Which "First" Roller Coaster would you choose?

[samkj]

I have to laugh at some descriptions of "timid". My 6 year old HATED all the mentioned rides (we didn't let him try Space after hating the others) He just did not like feeling out of control which is how he felt on all the rides. BTMRR, Splash, and Indy were all very frightening to him. I think he only went on them to prove to his older sister(the daredevil in the family who has been going on TofT and lving it since she was 4) that he could. Next time we go he'll be 8 and is already insisting he'll love Splash and BTMRR.

 

[DMP]

BTMRR has been my daughter's favorite ride since her first time at Disneyland right after she turned 5. She is *intensely* loyal to it - even now that she can ride the big rides...

 

[bigpuma]

BTMRR was the first roller coaster I ever went on when I was a kid. At the time I was afraid of roller coasters but after riding BTMRR I started going on all of them. I still remember it to this day 25 years later.

 

[princessnicchia]

I'd say BTMRR before Splash because you can see the drops and whatnot before riding it, while with Splash the drops and the length of the drops are unknown, unless your kid was comfortable their first time on POTC (which has similar but less severe drops, minus the big drop at the end).

This is how timid my kids are---neither of them will set foot in POTC. What's a mom to do? I've spent a LOT of time in IASW (not that I don't love it you know, but it can get excessive the 10th or so time in a trip).

 

[lntsmom]

He's now willing to do the bobsleds, Big Thunder, and is considering Space Mountain (!) for this trip! I'm still working on him where Splash Mountain goes.

 

[Amy&Dan]

When my nieces were six, they rode their first coaster and we started them with BTMRR and then moved to Space that same trip. BTMRR is longer and jerkier, but its not in the dark. It also doesn't have any big drops and kids can see the track from the outside so they can sort of guage for themselves. I think its also a bit less scary than Splash Mountain. Matterhorn is another one that most kids love and it has a short height requirement. And the way the kids can sit right up snug with mom or dad is nice. My kids loved Matterhorn, for our first few trips that one was the fave by far with BTMRR a close second.

Each kid is different, what freaks out some is quite fun to others!

 

[DahliaRW]

Out of those two, I agree BTMM. But if she's interested in Matterhorn, I'd do that first just because you can hold her in your lap and that might make it less scary. The other thing would be to consider what scares her. On BTMM you come up out of your seat more (which scared my ds a bit the first time) and that doesn't happen on space or splash.

 

[imjen]

My 4 yr old went on BTMRR, Splash, SM, and Matterhorn on our last trip. She had been on Matterhorn twice before on a previous trip. Her favorites ended up being Splash and Matterhorn. She didn't like BTMRR that much, I think b/c you bounce around a lot and she didn't feel as secure. Space was a little too intense for her. She did fine on the ride but didn't want to ride it again.