Question about young children and thrill rides

[Disneybotz]

I need some advice on which rides are ok for my DS to ride. Where going to WDW in October and he will be a month shy of turning 6. I myself love all the thrill rides, and when we watch the planning video his eyes light up when he see the TOT. He loves anything scary. I didnt think he would be old enough to ride but someone told me he could.

 

[EthansMom]

The requirement for Tower of Terror is 40" minimum height, so unless your 6 year-old is very short, he should be fine. See http://allearsnet.com/tp/rr.htm for more regarding the height requirements of the various rides/attractions.

With some warning, he may be fine for Tower of Terror.

Having endured the screams of terror from a nearby 8-9 year-old boy the last time I was on Alien Encounter, it is the only WDW ride about which I am passionate that children should not be on. (Very realistic attack by an alien -- screams, dripping blood, in the dark. Oh, and you're belted in place so that you can't get out even if you had to. Interesting and entertaining for an adult, but terrorizing to children.)

My 3.5 year-old and I are working together to figure out which rides he may want to go on during our upcoming trip since he's 40" tall. I've advised him against TOT and he has said that he doesn't think he wants to go on Dinosaur since it "looks scary". But, he's keeping an open mind about Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Test Track. I think I'll be more frightened of him going on these rides than he will be!

I hope this helps!

EthansMom

 

[iluvallthingsdisney]

My tall DD was 6 at the time we went on TOT. She loves space mountain and splash mountain. She loves the thrills, but she was not ready for TOT. She said she wanted to go on and did not chicken out. I would have gladly skipped it if she didn't want to go on. But she was excited and said let's go on. Once we got up top, she was really scared and did not like the feeling of being dropped so quickly like that. She said that she will try it again when she is seventeen. Her words. LOL! If your DS is good with the freight factor surrounding the ride, that's half the battle. But explain to him that it is an extremely forceful ride and you will really feel like you are falling. If after he has been fully briefed and watched the ride a couple of times and still says he wants to try it, then go on with him. Make sure you buy the picture at the end of the ride. It's priceless. Hope this helps!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

On our second trip to WDW when our twins were 5, DS wanted to try ToT while DD did not. He enjoyed it but only wanted to go on once. Next trip, when they were 5 1/2, they both went on but both were a little afraid and again only wanted to go on once. Last month, at age 7, they couldn't get enough - went on 10 times in two EMH nights.

I think all kids are different and a lot depends on their parents and individual experiences. DH and I love fairs, amusement parks and of course, WDW. The kids have gone on rides since they were old enough and love all the thrill rides now. Good luck.

ETA: the part that scared DS when he was 5 was not the drop (which he thought was fun); it was the part of the ride before the drop where the elevator doors open up and you see the "ghostly people". That was the scariest part for him. I think explaining how Disney makes "shows" out of attractions helped DS understand it was just make believe.

 

[scarboroughmom]

It really does depend on your child. I have a son who would ride anything at 5. He went on Space Mountain, TOT, BTMR. His only limitation is what his father was willing to ride. However, "mood" stuff really spooked him. He hated Dinosaur. It's Tough to be a Bug made him nervous. His older brother has run off rides crying hysterically, only to beg to go on again 3 minutes later. For him, the problem is the unknown. Once he knows the ride, he enjoys the thrilling parts. Go with your own insticts. I found "Disney with Kids" helpful the first time we went for guidelines on how frightning rides might be.

 

[lmhall2000]

Hi!

We went two years ago when our daughter was 4 and a half (WOW! I can't believe she was that young!) and our other daughter was 5 and a half and our son was 8...My youngest is a little thing...very light weight but pretty tall for her age...she's my daredevil...she LOVES thrill rides..and at that trip she was an inch over the limit.

You would not believe the disagreeable stares I received as we stood in line for TOT...I guess most assumed I was just "making" her go so I could ride...the truth was she was DRAGGING me on and begging her Dad to relinquish his Fastpass so she and I could go double. My oldest daughter rode it once and smiled...but said, "Nope, once is enough for me"....I had to hold my youngest in her seat because literally her bottom would come 3 inches off the seat and she hated for me to touch her....she wanted that thrill! It was even worse on TestTrac..she looked almost possessed in the pictures with glee.

She loved Splash Mountain...was too short for Space Mountain...but rode just about everything except Rock N Roller coaster...kids are all different but I felt safe letting her ride as long as she was tall enough...but I did keep an arm across her on most rides because of her featherweight.

Have a great time!
Tara

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

At 4, DS loved Splash, liked BTMRR except for the mine cave at the beginning (of course, the ride broke down there on our last day - turned out well as the lights were turned on and DS decided that there wasn't anything scary there after all), loved Dinosaur, and begged for ToT. When I finally gave in, he stood in line all the way to the boiler room and then started to change his mind - I told him that after bugging me for 3 days and then waiting so long in line, he should at least try it - I got a lot of evil stares at that point! He proclaimed ToT his favorite ride afterward, but also did not like the portion before hte drop. Just like BTMRR, it had more to do with the excessive volume/noise of that part than anything else.

 

[MickeyFlirt]

I think it depends on your child. As my dd who is 5 and tall for her age as been riding all the thrill rides in all different amusement/theme parks that she has ever been allowed to ride and hasn't found one to scare her yet, but I have a sister who is 12 and will not hardly ride anything and never has, so age really doesn't have anything to do with it. If he hasn't ever been expsoed to rides I would build him up to them and not put him on the fastest/scariest first.

 

[my3princes]

My 3 ds have always gone on everything that they were tall enough for. They are now thrill ride junkies just like their parents. I find that they are more likely to be scared of the 3d shows than any of Disney's thrill rides. You know your ds so you be the judge.

 

[Polly Juice]

With TOT I think it's the pre-ride atmosphere. When my daughter was 6 and rode it for the 1st time, we got right up to the doors to get on and she wanted to bail. I talked her into getting on (bad, bad mommy). The drop business didn't bother her that much. She becomes psychologically frightened by some pre-shows. We just got back on Feb. 12. She turned 10 at Disney. This kid rode everything and loved it including both dueling dragons and the Hulk at US and IOA, but she cried coming out of Twister! Go figure! This is the same child who made me ride Revenge of the Mummy with her 5 times and wanted to go again.(US) Explain all rides and preshows to your kids. Read the ride descriptions on where to sit on various rides - like dinosaur and place them away from the pop out monster. Your kids will love Splash and Thunder and so will you.

 

[Disneybotz]

Thanks for all your advice. I know my DS will love all the rides.

 

[HollyJoy]

My 5 and 7 year old daughters rode EVERYTHING! Okay, so my 5 year old was too short for Rockin Rollercoaster, so she didn't ride that, but everything else was a go! What can I say, I have two little thrill seekers on my hands. It really depends on your child's height and what rides he likes!

 

[disneymagic16]

I think he can ride POTC, splash mt., peter pan's flight, maybe space mt.? IF HE'S OK with gosts he can ride the haunted mansion! Have fun!

 

[PaulaSue]

Thanks for the link. My oldst can ride almost all at 6 years old and my 4 year old is not as far behind as I thought. All 3 are wild children, now we need some growing vibes for Emma and maybe some high shoes for my oldest for the rocken rollercoaster.

 

[d96j97]

My littlest was only 6 last year in May when we went and he rode everything except RNRC...he's dying to do it this time around and he may still be shy of the 48" requirement. If yours like thrill rides, they will have a blast!