Tower of Terror??

[Catkramer]

We have a 4 1/2 year old. He has autism. He is more of a 2 to 3 year old maturity wise, and has the speech of an 18 month old. He LOVES roller coasters. I know that he would LOVE the ToT, but I am afraid the darkness is a little much for him. He leaned up against me all through the Pirates Of the C.

Usually I show him the rides on You Tube, but you can't really explain ToT.

I am really torn if he should ride it or not. I was wondering if they would allow us to walk through the Library and not see the Twilight Zone episode. Maybe that would remove some of the darkness.

Any suggestions?

 

[crazykids]

My son is 5 1/2 & has PDD, this is one of his favorite rides! He's a thrill ride junky as well, I think it's something sensory that makes the kids love these rides. Anyway, he started riding it when he was 4. He doesn't have to watch the Twilight Zone part, you could always try to get him to direct his attention to something else. The ride is on the dark side, but it's not pitch black. I'd give it a try!

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

To me, the ride is very dark. I would suggest maybe waiting a year or 2. If you speak with a cast member, you should have no problem getting through without seeing the show in the library.

 

[sohappy]

My 5 year old LOVES coasters (at least the ones that he is tall enough to ride). He HATED this ride. He told his dad that he didn't like the "fake" thunder and lightning (I told him it was fake because the real stuff freaks him out). He then said that he didn't really like the up and down part either. He is a pretty small little guy and he was thrown and a lot. He hit his leg on the handle hard enough to make it bleed. He will probably never ride it again. I wish that I would have waited.

 

[Colinsmom]

My 5yo loves roller coasters (including RNRC - yes, he's that tall) but didn't like Tower of Terror. Too scary a story for him. This ride is indeed pitch black at times.

If your DS was bothered by PoC, I'd probably wait a couple of years for ToT.

 

[WDWorBUST]

DD (4 1/2 now) rode TOT for the first time when she was just shy of 4. She didn't like it....the people who disappeared scared her. The ride itself was fine. However she insisted on riding it again 4 months later so I don't know what that was about. If you have any doubts about it I would wait. But do know that you can "chicken out" between the pre-show and when you get on the elevator - I did when I was pregnant but wanted to go through it to that point with friends since it was their first visit.

 

[Catkramer]

Yeah, I know he will love the ride itself, but the darkness is what I think may throw him for a loop. I think coming out on the other end, he will be signing for more. LOL There isn't anything that he just flat out hated, Pirates was it. I think if we rode it 2 or 3 times in a row, he would have relaxed. I think he was just a little taken aback by how dark it is and he didn't know what to expect. So maybe we will wait another year or two. My daughter rode it at 4, but she has never been afraid of anything. ANYTHING.

So maybe we will just skip it this time. It isn't like we won't be back!

Thanks again!

 

[Catkramer]

Yeah, I know he will love the ride itself, but the darkness is what I think may throw him for a loop. I think coming out on the other end, he will be signing for more. LOL There isn't anything that he just flat out hated, Pirates was it. I think if we rode it 2 or 3 times in a row, he would have relaxed. I think he was just a little taken aback by how dark it is and he didn't know what to expect. So maybe we will wait another year or two. My daughter rode it at 4, but she has never been afraid of anything. ANYTHING.

So maybe we will just skip it this time. It isn't like we won't be back!

Thanks again!

 

[kmodory]

You never know how a child is going to respond. But, I can tell you that my 5 year old loved it and my 8 year old opted not to go on it. My 5 year old came of beaming and the 8 year old regretted not going. We didn't make the decision until we got there. You could let him watch it and see what he thinks. Good luck.

 

[PrincessBelle39]

My dd5 loved the ride itself but was a bit frightened of the theming. In saying that, now she has done it she's dying to do it again. I couldn't get here near Haunted Mansion (not that we tried hard), but by keeping her occupied throughout most of it and telling her it was just Mickey Magic, she dealt with it really well. Of course its a bit different for you. My brother is autistic but he was 15 on his first trip to Disney.

 

[Catkramer]

Thank you every one for your help. I think we have decided that there isn't any hurry to get him on the ride. We have chosen not to let him ride the Haunted Mansion, however, we wouldn't allow Caitlin to ride it until this last Feb trip, and she was 7 at the time. I was still a little ansy about it. I remember riding it as a child at Disneyland and it frightened me and I still remember the first time. So I definitely won't be taking him on that ride for another few years when he is old enough to make up his own mind.

Although, I know that once we get him off he will want to go on it again. I just don't feel like it is worth risking traumitizing him for life. He is just now learning to talk, and I am hoping to finally get him potty trained. I don't need to risk having in him in therapy when he is 30 because I scared him to death when he was 4.

Thanks again for all of the help!