test track or soarin' for a first timer

[mchhp]

Ok, my DD4 is FINALLY tall enough to ride some good rides (as we refer them them around her big girl rides). She is so ready and wanting to ride lots of stuff. She even wants to ride the fast choo choo on water, lol (splash mountain).

Our first day in the parks will be epcot. We plan on being at EMH RD 8am. So, this will be her very first BIG GIRL RIDE, which should it be? what do you think is a better ice breaker? test track or soarin'? should we not worry about the ice breaker part and go with which one we need to get to first because of crowds? if so, which one?

side note: we are a party of 7. one of us is only 2 (and too short for these rides), so we will either have to take turns riding or FP and go in shifts within that hour. This info may change your advice, so i wanted to make sure that is known.

I want this to be a good experience for her, so she will ride more rides. She is going to be my dare devil anyway, so im not worried too much. but, im a perfectionist and i am trying to control something that I may not have any control over, but I will try, lol.

thanks so much, have i mentioned lately i love getting my advice from here

 

[mchhp]

ps. this day will be Easter Sunday

 

[rcraw45425]

Soarin' definitely. It's a little intimidating from the height aspect, but is a lot gentler ride than Test Track, which is very fast and jerky.

ETA, I just read the meniton of the younger one, I believe that both of these offer child swap, you could all go through the line together, then one of you step aside with the little one while the other rides, then disenbark and the other rides immediately afterward.

 

[autismmom1]

I vote Soarin' as well...Test Track's ending is pretty intense!

 

[TinkerbellinLouisian]

Ok, my DD4 is FINALLY tall enough to ride some good rides (as we refer them them around her big girl rides). She is so ready and wanting to ride lots of stuff. She even wants to ride the fast choo choo on water, lol (splash mountain).

Our first day in the parks will be epcot. We plan on being at EMH RD 8am. So, this will be her very first BIG GIRL RIDE, which should it be? what do you think is a better ice breaker? test track or soarin'? should we not worry about the ice breaker part and go with which one we need to get to first because of crowds? if so, which one?

side note: we are a party of 7. one of us is only 2 (and too short for these rides), so we will either have to take turns riding or FP and go in shifts within that hour. This info may change your advice, so i wanted to make sure that is known.

I want this to be a good experience for her, so she will ride more rides. She is going to be my dare devil anyway, so im not worried too much. but, im a perfectionist and i am trying to control something that I may not have any control over, but I will try, lol.

thanks so much, have i mentioned lately i love getting my advice from here

Soarin' is where you need to head first for Epcot... the FP's will go quickly... It's a dreamy attraction.. like you are in a hot air balloon or a hang-glider... I am afraid of heights...and that is really the only issue on Soarin'... you wont' have any sharp turns, etc.

Test Track has a single rider line... Hope that helps.... but it's pretty tame too.. just has one part where you get a high speed of 60 MPH (can get that in a convertible on the interstate !)

I hope she rides Rock N Roller Coaster! That's my Favorite Roller Coaster in the World !

Hugs,
Mary

 

[MayzDisney4]

I say Soarin as well!

And make sure utilize child swap!!!

 

[Phil'sFrontier]

My DW and DD are not big fans of rides. TT and Soarin' are the only real rides I got them on. TT is a family favorite here now.

 

[wdvak]

I would do Soarin as her first 'big' ride. Since she is a daredevil I think she will have no problem with TT, but start out with one that is a little scary, but pretty before the fast jerky scarier ride. Then if she says she is scared after TT she knows that each ride different in why you have to be big.

She should have a great time. My youngest DD was 4 when we went and she could do bigger rides and really liked splash, bttm, and ToT. This was before TT and soarin. ToT is still top of her list.

 

[mchhp]

alright, soarin' it is

I was thinking that for wait times anways. We have never done the child swap before, so we might try it. Wondering though, could two people wait for the 2nd ride so one person doesn't have to be alone? we do have 5 adults, so there is no reason we have to be alone, right?

 

[mchhp]

oh and by just tall enough, i mean 41 inches, lol. so still no space mountain, rock n rollercoaster, etc.

we are kind of short people

 

[rcraw45425]

oh and by just tall enough, i mean 41 inches, lol. so still no space mountain, rock n rollercoaster, etc.

we are kind of short people

Even after they hit the height requirement for Space Mountain I'd be wary. You load and ride front to back so you can't really hold onto a small child. THe first time our girls rode they were conciderably older (height issues as well) and DH and I were both nervoud wrecks since all we could do was touch a shoulder through the whole thing as far as holding them in!

 

[goopysolelady]

This past August, DGD was also able to ride the "big girl rides" for the first time. They also did Soarin' first...she loved it BUT by the end of the trip she had us going on Test Track ALL THE TIME! She absolutely loved that ride! On one of her rides she was with her Pappy (my DH) and DD; I waited on the bench at the exit and, I kid you NOT, I HEARD her squealing when their car crossed over that area! She did do Splash Mountain (loved that too) as well as Big Thunder Mountain but her Mom wouldn't let her on Space Mountain YET! Saving that for this year!

 

[DisNikki]

alright, soarin' it is

I was thinking that for wait times anways. We have never done the child swap before, so we might try it. Wondering though, could two people wait for the 2nd ride so one person doesn't have to be alone? we do have 5 adults, so there is no reason we have to be alone, right?

I heard on some podcast or another that your whole party can go again. The person asking the question said they were a couple with a teen and baby. The hosts said the teen gets the best end of the deal because mom and baby could wait while dad and teen ride, then swap and have dad and baby wait while mom and teen ride. So the teen in the story got to go twice. I would ask a CM of course but it would be awesome if you'd all get to go again while someone else waited with the little one!

 

[khgreen]

My DD loved Soarin! She got freaked out on TT-she seemed to think everything was real and we were going to crash. She wasn't bothered by the fast part...that's the part that freaked me out.....DD had just turned 5 on that trip.

 

[DAZY3BYZ]

alright, soarin' it is

I was thinking that for wait times anways. We have never done the child swap before, so we might try it. Wondering though, could two people wait for the 2nd ride so one person doesn't have to be alone? we do have 5 adults, so there is no reason we have to be alone, right?

The one person left behind will not have to ride alone. The child swap is good for 3 people to ride. Definitely take advantage of child swap!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

When we have used Baby Swap the only ride that allowed us to all go through the line together was Star Tours...all the others, including Soarin' the child not tall enough to ride and the adult with him/her waited at the dump spot for the first group to get done and then went back through the fast pass line. Has that changed or is this one of those things that is up to whomever is working the line that day?

 

[mickeysgirl17]

My DD6 did both and she LOVED test track but thought soarin was just ok. I am a big ride chicken and finally tried test track and loved it as well, but I won't do soarin because I'm scared of heights.

 

[DAZY3BYZ]

When we have used Baby Swap the only ride that allowed us to all go through the line together was Star Tours...all the others, including Soarin' the child not tall enough to ride and the adult with him/her waited at the dump spot for the first group to get done and then went back through the fast pass line. Has that changed or is this one of those things that is up to whomever is working the line that day?

When we used it last summer, they gave you a child-switch pass..like a FP. Printed on it, it tells you it is good for up to 3 riders.

 

[Mrs. Sojourner]

How fun! Our youngest DD (4) just got to ride all the "big girl" rides for the first time in November and had a blast!

My advice: Soarin' and then TT. We usually do Soarin' get rider switch (and save for later), ride TT get a rider switch (and save for later), and get FP for Soarin' somewhere in there too. This way the kids get to ride them several times because these are probably our two favorite rides in all of WDW. We also save our rider swaps for later in the day when crowds are bigger and lines are longer. (I used to take youngest DD on the Living in the Land ride while the others went on Soarin' too since the line never seems to be very long and this made the wait go by faster.) HTH!

 

[Mrs. Sojourner]

My DD6 did both and she LOVED test track but thought soarin was just ok. I am a big ride chicken and finally tried test track and loved it as well, but I won't do soarin because I'm scared of heights.

I am a big ride chicken too and just tried TT for the 1st time in November. It is one of my oldest two DD's fav rides so they begged me to and I really liked it. I HATE heights too, but love Soarin' (it's my fav ride!). I white knuckle it the whole time.