Must see rides for an 8 yr old

[Travelbug80]

What are your 8 yr olds must see rides? I'm trying to build a must see list and look into fast passes. I haven't been to Disneyworld in 10 yrs and this will be my son's 1st trip!

 

[mom2cgj]

My son was 8 on our last trip. His favorites were Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain at MK, Safari at AK, and Star Tours and Toy Story at DHS. We didn't go to Epcot that trip, but I'd guess Test Track would have been right up there! He also really enjoyed the Indiana Jones show and Festival of the Lion King.

 

[Kathryn777]

My son's were all the thrill rides, plus the speedway, he was 8 at last visit

Space, big thunder, splash, 7dmt
Test track
Exp Everest, Kali Rapids, dinosaur
Rock n roll coaster, tower of terror, toy story

He did not want to meet characters or do character interactions, like enchanted tales with belle. Ride, ride, fireworks, ride

 

[Mikeb1892]

Our son was 5 on our last trip but he is 8 now and here is what he's looking forward to.

Tomorrowland Speedway
Test Track
TSMM
Haunted Mansion
Pirates of the Caribbean
Safari
BTMM

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

My 9 year old loved the following rides last week:

Seven Drawfs Mine Train
Thunder Mountain
Splash Mountain
Pirates
Haunted Mansion
Buzz Lightyear

Soarin

Toy Story
Star Tours

Kali Rapids
Dinosaur!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Monsters Inc Laugh Floor
Soarin'
Kilimanjaro Safari (her favorite)
Kali River Rapids
Living With The Land
Primevil Whirl
Splash Mountain
Mickey's Philharmagic
And nearly everything at both water parks

 

[River Country]

Wow the list is shorter if I can tell you what my 8 year old doesn't want to go on

Hall of Presidents
Spaceship Earth
American Adventure
Mission Space gets sick
Star Tours (Doesn't like Star Wars I go alone)

 

[jvncnt]

My son was 7 on our last trip, and his tastes have changed seemingly every time we go. This last time, his absolute do NOT miss in each of the parks was as follows even though not all require FP+:

MK:
- Space mountain;
- Splash mountain;
- 7DMT;
- Buzz Lightyear Spin Shooter (loves it less every year though);
- Tomorrowland Speedway;
- Rocket ship ride on top of area next to Buzz (cannot think of the name, sorry.)

Epcot:
- Soarin;
- Test Track;
- Three Cabaleros (in the Aztec pyramid);
- Perry the Platypus spy mission thing;
- HATES MISSION SPACE (rode when 4 and 5 and loved it, 6 and 7 cried both times even though wanted to try again).

AK:
- Kali River Rapids;
- Kilamanjaro Safari;
- Primeval Whirl;
- HATED Dinosaur (too loud and jerky), Everest (just scared in general).

HS:
- Jedi Training (has done 5 times and insists on it every time, pain in the behind to get though);
- TSMM;
- Star Tours;
- Indiana Jones show;
- Stunt show;
Says he wants to try RNR coaster and TT, but not sure if he is ready considering his demeanor on other thrill rides noted above.

Hope this helps!

 

[Baptist]

My daughter's favorite ride is Everest. She is now 9, but 8 last November. She was practically in tears when we told her our plans changed in order to attend MVMCP. So, we decided to rope drop AK just for Everest.

 

[lovndisney12]

Wishing your son a magical 1st trip! What types of rides does he like? We have been a couple of times around that age with both my boys. Each had different preferences. For example, older one didn't want to do Dinosaur - to dark and while he likes roller coasters - didn't like to be frightened. Other one was fine and he was even younger at the time. But it took everything I could do to get him on ToT this fall (he was 13) and then of course now he can't wait to go back on it. So, it kind of depends on the kid.

Here would be my suggestions for great attractions for 8 year old boys. Sorry for the length but figured I would provide more with comments so you could pick and choose based on your son:

MK:
Buzz (if you hit this right you can do quite a few times which is always fun to try to get a better score - but just beware if he is competitive he might get frustrated when it doesn't register his hits!)
Space Mountain (only if he likes roller coasters and doesn't mind being in the dark)
Laugh Factory (wouldn't use an early fast pass on this but if you can get an extra one later in the day or if there is a short wait - fun and refreshing break as you get to sit inside)
Haunted Mansion (so much to look at - but for some kids this may take some coaxing as it may appear scarier than it is)
7DMT - can't comment as it wasn't around when my boys were that age but would think it would be a must FP
Pirates - was and still a favorite
Jungle Cruise - my younger one's favorite - and after riding it when he was 8 he said he wanted to be a boat captain on the ride some day
Tom Sawyer Island - no fast pass needed but this was a favorite hangout away from the crowds and would certainly recommend
Train - again no fast pass needed but fun at that age and a chance to see a lot of the park sitting down
People Mover - relaxing and great way to see a lot - and you get to go inside Space Mountain (which might be a good thing to do if he is on the edge of whether or not he wants to do Space Mountain)

HS:
Star Tours - if he is into Star Wars at all - this is just a great ride and awesome area to look at (BUT if there is any chance of motion sickness I would caution riding it)
Jedi "thing" - my younger one really loved being able to do this / my older one did not want to. Cool part was getting a picture with Darth Vader and two storm troopers
Indiana Jones Show (but probably don't need to get a FP)
Rock N Roller Coaster - but only if he likes roller coasters
Toy Story Mania - certainly recommend a FP or rope drop for this and if there is a way to do it twice I would highly recommend it (like Buzz - but much better - the kids always want to do it again to try to improve their scores - even now that they are teenagers)
Great Movie Ride and Stunt Show they also liked

AK:
Safari
EE - but only if he likes roller coasters
Tough to Be a Bug - fun show (probably don't need FP)
Festival of a Lion King - great show (probably don't need FP)

Epcot:
Soarin'
Test Track
Mission Space
Spaceship Earth - the ride itself isn't that awesome but every kid wants to go in the "silver ball" (tip I learned for this one is that if there is a line - come back later - because of the position of the ride in the park the wait time varies greatly throughout the day with the line getting shorter once world showcase opens)
Turtle Talk with Crush can be quite funny
Living with the Land - can be a nice change of pace as it is slower and more relaxing
Boat Ride in Mexico - (Three Amigos)

 

[Travelbug80]

WOW you have all given me so much information. I'm sitting here writing a list of rides. Disneyworld has so much to do and the planning has been overwhelming. I just need to keep reminding myself we can't do it all in 1 trip. I just want to have fun with him. It's the biggest trip I've taken him on. He will be so excited when I finally tell him.

He's not a very "daring" child so as much as I loved some of the faster rides, rollercoasters, we'll probably have to wait till another year. I'll bring them up to him though and see what he's thinking when the time comes.

Thank you for the wishes on a magical trip. He's been talking about going to the World for many years. I'm thankful I can finally make it happen for him. In fact, I'm so excited I could BUST!

Thank you all for taking the time out to reply.

 

[River Country]

You should try the 7DMT it is like an entry level roller coaster and pretty tame. Or try the Barnstormer the entire ride is only 19 seconds

 

[LibrarianBecky]

My son is 8 now, will be 9 on our trip this fall. He isn't much for thrill rides (Barnstromer freaked him out the last time he was there, and he flat out refuses to try Big Thunder Mountain RR). I recently asked him for ideas on things that are 'can't miss' things for him, to help in my planning. His #1 thing? Having his face painted at Pirates League (Magic Kingdom). We did this when he was 5, and he still talks about it. He loved the experience, got lots of comments from people around the park about it, and we have some wonderful pictures too. You might want to check it out!

 

[Travelbug80]

I will definitely do some research on Pirates League. I think my son would love that too. Have any of you gone to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique? I know they have options for "princes" as well as princesses and I'd be interested in hearing anyone's experience with this as well.

I've heard from so many people that 7DMT is a must ride! That is definitely on my list!

Thank you all!

 

[DrummerBoy523]

What are your 8 yr olds must see rides? I'm trying to build a must see list and look into fast passes. I haven't been to Disneyworld in 10 yrs and this will be my son's 1st trip!

Splash Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain
Speedway
Dumbo/Aladdin
Jungle Cruise
Pirates

Everest
Primeval Whirl
Dinosaur

Toy Story
Tower of Terror
Star Tours

Test Track