How to get a child on rides.

[ruadisneyfan2]

I've never been to DL but I recall reading in a WDW guidebook when we were newbies that Pirates in WDW is different from the one in Cali because of the way the WDW railroad cuts through it. They had to make a big drop to get boats under the RR tracks. It's shortly into the ride that you just start going into pitch darkness then a drop. Not a big one like Splash Mtn but it always catches newcomers by surprise because you can't see it coming.
Just saying so in case the PoC in DL is not this way and you're picturing a flat track in your mind.

I can remember ds, now 16, actually trembling all over as he started to step into Test Track at age 4. He changed his mind at the last minute and couldn't bring himself to get into the seat. We walked out some unusual exit to go wait for dh & older ds, a CM saw us walking and showed him the security/control area with all the TV monitors and you can see various sections of track and watch the cars as they pass by the cameras. It was so nice of them and he could watch the cars going fast and it helped him calm down. By the time we were done watching, it was almost time to meet up with dh and older ds.

This same trembling boy went on the Lochness Monster in Williamsburg, VA at age 7.

 

[Magical2017]

We always start "small." Before we head over to Space Mountain or even Thunder Mountain, we do some tamer rides and shows, and then ride Barnstormer. This is how we found out our oldest would be more cautious and our youngest would be the king of roller coasters. We also are ready to exit any ride, even if we have waited and are next. We have walked off Pirates and Test Track before. On our last visit, our oldest rode all the coasters except Rockin' Roller Coaster, but refused to watch "Bugs Life" at AK. I took him outside while my husband and younger son went it. I think for our January 2017 trip he may finally be ready to ride everything.

 

[ktlm]

DD went through that phase. POTC, HM, TT and Soarin were rides she had previously liked, but she insisted she would not set foot on them. Suddenly the fireworks at the end of Soarin were scary, as was the little drop on POTC, HM was just creepy and TT (the old version) we had gotten stuck in the hot room and it was miserable and she stated she was never setting foot on it again. We used bribery and it worked wonders. We promised Mickey Head Ice Cream bars and popsicles a lot if she would get on things. If that didn't work, we would promise to buy a pin or some other little trinket she had her eye on.

 

[msmama]

I've got an 8 year old that's the same way so my advice after 8 trips...

Distraction. In line, if he starts to think too much about the ride, he freaks himself out. So we need to do SOMETHING else in the line - we play the "I'm thinking of..." game a lot (like 20 questions but with no limit to the number of questions). Also Heads Up is fun (but I don't like to pull the electronics out before every ride).

Compare to things that she HAS ridden and DOES like. Peter Pan may not be exactly like Winnie the Pooh, for example, but it's close enough since neither of them are really scary.

This one I learned last trip - If you're going to try something new that may be scary (even if it's her idea) DON'T do it the first day/first thing. My son wanted to try Splash this trip and I was afraid he'd chicken out so I made him do it first thing. He HATED it (partly my fault because I had convinced him it was just the one big drop and then a lot of inside stuff - turns out there's actually several drops in there that I didn't remember)!! Anyway, even though he's ridden 7DMT many times before, after Splash, he just couldn't do it.

Now, the good thing about not riding as many BIG rides, is that you can get a lot more done. I can use my FP+'s on things that most people don't bother with, and usually the ones available the same day are ones that work for us (if necessary, often they're not). There are also TONS of other things to do at WDW. My son likes the Sorcerers of the MK game, the Kidcot stations at Epcot and the Wilderness Explorer thing at AK (different than the one in DL).

Now that I'm remembering though, we went to DL when my son was 6 and we rode about the rides you listed and that's it - maybe not even that many.

Good luck

 

[lolakat]

My DD is 8 going on 9 and is a super scardy-cat when it comes to rides. She got terrified on Barnstormer at about 5 and says she feels like she "can't breathe" when she goes on fast rides. The hardest part is that she wants to want to go on rides and gets mad at herself for not wanting to go on them. We go to WDW a few times a year and have learned to just stick to the rides that she has tried and liked and do kid swap if there is another one we really want to do... Anyway, I feel your pain. A couple of pointers.

1. I wanted to caution you about bribery. We tried that last year to try to get her on a new ride. She really wanted to go on the ride but was just so anxious she couldn't do it. She was so fixated on not getting the bribe (a stuffed animal) and constantly was upset about it. Then we were trapped b/c we couldn't just get the silly plushy and be done with it until she "earned it." Three trips later I was able to give her the plushy as a reward for running her first 5k. DH and vowed we would never get caught in a bribe catch 22 again. Honest... It was awful.

2. Not every ride will let you do a formal "kid swap" but the cast members will usually help you to get one parent on at a time if you all wait in line together. Our DD is too tall to kid swap most rides so we usually get a fast pass then all wait in line together then my husband and I take turns going on the ride.

3. The YouTube pre-views are great but be prepared that you DC might veto a ride based on the video. I showed DD the new Frozen ride video thinking she would like it and she freaked out over the "drops" and darkness even though the ride is very calm overall.

Either way I hope you decide to bring her on the trip. There are so many wonderful things to do at WDW beyond the rides. We spend a lot of our time just enjoying our surroundings. I hope you have a great trip.

 

[Ndusmama]

I've got an 8 year old that's the same way so my advice after 8 trips...

Distraction. In line, if he starts to think too much about the ride, he freaks himself out. So we need to do SOMETHING else in the line - we play the "I'm thinking of..." game a lot (like 20 questions but with no limit to the number of questions). Also Heads Up is fun (but I don't like to pull the electronics out before every ride).

Compare to things that she HAS ridden and DOES like. Peter Pan may not be exactly like Winnie the Pooh, for example, but it's close enough since neither of them are really scary.

This one I learned last trip - If you're going to try something new that may be scary (even if it's her idea) DON'T do it the first day/first thing. My son wanted to try Splash this trip and I was afraid he'd chicken out so I made him do it first thing. He HATED it (partly my fault because I had convinced him it was just the one big drop and then a lot of inside stuff - turns out there's actually several drops in there that I didn't remember)!! Anyway, even though he's ridden 7DMT many times before, after Splash, he just couldn't do it.

Now, the good thing about not riding as many BIG rides, is that you can get a lot more done. I can use my FP+'s on things that most people don't bother with, and usually the ones available the same day are ones that work for us (if necessary, often they're not). There are also TONS of other things to do at WDW. My son likes the Sorcerers of the MK game, the Kidcot stations at Epcot and the Wilderness Explorer thing at AK (different than the one in DL).

Now that I'm remembering though, we went to DL when my son was 6 and we rode about the rides you listed and that's it - maybe not even that many.

Good luck

My DD is 8 going on 9 and is a super scardy-cat when it comes to rides. She got terrified on Barnstormer at about 5 and says she feels like she "can't breathe" when she goes on fast rides. The hardest part is that she wants to want to go on rides and gets mad at herself for not wanting to go on them. We go to WDW a few times a year and have learned to just stick to the rides that she has tried and liked and do kid swap if there is another one we really want to do... Anyway, I feel your pain. A couple of pointers.

1. I wanted to caution you about bribery. We tried that last year to try to get her on a new ride. She really wanted to go on the ride but was just so anxious she couldn't do it. She was so fixated on not getting the bribe (a stuffed animal) and constantly was upset about it. Then we were trapped b/c we couldn't just get the silly plushy and be done with it until she "earned it." Three trips later I was able to give her the plushy as a reward for running her first 5k. DH and vowed we would never get caught in a bribe catch 22 again. Honest... It was awful.

2. Not every ride will let you do a formal "kid swap" but the cast members will usually help you to get one parent on at a time if you all wait in line together. Our DD is too tall to kid swap most rides so we usually get a fast pass then all wait in line together then my husband and I take turns going on the ride.

3. The YouTube pre-views are great but be prepared that you DC might veto a ride based on the video. I showed DD the new Frozen ride video thinking she would like it and she freaked out over the "drops" and darkness even though the ride is very calm overall.

Either way I hope you decide to bring her on the trip. There are so many wonderful things to do at WDW beyond the rides. We spend a lot of our time just enjoying our surroundings. I hope you have a great trip.

Yes mine is a scarcely cat too. I won't take her on rides that I know will freak her out. I'm hoping this will help with fastpass selection. I do have a toddler too so baby swap is not an issue if rides are available, I am not sure how to do haunted mansion though. She won't even go into the line. We did sotmk last time and she liked it. This time she says she doesn't even want to try. Im just not sure what to try. I'm not into coercing her or bribing Her because I know that won't work and I don't want to force something she isn't ready for. I just want to get her to try new things that I think she is ready for. A person previous suggested stickers on a map or pins for the rides she has done. I am creative/tech savvy enough hat I think I could do a missing sticker map. I like the idea of games in line. Maybe we could do a spot the hidden Mickey challenge or trivia challenge for rides. It's not like dl where we know where most of the hidden mickeys are (more than are posted in the books sold), WDW is new for us.

 

[Accident]

the only suggestion I have is first be fair on what the ride is but it might be time to teach compromise where sometimes you just do what someone else wants because your together as a group. My daughter took that rough being an only child that was very grandparent spoiled (and a little dad spoiled) younger. "This ride is important to me, you need to go on it and we'll get back to something you want to do next"..

if you do end up getting there and she doesn't want to go on anything, look up the games at each park you can do. Sorcerers of the magic kingdom, A pirates adventure (also MK), agent p in epcot, wilderness explorers at animal kingdom. hmm I don't think hollywood has one.. they aren't short and really hold kids attention going around the park looking at everything different so it's something special you can give that isn't at DL as far as I know... They are also all free (well included in your ticket price).

 

[Naomi Collison]

We have been doing youtube videos for my DD (5).

I have also started working on this now with local places we go. For instance we were at the water park the other day and DD is finally tall enough to ride one of the water coasters. She was rather nervous of it but I knew if she rode it she would love it. So we spoke about how exciting it was that she was tall enough to ride and how exciting it is we will be going to Disney next year and there will be rides there that look kinda scary too but are super fun, and we need to practice for Disney so lets ride it once together and if she doesn't like it she wont have to ride it again. The key to this working is 1. Start with rides you KNOW your kid will love. You need to build trust in the system before you introduce the rides that might be questionable and 2. If your kid gets off the ride saying they didn't like it, that's it. no cajoling them to ride it again. Once again you have to build trust in the system and the trust that if they don't like it, they don't have to ride it.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

You Tube videos are your friend! I usually sit with my kids and watch the you tube videos with rides they haven't been on before. My older son has been to Disney like 4 or 5 times so he knows all the basica rides, but hes 9 now and all he wants are thrill rides, lol, so now we have been watching videos of thrill type rides (dinosaur, everest, tower or terror). My younger son has been to Disney 2 times but he's only 3 so each time he goes to Disney its like the first time bc he doesn't remember year to year, lol...I do know certain things he does do well with so I am not going to make him ride those things or look at those rides, but he is EXTREMELY excited to ride Frozen Ever After, LOL...Like I said you tube videos are your friend, lol

 

[lady_hlh]

My DD insisted on going on TT when she was maybe 5 or 6. She was a daredevil prior to TT but after that she was scared of everything. Another year we met up with a family who we knew at MK and the other girl convinced my DD to go on BTM which became her favorite ride. She still wouldn't do any other rollercoasters so we bribed her to go on SM and now she loves all the coasters plus she went back on TT.

 

[Pesky]

Make her part of your solution! Why not ask her "hey, you say you don't want to do certain rides, but then you try them and really like them. I sure would hate you to miss rides that might be your new favorites. What do you think is the best way you can feel more comfortable about going on a new ride?" See what she says. Maybe it is looking through youtube ride videos. Maybe it is starting off with some old favorites. Maybe it is working her way up to more intense rides -- IASW, PPF, SDMT, BTMRR, Splash, etc. Maybe it is varying what to her are more intense rides with the easy-going slower ones like the carousel or dumbo. Talk to her about what are her "heck no!" parts of rides -- is it getting wet? being in the dark? That's how I figured out DS hates getting wet but is fine if wearing his swim trunks (go figure). Talk to her about how tastes can change over time and that what she loves one year may not be what she enjoys another year, like loving strawberry ice cream until she really gets into chocolate. When she does try something new, have her take a note of what she thought of it -- scary at first but fun, fast and got hair in my face, couldn't stop laughing, etc. Sometimes letting her have control over her own little experiments with what she likes (love M&G, don't like roller coasters or big drops) can help her feel a sense of control that might make her feel more secure.

 

[ajwolfe]

The family we just went with has an 8 year old that needed to be bribed into going onto the rides or staying in the park longer. Hard for me to understand completely as my kids have never had an issue with either. But it seemed like his issue was just not wanting to stand in line or keep moving for the day. So they would tell him he could get an infinity character or whatever at the end of the day if he continued on doing what the group was doing, etc. It seemed to work relatively well for him. Note: He LOVED the rides. It was not an issue of being scared. More of he's just not an overly social kid.

 

[Gracie09]

I wouldn't force her like above poster said you can do ride swap if worst comes to worst. I guess you can also bribe her and tell her that if she goes on the rides she can pick up some goodies in the gift shop at the end of the trip but I wouldn't force her to go on anything she really doesn't want to. I wouldn't stress about it too much. Maybe try half days in the park from morning to early afternoon and then pool time or whatever she would like to do so it won't be so much that she gets cranky and has a meltdown. Or you could wait a few years to go back so she would be old enough to remember it, would appreciate it a bit more and have more interest in the rides.

Rider swap isn't available on rides without a height requirement and if the daughter is taller than the minimum height it is likely she will not get a swap. YouTube and outside rides first and if that fails bribes. Dd1 was afraid of a few rides but the pin prize at the end was enough for her to overcome the fear and ride. She even enjoyed some although not all

 

[allysetraskos]

Yeh so I was a horrible mother when my son was 4 I lied and told him that Tower Of Terror was just an elevator ride... We are still dealing with elevator issues at age 7 now.
My best advice is to show her rides online to ease into things, it spoils the magic a bit but honestly she will probably forget all about the video anyways lol

 

[Nancyg56]

I think people get too hung up on "rides" when it comes to Disney. I understand the cost, and I factor that into all of our vacation destinations, but when it comes to kids who are afraid to go on a ride, we move on. There is a lot to do and to see that does not involve the rides. Now that does not mean I would not try to address the situation and to ease the child's fears, but that is as far as I would go.


I fin that looking at the total cost of the trip and then deciding what, as a family, we want from the trip helps a lot. Once you begin dividing each component and looking at the one that "falls short" you can begin to resent it if you do not get the "money's worth".


My DGD is afraid, even at 14 of some attractions, and others make her nauseous. We either split up and some go on, or we skip it. She is old enough to fend for herself, and she does, but there are times we choose to stay together.