What rides to NOT take a 3 year old on?

[MickeyNicki]

What rides would you not take your 3 year old (a girl 2 months before her 4th birthday) on? Not because of height restrictions but because of scare factor

 

[ErinInCT]

My 4 yr old dd (who generally has no fear) was kind of scared on Snow White & Haunted Mansion. She actually did Snow White twice once she got thru it that 1st time! She wore a glow necklace during the day & if she got scared she put it up to her eyes in the dark so it glowed.

 

[outlander]

that's a hard question to answer because it really depends on the kid.
my ds5 still doesn't want to go on splash mountain again but he loves test track.
i don't think there is anything really 'scary' at disney but it is hard to know what will 'scare' different children.

not much help, i know but it is just hard to say without knowing what each child reacts to.

 

[P-Dust]

A LOT of young children are afraid of It's Tough to be a Bug. Bugs and spiders and roaches, oh my! Many a child has been seen exiting early. (with a parent, of course)

 

[lizardqueen]

DD is 3 yrs 4 months. She had seen the planning videos and specials on the travel channel. Wanted to go on everything, including Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain. Had no fear of anything when we went to our local amusement parks. However, when we got there -- she was scared of EVERYTHING, including the Playhouse Disney thing at MGM with Bear, Stanley, etc. The only things she was not afraid of were It's a Small World and Cinderella's Carrousel, that was out of all 4 parks.

 

[northie]

If they are afraid of bugs you might think about skipping It's Tough to be a Bug. My grandson was absolutely terrified of it because of the spiders...he was 6. When he was 7 he was still scared. This summer he was 8 and they sat in the back. He told me it wasn't so scary because he could see the "sticks" the spiders were on from there. We sat in the back last time we went too but I don't remember noticing any sticks, but then I wasn't scared either!

Sara

 

[kerri0616]

First one I think of is Snow White's SCARY Adventures...That witch is just really scary...

Some kids are a little overstimulated in Buzz. I would recommend the TTA to preview it with her.

My older son is afraid of ghosts. I finally managed, at age 9, to get him onto Haunted Mansion. He still didn't like it.

I don't think she'll be tall enough for Splash Mountain, so no worries there.

And I've heard terrible things about Stitch's Escape. (There may also be a height restriction)...supposedly quite terrifying for the young ones.

At AK, It's tough to be a bug generally causes several kids each show to go into hysterics and leave. Pretty realistic.

That's what comes to mind for me.

Enjoy everything else!!!

Kerri

 

[mom22boys]

We have never gone on the Snow White ride at Fantasyland. We have also avoided It's Tough to be a Bug and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. I knew the 3-D movies would be too frightening for my DSs. But as for others rides/attractions to avoid, what scares your DD? Is she frightened by the dark, by loud sounds, by thunderstorms....? Peter Pan is an awesome ride, but it is very dark. Winnie the Pooh is adorable, but there is a pretend thunderstorm. My suggestion is to read the ride descriptions in a couple of guide books and think about her likes and dislikes. I would also suggest to start with the outdoor rides, Dumbo, Tea Cups, Carrousel (SP?), and then move to the indoor rides. If you have any concerns about your DD liking indoor rides start with Its a Small World. The rooms in IASM are big, open, and well lit.

Good luck and happy planning!

 

[traviesojmt]

We just returned from WDW two weeks ago. My DD3 just turned 3 in June, but is over 40". Even though she was tall enough, we did not let her ride Dinosaur, Tower of Tower and Snow White. She did ride Haunted Mansion. She wasn't really scared, but she did not like it. Of course, every child will be different. My DD absolutely loved Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Test Track, Soarin and Kali River Rapids. I would say that the Great Movie Ride at MGM is iffy. There is a scene from Alien that can be very scary for little ones. We happened to know when that part was so we distracted her during that section. Also, Pirates of the Caribbean is another one that could be scary. My DD3 didn't mind it, but I could see how it might be scary for some little ones.

 

[blondeheroine]

And I've heard terrible things about Stitch's Escape. (There may also be a height restriction)...supposedly quite terrifying for the young ones.

Stitch's Great Escape can be experienced at home by eating Chili Dogs, burping and taking a big whiff of the scent.

I ALWAYS hear kids screaming through It's Tough to be a Bug. I mean high pitched, terrified screams. And if you think about it, that's got to be one scary attraction when you aren't quite able to separate reality from fantasy. Heck, it kinda got me the first time I went on it. And I still hold my breath when they spray the "bug spray."

 

[outlander]

fwiw...*i'm* scared of 'it's tough to be a bug' and i have no plans to see 'honey, i shrunk the audience'

<-------me riding the other way from those two attractions!

 

[Ellielovesdisney]

Our DD (who was only 2 at the time) was terrified in snow white and pirates. She liked all the outdoor rides and winnie the pooh and buzz lightyear. She also got a little scared for some reason during the festival of the lion king.

 

[Nienor]

Skip Dinosaur, I think I traumatized my DS a couple of years ago when he was 4. But I had no idea about that huge dinosaur overhead at the end.

 

[blondeheroine]

Skip Dinosaur, I think I traumatized my DS a couple of years ago when he was 4. But I had no idea about that huge dinosaur overhead at the end.

That dinosaur scared me and I'm in my twenties.

 

[Aidensmom]

My son is 5 and is still afraid of dark rides. He has been on the Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, and Stitch, and Pooh, Maelstrom, Great Movie Ride each one time, but will not ride any of them again because they are dark. The only ones he really had a real hard time while on it though were the Haunted Mansion, Maelstrom, Great Movie Ride, and Pooh. He seemed to enjoy Buzz and Stitch at the time, but now will not go on them. We have never tried him on some others because of the darkness factor. We stick to outside rides, and it seems that no matter how "thrilling" they are, he likes them because they are outside. Goofy's Barnstormer rollercoaster is actually his favorite ride.

POTC is pretty intense actually for a young child, even if my son wanted to ride I am not sure he would handle it well. I have seen some pretty scared kids on that.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Depends on the kid. I had one scaredy cat and at 3 years I wouldn't have taken him on:

It's Tough To Be a Bug*
Expedition Everest
Dinosaur
Haunted Mansion
Space Mountain
Tower of Terror
Rock n Rollercoaster
The Great Movie Ride
Maelstrom
Honey - I Shrunk the Audience

The one with the big, giant heads up is It's Tough To Be a Bug!

 

[kabbie]

DD is 3 yrs 4 months. She had seen the planning videos and specials on the travel channel. Wanted to go on everything, including Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain. Had no fear of anything when we went to our local amusement parks. However, when we got there -- she was scared of EVERYTHING, including the Playhouse Disney thing at MGM with Bear, Stanley, etc. The only things she was not afraid of were It's a Small World and Cinderella's Carrousel, that was out of all 4 parks.

That describes my 3 yr old niece to a tee. First attraction we tried was Pirates...wrong move. She freaked out over everything from then on. She did like the parades, It's a Small World, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, all of the playgrounds, and the character greetings. We are leaving soon and I hope we have better luck this time around getting her to ride things.

 

[Mcqueen Fans]

My son was a few months from turning four the first time we went and stitch's escape scared him to death. He was scared the whole week that we were going to take him on another scary ride. since it was his first time he was unsure of everything after that. It was really bad because we had to talk him into riding everything. When we talk about what we are gong to do this year and last year, he say i will ride eveything but stitch. I really did not like it myselve because it was really dark in there. I felt terrible he sceamed the whole time and I could not get him out of the seat to leave the ride. NOT a good experience and it was the second thing we did when we arrived and Disney World.

 

[iamallears]

There is a good review of rides on AllEarsnet.com that describes the rides so you can make better decisions. ~

http://allearsnet.com/tp/rdszmk.htm

Hope this helps

 

[bytheblood]

It might be easier to make a list of things for a 3-year-old. This does vary from child to child, but I would say stick to MK mostly. Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, Aladdin's Carpets, Swiss Family Robinson's Treehouse, Triceratop Spin, maybe the Kilimanjaro Safari, Maharaja Jungle Trek, Pangani Forest Trail and maybe a few others are good for a 3-year-old.