Ride Dilemma with Scaredy-Cat family member

[alicia1506]

hi all,

so, we leave in less than 2 weeks for our first ever DLR trip and my sister (who is 24 years old) tells me that she's scared of riding Dumbo (!!!) and any other rides that go fast, or up high, or in the dark (omg, that's like... all of them!!) and no, she wasn't joking.

she's shy and timid and i love her dearly as she is, however i am hoping that the Disney magic works and she will overcome her fears, but for those of you with small children, or phobias of your own, can you please, please pretty please help me out with strategies that have worked on getting family members to enjoy the Disney magic?

I would like to also say that it is not my intention to coerce or intimidate or even trick her into rides if she doesn't want to.. i just want to be able to share that special disney magic with her....

any help would be so, so appreciated

 

[Casey's Mommie]

Best strategy is to start with easy, happy rides. It's a Small World would be the perfect first ride. After that you can have her try the Storybook Land Canal and Casey Jr Circus Train. After that you can try Alice in Wonderland. If she can handle Alice then she can probably handle Peter Pan.

Hopefully starting with the easy, happy ones will put her in a spot where she is more adventurous to try new things.

Good Luck!!!

 

[Butterfly123]

If she knew what to expect on dark rides would it help? She could watch some videos of the rides on You Tube to prepare herself. On the fast or high rides I got nothing. Hopefully some wise Dis-ers can help. There are also lots of fun shows like Aladdin that she can enjoy.

 

[marcemc]

My aunt is just like this. When she went to WDW for the first time 3 years ago, she didn't ride anything during the first day. Second day she ventured out & did kiddie rides but she didn't go on anything dark or fast.

She reassured me that she loved the parks, the atmosphere, the food & the shows and that the trip was magical enough for her even without the "major rides"

 

[Scribble Kitty]

The dark rides part seems to be the real hindrance. Disneyland doesn't have too many rides that go up high or too fast, but to cross out dark rides doesn't leave many choices.

If her favorite movie has a ride, I would try to start with that. Or rides that she can be in control of, like Dumbo. She can stay low to the ground and just enjoy a gentle paced circle ride, instead of a high flying elephant ride. If you can get her started, it should help build courage/confidence for other rides.

 

[alicia1506]

i've tried youtube-ing povs for the rides... and the bit about dumbo that scares her is that it goes up high... i think she would prefer that it stay low to the ground. she also doesn't like the idea of tea cups cause it is too spinny....

lol. i think it is just a fear of the unknown, rather than a fear of heights/dark spaces, cause she is positively drooling at the idea of riding Indy and the 'doom buggy' at HM.... lol. she's weird but i love her.

our touring plan is to rush into TL and do ST first, grab a FP for ST and then head to FL to do the kiddy rides (i know the lines get longer in the day) and then return to do ST again with FP then move through TT and PFF, through FL for our water rides etc then into NOS before heading over to DCA for our afternoon Soarin, animation academy & so forth before ending up at WOC.

we are there for 2.8 days, so hopefully by day 2 she will have overcome her fear of the 'high & fast/dark' rides and will be willing to venture into those...

i just don't want her to regret it or be lonely while myself and SO are enjoying ourselves...

 

[jacs1234]

The Jungle cruise would be another good one for the first day. Peter pan is such a lovely ride but unfortunately it's darkish. So lovely though. Maybe if you tell her it's Peter Pan flying over London during the night, she might be ok with it. Maybe when she see's one year olds and toddlers going on the rides she'll be happier. Winnie the pooh might be a good first "dark" ride to start her on.

Are you saying she really wants to go on HM and Indy? If she can handle Indy then she can handle the dark rides in Fantasyland.

 

[alicia1506]

yes, she has expressed much joy at riding indy and HM and loves the idea of the doom buggy. i think it's just really a fear of the unknown thing... but the more i try and talk up the 'kids' rides, the more she digs in her heels (stubborn, much? lol). but seriously... i honestly think once we get there and she sees all the little ones having the courage to do the bigger rides, she'll gather her courage up from somewhere... and she loves tink and mickey, so i'm hoping a spin through PFF and toontown will have her falling in love with the place...

or i can just talk her into standing in line for some of the others and then she can discover how 'not so scary' they are once she's ... you know... on the ride

 

[jacs1234]

Indy is like the roughest darkest ride there

 

[alicia1506]

that's what i had heard too i don't pretend to understand my baby sister's neuroses... i just try to manage them

fingers crossed we can talk all the rides up on the plane on the way over (13+ hours from Australia) and by the time we get there, she'll be so caught up in the disney magic that it won't make any difference.

she seems to be most taken with the food and the pins and PFF so i figure we might start there and then see how we go

 

[tlovesdis]

You don't have to go up high on Dumbo! You can stay low the whole time! There is a controller in your elephant that you use to go up and down!

 

[alicia1506]

You don't have to go up high on Dumbo! You can stay low the whole time! There is a controller in your elephant that you use to go up and down!

omg, i love you!!! thank you... if she can control it, i'm sure that i can convince her to get on it

 

[Kittyskyfish]

Is it just the two of you, or is she part of a larger party visiting DLR? She may be the type that will entrench further the more you push, suggest, point out...etc... Change the strategy from push to pull. If there are more people involved, always invite your sis to ride but focus on riding with other family members and assume she'll sit the rides out. Show her love but let her do her own thing. When she begins to feel left out of the fun, let that feeling pull her to modify her behavior.

Your sis has to adapt at her own pace and without the spotlight on her participation at every ride. It's hard to change when everyone is wrapped up in how you behave.

 

[Sherry E]

Okay...I am going to present a 'devil's advocate' point of view here. Please don't take offense - I'm just looking at this from a different vantage point.

Why is it that you think your sister will be lonely, or not enjoy the Disney magic if she doesn't go on certain rides? There are tons of things to do at DLR without ever even stepping on or into a ride - I have spent entire days at DLR without ever riding anything. All it takes is an open mind!

I get the feeling she is digging in her heels because she probably feels you are coercing her (even if you think you are not coercing, and even though your intentions are absolutely the best).

There are some rides I either don't go on anymore, or I am not interested in going on at all, and if someone doesn't accept it when I say I am not interested, I instantly get annoyed and probably dig in my heels too. I like to be able to decide what I want to ride and what I don't.

Heck, I have a friend who won't even go on POTC, and I don't try to talk her into it because I know it will bother her. Do I, personally, love POTC? Yes! Do I understand my friend's fear of it? No, not really. But I would never try to convince her - subtly or overtly - because she would get mad at me.

Yes, your sister is probably afraid of the unknown. But just let her get to DLR and get comfortable with the surroundings...and then see what happens. I think you should let her be the captain of her own ship and decide what she wants to ride. Maybe she will change her mind on some things. Maybe when she sees them in person she will lose her fears.

If not, see some shows (like Aladdin or Billy Hill & the Hillbillies). Take some silly PhotoPass pictures. Have a character meal. Visit the Gallery on Main Street. Shop. Go into the Blue Sky Cellar in DCA. Have a great time with her on HM and on Indy, and if she chooses to go on other things beyond HM & Indy, then wonderful! If not, then at least she went on those. She will probably find her own magic at DLR, in her own time and way.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I agree with Sherry BUT don't avoid or put off rides you want to do either. Find a good mix of what you want to do and what you know she wants to do. She may or may not come around to riding things. But it's both your vacation and you should both enjoy it.

 

[PoohBearFriends]

Agree with above 2. As a mother of a scared 5 year old daughter the first year we went. We rode Peter Pan first and that was it for dark rides except for Winnie the Pooh. That one was bright and cheerful. No problem

I think WTP is a better happier first choice than Alice.

As with all she will have fun people watching and see shows. Ride some rides meet up together for a show and ride again. Have fun.

 

[jacs1234]

I'm an Aussie too. Yay!!!!! I bet she'll be happy to go on things once she's there. Maybe don't let her go on Indy first though, it might stop her from trying the gentler rides.

that's what i had heard too i don't pretend to understand my baby sister's neuroses... i just try to manage them

fingers crossed we can talk all the rides up on the plane on the way over (13+ hours from Australia) and by the time we get there, she'll be so caught up in the disney magic that it won't make any difference.

she seems to be most taken with the food and the pins and PFF so i figure we might start there and then see how we go

 

[jacs1234]

Oh and the little mermaid in Disneys California Adventure has the same ride system as The Haunted mansion so she should be good with that one and Buzz lightyear Astro blasters is similar as well. There will be heaps she can go on. I would be disappointed if she didn't attempt Peter Pans flight though because it really is such a lovely ride.

 

[PoohBearFriends]

The flying with Peter Pan may be part of that uncontrolled and scary feeling for her. She if she likes the other rides first.

 

[mydisneymoney]

My niece (age 12) also does not like most rides. She will go on all of the kiddy rides but hates any of coasters including the little one in Toontown. She will not go on POTC, BTMRR, SM but she really likes ST and Soarin. My DS6 was willing to try anything we took him on and some he really did not want to go on again (the first time we took him to DL). The second time we took him to DL he did go on the rides he was a little hesitant to go on the first time but most he asked to go on the second time. Hopefully your sister can have an open mind and give it a try. PP is short and she can always close her eyes if she doesn't like it. It will be over before she knows it but she will not know if she really doesn't like it until she tries it.