what safe rides are there for small kids?

[tiggtail]

I am hoping I can get some expert advice...my dh and I are taking our grandchildren on their first trip to WDW in december. They are ages 6 and 7. I have been there 6 times but never with little ones. I am really nervous about what to let them ride. I want the 7 year old dgs to ride tower of terror, but his mom is pretty nervous about it (she is not coming along this trip). Can any of you help me with what rides are safe for their age group? His sister is 6 and tall, but is very light and petite. Is she safe to go on it? How about aerosmith at MGM? Some of these seem way to much for a 6 or 7 year old. I think they meet most height requirements.
I would appreciate any advice!

 

[eeyoregon]

Base your decisions on the kids' comfort level too. Do they want to do Tower of Terror? When I rode it, there were several young kids and they loved it. To this day my DS's 10 and 13 still have not gone on it and aren't planning to!

Everything in Fantasy Land is suitable for the young. For that matter, everything at Magic Kingdom with the exception of maybe Space Mountain is suitable for young ones as long as they meet the height requirements. Give Big Thunder Mountain a whirl before trying Rockin' Roller Coaster.

We did Expedition Everest last week and it was very intense but we all survived!

Test Track at Epcot is a blast!! My DS was 8 the first time he rode it and we keep coming back for more! Soarin at Epcot is a MUST!

Happy riding!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

My six year-old's favorite ride in all of WDW is Tower of Terror. She has been riding it since she was three years old (good thing, too, since my DH won't go with me!) She loves rollercoasters and fast rides like Test Track but doesn't like to go upside down, and she didn't like Dinosaur in AK (too dark and scary). She is tall for her age and has been able to ride many rides for quite a while. If your grandkids want to go and you are willing to go with them, I say try it out! They are old enough to tell you if they didn't like it and move on without being scared the rest of the day, and they should be safe if they are tall enough and follow the rules to stay seated and keep their arms and legs inside! Good luck and have fun!

 

[bartleby1]

My DD is 6 and will be riding most things this summer. I did tell her no to Rock n Roller coaster though. Personally, I don't think she is ready for it even though she meets the height requirement (which is 48 inches). Your GD may not even meet the height requirement for that one. Many 6 yr olds are not 48 inches yet. I also won't be letting her on mission space. She is really looking forward to trying space mountain which is as rough of a ride as I will let her go on at this point.

I think most 6 and 7 yr olds are fine on TOT though. The height requirement is only 40 inches, which many 3 year olds are tall enough for.

 

[Hannathy]

All the rides are safe IF you meet the requirements and follow the instructions. I think you needed to ask what rides would they like not if they are safe. Ask the kids and go from there.

 

[sara74]

My DD is 6 and will be riding most things this summer. I did tell her no to Rock n Roller coaster though. Personally, I don't think she is ready for it even though she meets the height requirement (which is 48 inches). Your GD may not even meet the height requirement for that one. Many 6 yr olds are not 48 inches yet. I also won't be letting her on mission space. She is really looking forward to trying space mountain which is as rough of a ride as I will let her go on at this point.

I think most 6 and 7 yr olds are fine on TOT though. The height requirement is only 40 inches, which many 3 year olds are tall enough for.

Keep in mind that WDW is making changes to Mission:Space so if your concerns are about the physical challenges of the ride, the kids may enjoy the new stationary version of it! DH rode M:S and he rode ToT with our four year old DD. He said that ToT, which DD brags about but didn't like, was waay scarier than M:S! I think DD would do well on M:S if it had been stationary when we went in April.

PS Please correct me...is it stationary or stationery? Which one doesn't move and which is a piece of note paper?

 

[DVCLiz]

Keep in mind that WDW is making changes to Mission:Space so if your concerns are about the physical challenges of the ride, the kids may enjoy the new stationary version of it! DH rode M:S and he rode ToT with our four year old DD. He said that ToT, which DD brags about but didn't like, was waay scarier than M:S! I think DD would do well on M:S if it had been stationary when we went in April.

PS Please correct me...is it stationary or stationery? Which one doesn't move and which is a piece of note paper?

You were right -a doesn't move and e is a piece of paper!!

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I think that everything at Disney is safe for children who meet the height requirement and don't have any special needs. The two semi-exceptions to this are 1) Mission Space (probably still very safe but because of the well publicized deaths people are nervous -- the non-spinning car is probably a great solution for worried families) and 2) Primeval whirl -- I have heard that a small child riding with a large adult can get really "squished" on this ride -- not injured just bruised and jolted.

The biggest "risk" I think is that your grandchildren will get either scared or motion sick early on and it will prevent them from enjoying other attractions -- wtih that in mind I'd work my way up.

With DS who was 6 last trip (his first to an amusement park) we started with MGM and just did shows, then we spent an EMH morning at fantasyland, worked up to toon town and Goofy's barnstormer and then over to Splash and BTMRR. All of those were fine so the next day we went to Epcot for Test Track (except it rained and so we missed the ride) and then the following day we did all the rides in Tomorrowland. Space Mountain scared him a little (not so much that he didn't ride it again LOL) so I decided that was his limit and we skipped Dinosaur, and ToT which seemed to me "scarier" than Space. EE wasn't up yet and he wasn't tall enough for RnR or Primeval Whirl, I also get really motion sick so I vetoed Star Tours and Mission Space for my own protection.

 

[tiggtail]

Thanks everyone....really good advice and well taken. This granny is breathing a bit easier. The kids have seen the video's and have already chosen the rides they want to go on, but I wasn't sure. They may just change their minds once they see the rides in person. I really liked the suggestion about taking it slowely from the bottom up so to speak...a 3-D movie and from there a bit more adventurous. All points were great and I thank you!

 

[tara98]

While we are on the subject, How is Test Track? Do you think it is suitable for a 4 year old? Too fast? Too scary?

 

[kstinw19]

It obviously depends on your child, but I think it is fine for a 4 year old. We took dd5 and ds4 on it last October. DD also went on it the year before when she was four. DD loved it both times, but DS wasn't so sure. He didn't say a word when it was going but when it ended all he kept saying was, "i don wanna go again...i don wanna go again"

The only thing I see as a problem on the ride is that if they are little they can't really see out the front of the car...poor ds didn't know what he was in for...I was actually surprised he even got on