What to AVOID w kids!

[luvmy3]

Just wondering how you got out since you are each in individual shoulder (think roller coaster) harnesses. My kids have never done this and they are 9 and 12. Thinking of trying to get them to try it this year.

Actually as the harness was coming down he started screaming so we left before we were locked in. (Does is lock, I didn't get that far.) I do remember having to awkwardly scoot out from under and the CM directed us to an exit.
That was the only attraction/ride my ds was scared of, not sure what triggered it. At the time he was a big Stitch fan. He was 5 then, he's 9 now and we'll definitely try it again. I think he has lost his fear, he's even looking forward to ToT.

 

[EagleScout]

Two other rides worth mentioning - mickey's philharmagic and finding nemo,which are tricky, because both clearly on their face appear to be designed for kids, but philharmagic has very loud noises and 3d effects so about 30 percent of shows get screaming kids (including ours), and nemo is dark with lots of large predators, etc.

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

On our first trip, we learned the hard way that one of our kids was totally freaked out by the 3D stuff they do in "It's tough to be a bug" and "Philharmagic".

 

[Yellosno]

My first ever 3d ride was Its tough to be a bug that ruined me on 3d movies for almost 10 years. I was also the kid that would go on any ride no matter what so I would advise against ittbab.

 

[lazer]

My son is 5 and has no sensory issues. Thought i'd chime in, just to see how different it is for each kiddo.

He loves loves loves haunted mansion, Nemo and Great Movie Rode. Hated waiting in line for POC, it was dark to him. Noise at illuminations really bothered him. He also is scared of the Star Tours ride. In the short clip they played on the hotel tv, it looks like darth vader is really there. He loves everything Star Wars, but seeing Dv In person is not something he ever wants to do!

He also loves Philharmagic, but thinks Soarin is scary because of the way the ride looks before you get on it, like when they're loading you into seats.

I'd def avoid Bugs Life and Stitch.

 

[chartle]

Just wondering how you got out since you are each in individual shoulder (think roller coaster) harnesses. My kids have never done this and they are 9 and 12. Thinking of trying to get them to try it this year.

Actually as the harness was coming down he started screaming so we left before we were locked in. (Does is lock, I didn't get that far.) I do remember having to awkwardly scoot out from under and the CM directed us to an exit.

It does not "lock you in". the harnesses do go over your shoulders like a over the head restraint on a roller coaster. They lower down, touch your shoulders and then raise back up. If you had to you could push them back up.

They are not to hold you in but place the stereo speakers close to you ears so it sounds like something is say walking across the room. There are are also other "effects" involved in the harnesses.

When it was Alien Encounter there was an effect where if felt like the alien was "tasting" the top of your head.

Stitch is something everyone has to try once because there is no other attraction in the world like it. In its Alien Encounter version it was the scariest attraction I was ever on (I was 40 at the time). Which is huge since it does not move. In designing it, the Imagineers either consulted expert psychologists or serial torturers. It was great!

 

[luvmy3]

It does not "lock you in". the harnesses do go over your shoulders like a over the head restraint on a roller coaster. They lower down, touch your shoulders and then raise back up. If you had to you could push them back up.

They are not to hold you in but place the stereo speakers close to you ears so it sounds like something is say walking across the room. There are are also other "effects" involved in the harnesses.

When it was Alien Encounter there was an effect where if felt like the alien was "tasting" the top of your head.

Stitch is something everyone has to try once because there is no other attraction in the world like it. In its Alien Encounter version it was the scariest attraction I was ever on (I was 40 at the time). Which is huge since it does not move. In designing it, the Imagineers either consulted expert psychologists or serial torturers. It was great!

Was it Alien encounter in 2008? That is when we were there last and ds was terrified. I admit I don't remember much about that particular ride because I was so stressed by his screaming. It is all a blur

 

[chartle]

Was it Alien encounter in 2008? That is when we were there last and ds was terrified. I admit I don't remember much about that particular ride because I was so stressed by his screaming. It is all a blur

No AE closed in 2003. So you must have seen Stitch.

AE was too "good". It knew how to hit every nerve in your body. Good times.

 

[luvmy3]

No AE closed in 2003. So you must have seen Stitch.

AE was too "good". It knew how to hit every nerve in your body. Good times.

Thanks, I really couldn't remember what it was called. It was definitely a Stitch attraction, didn't realize there was something there before him.

 

[chartle]

Thanks, I really couldn't remember what it was called. It was definitely a Stitch attraction, didn't realize there was something there before him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExtraTERRORestrial_Alien_Encounter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2XkRn_pAQI

 

[EveClark]

We took my son last Sept a couple of months after he turned 4. Surprisingly, he didn't like Mickeys Philharmagic... It was very loud and the 3D aspect was too much for him. This was his first trip and his second attraction so it seemed like he was just overwhelmed. The same happened on Star Tours - he was freaked out within the first 30 seconds, before the ride even "took off".
Now, that being said, we rode PoC and HM twice! He was a bit "iffy" at some parts but my husband or I would lean over and point out something funny or ask him a question and that always seemed to work. He was the one who wanted to go on both of those rides again so I guess he liked them!
We played up HM as the "Halloween ride" and said they were funny ghosts, had him look for the ones twirling around and dancing, things like that...
Hope that helps!

 

[chocovrdmicears]

If you have any other advice I would love to hear it! My son has sensory issues also; we went to Disney 2 years ago and the cannons at POC were not good and the fireworks at the end of Soarin had him in tears...so it sounds like he is similar. I was planning on taking him on the Figment ride but I probably will not now (I was not aware of the blast, but just looked it up and it would not go over well at all). If you have any other things to avoid or be mindful of with a sensory sensitive kid I'd love to hear!

I'm glad I could help.
As I am sure you are aware, sometimes it is so hard to figure out what may or may not trigger the panic - but I suppose it's like that with every kid!
My son used to have a bit of a problem on Dinosaur...but not because of the ride itself (which oddly enough he LOVES) - He would panic over the boarding area because of the grates on the floor (go figure).

A couple of other things that are a no-go for him.

- Disney buses. Sitting or standing in a really crowded bus makes him very anxious.. (but he loves the monorail even if it is packed) . So we always rent a car.

- We went to 50's Prime Time once and he had a panic attack in there. Despite explaining to him a gajillion times it was all in fun, he really thought the servers were mad and everyone was getting in trouble - between the yelling and the singing and laughing - forget it! We left before we got our food.

- He loves the Great Movie Ride but we used to have to cover his ears during the Alien part of it..he hates the sound of the alarm noise. (but he would get mad if we tried to cover his eyes because he wanted to see the creepy alien).

It's so hard to figure out what might bother a kid..but in my crazy experience, I wouldn't write off anything (except the obvious stuff like ITTBAB or Dinosaur). Sometimes all it takes is a little preperation for that 1 or 2 minute thing, that may or may not bother them, that way they don't miss out on experiencing some of the great things like Pirates, Haunted Mansion or Philarmagic.

HTH!

 

[mom2cookies]

Thank you! They are TERRIFIED of bugs so I know that would not go over well! Why is stitch'd adventure gross? Thx!

Because it feels like he jumps on your shoulders ( which personally I found painfull ), burps in your " face" after eating a chili dog ( I think ). Its all just special effects but still not fun or pleasant. I think something tickles your feet too. Its been many years since we went on it bc we just don't like it. If you chose to give it a whirl, I suggest you put your hands about 2 inches above your shoulders so the harness will feel your hands and not push into your shoulders. I'm not sure why they are even there, you don't move.

 

[wishing4PA]

Two other rides worth mentioning - mickey's philharmagic and finding nemo,which are tricky, because both clearly on their face appear to be designed for kids, but philharmagic has very loud noises and 3d effects so about 30 percent of shows get screaming kids (including ours), and nemo is dark with lots of large predators, etc.

Thank you for mentioning Nemo. Preshow = great. Show terrified dd4 and her dad & I could figure out no escape from our seats. Longest hour of our life (or however long) while we tried to calm her and keep her quiet.

 

[Dsnyfireman]

We went this past February with dd3 and ds5. We rode just about every thing except roller coasters and they never had an issue with any ride. They loved haunted mansion and pirates. Space ship earth was a big hit too. I know some kids have issues with some rides but mine did great so just keep that in mind. We usually had them try a ride and see if they liked it, and they were fine for us. Hope this helps too.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

If you chose to give it a whirl, I suggest you put your hands about 2 inches above your shoulders so the harness will feel your hands and not push into your shoulders. I'm not sure why they are even there, you don't move.

It's to stop people from panicking and getting up in the dark and running around looking for the exit-a holdover from when it was Alien Encounter.

 

[Luv4Disney]

DD2 was mesmerized by Fantasmic. She actually sat there the whole show and just watched. I couldn't believe it.

So far we haven't had any issues with DD. However, the past couple of months or so we have noticed her starting to get scared of things, so it should make this upcoming trip interesting.

 

[chartle]

It's to stop people from panicking and getting up in the dark and running around looking for the exit-a holdover from when it was Alien Encounter.

As I posted above, its to put the speakers they use as close as possible to your ears and for the other effects. In no way do they stop you from getting out of your seat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExtraTERRORestrial_Alien_Encounter#Special_effects

 

[BlueStarryHat]

As I posted above, its to put the speakers they use as close as possible to your ears and for the other effects. In no way do they stop you from getting out of your seat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExtraTERRORestrial_Alien_Encounter#Special_effects

Sorry, my bad. I was going by what the Unofficial Guide says.

 

[katt789]

I would DEFINITELY avoid:
-it's tough to be a bug
-Dinosaur

both in Ak

in the Nemo ride there is a dark part with that scary looking fish, I'd say just cover eyes/ears and you'd be okay on the ride

-Stitch's Great Escape is a must avoid
-The stretching room in the Haunted Mansion is probably another "cover ears/eyes" location, the ride itself is not bad at all
-Some smaller kids get scared at the beginning of Pirates as well

-Fantasmic as awesome as a show that it is, it is very villain centered, and there are lots of loud noises in there, maybe skip it, or watch it online, get the kids to look at the scarier parts and see if they think they could handle it. Sit near the back of the theater and be ready to leave if needed?