Rides for "Hesitant" 8 Year Old

[MamaCrush]

A bit of a dilemma here. By way of explanation, we took our DS to Disney two years ago when he was 6, and our DD who was 4. We had a great time, even though DS was terrified of rides (he cried at the mere thought of Dumbo) but loved the characters. Of course, DD loved all the rides and screamed at the sight of a character. We told them we wouldn't go back until both of them overcame their phobias!

Well, DH and I are dieing to go back, so we booked a trip for Sept. and told them we'd only go if they proved to us they can handle it. We took them this weekend to our Regional Theme Park, and DD (now 6) passed with flying colors. DS(8) on the other hand, did get on some rides and tame rollercoasters (think Goofy's Barnstormer), but wouldn't try anything else. So now DH and I are decided if it's worth the money.

Now to the point of the post! Does anyone know where I can find "specifications" for the rides at Disney? I can find height requirements, but is there anywere that describes how high a ride goes, how fast, how many drops and how steep they are?

Of course, our deadline to pay the balance on trip is tomorrow . Any thoughts???

Thanks,
Denise

 

[mom2my2gr8kids]

Well, my dd is 8 turning 9 and we have been going to Disney since she was little. She has yet to ride any rollercoasters. We ride the teacups, Dumbo, pooh, magic carpets, small world, peter pan, the carousel, haunted mansion, buzz, the blue line, world of progress, speedway cars and have ridden POC (but she doesn't like that). We also do Monsters, Inc (LOVE that!) and all the shows, parades. We are hoping to ride Toy Story Mania this year. My dd is turning 6 and rode Space Mountain last year and can't wait to do it again and I think I have him talked into Rockn rollercoaster with me too!

My dd LOVES Disney, just not rollercoasters. To me, Disney isn't just rollercoasters it's everything else!

Go and have FUN!!!

 

[Disney1976]

What about looking up some of the rides on Youtube? It might give your son an indication of what a ride is like. What exactly doesn't he like about the rides? Is it the speed? Is it the height? Is it the fear of the unknown? Youtube might help with that last one, whereas if you know he has specific concerns about certain rides, you can avoid those.

There's so much to see and do at Disney even without going on rides (great shows, parades, fireworks, etc.) that I wouldn't cancel a vacation just because your son is having reservations about something. You never know -he may get there, have a change of heart, and ride everything!

 

[MamaCrush]

Thanks guys! I'm with you-- I think Disney is cool just being at Disney! Plus, we'll be staying at the Coronado Springs Resort and they have an awesome pool, among other things. It's my DH who's worried he won't get the best bang for the buck! I have my pow-wow with him this evening to convince him otherwise. Thus this post!

I think DS will do POC, Haunted Mansion, and Thunder Road since it doesn't have any steep drops according to one the Passporter guide. That's 3 things in Magic Kingdom alone he wouldn't do last trip that I can think of off the top of my head. And oh yea, he said he'd do Dumbo this time and I'm sure he'd then do the Aladdin's Magic Carpets-- and that's one of DD's faves. And DH and I can always do baby swaps on Rockin Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror and Expedition Everest-- assuming those rides make it available.

Does anybody remember Space Mountain enough to give me an idea on the drops? It's dark, so the height thing wouldn't bother him. I don't remember it going especially fast, either. Am I wrong??

Denise

 

[casjen]

We are about to go and my ds, who is now 6, would not ride anything at age 4. I mean, he wouldn't even walk into Buzz! He would only do rides that were outdoors, and didn't spin, and weren't a roller coaster. Do you see the very short list there? We did the tomorrowland speedway more than 5 times!

He has been watching rides over and over on youtube and has come to the realization that they aren't scary. Knowing what to expect behind the big dark entrance has really helped him. He even told me Buzz is just a bunch of painted walls you shoot at.

Now, we leave in 11 days so I can let you know when we get back if any of this helped. But at least he is saying he wants to ride these rides this time. Before he refused to do anything.

FWIW, he hates IASW. He says "I don't like all those loud kids singing at me". Will your ds tell you what freaks him out?

 

[Disney1976]

No HUGE drops on Space Mountain, though it's bumpy and whips you around quite a bit. I know at one point, maybe halfway through the ride, it does make a sudden dip/small drop that takes your breath away! As for speed, it's actually the slowest rollercoaster on property -the top speed is somewhere around 23 miles an hour (maybe slightly more, I forget exactly). Goofy's Barnstormer actually goes faster then Space Mountain!

 

[rmjkharrisfam]

I have a very hesitant 5 yr old when it comes to some of the rides. He's really tall so the height requirements wouldn't stop him from doing any of the bigger rides. But, he completely freaked out in the line for Buzz Lightyear. Go figure...this kid will ride Pirates and Haunted Mansion over and over again but fighting the robots in Buzz Lightyear was too much for him. Even his 3 yr old sister couldn't convince him that it wasn't scary. I agree with previous posters, Disney is so much more than the roller coasters. We just let him choose what he'd like to go on. Eventually he'll overcome the robot phobia and enjoy Buzz's ride.

 

[Rylee]

Thanks guys! I'm with you-- I think Disney is cool just being at Disney! Plus, we'll be staying at the Coronado Springs Resort and they have an awesome pool, among other things. It's my DH who's worried he won't get the best bang for the buck! I have my pow-wow with him this evening to convince him otherwise. Thus this post!

I think DS will do POC, Haunted Mansion, and Thunder Road since it doesn't have any steep drops according to one the Passporter guide. That's 3 things in Magic Kingdom alone he wouldn't do last trip that I can think of off the top of my head. And oh yea, he said he'd do Dumbo this time and I'm sure he'd then do the Aladdin's Magic Carpets-- and that's one of DD's faves. And DH and I can always do baby swaps on Rockin Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror and Expedition Everest-- assuming those rides make it available.

Does anybody remember Space Mountain enough to give me an idea on the drops? It's dark, so the height thing wouldn't bother him. I don't remember it going especially fast, either. Am I wrong??

Denise

I wouldn't attempt Space Mountain with him. Perhaps you could start off with some rides you know he'll be able to handle and enjoy, and then possibly "move up" to the bigger rides.

FWIW - my kids all hate the Stitch attraction, yet, they all rode ToT and the rollercoasters as soon as they met the height requirements.


I tell my kids...

"Ya know how your favorite rides seems really short, too short... all rides are pretty short. If you don't like the ride... hang on, close your eyes and it will be over in a few minutes!"

 

[Keara'sMom]

My dd is 11 and still won't ride the roller coasters--they're just not her thing (not even Barnstormer, which she tried at age 9 and cried the whole way through). We have a great time at WDW, though. She rides all of the other rides that aren't fast (loves HM, PoC, Soarin', etc.), and we enjoy taking our time through the parks. Just this morning dd asked if we could go back to WDW this year.

FYI: there is a guidebook made especially for kids that rates the rides in terms of darkness, speed, etc. It's really good, and it's written by kids for kids. I wish I could remember the name of it, but my 40-something brain doesn't seem to be working that well right now!

 

[badblackpug]

He may surprise you! The 1st year my son went...he was 4...he cried all the way through POC, but rode EVERYTHING else (except RnR, he wasn't big enough) the next year he rode everything, even POC, which he declared "a baby ride!"

 

[EthansMom]

What I did when DS was younger was I sat down and described all of the rides (ahead of time) to him and let him decide which ones he thought he'd like. He felt more prepared and more in-control about the whole situation.

Like your child, DS freaked at the sight of a character, though. We finally figured out that doing the character meals was a good way for DD to see the characters while letting DS maintain his distance.

As a general rule, the height requirements are a good indicator of the "fright factor" on a ride. At MK, BTMRR, Splash Mountain, and Space Mountain are going to be the fastest most intense rides. At Hollywood Studios, your DD may want to avoid Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster. At Animal Kingdom, Dinosaur and Expedition Everest are the scary ones. And at Epcot, I'd say it's Mission: Space and possibly Test Track.

All of those rides will allow you to do the "baby swap" even with the "baby" being an 8 year-old. And there are plenty of nice rides and shows that DD should enjoy.

At MK, my kids sometimes find The Haunted Mansion to be a bit frightening. At Epcot, Soarin' is a very gentle ride but might frighten someone if they have a fear of heights and the Honey I Shrunk the Audience show has some scary parts (snakes, lions that jump out at you). At Hollywood Studios, I find that the Tower of Terror makes me ill (up/down, up/down from a high height). At AK, Dinosaur is reputedly frightening enough that we haven't tried it yet (maybe this next trip for us) and the It's a Bug's Life show is scary if you don't like bugs.

As for "tame" rides/shows that my kids enjoy: Country Bear Jamboree, It's a Small World, Mickey's Philharmagic, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mad Tea Party (DS in a fast teacup with Dad while DD is in a slow one with Mom), Indy Speedway, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin... and those are just at MK!!!!

Personally, I would go on the trip but warn DD that the above rides do go fast and have sudden turns and allow her to make her own decisions about them. If she knows what to expect ahead of time and feels confident that no one will force her on a ride that she doesn't want to go on, she'll likely be much happier.

 

[MaxRascal]

You might want to look at

wdwinfo.com
Theme Parks
Theme Park Information: Disney Thrill Rides

(sorry, too few posts to link to it, yet) for information on each ride of interest. On many of the rides it has speeds, heights, etc. and very good descriptions.

However, I took a 2-yr-old last year who couldn't ride any "thrill" rides other than Goofy's barnstormer and he had a great time. Okay, by the end of the trip, I was once again sick of It's a Small World, something an 8-yr-old won't drive you to, but ...

Have fun.

 

[chip007]

Hey, I'm 46 and I won't go on the rollercoasters or any of the other thrill rides, but that doesn't mean I don't love Disney World.

As a matter of fact, I love it in part because it's not just about the thrill rides. There's so much else to do and enjoy. So IMO don't miss a trip just because you have to miss some of the rides.

 

[MamaCrush]

Success!! I had the talk with DH last night and we went ahead and paid our balance for our September trip. I think he was happy to be talked into it, so it wasn't a too hard of a sell! Thanks so much everyone for your input. The youtube suggestion was great! I showed several rides to my son and he thinks several are "doable" that I wouldn't have predicted-- like Star Wars Tours, Haunted Mansion and Soarin. Thanks again everyone!

 

[Princess Roo]

I'm glad you decided to go! There is tons to do even without the roller coasters.

Just wanted to clarify that you can't use baby swap, though, unless you have a child with you who doesn't meet the height requirements for that ride. (You have to show the CM that child when you get the pass.) But, you can all get Fastpasses for the ride (including DS who doesn't want to ride) and each parent can take DD separately (with her using DS' pass for one of her turns) and it will work out the same. Have fun!

 

[MamaCrush]

Thanks, Princess, for the tip! So in other words, as long as we all have Fastpasses, one parent can hang out at the front of the line then hop on board when the first parent gets back. The one who lucks out here is my daughter-- she'll get to ride twice!

 

[Princess Roo]

Thanks, Princess, for the tip! So in other words, as long as we all have Fastpasses, one parent can hang out at the front of the line then hop on board when the first parent gets back. The one who lucks out here is my daughter-- she'll get to ride twice!

Actually, that's not how Baby Swap works at WDW. If you do have a "baby", you go to the Fastpass line and show the baby to the CM who then gives you a pass that works like a Fastpass, except that it's good for the rest of the day and good for up to 3 people. If you have Fastpasses, then the first adult uses that pass to go through the Fastpass line. Otherwise, the first adult goes through the regular line. Then, when the 2nd adult comes back with the baby swap pass,they show it to the CM and go through the Fastpass line (regardless of whether the 1st adult had a fastpass or not). So, using true Baby Swap does take a little while because both parents need to get through the Fastpass line (you can't wait at the boarding area). What we usually do is take our kids on another tamer ride or to get a snack while the other parent is riding. I hope this makes sense!