Kid fave ride

[TI double-GUH ER]

If your kid's favorite ride was going to be down during your trip would you tell them ahead or wait till you're in the park??
(Ds5 is a jungle cruise fan and we're going at the end of August)

 

[SEA333]

Wait till we see it closed at the park. "Oh, it's closed. That stinks! OK, well, what do you want to do next??!!"

Then move on. No sense in freaking out about it!

Then again, I'm the same mom who responds "What do you want me to do about it? If it's closed, it's closed. I'm not the one in charge. Let it go!" if they start to complain or cry about it. Throwing a fit isn't going to make it magically open.

 

[excitedfamof4]

I would go ahead and tell him now...then focus on all the other fun things you get to do!!
Have fun!

 

[luvmy2babies]

I dealt with this on our trip. It wasn’t their absolute favorite ride, but it was one they really loved. The Royal Carousel was to be closed the entire week of our visit. I told dd the day we arrived at our resort. We weren’t going to MK until the next day. She kind of needs a minute to wrap her head around things sometimes. I guess it depends on how you think he will react. If you feel it will have an effect on how much fun he has, you might want to give him time to wrap his head around it and get excited about other stuff.

I’d also say check with someone once you get there too. Not so he can hear you or anything, but just in case. I say that because I read about the Carousel’s closure in multiple sources before our trip. I even paid for them to ride the carousel at Downtown Disney the day before and we get to MK and low and behold, the thing was up and running. It was running all 3 days we visited MK.

 

[wiigirl]

I would go ahead and tell him now...then focus on all the other fun things you get to do!!
Have fun!

 

[spectrecat]

Depends on the kid. One of my boys would do better knowing ahead of time because he had trouble processing transitions and has to work hard at being flexible. It would be best for him to know ahead of time and telling about all the many rides he can ride...and that he gets to ride them more in place of JC.

My other boy would roll with the punches, but we'd probably tell him early, too, if it was a favorite.

 

[ktlm]

It totally depends on your child. My child, it is best to tell her ahead of time...the earlier the better. If she is at the park and goes to ride something she loves and sees it is closed or not there anymore, it will be an absolute melt-down in the middle of the parks, especially if it is something that is permanently gone. When I tell her ahead of time, there might be a few tears (or an absolute melt-down in the case of toon town going away), but by the time we get to the parks she knows what to expect and it doesn't ruin our day. We might get a few comments about how she wished something was still there or open, etc., but other than a couple of silent tears running down her cheek when she looked at the spot where the Snow White ride used to be and got upset by actually seeing it no longer there we haven't had any tears actually in the parks.

For Snow White, which was always one of her favorites (no idea why), she knew it would be permanently closing a couple of months after one of our trips and it was her last chance to ride it, so we rode it about 15 times, and each time she would voice her opinion to the poor CMs there about how ridiculous it was that they were closing the ride.

She already knows that if we take a trip in October this year that Peter Pan (her absolute favorite) will be closed because the queque is being redone. She already has herself prepared for that.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I tell them in advance. We were there in January a few years back and Splash Mtn was closed, which is my youngest son's favorite ride. I told him before we left that it would be closed, but then he could look forward to riding it again on our next trip which was only a few months later. My oldest's favorite ride is Test Track and it was closed on our last trip. I told him ahead of time, too. Since there's usually a "next trip" on the radar, it makes it easier to deal with the disappointment. But, I'd rather prepare them in advance. Then if they whine, I can say, "would you rather not go at all?" and that usually clams them up.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Gotta know your kids. Mine would need to know ahead of time, but not way ahead of time. I would tell him after we were at WDW but before we got to the
park.
Most of the time there are park updates in the information that you get in your room and the closure most likely to be listed there. I would read it to him with an "oh no....guess we will have to wait till next time to ride XYX!, So what will be our ride first now?" Waiting till we go to the ride would be a major disappointment since we always allow him to do his very favorite ride the first thing of the day and he would be super excited about it!

 

[MouseMama11]

I would say it depends on the child. For my DD, I would wait until we get to the park and say "oh no, looks like it's broken! Let's go to another ride." If I told her ahead of time, she wouldn't believe me LOL! If I told her in the park, she would see that we couldn't get in.

 

[disdoit]

For our guys (7 and 8), waiting for them to see the attraction closed would ensure disappointment and make for a pretty miserable rest of the day.

We'd definitely tell them well in advance of the trip and try to pair the news with some good news about some other experience we'll be doing that they love, or something new that we think they'll love.

 

[SEA333]

Wow. I am surprised at the responses here. To each their own, I get it. But what happens when something "Real" happens in our kids' lives to throw off the plan or will disappoint them? Is a ride closing really going to break our poor, priveleged children (you know...the children who actually get to *go* to Disney World - MULTIPLE times) to the point that we must prepare them months ahead? If a ride closure is going to elicit the kind of response that a parent is going to fear will ruin the entire vacation, I would really reevaluate my parenting philosophy!

What a great teaching moment: "I understand you are disappointed that your ride is closed. But we are at Disney World - there are a million other fun things to do here. You are a very lucky kid to be able to come here this year. Lots of kids never get to come at all. Let's get a smile back on our faces and choose something else."

This reminds me of a 5 year old that I know. When doing something fun (for him) in a big city a few weeks ago, he threw a meltdown fit (screaming, hitting, biting, etc) for three resturants before "allowing" his mother to take him into the 4th.

Sensory issues? Not this kid. Autism? Not this kid. Spoiled? Hmmm...no comment.

I'm really not judging - my kids don't throw meltdown fits and have never been allowed to without a consequence. I don't have to deal with other people's kids, so I don't really care. But, I *do* have to deal with 22 year old recent college graduates that have been raised this way in my career as a Senior Manager for a large well-known company, and let me tell you - it's not fun! These kids cannot handle any type of stress whatsoever.

 

[Missy29]

I would probably tell my kids in advance but with my kids I don't think it would matter either way, they would rather spend the day a the pool, I would be the sad one

 

[RedHeadedFairy]

.... She kind of needs a minute to wrap her head around things sometimes. I guess it depends on how you think he will react.

Agreed, we dealt with this on one of our trips too. DD handles things like this better with advanced warning whenever possible. If I didn't know & didn't tell her that'd be one thing, but to KNOW and not share wouldn't work for us so much. She'd be better off being bummed about it before the trip than letting it get to her in the middle of the fun, given the choice. Either way she's not the kind of kid that would meltdown or overreact... but it's hard when they have their heart set on something.

Since we do day/short weekend trips a lot we also have to clarify this kind of thing often.... when we used to say "going to WDW" DD would develop an expectation based around her idea of a WDW day (say, MK day & riding BTMRR 3x) but maybe DH & I planned HS because it's just a terrible crowd level day at MK. She still loves HS, loves TSM/RNRC/LMA/Indiana, etc, etc, etc but her initial reaction is disappointment because she THOUGHT she was going to ride BTMRR. She adjusts pretty well for a kid, but definitely does better when she is informed ahead of time.

 

[RedHeadedFairy]

Wow. I am surprised at the responses here. To each their own, I get it. But what happens when something "Real" happens in our kids' lives to throw off the plan or will disappoint them? Is a ride closing really going to break our poor, priveleged children (you know...the children who actually get to *go* to Disney World - MULTIPLE times) to the point that we must prepare them months ahead? If a ride closure is going to elicit the kind of response that a parent is going to fear will ruin the entire vacation, I would really reevaluate my parenting philosophy!

What a great teaching moment: "I understand you are disappointed that your ride is closed. But we are at Disney World - there are a million other fun things to do here. You are a very lucky kid to be able to come here this year. Lots of kids never get to come at all. Let's get a smile back on our faces and choose something else."

This reminds me of a 5 year old that I know. When doing something fun (for him) in a big city a few weeks ago, he threw a meltdown fit (screaming, hitting, biting, etc) for three resturants before "allowing" his mother to take him into the 4th.

Sensory issues? Not this kid. Autism? Not this kid. Spoiled? Hmmm...no comment.

I'm really not judging - my kids don't throw meltdown fits and have never been allowed to without a consequence. I don't have to deal with other people's kids, so I don't really care. But, I *do* have to deal with 22 year old recent college graduates that have been raised this way in my career as a Senior Manager for a large well-known company, and let me tell you - it's not fun! These kids cannot handle any type of stress whatsoever.

I guess to me the teaching moment isn't lost at all - we still deal with the surprise of finding out that something we expected to happen won't be happening. How is it any different than me finding out the same information as an adult here on the Dis? Aren't we ALL here for this exact type of planning advice and don't most of us do that same type of research for ANY vacation we're planning for the most part?

We still have the moment of disappointment, the "Hey, there's still plenty of stuff to do" talk just like you (somewhat condescendingly) referred to in your post, but we have it ahead of time instead of in the park. And probably she'd say, "WTG Mom for finding out so we can adjust our touring plans & expectations around it." (cuz that's the kind of kid she is - she finds gratitude in every moment) I'm not teaching her to NOT handle disappointment, I'm teaching her the value of preparedness & planning.

If we DIDN'T know ahead of time & got to the park & found out, it still wouldn't be a biggie..... she still wouldn't have a fit or embarrassing public meltdown because my parenting style isn't lacking as you suggested. She's a well rounded, good humored child who knows how to roll with the punches & see the sunny side of things.... but that doesn't de-value sharing information with her ahead of time to ensure she has as great of a vacation as possible & making the most of every minute.

Like you said though, to each their own.

 

[SEA333]

I guess to me the teaching moment isn't lost at all - we still deal with the surprise of finding out that something we expected to happen won't be happening. How is it any different than me finding out the same information as an adult here on the Dis? Aren't we ALL here for this exact type of planning advice and don't most of us do that same type of research for ANY vacation we're planning for the most part?

We still have the moment of disappointment, the "Hey, there's still plenty of stuff to do" talk just like you (somewhat condescendingly) referred to in your post, but we have it ahead of time instead of in the park. And probably she'd say, "WTG Mom for finding out so we can adjust our touring plans & expectations around it." (cuz that's the kind of kid she is - she finds gratitude in every moment) I'm not teaching her to NOT handle disappointment, I'm teaching her the value of preparedness & planning.

If we DIDN'T know ahead of time & got to the park & found out, it still wouldn't be a biggie..... she still wouldn't have a fit or embarrassing public meltdown because my parenting style isn't lacking as you suggested. She's a well rounded, good humored child who knows how to roll with the punches & see the sunny side of things.... but that doesn't de-value sharing information with her ahead of time to ensure she has as great of a vacation as possible & making the most of every minute.

Like you said though, to each their own.

So, you are saying your child won't throw a fit in the park?

Then I'm not referring to your child.

 

[purpledisneyprncess]

With all of the rides and things to do in the parks, I myself would not tell them until they are there. Most likely because if all the other rides that will be right in front of their eyes to do, hopefully that will distract her. My 7 yr old son absolutely loves Splash Mountain but if it happens to be closed. I'll just tell him when we walk by it and quickly ask what else they want to do. My 4 yr old daughter will not mind too much about any ride. Lol. She did ask why we didn't do it's a small world out last trip, but MK was insanely packed the days we were there and it just didn't work out even though all our fam loves it.

 

[SmallWorld71]

When I was 5, I went to WDW for the 1st time with my granparents and fell in love with IASW. Rode it over and over with my poor grandpa. Three years later I returned with my family. All I could talk about and think about was riding IASW again. I was so excited to show it to my mom, dad, and brother who had never been.

This was WAY before the internet; there was only MK at the time. We get there and... closed! To this day (33 YEARS later) I can still remember my feelings of sadness and disappointement as I stood in Pinocchio's and stared wistfully at the beginning of the ride.

Did it ruin my vacation? Of course not.
Did I throw a temper tantrum? No

But, it would definitely have been better for the enjoyment of everyone had we known ahead of time.

If your child has never been, then they don't know what they are missing.

But, I always have told my kids ahead of time what is closed. Not to avoid tantrums. But, because I would never purposefully cause my kids to feel the type of disappointment I felt that day.

And, for anyone wondering, it was 5 more years before I got to ride IASW again. And I still loved it!

 

[luvmy2babies]

We've had plenty of life lessons on disappointment here.

It's not really about avoiding a fit. Not for me. You can be sad and disappointed and have it affect some of or the entirety of the rest of the day without throwing a fit.

To me, if it is preventable or I can get it out of the way so it doesn't impact vacation time, I will do that.

 

[spectrecat]

I just want to caution those that may not have kids that meltdown or have "issues" to be sensitive to those that do. I have seen parents stare and judge when a parent removes a child from a situation so as not to make things worse, and my heart goes out to them. We may not know what private battles they fight and how they have struggled for years to parent a child with specific needs and daily unpredictability. It's not always a temper tantrum from a spoiled brat.

I don't consider WDW to be the "real" world, so handling our disappointments with our special kid is a different situation than when we're at home. Armed with knowledge about a certain ride, I would plan our day accordingly. No point in waiting. But in the real world, we encounter opportunities to work on his transitions and being flexible, because yes, the real world is unfair, unpredictable, and chaotic. Vacation is a different animal for us, and while our family rules and expectations remain the same, if I'm going plan ahead with ride info, why wouldn't I?