Which preschool rides would you consider "Jerky" in movement?

[toddler]

I know that sounds strange to word it that way... I'd explained in another post that I'm planning a trip for a family that has a 5 year old with a brain tumor. They're going in Dec and she's having surgery in Jan. The physician has released her to go under advisement to not go on rides that would jerk her body around in an undue, sudden manner.

OK, the mom has said that rides "are OK to do and that she wants to do them." I'm the type that's scared to death at the idea of putting her on them but the parents want her to enjoy this last hurrah and have stated to please plan out the schedule for them so that it includes the rides. They're thinking the preschool type rides that would be in her age group, of course....

I'm mentally going down the list of rides that would appeal to a 5 year old and trying to remember which ones have a "jerk" in the movement. Of course all the rollercoaster ones are out (Barnstormer, etc.) but I'm doubting ALL the rides and know this won't work with the parents... they all have some movement to them - but can you remember specific ones that have "more than average" movement that would be really sudden and jerky?

BTW, when I called WDW the gentleman that I asked this to was completely lost.... so that's why I'm posting it out here.

Thanks!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

In general, anything that is jerky will have a red triangle icon on the park maps and on a sign at the entrance to the queue and also before boarding. Here's a list of all the attractions at each park. I put the ones I think a 5 yr old girl would like that are not jerky in bold type.
Here's a link to a page with an overview of all the rides listed here.
Also a link to the ride calculator, so you can see which rides she is too short for.

Magic Kingdom

• Ariel's Grotto meet and greet with Ariel
  Astro Orbiter - not jerky, but very high up and can make you dizzy.
  Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm - jerky
  Big Thunder Mountain - jerky
  Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin does some spinning, but not jerky and you control the spinning
  Carousel of Progress - not jerky, but some small kids may be bored
  Cinderella's Golden Carousel there are some carriages if she can't be lifted onto a horse
  Country Bear Jamboree - show, no movement
  Donald's Boat not a ride, a play area
  Dream Along with Mickey - a show at the castle (this might be replaced with a Chrismas show at that time, I'm not sure)
  Dumbo the Flying Elephant
  Enchanted Tiki Room
  Hall of Presidents (boring)
  The Haunted Mansion - not jerky, but may be too scary
  It's a Small World - it is possible, but not likely that your boat may get bumped while you are stopped at the end. The boats do have big bumpers on the back to help with making it less of a problem.
  Jungle Cruise
  Liberty Square Riverboat
  Mad Tea Party
  Main Street Family Fun Day Parade - a fun parade that involves guests
  The Magic Carpets of Aladdin - up high, but not jerky
  The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - the 'hunny pots' bounce with Tiggr; it's bouncy, but not jarring. They can turn the movement off in the wheelchair accessible car. You do need to be in a wheelchair for that car since there is only 1 seat. I don't know if they can turn it off for other cars.
  Mickey's Country House - a walk thru
  Mickey's Philharmagic - wonderful 3 D movie
  Minnie's Country House - a walk thru
  Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor - if she has seen Monsters, Inc, she will love
  Peter Pan's Flight
  Pirates of the Caribbean - includes a drop
  Pooh's Playful Spot - playground
  Snow Whites Scary Adventures - can be scary, my DDs didn't like when they were 5
  Space Mountain
  Splash Mountain - includes a high speed drop
  Stitch's Great Escape! - dark and has some bad smells
  Swiss Family Treehouse - may be fun, but LOTS of steps
  Tomorrowland Speedway - good chance of getting bumped by other drivers
  Tomorrowland Transit Authority - have to go up a one story moving ramp, but is a good, quiet ride
  Toontown Hall of Fame - character meet and greet

 

[SueM in MN]

Again, I put the ones in bold type that I think a 5 yr old girl would like and are not jerky.
Link to Epcot page.
EPCOT

• SOARIN' - very gentle simulated hang glider ride, not jerky at all
  Living with the Land - boat ride overview of farming and growing food. Includes a greenhouse space growing things like giant pumpkins
  Circle of Life - movie about living with the Earth, starring Lion King characters
  Spaceship Earth - still in rehab when we went. Not jerky
  Honey I Shrunk the Audience - 3D movie with some scary dark parts
  Test Track
  Innoventions - walk thru with exhibits and things to do, might enjoy
  Universe of Energy - not jerky, is 45 min long though
  Imagination! - Figment is cute and nothing jerky
  Where's Nemo - cute ride thru 'the sea' in 'clamobiles. Not jerky
  Turtle Talk - cute, interactive show
  Mission: Space
  
  World Showcase
  360 movies in Canada and China may be interesting depending on the child, but you do have to stand
  Movie in France has beautiful music and scenery. Does have seats.
  Mexico has a boat ride similar to Small World. Themed to Donald Duck's south of the border friends.

There are also many oportunities to see Disney Characters in World Showcase. They appear in the appropriate country for their character (Mulan in China, etc)

 

[mechurchlady]

I recommend watching videos on sites such as youtube to put your mind at ease and to discuss what rides are best skipped.

Definitely not Tomorrowland Speedway as I have had two major incidents in Disneyland and one was where someone drove into my vehicle and would not let up on the gas. Autopia and Tomorrowland Speedway are safe and fun rides One way to avoid the ramming would be to have friends get in line behind the kid's vehicle and provide a buffer zone. The last time I rode Autopia in Disneyland was when I had two cars behind me who knew of my bad back and stopped a safe distance away from me.

I would avoid the Kilamanjaro Safari as it can get bumpy and jerky but there are lots of shows and activities in Animal Kingdom. I first did Bug's Life at WDW and was in an ECV. The second time was in DCA in California. I screamed in pain as something touched my back. The seats have rollers that make it feel like the bugs are walking under you. The backs poke you so that you feel like a stinger got you. The stinger hit me in the disintigrating disc.
Also a bit too scary.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Sue mentioned it briefly, but I just wanted to reiterate that some of the boat rides may cause problems at the unloading area. When there are a number of boats in service and / or there has been a slight delay at the loading / unloading area, the boats can back up a little. The only thing to stop the forward motion of your boat, is the one in front. They do have rubber bumpers that absorb the shock a bit, but not entirely. I don't know how big a bump would be too big, but you might want to send someone on one of the boat rides alone, to test it out first (just make sure she's well distracted with something else, so she doesn't get disappointed if it isn't safe).

Also, on rides like Dumbo, if you're very enthusiastic with the tiller, you can sometimes get quite a rapid drop. It may not be too much of a jerk, and if it would be, is easily avoided by being a little gentle with the steering

Good luck!

 

[Kirlinale]

I have never heard of that restriction 'pre-surgery', but I also have a 5 year old with a brain tumor who has done Disney both pre and post brain surgery. In addition to her brain tumor (which is deemed inoperable) she has intractible epilepsy, mild CP and delayed processing/mental slowing and a host of other issues.

I wonder if location of the tumor holds any reasoning for this. Our daughter was born with one on her brainstem that grew slowly for a few years until we risked treating it with surgery and two years of chemo..

We have not limited my daughters rides, but , even in her stable condition..
I did not see what parks you were planning on doing.. and I agree with Sue's list , except for Buzz which can be a bit rough if a kid is whiping the car around with the stick.

The Safari Ride at Animal Kingdom was very rough and so can Kali River Rapids.

The only safe rides here would be Rafiki's planet watch, or , Triceratop Spin.


MGM ..hmmm... I don't remember what she went on, maybe Star Tours.. which freaked her out and was a bit rough.. otherwise.. we mostly did the show thing.

HTH..

I know that sounds strange to word it that way... I'd explained in another post that I'm planning a trip for a family that has a 5 year old with a brain tumor. They're going in Dec and she's having surgery in Jan. The physician has released her to go under advisement to not go on rides that would jerk her body around in an undue, sudden manner.

OK, the mom has said that rides "are OK to do and that she wants to do them." I'm the type that's scared to death at the idea of putting her on them but the parents want her to enjoy this last hurrah and have stated to please plan out the schedule for them so that it includes the rides. They're thinking the preschool type rides that would be in her age group, of course....

I'm mentally going down the list of rides that would appeal to a 5 year old and trying to remember which ones have a "jerk" in the movement. Of course all the rollercoaster ones are out (Barnstormer, etc.) but I'm doubting ALL the rides and know this won't work with the parents... they all have some movement to them - but can you remember specific ones that have "more than average" movement that would be really sudden and jerky?

BTW, when I called WDW the gentleman that I asked this to was completely lost.... so that's why I'm posting it out here.

Thanks!!!

 

[toddler]

Hi, I posted this on another thread but wanted to tell you here too as it relates to this family:
I wanted to post the tremendously wonderful ( two positive words there to express how Happy I am!) experience I had with Disney regarding this family.

We were chosen out of a random crowd for the year of a million dreams for a private meeting with Cinderella. We were thrilled BUT my kids were set to be spoiled that week and I couldn't help but think about that other family I'd been in contact with that went the same week we did... so I called this family that I'd been helping and offered them our private meeting. I wanted them to have a great time and knew that they were limited in what they could "do" while at Disney because of their daughter's condition while my kids are perfectly healthy and were going on all the rides, we had character meals scheduled ect... (my kids are beyond spoiled!) Well, they couldn't go, so I told the Disney rep what I'd attempted in giving them our spot and why and he asked me a lot of questions and got info on the family and long story short, they made a beautiful day for this family!!! They got them VIP seating for the parade, got them ice cream during it and a drink, they got to meet the princesses and Mickey Mouse (privately) and then got VIP seating for the Wishes fireworks. I was so happy that Disney created such a wonderful experience for them considering the little girls condition!!! I felt like I was going to burst from just the excitement of what I knew their kids were experiencing.... The little girl had been sick the day before and that'd been a damper so this whole surprise experience that Disney did for them was just a wonderfully complete surprise to them and just was a great experience.

So anyway... you can tell how tickled I am. I was a Disney fan before and this just really convinced me how wonderful Disney can be!

Thank you, Disney - Nancy and David at Disney Magic Kingdom (especially) for working so hard to make that family's experience so wonderful. I've talked to the Mom twice since then and she said her kids still haven't come back down to earth since the experience, that it's all they talk about!

 

[Lou-Ann]

I found Dinasour very bumpy and hard to handle with my bulging discs in my back...

 

[SueM in MN]

Hi, I posted this on another thread but wanted to tell you here too as it relates to this family:
I wanted to post the tremendously wonderful ( two positive words there to express how Happy I am!) experience I had with Disney regarding this family. !

Thanks for sharing.
Glad to hear they had a magical trip.

 

[pfalcioni]

You've got Peter Pan's Flight in bold - and it's not jerky, until the unload. When your 'ship' comes back into the unload area, there's usually a big jolt.

 

[SueM in MN]

You've got Peter Pan's Flight in bold - and it's not jerky, until the unload. When your 'ship' comes back into the unload area, there's usually a big jolt.

That's true and I had forgotten about that. When the boat comes back to 'the ground' it does sort of 'jerk' as it gets back down.