Tower or Terror and Haunted Mansion how scary are they?

[CamillaF]

I am taking my Twins to DW and they will be turning 9 over halloween. We are not a family that does scary things. I don't think my kids are chicken we just have never done anything that scary. Is 9 a good age to take kids? Is it too young?

If I was taking them on their first scary ride which one would you do first? If they can't do that one should we just not go on the other.

 

[JodyK]

Haunted Mansion first because while it has scary elements in the theming the ride itself is not a thrill ride. Tower or Terror studio has somewhat scary themeing but the ride portion is also very scary and a big thrill ride.

Watch YouTube videos of both and decide.

 

[CamillaF]

Haunted Mansion first because while it has scary elements in the theming the ride itself is not a thrill ride. Tower or Terror studio has somewhat scary themeing but the ride portion is also very scary and a big thrill ride.

Watch YouTube videos of both and decide.

Thank you

 

[g-dad66]

I agree. See how they do on Haunted Mansion first.

If they are OK with that, then ask them how they feel about dropping multiple stories in an elevator 3 or 4 times in a row.

 

[Deadp00l]

I'm basically a nine-year-old and I'd do Haunted Mansion. I wouldn't get near Tower of Terror lol

 

[jimim]

Tower is bad cause well u drop out of the sky so it’s more how do they handle drops? M

Haunted mansion watch it and see. Let them watch it. I bet they will love it! I hope they do. My kids love it. Such a great fun ride. So classic. The classic old music of years past.

Good luck!!

 

[ucf_knight]

I am taking my Twins to DW and they will be turning 9 over halloween. We are not a family that does scary things. I don't think my kids are chicken we just have never done anything that scary. Is 9 a good age to take kids? Is it too young?

If I was taking them on their first scary ride which one would you do first? If they can't do that one should we just not go on the other.

Both of my kids (6, 8) love both of those rides. The younger one gets nervous on tower but she always wants to ride it when we go even though it looks like she’s pretty scared in it. I think she wants to ride it because her big brother isn’t afraid at all of it.

 

[DeeBee3]

I agree with all of the above posters. Watch elements on YouTube (I wouldn't watch full rides so some of it is new for you). Haunted Mansion is a dark ride with no thrills or drops, but it did frighten my 8-yr-old just a bit. She did ride it twice. Never rode Tower. It is much more intense and you can also see the outside of the park from the ride - that in and of itself could spook someone to know how high up they are.

 

[Marthasor]

I didn't take DS onto Haunted Mansion until he was about 9. I did explain to him beforehand that it was all fake - perhaps I ruined some of the "magic"? I'm not sure, but he is a kid that gets frightened easily and I wanted to explain it to him and then let him make the choice of whether or not to go on the ride. As PP have mentioned, watching some videos of the ride may be helpful. DS is now 14 and he just went on the DL version of Tower at DL - he loved it, but it took him years and gradual exposure to more thrilling rides (starting with Barnstormer and then moving up to EE) to decide to try ToT.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I agree with watching YouTube videos. We don’t do scary things either. My dd just last year at age 12 was ready to ride those 2 rides. She desperately wanted to try the thrill part of ToT but couldn’t get past the story part until then.

Once she tried them she loved them but also said she was glad she waited as nightmares would not have been worth it.

 

[sponica]

If you have Disney plus, there's an episode of Behind the attraction that's all about Haunted Mansion, I'd actually watch that over a ride video.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

If you have Disney plus, there's an episode of Behind the attraction that's all about Haunted Mansion, I'd actually watch that over a ride video.

The pov are a wonderful tool. I used them for most rides with my son before the trip..
He was scared of everything big untill he watched them.. Haunted mansion doesn't scare him at all.. but the Dinosaur ride at DAK does lol

 

[cruising spud]

At 64 years old, there are many Disney rides I have never had any desire to go on. Anything too scary or anything with more than a slight, mild drop is out of my league. So, Haunted Mansion-I like this ride. The outside line leading up to the Mansion is fun. You should have no problems there. The inside line (before you actually get onto the ride car) is dark and a bit scary. And, it can get crowded at times. But, it's the kind of scary that goes away after you've done it once. Once you know what you are up against, the next time you go through the inside line, it is fun. Does that make sense? The ride itself-what is nice about it- if it is just the three of you, all of you can sit in one car. If the kids get scared, just tell them to close their eyes. There are only mild ups and downs. And, nothing touches you, so if you keep your eyes closed, you are good to go. As for the Tower of Terror-I would never go on that ride, so I can't help you out.

 

[godfather927]

I am taking my Twins to DW and they will be turning 9 over halloween. We are not a family that does scary things. I don't think my kids are chicken we just have never done anything that scary. Is 9 a good age to take kids? Is it too young?

If I was taking them on their first scary ride which one would you do first? If they can't do that one should we just not go on the other.

I took my 10 year old on both rides.

For HM, she thought both the pre-show and ride was cool, and maybe even a bit corny at times, but never actually scared.

For ToT, she thought it was gonna be more of the same until the drops started and then she was terrified. I thought she'd be able to handle it because she did Space, Big Thunder, Expedition Everest, etc and all were no sweat for her whatsoever. She handled them all like a champ, so naturally I figured she was just a tiny thrill seeker that couldn't be rattled by anything Disney could throw at her. I was wrong, haha, she apparently is not crazy about drops.

 

[chris benton]

Well, Haunted Mansion is like theatrically scary.
Tower Of Terror is theatrical and also a thrill ride.

Both are pretty much an integral part of WDW, imo. You're supposed to be scared, by the way. That's part of the experience. You're supposed to be scared, and thrilled, and then laugh about how scared and thrilled you were afterwards while eating junk food and bonding on vacation. One the great experiences, imo, is seeing how your kids react to such things and becoming better because of it. They'll either figure out they don't like it, or figure out they LOVE it, and overcome fear with a smile. One of them might even tell you they hated it, but then ask to go on it again later. Being "not a family that does scary stuff" is totally fine. But imo, there's something to be said about being a family that takes chances to overcome fears, as well. It's ok to be scared, you're supposed to be. And then you're supposed to laugh about it, since it's a theme park ride for fun.

 

[scrappinginontario]

If you have Disney plus, there's an episode of Behind the attraction that's all about Haunted Mansion, I'd actually watch that over a ride video.

I agree! Watching the HM episode is what's gave my daughter the desire to want to ride.

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

FWIW, I would describe both attractions as "spooky" but not "scary". There is well executed spooky theming on both attractions, but nothing truly scary. The closest thing to anything startling or scary might be the monsters that pop up from behind the gravestones on HM. But even that is very mild and you will likely see it coming.

All that said, ToT is, as mentioned, a real thrill ride. But its no more "scary" than any other thrill ride. If big drops are scary for your family, then skip that ride. But there is nothing really startling or frightening on either ride

 

[Frozen2014]

Haunted Mansion was my DD's favorite Disney World attraction at 5 years. But of course every kid is different. My 9 year old wouldn't go on it (just assumed it was scary and think he pictured the old school haunted houses where things jumped out at you, which they don't). It's fun and obviously just make sure they know it's all pretend.

Now, for Tower of Terror, my DD (now 13) won't touch that one. The drops terrify her, and if you are on it and don't like it, you're stuck until the ride ends. But it's the physical ride itself that scares her.

 

[holden]

HM is not super scary. More "spooky" as PP said.

TOT isn't scary either, but the drops may be scary depending on how they feel about that. The pattern of drops is unpredictable, which is why I don't like it. For example, if I knew there were only four drops I might be more likely to ride it. Not knowing when the drops will stop/start isn't fun for me.

 

[_19disnA]

If your children are around 9 yrs old they should likely have some understanding of what is real vs. make believe. Haunted Mansion is dark and has 'spooky' looking character during the ride, but not anything the typical 9 yr old should be afraid of. Smaller children can have different reactions to various Disney rides, but if they were in the range of 3-5 yrs old would probably matter more. Never been on Tower of Terror so can't comment on that one.