]

Poor little munchkin.

His fears remind me of my cousin (who is now grown with two kids of her own). She had congenital cataracts, and had multiple eye surgeries starting very young. Although she was always totally "out" for her surgeries, one day my aunt took her to a portrait studio to have pix taken. They darkened the room and then pointed their bright light on her to take the pictures, and my poor cousin, who was only a few years old, started screaming. Seems that some part of her remembered the bright lights of the OR and had a reaction to that. My aunt had to carry her out of the mall, with my cousin screaming and crying the whole way.

Sweet little kids who have to have stuff done so early, I just wanna hug 'em close (but gently).

 

[LavenderPeach]

Poor little munchkin.

His fears remind me of my cousin (who is now grown with two kids of her own). She had congenital cataracts, and had multiple eye surgeries starting very young. Although she was always totally "out" for her surgeries, one day my aunt took her to a portrait studio to have pix taken. They darkened the room and then pointed their bright light on her to take the pictures, and my poor cousin, who was only a few years old, started screaming. Seems that some part of her remembered the bright lights of the OR and had a reaction to that. My aunt had to carry her out of the mall, with my cousin screaming and crying the whole way.

Sweet little kids who have to have stuff done so early, I just wanna hug 'em close (but gently).

Oh, your poor cousin! Makes you wonder if she was really out during the surgeries. You sometimes hear about people who were somewhat awake during surgery and could feel and hear things but couldn't move or talk to let them know there was a problem. That would be so awful. And of course with little kids they have no way of telling you stuff like that.

Thankfully, even though DS has been through a lot (and still has more stuff to come) he has always been a very happy little guy and had endured all this medical stuff better than probably most adults would. I'm glad all his major medical stuff was dealt with early on because the older he gets the more he understands that something painful or uncomfortable is about to happen and he gets more upset about it than he used to. He's also stronger and harder to hold still when they need to do something.

So, anyway, i'm really hoping we can find some stuff for him to get excited about at DLR so he sees that some new experiences are fun. It will certainly be interesting to see what he thinks of everything.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Does your little one like horses? He might like to go on the horse carriage on Main Street. It might be considered an adventure to him, and it is short, so he can get the feeling of going on a ride, and enjoy the view down Main Street riding behind a horse.

If you go on the dark rides, either save Snow White & Pinocchio for last or don't go on them. They tend to frighten young children.

If you need an area for him to get away from the crowds (though I don't really think you'll hit a big crowd on the 13th), go to the Woody's Roundup area. It's usually quieter there.

I'm sure you'll have a great new experience with him.

 

[LavenderPeach]

Does your little one like horses? He might like to go on the horse carriage on Main Street. It might be considered an adventure to him, and it is short, so he can get the feeling of going on a ride, and enjoy the view down Main Street riding behind a horse.

If you go on the dark rides, either save Snow White & Pinocchio for last or don't go on them. They tend to frighten young children.

If you need an area for him to get away from the crowds (though I don't really think you'll hit a big crowd on the 13th), go to the Woody's Roundup area. It's usually quieter there.

I'm sure you'll have a great new experience with him.

The horse carriage is a good idea. Plus I don't think i've ever been on it so it will be new for me too! DS does like horses (in theory). I don't think he would want to be too close but we wouldn't be getting very close for the carriage ride so that might be fun for him.

I agree Snow White and Pinocchio seem a little scary so we won't be doing those. Eventually I would like to take him on Pooh but I think we'll wait to try any dark rides until he gets used to some of the other rides first.

I think he will really like IASW but he might not like the beginning where you first enter the building. He loves that song though so. About a year ago he had an infection on his incision from a surgery so several times a day we had to clean it and put new bandages on it, etc. He would get so upset about this so one day I started singing IASW to him and it immediately calmed him down. I would sing it to him every time we had to do that "procedure" on him and it kept him quiet and calm the whole time. And he still likes me to sing it to him. In fact, right now it's the only song he'll let me sing to him! Although he'll have to wait until after Christmas to hear his favorite song. I'm not sure what he would think of the Christmas version.

Good tip about Woody's Round Up. DS doesn't seem to mind crowds, he just doesn't like individual attention from someone he doesn't know since he doesn't know what they might do to him. But I might need to get away from the crowds so we'll have to check it out. Also, since we'll be going back all year with our APs, even if it's not crowded on the 13th i'm sure it will be other times we go so i'll have to remember that.

 

[bumbershoot]

DS doesn't seem to mind crowds, he just doesn't like individual attention from someone he doesn't know since he doesn't know what they might do to him.

You guys might be the first people I have ever advised to bring all your bandaids, ibuprofen, etc, so you don't have to go to the First Aid station. No doctors there, but there are nurses, and it's usually the nurses who do the stuff to you!


With my cousin, I just think there's always some level of awareness even when you're out; if you think about people who know what their surgeons were talking about and such, I just think there's always some part of your being aware in there, even if you can't feel stuff.

With my cousin, both of her kids inherited cataracts too (I guess it's a 25% chance with each kid), and I've noticed that there have been no fancy "studio" pictures done of her kids yet....

 

[LavenderPeach]

You guys might be the first people I have ever advised to bring all your bandaids, ibuprofen, etc, so you don't have to go to the First Aid station. No doctors there, but there are nurses, and it's usually the nurses who do the stuff to you!

Hmm... I never thought about that but you're right. We wouldn't want to go see another nurse if we could avoid it. I'll have to think about putting together a mini first-aid kit to take. Good observation!