How can I determine if my 5 yo boy is ready for Big Thunder?

[YawningDodo]

Lots of good advice here -- if you're unsure, I'd say try him on the Barnstormer and see how he handles that first. If you do take him on Big Thunder, I definitely second the suggestion to sit as close as you can to the front of the train on his first ride. Boring for a coaster fanatic, but less overwhelming for a kid experiencing it for the first time.

The mentions of It's Tough to Be a Bug...man, the first time I went to WDW as a kid, that show had me gibbering in terror. I was twelve, so all you people with five-year-olds that handled it well should count your blessings. My poor mom never did get to go on ToT during that trip due to having to sit it out with me while my older brother rode alone.

 

[BubblyTrip]

My 5 yo has been riding it for two years. He has always loved kiddie coasters and rides in general. First year we presented it as a really fast train ride. "kind of like the roller coaster at our fair, but a train." He just loves it.

 

[Buddyex]

my 4 year old nephew loved Big Thunder it was definitely one of his favourites, we also took him on Tower of Terror , he was fine, but as we were out of he ride he calmly said, " I don't wanna go on the creepy elevator again" , cut to 12 months later we wnet to Disney in Tokyo, where he happily rode everything he was tall enough for including TOT, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain etc. I guess it depends on the kid, but Big Thunder would be a good introduction to the thrill rides.

 

[Mousemommy1]

You would be the best judge since you are his parent? Has he expressed interest? I agree with PP's to show him videos.

Our oldest wasn't enthralled with BTMRR at the age of 5 but that's because she was already riding rock n roller coaster and was obsessed with it!

She is now 10 and appreciates BTMRR as a classic ride.

 

[aubreysmom09]

We took DD for her 4th birthday. Before going we showed her the videos, and she seemed to enjoy them. She loves Big Thunder, and ToT. At 2.5 we did It's Tough to Be a Bug she did really well. This year we are so excited because she can ride space mountain and Expedition Everest. She just turned 5. On a side note we are amusement park junkies. We have lived with in 30min of Busch Gardens Williamsburg for 15 years except last year when we lived in Hershey, PA. She is use to coasters, and the ones at Disney are pretty tame compared to other parks. Her favorite coaster is Super Dooper Looper at Hershey it goes upside down. If you have an adventurous kid you are probably good

 

[mco65]

If your 5 yo rides Goofy's barnstormer and loves it, then they will likely be ready for big Thunder. I think my twins rode Big Thunder at 4... it scared me more than them..

 

[GillianP1301]

Just ask him, that's what I do. At 5 they are well old enough to express if they want to try something or not. Depending on the child, you can certainly try to encourage or discourage accordingly, but ultimately I think it should be the child's choice.

Starting at 4 years old, every year we've gone, I have my son watch the ride for a bit it and I ask if he wants to ride it and he doesn't, so we move on. He's now 7, so we'll see what he says this year, but I think he's getting close to ready for it just given how his courage has been increasing for our local theme park.

 

[IBLarsen]

My kids have been going on it since age 4, and loved it. I can say though that it can whip their little heads around, and I found it helped to wrap one arm around the back of DD's neck against the back of the seat, kind of padding it so her head wouldn't jerk back so hard, as it's quite bumpy for little ones. But both my kids have always LOVED it! (DD insisted on going on Matterhorn in DL at age 3, and did fine with it, so I figured she could handle Big Thunder as well.
I 2nd the watching of the you tube videos so the kids know what to expect and if they think it looks like fun they will be more open to trying it without being scared. The scary part often times is not knowing what to expect.

 

[Crystal824]

I agree with the PPs that said take him on Barnstormer first. If he likes it, progress to BTMRR. My daughter LOVES Barnstormer, but this will be the first year she is tall enough to ride BTMRR. She is super excited; she is 4.

With that being said, I don't make my daughter ride any attraction. If she doesn't show interest, she can skip. She LOVES rollercoasters. She tells me she isn't going to ride ToT though. That is fine. We will probably make a FP+ selection anyway since everyone else wants to ride it. Her FP may go unused or someone else may ride twice or she could change her mind.

Show him pictures and video and ask him. You can always make the FP+ selection and change it or he can opt not to ride.

 

[HM]

BTTMR and Splash were my four year old daughter's favorite on our first trip.

 

[k_null81]

My 4 year old twin boys went on all the rides that were 40 inches and taller last year for the first time this past May and loved it! They loved everything they could ride except Dinosaur and my one son is iffy about Tower of Terror but I'm pretty sure he will get back on this coming May without much trouble. Or at least I hope not as it's everyone else's favorite ride. Fingers crosssed they will be tall enough for expedition everest this year!!!!

 

[richmo]

I'd say go thru the progression. If Barnstormer is good, try 7DMT. If that's good, go for BTMRR. Hope he likes them all!

 

[TheMightyOb]

On our first trip to Disney my 5 year old DD and I went on it again and again. She was more scared of barnstormer (tbh so was I). It seemed faster / higher.

Kids are kids, one day they will be scared the next they won't. That same 5 year old went onto haunted mansion with me. I have a pic of her doing a kung fu pose in the entrance. She lost her mind and screamed through the intro to the ride - didnt even make it to the cars. We had to leave through a back door.

I recommend building them up by talking about it alot and the fun factor. Hopefully the anticipation of the fun overrides any fears they have when they get there.

 

[Funfire240]

When DD was 5 we went on the barnstromer (DS was 3 - first ride we went on I figure just take him on it - scared the living daylights out of him and he wouldn't ride anything the rest of the trip until TSM because we told him it was a "game" not a "ride"!) anyways DD loved that and declared she was ready for BTMR so we went right away and got fastpasses. She didn't do well on it and it scared her which surprised me. She was shaking so bad I had to carry her off.

Now she loves 7DMT and can't wait to get back on that but is leary about going back on BTMR - she wouldn't ride it last year.

DS I thought would be the one - at 2 he loved everything he could go on and wanted Dumbo even to go higher and faster. At 3 declared he was afraid of heights but I got him on barnstormer and the rest is history as above.
At 4 he did better and we did get him on 7DMT 2 times and test track and he didn't do too bad. Will be interesting to see how he does at 5 this year.

 

[djp0630]

My daughter was 4 and my son was technically 3(turned 4 on trip) when they rode it. It's pretty tame as far as rollercoasters go. I would fp+ but then start with barnstormer and see how he does. If he doesn't like that, change the fp+ while you are there.

 

[Pesky]

"How can I determine if my 5 yo boy is ready for Big Thunder?"

Take him to Walmart, put him in a cart, and push the cart down an empty aisle as fast as you can.

If he screams with delight and asks you to do it again, he's ready.

Thank goodness my DH doesn't read the boards because he would TOTALLY do this.

We tried BTMRR at DLR when DS was 4 and it was great. I had showed him the ride video on youtube. He loves dinosaurs and so was fascinated that we got to go through the dinosaur bones. I told him that he could see all the people getting off the ride and having a great time and that I would not put him on something that I didn't feel was safe. Plus I told him that it was my favorite ride so he didn't have a choice. He loved it and laughed the whole way.

 

[TallTinker]

The simplest way is he will ask to go on it. Last year my just turned 5yo passed the Barnstormer test and was super excited to go on BTMR. However, he did NOT like Big Thunder. It was far too shakey for him and I had to hold on to him tight to keep him from bouncing around his seat. He was a very big kid about it, though and didn't cry. A good test to see what a kid really thought of a ride, ask if they would want to go on it again (choose your words carefully or you may get stuck back in line). He replied, no way for this trip and maybe when he was ten he would like to go on it again. He was asking about 7DMT the rest of the week seeing the carts whizz by and wanting to go on that but it wasn't destined to open for another week.
Now planning a trip for this spring, he says he definitely wants to do it this time. After last years reaction, I am unconvinced. So the plan is to do Barnstormer, then 7DMT. We will get in the line for BTMR if he wants after riding those and we have one adult set who is of the Dramamine sort (doesn't want to ride but will suck it up for the kid) who will bounce out of the line with him if he chickens.
If you're caught on it when they realize it was a bad idea, best thing is to hold on to them tight to minimize the bounce and have them tuck their head into your side and close their eyes.

 

[kmorey303]

"How can I determine if my 5 yo boy is ready for Big Thunder?"

Take him to Walmart, put him in a cart, and push the cart down an empty aisle as fast as you can.

If he screams with delight and asks you to do it again, he's ready.

Hahahaha! Love this quote! My DD was 4 and very timid, but loved it her first ride!! We had to do it about 6 more times that week!

 

[bocaj1431]

"How can I determine if my 5 yo boy is ready for Big Thunder?"

Take him to Walmart, put him in a cart, and push the cart down an empty aisle as fast as you can.

If he screams with delight and asks you to do it again, he's ready.

So I am 40 and was thinking about trying Big Thunder but I am not sure if I am ready for it.
Maybe I'll have my boyfriend push me down the isle in a cart and see how I make out.

 

[AllieBoo]

I say just go for it! If he hates it, he doesn't have to ride it again, but he may just love it. It is one of my DD's favorite and has been since she was about 5.