Tower of Terror-Is it appropriate for 4 & 6 yr olds?

[wdw2125]

I'm just wondering if it would be ok for my boys to ride the tower of terror. They will turn 4 & 6 during our trip. They both meet the height req. They have never ridden any hard core rides, so I don't have any idea how they would react. Has anyone ever let children that young ride and care to share their experience? Thanks for any advice!

 

[jakenjess]

My kids rode at ages 5 and 7 and they didn't like it at all, and haven't ridden since! (They're now 12 and 14!) However, I've seen young children on the ride that absolutely love it, so it's really individual. You'll have to judge for yourself if it's the kind of thing they'll enjoy. Good luck!

 

[bigtony777]

It will completely depend on the child. On our last trip, our 5 year old daughter wanted to ride it and my wife rode with her. It is now her favorite ride in all of WDW. She rode it 4 times that trip. She still doesn't like the back story of the ride and closes her eyes until we are locked in to drop. She then opens her eyes and loves the rest. Our friends 5 and 6 year old do not like the ride so it is a risk.

Maybe try Space Mountain first as it will give them some of the same experience as far as darkness and speed.

 

[TDC Nala]

Depends on the kid. My nephew rode it at 5 and it freaked him out. Had a friend who had a 5 year old who loved it.

 

[CampbellScot]

It really depends on how timid your kids are. If they are afraid of the dark or don't care for that "drop" feeling, then I wouldn't risk it.

That being said, my step son LOVED this ride when he was five. My step daughter screamed her head off the entire ride, cried all the way to the exit and spent the next 30 minutes in the bathroom with an upset tummy. Her reaction to that ride was pretty extreme...but it's just how she is. I have friends who have three and four year old little girls who absolutely love every second of ToT!

If you kiddos are timid on tamer rides, I wouldn't take them on this one unless they are prepared for the dark and the drop.

Heck, even the beginning part of this ride gives ME the creeps! I let my step son watch YouTube videos people had taken of ToT and he was really excited to ride it!

good luck!!!

 

[lake queen]

My kids didn't like TOT until they were around 9. But they are chickens!! But It is MY favorite ride--- hopefully you will have a brave kid so YOU can ride it more!!!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

My 5 yr old and 3 yr old (almost 4) watched it on YouTube and really looked forward to riding it. I thought they'd back out. I told them it's very dark, and "terror means scary," but they insisted they wanted to ride it. They did ride it with me in between them. I had a hand on each of their chests. I could feel my 3 yr old trembling and my 5 yr old kept asking, "is it almost over?" But neither of them cried or complained. They didn't want to ride it again, but at least I didn't look like the worst mother in the world as we walked off the ride. They told DH that they liked it and wanted to take Grandpa on it. When it was the day Grandpa was with us, they changed their mind. I think they'll try it again next year. And I did see quite a few "little" kids on the ride.

 

[willowsnn3]

It all depends. My seven year old granddaughter loves it & does it several times in a row each trip. Last year we took her cousin, my 8 year old grandson....we rode it once, he was ok, and agreed to ride it again as there was no line. This time tho I really thought he was going to pass out, he was so shaky when we got off & his little heart was pounding so never again for him.

 

[vtwep]

my daughter rode for the first time when she was 4. She enjoyed it. I told her what it was like before we rode, and she didn't shy away. She rode Rock n Roller Coaster as soon as she was tall enough - no problems. And at other parks (Hershey, etc), she'll basically ride anything she is tall enough to ride. Definitely no fear.

 

[disney-super-mom]

My kids (boys ages 7 and 11) love rides.....the faster the better.....all EXCEPT for the TOT. They have both been on it once, and they both didn't like it at all. Neither want to ride it again.

However, like others have mentioned, I have seen other kids who love the TOT, so it's a crap shoot really until they've ridden it themselves to see if they like it or not.

Since your boys are both young and have never been on any hardcore rides, I would start with the lesser intense rides first and work my way up, with the TOT being last on the list....because in my opinion, it is pretty intense.

 

[disneydreamer98]

It truly just depends on the kid. Our oldest (almost 10 now) couldn't wait to ride it and once he reached 40 inches (4 years old) he rode it and HATED it! Scared to death and hasn't been back on since! Our youngest was finally tall enough last year and he rode it multiple times and loves it!

 

[JMD]

We took our 4yr old niece on it and she loved it.

 

[Marvel_Princess]

It really depends. I went on when I was 4 , but I was scared to go on for the firs time. It was a great experience as far I as remember and it immediately became my favorite ride. Go with you're first instinct though. If you think they will be scared then pass it up, but if you think it will be a fun experience definitely go for it!

 

[Disney_Jill]

My daughter rode it when she was 5 and liked it. The next year, she rode it and was a little apprehensive. The 2nd time she rode it that trip, she cried and hated it. She says how much she hates it and it is scary. She loved Space mountain and Expedition Everest.
She's not scarred for life or anything, just says she hates that ride. She rode everything else the rest of the trip with no issues. I'd say let them look at it, get in line and if they change their mind, don't force them to ride.

 

[mistydoodles]

On our first trip my youngest daughter was 4 and she rode it. She kept requesting to do it so we took her on it. She loved it!! Now she claims it to be one of her favorite rides.

Myself and my husband hate it. My oldest daughter refuses to ride it. I guess it is really up to each kid. If your children are daredevils then they will probably enjoy it.

 

[SurfinTX]

Yeah, I pretty much agree with many others here. As with any experience it will depend on the child. My 8 yo niece found it scary but rode it twice with some encouragement. Dinosaur was too much for her though...

 

[roadtrippin2wdw]

Definitely work your way up to it! Most thrill rides aren't as spooky as this one and I think the pre-fall show is extremely spooky, especially for such young ones. We made the mistake of doing it at the beginning of our trip w/ our 4 yr old and she freaked out any time the lights went out or dim the rest of the trip. The coasters are her favorite though! Goodluck on whatever you decide!

 

[NattysMom]

My daughter loved Expedition Everest and Big Thunder but was horrified on Tower of Terror when she was 5 even after watching it multiple times on youtube.

 

[deerhart]

my youngest rode it at 5, didn't want to get on (but he did that on EVERY ride, including its a small world, soarin etc) and loved it when he got off. My 8yo loved it.

They both hated dinosaur.

We rode it again last year and my youngest isn't thrilled with it before we ride but loves it afterward.

 

[wdw2125]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice! I'm going let the boys watch some you tube videos and when we get there I'm going see how they do with other rides before trying it. Now I'm just counting down the days till we get to go!