RNR or TOT to test 7 yr old tolerance?

[calie_j]

Our first full day at WDW will be at MGM. DD turning 8 is interested in rollercoasters after a friend of hers went to WDW over xmas, tho she does refuse to do SM because she'll have to sit alone. I'm not sure how she will tolerate the bigger attractions. Which would be the better ride to "test" her tolerance on first at MGM? I don't want to be stuck with a whiny child afraid to go on anything after the first day, been there done that with DS at that same age.

TIA, Calie

 

[mickeyholic]

Star wars first!

 

[Disney_1derland]

I would agree with Star Tours first if they've never been on it, it's not a huge thrill ride but it does have a lot of the elements you'd see elsewhere. If it must be between TOT and RNR then I would choose RNR because it happense so quickly you hardly know it's happening and then it's over TOT has a lot of anticipation to it. Really, I think BTMRR or SM would be a better 'first coaster' than anything at mgm.

 

[cindyfan]

those 2 are such different rides....
I would agree with trying Big Thunder first...if that is okay, maybe try Star Tours to get the feel of a darker ride. Then head to TOT or RnRC

But I would look at what she can tolerate......
Both are DARK rides....if she is totally afraid of the dark....I would think twice.
Is she afraid to go "upside-down"? This is what kept my DD from trying RnRC for years! And she LOVES TOT. But I showed her how the shoulder bars keep you in.
And when she finally went on it....she loves it but still says the worst part is going upside-down.
If she doesn't like the "free-falling" feel....then stay away from TOT. There is only a seat belt ...almost feels like nothing is holding you down.

I know some kids that LOVE TOT and hate RnRC and visa versa.......
So just think what she can tolerate. and let her decide.

 

[JenB]

Definitely try the smaller coasters for tolerance but as far as Tower Of Terror goes, that's not as much about the ride as it is about the whole experience. The pre-show is REALLY intense. However, it was my 5 year old daughters favorite ride but she is a roller coaster girl trapped in a 42" body!

 

[sanibelover]

I agree about the pre-show on TOT. I kept thinking, "How would the kids do on this?" (I didn't have them with me on the last trip.) Thought it was a little freaky for the younger ones.....I actually found myself thinking that on a lot of rides. The ride part was fine, it was the LOUD in your face stuff that I thought might be a problem..........


That's a tough question, but I vote for RNRC before TOT.

 

[janette]

Both of those rides can be iffy for kids. My 10yo DD now loves RnRC but has only ridden TOT twice, really doesn't like it. It took a long time before she was ready to ride RnRC, finally did on about her 4th trip. My older DD started riding almost any coaster when she was 6yo. TOT is her all time favorite, she rode it first when she was 8yo.

There aren't many small rides at MGM. MK has Goofy's Barnstormer, Splash Mountain & Big Thunder all great for working their way up the thrill ride ladder. Star Wars would be the only other alternative at MGM and it is not really a good compare.

Let her watch the take off at RnRC, if she thinks she can do it that is the worst part. TOT can be pretty intense if she's scared of the dark at all. Maybe watch the pre-show and see how she feels about it. Both have an alternative exit and if you have another adult with you use child swap so you can both ride.

 

[Leota]

I agree - MGM has some great thrill rides, but they're not the ones I'd start a coaster novice out on. Esp. one that is nervous about Space Mountain. I'd say work her up to Space on Big Thunder & Splash, then move her from Space to Star Tours to RnRC.
I'm a Coaster Lover, but I'm not a big fan of ToT. I don't care for the Free Fall feeling (although I'll try it again because I love the rest of the ride so much) I don't really equate ToT with Coasters, it's a different experience altogether.

 

[amshowers]

My 7 year old loved the RNRC , but came off ToT crying. RNRC is fun and exciting, but TOT can be very frightening to some kids,even though I think it as the best ride at disney world.

 

[disneycake]

I was terrfied of roller coasters when I was little but going on BTMRR helped me gain the confidence to do other coasters such as space mountain (since it's in the dark and your alone in your seat that's scarier). Then I think you should work her up to the others. If you put her on one that is really scary then she won't even try the other ones.

 

[mdoc]

That's a tough one - I think it varies by child. I took my 4 year old on Tower of Terror and Star Tours (she wasn't tall enough for Rock N Roller coaster). She LOVED TofT but was a little scared on Star Tours. She also loved Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain and Test Track. I would have thought Star Tours was the tamest of the bunch of those, so go figure.

 

[dizprincess717]

I'm a huge roller coaster and thrill ride fan, but for the longest time I never even dared to go near ToT because I don't like free-fall rides, like the green Dominator at Dorney Park - I just refuse to go on it becuse it drops riders 200 feet in open air, you're back is towards the tower and you're arms and feet dangle.

Anyway, I love RnRC. And the last time I was there, like 3 weeks ago , I finally got the guts to just go on Tot. Personally, yes the building is cool and the effects are great, but I don't think that it's the ride that everyone thinks it is. Maybe I'm missing something. IMHO I think that RnRC is the best ride in WDW.

I think that there might be parts of the ride that may scare your daughter, especially while you're actually in the elevator and strapped in. The effects are incredible, but even I was a little creeped out.

I'd say to see how she hands Big Thunder and maybe even Splash. Also Star Tours in MGM. But as for which one she should go on first, I'd say RnRC because of the safety harnesses - I'm sure she'd feel a lot more safe because the harness comes down over your shoulders and she has something right in front of her to hold on to, not on the sides like ToT or nothing if you're in the middle seats. And once the initial take-off is over it's not too fast. If she can handle RnRC then she can definately handle Space even though she'd sit alone and ToT.

 

[brermomof2]

Too much build up on ToT for a youngster IMO. On RnRC it's so fast she won't know what hit her. Seriously though, it's your kid, so you're the best judge. I know some 5 year olds who could handle either, but some 10 year olds who couldn't. Just depends on the individual. Have a blast!!

 

[lindaso]

If it were me and I was trying to avoid a whiny, frightened child, I would head to MK first and do Barnstormer and Thunder Mountain first. If those were fun, I'd head to Space and explain that I can put my hands on her shoulders for the whole ride if necessary.

If that was fun, I'd then try RnR. ToT is totally different. If she's not spooked out by the dark and creepiness, go for it. But I would be hesitant to try RnR on a kid who was afraid of Space Mountain.

My DD was 6 last trip and loved Space Mountain. She was tall enough for RnR and we went for it. She loved it BTW, but I never even thought to bring her on until I saw how much she loved Space Mountain.

 

[DavidNYC]

I'll add my two cents although with the caveat that every person is gonna have different reaction to the rides.

As for roller coasters in general I thing Thunder Mountain is the best "starter" one of all the ones at Disney.

As for RnR or ToT, I personally think that RnR is a pretty intense coaster and not one I'd start out with (although if they like coasters it's a great one). I happen to think ToT isn't all that bad - it's up and down really - the effects is what really gives it it's intensity.

Either are definitely doable for a young child but of everything mentioned I would list RnR as the LAST one I'd use for purposes of tolerance testing (but it's my favorite coaster at the parks!)

 

[tar heel]

Neither of them fit the bill. If she hasn't been to WDW before, it will take her a little while to get acclimated to the scale of things. Disney does things so much bigger and darker and better than the local amusement park. MK or AK really work better for getting used to DISNEY.

We failed miserably at choosing what to begin with for two of our kids and hit a homerun with the other. With the first one, I thought he would love pirates and we started there. It was too big, too dark and too different from anything he had ever done before. He was timid about what we were going to do next the rest of the day but loosened up during the trip. Our other failure was going to Epcot first and doing Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Our son literally refused to try another Epcot attraction until after lunch. Although he eventually had a great time, he refused all thrill rides that trip and hates 3D shows other than muppets to this day. Our success: starting with Small World and the rest of Fantasyland. That child was soon standing on tip toes trying to make sure he made the height requirement for Splash Mountain.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

My DS9 loves roller coasters. He thought BTMRR and Space Mountain were terrific.

ToT scared him spitless, even though he WANTED to ride it. He isn't sure if he wants to ride it when we go back in October. (We just went in January.)

We didn't do RnRC because we heard that the kids heads kind of bump around and we just didn't want that. He is small for his age and I didn't want to worry about his head bouncing all over on a ride - not worth it on a trip where we only had four days.

That said, we also skipped Mission: Space because I was afraid it would make him sick and I wanted him to feel like doing other things.

Definitely start small and work up! You never know what kids will be scared of. I know a couple of kids who are terrified of the thing that blows your hands dry in the restroom!