too scary for ds???

[littlelaura]

i am going to disney in a few weeks, and it will be ds first time. has anyone had experience taking youngsters on haunted mansion, dinosaur and stitch's great escape. i want to do these rides but dont want to scare him silly. he's 4

 

[disneymomtofour]

My DS was 4 last time we went. He went on every ride for which he was tall enough except TOT (no Mission Space, Space Mountain, R&R, etc.) Haunted Mansion and Dinosaur didn't bother him, because we talked about it not being real. Stitch wasn't open yet. What did bother him was the speed of Test Track, BTMRR and rides like that. The whole rest of the time he would ask the CM at the beginning of each ride, "Is this a slow ride or a fast ride?" So for him, bumpy and scary was okay, just not fast.

 

[JustineMarie]

My DD was 3 last time we went and she went on Haunted MAnsion and loved it, Dinosaur and hated it, Stitch's Great Escape and likes it wxcept for the smell, but she is VERY sensitive to smells. I would just explain to him what each ride is like and let him decide whether he wants to go on it or not. The Haunted Mansion is not scary at all so I think he will definitely like that, plus you are able to hold him bc you will ride together. In Sticthc's Great Escape - he will be next to you but can not hold him if he gets scared bc he will have his own restraints. Dinosaur is really bouncy and rough but you will be able to hold him on that, too. HTH

 

[AlaskaMOM]

Funny as it may sound my then 9 yo DS was scared silly on dinosaur. He refused to go near it again, Stitch wasn't too bad and the only thing would be if there's any fear of the dark (it gets very dark). DS loved HM, RNR, BTMRR, SpaceM, and especially SplashM. So I think it's up to the individual kid. and maybe how they're feeling at that particular time.(too tired, too hot, too hungry, too much) I can only hope that my DS will learn to love Dinosaur, as he's my cohort in all things Disney.
I totally agree w/ all the previous posters. But in the end you know your DS best!

 

[The Phantom Blot]

Stitch isn't even worth being called "scary". HM probably won't scare him, but suprise him. Dinosaur is probably too scary for him. The ride is full of flashing lights and EXTREMELY loud noises. Also most of it is in the dark, and the dinosaurs would scare him.

 

[PocahontasLookALike]

If darkness, bumpy rides, LOUD noises and scary images scare him...Dinosaur and possibly Stitch are not for him. My DH and I witnessed too many freaked out kids on those rides.

 

[Kimmielee]

My DS was 5 last year.... and LOVED the Haunted Mansion (especially since we had watched the movie!), wouldn't go near the Dinosaur ride and was "ok" with Stitch... the smell got to him too!

 

[mareed]

My DS was 5 last year.... and LOVED the Haunted Mansion (especially since we had watched the movie!), wouldn't go near the Dinosaur ride and was "ok" with Stitch... the smell got to him too!

This sums up our experience pretty well also. My 2 DS's have been on Haunted Mansion since the youngest was 2 and they've never had a problem with it, but they can just about sit on your lap, or very close to you with your arm around them. Dinosaur is a very different matter because you're buckled into your own seat, it's very dark, very jerky, and there are huge dinosaurs that pop out at you. My 6 year old still hasn't be on that.

 

[gottagodisney]

My advice to you would be to ride non-scary rides first! Work him into the other questionable rides. If he starts to balk when he sees it or hears the music ...do some reassuring that all will be ok ie: only pretend. If he still balks...don't make him ride!

We have all seen parents who insist on "making" kids ride and it amounts to torture for the kids. I witnessed and also personally know someone else who had their 5 yr. old boy do Space Mountain first thing on the first Disney trip and then kid was scared about doing every ride after that.

My kids were 7(ds) and 3 1/2(dd) when we went.

Haunted Mansion- ds went and ok
dd- too scared when the music started playing- didn't go

Dinosaur- ds went, says it was fine, although think he was a bit scared
dd- no way would I have tried this with her

Stitch- (was Alien Adventure at the time)
ds- ok although I think maybe a bit scared
dd- no way on trying her on this either.

Utilize parent swap if needed....that way you ALL can have a pleasant experience! Have fun

 

[ironz]

on one of our family trips ...the little ones were 5...we just told them the effects in HM, etc...were "Disney Magic". and that nothing could hurt them. So they did ok on HM. Didn't do Dino or TOT that trip. That was in the days of AE instead of Stitch...wouldn't have dreamed of taking a 5 y/o in there.

 

[umaangel00]

I have a similar question but for me. I am 23 and I hate any top of "thrill" ride. I refuse to get on any roller coasters. Of Stitch and haunted mansion, what ride(s) can I go on? If it goes fast, basically count me out. I am just not up for those types of things. I don't even think I could go on Dinosaur. Sorry about being a thread stealer!

 

[Amyg]

When my son turned 5 and was afraid of the dark, he was apprehensive about the Mansion but I told him that it was just one of Mickey's tricks and everything was just for fun. While on the actual ride, I'd point out how funny the "ghosts" were, so he was okay in it. The only thing he didn't like was the head in the crystal ball. It wasn't his favorite attraction but he was fine.

 

[dianemb]

When my son was 5 we went to Disney and He diin't go on a single ride!!! He was too youg and the only thing he did was do things at the water parks. Then we went 2 years ago and he went on alot of stuff but none of the bigger thrill rides. He knew we weren't going again unless he went on some rides.

 

[tink too]

Umaangel00 - neither Stitch or Haunted Mansion "go fast" they are just dark, so you should be fine!

Our DD was 3 on our last visit and she liked Haunted Mansion and Stitch's Escape but I think she wasn't tall enough for Dinosaur IIRC. Everyone is different - the dark doesn't bother her at all but they could be a bit scary for children who don't like pitch darkness.

 

[liamandcaili]

My DD, 3, didn't like Haunted Mansion because of all the ghosts popping out at her. She spent most of the ride with her head in my lap. However, she says she'll go again the next time (Nov. 30...woo-hoo!) so it obviously wasn't that traumatic. My DS (6) went around looking for the ghost following him for at least two days after the ride...very funny.

It just depends on your child. My children tend to be cautious, so I am careful about what I take them on -- rely on prescreening and such. However, they have seen nearly every Disney movie and aren't afraid of them, so I figure everything in their height range is within their tolerance level...except Bug's Life at AK. My husband and I saw that on our honeymoon and vowed we would never be the first ones to take our (then future) children on that!