Is Dumbo a must see for little kids? or is it over-rated??

[bratray]

hello

to me dumbo seems like any other up and down carnival ride.....am i wrong?

we have been to WDW 3 times and i have never taken my DS4 on dumbo- am i a "bad mommy" ? i try to get to the real "good" rides, ie buzz, winnie, peter pan..... before all the long lines

we are going in July and i know its gonna be real crowded and with tour guide mikes help i am trying to put together a real good itinerary for EE where we are not waiting in line forever

so what do you think? DS has never asked to go on dumbo-
do you think its a big deal to just by-pass it again or should i keep it on my list of must do attractions?

thanks

lisa

 

[lisadam]

It's a "must do" for my 4 year old - but our last visit (his second) he decided he was frightened of nearly everything else.

If your son hasn't asked and the lines are long - I wouldn't worry - it's only a "must do" if it's a "must-do" for him.

Having said that - I love the grin on my son's face as he goes around and around - prettty nice view from up there - and he likes that he can control the up and down part

 

[skiwee1]

Take that child on Dumbo! LOL! You must do this at least once. My 4 y/o loves that ride. Yes the lines can be absurd but once we tried it once we go every trip. Even if the line is 45 minutes long our trip is not complete without Dumbo. At least for my 4 y/o. Get to the ride first thing in the morning if you want to avoid huge waits. It isn't a thrill ride but certainly thrills my 4 y/o to ride the ride she sees on all the TV commercials. Makes for a great photo opportunity too!

 

[nativetxn]

When I was 6 years old, my daddy drove me and my sister from Houston to Anaheim, CA. Disneyland had just opened. I will never forget my first ride on Dumbo. It was just so <b>magical</b> for two little girls. One of our favorite memories

I ride Dumbo any time I find it without a line and I'm almost 54 years old.

Is it a carnival ride? Yes, it is. Is it <i>magical</i>? Absolutely. Especially if the child riding has seen the animated film "Dumbo".

It's not an exciting ride but for my sister and I it is not to be missed.

Katholyn

 

[snowsdad]

My DD5 loves Dumbo, but she likes Magic Carpets even better - she wants that camel to spit on her! But Dumbo has that wonderful, long history as a park icon - so it's one we always include (maybe primarily for the grown-ups).

 

[Pirate Mickey]

Is Dumbo a must see for little kids?

YES

Is it over-rated??

YES

 

[hightown]

Dumbo is a must do tradition for DD9 and I. She has the controls and tries to get me sick by going up and down and up etc. I play sick but I really enjoy the ride.

It's a must do but we've always hit it first before lines build.

Sharon

 

[Mike]

Well I am probably going to get blasted here, but if the Dumbo ride was removed from the MK today, I wouldn't miss it one bit. The que for that ride is ridiculous! I've spent hours in that line throughout my lifetime and it all ends the same way - a 90 second ride!!!! I do my best to distract the kids when we are approaching Dumbo. Of course , in the end, if they want to ride it I smile and so say sure because I would never deprive them of that experience if that is what they wnated to do. That doesn't stop me from crying on the inside though!!!!

 

[diznygirrl]

Dumbo is a must do tradition for DD9 and I. She has the controls and tries to get me sick by going up and down and up etc. I play sick but I really enjoy the ride.

LOL hightown!!! That's exactly what happens in our family too. My DD's (9 & 6) take turns riding with me so that they can make mommy "sick"!

For us, Dumbo is a must-do, but we would never stand in a long line waiting for it!

 

[kel3420]

Personally I think Dumbo is highly overrated. The only time my kids went on it, was when there was absolutely no line, and we walked on. Now when they see that huge line, they just laugh, point and shake their heads at all the "silly people waiting".

I have to agree that if they took this attraction out, I wouldn't miss it at all.

Kelly

 

[pooh2001]

DO Dumbo at least once on your
magical vacation. The views of
Fantasyland are wonderful.
Notice the crocodile in the lake,
see other rides in the area.

Only one way to get on - Magic Mornings (MM).
When the park open 1 hour for WDW resort guests
before normal hours.

There are not fast-passes. A 1 hour wait is not
worth it. You'll be hot and grumpy before you get
into your colorful elephant.
Do snow-white if you are hot and grumpy and
get a t-shirt to match

We had a 10 minute wait on a MM morning.
It was my DD 7 yr old request. My DS, 11 yrs old,
went on and enjoyed himself.
The views are wonderful - better than Aladins.

The elephants only go up and down (you decide
how high). At the end of the ride - all the elephants
are brought to the highest level and then slowly
guided down till you come to a full stop.

Place small children in the elephant first.
This way they will not have an outside seat.
Elephants only hold 2 people.

So-
1) do it on a MM only
2) enjoy the views


Have a magical day !

 

[bratray]

Thank you for the replies

well, since we have missed Dumbo on 3 previous trips i guess we will all line up, DH, DS16, DD15 me and DS4 and ride this attraction first thing on EE

i just hope DS4 doesn't like it soooo much that everytime we pass by it he want to go back on (lol)

thanks

lisa

 

[erikthewise]

Overrated? I've never heard anyone claim that it's a major attraction, or one of the best offerings at MK, or even better than the Carousel for that matter. So I'm not sure how you can call it "overrated".

It does receive a certain amount of attention because it is a slow-loading ride, so if you want to ride without waiting in a long queue, you need to plan appropriately. If you claim it doesn't deserve all that attention, perhaps you're right. But at least people who receive a warning won't expect a 5-minute wait at 1:00.

 

[baloo722]

i heard "ride Dumbo!" 2,673 times last week from my 2 year old....and that was while we were at AK. So yeah, little ones love it.

 

[luvaladdin]

My kids don't care for it especially. Each of my 3 kids has been on it once, and they didn't ask to go on it again on that trip or any other.

 

[Mom2Em]

DD loves Dumbo... It is one of those rides that you either love or ho-hum... DD loves it...The good thing is what a great photo-op... DD on Dumbo a WDW icon...

 

[jaysue]

My 3 1/2 year old DS does not like Dumbo but likes Magic Carpets of Alladin and Triceratop Spin - kids are a riot!!!

I would take him if he asks otherwise leave it be

Thanks
jaysue

 

[frazzled one]

This discussion reminds me of the first time we took our kids to WDW and the youngest, then 2, not only had to ride Dumbo but told me after about 45 minutes in line that she was going to ride the "real" Dumbo - meaning one with a blue hat! Now there were fewer Dumbos in 1993 than there are now (if I remember correctly), only 2 had blue hats, and I could tell by counting the folks in front of us that she and I would be the last ones on when it was our turn. I had a few bad minutes there, not wanting to disappoint my oh-so-trusting daughter but knowing we just couldn't be that lucky. BUT - Disney magic worked its way for us and somehow the last Dumbo was wearing a blue hat! Our ride was sheer heaven!

 

[Hockeychic]

The first time my family went to Disney I made my kids 12 and 9 at the time line up for about an hour and a bit to ride it and they didn't want to but I had always seen Dumbo on commercials etc and always wanted to ride it but my parents could never bring me to Disney so I wanted to make sure my kids did it. We are going back this year and the first thing they said was we are NOT going on Dumbo. Not sure that answers your question but it is my experience.

 

[zcomic]

Technically it's like 1000 other carnival rides but we ride it almost out of tradition. It's also almost like taking a break and enjoying the WDW atmosphere. The ride itself may be boring but try it at night and see the park all lit up. It's a great view