Pirates of Carribean - Appropriate Age

[MinnieLove]

OK - I swear I am not OCD Mom. Twin boys 5 - have never seem POC movie. Has always seemed a little adult scary for them. Now we are going to WDW and I really want them to get into the whole Pirate thing.

Need feedback. How did your kids do with it. Any ideas to get the kids into the pirate theme. Movies, books????????

 

[mommyof2princesses]

DD5 has loved this ride since she was 2. Their is a little drop in it, but not really scary. She doesn't watch the pirate movies, but her sister does.

 

[Kit'smommy]

My DS (turning 5 in February) loves anything pirates. He was a pirate at Halloween, has several toy pirate ships and pirate books, and loves the ride at MK (doesn't like the falls though).

We let him watch the first POTC movie about a year ago, and he really loves it. He however is very advanced for his age and few things in movie or cartoons really upset or scare him.

If you do not want him to watch any ofl the POTC movies, perhaps you could buy them a toy pirate ship and maybe watch Treasure Planet? Unfortunately, anything pirate is going to be violent, by its very nature.

 

[nicki.momof3]

Last trip my daughter was 2 and sons were 3 and 5. None have seen the movies either (still haven't). They all loved the ride. It is about the movie but not scary and basically it is a pirate ride. So if your boys at all like pirates with will love the ride - FUN.

Borders has some really cool pirate books (they can not read they yet) but they have maps and all sorts of cool pirate stuff in them. We also play the pirate game at our house a lot. We bought dollar store pirate wear and we will make teasure maps on the house - in and out depending on weather and go on treasure hunts.

Have fun

 

[pfp258]

You are a wonderful mom! POC movies are rated PG-13 for a reason! (As a pre-school teacher, I can't tell you the times I hear about kids watching inappropriate TV shows and movies!)
I have two girls that did not like the POC ride for a long time becasue they had been on it when they were young and it was too scary.
So be careful, remember what pirates are and do. (Do you want your child using a knife albeit it plastic to hold at someone's throat?)

 

[arielmomma]

My DS5 has never seen the POC movies but has been riding the ride since he was born. When he was 3, he was a little scared when we got to the part of the ride with the big ship and the cannons are going off. We just explained that it was all pretend and then we got right back on the ride after we'd gotten off to show him that it was the exact same thing all over again - that it must be pretend. After that, we went on it about 5 more times that day and it is now one of his favorite rides.

 

[mejkjj97]

My DD whose 3 loves the ride also. The first time she was a little scared of the little drop but after that she was having fun finding all the animals, laughing at dog etc. She rode the ride 5 times the last trip.

 

[tzolkin]

My kids enjoyed the ride. They were 2, 4, and 9. Only the oldest has ever seen any pirates movies (and watched with an adult). I think the movies are scary/intense, but the ride is not anything like the movies.

I rode this countless times as a child and it was great. (My one sister would sometimes be too scared to ride and other times would love it. It wasn't specific to pirates though, she did this with almost every ride from time to time. We never knew which ones dad would have to sit out with her.) I did notice that the ride seems much darker than I remembered. I'm assuming they changed the lighting when they added in the few movie references.

 

[Mickeypooh99]

Remember the ride was there before the movie. They don't need to see the movie first. I never let my boys watch it until a couple months ago. Then my husband talked me into it. The boys did see Peter Pan. They also had some pirate books. "Pirate Pete" was a good one. My youngest went through a stage where he loved pirates. He dressed as one for Halloween, and wore his costume around the house many days for the next year or so. I'm sure they will love it.

 

[solfan68]

DS(then 5) first rode POC in 2007. When we went back in 2008, this was one of his biggest "must-dos". The mist screen and the ship/fort are probably the most intense moments. I suppose sensitive children might be botered by other aspects, but ours not only wasn't scared... it became a favorite attraction.

Also wanted to add that DS has not seen - and will not see - the Pirate movies until he is much older. As a parent, ride - OK. Movies, yeah... not age appropriate at the moment.

 

[anphsmom]

We're going for the first time in 17 days!!! My ds hasn't seen the movie and won't for a while, I just don't feel either son is ready for it. That being said, ds1's bedroom is pirate theme and he loves to dress like a pirate. I think they can enjoy the ride without the movie. Why push them to see pg-13 movies and a young age? You never know what might scare them without you realizing it. My nephew went to see Beauty and the Beast in the theater when it came out. Seemed to love it, and we all took him back two more times. Suddenly he was having nightmares about lions and we finally figured out it was the beast! Who knew! He seemed to love the movie and not be scared at all. So, you never know!

 

[SharkyGoddess]

My little guy rode it at 3 and loved it

 

[Tiffany_MommyOf3]

None of my kids have seen the movies - but they all love the ride. There isn't anything gory or gross in the ride. They have all been riding it since they were tiny and love it. My kids sing "yo ho yo ho" all day long at home haha. My 2 yr old says he wants to work at POC when he grows up lol

 

[Tiggerbounce24]

My DD3 rode it when she had only just turned 3 at Disneyland Paris and was fine

 

[summermac]

Loved the ride before the movie!!!! I can't wait to ride it again.

My son has never seen POTC and probably won't for a loooong time. He wants to ride the pirate ride b/c of Peter Pan. He loves Capt. Hook!

 

[lntsmom]

were babies, or because you don't feel the movies are appropriate? My younger son saw them and wasn't freaked out...he's only 7 now.

One idea, go to YouTube and show them videos of the rides themselves.

If you just want the pirate vibe you might try the Wiggles, but 5 is a little old for first time Wigglers. Captain Feathersword is a very kid-friendly pirate.

I just can't think of any other way to do pirates without involving dark themes.

 

[Tiffany_MommyOf3]

My kids haven't seen POC movies because they are pretty graphic. My 5 yr old would absolutely love them - but they would give him nightmares later LOL

 

[RMulieri]

My dd never saw any of the Poc movies either and rode it when she was 4 with no problems.The ride came out long before the movies ever did.

 

[bumbershoot]

DS rode the ride before seeing the movie. But he was pretty little at that point.

We did let him watch the movies VERY early, and it has worked out totally fine. PG-13 means Parental Guidance for those under 13, and that's exactly what DS got. There are still two scenes where he turns his back and we ff through it (rock/island prison scene in 2 and beginning of 3).

Anyway, through his 3 year, he wanted to watch the movie incessantly, but REFUSED to ride the ride. When he turned 4 he was ready for the ride again (we were at DL for his b'day) and it turned out that what bothered him about the ride was the Davey Jones screen. He thought it was really DJ and thought we were being eaten by him. I explained how the effect works, that it's not DJ, and worked out strategies to get past him.



Since your kids haven't seen the movies, they probably won't have the fear of DJ (by the way, DS isn't afraid of him at all in the movies, but the idea of being eaten by him was just too much) that a little one who has seen the movie would. He's just a weird tentacley dude (though with the way DS says it, substitute another word that is very similar to it for tentacles, LOL).


Peter Pan is a good one for getting a kiddo used to the idea of pirates BUT on the other hand, DS is more afraid of Captain Hook than he is of any pirate in POTC movies. Why? Because Hook is evil to the core AND is trying to kill CHILDREN. In the movies, the only children at obvious peril are at peril from the hands of the law-men. On our last visit to Disneyland, a chance meeting with Peter Pan was almost ruined b/c PP was meeting people all while playing with a little mite of a girl who was dressed as PP...had her on the lookout for Hook...and my bigger boy was petrified in fear that Hook might come...had to do some quick thinking to salvage that chance meeting let me tell you!

Whereas he's had some of the best character interactions ever with Jack Sparrow, even before he saw the movies (knowing that cool JS was in those movies is what prompted his very long campaign of begging to see the movies), and we miss that character very much (he's gone from DL).


DS has never put a pretend dagger to anyone's throat, even when having us play with him (I'm the constant Elizabeth Swann and hubby is Will Turner). I'm not sure he's even thought to do it, but he knows there are rules even when playing as a pirate, and he knows very well that bad behaviour from any movie he watches will result in that movie being put away. Kung Fu Panda has been in time-out for a few days now b/c of that.


Anyway, I only ever recommend that parents try their best to figure out what movies are OK for their kids, have a screening of it BEFORE letting the kiddo watch it, and watch it with their kids many times, so that you can see what scenes might "get to" the kiddo so that you can FF through them, explain them, figure out what the problem is, etc. And so you know where possibly negative behaviour might be coming from if that happens. It's all about the Parental Guidance.


And as for the ride, I don't think it's necessary at all to have seen the movies in order to appreciate the ride. Though the ride might cause a kid to want to see the movie!

 

[disneybridetobe]

OK - I swear I am not OCD Mom. Twin boys 5 - have never seem POC movie. Has always seemed a little adult scary for them. Now we are going to WDW and I really want them to get into the whole Pirate thing.

Need feedback. How did your kids do with it. Any ideas to get the kids into the pirate theme. Movies, books????????

DD went on the ride at 14mo... it was her first ride! She just kinda looked around and checked things out. But, she's a brave lil chick and tough as nails, so I think she's more of the exception rather than the rule.

I don't think it'll take much to get your boys into the whole pirate thing, it's just a fun thing to pretend to be. I remember playing pirates as a kid, and that was WELL before the movies! Chances are they'll see other little boys being pirates and they'll probably want to do it too!