What rides outside of Fantasyland and Toon Town does your 6 year old like?

[smiles33]

My youngest is 6 and I'm trying to figure out which rides we can all go on as a family. Her older sister loves Screamin, Space Mountain, Splash, RSR etc. but I don't know if my sensitive 6 year old will ride those. I know DH can take her on Ariel while we ride Screamin or Buzz while we're at Space Mountain, but I'm trying to think of other rides we can do together.

On our last trip to celebrate her 5th birthday, she rode RSR 2 or 3 times (was a little scared but overall enjoyed it); Soarin' (she enjoyed it); Goofy (hated it, thought it was too fast and jerky); and Splash (hated that steep drop). I did not even try to bring her on Space and I don't like getting wet so we have never gone on GRR. She also loved the obviously little kid rides like Ariel, the various Paradise Pier rides, the Bugsland rides, Toy Story, Buzz, Monsters Inc., and the Fantasyland rides.

What do your 6 year olds like to ride?

 

[94bruin]

My just-turned 7 yo (today!) is a lot like your youngest. Almost same opinions of the rides you mentioned. During our trip earlier this month, she agreed to try Big Thunder. She's ridden it a few times before, but has generally disliked it. However, this past visit, she decided she *loved* it.

BTRR was my older one's first favorite roller coaster.

She also loves Autopia and Star Tours (we're big star wars fans around here thanks to dad.) She like Haunted Mansion Holiday, but not the regular version. Doesn't care for Pirates. Will ride Jungle Cruise.

 

[ADLFAN]

The carousels are fun and beautifully themed in both parks, especially the King Triton Carousel with your choice of colorful sea creatures!

Haha, I assumed that the 6 year old in our group would be timid and I had my little list of alternate rides, but when we went on Splash he loved it! The second round produced my very favorite Photopass picture ever, with his arms stretched out because he wanted to feel like he was flying!

Everyone liked Autopia, and we got some hilarious selfies trying to steer and smile! Though it did just go down for refurbishment...

Maybe do a meet and greet and buy everyone a surprise treat to share? Yum, like popcorn or a frozen lemonade! I'll see you soon - Disney snacks!

 

[figment_jii]

If they are really big Star Wars fans, this might be the time to try Space Mtn. It currently has the HyperSpace overlay in place and you're supposed to in an space battle with the Empire (I think). It's still basically the same Space Mtn attraction, but with some Star Wars-like effects/music/sounds.

In terms of the roller coasters, I would probably try Big Thunder because it's the most tame of the roller coasters. If you ride near the front, it's less intense. Both the 3 year old and 5 year old I went with really liked it (though, they both seem to like thrill rides in general).

Other attractions...how about the monorail or Autopia? You could also look around Star Wars Launch Bay (not really an attraction, but lots of Star Wars stuff and some character meet and greets). Winnie the Pooh over in Critter Country might work while the others go on Splash.

 

[Skiton]

Last year my boys were 6 and 7, and the favorites were:

Star tours
Buzz Lightyear
Pirates of the Caribbean
Radiator Springs Racers
Toy Story Mania
Space Mountain

The only one they really didn't like was Indiana Jones. They didn't like how rough and jerky it was, and the imagery was scary to them.

 

[Skiton]

Oh, and also Soarin'! They loved that one.

 

[crystal1313]

My son turned 6 in October. He used to be very timid on attractions, but lately has come out of his shell. He has been on Matterhorn (but will no longer ride it because of the scarier yetti), Big Thunder, Goofy's, Splash, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Star Tours, RSR, GRR, Soarin. Only thing he has not tried yet are Screamin' and TOT. I'd say his favorite and the one he requests to go on the most is Big Thunder Mountain. Second favorite is Goofy's.

He is not the biggest fan of the drop on Splash, but I request the double wide back seat and sit next to him and he hangs onto me for dear life during the drop. He loves the rest of Splash though, he LOVES bunnies. That is how we talked him into trying it for the first time. Also promised him a treat at Pooh's corner and told him if he didn't like it he would not have to go on it again. He also likes Space Mountain now, but insists to wear his sweatshirt and hood because it's cold. He also really likes Star Tours now. He went through a phase where he would not ride because he truly believed we went into space. When we would ask if he wanted to ride, he would say, "No thank you, I don't feel like going into outer space today". LOL. It was SO cute!! But he seems to be over that now.

It's really fun to be able to ride as a family, but it's important to go at your daughters pace too. I think a good starting rollercoaster to try is Big thunder. It's nice because it slows down so much during the lift hills, it kinda gives them a break. I like that I can totally hang onto him during the ride too. I wrap my arm around his shoulders and side. And we make a point to be very positive about the ride before we get on it and during it. I praise him a lot, telling him how much of a big boy he is. We tell him how much fun he will have and how he can tell all his friends he went on a big ride. Sometimes we even tell him he can call his grandparents to tell them what a big boy he was. He is very proud of himself for going on the big rides too.

You all will have fun no matter what rides she decides to try! Have a great vacation =)

 

[planningjollyholiday]

My DS6 can be timid too about trying new rides. I have to say though that when he was 6 he was brave enough and enjoyed rides that he wouldn't do when he was 5. He still hates TOT and won't even try the matterhorn, but has completely fallen in love with the rest of the thrill rides. He likes indy and if we get the front seats we make sure he gets the steering wheel seat and make a big deal about how he's the driver. His favorite rides are splash and grizzly river run because he thinks it's hilarious when everyone gets wet. Big thunder is also a big hit. I completely agree with figment_jii about space mountain. He never ever wanted to try it, but once he found out about the star wars overlay, my star wars obsessed boy was willing to give it a try and actually liked it. I agree with the pp who said that it's fun to ride attractions as a family, it really makes things more memorable. We also make a big point of congratulating him when he does try something new (usually a trip to pooh's corner for a treat is in order) and we make it very clear that if he never wants to go on the attraction again, then that is okay, we are just so very proud that he was brave and tried something new.

 

[Niltiac]

If she came around to enjoying RSR I would think BTMRR would be a good next choice. I tend to think they have a similar level of intensity in terms of speed and drops. I think Space is on that same level too except for the fact that it's in the dark. I suppose it depends what precisely she dislikes about thrill rides. For example, I have always had a problem with drops, but I've never been bothered by speed, bumpiness, etc. So for me, Splash is by far the most intense ride at DLR because that drop feels worse than even TOT and Screamin. So I wouldn't automatically take her dislike of Splash to mean she would not do well on the other thrill rides. But for some kids it's the imagery or the speed that gets them rather than just drops, so that might depend on her.

If you do know which aspect of a ride will be most scary for her, I would take some time to talk her through the ride so she knows when the scary parts are coming. As a ride-timid child, I remember often being uncomfortable for entire rides because I didn't know when to brace myself and when to relax and enjoy.

But if you don't think it's a good idea to push it and just want to skip the thrill rides with her, both kids would probably enjoy Pirates, HM, Soarin', some of the carnival-type rides in the pier area, and there are always shows/galleries/animation building/redwood creek challenge trail, etc. to enjoy as a family.

 

[Winnowill]

The first time my DD rode Splash, she was not quite 5. She was TERRIFIED, cried, and said, "I don't ever want to do that again!" So we rode Winnie the Pooh to calm her down, and, when we came out, she said she wanted to try Splash again. She wound up riding it six times that trip (we had PP+, so we have all the ride pix, and the progression from abject terror to glee is hilarious), and it's now an enduring favorite (she's 7 now).

 

[corinne76]

I think it depends on the kid. DD was 5 our last trip and she loved Splash. It was her fave. BTMM was closed so we have yet to try that and the Matterhorn. She was, however, afraid of PoC and HM because they were dark. idk??

 

[ADLFAN]

Haha, just remembered a good bribe! If the timid kid went on a scary ride, sometimes we'd buy him a pin featuring the ride and that would be motivation enough! Worked on a few rides, especially Indy!!

 

[agamble]

My oldest DD is brave. She was a few weeks shy of 5 on our last trip and was tall enough to ride Indy for the first time. She has tried all of the rides at the park except Screamin' as she wasn't tall enough then. She rode Space, TOT, Splash, Big Thunder all when she was not quite 3 (she's tall). She thought Space and TOT were scary the first time she rode them, but she did try them again. She still thinks TOT is scary and said she wouldn't ride it on the last trip, but she did end up riding it. Her favorite is Matterhorn, which was closed during our last visit.

You know your kid and her temperament and ultimately it would be up to you. I understand your dislike of getting wet, but I would suggest trying GRR out. It doesn't have the big drop that Splash Mountain has. I feel a bit of fear when I think about dropping into the Briar Patch too. But GRR doesn't give me any trepidation. Also, I would think Big Thunder Mountain may be a good ride to try. As others have suggested it can be a kids first favorite coaster. It doesn't have any big drops and isn't terribly fast.

My son isn't 40" tall yet, so he hasn't tried out any of those big rides. He LOVES Mater's though, and the rest of us enjoy it too so it's a good family ride. We also all like Toy Story Midway Mania. Our son did ride Gadget's last time and enjoyed it enough to request repeat rides. Perhaps your daughter would like that? You can all ride it, adults are just a bit squished. And hopefully the new Luigi ride will open soon and you could try that out. Pirates and Haunted Mansion are also great family rides as they are not really scary at all.

 

[CandMmommy]

My daughter loves pirates! Like ride it 40 times in one trip loved it!
Little mermaid and Soarin too

 

[jina]

My daughter turned 6 in Oct - the last time we were at DL was this past July. Other than Fantasyland & Toontown, her favorites were:
BTMR
Haunted Mansion
Tarzan Tree House
Indy
Buzz
Astro Orbiter
Winnie the Pooh
Autopia (I hate that one)
Nemo (I also don't care for it but she loves it)

She'll do Splash and Pirates but does not care for them much. She did Space when she was 3 and has no desire to ride it again.

At DCA she loves:
Mickey's Fun Wheel (Swinging)
Toy Story
All the rides on Paradise Pier (especially Goofy's and Symphony Swings)
Ariel
RSR
Soarin'
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
All of Bugs world
Monsters Inc
Animation Academy

She can do GRR but it takes awhile to get her to go on it
She's done TOT a couple of times but has to be in the mood for it which is rare

I miss DL so much! Our AP's expired last summer and we're doing other stuff this year but I hope we'll be back next year.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

My oldest is 5 1/2...I'm assuming that's close enough. He likes:

Pirates
Haunted Mansion
Winnie the Pooh
Jungle Cruise
Buzz Lightyear
Autopia
Submarines
Monster's Inc
Little Mermaid
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
Grizzly River Run
Midway Mania
Mater's Junkyard
All Bug's Land Rides

 

[smiles33]

Thanks for all the great ideas! I forgot about BTMRR--it was being refurb'ed on our last trip. I also recall DD6 loved Autopia but it's being refurbed now so we'll miss it on our trip. That's a disappointment. I also suspect she may be too scared to ride HM or POC, since they're both dark rides, or Matterhorn, since it's got the Yeti.

Lots to look forward to, nonetheless. Thanks again!

 

[DahliaRW]

We always prepped our kids for potentially scary rides, and they were fine, even young. With pirates, look up videos of the ride and also about animatronics, etc and let her know how they're fake, how the ride was built, etc and let her watch a ride through on youtube. With Matterhorn, we told our kids the Yeti was a snowcone monster that was looking for snowcones, if they didn't have one he'd leave them alone. With space, we told them to look for Wall-E and Eva. Etc. Often knowing explicitly that things are not real, etc. can help.

On that note, if you are going to do BTMRR, there is a newer part they put in a few years back with dynamite exploding, etc. It's actually really awesome. But it can be scary. So tell her about that. It's fake, just lights, fake sound, fake smoke, etc. Find a ride through video too.

 

[Sith]

We first took my now almost 12 year old son when he was 4. On that first trip, all he wanted to do was ride the Jungle Cruise. Over. And over. And over. And over...

 

[disneyland999]

My brother really likes flik's flyers in bug's land at DCA