Rides, ages - honest opinions please!

[luvmygirls]

First of all my deepest sympathies to the family of the little boy who so tragically lost his life yesterday.

My question is: (honest opinions & please no debates this is all personal hindsight):

I was already an over protective mother & this information has me seriously thinking: what rides will be appropriate for my 3, 5 & 7 year old during our first trip this Oct?

My 5 & 7 y/o have already expressed interest in Test Track, TOT & RNRC, yesterday's tragedy has me re-thinking those rides. (They already meet the height requirements)

I'm not asking to start any arguments, this is a parent trying to do a little research. M:S was not a ride that we were planning on anyway, it seemed way to intense for me let alone my kids.

TIA for your opinions!
Shelly

 

[Autumngirl]

I was already an over protective mother & this information has me seriously thinking: what rides will be appropriate for my 3, 5 & 7 year old during our first trip this Oct?

My 5 & 7 y/o have already expressed interest in Test Track, TOT & RNRC, yesterday's tragedy has me re-thinking those rides. (They already meet the height requirements)

Shelly

Test Track...I don't think would be a problem for your 5 & 7 year old. I think they will have a blast.

RNRC CAN be a little intense upon take-off. Zero to 60 in something like 3 seconds. I've been on it about 6 or 7 times...it always gives me that "Take your breath away" feeling at first, but after that, it doesn't feel jerky or unsafe.

TOT...honestly, no problem. I can show you a picture of me and my 12 y.o. neice screaming our heads off and clutching for dear life (yes we are a dramatic pair) and the 4 year old behind us smiling away all happy and having fun! The second time my neice and I went on it... we were fine. It gets dark in places but not something I would call intense.

You didn't ask... But I don't think Stitch's Encounter is all that child-friendly. We went on it just two weeks ago. Personally thought it was lame, but saw and heard kids up the age of about 7 or 8 screaming and leaving crying.

 

[disneyholic family]

Test Track is really a mild ride compared to anything else in the 'thrill' category.

In fact, many people get off of it after having waited in a long line and say "that's it"? But i love it. As do my kids. Your kids will probably enjoy it too. It's just a car being tested. At the end it goes fast for a few seconds but no big deal.....definitely easy to ride..

As for ToT.....well....i've seen lots of little kids come off crying....and i've seen lots of little kids coming off laughing and begging to go back on....

i would think that rock and roller coaster might be a bit scary for them....but it's a very smooth ride...but fast....I can't give you any advice on this one either...

 

[jacksonsmom]

Test Track is a fairly tame ride. I do not concern it a thrill ride. If your children can handle driving down the highway with a few sharp turns they could probably handle Test Track.
My son first went on Test Track at age 3 & he NO problems.

TOT, my son went on it when he was 4 yrs old. He was fine, of course I made sure he was buckled in tight! I think your 7 yr old would be fine on TOT, your 5 yr old, depends. My son at 4 went on it, said it was OK, but did NOT want to go on it again. Although now he is almost 6 he is thinking of trying it again when we head off to Disneyland next month.

RNR, your 7 yr old may be OK. My son wanted to ride it last summer. He JUST met the height requirements. I decided NOT to let him ride it. I figured I would like him at least a little over the minium requirement before I let him ride that.

 

[betsyboop]

I honestly think it has a lot to do with your kids.

You know what they can handle.

We went to Disneyland when DD #2 was 6 - she rode everything & had a blast!

On the other hand, when we go to WDW in a couple weeks with DD #3, who is now 10, I know she will not want to ride a lot of the rides. She's just a little more cautious that way.

As long as the child wants to go, isn't scared, and meets the height requirement I would let them go!

Oh - almost forgot - as long as it's something you're not scared of!

 

[wendy1974]

I would not let the 6 and 8 year old that I traveked with this May ride Rock'n Roller coaster. There are some G-forces on this ride and it does go from 0 to 60 very fast and straight into an upside down loop. My advice would be to grab a fast pass for this and ride it by yourself real quick and then make the decision on whether you think they can handle it.
Test track and Tower of Terror are fine for them

 

[weregoingtodw]

Last month, I took my 9yo DD (9/95) onto Test Track, RnRC and ToT. She loved Test Track & RnRC, but swore she'll never go on ToT again. She was quite genuinely frightened.

I would definitely consider Test Track, but would be a bit more leery for the other two. This was the first year my DD went on RnRC and ToT, and her second or third year on Test Track.

JMO! I'm also a very protective mom (for instance, she's still not allowed to ride a school bus, wears a helmet whenever biking, roller blading, riding scooter, etc., isn't allowed to 'roam' the neighborhood), so, of course, YMMV.

 

[cleo]

I think any of the attractions your child is interested in and meets height requirements for should be just fine. It's very scary to hear about an accident or death, especially when it concerns a child, but none of the attractions are any more or less safe than they always have been. There is inherent risk in riding any of them at any time, just as there is risk in getting up in the morning, but the overwheming evidence is that the attractions are safe.

Mission: Space is very intense and advertises itself that way. I don't think there is another attraction in any of the parks that creates the same physical stress as Mission: Space, and even with that distinction the vast majority will have no ill effects, or at least no lasting effects. I would not worry in the slightest about any of the other attractions, none of which (in my opinion) even come close.

 

[Tinkerchele]

We went last June and my 5 year old daughter rode TOT twice! She was more 'frightened' of the theming of the ride before the actual drops - that part she loved. But, after we got off the 1st time, she wanted to get right back on.

Test Track, IMO, is pretty tame, but lots of fun. She was fine on that. She did not ride Mission Space, she was 4 inches shy of the height requirement, but I was not going to let her go on that anyway. As much as she likes rollercoasters and 'dropping' rides, spinning rides make her sick! We're going back this October and I still don't think she'll meet the height requirement....

 

[skoi]

I know it's a tired old statement, but you know your kids. You know their personalities-- and whether they can handle certain things. Our 11 yo dd is very sensible. She would never think to go on an inversion coaster like RnR because she's afraid, and she knows what she's afraid of. Her brother, who's almost 7 doesn't seem to have the sense to be afraid of anything and will try whatever he reaches the height requirement for. Knowing this, I trust her judgement on rides, but not his because he'd strap himself into the scariest, loopiest roller coaster at Universal if he was tall enough without a thought.

We've been on MS with both kids. Found it to be okay. I was worried about them freaking out/getting sick, but they were sort of bored. We've done TT-- they love it because it's like "driving with Daddy". RnR- never took them, ds was too short, dd didn't want to go, but he's looking forward to it next time and I would take him now if we were going. ToT- no interest on anyone's part.

I think most of the rides are okay if your kids are average sized-- for example, a really big 4 year old might find rides he could ride too intense. Just because you fit the seat belt, doesn't mean you're ready to ride. JMHO

 

[KimWDW]

I'd build up and see what they can handle. Start with the more tame rides, then build up. For instance have them ride ThunderMountain before Space Mt, etc.

As far as safety, as long as your child meets the height requirement and has no health condition that you are aware of, that's it. I'm sure this poor child who died on MS had an underlying health problem, most likely heart related. Children don't just die on rides because the rides are too intense. There is an underlying cause. I really feel for the parents. You hear about this all the time, usually sports related. An otherwise healthy kid just dies playing basketball or whatever and he had an underlying condition no one knew about. It's horrible.

 

[CarolMN]

Each child is different and you know your children better than anyone else.

Ride anything that you are concerned about yourself first without the kids. Then decide. It's really the only way -other people's experiences won't help that much because they don't know your children.

Best wishes -

 

[mrsmom]

I have four kids, 18,11,13, 7.
My youngest has rode test track for the first time this past april, because it was always too packed to wait before .He started riding TOT since age 2 1/2 because he is very tall for his age. He hasn't rode rrc yet but will next time we go to mgm. He did ride MS and loved it! my older ones 13 ,and 11 will not ride TOT ever, they are afraid too, but did ride test tracK and MS ,
I really think it depends on each child how they are and if they have fears.I would judge by that.
Kim

 

[pixelpixie]

Thanks for this topic! Another protective mom here. I was wondering if anyone has opinions on Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl, Soarin' and Big Thunder for a 5yo.

I love this board!

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

Do you take your kids to other amusement parks? Take your cues from that. With VERY few exceptions Disney does not have true thrill rides. M:S is an aberration. If your kids love roller coasters and fast rides, they can do anything at WDW. As everyone else has said, if you have a child who is on the timid or fearful side, ride the attraction first and then decide what to do.

My son met all WDW height requirements by 4. He's tall. I never thought twice about taking him on anything he expressed an interest in. By 4 I think he had done everything with the exception of RnRC, which he did the following year at 5. We just left it up to him.

 

[paladin]

I don't have children, so I can only comment on what I have seen. RnR seems to be a big favorite, I've seen kids of all ages come off ready for more (though it literally gives me a headache). On ToT, I have seen both responses from children - some love it, some hate it. Many of the previous responses mentioned how Test Track is pretty mild, yet I was on it once with a family with a girl (I would guess about 6), who was miserable on this ride - she screamed her head off all the way through (and her family was quite surprised about her reaction). I guess what it comes down to is it really depends on the the child (I know that as a child, I always hated roller coasters, while my younger brother couldn't get enough of them)

 

[ReggieB]

I think with the height requirements I think they go with an average age. I think 44" is probably around 5, 48" maybe 6 or 7. They obviously feel they can't impose an age restriction on rides as it would be tough to enforce, so hence height restrictions, but kids vary so much in development at those ages, so lots of kids make it on rides at younger ages than maybe their emotional (and possible even their physical) levels are ready for. My DS4 is very tall for his age, he is hovering abot the 48" mark, personally I think the rides that have that height limit are still a bit beyond him. He would find the RNR way too loud for a start. He has been able to go on ToT for a few trips now...personally I feel he would be scared to death..I might be transferring a little on this one, I was involved in an elevator accident, it dropped a floor while I was in it, I did try ToT once, but it freaked me out way too much.

DS went on Test Track at 3, and loved it. He adored the Stitch ride, he was very impressed with Stitch talking in his ear. He hates Haunted Mansion (too loud) and was not keen on Dinosaur (too loud also, loved the scary dinosaur though, go figure) With my kid it does seem to be down to a volume control thing, if it's loud continously he isn't a happy camper. I think Skoi is right in saying it is all down to the individual child. As parents it is so important that if you are uncomfortable with a ride that your child wants to go on, stick to your guns, you are the parent after all.

 

[SleepingUgly]

As others have said, only you know your child. And this is why we should not only take physical capabilities into consideration, but EMOTIONAL ones as well. A child may be able to handle the ride itself, but what about the theme? My 5-year-old rode on every ride she was physically capable of doing this past May (yes, include Mission:Space, which she said was just "OK"), but I made sure to keep her away from the ToT, even though she met the height requirement. I know my child, and I know that the preshow -- especially the vision of those five ghostly figures floating about -- would terrify her to no end. I had no doubt she could handle the physical aspect of the ride, but I knew her emotions could never handle the story behind the ride.

FWIW -- There are some really tall toddlers out there these days. Just because a child is physically able to ride does not mean he is emotionally ready. Please take that into consideration as well.

Linda

 

[ksoehrlein]

We have two very tall children, so they are physically eligible for rides much before they are mentally ready for them. TestTrack was DD's first "adult" thrill ride. She went on it at age 4.5 and loved it. I think it's a good transition between kiddie and adult rides.

For her 5th birthday, we added Soarin' to the list. She adored it! For Soarin' I think if there is no fear of heights/car sickness, kids are ready for it as soon as they reach the height requirement. YMMV.

We're still not ready for grown-up coasters, however. Goofy's Barnstormer is a great way to check for coaster readiness. She's been on it 3 times now, and each time we get off, I ask if she's ready to try a bigger coaster. (BTMRR is what I had in mind because Space Mountain, being in the dark and not having two-across seating, is out of the question for her.) Each time we exit Barnstormer, the answer is a resounding "NO!" even though she enjoys Barnstormer more and more each time she rides. She said she doesn't like the "downhill part" of Barnstormer, so we won't even consider Splash or ToT due to their much more substantial drops.

I'll echo the "all children are different" sentiment. My advice is to have a plan of attack that starts with more mild rides (Barnstomer, Soarin', Test Track) and then be flexible enough to either include other thrill rides in your touring plan or skip them altogether based on the child's reaction.

 

[wdwdavem]

As most have said you know your children better than anyone else. My dd is 7 and she is very excited about going on everything (Including mission space which I will still let her go on if she wants). If they haven't been on any thrill rides I would start them on some of the smaller ones and see how they react. Everyone is different.