Peter Pan's Flight

[halssister]

Ive been looking around to see if there are any rides I may be able to convince my boys to ride. I just watched a video of Peter Pan's Flight with DS, and he said he would ride it. DS has ASD and anxiety. He used to go on rides when he was little, but one day just started to refuse - we are guessing something maybe scared him and now he's nervous to try things, but his communication isn't great so it's tough to know for sure. He did go on Soarin' with me on our last trip, and he said he wants to ride that again. We also did the MK Winnie the Pooh ride, and a couple other rides similar to that, where you are just moving through some scenes.
DH gets motion sickness and is afraid of heights. He refused to try Soarin', but he did go on the other "easy" rides with us.
What kind of ride IS Peter Pan? It's hard to tell from the video - are you actually up in the air, or does it just look like you are? It seemed fairly slow moving from the video; does it seem like something DH would be OK with, based on my limited description? I got us all FPs booked, and think DS and I will give it a try (unless he chickens out at the last minute!), but DH is going to want more info on how the ride "feels" before attempting it

 

[SueM in MN]

Peter Pan starts out on the ground, but as you enter the building, your Pirate Ship lifts into the air and you are up above the ground for the rest of the ride.
During the ride, you move through scenes, like in Winnie the Pooh, except that you are above ground.

It's very dark, so it's difficult to get good pictures or videos. Even when you are in there, it's kind of hard to tell how high you actually are. Many of the scenes are smaller than life size, which makes it look higher than you actually are.
My guess is that the Pirate Ships are probably about 10-12 feet off the ground, at most.

It is very slow moving and nothing is jerky or abrupt.

 

[halssister]

Thank you!
I will give DH this info and see if he wants to watch the video, and he can decide. The 10-12' off the ground may be a deal breaker for him, but he will patiently wait for DS and I to ride if he chooses not to

 

[SueM in MN]

Peter Pan uses black light and other special lighting, which makes it very difficult to get good pictures.
This video, by BigFatPanda, used night vision. The colors are not correct, but it might give you a little better view of heights, etc.

BigFatPanda does really good videos, so I would look for his on YouTube. He usually includes a bit of the queue and boarding area, which is really helpful for anyone with disabilities.

 

[halssister]

Excellent!
I just showed him......he said, "Uh, yeah, you guys have fun, I'll just wait outside!"

 

[kandb]

My children and I aren't really big on heights, fast rides etc. (I won't even go on Soarin) but one ride I would recommend is spaceship earth in Epcot. My kids love it, it goes slow, you stay on the ground and it's a relatively long ride (not over in 2 min). Try it, I think your dh and ds will like
it.

 

[halssister]

My children and I aren't really big on heights, fast rides etc. (I won't even go on Soarin) but one ride I would recommend is spaceship earth in Epcot. My kids love it, it goes slow, you stay on the ground and it's a relatively long ride (not over in 2 min). Try it, I think your dh and ds will like
it.

Thanks, I will check it out! I think once I'm able to get DS onto a couple more rides, he will feel more comfortable......with him, it's more the anxiety of the unknown than the ride itself, which is why the videos are so great

 

[halssister]

I just got a FP for Spaceship Earth too, thank you for the suggestion! If nothing else, looks like a good way to cool off for a bit (I'm assuming it's air conditioned?) and DH actually may enjoy the history aspect of it. Plus, I really wanted to replace the Captain EO fastpasses that we had lol
Any other good suggestions for tamer rides?

 

[kandb]

Yes, it's air conditioned and is very slow and a calm ride, you have a little tv in your little moving cart and your ds will be able to see himself on camera. I think it's one of my childrens favorite rides. Nice and cool too!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . It's very dark . . . Many of the scenes are smaller than life size, which makes it look higher than you actually are . . .

1) Yep.
2) The Imagineers did a good job at illusion.
3) And, as a warning, once on the ride, there is NO exit or way to stop the ride for a melt-down.

 

[SueM in MN]

1) Yep.
2) The Imagineers did a good job at illusion.
3) And, as a warning, once on the ride, there is NO exit or way to stop the ride for a melt-down.

And, also the only restraint is a lap bar.

 

[jec6613]

Thanks, I will check it out! I think once I'm able to get DS onto a couple more rides, he will feel more comfortable......with him, it's more the anxiety of the unknown than the ride itself, which is why the videos are so great

If he's anything like me, a book on how the rides were designed may help immensely. If he's interested in how they work and trying to spot how the illusions work, the other stuff won't bother him as much (adult with ASD here, and that's how I did it and do it). Also, spacing out the sensory stimuli with calmer things helps a lot as well.

As far as dark rides or AA shows without thrills and good AC to cool off in, my short list (which has sadly gotten shorter of late):

• Spaceship Earth
• Journey into Imagination
• Living With The Land
• The American Adventure
• The Great Movie Ride
• It's a Small World
• Hall of Presidents
• Carousel of Progress
• Three Caballeros
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority
• Enchanted Tiki Room
• Country Bear Jamboree
• Haunted Mansion
• Ellen's Energy Adventure
• WDW Monorail

Your DS and DH may of course have differences of opinion with me, so obviously do your own research, but I thought I'd share my starting point and hopefully it's helpful.

 

[halssister]

1) Yep.
2) The Imagineers did a good job at illusion.
3) And, as a warning, once on the ride, there is NO exit or way to stop the ride for a melt-down.

That is a good thing to point out, and I wll make sure DS realizes that if we go on, there's no way off. Fortunately, he has never really "freaked out" on a ride, beyond crying once as a toddler (normal nervous toddler crying, not autistic meltdown crying!)......he's more the type that will either freak out right before getting on and change his mind, or else have a meltdown AFTER we get off due to it being overwhelming! If we watch the video a few times, he will know when the ride will end based on what scenes we are seeing, and that will reduce his anxiety and allow him to know when he will be able to get off

 

[halssister]

If he's anything like me, a book on how the rides were designed may help immensely. If he's interested in how they work and trying to spot how the illusions work, the other stuff won't bother him as much (adult with ASD here, and that's how I did it and do it). Also, spacing out the sensory stimuli with calmer things helps a lot as well.

As far as dark rides or AA shows without thrills and good AC to cool off in, my short list (which has sadly gotten shorter of late):

• Spaceship Earth
• Journey into Imagination
• Living With The Land
• The American Adventure
• The Great Movie Ride
• It's a Small World
• Hall of Presidents
• Carousel of Progress
• Three Caballeros
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority
• Enchanted Tiki Room
• Country Bear Jamboree
• Haunted Mansion
• Ellen's Energy Adventure
• WDW Monorail

Your DS and DH may of course have differences of opinion with me, so obviously do your own research, but I thought I'd share my starting point and hopefully it's helpful.

Thank you for the list, it gives me a good idea of things to check out! DS generally LOVES dark places (he loves going to movie theaters even though he doesn't care for movies, just because he likes to sit in the darkened theater!) so dark rides that aren't too fast or "scary" are good.
He's a HUGE video kid.....whenever he is nervous about something, like car washes for example, he will watch videos over and over until he feels comfortable enough to try them, which I find pretty cool And we definitely have to space things out! In fact, he can usually only handle a few hours before we have to go back to the resort and swim (water = CALM), but our main goals at MK are meeting all the princesses, so that won't be too overwhelming with the FP, as long as he wears his noise canceling headphones while we wait

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

And, as a warning, once on the ride, there is NO exit or way to stop the ride for a melt-down.

exactly if they do stop it they have to have the fire depart come and assist with the evac of all guests due to the height the ride vehicles are from the ground.

 

[Baklava]

If it helps, my father is terrified of heights, will not do Soarin' for love or money and is totally fine on Peter Pan at DL. It doesn't register as "high" for him.

 

[Glittercat]

BigFatPanda does really good videos, so I would look for his on YouTube. He usually includes a bit of the queue and boarding area, which is really helpful for anyone with disabilities.

Thank you for posting the video and the recommendation Sue! I subscribed to him, and let go of the idea of ever riding Peter Pan, well unless I get new legs.

If he's anything like me, a book on how the rides were designed may help immensely. If he's interested in how they work and trying to spot how the illusions work, the other stuff won't bother him as much

May I ask which book you bought? My 9 year old son has slight sensory issues but also just loves to learn how things work! He reads a lot of manuals and is a Disney secret/magic aficionado!

exactly if they do stop it they have to have the fire depart come and assist with the evac of all guests due to the height the ride vehicles are from the ground.

This is good information!

 

[jec6613]

I went to a library and read a bunch, all of which seem to be out of print (it was over two decades ago) *feels old*

However, this type of thing is what I found most interesting: http://amzn.com/1423109759

 

[Glittercat]

I went to a library and read a bunch, all of which seem to be out of print (it was over two decades ago) *feels old*

However, this type of thing is what I found most interesting: http://amzn.com/1423109759

Thank you so much for that link! I added it to the wishlist and will surprise my 9 year old with it as soon as I can! I get that feeling old thing, don't usually feel this way but just over a month from 40 and been stuck in bed being sick, I'm feeling my age. lol.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thank you so much for that link! I added it to the wishlist and will surprise my 9 year old with it as soon as I can! I get that feeling old thing, don't usually feel this way but just over a month from 40 and been stuck in bed being sick, I'm feeling my age. lol.

just FYI - there are similar ones for each WDW park.
We have them all and they are really nice.