need suggestions for child who doesn't like rides

[ladyariadne]

my 9 y/o son doesn't like to ride rides. Will there be plenty to keep him interested at Disney. He will probably really like Epcot and visiting the different booths. He is a bit brainy.

I have to find a balance between my brave, unafraid 6 year old girl who wants to ride everything scary and my son who gets nauseaus looking at rides.

Should be an interesting trip. This will be our first. Oh, and dh will be there so we can switch off or split up.

Thanks,
Elizabeth

Trip planned for 11/19 - 11/25

 

[carolfoy]

My son is a complete scaredy cat when it comes to rides although he does like the winnie the pooh/peter pan/ small world ones that don't have any drops or spins, there are also loads of great shows, philharmagic/tiki room/ cinderellabration in MK, lion king/tarzan/flights of wonder and safari and its tough to be a bug in AK, one mans dream/lights motors/sounds dangerous/backlot tour in studios and TONS in epcot, read as many park plans as possible and try and fit in a routine of one show/one ride, he'll soon join in

 

[cillakat]

there is still tons. i'm an adult who doesn't like rides....well, i do like big thunder mountain but that's the only one. no space mountain, no splash mountain, no magic teacups....dumbo is fine but no aladdin, no astro orbiter etc.

i recommend buying the Unofficial Guide to WDW 2006 so you can get detailed info and looooots of opinions (all right in the book) on each attraction in each park. It really helped me plan for the kids and I. Both of my kids scare easily by anything dark or suprising. There was still a ton for us to do.

Magic Kingdom:
we liked (no, loved) Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Small World.
micky's philharmagic
kids liked aladdin. it's a bit faster and higher than Winnie the Pooh and made me sick. I definitel didn't do astro orbiter (like Aladdin but a bit faster yet) but the kids and dad liked it.
Tomorrowland transit authority he'll like...and maybe the indy speedway (driving a car that goes about 5 mph on a little track)
we really really liked Buzz Lightyear and rode it a bunch of times. it's like being in a videogame...not a rollercoaster at all.
of course there are also the shows and parades.
might like Pirates of the Carribean - gentle boat ride.
get the unofficial guide and you can't go wrong

in epcot:
Maelstrom in Norway was to visually dark with loud noises to be scary to my little kids and something i definitely didn't like.
We like the Epcot rides like Journey into Imagination. Ellen's Energy Ride and Spaceship earth would probably be liked by your son.

there's tons more, but you'll get the best feel for it from the UOGuide2006.

Have a *great* trip.


katherine in atl

 

[MickeyMacks]

Lots of great walk-through attractions at Animal Kingdom (tiger trail and gorilla trail!) as well the shows. How about the train at MK (also one at AK)? At MGM he'd probably like the stunt shows. MGM and MK also have great shows and parades (Fantasmic and Stars and Cars, Philharmagic show and Spectromagic parade).

At 9 he'd probably still enjoy the Boneyard at AK and the Honey I Shrunk the Kids "movie set" at MGM (don't call it a playground and see if he bites ) There's also Tom Sawyer's Island at MK. Both he and the 6-year-old should enjoy exploring these places.

Of course Epcot has much to offer too - don't forget Living Seas! I have a brainy DS8 and while I've built in a day and a couple half-days at Epcot I'm thinking I'm going to have a hard time getting him out of Innoventions and Future World attractions so I can take a look at World Showcase.

The beauty of going with a non-ride junkie is that you'll probably avoid most of the hurry-up-and-wait ride line experience at WDW

Don't sweat it - your son will have a blast!

 

[daisyduck123]

My DS7 had never ridden a real ride until we went to WDW when he was 5.
I wasn't sure if he would get on any rides.
Well, he loves:
Buzz Lightyear
The TeaCups (he rode with me the 1st time & after that he would only
ride by himself...he was like a madman - spinning as fast
as he could)
Haunted Mansion
Jungle Cruise
Pirates of the Caribbean

These are all tame rides.....your son might end up wanting to try & love them.

I hope you have a magical trip!!

 

[binky503]

Go to the shows, they are great!!!!

 

[psiprez]

Do not fall into the "high expectations trap".

That it, thinking that because it is WDW, everyone will be happy, and everything will be perfect, 100% of the time!

I'm guessing you have plenty of experience trying to meet the different needs of DS and DD, and that they already take turns doing what each wants, so you will be just fine.

There will be plenty to occupy DS. Just being IN the Parks is different and fun! As you said, just be prepared to split up if necessary. I would head to the shows, and try some of the less ride-y rides. Plus, the best parts of EPCOT and AK aren't the rides at all!

Also - you just may be pleasantly surprised by DS. Afterall, that Disney Magic can work wonders on even the coldest of hearts!

 

[HopperFan]

Tell him that Disney really doesn't have many "amusement rides" but that it has "attractions that you ride through". I am sure that if he is alittle bit on the brainy side that he will be interested in the rides they have there. Haunted Mansion, I've been riding since the park opened and still find myself wondering "how did they do that" or "how does that work". Peter Pan - it is amazing to see how they change the sizes and proportions of the sets to make it seem like you are flying high, how do they build the pirates and make them seem so real, the mechanics of all the animatronics in Jungle Cruise and Small World, how many seconds for the boat to drop on Splash Mountain, how many points he can get in Buzz.

I would just approach each ride from an engineering point of view and maybe he will begin to have his own ideas of trying all the rides for their mechanical value and in doing so will have a magical time.

 

[byoung]

Take him to the shows.

 

[tmanaster]

There is SO much to do besides rides! The shows are great, there is so much to look at and yummy food to eat. One of my kids was fascinated by looking for pressed penny stands and filling up the little book they sell that holds them. Have a great trip!

 

[canwegosoon]

I agree with everyone..the shows are great, but my (brainy too) kids love the hidden things. For example they love to look for the hidden Mickey plate at the dining table at the Haunted Mansion, and the ring in the ground at the exit. If you read Zurg's tips on getting a high score for Buzz the rige is more like a "can I find that".
If you post on the Theme parks board you might get a whole ton on little adventures on the "Attraction Rides" that HopperFAn was talking about.
BTW I would highly recommend the ride in Mexico Pavalion, The ride in the Norway pavalion(Giant Trolls tiny bit scary), Buzz, Stitch's Dreat Escape, Mickey's Philarmagic, It's a Small World, you can build to Haunted Mansion/POC. You might want to skip BTM, Splash and Spacemountain. There's also the Liberty Belle, and Tom Sawyers Island. I would break off and each parent take a child to a favorite ride...and meet back up in an hour-3 depending on the crowds.

 

[ladyariadne]

Ya'll are the coolest people. My son is excited about the shows and Epcot. He still doesn't really want to ride the rides. Just the other day he said, "Hey mom, you know what is really cool about staying onsite? You get to go around and see all of the Hotels". I think we will find plenty to do, we will just have to split up from Hubby and DD. I guess it is a good thing I don't really like the rides either.

Should I buy a book on hidden Mickeys, or is that cheating. It seems kind of like cheating to me.

Elizabeth