Rides/Experiences for a 5 year old

[guardmouse13]

Hi! New here. I was wondering if anyone could give me guidance on rides/experiences for my son. We're taking him this October for his 5th birthday. He's not a huge fan of rides. We went to Branson, MO over the summer and he hated the two smallest rides there. Although they were too small to have a parent/trusted adult with him so that was part of it. He loves Disney so I'm not concerned about him having a fun trip but I don't want to put him on rides that he'll hate.

Are there any suggestions for rides we should do? He's 42" tall but I don't think any of the coasters are going to work for him. It's been 5 years since I've been to WDW, and never with a kid scope in mind, so I'm trying to base things off memory. Plus there are so many new rides. Also, any particular input on the Dinosaur ride at Animal Kingdom? I know that it can be kind of scary. He doesn't get scared easy, it's the quick turns/spins and up/down movement that bother him. I have a feeling we'll be doing mostly shows.

Thanks in advance!

 

[stindall]

I would avoid dinosaur. It's so jerky and has a lot if rocking all over. Ultimately you know your child best but I would YouTube videos of rides and watch them together.

 

[Robo]

The overwhelming majority of the WDW attractions are suitable for young kids.

Coasters are in the minority at Disney.

Take a look at the warnings posted outside attractions.

As well as the mentioned "Dinosaur," "It's Tough to Be a Bug" at DAK can be too intense for some kids.

 

[Robo]

And...

to posting on the DISboards, guardmouse!

 

[BJSforVols]

I'll give you some to avoid based on our experience with our 5 year old DS in 2012.
-Avoid Mission Space and Soarin at Epcot

-Avoid ToT and tough to be a Bug at HS (Won't be tall enough for RRC)

-The only one you need to consider avoiding at AK is EE. Our son liked it, but I could tell he wasn't too sure as to how much he liked it.

-Avoid Space Mountain at MK (Splash Mountain was my 5 year olds favorite in 2012. We rode it a good 5 - 10 times during our week stay.)

As other have said, you know your son; but here's some input based on our son at 5 years old. He was not a big time thrill seeker either.

 

[Robo]

I'll give you some to avoid based on our experience with our 5 year old DS in 2012.
-Avoid Mission Space and Soarin at Epcot

You're suggesting avoiding Soarin' ??

 

[ellone]

Avoid Soarin' ?

Maybe meant test track? My 4 year old refused to go on it after she had previously gone on at 3.

 

[mesaboy2]

The overwhelming majority of the WDW attractions are suitable for young kids.

Coasters are in the minority at Disney.

Take a look at the warnings posted outside attractions.

As well as the mentioned "Dinosaur," "It's Tough to Be a Bug" at DHS can be too intense for some kids.

All of this. I could be confused after visiting different Disney resorts recently, but I thought ITTBAB was at AK?

You're suggesting avoiding Soarin' ??

Agreed, most little ones have no trouble with Soarin'.

 

[RedStars]

In our experience I would recommend to avoid:
Haunted mansion (although your son might be ok since it's a smooth ride)
Soarin
Dinosaur
EE
ToT

 

[Robo]

All of this. I could be confused after visiting different Disney resorts recently, but I thought ITTBAB was at AK?

Would you believe…

"auto-correct?"





Would you believe…

"DHS" is Japanese for "DAK?"

 

[The Sasquatch]

Avoid "Tough to be a Bug" and "Soarin" ???

I would say those are 2 great experiences for a 5 year old and not scary at all but I guess you have to be the judge of that.

 

[ghtx]

You're suggesting avoiding Soarin' ??

Avoid "Tough to be a Bug" and "Soarin" ???

I would say those are 2 great experiences for a 5 year old and not scary at all but I guess you have to be the judge of that.

To each his own. My five-year-old was scared by Soarin but not by TTBAB. He loved BTMRR but was scared of Barnstormer. He hated Mission:Space (but who doesn't?).

You can never tell what is going to scare a 5-year-old, but there are plenty of rides that are fine for anyone.

And I would strongly advise against Dinosaur - I wouldn't even think about taking my 5-year-old on that ride - it's the scariest ride at WDW.

 

[mimomlile]

I would like to echo other posters about Dinosaur. We went when my son was almost 3. He is super brave (and tall) and open to try anything. The only things he hated were Dinosaur and ITTBAB. TOT was his favorite and he rode it 5x in a row. Kids can be very weird about what scares them and what doesn't. Try to start out easy because you don't want to put him off to dark rides right at the beginning of the trip.

I do think that they have turned the volume down on Dinosaur in recent years. It used to be so loud that it hurt my ears, although it is still loud, it didn't seem like it was to the point where it is uncomfortable anymore.

 

[Ava]

As far as coasters, check out Barnstormer. It is all outside, so he can see what it does before even getting in line, and decide if he wants to try it. BTMRR is also mostly outside, although I can't remember how much of it you can see from outside the line.

I think the "problem" with a lot of Disney rides for skittish riders is that they are indoors so you can't see what they do before you're on them. Watching YouTube videos might also help with this.

 

[kohlby]

It's really going to depend on the kid. That being said, Dinosaur, Tower of Terror, and It's Tough to Be a Bug are three that I would avoid unless the child really wanted to ride. My middle child did ToT at 3 and totally freaked out - but she recovered from that because she knew it was her decision and we weren't making her go on it. My eldest, on the other hand, wouldn't attempt ToT until 6 - only trying it because his little sister was doing it.

My youngest is 5 and has some sensory issues. I'm not sure what he'll be able to handle. Most 5 year olds would be able to handle Soarin. But I'm fairly certain mine can't. It's hard to comfort a child on that ride, so if there's any question, I'd avoid it. I will be encouraging him to try Test Track though, since I'm right there by his side. I will not let him try Mission Space, though my middle child did it fine at 5. It's really an easy ride on the green side - but the way you're in the ride constraints is a bit strange and would likely freak out my current 5 year old - and I wouldn't be able to put my arm around him due to it. I am going to try to get him to do BTMRR. My older two kids absolutely loved that ride at 3. And though I couldn't get my youngest on it at 3, I'm hoping he'll do it at 5. The key is not force him though. So, we'll see what happens.

 

[Malibustyle23]

Avoid "Tough to be a Bug" and "Soarin" ???

I would say those are 2 great experiences for a 5 year old and not scary at all but I guess you have to be the judge of that.

My 5 yr old was terrified of TTBAB actually my DS9 was as well. DD9 had seen it before when he was 2 and 3 with no issues but on the last trip they both were terrified and sat on the floor. The big, mean bug was too overwhelming for them. I'll never win the Mother of the Year Award because I thought it was hilarious now both of them refuse to go next time.

DD5 did not enjoy the beginning of Soarin' because of the height. She was fine and comforted though it since I was able to reach her and hold on to her to sooth her fear.

Kids are weird! As much as you can "know" your child there really is no way to know what may set them off or what they may love. Honestly, depending on their age it can easily change from day to day, minute to minute and mood to mood. Hopefully it isn't anything that will make them swear off everything afterwards and it can be calmed down with a Mickey bar!

 

[Drusilla]

I'm probably in the minority here but as long as my kids met the height requirement we tried the ride. Try everything once was our attitude. Surprisingly, they loved the rides I thought they wouldn't and didn't like others that I thought they would like. You know your kid best but sometimes they surprise us (and love RnR and hate the Tea Cups - never would have guessed that!!!) so go on the ride and see. That is the only way you know for sure. If they hate it, don't do it again that trip (but do try it again when they're older during another trip).

 

[BJSforVols]

You're suggesting avoiding Soarin' ??

Yes, based on my 5 year old son from 2012. Not sure if it was motion sickness or fear of height, but he did not enjoy Soarin at all when he was 5. He is 7 now and still will not give Soarin another try.

 

[guardmouse13]

Thanks everyone for the input. I hadn't even thought about watching youtube videos to see better what the ride is like. We started last night on ones that I was questioning.

 

[kohlby]

Thanks everyone for the input. I hadn't even thought about watching youtube videos to see better what the ride is like. We started last night on ones that I was questioning.

Be very, very careful with You Tube videos. Watch them first before showing her. Most of them have the lighting and sound in such a way that they make the rides look more scary to a sensitive child. I have found some good ones, but I needed to search for them. I'm not sure if Disney still has those planning CD's anymore, but those were good for not making rides look scary.