Space Mountain Question

[carsfanfamily]

My 5 year old (almost 6 in Jan) is now tall enough to ride Space Mountain. It has been about 4 years since I rode it and I can't remember if she will have to sit by herself? She is tiny though, (very thin) but tall for her age...do you think she'll be ok on it if she has to sit alone?

She loves Thunder Mountain, Star Tours and Cheetah Chase (at Busch Gardens) and she rode Scorpion at Busch Gardens but all those I can sit right with her.

What about Everest? She is tall enough for that one to. Or is it too intense?

 

[Metro West]

My 5 year old (almost 6 in Jan) is now tall enough to ride Space Mountain. It has been about 4 years since I rode it and I can't remember if she will have to sit by herself? She is tiny though, (very thin) but tall for her age...do you think she'll be ok on it if she has to sit alone?

Are you going to ride it with her? The reason I'm asking...the trains on Space Mountain are only one per seat but three per train. In other words, everyone sits alone...so to speak.

What about Everest? She is tall enough for that one to. Or is it too intense?

I don't think Everest is any more intense than Space Mountain except that you can see where you're going as opposed to complete darkness. This one I think you'll have to wait and see.

 

[carsfanfamily]

Oh I plan to ride with her. I just like sitting right next to her to hold her.

 

[Metro West]

Oh I plan to ride with her. I just like sitting right next to her to hold her.

You can do that on Everest but not Space Mountain. But, you can sit in front or behind her.

 

[disnut8]

What some people have done at Space Mountain is to make sure the child sits in the seat directly in front of the adult. Then the adult can reach out and put their hands on the child's shoulders. I haven't done the myself.

Expedition Everest is intense while you are inside the mountain. Total mind games in there. It's similar to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad but then a bit of the Haunted Mansion's stretching room is thrown in. Everest is just very difficult to describe without going on it. The drop you see from outside is the least of the thrills.

 

[carsfanfamily]

Thanks!! I think I'll ride Everest alone first and see what I think about her riding it, she didn't do well on haunted mansion or the dinosaur ride at AK. But that was a few years ago. She loves Splash Mountain and Test Track too but it isn't scary inside those rides. I will sit behind her on Space Mountain - that sounds like a good idea....

 

[disneymama73]

My 5 yr old just rode both SM and EE for the first time this month. She loved SM, but she said EE was too scary and made her nauseous. She also said she didn't like going backwards. She usually loves rollercoasters.

 

[NotUrsula]

IMO, EE was less intense at the rear of the train. Up front you end up VERY close to the Yeti animatronic after the backward drop, and the thing is *HUGE*.

 

[pixiepower1971]

I agree to sit towards the back on EE. I would not classify it as scary though. Dark inside, yes, but not scary. Space is no problem. Sit her in the middle seat with you behind her. You can reach up and touch her shoulders. She isn't going anywhere as much as they jam down the restraint on that ride!

My DDs have been riding SM since they made the height requirement same as every other ride at WDW. Never had a problem.

 

[CleveRocks]

My 6 year old son and I absolutely loved Expedition Everest. Strictly speaking as a thrill ride, it was indistinguishable from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, except of course for the backwards in the dark part that I had NO IDEA was coming!

But that's where the similarities end. EE is highly themed. I think it would have been better with some sort of pre-show (like at so many other rides) to give us some back-story, but the theming was still absolutely great. My son was terrified at the idea of being stalking and chased by a Yeti. So think of it as BTMR as a ride and Dinosaur as an "experience."

 

[disnut8]

Thanks!! I think I'll ride Everest alone first and see what I think about her riding it, she didn't do well on haunted mansion or the dinosaur ride at AK. But that was a few years ago. She loves Splash Mountain and Test Track too but it isn't scary inside those rides. I will sit behind her on Space Mountain - that sounds like a good idea....

Good idea with Expedition Everest. If she didn't like Haunted Mansion or Dinosaur, she's not going to like Expedition Everest. You might want to take her on Dinosaur before Everest and see her reaction now.

For Space Mountain, make sure the seater person knows that you want to be directly behind her. You don't want her in the third seat and you in the fourth. The cars are connected between these seats so the reach thing is hard to do.

 

[unbroken chain]

I agree w/ sitting behind them - I don't know that you can really ride the ride with your hands on their shoulders, though? But if they try to squirm out you can see what they are doing, so you have the peace of mind of knowing they are safely in the seat if you are behind.

 

[bytheblood]

Thanks!! I think I'll ride Everest alone first and see what I think about her riding it, she didn't do well on haunted mansion or the dinosaur ride at AK. But that was a few years ago. She loves Splash Mountain and Test Track too but it isn't scary inside those rides. I will sit behind her on Space Mountain - that sounds like a good idea....

If she did not like HM or Dino, I think EE is a no go for your little one. JMO.