Need DIS veteran advice please!

[lwilkison]

We are leaving this Tuesday and it is our DD 1st visit...she is only 2 1/2 yrs old.

I am not sure about some rides though...what do you think about Haunted Mansion? I think the "stretching room" might be 2 dark and 2 scary for our girl but my DH thinks it wouldn't be bad...I know that room being dark and the voice scared me my first visit and I was 25! Also, Nemo, I remember it was cramped and a bit dark when we rode it "pre-Nemo".

We are going to try for Peter Pan's flight, dumbo, IASWH, watch the parades, the castle fireworks and light up, we have WoC tickets (picnics), Ariel's grotto booked for a breakfast...hoping to get to Mr. Potato head and also do Build-A-Bear in DTD. We want to do the Silhouettes on main street and try for candy canes @ the Candy palace.

We have a 6 day park hopper so we have a few days.

Any other of your great ideas we would love to hear!

Thank you to all of the DIS family!

We are down to 3 days 14 hours

 

[SplashMo]

IASW Holiday about one dozen times...

Characters at the entrance a lot.

Buzz Light Year if she is tall enough.

THe transportaion up and down main street.

 

[skiingfast]

It's hard to say what will happen. Some kids don't like flashes, loud noises, fast movement, the dark, or meeting characters.

Feel it out as you go. I think Jungle Cruise is the best starter ride since kids like animals and are probably familiar with them from books or cartoons.

She may not like PP unless she is familiar with the characters. She may like the Nemo subs if she has seen the movies.

Astro Orbiter, Autopia, the rail road, Casey Junior and the storyland canals will be great for young ones. Also Bugs land in DCA is very young kid friendly.

 

[LavenderPeach]

I would suggest starting with the outside rides first like Dumbo, Casey Jr Train, Carousel, Tea Cups, Jungle Cruise, Bug's Land (at DCA) etc. If she does okay with those then try Small World (it seems to be the least scary of the "dark rides"). Then you could try Winnie the Pooh and then venture into some of the slightly scarier dark rides like Peter Pan and Pinocchio. Not that you have to go in that particular order but I just mean that you can ease her into the more intense rides.

Also, Haunted Mansion has the Holiday overlay right now so it's actually much less scary (i think) than the original version. My DS likes the holiday version a lot even though he doesn't like a lot of the dark rides in FL because it's pretty bright and we look for pumpkins and presents and other fun things like that.

Have a great trip!

 

[Cagirl767]

Rides my 3 y.o. wont go on:
Mr. Toad's
she's not crazy about Pinocchio
Autopia, too bumpy
Haven't taken my 3 and 5 y.o. on Haunted Mansion

Rides she will go on:
Buzz
the train
Mark Twain
Tom Sawyer's Island
Nemo
Monorail
Casey Jr. Train
Storybook boats
IASW
Peter Pan
Alice
Winnie the Pooh
Jungle Cruise
Main Street cars
Bug's Land Rides

You can view any of the rides on Youtube to see what may not work for you.

 

[CrazyDuck]

Worst part about Haunted Mansion was when everyone in the stretching room screams when lights go out... That freaked my DD out the most... But with the holiday overlay people dont scream as much...

 

[tinkcollector]

It is funny how kids react, they are all so different. My cousins kids did not like any of the "dark rides". There was something about going into a room, that they could not see that freaked them out. So, as far as those I would play it by ear.
The HM seems to really freak out little ones. It's loud, and the screams from other guests are just too much for them.
As far as "Nemo". If you think the confined space in the sub is an issue, opt for the "observatory room". You will usually have this all to yourself. This room will allow for her to watch the screen and move about if she wants. And the best part if she does not like it you can exit immediately.
Once you get what she likes you will find lots to do. Lavenderpeach and Cagirl767 have some great suggestions.
Don't forget Santa back behind Big Thunder at the petting zoo area. Also, a change of clothes and shoes, just in case. And nap time, my Husband always volunteered for this. And I would take of advantage of this time to walk through the shops. Also, pack hand wipes, they come in handy more than you know.
HAVE FUNNNN!!!!!

 

[Mugglemama]

Please don't take this the wrong way, because I only mean it in the kindest way possible. But, I have 4 kids (aged 6 to 18), and in all honesty, I would have to say that 2.5 would be about THE worst age EVER to take a kid on HM for the very first time!

All of my kids are little daredevils...they go on everything they are tall enough for in the parks, and have been going to DLR on a regular basis since infancy (they've been there over 100 times, just to give you some perspective). And even at THAT, the 2 youngest STILL don't love that first room of HM.

Granted, with the holiday overlay, the room isn't AS scary, but still everybody screams, and since your 2.5 year old is still too young for you to be able to explain that effectively so that they know what to expect, I would really focus on other rides with her. No good reason to scare her silly....and when they are that young, they really have no concept of what's real and what isn't. Keep that in mind.

Hope you all have a great time!

 

[MinnieMama09]

When we took our 2 kids beginning of this year (at the time DS was 3 1/2, DD1) they both LOVED ToonTown! She will love going through Minnie's house especially, Mickey's house was a big hit, and just "playing" around there was fun for both kids (even though my DD was only 1 she was already walking and had a ball!). Oh, and she may like the Playhouse Disney show at DCA, my kids really liked it!

 

[Ariel224]

She might like Turtle Talk with Crush and King Triton's Carousel in DCA as well.

 

[snesguy]

A long time ago I took my daughter to Haunted Mansion when she was about 4. I read a good post online about explaining to your young child in a simplified way what would happen before she went in and letting her know it wasn't real, just a fun ride. The worst part was the stretching room. That scared her. I'd forgotten how scary that can be for a young child. We got outside and she said she didn't want to go back there again and I told her that was fine, we didn't have to go back. Of course, the very next day she changed her mind and said she thought she might want to go back. Then a little later that day when we were in the New Orleans Square area (near the mansion) she worked up her courage and said she wanted to go back and after that she loved it and wanted to go multiple times each visit to DL.

Now she's 15 and we just were back last month for a visit and, of course, paid a couple of visits to the HM. It's got its holiday overlay. I personally prefer the normal version. Jack is at the top of the stretching room and I think they have a couple of different scripts he can go by, one of which the kids in the room seemed to find much more scary than the non holiday room (judging by the screams). I would suggest waiting til next year and going at a time without the holiday overlay before taking your 2 1/2 year old on it.

I totally agree with Ariel, Turtle Talk with Crush in DCA is awesome. Kids of all ages will like it. Also I'm going to have to plug my favorite attraction in DCA, the Aladdin show at the Hyperion theater. It's a shortened broadway style production, really worthwhile. Unfortunately, they have changed some of the stars in the cast since we went last year and it's not quite as good as it used to be, but I still love it.

In Disneyland I'd take her through the Sleeping Beauty exhibit in the castle. It's a walk through thing. You walk up some stairs and across an inside passage through the castle as you follow the story of Sleeping Beauty. It's dark inside and a couple of the views are of parts of the story might be a little scary for a small child but you can cary her and turn away from those if she's nervous. If she watched the movie then she can handle it. Most of it is very happy and upbeat, there's just a couple of the scenes with Malificent that you might need to skip past (much like covering her eyes during the scary parts of the movie).

Storybook boats -- gotta do it. You can do it during the day so she can how cool it is, then go again at night because the lighting is really pretty.

I think any kid will like Small World too.

Toontown. Mickey and Minnie's house are great for kids.

Winnie the Pooh. Perfect for a 2 1/2 year old. I wish they had left the Country Bear Jamborie there though, I liked it better.

Alice in Wonderland
Monorail is good.
Casey Jr. Train.
Disneyland Railroad
Jungle Cruise if you are prepared for the fake gun shot which is really loud, and when the guide says to plug your ears make sure you help her cover her ears.

You might take her for a ride on Autopia in the morning. I haven't experienced much bumping there, but we mainly ride it during the early part of the day. I could imagine in the evening the bigger kids might get a little overzealous.

Definitely stay away from Snow White's Scary Adventures. There's a reason they call it scary, because it is for young kids. I'd also stay away from Mr. Toad until she's a little older.

There's just plenty of stuff to do though. You'll have a great time.

 

[snesguy]

Oh, and the scariest part (for me) of the Nemo ride is how long the wait is to get on it. I think your daughter will like it, especially when you find Nemo. It helps if she's seen the movie.

 

[snesguy]

I keep thinking of more stuff. I kind of like riding one of the Main Street Vehicles either up or down Main St. once during our visit. They've got a horse drawn street car, an old time fire engine which is my favorite vehicle (ask the driver if he has a firefighter badge which is a stick on kind of thing, my daughter thought it was cool when she was younger), a double decker bus.

Also, the Enchanted Tiki Room might be something you could try. It's mostly really fun singing audio-anamatronic birds and stuff but there is a part near the end where you get a simulated thunderstorm inside which could be a little scary for a small child. You can sit by the exit and duck out if the thunderstorm is too much (it only lasts for a minute and then it's over). And, this is the Disneyland home of the famous Dole Whip (soft serv pineapple flavor desert). If it's not too cold, try one. You can get them outside or inside the queue area for the Tiki Room. They have the Dole Whip (soft serv) and the Dole Whip float. I go with the plain Dole Whip because the one time I tried a float, which has pineapple juice in it, the pineapple juice was a bit sour and it detracted from the awesomeness of the Dole Whip on top.

 

[Goofy_Mom]

I have an almost 3 year old who just finished his first trip. He is a big NBC fan and actually liked HMH. He loved Dumbo, King Authors Carouse, Casey Jr Trains, IASW, Disneyland RR, Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise, Winnie the Pooh, and Tom Sawyer's Island. He was okay on Mr. Toad but it wasn't his favorite. He didn't care for Pirates. At DCA he loved bugs land (except tought to be a bug show, the end was too intense for him) and Playhouse Disney. The Animation Academy was a big hit, too. I'm sure he would have loved the Redwood Creek Challenge if we had been able to go on it but it was down due to weather.

 

[nana50]

Please don't take this the wrong way, because I only mean it in the kindest way possible. But, I have 4 kids (aged 6 to 18), and in all honesty, I would have to say that 2.5 would be about THE worst age EVER to take a kid on HM for the very first time!

All of my kids are little daredevils...they go on everything they are tall enough for in the parks, and have been going to DLR on a regular basis since infancy (they've been there over 100 times, just to give you some perspective). And even at THAT, the 2 youngest STILL don't love that first room of HM.

Granted, with the holiday overlay, the room isn't AS scary, but still everybody screams, and since your 2.5 year old is still too young for you to be able to explain that effectively so that they know what to expect, I would really focus on other rides with her. No good reason to scare her silly....and when they are that young, they really have no concept of what's real and what isn't. Keep that in mind.

Hope you all have a great time!

Totally agree. My 10 year old grandson still won't go on HM. He is a bit ridiculous though. My daughter was 10 before she went. My granddaughters go at age 7. 2.5 NO WAY. Your husband is forgetting how loud the screaming can be, the dark, and spooky sounds. It gets better, but that first elevator bit is scary.

 

[lwilkison]

Totally agree. My 10 year old grandson still won't go on HM. He is a bit ridiculous though. My daughter was 10 before she went. My granddaughters go at age 7. 2.5 NO WAY. Your husband is forgetting how loud the screaming can be, the dark, and spooky sounds. It gets better, but that first elevator bit is scary.

I am a mom that thinks waiting isn't too bad. There is enough other stuff that I don't think she would miss HM this time...we also have 3 adults going so we could still get HM in just with 1 adult and our DD sitting it out...or going on something else while the 2 adults go for HM.

These are all wonderful suggestions. Thank you so much...and I don't take anything personally, especially when it is advice from experience! Thank you

Ah, we cannot wait for this trip, DLR is such a magical time anytime but at Christmas it is even better...if that is even possible!

2 days 19 hours

 

[Funball]

We are leaving this Tuesday and it is our DD 1st visit...she is only 2 1/2 yrs old.

I am not sure about some rides though...what do you think about Haunted Mansion? I think the "stretching room" might be 2 dark and 2 scary for our girl but my DH thinks it wouldn't be bad...I know that room being dark and the voice scared me my first visit and I was 25! Also, Nemo, I remember it was cramped and a bit dark when we rode it "pre-Nemo".

We are going to try for Peter Pan's flight, dumbo, IASWH, watch the parades, the castle fireworks and light up, we have WoC tickets (picnics), Ariel's grotto booked for a breakfast...hoping to get to Mr. Potato head and also do Build-A-Bear in DTD. We want to do the Silhouettes on main street and try for candy canes @ the Candy palace.

We have a 6 day park hopper so we have a few days.

Any other of your great ideas we would love to hear!

Thank you to all of the DIS family!

We are down to 3 days 14 hours

every kids reaction to the HM dark room/stretching room is different. Right now it's the holiday version of HM, so it's not as scary as the regular version maybe for a 2 year old.....I think overall if you took her on it to try it she may like it! there is no way to tell wether or not she will not like it with out taking her on it ...

 

[Cagirl767]

Oh yes I agree about Jungle Cruise. Sorry I forgot that we just always know not to sit up front near the gunshots. Try sitting in back would be advisable.

Totally agree about HM too, why scare her senseless? My daughter when she was around 18 months was scared on some ride and refused to go on any others and was quite scared the rest of the trip.

She also isn't crazy about Pirates. Although we know when the dips are, she still doesn't like it.

Agreed too about Snow White. I fogot about that one.
Mine also wouldn't go on Dumbo for quite a while, didn't like the spinning.

 

[GrandBob]

While I agree that taking a 2 1/2 year old on HM is probably way too young, I also think that waiting until a kid is 10 is unusual. I'd like to think that our granddaughter is pretty typical.

We took her to HM at WDW when she was 5. She was pretty apprehensive, and the stretching room stretched her nerves quite a bit; but we had prepared her, and she handled it.

When we took her to HM in DL at age 6, she was more than fine about it. And this past year, at age 7, she really got into the fact that everyone screamed in there as part of the fun. Let me tell you, she out-screamed all those teenagers. Was proud of herself, too

-Bob

 

[taaren]

Hmm... it really depends on the child and what scares them. My DS is 4 now but we go every year in the fall and he's always been okay with HM, although, we are usually there for the holiday overlay so it is more jokey and less scary during that time. He still does _not_ like Pinnochio or Snow White, those definitely freak him out. I think it has to do with how 'cartoon-ey' vs real things seem. Nemo's not really scary but it makes both me and my nephew a bit claustrophobic.