Opinions on starter rides

[IcedMudd]

I have two little ones who will be 40+ inches this year for our trip. They did fine on all the rides they could ride last year at 38 inches. My question is, at each park, what would be good "starter" rides for the more thrilling rides for them? They're determined they can ride ToT and Splash. I want to give them something a little less thrilling first, just to test the waters. We'll be doing MK first, as of right now.

I'm thinking
MK -- BTMRR first
EPCOT -- TT or Soarin'
AK -- They will not be doing EE but Kali weather permitting, so I believe we're ok here
DHS -- Determined to do ToT, my oldest wants to do RnRC, but the younger two aren't tall enough. I'm guessing if we do MK first and they're ok on BTMRR and Splash that ToT is just going to be something we dive right into.

Opinions??? They rode Haunted Mansion and loved it so the "spookiness" of rides don't really affect them. There's not one ride that I've showed them that they don't want to try but these are the ones everyone wants to do most.

 

[harpinjean]

Try BTMRR and then move over to Splash Mountain. I love BTMRR, am not crazy about Splash and didn't like EE at all. I won't even try Tot because of the drops. I would say if they are okay on Splash Mountain then they could give Tot a try. I get that "falling" sensation on Splash, not so much on BTMRR. TT and Soarin' should be fine.

 

[dqpowell]

I have two little ones who will be 40+ inches this year for our trip. [...] They're determined they can ride ToT and Splash.

BTMRR is certainly more thrilling than Splash Mountain. Splash would be the starter, IMO. The big drop is intimidating when viewed from outside, but it's all over in 2 seconds, while most of the ride is just a pleasant boat trip with a couple of puppy drops barely worth mentioning. All of my kids think of Splash as an 'easy' ride.

At Epcot, Test Track is a lot of fun, and is pretty thrilling. Soarin' is a lot of fun, but certainly not even a little bit scary.

Tower of Terror -- I say let them do it first thing, with the warning that the pre-show can be scary. In terms of the actual drops, I think people are overthinking this one, especially when it comes to kids. The ride mechanics are very much like when an adult tosses a small child up into the air and catches them. That's not scary for kids -- it's just pure fun for the vast majority of them. If they can get through the pre-show, then ToT is a blast. My children would hide their faces in my side during the pre-show, just so they could experience the fun of the elevator drops -- even when they were only just tall enough to ride.

David

 

[DanG07]

My 4 yo DD loved ToT this last December, when she was finally tall enough (barely) to ride it. Like pp stated, the ride itself is not that scary. The show before the ride is spookier. I say go for it!

 

[g-dad66]

Yep, I would do it exactly the way you are doing it.

In fact, we altered our days for one trip just so that MK would precede AK and HS and we could see how they did on BTMR and Space, before checking out Everest and RnRC, and we could see how they handled Splash before attempting ToT.

And at AK, if they want to do Dinosaur, be sure to give them plenty of warning about that one!

 

[IcedMudd]

Thanks everyone. I'm not too worried about the pre-show, they don't spook easily. I've youtubed it and they're prepared for that part. I've also warned about Dinosaur, but alas, they're determined, so we shall see. I just want to prepare them so they're not terrified of everything if they hate it! I thought Haunted Mansion might spook them a little, but they had a blast.

 

[Jerseyguy's Wife]

I think your rides are fine. But then, my 3 y/o rides ToT (he's really tall), and he loves it. My mom always started us on whatever "big" ride we wanted to go on because "we might as well go big or go home." We never had to ride anything, though. Mom went through the chicken door more than once with us and is still doing it with her grandchildren! Good luck!

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

BTMRR is certainly more thrilling than Splash Mountain. Splash would be the starter, IMO. The big drop is intimidating when viewed from outside, but it's all over in 2 seconds, while most of the ride is just a pleasant boat trip with a couple of puppy drops barely worth mentioning. All of my kids think of Splash as an 'easy' ride.

David

Completely agree -- Splash Mtn really is not a "thrill" ride at all. There's one straight drop at the end that is over in a couple of seconds and the rest of the ride is basically a laid back log flume. Big Thunder Mtn is more intense throughout the duration of the ride and has several "drops" that while not quite as high as Splash Mtn are nonetheless intense. I'd ride Splash Mtn before Big thunder Mtn, although both are great rides and I wouldn't skip either. My kids rode both once they were tall enough and thought they were great.

These are the reviews from the easyWDW website (a very good site), and I hope the author doesn't mind my posting (if so let me know and I'll gladly remove):

Splash Mtn:

Scary Factor: Medium. The “big drop” is clearly visible to all Disney World visitors and may make some guests apprehensive about riding. It’s really not that bad though and if you could handle any of Disney’s other roller coasters or a similar attraction at another theme park then you should be fine. The drop is a little over 50 feet at a 45 degree angle and is a lot more fun than it is uncomfortable or unpleasant. Even people who adamantly “hate” roller coasters enjoy Splash Mountain. I would try to work up the nerve to ride Splash Mountain, even if it looks like the drop is too intense. You’ll be fine.


Big Thunder Mtn:

Scary Factor: Medium. Big Thunder Mountain is tame for a roller coaster by just about any definition, but it still moves forward with a maximum speed of about 30 miles per hour. There are no corkscrews, inversions, or significant drops. If you adamantly “hate” roller coasters then this probably won’t be for you, but anyone who enjoys Space Mountain, Expedition Everest, or any similar roller coaster will enjoy Thunder Mountain. If Expedition Everest is a 7/10 on the intensity scale then Big Thunder Mountain is about a 4, if that.

 

[IcedMudd]

Thanks everyone! The only thing, I guess, that concerns me with Splash is will they come up out of the seat with the drop? What about ToT? We've never ridden it, but I think it has belts, right?

 

[dqpowell]

Thanks everyone! The only thing, I guess, that concerns me with Splash is will they come up out of the seat with the drop? What about ToT? We've never ridden it, but I think it has belts, right?

No, -- if they remain seated, they will not come out of the seat. Actually I think at this point it doesn't matter anymore -- they're installing lap bars in all the ride vehicles. But we've ridden Splash many times, and none of my kids ever came out of the seats even without lap bars.

On Tower of Terror, everyone is required to wear seat belts. However part of the thrill of the ride is that you do rise a little bit out of your seat on the drops. Not far, but enough to be really fun. The belts will prevent you from rising much.

David

 

[hookedonears]

Not sure if toontown will be open or not, but Goofy's barnstormer was a great starter ride for our 2 year old daughter. It gave her all the confidence in the world and she was good to go from there. She rode absolutely everything she was tall enough after that.

 

[ambertides]

I disagree with PPs about Splash. I did come up out of my seat (or got the feeling of it) when I was a kid. There is no official word (that I know of) about lap bars - that was the rumor last year as well. DH nearly had a heart attack on the ride the first time he was on it - I had to sit with him for quite some time while he calmed down after. Before that, I wouldn't have thought of it as particularly scary, either.

Whatever the order, be sure to try the outdoor rides (BTMRR and ToT especially) in the daytme first unless they are 100% comfortable in the dark.

 

[IcedMudd]

Not sure if toontown will be open or not, but Goofy's barnstormer was a great starter ride for our 2 year old daughter. It gave her all the confidence in the world and she was good to go from there. She rode absolutely everything she was tall enough after that.

We were there last year and my youngest rode Barnstormer and enjoyed it. He was two at the time. I actually thought that Barnstormer gave me more of a "thrill" than BTMRR lol!

I disagree with PPs about Splash. I did come up out of my seat (or got the feeling of it) when I was a kid. There is no official word (that I know of) about lap bars - that was the rumor last year as well. DH nearly had a heart attack on the ride the first time he was on it - I had to sit with him for quite some time while he calmed down after. Before that, I wouldn't have thought of it as particularly scary, either.

Whatever the order, be sure to try the outdoor rides (BTMRR and ToT especially) in the daytme first unless they are 100% comfortable in the dark.

Dark's not a problem for us. They love the dark. They're crazy kids! The first thing my middle daughter asked when we were showing her the different rides she would be able to ride this year was "Does it go in the dark?" When we said "yes" that's all she needed to hear. She was ready to go.