Surprises & Regrets?

[Kayla'sMommy]

I am bringing my 2 1/2 year old DD in October and was wondering for all you parents - were there any rides that you regretted bringing your small child on (because you thought they would like it and didn't) or any rides that you were surprised that they did like. I have read all the books and the discussions here, but peoples own experience with their kids is more helpful. Just want some help on rides (other than the obvious) that I should avoid, or try.

Thanks for your help

 

[honeymom]

Went with a 5 year old and 2 1/2 year old in June. 5 year old insisted on going on Splash Mountain and I took her. She cried on the final hill.

I did not take my 2 1/2 year old on Goofy's Barnstormer. Another mom took her 2 year old and the 2 year old cried the whole time.

I thought that the Imagination ride in Epcot was uneccessarily scarey. My 2 /12 year old was wrapped into a ball on me. But, both kids talked about liking it afterwards.

I avoided Snow White's Scarey Adventure.

I wasn't sure how the kids would respond to Pirates of the Caribbean, but I thought they would probably be okay and they were. In fact, they both seemed to like it a lot and found it to be just a slightly scarey ride, but much like It's a Small World.

Both of my kids really liked Spaceship Earth at Epcot, although the 2 1/2 year old was a little scared at first.

 

[GrammieMame]

Took a just-turned-three and didn't do Snow White. The only ride he didn't like was Haunted House. Came off and said it was scarey. He loved the Barnstormer. We did the muppets but didn't do any other 3D. Also didn't do Epcot; thought we'd save that for another trip.

 

[CindyAnn]

Hi Kayla'sMommy. My just-turned 8yo DS made his first trip to WDW when he was 2 1/2. I was really surprised at how much he enjoyed Epcot - Living Seas, The Land, Universe of Energy, SpaceshipEarth, Wonders of Life, and the boat rides in Mexico and Norway. AK wasn't open then, but I'm sure he would have just loved that, too. MGM probably had the fewest things for him, although he liked the HISTK playground, the Muppet Movie and the Ariel Show.

MK was a real hit, of course, and he enjoyed just about everything in Fantasyland (can't remember whether we avoided Snow White), Toontown, Jungle Cruise, Tom Sawyer's Island, Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Carrousel of Progress, the Walt Disney Railroad and the Tomorrowland Speedway. I think Dumbo held the record for "most rides" at six times over 2 or 3 days.

It took him a little while to warm up to the characters, so we made a PS for two character meals a little later in the week, which worked out well.

We were travelling with a large family group, and the parents of our 3 1/2 year old nephew made the mistake of taking their son on the Haunted Mansion first thing. He spent the rest of the vacation being reluctant to go on absolutely ANYTHING, which wasn't too much fun for them. By then he mistrusted each and every ride and attraction and asked incessantly "Is it dark?" "But is it DARK?" "Is it scary?" "Are you sure it isn't dark?". Normally he would be more of a risk-taker than our son, plus he was a year older, so I was glad we'd taken a more cautious approach, starting with tamer rides like Dumbo and It's a Small World to gain confidence.

Hope you have a terrific time with your DD!!

 

[honeymom]

I agree with last poster - Haunted Mansion wouldn't be good for young kids. Also, some kids do take a while to warm up to characters in Toontown.

And I would do Epcot with this age - save it for the evening - the lines are small and the restaurants at Epcot are some of the best. The Epcot attractions that I would recommend are: Spaceship Earth, the Land Boat Ride, the Living Seas, the Mexico Pavillion. Skip Imagination and as much as I wanted to see it, I skipped Honey I Shrunk the Audience because it is supposed to be scarey. Also, each of the countries now has a crafts table sponsored by Family Fun Magazine.

I have mixed feelings on Animal Kingdom. It was really hot when we went and we didn't feel like doing the outdoor shows. The Safari was really good, but most of the rides weren't appropriate for small kids (Dinosaur and Tree of Life). Yet it was an interesting atmosphere. However, I think with a 2 1/2 year old it is probably not worth doing.

All we did at MGM was Bear in the Big Blue House and Muppets which were both big hits with the kids although the 2 1/2 year old wouldn't wear the 3 D glasses. I wish we had had a little more time to spend at MGM it was pretty neat.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

I'm 32 but I still remember being scared of the witch on Snow White when my parents took me the first time in the 70's!

 

[torismom]

I would avoid, Its tough to be a bug at AK. This did dd in on our last trip for anything that was dark or inside. She was 2.5 when we went in Jan.

She loved barnstormer, teacups, dumbo and astro orbiter. She loved Epcot (each country performers). while at MGM she was only interested in BUzz and woody.

we are going back in aug and she wants to do everything, even indoor , dark rides except "the bugs"

 

[vicb]

Last time at WDW DS was 3 1/2, first full day went on Spaceship Earth in EPCOT. On the darkest part of ride it broke down and we were trapped for 4-5 minutes. He was terrified and then scared of anything in the dark the rest of the trip. We had to drag him into Small World, although he did like it once in there. We laugh about it now that he's almost 6 and returning this winter but he still doesn't want to go on that again!

 

[catwho]

I would not be in the least offended if they did away with Snow White's SCAREY Adventure (the word scarey is snuck in there between white and adventure) My children were terrified! They also hated Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and we were all pleasantly pleased with the new Pooh ride that replaced it! My 2 yo ds was ok with Haunted Mansion, although he might be more frightened of it this year when he is 3-1/2 when we go. He did not care for Pirates. In AK he screamed during Bug's Life and we promptly took him out (he was not even wearing the glasses and it freaked him out - good thing he didn't stay for the end ;-) ) At Epcot he did fine with everything, but bored with the movie after the Maelstrom and also wasn't too keen on sitting through The Lion King ecology movie (can't remember the name) He loved the Killamanjaro Safari at AK and would have loved the Kali River Rapids if he had been an inch taller.

He was terrified of Goofy's Barnstormer while we were on it, but he got off and said, "Do it again! Do it again!" We did it again and he was in heaven. It is short enough that you don't quite have enough time to be too scared. But it is a good determinator to see if your child (if tall enough) could handle Big Thunder Mt. Have him watch Splash Mt. a few times before deciding on that one.

You know your child best and if your child exhibits *any* concern about riding a ride, lean towards the side of caution and go do Buzz Lightyear's Spin Adventure (which was a big hit so much we did it 3 times in a row in less than 35 minutes!)

 

[Barb D]

My then 5yo FREAKED OUT in It's Tough to Be a Bug. That said, I think my then-7yo would have loved it at 5. It really depends on the kid.

My DD has never liked Space Mountain, even as a 7yo. Her brother loved it as a 4yo.

Both of my kids literally trembled in terror when we got anywhere near ToT up until our last trip. Then-8yob loved it, and then-6yog still trembled. This time she SWEARS she's going to do it (She's 8 now.) We'll see when we get there. I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Linda]

My son has never been scared of the HM mainly because he watches the sing-a-long tape 'A Day In Disneyland' and it has that Grim Grinning Ghosts song - we also often talk about the difference between a 'fun scared' and 'real scared' . Plus that tape shows many of the rides (it is DL but still pretty close to the MK). My son has loved the Barnstormer since age 2, and started riding Star tours and Thunder Mt just before he turned 4, loved those also, and Splash Mt at 4, again no problem - we took the coasters in steps. He likes TTBAB but at HISTA did not like the snake, he did not wear the glasses when he was younger at the 3-d shows till I could explain (and he understood) that what was going on is special effects and all in "good fun". Snow White has never been a problem. I have 3 older kids also that have been going to WDW since just about birth, they followed the same pattern (they all watched that DL tape over and over and over - warning the songs get stuck in your head!). All in all every child is different, so use your own best judgement. I never pressure the kids and we sort of work up to things during the trip -for example we don't start the trip with a ride down TOT (my older kids would love this however).

Get that video tape for your child to watch - I swear by it! Plus picture books and any other info for your child to look at before you arrive. Have a great time!

 

[RumpleMom]

I remember my kids not liking the 3-D movies when things came too close. I showed them they were in control and could take off their 3-D glasses any time they wanted and that it just made the pictures fuzzy. They liked this solution better than just shutting their eyes. I also told them that the rides used Disney magic and that WDW was built for kids and families to have fun together. Also that I had read books about all the rides- this is true, she saw WDW books around the house constantly, and knew exactly what each ride was like and I was sure there was nothing that would hurt us.

 

[skeezixspud]

There are special effects in both shows that come from the seat itself, and from underneath it. If they are not sitting directly in the seat they will not get startled by these. A penlight helps immensely for kids who are frightened of being in the dark.

 

[tyandbash]

When we went to WDW last April my dd just turned 2. I also have a ds 4. The first ride we went on was Dumbo, she rode with my husband. We could hear her screaming "I do not like Dumbo, stop,stop!!" We then went on Peter Pan's flight, she cried the whole time. We decided to take her to It's a Small World, CRIED!! We didn't take her on anything else after that, but that afternoon we went to Buzz Lightyear, and I was holding her in line. My mom went to use the bathroom and was going to come back and hold her off the ride. The line moved at lightning speed, and we were there before we knew it. My ds really wanted all of us to go, so I just jumped on with my dd. She LOVED it. During our vacation we rode that ride about 10 times!! After that too, she went on everything and liked it!! WE went back to Dumbo, Peter Pan and Small World, liked them all after that!! So, next year our first stop will be BuZz Lightyear!!

 

[RAV]

This is actually very funny. My little boy freaked out at MGM on the Movie Ride, because he thought they we had actually been hijacked by a man with a gun.

 

[Dr. Happy]

Its Tough To Be A Bug at Animal Kingdom is extremely intense for toddlers. The 3-D effects, the tactile stimulation (getting "poison" squirted at you, feeling bugs crawl under your rump, having huge bugs drop down from the ceiling almost right in your face) made many kids nearly jump out of there skin in the theatre!

On the other hand, my 6 year old loved it, but I think she's an exception to the norm.

Best to avoid that. Try Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Pooh, Dumbo, the Carousel, Country Bear Jamboree, and Small World for openers as they seem to be much less threatening. Later, you can "graduate" to Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, etc.

Hope you have a wonderful time!

 

[Synonymous]

Watch out for the shows. We first took my DD at 2 1/2. We figured the shows would be tame, but they are all dark and very loud and she got scared by the noise. Also, many of the shows that are based on movies have villains in them, which are much larger than they are used to seeing them on TV and can seem pretty real. She was terrified of the eels in Little Mermaid. She loved all the rides we took her on, but shows were out.

One show that probably would be okay, though, is Festival of the Lion King, at AK. It's not dark and there are no villains in it. Just dancing and signing. (It's also a fabulous show.)

Tom